The provided containers (100, 200) and methods provide for gravitational alignment of a plurality of stacked articles (120), in which at least two edges (140, 142) of each article align along inner walls (108, 114, 208, 214) of a respective container. The aligning walls of the container are provided with low-friction surfaces to facilitate sliding and alignment of the articles. By aligning the stack of articles along two edges, the articles can be registered relative to not only each other but the container itself, thereby facilitating loading, unloading, and conversion of articles in the stack. Optionally, a compressible layer (147) opposing one or both of the aligning walls conforms and distributes stress along the non-aligning edges, thereby preserving registration of the articles relative to each other when the container is transported.

The provided containers (100, 200) and methods provide for gravitational alignment of a plurality of stacked articles (120), in which at least two edges (140, 142) of each article align along inner walls (108, 114, 208, 214) of a respective container. The aligning walls of the container are provided with low-friction surfaces to facilitate sliding and alignment of the articles. By aligning the stack of articles along two edges, the articles can be registered relative to not only each other but the container itself, thereby facilitating loading, unloading, and conversion of articles in the stack. Optionally, a compressible layer (147) opposing one or both of the aligning walls conforms and distributes stress along the non-aligning edges, thereby preserving registration of the articles relative to each other when the container is transported.

A blowing device is equipped with a blowing portion and a holder. The blowing portion has a cylindrical body that stores a rotating body, and includes: a suction inlet arranged on a side surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical body; and an exhaust outlet arranged on a part of the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. The holder has a wall that faces the peripheral surface of the blowing portion with a gap between the wall and the peripheral surface, and holds the blowing portion inside. The holder includes: a suction portion that communicates with the suction inlet; and an exhaust portion that causes the exhaust outlet to communicate with the outside and the gap.

A blowing device is equipped with a blowing portion and a holder. The blowing portion has a cylindrical body that stores a rotating body, and includes: a suction inlet arranged on a side surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical body; and an exhaust outlet arranged on a part of the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. The holder has a wall that faces the peripheral surface of the blowing portion with a gap between the wall and the peripheral surface, and holds the blowing portion inside. The holder includes: a suction portion that communicates with the suction inlet; and an exhaust portion that causes the exhaust outlet to communicate with the outside and the gap.

A sheet stacker includes a sheet stacking member, a biasing force applier, an angle setter, and a regulator. The sheet stacking member has an upstream portion in a sheet conveyance direction. The upstream portion is movable in a vertical direction. The biasing force applier is configured to apply a biasing force to bias the sheet stacking member upward. The angle setter is configured to set an angle of the sheet stacking member in the sheet conveyance direction, relative to a sheet conveying portion, between a first angle and a second angle. The regulator is configured to regulate movement of the sheet stacking member in a case in which the upstream portion of the sheet stacking member is located closer to the sheet conveying portion at either the first angle or the second angle.

A sheet stacker includes a sheet stacking member, a biasing force applier, an angle setter, and a regulator. The sheet stacking member has an upstream portion in a sheet conveyance direction. The upstream portion is movable in a vertical direction. The biasing force applier is configured to apply a biasing force to bias the sheet stacking member upward. The angle setter is configured to set an angle of the sheet stacking member in the sheet conveyance direction, relative to a sheet conveying portion, between a first angle and a second angle. The regulator is configured to regulate movement of the sheet stacking member in a case in which the upstream portion of the sheet stacking member is located closer to the sheet conveying portion at either the first angle or the second angle.

A medium aligning device includes a stacking tray that stacks a medium discharged by a discharge section that discharges the medium, a side end aligning portion that is movable in a width direction that is a direction intersecting with a medium discharge direction of the discharge section, and positions and aligns a side end in the width direction of the medium stacked on the stacking tray, a rear end aligning portion that is movable in the width direction and positions and aligns a rear end that is an upstream end of the medium stacked on the stacking tray in the discharge direction, and a transmission portion that transmits the movement of the side end aligning portion in the width direction to the rear end aligning portion, in which a play in the width direction is provided between the side end aligning portion and the transmission portion.

The aligning device receives a sheet conveyed in a sheet conveyance direction in a stackable manner and aligns a position of the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction. The moving mechanism moves the sheet aligned by the aligning device in the sheet conveyance direction together with the aligning device. The controller selectively executes a first mode in which first post-processing is performed on the sheet and then second post-processing is performed on the sheet and a second mode in which the second post-processing is performed on the sheet without performing the first post-processing on the sheet. The controller, in response to a selection of the first mode or the second mode, causes the moving mechanism to adjust a position of the aligning device in the sheet conveyance direction before the aligning device receives the sheet as a target of the first post-processing or the second post-processing, respectively.

A sheet discharge device includes: at least one processor; a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet along a conveyance path; a discharge unit to which the sheet is discharged; a storage unit that is provided in a middle of the conveyance path and temporarily stores the sheet; an alignment unit provided in the discharge unit and configured to align the sheet in a width direction intersecting a convey direction of the sheet, in which the processor is configured to change a method of aligning the sheets by the alignment unit between a case where storage control for storing the sheets in the storage unit is performed and a case where the storage control is not performed.

The present apparatus is provided with a placement tray (processing tray) to place sheets to undergo binding processing, and a bind unit that is able to shift along an end edge of sheets on the placement tray and that binds a plurality of sheets as a single bunch, where in the bind unit, a needle bind unit for performing binding processing on a bunch of sheets with a needle and a needleless bind unit for performing binding processing without a needle are provided together in a shift direction of the bind unit, and a length of the needleless bind unit is configured to be shorter than a length of the needle bind unit in the shift direction of the bind unit. By this means, provided is the apparatus capable of miniaturizing the entire apparatus, with the needle bind unit and needleless bind unit provided together.