Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Ricoh Elemex Corporation

Masatoshi Hosoi

Yuji Ueno

Yoshihide Sugiyama

Goro Mori

Nobuyoshi Seki

Masashi Shimada

Tsutomu Ichinose

Hirobumi Yoshino

Nobuyuki Morii

Mitsuru Ichikawa

Masahiro Minato

Shin Umeda

Takashi Komada

Yuichi Fujii

Toshiyuki Kikuchi

Atuhisa Hujiwara

Yoshiaki Ushirogata

Tetsuji Watanabe

Tetsuji Watanbe

Norihisa Masamura

A sheet processing apparatus for punching a sheet having a detachable punching unit for accomplishing wide varieties of combinations of punching conditions such as a number of the hole, diameter of the hole, and a position of the hole at a sheet. A sort of the punching unit which is mounted to the apparatus is recognized by a recognition device and one of a sheet conveying speed, a punching speed, and a punch operation timing is controlled by a controller in accordance with a condition predetermined for each sort of the punching unit which is recognized by the recognition device.

Sheet processing apparatus and sheet processing method

A finisher for finishing sheets for use in a copier, printer or similar image forming apparatus having a sorter for sorting sheets on a plurality of bins, and further having a stapler or a punching device. A bin moving member is provided for moving the plurality of bins to predetermined positions in which the bin moving member moves the bins to a positioning relationship such that an interval A between a first bin for accepting the discharged sheets from a discharging member and a third bin located at a position immediately over the first bin, an interval B between the first bin and a second bin located at a position immediately under the first bin, and an interval D between the third bin located at a position immediately over the first bin and a fifth bin located at a position immediately over the third bin are broader than an interval E between other adjacent regular bins.

Finisher for image forming apparatus

A finisher for binding paper sheets sequentially driven out of an image forming apparatus. A finisher moves along an edge of a stack of sheets and curves around a corner. A pair of individualy operated gripper fingers grabs the stack of sheets and moves the stack into position for finishing.

Movable finisher device with multiple stack gripping fingers

An after treatment device for sorted papers comprising: a sorting unit for conducting a sorting operation, the unit comprising a plurality of bins onto which papers are distributed one after another to be sorted; a paper arrangement unit for evenly arranging edges of said papers delivered on each of the bins; an after treatment unit for applying after treatment to the papers evenly arranged on each of the bins; and a control unit for controlling the device. The device is controlled in such a way that the operating time for the after treatment in a state where the after treatment is conducted simultaneously with the sorting operation is different from the operating time for the after treatment in a state where the after treatment is conducted after the sorting operation is ended.

After treatment device for sorted papers

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 finisher having a stapler for stapling paper sheets sequentially discharged onto a two-sided copy tray of a copier, facsimile machine, printer or similar equipment or onto a bin of a sorter. A paper positioning device included in the finisher has a bin fence and a positioning member. The bin fence is provided on each bin and extends along one side edge of the bin. A positioning member is reciprocatingly movable from a standby position thereof toward the bin fence and back to the standby position. During such a reciprocating motion, the positioning member is repetitively brought into and out of contact with a stack of paper sheets to thereby position the stack. The moving speed of the positioning member is variable.

A paper handling apparatus having a plurality of bins, a paper positioning device for positioning paper sheets which are sequentially distributed to the bins, and a stapler for stapling the paper sheets stacked on the bins. A controller causes the paper positioning device to position the paper sheets even after the latter has been stapled by the stapler.

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 for use with a copier, printer or similar equipment for sorting a number of paper sheets sequentially driven out of the equipment to prepare paper stacks and binding the paper stacks. The apparatus has a plurality of bins, a sorter for sequentially distributing the paper sheets to the individual bins, a mechanism for positioning the paper sheets distributed to the bins, and a stapler for stapling the paper sheets positioned on the bins. The sorter and the stapler are operable simultaneously with each other. The stapler acts on only those bins which are loaded with paper sheets associated with the last document without exception, while not acting on those bins which are loaded with paper sheets associated with the last document but are loaded with only a single paper sheet. The bin on which the stapler is to act is located at least two bins above the bin where the paper sheets are to be positioned. When a timing at which a paper positioning operation should not be executed is detected, priority is given to a stapling operation with the paper positioning operation being inhibited. Whether or not the bin of interest has undergone paper positioning is determined and, based on the result of decision, which of the paper positioning operation and the stapling operation should be executed is determined. The stapling operation is allowed to occur only at the bins where paper sheets have already been positioned.

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.

An image recording apparatus which applies energy of distributed level to record, on a pixel by pixel basis, image fragments whose density or saturation (tone) corresponds to the necessary energy levels. Image fragments corresponding to an amount of heat of a comparatively high level are contained, on a pixel basis, in image fragments corresponding to an amount of heat of a comparatively low level, whereby record data of the image fragments corresponding to the amount of heat of the comparatively low level are provided. When image fragments corresponding to any of the levels are to be recorded, an amount of heat corresponding to a difference between that particular level and the lowest level is generated.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Masatoshi Hosoi