JP2015016969A - Paper processing device and image formation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper processing device and an image formation system, enabling easily knowing a paper which a user itself has printed, with no labor occurs for performing binding process by a user itself on a paper bundle that has been discharged from a paper discharge tray.SOLUTION: In a case a series of papers outputted from an image formation under one image formation command includes a plurality of sheets, with no end part binding part nor center folding indicated by a user (NO at S2, NO at S3), shifting is made to a discharge mode (S4), and after temporary binding process is performed on a plurality of sheets of papers by a temporary binding part 70, discharging of paper is made to a paper discharge tray (S10).

Description

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

  In an image forming apparatus as a conventional image forming unit, a plurality of sheets printed by a user are discharged in a state of being stacked on a discharge tray. In this case, a plurality of sheets printed by different users may be stacked on a plurality of sheets printed by a certain user discharged to the discharge tray. In this case, when collecting the paper discharged to the paper discharge tray, it is necessary to check one sheet at a time whether it is a sheet printed by the user or a sheet printed by another person. For this reason, there was a problem that it was not convenient.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus, a temporary binding unit that temporarily binds a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets output from the image forming apparatus, and a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets output from the image forming apparatus. An image forming system including a sheet processing apparatus having binding means for binding is described. This image forming system has a copy mode, a fax mode, and a printer mode. In the fax mode or the printer mode, a plurality of sheets printed in one job of the image forming apparatus are temporarily bound by a temporary binding unit of the sheet processing apparatus and discharged to a discharge tray of the sheet processing apparatus. On the other hand, in the copy mode, when the user has instructed binding, a plurality of sheets printed in one job are bound by the binding means and discharged to the discharge tray, and the user does not instruct binding. Is discharged to the discharge tray without performing the binding process.

  According to Patent Document 1, a plurality of sheets printed in the printer mode and the fax mode are temporarily bound and discharged to a discharge tray. Therefore, even when sheets printed by a plurality of users are discharged onto the sheet discharge tray, the sheets printed by the user can be easily grasped. Further, since the temporary binding is performed, it can be easily separated into one sheet. Thereby, a highly convenient apparatus can be provided.

  However, in the image forming system described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of sheets printed in the printer mode or the fax mode are all temporarily bound and discharged to a discharge tray. Therefore, the user himself / herself has to perform the binding process for the sheet bundle temporarily bound in the printer mode or the fax mode and discharged to the sheet discharge tray.

  In the copy mode, when the user does not give a binding instruction, the copied paper is directly discharged to the paper discharge tray. Usually, when copying, there is a user near the apparatus, and after the end of copying, the sheet bundle discharged to the discharge tray is often collected on the spot. However, there is a case where the user leaves the apparatus for some reason and the sheet bundle on the paper discharge tray is collected after a certain amount of time has passed. In this case, when the printer mode or the facsimile mode in which one sheet is printed after the copy mode in which the binding process is not performed is executed, the sheet of the next user is ejected on the sheet bundle not subjected to the binding process. Is done. As a result, the user who has output in the printer mode may have trouble checking whether or not the plurality of sheets on the paper discharge tray are the sheets that he / she has output. In addition, there may be a problem that the user who performed the copying also brings together the sheets output by other users that have been discharged onto his / her sheet bundle. In order to prevent such a problem from occurring, when a certain amount of time has elapsed and a copy of the sheet bundle on the paper discharge tray is to be collected, sheets of other users are loaded on the sheet bundle. It takes time to check whether there is any.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to easily grasp a sheet printed by the user and to bind the sheet itself to a sheet bundle discharged from the discharge tray. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system that do not require time and effort for processing.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 comprises a binding means for binding a bundle of sheets made up of a plurality of sheets outputted from the image forming means, and a plurality of sheets outputted from the image forming means. A printer mode included in the image forming unit in a sheet processing apparatus including a temporary binding unit that temporarily binds a bundle of sheets, and a sheet discharge tray that discharges the bundle of sheets bound by the binding unit and the temporary binding unit. A series of sheets output from the image forming means in response to a single image forming instruction in the mode, wherein the user can instruct the binding processing by the binding means in at least one of a copy mode and a facsimile mode. If there are a plurality of sheets and the user has instructed the binding process by the binding means, the binding means performs the binding process to When there are a plurality of sheets discharged from the image forming means in response to a single image forming instruction and the user does not instruct the binding process by the binding means, the temporary binding means Then, after temporary binding is performed, the sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge tray.

  According to the present invention, since the binding process can be instructed by the binding unit, the binding process is desired for a plurality of sheets output from the image forming unit by a single image formation instruction from the user. The bound sheet bundle can be discharged to the user who is doing this. As a result, the binding process cannot be instructed, and unlike the case where all sheets are temporarily bound and discharged to the paper discharge tray, the user does not have to perform the binding process himself. When the binding process is not instructed, the plurality of sheets are temporarily bound and discharged. This allows you to easily grasp multiple sheets of paper that you have printed from the output tray, and check one sheet at a time against the stack of sheets on the output tray. It is possible to suppress the time and effort to do. Thereby, a highly convenient apparatus can be provided.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration diagram mainly of an image forming apparatus 2 of an image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment. The block diagram regarding control of a paper processing apparatus. The figure explaining the crimping | binding method. The figure explaining the uneven | corrugated shape of a crimping tooth. The figure which shows an example of the operation | movement mechanism of a temporary binding part. The schematic block diagram of the temporary binding part periphery. FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The figure which shows the example which provided the punching part which opens a hole in a paper between a temporary binding part and an entrance roller. The schematic block diagram of the moving mechanism which moves a temporary binding part. The figure which shows a mode that the paper bundle by which the punching process was carried out was temporarily bound. The figure which shows a mode that the temporary binding was given to the both ends of the large sized paper bundle. The control flowchart of the apparatus which can instruct | indicate temporary binding prohibition. FIG. 5 is a control flow diagram in which a shift process is performed when a temporary binding portion exceeds an allowable number of sheets that can be temporarily bound.

An image forming system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration diagram mainly of an image forming apparatus 2 of an image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment. The image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 2 and a sheet processing apparatus 3 as a post-processing apparatus that is communicably connected to the image forming apparatus 2 and mechanically coupled thereto.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 2 includes an image forming unit 202 disposed substantially at the center of the apparatus main body 101 </ b> A of the image forming apparatus 2 and a paper feeding unit 203 disposed below the image forming unit 202. And have. In addition, a paper discharge unit 204 disposed above the image forming unit 202 and a scanner 205 serving as an image reading unit that is disposed above the apparatus main body 101A and reads a document image are provided. On one side of the apparatus main body 101A (left side in FIG. 1), a sheet processing apparatus 3 described later is installed.

  A relay conveyance unit as a sheet relay conveyance device is provided in the in-body discharge unit 107 having a discharge space 107a formed on the lateral side of the discharge unit 204 in the apparatus main body 101A and below the scanner 205. 108 is provided. The relay conveyance unit 108 conveys the paper 5 from the paper discharge unit 204 to the paper processing apparatus 3.

  Two paper feed cassettes 109 that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 101A are mounted in the paper feed unit 203, and the paper 5 of different paper types is stored in each of them.

  The paper 5 is fed by a paper feed roller 111 from a paper feed cassette 109 to a conveyance path 110 extending in a substantially vertical (vertical) direction from the paper feed unit 203 to the paper discharge unit 204. Next, the image is transported in the transport path 110 by the transport roller 112, subjected to image formation and fixing processing by the image forming unit 202, and then discharged to the relay transport unit 108 by the paper discharge roller 113.

  The image forming unit 202 is provided with a photoconductor 115 as an image carrier that is driven to rotate counterclockwise as indicated by an arrow in the drawing, an optical writing device 116 that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 115, and the like. ing. Further, a charging device 117 as a charging device that uniformly charges the photoconductor 115 is disposed around the photoconductor 115 in the counterclockwise direction of the photoconductor 115. Further, a developing device 118 that attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 115 to make a visible image, and a transfer device 119 that transfers the toner image formed by the developing device 118 to the conveyed paper 5 are arranged. It is installed. Further, a cleaning unit 120 for removing the toner remaining on the photoconductor 115 after the transfer and cleaning the photoconductor 115 is also provided.

  A fixing device 121 is provided between the transfer device 119 and the paper discharge unit 204 to heat and press the toner image transferred to the paper 5 by the transfer device 119 and fix the toner image on the paper 5.

  The optical writing device 116 exposes the surface of the photoconductor 115 with a laser beam based on image data from the scanner 205 or image information input from a personal computer or the like, and performs optical writing to perform surface writing on the surface of the photoconductor 115. An electrostatic latent image is formed thereon.

  The paper 5 is selectively fed by one of the paper feed rollers 111 of the upper and lower paper feed cassettes 109, then separated one by one by the separation roller pair 122, and conveyed in the conveyance path 110 by the conveyance roller 112. Is done.

  Further, the conveyance of the sheet 5 is temporarily stopped by the registration roller pair 123 provided on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction with respect to the transfer device 119, and then the nip portion between the transfer device 119 and the photosensitive member 115 at a predetermined timing. Is fed by a registration roller pair 123. Then, a toner image is transferred from the photosensitive member 115 to the paper 5 at the nip portion.

  The scanner 205 includes a contact glass 125 on which a document is placed and a white pressure plate 126 that presses the document. Also, an illumination lamp 127 for irradiating light on the original placed on the contact glass 125, a scanning mirror 128 for turning back and reflecting the reflected light from the surface of the original, and an optical path folding mirror pair 129a that moves at half the speed of the scanning mirror 128. , 129b. Further, an imaging lens 130 and a CCD (charge coupled device) 131 as an image sensor are provided.

  The relay transport unit 108 is provided with a paper discharge tray section 108a on the top surface thereof, and a roller transport section 108b for transporting paper discharged to the paper processing apparatus 3 therein. Further, the relay conveyance unit 108 includes a first conveyance unit 132 that conveys the paper 5 discharged from the paper discharge roller 113 of the paper discharge unit 204 to the paper discharge tray unit 108a. In addition, it has a second transport unit 133 that transports the paper 5 discharged from the paper discharge roller 113 to the roller transport unit 108b. Further, a branching claw 134 is provided as a branching member that switches the path of the paper 5 discharged from the paper discharge roller 113 to the first transport unit 132 or the second transport unit 133.

  The first transport unit 132 is provided with a paper discharge roller 135 that is a first transport unit discharge roller that discharges the paper 5 to the paper discharge tray unit 108a. The roller transport unit 108 b that communicates with the second transport unit 133 includes a relay transport path 136 that communicates with the sheet processing apparatus 3 in the relay transport unit 108. In addition, the two transport rollers 137 disposed on the relay transport path 136 and the relay for the second transport section that are disposed on the most downstream side of the relay transport path 136 in the paper transport direction and discharge the paper 5 to the paper processing device 3. A paper discharge roller 138 which is a paper roller is provided.

  In addition, the relay transport unit 108 is provided with a relay paper discharge sensor 214 for detecting a jam of the paper being transported through the relay transport path 136. The two transport rollers 137 and the paper discharge roller 138 are connected to each other via a driving force transmission mechanism such as a pulley and a belt, and are rotationally driven by a single relay transport motor 215.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the sheet processing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment. The sheet processing apparatus 3 is used as a post-process for a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 2 such as a copying machine or a printer. In the image forming system 1, the image forming apparatus 2 forms an image on a sheet, and the sheet processing apparatus 3 receives the sheet from the image forming apparatus 2 and performs various sheet processes on the received sheet.

  Various types of paper processing are, for example, edge binding processing, center folding processing, and the like. The center folding process includes a saddle stitching process. The sheet processing apparatus 3 that performs various types of sheet processing has a discharge mode, an end binding mode, and a middle folding mode as operation modes.

  The sheet processing apparatus 3 is provided with a transport path Pt1 for receiving the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 2 and discharging the sheet to the sheet discharge tray 10. Further, a conveyance path Pt2 for branching from the conveyance path Pt1 to perform edge binding processing or the like on the sheet bundle, and a conveyance path Pt3 connected to the conveyance path Pt2 for performing saddle stitching and middle folding processing on the sheet bundle. And are provided. Each of the transport paths Pt1, Pt2, and Pt3 is formed by, for example, a guide member (not shown).

  In the conveyance path Pt1, the entrance roller 11, the temporary binding unit 70, the conveyance rollers 12 and 13, and the paper discharge roller 14 are sequentially arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of the conveyance path Pt1. The entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12 and 13, and the paper discharge roller 14 are rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) to transport the paper.

  An inlet sensor 15 is disposed upstream of the inlet roller 11 in the sheet conveyance direction. The entrance sensor 15 detects that a sheet has been carried into the sheet processing apparatus 3. A rotatable branching claw 17 driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid is disposed downstream of the conveying roller 12 in the sheet conveying direction. The branching claw 17 rotates and switches its position, thereby selectively guiding the paper to either the part of the conveyance path Pt1 downstream of the branching claw 17 in the paper conveyance direction or the conveyance path Pt2. .

  In the discharge mode, the paper carried into the transport path Pt1 from the image forming apparatus 2 is transported by the entrance roller 11, and then a series of papers instructed for image formation by the user are temporarily bound by the temporary binding unit 70. . After performing temporary binding, the paper is transported by the transport rollers 12 and 13 and the paper discharge roller 14 and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 10. The temporary binding unit 70 binds a sheet bundle by drawing and pressing without using a metal needle.

  On the other hand, in the end binding mode and the middle folding mode, the sheet carried into the transport path Pt1 is transported by the entrance roller 11 and the transport roller 12 and is transported to the transport path Pt2 with the advancing direction changed by the branch claw 17. The

  Conveying rollers 20, 21, and 22, a paper stacking tray 23, a first jogger fence 24, and an end binding unit 25 are disposed on the transport path Pt 2. The end binding part 25 is a staple binding type binding part.

  The transport rollers 20, 21, and 22 are driven by a motor (not shown) to transport the paper. The first jogger fence 24 is driven by a motor (not shown).

  Further, rotatable branch claws 26 and 27 driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid are disposed downstream of the paper stacking tray 23 in the paper transport direction. The branching claws 26 and 27 selectively guide the paper to one of the conveyance path Pt3 and the part of the conveyance path Pt1 downstream of the branching claw 17 in the paper conveyance direction by switching its position. To do.

  In the edge binding mode, sheets are sequentially stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23. Thereby, a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked is formed. At this time, the rear end of the sheet comes into contact with a first movable reference fence (not shown) provided on the sheet stacking tray 23, the position in the sheet conveyance direction is aligned, and the position in the width direction is adjusted by the first jogger fence 24. Are aligned. Note that the first movable reference fence is driven by a motor.

  Here, the paper 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 papers to form a paper bundle. The first bundling unit 28 includes a motor that drives the first jogger fence 24 and a motor that drives the first movable reference fence. Then, the sheet bundle is conveyed to the end binding unit 25 by the first movable reference fence.

  The sheet bundle whose end is bound is transported to the transport path Pt1 by the first movable reference fence, and thereafter transported by the transport roller 13 and the paper discharge roller 14 and discharged to the paper discharge tray 10.

  Here, the paper discharge roller 14 is an example of a paper discharge unit that discharges the sheet bundle bound by the end binding unit 25. On the other hand, in the middle folding mode, the sheet conveyed to the conveyance path Pt2 is conveyed to the conveyance path Pt3 by the conveyance rollers 20, 21, 22 and the first movable reference fence.

  Conveying rollers 31 and 32 and a saddle stitch folding part 33 are arranged on the conveying path Pt3. The transport rollers 31 and 32 are driven by a motor (not shown) to transport the paper.

  The saddle stitch folding part 33 includes a center folding part 34, a saddle stitching part 35, and a second bundling part 36. The saddle stitching portion 35 has the same configuration as the end stitching portion 25, and is a stitch binding portion.

  The sheets conveyed to the conveyance path Pt3 are sequentially accumulated in the second bundling unit 36 by the conveyance rollers 31 and 32. Thereby, a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked is formed. That is, the second bundling unit 36 superimposes a plurality of sheets conveyed by the conveyance unit 51 to form a sheet bundle. At this time, the front end of the sheet comes into contact with the second movable reference fence 37, the position in the sheet conveyance direction is aligned, and the position in the width direction is aligned by the second jogger fence (not shown). Then, the sheet bundle is bound by the saddle stitching unit 35 in the vicinity of the center in the sheet transport direction, and is subjected to saddle stitching. The saddle stitched sheet bundle is returned to the center folding position by the second movable reference fence 37. The second movable reference fence 37 is driven by a motor (not shown).

  The sheet bundle moved to the center folding position is folded at the center in the sheet transport direction by the center folding section 34 and subjected to center folding. In the middle folding section 34, a blade 38 facing a central portion in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet bundle positioned at the middle folding position is driven by a motor (not shown) and moves from right to left in FIG. It pushes between a pair of press rollers 39 and 40, bending the direction center part. The folded sheet bundle is pressed from above and below by pressing rollers 39 and 40 driven by a motor (not shown). The sheet bundle folded in this way is discharged onto a discharge tray 42 by pressing rollers 39 and 40 and a discharge roller 41 driven by a motor (not shown).

  Here, the entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 31, 32 and the paper discharge rollers 14, 41 constitute a transport unit 51 together with a motor for driving them. Further, the branch claws 17, 26, 27 constitute a path switching unit 52 together with a motor or a solenoid for driving them.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram regarding control of the sheet processing apparatus 3.
As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet processing apparatus 3 includes a control unit 61. The control unit 61 is a computer having a CPU, a storage unit, a communication interface, and the like. The control unit 61 includes an inlet sensor 15, an end binding unit 25, a first bundling unit 28, a saddle stitch folding unit 33, a transport unit 51, a path switching unit 52, a saddle stitching unit 35, a temporary binding unit 70, and the like. It is connected. The CPU of the control unit 61 controls each unit of the sheet processing apparatus 3 according to a program stored in the storage unit. The control unit 61 is connected to the control unit of the image forming apparatus 2 so that data communication is possible.

  In the present embodiment, in the discharge mode, a series of sheets instructed by the user to be printed are temporarily bound by the temporary binding unit 70 and discharged to the discharge tray 10.

The temporary binding unit 70 binds a sheet bundle by drawing and pressing without using a metal needle.
4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating temporary binding of the temporary binding unit 70. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the temporary binding portion 70 is disposed at a position where the upper crimping tooth 171 and the lower crimping tooth 172, which are a pair of crimping teeth having an uneven shape, face each other so as to sandwich the sheet bundle 6. Has been. Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), at least one of the crimping teeth is moved, and as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the upper crimping tooth 171 and the lower crimping tooth 172 are engaged so as to sandwich the sheet bundle 6. Then, pressure is applied to the sheet bundle 6. When the pressure is increased, the uneven shape is transferred to the paper 5 as shown in FIG. 4D, and the binding of the paper bundle 6 is completed. In this crimping binding, it is possible to bind the bundle of sheets 6 by fitting unevenness or entanglement or fixation of fibers between sheets.

  The concavo-convex shape of the upper pressure-bonding tooth 171 and the lower pressure-bonding tooth 172 has a slope portion having an arbitrary angle. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the top and bottom of the concavo-convex shape are different from each other, and when the upper crimping tooth 171 and the lower crimping tooth 172 are engaged, for example, the apex of the upper crimping tooth 171. And the valleys of the lower crimp teeth 172 are not in contact with each other. This non-contacting portion is a gap necessary for crimping the slope portion between the sheets. Thus, the sheet bundle 6 is crimped only by the concave and convex slope portions of the upper crimping tooth 171 and the lower crimping tooth 172, and the coupling between the sheets can be strengthened.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an operation mechanism of the temporary binding unit 70.
As this mechanism, an upper pressure-bonding tooth 171 is arranged on the upper tooth arm 173, and a lower pressure-bonding tooth 172 is arranged on the lower tooth arm 174. The upper tooth arm 173 is provided to be rotatable around the arm rotation center portion 113. It has been.

  When the upper pressure-bonding teeth 171 and the lower pressure-bonding teeth 172 are meshed with each other, the cam drive gear 177 is rotated by rotating the gear 176 by a driving source (not shown), and the tooth pushing cam 178 fixed thereto is rotated in a non-linear manner. do. As a result, the end of the upper tooth arm 173 opposite to the side on which the upper crimping tooth 171 is disposed is pushed up by the push cam 178. As a result, the upper crimping tooth 171 moves downward and comes into contact with the lower crimping tooth 172 so that the upper crimping tooth 171 and the lower crimping tooth 172 can be engaged with each other. In addition, a tooth return spring 179 is installed to return the upper crimp tooth 171 to its original position.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram around the temporary binding unit 70.
In the discharge mode, the paper 5 discharged from the image forming apparatus 2 is transported to the first transport path Pt1 to the paper processing apparatus 3, and then the temporary binding stacking tray provided in the first transport path Pt1. 71, the paper 5 (indicated by dotted lines) is stopped in a state where it is on the upper and lower crimping teeth of the temporary binding portion. Thereafter, subsequent sheets are similarly conveyed, and a plurality of sheets printed in one job are stacked on the temporary binding stacking tray 71. At the same time, the pair of sheet aligning joggers 72 moves in the direction of the arrow X1 to align the sheet bundle 6 with respect to the width direction, and the sheet bundle 6 is crimped by the temporary binding unit 70. The sheet bundle 6 that has been crimped and bound is transported by feeding the sheet bundle 6 to the first transport path Pt1 as the discharge claw 73 moves in the direction of the arrow Y1. Note that the paper sheets are aligned in the length direction so that the temporary binding stacking tray 71 is installed with an inclination so that the papers are aligned by their own weight. Further, on the temporary binding stacking tray 71, a tapping roller for aligning the rear end of the sheet may be provided on the downstream side in the transport direction.

FIG. 8 is a control flowchart of the sheet processing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment.
A user sets paper output conditions by an operation display unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 2 or application software of a PC (personal computer) (S1). The control unit 61 sets the mode based on the paper output condition input by the user. When the user inputs the middle folding (YES in S2), the control unit 61 sets the middle folding mode (S6). In the case where the center folding mode is set, as described above, the sheet carried into the transport path Pt1 is transported to the transport path Pt2 by the branching claw 17 and collected by the bundling unit 36, and then the saddle stitching process is performed. (S7). Then, the saddle-stitched sheet bundle 6 is subjected to a center folding process (S8) by the center folding section 34, and then discharged to the sheet discharge tray 42 (S10).

  On the other hand, when the user inputs end binding (NO in S2, YES in S3), the control unit 61 sets the end binding mode (S8). When the edge binding mode is set, similarly to the saddle stitching mode, the paper carried into the transport path Pt1 is transported to the transport path Pt2 by the branch claw 17 and the paper is stacked on the paper stacking tray 23. Then, the sheet bundle 6 stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23 is finally bound by the end binding unit 25 and the end by a needle (S9). The bound sheet bundle 6 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 10 (S10).

  On the other hand, when the user does not input any of the middle folding and the end binding, the control unit 61 sets the discharge mode (S4). Conventionally, when the discharge mode is set, a plurality of sheets printed according to a single image formation instruction (one job) is discharged to the discharge tray 10 as it is. When image formation is performed according to the next user's image formation instruction in a state where the plurality of sheets discharged to the discharge tray are not collected, the plurality of sheets formed with the image according to the next user's image formation instruction are It is stacked on the previous user's sheet bundle on the sheet discharge tray. As a result, when collecting a bundle of separated paper that has been ejected onto the paper ejection tray, you can check the images formed on each sheet, one sheet, and whether it is that of the previous user or the next user. It is necessary to judge whether it is a thing. As a result, there is a problem that the sheet bundle collecting operation in the discharge mode becomes complicated.

  However, in the present embodiment, when the discharge mode is set, the paper stack composed of a plurality of sheets formed in one job is temporarily bound by the temporary binding unit 70 (S5), and then the discharge tray 10 is set. (S10). As a result, a plurality of sheet bundles on which images are formed in one job are temporarily bound and discharged to the discharge tray 10. As a result, when the previous user's sheet bundle is not collected from the paper discharge tray 10 and image formation is performed in accordance with the instruction of the next user, the previous user's sheet bundle is temporarily bound on the previous user's sheet bundle. A sheet bundle of the next user is loaded. In this way, the temporarily bound sheet bundle on the paper discharge tray is confirmed, and if it is an image printed by the user, the entire temporarily bound sheet bundle may be collected. Accordingly, it is possible to save the trouble of checking whether one sheet, one sheet, or an image output by the user is a printed sheet, and the sheet bundle collecting operation in the discharge mode can be easily performed.

  Further, since temporary binding is performed, the sheet bundle can be easily separated into individual sheets after being collected from the paper discharge tray 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, temporary binding is performed by pressure binding. Therefore, unlike the case where the paper bundle is temporarily bound with a clip or a needle, the bound member does not become dust when the paper bundle is separated. Thereby, waste of resources can be prevented. Further, by temporarily binding the bundle of sheets by pressure binding, the bundle of sheets can be separated by applying a suitable force. Thus, unlike the case of temporary binding with a needle or clip, the bundle of sheets can be separated without performing the operation of removing the temporary binding member. Therefore, the sheet bundle can be easily separated as compared with the case of temporary binding with a needle or a clip.

  In addition, some paper processing apparatuses have a function of performing a shift process on discharged paper according to the number of copies and jobs. However, in the case of shift processing, when a plurality of users eject their own paper in a state of being ejected to the paper ejection tray 10 of the paper processing apparatus, the shift processing is disturbed, and another user takes out the paper. In addition, there is an annoyance that images must be confirmed for all sheets. On the other hand, in this embodiment, even when a plurality of users eject their own sheets in a state where they are discharged to the discharge tray 10 of the sheet processing apparatus, the sheets of other users are bundled. Accordingly, it is possible to easily grasp another user's paper even after a plurality of users have taken out their own paper in a state of being ejected to the paper ejection tray 10 of the paper processing apparatus.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a temporary binding unit 70 is provided on the upstream side in the paper transport direction from the branch to the transport path Pt2 for performing end binding and center folding. As a result, the bundle of sheets is temporarily bound by the temporary binding unit 70 and then transported to the second transport path Pt2 to perform the end binding and the middle folding process. As described above, by preliminarily binding the sheet bundle in the temporary binding unit 70, it is possible to improve the sheet alignment accuracy at the time of the end binding and the middle folding process in the subsequent end binding unit.

  In the above, in both the so-called copy mode in which the original image read by the scanner 205 is copied and the so-called printer mode in which image information from the PC is printed, if binding processing is not performed, temporary binding is performed and ejection is performed. doing. However, in the copy mode, the user presses the start button on the operation display unit of the apparatus to perform copying. Therefore, the user is usually close to the apparatus, and immediately after the operation of the apparatus is completed, copying from the paper discharge tray 10 is performed. Collect the used paper bundle. Accordingly, when the binding mode is not instructed in the copy mode, the paper may be ejected without performing temporary binding.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a punching unit 80 that opens a hole in the paper 5 is provided between the temporary binding unit 70 and the entrance roller 11.
The configuration shown in FIG. 9 includes a punching processing mode in which punching processing by the punching unit 80 is performed on a sheet. The punching unit 80 punches two round holes for binding a sheet bundle using a binder, a file, or a binding string. The punching processing operation of the punching unit 80 is controlled by the control unit 61 described above.

  When discharging a series of such punched sheets to the discharge tray 10 as they are, if a bundle of sheets punched by a plurality of users are stacked on the discharge tray, It takes time to check a single sheet. Therefore, even when the punching mode is performed, after the punching process, the temporary binding unit 70 temporarily binds a series of sheets and discharges them to the discharge tray 10.

  However, in this case, the position where the paper is punched may overlap the position where temporary binding is performed on the paper in the temporary binding unit 70. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable to provide a moving mechanism for moving the temporary binding unit 70 in parallel with the paper surface so that the binding position of the temporary binding unit 70 can be changed.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a moving mechanism 270 that moves the temporary binding unit 70.
The moving mechanism 270 includes a timing belt 272 that is stretched around two pulleys 273 and 274. The temporary binding portion 70 is fixed to the timing belt 272. The timing belt 272 meshes with a driving pulley 271a of a stepping motor 271. The moving mechanism 270 also includes a home position sensor (not shown) that detects that the temporary binding portion 70 is at the home position.

  By driving the stepping motor 271 and moving the timing belt 272 endlessly, the temporary binding portion 70 fixed to the timing belt 272 moves parallel to the paper surface. The movement of the temporary binding unit 70 is controlled by a clock input to a drive circuit that drives a stepping motor 271 built in the control unit 61. When the temporary binding unit 70 is moved to temporarily bind a predetermined position of the sheet bundle, the timing belt 272 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the temporary binding unit 70 is moved toward the home position which is a standby position. When a home position sensor (not shown) detects that the temporary binding unit 70 has returned to the home position, the control unit 61 stops driving the stepping motor 271.

  For example, the user instructs to perform the punching process by operating an operation display unit (not shown), and the position of the hole H formed in the sheet normally performs temporary binding as shown in FIG. At the position (the corner of the paper in FIG. 11), the moving mechanism 270 is driven to move the temporary binding unit 70. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, provisional binding K is performed at a position avoiding the hole H of the sheet.

  Also, for example, when the paper discharged to the paper discharge tray 10 is a large paper such as A3 size, as shown in FIG. It may be temporarily bound. As described above, when a large size paper is used, by performing temporary binding at a plurality of positions, it is possible to improve the ease of taking by the user when the paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 10. Note that the paper size can be determined from information from the image forming apparatus 2. In this case, when it is detected from the information from the image forming apparatus 2 that the sheet size is A3 or more, the temporary binding unit 70 performs temporary binding on the leading end of the sheet bundle, and then drives the stepping motor 271. Thereby, the temporary binding part 70 moves to the rear end side. When the control unit 61 determines that the temporary binding unit 70 has reached the rear end of the sheet bundle based on the clock input to the drive circuit, the control unit 61 stops driving the stepping motor 271. Then, after the rear end of the sheet bundle is temporarily bound by the temporary binding unit 70, the temporary binding unit 70 is returned to the home position.

  In addition, when crimp binding is performed by the temporary binding unit 70, a tooth pattern remains on the paper. Therefore, depending on the application, it may be difficult to form such a tooth pattern. Therefore, a temporary binding prohibiting mode for prohibiting temporary binding may be set by a user operation.

FIG. 13 is a control flow diagram of the apparatus that can instruct temporary binding prohibition.
As shown in FIG. 13, when the paper output condition input by the user is half-folding or edge binding (main binding) (NO in S12), the paper is discharged after performing the above-described processing. On the other hand, when the middle folding or the end binding is not designated and the discharge mode is set (YES in S12), it is checked whether or not the user instructs prohibition of temporary binding (S13). In particular, when the user has not instructed prohibition of temporary binding (NO in S13), temporary binding is performed by the temporary binding unit 70, and the paper is discharged (S15). On the other hand, when the user operates the operation display unit or the like and prohibits temporary binding (YES in S13), the shift process is executed (S14) and the paper is discharged (S15). Specifically, when prohibition of temporary binding is specified, the control unit 61 moves (shifts) the discharge tray 10 by a predetermined amount in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. As a result, the paper that is not temporarily bound is discharged to a position shifted by a predetermined amount from the discharge position to the normal discharge tray 10. When a series of operations (jobs) instructed to prohibit temporary binding is completed, the paper discharge tray 10 is returned to the original position.

  As described above, when temporary binding is prohibited, a plurality of sheets that are not temporarily bound are discharged to a position (shifted position) different from the normal discharge position of the discharge tray 10 by performing a shift process. Is done. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp that the paper is the one that has been taken out.

Further, when the temporary binding portion 70 exceeds the allowable number of sheets that can be temporarily bound, the shift processing may be performed without discharging the temporary binding, and the paper may be discharged to the paper discharge tray 10.
FIG. 14 is a control flow diagram in which shift processing is performed when the temporary binding unit 70 exceeds the allowable number of sheets that can be temporarily bound.
As shown in FIG. 14, when the discharge mode is set (YES in S22), the control unit 61 grasps the number of sheets to be printed in a series of operations (one job) (S23). The number of sheets printed in a series of operations (one job) can be grasped from information from the image forming apparatus 2. When the grasped number of printed sheets exceeds the allowable number that can be temporarily bound by the temporary binding section 70 (NO in S23), a shift process is performed (S25). Specifically, as described above, the paper discharge tray 10 is moved (shifted) by a predetermined amount in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 10. On the other hand, if the number of prints is equal to or less than the allowable number of the temporary binding unit 70 (YES in S23) and prohibition of temporary binding is not instructed (NO in S24), the temporary binding unit 70 performs a series of operations (one job). The plurality of sheets are temporarily bound and discharged to the discharge tray 10 (S26).

  As a result, when the number of printed sheets exceeds the allowable number of sheets that can be temporarily bound by the temporary binding section 70, a shift process is performed so that when the sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 10, It is possible to easily grasp a printed sheet bundle.

What has been described above is an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following aspects.
(Aspect 1)
A binding unit such as an end binding unit 25 that binds the sheet bundle 6 composed of a plurality of sheets output from the image forming unit such as the image forming apparatus 2 and a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets output from the image forming unit. In the sheet processing apparatus 3, the image forming apparatus includes a temporary binding unit such as a temporary binding unit 70 that temporarily binds 6, and a paper discharge tray 10 that discharges the sheet bundle 6 bound by the binding unit and the temporary binding unit. In this mode, the user can instruct the binding processing by the binding means in at least one of the printer mode, the copy mode, and the facsimile mode. The image forming means outputs a single image formation instruction in the mode. If there are a plurality of sheets and the user instructs the binding process by the binding means, the binding means performs the binding process. When a plurality of sheets of paper are discharged to the paper discharge tray 10 and output from the image forming unit in response to a single image forming instruction, and the user does not instruct the binding process by the binding unit, After temporary binding is performed by the temporary binding means, the paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 10.
With this configuration, as described in the embodiment, since the binding process can be instructed by the binding means such as the end binding unit 25, the image forming apparatus can be instructed by a single image formation instruction from the user. The bound sheet bundle 6 can be discharged to a user who desires a binding process for a plurality of sheets output from the image forming unit 2 or the like. As a result, the binding process cannot be instructed, and unlike the case where all the sheets are ejected to the discharge tray 10 by temporary binding, the user does not have to perform the binding process himself. When the binding process is not instructed, a plurality of sheets are temporarily bound and discharged. Accordingly, a plurality of sheets of paper printed by the user can be easily grasped from the paper discharge tray 10, and whether or not the paper is printed on the paper bundle 6 on the paper discharge tray 10 can be determined. The trouble of checking one sheet can be suppressed. Thereby, a highly convenient apparatus can be provided.

(Aspect 2)
Further, in (Aspect 1), the temporary binding means such as the temporary binding unit 70 is a pressure binding method.
With this configuration, as described in the embodiment, when the temporarily bound sheet bundle is separated, unnecessary objects such as clips and needles are not generated. As a result, it is possible to prevent waste of resources.

(Aspect 3)
Further, in (Aspect 1) or (Aspect 2), a punching unit such as a punching unit 80 for punching paper, and a moving unit such as a moving mechanism 270 for moving the temporary binding unit such as the temporary binding unit 70; If the punching position by the punching means and the temporary binding position by the temporary binding means overlap, the temporary binding means is moved by the moving means to change the temporary binding position.
With such a configuration, even a paper having a perforated hole at a normal temporary binding position can be temporarily bound and discharged to the paper discharge tray 10.

(Aspect 4)
In any one of (Aspect 1) to (Aspect 3), the binding means such as the end binding portion 25 is a binding method with a needle that binds the sheet bundle 6 using a needle.
According to (Aspect 4), it is possible to bind the sheet bundle firmly.

(Aspect 5)
In the image forming system 1 including an image forming apparatus 2 that forms an image on a sheet and a sheet processing apparatus 3 that performs a predetermined process on the sheet formed by the image forming apparatus 2, the sheet processing apparatus 3 Any one of (Aspect 1) to (Aspect 4) is used.
With such a configuration, it is possible to provide a highly convenient image forming system with less waste of resources.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 2 Image forming apparatus 3 Paper processing apparatus 5 Paper 6 Paper bundle 10 Paper discharge tray 11 Entrance roller 25 End binding part 61 Control part 70 Temporary binding part 71 Temporary binding stacking tray 80 Punching part 171 Upper pressure bonding tooth 172 Lower crimp tooth 173 Upper tooth arm 174 Lower tooth arm 176 Gear 177 Cam drive gear 178 Cam 179 Spring 270 Moving mechanism 271 Stepping motor 272 Timing bell

JP-A-8-36328

Claims (5)

A binding unit that binds a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets output from the image forming unit;
Temporary binding means for temporarily binding a sheet bundle of a plurality of sheets output from the image forming means;
A paper processing apparatus comprising: a paper discharge tray that discharges a bundle of paper bound by the binding means and the temporary binding means;
The image forming unit is configured to allow a user to instruct a binding process by the binding unit in at least one of a printer mode, a copy mode, and a facsimile mode.
In the mode, when there are a plurality of sheets output from the image forming unit in response to a single image forming instruction and the user instructs the binding process by the binding unit, the binding process is performed by the binding unit. Is discharged to the paper discharge tray, and a plurality of sheets output from the image forming unit in response to a single image forming instruction, and the user has not instructed the binding process by the binding unit Is a paper processing apparatus that performs temporary binding by the temporary binding means and then discharges the paper to the discharge tray. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The paper processing apparatus, wherein the temporary binding means is a pressure binding system. In the paper processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
Punching means for punching the paper;
Moving means for moving the temporary binding means,
The paper processing apparatus, wherein when the punching position by the punching means and the temporary binding position by the temporary binding means overlap, the temporary binding position is changed by moving the temporary binding means by the moving means. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the binding unit is a binding method with a needle that binds a sheet bundle using a needle. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on paper;
An image forming system comprising: a paper processing device that performs a predetermined process on a paper image formed by the image forming device;
An image forming system using the paper processing apparatus according to claim 1 as the paper processing apparatus.

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