JP2010265094A - Sheet bundle storage device and bookbinding device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet bundle storage device without causing storage jam when a sheet bundle overturns, when carrying the sheet bundle of binding a book in a stack tray in a standing attitude. <P>SOLUTION: The sheet bundle storage device includes the stack tray 67 for longitudinally storing the sheet bundle carried out of a carry-in port 67a in a standing attitude in the substantially vertical direction so as to be superposed, a bundle attitude holding means 68 for holding the sheet bundle positioned in a forefront row in the standing attitude, and a shift means for moving down the bundle attitude holding means or the stack tray according to a storage quantity of the sheet bundle. The stack tray is provided with rear regulating members 69 and 73 for locking and supporting a back face of the sheet bundle positioned in the last row stored. These rear regulating members can move a position in the superposing direction of the sheet bundle, and are constituted of the back face of the sheet bundle positioned in the last row so as to be retreated. These rear regulating members are provided with engaging/disengaging drive means 71 moving between an operation position Sp engaged with the sheet bundle back face and a nonoperating position Wp retreated from the sheet bundle back face. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet bundle storage device that stores back-bound and bound sheet bundles, a bookbinding apparatus that uses the sheet bundle storage device, and an image forming system, and relates to an improvement in a storage structure for bookbinding and bound sheet bundles.

  Generally, when an image is formed by the image forming apparatus, the sheets are aligned in a bundle and bound to the cover sheet and stored in a stack tray, or the bookbinding is performed by aligning and stacking the image formed sheets and binding the cover sheet. The device is widely known

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a storage stack tray is constituted by a tray member, and a sheet bundle bound on a cover is stacked and stored on this tray. For this reason, the conveyor which carries out a sheet bundle is comprised so that it may move up and down according to the stacking amount of a sheet bundle. Further, in Patent Document 2, a similar stacking tray is formed in a box (box shape), and a sheet bundle bound from above is stored in a standing position in this box.

  The stack tray for storing the bundle of sheets thus finished is to store the stack of sheets (booklet) in a stacked manner as disclosed in Patent Document 1, or as disclosed in Patent Document 2. In a standing position, it is stored in the front and back. The former requires a lift mechanism that moves up and down the stacking and storage trays and a conveyor mechanism that transports the sheet bundle onto the uppermost sheet, which increases the size of the apparatus. The latter is a sheet bundle stored in a standing position ( The booklet is known to fall.

JP 2004-209869 A JP 2005-305822 A

  As described above, when the front-bound sheet bundle is stacked and stored vertically in the horizontal posture as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the adhesive of the back-bound back cover portion is not completely solidified, Or when it leaks out from an edge, an adhesive agent may adhere to the cover surface of the sheet bundle stacked up and down. In such a case, it is necessary to discard the sheet bundle as a cover mistake. At the same time, when the adhesive on the back cover portion is not completely solidified, the back cover may be wrinkled or out of shape due to the weight of the sheet bundle stacked up and down.

  Further, in the stack mechanism of Patent Document 2 that stores a bound sheet bundle in a standing position, the sheet bundle positioned in the foremost row of the sheet bundle is backed up and supported by a front end support member inclined at a predetermined angle. The front end support member is gradually moved backward in accordance with the stacking amount of the sheet bundle, and the sheet bundle from the carry-in port is stored in the last row.

  However, since the bundle thickness of the sheet bundle to be stored is different each time, for example, when the front end support member is moved backward by 50 mm in order to store the sheet bundle having a thickness of 10 mm, the sheet bundle having the thickness of 10 mm is stacked in an inclined posture. It is done. When such unmatching between the thickness of the sheet bundle to be stored and the retraction amount of the front end support member is repeated, the sheet bundle falls in the tray and causes a storage jam. Therefore, it is conceivable to control the position of the front end support member that is sequentially moved down so as to match the total bundle thickness of all the stored sheet bundles, but such control is complicated, for example, during the process If a part of the bundle is taken out, a malfunction occurs.

  Therefore, the present inventor has a means for locking the tray in the tray so that the booklet in the last row of the sheet bundle stored in a standing posture on the stack tray does not collapse and collapse when the subsequent sheet is loaded. And the locking means is moved in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle to form a storage area for the subsequent sheet bundle.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet bundle storage device that does not cause a sheet bundle to fall down and cause a storage jam when a booklet-finished sheet bundle is stored in a standing position on a stack tray.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a stack posture holding means for holding the frontmost row of sheet bundles when stacking and storing the sheet bundle in a standing posture on the stack tray, and a back surface of the sheet bundle positioned in the last row. A rear restricting member is provided, and the rear restricting member can be moved in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle and can be retracted from the back of the sheet bundle located in the last row. An engagement / disengagement drive means is provided that moves between an operation position that engages with the bundle and a non-operation position that is retracted from the sheet bundle.

  In the following, the configuration will be described in detail. A stack tray (67) for stacking and storing the sheet bundle carried out from the carry-in entrance (67a) in a substantially vertical standing position is disposed in the stack tray. A bundle posture holding means (68) for holding the sheet bundle positioned in the front row in a standing posture, and a shift means for moving the bundle posture holding means or the stack tray forward according to the storage amount of the sheet bundle. With. The stack tray is provided with rear restricting members (69, 73) for locking and supporting the back surface of the sheet bundle positioned in the last row stored in the stack tray, and the rear restricting member is positioned in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle. It is configured to be movable and retractable from the back of the sheet bundle located in the last row. Therefore, an engagement / disengagement drive means (71) that moves between an operating position (Sp) that engages with the back surface of the sheet bundle and a non-operating position (Wp) that is retracted from the back surface of the sheet bundle is provided on the rear regulating member.

  In the present invention, the rear regulating member that locks the back of the sheet bundle positioned in the last row on the stack tray that stacks and stores the sheet bundle in a standing position can be moved in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle. In addition, since it is configured to be retractable from the back side of the sheet bundle located in the last row, the following effects are obtained.

  When the sheet bundle is carried into the stack tray, the subsequent sheet bundle is carried in while maintaining the posture of the last row of the already stored sheet bundle with the rear regulating member, so that no paper jam occurs when the sheet bundle is carried in. In particular, the last sheet bundle does not fall down when the subsequent sheet bundle is carried in.

  Further, since the rear regulating member is configured to be movable in the stacking direction (stacking direction) of the sheet bundle, the rear regulating member is moved at the position corresponding to the thickness of the stored sheet bundle by moving in the stacking direction. The position of the rearmost sheet bundle is regulated, and the falling of the sheet bundle is not increased when many miscellaneous thickness sheet bundles are stacked.

Further, according to the present invention, the rear regulating member is disposed on the stack tray placement surface, protrudes upward from the placement surface to engage with the back surface of the sheet bundle, and is submerged below the placement surface to retract from the back surface of the sheet bundle. By configuring so, the rear regulating member can be configured with a simple structure such as a locking claw.

  In the present invention, the tray mechanism can be easily and compactly configured by moving the rear regulating member in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle by the bundle posture holding means or the shift means for moving the stack tray forward. I can do it.

2A and 2B illustrate a structure of a sheet bundle storage device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram of a back and forth movement mechanism of a rear regulating member, and FIG. FIGS. 2A and 2B are configuration explanatory views of a rear restricting member in the apparatus of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a state where the rear restricting member is moved from an operating position to a non-operating position, and FIG. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment different from the rear regulating member (first embodiment) in the apparatus of FIG. c) shows a third embodiment. (A) is explanatory drawing of the perspective structure of the tray member in the apparatus of FIG. 1, (b) is explanatory drawing of the movement locus | trajectory of the stopper nail | claw in 1st thru | or 3rd embodiment of a back control member. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration of a bookbinding apparatus that incorporates the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 6 is a detailed explanatory diagram of a bookbinding processing unit in the apparatus of FIG. 5.

  The present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a sheet bundle storage device C according to the present invention. The illustrated sheet bundle storage device C includes a stack tray 67 that stores a sheet bundle in a substantially vertical position, and a bundle that is disposed in the stack tray and holds the sheet bundle positioned in the front row in a standing position. The posture holding means 68 and a rear regulating member 69 that locks the back surface of the sheet bundle positioned in the last row.

  The stack tray 67 is composed of, for example, a box-shaped tray member so that the sheet bundle sent to the carry-in port 67a is stacked in the front-and-rear position and stored, and the lower end portion of the sheet bundle is placed on the bottom surface thereof. A supporting surface 67b to be supported is integrally formed. The sheet bundle carried out to the carry-in port 67a is supported at the lower end edge on the placing surface 67b and supported in the standing posture while being inclined at a predetermined angle by the bundle posture holding means 68, and sequentially forward (left side in FIG. 1). From behind to back (right side of the figure). The illustrated bundle posture holding means 68 is configured by a plate member that backs up and supports a backbound and bound sheet bundle.

  The bundle posture holding means (hereinafter referred to as “bunch posture holding member”) 68 moves down to the left in FIG. 1 each time a sheet bundle is sequentially loaded from the carry-in port 67a. Therefore, there is provided a shift means Sa for moving the bundle posture holding member 68 itself or the stack tray 67 itself on which the bundle posture holding member 68 is mounted.

  In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the bundle posture holding member 68 and the mounting surface 67 b are integrally formed (hereinafter both are referred to as “tray member H”), and this tray member H is attached to a frame (not shown) of the stack tray 67. The attached guide rail 70 is supported so as to be movable back and forth. The stack tray 67 is provided with a pair of pulleys 67d and 67e. A belt 67f is bridged between the pulleys, and the tray member H is fixed to the belt 67f. A drive motor M1 is connected to one pulley 67d, and the tray member H is moved back and forth by the rotation of the drive motor M1.

  Accordingly, the drive motor M1 and the belt 67f constitute shift means Sa for moving the tray member H downward. In addition, the entire stack tray on which the bundle posture holding member 68 and the placement surface 67b are mounted may be moved downward. In this case, the bundle posture holding member 68 and the placement surface 67b are, for example, box-shaped. A pair is built in the tray, and the tray is moved down by a drive motor.

  The placement surface 67b is provided with a rear regulating member 69 for locking and supporting the back surface of the sheet bundle positioned in the last row stored on the placement surface on the carry-in port 67a side. As will be described later, the rear restricting member 69 can employ various forms, but has a stopper function for locking the back surface of the sheet bundle positioned in the last row, and at the same time, the stacking direction of the sheet bundle (left and right in FIG. 1). In the direction), and is configured to be movable between an operating position that engages with the last row of sheet bundles and a non-operating position that is retracted. The rear restricting member 69 is connected to an engagement / disengagement drive means 71 that moves between the operating position Sp and the non-operating position Wp. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the above-described rear regulating member 69 will be described.

[First Embodiment of Rear Restricting Member]
The rear regulating member 69 shown in FIG. 1B is disposed as a unit below the tray member H, and is disposed on the sheet discharge port side of the placement surface 67b. 69a is a unit frame, and a stopper claw 69b is connected to the unit frame 69a so as to be rotatable about a shaft 69c. The stopper claw 69b has an operation position Sp projecting upward from the placement surface 67b (state shown in FIG. 1B) and a non-operation position Wp buried below the placement surface 67b (state shown in FIG. 2A). ) And is always urged toward the operating position by the urging spring 71a.

  The stopper claw 69b is connected to an operating solenoid 71b so as to shift to the non-operating position side against the biasing spring 71a. Therefore, the urging spring 71a and the actuating solenoid 71b constitute the engagement / disengagement drive means 71. 71c shown in the figure is a restricting stopper that locks the stopper claw 69b in the operating position.

  Further, the unit frame 69a is mounted with the rear regulating member 69 and the engagement / disengagement driving means 71 as described above, and is configured to be movable in the front and rear directions in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle. Therefore, the unit frame 69a is slidably fitted and supported on a guide rail 67r provided on the tray frame. The unit frame 69a is fixed to a belt 69h that spans a pair of left and right pulleys 69f and 69g. A forward / backward movement motor M2 is connected to the one pulley 69f. Accordingly, the stopper claw 69b can reciprocate in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle by forward and reverse rotation of the forward / backward movement motor M2.

  The rear regulating member 69 provided with the stopper claw 69b is configured so as to be reciprocable in the sheet bundle overlapping direction. When the sheet bundle following the carry-in port 67a is carried in, a broken line in FIG. As shown, the stopper claw 69b protrudes upward from the placement surface 67b and engages and supports the back surface of the stored sheet bundle positioned in the last row to prevent its fall. After the succeeding sheet bundle is carried into the stack tray, the stopper claw 69b is moved downward from the placement surface 67b to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG.

  Therefore, the forward / backward movement motor M2 is rotated to move the rear regulating member 69 to the home position Hp in FIG. The home position Hp is set to a position where the stopper claw 69b moves to the back side of the subsequent sheet bundle that has entered from the carry-in port 67a. Accordingly, the rear regulating member 69 having the stopper claw 69b moves back and forth by a predetermined stroke St (see FIG. 2B) in a posture retracted downward from the placement surface 67b from a posture protruding upward from the placement surface 67b. At that time, the tip of the stopper claw 69b moves back and forth along the placement surface 67b along a loop trajectory. Incidentally, 67c shown in the figure is a jumping table provided on the placing surface 67b, which engages with the lower edge of the sheet bundle carried in from the carry-in port 67a and moves the sheet bundle forward.

[Second Embodiment of Rear Restricting Member]
The rear regulating member 73 shown in FIG. 3A includes a stopper claw 73b different from the above-described stopper claw 69b. In the first embodiment described above, the shift means Sa for lowering and moving the tray member H is constituted by the drive motor M1, and the drive motor M2 for moving the rear restricting member 69 back and forth is constituted by different drive mechanisms. In the embodiment, the tray member and the rear regulating member are moved back and forth with a single drive motor.

  The rear regulating member 73 is disposed as a unit below the tray member H as in the above-described case, and is disposed on the sheet discharge outlet side of the placement surface 67b. A stopper claw 73b is incorporated in the unit frame 73a so as to move up and down, and this stopper claw 73b protrudes upward from the placement surface 67b (the state shown in FIG. 3A) and below the placement surface 67b. It moves up and down between the non-operating position Wp buried in (state of FIG. 3B).

  An operating cam 74a is engaged with the stopper pawl 73b, and a rotary solenoid 74b is connected to the operating cam 74a. The solenoid 74b is rotated forward and backward. 74c in the figure is a return spring. Accordingly, the engagement cam 74a and the rotary solenoid 74b constitute the engagement / disengagement drive means 74.

  Further, the unit frame 73a is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction in the sheet stacking direction. Therefore, the unit frame 73a is slidably fitted and supported on guide rails (not shown) provided on the tray frame. A screw shaft 75 is fitted and supported on the unit frame 73a, and a drive motor M3 is connected to the screw shaft 75. Therefore, the rear regulating member 73 having the stopper claw 73b is reciprocated in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle with a predetermined stroke St by forward / reverse rotation of the drive motor M3.

  On the other hand, the tray member H is provided with a ratchet claw 76a, and this ratchet claw 76a meshes with a ratchet tooth 76b attached to the tray frame. When the rear regulating member 73 having the stopper claw 73b having such a configuration is moved to the left in FIG. 3A by the drive motor M3, the ratchet claw 76a moves backward along the ratchet teeth 76b. That is, when the stopper claw 73b is reciprocated at a predetermined stroke St and the sheet bundle from the carry-in port 67a is reciprocated along the placement surface 67b, the tray member H moves backward. In this embodiment, the tray member H and the rear regulating member 73 are moved back and forth by a single drive motor M3.

[Third embodiment of rear regulating member]
The rear regulating member 73 shown in FIG. 3C has the same configuration as that of the second embodiment described above, and is characterized in that the tray member H and the rear regulating member 73 are moved back and forth by a single drive motor M4. . Therefore, the rear restricting member 73 has the same structure as the previous one, and therefore the same number is assigned and the description is omitted.

  Therefore, a biasing spring 80 acts on the tray member H in the direction of the arrow in the drawing. Further, in order to move the rear regulating member 73 back and forth at a predetermined stroke St, a pair of left and right pulleys 81a and 81b are provided on the tray frame, and a traveling belt 81c is bridged. A driving motor M4 is connected to the one pulley 81a. Therefore, the rear regulating member 73 moves back and forth by rotating the drive motor M4 forward and backward (stroke St described later). At this time, the tray member H also moves back and forth in synchronization with the movement of the rear regulating member 73.

[Stacking operation of sheet bundle]
A sheet stacking operation in the sheet bundle storage device C will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the bundle posture holding means 68 and the placement surface 67b are configured to move down in the front-rear direction according to the loading amount, and the rear regulating member 69 (73) is configured to move back and forth at a predetermined stroke St. ing.

  Therefore, the sheet bundle is carried into the carry-in port 67a in a standing posture by a discharge roller 66 described later. At this time, the rear restricting member 69 (73) is positioned at the operation position Sp that engages with the back surface of the last bundle of the already stored sheet bundles. In the operation position Sp, Ls (Ls> maximum thickness) is set in accordance with the maximum thickness of a sheet bundle that is loaded in advance. Therefore, the rear regulating member 69 (73) regulates the last row of the stored sheet bundle and prevents the fall of the sheet bundle at a position where the carried sheet bundle does not buffer with the stopper claw 69b (73b).

  In this state, the operating solenoid 71b (in the case of the second and third embodiments, the rotary solenoid 74b) is suction-operated after a predetermined expected time when the sheet bundle is carried in from the carry-in port 67a. The operation of the solenoid moves the stopper claw 69b (73b) to the non-operation position Wp buried below the placement surface 67b.

  Therefore, the rear regulating member 69 (73) is moved to the home position Hp. The home position Hp is set to a position where the stopper claw 69b (73b) moves to the back side of the subsequent sheet bundle that has entered from the carry-in port 67a. That is, Lh> Ls is set in FIG.

  Next, after the stopper claw 69b (73b) of the rear regulating member 69 (73) moves to the home position Hp, the energization to the operating solenoid 71b (rotary solenoid 74b) is cut off. Then, the stopper claw 69b (73b) protrudes above the placement surface. In this state, the rear regulating member 69 (73) is returned from the home position Hp to the operating position Sp. In this returning operation, the back surface of the sheet bundle carried in from the carry-in entrance 67a is pushed by the stopper claw 69b (73b) and overlapped with the tail of the already stored sheet bundle. After this overlapping operation, the rear regulating member 69 (73) prepares for loading of the next sheet bundle at the operating position Sp. Note that the control timing of such an operation is controlled based on a detection signal from a sheet trailing edge detection sensor prepared on the upstream side of the carry-in port 67a, for example.

[Configuration of bookbinding device]
A description will be given of B including the sheet bundle storage device C described above. FIG. 5 shows a configuration of a bookbinding apparatus B attached to the image forming apparatus A.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
First, the image forming apparatus A can employ various structures such as a copying machine, a printer, and a printing machine. An electrostatic printing apparatus is shown in FIG. In the image forming apparatus A, a paper feeding unit 2, a printing unit 3, and an image forming control unit 4 are built in a casing 1. A plurality of cassettes 5 corresponding to the sheet size are prepared in the sheet feeding unit 2, and a sheet having a size designated by the image forming control unit 4 is fed out to the sheet feeding path 6. A registration roller 7 is provided in the sheet feeding path 6 and the sheet is fed to the downstream printing unit 3 at a predetermined timing after the leading edges of the sheets are aligned.

  The printing unit 3 is provided with an electrostatic drum 10. A print head 9, a developing device 11, a transfer charger 12, and the like are disposed around the electrostatic drum 10. The print head 9 is composed of, for example, a laser light emitter, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic drum 10. A toner ink is attached to the latent image by the developing device 11 and printed on a sheet by the transfer charger 12. .

  This print sheet is fixed by the fixing device 13 and carried out to the paper discharge path 17. A paper discharge port 14 and a paper discharge roller 15 formed in the casing 1 are disposed in the paper discharge path 17. Reference numeral 16 denotes a circulation path. The print sheet from the paper discharge path 17 is turned upside down by the switchback path and then sent to the registration roller 7 again to form an image on the back surface of the print sheet. In this way, the print sheet on which one side or both sides are formed is carried out from the paper discharge port 14 by the paper discharge roller 15.

  In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a scanner unit which optically reads a document image to be printed by the print head 9. As is generally known, the platen 23 on which a document sheet is placed and set, a carriage 21 that scans a document image along the platen 23, and an optical device that photoelectrically converts an optical image from the carriage 21. It comprises a reading means (for example, a CCD device) 22.

  In the illustrated example, a document feeder 25 for automatically feeding a document sheet to the platen is provided on the platen 23. In the image forming apparatus A configured as described above, various image forming conditions are set by the image forming control unit 4, and at the same time, the book forming apparatus B and the post-processing apparatus D are controlled by the image forming control unit 4. .

[Configuration of bookbinding device]
Next, the bookbinding apparatus B attached to the image forming apparatus A will be described. The bookbinding apparatus B includes a stacking unit 40 that stacks and arranges printing sheets in a bundle in the casing 30, an adhesive application unit 55 that applies adhesive paste to the sheet bundle from the stacking unit 40, and an adhesive. A cover binding means 60 for binding the cover sheet to the coated sheet bundle is configured.

[Configuration of transport route]
The conveyance path of each sheet will be described. In the casing 30, a carry-in path 31 having a carry-in entrance 29 connected to the paper discharge port 14 of the image forming apparatus A is provided. The conveyance path 34 is connected via a path switching flapper 36. A bookbinding path 33 is connected to the intermediate paper transport path 32 via the stacking unit 40, and a post-processing path 38 of the post-processing apparatus D is connected to the cover transport path 34. The bookbinding path 33 is arranged in a direction that cuts the apparatus in a substantially vertical direction, and the cover transport path 34 is arranged in a direction that crosses the apparatus in a substantially horizontal direction.

  The bookbinding path 33 and the cover transport path 34 intersect (orthogonal) each other, and a cover binding means 60 described later is disposed at the intersection. The carry-in path 31 configured as described above is connected to the paper discharge port 14 of the image forming apparatus A, and receives a print sheet from the image forming apparatus A. In this case, the image forming apparatus A carries out a print sheet on which content information is printed and a print sheet on which a title or the like used as a cover cover is printed. In this way, the carry-in path 31 is branched into the intermediate sheet conveyance path 32 and the cover sheet conveyance path 34, and the print sheets are distributed and conveyed to the respective paths via the path switching flapper 36.

  On the other hand, an inserter device 26 is connected to the carry-in path 31 so that cover sheets that are not subjected to printing processing by the image forming apparatus A are separated from the paper feed tray 26a one by one and supplied to the carry-in path 31. is there. The inserter device 26 is provided with one or a plurality of stages of paper feed trays 26a. A paper feed means for separating and feeding stacked sheets one by one at the front end of the tray, and a downstream side of the paper feed means. A paper feed path 27 is provided, and the paper feed path 27 is connected to the carry-in path 31 via a path switching piece 28.

  The carry-in path 31 includes a transport roller 31a, the intermediate-paper transport path 32 includes a transport roller 32a, and the bookbinding path 33 includes a grip transport unit 47, a bundle posture deflecting unit 64, which will be described later, and a paper discharge roller 66. Yes. Further, a transport roller 34a is disposed in the cover transport path 34, and a transport roller 38a is disposed in the post-processing path 38, and each is coupled to a drive motor. In these paths, sheet sensors Se1 to Se6 are arranged at the positions shown in FIG. 6 to detect the leading edge and / or trailing edge of the sheet.

[Configuration of stacking unit]
The stacking tray 41 disposed at the paper discharge port 32x of the intermediate paper transport path 32 stacks and stores sheets from the paper discharge port 32x in a bundle. As shown in FIG. 6, the stacking tray 41 is composed of a tray member arranged in a substantially horizontal posture, and a forward / reverse roller 42a and a carry-in guide 42b are provided above the tray member. Then, the print sheet from the paper discharge port 32x is guided onto the stacking tray by the carry-in guide 42b and stored by the forward / reverse roller 42a.

  The forward / reverse roller 42a forwards the printed sheet to the front end side of the stacking tray 41 by forward rotation, and abuts the rear end of the sheet against the rear end abutting member 43 disposed at the rear end (right end in FIG. 5) of the reverse rotation. regulate. Further, the stacking tray 41 is provided with sheet side aligning means (not shown), and both side edges of the printed sheets stored on the tray are aligned to the reference position. With such a configuration, the print sheets from the intermediate paper conveyance path 32 are sequentially stacked on the stacking tray 41 and are aligned in a bundle.

[Configuration of sheet bundle conveying means]
A sheet bundle conveying unit is disposed in the bookbinding path 33, and the sheet bundle conveying unit includes a grip conveying unit 47, a folding roll 63, and a paper discharge roller 66. A sheet bundle is conveyed from the stacking tray 41 by these conveying means in the order of “adhesive application position E”, “binding binding position F”, and “cutting position G” shown in FIG.

  The grip conveying means 47 is composed of a pair of nip members, and grips the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray 41 and turns the sheet bundle 90 degrees in this gripped state to deflect the posture of the sheet bundle. Is mounted on a pivotable unit frame (not shown). Then, the sheet bundle accumulated on the accumulation tray 41 is deflected from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture, and the sheet bundle is conveyed and set to the adhesive application position E along the bookbinding path 33 arranged substantially in the vertical direction. For this reason, the stacking tray 41 is moved from the stacking position (solid line in FIG. 6) to the transfer position (broken line in FIG. 6), and the sheet bundle is transferred to the grip conveying means 47 prepared at the transfer position.

  As will be described later, the folding roll 63 is composed of a pair of rollers so as to fold the back-folded sheet bundle at the same time as the sheet bundle is conveyed from the bookbinding binding position F to the downstream cutting position G. The paper discharge roller 66 is composed of a pair of rollers for carrying the sheet bundle to the downstream stack tray 67. A bundle posture deflecting unit 64 is provided between the folding roll 63 and the cutting position G, and the bundle posture deflecting unit 64 also constitutes a sheet bundle conveying unit.

[Configuration of adhesive application means]
An adhesive application means 55 is disposed at the adhesive application position E in the bookbinding path 33. As shown in FIG. 6, the adhesive application means 55 is composed of a glue container 56 for storing a hot-melt adhesive, an application roll 57, and a roll rotation motor MR. The glue container 56 is provided with a glue sensor 56S for detecting the remaining amount of adhesive. The illustrated glue sensor 56S also functions as an adhesive temperature sensor, and at the same time detects the temperature of the liquefied adhesive in the glue container 56, and at the same time detects the remaining amount of adhesive by the temperature difference of the part immersed in the adhesive. To do.

  The glue container 56 is embedded with heating means (not shown) such as an electric heater. The glue sensor 56S and the heating means adjust the temperature of the adhesive in the glue container to a predetermined melting temperature. The application roll 57 is made of a heat-resistant porous material, and is configured to impregnate the glue and swell the glue layer around the roll. Then, the glue container 56 reciprocates with a predetermined stroke from the home position along the sheet bundle, and an adhesive is applied to the edge of the sheet bundle by the application roll 57 in the glue container 56 in the process of the reciprocation.

[Configuration of cover binding means]
A cover binding means 60 is arranged at the bookbinding binding position F of the bookbinding path 33. As shown in FIG. 6, the cover binding means 60 includes a back plate 61, a back folding plate 62, and a folding roll 63. Further, the above-described cover sheet conveyance path 34 is disposed at the bookbinding binding position F, and the cover sheet is fed from the image forming apparatus A or the inserter apparatus 26.

[Configuration of back plate]
The back support plate 61 is composed of a plate-like member that backs up the cover sheet, and joins the cover sheet sent from the cover transport path 34 and the intermediate sheet (bundle) sent from the bookbinding path 33 in an inverted T shape. Back up the cover sheet. Further, the back plate 61 has a function of cooling the back binding portion of the sheet bundle that is bound in a booklet shape.

  The cover sheet fed and set to the cover transport path 34 by the back support plate 61 and the back folding plate 62 is backed up and supported by the back support plate 61 and is fed from the bookbinding path 33 by the grip transport means 47. Is abutted in an inverted T shape. After this joining, the back folding plate 62 is moved closer to the joining direction from the separated position. Then, the cover sheet is folded over the middle sheet bundle to form a spine cover. A folding roll 63 is arranged on the downstream side of the back plate 61. The folding roll 63 is composed of a pair of rollers that are in pressure contact with each other. Although not shown, one of the rollers moves in the width direction in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction according to the thickness of the sheet bundle.

[Configuration of bundle posture deflection means and cutting means]
On the downstream side of the folding roll 63, a bundle posture deflecting unit 64 that deflects the top and bottom direction of the sheet bundle and a cutting unit 65 that cuts the peripheral edge of the sheet bundle are disposed. The sheet bundle mounted from F is deflected in a predetermined direction (posture) and fed to the downstream cutting position G.

  That is, the deflection and cutting of the bundle posture is repeated in the order of the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion (when trimming in three directions) for the sheet bundle sent from the bookbinding position F. Further, at the time of unidirectional trimming, the sheet bundle having the back binding portion fed downward is turned 180 degrees and the fore edge portion is fed and set to the cutting position G. Similarly, in the case of two-way trimming, the sheet bundle is turned and fed to the cutting position G. After the cutting, the sheet bundle is turned again and set to the cutting position G.

[Composition of cutting means]
A cutting means 65 is disposed downstream of the bundle posture deflecting means 64. As shown in FIG. 6, the cutting means 65 includes a cutting edge press means 65b for pressing the cutting edge of the sheet bundle against the backup member 58, and a cutting blade unit 65a. The cutting blade unit 65a includes a flat blade-shaped cutting blade 65x and a cutter motor (driving means) Mc that reciprocates the cutting blade 65x. By the cutting means 65 having such a configuration, a predetermined amount of the peripheral edge except the back portion of the sheet bundle that has been bound into a booklet is cut and aligned.

[Configuration of waste storage box]
Further, on the downstream side of the cutting position G, a paper discharge roller 66 for carrying out the sheet bundle to the stack tray 67 is provided, and this paper discharge roller 66 is composed of a pair of rollers 66a and 66b. The illustrated roller 66b is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction, and is configured to change the nip position according to the thickness of the sheet bundle. A sheet bundle storage device C is provided on the downstream side of the cutting means 65 described above, and the configuration thereof is as described above.

  Below the cutting position G, a waste storage box 85 is provided in parallel with the stack tray 67 to store a piece of paper cut by the cutting blade 65x. Therefore, a sweeper means 87 is provided immediately below the cutting position G. The sweeper 87 is swung in the left-right direction in FIG. 6 by a drive motor (not shown), and is positioned immediately below the cutting position G when cutting a sheet bundle. Then, the cut pieces are guided to the waste storage box 85, and after cutting, the sheet bundle is retracted from the cutting position G so that the sheet bundle can be stored in the stack tray 67.

66 Paper discharge roller 67 Stack tray 67a Carriage entrance 67b Placement surface 67c Jump stand 67d Pulley 67e Pulley 67f Belt 67r Guide rail 68 Bundle posture holding means (Bundle posture holding member)
69 Rear regulating member (first embodiment)
69a Unit frame 69b Stopper claw 69c Shaft 69f Pulley 69g Pulley 69h Belt 70 Guide rail 71 Engaging / disengaging drive means 71a Energizing spring 71b Actuating solenoid 71c Restricting stopper 73 Rear restricting member (second embodiment)
73a Unit frame 73b Stopper claw 74 Engagement / disengagement drive means 74a Actuating cam 74b Rotary solenoid 74c Return spring 75 Screw shaft 76a Ratchet claw 76b Ratchet tooth 80 Energizing spring 81a Pulley 81b Pulley 81c Travel belt Sa Shift means

Claims (7)

A storage device for backbound and bound sheet bundles,
A stack tray for storing a stack of sheets unloaded from a carry-in entrance in a substantially vertical position in a vertical position;
A bundle posture holding means disposed in the stack tray and holding the sheet bundle positioned in the front row in a standing posture;
Shift means for lowering and moving the bundle posture holding means or the stack tray forward according to the storage amount of the sheet bundle;
With
The stack tray is provided with a rear regulating member that latches and supports the back side of the sheet bundle located in the last row accommodated therein,
The rear regulating member is configured to be movable in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle and to be retractable from the back surface of the sheet bundle located in the last row.
The rear regulating member is provided with engagement / disengagement drive means that moves between an operating position that engages with the back surface of the sheet bundle and a non-operating position that is retracted from the back surface of the sheet bundle. apparatus. The rear regulating member is disposed on a placement surface of a sheet bundle provided on the stack tray,
2. The sheet according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is configured to be movable up and down so as to protrude upward from the placement surface and engage with the back surface of the sheet bundle, and to descend downward and retract from the back surface of the sheet bundle. Bundle storage device. The bundle posture holding means backs up and supports the sheet bundle stored in the stack tray in a posture inclined at a predetermined angle,
2. The sheet bundle storage device according to claim 1, wherein the rear regulating member is configured to lock and support a lower end edge of a sheet bundle positioned in the last row stored. The shifting means for moving the bundle posture holding means or the stack tray forward is as follows.
The sheet bundle storage device according to claim 1, wherein the rear regulating member is connected to the rear regulating member so as to be moved in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle. The shifting means of the bundle posture holding means is
Biasing means for biasing the bundle posture holding means to one side in the overlapping direction;
Drive means for moving down the bundle posture holding means against the urging force of the urging means;
The sheet bundle storage device according to claim 1, comprising: The bundle posture holding means is provided with a biasing means for biasing so as to approach the rear regulating member side,
The rear regulating member is provided with a driving unit that moves in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle,
2. The sheet bundle storage device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing unit and the driving unit constitute the shift unit. A back binding means for binding back portions of sheet bundles arranged in a bundle,
A sheet bundle carrying-out means for carrying out the sheet bundle bound by the back binding means in a standing posture;
A sheet bundle storage device that stacks and stores the sheet bundle from the sheet bundle carrying-out means in a standing position in front and back;
Consisting of
The bookbinding apparatus, wherein the sheet bundle storage device includes the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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