JP2014177332A - Form post-processing device, image formation apparatus, and image formation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a form post-processing device with a form binding device that can securely bind forms even when the number of forms of a form bundle exceeds the allowable number of forms which can be bound with a pair of uneven members, an image formation apparatus with the form post-processing device, and an image formation system with the form post-processing device.SOLUTION: There is provided a form post-processing device 3 including perforation means such as a perforation device 49 performing perforation processing on forms P, and form binding means such as an end binding part 25 and a saddle-stitch binding part 35 which press and bind a form bundle using a pair of crimping members having uneven shapes such as upper and lower crimping teeth, the form post-processing device including control means, such as a control part which controls the perforation means in advance so as to perform perforation processing on an arbitrary form P of the form bundle in an area corresponding to a binding part to be bound by pressure application by the pair of uneven members.

Description

  The present invention includes a sheet post-processing device including a sheet binding device that presses and binds a bundle of sheets including a plurality of sheets, an image forming apparatus including the sheet post-processing device, and the sheet post-processing device. The present invention relates to an image forming system.

  Conventionally, as this type of paper binding device, a paper using a pressure binding method that presses and binds a paper bundle made of a plurality of papers using a pair of concave and convex crimping teeth without using a metal needle. A binding device is known. In this paper binding apparatus, the paper bundle is bound by crimping binding without using the metal needle, so that the metal needle is lost and the paper bundle cannot be bound. It is possible to save the trouble of removing the metal needle from.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet binding device capable of forming irregularities on a sheet bundle with a constant pressing force with a simple configuration regardless of the thickness of the sheet bundle (sheet bundle). In the sheet binding device of Patent Document 1, the depths of the concave portions of the pair of concave and convex members are made different from each other, and the areas where the pair of concave and convex members contact each other via the sheet bundle when the concave and convex portions are formed on the sheet bundle are reduced. It is like that. As a result, even if the thickness of the sheet bundle increases, it is possible to form irregularities on the sheet bundle with a small pressing force and a simple configuration.

  However, the method of binding a bundle of sheets by pressure binding without using a metal needle has a demand to increase the number of sheets of the bundle of sheets that can be bound as compared with the case of using a metal needle. .

  For example, in the sheet binding device of Patent Document 1, there is a limit to the number of sheets of a sheet bundle that can be bound by a pair of concavo-convex members, and if the sheet bundle is bound beyond this, the sheets are peeled off. As described above, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle is limited by the ability of the pair of uneven members, and a sheet bundle exceeding the binding ability of the pair of uneven members cannot be created.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet binding device capable of reliably binding even when the number of sheets in a sheet bundle exceeds the allowable number of sheets that can be bound by a pair of concave and convex members. It is an object to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus including the sheet post-processing apparatus, and an image forming system including the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 comprises punching means for punching paper and paper binding means for pressurizing and binding a bundle of sheets using a pair of concave and convex crimping members. A sheet post-processing apparatus, which controls the punching means so as to pre-perforate a region corresponding to a binding portion that is pressed and bound by the pair of concavo-convex members for an arbitrary sheet of the sheet bundle. Means are provided.

  According to the present invention, by punching a region corresponding to a binding portion that is pressed and bound by a pair of concavo-convex members for an arbitrary sheet of a sheet bundle, The allowable number of sheets that can be bound by the member can be reduced. This makes it possible to create a sheet bundle that exceeds the allowable number of sheets that can be bound by the pair of concavo-convex members.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a sheet post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A)-(d) is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a pair of crimping tooth which provided the slope part. The perspective view which shows the positional relationship of a perforation part and a non-perforation part about the paper of each paper bundle. FIG. 4A is a side view showing a state of the sheet bundle before press binding shown in FIG. (B) is a side view showing a state after crimping binding. The flowchart which shows the procedure which performs the punching process before crimping binding according to the number of sheets of a sheet bundle. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing a punching process before crimping binding when the number of sheets in the sheet bundle exceeds an allowable number of sheets that can be crimped by the crimping binding unit. (A) is a side view of a sheet bundle when the first page and the last page are not punched. (B) is a side view after the crimping process. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a punching process for punching a plurality of locations per sheet. The same side view. The perspective view which shows an example of formation of the perforated part and non-perforated part in the case of crimping and binding a sheet bundle having a large number of sheets.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming system 1 including a sheet post-processing device 3 provided with a sheet binding device (end binding portion 25, saddle stitching portion 35) to which the present invention is applied and an image forming device 2 will be described. This will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this embodiment is only an example and this invention is not limited to the structure demonstrated below. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a sheet binding apparatus alone, an image forming apparatus including a sheet binding apparatus, an image forming apparatus including a sheet binding apparatus, and an image forming system including a sheet post-processing apparatus. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system 1 including an image forming apparatus 2 and a sheet post-processing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 2 and a paper post-processing apparatus 3. The image forming apparatus 2 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 are connected so as to communicate with each other. In the image forming system 1, the image forming apparatus 2 forms an image on the paper P, and the paper post-processing apparatus 3 receives the paper P from the image forming apparatus 2 and performs various post-processing on the received paper P. Examples of various post-processing to be performed on the received paper P include punching processing, edge binding processing, center folding processing with saddle stitching processing, and binding processing with punching processing.

In the present embodiment, in the end binding process and the saddle stitching process, the sheet post-processing device 3 uses a part of the sheet bundle Pb formed by stacking a plurality of sheets P without using a needle or an adhesive. In other words, a so-called pressure-bonding method is employed in which a pair of pressure-bonding teeth having an uneven shape is pressed and bound.
Further, the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 that performs various post-processing as described above has, as operation modes, a discharge mode, a punching processing mode, an end binding mode, a center folding mode, and a punching binding mode. ing. As the image forming apparatus 2, a known configuration can be applied, and in this embodiment, an electrophotographic color copying machine is provided. The image forming apparatus 2 includes, for example, a control unit, an image forming unit, an optical writing unit, a paper feeding unit, a paper feeding conveyance path, an image reading unit, an intermediate transfer unit, a fixing unit, a paper discharge conveyance path, a double-side conveyance path, etc. Both of them are not shown), and images are formed on both sides or one side of the paper P.

  The sheet post-processing apparatus 3 is provided with a first transport path Pt1 for receiving the sheet P discharged from the image forming apparatus 2 and discharging the sheet P to the first sheet discharge tray 10. Further, a second transport path Pt2 is provided for branching from the first transport path Pt1 and performing an end binding process or the like on the sheet bundle Pb. A third transport path Pt3 that is connected to the second transport path Pt2 and performs the saddle stitching and folding process on the sheet bundle Pb is also provided. Each of the transport paths Pt1 to Pt3 is formed by, for example, a plurality of transport rollers, guide members (not shown), and the like, and configures the transport unit 51.

  In the first transport path Pt1, the inlet roller 11, the punching device 49, the transport rollers 12, 13, and the first paper discharge roller 14 are arranged in this order on the upstream side in the paper transport direction of the first transport path Pt1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the upstream side). ) Toward the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the downstream side). The entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12 and 13, and the first paper discharge roller 14 are rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) to transport the paper P. An inlet sensor 15 is disposed on the upstream side of the inlet roller 11, and the inlet sensor 15 detects that the paper P has been carried into the paper post-processing device 3.

  A first branch claw 17 is disposed on the downstream side of the conveying roller 12. The first branching claw 17 rotates and switches its posture so that the sheet P conveyed from the upstream side is separated from the downstream portion of the first branching claw 17 in the first conveyance path Pt1 by the second. It selectively guides to either one of the conveyance paths Pt2. The first branch claw 17 is driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid.

In the discharge mode, the paper P carried into the first transport path Pt 1 from the image forming apparatus 2 is transported by the entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12 and 13, and the first paper discharge roller 14, and is transferred to the first paper discharge tray 10. Discharged.
In the punching processing mode, after the paper P is detected by the entrance sensor 15, the entrance roller 11 transports the scheduled punching position of the paper P to the punching position of the punching device 49, stops the one end, and performs the punching processing. , Transition to any one of the discharge mode, the end binding mode, and the middle folding mode.
In the end binding mode and the center folding mode, the paper P carried into the first transport path Pt1 is transported by the entrance roller 11 and the transport roller 12, and the traveling direction is changed by the first branch claw 17, It is transported to the second transport path Pt2.

  Conveying rollers 20, 21, and 22, a sheet stacking tray 23, a first jogger fence 24, and an end binding unit 25 that is a first sheet binding device are disposed in the second transport path Pt 2. The transport rollers 20, 21, and 22 are driven by a motor (not shown) to transport the paper P, and the first jogger fence 24 is driven by a motor (not shown) and is stacked on the paper stacking tray 23. The width direction position of the paper P is aligned. Further, a second branch claw 26 and a third branch claw 27 are disposed on the downstream side of the paper stacking tray 23. The second branch claw 26 and the third branch claw 27 are rotated to switch their postures, and the sheet bundle Pb or the paper P stacked on the paper stacking tray 23 is placed downstream of the first branch claw 17 in the first transport path. Is selectively guided to either one of the part and the third transport path Pt3. The second branch claw 26 and the third branch claw 27 are driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid.

  In the edge binding mode, the sheets P received from the image forming apparatus 2 are sequentially stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23. As a result, the designated number (plurality) of sheets P are stacked to form a sheet bundle Pb. At this time, the rear end of each paper P abuts on a first movable reference fence (not shown) provided on the paper stacking tray 23, the paper transport direction position is aligned, and the width direction position is set by the first jogger fence 24. Aligned. The first movable reference fence is driven by a motor. Here, the sheet stacking tray 23, the first jogger fence 24, and the first movable reference fence constitute a first bundling unit 28 as a bundling unit that stacks a plurality of sheets P to form a sheet bundle Pb.

The first bundling unit 28 includes a motor for driving the first jogger fence 24 and a motor for driving the first movable reference fence, and the bundled sheet bundle Pb is bound at the end by the first movable reference fence. It is conveyed to the section 25.
As will be described in detail later, a pair of concave and convex crimping teeth is arranged on the end binding portion 25 so as to sandwich the sheet bundle Pb, and in the state where the sheet bundle Pb is present, one crimping tooth is connected to the other crimping tooth. The sheet bundle Pb is bound by a pressure binding method that applies pressure in the direction.

  The sheet bundle Pb bound at the end is conveyed (returned) to the first conveyance path Pt1 by the first movable reference fence, and then passes through the second branch claw 26 and the third branch claw 27, and then the conveyance roller 13 and It is conveyed by the first paper discharge roller 14 and discharged to the first paper discharge tray 10. Here, the first paper discharge roller 14 is an example of a paper discharge unit that discharges the sheet bundle Pb bound by the end binding unit 25.

  On the other hand, in the middle folding mode, the paper P transported to the second transport path Pt2 is not stacked on the paper stacking tray 23, but is transported by the transport rollers 20, 21, 22 and the first movable reference fence to the second branch claw. 26 and then transported to the third transport path Pt3. The second branch claw 26 is rotated and switched to a posture for guiding the paper P to the third transport path Pt3 before the paper P is transported by the first movable reference fence.

  In the third conveyance path Pt3, conveyance rollers 31 and 32 and a saddle stitch folding part 33 are arranged. The transport rollers 31 and 32 are driven by a motor to transport the paper P. The saddle stitch folding unit 33 includes a center folding unit 34, a saddle stitching unit 35 that is a second sheet binding device, and a second bundling unit 36. The saddle stitch folding part 33 is an example of a binding part forming part that forms a part to be bound.

  The sheets P transported to the third transport path Pt3 are sequentially accumulated in the second bundling unit 36 by the transport rollers 31 and 32, and a plurality of sheets P are stacked to form a sheet bundle Pb. That is, the second bundling unit 36 superimposes the designated number (plural) of sheets P conveyed through the conveyance path Pt3 of the conveyance unit 51 to form a sheet bundle Pb. At this time, the front end of the paper P abuts against the second movable reference fence 37, the paper transport direction position is aligned, and the width direction position is aligned by a second jogger fence (not shown).

  Then, the sheet bundle Pb in which the positions in the sheet conveyance direction and the width direction are aligned is in a state in which the vicinity of the center in the sheet conveyance direction is bound and saddle-stitched by the saddle stitching unit 35. The saddle-stitched sheet bundle Pb is returned by the second movable reference fence 37 to the center folding position corresponding to the sheet size. Here, the second movable reference fence 37 is driven by a motor (not shown).

  The sheet bundle Pb moved to the center folding position is folded in the middle in the sheet transport direction by the center folding section 34. In the center folding section 34, the center folding blade 38 facing the center of the sheet transport direction of the sheet bundle Pb transported to the center folding position moves from right to left in FIG. It pushes between a pair of press rollers 39 and 40, bending the center part of a conveyance direction. At this time, the folding blade 38 is driven by a motor (not shown).

  The folded sheet bundle Pb is pressed from above and below by the pair of pressing rollers 39 and 40. Here, the pair of pressing rollers 39 and 40 are driven by a motor (not shown). The sheet bundle Pb folded in this manner is discharged onto the second discharge tray 42 by the pressing rollers 39 and 40 and the second discharge roller 41. The second paper discharge roller 41 is driven by a motor (not shown).

  The entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 31, and 32 and the paper discharge rollers 14 and 41 constitute a transport unit 51 together with a motor that drives them and a guide member. ing. Moreover, each branch nail | claw 17, 26, 27 comprises the path | route switching part 52 with the motor or solenoid which drives them.

  Further, the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 includes a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of each unit. The control unit is a computer having a CPU, a storage unit, a communication interface, and the like. The control unit is connected to the inlet sensor 15, the punching device 49, the first bundling unit 28, the saddle stitch folding unit 33, the transport unit 51, the path switching unit 52, and the like. Then, the control unit (CPU) drives and controls each unit of the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit. Further, as described above, the control unit is connected to a control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 2 so that data communication is possible.

  Next, configurations and operations of the edge binding unit 25 and the saddle stitching unit 35 which are paper binding devices provided in the paper post-processing apparatus 3 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the operation of the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 which are a pair of crimping teeth provided with the slope portion according to the present embodiment. 2A shows a state in which the upper pressure-bonding teeth 101 and the lower pressure-bonding teeth 102 are separated from each other when the sheet bundle Pb is conveyed, and FIG. 2B shows a state in which the pressure bonding operation starts and the upper pressure-bonding teeth 101 move downward. The state when the plane part of the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 is in contact with the sheet bundle Pb is shown. FIG. 2C shows a state in which the sheet bundle Pb is bent between the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 as the crimping operation proceeds and the upper crimping tooth 101 moves downward. Is shown. In FIG. 2D, the sheet bundle Pb is pressurized between the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 as the crimping operation proceeds and the upper crimping tooth 101 moves downward. Indicates the state.

  With reference to FIG. 2, a basic crimping method using an upper crimping tooth 101 and a lower crimping tooth 102 which are a pair of crimping teeth having an inclined surface with an uneven shape will be described. The sheet binding apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a pair of pressure-bonding teeth composed of an upper pressure-bonding tooth 101 as an upper tooth and a lower pressure-bonding tooth 102 as a lower tooth in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (d). Yes. In this crimping binding method, as shown in FIG. 2A, when a sheet bundle Pb composed of a plurality of sheets P is conveyed, an upper crimping tooth 101 and a lower crimping tooth 102 are arranged so as to receive the sheet bundle Pb. Are in a separated state. However, as shown in FIG. 2 (d), when the concave and convex shapes of the slopes included in each are meshed, they are arranged at opposing positions so as to mesh with each other via the sheet bundle Pb to which the binding process is performed.

  Then, the movement of one or both of the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 is started. In the example shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D, a pressurizing mechanism (not shown) causes the sheet bundle Pb shown in FIG. 2A to be substantially perpendicular to the paper surface (hereinafter simply referred to as the paper surface). The upper crimping tooth 101 moves toward the lower crimping tooth 102, and the crimping operation proceeds. First, in the state of FIG. 2A, the crimping operation is started, the upper crimping tooth 101 moves to the lower crimping tooth 102 side, and the flat portion of the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 contacts the sheet bundle Pb. The state shown in FIG. Further, when the crimping operation proceeds, as shown in FIG. 2C, the crimping operation proceeds, and as the upper crimping tooth 101 moves downward, between the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102, The sheet bundle Pb is bent, and the folding of the sheet bundle Pb proceeds.

  Thereafter, the folding of the sheet bundle Pb proceeds, the sheet bundle Pb is sandwiched between the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 shown in FIG. 2D, and the sheet bundle Pb is perpendicular to the paper surface of the sheet bundle Pb. Pressure is applied in any direction. That is, pressure is further applied in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface from the state shown in FIG. 2D, and the concave and convex shapes of the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth 101 and 102 are transferred to the sheet bundle Pb to complete the binding.

  The sheet post-processing device 3 according to the present embodiment includes a punching and binding processing mode for performing binding processing with punching processing as described above. In this punching and binding processing mode, a punching device 49 performs punching processing on a part of the portion corresponding to the binding portion of the paper P to be bound by the pair of crimping teeth. The punching device 49 punches two round holes for binding a bundle of sheets using a binder, a file, or a binding string, but a part of the portion corresponding to the binding portion bound by a pair of crimping teeth is rectangular or the like The hole can be drilled. Further, the punching device 49 can arbitrarily change the punching position within the range corresponding to the binding portion of the paper P. The punching operation of the punching device 49 is controlled by the above-described control unit, and the presence / absence of punching and the shape of the hole to be punched are determined and processed for each sheet P.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the punched portion H and the non-punched portion NH for the five sheets P1 to P5 of the sheet bundle Pb. 4A and 4B are side views of the sheets P1 to P5 shown in FIG. 3, wherein FIG. 4A shows a state before crimp binding, and FIG. 4B shows a state after crimp binding.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the first sheet P1, the right side portion of the binding portion F is perforated to form a perforated portion H, and the left side portion is a non-perforated portion NH. On the contrary, the second sheet P2 has a left side portion of the binding portion F perforated to form a perforated portion H, and the right side portion is a non-perforated portion NH. Similarly, in the third and subsequent sheets P3 to P5, the perforated portions H and the non-perforated portions NH are alternately formed. This punching process is performed by the punching device 49 based on the control command of the control unit when the sheet P on which the image is formed from the image forming apparatus 2 is transported to the first transport path Pt1.

  The punching device 49 is provided with an electromagnetic solenoid (not shown) as a punching position changing means for shifting the punching position of the punching portion H. The electromagnetic solenoid is turned on / off to control a punching member such as a rectangular cutter. Change the position and drill.

  When the punched sheets P1 to P5 are stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23, as shown in FIG. 4A, the punched portion H and the non-pierced portion NH face each other in the vertically overlapping sheets.

  When the sheet bundle Pb stacked as shown in FIG. 4A is crimped and bound at the end binding portion 25, the sheets P1, P3, P5, And P2 and P4 are respectively crimped and bound. That is, the non-perforated portion NH between the paper P1 and the paper P3 is crimped and bound via the perforated portion H of the paper P2, and the non-perforated portion NH between the paper P3 and the paper P5 is crimped via the perforated portion H of the paper P4. Since the sheets are bound, the sheets P2, P4 are sandwiched between the sheets P1, P3, and P5 by the crimping portion. On the other hand, since the non-perforated portion NH between the paper P2 and the paper P4 is crimped and bound through the perforated portion H of the paper P3, the paper P3 is sandwiched between the paper P2 and P4. In this way, as the final sheet bundle Pb, all sheets P1 to P5 are bound without dropping.

  In the conventional crimping and binding method, if the number of sheets P is five, for example, it is necessary to perform the crimping and binding on all five sheets P. However, in the crimping and binding method according to the present embodiment, for example, a maximum of three. If pressure binding is performed on the sheets, five sheets can be bound. In this way, the sheet P can be crimped and bound beyond the maximum number of sheets of a pair of crimping teeth. For example, even when the allowable value of the number of bindings of the pair of crimping teeth is 3, the paper bundle Pb can be created by binding five sheets P exceeding the allowable value. Further, even if the number of sheets P to be crimped is within the allowable number, it is not necessary to excessively increase the force required for crimping, and the sheet post-processing device 3 and the crimping binding unit (end binding unit 25, saddle stitching unit 35). Can be reduced.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing a punching process before crimping according to the number of sheets of the sheet bundle Pb.
In FIG. 5, when a print job that needs to be subjected to sheet post-processing is started, information such as the number of sheet bundles Pb is obtained from the image forming apparatus 2 (step 100). Then, the control unit determines whether or not the number of sheet bundles Pb is 4 or more. If the number is 4 or more, after the punching process by the punching device 49, the binding is performed (Y in Step 101, Step 102, Step 103). On the other hand, if the number of the sheet bundle Pb is 4 or less, the sheet is conveyed to the crimping binding unit without performing the punching process, and the crimping binding is performed (N in Step 101, Step 103). Then, the sheet bundle Pb is discharged to the first discharge tray 10.

In this way, the punching process is performed when the number of sheets is equal to or larger than the preset number according to the number of sheets in the sheet bundle Pb. When the number is smaller than the set number, a sufficient crimping and binding force can be obtained without performing the punching process, and the sheet bundle Pb is hardly peeled off, so that the useless punching process in this case can be eliminated.
Further, by performing the punching process only when the number of the sheet bundle Pb is at least four or more, the even-numbered sheet and the odd-numbered sheet are sandwiched by the crimping portion F. As the final sheet bundle Pb, All of them are bound, and crimping binding in which the paper P is difficult to drop off becomes possible. In this way, when the sheet bundle Pb is a plurality of sheets, it is more effective.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing a punching process before crimping and binding when the number of sheets of the sheet bundle Pb exceeds the allowable number of sheets that can be crimped by the crimping and binding unit.
In FIG. 6, when a print job that requires execution of paper post-processing is started, information such as the number of paper bundles Pb is obtained from the image forming apparatus 2 (step 200). Then, the control unit determines whether or not the number of sheet bundles Pb is larger than the allowable value of the number of crimping bindings of the crimping teeth. If the number exceeds the allowable value, the punching device 49 performs the crimping binding after the punching process. (Y in step 201, step 202, step 203). On the other hand, if the number of sheet bundles Pb is equal to or less than the allowable value, the sheet is conveyed to the crimping binding unit without performing the punching process, and the crimping binding is performed (N in Step 201, Step 203). Then, the sheet bundle Pb is discharged to the first discharge tray 10.
As described above, the punching process is performed when the number of sheets of the sheet bundle Pb exceeds the allowable number of sheets that can be subjected to the crimping process by the crimping and binding unit. When the number of sheets is equal to or less than the allowable number, a sufficient crimping and binding force can be obtained without performing the punching process, so that the unnecessary punching process in this case can be eliminated. On the other hand, when the allowable number of sheets is exceeded, the punching process can be performed to surely bind the sheet bundle Pb.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the perforated portions and the non-perforated portions are alternately provided for each sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb, the first page and the last page are bound. A part of the part (crimp part) is perforated, and the perforated part H is exposed to the outside. Then, since the inner paper P cannot be sandwiched at the perforated portion H, the crimping force is weakened, and the paper bundle Pb may be easily peeled off.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are side views of the sheet bundle Pb when the first page and the last page are not punched. FIG. 7A shows a state before the crimping process, and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the punching process is not performed on the first page (paper P1) and the last page (paper P5). Perforated portions H and non-perforated portions NH are alternately formed on the sheets P2, P3, and P4.

  When the sheet bundle Pb stacked as shown in FIG. 7A is crimped and bound by the end binding portion 25, the sheets P1, P3, P5, and P1 in the crimping portion F as shown in FIG. , P2, P4, and P5 are respectively crimped and bound. That is, the non-perforated portion NH between the paper P1 and the paper P3 is crimped and bound via the perforated portion H of the paper P2, and the non-perforated portion NH between the paper P3 and the paper P5 is crimped via the perforated portion H of the paper P4. Since the sheets are bound, the sheets P2, P4 are sandwiched between the sheets P1, P3, and P5 by the crimping portion. On the other hand, the paper P1 and the paper P2 are crimped and bound by the non-perforated part NH, and the non-perforated part NH of the paper P2 and the paper P4 is crimped and bound via the perforated part H of the paper P3. Crimped and bound at the non-perforated portion NH. As a result, the sheet P3 is sandwiched between the sheets P1 and P2 and the sheets P4 and P5. In this way, as the final sheet bundle Pb, all sheets P1 to P5 are bound without dropping.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, the perforated portion H is not formed on the first page (paper P1) and the last page (paper P5), and is securely crimped and bound to the inner paper P2 and P4, respectively, and is difficult to peel off. . In this case, five sheets of paper bundle Pb can be bound by crimping and binding to a maximum of four sheets of paper P. The example shown in FIG. 7 shows the case where the number of sheets is five. For example, when a sheet bundle (M sheets) is formed, perforated portions H and (M-2) sheets are provided for each sheet. Control to alternately provide non-perforated portions NH may be performed.

  Note that if the interval between the sheets P to be bound is large (perforated pages are continuous), the sheet P is pulled when the sheets are pressed, and the sheet P may be damaged or, in the worst case, damaged. For this reason, it is preferable that the pages of the paper P to be punched have a shape close to the regular interval.

8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating an example of a punching process for punching a plurality of locations per sheet.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the width of the paper P is wide, two crimping portions F are provided, and two perforated portions H and non-perforated portions NH are provided per sheet. Then, by applying pressure binding to the paper bundle Pb of these papers P1 to P5, the pressure binding force is doubled as compared with the case where the perforated part H and the non-perforated part NH are provided one by one. Pb can be made more difficult to peel off.

In addition, the crimping | compression-bonding part F of the paper P can set not only two places but arbitrary numbers, and can set the perforation part H and the non-perforation part NH corresponding to this.
Further, the first page (paper P1) and the last page (P5) can be configured not to form the perforated portion H, and the first page and the last page can be prevented from peeling off.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of the formation of the perforated part H and the non-perforated part NH when the sheet bundle Pb having a large number of sheets is crimped and bound.
In the example shown in FIG. 10, when nine sheets P are pressure-bonded, the punched portion H is formed on the right side of the pressure-bonding portion F and the non-punched portion NH is formed on the left side of four sheets P1 to P4. For the four sheets P6 to P9, the non-perforated part NH is formed on the right side of the crimping part F, and the perforated part H is formed on the left side. The perforated part H is not formed on the intermediate paper P5, and the left and right sides of the crimping part F are non-perforated parts NH.

  When these sheets P1 to P9 are overlapped and crimped, the sheets P1 to P5 are crimped and bound on the left side of the crimping part F, and the sheets P5 to P9 are crimped and bounded on the right side of the crimping part F. The intermediate sheet P5 serves to connect the upper sheets P1 to P4 and the lower sheets P6 to P9, and the final sheet bundle Pb is bound without dropping all the sheets P1 to P9. At this time, the maximum number of crimped bindings is five. That is, even if the allowable crimping number of the pair of crimping teeth (upper and lower crimping teeth 101, 102) is 5, the nine sheets P exceeding the allowable crimping number as the sheet bundle Pb can be easily and reliably crimped and bound. Can do.

What has been described above is merely an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following modes.
(Aspect A)
Using the punching means such as the punching device 49 for punching the paper P and the pair of crimping members having concave and convex shapes such as the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth 101 and 102, the end binding unit 25 that presses and binds the paper bundle Pb A sheet post-processing apparatus 3 including a sheet binding unit such as a binding unit 35, and an arbitrary sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb in a region corresponding to a binding unit that is bound by pressing with a pair of concave and convex members. Control means such as a control unit for controlling the punching means so as to perform punching processing in advance was provided.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, by performing perforation processing in advance on an area corresponding to a binding portion that is pressed and bound by a pair of concavo-convex members for an arbitrary sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb, The paper P with the holes formed therein can be reduced from the allowable number that can be bound by the pair of concavo-convex members. Therefore, it is possible to create a sheet bundle that exceeds the allowable number of sheets that can be bound by the pair of concavo-convex members. Note that if the paper P having a hole formed by the punching process is sandwiched between other papers P, it will not fall out of the paper bundle Pb.
(Aspect B)
In aspect A, the punching means includes punching position variable means such as an electromagnetic solenoid that changes the punching position within the area corresponding to the binding portion of the paper P.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the punching means shifts the punching position for each sheet P when punching the region corresponding to the binding portion to be crimped and bound by the pair of concavo-convex members by the punching means. The non-perforated parts are bound together by pressure bonding through the part. Therefore, the number of sheets P actually bound by the pair of concavo-convex members can be reduced from the number of sheets in the sheet bundle Pb.
(Aspect C)
In the above-described aspect A or B, the control unit controls the punching unit so that the punching process is performed on the sheet P when the number of sheets of the sheet bundle Pb is equal to or more than a preset number.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the punching process can be performed when the number of sheets is equal to or greater than a predetermined number set in advance, and the sheet bundle Pb can be prevented from peeling off. For example, by performing the punching process only when the number of the sheet bundle Pb is at least 4 or more, the even-numbered sheet and the odd-numbered sheet are sandwiched between the crimping portions. It is possible to perform the crimp binding that is bound and the sheet is not easily dropped.
(Aspect D)
In the above aspect A or B, the control means controls the punching means so that the punching process is performed on the sheet P when the number of sheets of the sheet bundle Pb exceeds the allowable number of press-bonded sheets of the pair of concavo-convex members.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, when the number of sheets is equal to or less than the allowable number, a sufficient crimp binding force can be obtained without performing the punching process, so that the unnecessary punching process in this case can be eliminated. On the other hand, when the allowable number of sheets is exceeded, the punching process can be performed to surely bind the sheet bundle Pb.
(Aspect E)
In any of the above aspects A to D, the control means controls the punching means so as to perform punching processing on the other sheets P except the first sheet P and the last sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the first paper P and the last paper P are not subjected to punching processing, and are respectively crimped and bound to the inner paper P. It is possible to perform crimping binding in which the paper P is not easily dropped.
(Aspect F)
In any one of the above aspects A to E, the sheet binding means can set a plurality of binding portions according to the size of the paper P, and the punching means is configured to be capable of punching the plurality of binding portions in advance.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, a plurality of binding portions are set according to the size of the paper P, and punching processing is performed on the portions, compared with the case of one binding portion. The crimp binding force is increased, and the sheet bundle Pb can be made more difficult to peel off.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 2 Image forming apparatus 3 Paper post-processing apparatus 10 1st paper discharge tray 11 Entrance roller 12, 13 Conveyance roller (1st conveyance path)
14 First discharge roller 15 Entrance sensor 17 First branch claw 20, 21, 22 Conveying roller (second conveying path)
23 Paper stacking tray 24 First jogger fence 25 End binding portion 26 Second branch claw 27 Third branch claw 28 First bundling portion 31, 32 Conveying roller (third conveying path)
33 Saddle Stitch Folding 34 Saddle Folding Part 35 Saddle Stitching Part 36 Second Bundling Part 37 Second Movable Reference Fence 38 Middle Folding Blade 39, 40 Pressing Roller 41 Second Paper Discharge Roller 42 Second Paper Discharge Tray 49 Punching Part 51 Conveying section 52 Path switching section 101 Upper crimping tooth 102 Lower crimping tooth P Sheet Pb Sheet bundle Pt1 First transport path Pt2 Second transport path Pt3 Third transport path

JP 2010-208854 A

Claims (8)

Punching means for punching paper;
A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising a sheet binding unit that pressurizes and binds a bundle of sheets using a pair of crimping members having an uneven shape,
It comprises control means for controlling the punching means so as to pre-perforate a region corresponding to a binding portion that is pressed and bound by the pair of concavo-convex members with respect to an arbitrary sheet of the sheet bundle. Paper post-processing device. The paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 1.
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the punching means includes punching position variable means for changing a punching position within an area corresponding to a binding portion of the paper. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein the control unit controls the punching unit to perform punching processing on the sheet when the number of sheets in the sheet bundle is equal to or greater than a preset number. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The control means controls the punching means to perform punching processing on the paper when the number of sheets of the sheet bundle exceeds the allowable number of press-bonding of the pair of concavo-convex members. Processing equipment. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the control means controls the punching means so as to perform punching processing on other sheets except the first sheet and the last sheet of the sheet bundle. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The paper binding means can set a plurality of binding portions according to the size of the paper,
A paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the punching means is configured to be capable of punching the plurality of binding portions in advance. An image forming apparatus that performs at least a sheet binding process on a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets after image formation,
An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet binding apparatus according to claim 1 as the apparatus for performing the sheet binding process. An image forming system that performs at least a sheet binding process on a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets after image formation,
An image forming system comprising the sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 or the image forming apparatus according to claim 7 as an apparatus for performing the sheet binding process.

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