JP2013047761A - Image forming apparatus and image processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust the appearance of a tongue part appearing in the surface of a sheet bundle due to insertion into a cut by relation with the surface of the sheet bundle.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes: a control part processing image information; an image forming part forming an image on a sheet by the image information processed by the control part; a compile stacking part stacking a plurality of sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming part, to make the sheet bundle; and a needleless binding mechanism forming a slit 521 in the sheet bundle and cutting a part of the sheet bundle into a previously set shape, to form a tongue part 522, folding the tongue part 522 and inserting the end of the tongue part 522 into the slit 521, to bind the sheet bundle. The control part recognizes the position of the tongue part 522 in the sheet bundle, appearing in the surface, after bind, in the sheet bundle bound by the needleless binding mechanism and the image information of the tongue part 522 in the position of the tongue part 522 as well, and executes specific image processing for the recognized image information of the tongue part 522.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image processing apparatus.

  As a sealing device, a cutting blade, a knife, and a cam are attached to an upper mold that can move up and down, and when the upper mold approaches a lower mold that is provided with a predetermined hole and receives a document to be sealed, A cutting blade punches a part of the document so as not to leave the document, at the same time the knife grooves the document adjacent to the punched part, and then the cam folds the punched part, When the upper mold is separated from the lower mold, the knife inserts the tip of the punched portion into the groove to seal the document, and further, an upper blade is attached to the upper mold, and the lower blade is attached to the lower mold. There is one that cuts a document when the upper die approaches the lower die (see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a first punch that lowers by lever operation to form a tongue-like piece surrounded by cutting three sides at the end of the paper bundle and a reverse tongue-like piece that is also surrounded by cutting three sides are formed in the vicinity. And a rotating claw that pushes and folds the downward tongue-shaped piece formed by the first punch to the side by rotating in conjunction with the lowering of the first punch. The tongue-shaped piece bent upward is lifted in a state where the tip of the tongue-shaped piece is supported from below, and the tongue-shaped piece is pushed into the punched hole formed by pushing up the tongue-shaped piece formed by the second punch. There exists what provided the hook part which inserts and latches in the 2nd punch (refer patent document 2).

Japanese Patent Publication No.49-5960 Japanese Patent No. 2903492

  The present invention adjusts the appearance of the tongue appearing on the surface of the sheet bundle by inserting it into the notch in relation to the surface of the sheet bundle.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an image is formed by an image processing unit that processes image information, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on the image information processed by the image processing unit, and the image forming unit. Forming a sheet bundle by bundling a plurality of sheets, and forming a notch in the sheet bundle bundled by the sheet bundle forming section and cutting a part of the sheet bundle into a predetermined shape A binding process in which a tongue portion is formed in the paper bundle where one end portion is continuous with the paper bundle, and the tongue portion is folded and the other end portion of the tongue portion is inserted into the notch to bind the paper bundle. And the image processing unit recognizes the position of the tongue that appears on the surface after binding in the sheet bundle bound by the binding processing unit and the position of the tongue. Image information of the tongue at the position Recognize an image forming apparatus characterized by performing a specific image processing to the recognized image information of the tongue.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the image processing unit performs image processing on image information of the tongue portion based on an image formed on the surface of the sheet bundle by the image forming unit. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the image processing unit is configured based on an image formed by the image forming unit at a position where the tongue portion inserted in the cut on the surface of the sheet bundle is disposed. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein image processing is performed on the image information of the tongue portion.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the image processing unit performs image processing on the recognized image information of the tongue so as to form a predetermined image on the tongue. The image forming apparatus according to 1.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, an image processing unit that processes image information, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on the image information processed by the image processing unit, and a sheet bundle in which sheets are bundled are cut. By forming and cutting a part of the sheet bundle into a predetermined shape, a tongue portion is formed on the sheet bundle, with one end portion remaining continuous with the sheet bundle, and the tongue portion is folded. A binding processing device that inserts the other end into the notch and binds the bundle of sheets; and a sheet output unit that outputs a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming section, and the image processing section Recognizing and recognizing the position of the tongue in the sheet bundle of the tongue that appears on the surface after binding in the sheet bundle bound by the processing device, and recognizing the image information of the tongue at the position of the tongue In the image information of the tongue An image processing apparatus characterized by applying a constant image processing.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the appearance of the tongue portion appearing on the surface of the sheet bundle can be adjusted in relation to the surface of the sheet bundle by inserting it into the cut as compared with the case without this configuration.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the appearance of the sheet bundle from being changed as the tongue portion is arranged on the surface of the sheet bundle as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further suppress the change in the appearance of the sheet bundle as the tongue portion is disposed on the surface of the sheet bundle as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the appearance of the tongue can be adjusted in relation to the surface of the sheet bundle, regardless of the recognized image information of the tongue, as compared with the case where this configuration is not provided.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the appearance of the tongue portion appearing on the surface of the sheet bundle can be adjusted in relation to the surface of the sheet bundle by inserting it into the notch as compared with the case without this configuration.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming system to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the periphery of the compilation | stacking part. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the periphery of the compilation | stacking part seen from the III direction of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows a stapleless binding mechanism and its peripheral member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the part bound by the stapleless binding mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship in the surface of a tongue part and a sheet bundle. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the control part when an image forming operation is started. It is a figure explaining the example of the image formed in a tongue part. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a control unit when an image forming operation is started in another embodiment 1; It is a schematic block diagram which shows the 1st example of an image formed in a tongue part. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a control unit when an image forming operation is started in another embodiment 2. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the 2nd example of an image formed in a tongue part. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the 3rd example of an image formed in a tongue part.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Image forming system 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming system (image forming apparatus) 1 to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. An image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1 performs post-processing on, for example, an image forming apparatus 2 such as a printer or a copier that forms an image by electrophotography, and a sheet S on which a toner image is formed by the image forming apparatus 2. And a sheet processing apparatus 3 to be applied.

<Image forming apparatus 2>
The image forming apparatus 2 includes a paper supply unit 6 that supplies a paper S on which an image is formed, and an image forming unit 5 that forms an image on the paper S supplied from the paper supply unit 6. The image forming apparatus 2 also includes a sheet reversing device 7 for reversing the surface of the sheet S on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 5, a reversing conveyance path 8 for conveying the sheet S to the image forming unit 5 again, and an image And a discharge roll (paper output means) 9 for discharging the paper S on which is formed. In the illustrated example, the image forming apparatus 2 includes a control unit 80 that controls the entire image forming system 1. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 2 includes a user interface 90 that receives information related to the binding process from the user. Note that the image forming apparatus 2 including the image forming unit 5, the discharge roll 9, and the control unit 80 can be regarded as an image processing apparatus that performs image processing on received image information.

<Paper Processing Device 3>
The paper processing device 3 includes a transport device 10 that transports the paper S output from the image forming device 2 further downstream, a compile stacking unit 35 that collects and bundles the paper S, and a needleless device that binds the end of the paper S. And a post-processing device 30 including a binding mechanism 150 and the like.
The conveyance device 10 of the paper processing device 3 is configured to apply an entrance roll 11 that is a pair of rolls that receive the paper S output via the discharge roll 9 of the image forming device 2 and the paper S received by the entrance roll 11. And a puncher 12 for drilling as necessary. Further, the transport device 10 further downstream of the puncher 12 includes a first transport roll 13 that is a pair of rolls for transporting the paper S to the downstream side, and a pair of transports the paper S toward the post-processing device 30. And a second transport roll 14 which is a roll.

The post-processing device 30 of the paper processing device 3 includes a receiving roll 31 that is a pair of rolls that receive the paper S from the transport device 10. The post-processing device 30 also includes a compile stacking unit (sheet bundle forming unit) 35 that collects and stores a plurality of sheets S provided downstream of the receiving roll 31, and the sheets S toward the compile stacking unit 35. An exit roll 34 which is a pair of rolls to be discharged is provided.
Further, the post-processing device 30 includes a paddle 37 that rotates so as to push the sheet S toward an end guide 35 b (described later) of the compiling stacking unit 35. Further, the post-processing device 30 includes a tamper 38 for aligning the edges of the paper S. Furthermore, the post-processing device 30 includes an eject roll 39 that conveys the bound sheet bundle B by pressing and rotating the sheets S collected by the compile stacking unit 35.

  Further, the post-processing device 30 includes a stapleless binding mechanism 150 that binds the end of the sheet bundle B accumulated in the compilation stacking unit 35. Furthermore, the post-processing device 30 includes an opening 69 for discharging the sheet bundle B to the outside of the post-processing device 30 by the eject roll 39. Then, a stacking unit 70 that stacks the sheet bundle B discharged from the opening 69 so as to be easily taken by the user is provided.

<Structure around the compiling loader 35>
Next, the compile stacking unit 35 and the surrounding structure will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the periphery of the compile stacking unit 35, and FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the periphery of the compile stacking unit 35 viewed from the direction of arrow III in FIG.
3 indicates the user side of the image forming system 1, and indicates the front side of the sheet in FIGS.

First, the compiling stacking unit 35 includes a bottom 35a having a top surface on which the sheets S are stacked. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom portion 35a includes a first member 35a1 and a second member 35a2, and the first member 35a1 and the second member 35a2 are connected to each other through a joint portion Ga. The second member 35a2 of the bottom portion 35a is formed with a fixing hole 35a20 for fixing the bottom portion 35a to a support member (not shown) with a bolt (not shown) or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the bottom 35a is provided so as to be inclined so that the paper S falls along the upper surface.
Furthermore, the compiling stacking unit 35 includes an end guide 35b that is arranged so as to align the end of the sheet S falling in the traveling direction along the bottom 35a.

  As will be described in detail later, the movement of the sheet S around the compile stacking unit 35 is first supplied toward the compile stacking unit 35 (see the first traveling direction S1 in FIG. 2), and then the traveling direction is changed. It reverses and falls along the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking section 35 (see the second traveling direction S2 in FIG. 2). Thereafter, the ends of the sheets S are aligned, and a sheet bundle B is formed. Then, the sheet bundle B rises along the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking portion 35 with the traveling direction reversed (see the third traveling direction S3 in FIG. 2).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, each end of the bottom portion 35a of the compiling stacking portion 35 is defined as follows. First, the end portion on the leading end side in the second traveling direction S2 indicating the direction in which the sheet S falls along the upper surface of the bottom portion 35a of the compiling stacking portion 35 is referred to as a leading end portion Ta. This tip side end portion Ta is an end portion in contact with the end guide 35b. Further, the end portion along the second traveling direction S2 and the end portion on the user side (lower side in FIG. 3) of the image forming system 1 is referred to as a side end portion Tb.

  Next, the paddle 37 is provided above the compilation stacking unit 35 and downstream of the exit roll 34 in the first traveling direction S1 of the sheet S. Further, the paddle 37 is provided so that the distance from the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking portion 35 is changed by being driven by a motor or the like (not shown). Specifically, the paddle 37 is provided so as to be movable in the directions of arrows U1 and U2 in FIG. 2, and moves in the direction of the arrow U1 to approach the bottom 35a of the compile stacking unit 35 (drawn by a solid line). The position Pb) is moved away from the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking unit 35 by moving in the direction of the arrow U2 (position Pa drawn by a broken line). The paddle 37 rotates in the direction of the arrow R in FIG. 2, so that the sheet S conveyed along the first traveling direction S1 in FIG. It is configured to push in the direction S2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the tamper 38 (see FIG. 1) includes a first tamper 38 a and a second tamper 38 b that face each other with the compilation stacking unit 35 interposed therebetween. Specifically, the first tamper 38a and the second tamper 38b are arranged to face each other in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) intersecting the second traveling direction S2. The first tamper 38a and the second tamper 38b are provided such that the distance between the first tamper 38a and the second tamper 38b is changed by being driven by a motor or the like (not shown).

Here, the tamper 38 is configured to align the end portions along the traveling direction of the sheet S falling along the bottom portion 35a. Specifically, the first tamper 38a is located between a position approaching the compiling stacking unit 35 (a position Pax drawn with a solid line) and a position moving away from the compiling stacking unit 35 (a position Pay drawn with a broken line). They are arranged to move between them (arrows C1 and C2). On the other hand, the second tamper 38b moves between a position approaching the compiling stacking portion 35 (position Pbx drawn with a solid line) and a position moving away from the compiling stacking portion 35 (position Pby drawn with a broken line). (Arrows C3 and C4).
Note that the positions Pax, Pay, Pbx, and Pby of the first tamper 38a and the second tamper 38b in the present embodiment are respectively determined in accordance with the paper size and orientation of the paper S supplied to the compilation stacking unit 35. The position of can be changed.

The eject roll 39 includes a first eject roll 39a and a second eject roll 39b, and the first eject roll 39a and the second eject roll 39b sandwich the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking section 35, and the upper side of the bottom 35a. It is arranged to face the lower side.
The first eject roll 39a is provided on the bottom side 35a of the compiling stacking unit 35 on the surface side on which the sheets S are stacked. Further, the first eject roll 39a is provided so as to be capable of advancing and retreating with respect to the second eject roll 39b upon being driven by a motor (not shown). That is, the distance between the first eject roll 39a and the sheet S stacked on the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking unit 35 is changed. On the other hand, the second eject roll 39b is disposed at the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking unit 35, and is disposed on the back side of the surface on which the sheets S are stacked. ing.

Specifically, the first eject roll 39a moves in the direction of the arrow Q1, and the first eject roll 39a approaches the bottom 35a of the compilation stacking section 35 (position P2 drawn with a broken line). On the other hand, the first eject roll 39a moves in the direction of the arrow Q2, and the first eject roll 39a moves away from the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking section 35 (position P1 drawn by a solid line).
The first eject roll 39a is driven by a motor or the like (not shown) in contact with the paper S, and rotates in the T1 direction to raise the paper bundle B (in the third traveling direction S3) and convey it. Is configured to do.
The positions P1 and P2 of the first eject roll 39a can be changed according to the number and thickness of the sheets S supplied to the compiling stacking unit 35.

<Needleless binding mechanism 150 and its peripheral members>
Next, the stapleless binding mechanism 150 and its peripheral members will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the needleless binding mechanism 150 and its peripheral members.
As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming system 1 (see FIG. 1) includes a stapleless binding motor M <b> 1 that is controlled by the control unit 80 and drives the stapleless binding mechanism 150. In addition, the image forming system 1 (see FIG. 1) includes a cam 82 that transmits driving force to the stapleless binding mechanism 150 by being driven by the needleless binding motor M1 and rotates, and a drive that is transmitted by the cam 82. And a spring 84 for applying a force opposite to the force to the stapleless binding mechanism 150.

  Further, the image forming system 1 (see FIG. 1) includes a moving mechanism 44 (see FIG. 2) having a rail for moving the stapleless binding mechanism 150 according to a position where the binding process is performed on the sheet bundle B, and a sheet bundle. And a rotation mechanism 46 (see FIG. 3) having a motor that rotates a base 503 (described later) of the stapleless binding mechanism 150 in accordance with a direction (described later) in which the binding process in B is performed. Note that the stapleless binding mechanism 150 in the present embodiment is moved along the distal end side end Ta and the lateral side end Tb of the bottom 35a by the moving mechanism 44 (see arrow A in FIG. 3).

<Structure of needleless binding mechanism 150>
Next, the structure of the stapleless binding mechanism (binding mechanism) 150 will be described with reference to FIG. The stapleless binding mechanism 150, which is an example of a binding processing unit, binds the end of the sheet bundle B by deforming the sheet S constituting the sheet bundle B without using a stapler spelling needle (so-called staple needle). Specifically, the configuration is as follows.
The stapleless binding mechanism 150 includes a base 501 and a base 503 that are arranged to face each other. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet bundle B is bound when the base portion 503 approaches the base 501 in the state where the sheet bundle B is sandwiched between the base 501 (direction F1 in the drawing).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the base 501 is provided with a holding member 502 disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the base 501. The base 501 and the restraining member 502 are provided with the bottom 35a (see FIG. 2) of the compiling stacking unit 35 interposed therebetween, and the sheet bundle B stacked on the compiling stacking unit 35 is restrained as the base 501. It is sandwiched between the members 502. As shown in FIG. 4, the base 501 has a protrusion 506 that extends toward the base 503 and is formed integrally with the base 501.

The base 503 includes a blade 504 that cuts into the sheet bundle B, and a punching member 505 that forms and bends a tongue 522 (described later) on the sheet bundle B and inserts the tongue 522 into the cut formed by the blade 504. Have.
The blade 504 is formed of a substantially rectangular plate-like member that extends toward the sheet bundle B sandwiched between the base 501 and the holding member 502. Specifically, the blade 504 has eye holes 504a on a substantially rectangular surface, and further has a tip 504b whose width decreases as the sheet bundle B is approached.

The punching member 505 is a member having an L-shaped bent portion. One end of the punching member 505 is a main portion 505a, and the other end is a sub-portion 505b.
The punching member 505 has a main portion rotation shaft 505r provided at an L-shaped bent portion. This punching member 505 is rotatable around a main portion rotation shaft 505r. More specifically, the main portion 505a can be inclined to the blade 504 side. Note that there is a gap between the sub-portion 505b and the base portion 503 so that the punching member 505 can rotate.

  Here, the main portion 505 a extends toward the base 501. Further, the main portion 505a has a blade portion 505c on the side opposite to the side where the main portion rotating shaft 505r is provided, that is, on the side facing the base 501. The blade portion 505c is a blade that punches out the shape of the tongue portion 522. Note that no blade is formed on the side of the blade portion 505c that faces the blade 504, and the tongue portion 522 and the sheet S are configured to be continuous by an end portion 522a described later. Further, the main portion 505 a has a protrusion 505 d extending toward the blade 504 on the side of the main portion 505 a, specifically, on the side facing the blade 504.

<Operation of Needleless Binding Mechanism 150>
Here, the operation of binding the end portion of the sheet bundle B stacked on the compiling stacking unit 35 by the stapleless binding mechanism 150 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a portion bound by the stapleless binding mechanism 150. More specifically, FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the slit 521 and the tongue 522, and FIG. 5B shows the slit 521 and the tongue 522 when being bound by the needleless binding mechanism 150. FIG. 5C is an explanatory view showing the front side of the binding portion 51, and FIG. 5D is an explanatory view showing the back side of the binding portion 51.
First, when a bundle of sheets B to be bound is loaded on the compilation stacking unit 35, the movement mechanism 44 (see FIG. 2) and the rotation mechanism 46 (see FIG. 3) receive a signal from the control unit 80. Then, the stapleless binding mechanism 150 is moved to the position and orientation for performing the binding process in the sheet bundle B.

  At this position, the needleless binding motor M1 that has received an instruction from the control unit 80 is driven, and the cam 82 is rotated. As a result, the base portion 503 approaches the base 501 (F1 direction in the figure), and the tip portion 504b of the blade 504 and the blade portion 505c of the punching member 505 penetrate the sheet bundle B. Then, slits (cuts) 521 and tongues 522 from which the sheet S is punched out with the one end 522a formed are formed on each sheet S constituting the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 5A).

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the cam 82 rotates and further presses down the base portion 503, the sub-portion 505 b of the punching member 505 hits the protruding portion 506 formed integrally with the base 501, and the punching member 505 is moved. 4 rotates about the main portion rotation shaft 505r in the clockwise direction in FIG. As a result, the main portion 505 a is inclined toward the blade 504, and the protrusion 505 d of the punching member 505 approaches the blade 504. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the protrusion 505d of the punching member 505 bends the tongue 522 and pushes it toward the eye hole 504a of the blade 504 in the direction F2. In FIG. 5B, the punching member 505 is not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4, after the cam 82 further rotates and passes through the bottom dead center, the base portion 503 moves away from the base 501 while receiving the force of the spring 84 (see F3 in the figure). When the base portion 503 is raised in the direction F3 in the drawing, the tongue portion 522 is raised in a state of being caught in the eye hole 504a of the blade 504. Then, as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, the sheet bundle B is bound by inserting (weaving) the tongue 522 into the slit 521. At this time, a binding hole 523 is formed in the sheet bundle B where the tongue 522 is punched. In the present embodiment, the slit 521, the tongue 522, and the binding hole 523 are defined as a portion (binding portion) 51 that has been subjected to the binding process.

<Operation of Image Forming System 1>
Next, the operation of the image forming system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a case of so-called single-sided printing in which an image is formed only on one side of the paper S will be described.
First, in the present embodiment, information relating to an image formed on the sheet S and binding processing is received via a personal computer (not shown), the user interface 90, or the like. When the control unit 80 receives these pieces of information, the operation of the image forming system 1 is started.
In the state before the toner image is formed on the first sheet S by the image forming unit 5 of the image forming apparatus 2, the respective members are arranged as follows. That is, the first eject roll 39a is disposed at the position P1, the paddle 37 is disposed at the position Pa, the first tamper 38a is disposed at the position Pay, and the second tamper 38b is disposed at the position Pbx.

Then, a toner image is formed on the first sheet S by the image forming unit 5 of the image forming apparatus 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the first sheet S on which the toner image is formed is supplied to the sheet processing apparatus 3 one by one through the discharge roll 9 without being reversed by the sheet reversing apparatus 7. .
When images are formed on both sides of the sheet S, the sheet S on which the image is formed on one side by the image forming unit 5 is reversed by the sheet reversing device 7 and conveyed to the reversing conveyance path 8. After that, an image is formed on the other surface by the image forming unit 5. The sheet S on which images are formed on both sides is supplied to the sheet processing apparatus 3 via the discharge roll 9.

  In the transport device 10 of the paper processing device 3 to which the first paper S is supplied, the first paper S is received by the entrance roll 11, and punching processing is performed on the first paper S by the puncher 12 as necessary. Is given. Thereafter, the first sheet S is conveyed toward the downstream post-processing device 30 via the first conveyance roll 13 and the second conveyance roll 14.

In the post-processing device 30, the first sheet S is received by the receiving roll 31. The first sheet S that has passed through the receiving roll 31 is conveyed by the exit roll 34 along the first traveling direction S1. At this time, the first sheet S is conveyed so as to pass between the compile stacking unit 35 and the first eject roll 39a and between the compile stacking unit 35 and the paddle 37.
After the leading edge of the first sheet S in the first advancing direction S1 passes between the compiling stacking unit 35 and the paddle 37, the paddle 37 descends from the position Pa (moves in the direction of arrow U1 in FIG. 2). It arrange | positions in the position Pb. As a result, the paddle 37 comes into contact with the first sheet S. Then, the first sheet S is pushed in the second traveling direction S2 in FIG. 2 by the rotation of the paddle 37 shown in FIG. 2 in the direction of arrow R, and the end of the first sheet S on the end guide 35b side is pushed. The portion comes into contact with the end guide 35b. Thereafter, the paddle 37 rises (moves in the direction of arrow U2 in FIG. 2), moves away from the first sheet S1, and is placed again at the position Pa.

  Further, after the first sheet S is received by the compiling stacking unit 35 and the end on the end guide 35b side reaches the end guide 35b, the first tamper 38a approaches the compiling stacking unit 35 from the position Pay ( (Moved in the direction of the arrow C2 in FIG. 3) and arranged at the position Pax. At this time, the second tamper 38b remains disposed at the position Pbx. As a result, the first tamper 38a pushes the first sheet S, and the first sheet S contacts the second tamper 38b. After that, the first tamper 38a is separated from the compiling stacking unit 35 (moved in the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. 3), so that the first tamper 38a is separated from the first sheet S and placed again at the position Pay.

When the second and subsequent sheets S on which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit 5 following the first sheet S are supplied to the post-processing device 30 in order, the paddle 37 is similarly operated as described above. And the end of the paper S is aligned by the tamper 38. That is, the second sheet S is supplied in a state where the first sheet S is aligned, and the second sheet S is aligned with the first sheet S. The same applies to the case where the sheet S is supplied after the third sheet. In this way, a predetermined number of sheets S are accommodated in the compilation stacking unit 35, and the end of each sheet S is aligned to form a sheet bundle B.
Then, the first eject roll 39a descends from the position P1 (moves in the direction of the arrow Q1 in FIG. 2) and is disposed at the position P2. As a result, the aligned sheet bundle B is sandwiched and fixed between the first eject roll 39a and the second eject roll 39b.

Next, after the moving mechanism 44 moves the stapleless binding mechanism 150 to a portion to be bound (see arrow A), the stapleless binding mechanism 150 binds the sheet bundle B loaded on the compilation stacking unit 35. Apply.
The sheet bundle B bound by the stapleless binding mechanism 150 rises along the bottom 35a of the stacking unit 35 for compiling (first arrow in FIG. 2) as the first eject roll 39a rotates (arrow T1 in FIG. 2). 3 in the traveling direction S3), and is ejected from the compiling stacking unit 35. Then, the sheet bundle B is discharged to the stacking unit 70 through the opening 69.

<Function of Control Unit 80>
Here, the function of the control unit 80 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit 80, which is an example of an image processing unit, controls the entire image forming system 1 as described above. In particular, in the present embodiment, the control unit 80 instructs the user to instruct the image to be formed on each sheet S constituting the sheet bundle B and the binding process via a personal computer (not shown) or the user interface 90 or the like. Accept from. In addition, the control unit 80 performs specific image processing on the image formed on the paper S received from a personal computer or the like as necessary (described later). Further, the control unit 80 outputs to the image forming unit 5 an instruction to form an image formed on each sheet S that has received the instruction or an image after image processing. Furthermore, when an image is formed on the back side of the paper S, the control unit 80 outputs an instruction to reverse the paper S and transport the paper S to the reverse transport path 8 to the paper reversing device 7 (described later). Furthermore, the control unit 80 outputs, to the stapleless binding mechanism 150, an instruction to perform the binding process at the instructed position with respect to the sheet bundle B based on an instruction received from a personal computer or the like.

<Image forming operation>
Now, the image forming operation in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a case of so-called single-sided printing in which an image is formed only on one side of the paper S will be described.
6 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the tongue 522 and the surface of the sheet bundle B. Specifically, FIG. 6A is formed on the upper side surface Bh (described later) of the sheet bundle B. 6B is a view showing the tongue 522, FIG. 6B is a view showing the tongue 522 formed on the lower side Bt (described later) of the sheet bundle B, and FIG. FIG. 6D is a diagram showing a position where the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 in Bh is arranged, and FIG. 6D is a position where the tongue 522 inserted in the slit 521 is arranged on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B. FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit 80 when the image forming operation is started.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5C, the upper surface Bh of the sheet bundle B (the upper surface of the sheet S that is the uppermost page of the sheet bundle B, the surface on which the tip of the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 is placed). The surface of the tongue portion 522 that is visible from the side is defined as the upper side surface Th of the tongue portion 522. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5D, the lower surface Bt of the sheet bundle B (the lower surface of the sheet S that is the bottom page of the sheet bundle B, the surface on which the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 is placed. The surface of the tongue portion 522 viewed from the opposite surface) side is defined as the lower surface Tt of the tongue portion 522.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the positions where the tongue portions 522 are formed on both surfaces (the upper side surface Bh and the lower side surface Bt) of the sheet bundle B are the tongue portion forming positions on the respective surfaces. And
Further, as shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D, the position where the tongue 522 in the state of being inserted into the slit 521 on the surface of the sheet bundle B is set as the tongue arrangement position. In other words, a portion that is a portion on the surface of the sheet bundle B and that is covered with the tongue portion 522 inserted into the slit 521 is a tongue portion arrangement position.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), the position of the tongue portion on the upper surface Bh of the sheet bundle B is the portion on the tip 522b side of the tongue portion 522, and as shown in FIG. The tongue portion arrangement position on the lower side surface Bt of the bundle B is a part of the one end portion 522a side of the tongue portion 522.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 80 receives an instruction regarding the image to be formed on the paper S and the binding process via a personal computer (not shown) or the user interface 90 (step 101), and The tongue portion formation position on the surface that becomes the lower surface Bt (back surface, see FIG. 5C) is acquired (step 102). Based on this instruction, the control unit 80 forms an image (tongue back surface image) to be printed at the tongue forming position on the lower surface Bt of the sheet bundle B (step 103, described later). The control unit 80 instructs the image forming unit 5 and the paper reversing device 7 (both see FIG. 1) to print the formed tongue back surface image (step 104).

  In response to the instruction from the control unit 80, the image forming unit 5 sequentially forms images on the paper S supplied from the paper supply unit 6. At this time, in the case of single-sided printing as described above, the sheet S on which a normal image is formed is not reversed by the sheet reversing device 7. On the other hand, when forming the tongue rear surface image, the image forming unit 5 and the sheet reversing device 7 operate as follows. That is, of the sheets S supplied from the sheet supply unit 6, for the sheet S that is the bottom page of the sheet bundle B (in the illustrated example, the first sheet S passes through the image forming unit 5. First, the image forming unit 5 performs normal printing. The sheet S on which normal printing has been performed on one side is reversed by the sheet reversing device 7 and then conveyed to the reversal conveyance path 8 and is conveyed again to the image forming unit 5. Then, the tongue back surface image is formed on the surface opposite to the one surface on which the normal image is formed by the image forming unit 5. The sheet S on which the tongue rear surface image is formed is conveyed to the compilation stacking unit 35 after the sheet reversing device 7 reverses the surface of the sheet S. Thus, the surface on which the tongue rear surface image is formed is disposed on the rear surface (lower surface Bt in FIG. 5C) of the bottom page of the sheet bundle B.

  The sheet S on which the tongue rear surface image is formed is accommodated in the compiling stacking unit 35 (see FIG. 1) together with the other sheets S to form a sheet bundle B. Then, a binding process is performed on the sheet bundle B by the stapleless binding mechanism 150. At this time, as the tongue portion 522 is bent and inserted into the slit 521, the back surface of the tongue portion 522 faces the front side (the front and back are reversed). As a result, the tongue portion back surface image is visually recognized from the upper surface Bh of the sheet bundle B (the surface on which the tip of the tongue portion 522 inserted into the slit 521 is placed).

  Information about the tongue back surface image is received from the user by the control unit 80 via the personal computer (not shown) or the user interface 90 together with information related to the binding process. Or the control part 80 may hold | maintain the information of a tongue part back surface image previously. When the control unit 80 holds information on the tongue back surface image in advance, for example, an image is not displayed on the tongue 522 without requiring an instruction to form the tongue back surface image on the tongue 522 from the user. The formed sheet bundle B can be formed.

<Image formed on tongue 522>
Here, an example of an image formed on the tongue 522 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image formed on the tongue 522.
First, as shown in FIG. 8A, an image of a predetermined color may be formed on the tongue 522 as the tongue back surface image. For example, by coloring the tongue 522, the distinguishability of the tongue 522 is improved. Therefore, by making the user of the sheet bundle B pay attention to the tongue portion 522, it can be impressed to the user of the sheet bundle B that the binding is performed without using a metal staple.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8B, an image made up of characters may be formed on the tongue 522. For example, an image such as a company logo may be formed. Thus, the sheet bundle B having the binding portion 51 can be used as an advertising medium or the like used for corporate advertising activities.

In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that an image is formed on the upper side surface Th of the tongue 522. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D, an image may be formed on the lower surface Tt of the tongue 522. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8C, an image of a predetermined color may be formed on the lower surface Tt of the tongue 522. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8D, an image such as a character or a company logo may be created on the lower surface Tt of the tongue 522.
In addition, an image is formed on each of both the surface of the tongue 522 visually recognized from the upper surface Bh side of the sheet bundle B and the surface of the tongue 522 visually recognized from the lower surface Bt side of the sheet bundle B. There may be.

<Other embodiment 1>
Next, another embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In the other embodiment 1, the image formed on the tongue 522 is changed according to the image formed on both surfaces (upper side surface Bh, lower side surface Bt) of the sheet bundle B. Here, a case where an image is formed on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B and no image is formed on the lower side Bt of the sheet bundle B, a case of so-called single-side printing will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit 80 when the image forming operation is started in the other embodiment 1. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a first image example formed on the tongue 522. More specifically, FIG. 10A is a diagram showing the relationship between the image formed on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B and the tongue position, and FIG. 10B is the lower side Bt of the sheet bundle B. FIG. 10C is a diagram showing the relationship between the formed image and the tongue arrangement position, and FIG. 10C is a diagram showing the image formed on the tongue 522 of the upper surface Bh of the sheet bundle B, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a view showing an image formed on the tongue 522 of the lower side Bt of the sheet bundle B, and FIG. 10E is a view showing the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 in the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B. FIG. 10 (f) is a diagram showing the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 80 receives an instruction regarding an image to be formed on the sheet S and a binding process via a personal computer (not shown) or the user interface 90 (step 201), and An image formed on the side surface Bh and the tongue arrangement position are acquired (step 202). Next, the control part 80 forms a tongue part back surface image (step 203). Specifically, among the images formed on the upper surface Bh of the sheet bundle B, the tongue portion rear surface is an image printed at the tongue formation position on the lower surface Bt of the sheet bundle B. Images are used (see FIGS. 10A and 10D). Here, as shown in the drawing, the image of the tongue portion arrangement position and the tongue rear surface image have different orientations with respect to the paper S. Therefore, when forming the tongue back surface image, it is formed by reversing the orientation of the image at the tongue placement position (upside down in the illustrated example) and aligning it with, for example, the tip 522b of the tongue formation position.

  Next, the control unit 80 acquires the image formed on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B and the tongue portion formation position (step 204). Next, the control unit 80 forms a tongue surface image (step 205). Specifically, the tongue surface, which is an image printed at the tongue formation position on the upper surface Bh of the sheet bundle B, of the image formed on the lower surface Bt of the sheet bundle B. It is set as an image (refer FIG.10 (b) and FIG.10 (c)). Here, as shown in the figure, the image of the tongue portion arrangement position and the tongue surface image are different in orientation with respect to the paper. Therefore, when the tongue surface image is formed, it is formed by reversing the orientation of the image at the tongue placement position (upside down in the illustrated example) and aligning it with, for example, one end 522a of the tongue formation position.

  Then, the control unit 80 instructs the image forming unit 5 and the sheet reversing device 7 (both refer to FIG. 1) to control the operation (step 206). That is, control is performed so that the image that has been subjected to the image processing as described above is printed on the surface disposed on the outer side of the sheet S that is the uppermost page and the lowermost page of the sheet bundle B. As for the other sheets S constituting the sheet bundle B (the sheet S sandwiched between the sheet S as the uppermost page and the sheet S as the lowermost page of the sheet bundle B), as described above, a personal computer (not shown). Or control to form an image on the sheet S in accordance with an instruction received via the user interface 90.

The image forming unit 5 sequentially forms images on the paper S supplied from the paper supply unit 6. At this time, in the case of single-sided printing as described above, the sheet S on which a normal image is formed is not reversed by the sheet reversing device 7. On the other hand, when forming the tongue rear surface image, the image forming unit 5 and the sheet reversing device 7 operate as follows.
That is, of the sheets S supplied from the sheet supply unit 6, for the sheet S that is the bottom page of the sheet bundle B (in the illustrated example, the first sheet S passes through the image forming unit 5. First, the image forming unit 5 performs normal printing. The sheet S on which normal printing has been performed on one side is reversed by the sheet reversing device 7 and then conveyed to the reversal conveying path 8 and is conveyed again to the image forming unit 5. Then, the image shown in FIG. 10D is formed on the surface opposite to the surface on which the normal image is formed by the image forming unit 5. The sheet S on which this image is formed is conveyed to the compiling stacking unit 35 after the sheet reversing device 7 reverses the surface of the sheet S. Thus, the surface on which the tongue rear surface image is formed is disposed on the rear surface (lower surface Bt in FIG. 5C) of the bottom page of the sheet bundle B.

  On the other hand, when the image forming unit 5 forms the tongue surface image, the image forming unit 5 does not display the sheet S as the uppermost page of the sheet bundle B among the sheets S supplied from the sheet supply unit 6. The image shown in 10 (c) is formed. Since the tongue surface image is formed on the side of the sheet S that is the uppermost page of the sheet bundle on which the normal image is formed, the sheet S on which the tongue surface image is formed together with the normal image is the sheet reversing device 7. Is transferred to the compiling stacking unit 35 without being inverted.

The sheet S on which these images are formed is accommodated in the compiling stacking unit 35 to form a sheet bundle B. The sheet bundle B is subjected to a binding process by the stapleless binding mechanism 150. .
In the sheet bundle B subjected to the binding process, the tongue rear surface image is visually recognized from the upper side Bh side of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 10E). Further, in the sheet bundle B subjected to the binding process, the tongue surface image is visually recognized from the lower surface Bt side of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 10F).

  Now, the image formed at the tongue placement position on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B is in the state formed on the upper side Th of the tongue 522. Accordingly, the appearance on the upper side Bh side of the sheet bundle B may change as the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 is arranged on the image viewed from the upper side Bh side of the sheet bundle B. It is suppressed. In other words, the visibility of the tongue 522 is suppressed when viewed from the upper side Bh side of the sheet bundle B. For example, the presence of the tongue portion 522 on the upper surface side of the sheet bundle B is suppressed by the relationship in which the image of the upper surface Bh of the sheet bundle B and the tongue rear surface image are formed in the same color.

Similarly, an image formed at the tongue portion arrangement position on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B is in a state formed on the lower side surface Tt of the tongue portion 522. Accordingly, the appearance on the lower side Bt side of the sheet bundle B may change as the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 is arranged on the image viewed from the lower side Bt side of the sheet bundle B. It is suppressed.
In other words, in another embodiment 1, the appearance of the sheet bundle B changes as the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 is arranged on both surfaces (upper side surface Bh, lower surface Bt) of the sheet bundle B. Is suppressed.

  Here, in the above-described embodiment, the case of so-called single-sided printing has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the case of duplex printing, an image is formed on the lower surface Bt of the sheet bundle B shown in FIG. As a result of the above-described operations, the images formed at the respective tongue portion arrangement positions on both surfaces (upper surface Bh, lower surface Bt) of the sheet bundle B are both surfaces of the tongue portion 522 inserted into the slit 521. It will be in the state currently formed in (upper side Th, lower side Tt).

  In the above-described embodiment, the image printed on the tongue portion 522 is formed based on the image formed at the tongue portion arrangement position, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an image to be printed on the tongue 522 is formed on the basis of an image formed on a portion other than the tongue arrangement position on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B, such as the center or end of the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B. May be. The tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 is disposed on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B by causing a part of the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B and the upper side Th of the tongue 522 to correspond to each other. The appearance of the upper side Bh is prevented from changing.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the portion on the surface of the sheet bundle B and covered with a part of the tongue portion 522 inserted in the slit 521 is set as the tongue portion arrangement position, but is not limited thereto. For example, when viewed from the upper side Bh (or lower side Bt) of the sheet bundle B, the upper side Bh (or lower side Bt) of the sheet bundle B corresponding to the whole tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 is displayed. A portion (a portion from one end 522a to the tip 522b of the tongue 522 in FIG. 10A) may be set as the tongue arrangement position. If the portion corresponding to the whole tongue 522 is the tongue arrangement position, the range in which the tongue back surface image is formed becomes larger, and even if the position of the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521 is shifted. The appearance of the sheet bundle B is prevented from changing.

<Other embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment described above, images to be printed on both sides of the tongue 522 are formed according to images formed on both sides of the sheet bundle B. On the other hand, in another embodiment 2, an image to be printed on one surface of the tongue 522 is formed according to an image formed on one surface of the sheet bundle B. In further description, in the other embodiment 1, both sides of the sheet bundle B and the both sides of the tongue 522 are made to correspond to each other (by matching the images), while in the other embodiment 1. , An image is formed by making one side of the sheet bundle B correspond to only one side of the tongue 522 (by matching the images).
In the second embodiment, as will be described later, the load when the control unit 80 performs image processing is smaller than in the first embodiment.

  A configuration in which the image formed on the tongue 522 is changed according to the image formed on the upper surface Bh of the sheet bundle B will be described as another embodiment 2 with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the control unit 80 when the image forming operation is started in the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second image example formed on the tongue 522. The details of FIGS. 12A to 12F correspond to FIGS. 10A to 10F, respectively. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a third image example formed on the tongue 522. The details of FIGS. 13A to 13F correspond to FIGS. 10A to 10F, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 80 receives an instruction regarding an image to be formed on the paper S and a binding process via a personal computer (not shown) or the user interface 90 (step 301), and The image formed on the side surface Bh and the tongue portion arrangement position on the upper side surface Bh are acquired (step 302). Here, the control unit 80 determines whether or not an image is present at the tongue arrangement position in the image formed on the upper side surface Bh of the sheet bundle B (step 303).

  When an affirmative determination (YES) is made in step 303 (when an image is present at the tongue arrangement position of the upper side Bh), the control unit 80 determines whether the image formed on the lower side Bt of the sheet bundle B The tongue forming position on the side surface Bt is acquired (step 304). And the control part 80 forms a tongue part back surface image (step 305). Specifically, among the images formed on the upper side surface Bh of the sheet bundle B, an image at the tongue portion arrangement position is set as a tongue portion rear surface image. Then, the control unit 80 gives an instruction to the image forming unit 5 and the sheet reversing device 7 (both refer to FIG. 1) so as to print the image subjected to the image processing as described above on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B. (Step 306).

On the other hand, when a negative determination (NO) is made in step 303 (when there is no image at the tongue arrangement position of the upper side surface Bh), the control unit 80 determines that the image formed on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B is Then, the tongue forming position on the lower surface Bt is acquired (step 307). Here, the control unit 80 determines whether or not an image is present at the tongue arrangement position in the image formed on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B (step 308).
When an affirmative determination (YES) is made in step 308 (when an image is present at the tongue portion arrangement position of the lower side surface Bt), the control unit 80 forms a tongue portion rear surface image (step 305), and the image forming unit 5 (see FIG. 1) or the like (step 306).
On the other hand, when a negative determination (NO) is made in step 308 (when no image is present at the tongue portion arrangement position of the lower side surface Bt), the control unit 80 does not form the tongue portion back surface image, and the image forming unit 5. (See FIG. 1) and the like are issued (step 306).
In any of the above cases, the sheet bundle B other than the sheet S to be the bottom sheet S is received via the personal computer (not shown) or the user interface 90 as described above. The image forming unit 5 is instructed to form an image on the paper S in accordance with the received instruction.

Next, description will be made with reference to the example shown in FIG. In this example, an image is formed on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B, and no image is formed on the lower side Bt of the sheet bundle B.
First, the control unit 80 receives an instruction relating to the binding process (step 301), and acquires an image formed on the upper side surface Bh and a tongue arrangement position (step 302). Based on the relationship between the acquired image formed on the upper side Bh and the tongue arrangement position, the control unit 80 determines that an image is present at the tongue arrangement position (step 303). Then, the control unit 80 acquires the image formed on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B and the tongue portion forming position (step 304), and the tongue portion arrangement among the images formed on the upper side surface Bh of the sheet bundle B is obtained. The image of the position is set as the tongue back surface image (see step 305, FIG. 12A and FIG. 12D). The control unit 80 controls the operation by giving an instruction to the image forming unit 5 (see FIG. 1) or the like (step 306). That is, control is performed so as to print an image (see FIG. 12D) formed on the lower surface Bt of the sheet bundle B subjected to this image processing. Further, except for the sheet S other than the sheet S serving as the lowest page, the sheet bundle B is controlled to form an image on the sheet S in accordance with an instruction received via a personal computer (not shown) or the like.

The image forming unit 5 sequentially forms images on the paper S supplied from the paper supply unit 6. At this time, in the case of single-sided printing as described above, the sheet S on which a normal image is formed is not reversed by the sheet reversing device 7. On the other hand, when forming the tongue rear surface image, the image forming unit 5 and the sheet reversing device 7 operate as follows.
That is, of the sheets S supplied from the sheet supply unit 6, for the sheet S that is the bottom page of the sheet bundle B (in the illustrated example, the first sheet S passes through the image forming unit 5. First, the image forming unit 5 performs normal printing. The sheet S on which normal printing has been performed is transported to the reversal transport path 8 after being turned upside down by the sheet reversing device 7 and transported to the image forming unit 5 again. Then, the image shown in FIG. 12D is formed on the surface opposite to the surface on which the normal image is formed by the image forming unit 5. At this time, the image formed on the sheet S has an image formed on the portion corresponding to the tongue 522 as shown in FIG. 12D, and no image is formed on the other portion of the sheet S. . The sheet S on which this image is formed is conveyed to the compiling stacking unit 35 after the sheet reversing device 7 reverses the surface of the sheet S. Thus, the surface on which the tongue rear surface image is formed is disposed on the rear surface (lower surface Bt in FIG. 5C) of the bottom page of the sheet bundle B.

  The image forming unit 5 forms the image shown in FIG. 12C on the paper S that is the uppermost page of the paper bundle B among the papers S supplied from the paper supply unit 6. The image formed on the sheet S in the illustrated example is formed on the entire surface of the sheet S (including a portion corresponding to the tongue 522). Since this image is formed on the side of the sheet S that is the uppermost page of the sheet bundle on which the normal image is formed, the sheet S on which the image is formed is used for compilation without being reversed by the sheet reversing device 7. It is conveyed to the stacking unit 35.

  The sheet S including these images is stored in the compiling stacking unit 35 together with the other sheets S to form the sheet bundle B, and the staple bundle binding mechanism 150 performs the binding process on the sheet bundle B. In the sheet bundle B subjected to this binding process, the back surface image of the tongue is viewed from the upper side Bh side of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 12E). Therefore, for example, the presence of the tongue portion 522 disposed on the upper side surface Bh of the sheet bundle B is suppressed. As shown in FIG. 12 (f), the tongue 522 visually recognized from the lower surface Bt side of the sheet bundle B in this example is in a state where an image is formed.

Next, description will be made with reference to the example shown in FIG. In this example, no image is formed on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B, and no image is formed on the tongue arrangement position on the upper side Bh. On the other hand, an image is formed on the lower surface Bt of the sheet bundle B, and an image is also formed at the tongue forming position on the lower surface Bt.
In this example, the control unit 80 receives an instruction regarding the binding process (step 301), and acquires an image formed on the upper side surface Bh and a tongue portion arrangement position (step 302). Based on the relationship between the acquired image formed on the upper side surface Bh and the tongue arrangement position, the control unit 80 determines that there is no image at the tongue arrangement position (step 303).

Then, the control unit 80 acquires the image formed on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B and the tongue portion forming position (step 307). Based on the acquired relationship between the image formed on the lower side surface Bt and the tongue forming position, the control unit 80 determines that an image is present at the tongue forming position (step 308). Then, among the images formed on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B, the image at the tongue portion arrangement position is set as the tongue portion rear surface image (see step 305, FIG. 13B and FIG. 12C), and image processing is performed. The image forming unit 5 (see FIG. 1) or the like is instructed to print an image (see FIG. 13D) formed on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B (step 306). In addition to the sheet S other than the sheet S serving as the sheet S serving as the bottom page, the image forming unit 5 or the like forms an image on the sheet S according to an instruction received via a personal computer (not shown) or the like. Give instructions.
At this time, the image formed on the lower side of the lowermost page in the sheet bundle B has a portion corresponding to the tongue 522 formed as a blank as shown in FIG. An image is formed in the portion. In other words, a portion corresponding to the tongue 522 in the image formed on the paper S is removed. Further, since no image is formed on the uppermost page of the sheet bundle B as shown in FIG. 13C, no image is formed by the image forming unit 5 when the sheet S passes.

  The sheet bundle B including these sheets S is bound by the stapleless binding mechanism 150. As shown in FIG. 13 (e), when the sheet bundle B subjected to the binding process is viewed from the upper side Bh side, no image is formed on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B and the tongue 522. It becomes. Therefore, for example, the presence of the tongue portion 522 disposed on the upper side surface Bh of the sheet bundle B is suppressed. As shown in FIG. 13 (f), the tongue 522 visually recognized from the lower surface Bt side of the sheet bundle B in this example is in a state where no image is formed.

  Here, in the above-described embodiment, the case of so-called single-sided printing has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the case of duplex printing, an image is formed on the lower side Bt shown in FIG. 12B or the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B shown in FIG. As a result of the above operations, the image formed at the tongue placement position on the upper side Bh of the sheet bundle B is formed on the upper side Th of the tongue 522 inserted into the slit 521. Become.

  Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the configuration in which the control unit 80 forms the tongue portion back surface image corresponding to the image formed on the upper side surface Bh of the sheet bundle B has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 80 corresponds to an image formed on the lower side surface Bt of the sheet bundle B, and is an image printed on the tongue forming position on the surface that becomes the upper side surface Bh of the sheet bundle B (the tongue surface). (Image) may be formed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming system, 2 ... Image forming apparatus, 3 ... Paper processing apparatus, 10 ... Conveying apparatus, 30 ... Post-processing apparatus, 34 ... Exit roll, 35 ... Stacking part for compilation, 37 ... Paddle, 38 ... Tamper, 39 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS Eject roll 51 ... Binding part 69 ... Opening part 70 ... Loading part 80 ... Control part 150 ... Needleless binding mechanism 521 ... Slit 522 ... Tongue part 523 ... Binding hole

Claims (5)

An image processing unit for processing image information;
An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on the image information processed by the image processing unit;
A sheet bundle forming unit that forms a sheet bundle by bundling a plurality of sheets on which images are formed by the image forming unit;
A tongue is formed on the paper bundle bundled by the paper bundle forming section, and a part of the paper bundle is cut into a predetermined shape to leave a portion where one end portion is continuous with the paper bundle. A binding processing unit that forms the bundle and folds the tongue and inserts the other end of the tongue into the cut and binds the sheet bundle,
The image processing unit recognizes the position of the tongue that appears on the surface after binding in the sheet bundle bound by the binding processing unit, and the image of the tongue at the position of the tongue An image forming apparatus that recognizes information and performs specific image processing on the recognized image information of the tongue.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit performs image processing on image information of the tongue based on an image formed on the surface of the sheet bundle by the image forming unit.   The image processing unit performs image processing on the image information of the tongue based on an image formed by the image forming unit at a position where the tongue inserted into the notch on the surface of the sheet bundle is disposed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit performs image processing on the recognized image information of the tongue portion so as to form a predetermined image on the tongue portion. An image processing unit for processing image information;
An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on the image information processed by the image processing unit;
A notch is formed in the bundle of sheets, and a part of the bundle of sheets is cut into a predetermined shape, thereby forming a tongue portion on the sheet bundle where one end portion is continuous with the bundle of sheets. The binding processing device that folds the tongue and inserts the other end of the tongue into the cut and binds the bundle of sheets has paper output means for outputting the paper on which the image is formed by the image forming unit. And
The image processing unit recognizes the position of the tongue in the sheet bundle that appears on the surface after binding in the sheet bundle to be bound by the binding processing device, and image information of the tongue at the position of the tongue An image processing apparatus characterized by recognizing the image and performing specific image processing on the recognized image information of the tongue.

Images