Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FINISHER TRA_
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a finisher tray and,
more specificaliy, to a tray for receivin~ sets of
finished booklets with each booklet comprising one or
more sheets secured together by st leas~ one ~t~ple
adjacent to one side edge of the booklet.
It is known in the art to provide fini6hers for
bookiets comprisin~ a plurality vf sheee6 that are
stapled together along side edge portions thereof.
Apparatus of this type is disclosed, for exsmple, in
U.S. Patent ~o. 4,134,672 which issued on Jsnuary 16,
1979 in the names of L.E. Burlew et ~1. In the
patent to Burlew et al, the finisher tray ~urf~ce i~
flat and substantially horizontal. Bookl~ts are
stacked on the surface of the tr~y either directly
above each other, or in offset relaticn, as they ~re
recei~ed fro~ a booklet delivering mechsnism. The
booklet delivering mechanism includes a tran~port arm
that picks up a finished booklet, swings it to a
position over the tray surface and then releases the
booklet.
When a booklet is finished by stapling alcng a
side edge thereof, or in a corner, the staple u~ually
is somewhat thicker than the other portions of the
booklet. Thus if a plurality of booklets sre fitacked
one on top of another with the staple6 ~ligned or
substantially ali~ned, the stapled portionfi of the
stack tend to be much thicker than other portions of
the stack, such B5 the ed~e portion opposite from the
staples. For a 6ubs~anti~1 stack of fini6hed
booklets, the difference in the hei~ht of the 6~ck
measured at the st~pled portion of ~he booklets and
other poreions of the booklets may result in the
tack of booklets interfering with the delivery of
sdditional booklees into the tr~y. For ex~mple, ~
stack of approximately 50-100 bookiet5 in 8 flat tr~y
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of the type disclosed in the Burlew et al patent may
interfere with the delivery of additional booklets
into the tray. The finisher ~ray of the present
invention per~its more finished booklets to be
received on the tray without interfering with
delivery of additional booklets onto the tray.
As disclosed in the Burlew et al patent, the
finisher tray can be adjusted downwardly by an
elevator ~echanism as booklets accummulate in the
finisher tray. Such adjust~ent ~ends to keep co the
top of the stack of booklets below a level where the
stack might interfere with delivery of sdditional
booklets to the ~tack. However, the tray of such
finishers receive unstapled booklets, as well as
stapled booklets, and the elevstor adjustment i~ not
directly related to ehe thickness of the stack of
booklets as measured in the area of staples in the
booklets. Thus the adjustment of the tray by an
elevator mechanism may not be sufficient to prevent a
stack of stapled booklets from interfering with
delivery of new booklets to the stack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
_
In accordance with the present invention, ~ trsy
is provided for receiving a plurality of booklets ln
a stack. Each booklet to be received includes a
plurality of sheets that are ~ecured together by at
least on~ staple adjacent one side edge of the
booklee. The staples of the booklet are
substantially vertic~lly aligned in the ~tack of
booklets so that ~he stack tends to be thic~er on the
one side edge that is ~tspled. The tray of the
invention comprises a surface for receiving ~tapled
booklets. The s~rface hss an elevated por~ion snd a
beveled portion. The beveled portion is inclined
downwardly ~way from the elevated portion ~t an
obtuse angle relative to the elevated portion so that
bookle~s can be stacked on the tray with the st~ples
bein~ over the beveled portion.
_RIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the detailed description of the preferred
embodiment of the invention presented below,
reference is made to the accompanying drswing6, in
which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a finisher tray
of the present invention; and
Fig. 2 is a view si~ilar to Fig. 1 but showing
plurality of stapled booklets on the tray and
mechanism for delivering booklets ~o the tray~
DETAII.ED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of a finisher tray of the
invention is generally designated 10. Trfly 10
comprises a base 12 which can be provided with ~
handle 14 to facilitate movement of the tray by sn
op~rator. Base 12 is supported in ~ subst~ntially
horizontal plane by, for example, a set of trsy
slides ~not shown) that permits movement of the tr~y
in a horizontal plane. Base 12 is generally
rectan~ular in shape, and a raised, generRlly
rectangular portion 16 of the tray is centrally
located on the base and covers a large are~ thereof.
The top surface 18 of the raised portion 16 compri~es
a surface for receiving stapled booklets as shown in
Fi~. 2 and described in mOre deeail later. Sulf~ce
18 includes a generally flat surface portion 20 that
is elevated relative to the base 12 and is generally
parallel thereto. Thus portion 20 al~o is in a
substan~ially horizontsl pl~ne. Surface 18 ~l~o
comprises two beveled surface portion6 22 snd 24
which sre located ~t adjacent corner~ of surace 18
but are spaced from each other by part of ~he
elevated surface poreion 20. Thus ~he beveled
portion~ 22, 24 are spaced from each other ~long one
side 26 of the raised portivn 16 of the tray. The
beveled portions also are 6paced from the opposiLe
side 2~ of the r~i~ed portion 16.
The beveled portions 22, 24 sre ~ssentially
identical to each other but are the mirror image of
each other. The beveled portions are inclined
downwardly and away from the elevated flat ~urfsee 18
and de~ine with the surface 18 an obtu~e an~le.
While the defined angle may vary, ~he sngle
illustrated in the drawin~s is approximately
150-2~0. Beveled portion 22 extends less than
half way along side 25 and the adjacent end 27 of the
raised portion. Similarly, beveled portion 24
extends less than half way along ~ide 26 and the
adjacent end 2~ of the raised portion.
Tray 10 can be used in a copier finisher for ~n
electrographic reproducing device ~s gener~lly
disclosed in the beforementioned commonly Assigned
~urlew et al ~.S. Patent No. 4,134,672, portions of
which are illustrated in Fig. 2. More specificslly,
such a finisher may comprise sn assembly tray 30
which receives a plurality of ~heets 32 to be formed
into a booklet 34. The booklets shown in Fig. 2
consist of two sheets but can, of course, comprise
any number of sheets. Sheets are assembled on tray
30, jog~ed and then st~ples ~re applied to form
booklets 34 as disclosed in the Burlew et al pstent.
By way of example, two staple6 36 ~re shown in
booklets 34 with the staplefi 36 bein~ located near
the ends of one side edge of each booklet. Sometimes
a booklet is formed usin~ only one stAple 36 near 8
corner of the booklet.
After the booklet has been formed in tray 30, it
is removed from the tray by means of s transport arm
38 which carries at its lower end a fixed ~w 39.
Arm 38 also carries a movable jaw 40 that i~ moved up
and down toward the fixed jaw by ~ pneumatic cylinder
42 mounted on the arm 38. When the booklet in tr~y
30 is fully assembled the arm is posîtoned to the
right of its illustrfited position 80 thst the fixed
~ LrJ~
and ~ovable jaws straddle the booklet in tray 30.
The~ the ~ylinder 42 drives the mov~ble j~w 40 toward
the fixed jaw 39 to thereby cla~p the booklet between
the jaws. Then ar~ 38 is swung in the direction
indicated by ~rrow 43 from its initial position
adjacent tray 30 to the po6ition illustrated in Fig.
2 where the booklet is positioned over the tray 10.
At thi~ ti~e the booklet 34 is released from the j8WS
to allow the booklet ~o drop downwardly onto the tray
10 as shown by arrow 45. Trey 10 is po6itioned with
respect eo the booklets bein~ released from between
the jaws so that the major portion of ~ booklet 34 is
positioned directly over the surface portion 20 of
elevated surface 18 and so that the ~t~ples 36 are
lS positioned over the beveled portion6 22, 24 of
surface 18.
The addition of staples 36 during formation of
the booklet results in the stapled areas of the
booklet being somewhat thicker than other portions of
the booklet. As a ~esult, a 6tsck of booklets 34
arranged with the staples 36 directly ~bove e~ch
other, a~ illustrated in Fi~. 2, will be somewhat
thicker when ~easured adjacent staple6 36 th~n ~t
opposite side ed~e port;ons of the booklet. A6 a
stack of booklets 38 is built up on the tray 10, the
staples 36 of the first few booklets will be locsted
below the surface 20 of the trsy because the ~taples
are receiYed in the beveled ere~s 22, 24 of the
tray. As ~ore snd more booklet~ ~re placed on tray
3~ 10 the staples will ultimately be ~bove the poreion
of the booklets resting directly on the flat ~urfare
20.
In the absence of the beveled portions 22, 24 of
the tray, the height of the stack of stapled booklet6
34 would ~oon reach A point where the side edge of
the scack of booklets containing the 6taple~ 36 could
interfere with delivery of gdditional booklets 34
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from the tray 3G in the manner explained
hereinbefore. Because of the beveled portions 22,
24, and their location relative to the st~pled sre~
of the booklets 34, ~any more booklets c~n be pl~ced
on tray 10 before the stack will of interfere with
delivery of additional booklets. For example, for 8
particular size of booklet it was found that
appro~i~ately 75 stapled booklets could be placed on
a flat bottom tray before interference occurred.
Using a tray of the inven~ion wi~h the beveled edges
beneath the stapled aTea of the booklets, a st~ck of
approximately 250-300 booklets can be accommod~ted
before interference occurs.
The invention has been described in detail with
particular reference to a preferred embodiment
thereof, however it will be under6tood ~hat
variations and modifications can be effected within
the spirit and scope of the invention.
For exa~ple, portion 16 need no~ be elevated on
2~ base 12. It could be co-planar with or depre~sed
from base 12. Beveled portions 22 and 24 would ~till
have the same relationship to ~urfsce 18. Al~o,
portions 22 and 24 need not be planar a5
illustrated. The configuration of the trsy could be
varied for booklets having thrce or more staple6
along one side or one staple in the ~iddle of one
side. 5urface portions similar to thAt 6hown at 22,
24 could then be loc&ted to lie beneath ~tspled aleas
of booklets. In addition, the tray could include one
or more side guides or wali~ on ba~e 12 to slign the
booklets in the stack.
