Sheet treating apparatus and image forming apparatus therewith

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide a sheet treating apparatus and an image forming apparatus therewith which can securely perform stapling treatment even to a sheet stack, in which the sheets having different sizes are mixed, and improve appearance of the sheet stack when the stapling treatment is performed to the sheet stack. In order to achieve the object, in a sheet treating apparatus having sheet stacking unit for stacking a sheet to be treated, the apparatus forming a sheet stack by aligning the sheets conveyed to the sheet stacking unit and performing binding treatment to the aligned sheet stack by binding unit, the sheet treating apparatus includes a side-end regulation member which is provided on a side of a width direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction of the sheet stacking unit, the side-end regulation member regulating an end-portion position in the width direction of the sheet; and moving unit for moving the sheet in the width direction to cause the sheet to abut on the side-end regulation member.

1 . A sheet treating apparatus having sheet stacking means for stacking a sheet to be treated, said apparatus forming a sheet stack by aligning the sheets conveyed to said sheet stacking means and performing binding treatment to the aligned sheet stack by binding means, 
 said apparatus comprising:    a side-end regulation member which is provided on a side of a width direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction of said sheet stacking means, said side-end regulation member regulating an end-portion position in the width direction of the sheet; and    moving means for moving the sheet in the width direction to cause the sheet to abut on said side-end regulation member,    wherein said moving means moves the sheet in the width direction to cause the sheet to abut on said side-end regulation member in each time when the sheet is conveyed to said sheet stacking means such that the end portions in the width directions of the sheets whose lengths differ from one another in the width direction are aligned.    
   
   
       2 . The sheet treating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said moving means moves the sheet in the width direction by a distance corresponding to the length in the width direction.  
   
   
       3 . The sheet treating apparatus according to claims  1  or  2 , further comprising holding means for holding the sheet abutting on said side-end regulation member, 
 wherein said moving means moves the sheet in the width direction to cause the sheet to abut on said side-end regulation member in each time when the sheet is conveyed to said sheet stacking means, in a state that the sheet abutting on said side-end regulation member is held by said holding means.    
   
   
       4 . The sheet treating apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , said moving means separates the sheet having a predetermined length in the width direction from said side-end regulation member by a predetermined distance in the width direction, after said moving means causes the sheet to abut on said side-end regulation member.  
   
   
       5 . The sheet treating apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said binding means is configured to be movable in the width direction to a predetermined position where the sheets are bound, the predetermined position being separated from said side-end regulation member by a predetermined distance.  
   
   
       6 . The sheet treating apparatus according to claims  1  or  2 , wherein said moving means includes: 
 sheet conveying means for conveying the conveyed sheet in the opposite direction to the sheet conveying direction, said sheet conveying means being provided in a side-end portion on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction of said sheet stacking means, said sheet conveying means causing the sheet to abut on said side-end regulation member which regulates a position in the sheet conveying direction of the sheet; and    driving means for moving said sheet conveying means in the width direction in the state that the sheet abuts on said sheet conveying means.    
   
   
       7 . An image forming apparatus comprising: 
 an image forming apparatus main body which has an image forming portion for forming an image in a sheet; and    a sheet treating apparatus according to claims  1  or  2  which treats the sheet in which the image is formed by the image forming portion.    
   
   
       8 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 7 , further comprising detection means for detecting any one of the end portion in the width direction of the sheet, a central portion of the sheet, and an arbitrary position of the sheet, 
 wherein said moving means moves the sheet in the width direction by a distance corresponding to a distance between said side-end regulation member and any one of the end portion in the width direction of the sheet, the central portion of the sheet, and the arbitrary position of the sheet.    
   
   
       9 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein said moving means moves the sheet in the width direction based on information on a length in the width direction of the sheet from said image forming apparatus main body.  
   
   
       10 . An image forming apparatus which forms a sheet stack by aligning sheets conveyed an image forming portion to sheet stacking means and performs binding treatment to the aligned sheet stack by binding means, 
 said image forming apparatus comprising:    a side-end regulation member which is provided on a side of a width direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction of said sheet stacking means, said side-end regulation member regulating an end-portion position in the width direction of the sheet; and    moving means for moving the sheet in the width direction to cause the sheet to abut on said side-end regulation member,    wherein said moving means moves the sheet in the width direction to cause the sheet to abut on said side-end regulation member in each time when the sheet is conveyed to said sheet stacking means such that the end portions in the width directions of the sheets whose lengths differ from one another in the width direction are aligned.