Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Ricoh Elemex Corporation

Yuji Ueno

Masatoshi Hosoi

Goro Mori

Yoshihide Sugiyama

Nobuyoshi Seki

Masashi Shimada

Nobuyuki Morii

Masahiro Minato

Shin Umeda

Takashi Komada

Tsutomu Ichinose

Hirobumi Yoshino

Yuichi Fujii

Mitsuru Ichikawa

Yoshiaki Ushirogata

Toshiyuki Kikuchi

Tetsuji Watanabe

Atuhisa Hujiwara

Kenji Mori

Tetsuji Watanbe

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

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 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 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.

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Nagoya, Japan

Yuji Ueno