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 sorting device includes a plurality of trays, a tray shifter, a tray stop position detector, and circuitry. The plurality of trays is disposed in multiple stages in a vertical direction and configured to stack a sheet. The tray shifter is configured to move the plurality of trays separately in a tray shift direction. The tray stop position detector is configured to detect stop positions of the plurality of trays separately. The circuitry is configured to cause the tray shifter to move the plurality of trays to home positions in an initial operation, at least one tray having a home position opposite to a home position of another tray in the tray shift direction. The circuitry is configured to, while moving the plurality of trays at a same time in the initial operation, cause the tray shifter to move the trays in directions opposite to each other.

A postprocessing apparatus includes a horizontal alignment plate, a binder, a tray, and a shift actuator assembly. The horizontal alignment plate is positioned to align sheets in a sheet width direction. The binder binds sheets to form bound sheet bundles. The bound sheet bundles are stacked on the tray. The shift actuator assembly shifts the bound sheet bundles in the sheet width direction. A postprocessing controller controls the shift actuator assembly to shift the bound sheet bundles such that swollen portions of the bound sheet bundles are shifted inward of the horizontal alignment plate in the sheet width direction when the processed sheets are piled on the tray to the vicinity of the horizontal alignment plate.

A sheet stacking apparatus includes a pair of sheet alignment mechanisms disposed to face each other in a direction of conveyance of a sheet or in a direction orthogonal to the direction of conveyance. Each one of the pair of sheet alignment mechanisms includes an aligning member, an elastic member, a driver, and a driving source. The aligning member reciprocates with reference to the sheet. The elastic member extends due to reaction force generated in response to pressing force applied to an edge of the sheet by the aligning member when a size of the sheet is larger than a prescribed size. The driver is coupled to the aligning member via the elastic member. The driving source transfers a driving force to the driver.

A sheet stacking apparatus includes a pair of sheet alignment mechanisms disposed to face each other in a direction of conveyance of a sheet or in a direction orthogonal to the direction of conveyance. Each one of the pair of sheet alignment mechanisms includes an aligning member, an elastic member, a driver, and a driving source. The aligning member reciprocates with reference to the sheet. The elastic member extends due to reaction force generated in response to pressing force applied to an edge of the sheet by the aligning member when a size of the sheet is larger than a prescribed size. The driver is coupled to the aligning member via the elastic member. The driving source transfers a driving force to the driver.

A method for evaluating stacking or sorting integrity at an output device of a high-speed apparatus that processes media includes: acquiring an audio data substantially in real-time from the output device of the high-speed apparatus while the high-speed apparatus is in operation, by use of an audio sensor located at the output device; transforming by a processor, the audio data to into a stacking or sorting integrity value; and if the stacking or sorting integrity value exceeds a predetermined threshold, stopping by the processor a document transport of the high-speed apparatus. An apparatus for evaluating stacking or sorting integrity at an output device, and a system for evaluating stacking or sorting integrity at an output device of a high-speed apparatus are also described.

A sheet stacking device includes a pair of first sheet stackers, a pair of sheet alignment members, a second sheet stacker, a sheet removal portion, and control circuitry. The first sheet stackers stack both end portions of a sheet in a direction orthogonal to a sheet ejecting direction. The sheet alignment members contact both ends of the sheet in the orthogonal direction to align the sheet on the first sheet stackers. The second sheet stacker is disposed lower than the first sheet stackers and stacks the sheet dropped from between the first sheet stackers. The sheet removal portion is disposed on one side in the orthogonal direction. The control circuitry causes one of the first sheet stackers and one of the sheet alignment members to move toward an opposite side of the sheet removal portion in the orthogonal direction after the sheet is dropped from between the first sheet stackers.

A sheet discharging device includes: a pair of medium supporting portions that have support surfaces that support the medium, and support the transported medium by the support surfaces; a stacking portion which is provided vertically below the pair of medium supporting portions and on which the medium dropped from the pair of medium supporting portions is stacked; and a standing wall that aligns the medium by contacting a rear end of the medium in the transport direction supported by the pair of medium supporting portions, and the standing wall includes: a center contacting wall that is provided at a center in the width direction and contacts the rear end of the medium; and recess portions that are provided on both sides of the center contacting wall in the width direction and are recessed in a direction away from the support surfaces.

A pusher plate stacking bin apparatus is provided for a valuable media depository. The apparatus comprising a pusher plate driven by a rack and pinion apparatus to stack a media item that is in a final position within the apparatus onto a media stacking platform. The media item is urged into the final position such that a trailing edge of the media item overhangs and rests on a fixed media guide and such that a leading edge of the media item overhangs and rests on a hinged media guide with a bottom surface of the media item elevated above the media stacking platform. The rack and pinion apparatus drives the plate past the media guides causing the hinged media guide to drop and the media item to fold along the leading edge as the media item is stacked onto the platform.

A sheet stacker includes a sheet stacking member, a biasing force applier, an angle changer, and a biasing force change reducer. 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 bias the sheet stacking member upward. The angle changer is configured to change an angle of a sheet stacking face of the sheet stacking member, relative to a surface of a sheet conveyed through a sheet conveying portion. The biasing force change reducer is configured to restrain a change of a biasing force acting on the sheet stacking member, before and after a change of the angle of the sheet stacking member by the angle changer.