An example disclosed output hopper includes a cavity to receive media units from an output of a media processing device, the cavity to cause the media units to form a stack in a first direction; a first door pivotably movable between a closed position and an open position, the first door to retain the media units in the cavity when in the closed position; a second door movable between the closed position and the open position, the second door to retain the media units in the cavity when in the closed position; wherein the first door is configured to pivot on a first axis substantially parallel to the first direction; and the second door is configured to pivot on a second axis substantially parallel to the first direction.

An example disclosed output hopper includes a cavity to receive media units from an output of a media processing device, the cavity to cause the media units to form a stack in a first direction; a first door pivotably movable between a closed position and an open position, the first door to retain the media units in the cavity when in the closed position; a second door movable between the closed position and the open position, the second door to retain the media units in the cavity when in the closed position; wherein the first door is configured to pivot on a first axis substantially parallel to the first direction; and the second door is configured to pivot on a second axis substantially parallel to the first direction.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a processing tray; a conveyance roller for conveying a sheet towards a downstream side in a sheet conveyance direction; a pinch roller for moving between a first position away from the conveyance roller and a second position close to the conveyance roller, and to sandwich the sheet with the conveyance roller at the second position when the sheet is conveyed by the conveyance roller. The apparatus further includes an extruding member for extruding an upstream end of the sheet from the upstream side towards the downstream side to convey the sheet placed on the processing tray. The apparatus additionally includes a controller for conveying the sheet with the extruding member after the sheet is conveyed by the pinch roller and the conveyance roller when the sheet on the processing tray is conveyed to the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction.

A paper sheet stacking apparatus, includes: a first tray that stacks a paper sheet; a sheet discharger that discharges a paper sheet supplied from the outside of the apparatus to the first tray; a second tray that receives the paper sheet stacked on the first tray and discharges the received paper sheet to the outside of the apparatus; and a hardware processor that controls operation states of the first tray and the second tray, wherein the first tray and the second tray have: a first operation state in which the first tray is positioned at a paper sheet stacking position; a second operation state in which the paper sheet stacked on the first tray is deliverable to the second tray; and a third operation state in which the first tray that has delivered the paper sheet to the second tray is returned to the paper sheet stacking position.

Gripping device adapted for gripping a stack of flat-folded cartons, where the gripping device comprises a first gripping jaw and a second gripping jaw arranged adjacent each other and enclosing a holding space, where the gripping device is provided with a first open state in which the distance between the gripping jaws is greater than the height of a flat-folded carton, and where the gripping device is provided with a second closed state in which the distance between the gripping jaws is less than the height of a flat-folded carton, and that the gripping device is adapted to displace one side of the stack of flat-folded cartons in a longitudinal direction, such that each flat-folded carton of the stack of flat-folded cartons will be held in an angled state by the gripping device. The advantage of the invention is that a stack of flat-folded cartons can be held in a secure way, where the height of the stack is reduced when the stack is held.

The invention provides a delivery system and layered stacking device for paper packages. The layered stacking device comprises a upper layer mechanism, a lower layer mechanism, and a pushing mechanism. The upper layer mechanism protrudes to an outlet of a delivery device to receive at least two paper packages. The paper packages will be stacked and neatly arranged on the upper layer mechanism. When the lower layer mechanism is raised to a first height and therefore close to the outlet, the upper layer mechanism will be withdrawn from the outlet of the delivery device, thereby the lower layer mechanism will receive the stacked paper packages that are dropped from the upper layer mechanism. Afterwards, when the lower layer mechanism is fallen to a second height, the pushing mechanism will push the stacked paper packages on the lower layer mechanism to a feeding device next the lower layer mechanism.

A stacking apparatus for loading a recording medium output from an image forming apparatus includes a movable tray that is ejectable to an outside of the stacking apparatus after the recording medium output from the image forming apparatus is stacked on the movable tray, and a hardware processor that controls a position of the movable tray based on a current position of the movable tray and a setting condition for determining control content of the movable tray, wherein the hardware processor stores the movable tray inside the stacking apparatus, when the movable tray is currently positioned on the outside of the stacking apparatus and the setting condition satisfies a storage condition for executing storage control for moving the movable tray from the outside to an inside of the stacking apparatus so as to store the movable tray inside the stacking apparatus.

A medium discharging apparatus includes a first tray in which a medium is received and placed, a second tray in which a medium discharged from the first tray is received, a discharging mechanism that discharges the medium from the first tray toward the second tray, and a first curl suppressing member that is located above a rear end region of the medium in the discharge direction and that moves so as to follow movement of the rear end region while maintaining an attitude of the medium until the medium placed on the first tray is discharged from the first tray to the second tray by the discharging mechanism and placed on the second tray.

A sheet stacking device includes: a sheet discharge unit; a sheet stacking unit; a pair of cursors; and a control unit. The cursors perform widthwise alignment processing in which the cursors contact lateral end surfaces of the sheet to perform widthwise alignment. The control unit, before a leading end of the sheet reaches a sheet stacking surface, executes sheet guiding processing in which the cursors are positioned at a sheet guiding position to contact a bottom surface of the sheet and guide the sheet toward the sheet discharge direction. The control unit, when the leading end of the sheet passes a predetermined position, positions the cursors at a retracted position that is further outward than the lateral end surfaces of the sheet are, and once a trailing end of the sheet passes through the sheet discharge unit and the sheet is placed on the tray, executes the widthwise alignment processing.

Conveying belts 1A and 1B have stopping members 6A and 6B. After a sheet bundle is placed on a placement area of the conveying belts, a driving control part controls a guide driving part 4 so that a regulating guide 2 sandwiches the sheet bundle from both sides in the width direction, controls a belt driving part 3 so that the stopping member 6B is made to abut on a first end surface of the sheet bundle and a second end surface is made to abut on the stopping member 1A, and thereafter, controls the driving parts 3 and 4 so that the sheet bundle is conveyed along the regulating guide 2 in a state of being sandwiched from the front and the back by the stopping members 6A and 6B.