JP2011121231A - Enclosing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an enclosing apparatus of a space saving type which does not separately perform the folding of a paper and the enclosing of it into an envelope at different positions, and can enclose the paper into the envelope under a state wherein the paper is neatly folded to a suitable size even when the paper is a thin paper. <P>SOLUTION: This enclosing apparatus 1 includes: a paper inserting means 6 which holds a paper P into a peripheral shape with the axis as the center, and inserts the paper P into the envelope E by moving the paper P in parallel with the axis; an opening expanding means 20 which expands the opening of the envelope; and an envelope pressing roller 23 which folds the paper by adjusting the paper to the size of the envelope by crushing the paper in the envelope in such a manner that the envelope in which the paper has been inserted is carried by pinching the envelope. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealing device that is provided adjacent to a paper discharge tray or the like of an image forming apparatus, for example, and encloses a printed sheet discharged on the paper discharge tray in an envelope so as to be folded. In particular, even thin papers that are prone to wrinkling can be sealed in a state that fits in an envelope and is neatly folded, so a large number of sheets can be stacked in a balanced manner. The present invention relates to a sealing device that can save space because a temporary paper storage / standby place required when performing the process is unnecessary.

  For example, in companies and other organizations, notices / contacts for users and members of organizations, promotional documents, invoices, and other printed materials with necessary information according to various purposes are sealed and delivered to users by mail. There is a case. For that purpose, it is necessary to perform the work of sealing the printed matter etc. in the envelope, but the amount of work becomes enormous depending on the number of target users and the number of types of documents to be shipped, so the document is folded and inserted into the envelope It is preferable that the enclosing operation is efficiently performed using an automatic machine.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses an encapsulating and sealing apparatus in which processes from printing to sealing can be performed collectively by combining with a printing machine or a copying machine. In the present invention, the automatic enclosing and sealing apparatus 100 includes a taking-in means 1 for taking in printed paper discharged from the printer 200, a folding means 4 for folding the paper taken in by the taking-in means, and a folding means. Enclosing means 5 for enclosing the folded sheet in one or more sheets as a unit, sealing means 5 for sealing the envelope in which the sheet is enclosed, and conveying means 2, 3 for conveying the paper between the means The take-in means 1 is detachable from the paper discharge port of the printer 200 and is integrated with the printer. This aims to encapsulate and maintain the confidentiality of the printed matter.

  Patent Document 2 below discloses an encapsulating and sealing apparatus that can perform an encapsulating and sealing operation smoothly without interrupting the processing regardless of the number of sheets to be encapsulated and sealed. In the present invention, the paper supply units 2 and 3 that supply the paper P, the printing unit 5 that performs predetermined printing on the paper P supplied from the paper supply units 2 and 3, and the number of sheets printed by the printing unit are determined in advance. If the set number of sheets, the sheet is sent to the enclosing sealing unit 12, while if the number exceeds the preset number, the transfer path switching unit 7 for switching the sheet transfer path so as to send these sheets to the discharge unit 9, and the enclosing sealing An envelope supply unit 14 that supplies an envelope 15 to the unit 12, and an encapsulated sealing unit that encloses and seals the paper P sent from the printing unit 5 via the transfer path switching unit 7 into the envelope 15 supplied from the envelope supply unit 14 12.

JP 2001-96987 A JP 2000-246815 A

  According to the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, the sheet folding process and the enclosing process for enclosing the folded sheet in an envelope are separate, and the sheet is temporarily stored and waited for each process. As a result, a space is not required to save space and the apparatus becomes large. In these inventions, it has been difficult to fold and enclose thin paper or the like neatly. Furthermore, in these inventions, in order to ensure that the paper can be inserted into the envelope, the paper is folded smaller than the size of the envelope and inserted into the envelope, so that the paper moves within the envelope. The position was not stable, and when envelopes enclosing paper were stacked, balance was easily lost, and a large number of encapsulated envelopes could not be stably stacked in one place.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is suitable for an envelope even for thin paper or the like that is particularly prone to wrinkles without separately performing a folding process and a sealing process in an envelope at different positions. An object of the present invention is to provide a space-saving type sealing device that can be sealed in a properly folded state.

The enclosing device according to claim 1 is:
In a sealing device that seals paper inside an envelope,
A paper insertion means for holding the supplied paper in a circumferential shape around a predetermined axis, moving the paper parallel to the axis, and inserting the paper into an envelope;
A mouth opening means that is arranged next to the paper insertion means and widens the opening of the envelope in order to insert the paper fed from the paper insertion means into the envelope;
It is arrange | positioned in the next | following stage of the said envelope in which the said paper was inserted, and has an envelope rolling roller which folds the paper inside the said envelope by pinching and conveying the said envelope.

The encapsulating apparatus according to claim 2 is the enclosing apparatus according to claim 1,
The paper insertion means is
A cylindrical cover that has an opening for receiving the supplied paper in the peripheral surface portion, a discharge port through which a part of the received paper protrudes at one end, and is movable along a central axis that coincides with the axis. When,
The paper is wound around the outer peripheral surface by rotating around the axis while holding the leading end of the paper fed from the opening of the cover and being rotated around the axis, and the axis together with the cover A take-up roller movable along
Rotating means of the winding roller;
Moving means for reciprocating the cover and the winding roller along the axis;
It is characterized by having.

The encapsulating device according to claim 3 is the enclosing device according to claim 2,
The sheet width L, which is the dimension of the sheet in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the sheet is supplied, the cover width L _C , which is the dimension of the cover in the axial direction, and the axial direction of the winding roller. The relationship with the roller width L _R, which is a dimension, is L> L _C > _LR , and when the paper is held circumferentially between the cover and the take-up roller, the discharge port of the cover It is characterized in that a part of the paper is projected.

The enclosing device according to claim 4 is the enclosing device according to claim 3,
The opening means is an opening air nozzle that blows air into an envelope to inflate it, and the envelopes stacked in an arrangement in which the opening is directed to the paper insertion means and a flap for sealing the opening is placed downward. Envelope supply means for sequentially raising and supplying is provided below the opening air nozzle.

  According to the sealing device of the first aspect, the paper supplied to the paper insertion means is held in a circumferential shape around a predetermined axis by the paper insertion means, and further moved parallel to the axis to expand the mouth. It is inserted into the envelope from the opening of the envelope spread by the means. The paper spreads within the envelope and inflates the envelope. The envelope is crushed by being sandwiched and conveyed by an envelope rolling roller, and the paper inside the envelope is folded to a size corresponding to the size of the envelope. In this way, by inserting the rolled paper into the envelope, pressing the envelope with the envelope rolling roller and crushing it, it can be folded even with thin paper, and the paper is the size of the envelope. It can be folded so that there is no gap. Therefore, after enclosing, the sheet does not move to an unpredictable position in the envelope, and a large number of encapsulated envelopes can be stably stacked and stored.

  According to the enclosing device described in claim 2, in addition to the effects of the enclosing device according to claim 1, the following actions and effects can be obtained by the sheet inserting means. That is, the paper supplied to the paper insertion means enters the inside through an opening provided in the peripheral surface portion of the cover, and the leading end is held by the take-up roller. When the rotating means rotates the take-up roller, the paper is taken up by the take-up roller and sucked into the cover, but a part of the paper protrudes from a discharge port provided at one end of the cover. . Even when the sheet swells in the cover in the direction opposite to the winding direction due to its own restoring force, the sheet is guided by the cover and maintained in a circumferential shape around the axis. When the cover and the winding roller holding the paper in a circumferential shape are moved along the axis by the moving means, a part of the paper protruding from the cover is inserted into the envelope from the opening. Here, when the envelope rolling roller is operated and the envelope is nipped and conveyed, if the cover and the take-up roller are returned to the direction of pulling out from the envelope by the moving means, the paper remains in the envelope and is conveyed along with the envelope by the envelope rolling roller It is folded in a state where it is crushed and expanded into a full envelope.

According to the enclosing device described in claim 3, the operation and effect of the sheet inserting means in the enclosing device according to claim 2 is achieved as follows. That is, by setting the relationship between the paper width L, the cover width L _{C in} the axial direction of the cover, and the roller width L _{R in} the axial direction of the take-up roller as L> L _C > L _R , As the take-up roller stored in the roller rotates, the paper is drawn between the cover and the take-up roller and held in a circumferential shape, and a part of the paper held between the cover and the take-up roller is It will be in the state which protruded toward the opening of the envelope from the discharge port.

  According to the enclosing device described in claim 4, in the effect of the enclosing device according to claim 3, prior to the insertion of the paper into the envelope by the paper inserting means, the envelope supply means appropriately raises the envelope to insert the paper. Set the envelope at the position, the opening air nozzle blows air against the opening of the envelope set at the insertion position to inflate the envelope, and the cover holding the paper and the take-up roller are properly placed at the opening of the envelope It can be inserted.

It is a whole block diagram of the enclosure device of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram at the time of seeing the paper insertion means vicinity in the sealing device of 1st Embodiment from the right side in FIG. It is sectional drawing at the time of seeing the paper insertion means in the enclosure device of 1st Embodiment by the visual line parallel to an axis. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a sheet insertion unit that encloses a sheet as viewed in a line of sight parallel to an axis in the enclosing device of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the sheet insertion unit orthogonal to the axis. It is a perspective view at the time of seeing with the eyes | visual_axis to do. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the paper insertion unit in the enclosing apparatus according to the first embodiment when viewed from a line of sight parallel to the axis, where a part (a) shows a state in which sheets are supplied, and a part (b) is shown. (C) shows a state in which the take-up roller has started to rotate after clamping the sheet, and (c) shows a state in which the take-up roller has been rotated once to release the paper clamp, and (d) shows a state in which the take-up roller has been released. The take-off roller rotates to show a state where the sheet is held between the cover and the periphery. It is a figure which shows principal parts, such as a paper insertion means in the sealing apparatus of 1st Embodiment, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the process of conveying an envelope for paper sealing. It is a figure which shows the principal parts, such as a paper insertion means in the sealing apparatus of 1st Embodiment, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the process of opening the opening of an envelope for paper sealing. It is a figure which shows principal parts, such as a paper insertion means in the sealing apparatus of 1st Embodiment, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the 1st step of the process of inserting a paper in an envelope by a paper insertion means. It is a figure which shows principal parts, such as a paper insertion means in the sealing apparatus of 1st Embodiment, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the 2nd step of the process of inserting a paper in an envelope with a paper insertion means. It is a figure which shows principal parts, such as a paper insertion means in the sealing apparatus of 1st Embodiment, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the 3rd step (backmost position) of the process which inserts a paper in an envelope with a paper insertion means. It is a figure which shows principal parts, such as a paper insertion means in the sealing apparatus of 1st Embodiment, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the process of pulling back a paper insertion means, sending an envelope with an envelope rolling roller. It is an operation | movement timing diagram of each part which shows the effect | action of 1st Embodiment.

  The enclosing device according to the first embodiment is provided adjacent to a paper discharge tray or the like of an image forming apparatus or the like, and a printed sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus or the like is rolled into a cylindrical shape by a paper insertion unit to form an envelope. The present invention relates to an enclosing device that folds a sheet in an envelope to a size that is full of an envelope by enclosing and further conveying the envelope while being crushed while being held between rollers.

  An image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming unit (not shown) that forms an image such as characters and figures on a sheet of a predetermined size, and a sheet on which an image-formed sheet discharged from the image forming unit is stacked. A stand 5 is provided. In FIG. 1, a sheet on which an image has been formed is discharged from the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus 100 on the front side of the sheet along the direction perpendicular to the sheet surface toward the sheet discharge tray 5 on the back side of the sheet surface in the figure. The

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the paper discharge direction, on the downstream side of the paper discharge tray 5, that is, on the far side of the paper surface of the paper discharge tray 5 in the same figure, the cylinder is centered on a horizontal axis parallel to the paper surface. A paper insertion means 6 is provided adjacently to be rounded into a mold and to move the paper in the horizontal direction (indicated by an arrow A) in the drawing in parallel with the axis to enclose it in the envelope E.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the paper insertion means 6 includes a cylindrical cover 7 for holding the paper P in a rolled state, and a cover 7 disposed coaxially with the cover 7 inside the cover 7. A take-up roller 8 for taking up the paper P is provided inside.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the outer cover 7 of the paper insertion means 6 has a slit-shaped opening 9 for receiving the supplied paper P formed in the peripheral surface thereof in parallel with the axis. Further, out of both end surfaces of the cover 7, a discharge port 10 through which a part of the sheet P that is rolled and received in the cover 7 protrudes is opened at one end surface facing the opening 18 of the envelope. The center axis of the cover 7 coincides with the axis of the take-up roller 8 that rotates to take up the paper P.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the opening 9 of the cover 7 is located at a position opposite to the tip of the inclined paper discharge tray 5 of the image forming apparatus. Further, above the opening 9 of the cover 7, an end fence 11 is fixedly installed on a frame of an apparatus (not shown) in an arrangement with an acute angle with respect to the paper P supply direction. The sheet P to be fed is guided to the opening 9 of the cover 7.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the take-up roller 8 inside the paper insertion means 6 has a clamp plate 12 as a means for holding the front end portion of the paper P fed from the opening 9 of the cover 7 on its peripheral surface. It has. The clamp plate 12 is attached to a slit-like groove 13 formed in the take-up roller 8. The groove 13 is formed in a direction parallel to the axis on the circumferential surface and in a direction intersecting with the radial direction of the winding roller 8 in the depth direction. The clamp plate 12 can be moved in and out of the slit-like groove 13 by a driving means such as a solenoid (not shown), and the leading end of the paper P is held on the peripheral surface of the take-up roller 8 as necessary. Can be opened.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a rotation motor M <b> 1 as a rotation unit is attached to the axis of the take-up roller 8, and the cover 7 and the take-up roller 8 are set at positions where the paper P should be received. Sometimes, the take-up roller 8 can be rotated in a predetermined take-up direction. Accordingly, the cover 7 and the take-up roller 8 set the paper P at a predetermined paper receiving position, the leading end of the supplied paper P is fixed by the clamp plate 12, and the take-up roller around the axis line by the rotation motor M1. By rotating 8, the paper P can be drawn into the cover 7 and wound around the outer peripheral surface of the take-up roller 8.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cover 7 is provided with moving means for reciprocating the cover 7 and the take-up roller 8 along the axis. The moving means includes an insertion motor M2, a crank plate 14 that is attached to a rotation shaft of the insertion motor M2 and rotates clockwise in the figure, and an interlocking member that connects the crank plate 14 and the other end of the cover 7. 15. The cover 7 in which the take-up roller 8 is inserted is guided so as to be able to reciprocate in the axial direction by guide means (not shown). Accordingly, if the insertion motor M2 is driven to rotate the crank plate 14, the rotation of the crank plate 14 is transmitted to the cover 7 by the interlocking member 15, and the cover 7 and the take-up roller 8 reciprocate in the left-right direction in the drawing. And can move directly.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the crank plate 14 is provided with means for detecting the position of the cover 7 driven by the insertion motor M2. And an insertion motor S point switch (indicated by “S point” in the figure). The insertion motor H point switch is ON when the guide cover 7 is at the home position furthest away from the envelope E, and the insertion motor S point switch is when the guide cover 7 is at the set position where the guide cover 7 is most deeply inserted into the envelope. Turns on.

The relationship among the dimensions of the cover 7, the take-up roller 8 and the paper P in the paper insertion means 6 is determined as shown in FIG. That is, when the dimension of the sheet P in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the sheet P is supplied is the width (sheet width) L of the sheet P, the roller width L _R that is the dimension in the axial direction of the take-up roller 8 is 0. The cover 7 width L _C, which is the dimension of the cover 7 in the axial direction, is 1.2 L _R = 0.72 L, and the relationship between the dimensions is L> L _C > L _R. ing. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the take-up roller 8 is completely housed in the cover 7 and does not protrude outside the cover 7, and the sheet P is wound between the cover 7 and the take-up roller 8. When the sheet P is held in a shape, a part of the sheet P that is rounded out from the discharge port 10 of the cover 7 protrudes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an envelope supply unit 16 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet insertion unit 6 in the transport direction. The envelope supply means 16 supplies a stack of a large number of envelopes E by raising and lowering them one after another by means of an elevator or the like. Each time the uppermost envelope E is used, the elevator means is a bundle of envelopes E. Is raised by a necessary amount, and the uppermost envelope E is always set at the sealing position. The elevator top dead center sensor 17 detects that the uppermost envelope E has come to the sealing position. The direction of the envelope E stacked on the envelope supply means 16 is such that the opening 18 faces the upstream side and is opposed to the discharge port 10 of the cover 7 of the paper insertion means 6, and the flap 19 is on the lower side. Thus, the opening 18 can be seen from above.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an opening air nozzle 20 as an opening expanding means for expanding the opening of the envelope is provided above the uppermost envelope E among the envelopes E stacked on the envelope supply means 16. The opening air nozzle 20 is means for blowing air into the envelope E in order to widen the opening 18 of the uppermost envelope E. If the opening 18 of the envelope E is widened by the opening air nozzle 20 and the paper insertion means 6 holding the rounded paper P is moved in the axial direction (indicated by the arrow A), the cover 7 of the paper insertion means 6 can be removed. The paper P protruding from the outlet 10 and a part of the cover 7 of the paper insertion means 6 on the discharge port 10 side are inserted into the envelope E through the opening 18.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an opening detection sensor 21 is provided on the upstream side above the envelope supply means 16. The opening detection sensor 21 detects a portion close to the opening 18 of the uppermost envelope E at the paper sealing position in the envelope supply means 16 from above. When the opening air nozzle 20 is activated and air is blown into the envelope E from the opening 18 of the envelope E, the envelope E swells with air as shown in FIG. 1, and the opening 18 side is lifted and approaches the opening detection sensor 21. To do. The opening detection sensor 21 can detect a change in the distance and detect that the opening 18 of the envelope E has been opened and is in a state suitable for the insertion of the paper insertion means 6.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pickup roller 22 is provided on the downstream side above the envelope supply means 16. The pickup roller 22 can be moved up and down by a driving unit (not shown) and can be rotated by a driving unit (not shown). The pick-up roller 22 rotates after contacting the upper surface on the downstream side of the envelope E after the paper P is inserted into the envelope E at the uppermost position of the envelope supply means 16 so that the envelope E can be sent to the downstream side. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 1, on the downstream side of the envelope supply means 16, an envelope rolling roller 23 that sandwiches and conveys an envelope E that encloses a sheet P that is rolled up in a circumferential shape is provided. The envelope rolling roller 23 folds and discharges the paper P into a full size inside the envelope by transporting the rolled paper P in the envelope E while sandwiching and crushing it together with the envelope E. . The envelope rolling roller 23 is provided with two pairs of upper and lower pairs along the conveying direction, and the upstream side is referred to as a first envelope rolling roller 23a and the downstream side is referred to as a second envelope rolling roller 23b. The length of each envelope rolling roller 23 in the axial direction is larger than the width direction of the envelope E.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a discharge detection sensor A is provided on the inlet side (upstream side) of the first envelope rolling roller 23a. The discharge detection sensor A detects that the envelope E sent by the pickup roller 22 hits the stopped first envelope rolling roller 23a and is loosened, and the envelope E is arranged at a predetermined sealing position. A signal for stopping the rotation of 22 and retracting it to the upper position is output.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a discharge detection sensor B is provided on the outlet side (downstream side) of the second envelope rolling roller 23b. The discharge detection sensor B detects that the envelope E has passed through the first and second envelope rolling rollers 23a and 23b, and outputs a signal for stopping the driving of the envelope rolling rollers 23a and 23b.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a sealed tray 24 is provided downstream of the envelope rolling roller 23 from which a rolled envelope E (encapsulated envelope E) is discharged.

  Although not described in the above configuration, the apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a control unit for comprehensively controlling and driving the above-described units, and the function thereof is determined by each sensor of the apparatus. In response to this signal, each part of the apparatus is controlled as described below based on a program stored in advance in the storage means.

  Next, of the operations in the above configuration, the winding operation of the paper P by the paper inserting means 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5, and the insertion operation for inserting the wound paper P into the envelope will be described. This will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the winding operation of the paper P by the paper inserting means 6 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the image-formed paper P is guided from the image forming apparatus 100 to the side fence 101 and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 5. When the number of sheets to be inserted into one envelope E is discharged, the sheet bundle conveying claw 25 of the paper discharge tray 5 moves from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper discharge direction, and after the paper P on the paper discharge tray 5 The sheet P is fed to the sheet inserting means 6 by pushing the end. The paper P is guided by the side fence 101 and fed into the cover 7 from the opening 9 of the cover 7 of the paper insertion means 6 at the paper receiving position, and is abutted below the clamp plate 12 of the take-up roller 8. . Even if the paper P sent to the paper bundle conveying claw 25 jumps out above the clamp plate 12, the end fence 11 exists above the clamp plate 12, so the paper P hits here and below the clamp plate 12. Guided.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, in the paper inserting means 6 at the paper receiving position, the paper P discharged from the image forming apparatus 100 as described above abuts below the clamp plate 12 of the take-up roller 8. It is done. As shown in FIG. 4B, the clamp plate 12 is operated to hold the leading end of the paper P between the peripheral surface of the take-up roller 8 and the rotation motor M1 is driven to cause the take-up roller 8 to move. Rotate to pull the paper P into the cover 7.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, when the winding roller 8 makes one turn, the holding of the paper P by the clamp plate 12 is released. Although depending on the type and thickness of the paper P, the paper P spreads by its own restoring force and is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cover 7 while the paper P is wound into the cover 7 by the take-up roller 8. Since the sheet P is rotated in the state, the sheet P is not strongly wound around the take-up roller 8 and the clamp plate 12 cannot be removed by at least one rotation. However, when the paper P is long and the take-up roller 8 needs to be rotated into the cover 7 by rotating it twice or more, the clamp plate 12 may be pressed against the paper P that has been wound. It is preferable to release the holding of the paper P by the clamp plate 12 when the winding roller 8 makes one round as in the embodiment.

  FIG. 5D shows a state in which the paper P is drawn into the cover 7 by the take-up roller 8 and the clamp plate 12 is released. Although depending on the type, thickness, number of sheets, and the like, the sheet P spreads in a circumferential shape by its own restoring force and is held in contact with the inside of the cover 7 while being rounded into a cylindrical shape.

Next, an inserting operation for inserting the wound paper P into the envelope E will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, when the paper P is held in the cylindrical shape in the paper insertion means 6 at the paper receiving position and preparation for insertion of the paper P is completed, the pickup roller 22 is actuated to operate the envelope supply means. The 16 top envelopes E are fed backwards.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the envelope E sent rearward hits the first envelope rolling roller 23a and warps upward, and the pickup roller 22 is moved upward by the detection signal of the discharge detection roller A (see FIG. 1) that detects this. The opening air nozzle 20 is actuated to blow air into the opening 18 of the envelope E, and the envelope E is inflated to enlarge the opening 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the insertion motor M2 of the paper insertion means 6 is operated to move the cover 7 holding the paper P in a cylindrical shape and the take-up roller 8 toward the envelope E, and the cover 7 Then, the paper P together with the take-up roller 8 is inserted into the envelope E.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the paper inserting means 6 inserts the paper P into the innermost part of the envelope E, the envelope rolling roller 23 starts operating and starts conveying the envelope E.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the envelope rolling roller 23 sandwiches and conveys the envelope E, and the insertion motor M <b> 2 of the paper inserting means 6 moves the cover 7 and the take-up roller 8 in the direction of extracting from the envelope E. Thus, the paper P is extracted from the cover 7 and the take-up roller 8 in the envelope E, sent to the front together with the envelope E, crushed in the envelope E, and folded in a state of being expanded to the size of the envelope E. It will be.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described mainly with reference to the timing chart of FIG. Note that symbols t1 to t7 referred to in the following description indicate timings in the figure in order of time, and parenthesized symbols indicate item numbers related to each operation or signal output.

  Timing t1: When a predetermined printing operation is completed in the image forming apparatus 100 and a predetermined number of sheets P are discharged to the paper discharge tray 5, the sheet bundle conveying claws 25 of the paper discharge tray 5 are moved from upstream in the paper discharge direction. The paper P moves toward the downstream side and pushes the rear end of the paper P on the paper discharge tray 5 to feed the paper P to the paper insertion means 6. When the rotation motor M1 is activated and the paper insertion means 6 winds up the paper P (1), the pickup roller 22 holding the envelope E at the lowered position starts to rotate (2), and the envelope E is stopped. To the first envelope rolling roller 23a.

  Timing t2: When the pickup roller 22 sends the envelope E for a predetermined time, the envelope E hits the first envelope rolling roller 23a and warps upward, and the discharge detection sensor A detects this sag and outputs an ON signal ( 3). The pickup roller 22 stops rotating by the ON signal of the discharge detection sensor A (2) and rises (4). Further, the opening air nozzle 20 is operated to inflate air through the opening 18 of the envelope E (5). .

  Timing t3: When the opening detection sensor 21 detects that the envelope E has expanded by the operation of the opening air nozzle 20 and outputs an ON signal (6), the insertion motor M2 starts driving (7). The cover 7 and the take-up roller 8 are stopped at the home position farthest from the envelope E, and the insertion motor H point switch outputs an ON signal. However, when the insertion motor M2 is started, the cover 7 and the like are moved to the envelope E. And the output signal of the insertion motor H point switch is turned OFF (8).

  Timing t4: After that, the cover 7 and the take-up roller 8 are inserted into the envelope E by driving the insertion motor M2, and when the deepest set position is reached, the output signal of the insertion motor S point switch is turned ON (9). In response to the ON signal of the insertion motor S point switch, the driving of the insertion motor M2 is stopped (7), the operation of the opening air nozzle is stopped (5), and the envelope rolling roller 23 is started (10).

  Timing t5: When about 1 second has elapsed after the envelope rolling roller 23 is started and the envelope E is started to be conveyed, the insertion motor M2 is driven again (7) and starts moving the cover 7 and the like in the direction of pulling out the envelope E. The output signal of the insertion motor S point switch is turned OFF (9). Further, the envelope E conveyed to the envelope rolling roller 23 passes through the second envelope rolling roller 23b and reaches the discharge detection sensor B, and the output of the discharge detection sensor B is turned ON.

  Timing t6: The rear end portion of the envelope E conveyed by the envelope rolling roller 23 passes the discharge detection sensor A, and the output signal of the discharge detection sensor A is turned OFF.

  Timing t7: When the cover 7 is returned to the home position by driving the insertion motor M2, the insertion motor H point switch is turned ON (8), and the insertion motor M2 is stopped by this signal (7). Further, the rear end portion of the envelope E being conveyed passes through the discharge detection sensor B, the output signal of the discharge detection sensor B is turned OFF, the envelope rolling roller 23 is stopped by this signal, and the series of operations ends. .

  As described above, according to the sealing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the paper P is wound into a cylindrical shape by the paper inserting means 6 and inserted into the envelope E, and the envelope E is sandwiched between the envelope rolling rollers 23. Therefore, the operation of crushing and folding the paper P in the envelope E can be reliably and efficiently performed by a simple process using a compact device configuration. In particular, even thin paper or the like that is prone to wrinkling can be sealed in a state that is neatly folded in a size suitable for the envelope E. In this way, if the envelope E encloses the paper P, the paper P does not move in the envelope E, so a large number of sheets can be stacked in a balanced manner, and the storage space can be reduced. Further, since the temporary storage and waiting place for the paper P, which is required when the folding process and the sealing process are performed separately, is not required, the entire apparatus can be saved in space.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sealing device 6 ... Paper insertion means 7 ... Cover 8 ... Wind-up roller 9 ... Cover opening 10 ... Cover discharge port 12 ... Clamp plate 16 ... Envelope supply means 18 ... Envelope E opening 19 ... Envelope E flap DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Opening air nozzle as opening means 23 ... Envelope rolling roller 23a ... 1st envelope rolling roller 23b ... 2nd envelope rolling roller 100 ... Image forming apparatus M1 ... Rotation motor as winding means of paper insertion means M2 ... Insertion motor as moving means of paper insertion means

Claims (4)

In a sealing device that seals paper inside an envelope,
A paper insertion means for holding the supplied paper in a circumferential shape around a predetermined axis, moving the paper parallel to the axis, and inserting the paper into an envelope;
A mouth opening means that is arranged next to the paper insertion means and widens the opening of the envelope in order to insert the paper fed from the paper insertion means into the envelope;
An encapsulating apparatus, which is disposed next to the envelope into which the sheet is inserted, and has an envelope rolling roller that folds the sheet in the envelope by sandwiching and transporting the envelope. The paper insertion means is
A cylindrical cover that has an opening for receiving the supplied paper in the peripheral surface portion, a discharge port through which a part of the received paper protrudes at one end, and is movable along a central axis that coincides with the axis. When,
The paper is wound around the outer peripheral surface by rotating around the axis while holding the leading end of the paper fed from the opening of the cover and being rotated around the axis, and the axis together with the cover A take-up roller movable along
Rotating means of the winding roller;
Moving means for reciprocating the cover and the winding roller along the axis;
The encapsulating device according to claim 1, comprising: The sheet width L, which is the dimension of the sheet in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the sheet is supplied, the cover width L _C , which is the dimension of the cover in the axial direction, and the axial direction of the winding roller. The relationship with the roller width L _R, which is a dimension, is L> L _C > _LR , and when the paper is held circumferentially between the cover and the take-up roller, the discharge port of the cover 3. The enclosing device according to claim 2, wherein a part of the paper is protruded. The opening means is an opening air nozzle that blows air into an envelope and inflates it,
Envelope supply means for sequentially raising and supplying the envelopes stacked in an arrangement in which the opening is directed to the paper insertion means and the flap for sealing the opening is placed below is provided below the opening air nozzle. The encapsulating device according to claim 3.

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