Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
LS2
Sheet sorters
This invention relates to sheet sorters, by which is
meant a device for inserting a series of identical copy
sheets, such as issue from a xerographic copier, into
individual bins or like receptacles. The number of bins is
always equal to or greater than the number of copies, and
the sorting operation is repeated as many times as is
necessary to complete each set of copies, so that each bin
holds a complete s~t.
In order to reduce the volume of the sorter, it is
desirable to make the area of each bin less than the area
of the sheets it is intended to house. one way of
accommodating this is to arrange for each of the bins to be
inclined at an acute angle to the vertical, so that the
'excess' area of sheet projects beyond the respective bin.
This then raises the problem of how to ensure that the
projecting area of the sheet does not just flop over and
interfere with sheets being fed into adjacent bins.
Accordingly the present invention aims at providing a
shape of bin which automatically curves each sheet as it
is being fed in, so as to give the sheet sufficient beam
strength ~or tha projecting part of each sheet to be
self-supporting.
An aspect of the invention is as follows;
A bottom-fed upright sheet sorter, comprising a plurality
of horizontally-aligned trays each having a bottom lip:
havlng a flat sheet-contact surface adjacent the lip, and
inclined at an acute angle to the vertical,
'~
~1 26;2~1L5;2
- la -
and having wings bent upwardly out of the plane of the
sheet-contact surface, with the lines of intersection of
the wings and the said surface converging with distance
from the lip so that two adjacent and parallel trays define
between them a sheet-receiving bin which is
substantially-uniform in thickness and of which the
cr~ss-section varies from straight at the bottom lip to
angled at the top thereof, so that the edges of the sheet
parallel to the feed direction form an acute angle with the
said surface.
The present invention will now be described by way of
example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
Figure 1 i5 a diagrammatic side view of two adjacent
bins in a sorter of the present inventlon;
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the
extent to which different-sized copy sheets project beyond
the top of the bin;
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the tray acting as one
surface of a bin;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the tray shown in Figure 3,
when in its position in the sorter/ and
Figure 5 is a side elevation o~ the tray shown in
Figures 3 and 4.
The sorter of the present inventlon includes a
horizontally-aligned series of individual tray 2, of which
each has its major support surface 4 inclined at an acute
angle to the vertical. At its bottom edge, each tray 2
~6~5~
- 2 -
is provided wlth a horizontal flanged llp 6. As shown more clearly in
Figure 3, the tray is formed with two asymmetrical wings 8 and 10. Also
as shown in Figure 3, the flanged lip 6 can be interrupted with a ~erie~ of
cuts-out 12, but these are not essential: both the tlange 14 and the
contiguous portion 1~ of the lip could be continu~usO
The llnes 18 along which the wings 8 and 10 are folded lie at such
an angle to the horizontal that the outer edges of the wings are vertical
when ehe major surfaca 4 of the tr~y i9 at its working angle to the vertical.
As ~hown more clearly in Flgures 1 and 2, the horizontal spacing-
10 apart between adjacent and parallel trays 2, in order to define the
interrnediate sheet-receiving bins 20 l~ ~uch as to ensure that both wings 8
and 10 overlap the inclined wall of the opposing bin, for purposes which wlll
be di3cu~sed below.
The ~orter of this inventton is intended to be o~ the bottom-fed
1~ type, in whioh aligned with the re~pective bin 20 is a pair of feed rolls 22
designed to e:xpel a sheet ~4 being fed into the interior of bln 20, along the
direction indicated by arrow 26. The output from a xerographic or other
copier is normally supplied along a horizontal output path (not shown) but
at one end of which is a pair of fsed roll3 2~. These rolls grip each sheet
20 being fed and pass it through a pair of curved guide 3urfaces 30 which act
to deflect the ~heet 24 from the horizontal path on which it enters feed
rolls 28 to a path extending in parallsl with the major axis of the bin 20.
By means which are not shown, after a sheet has been fed into the
respectlve bin5 either the sheet-f~ed d~vice 32 shown in Figure 1 i3 indexed
2~ ~long to the next bin, or the sligned series of tray~ is Indsxed relat;vely In
the approprl~te directlon to the s~me ~fect. This proce~s Ig repeated RS
many times a~ there are sheet~ to be ~orted or bin~ to receive them.
In all the drawing~, parts already referred to have retsined their
original references.
Flgure 2 Illu~trates the rnode of operation of the presont
Invention, from whlch Flgure some parts have been omitted for olarlty.
The sheet 24 belng fed Into bln 20 i8 orlginally planar. When Its lead edge
is spaced ~ufficiently from the feed rolls Z2, the weight of the paper cau~es
the leed edge to ~tart to droop towards the tray 2. In 80 doing9 one or both
3S of Its sldes or corners wlth the lead edge come into contact with one or
-- 3 --
both of the wing3 8 and 10. If the sheet being fad jB of wfficiently-stiff
msterial, it will resi~t assuming a more-curved shape across the width of
the paper transYerse to the feed direction 26 until after the lead edge has
contacted the rear surface of the opposing tray. When thi~ hss happened,
S each sheet has the oppo~ing tray pushing down on the centre ot the lesd
edge1 and the side edge~ pushed upwsrdly by contsct with the respective
wings 8 and 10, 80 that a curYature i8 induced in the sheet which increases
with di~tanre from the trail edge. The speed with which each sheet 1~ fed
into the bin ~0 is ~uch that the sheet has its trail edge completely enter the
10 bin 20 before the force of gravity stops the upward movement of the ~heet
and causes it to fall down so that its trail edge comes to re~t on lip 6,
which tends to cause each trail edge to remain 3traight, whereas the laad
edge has by now assumed the shape of a relatively-uniform curve. It i8 this
change of silape of the ~heet with di~tance from the trail edge which
15 imparts sufncient beam ~trength to the sheet for those portions 34 of each
shest which project beyond the upper ends of thz tray~ 2 to be self-
~upporting. In practice, it has been found that a tray of which the height is
only about 150 mm will support a sheet 425 mm in height. The relatively-
small height of each bin thus renders the total volume of the sorter 3mal~,
20 while permitting it to handle reliably the sorting of a wide range of ~heet
~izes, e.g. from B5 to B4 in a long-edge, first-fed, orientation, and 425 mm
and A3 in a short-edge, first-fed, orlentation.
It will be appreciated from the above that the relatively-simple
tray ~hape offers the aignificant advantage3 that the larger the sheets
25 which are f~d into the bins, then the greater is the ~mount of curvature
induoed, and therefore the neces~ary incre~sed beam ~trength. In addition,
for Isrge sheets fsd short-edge first, the amount of curvaturs increases
with distance from the trall edge, which is itself directly supported ao a8 to
locate its position and ensure that the differentially-curved sheet i8 not
30 dlsplaced by gravlty from the bln by vlrtue of the fact that it~ centre of
gravlty is above tho top wrface of the bin.
Thus it will be seen thet the present invsntion pro~lides a sheet
sorter of the bottorn-fed type, In whlch 9 serles of trays of identlcal ~nd
~imple de~ign Induce curvature In sheets being fed into the bln 80 formed
35 that the portions of the fed sheets which proJect beyond the top of the bins
`. ~2~ l52
are self-~upportlng.
