Sheet handling apparatus

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a sheet handling apparatus includes a conveying path to convey a sheet, a processing portion to perform a predetermined process on the sheet while conveying the sheet on the conveying path, a separable roller pair that is arranged at a certain distance from the processing portion on an upstream side or a downstream side in conveying direction, the separable roller pair being adapted to hand over the sheet between the conveying path and the processing portion by holding the sheet with a nip and rotating, a separating mechanism to separate the separable roller pair, and a controller that controls the separating mechanism such that the separable roller pair is separated before or after processing is started with the processing portion on a sheet that is conveyed on the conveying path.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A sheet handling apparatus comprising:
 a conveyor conveying a sheet;   a weight measuring apparatus measuring weight of the sheet fed on the conveyor into the weight measuring apparatus;   a downstream-side separable roller pair that is arranged at a predetermined distance from the weight measuring apparatus on a downstream side in a conveying direction, the downstream-side separable roller pair including rollers having a nip therebetween and being adapted to hand over the sheet between the conveyor and the weight measuring apparatus by the nip of the rollers holding the sheet and rotating the rollers;   a separating mechanism configured to separate the downstream-side separable roller pair; and   a controller configured to control the separating mechanism wherein the rollers of the downstream-side separable roller pair are brought into contact after the weight measuring apparatus has finished weighing the sheet.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus according to  claim 21 , further comprising:
 an upstream-side conveying roller pair having a nip that is arranged on the upstream side in the conveying direction and spaced from the weight measuring apparatus, and a downstream-side conveying roller pair that is arranged on the downstream side in conveying direction and spaced from the downstream-side separable roller pair;   wherein the weight measuring apparatus is adapted to start the weighing of a sheet after a trailing edge of the sheet fed into the weight measuring apparatus has left the nip of the upstream-side conveying roller pair, and to end the weighing of the sheet before the leading edge in conveying direction of the sheet reaches the nip of the downstream-side conveying roller pair.   
     
     
         23 . The apparatus according to  claim 22 , wherein
 nips of adjacent roller pairs are spaced apart at a distance that is less than a minimum length corresponding to a shortest length of the sheet handling apparatus is configured to convey along the conveyor, and   a distance between the nip of the upstream-side separable roller pair to the nip of the downstream-side conveying roller pair is shorter than three times the minimum length.   
     
     
         24 . The apparatus according to  claim 22 , wherein
 a length in conveying direction from a nip of the upstream-side conveying roller pair to a nip of the downstream-side separable roller pair is shorter than twice a length of the shortest sheet in conveying direction, the shortest sheet being shortest out of the sheets that can be processed by the sheet handling apparatus.   
     
     
         25 . The apparatus according to  claim 22 , wherein
 a length in conveying direction from a nip of the upstream-side conveying roller pair to the nip of the downstream-side conveying roller pair is longer than a length of the sheet being conveyed along the conveyor.