EP0022680B1 - Document handling apparatus and method - Google Patents

Document handling apparatus and method Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0022680B1
EP0022680B1 EP19800302390 EP80302390A EP0022680B1 EP 0022680 B1 EP0022680 B1 EP 0022680B1 EP 19800302390 EP19800302390 EP 19800302390 EP 80302390 A EP80302390 A EP 80302390A EP 0022680 B1 EP0022680 B1 EP 0022680B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
copying
document
documents
duplex
copy
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP19800302390
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0022680A1 (en
Inventor
Richard E. Smith
John R. Yonovich
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Xerox Corp
Original Assignee
Xerox Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Xerox Corp filed Critical Xerox Corp
Publication of EP0022680A1 publication Critical patent/EP0022680A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0022680B1 publication Critical patent/EP0022680B1/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
    • G03G15/65—Apparatus which relate to the handling of copy material
    • G03G15/6555—Handling of sheet copy material taking place in a specific part of the copy material feeding path
    • G03G15/6579—Refeeding path for composite copying
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
    • G03G15/22—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20
    • G03G15/23—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20 specially adapted for copying both sides of an original or for copying on both sides of a recording or image-receiving material
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G2215/00—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes
    • G03G2215/00362—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes relating to the copy medium handling
    • G03G2215/00367—The feeding path segment where particular handling of the copy medium occurs, segments being adjacent and non-overlapping. Each segment is identified by the most downstream point in the segment, so that for instance the segment labelled "Fixing device" is referring to the path between the "Transfer device" and the "Fixing device"
    • G03G2215/00417—Post-fixing device
    • G03G2215/0043—Refeeding path
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G2215/00—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes
    • G03G2215/00362—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes relating to the copy medium handling
    • G03G2215/00535—Stable handling of copy medium
    • G03G2215/00556—Control of copy medium feeding

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to document handling apparatus and methods for plurally recirculating a set of simplex original documents to a copier to be copied onto both sides of copy sheets to form pre-collated duplex copy sets, by circulating the documents in reverse (descending) serial page (N to 1) order beginning with the last sheet (N) in the document and ending with the first sheet (1) in the document set.
  • duplex copying may be more specifically defined into several different, individually known, copying modes.
  • duplex/duplex copying both sides of a duplex document sheet (which has images on both sides) are copied onto both sides of a single copy sheet.
  • duplex/simplex copying both sides of a duplex document are copied onto only one side of two successive copy sheets.
  • simplex/duplex copying to which the present invention particularly relates, the images of two successive simplex document sheets, which have images on only one side, are copied onto opposite sides of a single copy sheet.
  • two-sided copying may be referred to as "backing-up" rather than duplex copying.
  • odd pages 1, 3, 5, etc. will typically appear on the first sides, with even pages 2, 4, 6, etc., on the second sides, respectively. If there is an odd number of pages in the set of duplex sheets the reverse of the last sheet will typically be blank (empty). In contrast, in a set of simplex document or copy sheets, the number of the sheet will typically also correspond to the page number. Thus, an odd number of simplex document sheets will normally have an odd number of page images.
  • duplex copying of the copy sheets may be done by first making in the copier processor a set of simplexed copy sheets (printed only on their first sides) of only the odd or the even document pages and temporarily storing those simplex copy sheets in a duplex buffer tray, and then feeding them back through the same copying processor for a second pass printing of the opposite order (even or odd page) document images on the opposite sides of the copy sheets.
  • Such systems may be referred to as sequential or dual pass duplexing systems. Examples of such systems for handling the copy sheets being duplexed are shown in U. S. Patents Nos. 3,615,129, issued October 26, 1971 to W. A.
  • the present invention is an improvement over said Adamek Patent No. 4,116,558 for automatically achieving copying and storage of even page numbered copies of simplex documents in the duplex buffer tray to avoid variable output inversion or copying of a blank page when an odd number of simplex documents is being duplex copied, as indicated in that patent to be desirable, and for achieving this feature under the further difficulty of copying the documents in reverse (descending) serial page order with a different type of document handling system.
  • the description beginning with the last paragraph of Column 8 of said Adamek U.S. Patent is particularly noted by way of background for this application.
  • a desirable feature for a copier is to provide automatic document recirculation for pre-collation copying.
  • pre-collation copying systems provide a number of important advantages.
  • the copies exit the copier in pre-collated sets, and do not require subsequent sorting in a sorter or collator. Any desired number of such copy sets may be made by making a corresponding number of recirculations of the document set in collated order past a copying station and copying each document once each time it recirculates. On-line finishing and/or removal of the completed copy sets may be provided while additional copy sets are being made from the same document set.
  • pre-collation copying systems a disadvantage of pre-collation copying systems is that the documents must all be repeatedly circulated, and copied in a pre-determined order only once in each circulation, by a number of circulations equivalent to the desired number of copy sets.
  • increased document handling is necessitated for a pre-collation copying system, as compared to a conventional post-collation copying system.
  • Maximizing document handling automation and copying cycle efficiency is particularly important in pre-collation copying. If the document handler cannot circulate and copy documents in coordination with the copy sheets in the correct order, the total copying time for each copy set will be increased.
  • the present invention solves the problem of producing properly-collated duplex copies from a copier supplied with simplex originals in reverse (i.e. descending) page number order, irrespective of whether there is an odd or an even number of originals.
  • the present invention provides a method of producing duplex copies from simplex originals which is as claimed in the appended claim.
  • recirculating document handler In the recirculating document handler (RDH) 20 here, individual original documents are sequentially fed from the bottom of a stack of documents (placed by the operator face-up in the document storage area or stacking tray 24) to the imaging station 26, which is the conventional platen of the copier 10, to be conventionally imaged onto a photoreceptor 12 for the making of copies in a conventional xerographic manner.
  • the document handler 20 has conventional switches such as 29 for sensing and counting the individual documents fed from the tray 24, i.e., counting the number of document sheets circulated.
  • a conventional resettable bail and its associated switch 31 indicates the completion of each circulation of the complete document set and then is automatically reset on the top of the stack before the next circulation.
  • the document feeder 20 is selected or adapted to feed the documents serially and sequentially, which may be conventional sizes and weights of sheets of paper or plastics bearing information indicia to be copied, e.g., printed or typed letters, drawings, prints, photographs, etc..
  • a bottom feeder 32 feeds the bottom document sheet, on demand, to a platen belt 30 which moves the document into registration over the copier platen.
  • each document is inverted as it is fed from the tray 24 to the imaging station 26 around a first inverting path 40.
  • a decision gate 60 in the document path after the downstream end of the platen belt 30 here comprising pivotable deflector fingers, which determines the further recirculatory movement of the documents through a selected one of two different return transport paths back to the tray 24.
  • These two paths are a first (simplex) transport path 54 and a second (duplex) transport path 58.
  • the second or duplex transport path 58 returns the documents to their storage area 24 for restacking with effectively only a single inversion.
  • the first or simplex transport path 54 transports the documents around a second inverting path 54 and returns them to the same restacking tray after having been inverted twice.
  • the solenoid or other actuator of the selector gate 60 determines whether the documents are recirculated with a total of one or two inversions.
  • two inversions the same sides of the documents are exposed in each circulation and are restacked in the tray 24 in each circulation in their original orientation.
  • one inversion the duplex path 58
  • the documents are restacked in the tray 24 inverted from their previous orientation, which provides for copying of the opposite sides or faces of the documents on their next circulation. This is only used for copying duplex documents.
  • the exemplary duplex path transport 58 here is provided by a reversible three roller sheet inverter as shown.
  • Both the simplex transport 54 and duplex transport 58 continuously restack the sheets after they are copied on the top of the stack of sheets in the tray 24. Thus, continuous multiple recirculations for pre-collation copying can be provided.
  • the exemplary copier 10 processor and its controller 100 will be described in further detail. It provides duplex or simplex pre-collated copy sets from either duplex or simplex original documents copied by the RDH 20. Two separate copy sheet trays 106 and 107 are provided to feed clean copy sheets onto which the images of the documents are to be printed. The control of sheet feeding is by the machine controller 100.
  • the controller 100 is preferably of the known programmable microprocessor type exemplified by the patents cited in the introduction, which conventionally also controls all of the other machine functions described herein including the operation of the document feeder, the document and copy sheet gates, feeder drives, etc..
  • inserter trays such as 108 can be provided, if desired, for direct output without printing, but interleaved with the copies.
  • the copy sheets are fed from trays 106 or 107 to the conventional xerographic transfer station 112 for imaging one side thereof, then to the conventional fusing station 114. From there, depending on the position of a duplex selector finger or gate 118, the copy sheets will be deflected either into a duplex buffer intermediate storage tray 116 for duplex copies, or into the copy output path of the copier via an output transport 126.
  • the copy sheets stacked into the duplex tray 116 are stacked image face-up in the order in which they were copied.
  • the duplex tray 116 here includes a bounce reverser 120 and jogger/normal force wheels 122 for assisting the stacking of copy sheets therein and assistance in bottom feeding from the duplex tray 116 by a bottom feeder 124.
  • the previously simplexed copy sheets in the tray 116 are fed by the feeder 124 back to the transfer station 112 for the imaging of their second or opposite side page image.
  • Such now-duplexed copy sheets are then fed out past the now-opened gate 118 into the same output transport 126.
  • the output transport 126 transports the finished copy sheets to an output tray, or, preferably, to a finishing station 140 for the stapling, stitching, gluing, binding, and/or off-set stacking of the completed, precollated, copy sets.
  • the copy sheets may be stacked in the finisher in a compiler tray in the order produced without an inverter with the system disclosed here.
  • duplex copies with the additional requirement that a lower document page number be on the top of the copy sheet and the next higher document page number be on the bottom of the same copy sheet, so that the completed duplex copy set is in the order 1/2; 3/4; 5/6; etc..
  • a difficulty is that most dual pass duplex copying systems inherently have an inversion of a duplex copy sheet within the processor as the duplex copy sheet is returned to the transfer station from the duplex tray for the printing of the second side image onto the back of the duplex copy sheet.
  • a duplexed copy sheet receives one more inversion than a simplexed copy sheet.
  • the output path for a simplex copy sheet is typically different (i.e., contains one more or one less inversions) from the output path for duplex copy sheets in order to maintain the proper collation order of the output sheets.
  • a first non-copying circulation of this document set determines, with a count of the sheet sensor switch 29 in conjunction with bail switch 31, whether there is an odd or even number of documents. Determining that the number of document pages is odd in this example, i.e., that the last document N is 5, the copier controller 100 in the next (second) circulation of the document set skips the first and subsequent alternate documents and copies only the even pages 4 and 2, in that order [i.e., copies only pages N minus 1 and N minus 3] and places those even page copy sheets in the duplex buffer tray 116. The other document sheets are circulated in this first copying circulation, but their copying is inhibited and no corresponding copy sheet is fed for them in this first copying circulation.
  • Document page 3 is printed on its opposite face, and, because of the inherent inversion in the processor output path, this second copy sheet out is placed in the output path with its page 3 side face-up and its page 4 side face-down on top of the preceding page 5 copy sheet.
  • the next even document page, page 2 is also copied on a clean copy sheet from tray 106 or 107 and fed into the duplex tray 116 on top of the preceding page 4.
  • the last copy sheet in each set is fed from the duplex tray 116 and it receives the document page 1 image on the opposite side of the previous page 2 image and is likewise output.
  • the above copying sequence is changed in that none of the even document pages, 2 and 4 in this example, is copied.
  • the duplex buffer tray 116 is emptied, and not refilled, on the last copying circulation, and the final (10th) copy set is provided, as taught by the above-cited Adamek patent.
  • the copier controller would change the copying sequence and not skip the first and subsequent alternate documents being recirculated in the first copying circulation. Rather, it would skip pages 3 and 1, the second and alternate documents, to copy only the even pages 2 and 4 in the first circulation. On the second copying circulation it would feed the first copy sheet (page 4) to the duplex tray, not to the output, since it is an even page to be duplexed, as described above.
  • this same document handler and copier can be alternatively utilized to produce fully simplexed copy sets from the same simplex documents if desired, and these simplex copy sheets will also be in the proper collated output order, i.e., output stacked in N to 1 order, but face-up, so as to form proper 1 to N page order copy sets.
  • the odd image page number which is placed on the second side of the copy sheet being duplexed is the preceding (lower) page number, not the succeeding (higher) page number. That is, page 3 is printed on the reverse of page 4 and not page 5. This is essential for maintaining proper collation, where the copy sheet is output with the last printed side up. This would be true of a straight-through paper path bottom transfer copier as well as the disclosed top transfer copier with one inversion in the output path from the transfer station to the finisher.
  • the present system automatically accomplishes, with this particular reverse serial order copying system, the placement of the next lower odd page number on the back of each copy sheet bearing the immediately previous higher even page number.
  • these restricted copy sheets can desirably always be placed face-up in either of the copy sheet trays, yet will always be properly duplexed, since the proper even page sides are always printed on the back of the copy sheets first as they are fed from the copy trays, and then the odd document pages are copied onto the front sides of the copy sheets as they are fed from the duplex tray.
  • the simplex document set is placed face-up in the tray of a document handler which bottom-feeds the documents to the platen.
  • the document set is first initially circulated in one non- copying circulation during which the number of documents is counted. If an even number of simplex documents is counted on this first "pre-count” circulation, then on the second (and first copying) circulation the documents are copied in the order N, N minus 2, N minus 4, N minus 6, etc.. That is, when the "pre-count" circulation determines that the last document is an even document, then all even documents (only) are copied in the second document circulation by copying every other document in reverse order starting with the very last document N. The odd document pages are circulated, but not copied.
  • the duplex documents may also be loaded face-up and copied in the same N to 1 (reversed serial) order from the same single document tray.
  • the document inverter for the duplex documents is downstream of the platen rather than upstream.
  • the duplex documents are also first run through a single dummy (non-copying) circulation, but with inversion to restack the documents inverted in the DH tray from their initial orientation.
  • the even sides of the duplex documents are copied on the second (first copying) circulation and placed in the duplex tray so that the proper page order sequence can be provided in the output of the duplex copy sheets without an inverter.
  • every duplex document sheet is copied on one side and then inverted before restacking (but in reverse serial order). That is, all the odd sides are copied on the third (second copying) circulation onto the opposite sides of the buffer set fed from the duplex tray, then all the even sides are copied in the fourth circulation and placed in the duplex tray, etc., etc..
  • the duplex documents are inverted during all but the last circulation. On the last duplex document copying pass the documents are all copied but are not inverted. Therefore, they are automatically re-collated in the document handler tray during this last copying circulation.
  • an additional feature may be provided if there are only two simplex documents in the document set. With only two simplex documents, there is only one copy sheet in each duplex copy set, so collation is not required. If only two document sheets are counted in the document set during the non-copying first circulation, the copying control 100 causes the copier 10 to make multiple rather than single copies of these first and second document sheets in the first copying circulation. That is, the copier automatically switches to a nonprecollation duplex copying mode in which the selected number of copies, (but limited to the duplex tray 116 capacity) is made from each document while it is held on the platen without circulation, and all these copy sheets are stored into the duplex tray and then the next document is multiply copied onto their opposite sides.
  • the two documents are re-circulated for copying, e.g., for 60 duplex copies of two documents with a 25 sheet capacity duplex tray, 25 copies are made in the first circulation, 25 in the second and ten in the third.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Conveyance By Endless Belt Conveyors (AREA)
  • Control Or Security For Electrophotography (AREA)
  • Exposure Or Original Feeding In Electrophotography (AREA)
  • Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
  • Holders For Sensitive Materials And Originals (AREA)
  • Counters In Electrophotography And Two-Sided Copying (AREA)
EP19800302390 1979-07-16 1980-07-16 Document handling apparatus and method Expired EP0022680B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US5785579A 1979-07-16 1979-07-16
US57855 1979-07-16

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0022680A1 EP0022680A1 (en) 1981-01-21
EP0022680B1 true EP0022680B1 (en) 1992-03-25

Family

ID=22013141

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19800302390 Expired EP0022680B1 (en) 1979-07-16 1980-07-16 Document handling apparatus and method

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0022680B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS5617359A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA1161867A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE3072199D1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Families Citing this family (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3232210A1 (de) * 1982-08-30 1984-03-01 Agfa-Gevaert Ag, 5090 Leverkusen Blattfoerdereinrichtung in einem kopiergeraet
DE3276199D1 (en) * 1982-09-21 1987-06-04 Xerox Corp Higher productivity recirculative document copying
DE3275489D1 (en) * 1982-09-21 1987-04-02 Xerox Corp Higher productivity recirculative document copying
US4561772A (en) * 1983-05-25 1985-12-31 Xerox Corporation Recirculative document duplex copying
JPS59216160A (ja) * 1983-05-25 1984-12-06 Canon Inc 片面原稿による両面複写方法
JPH063556B2 (ja) * 1983-05-25 1994-01-12 キヤノン株式会社 片面原稿による両面複写制御方法
US4536078A (en) * 1983-05-25 1985-08-20 Xerox Corporation Recirculative document duplex copying
JPH0616193B2 (ja) * 1983-05-27 1994-03-02 キヤノン株式会社 循環式原稿自動送り装置
JPS60249163A (ja) * 1984-05-25 1985-12-09 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd 複写機の制御方法
JPS61159668A (ja) * 1984-12-31 1986-07-19 Ricoh Co Ltd 両面複写方法
US4660963A (en) * 1985-12-30 1987-04-28 Xerox Corporation Auto duplex reproduction machine
JP2565878B2 (ja) * 1986-10-16 1996-12-18 株式会社東芝 電子複写機
EP0529692B1 (en) * 1986-11-04 1997-07-09 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha A sheet finisher
JPH03132770A (ja) * 1989-10-19 1991-06-06 Canon Inc 画像形成装置
JP2622048B2 (ja) * 1991-12-25 1997-06-18 シャープ株式会社 循環式原稿供給装置を備える複写機

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3588472A (en) * 1966-11-18 1971-06-28 Xerox Corp Logic control apparatus
US4098551A (en) * 1975-02-13 1978-07-04 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Both side copying machine
US3937454A (en) * 1975-05-16 1976-02-10 Colwill Richard H Sheet recirculator
US4076408A (en) * 1976-03-30 1978-02-28 Eastman Kodak Company Collating document feeder with multiple feed detector
US4512651A (en) * 1977-07-05 1985-04-23 Eastman Kodak Company Collating document feeder and reproduction apparatus having copy duplexing capabilities
US4125325A (en) * 1977-08-30 1978-11-14 Xerox Corporation Automatic duplex control system for a reproduction machine
US4162844A (en) * 1977-08-30 1979-07-31 Xerox Corporation Reproduction machine with duplex image shift
US4159500A (en) * 1977-11-17 1979-06-26 Reliable Electric Company Modular line protector

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA1161867A (en) 1984-02-07
DE3072199D1 (de) 1992-04-30
JPH0310943B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1991-02-14
JPS5617359A (en) 1981-02-19
EP0022680A1 (en) 1981-01-21

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