Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Masahiro Minato

Goro Mori

Yoshihide Sugiyama

Nobuyuki Morii

Masatoshi Hosoi

Yuji Ueno

Nobuyoshi Seki

Tsutomu Ichinose

Takashi Komada

Toshiyuki Kikuchi

Masashi Shimada

Shin Umeda

Atuhisa Hujiwara

Masahiro Tamura

Kenji Yamada

Takashi Fujii

Hiroki Okada

Shinji Asami

Shinji Imoto

Akihito Andoh

Hirobumi Yoshino

Kenji Mori

An automatic document feeder which is operable in each of a sort/stack mode, an inversion mode, and a staple mode. A tray is provided on which a document to be stapled is stacked. A positioning element and a driving roller are provided for directing the document to be stapled to the tray and for properly positioning the document on the tray. A movable stopper is formed on the tray for properly positioning the document at a stacking position, a stapling position, and a discharge position. The document can be stapled at either a single place or at multiple places. The document passes through a first document path in the sort/staple mode, and passes through a second document path in a staple mode. The document also passes through a portion of the second document path in the inversion mode.

Document handler with a staple mode and a moveable stopper

In an automatic document feeder (ADF), a document separating mechanism includes a separator belt. Documents stacked on a tray are caused to abut against the separator belt at their leading edges and then introduced into a nip between the belt and a feed roller to be separated one by one. The angle at which the documents abut against the separator belt is variable. The separator belt is movably mounted on a guide pivotable about the shaft of a separator roller. The above angle refers to an angle between the surface of the documents stacked on the tray and the surface of the portion of the separator belt against which the documents abut.

Document separating mechanism for an automatic document feeder

A finisher for positioning stacks of paper sheets each being loaded on individual bins of a sorter and stapling the positioned stacks by a stapler one at a time. The finisher has a paper pulling device for pulling a stack of paper sheets to a stapling position of the stapler. The paper pulling device has an upper and a lower chuck which cooperate to grip the stack of paper sheets at a plurality of points of the latter. The upper and lower chucks are mounted on the free ends of an upper and a lower rotatable lever, respectively.

Finisher for finishing paper sheets

A paper handing apparatus having a plurality of bins, a chuck unit and a stapler unit movable up and down along the bins, and a sorting unit. The sorting unit distributes a number of paper sheets received from a copier or similar image forming apparatus to the bins, while the stapler unit binds an end portion of each of the stacks of paper sheets loaded in the individual bins. The stapler is movable between and lockable at a position for binding a paper stack and a position for supplying staples. The stapler unit is removable from the sorting unit. Doors such as a stapler door are provided on the housing of the apparatus. When a door other than the stapler door is opened when the stapler is performing a stapling operation, the stapling operation is continued until it completes.

Paper handling apparatus

A paper positioning device having a paper positioning member which is pivotable in abutment against one edge of a paper sheet loaded on a receptacle for moving the paper sheet to a positioning position for thereby positioning the paper sheet. By a simple mechanism and control, the movement of the paper positioning member is slowed down at the positioning position and accelerated until the positioning member reachines it. The paper positioning member performs a pivoting movement twice while a drive shaft associated therewith performs a reciprocating movement once. The device is, therefore, no only durable but also positions paper sheets efficiently and positively without damaging the paper sheets.

Paper positioning device

A paper handling apparatus having a plurality of bins and a chuck unit and a stapler which are movable along the bins and causing the stapler to bind an end portion of a stack of paper sheets which have been received from a copier or similar image forming apparatus, sorted, and then loaded on any one of the bins. The chuck unit has an upper and a lower chuck. After the stapler has bound a stack of paper sheets a push bar independent of the chucks of the chuck unit pushes the end of the stack to return it into the bin. Both the upper and lower chucks are movable up and down. The force which the chucks exert on a stack of paper sheets is controlled in matching relation to the thickness of the stack.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Masahiro Minato