A reading apparatus includes a reading unit configured to read a document, a feeding tray on which the document to be read by the reading unit is stacked, a feeding roller that feeds the document from the feeding tray to a position where the document is read by the reading unit, a feeding pressure plate that presses the document against the feeding roller so that the document is pinched between the feeding roller and the feeding pressure plate, and a discharge roller that discharges the document read by the reading unit to underneath the feeding pressure plate, wherein a position of the discharge roller moves depending on a number of documents pinched between the feeding roller and the feeding pressure plate.

A sheet stacking system for transporting sheets and depositing them in a stack includes a layboy, a transport conveyor downstream of the layboy, and a main conveyor downstream of the transport conveyor, the main conveyor having a frame and being supported by a conveyor support, a discharge end of the main conveyor being movable between a lowered position and a raised position relative to the conveyor support. The main conveyor intake end is configured to move from a first position when the main conveyor discharge end is in the lowered position to a second position when the main conveyor discharge end is in the raised position, and also a variable length conveyor between the transport conveyor and the main conveyor, the variable length conveyor having a discharge end connected to and movable with the main conveyor intake end and movable relative to the transport conveyor discharge end.

A conveyor includes a plurality of belt support assemblies each having a drive wheel assembly at one end and an idler wheel assembly at the other end. Each of the drive and idler wheel assemblies includes a motion converter for converting the rotational movement of a shaft into linear motion along the shaft and an actuator for selectively engaging the motion converter and the shaft. A controller controls the operation of the shafts and the actuators to selectively and individually control the location of each end of each belt assembly relative to one another and to a centerline of the conveyor.

User labor relating to determining on an alignment condition is reduced and a stable conveying operation is realized by aligning a sheet bundle also when a sheet bundle is added. A sheet bundle composed of multiple sheet materials is placed on a loading platform. An encoder pulse unit detects the amount of the sheet bundle placed on the loading platform based on the opening amount of a pressure plate. A control unit determines on an alignment condition according to the amount of the sheet bundle. Rotating members align the sheet bundle in accordance with the alignment condition. When it is determined that another sheet bundle has been added to the loading platform, the control unit updates the alignment condition according to the total amount of the other sheet bundle and the sheet bundle remaining on the loading platform.

A sheet conveying device according to this disclosure includes a conveying tray onto which a sheet is loaded, a conveying mechanism, a raising and lowering mechanism, a raising and lowering control portion, a sensor, a first determination processing portion, and a second determination processing portion. The raising and lowering control portion drives the drive portion and controls raising and lowering of the conveying tray. The first determination processing portion determines on the basis of an output signal of the sensor whether or not a foreign object other than the sheet is present on the conveying tray while the raising and lowering control portion is raising the conveying tray before the conveying mechanism conveys the sheet. The second determination processing portion determines, on the basis that the output signal of the sensor changes while the conveying mechanism is conveying the sheet, that the sheet being conveyed is abnormal.

A transportation device transports a document sheet from a feeding tray to an output tray. A first lifting device lifts and lowers the feeding tray. A feeding-tray upperlimit sensor detects that the feeding tray reaches an upperlimit height. An output-tray sheet sensor detects the document sheet on the output tray. Further, the controller at a standby status (a) determines whether a document sheet is on the output tray or not, (b1) if a document sheet is not on the output tray, arranges the feeding tray at a predetermined intermediate position, and (b2) if a document sheet is on the output tray, arranges the feeding tray at a lower position that is a position apart by a predetermined distance from a position of the feeding tray when detecting that the feeding tray reaches the upperlimit height. Here, the lower position is a position higher than the intermediate position.

In a document feeding device, an ejection port outputs a document sheet to an output tray. A first lifting device lifts and lowers a feeding tray. A second lifting device lifts and lowers the ejection port. A feeding-tray sheet sensor detects that there is a document sheet on the feeding tray. A feeding-tray upperlimit sensor detects that the feeding tray reaches a first upperlimit height position. Further, the collision prevention sensor is lifted and lowered in conjunction with the feeding tray, and detects that the ejection port reaches a second upperlimit height position. An upperlimit of a movable range of the ejection port is set to be the second upperlimit height position detected in a condition that the feeding tray without any document sheets reaches the first upperlimit height position.

A medium handling apparatus according to the present disclosure comprises: a conveyor that transports media; recognition circuitry that recognizes the media transported by the conveyor; a safe that comprises disposed therein an internal storage configured to store the media; a discharge port that discharges the media to an external storage disposed outside the safe and configured to store the medium; and an attachment configured to connect the external storage with the discharge port, in which the external storage is any one of a plurality of the external storages having external shapes different to each other.

A sheet transport device includes a sheet feeding tray, a reading device, a sheet feeding path, a discharge tray, a discharge path, a discharge elevation device, and a movable wall. On the sheet feeding tray, a plurality of sheets are placed. The discharge tray is located on a lower side of the sheet feeding tray, and receive the plurality of sheets. The discharge path delivers the sheet to the discharge tray. The discharge elevation device moves the discharge path up and down. The discharge path includes a discharge outlet that moves up and down, in a range between the sheet feeding tray and the discharge tray, following an up and downward movement of the discharge path. The movable wall is provided between the discharge outlet and the sheet feeding tray, and changes a posture according to the up and downward movement of the discharge path and the discharge outlet.

A sheet transport device includes a sheet feeding tray, a reading device, a sheet feeding path, a discharge tray, a discharge path, a discharge elevation device, and a movable wall. On the sheet feeding tray, a plurality of sheets are placed. The discharge tray is located on a lower side of the sheet feeding tray, and receive the plurality of sheets. The discharge path delivers the sheet to the discharge tray. The discharge elevation device moves the discharge path up and down. The discharge path includes a discharge outlet that moves up and down, in a range between the sheet feeding tray and the discharge tray, following an up and downward movement of the discharge path. The movable wall is provided between the discharge outlet and the sheet feeding tray, and changes a posture according to the up and downward movement of the discharge path and the discharge outlet.