Provided is an image forming system capable of reliably preventing others from removing and taking printed matter even though printing is executed beforehand. The confidential notation reading unit reads a confidential notation. The user storage tray has a structure from which outputted printed matter cannot be removed unless the opening/closing door is opened. The locking mechanism locks the opening/closing door. The sorting mechanism sorts the printed matter outputted from the image forming apparatus and outputs the printed matter to either the open tray or the user storage tray. The sorting control unit outputs printed matter to which a confidential notation is not added to the open tray, and outputs a printed matter to which a confidential notation is added to the user storage tray, respectively.

A medium discharge device includes: a discharge unit that discharges a medium; a first medium receiving tray that receives the medium discharged by the discharge unit; and a second medium receiving tray that is provided above the first medium receiving tray in a vertical direction and receives the medium discharged by the discharge unit. The second medium receiving tray is capable of changing a position between an advance position for receiving a medium, which is discharged, by causing at least an upstream zone of the tray including an upstream side end portion in a medium discharge direction to advance to a passing route of the medium from the discharge unit toward the first medium receiving tray and a retraction position to which the upstream zone retracts from the passing route.

A sheet safekeeping apparatus comprises a multistage tray in which a plurality of housing sections for accommodating sheets is arranged in a first direction, a removal port through which the accommodated sheet is taken out being formed in each of the plurality of the housing sections, and a cover configured for to close the removal port in an openable manner being provided in each of the plurality of the housing sections; a support section configured to support the multistage tray; a tray displacement unit configured to displace the multistage tray in the first direction with the support section; a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet to the plurality of the housing sections; and a cover displacement unit configured to displace the cover of one housing section determined by an operation of the tray displacement unit among the plurality of the housing sections to open the removal port.

A sheet safekeeping apparatus comprises a multistage tray in which a plurality of housing sections for accommodating sheets is arranged in a first direction, a removal port through which the accommodated sheet is taken out being formed in each of the plurality of the housing sections, and a cover configured for to close the removal port in an openable manner being provided in each of the plurality of the housing sections; a support section configured to support the multistage tray; a tray displacement unit configured to displace the multistage tray in the first direction with the support section; a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet to the plurality of the housing sections; and a cover displacement unit configured to displace the cover of one housing section determined by an operation of the tray displacement unit among the plurality of the housing sections to open the removal port.

Provided is an image forming system capable of reliably preventing others from removing and taking printed matter even though printing is executed beforehand. The confidential notation reading unit reads a confidential notation. The user storage tray has a structure from which outputted printed matter cannot be removed unless the opening/closing door is opened. The locking mechanism locks the opening/closing door. The sorting mechanism sorts the printed matter outputted from the image forming apparatus and outputs the printed matter to either the open tray or the user storage tray. The sorting control unit outputs printed matter to which a confidential notation is not added to the open tray, and outputs a printed matter to which a confidential notation is added to the user storage tray, respectively.

A medium discharge device includes: a discharge unit that discharges a medium; a first medium receiving tray that receives the medium discharged by the discharge unit; and a second medium receiving tray that is provided above the first medium receiving tray in a vertical direction and receives the medium discharged by the discharge unit. The second medium receiving tray is capable of changing a position between an advance position for receiving a medium, which is discharged, by causing at least an upstream zone of the tray including an upstream side end portion in a medium discharge direction to advance to a passing route of the medium from the discharge unit toward the first medium receiving tray and a retraction position to which the upstream zone retracts from the passing route.

A apparatus includes a storage mechanism that includes a plurality of storage spaces where paper sheets are stored and continuously feeds out the storage spaces toward one direction while creating the storage spaces one by one, an alignment mechanism that carries banknotes into the storage spaces in the order that the storage mechanism feeds out the storage spaces, and a controller that controls the alignment mechanism and the storage mechanism.

Provided is an image forming apparatus and a sorting method allowing paper sheets to be sorted by size or thickness from a bundle of documents that have been already printed with no need for adding a sensor, or the like, or during the time for printing preparation, or the like. The image forming apparatus includes a first detecting part, a paper discharging part and a control part. The first detecting part detects the pass of an edge part of the document. The control part determines the length of a document along the direction of conveyance from the time required from the moment when the document reaches the first detecting part to the moment when it pass the first detecting part, determining the sorting destination.

A apparatus includes a storage mechanism that includes a plurality of storage spaces where paper sheets are stored and continuously feeds out the storage spaces toward one direction while creating the storage spaces one by one, an alignment mechanism that carries banknotes into the storage spaces in the order that the storage mechanism feeds out the storage spaces, and a controller that controls the alignment mechanism and the storage mechanism.

In a method for handling sheet goods, in particular value documents, such as bank notes, in an apparatus for processing sheet goods, such as a bank-note machine, sheet goods are removed from a container for sheet goods that is inserted in the apparatus, through an output opening of the container, checked for further processability, and in the case of a negative check result returned into the container through an input opening of the container that is separate from the output opening. The container has a pressing device for exerting a pressure on the sheet goods in the direction of the output opening, wherein the pressing device is displaceable along the height of the container such that sheet goods are both outputtable from a sheet-goods region of the container through the output opening and inputtable back into the sheet-goods region through the input opening.