JP2009298584A - Sorting device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new sorting device which is improved so that sorted sheets can be smoothly taken out all together without being scattered, and an image forming device. <P>SOLUTION: The sorting device 40 includes a loading means for holding a sorting member group 25G at a loading position in an overlapping state, a guide means for guiding respective sorting members 25 onto discharged paper sheets S loaded on a delivery paper mount 7, and a feeding means for feeding the sorting members 25 from the loading position to a sorting position via the guide means each time the number of the discharged paper sheets S loaded on the delivery paper mount 7 reaches the number for being sorted. At least a part of the feeding means is composed to be attachable/detachable or to be freely inserted/extracted to the delivery paper mount 7. A sorting unit 35 is equipped with the loading means, the guide means, and a part of the feeding means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sorting apparatus and an image forming apparatus having the same, and more specifically, a printing apparatus including a stencil printing apparatus, a copying machine including an electrophotographic copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, an ink jet recording apparatus, a plotter, etc. The present invention relates to a sorting apparatus installed in an image forming apparatus such as a multi-function machine having a plurality of functions.

  2. Description of the Related Art A sorting apparatus that is installed in an image forming apparatus described in the above technical field and sorts sheets discharged on a sheet discharge stand for each predetermined number is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 6).

  In the “paper discharge stacker” described in Patent Document 1, the paper discharge tray on which sheets are stacked is reciprocated in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction every time a set number of sheets are discharged. As a result, the discharged sheets are shifted in the width direction for each set number of sheets, whereby the printed matter is sorted for each sorting group.

  Some sorters aiming at the same effect as described above do not move the paper discharge table, but change the paper discharge position every time a set number of sheets are discharged. A device having an effect similar to that of the paper discharge stacker does not reciprocate the paper discharge table in the width direction. Instead of a paper discharge table on which sheets are stacked as in the “sorting device” described in Patent Document 2. Some of them rotate 90 degrees each time a set number of sheets are discharged. In this case, by changing the direction of the paper discharge tray, the sheets stacked on the paper discharge tray are alternately stacked for each set number of sheets.

  In a general office printing machine such as a stencil printing machine, jump plates are provided on both sides of the paper transport unit to raise the side edge of the paper, and the center of the paper is lowered below the side edge by these jump plates. There is a paper discharge stacking device which is bent so as to be bent in a U-shape and has a waist on the paper, and both sides of the discharged paper are supported by two side fences, and the paper is bent and stored in a U shape. . Such a paper stacking apparatus cannot use the above-described method of shifting and stacking the sheets in the width direction. Therefore, when sorting, the printer is stopped for each set number of sheets, and the operator Had repeated the sorting work of placing the mark tape on the paper.

  An example of such a tape sorting operation that is automated is a “tape launching device for a printing press” described in Patent Document 3. In this method, a tape on which sorting status information and the like have been launched is sent each time a set number of sheets are ejected, and is sandwiched for each set number of sheets.

  As is well known, there is also a sorter device in which sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus or printing apparatus are sent to a plurality of discharge trays, also called bin trays, for each set number of sheets, and the sheets are separated for each discharge tray.

  The “paper discharge sorting device” described in Patent Document 4 performs sorting by a pickup drive system, and when stacking paper for each sorting group on a paper discharge table, the end of the uppermost sheet in the sorting group is arranged. Is held by a pickup and shifted in the horizontal direction, and the shifted paper is used as a partition mark for the sorting group.

  Further, in the “sorting device” described in Patent Document 5, sorting is performed using a plurality of sorting members inserted between sheets discharged to a sheet discharge tray.

  Further, Patent Document 6 describes a method of inserting and sandwiching a sheet material for sorting between discharged print sheets using a track pole provided in the transport mechanism, and attaching and detaching the sheet material. .

JP-A-7-101615 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-78151 JP-A-7-1722 JP 2000-16680 A JP-A-9-315661 JP 2006-225142 A

  However, the above-described sorting apparatuses have various problems as described below. That is, in the “sheet discharge stacker device” described in Patent Document 1, in which sheets are stacked while being shifted in the width direction, overlapping sheets move by inertia when the sheet discharge table is moved and stopped. The boundaries that have been made may not be clear.

  In the case of a device that rotates the discharge table by 90 degrees as in the “sorting device” described in Patent Document 2, the length of any side of the discharge table must be equal to or longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of a predetermined sheet. The device becomes larger and the weight increases. Further, since the paper discharge table is rotated, the configuration becomes complicated and expensive. In addition, these apparatuses have a problem that they cannot be used for a U-shaped sheet that guides both sides of the sheet so that the sheet to be ejected is stiff.

  There are papers that are stacked in a U shape, and sorts using tape, but the tapes are unstable because they are rounded, and the tapes are not economical because they are difficult to reuse. There is also a problem that there is.

  Instead of the above-described mark tape, a blank sheet is discharged in a state where printing is temporarily stopped, and is used as a mark at the boundary of the sorting group. However, this mark blank is easy to discriminate because the contrast difference is clear when the printed matter is a solid image, but it is difficult to discriminate because the contrast difference is small in the case of a printed matter with a small image area.

  As in Patent Document 4, the method of sorting by pick-up is unstable, such as not shifting the paper depending on the type of paper, etc., and there is a possibility of smearing the image depending on the image position.

  Further, in the method of inserting the sorting member described in Patent Document 5, it is necessary to take out each group of the sorted paper, and there is a problem in workability of taking out the paper from the paper discharge table.

  Further, in the method of inserting a sheet material for sorting as described in Patent Document 6 and removing and attaching the sheet material, there is a high possibility that the sheet material is likely to shift when the sheet and the sheet material are taken out from the paper discharge table. Also, the work of returning the sheet material to the sheet storage unit is troublesome.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems and circumstances, and the sorted sheets are separated in a sorting apparatus that sorts a plurality of discharged sheets having been formed for each print job. The main object of the present invention is to realize and provide a novel sorting apparatus improved so that all the sorted sheets can be smoothly taken out at once and an image forming apparatus having the same.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the above-described object, the invention according to each claim employs the following characteristic means and configuration.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there are provided a sheet discharge table for sequentially stacking the discharged image-formed sheets, and a plurality of sorting members inserted between the sheets discharged on the sheet discharge table. A sorting unit configured to be detachably attached to the sheet discharge table, which sequentially feeds each sorting member from a stacking position where the plurality of sorting members are stacked and held to a sorting position where the sorting is performed. This is a characteristic sorting apparatus.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sorting apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein a stacking unit that holds the plurality of sorting members in the stacked state at the stacking position and the respective sorting members are stacked on the sheet discharge table. Each time the number of sheets stacked on the sheet discharge table reaches the number to be sorted, the sorting member is moved from the stacking position to the sorting position via the guiding means. And at least a part of the delivery means is configured to be detachable from the sheet discharge table. The sorting unit includes the stacking means, the guide means, and the at least delivery means. It is characterized by having a part.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sorting apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the discharged image-formed sheet is positioned and aligned in the sheet width direction of the sheet discharge table, and is detachable from the sheet discharge table. The sorting unit is attached to the side fence, and is configured to be detachable from the sheet discharge table together with the side fence.

  The invention according to claim 4 has an end fence configured to be detachable with respect to the sheet discharge table, which receives the discharged image-formed sheet in the sorting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The sorting unit is attached to the end fence, and is configured to be detachable from the sheet discharge table together with the end fence.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the sorting apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the sorting unit includes a holding unit that holds the sorted sheets after completion of the predetermined sorting. And

  The invention according to claim 6 is the sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the surface of each sorting member in contact with the sheet reduces the contact area with the sheet. It is characterized by being given.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sorting apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, image forming means for forming an image on a sheet, and a sheet for discharging the image-formed sheet to the sheet discharge table. An image forming apparatus including a discharge unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize and provide a novel sorting apparatus and an image forming apparatus having the same by solving the above problems. The effects for each claim are as follows. According to the first and second aspects of the invention, with the above-described configuration, the image-formed sheets sorted by the sorting member for each print job are taken out together with the sorting unit from the sheet discharge table smoothly and at once without being separated. be able to.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, with the above-described configuration, the image-formed sheets sorted by the sorting member for each print job can be smoothly and at once from the sheet discharge table together with the sorting unit and the side fence. It can be taken out. At this time, since one side end surface portion of the sorted image-formed sheet is in contact with the side fence, the sheet can be taken out with being aligned.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, with the above-described configuration, the image-formed sheets sorted by the sorting member for each print job can be smoothly and at once from the sheet discharge table together with the sorting unit and the end fence. It can be taken out. At this time, since the front end surface portion of the sorted image-formed sheet is in contact with the side fence, the sheet can be taken out while being aligned.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, since the sorted sheets are reliably held by the sorting unit by the holding means, the sheet take-out property is further improved.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, according to the above configuration, for example, ink or the like of the sorted sheet is brought into contact with each sorting member by the uneven surface treatment applied to the contact surface of each sorting member that comes into contact with the sorted sheet. As the adhesion to the surface is reduced, sheet contamination is reduced.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize and provide an image forming apparatus excellent in convenience that exhibits the effect of the sorting apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention including examples will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment and the like, components (members and components) having the same function, shape, and the like will be omitted by giving the same reference numerals after being described once. In order to simplify the drawings and the description, even if the components are to be represented in the drawings, the components that do not need to be specifically described in the drawings may be omitted as appropriate. When quoting and explaining constituent elements such as published patent gazettes, the reference numerals are shown in parentheses to distinguish them from those of the embodiments.

(First embodiment)
First, an overall configuration of a stencil printing apparatus 100 as an example of a sorting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an image forming apparatus having the same will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described using the stencil printing apparatus 100 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  The stencil printing apparatus 100 is disposed at substantially the center of an apparatus main body (not shown) and has a function of a print image forming unit (image forming unit) that forms a print image on a fed sheet or a sheet S as a sheet-like recording medium. The printing unit P having the plate cylinder 2 having the printing cylinder P, the printing plate P arranged at the upper left and the plate making unit N for making the master 1 and the printing unit P arranged at the lower left are printed by the printing unit P. A sheet discharge unit Q that functions as a sheet discharge unit that discharges and stacks printed sheets S on a sheet discharge table 7 serving as a sheet discharge table, and is disposed on the lower right side of the printing unit P. It is mainly composed of a sheet feeding unit R for feeding.

  The plate cylinder 2 has an ink-permeable porous structure, and is provided so as to be rotatable by winding a master 1 that has been subjected to plate making around an outer peripheral surface. Around the plate cylinder 2, the master 1 is heated and perforated to make a plate, and the plate making section N for feeding the master 1 to the plate cylinder 2, a sheet feeding roller (not shown) constituting the sheet feeding section R, and a separation A pair of registration rollers 4 for feeding the sheet S fed from a sheet feeding unit composed of a separation roller or the like as a unit in synchronization with the progress of the master 1 wound around the plate cylinder 2, and the registration rollers 4 A press roller 5 as pressing means for pressing the sent paper S against the plate cylinder 2 via the master 1, a peeling claw 6 for peeling the printed paper S from the plate cylinder 2, and the peeling claw 6 peeled the paper S. A paper transport unit 24 that transports the paper S toward the paper discharge tray 7 is disposed.

  The plate-making unit N is a thermal platen that includes a platen roller 9 that is rotationally driven by stepping (not shown) along the conveyance path 8 of the master 1 and a platen roller 9 that is disposed in contact with and separate from the platen roller 9. A head 10, a cutter 12 comprising a fixed blade 11 a and a movable blade 11 b disposed as cutting means for cutting the master 1, and a pair of transport rollers 13 for transporting the master 1 that has been subjected to plate making to the downstream side of the transport path 8, 14 and a guide plate 15 and the like constituting the conveyance path 8 are sequentially arranged to guide the master 1 that has been subjected to plate making. A roll core 1a around which the master 1 is wound in a roll shape, a platen roller 9, a pair of transport rollers 13, 14 and the like are rotatably supported on a side plate (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus main body.

The plate cylinder 2 is formed with a non-opening 2a and an opening 2b having a large number of ink-permeable apertures 2c. A mesh screen formed of a resin or metal net is wound around the opening 2b. The plate cylinder 2 is supported such that flanges (not shown) fixed to both ends thereof are rotatable around a support shaft 16 that also serves as an ink pipe 16. The plate cylinder 2 is rotatably supported on a side plate of the stencil printing apparatus main body (not shown) via a support shaft 16, and is indicated by an arrow (clockwise) in the figure by a plate cylinder drive motor as a plate cylinder drive means (not shown). Is driven to rotate. A plurality of ink supply holes 19 are formed below the ink pipe 16.
Inside the plate cylinder 2, an ink roller 17 and a doctor roller 18 that are in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 2 are provided so as to be rotatable with a slight gap therebetween. An ink reservoir 20 that receives ink dropped from the ink supply hole 19 of the ink pipe 16 is formed in a wedge-shaped space formed therebetween. Ink is supplied to the ink pipe 16 from an ink pack (not shown) provided outside the plate cylinder 2.

  A stage 21 and a clamper 22 are attached to the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 2 so as to sandwich the tip of the master 1 at the non-opening portion 2a. The stage 21 is formed of a ferromagnetic material and has a length along the axial direction of the plate cylinder 2. The clamper 22 is supported so that it can be opened and closed with a clamper shaft 23 disposed along the longitudinal direction of the stage 21 as a swing fulcrum.

The press roller 5 is disposed below the plate cylinder 2 so as to be opposed to and separated from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 2 via the master 1 so as to face the ink roller 17.
Here, the plate cylinder 2, the press roller 5, the ink roller 17 incorporated in the plate cylinder 2, and the doctor roller 18 function as print image forming means for forming a print image on the paper S, and the printing section P Is configured.

  The paper discharge unit Q includes a peeling claw 6 configured to be freely close to the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 2, the paper transport unit 24, the paper discharge table 7, the partition plate 45, a pair of side fences 50, It is mainly composed of an end fence 60 and a sorting unit 35 that is detachably attached to the paper discharge tray 7.

The paper transport unit 24 includes an endless transport belt 24c that is stretched between a driving roller 24a and a driven roller 24b, and a suction device 24d that generates a negative pressure that sucks the paper S by the rotation of a fan.
The partition plate 45 is a partition member that hangs down in the vicinity of the driving roller 24 a of the paper transport unit 24 and partitions the paper discharge table 7 and the paper transport unit 24.
The pair of side fences 50 has a function of positioning and aligning printed sheets S (hereinafter also referred to as “sheet discharge S”) conveyed / discharged by the sheet conveying unit 24 in the sheet width direction. The end fence 60 has a function of receiving the leading end portion of the discharged paper S conveyed / discharged by the paper conveying unit 24 and aligning the sheet in the sheet discharge direction X. As described above, the end fence 60 is provided on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction X and the partition plate 45 is provided on the upstream side on the paper discharge table 7, and the interval between the end fence 60 and the partition plate 45 is a sheet to be used. It is set slightly larger than the length size of S.
In the present embodiment, the paper discharge tray 7 and the sorting unit 35 constitute a sorting device 40 as shown in FIG. The details of the sorting apparatus 40 will be described after the operation of the stencil printing apparatus 100 in the non-sorting mode, that is, the operation in the normal printing mode.

  Next, the overall operation including the operation in the normal printing mode (non-sorting mode) of the stencil printing apparatus 100 will be described. A plate making start key (not shown) is set on a manuscript reading unit (not shown) arranged at the upper part of the stencil printing apparatus 100 and is arranged on an operation panel (not shown) which is also arranged at the upper part of the stencil printing apparatus 100. When the start signal is transmitted to the control means (not shown), the image of the original is read by the original reading unit, and the plate cylinder 2 is driven to rotate counterclockwise by the plate cylinder driving motor. . In this process, a used master (not shown) that has been wound around the plate cylinder 2 until then is peeled off by a plate removal device (not shown) and discarded. Then, the plate cylinder 2 is temporarily stopped when the clamper 22 reaches almost directly above, that is, at the home position of the plate cylinder 2. At the time of the stop, the clamper 22 swings in the opening direction around the clamper shaft 23 and is maintained in the plate feed standby state.

  When image data relating to an image of a document read by the document reading unit is output to the thermal head 10, the master 1 is punched and made based on the image data in the plate making unit N, and a dot-shaped punched image is formed. The The master 1 after completion of plate making is conveyed to the plate cylinder 2 side by rotational conveyance by the platen roller 9 and the conveyance roller pair 13 and 14. At this time, when it is determined that the leading end of the master 1 that has been subjected to plate making has reached the clamper 22 by counting the number of steps of the stepping motor that drives the platen roller 9 and the conveying roller pair 13, 14, an opening / closing operation (not shown) The clamper 22 is closed by the apparatus, and the leading end of the master 1 that has been subjected to plate making is held between the clamper 22 and the stage 21 on the plate cylinder 2. Subsequently, the plate cylinder 2 is rotated in a clockwise direction at a circumferential speed substantially equal to the conveying speed of the master 1, and the master 1 that has been subjected to plate making is wound around the outer periphery of the plate cylinder 2. When it is determined that the plate making is completed based on the number of steps of the stepping motor, the movable blade 11b is operated to cut the master 1 after the plate making, and the rotation of the platen roller 9 and the conveying rollers 13, 14 is stopped. . Then, when the plate cylinder 2 is further rotated, the winding of the master 1 that has been subjected to the plate making to the plate cylinder 2 is completed.

As described above, when winding of the master 1 having been subjected to the plate making onto the plate cylinder 2 is completed, the sheet S as a sheet-like recording medium loaded on a sheet feeding tray (not shown) of the sheet feeding unit R is fed as sheet feeding means. Pulled out by a paper roller (not shown), and further separated and fed one by one by the cooperative action of a separation roller and a separation pad (both not shown) as sheet separating means, and the rotational movement of the plate cylinder 2 Are conveyed between the plate cylinder 2 and the press roller 5 at a predetermined timing by a pair of registration rollers 4 that rotate in synchronization with each other. At the time of printing, the press roller 5 is displaced upward by an urging force of a spring constituting a plate cylinder contacting / separating means (not shown), thereby pressing the conveyed paper S against the outer periphery of the plate cylinder 2. As a result, the ink oozes out from the opening 2c portion of the plate cylinder 2 and the perforated portion of the master 1 that has been made, and is transferred and transferred to the paper S, thereby forming a print image corresponding to the image data. Printing called printing is performed.
At this time, on the inner peripheral side of the plate cylinder 2, ink is supplied from the ink pipe 19 to the ink reservoir 20 and rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction of the plate cylinder 2 and in synchronization with the rotation speed of the plate cylinder 2. However, ink is supplied to the inner peripheral side of the plate cylinder 2 by the ink roller 17 that is in rolling contact with the inner peripheral surface.

  The paper discharge S on which the printed image is formed in the printing unit P is peeled off from the plate cylinder 2 by the peeling claw 6 in the paper discharge unit Q, and is sucked and held on the transport belt 24c while being sucked by the suction device 24d. As the belt 24c rotates counterclockwise, the belt 24c is conveyed toward the sheet discharge tray 7, and the sheet S is positioned and aligned in the sheet width direction by the pair of side fences 50. By being received by the fence 60, the alignment in the sheet discharge direction X is performed, and the sheets are sequentially discharged and stacked on the discharge table 7 in an orderly manner. In this way, so-called plate printing is completed. After the plate printing is completed, the press roller 5 is separated from the plate cylinder 2, and the plate cylinder 2 returns to the home position and enters a print standby state.

  Next, a desired print speed value is set by pressing a print speed setting key (not shown) arranged on an operation panel (not shown), and before and after this, the number of prints is set with a numeric keypad (not shown) on the operation panel. Then, when a print start key (not shown) is pressed, in the same process as the above-mentioned plate printing, each of the paper feeding, printing, and paper ejection processes is repeatedly performed for the set number of prints at the set printing speed, All processes of stencil printing are completed.

  Note that the configuration and operation of the stencil printing apparatus are not limited to the stencil printing apparatus 100, and may be, for example, the apparatus example described in FIG. . Further, the configuration of the paper discharge unit that functions as the sheet discharge unit may be, for example, the device example described in FIGS. 1 to 20 of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent No. 3691182 except for the sorting device 40. It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus which is a stencil printing apparatus provided with such a sheet discharge means.

With reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9, the sorting device 40, the paper discharge tray 7 and the surroundings of the sorting unit 35 constituting the sorting device 40 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the sorting device 40 includes a plurality of sorting members that are inserted between the paper discharge tray 7 and the paper discharge (paper) S discharged on the paper discharge tray 7 for sorting. 25, and a unit configuration in which each sorting member 25 is sequentially sent from a loading position where the plurality of sorting members 25 are stacked and held to a sorting position where sorting is performed. And a sorting unit 35 configured. 1 and 2, reference numeral 25G denotes a sorting member group in a state where a plurality of sorting members 25 are held at the stacking position.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, etc., the sorting device 40 includes a stacking unit that holds the sorting member group 25G in a superposed state at the stacking position, and a discharge unit in which the respective sorting members 25 are stacked on the discharge table 7. Each time the number of sheets S to be sorted reaches the number of sheets to be sorted, the sorting means 25 is guided from the stacking position to the sorting position by the guiding means. And at least a part of the delivery means is configured to be detachable or detachable with respect to the paper discharge table 7.
The sorting unit 35 includes the stacking unit, the guiding unit, and at least a part of the sending unit.

Here, the sorting unit 35 is configured to be detachable or detachable with respect to the paper discharge tray 7 from the viewpoint of improving user operability and simplifying the apparatus. In other words, it is preferable that the sorted sheet discharge S is configured to achieve the effect of the present invention so that the sorted sheet discharge S can be easily taken out from the sheet discharge table 7. However, the operability of the user and the simplification of the apparatus are greatly hindered. As long as it does not, it may be configured to be detachable.
As a configuration of the insertion / removal means for allowing the sorting unit 35 to be inserted / removed with respect to the paper discharge tray 7, in addition to the present embodiment example, a guide hole or a guide hole generally using a guide member and a guided member, Fitting of a concave member such as a guide groove and a convex member such as a guided rod that is loosely inserted into the concave member, and coupling such as a key groove or serration that provides a predetermined holding force or functions as a positioning during the fitting. You may add the means.
Examples of a configuration in which the sorting unit 35 is detachably attached to the paper discharge tray 7 include a configuration in which the sorting unit 35 is detachable. For example, a mechanism incorporating a clamp that can be manually operated by one touch or a butterfly that can be easily tightened. Includes mechanisms using screws. However, the attaching / detaching means for fastening the screw with a tool is not included because the effect of the present invention is not exhibited.

  In FIG. 1, the pair of side fences 50 is configured to be able to be tilted up and down with respect to the paper discharge table 7, and can be slid and moved in the sheet width direction Y according to the size of the paper S, for example, A4, A3, etc. It is configured. A configuration in which each side fence 50 can be tilted up and down with respect to the paper discharge tray 7 and can be slid and moved in the sheet width direction Y according to the size of the paper S is shown in FIG. 2 of Japanese Patent No. 3691182, for example. This is the same as that disclosed in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, the end fence 60 is configured to be able to be tilted up and down with respect to the paper discharge stand 7 and can be slid and moved in both the sheet discharge directions X in accordance with the size of the paper S, for example, A4, A3, etc. It is configured. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-87146 discloses a configuration in which the end fence 60 can be moved up and down with respect to the paper discharge tray 7 and can be slid and moved in both directions of the sheet discharge direction X according to the size of the paper S. This is the same as that disclosed in FIGS.

As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 8A, the sorting member 25 is made of a plastic or metal thin plate so that it can be repeatedly used for sorting operations, and has a thickness of about 0.5 to 3 mm. Is used.
The sorting member 25 is a guided circular hole into which the main body outer peripheral surface 27a formed on the cap 27 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 and the main body outer peripheral surface 31a formed on the holder 31 can be loosely fitted. 25a, a convex groove portion 27b formed on the cap 27, a convex groove portion 31b formed on the holder 31, and a concave groove for guiding and positioning capable of loosely inserting the shaft movable portion 26a, respectively. 25b. Each groove 25b is formed at two locations facing each other at a position of 180 degrees on the inner periphery of the hole 25a of the sorting member 25 and connected to the hole 25a.

  As described above, the contour inner peripheral shape connecting the hole 25a and the groove 25b of the sorting member 25 is the contour outer peripheral shape connecting the main body outer peripheral surface 27a of the cap 27 and the ridge 27b, and the main body outer peripheral surface 31a of the holder 31 is convex. It is set and formed in a shape that is slightly larger than the contour outer peripheral shape connecting the strip portion 31b and the contour outer peripheral shape of the shaft movable portion 26a, and at least the weight of the sorting member 25 is the convex strip portion 27b, the convex strip portion 31b, or A dimensional tolerance is set so that the shaft can move up and down while being guided by the shaft movable portion 26a.

  In FIG. 3A, the length L from the center to the tip of the hole 25a of the sorting member 25 has a length L that can be placed and placed between the bundles of sheets S sorted according to various sheet sizes. Is preferred. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the holder 31 of the sorting unit 35 is disposed on the paper discharge tray 7 between the end fence 60 and the partition plate 45 and near the partition plate 45. Therefore, for example, the length L is set to 30 to 80 mm so that even small paper (paper discharge) S of B5 size or the like can be sorted. In the sorting units 36 of the second and third embodiments shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 to be described later, these are detachably provided on the side fence and end fence, and can be slid together according to various paper sizes. L = 10-50 mm is sufficient.

Further, it is desirable that the sorting member 25 is formed of a material that does not easily adhere to the ink on the discharged paper S due to ink, for example, a crystalline resin such as polypropylene (PP) or polyacetal resin (POM).
The sorting member 25 is not limited to this, and it is more preferable that the surface in contact with the paper discharge S is subjected to an uneven surface treatment for reducing the contact area with the paper discharge S. For example, as shown in an enlarged and exaggerated manner in FIGS. 8B and 8C, it is more preferable to use sorting members 25A and 25B with minute rounds or rib-like irregularities. In addition, for the same purpose, for example, the same is applied to spherical beads made of glass or ceramic as a fine unevenness, similar to those employed for preventing smearing of printed matter by an offset printing machine or the like. The surface-treated film may be adhered (the same applies to embodiments and modifications described below).

The stacking means that holds the sorting member group 25G in the stacked position at the stacking position includes a cap member 27 (hereinafter referred to as “cap 27”) and a holder member 31 (hereinafter referred to as “holder 31”). As shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, the cap 27 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and includes a main body outer peripheral surface 27a that can be loosely fitted into the hole 25a of the sorting member 25, and an outer wall surface at a 180-degree position of the main body outer peripheral surface 27a. Two protrusions 27b for sorting member guide and positioning, which protrude in the diameter direction and extend in the vertical direction (vertical direction) and can be loosely fitted in the grooves 25b of the sorting member 25, and the bottom wall of the outer peripheral surface 27a of the main body Two pins 27c projecting downward with a predetermined phase and angle with respect to the two ridges 27b, a hollow part 27d for releasing the projecting part of the shaft 26 from the shaft movable part 26a, and the outer peripheral surface of the main body The upper portion of 27a has a disk-shaped stopper portion 27e with the same protruding amount as the two ridge portions 27b, and these are resins having excellent wear resistance such as polyacetal resin (POM). Others are integrally formed with an appropriate metal.
The dimensions of the respective parts are set so that the outer peripheral surface 27a of the main body 27a of the cap 27 and the respective ridges 27b are quickly dropped by the weight of the sorting member 25 when they are inserted into the holes 25a and the respective grooves 25b of the sorting member 25. Yes.

The holder 31 has a thick cylindrical shape and protrudes in a diametrical direction from the outer peripheral surface 31a of the sorting member guide that can be loosely inserted into the hole 25a of the sorting member 25 and the outer wall surface of the main body outer peripheral surface 31a at a position of 180 degrees. Two protruding strips 31b for guiding / positioning of the sorting member that extend in the vertical direction (vertical direction) and can be loosely fitted in the grooves 25b of the sorting member 25, and a vertically long shape that extends in the vertical direction (vertical direction). Shaft insertion hole 31c, pedestal 31d formed at the lower end of main body outer peripheral surface 31a, two pins 31e for positioning holder 31 projecting downward from the lower surface of pedestal 31d, and the upper end of holder 31 And has two pin insertion holes 31f that are loosely inserted into the pins 27c of the cap 27, and that are examples. If it is integrally formed of polyacetal resin (POM) excellent resin or appropriate metal wear resistance of such.
The main body outer peripheral surface 31a of the holder 31 and the ridges 31b are sized so that they can be quickly dropped by the weight of the sorting member 25 when fitted into the holes 25a and the grooves 25b of the sorting member 25. Yes.

Guide means for guiding each sorting member 25 onto the sheet discharge S stacked on the sheet discharge table 7 includes a main body outer peripheral surface 31a of the holder 31 and two ridges 31b, as shown in FIGS. And a movable shaft portion 26a.
The delivery means for sending the sorting member 25 from the stacking position to the sorting position via the guide means each time the number of discharged sheets S stacked on the delivery table 7 reaches the number to be sorted. (Hereinafter referred to as “shaft 26”), the above-described tongue-shaped shaft movable portion 26 a integrally attached to the upper end portion of the shaft 26, and the driven gear 28 integrally attached to the lower end portion of the shaft 26. And a drive motor 29a (see FIG. 6) having a partial fan shape that selectively meshes with the driven gear 28 is mainly composed of a shaft drive motor 29 attached and fixed to the output shaft. The motor 29 is composed of, for example, a stepping motor.

The thickness (plate thickness) of the shaft movable portion 26a is formed slightly thinner than the plate thickness of the sorting member 25 shown in FIG. This is because the shaft movable portion 26a reliably engages only with one sorting member 25 located at the lowermost end of the sorting member group 25G occupying the stacking position as shown in FIG. Is to occupy.
The shaft 26, the shaft movable portion 26a, and the driven gear 28 are made of a metal such as an iron material, for example. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the motor 29 is attached / fixed to a frame member 30 (hereinafter referred to as “frame 30”) attached / fixed to the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 7 near the partition plate 45. The frame 30 is attached and fixed to the paper discharge tray 7. The paper discharge table 7 below the frame 30 is cut out so that the drive gear 29a and the driven gear 28 of the motor 29 can be released and stored. As shown in FIG. 6, the frame 30 is formed with a fitting hole 30 b that is detachably fitted to the two pins 31 e of the holder 31 and positions the holder 31, and an opening 30 a for escaping the driven gear 28. ing.
In FIG. 5, the shaft 26, the shaft movable portion 26a, and the driven gear 28 are assembled as shown in FIG. 5 to form a shaft assembly 26A.

  Here, the delivery means (shaft 27 and the shaft 31) holds the sorting member group 25G in a superposed state by the loading means (the cap 27 and the holder 31) and the delivery means (the shaft 31) via the guide means (the holder 31 and the shaft movable portion 26a). 26, the sorting position where the sorting member 25 is sent from the loading position by the shaft movable portion 26a, the driven gear 28, the drive gear 29a and the motor 29) will be supplementarily explained.

The stacking position for holding the sorting member group 25G in a superposed state is as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and at this time, the shaft movable portion 26a is placed through the holder 31 as shown in FIG. 6 (b). It is set so that it is in a position other than the dropping position where it drops 25 and falls downward.
The position of the shaft movable portion 26a shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 7 is in a position state in which the ridge portion 27b of the cap 27 and the shaft movable portion 26a are completely overlapped on the vertical line, and occupy the loading position. It is a position where it can be engaged and fitted to only the lowermost one of the sorting member group 25G that is guided and moved to the dropping position of the sorting member 25 shown in FIG. 6B. Name the position home position (initial position).

  On the other hand, the position of the shaft movable portion 26a shown in FIG. 6B is in a position where the protruding strip portion 31b of the holder 31 and the shaft movable portion 26a completely overlap each other on the vertical line, and the lowermost part of the sorting member group 25G. This is a position where the sorting member 25 engaged and fitted to only one sheet can be guided and moved from the loading position to the sorting position. Hereinafter, the position of the shaft movable portion 26a will be referred to as a drop guide position.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a shaft 26 having a predetermined length and an outer diameter is prepared, and a driven gear 28 is fixed by caulking or welding or the like after one end of the shaft 26 (lower end in the figure). The holder 31 is prepared, and the other end (the upper end in the drawing) of the shaft 26 is inserted into the shaft insertion hole 31c on the pedestal portion 31d side.
Next, the shaft movable portion 26a is fixed to the driven gear 28 with a predetermined phase and angle by caulking or welding. At this time, when the cap 27 is attached to the holder 31, that is, by fitting the pins 27 c of the cap 27 into the pin insertion holes 31 f of the holder 31, the pins 27 c hit the shaft movable portion 26 a (FIG. If the role of the stopper is given to the pin 27c as shown in FIG. 5), the shaft movable portion 26a becomes an operational index for making it easy to occupy the home position.

A control configuration for controlling the operation of the sorting apparatus 40 will be briefly described. The motor 29 is electrically connected to a control board provided with a power supply unit (not shown) and a control means (not shown) disposed in the main body of the stencil printing apparatus 100.
On the back surface of the frame 30 in the vicinity of the drive gear 29a, the home position of the motor 29 is detected by detecting the home position of the drive gear 29a. For example, a drive-side home position sensor (for example, a reflective photosensor or a transmissive photosensor) (Not shown) is arranged to monitor the home position of the drive gear 29a (motor 29). When a reflective photosensor is used as the home position sensor, for example, a combination configuration is used to detect a light-absorbing black mark applied at a position corresponding to the home position of the drive gear 29a, and a transmissive photosensor is used. In this case, for example, there is a combination configuration in which a through hole formed in the drive gear 29a corresponding to a position where the home position of the drive gear 29a is detected is detected.
Similarly, a home position sensor (not shown) composed of, for example, a reflective photosensor or a transmissive photosensor that detects the home position of the shaft movable portion 26a on the driven side is provided, so that the shaft movable portion 26a is provided. Preferably, the home position is monitored. When a reflective photosensor is used as the home position sensor of the driven shaft movable portion 26a, for example, a combination for detecting a light-absorbing black mark applied at a position corresponding to the home position of the driven gear 28, for example. When the transmission type photosensor is used, for example, there is a combination configuration in which a through hole formed in the driven gear 28 corresponding to a position where the home position of the driven gear 28 is detected is detected. Each home position sensor is electrically connected to the control means (not shown).

  The operation of the sorting apparatus 40 is performed by the control means (not shown) including a microcomputer (not shown) having a CPU, ROM, RAM, internal timer, I / O port, etc. This is done by controlling the motor 29 based on the signal from the sensor.

  Next, the operation of the sorting apparatus 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. For printing, for example, it is assumed that 40 sheets of paper S (printed matter) are sorted into five classes for each original. When the user determines that the printed printed material is a confirmation OK after completion of the printing in the same manner as in the normal printing mode described above, the user sets the document on the document reading unit (not shown), and then sets the printing speed setting key on the operation panel (not shown). Set a desired printing speed value with, and before and after this, enter “40” with the numeric keypad (not shown), then press “x”, enter “5”, and then press the print start key (not shown). When pressed, the sort printing mode is set and the sort printing operation starts. A sorting print mode key may be provided on the operation panel (not shown).

As in the normal printing mode described above, 40 sheets S are continuously printed at the set printing speed, and 40 sheets (discharged sheets) S are sequentially discharged and stacked on the sheet discharge table 7. Then, the printing operation is temporarily stopped and the next sorting operation is executed. Hereinafter, the symbol Sa is used to distinguish the paper (paper discharge) to be sorted from the other paper (paper discharge) S. The sorting operation in the present embodiment is stored in advance in the ROM or the like so as to always start from the home positions of the motor 29 and the drive gear 29a. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 6 (a), FIG. 7, etc., the driven gear 28 meshing with the drive gear 29a occupying the home position occupies the home position, that is, the shaft movable portion 26a The position of the phase and angle of 90 degrees with respect to the ridge 31b of the holder 31 occupies a home position that completely overlaps the ridge 27b of the cap 27 on the vertical line. In this position state, only one sorting member 25 positioned at the lowermost end of the sorting member group 25G is engaged and fitted with the shaft movable portion 26a.
In this state, for example, a predetermined pulse for forward rotation driving is supplied to a motor drive circuit (not shown) of the motor 29 in accordance with a command from the control means (not shown) based on a signal related to the home position from each home position sensor. The motor 29 is rotated forward by a predetermined number of steps corresponding to the predetermined pulse for forward rotation, so that the shaft movable portion 26a is connected via the shaft 26 together with the driven gear 28 meshed with the drive gear 29a. Is rotated in the direction of the arrow (clockwise), and when the shaft movable portion 26a occupies the drop guide position, the driving of the motor 29 is stopped. As a result, only one sorting member 25 positioned at the lowermost end of the sorting member group 25G is rotated from the position of the sorting member group 25G in FIG. 2 in the thick arrow (clockwise) direction shown in FIGS. When the shaft movable portion 26a finally occupies the drop guide position, that is, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6B, the shaft movable portion 26a and the protruding portion 31b of the holder 31 are When the position is completely overlapped on the vertical line, the sorting member 25 '' shown in FIG. 2 is released from the fitted state with the shaft movable portion 26a, and the main body outer peripheral surface 31a and the ridge portion 31b of the holder 31 are released. By dropping along with the dead weight under its own weight, it is brought into contact with and placed on the uppermost surface of 40 sheets (printed matter) Sa to be sorted stacked on the paper discharge tray 7.

As described above, the sorting member 25 '' is dropped by outputting a command for supplying a predetermined pulse for forward rotation driving to the motor 29 of the sorting device 40 by the control means (not shown). The shaft movable portion 26a can be stopped via the drive gear 29a by a known rotational position detection method in which a protrusion (not shown) provided on a part of the drive gear 29a is detected by a sensor (not shown). Good.
When the sorting member 25 ″ is dropped, the control means (not shown) outputs, for example, a command to supply a predetermined pulse for reverse rotation to the motor 29 via a motor drive circuit (not shown). By being driven reversely by a predetermined number of steps corresponding to a predetermined pulse for reverse driving, the shaft movable portion 26a is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow direction via the shaft 26 together with the driven gear 28 meshed with the driving gear 29a ( The shaft movable portion 26a returns to the home position again by being rotated counterclockwise.
In addition, you may perform the return to the home position of the shaft movable part 26a by the known rotational position detection method as mentioned above.

  Subsequently, the printing operation is started again, and after the second 40 sheets of printing are continuously performed, the printing operation is temporarily stopped, and two pieces are printed on the second 40 sheets (printed material) Sa. One eye sorting member 25 ″ falls. By repeating such a process, 40 × 5 = 200 sheets (printed matter) S are discharged while one sorting member 25 ″ is inserted for every 40 sheets (printed matter) Sa set in the print job. While being sorted on the paper table 7, it is stacked in an orderly manner.

  When several test prints are required, the first sorting member 25 '' is dropped on the paper (printed material) S on which these test prints have been performed, and then the regular printed material is printed. In the same manner as described above, after the predetermined number of prints set in the print job are performed, the operation of inserting the sorting member 25 ″ may be performed.

In this way, the paper (printed matter) S is sorted into five sheets of 40 sheets and stacked on the paper discharge tray 7. During this time, the user does not have to do anything, and the stencil printing apparatus 100 and the sorting apparatus 40 are all used. It works automatically.
When it is recognized that the set waiting time has elapsed, plate making and printing are executed again, and printing and sorting are repeated until the setting is completed.

  Next, when taking out all the sheets (printed matter) S that are neatly sorted out from the paper discharge tray 7, the user first tilts the side fence 50 outward in FIGS. 1 and 9 to easily take out the paper (printed matter) S. To do. Next, the entire sheet (printed matter) S is taken out from the lower part of the sheet (printed matter) S. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the sorting unit including the sorting member group 25G, the shaft assembly 26A, the cap 27 and the holder 31 is provided. Reference numeral 35 denotes a structure that is simply inserted into the frame 30 having the driving means for the delivery means shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, that is, as described above, the two pins 31 e of the holder 31 are fitted into the fitting holes of the frame 30. 30b is detachably fitted and detachable, and the engagement of the driven gear 28 and the drive gear 29a is also detachable. Together with the sorting unit 35, all S200 sorted sheets (printed matter) can be easily taken out upward.

  Next, the resetting operation of the sorting member 25 after all the sorted paper (printed matter) S is taken out will be described. First, the cap 27 is removed from the upper portion of the holder 31, and then the shaft movable portion 26 a and the protruding strip portion 31 b of the holder 31 are completely overlapped on the vertical line, and each sorting member 25 used for the sorting operation is placed in the holder 31. Take out from once. After that, each sorting member 25 is inserted along the ridge portion 31b of the cap 27 with the cap 27 turned upside down, and then the cap 27 in which each sorting member 25 is reset is shown in FIG. Attach and set on top of 31. Furthermore, the driven gear 28 or the shaft movable portion 26a may be rotated to reset the shaft movable portion 26a to occupy the home position as shown in FIGS.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, a part of the delivery means, that is, the sorting unit 35 portion including the driven gear 28 on the driven side and the driving side portion including the driving gear 29a and the motor 29, etc. can be separated. And since it is configured to be detachable, it is important to operate the shaft movable portion 26a to be surely positioned at the home position. In order to improve the operability of positioning the movable shaft portion 26a to the home position by the user, for example, as described with reference to FIG. 6A, the two pins 27c of the cap 27 are regarded as stoppers and come into contact therewith. Set or display the color and alignment mark according to the home position of both members. In addition to this, brake members such as rubber and one-touch type clamps are added to prevent deviation from the set position. It is also possible to add a mechanism for temporarily holding it so as not to move. Further, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a known configuration in which the gear teeth are partially cut out and meshed so that the driven gear 28 and the drive gear 29a mesh only at the home position may be used.

  Regardless of which configuration is added, since the home position sensor is provided for each of the driven side driven gear 28 and the driving side driving gear 29a in the present embodiment as described above, the driving force of the motor 29 is provided. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the shaft movable portion 26a and the pin 27c of the cap 27 from being damaged. Further, when a signal related to the non-home position from the home position sensor is input to the control means, the control means displays / notifies that effect on the operation panel so as to prohibit the sorting operation. By being configured in this way, it is only necessary to prevent the shaft movable portion 26a, the pin 27c of the cap 27 and the like from being damaged.

(Modification 1 of the first embodiment)
A modification 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
As compared with the first embodiment, the first modification replaces the sorting unit 35 and, after the completion of predetermined sorting, the upper discharge discharge lever 32 as a holding unit that holds the sorted discharge (paper) S. The only difference is that a sorting unit 35A having a lower discharge holding lever 33 and the like is used. Except for this difference, the first modification is the same as the first embodiment.

  Compared with the sorting unit 35 of the first embodiment, the sorting unit 35A has an upper discharge holding lever 32 and a lower discharge holding lever 33, and is formed at the upper portion of the cap 27A instead of the cap 27. The upper end of the discharge holding lever 32 is supported at a predetermined angle of 180 degrees, and the stopper 27e on the top of the cap 27A is formed at a position of 180.degree. The base 27 is provided with a cap 27A provided with a holding portion 27Aa having upper and lower protrusions for positioning and locking, and instead of the holder 31, a sheet discharge holding lever lower 33 is attached and fixed. The point which uses holder 31A provided with part 31Ad mainly differs.

  The upper discharge holding lever 32 and the lower discharge holding lever 33 are made of spring steel. The upper discharge holding lever 32 is supported so as to be pivotable by a predetermined angle about the support portion 27Ab, and is elastically engaged with the pair of holding portions 27Aa to separate the discharged paper S after the sorting is completed. 10 and 12 that presses the upper surface and a release position shown in FIG. 11 that is rotated 180 degrees or more from this pressing position.

  During a sorting operation during a print job, the user operates the user to raise the discharge holding lever 32 to occupy the open position so that the discharge operation of the discharge S is not hindered. After completion of the sorting operation in a predetermined print job, the user presses the discharge holding lever 32 to occupy the pressing position by the user's operation. When the upper discharge discharge lever 32 occupies the pressing position, the biasing force of the spring is set so that a predetermined pressing force is applied so that the sorted discharge S does not collapse.

The lower sheet discharge holding lever 33 is fixed to the base 31Ad of the holder 31 so as not to affect the discharge operation of the sheet discharge S. The holding portions 27Aa are provided at several locations using the convex portions 27b of the cap 27A with positions and shapes that do not hinder the loading of the sorting member group 25G and the drop guide of the sorting members 25. The pressing position can be adjusted in several stages depending on the number of sheets S.
According to the present modification, the sorted paper discharge (paper) S is securely held by the sorting unit 35A, so that the paper discharge and take-out properties are further improved. Of course, the present modification can be applied to second and third embodiments described later.

(Second Embodiment)
The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, depending on the paper size, sorting cannot be performed when the sorting device 40 is separated from the paper discharged and stacked on the paper discharge tray 7, and the length of the sorting member 25. This is disadvantageous in terms of space. In order to solve this problem, the second embodiment was created.
Compared with the first embodiment, the second embodiment uses a side fence unit 51 that is configured to be detachable with respect to the paper discharge tray 7 instead of the one side fence 50, and the sorting device 40. Instead, the sorting device 41 is used. Except for this difference, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment. Note that the side fence 50 and the side fence unit 51 are appropriately provided with a seating member or the like for seating upward in a convex / U shape with respect to the paper discharge S, but FIG. In order to simplify the feature points, these are not shown and are simply shown.

  As compared with the sorting device 40 of the first embodiment, the sorting device 41 is attached to the side fence unit 51 instead of the sorting unit 35 and is detachable from the paper discharge tray 7 together with the side fence unit 51. The main difference is that the configured sorting unit 36 is used.

As shown in FIG. 13, the sorting unit 36 is attached to a portion of the side fence unit 51 that is close to the partition plate 45 in the paper discharge unit Q of the stencil printing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. Yes. Two pins 51 a are integrally planted on the bottom wall of the side fence unit 51.
The basic function and configuration of the sorting unit 36 are the same as those of the sorting unit 35. Compared with the sorting unit 35, the upper cap portion (not shown) is connected to the side via a butterfly bolt (not shown), for example. The point attached to the upper part of the fence unit 51, the point that the lower pedestal part (not shown) is attached to the lower part of the side fence unit 51 via, for example, butterfly bolts (not shown), and shown in FIG. The main difference is that a coupling 46 is provided instead of the driven gear 28 of the shaft assembly 26A.

  On the other hand, the side fence receiving base 52 in which two support holes 52a that can be fitted into the two pins 51a of the side fence unit 51 are formed on the side of the paper discharging base 7 is a sheet according to the paper discharge (paper) size. It is arranged to be slidable in the width direction Y. Further, a motor 29 having a coupling 47 that can be selectively fitted with the coupling 46 of the sorting unit 36 on the output shaft is disposed on the discharge tray 7 side. 13, the side fence pedestal 52 and the motor 29 are integrally coupled by a connecting member (not shown), and the sheet width direction Y depends on the sheet discharge (paper) size. The slider 53 is slidable. A power supply line and a signal line (not shown) connected to the motor 29 are flexible, such as a flexible flat cable, that can follow the movement (the same applies to the third embodiment). For example, the slider 53 employs a mechanism similar to the slide configuration shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent No. 3691182, and is provided with a rail (see FIG. (Not shown) and can be slid and moved.

As described above, the sorting unit 36 of the present embodiment is attached to one side fence unit 51 and is configured to be detachable or detachable with respect to the paper discharge tray 7 together with the side fence unit 51.
Since the operation of the sorting apparatus 41 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, the paper discharged for each print job by the sorting member 25 can be smoothly and simultaneously taken out from the paper discharge tray 7 together with the sorting unit 36 and the side fence unit 51 without being separated. At this time, since one side end surface portion of the sorted paper discharge is in contact with the inner wall surface of the side fence unit 51, the paper discharge can be taken out with being aligned. Further, since the sorting unit 36 can be moved together with the side fence unit 51 in accordance with the paper discharge size, the length of the sorting member 25 can be made shorter and smaller than that of the first embodiment.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, depending on the paper size, sorting cannot be performed when the sorting device 40 is separated from the paper discharged and stacked on the paper discharge tray 7, and the length of the sorting member 25. This is disadvantageous in terms of space. In order to solve this problem, the third embodiment was created.
Compared with the first embodiment, the third embodiment uses an end fence unit 61 that is configured to be detachable with respect to the paper discharge tray 7 instead of the end fence 60, and instead of the sorting device 40. The difference is that the sorting device 42 is used. Except for this difference, the third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment.

  Compared with the sorting device 40 of the first embodiment, the sorting device 42 is attached to the end fence unit 61 instead of the sorting unit 35, and is detachable from the paper discharge tray 7 together with the end fence unit 61. The main difference is that the same sorting unit 36 as in the second embodiment is used.

As shown in FIG. 14, the sorting unit 36 is attached to a portion where one side wall of the end fence unit 61 is cut away. Two pins 61 a are integrally planted on the bottom wall of the end fence unit 61.
The sorting unit 36 has the same basic function and configuration as the sorting unit 35. Compared with the sorting unit 35, the upper cap portion (not shown) is connected to, for example, a butterfly bolt (not shown). The point attached to the upper part of the fence unit 61, the lower pedestal part (not shown) is attached to the lower part of the end fence unit 61 via, for example, butterfly bolts (not shown), and shown in FIG. The main difference is that a coupling 46 is provided instead of the driven gear 28 of the shaft assembly 26A.

  On the other hand, an end fence receiving base 62 in which two support holes 62a that can be fitted into the two pins 61a of the end fence unit 61 are formed on the discharge base 7 side according to the discharge (paper) size. It is arranged to be slidable in the discharge direction X. Further, a motor 29 having a coupling 47 that can be selectively fitted with the coupling 46 of the sorting unit 36 on the output shaft is disposed on the discharge tray 7 side. 14, the end fence support 62 and the motor 29 are integrally coupled by a connecting member (not shown), and the sheet discharge direction X is determined according to the discharge (paper) size. The slider 63 is slidable. The slider 63 employs a mechanism similar to, for example, the slide configuration shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-87146, and a rail-like member (see FIG. (Not shown) and can be slid and moved.

As described above, the sorting unit 36 according to this embodiment is attached to the end fence unit 61 and is configured to be detachable or detachable from the paper discharge table 7 together with the end fence unit 61.
Since the operation of the sorting device 42 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  According to this embodiment, the paper discharged by the sorting member 25 for each print job can be smoothly and simultaneously taken out from the paper discharge tray 7 together with the sorting unit 36 and the end fence unit 61 without being separated. At this time, one side end surface portion of the sorted paper discharge comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the end fence unit 61, so that the paper discharge can be taken out with being aligned. In addition, since the sorting unit 36 can be moved together with the end fence unit 61 according to the paper discharge size, the length of the sorting member 25 can be made shorter and smaller than that of the first embodiment.

  The sorting apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the one shown in the above-described embodiment. For example, the sorting apparatus (1) shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 of JP-A-9-315661 is used as, for example, a motor (5). The drive means side such as the above is arranged on the paper discharge table side, and the sorting device (1) is unitized so as to be detachable or detachable from the paper discharge table.

As described above, the sorting apparatus of the present invention is preferably applied to a printing apparatus including a stencil printing apparatus, but is not limited thereto, a copying machine including an electrophotographic copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, an inkjet recording apparatus, Needless to say, it can be mounted and applied to an image forming apparatus such as a plotter or a multi-function machine having a plurality of functions.
Although the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments and modifications, the technical scope disclosed by the present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the above-described embodiments, modifications, or examples. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various embodiments, modifications, and examples can be configured within the scope of the present invention in accordance with the necessity and application. is there.

1 is a schematic front sectional view of a stencil printing apparatus provided with a sorting apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of the sorting device of a 1st embodiment. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a sorting apparatus with a sorting member group removed from FIG. 2. (A) is a top view of the sorting unit from which the sorting member group is removed from FIG. 2, (b) is a front view of the sorting unit, and (c) is a Sa-Sa cross-sectional view of (a). It is a disassembled perspective view of the sorting unit which removed the sorting member group from FIG. (A) is a plan view around the sorting unit explaining the state where the shaft movable part occupies the home position with the cap removed, and (b) is the shaft movable part dropped with the cap removed. It is a top view around the sorting unit explaining the state which occupies the guidance position. It is a perspective view around a sorting unit explaining the state where a shaft movable part occupies a home position. (A), (b), (c) is a perspective view explaining the shape and surface treatment state of a sorting member. It is a perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the sorting apparatus of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of a paper discharge holding lever of the sorting unit in Modification 1. FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of a paper discharge holding lever of the sorting unit in Modification 1. FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of a paper discharge holding lever of the sorting unit in Modification 1. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning state to the side fence of the sorting apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning state to the end fence of the sorting apparatus of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Master 2 Plate cylinder 7 Discharge stand (sheet discharge stand)
25, 25A, 25B Sorting member 26 Shaft (component of delivery means)
26a Shaft movable part (component of guide means)
27 Cap (component of loading means)
28 Driven gear (component of sending means)
29 Motor (component of sending means)
29a Drive gear (component of delivery means)
30 frame 31 holder (component of loading means and guiding means)
32 On discharge holding lever (holding means)
33 Under paper discharge holding lever (holding means)
35, 35A, 36, 37 Sorting unit 40, 41, 42 Sorting device 45 Partition plate 50 Side fence 51 Side fence unit 53 Slider 60 End fence 61 End fence unit 63 Slider 100 Stencil printing apparatus (image forming apparatus)
N plate making part P printing part (image forming means)
Q Paper discharge unit (sheet discharge means)
R Paper feeding unit (sheet feeding means)
S Paper, paper discharge (sheet, sheet-like recording medium)
Sa Paper to be sorted X Sheet discharge direction Y Sheet width direction

Claims (7)

A sheet discharge stand for sequentially stacking the discharged image-formed sheets;
A plurality of sorting members that are inserted between the sheets discharged on the sheet discharge table and perform sorting, and each sorting member is sequentially moved from a stacking position for loading and holding the plurality of sorting members to a sorting position for performing the sorting. A sorting unit configured to be detachable from the sheet discharge table;
A sorting apparatus characterized by comprising: The sorting apparatus according to claim 1,
Loading means for holding the plurality of sorting members in the stacked position at the loading position;
Guiding means for guiding each sorting member onto the sheets stacked on the sheet discharge table;
Sending means for sending the sorting member from the stacking position to the sorting position via the guide means each time the number of sheets stacked on the sheet discharge table reaches the number to be sorted;
And at least a part of the delivery means is configured to be detachable from the sheet discharge table,
The sorting apparatus includes the loading unit, the guide unit, and at least a part of the sending unit. The sorting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
Positioning and aligning the discharged image-formed sheet in the sheet width direction of the sheet discharge table, and having a side fence configured to be detachable from the sheet discharge table,
The sorting unit is attached to the side fence, and is configured to be detachable from the sheet discharge table together with the side fence. The sorting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
An end fence configured to be detachable with respect to the sheet discharge table, which receives the discharged image-formed sheet,
The sorting unit is attached to the end fence and configured to be detachable from the sheet discharge table together with the end fence. The sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The sorting apparatus includes a holding unit that holds the sorted sheets after completion of predetermined sorting. The sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The sorting device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of each sorting member in contact with the sheet is subjected to an uneven surface treatment for reducing a contact area with the sheet. A sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6;
Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet;
Sheet discharge means for discharging the image-formed sheet to the sheet discharge table;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images