JP2015114450A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that can improve, in binding a sheet bundle without using a needle, the binding strength of the sheets without requiring new consumables and a complex mechanism.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming part that forms images on sheets with toner; a binding unit that binds a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets on which the images are formed by the image forming part without using a needle; and control means for causing the image forming part to form an image 41 for sheet reinforcement on and/or at the periphery of the binding part formed by the binding unit. It is preferable that the control means control the necessity and density of the image 41 for sheet reinforcement depending on where a sheet is from the top of the sheet bundle.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that binds a sheet bundle without using a needle.

  A sheet bundle is often bound with a needle not only in an office but also in a general home in terms of ease of handling. In addition, as an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, an apparatus for binding a sheet bundle on which an image has been formed with a needle has been developed and is already on the market.

  In recent years, a mechanism for binding a sheet bundle without using a needle has been proposed in response to an increase in environmental awareness (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also for printing apparatuses, an apparatus incorporating a similar mechanism has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2013-170066 A JP 2012-148505 A

  However, when a sheet bundle is bound by cutting, cutting, or engraving the sheet, there is a problem that the binding strength is weak. In particular, when the sheet is thin, since the rigidity of the sheet is small, a problem that the sheet is detached or torn easily occurs.

  In order to suppress such problems, it may be possible to apply an adhesive or apply a patch seal to the sheet. However, as with the needle, consumables such as an adhesive and a patch seal are required. Becomes more complicated and energy consumption increases, and it does not follow the original purpose of environmental protection.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can improve the binding strength of sheets without binding new consumables or complicated mechanisms when binding a sheet bundle without using a needle. There is to do.

  According to the present invention, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet with toner, a binding unit that binds a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming unit without using a needle, There is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that forms an image for sheet reinforcement by the image forming unit around and / or around a binding portion by the binding unit.

  Here, it is preferable that the control means controls the necessity of the sheet reinforcing image according to the type of sheet.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the control means controls the density of the sheet reinforcing image according to the type of the sheet.

  Further, it is preferable that the control means controls whether or not the sheet reinforcing image is necessary depending on the number of sheets in the sheet bundle.

  When the image forming unit forms an image with a plurality of colors of toner, it is preferable that the control unit controls the color of the sheet reinforcing image according to the number of sheets in the sheet bundle.

  In addition, it is preferable that the control unit controls the shape of the sheet reinforcing image according to the number of sheets in the sheet bundle.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to set an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet with toner and a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming unit without using a needle. A setting unit, and a control unit configured to form a sheet reinforcing image by the image forming unit on and / or around a portion to be bound when binding is set by the setting unit without using a needle. An image forming apparatus is provided.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention that binds the sheet bundle without using the needle, the sheet reinforcing image is formed by the image forming unit around and / or around the binding portion by the binding unit, so that the binding strength of the sheet is improved. , Sheet detachment and tearing are suppressed.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of a post-processing apparatus. It is the perspective view and vertical sectional view which show the example of a binding form of a sheet bundle. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of a binding form of a sheet | seat bundle. It is a perspective view which shows the further another binding form example of a sheet | seat bundle. It is a perspective view which shows the further another binding form example of a sheet | seat bundle. It is a perspective view which shows the example of a binding form of the sheet bundle which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of a binding form of the sheet bundle which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of a binding form of the sheet bundle which concerns on this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control example of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram showing a sheet bundle produced by the image forming apparatus according to the present invention and the binding process of the sheet bundle.

  Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a post-processing apparatus. An image forming apparatus D in FIG. 1 includes an apparatus main body 1 and a post-processing apparatus 2. The apparatus main body 1 includes a document reading unit 11 that reads a document, an automatic document conveyance unit 12 that continuously conveys the document to the document reading unit 11, and a setting unit (setting unit) that sets and inputs image forming conditions and the presence or absence of binding processing. 13, an image forming unit 14 that forms a full-color image on a sheet with toner, a fixing unit 15 that melts and fixes a toner image transferred on the sheet by heating and pressurizing, and a cassette in which sheets are stacked and stored. A sheet feeding unit 16 that sequentially conveys images from the sheet to the image forming unit, and a control unit (control unit) 17 that controls an image forming operation including a sheet reinforcing image, which will be described later, and a sheet bundle binding processing operation.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the post-processing device 2 receives the sheet conveyed from the image forming unit 14, and is provided with the carry-in port inclined upward, and the stack unit 21 and the leading end position of the conveyed sheet And a front end stopper portion 22 that moves the sheets accommodated in the stack portion 21 along the stack portion 21 and a width aligning portion 23 that aligns the position of the sheets accommodated in the stack portion 21 in the width direction. .

  Further, a pair of middle folding rollers 24 for folding the sheet is arranged facing one surface of the stack portion 21, and a folding knife 25 is installed on the other surface facing it. The pair of folding rollers 24 and the folding knife 25 are for folding the sheet bundle stored in the stack unit 21 in the center in the sheet conveying direction. A sheet bundle formed into a booklet by the pair of folding rollers 24 is discharged to a booklet tray 26.

  A binding unit (binding means) 27 that binds the sheet bundle stored in the stack unit 21 without using a needle, on the upstream side of the stack unit 21 in the sheet conveyance direction from the position where the pair of folding rollers 24 is disposed. And the staple unit 28 which binds using a needle | hook is arrange | positioned. A group of sheet bundles accommodated in the stack unit 21 and arranged in an orderly manner are bound by the binding unit 27 or the staple unit 28. The binding unit 27 can move in the sheet width direction, and can change the binding position in the sheet width direction according to the sheet size or user designation. Although not shown in the figure, the post-processing apparatus 2 may further include a unit that opens punch holes in the sheet bundle.

  In addition, between the apparatus main body 1 and the post-processing apparatus 2, the sheet type (size and thickness), whether the image forming surface is single-sided or double-sided, the number of sheet bundles, and the sheet bundle of each sheet The information such as the order is transmitted and received by communication means (not shown).

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the binding form of the sheet bundle by the binding unit 27. 3A is a perspective view of a binding portion in the sheet bundle 3, and FIG. 3B is a vertical sectional view of the binding portion. In the binding form shown in these drawings, in the vicinity of the corners of the sheet bundle 3, the arrow-shaped engagement piece 31 is cut from the front side to the back side, and at the same time, the position is separated from the base portion of the engagement piece 31 by a predetermined distance. A “U” -shaped cut 32 is formed in the bottom. Then, the cut and raised engagement piece 31 is bent approximately 180 degrees, the tip end portion is inserted into the cut 32, and the sheet bundle 3 is bound from the back side to the front side.

  FIG. 4 shows another example of the binding form of the sheet bundle 3. In the binding form shown in this figure, the arrow-shaped engagement piece 33 and the arch-shaped engagement piece 34 are cut and raised from the back side to the front side, and the tip of the engagement piece 33 is formed in the internal space of the engagement piece 34. The sheet bundle 3 is bound by inserting and engaging.

  FIG. 5 shows still another example of the binding form of the sheet bundle 3. In the binding form shown in this figure, a plurality of arrow-shaped engaging pieces 35 are slightly cut and raised from the front side to the back side to bind the sheet bundle 3.

  FIG. 6 shows still another example of the binding form of the sheet bundle. The binding form shown in this figure is a form in which a plurality of stamped cuts 36 are made in the sheet bundle 3 to bind the sheet bundle 3. By making a cut 36 in the sheet bundle 3, fibers such as pulp forming the sheet are exposed on the cut surface of the sheet bundle 3, and further compression is applied to recombine the fibers of the sheet cross-section and entangle each other. The sheet bundle 3 is bound.

  In such a needleless binding form, since the sheet itself or the entanglement between minute fibers constituting the sheet is used as the binding force, the binding strength of the sheet bundle 3 has a drawback that it depends on the strength of the sheet itself. Therefore, in the present invention, the sheet reinforcing image is formed with toner on the binding portion and / or the periphery thereof, and the binding strength of the sheet bundle 3 is improved.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a sheet reinforcing image formed on a sheet by the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 7A shows an arrow-shaped engagement piece 31 raised from the sheet bundle 3 and a black solid image as a sheet reinforcing image 41 around the engagement piece 31, and FIG. 7B shows an arrow-shaped engagement piece 31. A black solid image is formed as the sheet reinforcing image 42 around the engaging piece 31 and the “U” -shaped cut 32 and its periphery. The sheet reinforcing image 41 is formed on all the sheets. In this way, by forming the sheet reinforcing images 41 and 42 around the binding portion of the sheet bundle 3 and the periphery thereof, the strength and rigidity of the sheet are improved, and the tearing and deformation of the sheet at the binding portion can be effectively suppressed. .

Whether the sheet reinforcing image is formed and the density of the sheet reinforcing image are appropriately controlled by the control unit 17 based on the type of sheet (thickness, size, special paper, etc.), the number of sheet bundles, and the like. For example, when the user selects and sets stapleless binding from the setting unit 13, when the sheet bundle is a sheet bundle having a thickness equal to or larger than a predetermined thickness and smaller than the predetermined size, there is no needle. The sheet strength for the binding process is determined to be sufficient, and no sheet reinforcing image is formed. On the contrary, when it is determined that the thickness does not satisfy the predetermined thickness and the sheet strength is low and the strength of the binding portion is insufficient, a sheet reinforcing image is formed regardless of the size. In this way, the toner consumption can be suppressed by forming the sheet reinforcing image only when necessary.
Further, since the strength is insufficient when the number of sheet bundles is small, for example, a sheet reinforcing image is formed when the number is three or less, and a sheet reinforcing image is not formed when the number is greater than three. Good.

  Further, when the control unit 17 determines that the sheet reinforcement image needs to be reinforced, the control unit 17 controls the degree of sheet reinforcement by the density of the sheet reinforcement image. In other words, a halftone image is formed in the case of plain paper, a solid image is formed in the case of thin paper, and no image formation is performed in the case of thick paper. Change continuously or continuously. Further, when the image forming unit 14 is capable of image formation with a plurality of colors of toner and the sheet reinforcing image is determined to be insufficient for a single layer (single color) sheet reinforcing image, the control unit 17 The color sheet reinforcing images are formed so as to overlap each other, thereby further improving the sheet strength.

  Note that when the image forming unit 14 can form an image with a plurality of colors of toner, a sheet reinforcing image may be formed by preferentially using a toner having a large amount of remaining toner.

  If the appearance of the sheet bundle 4 is deteriorated when the sheet reinforcing image is formed on the sheet bundle 4, the necessity, size, and density of the sheet reinforcing image are determined depending on the position of the binding portion and the number of sheets in the sheet bundle. The color may be adjusted. For example, the sheet reinforcing image is not formed on the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle, and the sheet reinforcing image is formed on the second and subsequent sheets. Alternatively, the sheet reinforcing image formed on the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle is formed in an inconspicuous color (for example, yellow). Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the sheet reinforcing image 43 formed on the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle 4 is made as small as necessary, and the second and subsequent sheet reinforcing images 44 are enlarged. Thereby, the deterioration of the appearance of the sheet bundle due to the formation of the sheet reinforcing image is suppressed. Note that the necessity, size, density, and color of the sheet reinforcing image may be input and set by the user from the setting unit 13. Further, the control unit 17 may automatically determine the binding position or the like based on image information such as whether the image formed on the sheet is an image or a character.

  Further, the position of the binding portion, the shape of the sheet reinforcing image, and the like may be appropriately determined based on the sheet type and the like, and the deterioration of the appearance of the sheet bundle due to the formation of the sheet reinforcing image may be suppressed. Note that the user may input and set the position of the binding portion and the shape of the sheet reinforcing image from the setting unit 13.

  In addition, the shape of the sheet reinforcing image may be changed depending on the position of the binding portion in the sheet and the number of sheets in the sheet bundle, the rigidity in the opening direction of the sheet may be adjusted, and stress on the binding portion may be reduced. Good. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, in the case where the binding portion of the sheet bundle 4 is formed at one position in the diagonal direction at the sheet corner, and the triangular sheet reinforcing image 45 is formed at the sheet corner including the binding portion, The area of the sheet reinforcement image 45 is increased by moving the triangular base position inward from the uppermost sheet in order. As a result, when the sheet bundle 4 is turned, the sheet is folded at the bottom position of the triangular sheet reinforcing image 45, and the position at which the sheet is folded differs for each page. It is greatly reduced.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control example of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. When image formation is instructed (step S101), it is determined whether or not the stapleless binding process is selected and set from the setting unit 13 (step S102). If the needleless process is not selected and set, a series of images instructed to form is formed (steps S110 and S111). On the other hand, if the needleless process is selected and set, it is next determined whether or not sheet reinforcement is necessary based on the type of sheet (step S103). If the sheet reinforcement is unnecessary, an image instructed to form is formed (step S110), and if the sheet reinforcement is necessary, it is further determined whether or not priority is given to the appearance of the sheet bundle (step S104).

  When giving priority to the appearance of the sheet bundle, it is further determined whether or not the sheet is the top sheet (step S105). If the sheet is the uppermost sheet, the sheet reinforcement image is not added and an image instructed to form is formed (step S110). On the other hand, when priority is not given to the appearance of the sheet bundle (step S104) and when the sheet is not the uppermost sheet (step S105), a sheet reinforcing image is formed, and the image density is determined (step S106). It is set (steps S107 and S108). The instructed image and the sheet reinforcing image are formed until the final sheet is reached (steps S109 and S111).

  Next, another image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus capable of forming a sheet reinforcing image on a sheet, although it does not include a binding unit that binds without using a needle. Specifically, the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes the apparatus main body 1 and does not include the post-processing apparatus 2. According to such an image forming apparatus, if a position and a shape for performing the binding process are set and input from the setting unit 13, a sheet reinforcing image having a predetermined shape is provided at a predetermined position of the sheet bundle discharged from the apparatus main body 1. Is formed. FIG. 11 shows an example of the sheet bundle 4 on which the sheet reinforcing image 40 is formed, which is discharged from the image forming apparatus. The user only has to bind the sheet bundle 4 using existing needleless binding means. Also in this case, the sheet is prevented from being detached or torn at the binding portion of the sheet.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the sheet reinforcing image is formed by the image forming unit around and / or around the binding portion by the binding unit that binds the sheet bundle without using the needle, so that the binding strength of the sheet is improved. This is useful because it prevents the sheet from coming off and tearing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apparatus main body 2 Post-processing apparatus 4 Sheet bundle D Image forming apparatus 13 Setting part (setting means)
14 Image forming unit (image forming means)
17 Control unit (control means)
27 Binding unit (binding means)
40 Image for sheet reinforcement 41 Image for sheet reinforcement 42 Image for sheet reinforcement 43 Image for sheet reinforcement 44 Image for sheet reinforcement 45 Image for sheet reinforcement

Claims (7)

Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet with toner;
A binding unit that binds a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets on which images are formed by the image forming unit without using a needle;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to form a sheet reinforcing image by the image forming unit around and / or around a binding portion of the binding unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls whether or not the sheet reinforcing image is necessary depending on a type of the sheet.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the density of the sheet reinforcing image according to a sheet type.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls whether or not the sheet reinforcing image is necessary depending on how many sheets are in the sheet bundle. The image forming means forms an image with a plurality of colors of toner;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the color of the sheet reinforcing image depending on how many sheets are in the sheet bundle.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the shape of the sheet reinforcing image according to how many sheets are in the sheet bundle. Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet with toner;
A setting unit capable of setting a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming unit without using a needle;
A control unit configured to form a sheet reinforcing image by the image forming unit on and / or around a portion to be bound when binding is set by the setting unit without using a needle. An image forming apparatus.