JP2008049484A - Bookbinding device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the exterior appearance of a booklet by a method wherein the booklet is produced by a cover casing-in bookbinding under the condition that the run off of adhesive is set to be acceptable in applying the adhesive to a paper bundle. <P>SOLUTION: The bookbinding device has a pinchingly supporting means comprising a supporting member for pinchingly supporting the thickness direction of the paper bundle and a thrusting member, an adhesive coating means for applying the adhesive to the back part of the paper bundle pinchingly supported by the pinchingly supporting means, a moving means for relatively moving the pinchingly supporting means and the adhesive coating means parallel to the back part of the paper bundle, a contacting and separating means for bringing into contact or separation of the adhesive coating means with/from the back part of the paper bundle, a square back forming means by forming a square back by pasting a cover paper to the back part of the paper bundle coated with the adhesive and then folding the cover paper with a pair of forming members and a controlling means for controlling the moving amount of the moving means under the condition that the controlling means controls the moving amount of the moving means so as to be selectively settleable the longitudinal coating length of the adhesive to the back part of the paper bundle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bookbinding apparatus that binds a heat-melted adhesive to one side edge of a stack of sheets on which sheets are stacked and binds by solidifying the adhesive, and an image forming apparatus including the bookbinding apparatus. The present invention relates to a technique for applying, with an adhesive application roller, a hot-melt adhesive while moving the adhesive application roller in the longitudinal direction of the back of the sheet bundle.

  For example, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus has high-speed performance, multiple functions, a network function, and the like, and uses as a printing apparatus are expanded by connecting a large-capacity paper feeding apparatus and a large-capacity stacker.

  When the image forming apparatus is used as a printing apparatus, it is possible to perform a series of processes from printing to bookbinding in a single system by connecting a bookbinding apparatus that binds printed matter.

  In the adhesive application device of Patent Document 1, the control means changes and controls the rotation speed of the application roller by the rotation driving means in accordance with the value detected by the thickness detection means. The bookbinding apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes the adhesive application device, and includes a holding time changing unit that changes the required holding time of the holding unit after the adhesive application is completed based on the control of the control unit of the adhesive application device. Is.

Further, as a bookbinding process, a case binding process is known in which a bundle of printed sheets is covered with a cover sheet (cover sheet) in a U-shape to form a booklet.
JP-A-2005-47199

  In the adhesive application apparatus and the bookbinding apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the rotation speed of the application roller is changed by the rotation driving means according to the thickness of the sheet bundle, and the movement speed of the application roller and the adhesive container is changed by the movement drive means. By controlling, the application amount of the adhesive is controlled.

  However, even if the sheet size of the bundle of sheets to be bound is changed, the adhesive is always applied with a predetermined constant stroke.

  When cover sheets are stuck to the back of a paper bundle that has been coated with adhesive, and the square back-shaping is performed, the adhesive applied to the back of the paper bundle is pressed, and part of the adhesive is attached to both ends of the back. To the side. For this reason, in consideration of the amount of the adhesive that flows out when the cover sheet is adhered, control is performed so that the adhesive is applied slightly less.

  On the other hand, when trimming the 3 side edges excluding the back of the booklet or the 2 side edges perpendicular to the back using a three-way trimming device after the case binding process, the adhesive protrudes from the back of the sheet bundle before trimming. After sticking the sheet bundle and the cover sheet and cutting the side edge by a three-way cutting device, the excess adhesive is cut off and discarded together with the cutting waste.

  When a booklet is made by attaching cover paper with the adhesive protruding from the back of the paper bundle, the appearance quality of the booklet deteriorates and the solidified adhesive interferes with the booklet when it is set up. For this reason, it is not preferable for organizing the booklet, and it is desired to prevent the adhesive from protruding.

  The present invention improves the appearance quality of the booklet by improving the appearance quality of the booklet by producing a booklet that is set to select whether or not the adhesive protrudes when the adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bookbinding apparatus capable of holding the image and an image forming apparatus including the bookbinding apparatus.

  The above object is solved by the following invention of the present invention.

  1. A sandwiching means comprising a support member and a pressing member for sandwiching the thickness direction of the sheet bundle; an adhesive application means for applying an adhesive to a back portion of the sheet bundle sandwiched by the sandwiching means; the sandwiching means; A moving means for moving the adhesive applying means relative to the back of the sheet bundle, a contacting / separating means for contacting and separating the adhesive applying means and the back of the paper bundle, and the adhesive are applied. In addition, there is a square back forming means for sticking a cover paper to the back of the paper bundle and bending the cover paper by a pair of molding members to form a square back, and a control means for controlling the movement amount of the moving means. The bookbinding apparatus is characterized in that the control means controls the moving amount of the moving means so as to selectively set the adhesive application length in the longitudinal direction of the back portion of the sheet bundle.

  2. The image forming apparatus main body forms an original toner image based on the original data on the recording paper, and the bookbinding apparatus described in 1 above is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body by a switch of the operation unit. Whether or not the adhesive to be applied to the back portion of the stacked sheet bundle is set, and the control means controls whether or not the adhesive protrudes from both ends of the back portion of the sheet bundle. An image forming apparatus.

  1. According to the bookbinding apparatus of the present invention, the appearance quality of a booklet is improved by producing a booklet that is bound and set so as to be able to select whether or not the adhesive protrudes when an adhesive is applied to a sheet bundle. In addition, a bookbinding apparatus capable of maintaining the strength of the booklet and an image forming apparatus including the bookbinding apparatus are provided.

  2. According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the bookbinding apparatus connected to the main body of the image forming apparatus makes it possible to perform a series of processes from printing to bookbinding in a single system, thereby improving the efficiency of bookbinding.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a bookbinding apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a bookbinding system including a bookbinding device (post-processing device) B, a booklet storage device C, and an automatic document feeder DF.

[Image forming apparatus body A]
The image forming apparatus main body A includes an image forming unit in which a charging unit 2, an image exposing unit 3, a developing unit 4, a transfer neutralizing unit 5, and a cleaning unit 6 are arranged around a rotating image carrier 1. The image forming means uniformly charges the surface of the image carrier 1 by the charging means 2 and then performs exposure scanning based on the image data read from the document by the laser beam of the image exposure means 3 to form a latent image. Then, the latent image is reversely developed by the developing means 4 to form a toner image on the surface of the image carrier 1.

  A recording sheet (hereinafter referred to as a sheet) S, which is a sheet fed from the sheet storage means 7A, is sent to the transfer position. After the toner image is transferred onto the sheet S by the transfer neutralization unit 5 at the transfer position, the charge on the sheet S is erased and separated from the image carrier 1 and conveyed by the conveying unit 7B, and then heated and fixed by the fixing unit 8. Then, the paper is discharged from the paper discharge roller 7C.

  When image formation is performed on both sides of the sheet S, the sheet S heated and fixed by the fixing unit 8 is branched from the normal sheet discharge path by the conveyance path switching unit 7D and switched back by the reverse conveyance unit 7E. After the reversal, it passes through the image forming unit again, forms an image on the back surface of the paper S, and is discharged from the paper discharge roller 7C to the outside of the apparatus via the fixing unit 8. The paper S discharged from the paper discharge roller 7C is sent to the bookbinding apparatus B.

  The developer remaining on the surface of the image carrier 1 after image processing is removed by the cleaning unit 6 to prepare for the next image formation.

  An operation unit 9 including an input unit and a display unit is disposed on the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body A.

[Bookbinding device B]
As shown in FIG. 1, the bookbinding apparatus B according to the present invention includes a sheet transport unit 10, a sheet discharge unit 20, a sheet reversing unit 30, a sheet bundle storage unit 40, an adhesive application unit 50, a cover sheet supply unit 60, a cover sheet cutting unit. A case binding apparatus having means 70, square back molding means 80, and the like. Each of these means is arranged in a column in a substantially vertical direction in the bookbinding apparatus B.

  The main control unit 100 of the image forming apparatus main body A and the post-processing control unit 200 of the bookbinding apparatus B are connected by serial communication units 101 and 201.

  FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the bookbinding apparatus B according to the present invention.

<Paper conveying means 10>
The sheet S introduced into the sheet conveying unit 10 is nipped between the conveying rollers 11 and 12 and conveyed, and is branched to either the paper discharge unit 20 or the sheet reversing unit 30 by the conveyance path switching unit Z1.

  The conveyance path switching unit Z2 disposed upstream of the conveyance roller 11 in the sheet conveyance direction branches the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A to either the conveyance path of the conveyance roller 11 or the conveyance path of the conveyance roller 13. Let The sheet S conveyed to the conveyance path of the conveyance roller 13 is nipped by the conveyance roller 14 and sent to the square back forming unit 80.

<Discharge means 20>
When the sheet conveyance is set, the conveyance path switching unit Z1 blocks the conveyance path to the sheet bundle housing unit 40 and opens the conveyance path to the paper discharge unit 20.

  The sheet S passing through the conveyance path of the sheet discharge means 20 is nipped by the conveyance roller 21 and conveyed upward, and is discharged and stored on the fixed sheet discharge tray 23 at the top of the apparatus by the sheet discharge roller 22. On the fixed sheet discharge tray 23, the sheets S discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A can be directly received and a maximum of about 200 sheets can be stacked.

<Paper reversing means 30>
The sheet S branched to the left in the figure on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction by the conveyance path switching unit Z1 is sandwiched between the conveyance rollers 31, 32, 33, and 34 and is stored in a predetermined position of the sheet reversing unit 30. The sheet reversing unit 30 includes a sheet placing table 35 that is inclined, a swingable sheet rear end positioning member 36, a sheet width aligning member 37, a conveyance roller 38, and the like.

<Paper bundle accommodating means 40>
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the sheet stacking unit of the sheet bundle housing unit 40 is installed in an inclined state.

  The paper stacking unit includes a support member 41, a receiving plate 42, a rear end alignment member 43, a lateral alignment member 44, a pressing member 45, and the like.

  The paper S placed on the paper placement table 35 of the paper reversing means 30 is sandwiched between the transport rollers 38, discharged from the opening opened by the swing of the paper rear end positioning member 36, and transported obliquely downward. . The sheets S are sequentially stored and stacked in the sheet bundle storing unit 40.

  The sheet bundle storage unit 40 includes a support member 41 having an inclined stacking surface and a swingable receiving plate 42, and the sheet S descending from the sheet reversing unit 30 slides on the stacking surface of the tilted support member 41. Then, the leading end of the sheet S comes into contact with the receiving plate 42 and is stopped, and the sheet S is supported in an inclined state.

  The rear end alignment member 43 presses the rear end portion of the paper S in accordance with the size of the paper S placed on the stacking surface of the support member 41 so that the front end portion of the paper S contacts the receiving plate 42. Align the tip (vertical alignment).

  The sheets S sequentially discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A are switched back by the sheet reversing unit 30 and are collected in the sheet bundle accommodating unit 40, and are vertically aligned and laterally aligned as described later, and are formed of a plurality of sheets S. A bundle Sa is formed.

  The size of the sheet S and the number of sheets of the sheet bundle Sa are set in the operation unit 9 of the image forming apparatus main body A shown in FIG. Alternatively, it is set by an external device such as a personal computer connected to the image forming apparatus main body A.

  When the on-line system is activated, that is, when the horizontal alignment member 44 is interlocked with the image forming apparatus main body A, the lateral alignment member 44 is transported from the sheet reversing unit 30 and is stored on the side of the sheet S stored in the sheet bundle storing unit 40. Alignment in the paper width direction is performed by pressing the edge (lateral alignment).

  Further, when the offline system is activated, that is, when only the bookbinding process is performed without interlocking with the image forming apparatus main body A, the operator holds the lateral alignment member 44 by hand and puts it in the sheet bundle storage unit 40. The width direction of the sheet bundle accommodated from the outside is aligned manually.

  The pressing member 45 presses and sandwiches the thickness direction of the sheet bundle Sa accumulated in the sheet bundle accommodating means 40. When the set number of sheets S is stored in the sheet bundle storage unit 40, the pressing member 45 is actuated by a driving unit (not shown), and the sheet bundle Sa is held by the holding unit composed of the support member 41 and the pressing member 45. And hold.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the sheet stacking unit of the sheet bundle housing unit 40 is installed in an upright state.

  The support member 41 and the pressing member 45 holding the sheet bundle Sa are rotated about the shaft 46 of the sheet bundle accommodating means 40 by a motor and a driving unit (not shown) to change the sheet bundle Sa from an inclined state to an upright state. To do. In this state, the adhesive application unit 50 is retracted downward, and the lower surface of the sheet bundle Sa is separated from the adhesive application roller 51 of the adhesive application unit 50.

  Further, in a state where the support member 41 and the pressing member 45 hold the sheet bundle Sa, the receiving plate 42 is rotated from the broken line position shown in the figure to the solid line position by the driving means (not shown) and retracted.

<Adhesive application means 50>
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet bundle housing unit 40, the adhesive application unit 50, the cover sheet supply unit 60, the cover sheet cutting unit 70, and the square back molding unit 80.

  The adhesive application unit 50 supports the adhesive application roller 51, the drive unit 52 that rotationally drives the adhesive application roller 51, the adhesive container 53 that stores the adhesive (glue) N, and the bookbinding apparatus that supports the adhesive container 53. A movable body 54 movable from the initial position B to the adhesive application position, a moving means 55 for reciprocating the movable body 54, a heating means 56 for heating the adhesive N accommodated in the adhesive container 53, and the like. ing. The adhesive application roller 51 has a built-in rod heater (not shown).

<Applying adhesive to paper bundle>
The moving body 54 of the adhesive application unit 50 is moved by a driving unit (not shown) in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the lower surface of the sheet bundle Sa held in an upright state by the holding unit composed of the support member 41 and the pressing member 45. .

  The moving body 54 starts to move from the initial position on the back side R of the bookbinding apparatus B, is moved along the moving means 55, stops at a predetermined position on the front side F of the bookbinding apparatus B, and then reversely drives to start the initial position. (See FIG. 10).

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the adhesive application means 50 and the clamping means.

  The adhesive application roller 51 immersed in the adhesive container 53 containing the adhesive N is rotated by the motor M1 and the driving means 52. The adhesive application roller 51 applies the adhesive N in the longitudinal direction of the lower surface of the sheet bundle Sa held in an upright state by the forward movement or reciprocation of the moving body 54.

  The adhesive N applied to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating adhesive application roller 51 is made uniform by regulating the layer thickness of the adhesive N by the adhesive layer regulating member 57.

<Cover Supply Unit 60>
As shown in FIG. 5, a cover sheet (hereinafter referred to as a cover sheet) K, which is a cover sheet accommodated in a cover stacking means 61 of the cover supply means 60, is separated and fed by a paper feed means 62, and is conveyed by a transport roller. It is sandwiched between 63, 64, 65 and conveyed to the square back molding means 80.

<Cover cutting means 70>
A cover sheet cutting means 70 integrally formed on the right side of a square back molding means 80, which will be described later, above the cover sheet supply means 60 is a length in the conveyance direction of the cover sheet K by a rotary cutter comprising a rotary blade 71 and a fixed blade 72. The length is cut to a predetermined length.

  The predetermined length is a length obtained by adding the length of the back portion of the sheet bundle Sa to the length of two sheets in the traveling direction of the sheet S. For example, in the case of the case binding process in which the cover K is pasted on the back of the sheet bundle Sa made of A4 size paper S, the maximum number of the sheet bundle Sa is 300 sheets and the thickness is about 30 mm. The predetermined length is set to 450 mm, which is twice the short side length of 210 mm of A4 size paper and the thickness of the sheet bundle Sa is added to about 30 mm, and the end portion of the cover sheet K is cut. A wide size of 450 mm or more is used for the total length of the cover K before cutting.

  Even when each booklet S of A5 size, B5 size, and 8.5 × 11 inches (1 inch is 25.4 mm) is case-bound to produce a booklet Sb, the short side length of the paper and the bundle of paper The predetermined length is set depending on the thickness.

  When the paper size, the number of paper sheets, and the paper thickness are selected or detected in the operation unit 9 of the image forming apparatus main body A or a connected external device, the control unit sets the predetermined cutting length of the cover sheet K. Set. The length of the cover sheet K before cutting is determined in advance corresponding to the maximum number of sheets, and is stored in the cover sheet stacking unit 61 of the cover sheet supply unit 60.

<Square back molding means 80>
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the driving means of the square back molding means 80.

  The square back molding means 80 abuts and attaches the cover K to the back of the sheet bundle Sa to which the adhesive N is applied, and forms the square spine by bending the cover K with a pair of molding members 87A and 87B.

  A roller 810 is rotatably supported at a lower portion near the front end of the molding member 87A disposed on the left side of the sheet bundle Sa in the drawing. The roller 810 is movable in the horizontal direction while abutting against a flat surface portion of the support member 801 fixed to the main body of the bookbinding apparatus B.

  The connecting plate 811 fixed in the vicinity of the rear end portion of the molding member 87A is connected to the moving frame body 812. The moving frame body 812 can slide through a bearing on a guide rod 804 that is horizontally supported by support members 802 and 803 fixed to the main body of the bookbinding apparatus B.

  A rack gear G <b> 1 is formed at the bottom of the moving frame body 812. The rack gear G1 meshes with a pinion gear G2 supported by the main body of the bookbinding apparatus B. The pinion gear G2 is rotated by the motor M3, moves the rack gear G1 in the horizontal direction, and moves the moving frame body 812, the connecting plate 811 and the molding member 87A that are integral with the rack gear G1. The sensor PS1 detects the amount of movement of the moving frame 812.

  A roller 820 is rotatably supported at a lower portion near the front end portion of the molding member 87B disposed on the right side of the sheet bundle Sa in the drawing. The roller 820 is movable in the horizontal direction in contact with the flat surface portion of the support member 801 fixed to the main body of the bookbinding apparatus B.

  The connecting plate 821 fixed near the rear end of the molding member 87B is connected to the moving frame body 822. The moving frame body 822 can slide on the guide rod 804 via a bearing.

  A rack gear G <b> 3 is formed at the bottom of the moving frame body 822. The rack gear G3 meshes with the pinion gear G4 supported by the main body of the bookbinding apparatus B. The pinion gear G4 is rotated by the motor M4, moves the rack gear G3 in the horizontal direction, and moves the moving frame body 822, the connecting plate 821, and the molding member 87B integral with the rack gear G3. The sensor PS2 detects the movement amount of the moving frame body 822.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the square spine forming unit 80 receives and transports the cover sheet K supplied from the cover sheet supply unit 60, and stops the transport rollers 81 and 82 that stop at a predetermined position. A pressure member 83 that is brought into pressure contact with the agent application surface, a movable casing 84 that supports the conveying rollers 81 and 82 and the pressure member 83, an alignment means 85, a lifting belt 86 that allows the movable casing 84 to move vertically and vertically, and the like. Have

  The square back molding means 80 and the booklet discharge belt 88 are integrally moved up and down by the lifting belt 86.

  When the square back forming means 80 stops at the lowered position and introduces the cover sheet K, the aligning means 85 moves from the initial position according to the size of the cover sheet K and presses both sides in the width direction of the cover sheet K before the cutting process. Width alignment. The cover K whose width is aligned and the curvature is corrected is switched back in the direction opposite to the introduction direction, conveyed to the cover cutting means 70, and cut at a predetermined position.

  Further, before the square spine forming means 80 adheres the cut cover sheet K to the back portion of the sheet bundle Sa in the lowered position, the aligning means 85 moves again from the initial position and both sides of the cover sheet K in the width direction. Is pressed to perform width alignment, and the cover K is placed at a predetermined position. Thereafter, the aligning means 85 returns to the initial position so as not to hinder the joining of the cover sheet K and the sheet bundle Sa, and then the square back forming means 80 is raised. When rising, the cover K is supported at a predetermined position.

  Therefore, the aligning means 85 installed in the up-and-down square back forming means 80 positions the cover K in the cover width direction before and after cutting the cover K by the cover cutting means 70, thereby improving the cover cutting accuracy and the sheet bundle Sa. And the alignment accuracy of the cover K and the simplification of the structure are achieved.

  The elevating means moves the movable casing 84 to the upper position by rotating the left and right elevating belts 86. At this raised position, the center portion of the cover sheet K placed on the pressure member 83 is pressed and adhered to the adhesive application surface of the sheet bundle Sa. After the adhesive application processing to the sheet bundle Sa is completed, the adhesive application means 50 moves backward and retracts.

<Cover folding>
On the upper part of the square back forming means 80, a cover folding means is provided. The cover folding means has a pair of symmetrical molding members 87A and 87B. The molding members 87A and 87B can contact and separate in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle Sa. The molding members 87A and 87B bend the cover K along the side edge of the adhesive-coated surface of the sheet bundle Sa, and superimpose the front cover and the back cover on the front and back surfaces of the sheet bundle Sa.

  After the process of folding the cover sheet K, the square spine forming means 80 is lowered by a predetermined amount by the descending drive of the elevating belt 86, and is retracted and stopped. Thereafter, when the clamping by the clamping means is released, the booklet Sb is dropped, and the back of the lower surface of the booklet Sb is placed in contact with the upper surface of the booklet discharge belt 88 and discharged.

  8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of the square back forming means 80 and the sheet bundle Sa showing the folding process of the cover K. FIG. 8A is a state before the cover sticking process, and FIG. 8 (c) shows the middle of the front cover folding, FIG. 8 (d) shows the end of the front cover folding, and FIG. 8 (e) shows the release of the front cover folding pressure.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a production process of a booklet Sb using a sheet bundle Sa and a cover K. FIG. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the cover sheet K and the sheet bundle Sa before the cover attachment process, FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the sheet bundle Sa to which the cover K is attached, and FIG. 9C is a sheet bundle. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a booklet Sb produced by folding a cover K around Sa.

  After the cover sheet K is bonded to the sheet bundle Sa to which the adhesive N is adhered, the molding members 87A and 87B are composed of the motor M5 and the lifting belt 86 shown in FIG. Driven by driving means. The holding member that holds the sheet bundle Sa descends. When the sheet bundle Sa descends, the cover sheet K is sandwiched between the molding members 87A and 87B and descends, and is deformed from the side edge portion of the adhesive-coated surface of the sheet bundle Sa (see FIG. 8C).

  Thereafter, the molding members 87A and 87B move in the horizontal direction toward the adhesive application surface side of the sheet bundle Sa and press and shape both side surfaces of the sheet bundle Sa to form a booklet Sb.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the booklet Sb is released when the pressing member 45 is released and dropped, and is placed on the upper surface of the booklet discharge belt 88 and discharged toward the booklet discharge port 89. It is discharged to an external booklet storage device C.

  The discharged booklet Sb is placed on the transportable belt 91 that can be moved up and down of the booklet storage device C, and is sequentially discharged by the rotation of the transport belt 91, and is stacked and stored on the paper discharge tray 92.

<Driving of adhesive application means 50>
Next, the adhesive application means 50 that is a feature of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 12.

  10 is a plan view of the adhesive application means 50 shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from above, FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XX of the adhesive application means 50 shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is an adhesive application means shown in FIG. It is YY sectional drawing of 50.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the rotating shaft 51A of the adhesive application roller 51 is rotatably supported by an approximately box-shaped adhesive container 53, and as shown in FIG. A part is immersed in the adhesive N such as melt.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the gear G5 fixed to the drive shaft of the motor M1 meshes with the gear G7 fixed to the rotation shaft 51A of the adhesive application roller 51 via the idle gear G6, and the gear G5 is fixed to the adhesive application roller 51. Transmit drive.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, 58 is a substantially box-shaped application body provided outside the moving body 54, and rotatably supports a shaft 59 fixed to the moving body 54.

  Four slide bearings 58A are provided on the upper part of the application main body 58, and two slide shafts 58B are slidably engaged with the slide bearings 58A. The main body 58 is arranged so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, 58C is a belt for sliding the application main body 58, and one part of the belt 58C is fixed to one of the slide bearings 58A via a coupling member 58D.

  The belt 58C is stretched around pulleys 58E and 58F provided in parallel with the slide shaft 58B, and drive is transmitted from the motor M6 to the pulley 58F.

  As shown in FIG. 12, 59 </ b> A is a solenoid for swinging the adhesive container 53 in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 12 and is fixed to the moving body 54. 59B is a solenoid for swinging the moving body 54 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 12 with a shaft 59 rotatably provided on the coating body 58 as a fulcrum, and is fixed to the coating body 58.

  As is clear from FIG. 12, when the solenoid 59A and solenoid 59B are energized and the plunger of each solenoid pops out, the outer peripheral surface of the adhesive application roller 51 becomes the same height and contacts the back of the sheet bundle Sa. Thus, the strokes of the plungers of the solenoid 59A and the solenoid 59B are set.

  As shown in FIG. 12, reference numeral 59 </ b> C is a detection unit that detects both sides of the sheet bundle Sa perpendicular to the back of the sheet bundle Sa, and is integrally provided in front of the application body 58 in the movement direction of the arrow.

  In FIG. 12, 57 is an adhesive layer regulating member for regulating the amount of the adhesive N carried on the adhesive application roller 51, and is installed with a certain gap with respect to the adhesive application roller 51. Has been.

  The adhesive application roller 51 is set to rotate in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. The application main body 58 goes straight in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS.

  Next, control of the bookbinding apparatus B configured as described above will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a control configuration diagram of the bookbinding apparatus B.

  Reference numeral 200 denotes post-processing control means for the bookbinding apparatus B. The storage means 202 stores the control procedure and various data of the bookbinding apparatus B, and the CPU 203 executes control based on the control procedure and data stored in the storage means 202. It is configured.

  The post-processing control unit 200 is configured to be communicable with the main control unit 100 of the host image forming apparatus main body A via the interface (I / F) 204, and information such as the size and the set number of sheets is transmitted. Detection means 59C is connected to the input side of the control means 200, and sheet bundle clamping means, motors M1 to M6, solenoids 59A and 59B, etc. are connected to the output side.

  Next, the process of applying the adhesive in the bookbinding apparatus B configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The bookbinding apparatus B and the image forming apparatus including the bookbinding apparatus B of the present invention are bonded so that the presence or absence of the adhesive N in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa can be selectively set. The amount of movement of the moving body 54 of the agent applying means 50 is controlled.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a process in which the adhesive application roller 51 is in contact with the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa.

  In FIG. 14A, the adhesive application region L2 is set to be smaller than the paper width L1, and the protrusion of the adhesive N in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the back portion Sa1 of the paper bundle Sa is suppressed.

  The adhesive application means 50 stands by at the initial position HP on the left side of FIG. 14A while the motor M2 for the adhesive application roller 51 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the posture of the sheet bundle Sa is changed to the vertical state by the sandwiching means including the support member 41 and the pressing member 45, the driving motor M6 (see FIG. 10) of the moving body 54 is driven to rotate. Then, the adhesive application means 50 starts to move in the direction of the dashed arrow in the right direction in FIG.

  Along with the movement of the adhesive application means 50, the solenoid 59A is actuated after a predetermined time T1 has elapsed since the detection means 59C detects the side Sa2 of the sheet bundle Sa (see FIG. 12), and from the end of the back portion Sa1. The adhesive application roller 51 comes into contact with the back portion Sa1 from the inside of the predetermined area, and application is started. That is, an adhesive application region L2 smaller than the paper width L1 is formed.

  After a predetermined time T2 has elapsed since the application body 58 has moved and the detection means 59C has detected the side Sa2 of the sheet bundle Sa, the solenoid 59A is deactivated, and the adhesive application roller 51 is moved from the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa. The non-application area | region L2a is formed by separating.

  Next, after a predetermined time T3 has elapsed since the detection means 59C detected the side Sa2, the solenoid 59B is deactivated, the adhesive application roller 51 is separated from the back portion Sa1, and the adhesion operation is terminated. Region L2b is formed.

  In the return stroke after the adhesive application operation of the adhesive application roller 51 is performed, the adhesive application roller 51 is controlled to be separated from the back portion Sa1 and return to the initial position HP.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  When the adhesive N is applied to the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa, the predetermined regions (the non-application regions L2a and L2b in FIG. 14) at both ends of the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa. The solenoids 59A and 59B are controlled so that the adhesive application roller 51 contacts the removed portion. This control makes it possible to produce a high-quality booklet Sb without the adhesive N protruding from the end of the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa.

  The non-application areas L2a and L2b can be set to optimum areas by experiments and the like while taking into consideration the material of the adhesive N, the application amount, the angular spine shaping means 80 pressing force, and the like.

  FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a sheet bundle Sa in which an adhesive is applied to the back portion Sa1 and a booklet Sb having a cover K attached thereto.

  FIG. 15A shows a state where the adhesive N is applied to the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa.

  In addition to the present embodiment, for example, the following embodiment can be adopted.

  Instead of moving the adhesive application roller 51, it is also possible to apply the adhesive N to the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa by moving a holding means for holding the sheet bundle Sa upright.

  A leveling roller can be formed in the vicinity of the adhesive application roller 51.

  Of the side Sa2 and Sa3 on both sides of the sheet bundle Sa, based on the detection information of the side Sa2 on the application start side and the size information of the sheet bundle Sa, the adhesive application means 50 and the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa It is also possible to control the contacting / separating means for contacting and separating.

  Instead of using the detection means for detecting the side edges Sa2 and Sa3 of the sheet bundle Sa, the standby position P is set between the initial position HP of the adhesive application means 50 and the adhesive application start position of the adhesive application means 50. The distance information from the standby position P to both ends of the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa is converted into the number of pulses of the motor M6 (see FIG. 10) composed of a pulse motor, and based on this, the contacting / separating means or the leveling member It is also possible to control the contact / separation means.

  Alternatively, a standby position P is provided between the initial position HP of the adhesive application unit 50 and the adhesive application start position of the adhesive application unit 50, and application of the side Sa2 and Sa3 on both sides from the standby position P is started. The distance information to the side edge Sa2 on the side and the size information of the sheet S are converted into the number of pulses of the pulse motor, and based on this, the adhesive application means 50 and the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa are brought into contact with and separated from each other. It is also possible to control the contact / separation means.

  Alternatively, instead of moving the adhesive application means 50 horizontally and upward from the standby position P, the adhesive application roller 51 is moved obliquely upward from the standby position P so that the adhesive application roller 51 directly contacts the adhesive application position. May be.

  In FIG. 14B, the adhesive application region L3 is set to be larger than or equal to the sheet width L4 after the cutting process, and the protrusion of the adhesive N in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa is formed. By doing so, the booklet Sb is produced while ensuring the adhesion between the back portion Sa1 and the cover K.

  In this booklet production mode, after the sheet bundle Sa and the cover sheet K are bonded, the sides of the booklet Sb are shaped by cutting the three sides by the cutting device, and the protruding adhesive N is removed together with the chips. Discard. Therefore, the paper S uses a wide size larger than the size of the booklet Sb after cutting. Reference numerals a, b, and c denote cutting lines that are sides of the booklet Sb after cutting.

  The adhesive application region L3 where the adhesive application roller 51 adheres the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa is set to be larger than the paper width L4 after the cutting process or the paper width L5 before the cutting process, and the back part Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa. The protrusion of the adhesive N in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction is formed.

  The adhesive application means 50 stands by at the standby position P on the left side of FIG. 14B while the motor M2 for the adhesive application roller 51 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the posture of the sheet bundle Sa is changed to the vertical state by the sandwiching means including the support member 41 and the pressing member 45, the driving motor M6 (see FIG. 10) of the moving body 54 is driven to rotate. Then, the adhesive application means 50 starts to move in the direction of the dashed arrow in the right direction in FIG.

  Alternatively, instead of horizontally moving and lifting the adhesive application means 50 from the standby position P, the adhesive application roller 51 is moved obliquely upward from the standby position P so that the adhesive application roller 51 directly contacts the adhesive application position. Also good.

  Along with the movement of the adhesive application means 50, the solenoid 59A is actuated after a predetermined time T1 has elapsed since the detection means 59C detects the side Sa2 of the sheet bundle Sa (see FIG. 12), and from the end of the back portion Sa1. The adhesive application roller 51 comes into contact with the back portion Sa1 from the inside of the predetermined area, and application is started. That is, an adhesive application region L3 larger than the paper width L5 is formed.

  After a predetermined time T2 has elapsed since the application body 58 has moved and the detection means 59C has detected the side Sa2 of the sheet bundle Sa, the solenoid 59A is deactivated, and the adhesive application roller 51 is moved from the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa. By separating, an adhesive application region L3 is formed.

  Next, after a predetermined time T3 has elapsed since the detection means 59C detected the side Sa2, the solenoid 59B is deactivated, the adhesive application roller 51 is separated from the back portion Sa1, and the bonding operation is completed.

  FIG. 15B shows a state where the adhesive N is applied to the entire surface of the back portion Sa1 of the sheet bundle Sa.

  FIG. 15C is a perspective view of the booklet Sb to be cut after the cover sheet K is attached to the sheet bundle Sa.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including an image forming apparatus main body, a bookbinding apparatus, and a booklet storage apparatus. Sectional drawing of the bookbinding apparatus which concerns on this invention. Sectional drawing of the state in which the paper stacking means of the paper bundle housing means is installed in an inclined state. Sectional drawing of the state in which the paper stacking means of the paper bundle housing means is installed in an upright state. Sectional drawing of a sheet | seat bundle accommodating means, an adhesive agent application means, a cover sheet supply means, a cover sheet cutting means, and a square back molding means. The perspective view of an adhesive agent application means and a clamping means. Sectional drawing which shows the drive means of a square back shaping | molding means. Sectional drawing of the square back shaping | molding means and sheet bundle which shows the bending process of the cover K. FIG. The perspective view which shows the preparation process of the booklet by a paper bundle and a cover. The top view which looked at the adhesive agent application means from the upper part. XX sectional drawing of an adhesive agent application means. YY sectional drawing of an adhesive agent application means. The control block diagram of a bookbinding apparatus. The schematic diagram which shows the process in which the adhesive application roller contacts / separates the back of the sheet bundle. The perspective view of the booklet with which the paper bundle with which the adhesive agent was apply | coated to the back part, and the cover were stuck.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Operation part 30 Paper reversing means 40 Paper bundle accommodating means 41 Support member 42 Receiving plate 43 Rear end alignment member 44 Lateral alignment member 45, 45A Press member 50 Adhesive application means 51 Adhesive application roller 54 Moving body 55 Moving means 57 Adhesion Agent layer regulating member 58 Application main body 59A, 59B Solenoid 59C Detection means 60 Cover sheet supply means 70 Cover sheet cutting means 80 Square back molding means 200 Post-processing control means A Image forming apparatus main body B Bookbinding apparatus (post-processing apparatus)
HP initial position K Cover paper (cover)
L1, L4, L5 Paper width L2, L3 Adhesive application area L2a, L2b Non-application area N Adhesive P Standby position R Rear side S Recording paper (paper)
Sa Paper bundle Sa1 Back Sa2, Sa3 Side Sb Booklet a, b, c Cutting line

Claims (7)

A clamping means comprising a support member and a pressing member for clamping the thickness direction of the sheet bundle;
An adhesive application means for applying an adhesive to a back portion of the sheet bundle held by the holding means;
Moving means for relatively moving the sandwiching means and the adhesive application means in parallel with the back of the sheet bundle;
Contact / separation means for contacting and separating the adhesive application means and the back of the sheet bundle;
Square spine molding means for sticking a cover paper to the back of the paper bundle to which the adhesive is applied and bending the cover paper with a pair of molding members to mold the square spine;
Control means for controlling the amount of movement of the moving means,
The bookbinding apparatus, wherein the control means controls the amount of movement of the moving means so that the adhesive application length in the longitudinal direction of the back portion of the sheet bundle can be selectively set. 2. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive application length is set by operating a selection switch arranged in an operation unit. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving amount of the moving unit is variably controlled according to a sheet size of the sheet bundle. A detecting means for detecting a side edge on the adhesive application start side of the sheet bundle perpendicular to the back of the sheet bundle is arranged, and based on the detection information of the detecting means and the sheet size information of the sheet bundle, The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit controls a movement amount of the moving unit. When performing a cutting step of cutting at least a side edge perpendicular to the back portion of the sheet bundle of the booklet composed of the sheet bundle and the cover sheet produced by the bookbinding apparatus, the control unit moves the moving amount of the moving unit. 5 is set to be larger than that in a case where the cutting step is not performed, and the adhesive is controlled so as to protrude from both ends of the back portion of the sheet bundle. Bookbinding equipment. In a case where at least a side edge perpendicular to the back portion of the sheet bundle of the booklet composed of the sheet bundle and the cover sheet produced by the bookbinding apparatus is not cut, the control unit sets the movement amount of the moving unit to the sheet bundle. The bookbinding according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bookbinding is controlled to be smaller than a length of the back portion of the sheet bundle and to prevent the adhesive from protruding from both ends of the back portion of the sheet bundle. apparatus. The image forming apparatus main body that forms an image on recording paper based on document data, and the bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the switch of an operation unit disposed in any one of the image forming apparatus main body and the bookbinding apparatus. Whether or not the adhesive to be applied to the back portion of the sheet bundle discharged from the forming apparatus main body and protruding is set, and whether or not the control means causes the adhesive to protrude from both ends of the back portion of the sheet bundle. An image forming apparatus that controls the image forming apparatus.

Images