In accordance with an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus comprises a processing tray, a longitudinal alignment mechanism, a horizontal alignment mechanism and an interlocking mechanism. The processing tray can stack a sheet. The longitudinal alignment mechanism includes a rotatable paddle. The longitudinal alignment mechanism can align the sheets stacked on the processing tray in a sheet conveyance direction. The horizontal alignment mechanism includes a horizontal alignment plate movable in a sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. The horizontal alignment mechanism can align the sheets placed on the processing tray in the sheet width direction. The interlocking mechanism interlocks the paddle in the sheet width direction in synchronization with the movement of the horizontal alignment plate in the sheet width direction.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a first holding unit configured to hold one or more sheets and movable in a sheet transport direction, a first drive unit configured to move the first holding unit in a first direction along the sheet transport direction, a biasing member that biases the first holding unit in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and an energy storage unit that stores energy discharged from the biasing member.

An image forming apparatus includes: a pair of rollers for conveying paper; a rocking mechanism for rocking the pair of rollers in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction, the first direction being a paper conveying direction; an upstream pair of rollers provided upstream of the pair of rollers in the paper conveying direction for conveying the paper; an upstream rocking mechanism corresponding to the upstream pair of rollers for rocking the upstream pair of rollers in the second direction; a first paper detector for detecting an end position of the paper in the second direction; and a controller controlling the rocking mechanism based on the paper end position to effect first rocking correction in which the pair of rollers is rocked, wherein the controller controls the upstream rocking mechanism to effect second rocking correction in which only the upstream pair of rollers is rocked.

There is provided a sheet processing apparatus with improved visibility of a sheet bundle discharged without post-processing thereto. The CPU circuit receives the conveyed sheet, drives and controls the sheet-returning paddle, the rack part, the rear end regulation part, the alignment plate and the like and forms sheet bundle comprising of a plural number of sheets as received. Further, the CPU circuit drives and controls the alignment plate when discharging the sheet bundle S from the processing tray, the sheet bundle S exceeding the number of sheets which can be post-processed by the stapler. Therefore, the sheet bundle S which includes sheets equal to the allowable number of sheets for post-processing of the sheet processing unit is discharged to the second discharge position which is different from the first discharge position.

There is provided a sheet processing apparatus with improved visibility of a sheet bundle discharged without post-processing thereto. The CPU circuit receives the conveyed sheet, drives and controls the sheet-returning paddle, the rack part, the rear end regulation part, the alignment plate and the like and forms sheet bundle comprising of a plural number of sheets as received. Further, the CPU circuit drives and controls the alignment plate when discharging the sheet bundle S from the processing tray, the sheet bundle S exceeding the number of sheets which can be post-processed by the stapler. Therefore, the sheet bundle S which includes sheets equal to the allowable number of sheets for post-processing of the sheet processing unit is discharged to the second discharge position which is different from the first discharge position.

A lateral positioning device (100) for a sheet element (20, 20) in a sheet element processing machine; a detector lever (130) articulated relative to a horizontal axis, which performs a descending movement from a high position to a low position; a first end (132) of the detector lever (130) contacts, in a low position of the lever, with an upper face of the sheet element. A second end (133) of the detector lever (130) is fitted with a target (135) that cooperates with a position detector (140) to generate a signal dependent on the thickness of the sheet element (20, 20) and the number of sheet elements (20, 20) present at the level of the first end (132) of the detector lever (130).

A lateral positioning device (100) for a sheet element (20, 20) in a sheet element processing machine; a detector lever (130) articulated relative to a horizontal axis, which performs a descending movement from a high position to a low position; a first end (132) of the detector lever (130) contacts, in a low position of the lever, with an upper face of the sheet element. A second end (133) of the detector lever (130) is fitted with a target (135) that cooperates with a position detector (140) to generate a signal dependent on the thickness of the sheet element (20, 20) and the number of sheet elements (20, 20) present at the level of the first end (132) of the detector lever (130).

A sheet processing apparatus includes an aligning member and a shift conveying unit. The aligning member is movable in a width direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction and presses a sheet stack loaded on a sheet processing tray so as to align the sheet stack in the width direction. The unit is provided on the upstream side of the tray and conveys a sheet, shifting the sheet in the width direction. Being shifted by the unit, sheets are loaded at first and second loading positions on the tray. When sheets are loaded at the first loading position, the aligning member is moved to a first standby position corresponding to the first loading position in advance. When sheets are loaded at the second loading position, the aligning member is moved in advance to a second standby position corresponding to the second loading position.

According to an example, a media advance mechanism may comprise a movable assembly, a fixed assembly operatively coupled to the movable assembly, and an actuator to rotate the movable assembly with respect to the fixed assembly. The movable assembly may comprise a lateral guide extending along a length of the media path and a conveyor belt oriented towards the lateral guide, wherein the conveyor belt is to move a medium towards the lateral guide.

There is provided a sheet processing apparatus with improved visibility of a sheet bundle discharged without post-processing thereto. The CPU circuit receives the conveyed sheet, drives and controls the sheet-returning paddle, the rack part, the rear end regulation part, the alignment plate and the like and forms sheet bundle comprising of a plural number of sheets as received. Further, the CPU circuit drives and controls the alignment plate when discharging the sheet bundle S from the processing tray, the sheet bundle S exceeding the number of sheets which can be post-processed by the stapler. Therefore, the sheet bundle S which includes sheets equal to the allowable number of sheets for post-processing of the sheet processing unit is discharged to the second discharge position which is different from the first discharge position.