JP2011136482A - Image forming system, bookbinding system, and bookbinding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform efficient bookbinding processing by shortening a time from image formation to bookbinding finishing processing, in a system which can reserve a plurality of print jobs. <P>SOLUTION: An image forming system includes: an image forming section 92c which sequentially forms an image on a sheet; a stacking processing section 93a which stacks the sheets in an aligned state; a bookbinding processing section 93b which performs the book-binding of the bundle of the aligned sheets; and a control means 78 for controlling the image forming section 92c, the stacking processing section 93a and the book-binding processing section. The control means comprises a job reservation means 95 for reserving a plurality of bookbinding processing operations, an execution sequence setting means 97 for setting execution sequences of the plurality of book-binding processing operations reserved by the job reservation means, and a job execution control means 98 for controlling the execution of jobs from the image formation to the book-binding processing according to the execution sequence set by the execution sequence setting means. The execution sequence setting means sets the execution sequences of the plurality of book-binding processing operations reserved by the job reservation means from a sheet stacking processing time of the stacking processing section and a book-binding processing time of the book-binding processing portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system for aligning sheets formed by an image forming apparatus or the like, binding the sheet bundle and binding the book, and relates to improving processing efficiency when performing a plurality of bookbinding processes in succession. .

  In general, this type of bookbinding system is widely known as a bookbinding system in which sheets formed with an image formed by an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a printing press are integrated and collected. For example, in Patent Document 1, a bookbinding device is connected to a paper discharge port of an image forming apparatus, and the sheets on which images are formed are stacked in the order of pages and aligned in a bundle, and then the end surfaces are glued and bound to a cover sheet. A system for combining them has been proposed.

  This document discloses a system that trims and aligns the three peripheral edges (trimming cut) after the image-formed sheet is bound and bound with a cover sheet. A system that continuously executes a series of processes for trimming finishing a sheet bundle after image forming through bookbinding binding processing or after binding processing is known from Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3.

  In such a bookbinding system, the image forming apparatus is connected to, for example, a computer network, and document data is transferred from a plurality of computers, or document data is transferred from one computer. These document data are stored in the storage device in the order of transfer and reserved as a print job regardless of the processing status of the image forming apparatus.

JP 2007-76119 A JP 2004-209869 A JP 2006-256314 A

  A system that automatically processes from image formation to bookbinding as described above is known as an on-demand printing system. In such a system, a system that is connected to a computer device that creates document data or a storage management device that stores and manages document data and from which these document data is transferred as a print job is generally used.

  In a system that reserves a plurality of print jobs as described above, conventionally, a print job is stored in a reservation order, for example, in a data storage unit of the image forming apparatus, and an image forming process and a bookbinding finishing process are executed in accordance with the reservation order. Adopted. As described above, in the conventional bookbinding system, the interrupt mode function is known, but basically, print jobs are formed according to the order of reservation.

  In this case, if a plurality of print jobs are reserved and these are executed in the order of reservation, the entire processing time may become inefficient. For example, when a print job that performs trimming after trimming and a print job that does not perform trimming are alternately repeated, the former is executed continuously, and then the latter is executed continuously, compared to the case where the latter is continuously executed. Processing time is long and inefficient.

  Therefore, the present inventor has focused on the processing time of the bookbinding processing after image formation when a plurality of print jobs are reserved, and investigated the efficiency. As a result, in the bookbinding process, the relationship between the time required from image formation to copy stacking and the time required from bookbinding to trimming is roughly proportional to the number of copy sheets, the latter being processed. It turned out to be substantially constant according to the man-hour (operation time). This has led to the idea that when a plurality of print jobs are reserved, the execution order is set according to the processing time of post-processing (bookbinding finishing processing).

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system capable of shortening the time from image formation to bookbinding finishing processing and enabling efficient bookbinding processing in a system configuration capable of reserving a plurality of print jobs.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises an image forming unit, an accumulation processing unit, a bookbinding processing unit, and a control unit for controlling these, and a job reservation unit for reserving a plurality of print jobs, The execution order setting unit sets the execution order of the reserved jobs, and the job execution unit executes the jobs in the set order. The execution order setting means is characterized in that the execution order is set from the sheet stacking processing time in the stacking processing unit and the bookbinding processing time in the bookbinding processing unit.

  Further, the present invention will be described in detail. An image forming unit (A) that sequentially forms an image on a sheet, an accumulation processing unit (93a) that aligns and stacks sheets from the image forming unit, and a sheet bundle that has been aligned. A bookbinding processing section (93b) for binding the bookbinding, an image forming section (92c), a stacking processing section (93a), and a control means (92c) for controlling sheet conveyance in this order form an image forming system.

  The control means includes a job reservation means (95) for reserving a plurality of bookbinding processes, an execution order setting means (97) for setting the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation means, and this execution Job execution control means (98) is provided for executing and controlling jobs from image formation to bookbinding processing in the execution order set by the order setting means. Therefore, the execution order setting means sets the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation means from the sheet stacking processing time in the stacking processing section and the bookbinding processing time in the bookbinding processing section.

  The present invention provides execution order setting means for setting the execution order of jobs when a plurality of bookbinding finishing processes are reserved by the job reservation means, and this execution order setting means is used as the sheet stacking processing time in the stacking processing section. Since the execution order is set from the bookbinding processing time in the bookbinding processing unit, the following effects can be obtained.

  When multiple print jobs are reserved, the execution order of each job is set from the bookbinding processing time regardless of the reservation order. For example, the stacking process from image formation to stacking stacking, and bookbinding binding to trimming finish. By setting the execution order so that the simultaneous processing time of the bookbinding process up to is maximized, the reserved print job is processed in the shortest time, and efficient processing is possible.

  At the same time, when binding the bookbinding with a hot-melt adhesive, the temperature control of the adhesive is facilitated by a short time process, and problems such as bookbinding defects can be reduced.

  Further, the execution order setting means calculates the stacking processing time from the copy number information, the sheet size information, and the sheet number information to be aligned and calculates the bookbinding processing time from the cutting specification information indicating whether or not to perform the cutting process. The simultaneous processing time of the stacking process and the bookbinding process can be determined by a simple method. By adopting such a configuration, the subsequent bookbinding process time can be calculated and the execution order can be set at the time of job reservation.

1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams of an overall configuration of an image forming system according to the present invention, where FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a control unit in the image forming system of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of processing time in the image forming system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an overall configuration of the image forming system in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a structural explanatory diagram of a bookbinding apparatus in the image forming system of FIG. 4. FIGS. 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams of an operation state of the bookbinding apparatus of FIG. 5, in which FIG. 5A shows a state where sheets are aligned and accumulated, and FIG. 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams of an operation state of the bookbinding apparatus of FIG. 5, where FIG. 5A shows a cover binding state and FIG. 5B shows a trimming cutting state. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a control configuration of the image forming system in FIG. 1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Structure explanatory drawing of the bookbinding system concerning this invention. Explanatory drawing of the control structure of the bookbinding system of FIG.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail according to the illustrated embodiments. The present invention relates to an image forming system and a bookbinding system, and is characterized in that, in a reservation system that reserves a plurality of bookbinding finishing processes, the execution order is executed in the order that can be processed in the shortest time. For this reason, the present invention sequentially executes bookbinding processing from a network printing system in which bookbinding finishing document data is transferred simultaneously with printing from a plurality of document creation terminals in a network system, or from a document management tray in which a plurality of documents are reserved and set. Configured as a bookbinding system.

  FIG. 1A is a configuration diagram of an image forming system (network printing system; hereinafter referred to as “NWP”), which includes a document data creation unit Sy1, a document data storage unit Sy2, an image formation unit Sy3, and an integration process. The unit Sy4, the bookbinding processing unit Sy5, and these control units Sy6. The “document data creation unit Sy1” creates document data to be bound by a computer, a network scanner, or the like. The “document data storage unit Sy2” stores document data transferred from the creation unit by a mass storage device or the like.

  The document data storage unit Sy2 is disposed on the network, the image forming apparatus, or both (disposed in the image forming apparatus A in the embodiment described later). The “image forming unit Sy3” forms an image on the sheet based on the data stored in the storage unit. The “stacking processing unit Sy4” stacks and stacks sheets sent from the image forming unit in page order. The “bookbinding processing unit Sy5” performs a bookbinding process on the bundle of sheets that have been aligned and accumulated. The “control unit Sy6” controls all jobs from image formation to bookbinding.

  FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of the apparatus configuration of the NWP. A computer terminal 90 for creating document data, a scanner apparatus 91 for reading an original image as electronic data, and a sheet based on the document data transferred from these terminals. An image forming apparatus 92 (image forming apparatus A described later) for forming the upper image and a bookbinding apparatus 93 (bookbinding apparatus B described later) for bookbinding finishing the image-formed sheet are configured. The computer terminal 90 is known as a personal computer, and the scanner device 91 is known as a network scanner. The image forming apparatus 92 includes a large-capacity storage unit 92a such as a hard disk, a paper feeding unit 92b, an image forming unit 92c, and a control unit 92d.

  A bookbinding device 93 is disposed on the downstream side of the image forming apparatus 92. The bookbinding apparatus 93a accommodates a stacking unit 93a that stacks and stacks the sheets from the image forming unit 92c, and a bookbinding processing unit 93b that binds the aligned sheet bundle. The unit 93c is configured. The bookbinding processing unit 93b is provided with an adhesive application unit 94a, a cover binding unit 94b, and a cutting unit 94c.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a “job reservation unit 95” that sequentially binds a plurality of documents in the NWP as described above. As shown in FIG. 2, the reservation means 95 is configured to transfer the image data gd to the data storage unit 92a and accept a print reservation. For this reason, simultaneously with data storage, printing conditions gC (color, monochrome, resolution, enlargement ratio, reduction ratio, etc.) and post-processing conditions ge (final finishing specifications such as bookbinding, non-binding, trimming cut) are sent from the control panel 96. Configure to be configurable. This control panel 96 is constituted by an input means (keyboard) of a computer or an input panel prepared for a network scanner.

  The illustrated system configures driver software (printer driver) so that print reservations can be made by communication from a computer terminal, a network scanner, or the like. Then, the document data gd is transferred to the image forming apparatus 92 or the data storage unit 92a arranged on the network. At the same time, the printing condition gc and the post-processing condition ge are transferred to the control CPU (system control unit 75 described later) of the image forming apparatus 92.

  The system control unit 75 is provided with an execution order setting unit 97 and a job execution control unit 98. The execution order setting means 97 sets the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation means, and the job execution control means 98 controls jobs from image formation to bookbinding processing in the execution order set by the setting means 97. To be configured.

"Configuration of execution order setting means"
The execution order setting unit 97 sets the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation unit 95. For this reason, the setting means 97 is provided with a calculation means 97a for calculating the processing time according to the bookbinding processing conditions (finishing specifications) of a plurality of reserved document data. As will be described later, this processing time includes a time calculation step execution order setting means 97b for calculating the post-processing processing time and an overlap amount calculation step execution order setting means 97c.

"Configuration of job execution control means"
The job execution control unit 98 is configured to execute jobs from image formation to bookbinding processing in the execution order set by the setting unit 97. In an embodiment described later, an image forming operation 99a, a stacking operation 99b, an adhesive application operation 99c, a cover binding operation 99d, a cooling time standby operation 99e, a trimming cutting operation 99f, and a sheet bundle storing operation 99g are controlled. . The control of each operation will be described in detail in an embodiment described later.

  Therefore, the execution order setting means will be described with reference to FIG. A plurality of print jobs reserved by the reservation unit 95 are random when executed in the order of reservation. For example, if 10 copies of the first job and 3 copies of the second job are reserved and 3 copies are reserved, the execution time required for the image forming operation 99a is proportional to the number of sheets and is executed regardless of the job order. Is done. However, the bookbinding process execution time is related to the job order.

  In this bookbinding process, the time required from the image formation to the alignment stacking (stacking processing time Ta) and the time required from the adhesive application to the cover binding (bookbinding processing time Tb) or the time required from the adhesive application to the trimming finish ( The total processing time Tt differs as follows depending on the job order due to the bookbinding processing time Tb).

  This will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a case where three copies (first job) of 10-sheet document data and three copies (second job) of 200-sheet document data are reserved. In the embodiment described below, the stacking processing time Ta is 10 seconds and the bookbinding processing time Tb is 80 seconds when there are 10 sheets, and the stacking processing time Ta is 230 seconds and the bookbinding processing time Tb is 120 seconds when there are 200 sheets. . In this case, the total processing time Tt is 980 seconds in case 1 executed in the order of the first job and the second job, and the total processing time Tt is 1050 seconds in case 2 executed in the order of the second job and the first job. In case 3 where the first job and the second job are executed alternately, the total processing time Tt is 1030 seconds. Therefore, it becomes efficient to execute a plurality of reserved print jobs in the order in which the total processing time is the shortest.

  The difference in total processing time is that parallel processing (simultaneous processing) overlaps between the stacking operation (operation from image formation to stacking and stacking) and the bookbinding operation (operation from adhesive application to bookbinding or trimming). It depends on the time difference. In case 1, the simultaneous processing time is 340 seconds, in case 2 it is 270 seconds, and in case 3 it is 290 seconds. Therefore, the execution order of case 1 is the shortest processing time, and case 2 is the longest processing time.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the execution order setting unit 97 described above calculates the execution time from image formation to bookbinding finishing for a plurality of reserved document data, and sets the execution order with the shortest processing time. It is a feature. In this case, the execution order setting unit 97 is configured as follows, for example.

  When a plurality of bookbinding processing finishes are reserved by the job reservation unit 95, the execution order setting unit 97 acquires the number of sheets to be printed and the sheet size information from the page information included in the document data or the input information of the control panel 96. To do. At the same time, the designated image forming condition gc and the designated post-processing condition ge (including post-processing specifications such as whether to trim trimming) are acquired. These pieces of information are configured to be transferred from the job reservation means 95 (NWP or control panel).

  Therefore, the execution order setting unit 97 calculates the conveyance speed of the sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 92C of the image forming apparatus 92, and calculates the image forming apparatus time from the paper feed unit to the paper discharge unit. At the same time, the execution order setting unit 97 calculates the sheet conveyance time from the carry-in entrance of the bookbinding apparatus B to the stacking tray. A stacking processing time Ta required for stacking and stacking is calculated from the transport speed for image formation, the transport speed to the stacking unit, and the interval time.

  For this reason, the controller 92d of the image forming apparatus 92 is provided with a RAM 92c (storage means), and the sheet size data and the image forming speed data are prepared and stored in the storage means 92c. Further, a RAM 93d is provided in the controller of the bookbinding apparatus, and the sheet conveyance speed from the carry-in port to the stacking tray 38 (FIG. 4) is stored.

  Simultaneously with the above-described calculation of the accumulation processing time Ta, the execution order setting unit 97 calculates the bookbinding processing time in the bookbinding processing unit. For this reason, the RAM 93d of the bookbinding apparatus stores an adhesive application time, a cooling time thereof, a cover binding time, and a cutting processing time. These times may differ depending on the configuration of the bookbinding processing unit.

  For example, the adhesive application time and cutting processing time differ depending on the sheet size, and when the configuration in which the adhesive application thickness varies depending on the bundle thickness (number of pages), the cooling of the adhesive is performed. Time may vary. Accordingly, the processing time corresponding to the number of pages is stored in the RAM 93d, for example, in a memory table.

  Therefore, the execution order setting unit 97 calculates the total processing time Tt reserved from the “accumulation processing time Ta”, the “bookbinding processing time Tb”, and the simultaneous parallel processing time. Then, the job execution order is set in the order of the shortest total processing time Tt (calculation step 97c). The calculation of the total processing time Tt is preferably performed for each reserved job (number of pages and the number of copies) from the calculation speed. However, the total processing time Tt can also be calculated for a combination of all jobs (only the number of pages). It is.

The parallel processing time of the above-described stacking process and bookbinding process is set depending on whether the configuration of the bookbinding apparatus is (1) a transport mechanism for transporting a sheet or (2) the configuration of the bookbinding process path. As in the embodiments described later, a sheet conveying mechanism is a conveying mechanism (conveying roller and its driving motor) from the carry-in entrance to the stacking tray, and a conveying mechanism (grip conveying mechanism and the conveying mechanism) that conveys the sheet bundle from the tray to the application position Px. Parallel processing or the like can be performed when both of them individually convey sheets (bundles) with different drive motors.

At the same time, when the adhesive application position Px, the cover binding position Py, and the cutting position Pz in the bookbinding processing path (path 42 described later) are configured to have a path length shorter than the length in the conveyance direction of the maximum size sheet, the “stacking process” is performed. ”And“ bookbinding process ”are simultaneously performed in parallel (see FIG. 5). Accordingly, the parallel processing time for the stacking process and the bookbinding process is set according to the apparatus configuration. In the case of the execution order in FIG. 3, the time is calculated with an apparatus configuration in which no interval time is provided between the “stacking process” and the “bookbinding process”.

  Hereinafter, the image forming unit (image forming apparatus) and the bookbinding processing unit (bookbinding apparatus B) shown in FIG. 1 will be described in order.

[Image forming apparatus]
FIG. 4 shows the image forming apparatus A and the bookbinding apparatus B. First, the image forming apparatus A forms an image on a sheet by an image forming method such as electrostatic printing, ink jet printing, or offset printing, and carries it out from the paper discharge port 14. The bookbinding apparatus B is connected to the paper discharge port 14, collects and stacks the image-formed sheets, applies an adhesive to the spine portion, binds it into a booklet, and trims and cuts the periphery. After cutting and finishing, it is configured to be stored in the storage stacker 74.

  The image forming apparatus A can employ various printing mechanisms as described above. As an example, an electrostatic printing mechanism will be described and the configuration thereof will be described. In the illustrated image forming apparatus A, a paper feed unit 2, a printing unit 3, a paper discharge unit 4, and a control unit 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 control unit 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.

  The paper discharge unit 4 is provided with a paper discharge port 14 and a paper discharge roller 15 formed in the casing 1. Reference numeral 16 denotes a circulation path. The print sheet from the paper discharge path 17 is turned upside down on 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 19 on which an original sheet is placed and set, a carriage 21 that scans an original image along the platen 19, 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 23 for automatically feeding a document sheet to the platen is provided on the platen 19.

[Bookbinding device]
The bookbinding apparatus B shown in FIG. 4 forms a sheet bundle by aligning and accumulating the sheets sent from the image forming apparatus A, and applying an adhesive to the sheet bundle (hereinafter referred to as “intermediate sheet sheet bundle”). Book binding by either binding with top glue binding or bookbinding processing to bind the middle paper sheet bundle to the cover sheet, and binding the middle paper sheet bundle with the stapler device (unit). Configure. The illustrated apparatus shows a case binding process for case binding as an example.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the bookbinding apparatus B is provided with a bookbinding path 42 that guides the sheet bundle of intermediate sheets from the application position Px to the cover binding position Py and then to the cutting position Pz. An adhesive application means 52 for applying an adhesive to the back binding end surface of the sheet bundle is disposed at the application position Px, and a cover binding means constituted by the back plate 59 and the back folding plate 60 is provided at the cover binding position Py. 58 is arranged.

  Further, a cutting unit (sheet bundle cutting device; hereinafter the same) C for cutting and aligning the peripheral edges of the bound sheet bundle is disposed at the cutting position Pz. The bookbinding path 42 is provided with sheet bundle conveying means 43 for transferring the intermediate sheet bundle along the path from the application position Px to the cutting position Pz.

[Bookbinding route]
The bookbinding path 42 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 5, the casing 29 of the bookbinding apparatus B is provided with a carry-in port 30 connected to the paper discharge port 14 of the image forming apparatus A, and a sheet is fed from the carry-in port 30 into the apparatus. Carry in. An intermediate sheet conveyance path 32 and a cover sheet conveyance path 34 are connected to the carry-in path 31 via a path switching flapper 36. A bookbinding path 42 is connected to the intermediate sheet transport path 32 via the stacking unit 37, and a post-processing path 35 is connected to the cover sheet transport path 34.

  As is apparent from FIG. 5, the bookbinding path 42 is arranged in a direction that cuts the apparatus in a substantially vertical direction, and the cover sheet conveyance path 34 is arranged in a direction that crosses the apparatus in a substantially horizontal direction. The bookbinding path 42 and the cover transport path 34 intersect (orthogonal) with each other, and a cover binding means 58 described later is arranged at the intersection.

  A print sheet is fed from the image forming apparatus A to the carry-in path 31 configured as described above. From the image forming apparatus A, a print sheet (inner sheet) on which content information (document data) is printed and a print sheet (cover sheet) on which a title or the like used as a cover cover is printed out. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus B sorts and conveys the sheet on which the document data is printed to the intermediate sheet conveyance path 32 and the sheet on which the cover data is printed to the cover sheet conveyance path 34.

  On the other hand, an inserter device 25 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 26 one by one and supplied to the carry-in path 31. is there. The inserter device 25 is provided with one or a plurality of stages of paper feed trays 26. A paper feed means for separating and feeding the 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 has a conveyance roller 31a, the intermediate-sheet conveyance path 32 has a conveyance roller 32a, and the bookbinding path 42 has a sheet bundle conveyance unit 43, a bundle posture deflection unit 62, and a discharge roller (discharge unit). ) 72 is arranged. Similarly, a transport roller 34a is disposed in the cover transport path 34, and a transport roller 35a is disposed in the post-processing path 35, and each is coupled to a drive motor.

[Configuration of stacking unit]
A stacking tray 38 disposed at the paper discharge port 33 of the intermediate paper conveyance path 32 stacks and stores sheets from the paper discharge port 33 in a bundle. As shown in FIG. 5, the stacking tray 38 is constituted by a tray member arranged in a substantially horizontal posture, and a forward / reverse roller 39 and a carry-in guide 40 are provided above the tray member. The print sheet from the paper discharge port 33 is guided onto the stacking tray by the carry-in guide 40 and stored by the forward / reverse rotation roller 39.

  The forward / reverse roller 39 forwardly transfers the print sheet to the front end side of the stacking tray 38, and reversely rotates the back end of the sheet against the regulating member 41 disposed at the back end of the tray (right end in FIG. 5). Further, the stacking tray 38 is provided with sheet side aligning means (not shown) for aligning both side edges of the print sheets stored on the tray 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 38 and aligned in a bundle.

  The stacking tray 38 is provided with a sheet bundle thickness identifying means (not shown) so as to detect the thickness of the sheet bundle stacked on the tray. For example, the thickness of the sheet bundle can be identified by providing a paper touch piece in contact with the uppermost sheet on the tray and detecting the position of the paper touch piece with a sensor.

  As another sheet bundle thickness identification means, for example, a sheet is detected from the sheet discharge sensor Se3 on the stacking tray, and a counter for counting signals from the sheet discharge sensor is provided to complete the job from the image forming apparatus A. The sheet bundle thickness can be identified by multiplying the total number of sheets counted by the signal by the average sheet thickness.

[Sheet conveying means]
As shown in FIG. 5, the sheet bundle conveying means 43 that conveys the intermediate sheet bundle from the accumulation tray 38 to the downstream application position Px is movable with the pair of fixed clampers. The sheet bundle is gripped by a clamper (not shown) to deflect the posture of the sheet bundle from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction, and is transferred downstream along the bookbinding path 42. Although the configuration is not shown, various grip conveyance mechanisms are already known, and thus description thereof is omitted.

[Adhesive application means]
In the bookbinding path 42, a coating position Px is provided on the downstream side of the stacking tray 38, and an adhesive coating means 52 is disposed. As shown in FIG. 5, the adhesive application unit 52 includes an application roller 53 that applies an adhesive to the back portion of the intermediate paper sheet bundle supported by the sheet bundle conveyance unit 43. The application roller 53 is rotatably attached to the glue container 54 and is connected to the application motor Mr.

  The glue container 54 is supported by a guide rail 56 so as to reciprocate in the direction of the front and back surfaces of FIG. A timing belt (not shown) is stretched over the glue container 54, and is configured to reciprocate with a predetermined stroke by a drive motor Md.

  Accordingly, the glue container 54 reciprocates at a predetermined stroke along the lower end edge of the intermediate paper sheet bundle positioned by the sheet bundle conveying means 43 described later, and the application roll 53 rotates by the application motor Mr while lowering the lower end edge of the sheet bundle. The adhesive is applied to the surface.

[Configuration of cover binding means]
A cover binding means 58 is disposed at the cover binding position Py of the bookbinding path 42. The cover binding means 58 includes a back plate 59, a back folding plate 60, and a folding roll 61 as shown in FIG. The above-described cover sheet conveyance path 34 is disposed at the cover sheet binding position Py, and the cover sheet is fed from the image forming apparatus A or the inserter apparatus 25.

  Therefore, the back plate 59 is composed of a plate-like member that backs up the cover sheet, and is disposed in the bookbinding path 42 so as to be able to advance and retreat. A middle sheet bundle is joined to the cover sheet supported by the back plate 59 in an inverted T shape. Therefore, the back folding plate 60 is composed of a pair of left and right press members, and is configured to be moved toward and away from each other by a driving means (not shown) in order to back fold the back portion of the cover sheet joined in an inverted T shape. Yes. The folding roll 61 is composed of a pair of rollers that press and fold the back-folded sheet bundle.

[Sheet cutting unit]
A cutting position Pz is set downstream of the cover binding position Py, and a cutting unit is arranged. The cutting unit includes a bundle posture deflecting unit 62, a cutting edge press unit 67, and a cutting unit 70.

[Bundle posture deflection means]
On the downstream side of the folding roll 61, a bundle posture deflecting means 62 for positioning and setting the sheet bundle at the cutting position Pz is disposed. The illustrated posture deflecting means 62 is constituted by a bundle posture deflecting means for deflecting the vertical direction of the sheet bundle. The bundle posture deflecting unit (posture deflecting unit: the same applies hereinafter) 62 deflects the sheet bundle mounted from the cover binding position Py to a predetermined posture and feeds the sheet bundle to the downstream cutting position Pz.

  Therefore, the bundle posture deflecting means 62 includes grip rotating members 62a and 62b that grip and rotate the sheet bundle sent from the folding roll 61 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the grip rotation members 62a and 62b are provided on a unit frame 62x attached to the apparatus frame so as to be movable up and down. Grip rotating members 62a and 62b are rotatably supported by the unit frame 62x with the bookbinding path 42 interposed therebetween, and one movable grip rotating member 62b is in the sheet bundle thickness direction (a direction orthogonal to the bookbinding path 42). It is supported to move freely.

  The grip rotation members 62a and 62b are provided with turning motors Mt1 and Mt2 so as to deflect the posture of the sheet bundle in the bookbinding path. The movable grip rotating member 62b is equipped with a grip motor Mg that moves in the left-right direction in FIG.

  Accordingly, the sheet bundle guided into the bookbinding path 42 is gripped by the left and right grip rotation members 62a and 62b, and the orientation direction of the sheet bundle is deflected by the turning motors Mt1 and Mt2. For example, the sheet bundle having the back portion carried downward is turned 180 degrees and the small edge portion is sent downward to the downstream discharge roller 72. Further, it is possible to perform a trimming cut in which the sheet bundle is sequentially rotated by 90 degrees, and the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion are respectively deflected downward at the downstream cutting position Pz to cut the three peripheral directions of the sheet bundle.

  The movable grip rotating member 62b is provided with a grip sensor (not shown) to detect that the sheet bundle is securely gripped between the left and right grip rotating members 62a, 62b. The rotating members 62a and 62b are configured to be driven to turn. The unit frame 62x can move the sheet bundle up and down along the bookbinding path 42 by a lifting motor Ma. This is because the sheet bundle is conveyed and set at the cutting position Pz and the cutting width (cut amount) at the cutting position Pz is set by the feed amount when trimming and dividing and cutting the periphery of the sheet bundle.

[Composition of cutting unit]
A cutting unit is disposed on the downstream side of the bundle posture deflecting means 62. As shown in FIG. 5, the cutting unit includes a cutting edge press means 67 for pressing and supporting the cutting edge of the sheet bundle on the blade receiving member 64 and a cutting blade unit 68. The cutting edge press means 67 is constituted by a press mechanism that presses and holds the cutting edge of the sheet bundle against a blade receiving member 64 described later, a pressurizing member 65 that presses the sheet bundle, and a pressure applied to the pressing member 65. It is comprised by the urging means (not shown) which provides.

  The urging means is constituted by a spring that urges a pressure member (pressure means) 65 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet bundle by a driving means (not shown). The cutting blade unit 68 includes a flat blade-shaped cutting blade 70 and a cutter motor (driving means) MC for driving the cutting blade 70. By the cutting unit having such a configuration, a predetermined amount of the periphery of the sheet bundle that has been bound into a booklet is cut and aligned.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cutting blade 70 is a flat blade-shaped blade tip having a blade width longer than the sheet width, and is between a standby position separated from the blade receiving member 64 and a cutting position that contacts the blade receiving member 64. And is reciprocally supported by and coupled to a cutter motor (driving means) Mc.

  At the cutting position Pz, a blade receiving member 64 is disposed at a position facing the cutting blade 70. The blade receiving member 64 is disposed so as to face the cutting blade 70 with a sheet (bundle) interposed therebetween, is fixed to an apparatus frame (not shown), and is composed of a soft rubber material and a resin material (the one shown is a polypropylene resin). Has been.

[Output Configuration]
A paper discharge roller (paper discharge means) 72 and a storage stacker 74 are disposed downstream of the cutting position Pz. As shown in FIG. 5, the storage stacker 74 stores the sheet bundle in a standing position. As shown in FIG. 4, the storage stacker 74 is arranged in a drawer shape on the casing 29 and can be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus (the front side in FIG. 5). The user can visually recognize from the upper surface direction in a state of being pulled out to the front side of the apparatus. Incidentally, 74Sf shown in the figure is a fullness detection sensor, which detects the full state of the sheet bundle stored in the storage stacker 74 and warns the operator of the removal.

[Configuration of control means]
A control configuration of the image forming system shown in FIG. 4 will be described. FIG. 8 shows the control configuration. A control CPU 75 provided in the image forming apparatus A is provided with a control panel 18 and mode setting means 76. A control CPU 78 is provided in the control unit of the bookbinding apparatus B. The control CPU 78 calls a bookbinding process execution program from the ROM 79 and executes each process in the bookbinding path 42.

  The control CPU 78 also receives a post-processing mode instruction signal, job end signal, sheet size information, and other information required for bookbinding and a command signal from the control CPU 75 of the image forming apparatus A. On the other hand, in the carry-in path 31, the bookbinding path 42, and the cover sheet transport path 34, sheet sensors Se1 to Se5 for detecting sheets (sheet bundles) to be transported are arranged at positions illustrated in FIG.

  Therefore, the detection signals of the sheet sensors Se1 to Se5 are transmitted to the control CPU 75, and the control CPU 78 performs "stacking unit control unit 78a", "adhesive application unit control unit 78b", "cover binding unit control unit 78C", and "cutting unit control unit". 78d "and" stack controller 78e ".

[Description of operation of image forming system]
The mode setting means 76 is configured to set a plurality of modes from image formation to bookbinding processing. In this mode, post-processing modes are “whether bookbinding is finished” or “cutting is finished”. A selection is made. In this mode setting, “reservation order execution mode” and “processing time priority execution mode” can be selected. “Reservation order execution mode” executes a plurality of print jobs reserved in the reservation unit 95 in the order of reservation, and “Processing time priority execution mode” executes a plurality of reserved print jobs in the order in which the processing time is the shortest. .

  Therefore, the document data reserved in the reservation unit 95 as described above when the “bookbinding processing finish” and the “processing time priority execution mode” are set by the mode setting unit 76 is set by the execution order setting unit 97. In this order, the print jobs are executed (see FIG. 2). Then, the image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 4 selects a sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 5 and transfers it to the image forming unit (drum 10). After the image is formed on the sheet by the image forming drum 10, the sheet is sequentially carried out from the paper discharge port 14 toward the carry-in port 30 of the bookbinding apparatus B.

  Therefore, in the bookbinding apparatus B, the sheet from the carry-in entrance 30 is conveyed to the stacking tray 38 and stacked and stored on the tray. This stacking operation is shown in FIG. 6 (a). The intermediate paper sheets sent to the carry-in entrance 30 are stacked and aligned on a tray 38 arranged substantially in the horizontal direction. Next, job execution control means 78 (hereinafter simply referred to as “control means 78”) of the bookbinding apparatus B.

  Next, upon receiving a job end signal from the image forming apparatus A, the control unit 78 transfers the sheet bundle on the tray 38 to the grip conveyance unit 43, and the conveyance unit 43 changes the posture of the sheet bundle from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction. It is conveyed and set to the adhesive application position Px. This state is shown in FIG. 6B, and the cover sheet is applied at the cover binding position Py and the adhesive is applied by the application roll 53 (adhesive application operation).

  After that, the control unit 78 transfers the sheet bundle to the cover binding position Py by the grip conveying unit 43, and binds the middle sheet bundle and the cover sheet at this position (binding operation). This cover binding operation is shown in FIG. After the cover binding, the control means 78 stands by for a predetermined adhesive cooling time in the state shown in FIG.

  After the predetermined binding operation is completed, the control unit 78 sends the sheet bundle to the cutting position Pz. At this cutting position, the above-described bundle posture changing means 62 grips the sheet bundle and changes its posture, so that the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion face the cutting position. Then, the trimming is cut by the cut amount calculated by the cutting amount calculation means 71 in this order. This state is shown in FIG. Then, the control means 78 stores the sheet bundle in the storage stacker 74 (paper discharge operation).

[Bookbinding system]
FIG. 9 shows a bookbinding system that is different from the image forming system described above, and includes a job reservation device C and a bookbinding device B. The configuration of the bookbinding apparatus B is the same as that of the bookbinding apparatus in the image forming system shown in FIG. The job reservation apparatus C includes a plurality of reservation trays 100a, 100b, and 100c, and is supported by an elevating mechanism (not shown) so that each tray 100 moves up and down to the carry-out port 101. A pick-up roller 102 and a paper feed roller 103 are provided at the carry-out port 101 so that the sheets on the tray 100 facing the carry-out port 101 are fed one by one to the carry-in port 30 of the bookbinding apparatus B.

  Therefore, in the bookbinding apparatus B, as shown in FIG. 10, a job reservation control unit 95 is incorporated in the control unit of the bookbinding apparatus B, for example. The control unit 104 is provided with a control panel 104, from which mode setting 105 (for example, whether or not to finish cutting) is made. The control unit 95 is configured to control the tray lifting control unit 106 and the paper feed operation control unit 107 of the reserved tray 100.

  Accordingly, the operator stores the document to be bound in the reservation tray 100, and inputs the number of pages, the number of copies, and the like and bookbinding specifications (whether to finish cutting) from the control panel 104. Then, the execution order setting means 97 described in FIG. 2 calculates the execution time in the same manner as described above, and sets the execution order. In accordance with the execution order, the reservation tray 100 is moved to the carry-out port 101, and sheets are fed one by one to the carry-in port 30 by the paper feed roller 103. Since other operations are the same as those described above, the description thereof is omitted.

Sy1 Document data creation unit Sy2 Document data storage unit Sy3 Image forming unit Sy4 Integration processing unit Sy5 Bookbinding processing unit Sy6 Control unit 75 System control unit 78 Bookbinding device control CPU
90 image creation terminal 91 image reading terminal 92 image forming apparatus 92a data storage unit 92b paper feeding unit 92c image forming unit 93 bookbinding apparatus 93a stacking unit 93b bookbinding processing unit 95 job reservation means 96 control panel 97 execution order setting means 98 job execution control Means 100 Reservation tray

Claims (12)

An image forming unit that sequentially forms an image on a sheet;
An accumulation processing unit for aligning and collecting sheets from the image forming unit;
A bookbinding processing unit that binds and binds the aligned sheet bundle;
A control unit that controls the image forming unit, the integration processing unit, and the bookbinding processing unit;
A system comprising:
In the control unit,
Job reservation means for reserving multiple bookbinding processes;
Execution order setting means for setting the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation means;
Job execution control means for controlling execution of jobs from image formation to bookbinding processing in the execution order set by the execution order setting means;
Is provided,
The execution order setting means sets the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation means from the sheet stacking processing time in the stacking processing section and the bookbinding processing time in the bookbinding processing section. An image forming system. The execution order setting unit is configured to bookbinding so that the simultaneous processing time of the sheet stacking processing time in the stacking processing unit and the bookbinding processing time in the bookbinding processing unit of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation unit is maximized. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein an execution order of processing is set. The execution order setting means includes:
Information on the length in the conveyance direction of the sheet from the image forming unit to the stacking unit,
3. The image forming system according to claim 2, further comprising means for calculating a sheet stacking processing time in the stacking processing unit based on sheet number information aligned in the stacking processing unit. In the bookbinding processing section,
An adhesive application means for applying an adhesive to the back binding portion of the sheet bundle;
A cutting means for cutting at least one direction of the sheet bundle sent from the adhesive application means;
The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming system is provided. In the bookbinding processing section,
A cover binding means is provided between the adhesive application means and the cutting means,
5. The image forming system according to claim 4, wherein the cover binding unit is configured to perform a case binding process on the sheet bundle sent from the adhesive application unit with the cover sheet. The adhesive application means is configured to apply a hot-melt adhesive to a bundle of sheets that are partly integrated,
6. The image forming system according to claim 5, wherein the cover binding means includes means for cooling the adhesive after the sheet bundle is bound and bound with a cover sheet. The cutting means is
A bundle posture deflecting means for deflecting the posture of the sheet bundle;
A cutting blade for trimming the sheet bundle;
The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming system is configured as follows. In the control unit,
Information related to sheet conveyance time from the image forming unit to the stacking unit,
Information related to the adhesive application processing time by the adhesive application means,
Information related to cover binding processing time by the cover binding means,
Information related to the cutting processing time by the cutting means;
8. The image forming system according to claim 5, further comprising a storage unit that stores in advance. The job reservation means includes:
Bookbinding processing number information,
Sheet size information for image formation,
Information on the number of sheets to be collected
Cutting direction designation information for setting whether or not to perform cutting processing,
The image forming system according to claim 5, further comprising: The control means further includes
Reservation order execution mode,
Processing time priority execution mode,
Mode selection means;
Is provided,
The execution order setting means includes:
In the reservation order execution mode, the bookbinding processing execution order is set in the order reserved by the job reservation means,
In the processing time priority execution mode, the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation unit is set from the sheet stacking processing time in the stacking processing unit and the processing times of the cover binding unit and the cutting unit. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming system is an image forming system. An apparatus for binding and binding sheets sent from an image forming apparatus,
Sheet stacking means for stacking sheets from the image forming means;
An adhesive application means for applying an adhesive to the aligned sheet bundle;
A cover binding means for binding a cover sheet to a sheet bundle from the adhesive application means, and a cutting means for cutting and aligning the sheet bundle from the cover binding means;
Control means for controlling the sheet stacking means, adhesive application means, cover binding means, cutting means;
With
The control means includes
Job reservation means for reserving multiple bookbinding processes;
Execution order setting means for setting the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation means;
Command transfer means for instructing the image forming apparatus the execution order set by the execution order setting means;
Is provided,
The execution order setting means sets the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation means from the sheet accumulation processing time in the sheet stacking means and the processing times of the cover binding means and the cutting means. A bookbinding apparatus characterized by that. A bookbinding system for continuously binding a plurality of documents,
A document storage means for temporarily storing a plurality of documents for reservation;
Sheet stacking means for aligning documents fed from the document storage means in page order;
An adhesive application means for applying an adhesive to the aligned sheet bundle;
A binding processing means for binding the sheet bundle from the adhesive application means, and a cutting means for cutting and aligning the sheet bundle from the binding processing means;
Control means for controlling the document storage means, sheet stacking means, adhesive application means, binding processing means, cutting means;
With
The control means includes
Job reservation means for reserving multiple bookbinding processes;
Execution order setting means for setting the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation means;
A paper feed operation executing means for feeding sheets from the document storage means to the sheet stacking means in the execution order set by the execution order setting means;
Is provided,
The execution order setting means sets the execution order of a plurality of bookbinding processes reserved by the job reservation means from the sheet accumulation processing time in the sheet stacking means and the processing times of the cover binding means and the cutting means. A bookbinding system characterized by that.

Images