GB2224010A

GB2224010A - Sheet sorting device

Info

Publication number: GB2224010A
Application number: GB8920213A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Albert Rutishauser
Original assignee: Rutishauser Data AG
Current assignee: Rutishauser Data AG
Priority date: 1988-10-24
Filing date: 1989-09-07
Publication date: 1990-04-25
Also published as: DE3929508A1; JPH02221060A; GB8920213D0

Description

2 224 0 10 f 1 A SORTING DEVICE FOR RECORD CARRIERS IN SHEET FORM

DELIVERED BY AN OFFICE MACHINE.

The invention concerns a sorting device for record carriers in sheet form delivered by an office machine, having at least two deposit compartments arranged in a stacked configuration and at least one roller pair for feeding the record carriers into the deposit compartments.

Such a sorting device has at least two, but as a rule several, deposit compartments arranged on top of one another in order to distribute, for example, the sheets delivered by a copier to the deposit compartments according to a preset program. For this purpose, the feed roller pair is pivoted from one deposit compartment to another. As a rule the deposit compartments, which are open at the collection end, are inclined so as to rise in the sheet feeding direction. In this arrangement, it may happen that the sheets fed into a deposit compartment by the feed roller pair slide back towards the feed roller pair from the deposit compartment, and that they thus impede further feeding. This is particularly likely when the deposit compartment is full or almost full. Even with deposit compartments arranged horizontally, and before they are completely filled, it is possible for sheets to cause jamming in the front of a deposit compartment if they are, for example, uneven, or affected by draught, or if they strike something and rebound because of improper handling. The invention therefore aims to provide a sorting device wherein the record carriers fed into a deposit compartment are securely held therein. 30 Accordingly. the present invention provides a sorting device for record carriers in sheet form delivered by an office machine, having at least two deposit compartments arranged in a stacked configuration; at least one feed roller pair for feeding the record carriers into the deposit compartments; and at least one retaining member 2 in the feeding path for the record carriers between the feed roller pair and each deposit compartment, for releasing the feed path in the feeding direction.

The retaining member can be likened to a retaining flap. It allows the record carriers delivered by the feed roller pair into the respective deposit compartment to pass unimpeded in the feeding direction, but it bars any rearward movement. This is particularly important when the deposit compartments are inclined so as to rise in the feeding direction, and when a deposit compartment is substantially filled. However, the retaining member also prevents a sheet, which may be jammed in the deposit compartment because of unevennesses, from springing back as far as the feed roller pair. As a result of the arrangement in accordance with the invention, malfunctions of the automatic operation of a sorting device are largely prevented, and hence a reliable operation is ensured.

Although the retaining member can, for example, be formed by a set of bristles or another flexible member, it is preferable for the retaining member to be a retaining flap pivotable by the conveyed record carrier into a releasing position against a restoring force. This is particularly advantageous since it ensures a reliable closure in the direction opposed to the feeding direction.

Moreover, such an embodiment does not require any control elements.

Since the deposit compartments are, as a rule, extractable from the sorting device, then with an embodiment according to claim 3, it is easy to check the operation of the retaining flap.

In an embodiment according to claim 4, the filling height of the deposit compartment is defined by the stop surface, the retaining flap being located outside the stacking space for the record carriers delimited by the stop surface. If the stop surface supports the record carriers in a rising inclined deposit compartment, the retaining flap 3 has no supporting function, so it merely serves to trap improperly deposited record carriers.

An embodiment according to claim 5 facilitates a simple assembly of the prefabricated retaining flap units.

The embodiment of claim 6 allows the sheets to be fed over and past the retaining flap. In contrast to such an embodiment, it would also be possible to arrange for the retaining flap to be suspended.

An embodiment according to claim 7 is based on the principle that the retaining flap is pivoted, that is to say pushed, open into its passing position by the conveyed record carriers.

An embodiment according to claim 8 ensures that the retaining flap effectively prevents any record carriers from being able to slide back not only over the filling height, but over the whole transit gap.

In an embodiment according to claim 9, only two relatively narrow retaining flaps are required instead of one retaining flap extending over a substantial part of the width of the deposit compartment, so that the record carrier impelled with momentum after release by the rollers is only opposed by slight friction.

An embodiment of the invention will now be explained in greater detail below, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:FIGURE I is a copier machine with a sorting device positioned thereon; FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of an arrangement of two retaining flaps on the sheet metal bottom of a deposit compartment of the sorting device; FIGURE 3 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 2, FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal section of the retaining flap on an enlarged scale; and FIGURE 5 is a top view in accordance with Figure 4.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a copier machine 10 4 as the office machine, and having a sorting device 12 positioned thereon. The sorting device 12 has several deposit compartments 14 arranged one on top of another and inclined upwardly in the feeding direction. By means of a control unit, not shown, the copies delivered by the copier 10 are distributed over various of the deposit compartments 14 in a programcontrolled manner.

Figure 2 illustrates a sheet metal base 16 of a deposit compartment 14. At that edge 18 of the sheet metal base 16 over which the sheets pass on entering the deposit compartment, i. e. the edge which is at the rear, from the operating side, there are two retaining flap units 20 each having a retaining flap 22. The retaining flap units 20 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis (not shown) of the deposit compartment. A feed roller pair 24 serves to feed the record carriers (in this case copy sheets delivered by the copier machine 10) which are not represented in Figure 2.

Figure 3 shows how a copy sheet 30 is fed in the feeding direction 32 by the feed roller pair 24 consisting of upper and lower rollers 26 and 28, respectively. As soon as the copy 30 has reached the two retaining flaps 22, they are pivoted away, that is to say pushed open, by the copy 30 acting against a restoring force so that they assume a position approximately parallel to the sheet metal base 16. The feeding speed of the feed roller pair 24 is sufficient to impart to the copy 30, after release by the rollers, an adequate momentum so that it slides with its trailing end over and past the retaining flaps 22.

In this action, the retaining flaps 22 are not only pushed open by the rigidity of the moving sheet 30, but are held open until the sheet has passed over them.

If Ithe sheet metal base 16 of the deposit compartments 14 in accordance with Figure 1 is appropriately upwardly inclined. the copy 30 will slide back down as far as a stop surface 34. In Figure 3, a stack of copies 301 is 1 already located on the sheet metal base 16, bearing on the stop surface 34 which is at right angles to the sheet metal base.

Now if the height of the stack 301 were to increase by the feeding of further copies 30 above the filling height delimited by the stop surface 34, or if a fed copy 30 slides back beyond the stop surface 34 for other reasons, the retaining flap 22 will ensure that such sheets cannot slide as far as the feed roller pair 24. This prevents any interruption in the proper functioning of the sorting device 12 by a sheet that has slid back as far as the feed roller pair 24.

Even with a horizontal arrangement of the deposit compartments 14 it cannot be excluded that a sheet would move back with its trailing edge over the stop surface 34, for example if the sheet is stressed in its frontal region by jamming and bounces back. A rearward movement of a properly fed sheet can also be caused by wind draughts. The retaining flap 22 prevents such a malfunction in every case.

In Figure 3, the sheet metal base 161 of the next deposit compartment thereabove has been outlined in order to show clearly that in its retaining position, the retaining flap 22 almost bridges or closes the transit gap between two deposit compartments arranged on top of one another.

Figures 4 and 5 show on an enlarged scale, a retaining flap unit 20 arranged at the edge 18 of the sheet metal base 16. The unit 20 has a frame 36 with a strut 38 and is positioned on a perpendicularly upwardly extending bracket 40 of the sheet metal base 16. The retaining flap 22 is pivotally mounted on a pin 42 through the frame 36. A tension spring 46 inserted in a cut out 44 in the bracket 40 serves to restore the retaining flap 22 after it has been pushed downwards by a fed copy sheet. The restoring path of the retaining flap 22 is limited by a stop 48 on which a counter flap 50 of the retaining flap 22 bears.

For the sake of completeness, it should be c 6 mentioned that the feed roller pair 24 of Figure 3 can be pivoted by a programmed control device in such a way that any or all of the deposit compartments can be served by the same roller pair in any desired programme.

1 1 1 c 7

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A sorting device for record carriers in sheet form delivered by an office machine, having at least two deposit compartments arranged in a stacked configuration; at least one feed roller pair for feeding the record carriers into the deposit compartments; and at least one retaining member in the feeding path for the record carriers between the feed roller pair and each deposit compartment, for releasing the feed path in the feeding direction.

2. A sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the retaining member is a retaining flap pivotable by the conveyed record carrier into a releasing position against a restoring force.

3. A sorting device according to claim 2, wherein the retaining flap is at the upstream edge of the deposit compartment, considered in the feeding direction, and is at least substantially at the filling level of the respective deposit compartment.

4. A sorting device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the deposit compartment is delimited up to the filling height by at least one stop surface extending at right angles to the bottom surface of the deposit compartment and wherein the retaining flap is arranged upstream of the stop surface when considered in the feeding direction.

5. A sorting device according to claim 4, wherein the or each retaining flap is mounted in a frame which includes the stop surface and which is positioned on a bent bracket of a sheet metal base of the deposit compartment.

6. A sorting device according to any one of claims 2 to 5. wherein, in the releasing position, the retaining flap extends from its swivel pin in the feeding direction and wherein, in its upwardly directed retaining position, it is held by the restoring force against a stop.

7. A sorting device according to any one of 8 claims 2 to 6, wherein the restoring force is such that it is overcome by the deflecting force which can be transmitted by the rigidity of the conveyed record carrier.

8. A sorting device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the retaining flap is dimensioned such that, in its retaining position, it bridges at least the distance from the deposit compartment arranged immediately above it.

9. A sorting device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each deposit compartment has two of said retaining members arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the deposit compartment.

10. A sorting device for record carriers in sheet form, delivered by an office machine, such device being constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

Published 1990 atThePatent Office. State House, 86771 High Holborn, London WCIR 47?. Further copies Maybe obtainedfrom The Patent Office Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Maxy Cray. Kent. Con. 1187 1 J