JP4350289B2 - Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus that store sheets and perform binding processing by a sheet binding apparatus on a stored sheet bundle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, one type of needle having a certain length is prepared in a binding apparatus that automatically performs binding processing on a sheet bundle. For this reason, when the sheet bundle is thick, the needle does not penetrate and the binding process becomes incomplete, so the allowable number of sheets that can be bound is set. In the case of a sheet bundle having a thickness exceeding the allowable number of sheets, binding is prohibited and changed to unbinding processing.
[0003]
Conventionally, as a sheet binding device (hereinafter referred to as “stapler”), a plurality of needle sheets connected to a detachable cartridge are stored as in Japanese Utility Model No. 3-25931, and a needle driving portion of the sheet binding device main body is stored. There are some which perform the binding process by driving the needle sheets conveyed to the sheet bundle one by one into the sheet bundle. This stapler has a needle length that is set to a predetermined value in preparation for performing binding processing on a large number of sheet bundles. In order to solve this problem, a cutting mechanism for cutting excess needles is provided.
[0004]
Many sheet processing apparatuses have been devised as staple sorters and finishers (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-268640). A finisher having a sheet binding device devised in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-25931 has been devised. Here, these cutting needles will be described with reference to FIG.
[0005]
A shooter 500b is arranged at the tip of the stapler 500, and the stapler delivers the cutting needle at a predetermined position to the cutting needle hopper 500c in the post-processing apparatus.
[0006]
Specifically, the opening / closing portion 500d of the shooter 500b contacts the protrusion 500e of the needle guide 500f, the opening / closing portion 500d is opened, and is stored in the hopper 500c via the slope 500g of the guide 500f.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional example has the following problems.
[0008]
(1) Since only one type of needle is prepared, the allowable number of sheets is limited.
[0009]
(2) A storage unit for the cut needle is required outside the sheet binding device, and in order to smoothly transfer the cutting needle to and from the sheet binding device, it is necessary to move the sheet binding device in parallel. It is impossible to execute the binding process diagonally.
[0010]
(3) With regard to the number of sheet bundles when using the sheet binding apparatus, a small number of sheets are frequently used, and it is rare to perform a binding operation on a bundle of many sheets. Has occurred and is ecologically defective.
[0011]
(4) Regarding the cutting needle storage unit, the user needs to remove the needle, which is troublesome and requires detection of the storage state (full tank detection, etc.), leading to an increase in cost and the size of the apparatus.
[0012]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet binding apparatus capable of performing binding processing regardless of the number of sheet bundles without generating a cutting needle. Is to provide.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration according to the present invention includes a sheet binding device main body having a driving portion for driving a needle into a sheet bundle, and is detachable from the binding device main body and stores the needle. In a sheet processing apparatus having a sheet binding device having a needle cartridge having a needle storage section, the needle cartridge corresponds to a plurality of types of needle sheets having a plurality of needle lengths, and each of the plurality of types of needle cartridges The needle sheet storage portion includes a guide portion for restricting the needle so that the center in the needle length direction is substantially the same when the staple sheet is mounted on the binding device body, and each of the plurality of types of needle cartridges when the staple device body is mounted on the staple device body. Cartridge identification means for identifying the cartridge, number designation means for designating the number of sheets stacked in the sheet storage unit, identification signal from the cartridge identification means, and number designation means A binding process determination unit that determines whether to execute the binding process according to the number of sheets stacked, and performs the binding process if the number of stacked sheets is within the allowable binding number. If this is the case, the apparatus is stopped to prompt the user to replace the staple cartridge, and after replacing the staple cartridge, if the number of stacked sheets is within the allowable number of sheets, the head of the staple is cued and processing of the next sheet bundle is started. Features .
[0014]
In the above configuration, the driving unit in the sheet binding apparatus can be made common regardless of the needle length, and the binding process can be performed with a small number / a large number of sheets in which cutting needles are not generated.
[0015]
In addition, the needle cartridge can handle a plurality of types of needles having a plurality of needle lengths, and when the cartridge is attached to the binding apparatus main body, a cartridge identification unit for identifying each needle cartridge is provided, so that the binding corresponding to the needle length is provided. A sheet binding operation is not erroneously performed on a sheet bundle that is greater than or equal to the number of sheets that can be processed, and a small number of sheets / multiple sheets are bound without impairing the reliability of the sheet processing apparatus. Processing is possible.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a stapler system to which the present invention is applied. The stapler S and the needle cartridge A that can accept up to 100 needle sheets, the needle cartridge B that can accept up to 60 needle sheets, and the needle cartridge C that can accept up to 20 needle sheets are composed of the needle cartridges A, B, and C. Needles having different lengths are loaded into the cartridge frame a through the refill case b.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 2, the needle length of the needle cartridge is set to correspond to the maximum allowable number of bundles.
[0018]
Needle cartridge A = crown length (13mm) + (bundle thickness (10mm) + folding length (3mm)) x 2 = 39mm
[0019]
Needle cartridge B = crown length (13mm) + (bundle thickness (6mm) + folding length (3mm)) x 2 = 31mm
[0020]
Needle cartridge C = crown length (13mm) + (bundle thickness (2mm) + folding length (3mm)) x 2 = 23mm
[0021]
Is set to
[0022]
FIG. 3A shows a bottom view of the cartridge B. The cartridge frame a is provided with a rib c for restricting the refill case b and a guide portion d for restricting the needle sheet protruding from the refill case b. The guide portion d regulates the needle sheet conveyance position.
[0023]
Similarly, FIG. 3B shows each needle cartridge as viewed from the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3A, and the needle seat is regulated by the guide portion d so that the centers in the needle length direction are substantially the same. Yes.
[0024]
Also, the protrusions e and f shown in FIG. 3A are protrusions as identification means for identifying the needle cartridge, and are set in different arrangements for each cartridge as shown in FIG. 3B. In the case of this embodiment, two switches SW1 and SW2 (see FIG. 9) are arranged on the stapler main body side at positions corresponding to the protrusions e and f so that the three types of needle cartridges and the state of no needle cartridge can be detected. The needle cartridge state is output by two output signals. Details are shown in the detection state table of FIG.
[0025]
Next, a sheet processing apparatus provided with the above stapler system will be described.
[0026]
In FIG. 5, 1 is a finisher, and 300 is an image forming apparatus main body. Further, 301 and 302 are cassettes, 303 and 304 are feeding rollers, 305 is a registration roller, 306 is a photosensitive drum, and 307 is a fixing roller. A detailed description of the image forming apparatus main body 300 and the RDF is omitted here. 399 is a discharge roller of the image forming apparatus main body, 2 is a pair of entrance rollers of the finisher 1, 3 is a transport roller, 31 is a paper detection sensor, 50 is a punch unit that punches near the rear end of the transported paper, 5 The paper is conveyed by pressing the rollers 13, 13, 14 with the large conveying rollers.
[0027]
11 is a switching flapper that switches between the non-sort path 21 and the sort path 22. Reference numeral 10 denotes a switching flapper for switching between a sort path 22 and a buffer path 23 for temporarily storing paper. 6 is a conveying roller, 130 is a sheet for temporarily collecting and aligning and stapling an intermediate tray (hereinafter, processing tray), and 7 is a sheet for discharging the sheet onto the processing tray (first stacking tray) 130 The discharge roller 150 is supported by the swing guide 150b, and 180b is supported by the swing guide 150. When the swing guide 150 comes to the closed position, the processing is performed in cooperation with the roller (transfer means) 180a disposed on the processing tray 130. This is a bundle discharge roller (transfer means) for conveying a bundle of sheets on the tray 130 and discharging the bundle onto a stack tray (second stacking tray) 200.
[0028]
Next, the stapler unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 (main cross section), FIG. 7 (a view in FIG. 6), FIG. 8 (b view in FIG. 6), and FIG.
[0029]
A stapler (binding means) 101 is fixed to the moving table 103 via a holder 102. Rollers 106 and 107 are rotatably mounted on the shafts 104 and 105 fixed to the movable table 103, respectively. The rollers 106 and 107 are hole-shaped rails (108a, 108b, and 108c) provided on the fixed table 108. Is fitted.
[0030]
The rollers 106 and 107 both have flanges 106a and 107a larger than the rail holes of the fixed base 108. On the other hand, below the moving base 103, support rollers are arranged at three locations to support the stapler 101. The movable table 103 can move on the fixed table 108 along the rail without being detached. The moving table 103 moves on the fixed table 108 by a roller 109 that is rotatably provided on the moving table 103.
[0031]
The rail holes (108a, 108b, 108c) are branched from the middle at the front and back portions to become two parallel rails. Due to the rail shape, when the stapler 101 is positioned in front, the roller 106 is fitted to the rail hole 108b side, and the roller 107 is fitted to the rail hole 108a side, and is inclined. When the stapler 101 is located at the center, both the rollers 106 and 107 are fitted into the rail holes 108a and become horizontal.
[0032]
Further, when the stapler 101 is located on the back side, the roller 106 is fitted to the rail hole 108a side and the roller 107 is fitted to the rail hole 108c side, and the state is inclined opposite to the previous time.
[0033]
In addition, after the two rollers 106 and 107 are respectively fitted to the two parallel rails, they move while maintaining their postures. The action of starting the direction change is performed by a cam (not shown).
[0034]
Next, the moving mechanism of the stapler 101 will be described.
[0035]
One roller 106 of the moving table 103 is integrally formed with a pinion gear 106b and a belt pulley 106c, and the pinion gear is connected to a motor M100 fixed from above the moving table via a belt hung on the pulley 106c. Has been. On the other hand, a rack gear 110 is fixed to the lower surface of the fixed base so as to be engaged with the pinion gear 106b along the rail hole. By the forward / reverse rotation of the motor M100, the movable base 103 is moved forward and backward together with the stapler 101. Moved to.
[0036]
Further, a stopper tilting roller 112 is disposed on a shaft 111 extending in the lower surface direction of the movable table 103. This serves to rotate the rear end stopper 131 in order to escape the collision between the rear end stopper 131 and the stapler 101, which will be described later.
[0037]
The stapler unit 100 is provided with a sensor for detecting the home position of the stapler 101, and the normal stapler 101 is waiting at the home position (the frontmost part in the present embodiment).
[0038]
Here, the stapler unit 100 will be described more specifically. FIG. 9A is a main section of the stapler.
[0039]
The stapler unit 100 is provided with a main body having a driving portion for driving a needle into a sheet bundle, a detachable needle with respect to the main body, a needle storage portion for storing the needle, and a needle for conveying the needle to the driving portion of the main body. And a needle cartridge 100b having a needle conveyance support portion. That is, the staple cartridge main body 100a is loaded with the staple cartridge 100b, and the staple sheet to which the staple is connected is conveyed to the left side in the drawing by the feed roller 100c that is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow by the drive source. The needle driving part on the left side of the apparatus is provided with a forming plate 100e and a driver 100d that are supported so as to be independently reciprocable in the direction of the arrow. The driving source is used to form and drive the conveyed needle sheets one by one. It is done by. As described above, the identification switches SW1 and SW2 for detecting the type and presence of the needle cartridge 100b when the needle cartridge 100b is loaded and the forming needle detection sensor P10 for detecting the presence or absence of the formed needle are fixed to the main body 100a. ing.
[0040]
FIGS. 9 (b) and 9 (c) show the operating state of the forming plate / driver from the direction of arrow C in FIG. 9 (a), and the forming / driving operation is possible regardless of the needle length.
[0041]
Next, the trailing edge stopper 131 that supports the trailing edge of the sheets P stacked on the processing tray 130 will be described.
[0042]
The rear end stopper 131 has a surface perpendicular to the stacking surface of the processing tray 130, and is fitted into a support surface 131a that supports the rear end of the sheet and a round hole provided in the processing tray 130 to swing. It has the pin 131b and the pin 131c for fitting with the link mentioned later. The links include a main link 132 having a cam surface 132a against which a roller 112 assembled to the stapler moving table 130 is abutted and pressed, a pin 132b disposed at an upper end of the main link, and a pin 131c of a rear end stopper. And a connecting link 133 connecting the two.
[0043]
The main link 132 swings around a shaft 134 fixed to a frame (not shown) as a fulcrum. Further, the lower end of the main link 132 is provided with a tension spring 135 that urges the main link in the clockwise direction, and the main link is positioned by the abutting plate. Maintain a vertical posture.
[0044]
When the staple moving table 103 is moved, the cam surface of the main link 132 connected to the stopper 131 that interferes with the stapler 101 is pushed down by the tilt roller provided on the moving table, and the rear end stopper 131 is connected. It is pulled by the link 133 and rotated to a position where it does not interfere with the stapler 101. A plurality of (three in the present configuration) tilt rollers 112 are provided so that the rear end stopper maintains this retraction position while the stapler is moving.
[0045]
A staple stopper 113 (two-dot chain line) having a support surface having the same shape as that of the rear end stopper 131 is attached to both side surfaces of the holder 102 that supports the staple 101. Therefore, the stapler 101 is in a horizontal state (central portion). ), It is possible to support the trailing edge of the sheet with the staple stopper 113 even when the stopper 131 is pressed.
[0046]
Next, the processing tray unit 129 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0047]
The processing tray unit 129 is disposed between a transport unit that transports sheets from the image forming apparatus main body 300 and a stack tray 200 that receives and stores a bundle processed by the processing tray 130.
[0048]
The processing tray unit 129 includes a processing tray 130, a rear end stopper 131, an alignment unit 140, a swing guide 150, a pull-in paddle 160, a retracting tray 170, and a bundle discharging roller pair 180.
[0049]
The processing tray 130 is an inclined tray with the downstream side (left in the figure) facing upward and the upstream side (right in the figure) facing downward, and the rear end stopper is fitted to the lower end. The sheet P discharged by the pair of discharge rollers of the transport unit slides on the processing tray 130 until its rear end comes into contact with the rear end stopper 131 due to its own weight and the action of a paddle 160 described later.
[0050]
In addition, a bundle discharge roller pair 180 is attached to the upper end of the processing tray 130, and a bundle discharge upper roller 180b that comes into contact with the swing guide 150, which will be described later, is attached to the processing tray 130 and is driven by the motor M180. Forward and reverse.
[0051]
Next, the flow of the sheet P will be described.
[0052]
When the user wants to specify the non-sort mode in the operation unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body, as shown in FIG. The sheet P conveyed from the apparatus main body 300 is conveyed. The switching flapper 11 rotates to the position shown in the figure by the action of a solenoid (not shown) and conveys the sheet P to the non-sort path 21. When the trailing edge of the sheet P is detected by the sensor 33, the roller 9 rotates at a speed suitable for stacking and discharges the sheet P onto the stack tray 200.
[0053]
Next, the operation when the user designates the staple sort mode will be described.
[0054]
As shown in FIG. 12, the inlet roller pair 2, the conveyance roller 3, and the large conveyance roller 5 rotate to convey the sheet P conveyed from the image forming apparatus main body 300. The flappers 10 and 11 are stopped at the positions shown in the figure. The sheet P is discharged to the stapler 101 by the discharge roller 7 in 22 sort paths. At this time, since the in / out tray 170 is in the protruding position, it prevents the leading edge from dropping and returning to the point where the sheet P is discharged by the discharge roller 7, and improves the alignment of the sheets on the processing tray. Yes.
[0055]
The discharged sheet P begins to move to the trailing end stopper 131 by its own weight, and the paddle 160 that has stopped at the home position is rotated counterclockwise by the drive of the motor M160, and the movement of the sheet is performed. To encourage. When the trailing edge of the sheet P reliably comes into contact with the stopper 131 and stops, the rotation of the paddle 160 is also stopped and the alignment member aligns the discharged sheets.
[0056]
When all the first sheets are discharged onto the processing tray 130 and aligned, as shown in FIG. 13, the swing guide 150 descends and the bundle discharge upper roller 180b rides on the sheet bundle, and the stapler 101 Staples the sheet bundle.
[0057]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, the sheet P1 discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 300 is wound around the large conveying roller 5 by the rotation of the flapper 10, and stops when it advances a predetermined distance from the sensor 32. . When the next sheet P2 advances by a predetermined distance from the paper detection sensor 31, as shown in FIG. 14, the large conveying roller 5 rotates, and the second sheet P2 precedes the first sheet P1 by a predetermined distance. As shown in FIG. 15, they are wound around the large conveying roller 5 and stopped at a predetermined distance. On the other hand, the sheet bundle on the processing tray 130 is discharged onto the stack tray 200 as shown in FIG.
[0058]
However, at this time, the in / out tray 170 moves to the home position before the sheet bundle passes through the bundle discharge roller in order to drop the sheet bundle onto the stack tray 200. As shown in FIG. 16, when the third sheet P3 reaches a predetermined position, the transport large roller 5 rotates, the sheets P3 are shifted by a predetermined distance and overlapped, and the flapper 10 rotates to rotate the three sheets P. Is conveyed to the sort path 22.
[0059]
As shown in FIG. 17A, three sheets P are received by the rollers 180a and 180b while the swinging guide 150 is lowered, and as shown in FIG. When the roller 180 is removed, the rollers 180a and 180b are reversed, and before the rear end comes into contact with the stopper 131, as shown in FIG. 17C, the swing guide 150 is raised and the roller 180b is separated from the sheet surface. The fourth and subsequent sheets P are discharged onto the processing tray through the sort pass as in the first copy operation. For the third and subsequent copies, the same operation as the second copy is performed, and the set number of copies are stacked on the stack tray 200 and the process is terminated.
[0060]
In the stacked conveyance of the plurality of sheets, each sheet P is offset in the conveyance direction, the sheet P2 is offset downstream with respect to the sheet P1, and the sheet P3 is offset downstream with respect to the sheet P2.
[0061]
The offset amount of the sheet P and the swing guide raising timing are related to the sheet stabilization time depending on the return speed of the bundle discharge roller, that is, the processing capacity of the image forming apparatus main body 300. In the present embodiment, the sheet When the transport speed is 750mm / s, the offset amount (b = 20mm), and the bundle discharge roller return speed is 500mm / s, the separation position of the bundle discharge roller reaches 40mm (value a) before the sheet P1 contacts the stopper. The timing is set.
[0062]
Here, the operation based on the above-described needle cartridge identification signal will be described with reference to the detection state table of FIG. 4 and the staple sort mode flowchart of FIG.
[0063]
During the discharge operation onto the processing tray 130 described above, simultaneously with the discharge of the sheet onto the processing tray 130, a processing tray stacking number counter as a number counting unit is activated to count the number of stacked sheets. Then, the counter is stopped simultaneously with the completion of the bundle last paper discharge, and the processing determination unit compares the (binding allowable number) calculated from the “detection state table” according to the staple cartridge identification signal with the (stacked number).
[0064]
Note that the number of stacked sheets may be specified by counting the number of documents in advance, or the number of stacked sheets may be input manually.
[0065]
If (binding allowable number) ≧ (stacked number), stapling is performed as it is. However, if (the allowable number of bindings) <(the number of stacked sheets), the stapling process is not performed, the bundle is discharged without binding, the operation is terminated at the same time as sending the “alarm” signal to the image forming apparatus side, and waiting. Transition to the state.
[0066]
A message stating that “the number of loaded sheets has been exceeded” is transmitted on the display of the image forming apparatus, and prompts the user to replace the needle cartridge.
[0067]
When a new staple cartridge is loaded, after executing the needle cueing operation (empty punching operation until the needle is detected) based on the signal from the forming needle detection sensor, the number of loaded cartridges is within the allowable number. Then, it automatically starts and shifts to a recovery operation (performing stapling of the remaining number of copies).
[0068]
[Other Embodiments]
Here, the operation based on the above-described needle cartridge identification signal will be described based on the detection state table in FIG. 19 and the staple sort mode flowchart in FIG.
[0069]
During the discharge operation onto the processing tray 130 described above, simultaneously with the discharge of the sheet onto the processing tray 130, a processing tray stacking number counter as a number counting unit is activated to count the number of stacked sheets. Then, the counter is stopped simultaneously with the completion of the bundle last paper discharge, and the processing determination unit compares the (binding allowable number) calculated from the “detection state table” according to the staple cartridge identification signal with the (stacked number).
[0070]
Note that the number of stacked sheets may be specified by counting the number of documents in advance, or the number of stacked sheets may be input manually.
[0071]
If (maximum binding allowable number) ≧ (stacked number) ≧ (minimum binding allowable number), the stapling process is performed as it is. However, if (maximum binding allowable number) <(stacking number) or (stacking number) <(minimum binding allowable number), stapling is not performed, the bundle is discharged without binding, and the image forming apparatus is moved to the image forming apparatus side. At the same time as the “alarm” signal is transmitted, the operation is terminated and a transition is made to a standby state.
[0072]
A message stating that “the number of sheets to be loaded is too small or excessive” is transmitted on the display of the image forming apparatus, and prompts the user to replace the needle cartridge.
[0073]
When a new staple cartridge is loaded, after executing the needle cueing operation (empty punching operation until the needle is detected) based on the signal from the forming needle detection sensor, the number of loaded cartridges is within the allowable number. Then, it automatically starts and shifts to a recovery operation (performing stapling of the remaining number of copies).
[0074]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet binding device corresponding to a small number / a large number of cutting needles. This eliminates the need for a mechanism such as a needle cutter in the sheet binding apparatus, enables cost reduction, and provides ecological products that do not cause product waste.
[0075]
In addition, when the sheet binding apparatus is mounted on the sheet processing apparatus, by providing an identification means for each cartridge, it is possible to prevent the binding processing operation at or above the allowable bundle thickness, and the reliability as the sheet processing apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost and the size of the apparatus.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory perspective view of a sheet binding apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a needle length.
FIG. 3A is a bottom view of a needle cartridge, and FIG. 3B is a state of conveyance of each needle cartridge.
FIG. 4 is a cartridge state / allowable bundle number detection state table based on an identification signal.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a side view of a stapler and a processing tray unit.
7 is a plan view of a stapler moving mechanism as seen from a in FIG.
FIG. 8 is a rear view of the stapler as viewed from b in FIG. 6;
9A is a main cross-sectional view of a stapler, and FIGS. 9B and 9C are arrow direction views of FIG.
FIG. 10 is a vertical side view of a swing guide and a processing tray.
FIG. 11 is an operation diagram of the sheet processing apparatus in a non-sort mode.
FIG. 12 is an operation diagram of the sheet processing apparatus in a staple sort mode.
FIG. 13 is an operation diagram of the sheet processing apparatus in a staple sort mode.
FIG. 14 is an operation diagram of the sheet processing apparatus in a staple sort mode.
FIG. 15 is an operation diagram of the sheet processing apparatus in a staple sort mode.
FIG. 16 is an operation diagram of the sheet processing apparatus in a staple sort mode.
FIG. 17 is an operation diagram of the sheet processing apparatus in a staple sort mode.
FIG. 18 is an operation flowchart in a staple sort mode.
FIG. 19 is a detection state table of cartridge state / allowable bundle number based on an identification signal according to another embodiment.
FIG. 20 is an operation flowchart in a staple sort mode according to another embodiment.
FIG. 21 is a supplementary diagram of a conventional example.

Claims (2)

Comprising a sheet binding device body with a driving unit driving the needle against the sheet bundle, detachable from the binding device body, the sheet stapling device having a needle cartridge having a needle storage portion for accommodating the needle In the sheet processing apparatus ,
The needle cartridge corresponds to a plurality of types of needle sheets having a plurality of needle lengths, and the needle sheet storage portion of each of the plurality of types of needle cartridges has a substantially same center in the needle length direction when attached to the binding device body. A guide part for regulating the needle,
Cartridge identifying means for identifying each of the plurality of types of needle cartridges when the staple cartridge is mounted on the binding device body;
A sheet number designating unit for designating the number of sheets stacked in the sheet storage unit;
A binding process determination unit that determines the execution of the binding process according to the identification signal from the cartridge identification unit and the number of sheets stacked by the sheet number specifying unit;
Have
If the number of stacked sheets is within the allowable number of sheets, the binding process is performed. If the number of stacked sheets is other than the allowable number of sheets, the apparatus is stopped to prompt the user to replace the staple cartridge. A sheet processing apparatus characterized by cueing a needle and starting the processing of the next sheet bundle if the number is within the allowable number of sheets to be bound . In an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus that performs a binding process on a sheet bundle,
An image forming apparatus main body for forming an image on a sheet;
A sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images