A printing system executes printing of a plurality of copies of a document, and includes first and second paper eject trays. The printing system ejects a plurality of paper sheets of the document to the first or second paper eject tray; detects a full state or a near full state being a predetermined number of paper sheets less than the full state; and ejects the paper sheets of a next copy to the first paper eject tray until the first paper eject tray is full and subsequently to the second paper eject tray, in response to detecting that a total ejectable paper sheet number is greater than or equal to the number of paper sheets of the next copy, the total ejectable paper sheet number being obtained by adding together the numbers of paper sheets that can be ejected to the first and second paper eject trays.

A sheet transport device includes a sheet load tray on which a sheet is loaded, a side-edge positioning unit, and a regulating unit. The side-edge positioning unit comes into contact with a side edge of the sheet in a direction intersecting a sheet transport direction at an upper surface of the sheet load tray and positions the side edge of the sheet to a normal position. The regulating unit is provided in a rotatable manner about a rotation shaft at a lower surface of the sheet load tray and regulates an output position of the sheet by rotating a stopper of the regulating unit to a position where the stopper is capable of colliding with a downstream edge of the sheet to be output in an output direction when the side-edge positioning unit moves to a position corresponding to a minimum width of the sheet.

A sheet transport device includes a sheet load tray on which a sheet is loaded, a side-edge positioning unit, and a regulating unit. The side-edge positioning unit comes into contact with a side edge of the sheet in a direction intersecting a sheet transport direction at an upper surface of the sheet load tray and positions the side edge of the sheet to a normal position. The regulating unit is provided in a rotatable manner about a rotation shaft at a lower surface of the sheet load tray and regulates an output position of the sheet by rotating a stopper of the regulating unit to a position where the stopper is capable of colliding with a downstream edge of the sheet to be output in an output direction when the side-edge positioning unit moves to a position corresponding to a minimum width of the sheet.

An image reading apparatus includes a supply tray which supports sheets and includes a movable plate configured to move in correspondence to reduction in a number of the sheets, a discharge tray which is located below the supply tray; a discharge unit which has a discharge opening for discharging the sheet and moves from a lower position and a higher position in correspondence to reduction in the number of the sheets supported on the supply tray, a controller which controls movements of the movable plate and the discharge unit, and a sheet detection unit which detects whether the sheets supported on the discharge tray is lower than a predetermined height. The controller determines a timing to move the discharge unit from the higher position toward the lower position based on a detection result of the sheet detection unit.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveyance member configured to convey a sheet, and an alignment portion having a first alignment member and a second alignment member and configured to move relative positions of the first and second alignment members in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet by the conveyance member. Each alignment member includes a contact surface coming in contact with one end of the sheet in the width direction, a lower surface facing a lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface, a lower portion supporting the lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface, and an upper portion facing an upper surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveyance member configured to convey a sheet, and an alignment portion having a first alignment member and a second alignment member and configured to move relative positions of the first and second alignment members in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet by the conveyance member. Each alignment member includes a contact surface coming in contact with one end of the sheet in the width direction, a lower surface facing a lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface, a lower portion supporting the lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface, and an upper portion facing an upper surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface.

An apparatus includes a housing provided with a conveyance path, a conveyance unit which conveys a sheet along the conveyance path, a discharge port from which the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path is discharged, a discharge tray on which the sheet discharged from the discharge port is stacked, and an attitude change unit which changes an attitude of the discharge tray. The discharge tray includes a first sheet receiving surface which is a portion facing the discharge port in a discharge direction of the sheet and on which a leading edge of the sheet lands, and a second sheet receiving surface which is formed at a predetermined inclination with respect to the first sheet receiving surface. The attitude change unit changes the attitude of the discharge tray so that the first sheet receiving surface of the discharge tray is inclined toward the discharge port.

Presently disclosed embodiments are directed to a system and method for loading mail trays in a sorter without human intervention. Specifically, the disclosed embodiments utilize an automated mail tray having a bottom plate that is selectively moveable between an elevated position and a lowered position. The automated mail tray may be positioned on a shelf under a corresponding output pocket of a mail stacker, and the bottom plate may be elevated to receive mail product transferred from the output pocket to the automated mail tray. After receiving the mail product on the elevated bottom plate, the bottom plate of the mail tray may be lowered so that the mail product is transferred from the output pocket to a position fully situated in the automated mail tray. The mail tray filled with mail product may then be removed from the shelf and replaced with an empty automated mail tray.

A sheet discharging apparatus includes a first detecting portion provided in an apparatus body and configured to detect a move of a movable member in a state where a movable tray is at an upper limit position in a moving direction of the movable tray, wherein a detection result of the first detecting portion changes depending on a position of the movable tray in the moving direction. In addition, a second detecting portion detects the position of the movable tray in the moving direction, and a control portion, in a case where the second detecting portion detects that the movable tray is at the upper limit position, determines whether a sheet is present on the movable tray based on the detection result of the first detecting portion. When the second detecting portion does not detect that the movable tray is at the upper limit position, the control portion determines that a sheet is present on the movable tray regardless of the detection result of the first detecting portion.

A sheet discharging apparatus includes a first detecting portion provided in an apparatus body and configured to detect a move of a movable member in a state where a movable tray is at an upper limit position in a moving direction of the movable tray, wherein a detection result of the first detecting portion changes depending on a position of the movable tray in the moving direction. In addition, a second detecting portion detects the position of the movable tray in the moving direction, and a control portion, in a case where the second detecting portion detects that the movable tray is at the upper limit position, determines whether a sheet is present on the movable tray based on the detection result of the first detecting portion. When the second detecting portion does not detect that the movable tray is at the upper limit position, the control portion determines that a sheet is present on the movable tray regardless of the detection result of the first detecting portion.