JP2001058756A - Sheet post-treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To miniaturize and lighten a system by providing a treating tray with both sides sectioned by first and second side frames, providing a staple unit for binding sheets at one side part of the treating tray within the first side frame and incorporating a driving source and a driving element into the second side frame. SOLUTION: A sheet carrier system including a pair of discharge rollers and a rotary paddle 7 provided at a sheet discharge port of the sheet post- treating device is arranged between left and right side frames F1, F2 and has a treating tray 4. The system has a matching means 8 performing a side edge truing up to the first side frame F1 for sheets mounted on the treating tray 4 and making the sheets uniform in a width direction and is provided with a staple unit 9 at an end part on the side frame F1 side of the tray 4 opposed to the matching plate 8a. A driving system including a driving motor 21 for driving a carrier system including a driving roller 3a, an oscillating arm 61a, a feed ring 5 and the paddle 7 is incorporated into the side frame F2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing post-processing such as aligning and binding sheets ejected from an image forming apparatus by connecting the same to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus in which a staple unit and a drive system of the apparatus are rationally incorporated into a side frame of the apparatus to reduce the size.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A post-processing apparatus having a staple unit is used to automate post-processing for aligning and binding sheets subjected to image processing in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer. A sheet post-processing device to be coupled to a paper output unit of the image forming apparatus is configured to bundle sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus,
A processing tray for holding sheets is incorporated together with a mechanism for performing processing such as alignment, page alignment, sorting, or binding.

In a configuration in which the entire sheet to be processed is placed on a processing tray to perform post-processing, a volume for accommodating the entire sheet is required. In particular, a post-processing apparatus connected to an image forming apparatus that handles large-sized sheets is required. Large weight was inevitable.
Therefore, a proposal has been made in which a part of a processed sheet is taken out of the sheet post-processing apparatus and post-processing such as binding of the sheet is performed while only the processed part of the sheet is left in the sheet post-processing apparatus. 340 publication.

[0004]

However, there is a limit to downsizing of the apparatus unless a mechanism such as a sheet conveying system and a driving system is downsized, and a plurality of motors are used as in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus. As long as a complicated drive system including a power transmission mechanism is used, sufficient miniaturization cannot be achieved. In addition, the operation and control of the power mechanism become complicated, and there is a problem that the possibility of causing a failure of the apparatus or a sheet conveyance failure increases.

[0005] It is also desired to simplify the work of loading staples into a staple unit for stapling a plurality of sheets with a staple, and to facilitate the maintenance of the apparatus. In this case, since the staple unit is fixed to the apparatus, such work becomes difficult depending on the installation conditions of the image forming apparatus to which the post-processing apparatus is attached, or handling such as moving the entire system including the image forming apparatus is performed. Was troublesome.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus which can be reduced in size and weight by incorporating a sheet post-processing mechanism such as a staple unit and a driving mechanism including a sheet conveying system and a power transmission system into an apparatus frame. Is to do.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the apparatus by forming a drive mechanism for sheet conveyance and power transmission incorporated in a part of the apparatus frame by one drive source and a simple power system. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus capable of executing a reliable sheet post-processing operation by skillful timing control without complicating the control system.

Still another object of the present invention is to allow easy access to the staple unit incorporated in the apparatus, facilitate the loading and maintenance of the staples, and reduce the space restriction due to the installation of the apparatus. It is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention supports a sheet to be processed which is defined by first and second side frames and both side frames on both sides. A processing tray, a staple unit built in the first side frame and binding a sheet on one side of the processing tray, a transport system for feeding a sheet from a sheet receiving unit to a sheet discharging unit via the processing tray, and And a drive system of the transport system including a drive source and a drive element incorporated in the two-side frame.

This sheet post-processing apparatus is attached to a discharge section of a processed sheet of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.
When performing post-processing of stapling on a sheet sent from the image forming apparatus, the sheet is switched back during the conveyance along the conveyance path from the sheet receiving section to the sheet discharge section and is sent to the processing tray. When a predetermined number of sheets have been fed into the processing tray, the sheets are pressed against the first side frame by the alignment member to align the sheet ends, and then stapled by the staple unit. The bound sheet bundle is sent from the discharge unit to an external tray.

The transport system includes a receiving roller of a sheet receiving section, a feed roller provided on a transport path from the sheet receiving section to the processing tray, and a transport path provided above the processing tray and in contact with the feed roller. A large-diameter elastically deformable feed ring that feeds the sheet in the processing tray in the reverse direction while feeding the sheet in the forward direction, a paddle that switches the sheet that has passed the feed roller back to the processing tray, and binding with the processing tray. And a discharge roller for feeding the combined sheet to an external tray.

When a sheet is fed from the image forming apparatus, the receiving roller, the feed roller, and the feed ring are constantly rotated to convey the sheet in the forward direction along the conveying path.

When the sheets are not to be bound, the receiving roller, the feed roller, the feed ring, and the discharge roller are rotated in the forward direction, and the sheet is sent from the conveyance path to the external tray via the sheet discharge unit.

When a plurality of sheets are bundled and bound, when the rear end of the sheets passes through a feed roller provided in a conveyance path,
The sheet is fed into the processing tray by rotating the paddle in the reverse direction. The paddle makes one rotation in the reverse conveyance direction when the sheet is switched back by selectively receiving rotation from the feed roller. When a predetermined number of sheets are aligned on the processing tray, the staple unit is operated to perform binding. When the binding is completed, the discharge rollers are operated to discharge the stitched sheet bundle to the external tray through the sheet discharge unit.

The drive system for the transport system includes a motor for rotating the receiving roller and the feed ring, and a timing gear for selectively receiving and rotating the feed ring. Transmission means for imparting rotation to the discharge roller may be incorporated in the first side frame.

[0016] The timing gear meshing with the intermediate gear has a tooth cut-out part of which is cut off, so that the rotation of the feed roller driven by the motor is selectively transmitted through the intermediate gear. It has become. The timing gear includes a cam, and swings a swing arm that supports one of the pair of discharge rollers so as to be in contact with or separate from the other discharge roller. In the sheet sequential transport mode, a pair of discharge rollers come in contact with each other to feed out the sheet. When the sheet is switched back in the sheet binding mode, the discharge rollers are separated and do not act on the sheet.

Since the drive system for carrying the sheet is operated by only one motor, the mechanism is simple and can be incorporated in the side frame compactly, thereby realizing the miniaturization of the apparatus.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention relates to a compact sheet post-processing apparatus capable of partially storing sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and performing post-processing such as alignment and binding. An embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a sheet post-processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention is attached to a discharge section of an image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a copying machine M), as viewed from the back of the sheet discharge side of the apparatus.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the apparatus 1 is attached to the sheet discharge port Ex of the copying machine M with the sheet receiving port 1a of the apparatus 1 of the present invention facing. It is desirable to be detachably attached to the image forming apparatus.

The sheet post-processing apparatus 1 has a "through-pass mode" in which a sheet sent from the copying machine M is simply passed through the apparatus without being processed and discharged from a sheet discharge port 1b, and a plurality of sheets are temporarily stored and stored. A "binding mode" is executed in which a predetermined number of sheets are bundled and automatically stapled and then discharged. Of course, page alignment of multiple sheets,
It can also support functions such as sorting.

As schematically shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 includes a pair of receiving rollers 2a and 2b provided in a sheet receiving port 1a, and a sheet receiving port 1a. Pairs of feed rollers 3a and 3b provided in the middle of a transport path p1 from the sheet to the sheet discharge port 1b, a processing tray 4 provided below the transport path p1, and a feed roller A large-diameter elastically deformable feed ring 5 provided in contact with the sheet discharge port 3b; a pair of discharge rollers 6a and 6b provided in the sheet discharge port 1b;
and a sheet conveying system including a rotary paddle 7 provided in the vicinity of the sheet conveying device b.

The components of the transport system described above are substantially arranged between the side frames F1 and F2 located on both sides in the width direction of the sheet discharged from the copying machine M. Here, the rear side frame F1 of the copying machine M is a first side frame, and the front side frame F2 is a second side frame.
It is called a side frame.

Although the space between the first side frame F1 and the second side frame F2, that is, the width of the processing tray 4 is wider than the width of the largest sheet handled by the copying machine M,
The length of the apparatus in the sheet conveying direction, that is, the sheet receiving port 1a
Can be shortened regardless of the size of the sheet to be handled. That is, the desired sheet post-processing can be performed only by leaving only the rear end of the sheet to be stapled inside the apparatus, and the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 can be made compact.

In the illustrated embodiment, of the receiving roller, the feed roller, and the discharge roller facing each other across the transport path p1, the rollers 2a, 3a, and 6a are driving rollers, and the other rollers 2b, 3b, and 6b are driven. Roller.

The discharge roller 6b is rotatably supported at the free end of a swing arm 61 which swings and turns about a shaft a61.
The discharge roller 6b is selectively contacted with the discharge roller 6a and driven to rotate by the turning operation of the swing arm 61. That is, when the sheet is mainly discharged to the external tray B1, the discharge rollers 6a and 6b are brought into contact with each other to feed the sheet.

The processing tray 4 is moved in the sheet forward direction (FIG. 2).
(To the left in FIG. 2), and the contact points of the discharge rollers 6a and 6b are located substantially on the extension line. At the lowermost position (the end of the sheet in the reverse conveyance direction) of the processing tray 4, there is provided a sheet stopper 4a erected substantially at a right angle.
Therefore, when the sheet is placed on the inclined tray 4 and fed in the sheet reverse conveyance direction (right direction in FIG. 2), the rear end of the sheet abuts against the stopper 4a, and the ends in the sheet length direction may be aligned. it can.

The feed ring 5 is inscribed in the feed roller 3a and circumscribes the feed roller 3b.
One point of the arc is sandwiched between the rollers 3a and 3b, and rotates together with the feed roller 3b by the rotational motion of the drive feed roller 3a.

In the illustrated embodiment, the upper part of the feed ring 5 is held so as to rotate cooperatively with the feed rollers 3a and 3b.
The lower part is in relatively weak frictional contact with the processing tray 4.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3A, the sheet s1 fed from the sheet receiving port 1a in the normal conveyance mode or the "through-pass mode" is operated by the cooperation of the feed ring 5 and the feed rollers 3a and 3b. Transport path p1
Along the forward transport direction (arrow d1).

When a sheet conveyed in the "stitching mode" is fed into the processing tray 4 and comes into contact with the feed ring 5, the action of the paddle 7, which will be described later, and an appropriate frictional force of the rotating feed ring 5 cause the sheet to move. The sheet is fed in the reverse conveying direction (arrow d2 in FIG. 3B) until the rear end abuts on the sheet stopper 4a, and the sheet ends are aligned by the sheet stopper 4a. A plurality of sheets are sequentially in the above manner,
When the sheet bundle is sent to the processing tray 4 and the thickness of the sheet bundle increases,
As shown in FIG. 3B, the feed ring 5 presses and holds the sheet bundle toward the sheet stopper 4a with an appropriate urging force while being elastically deformed.

The processing tray 4 has a widthwise end portion of the conveyed sheet defined by the side frames F1 and F2.
1 is provided with an aligning means 8 for aligning the sheet in the width direction by shifting the width to 1. That is, the first side frame F1 forms an alignment reference plane.

As shown in FIG. 4, the aligning means 8 comprises an aligning plate 8 which stands upright on the tray 4 and can be moved in parallel in the width direction of the sheet.
a and a rack 8 coupled to an alignment plate 8a below the tray 4.
b, a pinion 8c that meshes with the rack 8b, and a motor 8d that rotates the pinion 8c forward and reverse. A sensor 8e detects the end of the rack 8b that moves in the width direction. By driving the motor 8d while the sheets are placed on the tray 4 and moving them in the width direction with the rack 8b, the sheets are pressed against the side frames F1 (alignment reference plane) by the alignment plate 8a and aligned in the width direction. be able to.

A staple unit 9 is provided at an end of the tray 4 facing the alignment plate 8a on the side frame F1 side. The staple unit 9 is placed at the corner of the sheet bundle placed on the tray 4 with the rear end of the sheet abutting against the sheet stopper 4a and pressed against the side frame F1 by the alignment plate 8a.
The staples are driven in to bind the sheet bundle.

The staple unit 9 of this embodiment comprises a staple cartridge 9a containing staples,
It has a cover 9b hinged to the side frame F1 so that it can be opened and closed. By opening the cover 9b, the staple cartridge 9a can be detached from the unit. As shown in FIG. 5 showing the rear surface of the apparatus 1, the staple unit 9 is inclined according to the inclination angle of the processing tray 4.

The staple unit 9 including the cover 9b and the staple cartridge 9a has a horizontal bracket 9c, and the bracket 9c is rotatably mounted on a support shaft 9d fixed vertically to the side frame F1. As a result, the staple unit 9 is moved to the front side (the copying machine side) of the apparatus as shown by a chain line in FIG. 5, or to the rear side by reversing the position of the bracket 9c with the cartridge 9a and the cover 9b housed therein. Can be. Thus, maintenance of the unit 9 or attachment / detachment of the cartridge 9a can be easily performed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the receiving rollers 2a, 2b
The second transport path p2 is branched in the middle of the transport path p1 from the feed rollers 3a and 3b. A switching flapper 11 is provided at a branch point between the transport path p1 and the second transport path p2. 14
Reference numerals a and 14b denote second discharge rollers, and B2 denotes a second discharge tray. Thus, when post-processing such as stapling is not required, the switching flapper 11 is switched to transfer the sheet to the second discharge tray B via the second conveyance path p2.
2 can be sent out. Although a further transport path is formed in the same configuration to enable a multi-tray configuration and other various sheet processing, these mechanisms including the second transport path may be omitted in the present invention. There is no particular limitation.

In the drawing, Sw1 to Sw5 are sensors for detecting a sheet. These sensors detect the front end or the rear end of the conveyed sheet, and are used to control the conveyance timing.

As described above, the sheet s1 taken in from the copying machine M has at least
It is transported in the forward transport direction a1 until it passes through a and 3b.
At this time, the discharge roller 6b supported by the swing arm 61 so as to be able to contact and separate from the discharge roller 6a is in contact with and rotates cooperatively with the discharge roller 6a.

In the "through-pass mode" in which the sheet s1 is simply passed, as shown in FIG. 3A, the rollers 2a, 2a,
b, 3a, 3b, 6a, and 6b continue to rotate in the forward transport direction. As will be described in detail later, the receiving roller 2a, the feed roller 3a, the second discharge roller 14a, and the feed ring 5, which are drive rollers, are always in the forward direction in any mode while the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 is operating. It is spinning.

In the case of the "binding mode", when the rear end of the sheet s1 has passed the feed rollers 3a and 3b, FIG.
As shown in (B), the drive swing arm 61 is operated to separate the discharge roller 6b from the discharge roller 6a to invalidate sheet feeding in the forward transport direction, and at the same time, rotate the paddle 7 in the reverse transport direction to rotate the sheet. s1 is sent to the processing tray 4. When a plurality of sheets s2, s3,... Have already been sent to the processing tray 4, they are sent over the preceding sheets s2, s3,.

When a predetermined number of sheets s1, s2,... Are fed onto the processing sheet 4, the aligning means 8 is operated to press the sheet against the first side frame F1 to align the sheet edges. The staple unit 9 is operated to bind the sheet bundle. When the necessary post-processing is performed in this way, the discharge roller 6b is brought into contact with the discharge roller 6a via the stapled sheet bundle, and the discharge rollers 6a and 6b are rotated, so that the desired stitched sheet bundle is It can be sent to tray B1.

The drive rollers 2a, 3a
A system for driving a transport system including the a, 6a, the swing arm 61, the feed ring 5, and the paddle 7 will be described below.

This drive system includes one drive motor 2
1 and a driving roller 2 for rotating the motor 21 in one direction.
a, 3a, 6a, means for transmitting to the swing arm 61, the feed ring 5, and the paddle 7. The motor that is the driving source is 1
As a result, the drive system can be incorporated into the side frame F2 by streamlining the rotation transmission system.

The drive system in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 includes a drive pulley 21a of a drive motor 21, a pulley 22 provided on a rotation shaft a2 of the receiving roller 2a, and a second drive system.
Pulley 24 provided on rotation shaft a14 of discharge roller 14a
And a large-diameter timing for connecting an endless drive belt 25 that circulates around a pulley 23 provided on the rotation shaft a3 of the feed roller 3a and a gear g31 provided on the rotation shaft a3 of the pulley 23 via intermediate gears w1 and w2. A gear g6 provided on the rotating shaft a6 of the discharge roller 6a and connected to the timing gear 30 via the intermediate gears w3 and w4, and a rotating shaft a61 of the swing arm 61 provided so as to be freely rotatable;
A partial gear g61 connected to a gear g32 of the rotating shaft a3 via an intermediate gear w5; a pulley 61a connected to the gear g61 to selectively rotate the paddle 7; a cam 31 provided on the timing gear 30; And an operation lever 32 that swings the swing arm 61 by reciprocating by rotation of the cam 31.

When at least the sheet is fed into the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 and the apparatus is put into an operating state, the drive motor 21 always operates to continuously drive the belt 25, and the receiving roller 2 a connected to the pulley 22 and the pulley 24 Second connected
The discharge roller 14a and the feed roller 3a connected to the pulley 23 continue to rotate in the sheet forward direction. That is, when the drive motor 21 rotates, the receiving roller 2a, the second paper discharge roller 14a, and the feed roller 3a always rotate in the forward transport direction.

In the figure, 25a and 25b are tension pulleys for applying tension to the belt 25.

When stapling the sheet fed to the sheet post-processing apparatus, the paddle 7 reversely conveys the sheet along the processing tray 4 when the sheet passes the feed rollers 3a and 3b. Rotate in the direction.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the means for selectively rotating the paddle 7 includes a pawl wheel 61b connected to a gear g61 and a pawl of the pawl wheel 61b. A locking member 62a for stopping, a solenoid 62b for engaging and disengaging the locking member 62a with respect to the pawl of the pawl wheel 61b, and a transmission member 6 such as a belt connecting the rotary wheel 7a coupled to the paddle 7 and the pulley 61a.
1c is used. The pawl wheel 61b is a locking member 62a
Is released from the gear 61, the gear g61 is urged by the spring 61d so as to mesh with the intermediate gear w5. On the other hand, the locking member 62a is engaged with the pawl of the pawl wheel 61b, and the locking member 62a is moved to the position shown in FIG.
As shown in (5), the toothless portion of the partial gear g61 is located at the gear w5, and the state in which the rotation of the gear w5 is not transmitted to the gear g61 is maintained.

To be more specific, FIG. 8A shows a steady state when the sheet is sequentially conveyed, and FIG. 8B shows the “binding mode”.
5 shows a state in which the paddle 7 is rotated in the reverse transport direction when the sheet is switched back along the tray 4. That is, in the steady state of FIG. 8A, the state in which the gear w5 is located in the toothless portion of the partial gear g61 is the locking member 6
This is maintained by preventing the rotation of the pawl wheel 61b by 2a. As a result, the paddle 7 does not rotate.

When the rotation of the paddle 7 is required, the locking member 62a is disengaged from the pawl wheel 61b, and the partial gear g61 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 8B by the spring 61d. The part meshes with the gear w5, and the gear g61 rotates until the toothless part comes. The locking member 62a returns while the gear g61 is rotating, and thereafter,
As shown in FIG. 8 (A), it is locked to the pawl of the rotating pawl wheel 61b to maintain a steady state.

Although the means for selectively rotating the paddle in the illustrated embodiment is constructed as described above, an electromagnetic clutch or the like may be used simply.

On the other hand, only while the paddle 7 is rotating, the discharge roller 6b is separated from the discharge roller 6a to invalidate the sheet feeding by the discharge roller in the forward conveyance direction (FIG. 8).
(B)).

When the paddle 7 is not rotating, the taken-in sheet is conveyed in the forward conveying direction by the conveying system including the discharge rollers 6a and 6b, and when the sheet is switched back by the paddle 7, the discharge roller 6b is separated from the discharge roller 6a. To disable the transport action of the discharge roller. Such a switching operation is performed by the timing gear 30, the cam 31, the spring 32
This is performed by swinging the swing arm 61 by the operating lever 32 or the like which is urged upward by a and reciprocates following the cam 31.

The timing gear 30 has a tooth missing portion 30a in a part of the tooth engaged with the intermediate gear w2 and a tooth missing part 30b in a part of the tooth engaged with the intermediate wheel w3. Is provided on the intermediate gear w2, and the claw member 30c for holding the timing gear 30 in a state where the toothless portion 30b is located on the intermediate gear w3 to prevent rotation transmission. Further, a locking member 33a engaged with the claw member 30c and a claw member 3
Solenoid 3 for engaging and disengaging locking member 33a with respect to 0c
3b. 30d is a timing gear 3
It is a weight provided at 0.

FIG. 9A shows a state in which the swing arm 61 is retracted upward, the discharge roller 6b is separated from the discharge roller 6a and the sheet can be switched back, and FIG. Is a start state of downward turning, and FIG. 9 (C) shows a forward conveyance state of the sheet in which the discharge roller 6b is in contact with the discharge roller 6a.

In the state of FIG. 9A, the timing gear 3
The 0 toothless portion 30a is located at the intermediate gear w2 and exhibits a non-rotation transmitting state, and this state is maintained by the locking member 33a engaged with the claw member 30c. This state is shown in FIG.
8B, the sheet can be switched back by retracting the swing arm 61 upward and rotating the paddle 7.
Since the timing gear 30 makes one rotation each time a sheet is fed from the image forming apparatus, the processes shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C are repeated.

In the state shown in FIG.
After passing through a and 3b, the solenoid 33b operates to release the locking member 33a from the claw member 30c, and the timing gear 30 rotates by the action of the weight 32. When the timing gear 30 is slightly rotated by the action of the weight 32, FIG.
As shown in (B), the rotating intermediate gear w2 meshes with the teeth of the timing gear 30, and the timing gear 30 rotates. At the same time, the intermediate gear w3 becomes the timing gear 3
0 meshes.

When the timing gear 30 rotates, FIG.
(C) As shown in FIG.
2 descends against the spring 32a, thereby rotating the swing arm 7a and bringing the discharge roller 6b into contact with the rotating discharge roller 6a. As a result, the sheet is sent out in the forward transport direction.

In the illustrated embodiment, the discharge roller 6b is advanced to and retracted from the discharge roller 6a by a mechanical structure including the cam 31 and the operating lever 32. However, the discharge roller 6b is driven by an electric means such as an electromagnetic actuator or an electromagnetic clutch. May be.

As described above, the transport drive system for executing the process of sending out the sheet fed to the apparatus 1 in the forward direction and the stapling process by switching back the sheet is effectively performed using only a single drive motor. , And can be compactly incorporated into one side frame F2 that forms the side of the device. As a result, the size and weight of the device can be reduced.

The side frame F on the back side of the device 1
The staple unit 9 attached to the staple cartridge 1 is opened and closed as described above.
10 can be easily mounted. However, as in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the cover 91 can be opened downward, and the inside of the cover 91 is used as a guide for mounting the cartridge. , And can be performed reliably.

That is, the cover 91 is hinged at the lower portion with a hinge 91a so that the cover 91 can be opened and closed with respect to the cartridge insertion opening 90a of the staple unit 90. A guide 91b is formed on the inner surface of the cover so as to match the width of the staple cartridge 92.
Is horizontally opened and along the guide 91b the insertion slot 90
a can be easily attached to the unit 90.

When the cover 91 is closed, the side frame F
A locking claw 9 provided on a cover 91 on a locking member 93 provided on
The cover 91 can be securely closed by engaging 1c.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment in which the staple unit 90 and the cover 91 shown in FIG. 10 are supported by a unit holder 95 pivotally supported by a shaft 94 with respect to the side frame F1. 11, the elements having the same reference numerals as those of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the unit holder 95 is rotated about the shaft 94 and opened from the side frame F1. When the unit holder 95 is closed about the shaft 94, the staple unit 90 is moved to the side frame F1. The staple unit 90 fits into the opening 1c and is located at a predetermined position of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1.

In this embodiment, as in the case of the staple unit 9 shown in FIG. 5, the unit holder 95 can be moved from the back of the apparatus 1 to one side, so that attachment and detachment of the staple cartridge 92 and maintenance can be easily performed.

The drive discharge roller 6a may be directly rotated by the rotation shaft a2 of the drive receiving roller 2a according to the design convenience. In this case, the rotation transmitting means from the receiving roller 2a to the discharge roller 6a may be incorporated in the first side frame F1.

That is, as shown in FIG. 12, pulleys 82 and 86 are provided at the ends of the rotation shafts a2 and a6 of the receiving roller 2a and the discharging roller 6a on the side of the first side frame F1, respectively, to transmit a belt or the like. They are connected by means 84.
An electromagnetic clutch 85 may be provided on the rotating shaft a6 as shown in the drawing to stop the rotation of the discharge roller 6a when the sheet is switched back with respect to the receiving roller 2a which is constantly rotating during operation.

According to this embodiment, the gears w3, w4 and g6 interposed between the timing gear 30 and the discharge roller 6a in the above embodiment can be omitted, and
Since a part of the elements incorporated in the second side frame F2 can be transferred to the first side frame F1, the degree of freedom in design is increased.

In the drawings including FIG. 12, receiving rollers,
Only the feed ring, the feed roller, the discharge roller, and the like are illustrated, and the number, position, and shape of these elements can be appropriately changed and are not limited.

As described above, in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention, only the rear end of the sheet is placed in the sheet post-processing apparatus regardless of the size of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. Necessary processing, such as stapling, can be performed with the remaining parts, and the staple unit, sheet transport system, and drive system necessary for sheet post-processing are rationally incorporated into both side frames, so the equipment can be reduced in size and weight. . In particular, the drive system is operated by effective timing control using a simple mechanism including only one motor and a rotation transmission element, thereby realizing the downsizing of the drive system, and realizing reliable sheet conveyance and Post-processing can be performed. Further, according to the present invention, the staple cartridge can be easily attached to and detached from the staple unit, and furthermore, the staple unit can be moved to the side from the back of the apparatus so that the staple cartridge can be further easily attached and detached. It also has excellent effects such as simplicity.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail with respect to the preferred embodiment, this description of the preferred embodiment has been modified with respect to structural details, so that the combination and arrangement of components may not It does not prevent various modifications without departing from the scope.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view in which a part of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is omitted.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view schematically showing a sheet conveying system in the apparatus of FIG.

3A is a schematic explanatory diagram of a sheet feeding and through-pass mode, and FIG. 3B is a schematic explanatory diagram of a sheet binding mode.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of a transport system including a sheet aligning member in the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a rear view schematically showing a state in which a staple unit is attached in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view schematically showing a drive system in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of a drive system in the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a driving principle of a paddle driving mechanism.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the principle of contact and separation of a discharge roller.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a mounting structure of a staple unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a mounting structure of a staple unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view schematically showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sheet post-processing apparatus 1a Sheet receiving port 1b Sheet discharge port 4 Processing tray 9 Staple unit p1 Transport path F1 Side frame F2 Side frame

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3F054 AA01 AC02 AC05 BA04 BG03 BG04 BH02 BH13 DA01 DA12 3F108 GA02 GA04 GB01 HA02 HA36 HA39

Claims (10)

[Claims] A sheet conveying path extending from a sheet receiving section to a sheet discharging section; first and second side frames provided with the sheet conveying path on both sides; And a staple unit provided on the first side frame for binding sheets on one side of the processing tray; a sheet transport system for transporting the sheets along the sheet transport path; A sheet post-processing device consisting of a drive system built into the side frame. 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sheet aligning member for pressing the sheet on the processing tray against the first side frame to align the sheet. 3. A receiving roller provided in a sheet receiving portion, a feed roller provided in the middle of a sheet conveying path, and an upper portion contacted so as to rotate cooperatively with the feed roller and a lower portion elastically contacted with the processing tray. The large-diameter feed ring and the discharge roller provided at the sheet discharge port constitute the sheet transport system, and one motor that rotates the receiving roller and the feed roller, and selectively rotate from the feed roller 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said drive system is constituted by a timing gear receiving a movement and a selectively rotating paddle provided in said discharge section. 4. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rotation of the timing gear is selectively given to the sheet discharge roller via a gear. 5. The rotation of said receiving roller is selectively given to a discharge roller via a transmission means, and said transmission means is provided with a first
4. The sheet post-processing device according to claim 3, which is incorporated in a side frame. 6. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein one of the pair of discharge rollers is supported by a swing arm and selectively comes into contact with or separates from the other discharge roller. 7. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the staple unit comprises a staple cartridge detachable from the unit and a cover hinged to the first side frame so as to be openable and closable. 8. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a guide for guiding the staple cartridge to be attached to and detached from the staple unit is provided inside the cover. 9. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the staple unit is held by a bracket rotatably supported on the first side frame so that the staple unit can be turned laterally from the first side frame. 10. A sheet conveying path from a sheet receiving section to a sheet discharging section, and first and second sheets provided on both sides in the width direction of the sheet conveying path.
A processing tray configured to support the rear end of a sheet with the both sides defined by the side frame; a sheet alignment member configured to press and align the sheet on the processing tray against the first side frame; A staple unit provided on the first side frame for binding a sheet on one side of the processing tray; a receiving roller provided on a sheet receiving unit; a feed roller provided in the middle of a sheet conveying path; A transport system comprising a large-diameter feed ring capable of working rotation and elastically deformable, and a discharge roller provided at a sheet discharge port; one motor for constantly rotating the receiving roller and the feed roller in a sheet forward transport direction; A timing gear selectively receiving rotational motion from the feed roller, and selectively rotating in a sheet reverse conveying direction provided in the discharge unit; That the sheet post-processing device including a paddle, comprising a rotation of said timing gear and means for transmitting to said discharge roller, and a sheet transport system incorporated into the second side frame.