JP2014144867A - Sheet post-processing device, and image formation system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate remains of peeling when a user takes out a secret sheet to peel an another sheet even if the secret sheet is bound being covered with the another sheet.SOLUTION: A changeover claw 15 rotates from a home position for conveying a long sheet Sc to an intermediate stack section 8. Conveying completion of the long sheet Sc to the intermediate stack section 8 is detected by a stack sensor 25. An intermediate return roller 24 is moved down toward the intermediate stack section 8 to press the long sheet Sc toward a fence 31. Then, the intermediate return roller 24 stops rotating to be retreated to the home position. The changeover claw 15 rotates downward and presses the long sheet Sc in the intermediate stack section 8 from the top to press the long sheet Sc against a saddle stitch intermediate conveying roller 62. A tip of the long sheet Sc is folded by rotation of the saddle stitch intermediate conveying roller 62. When folding of the tip of the long sheet Sc is completed, the changeover claw 15 is retreated to the home position so as not to prevent conveying of a secret sheet bundle Ss.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming system using the same.

  As a peripheral device of the image forming device, when printing a highly confidential sheet and post-processing it, the purpose is to improve the security of the printed matter so that it cannot be viewed by a third party even if it is printed and left in the paper discharge tray. A technique related to a sheet post-processing apparatus that overlaps and binds another sheet on the confidential sheet description surface is already known.

  However, in the sheet post-processing apparatus that implements the method of overlapping and binding another sheet on the confidential sheet description surface so far, since the binding is performed with the separate sheet and the confidential sheet, when the user peels the separate sheet, There is a problem that another sheet may be peeled off depending on how it is peeled off.

  Patent Document 1 aims to provide a sheet processing apparatus capable of realizing a good-looking security process by a simple mechanism arranged in a small mechanism space, and there is a state in which the security process is integrated with a sheet bundle. When a band sheet with a length that looks good is supplied, it is circulated to the opposite side of the binding side, and both ends of the band material are overlapped on the front and back of the binding side of the sheet bundle, the end of the band material is used as the binding side. The contents that can be accurately positioned and stapled are disclosed. However, the problem that another sheet is not peeled off depending on the method of peeling cannot be solved.

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus that can bind a confidential sheet with another sheet, binds the sheet, and removes the confidential sheet without damaging the confidential sheet when the user removes the confidential sheet. An object is to provide an image forming system.

  The sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention receives a confidential sheet from an image forming apparatus for forming an image, stacks the stacking sheet, and a long sheet having a size larger than the confidential sheet in the sheet post-processing apparatus in order to cover the confidential sheet. And a folding means for folding the long sheet into two at a substantially central portion of the long sheet in the paper transport direction in the paper transport path in the sheet post-processing apparatus. Means for sandwiching the stacked confidential sheets or a bundle of confidential sheets between the long sheets formed, and binding means for binding the open edge of the long sheets folded in two. The binding means binds at a position where it does not contact the sandwiched confidential sheet or the bundle of confidential sheets when binding the open edge of the long sheet.

  According to the present invention, when binding with the confidential sheet and the separate sheet, the binding process is performed at a position where the confidential sheet and the covered sheet are not in contact with each other. When the confidential sheet is taken out and another sheet is peeled off, the remaining peeling can be eliminated.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming system including a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure explaining the whole operation | movement which binds a elongate sheet | seat Diagram explaining the operation of the intermediate stack Flowchart of operation in FIG. The figure explaining the state which binds a elongate sheet in the location which does not contact a confidential sheet or a confidential sheet bundle The figure which shows the example of a setting of the size of the long sheet conveyed according to the sheet size of the confidential sheet which a user designates Flowchart of setting operation regarding the setting example of FIG. The figure explaining the example which has made the hole in the designated positions other than the binding position in addition to the setting of the binding position shown in FIG. The figure explaining the example of the punching to the sheet different from the example of FIG. The figure which shows the positional relationship of the mark printing part and punch hole in the example of FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining sheet folding and binding in the example of FIG. 9. The figure which shows the other example of how to bind a sheet The flowchart which shows the other example of control of sheet post-processing Flowchart showing still another example of control of sheet post-processing Flowchart showing still another example of sheet post-processing control

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following characteristics when the user removes a confidential sheet and removes another sheet while maintaining the security of the confidential sheet. In short, before printing the confidential sheet, the long sheet is stacked in a separate conveyance path in the vertical direction from the conveyance surface, and then the confidential sheet is discharged from the upper part of the long sheet toward the center of the long sheet. A long sheet that is larger than the confidential sheet by niping it between the edge of the confidential sheet and a roller located under the center plane of the long sheet and folding it in half at the center of each sheet in the middle of the paper transport path Bind the cover with a confidential sheet. At this time, when binding the edges of the covered long sheet, it is bound at a position where it does not come into contact with the covered confidential sheet, so that when the user peels off and removes the covered sheet, the confidential sheet does not peel off. Is a feature.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming system including a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming system according to the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 100 that forms an image on a sheet S that is a recording medium, and a sheet paper post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus 100. 200 mainly.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is any one of a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine in which these functions are combined. An image forming apparatus having these functions is well known, and detailed illustrations, configurations, and operations are omitted.

  An image-formed sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus 100 is conveyed to the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 in FIG. An introduction path 1 for receiving the image-formed sheet S, three paths branched from the introduction path 1, that is, an upper conveyance path 2 toward the proof tray 6, and a straight conveyance path for performing shift processing, edge binding, and two-point binding processing. 3 and a lower conveyance path 4 for performing saddle stitching / folding processing.

  An inlet roller 10 and an inlet sensor 13 are disposed in the introduction path 1 to detect that the sheet S has been carried into the sheet post-processing apparatus. A conveyance roller front 11 is disposed downstream of the entrance roller 10, and the branching claw 7 positioned at the branching portion at the end of the introduction path 1 rotates to rotate the sheet in the upper conveyance path 2 and the straight conveyance path 3. Sort.

  A post-conveying roller 12 is disposed on the straight conveyance path, and the sheet S is conveyed to the straight conveyance path 3 via this. A paper discharge roller 26 and a paper discharge sensor 28 are arranged in the straight conveyance path 3. In the sort mode, the rear 12 of the transport roller having the shift mechanism is moved by a fixed amount in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction during transport by a driving means (not shown). As a result, the sheet S is shifted by a certain amount, and is discharged to the discharge tray 5 by the discharge rollers 26 and sequentially stacked.

  A sheet discharge port to the sheet discharge tray 5 is formed of a sheet or a sheet bundle (hereinafter referred to as “sheet bundle” of a single sheet and a bundle of sheets of a plurality of sheets) by a sheet discharge roller 26 and a driven roller 27. ", Unless otherwise particularly distinguished from each other, will be described with reference numeral S). This is a contact / separation operation of a paper discharge guide provided with a driven roller 27 with respect to the paper discharge roller 26, so that a closed state where a sheet or a sheet bundle is held and paper can be discharged and an open state where the sheet is not held can be selectively taken. After the sheet shifting operation is completed, the sheet is nipped and discharged.

  A filler 40 is provided in the vicinity of the upper portion of the paper discharge port. The filler 40 is rotatably disposed near the center of the sheet S when stacked, and the front end of the filler 40 is in contact with the upper surface of the sheet S. In the vicinity of the base of the filler 40, an upper surface detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the height position of the tip of the filler 40 is provided, and the sheet surface height of the stacked sheets S is detected by these sensors. As the number of sheets stacked on the paper discharge tray 5 increases, the height of the bundle of sheets S (hereinafter referred to as the sheet bundle S when it is not necessary to distinguish between the sheets and the sheet bundle) is increased. As the position of the sheet surface of the sheet S rises, the upper surface detection sensor detects this and turns on. Then, a control unit (not shown) controls driving means (not shown) that moves the paper discharge tray 5 up and down to lower the paper discharge tray 5. When the paper discharge tray 5 is lowered and the upper surface detection sensor is turned off, the lowering of the paper discharge tray 5 is stopped. This operation is repeated, and when the sheet discharge tray 5 reaches the specified tray full height, a stop signal is issued from the sheet post-processing device to the image forming device, and the image forming operation of the system is stopped.

  A staple tray 21 is disposed in the straight conveyance path 3. The return roller 41 performs a pendulum motion and comes into contact with the sheet, and abuts the trailing end of the sheet against the discharge claw 29 to align the vertical position of the sheet bundle. Further, on the staple tray 21, there are jogger fences 22 and 23 that advance and retreat in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface and align the position of the sheet S in the width direction on the staple tray 21. By performing these two operations, the sheet bundle S is aligned and stacked on the staple tray 21. When the aligned sheet bundle S is in the edge binding mode, the stapler 50 moves in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface and staples the appropriate position at the lower edge of the sheet bundle. The discharge claw 29 moves the sheet bundle S in the paper discharge direction to perform the paper discharge process. The paper discharge roller 26 and the driven roller 27 sandwich the sheet bundle S during the paper discharge. Arrange and discharge.

  When the user selects saddle stitching, the conveyance to the lower conveyance path 4 is performed by setting the discharge claw 29 and the edge binding for stacking and discharging the sheet S, the stapler 50 for performing two-point binding, and the width direction of the sheet. The jogger fences 22 and 23 to be aligned are retreated to a position where they are not hindered to be transported to the lower transport path 4. Then, the sheet S conveyed to the staple tray is sent out to the lower conveyance path 4 by the reverse rotation of the paper discharge roller 26. In the lower conveyance path 4, saddle stitch conveyance rollers 61 to 63 and a saddle stitch stapler 51 are arranged to convey the sheet S to the saddle stitch position and perform a binding process at the center of the sheet S. The sheet S is conveyed to the sheet folding stopper 64 at the sheet folding portion by the saddle stitching intermediate conveyance rollers 62 and 63, folded in the middle by the sheet folding blade 71 and the sheet folding plate 72, and placed in the saddle stitching tray 9 by the middle folding discharge roller 73. Released.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the overall operation of binding a long sheet, and shows an operation procedure for covering a confidential sheet or the like with another sheet, for example.
FIG. 2A shows that a long sheet Sc is fed from a sheet feeding unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 100 and conveyed to the introduction path 1 before discharging the confidential sheet or confidential sheet bundle designated by the user. To do. The long sheet Sc conveyed to the introduction path 1 is conveyed to the straight conveyance path 3 as shown in FIG. The conveyed long sheet Sc is in a state of exiting from the discharge port, but the long sheet Sc is switched back by rotating in the reverse direction to the direction in which the paper discharge roller 26 discharges the paper, so that the lower transport path 4 To the intermediate stack section 8. At this time, the discharge claw 29, the stapler 50, and the jogger fences 22 and 23 shown in FIG. 1 stand by at a position that does not interfere with the transport path. Then, the switching claw 15 for switching the conveyance path is operated so as to convey the long sheet Sc to the intermediate stack unit 8. When the paper discharge sensor 28 located in the vicinity of the paper discharge port detects that the trailing edge of the long sheet Sc has come off, the confidential sheet Ss designated by the user is conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 to the introduction path 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2C, the long sheet Sc conveyed to the lower conveyance path 4 is conveyed by the saddle stitch conveyance roller 61 and then conveyed to the intermediate stack unit 8 by the switching claw 15.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2D, the intermediate stack sensor 25 detects that the trailing edge of the long sheet Sc conveyed to the intermediate stack unit 8 has left the lower conveyance path 4. Next, the intermediate return roller 24 that has been waiting at a position that does not hinder the conveyance of the long sheet Sc is lowered onto the intermediate stack portion (the intermediate return roller 24 is held by the arm 24a so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. ). Then, the intermediate return roller 24 is rotated downward to abut the long sheet Sc against the fence 31. When the long sheet Sc is detected by the fence sensor 30, the rotation of the intermediate return roller 24 is stopped and returned to the home position (in the illustrated form, the arm 24a is in a horizontal state). At this time, the center position of the long sheet Sc is on the lower conveyance path 4.

  On the other hand, the confidential sheet specified by the user or the bundle Ss of confidential sheets (hereinafter, simply referred to as the confidential sheet bundle Ss if there is no need to distinguish between the confidential sheets and the bundle) is discharged to the intermediate stack as it is. In this case, the discharge claw 29, the stapler 50, and the jogger fences 22 and 23 are put on standby at positions that do not interfere with the transport path. When the confidential sheet bundle Ss designated by the user performs edge binding and closing at a plurality of positions when a plurality of sheets are discharged, the confidential sheet bundle Ss designated by the user is stacked on the staple tray 21, so Waits in the vicinity of the staple position on the conveyance path, aligns the trailing edge of the sheet, and aligns the horizontal direction of the confidential sheet bundle Ss with the jogger fences 22, 23.

  When the binding process or alignment process for the confidential sheet bundle Ss designated by the user is completed, the confidential sheet bundle Ss designated by the user is conveyed toward the center of the long sheet Sc as shown in FIG. Then, the sheet is nipped between the saddle stitching intermediate conveyance rollers 62 located below the back surface of the center of the long sheet Sc, and the confidential sheet bundle Ss designated by the user is covered with the long sheet Sc by the rotation of the saddle stitching intermediate conveyance roller 62. Fold like so.

  The folded long sheet Sc is conveyed as it is along the lower conveying path 4 as shown in FIG. 2 (F), and if the both end surfaces of the long sheet Sc are removed from the staple sensor 32, the saddle stitching stapler 51 performs the middle folding. Perform binding. Details will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the above stapling operation is completed, the paper is discharged by the reverse conveyance of the lower conveyance as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the intermediate stack unit.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the switching claw 15 rotates from a home position (not shown) so as to convey the long sheet Sc to the intermediate stack portion 8. As shown in FIG. 3B, an intermediate stack sensor 25 that detects completion of conveyance of the long sheet Sc from the lower conveyance path 4 to the intermediate stack unit 8 is detected, and an intermediate return roller 24 is not shown. It moves downward from the position toward the intermediate stack portion 8 and abuts against the fence 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, after the fence sensor 30 detects that it has hit the fence 31, the intermediate return roller 24 stops rotating in the direction of hitting the fence 31 and retreats to the home position. To do. Then, as shown in FIG. 3D, the switching claw 15 rotates downward, pushes the long sheet Sc conveyed to the intermediate stack portion 8 from above, and pushes between the pair of saddle stitching intermediate conveyance rollers 62. Hit it. And the operation | movement which folds the front-end | tip part of the elongate sheet Sc by rotation of the saddle stitching intermediate | middle conveyance roller 62 is performed. By doing so, the confidential sheet bundle designated and conveyed by the user can be reliably conveyed to the center of the long sheet Sc according to the size.

  As shown in FIG. 3E, when the folding of the leading end of the long sheet Sc is completed, the switching claw 15 is retracted to the home position so as not to hinder the conveyance of the confidential sheet bundle Ss.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the operation of FIG.
For example, when the user outputs a highly confidential sheet, the user selects whether to discharge the sheet with increased security. If it is selected, an operation is performed in which a long sheet is bound and bound on the sheet bundle to be discharged, and discharged (step S1).
Before the confidential sheet bundle designated by the user is conveyed, the long sheet is conveyed, and the long sheet is conveyed to the intermediate stack unit by the rotation of the switching claw (step S2).
Monitoring is continued until the intermediate stack sensor detects whether the conveyance of the long sheet has been switched from the lower conveyance path to the intermediate stack unit (step S3).
After detecting that the long sheet has been transported to the intermediate stack part by the intermediate stack sensor, the intermediate return roller descends from the home position to the intermediate stack part and rotates to hit the long sheet toward the fence. (Step S4).
The fence sensor located in the vicinity of the fence monitors until it detects that the long sheet hits the fence (step S5).
After detection by the fence sensor, the intermediate return roller stops rotating and retreats to the home position (steps S6 and S7).
The switching claw is rotated from above the long sheet conveyed to the intermediate stack section between the rollers of the saddle stitching intermediate conveyance roller, and the center of the long sheet is folded by the rotation of the saddle stitching intermediate conveyance roller ( S8, S9).
Thereafter, the switching claw moves to the home position (S10).
Monitors whether the confidential sheet bundle specified by the user has completed stacking and lateral alignment on the staple tray, or whether the binding operation has been completed. When the job is completed, it is discharged toward the center of the long sheet. (S11, S12).

  As described above, the confidential sheet bundle designated by the user can be discharged with improved security without breaking the shape or scratching it.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the long sheet Sc is bound at a portion that does not contact the confidential sheet bundle Ss.
From the state shown in FIG. 3E, the long sheet Sc covers the confidential sheet bundle Ss designated by the user in the intermediate stack unit 8. Thereafter, the confidential sheet bundle Ss and the long sheet Sc are conveyed to the binding position as they are, and the long sheet Sc is bound at a place where the confidential sheet bundle Ss does not come into contact. As the binding means at this time, it is preferable not to use a needle (staple needle made of metal or the like), and to perform binding by an operation in which both ends of the long sheet are cut in one direction and folded. By doing so, it is possible to bind without using the needle, and it is possible to reduce the trouble such as removing the needle when the user peels off the long sheet, or separating the removed needle into garbage. In the figure, H1 indicates a hole formed by the above-described punching. Further, Sh is a sheet material of the hole H1 portion that is cut out.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the size of the long sheet conveyed according to the sheet size of the confidential sheet designated by the user is set. The specific operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, the user selects whether or not to discharge a sheet to be discharged with increased security (step S1).
When discharging with increased security, whether the set sheet can be discharged after security processing is monitored. If the set sheet cannot be subjected to security processing, control is performed to select whether to discharge the paper with increased security (step S2).
Whether the long sheet is set in the sheet feeding unit is monitored. If the long sheet is not set in the sheet feeding unit, monitoring is performed until the sheet feeding is completed (step S3).
As soon as the setting conditions in steps S1 to S3 are satisfied, a process of discharging a long sheet is performed (step S4).

  That is, the distance between the end face of the confidential sheet bundle designated by the user and the binding portion of the long sheet can be shortened by covering the size of the confidential sheet bundle designated by the user with a preset long sheet. By doing so, when the user takes out the sheet bundle, the confidential sheet bundle specified by the user can be prevented from dropping from the gap between the folded long sheets.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example in which a hole is opened at a designated position other than the binding position in addition to the setting of the binding position shown in FIG.
When transporting the long sheet Sc, a hole H2 is opened at a specified position other than the binding position shown in FIG. 5 by a punching means such as a punch. Next, the contents that can be understood by who is output on the confidential sheet are printed and conveyed. When the confidential sheet and the confidential sheet bundle Ss are covered with the long sheet Sc, the information is printed from the perforated portion of the long sheet Sc. Print in a position where the contents can be understood. By doing so, it is possible to confirm the content printed on the confidential sheet bundle Ss from the hole H2 of the long sheet Sc (the portion on which the confidential content is printed is indicated by the symbol Sp). Therefore, it is possible to easily confirm who the document is output without visually recognizing the print content Sp of the confidential sheet Ss that has been discharged.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of punching a sheet different from the example of FIG.
On the long sheet Sc, as shown in FIG. 9, a mark printing portion Pt for printing an arbitrary description in advance is printed. The contents of the description may be various, such as a department name of a person who prints out, a name, or a symbol that cannot be imagined as someone at a glance. But you can. The position of the mark printing portion Pt is set so as not to overlap with the portion sandwiching the confidential sheet bundle Ss.

  Further, a punched hole H1 is provided at the target position on the edge of the long sheet Sc opposite to the mark printing portion Pt. Then, as shown in FIG. 10A, the folding mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus described above is folded in half at the center of the long sheet Sc so that the confidential sheet bundle Ss is on the inside, as shown in FIG. The punch hole H1 and the mark printing portion Pt are overlapped with each other.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11A, the binding mechanism cuts out the three directions around the mark printing portion Pt from the back side of the long sheet Sc (the back side is turned upside down). At this time, in the example shown in the drawing, the long sheet Sc is half-extracted without extracting the end side. Then, the portion left uncut at the same time as half-punching is bent (turned back) 180 degrees toward the edge of the long sheet Sc, and a piece of paper including the mark print portion Pt is taken out from the punch hole H1 as shown in FIG.

  When the paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray in this state, the user can confirm the contents preliminarily described in the mark printing portion Pt from the outside, and the document output by the user can be easily confirmed.

  In this example, the hole H1 is made before folding by the folding mechanism so that the mark printing portion Pt can be confirmed from the outside when the binding mechanism is bound. Alternatively, the mark printing portion Pt may be confirmed from the outside by another method without creating the mark in advance. In the drawing, the case of folding in half is described as an example, but the same configuration can be used for folding in the form of inner trifold or Kannon folding. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the confidential sheet bundle Ss is not sandwiched between the long sheets Sc, and the portion corresponding to the confidential sheet bundle Ss is a printed portion formed on the long sheet Sc.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of how to bind sheets.
In this example, the pressing and pressing are performed by using a convex and concave fitting member from the vertical direction of the long sheet Sc folded by the binding mechanism. The site | part which carried out crimping | compression-bonding is shown by code | symbol Pp. By pressing and pressing, the upper and lower sheets of the long sheet Sc are meshed and fixed and bound. Such a binding mechanism system is known as a mechanism for binding sheets without using a needle, as disclosed in Patent Document 2.

  Concerning the uneven fitting mechanism, by providing several types of fitting members with various numbers of unevenness, the user can select any of them and see his document from the appearance You can also For example, if the user selects a document having three protrusions, a document in which three protrusions are bound may be searched from documents in the paper discharge tray.

  Note that FIG. 12A shows an example of a fitting member having a quadrangular uneven section, but a quadrangular cross-sectional shape is particularly suitable as long as the paper can be bound by pressing with pressure from above and below the paper. It doesn't have to be a thing. For example, various things, such as what has a semicircular recessed part shape like FIG. 12 (B), are employable.

  In addition, by providing a mechanism that can arbitrarily change the location where the long sheet Sc is bound, the user can arbitrarily select the binding location, and the number of selection and distinction patterns can be increased.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of control of sheet post-processing.
In the above-described example, security is maintained by folding the back side of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 100 (a blank paper or the like, which can be seen by others) and folding it in two. For this reason, when a sheet on which both sides are printed is output, security cannot be maintained even if the sheet is folded in two as it is. A control flow for an example in which a sheet on which both sides are printed can be output will be described with reference to FIG.

Image formation information is acquired in advance (step S1), and as a result, it is determined whether printing on the sheet is double-sided printing (step S2). In the case of duplex printing, the security control unit instructs the image forming apparatus to discharge a sheet having no security problem from the image forming apparatus 100 to the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 (step S3).
Thereafter, a sheet having no security problem discharged from the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 is accepted (step S4), and then an image-formed sheet is accepted (step S5).

  After that, a sheet on which an image is formed with a sheet having no problem in terms of security is overlapped so as to be on the inside, and then folded and bound. Although the order of steps S4 and S5 is shown in the figure, this may vary depending on the configuration of the folding mechanism. When the sheet is folded in half, the image-formed sheet can be received in such an order that it is folded in two so as to be on the inside. It should be noted that the sheet having no security problem may be arbitrarily described as a mark in advance in the mark printing portion as in the examples shown in FIGS.

  Note that the sheet having no security problem in this example corresponds to the long sheet Sc in the example described above, and the sheet on which images are formed on both sides corresponds to the confidential sheet bundle Ss.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing still another example of control of sheet post-processing.
When security is maintained by folding an imaged sheet with the imaged surface facing inward, if the imaged sheet is output in excess of the number that can be bound by the binding mechanism, it is bound. I can't. Then, of course, there will be a sheet that cannot maintain security. Therefore, when sheets exceeding the number of sheets that can be bound are output from the image forming apparatus, the security control unit instructs the image forming apparatus to aggregate and form images in advance.

This control flow will be described with reference to FIG.
First, information on the number (n) of sheets output at one time is acquired (step S1).
When the received sheet is folded in two and bound, whether or not the value obtained by multiplying the acquired sheet number information (n) by 2 exceeds the maximum binding number (N) of the binding mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus. Is determined (step S2).
As a result of the determination, when the binding number does not exceed the maximum number (N), the security binding process as described above is performed as it is. If the number exceeds the maximum number of sheets (N) in the binding mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200, it is determined whether the value obtained by multiplying the next acquired sheet number information (n) by 4 exceeds the maximum number of sheets (N) in the binding mechanism (step S3). .
As a result of the determination, if it does not exceed, the security control means instructs the image forming apparatus to perform 1/2 consolidated printing (consolidation of two sheets of images on one sheet to form an image). Then, security binding processing is performed (step S4). When ½ consolidated printing is performed, information for two A4 sheets is collected on one A4 sheet to form an image, so the number of sheets to be output can be halved.
If it is determined in step S3 that the number exceeds the maximum number (N), the security binding process cannot be performed, so that information is transmitted from the security control means to the image forming apparatus, and the operation panel or the like. The display means notifies the user to that effect. Of course, it may be notified to the PC used by the user through the network.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing still another example of control of sheet post-processing.
In the example of FIG. 14, half-integrated printing is performed, but there are still cases where sheets on which images are formed exceeding the number of sheets that can be bound by the binding mechanism are output. Even in that case, it cannot be bound, so security cannot be maintained. Therefore, when a sheet is output from the image forming apparatus exceeding the number of sheets that can be bound, the security control unit instructs the image forming apparatus to form an image on a large paper size.

This control flow will be described with reference to FIG.
First, information on the number (n) of sheets output at one time is acquired (step S1).
Next, when the received sheet is folded in two and bound, whether the value obtained by multiplying the acquired sheet number information (n) by 2 exceeds the maximum binding number (N) of the binding mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200. It is determined whether or not (step S2).
As a result of the determination, if it does not exceed, the security binding process is performed as it is. If it exceeds, the value obtained by multiplying the acquired sheet number information (n) by 4 exceeds the maximum binding number (N) of the binding mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus (step S3).
As a result of the determination, if it does not exceed, the security control unit instructs the image forming apparatus to execute the 1/2 consolidated printing, and the security binding process is performed (step S4). In this case, for example, when ½ consolidated printing is performed, information on two A4 sheets is collected on one A4 sheet to form an image, so the number of sheets to be output can be halved.
As a result of the determination in step S3, if it exceeds, the value obtained by multiplying the next acquired sheet number information (n) by 8 exceeds the maximum binding number (N) of the binding mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200. It is determined whether or not (step S5).
As a result of the determination, if it does not exceed, printing is performed on a sheet having a size larger than the sheet originally intended to be printed. At the same time, the security control unit instructs the image forming apparatus to execute 1/2 consolidated printing, and performs security binding processing (step S6). For example, information on two A4 sheets can be printed on one A3 sheet. In addition, when 1/2 consolidated printing is performed, information on four A4 sheets is collected on one A3 sheet to form an image, so the number of sheets to be output can be reduced to ¼. In the content of the flowchart of FIG. 15, an example in which printing is performed on a larger-sized sheet and ½ consolidated printing is performed is shown. Just make it bigger.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and many variations are possible by those having ordinary knowledge in the art within the technical idea of the present invention.

1: Introduction path 2: Upper transport path 3: Straight transport path 4: Lower transport path 5: Paper discharge tray 6: Proof tray 7: Branch claw 8: Intermediate stack part 9: Tray 10: Inlet roller 11: Front of transport roller 12 : After transport roller 13: Entrance sensor 15: Switching claw 21: Staple tray 22: Jogger fence 24: Intermediate return roller 24a: Arm 25: Intermediate stack sensor 26: Paper discharge roller 27: Driven roller 28: Paper discharge sensor 29: Release Claw 30: Fence sensor 31: Fence 32: Staple sensor 40: Filler 41: Return roller 50: Stapler 51: Stapler 61: Conveying roller 62: Intermediate conveying roller 64: Sheet folding stopper 71: Sheet folding blade 72: Sheet folding plate 73 : Middle folded paper discharge roller 100: Image forming apparatus 200 : Sheet post-processing devices H and H2: Hole H1: Punching hole Pp: Pressed part Pt: Mark printing part S: Sheet (sheet bundle)
Sc: Long sheet Sp: Print content Ss: Confidential sheet or confidential sheet bundle

JP 2008-137779 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 36-013206

Claims (5)

Stacking means for receiving and stacking confidential sheets from an image forming apparatus for forming an image;
Means for setting a long sheet having a size larger than the confidential sheet in the sheet post-processing device to cover the confidential sheet;
Folding means for folding the long sheet into two at a substantially central portion in the paper transport direction of the long sheet in a paper transport path in the sheet post-processing apparatus;
Means for sandwiching the stacked confidential sheets or a bundle of confidential sheets between the long sheets folded in two;
Binding means for binding the open edge of the long sheet folded in two,
The sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein the binding means binds at a position where it does not come into contact with the sandwiched confidential sheet or the bundle of confidential sheets when binding the open edge of the long sheet. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein the binding means performs binding of the open edge of the sheet without using a staple. In the sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The long sheet is controlled to change the size of the long sheet to be discharged according to the sheet size of the confidential sheet or the confidential sheet bundle specified by the user. In the sheet post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the long sheet, a hole is formed at a position other than the binding position, and any printing that is not confidential is performed on the confidential sheet or the confidential sheet bundle,
When the confidential sheet or the confidential sheet bundle is sandwiched between the long sheets, the content of the arbitrary printing of the confidential sheet or the confidential sheet bundle can be confirmed from the hole of the long sheet. Sheet post-processing device. 5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 and the confidential sheet on which an image is formed are discharged to the sheet post-processing apparatus.