EP0024936B1 - Verfahren zum Kopieren mit Vorsortierung - Google Patents

Verfahren zum Kopieren mit Vorsortierung Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0024936B1
EP0024936B1 EP19800303014 EP80303014A EP0024936B1 EP 0024936 B1 EP0024936 B1 EP 0024936B1 EP 19800303014 EP19800303014 EP 19800303014 EP 80303014 A EP80303014 A EP 80303014A EP 0024936 B1 EP0024936 B1 EP 0024936B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
document
simplex
sheets
path
stack
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
EP19800303014
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0024936A3 (en
EP0024936A2 (de
Inventor
Denis J. Stemmle
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
Priority claimed from US06/071,613 external-priority patent/US4278344A/en
Priority claimed from US06/155,868 external-priority patent/US4355880A/en
Application filed by Xerox Corp filed Critical Xerox Corp
Publication of EP0024936A2 publication Critical patent/EP0024936A2/de
Publication of EP0024936A3 publication Critical patent/EP0024936A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0024936B1 publication Critical patent/EP0024936B1/de
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

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
    • G03G15/60—Apparatus which relate to the handling of originals
    • 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
    • G03G2215/00172—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes relative to the original handling
    • G03G2215/00177—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes relative to the original handling for scanning
    • G03G2215/00181—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes relative to the original handling for scanning concerning the original's state of motion
    • G03G2215/00185—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes relative to the original handling for scanning concerning the original's state of motion original at rest

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of pre-collation copying of a set of plural (multi-page) simplex (one image side) document sheets according to the pre-characterising part of claim 1.
  • the term "sheet” generally refers to conventional sized sheets of paper, plastic, or other conventional or typical individual image substrates (original or copy), and not to microfilm or electronic images which are generally much easier to manipulate.
  • the term "page” here generally refers to one side or “face” of a sheet or the image thereon.
  • a “simplex” document or copy sheet is one having its page and image on only one side or face of the sheet, whereas a “duplex” document or copy sheet has pages on both sides.
  • duplex copying may be more specifically defined into several different known copying modes. In “duplex/duplex” copying, both sides (both pages) of a duplex document sheet are copied onto both sides of a copy sheet.
  • duplex/simplex both sides of a duplex document are copied onto one side of two successive copy sheets.
  • siplex/ duplex the two page images of two successive simplex document sheets are copied onto the opposite sides of a single copy sheet.
  • non-duplex copying i.e. "simplex/simplex” copying
  • one side of each simplex document is copied onto one side of each copy sheet.
  • two-sided copying may be referred to as "backing-up" rather than duplex copying.
  • a commercially desirable pre-collation document handling system should compatibly provide all of these copying modes.
  • duplex/ simplex is generally less desirable and need not be provided.
  • the present invention particularly relates to a "simpiex/simpiex" and "simplex/duplex" copying system which is fully compatible, with the same apparatus, with all of the other said copying systems.
  • RDH and SADH and ADH are abbreviations for recirculating, automatic and semi-automatic document handlers, respectively.
  • RDH and SADH documents are automatically fed from a stack, whereas in an SADH they are inserted individually.
  • All of these copying systems may be pre-collation or non-pre-collation (explained below).
  • the present invention is particularly suitable for pre-collation, multiply recirculated, document copying, but is also highly compatible with non-pre-collation copying.
  • the odd pages 1, 3, 5, etc. should normally appear on the first or front faces or sides, and only the next higher page number even pages 2, 4, 6, etc., should normally be on the respective second or back sides.
  • the number of duplex sheets will always be less than the number of pages on those duplex sheets.
  • the number of the sheet will typically also correspond to the page number.
  • an odd number of simplex sheets will normally also have a corresponding odd number of page images.
  • a set of duplex sheets, regardless of the sheet count may have an odd or even number of pages.
  • Pre-collation copying is a known desirable feature for a copier.
  • pre-collation copying provides a number of important advantages.
  • any desired number of pre-collated 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 only once each time it recirculates.
  • the above-cited Adamek patent teaches an efficient RDH system for making duplex pre-collated copy sets compatible with simplex copying and usable with the present invention, in which all of the documents may be recircu- latively coped on all but the first and last copying circulations, in which alternate documents are copied (by circulating all documents but not exposing alternate ones) to form and remove a duplex copy buffer set. This is also described in the Hamlin et al. patents cited herein.
  • pre-collation copying systems a disadvantage of pre-collation copying systems is that the documents must all be repeatedly circulated, and copied in a predetermined 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. Therefore, maximizing document handling automation and copying cycle efficiency is particularly important in pre-collation copying. If the document handler cannot efficiently and rapidly circulate and copy documents in coordination with copy sheets in the correct order, or must skip documents or copying cycles, the total copying time for each copy set will be increased. Minimizing the time delay from the initiation of copying until the first copy set comes out is also an important factor. This is known as "first copy out time".
  • a post-collation copying system plural copies are made at one time from each document page and collated by being placed in separate sorter bins.
  • the document set need only be circulated or fed once and multiply copied during that circulation to fill bins of the copy sheet sorter or collator with the corresponding number of copy sets desired.
  • a disadvantage is that the number of copy sets which can be made in one document circulation is limited by the number of available bins.
  • a sorter adds space and complexity and is not well suited for on-line finishing.
  • post-collation copying and manual document placement are desirable in certain copying situations to minimize document handling.
  • Some examples of art relating to simplex document pre-collation document recirculation systems in which each document sheet is withdrawn from the bottom of a document set stack over an imaging station for copying once in each circulation and then returned to the top of the document stack for repeated copying circulations with inversions of the document include: German Patentschrift 1,128,295, 25 October 1962 to H. Rankers; German Offenle- gungsschrift 2,150,563, 19 April 1973 to Kalle AG; U.S. Patents Nos. 3,937,454, issued February 10, 1976, to R. H. Colwill; 4,076,408 issued February 28, 1978 to M. G. Reid et al.; 4,078,787 issued March 14, 1978 to L. E.
  • U.S. patent 4,158,500 is particularly noted as disclosing a selectable non-inversion path 61 (e.g. Fig. 4) between the bottom of the stack and the platen.
  • this 4,158,500 path 61 is for duplex documents and not for simplex documents, and the documents are stacked face-up for reverse order (N to 1) copying, as in almost all of the over-platen recirculating document handlers disclosed above (see, e.g., Col. 2, lines 51­-66).
  • Such sheet inverter reversal systems tend to have reliability problems, e.g., sheet jam or mis- feed problems. Thus, they have generally been avoided for pre-collation multiple recirculation of simplex documents.
  • the present system minimizes such document feeding problems by utilizing an inverter system only for the first, or first and last, simplex document set circulations, and not for the other circulations, regardless of the total number of circulations.
  • the simplex/duplex pre-collation copying system disclosed herein also avoids a non-copying initial counting circulation of the documents as described in U.S. application No. 57,855, filed July 16, 1979, by R. E. Smith and J. R. Yonovich for the same assignee, publication number US ⁇ A ⁇ 4- 330 197, which reduces first copy out time.
  • N to 1 forward serial order
  • N to 1 reverse order
  • pre-collation copying of original documents is known, for both simplex (one- sided) and duplex (two-sided) original documents and copies.
  • N to 1 (reverse order) document set circulation is particularly known for feeding from the bottom of a stack of documents positioned (loaded) face-up over a platen of a copier.
  • the simplex documents are circulated by being turned over, copied, turned over again, and returned back to the top of the stack over the platen.
  • Programmed microprocessor control of such copying is also known.
  • N to 1 or backwards document feeding and copying order A major disadvantage of the prior art N to 1 or backwards document feeding and copying order is that the copier does not know what document is being fed, since the last page is fed first.
  • the first document fed is known to be page 1, which is known to be the odd page; the second document fed is known to be page 2, an even page, etc.
  • the copier controller can know whether a document being copied is odd or even just from the count of the number of document sheets which have been fed from the document stack. This is not true for N to 1 document circulation.
  • Precount cycles and/or selective use of a copy sheet inverter adversely affect the system reliability by requiring extra handling of the document set and running the copy sheets past additional deflector fingers and in and out of an inverter, with both extra or different handling and timing.
  • the precount cycle may decrease the perceived productivity of the system by cycling the document handler without imaging the originals at the beginning of copying when it is most noticeable and when there is no copy sheet output finishing or handling to occupy the operator's time. For a larger document set there is a corresponding decrease in first copy out time for simplex/duplex copying using a pre-count circulation.
  • N to 1 document feeding Another disadvantage of N to 1 document feeding is that since the count of the number of documents fed differs from the document page number, jam recovery is also more complicated. If a document feeding jam occurs, particularly during the first circulation, the copier controller cannot automatically know the page number of the document which is being copied when the jam occurred. For example, if a jam occurs on the third document sheet being fed, the copier can only tell that this is the third sheet from the bottom of the stack of documents. It is not page 3. The page number cannot be known until after counting the whole N to 1 stack once, or manual inspection, for either simplex or duplex documents.
  • N to 1 document recirculation has been commercially utilized in spite of these disadvantages because it is obviously suitable and conventional for a "racetrack" or over-platen loop circulation path, in which the documents are recirculated to and from a document stack located over the copier platen, as shown in the above-cited references.
  • Simplex documents are fed from one side of the stack to the same side of the platen underneath the stack and back from the opposite side of the platen to the opposite side of the stack, and therefore may be stream fed unidirectionally over the platen, feeding one document on while the prior one is feeding off.
  • the document path has a 180° loop turn at each side of the platen which is generally a short path. With a shorter and unidirectional loop path length, document transport speeds can be lower and two or three sheet document set handling without skipped copy cycles can be achieved more easily.
  • Such an over-platen or "racetrack” system is generally also more horizontally compact than other non-racetrack pre-collation devices.
  • a 1-N "Y" configuration document recirculator using a side-by-side document stack feeder and platen transport takes up more horizontal working space on the top machine surface.
  • a conventional "racetrack” configuration places the document stack, document feeder, document turn transports or inverters, and platen transport all overlying the platen.
  • the present invention overcomes many of the above and other problems and provides the above advantages of both 1 to N copying and a "racetrack" or overplaten stack document loop path.
  • the 1-N system disclosed herein has even further advantages. It can readily have a paper path compatible with both pre and post-collation output or finishing. Even if the paper path within the copier was originally planned for an N to 1 copy sequence, the system disclosed herein can be utilized.
  • the finisher module provided can be one which inherently inverts each output sheet before stapling the set. If the document handler is operated in post-collation mode, the finisher module can be replaced with a sorter module which also inverts each output copy sheet before placing it in appropriate bins.
  • a 1-N racetrack RDH is that it can be better selectively used as an ADH or SADH by eliminating the document return path to the stacking tray of the RDH, and instead exiting documents (either fed from the stack or manually inserted) off to the side of the platen after they are copied.
  • This provides known alternative automatic or semi-automatic document feeding using the same basic RDH apparatus.
  • the originals With a 1 to N system the originals are ejected and stacked in the proper, and the same, sequence, i.e. 1-N and face-down in a document catch tray, adjacent the platen.
  • On an N-1 racetrack RDH such ejected originals would be stacked in the wrong order (not properly collated).
  • exemplary recirculating document handler (RDH) 20 disclosed here, individual original document sheets are sequentially fed from a stack of document sheets placed by the operator face-down in normal forward collated order in the document stacking and holding tray 22, i.e. with page 1 on the bottom of the stack, face-down.
  • the document sheets are fed from the bottom of the stack seriatim to the imaging station 23, which is the conventional copying platen of the copier 10, to be conventionally imaged onto a photo-receptor 12 for the production of copies in a generally conventional xerographic manner.
  • the documents are stacked initially, and also restacked automatically during each circulation, in the tray 22 over the platen 23.
  • the document handler 20 has conventional switches or other sensors such as 24 for sensing and counting the individual documents fed from the tray 22, i.e. counting the number of document sheets circulated.
  • the document feeder 20 is adapted to serially sequentially feed the documents, which may be various conventional sizes and weights of sheets of paper or plastic containing information indicia to be copied on one or both sides, e.g. printed or typed letters, drawings, prints, photographs, etc.
  • a bottom feeder 28 feeds the bottom-most document sheet, on demand by the controller, from the stack through one of two selected feed paths described below to a platen drive 30 which moves the document into a registration position, against a registration gate 32, over the copier platen 23, where the side of the document facing the platen 23 is copied.
  • each document is selectably inverted or not inverted as it is fed from the tray 22 to the imaging station 23 through one of two paths selectable by the controller.
  • the two paths here are provided by a selectably reversable sheet drive roller (inverting roller) 40 and a selectable position gate or deflector 60 in the document path.
  • Each document sheet is fed initially from tray 22 around the outside of the roller 40. If the document path is continued around roller 40, it is fed invertedly through a first path 54 onto the platen 23, conventionally.
  • the decision gate 60 in the document path here is adjacent the entrance to roller 40 and comprises pivotable, normally raised, deflector fingers which may be lowered after the trail edge of the document has passed this gate.
  • switch 24 or another switch can sense the trail edge and start a count of sufficient time for it to pass.
  • this is called an "inverter" even though the document is not inverted at this point, as described below.
  • the second transport path 58 provides no sheet inversion between the stack and the platen, whereas the first transport path 54 inverts the document sheet (once) between the stack and the platen.
  • the first inverting transport path 54 transports the documents unidirectionally and without reversal fully around the roller 40 onto the platen 26.
  • the orientation or facing on the copy platen 23 of documents fed through the simplex path 54 is inverted from the previous orientation of those documents in the tray 22.
  • This document return path has one sheet inversion, provided by feeding the documents around a second, but non-reversing, inverting roller document feeding system 42, which also returns the documents to restack on the top of the stack in tray 22.
  • the apparatus of path 58 is referred to as the "inverter" because its total circulation path effect is inversion, even though its local effect is actually non-inversion as noted above.
  • the inversion step or path 58 is normally used to copy the opposite sides or faces of duplex documents in their subsequent circulation loop, as shown in the above-cited art.
  • the present system utilizes this path and apparatus for a very difficult function and purpose, namely to copy simplex documents in forward serial (1 to N) order.
  • the document sheets are presented to the imaging station 23 of the copier 10 in forward serial (1 to N) page order. They are multiply recirculated between the stacked set of the document sheets and the imaging station, and copied only once on one side per circulation at the imaging station, by feeding the document sheets seriatim from the bottom of the stack to one side of said imaging station and then returning the document sheets from the opposite side of said imaging station to the top of said same stack, in a recirculatory loop path, in said multiple circulations.
  • the set of document sheets are stacked in proper page order, but face-down, with the first page on the bottom of the stack, in the stacking position 22 overlying the imaging station 23.
  • the document sheets are fed through the first document path 58, between the stack and said one side of the imaging station, which first document path reverses but does not invert the document sheets.
  • the document sheets are fed through the second document path 54 with a single inversion from the stack to said same one side of said imaging station, so that the document sheets are circulated in a uni-directional endless loop path.
  • the document sheets are fed from said imaging station back to said stack with a single inversion.
  • the document sheets are inverted a total of only once per circulation and returned to the stack inverted from their previous orientation, but during the other circulations the document sheets are inverted a total of twice per circulation to maintain the same orientation of the document sheets in said stack.
  • the simplex document sheets are copied in said first and said other circulations, but not in said last circulation. For making duplex copies from said simplex document sheets in this manner in said first circulation and the next-to-last circulation of said document sheets only the first and every alternate document sheet are copied at said imaging station.
  • reverse page order (N to 1) document pre-collation copying may selectively alternatively be provided with the same document handler, same copier, and same imaging station by stacking the document sheets face-up at the same position overlying the imaging station and circulating the documents as in the subsequent circulations described above, merely by applying a different selectable software program to the copier programmer.
  • the operation of inverter mechanisms utilizing a reversal path can increase reliability problems, particularly if it must be frequently used for multiple recirculations of a document set.
  • the present system uses, but minimizes the use of, this normally duplex document transport path 58 for simplex documents. Here this minimizes the reversals of the roller 40 and the operations of the gate 60 (or any other sheet inverting mechanism which might be used instead).
  • all but the first and last of the simplex document set circulations may be a simple non-inverting, non-reversing, continuous loop path provided through the normal simplex document path 54.
  • the number of circulations through the inverting path 58 is normally much less than the total number of circulations (the number of copy sets made) with this system. Further, this system is fully compatible with duplex document recirculation without increasing the number of inverter operations for the duplex documents either.
  • the exemplary copier 10 processor and its controller 100 will now be described in further detail.
  • the copier 10 conventionally includes a xerographic photoreceptor belt 12 and the conventional xerographic stations acting thereon for respectively charging 13, exposing 14, developing 15, driving 16 and cleaning 17.
  • the copier 10 is adapted to provide duplex or simplex pre-collated copy sets from either duplex or simplex original documents copied from the same RDH 20.
  • Two separate copy sheet trays 106 and 107 are provided for feeding clean copy sheets selectably from either one. They are known as main tray 106 and auxiliary tray 107.
  • the control of all sheet feeding is, conventionally, by the machine controller 100.
  • the controller 100 is preferably a known programmable microprocessor, exemplified by the art cited above, which conventionally also controls all of the other machine steps and functions described herein including the operation of the document feeder, the document and copy sheet gates, the feeder drives, etc. As further disclosed in those references, the controller 100 also conventionally provides for storage and comparison of the counts of the copy sheets, the number of documents recirculated in a document set, the number of copy sets selected by the operator through the switches thereon, time delays, jam correction control, etc.
  • the copy sheets are fed from a selected one of the trays 106 or 107 to the xerographic transfer station 112 for the conventional transfer of the xerographic toner image of a document page to the first side of the clean copy sheet.
  • the copy sheets here are then fed by a vacuum transport to a conventional roll fuser 114 for the fusing of the toner image thereon.
  • the copy sheets are fed onto a gate or fingers 118 which functions as an inverter selector. Depending on the position of the gate 118 the copy sheets will either be deflected into a conventional sheet inverter 116 or bypass the inverter 116 and be fed directly onto a second decision gate 120.
  • the inverting transport 126 inverts and stacks copy sheets to be duplexed in a duplex tray 108 when the gate 124 so directs.
  • the duplex tray 108 provides intermediate or buffer storage for those copy sheets which have been printed on one side and on which it is desired to subsequently print an image on the opposite side thereof, i.e. the sheets being duplexed. Due to the sheet inverting by the roller 126, these buffer set copy sheets are stacked into the duplex tray 108 face-down. They are stacked in this duplex tray 108 on top of one another in the order in which they were copied.
  • the previously simplexed copy sheets in the tray 108 are fed seriatim by its bottom feeder 109 from the duplex tray back to the transfer station 112 for the imaging of their second or opposite side page image, through basically the same copy sheet path as is provided for the sheets from the trays 106 or 107.
  • this copy sheet feed path here between the duplex tray feeder 109 and the transfer station 112 has an inherent inversion which inverts the copy sheets once.
  • the inverting roller 126 having previously stacked these sheets face-down in the tray 108, they are presented to the transfer station 112 in the proper orientation, i.e. with their blank or opposite sides facing the photoreceptor 12 to receive the second side image.
  • the now duplexed copy sheets are then fed out through the same output path through the fuser 114 past the inverter 116 to be stacked in tray 122 or fed out past the gate 124 into the output path 128.
  • the output path 128 transports finished copy sheets (simplex or duplex) either to another output tray, or, preferably, to a finishing station where the completed pre-collated copy sets may be separated and finished by on-line stapling, stitching, glueing, binding, and/or offset stacking.
  • the exemplary conventional inverter 116 operates by the gate 118 deflecting a copy sheet face-down into the first or lower nip of the illustrated three roll inverter, which drives the sheet into the inverter chute.
  • the copy sheet's movement is then reversed within the curved inverter chute by known or suitable sheet reversing means, e.g., further rollers, or resilient rebound members, and the copy sheet is then reversed and driven out of the inverter 116 through the second or upper nip of the same three roll inverter directly toward the gate 120.
  • sheet reversing means e.g., further rollers, or resilient rebound members
  • the convex shape of the inverter chute acting on the beam strength of the sheet causes the sheet trail edge to flip up toward this second nip.
  • the copy sheet output from the inverter 116 to the gate 120 is thereby face-down. Note that the inverter 116 here is positioned at a corner of an otherwise inherent 90° paper path inversion as described above.
  • any other suitable sheet inverter may be utilized, and may be provided at different positions in the copy sheet output path.
  • Examples of similar or substitutable sheet inverters are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 2,901,246; 3,337,213; 3,416,791; 3,523,687; 3,856,295; and 4,044,285.
  • the operator picks up an individual completed stack or bound set of copy sheets, and turns it over, it will be in the proper forward page order (1 to N) from the top of the stack to the bottom thereof.
  • the desired sheet orientation may be provided by appropriate inversions within the copier processor paper path itself, or in the copier paper output path, or by using a selectable (bypass- able) inverter such as 116 in the copy output path, or by having an inverting path or inverter in the associated output stacking and/or finishing station to which the copies are fed.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates such inverted output stacking for face-down 1-N output whereas Fig. 3 shows face-up N-1 stacking.
  • duplex copying output but with additional output collation difficulties and requirements, depending on which side is printed last, etc.
  • a lower and odd, document page number must be on one side of a duplex copy sheet and the next higher, and even, document page number must be on the opposite side of that copy sheet; so that the 1 to N outputted duplex copies are in the proper page order 1/2; 3/4; 5/6; etc.
  • Providing collated output without an inverter is made more difficult by the fact that the total overall copy sheet path for the copies being duplexed is typically different, i.e., contains more inversions, than the overall copy path for copy sheets which are only being simplexed, since it is necessary to turn the duplex copy sheet over to present its opposite side for the second copying pass.
  • each sheet to be duplexed is inverted once at the duplex tray input 126, a second time in the return path to the transfer station 112, and a third time in the path from the transfer station 112 to the output 128, to exit last-printed-face-up.
  • the second sides printed are the even sides
  • a 1 to N output may be stacked with these last-printed even sides facing up, rather than down as for simplex.
  • the 1 to N order second sides printed last may be stacked in the output face-down (1/2; 3/4; 5/6; etc.).
  • pre-printed, e.g. letterhead, paper sheets cannot have a first even page printed on the front (pre-printed) side, i.e. page 1 must be on the letterhead side). This is an additional complication for duplex copies, further discussed below.
  • the output inverter 116 may be utilized to provide face-down output to maintain collation for simplex or duplex copies in this case as well.
  • this last duplex copy sheet It is undesirable to run this last duplex copy sheet through the transfer station a second time for the pseudo printing of a blank image on the backside thereof, simply to obtain an additional inversion of that last sheet to maintain output collation, since this wastes processing time and also can cause undesirable background contamination of the blank backside of this last sheet.
  • This can be avoided by only putting even pages in the duplex tray 108 and directly outputting the Nth duplexed copy sheet immediately after its first side is printed rather than feeding it into the duplex tray.
  • this last odd page can be printed on a clean copy sheet fed from a copy sheet tray, rather than from the duplex tray. (However, this normally results in this last copy sheet having a different number of inversions, as discussed below). Copying the odd page sides last also makes the output of duplex copies consistent with simplex copies, i.e., using exactly the same number of output inversions for proper collation.
  • Nth odd duplex copy page it must be known in advance whether there is an odd or even number of simplex documents. Where the documents are being copied in forward serial order, i.e. 1 to N, in this system, this is not a problem.
  • the Nth copy sheet page will only need to be fed and copied after the last (Nth) document in the set has been counted, and the bail switch 26 actuated, which determines whether or not N is an odd number. Note in Fig. 2 that it is the last copy sheet (3) that has a "blank" page on the back of the last odd page 5.
  • the present system does not have this problem. Taking, for example, a five page simplex document set of five simplex document sheets to be duplex copied with the present system, they would be loaded face-down into the tray 22 in their proper bottom-to-top page order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, as shown in Fig. 2. They would then be copied here in their first circulation through path 58 in that same forward page order. However, in the first circulation the odd documents would not be copied so that the buffer tray 108 would be loaded with only two copy sheets printed with pages 2 and 4 only, face-down, with page 2 on the bottom, as shown. On the next, and all but the last, document circulations all document pages are copied.
  • the odd document pages 1 and 3 are copied in that order, respectively, onto the copy sheets bearing pages 2 and 4 fed from the duplex tray 108.
  • the Nth odd page 5 here is fed onto a clean copy sheet fed from tray 106 or 107, and properly inverted.
  • the controller 100 already knows it is an odd page.
  • the even pages 2 and 4 are being copied again and fed into duplex tray 108 in preparation for the third document circulation. This is repeated for as many circulations as desired (the number of desired copy sets dialed into the controller 100). Then on the final circulation only the odd document pages are copied to empty the buffer tray 108.
  • controller 100 can then be programmed to detect the quadruple coincidence of signals from (1) this "special paper” button being pressed, (2) an odd document sheet count (which is available in advance of the last copy in this 1 to N system), and (3) the "simplex document” and (4) "duplex copy” buttons also having been pressed. Upon detection of all four conditions the controller 100 can direct an extra or “dummy" final (N + 1) "even” page copy to be made and fed to the duplex tray 108 (as if there were a real N + 1 even document page).
  • the documents preferably have been automatically restacked properly re-collated in the document handler tray 22, for removal in collated order by the operator. With this system they are automatically so restacked in the proper order at the end of copying.
  • a non-copying set circulation of simplex documents in an inverting circulation through path 58 provides this recollation of the document sheets on the last circulation restacked face-down in the tray 22.
  • This last circulation starts while the final copy sheets made on the previous (last copying) circulation are being stacked or finished, and being removed by the operator, so there is little perceived time loss in waiting for the documents to recollate. Since it is a non-copying circulation after copying, a document jam in the inverter will not interrupt or affect the completion of the copy run.
  • duplex/duplex copying system compatible with the simplex/simplex and simple/duplex systems disclosed herein, can provide as disclosed in the above-cited U.S. Patent No. 4,166,614 to T. J. Hamlin et al. and US-A-43300197 and US-A- 4 278 344.
  • the duplex documents may be loaded face-down and copied 1 to N as in the former cases or loaded face-up and copied in N to 1 order as in the latter applications.
  • the preferred duplexing system is to copy only one side of each duplex document sheet in each circulation, storing the copies thereof in the duplex tray 108, turning the document sheets over during a circulation, and copying all of the opposite sides of all the document sheets onto the opposite sides of the copy sheets fed back from the duplex tray 108.
  • the duplex documents are preferably loaded face-down in the same over-platen stacking area and copied in the same 1 to N order as the simplex documents.
  • the duplex document pages in the tray 22 would be in the initial stacked page order, top-to-bottom, of: blank/7; 6/5; 4/3; 2/1.
  • the first document sheet, pages 1/2 would be on the bottom of the stack with page 1 facing down.
  • the duplex path 54 would be utilized in the first circulation of the document set.
  • the controller 100 is instructed by its software to provide this path in response to the "duplex document" switch on its console having been actuated by the operator. Since duplex/simplex copying is not provided here, this same duplex document switch also automatically selects the duplex copy mode.
  • the first duplex document sheet 1/2 will be inverted as it is fed from the stack to the platen through path 54, thereby placing the page 2 side of the document sheet face-down on the platen 23 to be copied. The following pages 4, 6 and blank would then be fed to be copied in the same manner.
  • the other document feed path 58 would be initially utilized.
  • the path 58 would present the duplex document odd pages 1, 3, 5 and 7 to the platen in that order to be copied, and then they would automatically restack in tray 22 with the even page sides down.
  • the non-inverter path 54 may be utilized to re-present the same sides to the platen.
  • this simplex/duplex system is fully compatible with the system disclosed in the above-cited US-A-4 278 344 in which the inverter (40, 60) path 58 is only utilized intermittently between successions of plural copying circulations, i.e. in which plural buffer sets are placed in the duplex tray 108 and the document inverter operation path 58 is utilized only during single document circulations at the beginning or end of a succession of circulations, after the document set has been circulated by a number of times equal to the copy sheet capacity of the tray 108 divided by the number of document sheets in the document set, thereby significantly reducing the number of circulations requiring the operation of the inverter, except for very large document sets.
  • duplex documents here would be circulated 25 times through path 54 at the beginning of copying to form 25 four sheet buffer sets in the tray 108; i.e. 25 sets of four copy sheets each bearing pages 2, 4, 6, blank, respectively.
  • the duplex document set would be circulated once through the path 58.
  • the document set would be circulated again through the path 54 for the next 24 circulations.
  • the disclosed copier and document handler unit here can automatically handle a wide latitude of original document sets with a minimum of operator interaction.
  • the operator need only drop the set of documents to be copied into the open loading tray 22 on top of the RDH 20, program the desired number of copies to be made in the controller 100 switches, indicate if duplex documents rather than simplex have been loaded (by pressing a button on the controller 100), and then initiating the copying run sequence by pressing the conventional "start print" button on the controller.

Claims (4)

1. Verfahren zum vorkollationierenden Kopieren eines Satzes von Mehrfach-(Vielseitigen)-Einfach-(Eine-Bildseite)-Dokumentblätern, bei dem die eine Bildseite der genannten Einfach-Dokumentblätter einer Abbildungsstation (23) eines Kopierers nacheinander angeboten und vielfach zwischen einem gestapelten Satz (22) der genannten Dokumentblätter und der genannten Abbildungsstation (23) rezirkuliert und an der genannten Abbildungsstation (23) auf der genannten einen Seite kopiert werden, unter Fördern der genannten Dokumentblätter nacheinander von der Unterseite des genannten Stapels (22) zu einer Seite der genannten Abbildungsstation (23) und dann Rückführen der Dokumentblätter von der entgegengesetzten Seite der genannten Abbildungsstation (23) zu der Oberseite des genannten gleichen Stapels (22) in einem Rückführungsschleifenweg (20) bei jeder genannten Zirkulation, gekennzeichnet durch Stapeln des genannten Satzes von Einfach-Dokumentblättern in richtiger Seitenfolge, jedoch mit der Bildseite nach unten mit der ersten Bildseite an der Unterseite des Stapels in einer Stapelposition (22), die über der genannten Abbildungsstation (23) liegt, in nur der ersten und letzten Zirkulation des genannten Dokumentsatzes, Fördern der genannten Einfach-Dokumentblätter durch einen ersten Dokumentenweg (58) zwischen der Unterseite des genannten Stapels (22) und der genannten einen Seite der genannten Abbildungsstation (23), welcher erste Dokumentenweg die genannten Einfach-Dokumentblätter nicht wendet, und in allen anderen Zirkulationen des genannten Dokumentensatzes außer der genannten ersten und letzten Zirkulation, Fördern der genannten Einfach-Dokumentblätter durch einen zweiten Dokumentenweg (54) mit einer Einfachwendung von dem genannten Stapel (22) zu der genannten einen Seite der genannten Abbildungsstation (23) und wobei für alle die genannten Zirkulationen die genannten Einfach-Dokumentblätter von der genannten Abbiidungsstatiop (23) zurück zu dem genannten Stapel in einem dritten Dokumentenweg mit Einfachwendung (42) gefördert werden, so daß die genannten Dokumentblätter in Vorwärts-Seitenreihenfolge zirkuliert werden und in einem Einrichtungs-Endlosschleifenweg in allen Zirkulationen außer der ersten und letzten zirkuliert werden, so daß während der genannten ersten und letzten Zirkulation die genannten Einfach-Dokumentblätter insgesamt nur einmal pro Zirkulation gewendet und zu dem genannten Stapel von ihrer vorhergehenden Orientierung gewendet zurückgebracht werden, und sodaß während aller genannten Zirkulationen außer der genannten ersten und letzten Zirkulation die genannten Einfach-Dokumentblätter insgesamt zweimal pro Zirkulation gewendet werden, um die gleiche Blattorientierung in dem genannten Stapel aufrechtzuerhalten, so daß in allen genannten Zirkulationen außer der genannten letzten Zirkulation die gleichen Ein-(Bild)-Seiten der genannten Einfach-Dokumentblätter der genannten Abbildungsstation zum Kopieren in Vorwärts-Seiten-Reihenfolge angeboten werden.
2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, bei dem nur während der genannten ersten und letzten Zirkulation die Bewegungsrichtung der Einfach-Dokumentblätter umgekehrt wird, nachdem sie von der Unterseite des Stapels weggefördert wurden, um den genannten nichtwendenden ersten Dokumentenweg (58) zwischen dem Stapel und der Abbildungsstation zu bilden.
3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, bei dem die Einfach-Dokumentblätter von der Unterseite des Stapels (22) zu der Abbildungsstation (23) bei allen Zirkulationen um eine Wenderolle (40) transportiert werden, welche Wenderolle jedoch für jedes Blatt bei nur der genannten ersten und letzten Zirkulation umgekehrt wird, um den genannten nichtwendenden ersten Dokumentenweg (58) für die Einfach-dokumentblätter für die genannte erste und letzte Zirkulation zu bilden.
4. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, bei dem überwiegende Teile des genannten ersten und zweiten Dokumentenweges (58, 54) gemeinsam sind und wobei die genannten Einfach-Dokumentblätter in dem genannten gemeinsamen Teil bei nur der genannten ersten und letzten Zirkulation in der Richtung umgekehrt werden.
EP19800303014 1979-08-31 1980-08-29 Verfahren zum Kopieren mit Vorsortierung Expired EP0024936B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US06/071,613 US4278344A (en) 1979-08-31 1979-08-31 Recirculating duplex documents copier
US71613 1979-08-31
US155868 1980-06-02
US06/155,868 US4355880A (en) 1980-06-02 1980-06-02 Forward order document copying method

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0024936A2 EP0024936A2 (de) 1981-03-11
EP0024936A3 EP0024936A3 (en) 1981-07-15
EP0024936B1 true EP0024936B1 (de) 1984-03-28

Family

ID=26752431

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19800303014 Expired EP0024936B1 (de) 1979-08-31 1980-08-29 Verfahren zum Kopieren mit Vorsortierung

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0024936B1 (de)
DE (1) DE3067272D1 (de)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0103661B1 (de) * 1982-09-21 1987-02-25 Xerox Corporation Rezirkulierendes Dokumentenkopieren höherer Produktion
CA1221871A (en) * 1982-12-20 1987-05-19 International Business Machines Corporation Paper handling system
US4561772A (en) * 1983-05-25 1985-12-31 Xerox Corporation Recirculative document duplex copying
US4536078A (en) * 1983-05-25 1985-08-20 Xerox Corporation Recirculative document duplex copying

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA1105980A (en) * 1977-02-14 1981-07-28 Alphonse B. Difrancesco Apparatus for producing collated copies in page sequential order
US4512651A (en) * 1977-07-05 1985-04-23 Eastman Kodak Company Collating document feeder and reproduction apparatus having copy duplexing capabilities
US4459013A (en) * 1977-08-18 1984-07-10 Xerox Corporation Duplex/simplex precollation copying system
US4166614A (en) * 1977-08-18 1979-09-04 Xerox Corporation Jogging and normal force for sheet feeding

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3067272D1 (en) 1984-05-03
EP0024936A3 (en) 1981-07-15
EP0024936A2 (de) 1981-03-11

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US4466733A (en) Higher productivity recirculative document copying
US4278344A (en) Recirculating duplex documents copier
EP0127420B1 (de) Einrichtung zur automatischen Handhabung von Vorlagen für zweiseitiges Kopieren
US4384782A (en) 1 to N Order document copying
US4330197A (en) Recirculating documents duplex copier
US4561772A (en) Recirculative document duplex copying
US4355880A (en) Forward order document copying method
CA1140171A (en) Recirculating document handler configuration
EP0029646B1 (de) Umlauf-Dokumentenzuführvorrichtung
US4508447A (en) Alternative feeding document recirculation
US4568172A (en) Small document set recirculative copying
JPH03181955A (ja) 差し込みタブの自動複面複写方法
CA1161867A (en) Recirculating documents duplex copier
EP0370784B1 (de) Hybridfolgen-Dokumentenkopiervorrichtung
EP0108840B1 (de) Rezirkulierendes Kopieren von Dokumenten mit höherer Produktion
EP0024936B1 (de) Verfahren zum Kopieren mit Vorsortierung
US4684241A (en) Plural image document set copying
CA1148182A (en) Conforming document aligner
EP0103661B1 (de) Rezirkulierendes Dokumentenkopieren höherer Produktion

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Designated state(s): DE FR GB

PUAL Search report despatched

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013

AK Designated contracting states

Designated state(s): DE FR GB

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19810723

GRAA (expected) grant

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210

AK Designated contracting states

Designated state(s): DE FR GB

REF Corresponds to:

Ref document number: 3067272

Country of ref document: DE

Date of ref document: 19840503

ET Fr: translation filed
PLBE No opposition filed within time limit

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT

26N No opposition filed
PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Payment date: 19970811

Year of fee payment: 18

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: GB

Payment date: 19970820

Year of fee payment: 18

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Payment date: 19970905

Year of fee payment: 18

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: GB

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19980829

GBPC Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 19980829

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19990430

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19990601

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: FR

Ref legal event code: ST