A sheet processing apparatus comprises a first tray; a second tray arranged at a downstream side of a sheet conveyance direction with respect to the first tray; a rotating body which conveys a sheet on the first tray; a receiving section arranged at an upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction with respect to the first tray to receive the sheet conveyed by the rotating body; a conveyance section which extrudes one side of the sheet placed on the first tray at the upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction with a convex part to convey the sheet to the second tray; and a controller which extrudes the sheet placed on the receiving section with the convex part in a case in which a final sheet of a sheet bundle is placed on the first tray and the sheet is placed on the receiving section, and controls the conveyance section to convey the sheet by extruding one side of the final sheet at the upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction with the convex part while the sheet is conveyed to the second tray.

A method for rapidly stacking and dropping sheets is provided. The method comprises receiving a plurality of sheets from a sheet delivery device onto a landing platform of a stacking and dropping apparatus. The method also comprises lowering the landing platform from an original upper position. Lowering comprises maintaining a drop height between the sheet delivery device and a stack of delivered sheets. The method also comprises sending a delay signal that comprises a command to delay the receiving of the plurality of sheets from the sheet delivery device. The delay signal is sent in response to a detection of a predetermined stack height of the stack of delivered sheets. The method also comprises sending a movement signal, immediately following the sending of the delay signal. The movement signal comprises a command to move the landing platform, such that the plurality of sheets are received by a catch tray unit. The method also comprises dropping, utilizing the catch tray unit, the plurality of sheets onto a sheet receiving device. The method also comprises returning, automatically, the landing platform to the original upper position. The method also comprises sending a resume signal, that includes a command to the sheet delivery device to resume sheet delivery. The delay signal, movement signal and resume signal are sent by a central processor component of the stacking and dropping apparatus.

A method for rapidly stacking and dropping sheets is provided. The method comprises receiving a plurality of sheets from a sheet delivery device onto a landing platform of a stacking and dropping apparatus. The method also comprises lowering the landing platform from an original upper position. Lowering comprises maintaining a drop height between the sheet delivery device and a stack of delivered sheets. The method also comprises sending a delay signal that comprises a command to delay the receiving of the plurality of sheets from the sheet delivery device. The delay signal is sent in response to a detection of a predetermined stack height of the stack of delivered sheets. The method also comprises sending a movement signal, immediately following the sending of the delay signal. The movement signal comprises a command to move the landing platform, such that the plurality of sheets are received by a catch tray unit. The method also comprises dropping, utilizing the catch tray unit, the plurality of sheets onto a sheet receiving device. The method also comprises returning, automatically, the landing platform to the original upper position. The method also comprises sending a resume signal, that includes a command to the sheet delivery device to resume sheet delivery. The delay signal, movement signal and resume signal are sent by a central processor component of the stacking and dropping apparatus.

There is provided a sheet post-processing device that has a first tray, outlet rollers, and a control section. The first tray holds sheets for post-processing with respect to the sheets supplied from an image forming device. The outlet rollers discharge the sheet to the first tray. The control section controls a rotational speed of the outlet rollers to be decelerated after a leading end portion of the sheet passes through the outlet rollers and before the leading end portion of the sheet comes into contact with the first tray.

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 conveying apparatus, including: a support portion configured to support a second sheet different from a first sheet among a plurality of sheets when the first sheet located undermost among the plurality of sheets conveyed by a conveyance portion is placeable on a placement portion; and a restriction unit configured to bring the second sheet into a first state in order to restrict downward movement of the second sheet at a restriction position located downstream of a support position at which the support portion supports the second sheet when the first sheet is placeable on the placement portion, and to bring the second sheet into a second state in order to remove or reduce a restriction force for restricting the downward movement of the second sheet to less than a restriction force in the first state after bringing the second sheet into the first state at the restriction position.

A sheet conveying apparatus, including: a support portion configured to support a second sheet different from a first sheet among a plurality of sheets when the first sheet located undermost among the plurality of sheets conveyed by a conveyance portion is placeable on a placement portion; and a restriction unit configured to bring the second sheet into a first state in order to restrict downward movement of the second sheet at a restriction position located downstream of a support position at which the support portion supports the second sheet when the first sheet is placeable on the placement portion, and to bring the second sheet into a second state in order to remove or reduce a restriction force for restricting the downward movement of the second sheet to less than a restriction force in the first state after bringing the second sheet into the first state at the restriction position.

An automated sheets processing system has a vertical stacks accumulating region (SAR) into which sheets are uninterruptedly fed to build vertical stacks for pre-specified loads including completed loads and newly building nascent loads. A tiltable Stacking Deck has a downstream discharge end from which the sheets can be fed at different elevational levels into the stacks accumulating region. A nascent sheets accumulator system has a plurality of support surfaces that are retractably interjectable into the stacks accumulating region for defining a separation gap between the top of a completed load and the bottommost sheet of a nascent new load. At least one of the support surfaces is retractably interjectable in an upstream direction into the stacks accumulating region while at least two others of the support surfaces are retractably interjectable in a downstream direction into the stacks accumulating region. One of the support surfaces has an anti-scuff feature.

A dump gate system having a pair of belts configured for rotation in opposite directions and spaced apart to define a gap between the belts. Fins extend outward from the belts. The fins may support an item in the gap when the belts are in a loading position. Each belt may have a tapered section extending from the top of the belt to a lower section of the belt. Each belt may taper toward the other belt in the tapered section to gradually reduce the width of a gap between the belts from the top of each belt to the lower section. The lower sections of the belts may be generally parallel to each other. A drive system may be configured to rotate the belts to move the fins from an initial loading position to a final loading position while items are fed into the gap for support by the fins.

A dump gate system having a pair of belts configured for rotation in opposite directions and spaced apart to define a gap between the belts. Fins extend outward from the belts. The fins may support an item in the gap when the belts are in a loading position. Each belt may have a tapered section extending from the top of the belt to a lower section of the belt. Each belt may taper toward the other belt in the tapered section to gradually reduce the width of a gap between the belts from the top of each belt to the lower section. The lower sections of the belts may be generally parallel to each other. A drive system may be configured to rotate the belts to move the fins from an initial loading position to a final loading position while items are fed into the gap for support by the fins.