EP4739606A1

EP4739606A1 - Medium processing apparatus and image forming system

Info

Publication number: EP4739606A1
Application number: EP24736081.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Chikara Akata; Kei Sasaki; Kazuki Seto; Keisuke Sugiyama
Original assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
Current assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-07-03
Filing date: 2024-06-11
Publication date: 2026-05-13
Also published as: CN121816313A; WO2025008692A1

Abstract

A medium processing apparatus includes: a liquid applier (32) to apply a liquid to a medium; and a post-processing device (33) to perform post-processing on media including the medium to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applier, wherein the liquid applier includes: a stacker to mount the medium on the stacker; and a liquid application member (44) disposed opposite to the stacker with the medium interposed between the liquid application member and the stacker, the liquid application member (44) containing the liquid to be applied to the medium, and the liquid application member (44) moves between: a contact position where the liquid application member is in contact with the medium to apply the liquid onto the medium; a separation position where the liquid application member is separated from the medium; and a first medium receiving position disposed between the contact position and the separation position.

Description

[DESCRIPTION]

[Title of Invention]

MEDIUM PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM

[Technical Field]

[0001]

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a medium processing apparatus and an image forming system incorporating the medium processing apparatus.

[Background Art]

[0002]

Medium processing apparatuses are known in the related art that bind sheet-shaped media, on which images are formed by image forming apparatuses, into a bundle of media. Since sheets are widely known as an example of sheet-shaped media, a "sheet bundle" that is a stack of sheets is used as an example of a bundle of sheet-shaped media in the following description. Some medium processing apparatuses include a crimper that can perform so-called "crimp binding" without metal staples from a viewpoint of resource saving and reduction in environmental load. Specifically, the crimper sandwiches a sheet bundle with serrate binding teeth to press and deform the sheet bundle.

[0003]

An increased number of sheets of the sheet bundle hamper the binding teeth in biting into the sheet bundle and may cause some sheets to peel off from the bound sheets. Thus, the crimp binding has some difficulties in keeping the sheet bundle bound as appropriate. Therefore, in order to increase the binding strength, a medium processing apparatus that performs crimp binding includes a liquid applier that applies liquid in advance to a position (hereinafter, referred to as a "binding position") on a sheet where binding teeth come into contact, so as to make the binding teeth easily bite into the sheet bundle (see, for example, Patent Literature (PTL) 1).

[Citation List]

[Patent Literature]

[PTL 1]

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-13930

[Summary of Invention]

In an aspect of the present disclosure, a medium processing apparatus is provided that includes: a liquid applier to apply a liquid to a medium; and a post-processing device to perform post-processing on media including the medium to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applier, wherein the liquid applier includes: a stacker to mount the medium on the stacker; and a liquid application member disposed opposite to the stacker with the medium interposed between the liquid application member and the stacker, the liquid application member containing the liquid to be applied to the medium, and the liquid application member moves between: a contact position where the liquid application member is in contact with the medium to apply the liquid onto the medium; a separation position where the liquid application member is separated from the medium; and a first medium receiving position disposed between the contact position and the separation position.

[Problems to be Solved]

[0004]

However, the medium processing apparatus described in PTL 1 applies the liquid to the sheet by moving the liquid-containing liquid application member to abut on the surface of the sheet. More particularly, the liquid application member is raised when the sheet is conveyed by the conveyor, and the liquid application member is lowered when the liquid is applied to the sheet. Therefore, there is a problem that when the distance for raising and lowering the liquid application member is long, the productivity of the medium processing apparatus is decreased.

[0005]

The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a medium processing apparatus that applies an appropriate amount of liquid to a medium while suppressing a decrease in productivity of the medium processing apparatus. [Solution to Problem] [0006]

[Advantageous Effects of Invention]

[0007]

According to the present disclosure, a medium processing apparatus is obtained that applies an appropriate amount of liquid to a medium while suppressing a decrease in productivity of the medium processing apparatus.

[Brief Description of Drawings]

[0008]

A more complete appreciation of embodiments of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained and understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[FIG. 1]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[FIG. 2]

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal structure of the post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[FIG. 3]

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an edge binder of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 2, viewed from an upstream side in a conveyance direction.

[FIG. 4]

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a liquid applier of the edge binder of FIG. 3 in a main scanning direction.

[FIGS. 5 A and 5B] FIGS. 5 A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an arrangement and a configuration of a second liquid storage in the post-processing apparatus.

[FIG. 6]

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an attachment/detachment configuration of a second liquid storage in the post-processing apparatus.

[FIGS. 7 A and 7B]

FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams illustrating a configuration of a crimper of the edge binder of FIG. 3.

[FIG. 8]

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the edge binder of FIG. 3.

[FIGS. 9 A to 9C]

FIGS. 9A to 9C are diagrams illustrating a liquid application crimper in the edge binder of

FIG. 8.

[FIGS. lOA to IOC]

FIGS. 10A to IOC are diagrams illustrating a liquid applying operation and a crimp binding operation by the liquid application crimper of FIGS. 9 A to 9C.

[FIG. 11]

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a staple binder, viewed from an upstream side in a conveyance direction.

[FIG. 12]

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a staple binder as a modification of the staple binder, viewed from an upstream side in the conveyance direction.

[FIG. 13]

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the post-processing apparatus to control the operation of the post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[FIG. 14]

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a parallel binding process of the post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[FIGS. 15 A to 15C]

FIGS. 15A to 15C are diagrams illustrating a position of the liquid applier and a crimper during the parallel binding process.

[FIG. 16]

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an oblique binding process of the post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[FIGS. 17A to 17D]

FIGS. 17A to 17D are diagrams illustrating a position of the liquid applier and the crimper in the oblique binding process.

[FIGS. 18A to 18H] FIGS. 18A to 18H are diagrams illustrating a position of a liquid applier and a crimper during execution of a two-location binding process of the post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[FIGS. 19A to 19C]

FIGS. 19A to 19C are diagrams illustrating an operation of the liquid applier in a process (steps S1003 and S1203) included in the binding process.

[FIG. 20]

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a crimp binding process of the post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[FIGS. 21 A to 21C]

FIGS. 21 A to 21 C are diagrams illustrating an operation of the liquid applier and the crimper in a crimp binding process of the post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[FIGS. 22A to 22C]

FIGS. 22A to 22C are diagrams illustrating a configuration and an operation of a liquid applier of a post-processing apparatus according to a first modification.

[FIG. 23]

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a liquid applier of a post-processing apparatus according to a second modification, viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction.

[FIG. 24]

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a liquid applier of a post-processing apparatus according to the second modification, viewed from a main scanning direction.

[FIG. 25]

FIG. 25 is another example of the flowchart of the binding process of the post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[FIGS. 26A to 26D]

FIGS. 26A to 26D are diagrams illustrating a separation amount between a lower pressure plate and an upper pressure plate, and a separation amount between the lower pressure plate and a liquid application member at the time of receiving a sheet.

[FIGS. 27 A to 27D]

FIGS. 27A to 27D are diagrams illustrating an operation of the liquid applier when a separation amount between the lower pressure plate and the upper pressure plate, and a separation amount between the lower pressure plate and the liquid application member at the time of one-location binding is controlled.

[FIGS. 28 A and 28B]

FIGS. 28 A and 28B are flowcharts for controlling the separation amount between the lower pressure plate and the upper pressure plate, and the separation amount between the lower pressure plate and the liquid application member in the case of two-location binding.

[FIG. 29]

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating positions of an edge binder and an edge binding end fence. [FIG. 30]

FIG. 30 is a screen for setting the sheet receiving height.

[FIG. 31]

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating an internal structure of a post-processing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

[FIGS. 32A to 32C]

FIGS. 32A to 32C are diagrams of an internal tray according to the second embodiment, viewed from a thickness direction of a sheet.

[FIG. 33]

FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram of a crimper according to the second embodiment, viewed from an upstream side in a conveyance direction.

[FIGS. 34A and 34B]

FIGS. 34 A and 34B are diagrams of a liquid applier according to the second embodiment, viewed from a thickness direction of a sheet.

[FIGS. 35A to 35C]

FIGS. 35A to 35C are cross-sectional views of the liquid applier taken along a line XXV-

XXV of FIG. 34A.

[FIGS. 36A to 36C]

FIGS. 36A to 36C are cross-sectional views of the liquid applier taken along a line XXVI-

XXVI of FIG. 34A.

[FIG. 37]

FIG. 37 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the post-processing apparatus to control the operation of the post-processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

[FIG. 38]

FIG. 38 is a post-processing flowchart of the post-processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

[FIG. 39]

FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming system according to a modification of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

[FIGS. 40A and 40B]

FIGS. 40A and 40B are schematic diagrams of a post-processing apparatus including controllers according to a first modification of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. [FIGS. 41A and 41B]

FIGS. 41 A and 4 IB are schematic diagrams of a post-processing apparatus including controllers according to a second modification of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. Also, identical or similar reference numerals designate identical or similar components throughout the several views. [Description of Embodiments]

[0009]

In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have a similar function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.

Referring now to the drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Embodiments of Image Forming System

A description is given below of an image forming system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an overall configuration of the image forming system 1. The image forming system 1 has, for example, an image forming function of forming an image on a sheet P as an example of a sheet-shaped medium and a post-processing function of performing post-processing on the sheet P on which the image has been formed. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 2 having the image forming function and a post-processing apparatus 3 serving as a medium processing apparatus having the postprocessing function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the image forming system 1, the image forming apparatus 2 and the post-processing apparatus 3 operate in conjunction with each other.

[0010]

In the present embodiment, the sheet-shaped medium to be processed in the image forming system 1 is described on the assumption that the medium is a sheet of "paper". However, the object to be processed according to the present embodiment is not limited to a sheet of paper. For example, any type of medium may be used as long as an image can be formed on the medium according to an image forming process. Examples of the medium include a medium that can be an object of a folding process or a binding process, and the material and specification of the medium are not limited to any particular material and specification. [0011]

The image forming apparatus 2 forms an image on the sheet P and ejects the sheet P having the image to the post-processing apparatus 3. The image forming apparatus 2 includes an accommodation tray 211 that accommodates sheets P, a conveyor 212 that conveys a sheet P from the accommodation tray 211, and an image former 213 that forms an image on the sheet P conveyed by the conveyor 212. The image former 213 may be an inkjet system that forms an image using ink or an electrophotographic system that forms an image using toner. The image forming apparatus 2 also includes a controller 100a that controls various operations of the conveyor 212 and the image former 213. Since the image forming apparatus 2 has a typical configuration, a detailed description of the configuration and functions of the image forming apparatus 2 are omitted.

[0012]

Sheets of paper are widely known as an example of sheet- shaped media. In the following description, a sheet-shaped medium as a medium to be processed is referred to as a "sheet P". Further, in the following description, a bundle of sheets as multiple media is an example of a "sheet bundle Pb".

[0013]

First Embodiment of Post-Processing Apparatus

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal structure of the post-processing apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment. The post-processing apparatus 3 has a function that performs post-processing on the sheet P on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2. An example of the post-processing according to the present embodiment is a binding process as a "crimp binding process" that binds, without staples, multiple sheets P on each of which an image has been formed as a bundle of sheets P, which may be referred to as a sheet bundle. Another example of the post-processing according to the present embodiment is a binding process as a "stapling process" that binds, with staples, multiple the sheets P on each of which an image has been formed as a bundle of sheets P, which may be referred to as a sheet bundle. In the following description, the bundle of sheets P may be referred to as a "sheet bundle Pb" as a bundle of media.

[0014]

In the present embodiment, a description is given of liquid application process in a crimp binding process. However, the liquid application process performed in a stapling process is similar to the liquid application process in the crimp binding process. In the following description, the term "binding process" includes both the "crimp binding process" and the "stapling process".

[0015]

Note that, more particularly, the "crimp binding process" according to the present embodiment is a process of applying pressure to a binding position corresponding to a part of the sheet bundle Pb to deform (press and deform) the binding position, and entangling fibers of the overlapping sheets P to bind the sheets P together. By the crimp binding process, a part of the overlapping portions of the sheets P is bound together, and one sheet bundle Pb is formed. The crimp binding process is hereinafter referred to as "crimp binding". Note that the binding process (including both crimp binding and stapling) that is executed in the postprocessing apparatus 3 includes an edge binding process of binding the edge of the sheet bundle Pb and a saddle stitching process of binding the central portion of the sheet bundle Pb. [0016]

The post-processing apparatus 3 includes conveyance roller pairs 10 to 19 (conveyor), a switcher 20, and the like, and a controller 100b (control unit). The controller 100b controls operations of the conveyance roller pairs 10 to 19 (conveyor), the switcher 20, and the like. Details of the controller 100b will be described below. The conveyance roller pairs 10 to 19 convey, inside the post-processing apparatus 3, a sheet P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2. More particularly, the conveyance roller pairs 10 to 13 convey the sheet P along a first conveyance passage Phi. The conveyance roller pairs 14 and 15 convey the sheet P along a second conveyance passage Ph2. The conveyance roller pairs 16 to 19 convey the sheet P along a third conveyance passage Ph3. A hole punch 132 is arranged between the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11. The hole punch 132 performs punching on the sheet P conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11.

[0017]

The first conveyance passage Phi is a path from a supply port of the sheet P from the image forming apparatus 2 to the first output tray 21. The second conveyance passage Ph2 is a path branching from the first conveyance passage Phi between the conveyance roller pairs 11 and 14 in the conveyance direction and reaching the second output tray 26 via the internal tray 22 (stacker). The third conveyance passage Ph3 is a path branching from the first conveyance passage Phi between the conveyance roller pairs 11 and 14 in the conveyance direction and reaching the third output tray 30.

[0018]

The switcher 20 is arranged at a branching position of the first conveyance passage Phi and the second conveyance passage Ph2. The switcher 20 switches between a first position at which the sheet P is ejected to the first output tray 21 through the first conveyance passage Phi and a second position at which the sheet P conveyed through the first conveyance passage Phi is guided to the second conveyance passage Ph2. At the timing when the trailing end of the sheet P entering the second conveyance passage Ph2 passes between the rollers of the conveyance roller pair 11, the conveyance roller pair 14 is rotated in the reverse direction so that the sheet P is guided to the third conveyance passage Ph3. The post-processing apparatus 3 further includes multiple sensors that detects the positions of the sheet P in the first conveyance passage Phi, the second conveyance passage Ph2, and the third conveyance passage Ph3. Note that each of the multiple sensors are indicated by a black triangle in FIG.

2.

[0019]

The post-processing apparatus 3 includes a first output tray 21. The sheet P ejected through the first conveyance passage Phi is stacked on the first output tray 21. Of the sheets P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2, the sheets P on which the binding process is not performed are ejected to the first output tray 21.

[0020]

In addition, the post-processing apparatus 3 includes an internal tray 22 serving as a stacker, an edge binding end fence 23 (alignment member), side fences 24L and 24R, an edge binder 25, a staple binder 155, and a second output tray 26. The internal tray 22, the edge binding end fence 23, the side fences 24L and 24R, the edge binder 25, and the staple binder 155 perform the edge binding process on the sheet bundle Pb including the multiple sheets P conveyed from the second conveyance passage Ph2 to the internal tray 22. Among the sheets P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2, the sheet bundle Pb subjected to the edge binding process is output to the second output tray 26.

[0021]

The "edge binding process" herein refers to a binding process performed by the edge binder 25 and the staple binder 155. Specifically, the "edge binding process" includes the "parallel binding process" in which the binding process is performed along one side of the sheet bundle Pb parallel to the main scanning direction, the "oblique binding process" in which the binding process is performed at the corner of the sheet bundle Pb, and the "vertical binding process" in which the binding process is performed along one side of the sheet bundle Pb parallel to the conveyance direction. The binding position bound by the oblique binding process is an example of an "edge oblique binding position", and the binding position bound by the parallel binding process or the vertical binding process is an example of an "edge binding position". [0022]

Hereinafter, a direction in which the sheet P is conveyed from the conveyance roller pair 15 toward the edge binding end fence 23 is defined as a "conveyance direction". In other words, the "conveyance direction" herein corresponds to a direction in which the sheet P that has been ejected from the image forming apparatus 2 is moved toward the second output tray 26 by, for example, the conveyance roller pair 10 and then is moved toward the edge binding end fence 23 by the conveyance roller pair 15, which is a direction different from the previous direction. The direction that is orthogonal to both the conveyance direction and a thickness direction of the sheet P is defined as a "main scanning direction" or a "width direction of the sheet P".

[0023]

The multiple sheets P conveyed in order via the second conveyance passage Ph2 is temporarily stacked on the internal tray 22 serving as a stacker. The edge binding end fence 23 aligns the position, in the conveyance direction, of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. The side fences 24L and 24R align the position, in the main scanning direction, of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. The edge binder 25 and the staple binder 155 execute the edge binding process on the edge of the sheet bundle Pb aligned by the edge binding end fence 23 and the side fences 24L and 24R. Then, the conveyance roller pair 15 ejects the sheet bundle Pb subjected to the edge binding process to the second output tray 26.

[0024]

The post-processing apparatus 3 further includes a saddle- stitching end fence 27, a saddle binder 28, a sheet folding blade 29, and a third output tray 30. The saddle-stitching end fence 27, the saddle binder 28, and the sheet folding blade 29 perform the saddle stitching on the sheet bundle Pb including the multiple sheets P conveyed through the third conveyance passage Ph3. Among the sheets P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2, the sheet bundle Pb subjected to the saddle stitching is ejected to the third output tray 30. [0025]

The saddle-stitching end fence 27 aligns the positions, in the conveyance direction, of the multiple sheets P sequentially conveyed through the third conveyance passage Ph3. Further, the saddle- stitching end fence 27 moves between the binding position where the center of the sheet bundle Pb faces the saddle binder 28 and the folding position where the center of the sheet bundle Pb faces the sheet folding blade 29. The saddle binder 28 binds the center of the sheet bundle Pb aligned by the saddle-stitching end fence 27 at the binding position. The sheet folding blade 29 folds the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the saddle- stitching end fence 27 at the folding position in half and the conveyance roller pair 18 sandwiches the sheet bundle Pb. The conveyance roller pairs 18 and 19 ejects the sheet bundle Pb subjected to the saddle stitching to the third output tray 30.

[0026]

The post-processing apparatus 3 further includes a liquid application member 44 (part of the liquid applier), a liquid supply member 45 (part of the liquid applier), and a first liquid storage tank 43 (first liquid storage) in the edge binder 25. The first liquid storage tank 43 and the liquid supply member 45 are omitted in FIG. 2. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the post-processing apparatus 3 includes a liquid supply path 94 (part of the liquid supply unit), a liquid supply pump 95 (part of the liquid supply unit), a second liquid storage tank 93 (part of the second liquid storage), and a second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 (part of the second liquid storage) as a configuration for replenishing the first liquid storage tank 43 with liquid. The liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank 93 is supplied to the first liquid storage tank 43 via the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92, the liquid supply pump 95, and the liquid supply path 94. [0027]

Configuration of Edge Binder

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the edge binder 25, viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. The edge binder 25 performs the liquid application process and the crimp binding process illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the edge binder 25, viewed from the liquid applier 31 side in the main scanning direction. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the edge binder 25 includes a liquid applier 31 that applies liquid to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, and a crimper 32 that is an example of a post-processing device and performs crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. The liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are arranged adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction.

[0028]

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the liquid applier 31 applies the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. Hereinafter, the liquid applier 31 applying the liquid to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, and the operation of the liquid applier 31 at the time of applying the liquid are referred to as "liquid application". The liquid applying operation of the liquid applier 31 accompanied by the control process is referred to as the "liquid application process". [0029]

More specifically, the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 as liquid for the liquid application includes, as a main component, the liquid state of a liquid hydrogen-oxygen compound represented by the chemical formula H2O. The liquid hydrogen-oxygen compound is at any temperature. For example, the liquid hydrogen-oxygen compound may be so-called warm water or hot water. The liquid hydrogen-oxygen compound is not limited to pure water. The liquid hydrogen-oxygen compound may be purified water or may contain ionized salts. The metal ion content ranges from so-called soft water to ultrahard water. In other words, the liquid hydrogen-oxygen compound is at any hardness.

[0030]

The liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 may include an additive in addition to the main component. The liquid that is stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 may include residual chlorine used as tap water. Preferably, for example, the liquid that is stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 may include, as an additive, a colorant, a penetrant, a pH adjuster, a preservative such as phenoxyethanol, a drying inhibitor such as glycerin, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, because water is used as a component of ink used for inkjet printers or ink used for water-based pens, such water or ink may be used for the "liquid application". [0031]

The water is not limited to the specific examples described above. The water may be water in a broad sense such as hypochlorous acid water or an ethanol aqueous solution diluted for disinfection. However, tap water may be used simply for the crimp binding because tap water is easy to obtain and store. A liquid including water as a main component as exemplified above enhances the binding strength of the sheet bundle Pb, in comparison with a liquid of which the main component is not water (liquid).

[0032]

Configuration of Liquid Applier

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the liquid applier 31 moves in the main scanning direction together with the crimper 32 by the driving force transmitted from the edge binder movement motor 50. The liquid applier 31 includes a lower pressure plate 33 (stacker) as a receptacle for the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, an upper pressure plate 34 (pressing unit), a liquid applier movement assembly 35, and a liquid application assembly 36. The components (lower pressure plate 33, upper pressure plate 34, liquid applier movement assembly 35, liquid application assembly 36, liquid applier movement motor 37) of the liquid applier 31 are held by the liquid application frame 31a and the base 48.

[0033]

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the liquid applier 31 includes a liquid applier pivot assembly 252. The liquid applier pivot assembly 252 includes a liquid applier pivot motor 563, an output gear 563a, and a drive transmission gear 562a, which will be described later. A liquid application frame 31a holding components of the liquid applier 31 has a bottom surface to which a liquid applier shaft 562 including the drive transmission gear 562a is fixed. The liquid applier shaft 562 and the drive transmission gear 562a are held by the base 48 on which the liquid application frame 31a is disposed, and can rotate in the forward and reverse directions.

[0034]

The drive transmission gear 562a meshes with the output gear 563a of the liquid applier pivot motor 563. The liquid applier 31 rotates in the forward and reverse directions about the liquid applier shaft 562 on the base 48 by a driving force transmitted from the liquid applier pivot motor 563 to the liquid applier shaft 562 via the output gear 563a and the drive transmission gear 562a.

[0035]

The lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 are arranged downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. The sheets P or the sheet bundle Pb that is stacked on the internal tray 22 is also stacked on the lower pressure plate 33. The lower pressure plate 33 is disposed on a lower-pressure-plate holder 331. The upper pressure plate 34 moves in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb at a position where the upper pressure plate 34 faces the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22.

[0036]

In other words, the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 are arranged to face each other in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb with the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 and interposed between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34. In the following description, the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb may be referred to simply as "thickness direction". Further, the upper pressure plate 34 has a through hole 34a passing through the upper pressure plate 34 in the thickness direction at a position opposite to the liquid application member 44 held via the holder 46 attached to the base plate 40. The liquid application member 44 is one end portion of a liquid supply member 45 (liquid absorber) described below and corresponds to a leading end portion of the liquid supply member 45. [0037]

The liquid applier movement assembly 35 moves the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, the holder 46, the liquid application member 44, the liquid supply member 45, and the first liquid storage tank 43 in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. The liquid applier movement assembly 35 according to the present embodiment moves the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, the holder 46, the liquid application member 44, the liquid supply member 45, and the first liquid storage tank 43 in conjunction with one another by a single liquid applier movement motor 37. The liquid applier movement assembly 35 includes, for example, the liquid applier movement motor 37, a trapezoidal screw 38, a nut 39, the base plate 40, columns 41a and 41b, and coil springs 42a and 42b.

[0038] The liquid applier movement motor 37 generates a driving force for moving the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, the holder 46, the liquid application member 44, the liquid supply member 45, and the first liquid storage tank 43. The trapezoidal screw 38 extends in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, and is provided on the liquid application frame 31a in such a manner that the trapezoidal screw 38 rotates in the forward and reverse directions. The trapezoidal screw 38 is coupled to an output shaft of the liquid applier movement motor 37 via, for example, a pulley and a belt. The nut 39 is screwed to the trapezoidal screw 38. The trapezoidal screw 38 rotates in the forward and reverse directions by the driving force transmitted from the liquid applier movement motor 37. The rotation of the trapezoidal screw 38 causes the nut 39 to reciprocate on the trapezoidal screw 38. [0039]

The base plate 40 is arranged apart from the upper pressure plate 34. The base plate 40 holds the liquid application member 44 with the leading end portion of the liquid application member 44 protruding from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressure plate 34. The base plate 40 is coupled to the trapezoidal screw 38 via the nut 39, and the base plate 40 reciprocates along the trapezoidal screw 38 when the trapezoidal screw 38 rotates in the forward and reverse directions. The position of the base plate 40 in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb is detected by a movement sensor 40a (see FIG. 13). [0040]

The columns 41a and 41b protrude from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressure plate 34 around the leading end portion of the liquid application member 44. The columns 41a and 41b relatively move with respect to the base plate 40 in the thickness direction. The columns 41a and 41b hold the upper pressure plate 34 with the respective ends closer to the lower pressure plate 33 than the other ends of the columns 41a and 41b. The other ends of the columns 41a and 41b opposite the ends closer to the lower pressure plate 33 are provided with stoppers that prevent the columns 41a and 41b from being removed from the base plate 40. [0041]

The coil springs 42a and 42b are fitted around the columns 41a and 41b, respectively, between the base plate 40 and the upper pressure plate 34. The coil springs 42a and 42b bias the upper pressure plate 34 and the columns 41a and 41b toward the lower pressure plate 33 with respect to the base plate 40. [0042]

The liquid application assembly 36 applies liquid to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. More particularly, the liquid application assembly 36 applies the liquid to at least one sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb by bringing the liquid application member 44 into contact (abut) with the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. [0043]

The liquid application assembly 36 includes a first liquid level sensor 43a (first liquid detector), a first liquid storage tank 43, a liquid application member 44, a liquid supply member 45, and a holder 46. The first liquid storage tank 43 stores the liquid to be applied to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. The amount of liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 is detected by the first liquid level sensor 43 a. The first liquid storage tank 43 is coupled to the base plate 40 via the holder 46.

[0044]

The liquid application member 44 applies the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. The liquid application member 44, the liquid supply member 45 (liquid absorber) installed in such a manner that the liquid supply member 45 is in close contact with the liquid application member 44, and the first liquid storage tank 43 are all held by the holder 46. The holder 46 is held by the base plate 40. A protector 45a is an elongated cylindrical body (e.g., a tube) that is fitted around the liquid supply member 45. [0045]

One end portion of the liquid supply member 45 is in close contact with the liquid application member 44, and the other end portion of the liquid supply member 45 is immersed in the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43. In other words, the other end of the liquid supply member 45 corresponds to a liquid immersion portion 451 that draws up the liquid and supplies the liquid to the liquid application member 44. The liquid application member 44 and the liquid supply member 45 are made of a material (e.g., sponge or fiber) having a high liquid absorption rate, such as an elastic resin formed of open cells. However, at least one of the liquid application member 44 and the liquid supply member 45 is not limited to a particular kind as long as the at least one of the liquid application member 44 or the liquid supply member 45 is made of a material having a property of drawing up and holding the liquid and has a property of being crushed in accordance with a pressing force applied when the at least one of the liquid application member 44 or the liquid supply member 45 is in contact with the sheet P. In other words, the material may be any material as long as the material can draw up liquid by capillary action.

[0046]

Therefore, when the other end (liquid immersion portion 451) of the liquid supply member 45 is immersed in the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43, the liquid is drawn up by capillary action. That is, the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 is drawn up from the liquid immersion portion 451 of the liquid supply member 45, and the drawn up liquid is supplied to the liquid application member 44 connected to the leading end of the liquid supply member 45 through the liquid supply member 45. Then, the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 is drawn up by the liquid application member 44 in close contact with one end of the liquid supply member 45, so that the liquid level (liquid storage amount) of the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 detected by the first liquid level sensor 43a decreases. As a result, the liquid is supplied from the second liquid storage tank 93 to the first liquid storage tank 43 by the liquid supply pump 95.

[0047] Although a case where the liquid supply member 45 and the liquid application member 44 are separate bodies has been described above, the liquid supply member 45 and the liquid application member 44 may be integrally formed of a material having the same properties (for example, a material having a high liquid absorption rate). In other words, the liquid application member 44 may be part of the liquid supply member 45. In such a case, liquid can be supplied from the liquid supply member 45 to the liquid application member 44 more smoothly by the capillary action and a reduction in cost can be achieved.

[0048]

The protector 45a is an elongated cylindrical body (e.g., a tube) that is fitted around the liquid supply member 45. Such a configuration prevents the liquid absorbed by the liquid supply member 45 from leaking or evaporating. Each of the liquid supply member 45 and the protector 45a is made of a flexible material. The holder 46 holds the liquid application member 44 and is provided on the base plate 40. As a result, when the liquid application member 44 moves in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction and the main scanning direction by the liquid applier movement assembly 35, the liquid application member protrudes from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressure plate 34, and a state in which the leading end of the liquid application member 44 faces the upper pressure plate 34 is maintained.

[0049]

Configuration of Second Liquid Storage Tank

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the post-processing apparatus 3 further includes a second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 (part of the second liquid storage), a second liquid storage tank 93 (part of the second liquid storage), a liquid supply path 94, and a liquid supply pump 95 in order to supply liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43. Here, a specific method of supplying the liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43 is not limited to the following example, and the user may directly supply the liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43.

[0050]

Next, the arrangement and configuration of the second liquid storage tank 93 in the postprocessing apparatus 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 A to 6C. FIGS. 5 A and 5B illustrate the example arrangement and configuration of the second liquid storage tank 93 serving as the main tank. FIG. 5A illustrates a state in which the opening/closing cover 71 of the post-processing apparatus 3 is opened. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the postprocessing apparatus 3, viewed from the side, and illustrates a state in which the opening/closing cover 71 of the post-processing apparatus 3 is closed. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the second liquid storage tank 93 is installed at a position that can be accessed when the opening/closing cover 71 of the post-processing apparatus 3 is opened. As illustrated in FIG. 5B, the second liquid storage tank 93 and the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 are arranged on the front side of the post-processing apparatus 3 in the depth direction (X direction in FIG. 5B). The first liquid storage tank 43 and the like are arranged on the back side of the postprocessing apparatus 3 in the depth direction (X direction in FIG. 5B). As illustrated in FIG. 5B, a main body side plate 72 of the post-processing apparatus 3 is provided between the arrangement positions of the second liquid storage tank 93 and the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 and the arrangement positions of the first liquid storage tank 43 and the like. The second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 is attached to the main body side plate 72 of the postprocessing apparatus 3.

[0051]

The second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 stores the liquid W to be supplied to the first liquid storage tank 43. As illustrated in FIG. 5B, the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 is attached to the main body side plate 72 of the post-processing apparatus 3 outside the movement range of the edge binder 25 (liquid applier 31) in the main scanning direction (X direction in FIG. 5B). The amount of the liquid W stored in the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 is detected by the second liquid level sensor 92a (second liquid detector).

[0052]

The second liquid storage tank 93 (liquid bottle) stores the liquid W to be supplied to the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92. As described later, the second liquid storage tank 93 can be detached and attached to the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 provided in the edge binder 25 or the post-processing apparatus 3 (see FIGS. 6(A) to 6(C)). The second liquid storage tank 93 supplies the stored liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43 by being fixed (set) to the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 in a predetermined posture. That is, when the second liquid storage tank 93 is attached to the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92, the liquid W moves from the second liquid storage tank 93 to the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92. When the amount of the liquid W in the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 reaches a predetermined amount, the movement of the liquid W from the second liquid storage tank 93 to the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 stops.

[0053]

When the second liquid storage tank 93 is set to the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92, the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 is filled with a certain amount of the liquid W in the second liquid storage tank 93 as described above. As described above, the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 has a set detection sensor 532 (see FIGS. 6(A )to 6(C)). When the set detection sensor 532 detects a state of the second liquid storage tank 93 being set to the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 61 (see FIG. 6(C)), a signal notifying the detection is notified to the controller 100b to be described later. As a result, the controller 100b described later detects whether or not the second liquid storage tank 93 is set to the second-liquid- storagetank fixer 92.

[0054]

The first liquid storage tank 43 and the second liquid storage tank 93 are connected by a liquid supply path 94. A liquid supply pump 95 is provided in the vicinity of the second- liquid- storage-tank fixer 92. When the liquid supply pump 95 is operated, the liquid W stored in the second liquid storage tank 93 is supplied (replenished) from the second liquid storage tank 93 to the first liquid storage tank 43 via the liquid supply path 94. Therefore, the second- liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 is a component of a liquid supply unit that executes a liquid supply operation of supplying liquid from the second liquid storage tank 93 to the first liquid storage tank 43. The liquid supply path 94 includes a flexible material. Accordingly, when the first liquid storage tank 43 moves by the liquid applier movement assembly 35, the liquid can be reliably supplied from the second liquid storage tank 93 to the first liquid storage tank 43. The diameter (inner diameter dimension) of the liquid supply path 94 is set to, for example, a size at which the supply rate (second supply rate) of the liquid W supplied from the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 to the first liquid storage tank 43 through the liquid supply path 94 can be made higher than the supply rate (first supply rate) of the liquid W supplied from the first liquid storage tank 43 to the liquid application member 44 through the liquid supply member 45.

[0055]

The liquid supply pump 95 is attached to the main body side plate 72 of the post-processing apparatus 3 together with the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92. The liquid supply pump 95 supplies (pressure-feeds) the liquid W stored in the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 to the first liquid storage tank 43 through the liquid supply path 94.

[0056]

FIGS. 6(A) to 6(C) illustrate the second liquid storage tank 93 that can be detached and attached to the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 and the second liquid storage tank 93 that is replenished with liquid W. As illustrated in FIG. 6(A), the second liquid storage tank 93 can be detached from the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 in order to replenish the liquid W. As illustrated in FIG. 6(B), the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 has the set detection sensor 532 that detects that the second liquid storage tank 93 is set to the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 as described above. In a state where the second liquid storage tank 93 is not set to the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 (unset state), a liquid outlet 531a is closed by a liquid supply valve 531 so that the liquid W does not leak.

[0057]

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 6(C), when the second liquid storage tank 93 is set to the second- liquid- storage-tank fixer 92, the liquid supply valve 531 is pushed up, and the liquid outlet 531a of the second liquid storage tank 93 is opened, so that the liquid W flows out from the second liquid storage tank 93 to the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92. As a result, the liquid W stored in the second liquid storage tank 93 flows out to the second-liquid- storagetank fixer 92. The liquid W flowing out from the second liquid storage tank 93 is stored in the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92.

[0058]

As illustrated in FIGS. 6(B) and 6(C), the second-liquid- storage-tank fixer 92 has a liquid vent plug 611. After the liquid W remaining in the first liquid storage tank 43 and the liquid supply path 94 is fed in the reverse direction to the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 by the liquid supply pump 95, the liquid W stored in the second-liquid-storage-tank fixer 92 can be ejected from the inside of the post-processing apparatus 3 by opening the liquid vent plug 611. This prevents freezing of the liquid W at the time of maintenance of the post-processing apparatus 3.

[0059]

Configuration of Crimper

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the crimper 32 serving as the post-processing device deforms, by applying pressure with the serrate upper crimping teeth 32a and the serrate lower crimping teeth 32b, at least a part (that is, the liquid application position) of the sheet bundle Pb to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applier 31, and binds the sheet bundle Pb by crimping the sheets P of this part. In short, the crimper 32 binds the sheet bundle Pb without staples. The components of the crimper 32 such as the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are disposed on a crimper frame 32c. In the following description, such a way of pressing and deforming a given position on the sheet bundle Pb to bind the sheet bundle Pb may be referred to as "crimp binding". In other words, the crimper 32 crimps and binds the sheet bundle Pb or performs the crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. The crimp binding operation of the crimper 32 that involves control process is referred to as "crimp binding process".

[0060]

FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams illustrating a configuration of the crimper 32. As illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the crimper 32 includes the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b. The upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are arranged to face each other in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle Pb to sandwich the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. The upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b have respective serrate faces facing each other. The serrate face of each of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b includes concave portions and convex portions alternately formed. The concave portions and the convex portions of the upper crimping teeth 32a are shifted from those of the lower crimping teeth 32b such that the upper crimping teeth 32a are meshed with the lower crimping teeth 32b. The upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are brought into contact with and separated from each other by the driving force of a contact-separation motor 32d illustrated in FIG. 13. [0061]

In the process of supplying the multiple sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb to the internal tray 22, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are separated from each other. Then, when all the sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb are stacked on the internal tray 22, as illustrated in FIG. 7B, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b mesh with each other by the driving force from the contact-separation motor 32d to press and deform the sheet bundle Pb in the thickness direction. As a result, the sheet bundle Pb that has been stacked on the internal tray 22 is crimped and bound. The sheet bundle Pb thus crimped and bound is ejected to the second output tray 26 by the conveyance roller pair 15.

[0062] The configuration of the crimper 32 as a crimping assembly is not limited to the configuration of a moving assembly exemplified in the present embodiment, and may be any other suitable structure in which the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b of the crimping assembly engage with each other. For example, a link assembly type crimping assembly (for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6057167) that performs crimping and separating operations of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b using a link assembly and a drive source that perform only forward rotation or forward and reverse rotation may be used, or a linear motion type crimping assembly that linearly performs crimping and separating operations of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b using a screw assembly that converts rotational motion of the drive source in the forward and reverse directions into linear reciprocating motion may be used. [0063]

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the crimper 32 includes a crimping teeth slide assembly 322. The crimping teeth slide assembly 322 includes a crimping teeth slide motor 32e, a pinion gear 32el, a rack 32f 1 , and a crimping teeth frame 32f, which will be described later. The crimping teeth frame 32f has the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b. The crimping teeth frame 32f integrally includes a rack 32f 1 that meshes with a pinion gear 32el described later. The crimping teeth frame 32f is attached to the crimper frame 32c and moves in the main scanning direction. The crimping teeth slide motor 32e generates a driving force for moving the crimping teeth frame 32f in the main scanning direction. The pinion gear 32el is provided on an output shaft of the crimping teeth slide motor 32e. When the crimping teeth slide motor 32e is driven to rotate forward and reverse, the pinion gear 32el rotates forward and backward. As the pinion gear 32el rotates forward and reverse, the rack 32f 1 meshed with the pinion gear 32el reciprocates in the main scanning direction with respect to the crimper frame 32c. As a result, the crimping teeth frame 32f provided integrally with the rack 32f 1 also reciprocates in the main scanning direction with respect to the crimper frame 32c. That is, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b provided in the crimping teeth frame 32f can move in the main scanning direction when the crimping teeth slide motor 32e is driven to rotate forward and backward. As a result, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b can be shifted in position in the main scanning direction with respect to the sheet bundle Pb to execute multiple binding operations.

[0064]

Here, the movement amount of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b of the crimping assembly in the main scanning direction is assumed to be equal to the length of the crimping mark formed by the binding operation of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b, and the crimp binding operation is performed multiple times before and after the movement in the main scanning direction. That is, when the length of the crimping mark formed by the binding operation of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b is 10 mm, by setting the movement amount in the main scanning direction to 10 mm, the length of the crimping mark can be set to 20 mm by combining the crimping operation (first time) before the movement in the main scanning direction and the crimping operation (second time) after the movement in the main scanning direction, so that the binding force of the crimper 32 is improved to about 2 times.

[0065]

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the crimper 32 includes a crimper pivot assembly 323 (postprocessing device pivot assembly). The crimping pivot assembly 323 includes a crimper pivot motor 56, an output gear 56a, and a drive transmission gear 54a, which will be described later. The crimper frame 32c holding components of the crimper 32 has a bottom face to which the crimper shaft 54 including the drive transmission gear 54a is fixed. [0066]

The crimper shaft 54 and the drive transmission gear 54a are held by the base 48 on which the crimper frame 32c is disposed, and rotate in the forward and reverse directions. The drive transmission gear 54a meshes with the output gear 56a of the crimper pivot motor 56. The driving force from the crimper pivot motor 56 is transmitted to the crimper shaft 54 via the output gear 56a and the drive transmission gear 54a, so that the crimper 32 rotates in forward and reverse directions about the crimper shaft 54 on the base 48. [0067]

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the edge binder 25 includes an edge binder movement assembly 47. The edge binder movement assembly 47 moves the edge binder 25, specifically, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32, in the main scanning direction along a downstream end in the conveyance direction of the sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22. The edge binder movement assembly 47 includes, for example, the base 48, a guide shaft 49, an edge binder movement motor 50, a driving force transmission assembly 51 that transmits driving force from the edge binder movement motor 50 to the base 48, and a standby position sensor 44a (see FIG. 13).

[0068]

The liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are attached to the base 48 in such a manner that the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the guide shaft 49 is held by multiple guide shaft brackets 49a disposed in the main scanning direction on the upstream side of a binding assembly base 116 in the conveyance direction of the sheet P. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the guide shaft 49 extends in the main scanning direction on the binding assembly base 116. The guide rail 115 is disposed in the main scanning direction on the downstream side of the binding assembly base 116 in the conveyance direction of the sheet P. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the guide rail 115 includes a fitting target portion 115a that fits to a fitting portion 48a of the base 48 in the main scanning direction. In other words, the base 48 is held by the guide shaft 49 and the guide rail 115 and moves in the main scanning direction on the binding assembly base 116. [0069] The edge binder movement motor 50 generates a driving force to move the edge binder 25. The driving force transmission assembly 51 transmits the driving force from the edge binder movement motor 50 to the base 48 via pulleys 551a and 551b, a timing belt 551c, and a fastening portion 48b that fastens the base 48 and the timing belt 551c. As a result, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 integrated by the base 48 move in the main scanning direction along the guide shaft 49.

[0070]

The edge binder movement motor 50 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a servomotor that can stop the edge binder 25 at a target position (first and second binding positions Bl and B2 (corresponding to first and second liquid application positions Bl and B2) to be described later) without returning the edge binder 25 to the origin position (for example, a standby position HP1 to be described later) every movement.

[0071]

Further, the post-processing apparatus 3 includes a standby position sensor 44a (For example, a light shielding type optical sensor. See FIG. 13) that detects that the edge binder 25 reaches the standby position HP1 (home position) and an encoder sensor 44b (see FIG. 13) attached to an output shaft of the edge binder movement motor 50. Then, the controller 100b to be described later detects that the edge binder 25 reaches the standby position HP1 based on the detection result of the standby position sensor 44a. In addition, the controller 100b to be described later ascertains the current position of the edge binder 25 moved from the standby position HP1 by counting the pulse signal output from the encoder sensor 44b. [0072]

Here, a specific method of stopping the edge binder 25 at the target position without returning the edge binder 25 to the origin position is not limited to the aforementioned example. As another example, the post-processing apparatus 3 may include a sensor that detects that the edge binder 25 has reached a predetermined target position.

[0073]

That is, the edge binder movement assembly 47 can move the edge binder 25 by the shortest distance between the position where the liquid applier 31 faces the first liquid application position B 1 and the position where the liquid applier 31 faces the second liquid application position B2 without passing through the standby position HP1. In addition, the edge binder movement assembly 47 can move the edge binder 25 by the shortest distance between the position where the crimper 32 faces the first binding position B 1 and the position where the crimper 32 faces the second binding position B2 without passing through the standby position HP1. Further, the edge binder movement assembly 47 can move the edge binder 25 by the shortest distance between the position where the liquid applier 31 faces the first liquid application position B l (alternatively, the second liquid application position B2) and the position where the crimper 32 faces the first binding position B 1 (alternatively, the second binding position B2) without passing through the standby position HP1.

[0074] In the above description, the edge binder 25 has a configuration of moving along the guide shaft 49 with the crimper 32 and the liquid applier 31 being integrated, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the crimper 32 and the liquid applier 31 may move separately and independently.

[0075]

The position (liquid application position) to which liquid is applied on a sheet P or a sheet bundle Pb by the liquid applier 31 corresponds to the binding position where the crimper 32 is to perform the crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. Therefore, in the following description as well, the first and second liquid application positions and the first and second binding positions are denoted by the same reference numerals (Bl, B2, etc.).

[0076]

Modification of Edge Binder

Next, an edge binder 25' as a modification of the edge binder 25 included in the postprocessing apparatus 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10C. A difference from the edge binder 25 described above is that the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are integrally formed. Note that components common to those of the edge binder 25 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof may be omitted.

[0077]

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the edge binder 25', viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a liquid application crimper 310.

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of the liquid application crimper 310 taken along line A-A in FIG. 9A. FIG. 9C is a plan view of the upper crimping teeth 32a (as upper crimping teeth) of FIG. 9A, viewed from the side at which the lower crimping teeth 32b (as lower crimping teeth) is disposed. FIGS. 10A to 10C illustrate a liquid applying operation and a crimp binding operation performed by the liquid application crimper 310 and are schematic diagrams of the liquid application crimper 310, viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction.

[0078]

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the edge binder 25' includes a liquid application crimper 310 in which the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 (post-processing device) of the edge binder 25 according to the first embodiment are integrally formed. The liquid application crimper 310 is arranged downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction.

[0079]

The liquid application crimper 310 applies the liquid EQ stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. The liquid application crimper 310 moves in the main scanning direction by the driving force transmitted from the edge binder movement motor 50 to the base 48 by the driving force transmission assembly 551. The liquid application crimper 310 includes the upper pressure plate 34, the upper crimping teeth 32a, the lower crimping teeth 32b, a liquid application crimper movement assembly 350, and a liquid supply assembly 360. Components of the liquid application crimper 310 are held by the liquid application frame 31a and the base 48.

[0080]

Further, a liquid application frame 31a has a bottom surface to which a liquid application crimper shaft 561' including the drive transmission gear 561a' is fixed. The liquid application crimper shaft 561' and the drive transmission gear 561a' are held by the base 48 on which the liquid application frame 31a is disposed, and rotate in the forward and reverse directions. The drive transmission gear 561a' meshes with the output gear 56a' of the liquid application crimper pivot motor 56'. The liquid application crimper 310 rotates in the forward and reverse directions about the liquid application crimper shaft 561' on the base 48 by a driving force transmitted from the liquid application crimper pivot motor 56' to the liquid application crimper shaft 561' via the output gear 56a' and the drive transmission gear 561a'.

[0081]

The liquid application crimper movement assembly 350 moves the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, and the upper crimping teeth 32a in cooperation with each other in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by an electric cylinder 370. The base plate 40 holds the upper crimping teeth holder 32al and the upper crimping teeth 32a via a holder 46a. The base plate 40 holds the upper pressure plate 34 via the columns 41a and 41b in such a manner that the upper pressure plate 34 can move. The base plate 40 is attached to the leading end of the rod 371 of the electric cylinder 370 via the connecter 401.

[0082]

The columns 41a and 41b hold the upper pressure plate 34 at lower ends of the columns 41a and 41b. The coil springs 42a and 42b are externally inserted into the columns 41a and 41b between the base plate 40 and the upper pressure plate 34. The coil springs 42a and 42b bias the upper pressure plate 34 and the columns 41a and 41b in a direction away from the base plate 40.

[0083]

The liquid supply assembly 360 includes a first liquid storage tank 43, a liquid supply pump 431, and a liquid supply member 45'. The liquid supply pump 431 supplies the liquid LQ to the liquid reservoir 320 in the upper crimping teeth holder 32al via the liquid supply member 45' as illustrated in FIG. 9A. The liquid supply member 45' has a proximal end connected to the liquid supply pump 431 and a leading end connected to the liquid reservoir 320, and is formed of a long and stretchable member.

[0084]

As illustrated in FIG. 9B, the upper crimping teeth 32a are integrated with the upper crimping teeth holder 32al. The upper crimping teeth holder 32al has the liquid reservoir 320 and a liquid supply path 321 for supplying the liquid LQ stored in the liquid reservoir 320 to the upper crimping teeth 32a. The surface of the upper crimping teeth 32a is subjected to a hydrophilic treatment so that the liquid LQ that is supplied through the liquid supply path 321 uniformly spreads over the surface of the upper crimping teeth 32a. On the other hand, the portion of the upper crimping teeth holder 32al other than the upper crimping teeth 32a is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment so that the liquid LQ efficiently spreads over the surface of the upper crimping teeth 32a.

[0085]

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the lower crimping teeth 32b are integrated with the lower crimping teeth holder 32b 1, which is a part of the liquid application frame 31a. The lower crimping teeth 32b are attached to the base 48 via the lower crimping teeth holder 32b 1.

[0086]

Next, the liquid applying operation and the crimp binding operation by the liquid application crimper 310 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C. In the process of supplying a sheet P to the internal tray 22, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are separated from each other. When the sheet P is stacked on the internal tray 22, the electric cylinder 370 is contracted to move the upper crimping teeth 32a and the upper pressure plate 34 toward the sheet P. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 10B, the upper pressure plate 34 first abuts on the sheet P, and then the upper crimping teeth 32a pass through the through hole 34a of the upper pressure plate 34 and abuts on the sheet P. At this time, since the liquid LQ is spread over the surfaces of the upper crimping teeth 32a, moving the upper crimping teeth 32a to abut on the sheet P allows the liquid to be applied to the liquid application position on the sheet P. When liquid application to the liquid application position is completed, the electric cylinder 370 is extended to separate the upper crimping teeth 32a and the upper pressure plate 34 from the sheet P. Since the contact and separation operation of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the upper pressure plate 34 with respect to the sheet P described above corresponds to the liquid applying operation, this liquid applying operation is repeatedly executed on the sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb.

[0087]

When the sheet bundle Pb including a given number of sheets P is stacked on the internal tray 22, the electric cylinder 370 is further contracted to move the upper crimping teeth 32a toward the lower crimping teeth 32b. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 10C, in a state in which the sheet bundle Pb is sandwiched between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b, the upper crimping teeth 32a further moves toward the lower crimping teeth 32b. Thus, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b press and deform the sheet bundle Pb to crimp and bind the sheet bundle Pb (crimp binding operation).

[0088]

Configuration of Staple Binder

Specifically, a detailed description is now given of the staple binder 155 having a function of executing a stapling process. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the staple binder 155, viewed from the upstream side of the staple binder 155 in the conveyance direction. The staple binder 155 includes a stapler 62 that binds the sheet bundle Pb with staples. The stapler 62 is arranged downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction of the sheet P and separated from the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction. [0089]

The stapler 62 serving as a post-processing device has a configuration of performing so-called "stapling process" to bind a sheet bundle Pb with a staple(s). More particularly, the stapler 62 includes a stapling-part drive motor 62d (see FIG. 13) that drives the stapling part 62a. The stapling part 62a binds the sheet bundle Pb by causing the binding staple loaded in the stapling part 62a to penetrate the sheet bundle Pb by the driving force from the stapling-part drive motor 62d. The configuration of the stapler 62 is already known, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0090]

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the staple binder 155 includes a staple binder movement assembly 77. The staple binder movement assembly 77 moves the staple binder 155 in the main scanning direction along a downstream end in the conveyance direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. That is, the staple binder 155 moves in the main scanning direction by the guide shaft 49 between the standby position HP2 and the position facing the first binding position Bl illustrated in FIGS. 15A to 15C.

[0091]

The staple binder movement assembly 77 includes, for example, a base 78, the guide shaft 49, a staple binder movement motor 80, and a driving force transmission assembly 81. The driving force transmission assembly 81 transmits a driving force from the staple binder movement motor 80 to the base 78 via pulleys 81a and 81b, a timing belt 81c, and a fastening portion 78a that fastens the base 78 and the timing belt 81c. A stapling frame 62b holding components of the stapler 62 has a bottom face to which the stapler shaft 83 including the drive transmission gear 83a is fixed.

[0092]

The stapler shaft 83 and the drive transmission gear 83a are held by the base 78 on which the stapling frame 62b is disposed, and rotate in the forward and reverse directions. The drive transmission gear 83a meshes with an output gear 82a of the stapler pivot motor 82. The stapler 62 rotates in the forward and reverse directions about the stapler shaft 83 on the base 78 by the driving force transmitted from the stapler pivot motor 82 to the stapler shaft 83 via the output gear 82a and the drive transmission gear 83a.

[0093]

The edge binder 25 and the staple binder 155 are supported by the common guide shaft 49. The edge binder movement assembly 47 and the staple binder movement assembly 77 move the edge binder 25 and the staple binder 155 in the main scanning direction along the common guide shaft 49. Further, the edge binder movement assembly 47 and the staple binder movement assembly 77 can move the edge binder 25 and the staple binder 155 independently of each other.

[0094]

Configuration of Modification of Staple Binder FIG. 12 illustrates a staple binder 155' as a modification of the staple binder 155. More specifically, FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the staple binder 155', viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. The staple binder 155' is different from the staple binder 155 in that the staple binder 155' includes not only the stapler 62 but also the second liquid applier 612. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the staple binder 155' includes a second liquid applier 612 and a stapler 62. The second liquid applier 612 and the stapler 62 are arranged downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction and adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction.

[0095]

The second liquid applier 612 executes the liquid application for applying the liquid stored in the third liquid storage tank 73 to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. A predetermined region including a position where the liquid is applied to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the second liquid applier 612 corresponds to the binding position where the stapler 62 is to perform stapling. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the second liquid applier 612 includes a second lower pressure plate 63, a second upper pressure plate 64 having a through hole 34a, a second liquid applier movement assembly 65, and a second liquid application assembly 66.

[0096]

The second liquid applier movement assembly 65 includes, for example, a second liquid applier movement motor 67, a second trapezoidal screw 68, a second nut 69, a second base plate 70, second columns 711a and 711b, and second coil springs 721a and 721b. The second liquid application assembly 66 includes a third liquid storage tank 73, a second liquid application member 74, a second liquid supply member 75, and a second holder 76. The second liquid application assembly 66 and the liquid application assembly 36 of the liquid applier 31 described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 have common configurations, and thus redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted unless otherwise required. Since the configuration of the stapler 62 illustrated in FIGS. 10A to 10C is like the configuration of the stapler 62 illustrated in FIG. 11, a detailed description thereof is omitted below unless otherwise required. The pivot assembly (liquid applier pivot motor 563, output gear 563a, drive transmission gear 562a, liquid applier shaft 562) of the second liquid applier 612 is common to the pivot assembly of the liquid applier 31 illustrated in FIG. 3, and thus redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted unless otherwise required.

[0097]

As in the staple binder 155' illustrated in FIG. 12, in the stapling process, the binding position is loosened and softened by applying liquid to the sheet P, and the binding needle can easily penetrate the sheet P. As a result, the number of bound sheets per sheet bundle Pb can be increased as compared with a case where the stapling process is performed without liquid application.

[0098]

Configuration of Control Block of Post-Processing Apparatus A configuration of a control block of the post-processing apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a hardware configuration diagram for executing control process in the post-processing apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the post-processing apparatus 3 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 101, a random-access memory (RAM) 102, a read-only memory (ROM) 103, a hard disk drive (HDD) 104, and an interface (I/F) 105. The CPU 101, the RAM 102, the ROM 103, the HDD 104, and the I/F 105 are connected to each other via a common bus 109.

[0099]

The CPU 101 is an arithmetic device and controls the overall operation of the post-processing apparatus 3. The RAM 102 is a volatile storage medium that allows data to be read and written at high speed. The CPU 101 uses the RAM 102 as a working area for data processing. The ROM 103 is a read-only non-volatile storage medium that stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 104 is a non-volatile storage medium that allows data to be read and written and has a relatively large storage capacity. The HDD 104 stores, for example, an operating system (OS), various control programs, and application programs.

[0100]

The post-processing apparatus 3 processes, by an arithmetic function of the CPU 101, e.g., a control program stored in the ROM 103 and an information processing program (or application program) loaded into the RAM 102 from a storage medium such as the HDD 104. Such processing configures a software controller including various functional modules of the post-processing apparatus 3. The software controller thus configured cooperates with hardware resources of the post-processing apparatus 3 to construct functional blocks that implement functions of the post-processing apparatus 3. That is, the CPU 101, the RAM 102, the ROM 103, the HDD 104, and the I/F 105 constitute a controller 100b (controller) that controls the operation of the post-processing apparatus 3.

[0101]

The I/F 105 is an interface that connects the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switcher 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the contact-separation motor 32d, the crimping teeth slide motor 32e, the crimper pivot motor 56, the liquid applier movement motor 37, the liquid applier pivot motor 563, the edge binder movement motor 50, the stapling-part drive motor 62d, the stapler pivot motor 82, the staple binder movement motor 80, and the liquid supply pump 95 to the common bus 109.

[0102]

The I/F 105 is an interface that connects the movement sensor 40a, the first liquid level sensor 43a, the second liquid level sensor 92a, the standby position sensor 44a, the encoder sensor 44b, and the operation panel 110 to the common bus 109.

[0103]

Then, the controller 100b controls the operations of the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switcher 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the contact-separation motor 32d, the crimping teeth slide motor 32e, the crimper pivot motor 56, the liquid applier movement motor 37, the liquid applier pivot motor 563, the edge binder movement motor 50, the stapling-part drive motor 62d, the stapler pivot motor 82, the staple binder movement motor 80, and liquid supply pump 95 through the PF 105.

[0104]

In addition, the controller 100b acquires detection results of the movement sensor 40a, the first liquid level sensor 43a, the second liquid level sensor 92a, the standby position sensor 44a, and the encoder sensor 44b. Although FIG. 13 illustrates only the components related to the edge binder 25 and the staple binder 155 that execute the edge binding process, the components related to the saddle binder 28 that executes the saddle stitching are also controlled by the controller 100b. [0105]

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 2 includes the operation panel 110. The operation panel 110 includes an operation device that receives instructions input by a user (input operation) and a display serving as a notifier that notifies the operator of information. The operation device includes, for example, physical input buttons and a touch screen overlaid on a display. The operation panel 110 acquires information from the user through the operation device and provides information to the user through the display. A specific example of the notification unit is not limited to the display and may be a light emitting diode (LED) lamp or a speaker. The post-processing apparatus 3 may include an operation panel 110 similar to the above-described operation panel 110 of the image forming apparatus 2. [0106]

Description of Parallel Binding Process of Post-Processing Apparatus According to First Embodiment

Next, a description is given below of a flow of parallel binding process executed by the edge binder 25 included in the post-processing apparatus 3. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the parallel binding process according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 15A to 15C is a diagram illustrating a transition of positions of the liquid applier 31, the crimper 32, and the edge binder 25 during execution of the parallel binding process. The position (liquid application position) where the liquid is applied to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the liquid applier 31 corresponds to a binding position where the crimper 32 is to perform the crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. For this reason, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position are denoted by the same reference numeral (Bl or B2). Although only the flow of the parallel binding process by the edge binder 25 will be described below, the flow of the parallel binding process described here can be similarly applied to the staple binder 155' (including the second liquid applier 612 and the stapler 62) as a modification of the staple binder 155 illustrated in FIG. 11 and the staple binder 155 illustrated in FIG. 12.

[0107] For example, the controller 100b starts the parallel binding process illustrated in FIG. 14 when the controller 100b acquires an instruction to execute the binding process from the image forming apparatus 2. In the following description, the instruction to execute the binding process may be referred to as a "binding command".

[0108]

The binding command includes, for example, a type of sheets P (information that affects the spread of liquid, such as a material and a thickness), the number of sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb (hereinafter, referred to as "given number N of sheets"), the number of sheet bundles Pb on which the binding process is to be performed (hereinafter, referred to as "requested number M of copies"), a position in the main scanning direction of the first binding position Bl (corresponding to the first liquid application position B l), a binding posture of the edge binder 25 (parallel binding, oblique binding, and vertical binding), and an operation mode selected through the operation panel 110 as conditions (hereinafter, referred to as a "binding condition") of the crimp binding process by the crimper 32.

[0109]

As illustrated in FIG. 15A, at the start of the parallel binding process, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are assumed to be in the parallel binding posture and located at the standby position HP1 at the start of the binding process (see FIG. 15A). As illustrated in FIG. 15A, the standby position HP1 is a position deviated in the width direction from the sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22.

[0110]

First, as illustrated in FIG. 15B, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 from the standby position HP1 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 15 A) such that the liquid applier 31 faces the first liquid application position B l (S1001). Note that the controller 100b executes the process of step S1001 before the first sheet P is conveyed to the internal tray 22 by the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15. Furthermore, the controller 100b ascertains the positions of the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 in the main scanning direction by, for example, the encoder sensor 44b attached to the output shaft of the edge binder movement motor 50.

[0111]

Next, the controller 100b rotates the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15 to accommodate the sheet P on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 on the internal tray 22 (S1002). Furthermore, the controller 100b aligns the positions of the ends in the main scanning direction of the sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22 by moving the side fences 24L and 24R to the opposing direction (so-called jogging process) (S1002).

[0112]

Next, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 positioned at the first liquid application position B 1 to execute the liquid application process on the sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22 in the immediately preceding step S1002 (S1003). That is, the controller 100b drives the liquid applier movement motor 37 to cause the liquid application member 44 to contact the liquid application position B of the sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22 as illustrated in FIG. 15B. Details of the liquid application process in step S1003 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 19A to 19C.

[0113]

Next, the controller 100b determines whether the number of sheets accommodated on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number N of sheets indicated by the binding command (S1004). In a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of sheets accommodated on the internal tray 22 has not reached the given number of sheets (S1004: No), the controller 100b executes the process of steps S1002 and S1003 again. That is, the controller 100b executes the process of steps S1002 and S1003 each time the sheet P is conveyed to the internal tray 22 by the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15. Note that the liquid application process by the liquid applier 31 does not need to be performed on all of the multiple sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb. As another example, the controller 100b may execute the liquid application process by the liquid applier 31 on the sheets P at intervals of one for every n sheets (that is, only a part of the sheets P). [0114]

Then, in a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of sheets P accommodated on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number N of sheets (sheet bundle Pb) (S1004: Yes), as illustrated in FIG. 15C, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 15B) such that the crimper 32 faces the first binding position B 1 (S1005). [0115]

Next, the controller 100b causes the crimper 32 to execute the crimp binding process on the sheet bundle Pb accommodated on the internal tray 22 (S1006). Then, the controller 100b causes the conveyance roller pairs 15 to eject the sheet bundle Pb crimped and bound by the crimper 32 to the second output tray 26 (S1007). That is, the controller 100b drives the contact- separation motor 32d to cause the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b to sandwich the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 at the first binding position B l. The sheet bundle Pb is pressed and deformed between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b. Thus, the crimper 32 crimps and binds the sheet bundle Pb. Thereafter, the controller 100b rotates the conveyance roller pair 15 to eject the crimped and bound sheet bundle Pb to the second output tray 26. Note that details of the crimp binding process in step S1006 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 20 to 21C.

[0116]

On the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22, the binding region sandwiched by the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b in step S906 overlaps the liquid application region with which the leading end of the liquid application member 44 is in contact in step S903. In other words, the crimper 32 crimps and binds the region to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applier 31 in the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. Note that the binding region sandwiched between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b does not need to completely overlap the liquid application region with which the leading end of the liquid application member 44 is in contact, and sufficient binding strength can be obtained when the binding region partially overlaps the liquid application region.

[0117]

Next, the controller 100b determines whether or not the number of ejected sheet bundles Pb has reached the requested number M of copies indicated by the binding command (S1008). In a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of copies has not reached the requested number M of copies (S1008: No), the process of and after step S1002 is executed again. That is, the controller 100b repeatedly executes the process of steps S1002 to S1007 until the number of sheet bundles Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 reaches the requested number M of copies (S1008: No).

[0118]

Then, in a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of sheet bundles Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 has reached the requested number M of copies (S1008: Yes), the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 15C) toward the standby position HP1 (S1009). As a result, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 return to the standby position HP1 illustrated in FIG. 15 A, and the parallel binding process ends.

[0119]

Description of Oblique Binding Process of Post-Processing Apparatus According to First Embodiment

Next, a description is given below of a flow of an oblique binding process executed by the edge binder 25 included in the post-processing apparatus 3. FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an oblique binding process. FIGS. 17A to 17D are diagrams illustrating a transition of the position of the edge binder 25 (the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32) during execution of the oblique binding process. The position (liquid application position) where the liquid is applied to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the liquid applier 31 corresponds to a binding position where the crimper 32 is to perform the crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. For this reason, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position are denoted by the same reference numeral (B 1 or B2). Although only the flow of the oblique binding process by the edge binder 25 will be described below, the flow of the oblique binding process described here can be similarly applied to the staple binder 155' (including the second liquid applier 612 and the stapler 62) as a modification of the staple binder 155 illustrated in FIG. 11 and the staple binder 155 illustrated in FIG. 12.

[0120]

For example, the controller 100b starts the oblique binding process illustrated in FIG. 16 when the controller 100b acquires an instruction to execute the binding process from the image forming apparatus 2. In the following description, the instruction to execute the binding process may be referred to as a "binding command".

[0121]

The binding command includes, for example, a type of sheets P (information that affects the spread of liquid, such as a material and a thickness), the number of sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb (hereinafter, referred to as "given number N of sheets"), the number of sheet bundles Pb on which the binding process is to be performed (hereinafter, referred to as "requested number M of copies"), a position in the main scanning direction of the first binding position Bl (corresponding to the first liquid application position B l), a binding posture of the edge binder 25, and an operation mode selected through the operation panel 110 as conditions (hereinafter, referred to as a "binding condition") of the crimp binding process by the crimper 32. Further, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are assumed to be in the parallel binding posture and located at the standby position HP1 at the start of the oblique binding process (see FIG. 17A). As illustrated in FIG. 17A, the standby position HP1 is a position deviated in the width direction from the sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22. [0122]

In the case of the oblique binding process, since the posture instructed by the binding command is the "oblique binding posture", the controller 100b drives the liquid applier pivot motor 563 and the crimper pivot motor 56 to rotate the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 of the edge binder 25 to the oblique binding posture (S1201). Alternatively, in a case where the posture that is instructed by the binding command is the "oblique binding posture", only the crimper 32 may be rotated into the oblique binding posture while the liquid applier 31 may not be rotated. As a result, since the drive assembly can be simplified as compared with the case where the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are rotated together, effects of cost reduction, downsizing of the apparatus, and reduction of failure of the device are obtained. [0123]

Further, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 17A) such that the liquid applier 31 faces the first liquid application position B 1 instructed by the binding command (S1201). Note that the controller 100b executes the process of step S1201 before the first sheet P is conveyed to the internal tray 22 by the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15. [0124]

Next, the controller 100b rotates the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15 to stack the sheet P on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 on the internal tray 22 (S1202). Furthermore, the controller 100b aligns the positions of the ends in the main scanning direction of the sheet P supported by the internal tray 22 by moving the side fences 24L and 24R in the opposing direction (so-called jogging process) (S1202).

[0125]

Next, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 located at the first liquid application position B 1 to execute the liquid application process on the sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22 in the immediately preceding step S1202 (S1203). That is, the controller 100b drives the liquid applier movement motor 37 to cause the liquid application member 44 to contact the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22 as illustrated in FIG. 17B.

[0126]

Next, the controller 100b determines whether the number of sheets stacked on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number N of sheets of sheets instructed by the binding command (S1204). Then, in a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 has not reached the given number N of sheets (S1204: No), the controller 100b executes the process of steps S1202 to S1203 again. That is, the controller 100b executes the process of steps S1202 to S1203 each time the sheet P is conveyed to the internal tray 22 by the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15. Note that the liquid application process by the liquid applier 31 does not need to be performed on all of the multiple sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb. As another example, the controller 100b may execute the liquid application process by the liquid applier 31 on the sheets P at intervals of one for every n sheets (that is, only a part of the sheets P).

[0127]

Then, in a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number N of sheets (S1204: Yes), as illustrated in FIG. 17C, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 17B) such that the crimper 32 faces the first binding position B 1 (S 1205).

[0128]

Next, the controller 100b causes the crimper 32 to execute the crimp binding process at the first binding position B 1 of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 (S 1206). Then, the controller 100b causes the conveyance roller pairs 15 to eject the sheet bundle Pb crimped and bound by the crimper 32 to the second output tray 26 (S1207). That is, the controller 100b drives the contact-separation motor 32d to cause the upper crimping teeth 32a to sandwich the first binding position B 1 of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 with the lower crimping teeth 32b. At this time, depending on conditions, the controller 100b drives the crimping teeth slide motor 32e to perform the crimp binding process multiple times such that the crimping marks are adjacent. Thereafter, the controller 100b rotates the conveyance roller pair 15 to eject the crimped and bound sheet bundle Pb to the second output tray 26.

[0129]

On the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22, the crimping region sandwiched between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b in step S1206 overlaps the liquid application region with which the leading end of the liquid application member 44 is in contact in step S 1203. In other words, the crimper 32 crimps and binds the region to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applier 31 in the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. Note that the crimping region sandwiched between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b does not need to completely overlap the liquid application region with which the leading end portion of the liquid application member 44 is in contact, and sufficient binding strength can be obtained even when the crimping region partially overlaps the liquid application region. [0130]

Next, the controller 100b determines whether or not the number of ejected sheet bundles Pb has reached the requested number M of copies indicated by the binding command (S1208). In a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of copies has not reached the requested number M of copies (S1208: No), the process of and after step S1202 is executed again. That is, the controller 100b repeatedly executes the process of steps S1202 to S1207 (S1208: No) until the number of sheet bundles Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 reaches the requested number M of copies (S1208: Yes).

[0131]

Then, in a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of sheet bundles Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 has reached the requested number M of copies (S1208: Yes), the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 17C) toward the standby position HP1 (S1209). Since the posture instructed by the binding command is the "oblique binding posture", the controller 100b drives the liquid applier pivot motor 563 and the crimper pivot motor 56 to rotate the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 into the parallel binding posture (arrow direction in FIG. 17D) (S1209). As a result, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 return to the standby position HP1 in illustrated FIG. 17D. In steps S1201 and S1209, the execution order of the movement operation and the rotation operation of the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 in the main scanning direction is not limited to the above-described order, and may be the reverse order.

[0132]

Now, a description is given of some or all of the advantages according to the embodiment described above, the enumeration of which is not exhaustive or limiting.

[0133]

According to the above embodiment, since the posture of the liquid application member 44 is changed in accordance with the postures of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b, the range can be limited in which the liquid is applied on the sheet P. As a result, generation of wrinkles on the sheet P and smearing of an image formed on the sheet P can be prevented.

[0134]

Further, according to the above embodiment, the upper crimping teeth 32a, the lower crimping teeth 32b, and the liquid application member 44 are inclined by the same angle in the oblique binding posture, and are arranged at the same position in the conveyance direction in each of the parallel binding posture and the oblique binding posture, so that the inside of the liquid-applied region can be crimped and bound without special alignment.

[0135]

In the above embodiment, the example in which the upper crimping teeth 32a, the lower crimping teeth 32b, and the liquid application member 44 are in the oblique binding posture has been described, and the postures of the upper crimping teeth 32a, the lower crimping teeth 32b, and the liquid application member 44 are not limited thereto. As another example, the upper crimping teeth 32a, the lower crimping teeth 32b, and the liquid application member 44 may be in a "back side binding" posture in which the longitudinal direction of each leading end is parallel to the main scanning direction, or may be changed into a "vertical binding posture" serving as a third binding posture in which the longitudinal direction of each leading end portion is orthogonal to the main scanning direction. The vertical binding posture corresponds to a posture in which the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are rotated to a position along the end in the width direction of the sheet P by the crimper pivot assembly 52 and the liquid application member 44 is rotated to a position along the end in the width direction of the sheet P by the liquid applier pivot assembly 55. In other words, the vertical binding posture is the posture of the upper crimping teeth 32a, the lower crimping teeth 32b, and the liquid application member 44 with respect to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb when the binding process is performed such that the longitudinal direction of the binding mark to be formed follows the end of the sheet P in the width direction. Then, the crimper pivot assembly 52 may rotate the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b, and the liquid applier pivot assembly 55 may respectively rotate the liquid application member 44 at an arbitrary angle between the parallel binding posture and the vertical binding posture.

[0136]

Description of Two-Location Binding Process of Post-Processing Apparatus According to First Embodiment

Next, a description is given below of a flow of the two-location binding process executed by the edge binder 25 included in the post-processing apparatus 3. FIGS. 18A to 18H are views illustrating a position of the edge binder 25 during execution of the two-location binding process. Detailed description of points in common with the process described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 15C (parallel binding process) and FIGS. 16 to 17D (oblique binding process) will be omitted, and differences will be mainly described. Furthermore, the staple binder 155 in FIGS. 18A to 18H is common to the staple binder 155 in FIGS. 15A to 15C and 17A to 17D, and thus illustration thereof is omitted. The position (liquid application position) where the liquid is applied to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the liquid applier 31 corresponds to a binding position where the crimper 32 is to perform the crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. For this reason, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position are denoted by the same reference numeral. Although only the flow of the two-location binding process by the edge binder 25 will be described below, the flow of the two-location binding process described here can be similarly applied to the flow of the two-location binding process by the staple binder 155' (including the second liquid applier 612 and the stapler 62) as a modification of the staple binder 155 illustrated in FIG. 11 and the staple binder 155 illustrated in FIG. 12.

[0137]

As illustrated in FIG. 18 A, it is assumed that the edge binder 25 is located at the standby position HP1 at the start of the two-location binding process. The first binding position Bl (corresponding to the first liquid application position B 1) and the second binding position B2 (corresponding to the second liquid application position B2) are positions separated from each other in the main scanning direction. In FIGS. 18A to 18H, the case where two sheets P are crimped and bound (that is, N = 2) will be described. Here, the number of sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb is not limited to two.

[0138]

Before the first sheet Pl of the sheet bundle Pb is conveyed to the internal tray 22, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18 A) such that the liquid applier 31 faces the second liquid application position B2. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 18B, in a state where the liquid applier 31 is arranged at a position that faces the second liquid application position B2, the controller 100b stacks the sheet Pl on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 on the internal tray 22 and performs jogging process.

[0139]

Next, in response to the sheet Pl being stacked on the internal tray 22, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 to execute liquid application to the second liquid application position B2 of the sheet Pl (FIG. 18B). Next, as illustrated in FIG. 18C, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18B) such that the liquid applier 31 faces the first liquid application position B l of the sheet Pl. Next, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 to execute liquid application to the first liquid application position Bl of the sheet Pl (FIG. 18C).

[0140]

Next, in response to applying the liquid to the first liquid application position B 1 and the second liquid application position B2 of the sheet Pl, in a state where the liquid applier 31 is arranged at a position that faces the first liquid application position B 1 as illustrated in FIG. 18D, the controller 100b conveys the second sheet P2 of the sheet bundle Pb to the internal tray 22 and performs the jogging process.

[0141]

Next, in response to the sheet P2 being stacked on the internal tray 22, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 to execute liquid application to the first liquid application position B l of the sheet P2 (FIG. 18D). Next, as illustrated in FIG. 18E, the controller 100b moves the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18D) such that the liquid applier 31 faces the second liquid application position B2 of the sheet P2. Next, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 to execute liquid application to the second liquid application position B2 of the sheet P2 (FIG. 18E).

[0142]

That is, until the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 reaches the given number N of sheets, the controller 100b repeatedly executes conveyance of the sheet P by the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15 and liquid application to the first liquid application position B 1 and the second liquid application position B2 by the liquid applier 31. At this time, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 to apply the liquid to the B (B<N)-th sheet P in the order of the second liquid application position B2 and the first liquid application position B l. The controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 to apply liquid to the (B+l)-th sheet P in the order of the first liquid application position B 1 and the second liquid application position B2. In other words, the controller 100b changes the order in which the liquid applier 31 applies the liquid to the first liquid application position B 1 and the second liquid application position B2 for each sheet P. Further, the controller 100b moves the edge binder 25 from one of the first liquid application position B 1 and the second liquid application position B2 to the other of the first liquid application position B 1 and the second liquid application position B2 in the shortest distance without passing through the standby position HP1.

[0143]

Next, in response to the determination by the controller 100b that the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number N of sheets, as illustrated in FIG. 18F, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18E) such that the crimper 32 faces the second binding position B2. Next, the controller 100b causes the crimper 32 to execute the crimp binding process at the second binding position B2 of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 (FIG. 18F). Next, as illustrated in FIG. 18G, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18F) such that the crimper 32 faces the first binding position B l. Next, the controller 100b causes the crimper 32 to execute the crimp binding process at the first binding position B 1 of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 (FIGS. 18G).

[0144]

Note that, in the example of FIGS. 18A to 18H, since the liquid applier 31 finally executes the liquid application at the second liquid application position B2, the crimper 32 executes the crimp binding process in the order of the second binding position B2 and the first binding position B 1. On the other hand, in a case where the liquid applier 31 finally executes the liquid application at the first liquid application position Bl, the crimper 32 executes the crimp binding process in the order of the first binding position B 1 and the second binding position B2. [0145]

Next, the controller 100b controls to eject the sheet bundle Pb crimped and bound at the first binding position B 1 and the second binding position B2 by the crimper 32 to the second output tray 26. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 18H, the controller 100b drives an edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18G) toward the standby position HP1.

[0146]

Note that, in the above embodiment, an example in which one or two locations of the sheet bundle Pb are crimped and bound has been described, and the present disclosure can also be applied to a case where three or more locations of the sheet bundle Pb separated in the main scanning direction are crimped and bound. In this case, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 to execute the liquid application and also causes the crimper 32 to execute crimp binding at three or more binding positions (liquid application positions). Even in the case of crimp binding three or more locations, the productivity of the crimp binding can be improved by applying the present disclosure.

[0147]

However, it is no need for the liquid applier 31 to apply the liquid to all the liquid application positions for all the sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb. For example, in the case of crimp binding at three binding positions separated in the main scanning direction, the controller 100b may cause the liquid applier 31 to execute the liquid application at three liquid application positions of the E (E<N-2)-th sheet Pl, cause the liquid applier 31 to execute the liquid application at two liquid application positions of the (E+l)-th sheet P2, and cause the liquid applier 31 to execute the liquid application at one liquid application position of the (E+2)-th sheet P2.

[0148]

Description of Operation of Liquid Applier

Next, the liquid applying operation on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the liquid applier 31 in step S1003 in FIG. 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19A to 19C. FIGS. 19A to 19C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the liquid applier 31 in step S1003. The upper pressure plate 34, the liquid application member 44, and the base plate 40 according to the present embodiment move (raised and lowered) in conjunction with each other when the driving force is transmitted from the liquid applier movement motor 37. More particularly, the upper pressure plate 34, the liquid application member 44, and the base plate 40 are lowered by the liquid applier movement motor 37 rotating in the first direction, and are raised by the liquid applier movement motor 37 rotating in the second direction opposite to the first direction.

[0149]

The upper pressure plate 34 moves between a pressing position (FIGS. 19B and 19C) and a release position (FIG. 19A). The pressing position is a position where the upper pressure plate 34 abuts on the top surface of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 to press down the sheet P from above. The release position is a position where the upper pressure plate 34 separates from the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb from above. That is, the release position is a position above the pressing position.

[0150]

The liquid application member 44 moves between the liquid application position (contact position) illustrated in FIG. 19C and the separation position illustrated in FIG. 19A via the intermediate separation position (first medium receiving position) illustrated in FIG. 19B. The liquid application position is the position where the liquid application member 44 abuts on the top surface of at least one sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22 to apply liquid to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. The leading end of the liquid application member 44 abuts on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb through the through hole 34a of the upper pressure plate 34 when the leading end of the liquid application member 44 is at the liquid application position. The separation position and the intermediate separation position are the positions where the liquid application member 44 separates from the sheet P or sheet bundle Pb from above. The leading end of the liquid application member 44 is located above the through hole 34a when the leading end of the liquid application member 44 is at the separation position and the intermediate separation position. That is, the separation position and the intermediate separation position are positions above the liquid application position.

[0151]

The base plate 40 moves between a first position illustrated in FIG. 19C, a second position illustrated in FIG. 19B, and a third position illustrated in FIG. 19A. The first position is a position where the upper pressure plate 34 is at the pressing position and the liquid application member 44 is at the liquid application position. The second position is a position where the liquid application member 44 is at the intermediate separation position separated from the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb while the upper pressure plate 34 remains at the pressing position. When the base plate 40 is located at the second position, the liquid application member 44 is located between the liquid application position and the separation position. The third position is a position where the upper pressure plate 34 is at the release position and the liquid application member 44 is at the separation position. That is, the second position is a position above the first position, and the third position is a position above the second position. The controller 100b can ascertain the position of the base plate 40 by, for example, the movement sensor 40a and the rotary encoder of the liquid applier movement motor 37.

[0152]

As illustrated in FIG. 19A, the position of the base plate 40 before liquid is applied to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb is the third position. That is, the upper pressure plate 34 and the liquid application member 44 are separated from the top surface of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb already stacked on the internal tray 22. Therefore, the sheet P newly supplied to the internal tray 22 by the conveyance roller pair 15 enters between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 and overlaps the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb already stacked on the internal tray 22.

[0153]

Next, the controller 100b rotates the liquid applier movement motor 37 in the first direction to lower the base plate 40 at the third position. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 19B, when the base plate 40 is lowered to the second position, the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb is pressed by the upper pressure plate 34. Here, at this time point, the liquid application member 44 does not yet contact the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. In other words, the upper pressure plate 34 reaches the pressing position before the liquid application member 44 reaches the liquid application position.

[0154]

When the controller 100b further rotates the liquid applier movement motor 37 in the first direction, the coil springs 42a and 42b sandwiched between the upper pressure plate 34 and the base plate 40 are elastically compressed. As a result, the base plate 40 and the liquid application member 44 is lowered while the upper pressure plate 34 remains at the pressing position. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 19C, when the base plate 40 is lowered to the first position, the leading end of the liquid application member 44 passes through the through hole 34a and contacts the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. As a result, the edge binder 25 can apply the liquid from the liquid application member 44 at the liquid application position to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb in a state where the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb is pressed by the upper pressure plate 34 at the pressing position.

[0155]

In the process in which the base plate 40 moves from the second position to the first position, the position of the upper pressure plate 34 does not change, but and the pressing force of the upper pressure plate 34 on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb changes. More particularly, the pressing force of the upper pressure plate 34 is larger when the base plate 40 is at the first position than when the base plate 40 is at the second position. That is, the liquid applier movement assembly 35 can change the pressing force of the upper pressure plate 34 on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22.

[0156]

Next, when the liquid applier movement motor 37 rotates in the second direction from the state in FIG. 19C, the base plate 40 is raised from the first position to the third position through the second position. At this time, the liquid application member 44 is raised together with the base plate 40. On the other hand, when the base plate 40 is located between the first position and the second position, the upper pressure plate 34 does not move from the pressing position by the biasing force from the coil springs 42a and 42b. Further, the upper pressure plate 34 is raised together with the base plate 40 when the base plate 40 is located between the second position and the third position.

[0157] As described above, as illustrated in FIG. 19B, the upper pressure plate 34 presses the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb before the leading end of the liquid application member 44 contacts the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 19C, the upper pressure plate 34 presses the periphery of the leading end of the liquid application member 44 when the liquid application member 44 applies the liquid to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. As a result, in a case where the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb is wavy or curved, the floating of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb can be reliably prevented, and the liquid application process can be performed with high accuracy. [0158]

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 19B, the upper pressure plate 34 maintains the pressed state of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb in a state where the leading end of the liquid application member 44 is separated from the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb (intermediate separation position). Then, as illustrated in FIG. 19A, when the leading end of the liquid application member 44 moves to the separation position completely separated from the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, the upper pressure plate 34 moves to the release position where the pressing to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb is released. As a result, after the liquid applying operation by the liquid application member 44 is completed, the sticking of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb to the leading end of the liquid application member 44 can be reliably prevented, and the transition to the following crimp binding operation can be performed smoothly.

[0159]

Description of Crimp Binding Process

Next, the crimp binding process by the crimper 32 executed in step S1006 in FIG. 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 21C. FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a crimp binding process according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 21 A to 21C are diagrams illustrating an operation of the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 in the crimp binding process according to the first embodiment.

[0160]

First, the controller 100b compares the given number of sheets indicated by the binding command with a predetermined threshold number of sheets (S1601). Then, in a case where the given number of sheets is equal to or larger than the threshold number of sheets (SI 601: Yes), the controller 100b causes the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 to abut on the sheet bundle Pb with the first pressing force (S 1602). On the other hand, when the given number of sheets is less than the threshold number of sheets (S1601: No), the controller 100b causes the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 to press the sheet bundle Pb with the second pressing force (S1603). More particularly, in steps S1602 and S1603, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier movement motor 37 to rotate in the first direction, so that the base plate 40 at the third position is lowered to a position between the first position and the second position.

[0161] That is, as illustrated in FIG. 21A, in steps S1602 and S1603, the controller 100b lowers the base plate 40 such that the upper pressure plate 34 is located at the pressing position and the leading end of the liquid application member 44 is located above the liquid application position. In other words, the controller 100b lowers the base plate 40 to a position where the upper pressure plate 34 presses the sheet bundle Pb and the liquid application member 44 does not apply the liquid to the sheet bundle Pb.

[0162]

As illustrated in FIG. 21A, at the time of steps S1602 and S1603, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b do not mesh with each other with the sheet bundle Pb interposed therebetween. That is, the controller 100b causes the upper pressure plate 34 to press the sheet bundle Pb before causing the crimper 32 to perform the crimp binding. The position of the base plate 40 in step S1602 is below the position of the base plate 40 in step S 1603. That is, the first pressing force of the upper pressure plate 34 in step S 1602 is stronger than the second pressing force in step S1603.

[0163]

Next, the controller 100b drives the crimper 32 at a position facing the first binding position B 1 to execute crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb accommodated on the internal tray 22 (S1604). More particularly, the controller 100b drives the contact-separation motor 32d to mesh the binding teeth of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b, thereby pressing and deforming the sheet bundle Pb to bind the sheet bundle Pb. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 21B, the controller 100b causes the crimper 32 to execute the crimp binding in a state where the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 is arranged at the pressing position.

[0164]

Next, the controller 100b separates the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b from each other in a state where the upper pressure plate 34 is arranged at the pressing position. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 21C, the controller 100b drives the crimping teeth slide motor 32e to move the crimping teeth frame 32f including the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 21C) (S 1605). As a result, the upper crimping teeth 32a are peeled off from the crimped and bound sheet bundle Pb. As a result, for example, in a case where the crimped and bound sheet bundle Pb sticks to the upper crimping teeth 32a, the upper crimping teeth 32a of the crimper 32 is still separated from the sheet bundle Pb and moves in the main scanning direction in a state where the sheet bundle Pb is pressed by the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31. This allows the sheet bundle Pb to be reliably peeled off from the upper crimping teeth 32a of the crimper 32, and suppresses the occurrence of downtime such as interruption of the crimp binding operation by the crimper 32 during the process.

[0165]

Next, the controller 100b rotates the liquid applier movement motor 37 in the second direction to raise the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 to the release position (in other words, the base plate 40 is moved to the third position) (S1606). That is, after the upper crimping teeth 32a of the crimper 32 is separated from the sheet bundle Pb, the controller 100b releases the pressing on the sheet bundle Pb by the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31. Further, the controller 100b rotates the conveyance roller pair 15 to eject the crimped and bound sheet bundle Pb to the second output tray 26 (S1607).

[0166]

[0167]

According to the above embodiment, by pressing the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31, the floating of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb can be reliably prevented in a case where the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 is wavy or curved due to the influence of the process in the previous stage or the like. As a result, the liquid application amount when the leading end of the liquid application member 44 contacts the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb can be stabilized. [0168]

According to the above embodiment, the leading end of the liquid application member 44 contacts the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, and the leading end of the liquid application member 44 separates from the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, while the state is maintained in which the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb is pressed by the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31. As a result, the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb can be prevented from floating together with the liquid application member 44 to be raised. That is, the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb can be prevented from sticking to the liquid application member 44 after the liquid application is completed.

[0169]

As described above, the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 has both the function of suppressing the curvature or the like of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb during the liquid application process on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb performed by the liquid application member 44 and the function of peeling off the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb from the liquid application member 44 after the liquid application process is completed.

[0170]

According to the above embodiment, the upper pressure plate 34 and the liquid application member 44 are moved by a single liquid applier movement motor 37, and the moving timing of the upper pressure plate 34 and the liquid application member 44 is shifted by the biasing force of the coil springs 42a and 42b, so that cost reduction, energy saving, and miniaturization can be realized. Here, the upper pressure plate 34 and the liquid application member 44 may be independently moved by different movement assemblies.

[0171]

In addition, according to the above embodiment, the crimp binding by the crimper 32 is executed (that is, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b contact with and separate from each other) in a state where the sheet bundle Pb is pressed by the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31. As a result, the sheet bundle Pb can be prevented from sticking to the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b. Furthermore, by sliding at least one of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b in the main scanning direction after the crimp binding, the sheet bundle Pb can be reliably peeled off from the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b.

[0172]

Note that, as the number of sheets of the sheet bundle Pb increases, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b need to bite deeply into the sheet bundle Pb. On the other hand, when the pressing force by the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 is too strong, the sheet bundle Pb may be damaged. Therefore, as in the above-described embodiment, by changing the pressing force of the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 on the sheet bundle Pb according to the number of sheets of the sheet bundle Pb, both prevention of sticking of the sheet bundle Pb and prevention of damage to the sheet bundle Pb can be achieved.

[0173]

Here, the parameter for changing the pressing force of the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 is not limited to the number of sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb. As another example, the controller 100b may change the pressing force of the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb according to the type of the sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb (for example, plain paper, thick paper, glossy paper, and the like). As another example, the controller 100b may change the pressing force of the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb according to the thickness of the sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb. As still another example, the controller 100b may adjust the pressing force of the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 in accordance with a combination of the above-described parameters (number, type, and thickness of sheets P).

[0174]

First Modification of Pressing unit of Liquid Applier

The movement assembly of the upper pressure plate 34 as the pressing unit that presses the sheet bundle in the liquid applier 31 is not limited to the spring type. A modification of the movement assembly of the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31A according to a first modification will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 A to 22C.

[0175]

FIGS. 22A to 22C illustrate an upper pressure plate 34 of a liquid applier 31A according to the first modification. The difference from the above-described embodiment is that the upper pressure plate 34 is moved by its own weight without using the coil spring 42. As described above with reference to FIGS. 19A to 19C, the upper pressure plate 34 moves between the pressing position in FIGS. 22B and 22C and the release position in FIG. 22A, and the liquid application member 44 moves between the liquid application position in FIG. 22C and the separation position in FIG. 22A via the intermediate separation position in FIG. 22B.

[0176]

Here, the columns 41a and 41b holding the upper pressure plate 34 pass through the base plate 40, and the movement of the upper pressure plate 34 in the gravity direction is restricted by the stopper on the upper ends of the columns 41a and 41b. That is, the upper pressure plate 34 is hung and held on the base plate 40 via the columns 41a and 41b. That is, the upper pressure plate 34 is set such that a pressing force acts downward by gravity. As described above, instead of obtaining the pressing force by the coil spring 42, the upper pressure plate 34 is set to a weight by which an appropriate pressing force can be obtained by devising the material and volume thereof, whereby cost reduction by simplifying the support assembly of the liquid application member 44 and improvement of maintainability by simplifying the assembly can be achieved.

[0177]

Second Modification of Pressing unit of Liquid Applier

Further, the pressing unit that presses the sheet bundle Pb of the liquid applier 31 is not limited to the upper pressure plate 34. With reference to FIGS. 23 and 24, a modification of the pressing unit of the liquid applier 3 IB according to a second modification will be described. FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a liquid applier 3 IB according to the second modification, viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a liquid applier 3 IB according to the second modification, viewed from the main scanning direction. Detailed description may be omitted of common features of the above-described embodiments and the present modification. The following description is focused on the differences between the above-described embodiments and the present modification.

[0178]

The liquid applier 3 IB according to the second modification is different from the liquid applier 31 according to the above-described embodiment in that the upper pressure plate 34, the columns 41a and 41b, and the coil springs 42a and 42b are omitted, and pressing unit including a fan 58, an air tube 59, and air nozzles 60a and 60b is provided. On the other hand, the liquid applier 31 and the liquid applier 3 IB according to the second modification are common in other points.

[0179]

The fan 58 generates pressing air for blowing the pressing air onto the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. The air tube 59 is a flow path that supplies the pressing air generated by the fan 58 to the air nozzles 60a and 60b. The air nozzles 60a and 60b are fixed downward between the lower pressure plate 33 and the base plate 40. The air nozzles 60a and 60b are arranged around the liquid application member 44. Then, the pressing unit according to the second modification blows pressing air from the air nozzles 60a and 60b to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 to press the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. The pressing unit according to the second modification changes the pressing force by increasing or decreasing the air volume of the pressing air (in other words, the rotational speed of the fan 58).

[0180]

Description of Another Example of Parallel Binding Process of Post-Processing Apparatus According to First Embodiment

In the binding process described with reference to FIG. 14, when the sheet P enters between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34, the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 and the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 are constant regardless of the number of sheets P (given number of sheets) on which the crimp binding process is performed. However, when the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 and the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 is large, the distance by which the upper pressure plate 34 and the liquid application member 44 move toward the lower pressure plate 33 is large. In the case where the liquid applier 31 continuously applies the liquid to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, when the upper pressure plate 34 and the liquid application member 44 move a long distance every time the sheet P enters between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 (in other words, between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44, the same applies hereinafter), the productivity of the post-processing in the post-processing apparatus 3 decreases.

[0181]

FIG. 25 is a flowchart of a binding process for suppressing a decrease in productivity in a case where the liquid applier 31 continuously applies liquid to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. FIGS. 26A to 26D are diagrams illustrating the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 and the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 at the time of receiving the sheet P. FIGS. 27A to 27D are diagrams illustrating the operation of the liquid applier 31 when the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 and the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 are controlled at the time of one- location binding by the edge binder 25. FIGS. 28 A and 28B are flowcharts for controlling the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 and the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 in the case of two-location binding by the edge binder 25.

[0182]

The binding process illustrated in FIG. 25 improves the productivity of the binding process by adjusting the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 and the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 according to the number of sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb (that is, the number of sheets P entering between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34). Note that detailed description of points in common with the processing of FIG. 14 will be omitted, and differences will be mainly described. The binding process illustrated in FIG. 25 is different from FIG. 14 in that the process of steps S2601 and S2602 is added, and the other steps S1001 to S1009 are common to FIG. 14. In addition, in FIG. 25, the case of the parallel binding process is described, and the case of the oblique binding process is also different from FIG. 16 in that the process of steps S2601 and S2602 is also added, and the other steps S1201 to S1209 are common to FIG. 16.

[0183]

Between steps S1001 and S1002, the controller 100b sets the movement amounts of the upper pressure plate 34, the liquid application member 44, and the base plate 40 according to the given number N of sheets indicated by the binding command (S2601). In other words, in step S2601, the controller 100b sets a first medium receiving position and a second medium receiving position to be described later with reference to FIGS. 26A to 27D. The controller 100b drives the liquid applier movement motor 37 to move the liquid application member 44 to the first medium receiving position and move the upper pressure plate 34 to the second medium receiving position. The process in step S2601 is executed before the sheet P is accommodated on the internal tray 22 (before the sheet P is conveyed between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34).

[0184]

Further, after executing the crimp binding process on the sheet bundle Pb of the requested number of copies (S1008: Yes) and before moving the edge binder 25 (the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32) to the standby position HP1 (S1008), the controller 100b drives the liquid applier movement motor 37 to move the upper pressure plate 34 to the release position, move the liquid application member 44 to the separation position, and move the base plate 40 to the third position. At this time, a distance (separation amount) between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 located at the release position is a separation amount Hm. [0185]

As illustrated in FIGS. 26A to 26D, in step S2601, the controller 100b changes the first medium receiving position and the second medium receiving position according to the value of the given number N of sheets. The first medium receiving position is an arbitrary position of the liquid application member 44 between the liquid application position and the separation position. The second medium receiving position is an arbitrary position of the upper pressure plate 34 between the pressing position and the release position. The first medium receiving position is, for example, a position above the second medium receiving position.

[0186]

More particularly, the controller 100b moves the first medium receiving position closer to the separation position as the given number N of sheets increases. In other words, the controller 100b increases the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 located at the first medium receiving position as the given number N of sheets increases. The controller 100b moves the second medium receiving position closer to the release position as the given number N of sheets increases. In other words, the controller 100b increases the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 located at the second medium receiving position as the given number N of sheets increases.

[0187]

For example, in a case where the given number N of sheets is less than Nmax x (1/10), the controller 100b sets the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 located at the second medium receiving position to the separation amount Hl(that is, the controller 100b sets the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 located at the first medium receiving position to the separation amount Hl+a). In a case where the given number N of sheets is Nmax x (1/10) or more and less than Nmax x (2/10), the controller 100b sets the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 located at the second medium receiving position to the separation amount H2 (that is, the controller 100b sets the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 located at the first medium receiving position to the separation amount H2+a). Furthermore, in a case where the given number N of sheets is Nmax x (2/10) or more, the controller 100b sets the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 located at the second medium receiving position to the separation amount H3 (that is, the controller 100b sets the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 located at the first medium receiving position to the separation amount H3+a).

[0188]

Here, Nmax is the maximum number of sheets P that can enter (be received) between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34. In addition, the relationship among the separation amounts Hm, Hl, H2, and H3 is Hl<H2<H3<Hm. Therefore, for example, in a case of Nmax=65 sheets, the separation amount Hl=20 mm, the separation amount H2=25 mm, and the separation amount H3=30 mm. Further, the constant a is a distance in the vertical direction between the liquid application member 44 at the first medium receiving position and the upper pressure plate 34 at the second medium receiving position. For example, a=1.0 mm.

[0189]

FIGS. 27A to 27D are diagrams illustrating an operation of the liquid applier 31 for improving productivity in a case where liquid is continuously applied at the time of one- location binding by the edge binder 25. FIG. 27A illustrates a position where the separation amount between the upper pressure plate 34 and the lower pressure plate 33 is maximum. At this time, the position of the upper pressure plate 34 is the release position, the position of the liquid application member 44 is the separation position, and the position of the base plate 40 is the third position. FIG. 27D illustrates a position where the separation amount between the upper pressure plate 34 and the lower pressure plate 33 is minimum. At this time, the position of the upper pressure plate 34 is the pressing position, the position of the liquid application member 44 is the liquid application position, and the position of the base plate 40 is the first position. FIG. 27C illustrates a position where the separation amount between the upper pressure plate 34 and the liquid application member 44 is minimum. At this time, the position of the upper pressure plate 34 is the pressing position, the position of the liquid application member 44 is the intermediate separation position where the liquid application member 44 does not contact the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, and the position of the base plate 40 is the second position. FIG. 27B illustrates a position between the position illustrated in FIG. 27A and the position illustrated in FIG. 27C described above. At this time, the position of the upper pressure plate 34 is the second medium receiving position, the position of the liquid application member 44 is the first medium receiving position, and the position of the base plate 40 is the 2.x position.

[0190]

When the liquid applier movement motor 37 rotates in the first direction, the base plate 40 reaches the first position in FIG. 27D from the third position in FIG. 27A through the 2.x position in FIG. 27B and the second position in FIG. 27C. Here, the 2.x position is a position above the second position and below the third position. The value of x increases as the given number N of sheets increases (that is, to be closer to the third position.), and decreases as the given number N of sheets decreases (that is, to be closer to the second position.).

[0191]

At this time, the liquid application member 44 reaches the liquid application position in FIG. 27D from the separation position in FIG. 27A through the first medium receiving position in FIG. 27B and the intermediate separation position in FIG. 27C. The intermediate separation position is a position above the liquid application position and below the first medium receiving position. The upper pressure plate 34 reaches the pressing position in FIGS. 27C and 27D from the release position in FIG. 27A through the second medium receiving position in FIG. 27B.

[0192]

That is, as illustrated in FIG. 27B, when the base plate 40 is at the 2.x position, the liquid application member 44 is located at the first medium receiving position, and the upper pressure plate 34 is located at the second medium receiving position. As illustrated in FIG. 27C, when the base plate 40 is at the second position, the liquid application member 44 is located at the intermediate separation position, and the upper pressure plate 34 is located at the pressing position. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 27D, when the base plate 40 is at the first position, the liquid application member 44 is located at the liquid application position, and the upper pressure plate 34 is located at the pressing position.

[0193]

In other words, when the liquid applier movement motor 37 rotates in the first direction (the base plate 40, the liquid application member 44, and the upper pressure plate 34 are lowered), as illustrated in FIG. 27C, the upper pressure plate 34 reaches the pressing position before the liquid application member 44 reaches the liquid application position. In other words, when the liquid applier movement motor 37 rotates in the first direction (the base plate 40, the liquid application member 44, and the upper pressure plate 34 are lowered), as illustrated in FIGS. 27C and 27D, the liquid application member 44 reaches the liquid application position after the upper pressure plate 34 reaches the pressing position.

[0194]

When the liquid applier movement motor 37 rotates in the second direction, the base plate 40 reaches the third position in FIG. 27A from the first position in FIG. 27D through the second position in FIG. 27C and the 2.x position in FIG. 27B. At this time, the liquid application member 44 reaches the separation position in FIG. 27A from the liquid application position in FIG. 27D through the intermediate separation position in FIG. 27C and the first medium receiving position in FIG. 27B. The upper pressure plate 34 reaches the release position in FIG. 27A from the pressing position in FIGS. 27C and 27D through the second medium receiving position in FIG. 27B.

[0195]

That is, when the liquid applier movement motor 37 rotates in the second direction (the base plate 40, the liquid application member 44, and the upper pressure plate 34 are raised), as illustrated in FIGS. 27B to 27D, the upper pressure plate 34 is separated from the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb after the liquid application member 44 reaches the intermediate separation position and before reaching the first medium receiving position. In other words, when the liquid applier movement motor 37 rotates in the second direction (the base plate 40, the liquid application member 44, and the upper pressure plate 34 are raised.), as illustrated in FIGS. 27B to 27D, the liquid application member 44 is separated from the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb in a state where the upper pressure plate 34 is at the pressing position.

[0196]

Description of Another Embodiment of Two-Location Binding Process of Post-Processing Apparatus According to First Embodiment

Next, a description is given below of a flow of another embodiment of the two-location binding process executed by the edge binder 25 included in the post-processing apparatus 3. FIGS. 28A and 28B are flowcharts of a two-location binding process by the edge binder 25. In FIGS. 18A to 18H described above, the position of the edge binder 25 during the execution of the two-location binding process is described. With reference to FIGS. 18A to 18H, differences will be added and described. As illustrated in FIG. 18A, it is assumed that the edge binder 25 is located at the standby position HP1 at the start of the two-location binding process. When the edge binder 25 is located at the standby position HP1, the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 is located at the release position, the liquid application member 44 is located at the separation position, and the base plate 40 is located at the third position. Further, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b of the crimper 32 are separated by a distance that the crimper 32 does not contacts the edge binding end fence 23 when the crimper 32 passes through the edge binding end fence 23 (see FIG. 7A).

[0197]

First, before the first sheet Pl of the sheet bundle Pb is conveyed to the internal tray 22, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18 A) such that the liquid applier 31 faces the second liquid application position B2 indicated by the binding command (S2900).

[0198]

Next, as described with reference to FIGS. 26A to 27D, the controller 100b sets the first medium receiving position and the second medium receiving position based on the given number N of sheets indicated by the binding command (S2901). Next, the controller 100b drives the liquid applier movement motor 37 to move the liquid application member 44 to the first medium receiving position and move the upper pressure plate 34 to the second medium receiving position (S2902).

[0199]

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 18B, the controller 100b stacks the sheet Pl on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 on the internal tray 22 and performs jogging process in a state where the liquid applier 31 is arranged at a position that faces the second liquid application position B2 (S2903). Next, as illustrated in FIG. 18B, in response to the sheet Pl being stacked on the internal tray 22, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 to apply the liquid to the second liquid application position B2 of the sheet Pl (S2904).

[0200]

Next, the controller 100b drives the liquid applier movement motor 37 to move the upper pressure plate 34 to the release position, move the liquid application member 44 to the separation position, and move the base plate 40 to the third position (S2905). Then, as illustrated in FIG. 18C, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18B) from the second liquid application position B2 to the first liquid application position B 1 such that the liquid applier 31 faces the first liquid application position Bl of the sheet Pl (S2906). The first liquid application position Bl and the second liquid application position B2 are located on the opposite side in the main scanning direction with the edge binding end fence 23 sandwiched therebetween.

[0201]

Here, the liquid application member 44 at the first medium receiving position and the upper pressure plate 34 at the second medium receiving position may contact the edge binding end fence 23 when the edge binder 25 moves from one side to the other side of the edge binding end fence 23 in the main scanning direction (in other words, the edge binder 25 passes through the edge binding end fence 23). On the other hand, the liquid application member 44 located at the separation position and the upper pressure plate 34 located at the release position are located at positions not in contact with the edge binding end fence 23 when the edge binder 25 moves from one side to the other side of the edge binding end fence 23 in the main scanning direction (in other words, a position above the edge binding end fence 23). [0202]

Therefore, after the controller 100b moves the liquid application member 44 to the separation position and moves the upper pressure plate 34 to the release position, the controller 100b causes the edge binder 25 to pass from one side to the other side of the edge binding end fence 23. In other words, before the controller 100b causes the edge binder 25 to pass from one side to the other side of the edge binding end fence 23, the controller 100b moves the liquid application member 44 to the separation position and moves the upper pressure plate 34 to the release position (S2905).

[0203]

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 18C, the controller 100b causes the liquid applier 31 to apply the liquid to the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet Pl (S2907). Next, as illustrated in FIGS. 18D to 18E, until the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 reaches the given number N of sheets (S2908: No), the controller 100b repeatedly executes conveyance of the sheets P to the internal tray 22 by conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the jogging process by the side fences 24L and 24R, and the liquid application by the liquid applier 31 to the first liquid application position B 1 and the second liquid application position B2 of each sheet P of the sheets P in the given number N of sheets (S2902 to S2907).

[0204]

Next, in response to that the controller 100b determines that the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number N of sheets (S2908: Yes), as illustrated in FIG. 18F, the controller 100b drives the edge binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18E) such that the crimper 32 faces the second binding position B2 (S2909). As illustrated in FIG. 18F, the controller 100b executes the crimp binding process by the crimper 32 at the second binding position B2 of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 (S2910).

[0205]

Next, the controller 100b drives the liquid applier movement motor 37 to move the upper pressure plate 34 to the release position, move the liquid application member 44 to the separation position, and move the base plate 40 to the third position (S2911). This is because, since when the edge binder 25 moves from the second binding position B2 toward the first binding position Bl in the main scanning direction (the state in FIGS. 18F to 18G), the edge binder 25 passes through the edge binding end fence 23, and thus at least one of the liquid application member 44 and the upper pressure plate 34 need to avoid contact with the edge binding end fence 23.

[0206]

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 18G, the controller 100b moves the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18F) such that the crimper 32 faces the first binding position Bl (S2912). As illustrated in FIG. 18G, the controller 100b executes the crimp binding process by the crimper 32 at the first binding position B 1 of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 (S2913). Then, the controller 100b ejects the sheet bundle Pb crimped and bound at the first binding position B 1 and the second binding position B2 to the second output tray 26 (S2914).

[0207]

In the example of FIGS. 18A to 18H, since the liquid applier 31 finally executes the liquid application at the second liquid application position B2, the crimper 32 executes the crimp binding process in the order of the second binding position B2 and the first binding position B 1. On the other hand, in a case where the liquid applier 31 finally executes the liquid application at the first liquid application position B l, the crimper 32 executes the crimp binding process in the order of the first binding position B 1 and the second binding position B2.

[0208]

Next, the controller 100b determines whether the number of sheet bundles Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 has reached the requested number M of copies indicated by the binding command (S2915). In a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of copies has not reached the requested number M of copies (S2915: No), the process of and after step S2902 is executed again. That is, the controller 100b repeatedly executes the process of steps S2902 to S2914 until the number of sheet bundles Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 reaches the requested number M of copies (S2915: No).

[0209]

Then, in a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of sheet bundles Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 has reached the requested number M of copies (S2915: Yes), the controller 100b moves the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18G) toward the standby position HP1 (S2916). As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 18H, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 return to the standby position HP1, and the two-location binding process by the edge binder 25 ends.

[0210]

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the edge binder 25 and the edge binding end fence 23. The operation of binding the end of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb is performed at one or multiple binding positions which are the front leading end of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction and are provided in the main scanning direction. Therefore, the edge binder 25 moves in the main scanning direction along the guide shaft 49 to perform the binding operation. The edge binding end fence 23 is on the track on which the edge binder 25 moves. The edge binding end fence 23 is arranged at a front leading end of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction and at a central portion in the main scanning direction, and is arranged at a position that does not interfere with the binding process by the edge binder 25.

[0211] Then, when the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 move in the main scanning direction from one side to the other side of the first binding position B 1 (corresponding to the first liquid application position B 1) and the second binding position B2 (corresponding to the second liquid application position B2), as illustrated in FIG. 27 A, the contact with the edge binding end fence 23 can be avoided by moving the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 to the release position, the liquid application member 44 to the separation position, and the base plate 40 to the third position. In addition, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b of the crimper 32 are separated by a distance that the crimper 32 does not contact the edge binding end fence 23 when the crimper 32 passes through the edge binding end fence 23 as described above, except when the crimp binding operation is executed (see FIG. 7A).

[0212]

Description of Sheet Receiving Height Setting Screen

FIG. 30 is a screen example of a movement amount setting screen of the upper pressure plate 34, the liquid application member 44, and the base plate 40 of the liquid applier 31. In the operation panel 110 illustrated in FIG. 1, the sheet receiving height at the time of applying liquid can be changed. This allows the receiving height of the sheet P (that is, the first medium receiving position and the second medium receiving position) to be changed by the operation panel 110 outside the apparatus according to the use environment such as the type of the sheet P used by the user, the curling amount of the sheet P used by the user, and productivity.

[0213]

In a case where the standard height setting button 510 is tapped, the sheet receiving height set in advance in the post-processing apparatus 3 is set. This is assumed to be used in a case where the user desires to return the sheet receiving height to the initial value. In a case where the height increase setting button 512 is tapped once, a position 1 mm higher than the currently set height, that is, a position is set where the separation amount between the upper pressure plate 34 and the lower pressure plate 33 (see FIGS. 26A to 26D) is 1 mm wider. The sheet receiving height can be increased according to the number of times the height increase setting button is tapped, such as in a case where the height increase setting button 512 is tapped twice, the sheet receiving height is 2 mm higher. The reason why the sheet receiving position is set higher than the standard is to cope with a case where a sheet thicker than the assumed standard sheet P is used or a case where a sheet having a larger curl amount than the standard sheet P is used.

[0214]

When the height decrease setting button 513 is tapped once, a position 1 mm lower than the set height, that is, a position is set where the separation amount between the upper pressure plate 34 and the lower pressure plate 33 (see FIGS. 26A to 26D) is 1 mm narrower. The sheet receiving height can be reduced according to the number of times the height reduction setting button is tapped, such as in a case where the height decrease setting button 513 is tapped twice, the sheet receiving height 2 mm lower. The reason why the sheet receiving position is set lower than the standard is to cope with a case where a sheet thinner than the assumed standard sheet P is used, a case where a sheet having a smaller curl amount than the standard sheet P is used, or a case where it is desired to further improve the productivity of the postprocessing apparatus 3. The set values set by the height increase setting button 512 and the height decrease setting button 513 are displayed on the height increase/decrease value display section 511.

[0215]

As described above, the user operates the height increase setting button 512 and the height decrease setting button 513 to change the separation amount between the upper pressure plate 34 and the lower pressure plate 33 (for example, the separation amounts Hl to H3 illustrated in FIGS. 26A to 26D), so that the first medium receiving position of the liquid application member 44 and the second medium receiving position of the upper pressure plate 34 can be set to optimum positions according to the type of the sheet P and the like.

[0216]

The above description describes the case where the first medium receiving position of the liquid application member 44 is set in conjunction with the setting of the separation amount between the upper pressure plate 34 and the lower pressure plate 33, that is, in conjunction with the setting of the second medium receiving position of the upper pressure plate 34, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in the movement amount setting screen of FIG. 30, a height increase/decrease setting button for setting the first medium receiving position of the liquid application member 44 may be provided separately from the height increase/decrease setting button for setting the second medium receiving position of the upper pressure plate 34, and the first medium receiving position of the liquid application member 44 and the second medium receiving position of the upper pressure plate 34 may be set separately.

[0217]

According to the above embodiment, the liquid application member 44 can be arranged at the first medium receiving position closer to the liquid application position than the separation position. As a result, the separation amount between the liquid application position and the first medium receiving position becomes smaller than the separation amount between the liquid application position and the separation position, so that the liquid can be appropriately applied to the sheet P while suppressing the decrease in productivity of the post-processing apparatus 3.

[0218]

Note that the above description has described a mode in which the controller 100b of the postprocessing apparatus 3 is provided separately from the controller 100a of the image forming apparatus 2 as illustrated in FIG. 1, and the present disclosure is not limited to such a mode. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 40A, the controller 100b of the post-processing apparatus 3 may be disposed on the side of the image forming apparatus 2. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 40B, the controller 100b of the post-processing apparatus 3 may be integrated with the controller 100a of the image forming apparatus 2.

[0219]

As illustrated in FIG. 41A, the controller 100b of the post-processing apparatus 3 may be divided into a controller 100b 1 (e.g., a drive unit such as a motor) and a controller 100b2 (detector such as a sensor) according to the function, and only the controller 100b2 of the post-processing apparatus 3 may be disposed on the side of the image forming apparatus 2. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 41B, the controller 100b2 of the post-processing apparatus 3 disposed on the side of the image forming apparatus 2 may be integrated with the controller 100a of the image forming apparatus 2.

[0220]

According to the above embodiment, when the sheet P enters between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 (in other words, the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44), the liquid application member 44 is arranged at the first medium receiving position, so that the movement amount of the liquid application member 44 at the time of applying liquid to the sheet P can be reduced. As a result, a decrease in productivity of the post-processing apparatus 3 can be suppressed.

[0221]

According to the above embodiment, as the value of the given number N of sheets is larger, the first medium receiving position moves closer to the separation position (in other words, the separation amount between the liquid application position and the first medium receiving position increases), so that the sheet P to enter between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 (in other words, the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44) can be prevented from being caught by the liquid application member 44. In other words, as the value of the given number N of sheets is smaller, the first medium receiving position moves closer to the liquid application position (in other words, the separation amount between the liquid application position and the first medium receiving position decreases), so that a decrease in productivity of the post-processing apparatus 3 can be suppressed.

[0222]

In addition, according to the above embodiment, by moving the liquid application member 44 to the separation position and the upper pressure plate 34 to the release position after the crimp binding process by the crimper 32 is completed, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 can smoothly move in the main scanning direction without colliding with the edge binding end fence 23, and the following crimp binding process by the crimper 32 can promptly start, so that a decrease in productivity of the post-processing apparatus 3 can be further suppressed.

[0223]

Further, according to the above embodiment, when the liquid applier 31 passes through the edge binding end fence 23, the liquid application member 44 moves to the separation position and the upper pressure plate 34 moves to the release position, so that the liquid application member 44 and the upper pressure plate 34 can be prevented from colliding with the edge binding end fence 23.

[0224]

According to the above embodiment, not only the liquid application member 44 but also the upper pressure plate 34 is arranged at the second medium receiving position closer to the pressing position than the release position, so that a decrease in productivity of the postprocessing apparatus 3 can be further suppressed. Further, by moving the upper pressure plate 34 and the liquid application member 44 in conjunction with each other, the movement assembly can be simplified. Here, the upper pressure plate 34 and the liquid application member 44 may move independently.

[0225]

Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, the first medium receiving position and the second medium receiving position can be manually set through the operation panel 110, so that appropriate values can be set according to the use conditions of the user.

[0226]

Second Embodiment of Post-Processing Apparatus

Next, a post-processing apparatus 3B according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 31 to 39. Note that components common to those of the postprocessing apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof may be omitted.

[0227]

The post-processing apparatus 3B according to the second embodiment includes an edge binder 251. The edge binder 251 is different from the edge binder 25 of the post-processing apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment in which the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are arranged side by side. The edge binder 251 includes a crimper 32' and a liquid applier 131 is disposed at an upstream position in a direction in which the sheet P is conveyed. Such a configuration allows a given number of sheets P to be stacked in advance after the liquid application process and conveyed to the crimper 32' of the edge binder 251 disposed at a downstream position in the direction in which the sheet P is conveyed. Accordingly, the productivity of the binding process performed by the crimper 32' is improved.

[0228]

In addition, by applying the binding process flow (see FIG. 25) for suppressing a decrease in productivity of the liquid applier 31 of the post-processing apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment and the method (see FIGS. 26A to 26D) for setting the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 of the liquid applier 31 and the separation amount between the lower pressure plate 33 and the liquid application member 44 at the time of receiving the sheet P to the post-processing apparatus 3B according to the second embodiment, a productivity of the binding process by the crimper 32' can be further improved. [0229]

Since a direction in which the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, and 14 conveys the sheet P is opposite to the "conveyance direction" defined above, the direction is defined as a "reverse conveyance direction". A direction that is orthogonal to both the reverse conveyance direction and the thickness direction of the sheet P is defined as the "main scanning direction" or the "width direction of the sheet P". The position (liquid application position) where the liquid is applied to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the liquid applier 131 corresponds to the binding position where the crimper 32' is to perform the crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. For this reason, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position are denoted by the same reference numeral (Bl).

[0230]

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating an internal structure of a post-processing apparatus 3B according to a second embodiment. As illustrated in FIGS. 32A to 32C, the edge binder 251 includes only the crimper 32'. As illustrated in FIGS. 32A to 32C, the crimper 32' and the staple binder 156 are arranged downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. In addition, the crimper 32' and the staple binder 156 are located to face a downstream end in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 and move in the main scanning direction.

[0231]

Further, the crimper 32' and the staple binder 156 respectively rotates in the forward and reverse directions about a crimper shaft 340 and a stapler shaft 84 both extending in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. That is, the crimper 32' and the staple binder 156 can bind an arbitrary position in the main scanning direction of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 at an arbitrary angle, such as corner oblique binding, parallel one-location binding, parallel two-location binding, or the like. [0232]

The crimper 32' presses and deforms the sheet bundle Pb with the serrate upper crimping teeth 32a and the serrate lower crimping teeth 32b to bind the sheet bundle Pb. In the following description, such a binding way may be referred to as "crimp binding". In other words, the crimper 32' crimps and binds the sheet bundle Pb or performs the crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. On the other hand, the staple binder 156 passes the staple through a binding position on the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22 to staple the sheet bundle Pb. [0233]

FIGS. 32A, 32B, and 32C are schematic diagrams of the internal tray 22, viewed from the thickness direction of the sheet bundle Pb. FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram of the crimper 32', viewed from a downstream side in the conveyance direction. As illustrated in FIGS. 32A to 32C, the crimper 32' and the staple binder 156 are arranged downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. The crimper 32' moves in the main scanning direction along the surface of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. Further, the crimper 32' rotates in the forward and reverse directions about a crimper shaft 340 extending in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. Similarly, the staple binder 156 moves in the main scanning direction of the sheet bundle Pb. Further, the staple binder 156 rotates in the forward and reverse directions about a stapler shaft 84 extending in thickness direction of the sheet bundle Pb. Other configurations of the staple binder 156 are similar to those of the staple binder 155 of the post-processing apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 11), and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0234]

As illustrated in FIG. 33, the crimper 32' includes a guide rail 337 extending in the main scanning direction at a position downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. The crimper 32' includes a crimper movement motor 238 serving as a driving source. Further, the base 48 supporting the crimper frame 32c includes a fastening portion 48b with the timing belt 240c at the bottom thereof. The driving force from the crimper movement motor 238 is transmitted to the base 48 by the drive transmission assembly 240 that includes the pullies 240a and 240b, the timing belt 240c, and the fastening portion 48b. By so doing, the crimper 32' moves in the main scanning direction along the surface of the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22, in other words, along the guide rail 337. Further, the crimper frame 32c holding components of the crimper 32' has a bottom face to which the crimper shaft 340 including the drive transmission gear 340a is fixed.

[0235]

Further, the crimper shaft 340 and the drive transmission gear 340a are held by the base 48 on which the crimper frame 32c is disposed, and rotate in the forward and reverse directions.

The drive transmission gear 340a meshes with an output gear 239a of a crimper pivot motor 239. Then, the driving force from the crimper pivot motor 239 is transmitted to the crimper shaft 340 via the output gear 239a and the drive transmission gear 340a, so that the crimper 32' rotates in the forward and reverse directions on the base 48 about the crimper shaft 340 extending in the thickness direction of the sheet P stacked on the internal tray 22. The guide rail 337, the crimper movement motor 238, the crimper pivot motor 239, the crimper shaft 340, and the drive transmission assembly 240 constitute an example of a drive assembly of the crimper 32'.

[0236]

The crimper 32' moves to a standby position HP3 illustrated in FIG. 32A and a position facing the first binding position B 1 illustrated in FIGS. 32B and 32C. The standby position HP3 is a position deviated to one side in the main scanning direction from the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. The first binding position B 1 is a position on the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. Here, the specific position of the first binding position Bl is not limited to the example of FIGS. 32 A to 32C, and may be any position in the main scanning direction at the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the sheet P, and may be multiple positions.

[0237] Further, the posture of the crimper 32' changes between the parallel binding posture illustrated in FIG. 32B and the oblique binding posture illustrated in FIG. 32C. In other words, the crimper 32' rotates in the forward and reverse directions about the crimper shaft 340. The parallel binding posture is a posture of the crimper 32' in which the length of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b (in other words, a rectangular crimp binding trace) is along the main scanning direction. The oblique binding posture is a posture of the crimper 32' in which the length of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b (in other words, the rectangular crimp binding trace) is inclined to the main scanning direction. [0238]

The rotational angle, which is an angle of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b with respect to the main scanning direction, in the oblique binding posture is not limited to the angle illustrated in FIG. 32C. The rotational angle in the oblique binding posture may be any angle provided that the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b face the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22. [0239]

The post-processing apparatus 3B includes a liquid applier 131 and a hole punch 132 serving as a processing device. The liquid applier 131 and the hole punch 132 are arranged upstream from the internal tray 22 in the reverse conveyance direction. In addition, the liquid applier 131 and the hole punch 132 are arranged at different positions in the reverse conveyance direction to simultaneously face one sheet P that is conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 to 19. The liquid applier 131 and the hole punch 132 according to the present embodiment are arranged between the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11. Here, the arrangement of the liquid applier 131 is not limited to the example of FIG. 31. For example, in a case where an inserter 6 is arranged between the image forming apparatus 2 and the post-processing apparatus 3B as illustrated in FIG. 39, the liquid applier 131 may be arranged inside the inserter 6 located upstream from the post-processing apparatus 3B in a direction in which the sheet P is conveyed from the image forming apparatus 2 to the post-processing apparatus 3B. Examples of the inserter 6 include, but are not limited to, an apparatus that allows a preprinted medium, which is to be conveyed to the post-processing apparatus 3B together with the sheet P conveyed from the image forming apparatus 2, to be fed as a cover sheet, an insertion sheet, or a partition sheet without passing through the image forming apparatus 2. [0240]

As illustrated in FIG. 34A, the conveyance roller pair 11 is arranged at a position not overlapping, in the main scanning direction, the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet P to which the liquid is applied by the liquid application head 146 of the liquid applier 131. This is to prevent the amount of liquid at the first liquid application position B 1 from decreasing due to the abutting of the multiple roller pairs on the first liquid application position B 1 when the conveyance roller pair 11 conveys the sheet P. As a result, when the sheet P reaches the crimper 32' disposed downstream from the liquid applier 131 in the reverse conveyance direction, the amount of liquid at the first liquid application position B 1 is sufficient to maintain the binding strength. Accordingly, the binding strength of the sheet bundle Pb is prevented from decreasing due to a decrease in the amount of liquid at the first liquid application position Bl (corresponding to the first binding position Bl) while the sheet P is conveyed.

[0241]

Furthermore, by arranging the multiple roller pairs of the conveyance roller pair 11 at positions not overlapping, in the main scanning direction, the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet P, deterioration of the conveying performance of the sheet P due to adhesion of liquid to the multiple roller pairs and a conveyance jam caused by deterioration of the transportability can be both prevented.

[0242]

Although only the conveyance roller pair 11 has been described above, it is preferred that the multiple roller pairs of the conveyance roller pairs 14 to 15 is similarly arranged at positions not overlapping, in the main scanning direction, the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet P.

[0243]

The liquid applier 131 applies liquid to the sheet P that is conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11. In the following description, the application of liquid may be referred to as "liquid application". The hole punch 132 punches a hole in the sheet P that is conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 such that the hole penetrates the sheet P in the thickness direction of the sheet P. The processing device disposed near the liquid applier 131 is not limited to the hole punch 132. Alternatively, the processing device may be an inclination corrector that corrects an inclination or skew of the sheet P that is conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11.

[0244]

FIGS. 34A and 34B are views of the liquid applier 131 according to the second embodiment, viewed from the thickness direction of the sheet P. FIGS. 35A, 35B, and 35C are cross- sectional views of the liquid applier 131 taken along line XXV-XXV of FIG. 34A. FIGS. 36A, 36B, and 36C are cross-sectional views of the liquid applier 131 taken along line XXVI- XXVI of FIG. 34A. As illustrated in FIGS. 34A to 36C, the liquid applier 131 includes a pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b, a pair of pulleys 134a and 134b, endless annular belts 135 and 136, a liquid applier movement motor 137, a standby position sensor 138, and a liquid application unit 140.

[0245]

The guide shafts 133a and 133b, each extending in the main scanning direction, are separated from each other in the reverse conveyance direction. The pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b are supported by a pair of side plates 4a and 4b of the post-processing apparatus 3B. The pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b support the liquid application unit 140, and the liquid application unit 140 moves in the main scanning direction. [0246]

The pair of pulleys 134a and 134b is arranged between the guide shafts 133a and 133b in the reverse conveyance direction. On the other hand, the pulleys 134a and 134b are separated from each other in the main scanning direction. The pulleys 134a and 134b are supported by a frame of the post-processing apparatus 3B, and rotate in the forward and reverse directions about the respective shafts extending in the thickness direction of the sheet P.

[0247]

The endless annular belt 135 is looped around the pair of pulleys 134a and 134b. The endless annular belt 135 is coupled to the liquid application unit 140 by a connection 135a. The endless annular belt 136 is looped around the pulley 134a and a driving pulley 137a that is fixed to an output shaft of the liquid applier movement motor 137. The liquid applier movement motor 137 generates a driving force to move the liquid application unit 140 in the main scanning direction.

[0248]

As the liquid applier movement motor 137 rotates, the endless annular belt 136 circulates around the pulley 134a and the driving pulley 137a to rotate the pulley 134a. As the pulley 134a rotates, the endless annular belt 135 circulates around the pair of pulleys 134a and 134b. As a result, the liquid application unit 140 moves in the main scanning direction along the pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b. The liquid application unit 140 reciprocates in the main scanning direction in response to the rotation direction of the liquid applier movement motor 137 being switched.

[0249]

The standby position sensor 138 detects that the liquid application unit 140 has reached a standby position HP4 in the main scanning direction (see FIGS. 34A and 34B), and outputs a standby position signal indicating a detection result to a controller 100b to be described later (see FIG. 37). The standby position sensor 138 is, for example, an optical sensor including a light emitter and a light receiver. At the standby position HP4, the liquid application unit 140 blocks the optical path between the light emitter and the light receiver. The standby position sensor 138 outputs the standby position signal in response to the light output from the light emitter not being received by the light receiver. The specific configuration of the standby position sensor 138 is not limited to the configuration described above.

[0250]

As illustrated in FIGS. 35A to 35C, the conveyance passage inside the post-processing apparatus 3B is defined by an upper guide plate 5a and a lower guide plate 5b, which are separated from each other in the thickness direction of the sheet P. The liquid application unit 140 is arranged at a position to face an opening of the upper guide plate 5a. In other words, the liquid application unit 140 is arranged to face the conveyance passage (a position (at which the liquid application unit 140 is to face the sheet P conveyed along the conveyance passage) through the opening of the upper guide plate 5a.

[0251] As illustrated in FIGS. 34A to 36C, the liquid application unit 140 includes a base 141, a rotary bracket 142, a liquid storage tank 143, an application head mover 144, a holder 145, the liquid application head 146, columns 147a and 147b, a pressure plate 148, coil springs 149a and 149b, the application head pivot motor 150, the application head movement motor 151 (see FIG. 37), and a standby angle sensor 152 (see FIG. 37).

[0252]

The base 141 is supported by the pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b, and slides in the main scanning direction. The base 141 is coupled to the endless annular belt 135 by the connection 135a. The base 141 supports the components of the liquid application unit 140 such as the rotary bracket 142, the liquid storage tank 143, the application head mover 144, the holder 145, the liquid application head 146, the columns 147a and 147b, the pressure plate 148, the coil springs 149a and 149b, the application head pivot motor 150, the application head movement motor 151, and the standby angle sensor 152.

[0253]

The rotary bracket 142 is attached to the lower surface of the base 141, and rotates in the forward and reverse directions about an axis extending in the thickness direction of the sheet P. The rotary bracket 142 is rotated with respect to the base 141 by a driving force transmitted from the application head pivot motor 150. The rotary bracket 142 retains the liquid storage tank 143, the application head mover 144, the holder 145, the liquid application head 146, the columns 147a and 147b, the pressure plate 148, and the coil springs 149a and 149b.

[0254]

The standby angle sensor 152, which is also illustrated in FIG. 37, detects that the rotary bracket 142 has reached a standby angle. The standby angle sensor 152 then outputs a standby angle signal indicating the detection result to the controller 100b. The standby angle is, for example, an angle for the parallel binding. The standby angle sensor 152 is, for example, an optical sensor including a light emitter and a light receiver. The rotary bracket 142 at the standby angle blocks an optical path between the light emitter and the light receiver. The standby angle sensor 152 outputs the standby angle signal in response to the light output from the light emitter not being received by the light receiver. The specific configuration of the standby angle sensor 152 is not limited to the configuration described above.

[0255]

Note that FIG. 34A illustrates the rotary bracket 142 in a position for the parallel binding that is performed by the crimper 32' disposed downstream from the liquid applier 131 in a direction in which the sheet P is conveyed. FIG. 34B illustrates the rotary bracket 142 in a position for the oblique binding (i.e., corner binding) that is performed by the crimper 32' disposed downstream from the liquid applier 131 in the direction in which the sheet P is conveyed.

[0256] The liquid storage tank 143 stores liquid to be applied to the sheet P. The application head mover 144 is attached to the liquid storage tank 143, and moves (e.g., up and down) in the thickness direction of the sheet P. The application head mover 144 moves with respect to the liquid storage tank 143 by a driving force transmitted from the application head movement motor 151. The holder 145 is attached to a lower end of the application head mover 144. The liquid application head 146 projects from the holder 145 toward the conveyance passage (downward in the present embodiment). The liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 143 is supplied to the liquid application head 146. The liquid application head 146 is made of a material having a relatively high liquid absorption (e.g., sponge or fiber). [0257]

The columns 147a and 147b project downward from the holder 145 around the liquid application head 146. The columns 147a and 147b move with respect to the holder 145 in the thickness direction. The columns 147a and 147b have respective lower ends holding the pressure plate 148. The pressure plate 148 has a through hole 148a at a position where the through hole 148a faces the liquid application head 146. The coil springs 149a and 149b are fitted around the columns 147a and 147b, respectively, between the holder 145 and the pressure plate 148. The coil springs 149a and 149b bias the columns 147a and 147b and the pressure plate 148 in a direction away from the holder 145. [0258]

As illustrated in FIGS. 35A and 36A, before the sheet P is conveyed to the position where the sheet P faces the opening of the upper guide plate 5a, the pressure plate 148 is positioned at or above the opening. Next, when the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet P conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 stops at a position facing the opening, the application head movement motor 151 is rotated in the first direction. As a result, the application head mover 144, the holder 145, the liquid application head 146, the columns 147a and 147b, the pressure plate 148, and the coil springs 149a and 149b are moved down together to allow the pressure plate 148 to abut on the sheet P. Note that the first liquid application position B 1 is a position (that is, the first binding position Bl) scheduled to be crimped and bound by the edge binder 251 (that is, the crimper 32').

[0259]

As the application head movement motor 151 keeps rotating in the first direction after the pressure plate 148 abuts on the sheet P, the coil springs 149a and 149b are compressed to further move down the application head mover 144, the holder 145, the liquid application head 146, and the columns 147a and 147b. As a result, as illustrated in FIGS. 35B and 36B, a lower surface of the liquid application head 146 abuts on the sheet P through the through hole 148a. Then, the liquid contained in the liquid application head 146 is applied to the sheet P. [0260]

Further rotation of the application head movement motor 151 in the first direction further strongly presses the liquid application head 146 on the sheet P as illustrated in FIGS. 35C and 36C. Accordingly, the amount of liquid that is applied to the sheet P increases. In short, the liquid applier 131 changes the pressing force of the liquid application head 146 on the sheet P to adjust the amount of liquid that is applied to the sheet P.

[0261]

On the other hand, the rotation of the application head movement motor 151 in the second direction opposite to the first direction moves up the application head mover 144, the holder 145, the liquid application head 146, the columns 147a and 147b, the pressure plate 148, and the coil springs 149a and 149b together. As a result, as illustrated in FIGS. 35A and 36A, the liquid application head 146 and the pressure plate 148 are separated from the sheet P. In other words, the liquid applier 131 includes the liquid application head 146 that can be separated from the sheet P.

[0262]

FIG. 37 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the post-processing apparatus 3B to control the operation of the post-processing apparatus 3B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 37, the post-processing apparatus 3B includes a central processing unit (CPU) 101, a random-access memory (RAM) 102, a read-only memory (ROM) 103, a hard disk drive (HDD) 104, and an interface (PF) 105. The CPU 101, the RAM 102, the ROM 103, the HDD 104, and the I/F 105 are connected to each other via a common bus 109.

[0263]

The CPU 101 is an arithmetic device and controls the overall operation of the post-processing apparatus 3B. The RAM 102 is a volatile storage medium that allows data to be read and written at high speed. The CPU 101 uses the RAM 102 as a working area for data processing. The ROM 103 is a read-only non-volatile storage medium that stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 104 is a non-volatile storage medium that allows data to be read and written and has a relatively large storage capacity. The HDD 104 stores, for example, an operating system (OS), various control programs, and application programs. [0264]

The post-processing apparatus 3B processes, by an arithmetic function of the CPU 101, e.g., a control program stored in the ROM 103 and an information processing program (or application program) loaded into the RAM 102 from a storage medium such as the HDD 104. Such process configures a software controller including various functional modules of the post-processing apparatus 3B. The software controller thus configured cooperates with hardware resources of the post-processing apparatus 3B to construct functional blocks that implement functions of the post-processing apparatus 3B. In other words, the CPU 101, the RAM 102, the ROM 103, the HDD 104, and the I/F 105 constitute at least part of a controller 100b serving as a control device that controls the operation of the post-processing apparatus 3B.

[0265]

The I/F105 is an interface that connects the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switcher 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the crimper movement motor 238, the crimper pivot motor 239, the contact- separation motor 32d, the liquid applier movement motor 137, the application head pivot motor 150, the application head movement motor 151, the standby position sensor 138, the standby angle sensor 152, the hole punch 132, and the operation panel 110 to the common bus 109. The controller 100b controls the operation of the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switcher 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the crimper movement motor 238, the crimper pivot motor 239, the contact-separation motor 32d, the liquid applier movement motor 137, the application head pivot motor 150, the application head movement motor 151, and the hole punch 132 through the I/F 105.

[0266]

The controller 100b acquires detection results from the standby position sensor 138 and the standby angle sensor 152 through the I/F 105. Note that only the components of the edge binder 251 (the crimper 32') that mainly execute the edge binding process and the liquid applier 131 are illustrated in FIG. 37, but the components of the saddle binder 28 that executes the saddle stitching are similarly controlled by the controller 100b.

[0267]

As illustrated in FIG. 39, the image forming apparatus 2 includes the operation panel 110.

The operation panel 110 includes an operation device that receives instructions input by a user and a display serving as a notifier that notifies the operator of information. The operation device includes, for example, physical input buttons and a touch screen overlaid on a display. The operation panel 110 acquires information from the user through the operation device and provides information to the user through the display. The post-processing apparatus 3A may include an operation panel 110 similar to the above-described operation panel 110 of the image forming apparatus 2.

[0268]

FIG. 38 is a flowchart of post-processing performed by the post-processing apparatus 3B according to the second embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 38 is a flowchart of a process to execute the one-location binding process illustrated in FIGS. 32A to 32C.

[0269]

For example, the controller 100b executes the post-processing illustrated in FIG. 38 when the controller 100b acquires an instruction to execute the post-processing from the image forming apparatus 2. In the following description, the instruction to execute the post-processing may be referred to as a "post-processing command". The post-processing command includes, for example, the number of sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb (hereinafter, referred to as "given number Np of sheets"), the number of copies of the sheet bundle Pb on which the binding process is to be executed (hereinafter, referred to as "requested number Mp of copies"), the first binding position B 1 (corresponding to the first liquid application position Bl), the angle of the first binding position B 1 (corresponding to the angle of the first liquid application position B 1), the type of the binding process (parallel binding process and oblique binding process), and the process (in the present embodiment, drilling a punch hole) executed in parallel with the liquid application process. At the start of the post-processing, the liquid application unit 140 is located at the standby position HP4 (see FIGS. 34A and 34B), and the rotary bracket 142 is held at a standby angle (corresponding to a "parallel binding posture"). [0270]

First, the controller 100b drives the liquid applier movement motor 137 to move the liquid application unit 140 (corresponding to the liquid applier) in the main scanning direction, such that the liquid application head 146 moves from the standby position HP4 to a position where the liquid application head 146 faces the first liquid application position Bl (see FIG. 34b, and corresponding to the first binding position Bl illustrated in FIGS. 32B and 32C). In a case where the type of the binding process instructed by the post-processing command is "oblique binding process", in step S801, the controller 100b drives the application head pivot motor 150 to rotate the rotary bracket 142. Thus, the liquid application head 146 is rotated from the standby angle to the liquid application angle corresponding to the "oblique binding posture". It is ascertained based on a pulse signal output from a rotary encoder of the liquid applier movement motor 137 that the liquid application head 146 has reached the position where the liquid application head 146 can face the first liquid application position Bl. Similarly, it is ascertained based on a pulse signal output from a rotary encoder of the application head pivot motor 150 that the liquid application head 146 has reached the liquid application angle. In a case where the type of the binding process instructed by the postprocessing command is "parallel binding process", the controller 100b omits the abovedescribed operation of rotating the rotary bracket 142. In other words, the liquid application unit 140 moves in the main scanning direction while holding the rotary bracket 142 at the standby angle.

[0271]

In addition, the controller 100b drives the crimper movement motor 238 to move the crimper 32' from the standby position HP3 to a position where the crimper faces the first binding position B 1 as illustrated in FIGS. 32A and 32B (S801). Alternatively, in a case where the type of the binding process instructed by the post-processing command is "oblique binding process", the controller 100b drives the crimper pivot motor 239 to rotate the crimper 32' from the standby angle to the crimping angle corresponding to the "oblique binding posture" (S801). The position at which the crimper 32' faces the first binding position Bl and the crimper 32' reaching the crimp binding angle can be ascertained from pulse signals output from the rotary encoders of the crimper movement motor 238 and the crimper pivot motor 239. In a case where the type of the binding process instructed by the post-processing command is "parallel binding process", the controller 100b omits the above-described operation of rotating the crimper 32'. In other words, the crimper 32' moves in the main scanning direction while maintaining the standby angle.

[0272]

Subsequently, the controller 100b drives the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 to start conveying the sheet P on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 (S802). Then, the controller 100b determines whether the first liquid application position Bl of the sheet P faces the liquid application unit 140 (more particularly, the liquid application head 146) (S8O3). In a case where the controller 100b determines that the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet P does not face the liquid application unit 140 (S8O3: No), the controller 100b continues the conveyance of the sheet P by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 until the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet P faces the liquid application unit 140 (S8O3: Yes). On the other hand, in a case where the controller 100b determines that the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet P faces the liquid application head 146 (S8O3: Yes), the controller 100b stops the conveyance of the sheet P by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 (S804). It is ascertained based on a pulse signal output from a rotary encoder of a motor that drives the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 that the first liquid application position Bl on the sheet P has faced the liquid application head 146. [0273]

The controller 100b causes the liquid application unit 140 to execute the process to apply liquid to the first liquid application position B 1 on the sheet P (S805). More particularly, the controller 100b rotates the application head movement motor 151 in the first direction to move the liquid application head 146 to abut on the first liquid application position B 1 on the sheet P. The controller 100b changes the pressing force of the liquid application head 146 (i.e., the rotation amount or rotation speed of the application head movement motor 151) depending on the amount of liquid to be applied to the sheet P. [0274]

The amount of liquid that is applied to the sheet P may be the same for all the sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb or may be different for each sheet P. For example, the controller 100b may decrease the amount of liquid applied to a sheet P conveyed later. The rotation amount of the application head movement motor 151 may be ascertained based on a pulse signal output from a rotary encoder of the application head movement motor 151. [0275]

The controller 100b drives the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15 to stack the sheet P on the internal tray 22 (S806). In addition, the controller 100b moves the side fences 24L and 24R in the main scanning direction to align the positions of the ends in the main scanning direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb stacked on the internal tray 22, that is, execute so-called jogging process (S806).

[0276]

The controller 100b determines whether the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number Np of sheets indicated by the post-processing command (step S807). In a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 has not reached the given number Np of sheets (NO in step S807), the controller 100b executes the process of steps S802 to S807 again until the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 reaches the given number Np of sheets (YES in step S807). [0277] On the other hand, in a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of sheets P stacked on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number Np of sheets (S807: Yes), the controller 100b causes the crimper 32' to crimp and bind the first binding position B 1 (corresponding to the first liquid application position B 1 of the sheet P) of the sheet bundle Pb including the sheet P to which the liquid has been applied by the liquid application unit 140. (S8O8). Further, the controller 100b rotates the conveyance roller pair 15 to eject the crimped and bound sheet bundle Pb to the second output tray 26 (S8O8).

[0278]

Next, the controller 100b determines whether the number of copies of the sheet bundle Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 has reached the requested number Mp of copies indicated by the post-processing command (S809). In a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of the sheet bundles Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 has not reached the requested number Mp of copies (NO in step S809), the controller 100b repeats the process of steps S802 to S809 until the number of the sheet bundles Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 reaches the requested number Mp of copies (YES in step S809).

[0279]

On the other hand, in a case where the controller 100b determines that the number of copies of the sheet bundle Pb ejected to the second output tray 26 has reached the requested number Mp of copies (S809: Yes), the controller 100b drives the liquid applier movement motor 137 to move the liquid application unit 140 to the standby position HP4 (see FIGS. 34A and 34B), and drives the crimper movement motor 238 to move the crimper 32' to the standby position HP3 (see FIGS. 32A to 32C) (S810). In a case where the posture instructed by the postprocessing command is the "oblique binding posture", the controller 100b drives the application head pivot motor 150 and the crimper pivot motor 239 to rotate the liquid application unit 140 and crimper 32' into the parallel binding posture (standby angle) (step S810). By contrast, in a case where the posture instructed by the post-processing command is the "parallel binding posture", the controller 100b skips the aforementioned operation of rotating the liquid application unit 140 and the crimper 32' to the parallel binding posture (standby angle). In steps S801 and S810, the execution order of the movement in the main scanning direction and the rotation in the forward and reverse directions of the liquid application unit 140 and the crimper 32' is not limited to the aforementioned order and may be reversed.

[0280]

The embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to the edge binder 25 that executes the edge binding process as described above. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the saddle binder 28 that executes the saddle stitching.

[0281]

In addition, a mode in which the controller 100b of the post-processing apparatus 3B according to the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 31 is provided separately from the controller 100a of the image forming apparatus 2 has been described similarly to FIG. 1, and the present disclosure is not limited to such a mode. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 40A, the controller 100b of the post-processing apparatus 3B may be disposed on the side of the image forming apparatus 2. Further, as in the configuration of FIG. 40B, the controller 100b of the post-processing apparatus 3B may be integrated with the controller 100a of the image forming apparatus 2.

[0282]

As in the configuration of FIG. 41 A, the controller 100b of the post-processing apparatus 3B may be divided into a controller 100b 1 (e.g., a driver system such as a motor) and a controller 100b2 (detector such as a sensor) according to the function, and the controller 100b2 of the post-processing apparatus 3B may be disposed on the side of the image forming apparatus 2. Further, as in the configuration of FIG. 4 IB, the controller 100b2 of the post-processing apparatus 3B disposed on the side of the image forming apparatus 2 may be integrated with the controller 100a of the image forming apparatus 2.

[0283]

As described above, the control method by the controller 100b described above is implemented by cooperation between hardware resources of a computer and a program as computer software. In other words, the control method may be executed by causing an arithmetic device, a storage device, an input device, an output device, and a control device to operate in cooperation with each other based on a program. The program may be written in, for example, a storage device or a storage medium and distributed with the storage device or the storage medium, or may be distributed through, for example, an electric communication line.

[0284]

In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments exemplified above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the technical gist thereof, and all technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are the subject of the present disclosure. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced otherwise by those skilled in the art than as specifically described herein. Such modifications and variations are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

[0285]

A description is now given below of several aspects of the present disclosure.

First aspect

According to a first aspect, a medium processing apparatus includes: a liquid applier that applies a liquid to a medium; and a post-processing device that performs post-processing on the medium having multiple media applied with the liquid by the liquid applier, in which the liquid applier includes: a stacker on which the medium is mounted; and a liquid application member that is arranged on a side opposite to the stacker with the medium interposed therebetween and contains the liquid to be applied to the medium, and the liquid application member moves between a contact position where the liquid application member abuts on the medium and applies the liquid, a separation position where the liquid application member separate from the medium, and a first medium receiving position located between the contact position and the separation position.

Second aspect

According to a second aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of the first aspect, the liquid applier applies the liquid to the medium stacked on the stacker by arranging the liquid application member at the first medium receiving position and moving the liquid application member from the first medium receiving position to the contact position when the medium enters between the stacker and the liquid application member.

Third aspect

According to a third aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of the first aspect or the second aspect, the liquid applier moves the first medium receiving position closer to the separation position as a number of the medium on which the post-processing is to be performed by the post-processing device increases.

Fourth aspect

According to a fourth aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, the liquid applier moves the liquid application member to the separation position after the post-processing is performed on the medium having multiple media by the post-processing device.

Fifth aspect

According to a fifth aspect, the medium processing apparatus of any one of the second aspect to the fourth aspect, further includes: an alignment member that aligns a position in an entering direction of the medium having multiple media that have entered between the stacker and the liquid application member; and a mover that moves the liquid applier in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the entering direction, in which the liquid applier moves the liquid application member to the separation position when the liquid applier moves from one side to another side of the alignment member in the orthogonal direction.

Sixth aspect

According to a sixth aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, the liquid applier includes pressing unit that is arranged on a side opposite to the stacker with the medium interposed therebetween and moves between a pressing position to press the medium and a release position separated from the medium, and the liquid applier moves the pressing unit to the pressing position before the liquid applier moves the liquid application member to the contact position, and moves the pressing unit from the pressing position toward the release position after the liquid applier separates the liquid application member from the medium.

Seventh aspect

According to a seventh aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of the sixth aspect, the pressing unit moves between the pressing position, the release position, and a second medium receiving position between the pressing position and the release position.

Eighth aspect

According to an eighth aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of the seventh aspect, the liquid applier arranges the pressing unit at the second medium receiving position when the medium enters between the stacker and the liquid application member, and moves the pressing unit from the second medium receiving position to the pressing position before the liquid applier moves the liquid application member to the contact position.

Ninth aspect

According to a ninth aspect, the medium processing apparatus of any one of the seventh aspect and the eighth aspect, further includes an operation device that receives an operation of inputting at least one of the first medium receiving position and the second medium receiving position.

Tenth aspect

According to a tenth aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of any one of the sixth aspect to the ninth aspect, the liquid application member and the pressing unit move in conjunction with each other.

Eleventh aspect

According to an eleventh aspect, an image forming system includes: an image forming apparatus that forms an image on the medium; and the medium processing apparatus of any one of the first aspect to the tenth aspect. The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of the present invention. Any one of the above-described operations may be performed in various other ways, for example, in an order different from the one described above.

The present invention can be implemented in any convenient form, for example using dedicated hardware, or a mixture of dedicated hardware and software. The present invention may be implemented as computer software implemented by one or more networked processing apparatuses. The processing apparatuses include any suitably programmed apparatuses such as a general purpose computer, a personal digital assistant, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) or third-generation (3G)-compliant mobile telephone, and so on. Since the present invention can be implemented as software, each and every aspect of the present invention thus encompasses computer software implementable on a programmable device. The computer software can be provided to the programmable device using any conventional carrier medium (carrier means). The carrier medium includes a transient carrier medium such as an electrical, optical, microwave, acoustic or radio frequency signal carrying the computer code. An example of such a transient medium is a Transmission Control Protocol/Intemet Protocol (TCP/IP) signal carrying computer code over an IP network, such as the Internet. The carrier medium may also include a storage medium for storing processor readable code such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD- ROM), a magnetic tape device, or a solid state memory device.

The functionality of the elements disclosed herein may be implemented using circuitry or processing circuitry which includes general purpose processors, special purpose processors, integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), conventional circuitry and/or combinations thereof which are configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functionality. Processors are considered processing circuitry or circuitry as they include transistors and other circuitry therein. In the disclosure, the circuitry, units, or means are hardware that carry out or are programmed to perform the recited functionality. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein or otherwise known which is programmed or configured to carry out the recited functionality. When the hardware is a processor which may be considered a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or units are a combination of hardware and software, the software being used to configure the hardware and/or processor.

This patent application is based on and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-109445, filed on July 3, 2023, in the Japan Patent Office, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-039880, filed on March 14, 2024, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[Reference Numerals]

[0286]

1: Image forming system

2: Image forming apparatus

3, 3B: Post-processing apparatus 10-19: Conveyance roller pair 22: Internal tray (stacker) 23: Edge binding end fence 25: Edge binder 26: Second output tray 31, 31 A, 131: Liquid applier 32: Crimper (post-processing device)

33, 148: Lower pressure plate

34, 145: Upper pressure plate

37: Liquid applier movement motor 44: Liquid application member 50: Edge binder movement motor 100a, 100b: Controller

Claims

[CLAIMS]

[Claim 1]

A medium processing apparatus comprising: a liquid applier to apply a liquid to a medium; and a post-processing device to perform post-processing on media including the medium to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applier, wherein the liquid applier includes: a stacker to mount the medium on the stacker; and a liquid application member disposed opposite to the stacker with the medium interposed between the liquid application member and the stacker, the liquid application member containing the liquid to be applied to the medium, and the liquid application member moves between: a contact position where the liquid application member is in contact with the medium to apply the liquid onto the medium; a separation position where the liquid application member is separated from the medium; and a first medium receiving position disposed between the contact position and the separation position.

[Claim 2]

The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to: move the liquid application member at the first medium receiving position; move the medium between the stacker and the liquid application member; move the liquid application member from the first medium receiving position to the contact position; and cause the liquid applier to apply the liquid to the medium stacked on the stacker.

[Claim 3]

The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to: move the first medium receiving position closer to the separation position as a number of the media on which the post-processing is to be performed by the post-processing device increases.

[Claim 4]

The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to: cause the post-processing device to perform the post-processing on the media; and move the liquid application member to the separation position after the post-processing.

[Claim 5]

The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: an alignment member to align positions of the media in an entering direction of the media entered between the stacker and the liquid application member; and a mover configured to move the liquid applier in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the entering direction, wherein the controller is further configured to: move the liquid application member to the separation position to move the liquid applier from one side to another side of the alignment member in the orthogonal direction.

[Claim 6]

The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a controller configured to move the liquid application member, wherein the liquid applier includes: a pressing unit disposed opposite to the stacker with the medium interposed between the stacker and the pressing unit, the pressing unit movable between: a pressing position to press the medium; and a release position separated from the medium, and the controller is further configured to: move the pressing unit to the pressing position; move the liquid application member to the contact position after moving the pressing unit to the pressing unit; separate the liquid application member from the medium; and move the pressing unit from the pressing position toward the release position after separating the liquid application member from the medium.

[Claim 7]

The medium processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to move the pressing unit between: the pressing position; the release position; and a second medium receiving position between the pressing position and the release position.

[Claim 8]

The medium processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to: move the medium between the stacker and the liquid application member; move the pressing unit to the second medium receiving position; move the liquid application member from the second medium receiving position to the pressing position; and move the liquid application member to the contact position after moving the liquid application member to the pressing position.

[Claim 9]

The medium processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an operation device to receive an input operation to input at least one of: the first medium receiving position; and the second medium receiving position.

[Claim 10]

The medium processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to move the liquid application member and the pressing unit move in conjunction with each other.

[Claim 11]

An image forming system comprising: the medium processing apparatus according to claim 1; and an image forming apparatus to form an image on the medium.