JP2016023085A - Sheet processing device and image forming apparatus provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet processing device that performs processing of binding a bundle of stacked paper sheets at a position around a center thereof and then folding in half the sheet bundle at the binding portion, the device capable of selectively performing both saddle stitching using a metallic staple and that not using the metallic staple for environmental consideration and capable of making the device compact.SOLUTION: The sheet processing device includes: a stacker section 35 that stacks conveyed sheets in a substantially vertical attitude; a first binding section 40 that is provided in the stacker and saddle-stitches the sheet bundle with a metallic staple at a binding position around a center of the sheet bundle in a sheet conveying direction; a second binding section 50 that saddle-stitches the sheet bundle without using the metallic staple at the binding position around the center of the sheet bundle in the sheet conveying direction; and a folding section that folds in half the sheet bundle. An interval between the second binding section and the folding section is set smaller than that between the first binding section and the folding section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that binds and folds a sheet conveyed from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer at a predetermined crease position. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus capable of performing a binding process suitable for a use application when performing a binding process in the middle of a sheet bundle to form a folded sheet.

  In general, processing apparatuses that fold sheets conveyed from an image forming apparatus into a booklet shape are widely known. These processing apparatuses are provided with a plurality of sheet stacking means for processing sheets, and the sheet stacking means has a configuration in which sheets stacked in a bundle are saddle-stitched and folded into a booklet. Furthermore, in recent years, a binding apparatus that binds a sheet bundle without using a metal binding needle (metal staple) and a processing apparatus using the binding apparatus are being provided in these binding processes.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for bookbinding without using metal binding staples and improving the recyclability and safety of the bound recording material bundle. In this apparatus, a folding plate and a folding roller fold a sheet bundle stacked on a stacking stacker in which a plurality of sheets are sequentially stacked. An apparatus for processing a sheet bundle to be bound by a binding mechanism without using metal staples in the sheet bundle at a position spaced from a folding position by a folding plate and a folding roller of the sheet bundle. Is disclosed.

  As a binding mechanism of the binding mechanism, the sheet bundle is deformed in the thickness direction after the folding process of the sheet bundle by the folding plate and the folding roller, and the sheet bundle is bound. In the deformation in the sheet thickness direction, the crimping teeth formed in the concave and convex shapes engage with each other from above and below to cause local deformation in the sheets, and the sheets are intertwined and bound.

  Further, as another configuration example of the binding mechanism using the pressure-bonding teeth, a cutter mechanism for binding sheets by cutting and deforming a sheet bundle is shown. This apparatus includes a U-shaped blade that cuts a U-shaped cut into a sheet bundle, a slit blade that forms a slit-shaped cut in accordance with the width of the U-shaped blade, and a U-shaped formed by the U-shaped blade. Is also shown that is bound by a pushing means for pushing into the slit blade formed by the slit blade.

  In any of these binding devices, the portion to which the binding device performs binding is set to be separated by a predetermined interval from the folding position of the sheet bundle to the binding position (FIG. 7, Patent Document 1). FIG. 11). In other words, the folding position and the binding position are set differently.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a bookbinding system in which a gluing device and a metal binding device are connected to each other. In particular, FIGS. 13, 20, and 24 illustrate a unit that includes a gluing device that performs gluing on a conveyed sheet, a needle binding mechanism that performs needle binding on the sheet, and a folded sheet that is folded in two. A binding / folding unit provided with a mechanism is connected in the horizontal direction.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867 shows that when a staple is bound at one corner of a sheet, the stapleless binding device and the stapleless binding device are arranged in the tray, and the stapleless binding device is arranged on the side close to the eject roller for discharging the sheet. Has been.

  Patent Document 4 discloses a stapler device that uses paper staples without using metallic staples in consideration of the environment and safety. In this case, the operator manually inserts a bundle of sheets into the binding processing port and binds them, but cuts the paper staples at the beginning of the connected staples in which a plurality of paper staples are connected in parallel and molded into a substantially U-shape. In addition, it is possible to bind the binding paper using easily deformable paper staples by providing both leg portions of the staple through the binding paper, and bending both legs along the binding paper and bonding them together. A tabletop stapler is shown.

JP 2011-201698 A International Publication No. WO2010 / 06587 JP 2011-190021 A Japanese Patent No. 49512929

  However, in the binding device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the sheet itself is deformed and bound, or a notch bent into a convex shape is formed on one side of the sheet bundle, and the sheet is inserted into the notch and bound. Is shown, but metal staples cannot be used for saddle stitching on sheets.

  In general, binding that does not use metal staples often takes time for the binding process. Therefore, if you need to bind sheet bundles using metal staples as needed, or conversely bind the sheet bundles in consideration of the environment without using metal staples, use different devices. Therefore, it is impossible to perform binding using metal staples with a single apparatus, or to form sheets by deformation or notches without using metal staples.

  In addition, when performing saddle-stitching, the saddle stitching disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a folding position different from the binding position, and therefore, when the saddle-stitched booklet is opened, it can be opened with the folding center as a boundary. This is not possible, and the print range is limited.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a bookbinding system in which a gluing device and a metal staple binding device are connected to each other. Since the gluing device and the metal staple binding device are configured as separate units, the installation area of the device is large and large. For this reason, the conveyance distance from the gluing device which does not use a metal binding needle to the folding device becomes long, and in the case of binding only by gluing, there is a possibility that peeling or turning in the conveyance path may occur.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a binding device using a metal staple needle at one corner of the sheet and a binding device that presses and deforms the sheet without using the metal staple needle, and performs saddle stitching on the sheet. The arrangement relationship of these devices is not mentioned.

  Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a manual binding device using paper staples, but there is no mention of automation of a folding device and saddle stitching of a sheet.

  In this situation, the present application is to perform the saddle stitching process in which the middle part of the stacked sheet bundle is bound and then the binding part is folded in half, and it is desired to avoid the use of a metal binding needle. This is ideal for use applications such as saddle stitching and when using a metal needle to perform saddle stitching at as high a speed as possible. The main object of the present invention is to provide a small and compact sheet processing apparatus that can perform both saddle-stitching and the image forming apparatus including the same.

  The present invention adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.

  A stacker unit that temporarily stacks the conveyed sheets in a substantially vertical state, a stopper that regulates the leading edge of the sheet that is accumulated in the stacker unit, and a sheet bundle that is provided in the stacker unit and regulated by the stopper A first binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching at a middle binding position in the direction with metal staples, and saddle stitching at a middle binding position in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper without using metal staples. A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a second binding processing unit; and a folding processing unit that folds the folding position bound by the first binding processing unit or the second binding processing unit of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper. The interval between the binding position of the second binding processing unit and the folding position of the folding processing unit is set shorter than the interval between the binding position of the first binding processing unit and the folding position of the folding processing unit. A sheet processing apparatus are.

  According to this, the second binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching without using metal staples is disposed closer to the folding processing unit than the first binding processing unit that uses metal staples, and has a relatively high binding force. Stable binding processing can be performed without transporting the weak second binding processing for a long time, and both the first binding processing unit and the second binding processing unit are provided in the stacker unit for stacking sheets, so that the apparatus is compact.・ It can be made compact.

  The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first binding processing unit and a second binding processing unit are arranged in this order in the direction toward the folding processing unit on the upstream side of the folding processing unit.

  According to this, since the second binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching without using metal staples is set close to the folding processing unit, stable binding processing can be performed without transporting the bound sheets for a long time.

  2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second binding processing unit and a first binding processing unit are arranged in this order on the downstream side of the folding processing unit in a direction away from the folding processing unit.

  According to this, since the second binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching without using metal staples is set close to the folding processing unit in the same manner as described above, stable binding processing can be performed without conveying the bound sheets for a long time. Can do. In addition, since the first binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching with metal staples is downstream of the second binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching without using metal staples, the metal staples may be mixed into the second binding processing unit. Less.

  The sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet binding in the second binding processing unit is performed using a paper staple having a leg portion to be inserted into the sheet and a back portion connecting the leg portion. It is a processing device.

  According to this, since the second binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching without using metal staples binds with paper staples, the sheet is more securely fed than when the sheets are crimped or deformed to be bound. Can be bound.

  The folding processing unit includes a folding blade that presses from the side intersecting the sheet bundle accumulated in the stacker unit, and a folding roller that folds the sheet bundle moved by the folding blade, and the second binding processing unit includes: Sheet binding using paper staples is performed in a direction in which the back of the paper staples crosses over the folding position and the folding blade folds the sheet bundle while pressing the legs of the paper staples against the sheets. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4.

  According to this, since the paper staple is positioned in the direction crossing the folding position and the leg is inserted into the sheet, and the leg is pressed so that the folding blade is pressed when folded, the sheet saddle stitching is compared. It can be made sturdy.

  A stacker unit that temporarily stacks the conveyed sheets in a substantially vertical state, a stopper that regulates the leading edge of the sheet that is accumulated in the stacker unit, and a sheet bundle that is provided in the stacker unit and regulated by the stopper A first binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching at a middle binding position in the direction with metal staples, and saddle stitching at a middle binding position in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper without using metal staples. A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a second binding processing unit; and a folding processing unit that folds the folding position bound by the first binding processing unit or the second binding processing unit of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper. In the sheet processing apparatus, the first binding processing unit and the second binding processing unit are provided on both sides of the sheet conveying direction with the folding position interposed therebetween.

  According to this, since the first binding processing unit and the second binding processing unit are provided on both sides of the folding position across the folding position of the folding processing unit, the stacker unit is provided rather than being provided on one side. This space can be used more effectively, and the overall size can be reduced while arranging two types of binding devices.

  The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first binding processing unit is located upstream of the folding position, and the second binding processing is located downstream of the folding position.

  According to this, the space of the stacker unit can be used more effectively than when provided on one side, and the overall size can be reduced while arranging two types of binding devices.

  The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second binding processing unit is located upstream of the folding position, and the first binding processing unit is located downstream of the folding position.

  According to this, the space of the stacker unit can be used more effectively than when provided on one side, and the overall compactness can be achieved while arranging two types of binding devices. Furthermore, since the first binding processing unit using metal staples is located downstream of the folding position, the metal staples can be reduced from being mixed into the folding processing unit and the second binding processing unit.

  The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the binding of the sheets in the second binding processing unit is performed using paper staples.

  According to this, since the second binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching without using metal staples binds with paper staples, the sheet is surely centered rather than being subjected to binding processing by crimping or deforming the sheet. Can be bound.

  The folding processing unit includes a folding blade that presses from the side intersecting the sheet bundle accumulated in the stacker unit, and a folding roller that folds the sheet bundle moved by the folding blade, and the second binding processing unit includes: The sheet binding using the paper staple is performed in a direction in which the back of the paper staple crosses and crosses over the folding position, and the folding blade folds the sheet bundle while pressing the leg of the paper staple against the sheet. Item 10. The sheet processing apparatus according to Item 9.

  According to this, since the paper staple is positioned in the direction crossing the folding position and the leg is inserted into the sheet, and the leg is pressed so that the folding blade is pressed when folded, the sheet saddle stitching is compared. It can be made sturdy.

  An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet and a sheet processing apparatus that processes the sheet from the image forming unit. The sheet processing apparatus includes the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 10. An image forming apparatus.

  According to this, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus that exhibits the effects described in the above items.

  According to the present application, the center binding of the stacked sheet bundle is performed, and then the saddle stitching process is performed to fold the binding portion in half, and when the use of a metal binding needle is desired to be avoided, It is ideal for use applications such as when using a metal needle to perform saddle stitching as fast as possible. In any case, sheet saddle stitching can be performed. It is possible to provide a small and compact sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the same while performing both bindings.

1 is an overall explanatory diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a first embodiment of a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. Explanatory drawing of the saddle stitching apparatus (1st binding process part) which uses the metal staple of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet bundle before folding after being bound by the metal staple of FIG. 3. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining a folding procedure of a bundle of sheets to be processed with metal staples of FIGS. 3 and 4, in which FIG. 3A is a state diagram in which a sheet bundle bound with metal staples is positioned and set at a folding position, and FIG. (C) is a state diagram in which the sheet bundle and the metal staple are inserted into the folding roller at the nip position, and (d) is a state in which the sheet bundle and the metal staple are folded by the folding roller. Combined unloading state diagram. Explanatory drawing of the saddle stitching apparatus (2nd binding process part) which uses paper staples. FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams of a paper staple to be mounted on the saddle stitching stapler of FIG. 6, wherein FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the paper staples are connected, FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the paper staple, and FIG. Sectional explanatory drawing of the state bound with paper staples. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism for binding a sheet bundle with a saddle stitch stapler in FIG. 6, (a) is an explanatory diagram in which the cutter blade starts punching into the sheet bundle, and (b) is a paper staple that is completed when the cutter blade has been punched. Explanatory drawing which insertion to the bundle was completed, (c) is explanatory drawing with which the leg part of paper staples was bend | folded inside, and leg parts were adhere | attached. FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which the saddle stitching stapler is bound across the folding position of the sheet bundle. FIGS. 6A to 9B are diagrams illustrating a folding procedure of the binding-processed sheet bundle with the paper staples of FIGS. 6 to 9, wherein FIG. 6A is a state diagram in which the sheet bundle bound with the paper staples is positioned and set at the folding position, and FIG. An initial state diagram of the operation of folding the sheet bundle from the leg side of the paper staple, (c) is a state diagram in which the sheet bundle and the paper staple are inserted into the folding roller at the nip position, and (d) is a sheet bundle and the paper staple. The unloading state figure which folded together with the folding roller. FIG. 3 is an explanatory plan view of a saddle stitching device (first binding processing unit) using metal staples arranged in a stacker unit and a saddle stitching device (second processing binding unit) using paper staples. A saddle stitching device (first binding processing unit) using metal staples on the upstream side in the conveying direction across the folding processing unit and a saddle stitching device (second processing binding unit) using paper staples on the downstream side. Explanatory drawing of the arrange | positioned 2nd Example. A saddle stitching device (second binding processing unit) using upstream paper-made staples in the conveying direction with a folding processing unit interposed therebetween, and a saddle stitching device (first processing binding unit) using metal staples on the downstream side are arranged. Explanatory drawing of 3rd Example. A saddle stitching device (second binding processing unit) using paper staples on the downstream side of the folding processing unit and a saddle stitching device (first processing binding unit) using metal staples on the further downstream side are arranged. Explanatory drawing of 4 Examples. 1A shows a sheet bundle that has been saddle-stitched and folded according to the present invention, FIG. 1A shows a sheet bundle that has been saddle-stitched with metal staples, and FIG. 2B shows a sheet bundle that has been saddle-stitched with paper staples. Indicates. 2 is a sectional view of the mechanism of the single-sheet punch unit. Cross-sectional explanatory drawing of the single punch unit of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the sheet | seat which performed the punch process for ring (rp) and filing (fp). Explanatory drawing of sheet bundle in which binding and folding processing are performed on the punched sheet of FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a control configuration in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1.

  The present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet processing apparatus embodying the present invention. 1 includes an image forming apparatus A and a sheet processing apparatus B. The sheet processing apparatus B includes a metal saddle stitching stapler 40 that performs saddle stitching with metal staples and a paper saddle stitching stapler that performs saddle stitching with paper staples. 50 saddle stitching devices are incorporated.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
The image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 sends a sheet from the sheet feeding unit 1 to the image forming unit 2, prints the sheet on the image forming unit 2, and then carries the sheet out from the main body discharge port 3. The sheet feeding unit 1 stores sheets of a plurality of sizes in sheet feeding cassettes 1 a and 1 b, and separates designated sheets one by one and feeds them to the image forming unit 2. The image forming unit 2 includes, for example, an electrostatic drum 4, a print head (laser light emitting device) 5 and a developing device 6 arranged around the electrostatic drum 4, a transfer charger 7, and a fixing device 8. An electrostatic latent image is formed by the light emitting device 5, toner is adhered to the developing device 6, an image is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer charger 7, and heat fixing is performed by the fixing device 8. The sheets on which images are formed in this way are sequentially carried out from the main body discharge port 3. 9 is a circulation path, and the sheet printed on the front side from the fixing device 8 is turned upside down through the main body switchback path 10 and then fed again to the image forming unit 2 to print on the back side of the sheet. This is the path for duplex printing. The sheet printed on both sides in this way is turned upside down by the main body switchback path 10 and then carried out from the main body discharge port 3.

  11 is an image reading apparatus, which scans an original sheet set on a platen 12 with a scan unit 13 and electrically reads it with a photoelectric conversion element 14 through a reflection mirror and a condenser lens. This image data is digitally processed by the image processing unit, for example, and then transferred to the data storage unit 17 to send an image signal to the laser emitter 5. 15 is a document feeder, which is a feeder device that feeds document sheets stored in the stacker 16 to the platen 12.

  The image forming apparatus A configured as described above is provided with a control unit (controller), and image forming conditions such as sheet size designation, color / monochrome printing designation, number of copies designation, single-sided / double-sided printing designation, enlargement / reduction from the controller panel 18. Printout conditions such as print designation are set. On the other hand, image data read by the scan unit 13 or image data transferred from an external network is stored in the data storage unit 17 in the image forming apparatus A, and the image data is transferred from the data storage unit to the buffer memory. Data signals are sequentially transferred from the buffer memory 19 to the laser emitter 5.

  From the controller panel 18, sheet processing conditions are also input and specified at the same time as image forming conditions. As the sheet processing conditions, for example, “print-out mode”, “side-edge staple binding mode”, “metal staple saddle stitching mode”, “paper staple stapling mode”, “simple ring mode”, or the like is designated. The image forming apparatus A forms an image on the sheet according to the image forming condition and the sheet processing condition. The mode will be described later.

[Configuration of sheet processing apparatus]
The sheet processing apparatus B connected to the image forming apparatus A receives a sheet on which an image is formed from the main body discharge port 3 of the image forming apparatus A, and (1) stores the sheet in the first discharge tray 21. (“Print-out mode” described above) (2) Whether the sheets from the main body discharge port 3 are aligned in a bundle and stapled on the side edge of the sheet, and then stored in the first discharge tray 21 ( (Side-edge stapling mode described above)) (3) The sheet is conveyed from the main body discharge port 3 to the stacker unit 35 to align the sheets in a bundle, and is then saddle-stitched by the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 and then folded into a booklet. In the second paper discharge tray 22 (the aforementioned “metal staple saddle stitching mode”) or (4) the sheet is conveyed from the main body paper discharge port 3 to the stacker unit 35 to align the sheets into a bundle and After saddle stitching with the stapler 50, it is folded into a booklet (5) punching a punch hole at a predetermined position of the sheet from the main body discharge port 3 by a single punch unit 28, After the sheet is conveyed to the stacker unit 35 and the sheets are aligned in a bundle shape, a paper staple saddle stitching stapler is used to bind the punch holes to perform simple ring binding, and then the second sheet is folded into a booklet. The tray 22 is configured to perform processing either in the storage state (the above-described “simple ring mode”).

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet processing apparatus B includes the first paper discharge tray 21 and the second paper discharge tray 22 in the casing 20, and a sheet carry-in path P <b> 1 having a carry-in port 23 connected to the main body discharge port 3. Is provided. The sheet carry-in path P <b> 1 is configured by a substantially horizontal straight path in the casing 20. A first switchback conveyance path SP1 and a second switchback conveyance path SP2 that branch from the sheet carry-in path P1 and transfer the sheet in the reverse direction are arranged. The first switchback conveying path SP1 is branched from the sheet downstream path and the second switchback conveying path SP2 is branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 on the upstream side, and the both conveying paths are spaced apart from each other.

  In such a path configuration, the carry-in roller 24 and the paper discharge roller 25 are arranged in the sheet carry-in path P1, and these rollers are connected to a drive motor M1 (not shown) that can be rotated forward and backward. A path switching piece (not shown) for guiding the sheet to the second switchback transport path SP2 is disposed in the sheet carry-in path P1, and is connected to an operation means such as a solenoid. In the sheet carry-in path P 1, a one-sheet punch unit 28 that processes punch holes in the sheet from the carry-in entrance 23 is provided on the downstream side of the carry-in roller 24. The illustrated single punch unit 28 can be attached to and detached from the casing 20 according to the specifications of the apparatus.

  The configuration of the second switchback conveyance path SP2 branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the second switchback transport path SP2 is disposed substantially vertically in the casing 20, and a transport roller 36 is disposed at the path entrance and a transport roller 37 is disposed at the path exit. Further, on the downstream side of the second switchback conveyance path SP2, a stacker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a stacker unit 35) that constitutes a second processing tray that aligns sheets fed from the conveyance path and temporarily stacks them in a substantially vertical state. Is provided.

  A third switchback path SP3 branched from the lower end of the second switchback path is provided above the stacker unit 35. The third switchback path SP3 is a path that is guided when a sheet carried into the stacker unit 35 is switched back, and can guide the next sheet to be carried in and adjust the page order.

[Stacker]
First, the stacker unit 35 is formed by a guide member that guides sheet conveyance, and is configured to stack and store sheets on the guide. The illustrated stacker unit 35 is connected to the second switchback transport path SP <b> 2 and is disposed substantially vertically in the center of the casing 20. As a result, the apparatus is made compact and compact. The stacker unit 35 is formed in a length shape that accommodates the maximum size sheet therein, and includes a metal saddle stitching stapler 40 as a first binding processing unit and a paper saddle stitching stapler 50 as a second binding processing unit to be described later. And a bent shape so as to protrude to the folding roller 45 side. In FIG. 2, a folding paper saddle stitch stapler 50 is disposed upstream of the folding roller 45, and a metal saddle stitch stapler 40 is disposed thereon. By arranging in this way, the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 having a binding force weaker than that of the metal staple is set at a position close to the folding roller 45. In other words, the interval between the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 and the folding roller 45 is set shorter than the interval between the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 and the folding roller 45. As a result, the paper staples are prevented from coming off or twisting.

This arrangement configuration shows the first embodiment, and the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 may be arranged relatively close to the folding roller 45, which will be described later as another embodiment.
On the downstream side of the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 and the paper saddle stitching stapler 50, there are an upper folding roller 45a and a lower folding roller 45b that are pressed against each other to fold a bundle of sheets that are stacked and whose center is bound. A folding roller 45 composed of a pair of rollers is arranged. A plate-like folding blade 46 is located at a position facing the pressure contact position of the folding roller 45. When the folding blade 46 pushes the sheet bundle 100 into the folding roller 45, the folding operation of the sheet bundle 100 is started. The folding operation will be described later with respect to the binding sheet by the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 and the binding sheet of the paper saddle stitching stapler 50, respectively.

  Further, the stacker unit 35 is provided with a leading end regulating member (hereinafter referred to as a stopper) 38 as a stopper means for regulating the leading end of the sheet in the carrying-in direction on the downstream side of the guide, and the stopper 38 is movable along the stacker unit 35. The shift means control means MS is configured to move the position between Sh1, Sh21, Sh22, and Sh3.

  Here, the explanation will be made from the carry-in of the stacker unit of the sheet bundle. When the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh3, the rear end of the sheet (bundle) supported by the stacker unit 35 enters the third switchback transport path SP3 and is sent from the second switchback transport path SP2 in this state. Subsequent sheets will surely be stacked above the stacked sheets. When the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh22, the center of the sheet (bundle) supported by the stacker unit 35 is positioned at a binding position XP of a paper saddle stitching stapler 50 described later. Further, when the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh21, the center of the sheet (bundle) supported by the stacker unit 35 is positioned at the binding position XS of the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 described later.

  Next, when the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh1, a folding plate (hereinafter referred to as a folding blade 46) is inserted into the folding roller 45 at the center of the sheet bundle stapled by either the metal staple 40a or the paper staple 60. It is positioned at the folding position Y, which is the position to perform. Accordingly, the illustrated positions Sh1, Sh21, Sh22, and Sh3 correspond to the folding position, the binding position, and the next sheet receiving position, respectively, and are position-controlled by the shift control means MS.

  In the stacker unit 35, an alignment member 39 is disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. The alignment member 39 is aligned so that the position in the width direction of the sheet carried into the stacker portion 35 and supported by the stopper 38 is aligned.

  Next, the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 and the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 will be described, and the folding operation of the folding roller 45 will be described.

[Metal saddle stitching stapler]
The above-described stacker unit 35 is provided with a metal saddle stitching stapler 40 that performs a saddle stitching process using metal staples 40a that are metallic staples, and a central portion of the sheet bundle 100 that is aligned and stacked on the stacker unit 35. It is designed to staple. The structure is demonstrated based on Fig.3 (a) (b). The metal saddle stitching stapler 40 includes a driver unit 41 and a clincher 42. The driver unit 41 includes a head member 41a for inserting the metal staples 40a into the sheet bundle 100 set at the binding position, a cartridge 41b containing the metal staples 40a, a drive cam 41c, and a staple motor for driving the drive cam 41c. It consists of MD. As shown in FIG. 4B, the driver unit 41 includes a driver member 41e, a former 41f, and a bending block 41g in the frame head member 41a. The driver member 41e and the former 41f are supported by the head member 41a so as to reciprocate up and down between the top dead center and the bottom dead center, and the bending block 41g is configured to copy the linear metal staple 40a. It is fixed to the head member 41a as a mold that can be bent into a square shape.

  A cartridge 41b containing a metal staple 40a is mounted inside the frame, and the metal staple 40a is sequentially supplied to the bending block 41g. The driver member 41e and the former 41f are connected to a drive lever 41d that is swingably attached to the frame, and are driven up and down between a top dead center and a bottom dead center. The frame is provided with an accumulator spring (not shown) for driving the drive lever 41d up and down, a drive cam 41c for accumulating the accumulator spring, and a staple motor MD for driving the drive cam 41c. .

  A clincher 42 is disposed at a position facing the above driver unit 41 with the sheet bundle 100 interposed therebetween. The illustrated clincher 42 is formed of a structure separated from the driver unit 41, and the driver unit 41 folds the needle tip of the metal staple 40 a inserted into the sheet bundle 100. Therefore, the clincher 42 is provided with a bending groove 42a for bending the tip of the metal staple 40a. In particular, the illustrated clincher 42 is provided with a plurality of folding grooves 42a1 and 42a2 at two or more locations in the width direction of the sheet bundle 100 stacked in the stacker unit 35, and a plurality of locations in the sheet width direction are provided by the driver unit 41 corresponding to this position. Staple stitches.

  That is, the driver unit 41 is fixedly supported on the sheet bundle 100 by the stapler support rod 44 shown in FIG. With this configuration, the left and right staples can be stapled while the clincher 42 is fixed to the sheet bundle 100 supported by the stacker unit 35 without moving.

  In addition, the clincher 42 is provided with a wing member (not shown) that bends the needle tip of the staple needle, and the wing member swings in conjunction with (synchronizes with) the needle tip inserted into the sheet bundle 100 by the driver unit 41. It is also possible to adopt a configuration for rotating. In this case, a pair of bent wings are pivotally supported on the frame of the clincher 42 so as to be swingable at positions facing both ends of the U-shaped needle. Then, the pair of folding wings are swung in conjunction with the operation of inserting the metal staple 40 a into the sheet bundle 100 by the driver unit 41. By swinging the pair of wings, the staple tip of the staple needle is bent in a flat state along the back surface of the sheet bundle 100. In other words, the needle tip is bent into a U-shape (glasses clinching) when bent by the above-described bending groove, and the needle tip is bent linearly (flat clinching) when bent by a wing member described later. Any of the configurations can be adopted in the present invention.

  With such a configuration, the driver member 41e and the former 41f built in the head member 41a are driven by the rotation of the staple motor MD so that the drive cam 41c moves the drive lever 41d from the upper dead center to the lower dead point below the upper dead center. Press on a point. As the drive lever 41d is lowered, the driver member 41e and the former 41f connected thereto move from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. The driver member 41e is constituted by a plate-like member so as to press down the back portion of the staple needle folded in a U-shape, and the former 41f is constituted by a U-shaped member as shown in FIG. The staple is folded into a U shape between the block 41g. That is, the metal staple 40a is supplied from the cartridge 41b to the bending block 41g. The linear metal staple 40a is press-molded into a U-shape between the former 41f and the bending block 41g. Subsequently, the metal staple 40a bent in the U-shape inserts a needle into the sheet bundle 100 when the driver member 41e vigorously presses the sheet toward the sheet bundle 100.

[Binding sheet of metal saddle stitching stapler]
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the above-described metal saddle stitching stapler 40 performs saddle stitching in the center of the sheet bundle conveyance direction, and shows the back of the metal staple 40a. As shown in this figure, the back of the metal staple 40a is oriented in parallel so as to overlap the fold line at the folding position Y of the sheet. Therefore, it can be pushed into the folding roller 45 by the folding blade 46 described below.

[Folding processing of metal staple binding sheets]
Next, the folding operation of the sheet bundle that is saddle-stitched with the metal staple 40a will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of folding rollers 45 that fold the sheet bundle 100 and a nip position of the folding rollers 45 are arranged at the folding position disposed on the downstream side of the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 and the paper saddle stitching stapler. A folding blade 46 for inserting the sheet bundle 100 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the folding roller 45 includes a pair of folding rollers 45 that are pressed against each other by the elastic force of the springs 45as and 45bs, and each roller is formed to have a substantially maximum sheet width.

  The pair of folding rollers 45 is formed of a material having a large coefficient of friction such as a rubber roller. This is because the sheet is bent and transferred by a soft material such as rubber, and may be formed by lining the rubber material. Although not particularly illustrated, the folding roller 45 is formed in a concavo-convex shape and has a gap in the sheet value width direction. The binding portion of the metal staple 40a of the sheet and the cutting edge of the folding blade 46 formed in the uneven shape enter the gap.

  Next, the operation of folding the sheet by the folding roller 45 will be described with reference to FIGS. The folding roller 45 is composed of a pair of folding rollers 45 a and 45 b and is located in the middle of the stacker portion 35. A folding blade 46 having a knife edge at the tip is provided at a position facing the folding roller 45 and the sheet bundle 100 therebetween. The folding blade 46 is supported by the apparatus frame so as to be able to reciprocate between the standby position in FIG. 5A and the nip position in FIG.

  Therefore, the sheet bundle 100 supported in a bundle on the stacker unit 35 is engaged with the stopper 38 at the position Sh1 in the state shown in FIG. 5A, and the fold position is bound with metal staples. Is positioned at the folding position Y. Upon obtaining this set completion signal for the sheet bundle 100, the drive control means (the same as in “sheet bundle folding operation control section 97” described later) turns off the clutch means.

  Therefore, the sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 moves the folding blade 46 from the standby position toward the nip position at a predetermined speed. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 5B, the sheet bundle 100 is bent at the fold position by the folding blade 46 and inserted between the rollers. At this time, the pair of folding rollers 45 are driven and rotated continuously with the sheet moved by the folding blade 46. Then, the sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 stops the blade drive motor (not shown) after the expected time for the sheet bundle to reach a predetermined nip position, and stops the folding blade 46 at the position shown in FIG. Before and after this, the sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 switches the clutch means to the ON state to drive and rotate the folding roller 45.

  Then, the sheet bundle 100 is sent out in the feeding direction (left side in the figure). Thereafter, the sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 moves and returns the folding blade 46 located at the nip position toward the standby position in parallel with the feeding of the sheet bundle 100 by the folding roller 45 in the state of FIG.

  When the sheet bundle 100 folded in this way is first engulfed between the pair of folding rollers 45, the sheet in contact with the roller surface is not drawn between the rollers by the rotating roller. That is, the folding roller 45 follows (follows) and rotates with the inserted (pushed) sheet, so that only the sheet in contact with the roller is not first wound. Further, since the roller follows and rotates following the inserted sheet, the roller surface and the sheet in contact therewith are not rubbed, and the image is not rubbed.

  The metal staple 40a driven into the sheet bundle by the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 is configured such that the leg portion is positioned on the blade side, the sheet bundle is bound and the position is folded. The back of the metal staple 40a is driven in a direction parallel to or overlapping the fold line at the folding position Y. This orientation prevents the staple 40a from hindering the folding operation.

[Paper saddle stitcher]
This time, the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 is disposed at a position closer to the folding roller 45 than the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 of the stacker unit 35. This paper saddle stitching stapler 50 is a clincher unit that bends the leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 that has been driven into the driver unit 53 that drives the paper staple 60 into the sheet bundle 100 and that bonds the legs together. 57. Each unit is formed at a position facing each other with the stacker unit 35 interposed therebetween.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the sheet saddle stitch stapler 50 is positioned below a drive motor 56 for driving staples when a binding operation is performed by a paper staple 60 described later. A frame 108 having an opening 107 and the like, and a base 109 that supports the drive motor 56 and the frame 108 are configured.

  The drive motor 56 is attached to the upper part of the frame 108 so as to be driven as shown in FIG. The drive motor 56 rotates the driver cam 52 when performing a binding operation. Further, when the roller-like staple 70 in which the paper staples 60 are connected to the staple cartridge 51 of the frame 108 is loaded, the staple cover 106 on the left side of the drive motor 56 is released, so that the frame 108 The top surface is open.

  Further, the frame 108 includes a substantially planar conveyance path 113 as a staple conveyance unit that conveys the paper staple 60 forward from the staple cartridge 51. Plate springs (not shown) are provided on the left and right sides of the conveyance path 113.

  Further, the frame 108 is in the vicinity of the front end portion of the conveyance path 113 and rotates the driver cam 52 by driving the drive motor 56 to cut the paper staple 60 and form it into a substantially U shape. As a forming plate 115. The forming plate 115 is cut and molded. Further, the frame 108 includes a driver unit 53 as a staple penetrating portion for penetrating the binding sheet of the paper staple 60 by driving of the driving motor 56. The driver unit 53 moves up and down a cutter blade 71 that penetrates the hole in the sheet. The frame 108 further includes a sheet presser for pressing the binding sheet when the paper staple 60 is cut, molded, and penetrated.

  Further, the frame 108 moves the paper staple 60 to the lower position of the conveyance path 113 from a position where the paper staple 60 is cut and molded to a position where the paper staple 60 penetrates the sheet bundle 100. As a moving mechanism, a pusher 117 biased forward by a spring is provided. Below the forming plate 115, the driver unit 53, the sheet presser and the pusher 117, a sheet insertion port 107 into which a binding sheet bundle to be bound is inserted and a table 120 on which the binding sheet is installed are provided. This table 120 is a part of the stacker unit 35.

  At the bottom of the table 120, after passing through the binding sheet bundle 100 at the penetration position, both leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 are bent along the sheet bundle 100, and both the bent leg portions 61 and 62 are bonded together. For this purpose, a bent portion is provided. A clincher unit 57, an extruding unit 124, and a clincher slider 123 are provided as bending portions of the paper saddle stitching stapler 50, and the extruding unit and the slider 126 are moved by the clincher motor 122 at an appropriate timing. The paper staple saddle stitching stapler 60 includes a clincher unit 57 including a clincher lifter 129 that supports a clincher center 127 and a clincher left 128 to determine a position as a bent portion.

  The paper staple-stapling stapler 60 has such a configuration, and moves the driver unit based on the operation of the drive motor 56 in order to bind the sheet bundle 100 installed on the table 120 in the sheet insertion opening 107. Then, the sheet bundle 100 is made to pass through the holes, and the paper staple 60 is inserted into the holes and bound.

  This paper staple saddle stitcher stapler 60 has a forming plate 115 formed in a crown shape on both the left and right sides, and a drive motor 56 for moving a driver unit 53 for driving the paper staple 60 into a sheet bundle via a transmission belt 55 to a driver cam 52. It is connected. Accordingly, the drive cam 56 rotates the driver cam 52 to drive the paper staple 60 into the sheet bundle 100. Further, the leg portions 61 and 62 are folded inward by the clincher unit 57, and the leg portions 61 and 82 are adhered to each other by an adhesive portion 63 in which an adhesive is applied to the leg portions. The paper staple 60 is connected and stored in the staple cartridge 51 of the paper staple saddle stitching stapler 60, and is cut for each staple to be driven by the stapler.

  Here, the paper staple 60 loaded in the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 of the present application will be described with reference to FIG.

[Composition of paper staples]
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration in which a plurality of paper staples 60 are connected in parallel. FIG. 7A is a plan view showing the paper staple 60. FIG. 7B is a perspective view showing a state in which the paper staple 60 is formed in a substantially U shape, and FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the binding sheet bundle 100 is bound by the paper staple 60. It is. For example, these are configured as follows. The basic form is detailed in the cited document 4.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7A, a plurality of paper staples 60 having a long and substantially straight shape are connected in parallel. Each paper staple 60 has, for example, a width of about 6 to 12 mm in the vertical direction (the connection direction of the paper staples 60) in FIG. 7A, and a width in the horizontal direction (the longitudinal direction of the staples) in FIG. Is about 25-50 mm. The vicinity of the end in the longitudinal direction of each paper staple 60 is formed in a trapezoidal shape, and the width becomes narrower toward the tip. Further, an adhesive portion 63 to which an adhesive is applied is provided on the back surface in the vicinity of the end portion in the longitudinal direction of each paper staple 60.

  In addition, an elliptical feed hole is provided at a predetermined position from both ends of the sides where the paper staples 60 are connected and connected. Each paper staple 60 is completely cut off as a slit between the two feeding holes. Out of the two feed holes, the paper staples 60 are connected as the inter-staple connecting and connecting portions 68 to both ends of the side where the paper staples 60 are connected. The feed hole is gradually fed with the feed claws on the stapler side engaged.

  This paper staple 60 is provided with a folding position slit portion 64 cut into the inside of each paper staple at a substantially central position of a staple leg connecting portion 60a that connects the legs in the longitudinal direction of the staple. This is to make it easy to fold the paper staple itself so as to surely perform the folding process when folding the paper staple 60 together with the sheet bundle 100 in the folding process described later.

  Further, the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 separates the paper staple 60 from the staples connected as shown in FIG. 7A, and as shown in FIG. 7B, the staple leg connecting portion 60a. The staple leg portions 61 and 62 are bent substantially perpendicularly from the left and right sides of the staple leg connecting portion 60a. As shown in FIG. 7C, the paper staple 60 formed into a substantially U-shape is formed by bending both leg portions 61 and 62 penetrating the sheet bundle 100 along the sheet bundle 100. The other leg part 62 which has the part 61 and the adhesion part 63 is bonded together. When the sheet bundle 100 is bound with the paper staple 60 and the folding process is performed with the leg side as the inner side, the folding position slit is formed approximately at the center of the staple leg connecting part 60a that connects the leg parts 61 and 62. Since the portion 64 is formed, the paper staple 60 can be easily folded.

  The paper staple 60 shown in FIG. 7 includes the adhesive portion 63 on the back surface of one leg portion 62 in the longitudinal direction, but may include the adhesive portion 63 on the back surface of both the leg portions 61 and 62. In this case, the bonding portion 63 is bonded to the back surface of the sheet bundle with the leg portion 62 and bonded to the back surface of the leg portion 62 with the bonding portion 63 of the leg portion 61. In the paper staple 60 as well, the folding position slit portion 64 is provided in the staple leg connecting portion 60a, so that the folding process is reliably performed. As shown in FIG. 6, the paper staple 60 is wound around a paper saddle stitching stapler 50 and stored in a roller shape.

[Paper staple sheet binding]
FIG. 8 is a view showing a cutter blade 71 provided for passing the paper staple 60 through the sheet bundle at the front end of the driver unit 53 shown in FIG. 6 and its operation. FIG. 8A shows a state in which the paper staple 60 formed in a U shape by the forming plate 115 is set on the cutter blade 71 by the pusher 117. FIG. 8B shows a state in which the cutter blade 71 is inserted into the sheet bundle 100 while holding the paper staple 60 when the driver unit 53 is lowered while being set on the cutter blade 71. Thereafter, the legs 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 are folded inward by the extrusion unit 124 and the clincher 42 and joined to each other. When the driver unit 53 performs the upward recovery in accordance with this operation, the sheet bundle 100 is bound by the paper staple 60, while the cutter blade 71 returns to the original position as shown in FIG. Wait for the staple 60 to be loaded. In this way, the sheet bundle 100 is bound.

[Binding sheet of paper saddle stitching stapler]
FIG. 9 shows a state in which saddle stitching is performed in the center of the sheet bundle in the sheet bundle conveying direction by the paper saddle stitching stapler 50, and a staple leg connecting portion 60a which is the back of the paper staple 60 is shown. As shown in this figure, the back of the paper staple 60 (staple leg portion connecting portion 60a) is in a direction intersecting with the fold line at the sheet folding position Y. Therefore, it can be pushed into the folding roller 45 by the folding blade 46 described below.

  The paper staple 60 is set by the movement of the stopper 38 so as to be driven across the folding position Y in the sheet conveying direction. In the illustrated example, the leg portions 61 and 62 of the left and right paper staples 60 are driven across the folding position, and the staple leg connecting portion 60a of the leg portion is bundled with a sheet bundle substantially at the center of the folding position Y described later. It is located along the same direction as the transport direction. By setting at this position, the staple bundle connecting portion 60a of the paper staple 60 is easily folded with the legs 61 and 62 inside as well as the sheet bundle folding process.

[Paper staple folding]
Next, the folding process of the sheet bundle 100 which is saddle-stitched by the paper saddle-stitching stapler 50 will be described with reference to FIG. This folding process is substantially the same as the half-folding of the sheet that has been saddle-stitched with the metal saddle-stitching stapler 40 described above with reference to FIG. 5, and therefore will not be described again and only the differences will be described.

  That is, the back of the metal staple 40a is driven in the same direction parallel to the fold line at the folding position Y. On the other hand, the paper staple 60 is driven so as to straddle the folding line at the folding position Y, and the spine is driven into the sheet bundle 100 in a direction crossing the folding line at the folding position Y. Therefore, the leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 are pushed by the folding blade 46 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the adhesion between the leg portions can be strengthened. Further, as shown in FIGS. 10C and 10D, the staple leg connecting portion 60a intersects with the folding line at the folding position Y, so that it can be folded together with the sheet bundle. This is different from the folding process 40a.

[Arrangement of metal staples and paper saddle stitch stapler]
Next, the arrangement of the stacker portion 35 of the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 and the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 will be described with reference to FIG. This figure is a plan view from the bundle discharge side of the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 and the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 arranged in this order toward the folding roller 45 of FIG.

  The metal saddle stitching stapler 40 described in detail in FIG. 3 is fixed one by one on the left and right sides with a stapler support rod 44 spanning the left and right metal saddle stitching carriages 43 provided in the stacker portion 35. It is also possible to adjust the left and right positions by moving on the stapler support rod 44. As can be seen from this figure, the head member 41a is in the same direction as the folding line at the folding position Y of the sheet.

  Next, the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 described with reference to FIG. 6 positioned below the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 in FIG. 11 is also supported by the paper saddle stitching carriages 58 provided on the left and right of the stacker unit 35, and left and right. It is provided one by one. Left and right adjustment is possible on the paper saddle stitching carriage. As can be seen from this figure, the driver unit 53 crosses the fold line at the folding position Y of the sheet, and the leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 straddle the fold line at the folding position Y. It is driven into the sheet bundle 100.

  Note that the stopper 38 is positioned on the downstream side of the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 as described above. The position Sh22 of the solid line stopper 38 shown in FIG. 11 is located at the binding position XP of the paper saddle stitching stapler 50. Further, the position Sh21 of the stopper 38 shown by the broken line in the drawing corresponds to the binding position XS of the metal saddle stitching stapler 40. After being bound at each binding position, it is moved to the folding position Y to be folded.

  Reference numeral 39 denotes an alignment member that presses and aligns the side edges on both sides of the sheet every time the sheet is carried into the stacker unit 35. The alignment member 39 is connected to an alignment motor (not shown).

[Description of other embodiments]
Up to this point, the metal saddle-stitching stapler 40 shown in FIG. 3 has been arranged one by one on the left and right sides at the upstream side of the folding roller 45 and the folding blade 46 and also shown in FIG. The type shown in FIG. 2 in which the paper saddle-stitching stapler 50 is arranged on the left and right sides below the metal saddle-stitching stapler 40 has been described as the first embodiment. This is because the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 is arranged close to the folding roller 45 and the folding blade 46 so that the paper staples bound with the sheet bundle 100 are not easily detached. However, by adopting the configuration shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 as another embodiment, the effects described below can be obtained.

[Second Embodiment]
First, in FIG. 12, as a second embodiment, the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 shown in FIG. 3 is arranged one by one on the upstream side of the folding roller 45 and the folding blade 46, and similarly the paper shown in FIG. One saddle-stitching stapler 50 is arranged on the downstream side of the folding roller 45 and the folding blade. With this configuration, both can be brought closer to the folding roller 45 and the folding blade 46 than to be connected to one side of the folding roller 45 and the folding blade 46 as shown in the first embodiment. Further, the arrangement of the folding roller 45 and the folding blade 46 on both sides can effectively use the space of the stacker portion 35. Further, if the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 is brought closer to the folding roller 45 and the folding blade 46 than the metal saddle stitching stapler 40, the paper staple 60 can be prevented from coming off from the sheet place. Each stop position of the stopper 38 that stops the sheet bundle 100 is as illustrated.

[Third embodiment]
Next, in FIG. 12, as a third embodiment, the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 shown in FIG. 6 is arranged on the upstream side of the folding roller 45 and the folding blade one by one, and the metal saddle stitching stapler shown in FIG. 40 are arranged on the downstream side of the folding roller 45 and the folding blade 46 one by one on the left and right. With this configuration, the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained. Further, in the third embodiment, since the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 is located on the downstream side of the folding roller 45 and the folding blade 46, even if the metal staple 40a is dropped due to the staple driving of the stapler or the like, It does not enter the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 or the folding roller 45 side. The stop positions of the stoppers 38 for stopping the sheet bundle 100 are as shown in the figure.

[Fourth embodiment]
Further, in FIG. 14, as a fourth embodiment, the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 shown in FIG. 3 and the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 shown in FIG. The paper saddle stitching stapler 50 is arranged closer to the folding roller 45 and the folding blade side than the metal saddle stitching stapler 40. This also makes it possible to reduce the occurrence of the paper bundle 60 that is relatively weak in resistance to the sheet bundle 100 being separated. Further, since the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 is located on the most downstream side, even if the metal staple 40a falls due to the stapler's idle driving or the like, it does not enter the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 or the folding roller 45 side. . The stop positions of the stoppers 38 for stopping the sheet bundle 100 are as shown in the figure.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, FIG. 15 shows a sheet bundle that has undergone saddle stitching and folding processing according to the present invention. FIG. 15A shows a sheet bundle that is half-folded after being saddle-stitched with the metal staple 40 a, and FIG. 15B shows a sheet bundle that is half-folded after being saddle-stitched with the paper staple 60. In particular, those bound with the paper staples 60 do not use any metal, and therefore do not need to be separated when discarded and are excellent in environmental friendliness. Further, in order to realize high-speed binding, the metal staples 40a may be bound. According to the present invention, two types of saddle stitching are compactly mounted in a finisher as one sheet processing apparatus.

[Paper staple binding to punch holes]
In this embodiment, the paper staple 60 is further bound by the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 into the punch hole punched by the punch unit 28 provided in the vicinity of the carry-in port shown in FIGS. You can also type bind.

  16 and 17 are explanatory views of the single punch unit 28 described above. As shown in FIG. 16, a punch motor 162 that is a drive source of the punch units 151 and 152 is provided in the housing (upper guide 164 and lower guide 165) of the single punch unit 28. The drive from the punch motor 162 is arranged to be input to the drive shaft 158 via the gear train 161 and the inlet gear 159.

  The drive shaft 158 is provided with punch units 151 and 152 for punching a predetermined position of the sheet. The punch unit 152 is a unit for punching a filing punch for punching a filing hole fp near the center in the width direction of the sheet. Further, the punch unit 151 punches a simple ring punch hole rp through which the paper staple 60 described so far is penetrated at a position near the side edge of the sheet. Accordingly, the ring punch unit 151 is operated in order to allow the paper staples 60 to penetrate and simple ring binding, and the filing punch unit 152 is operated for punching for filing. In order to punch both the ring and filing punch holes, both the punch units 151 and 152 are operated.

  As well shown in FIG. 17, the punch units 151 and 152 differ only in the phase of the rotating cam, and the others have the same configuration. In FIG. 17, a ring punch unit 151 for punching a simple ring punch rp is arranged on the front side, and a filing punch unit 152 for punching a filing punch fp on the rear side.

  Each of the punch units 151 and 152 is provided with an eccentric cam 181 that rotates by the rotation of the drive shaft 158 and a cam holder 180 that rotates by being driven outside the transformation cam. A punch blade 153 for punching a punch hole in the sheet is pivotally supported by a punch blade attachment pin 182 at the lower end of the cam holder 180. The punch blade 153 is guided to move up and down by a punch blade guide 154 attached to an upper frame 150 constituting a part of the frame of the single punch unit 28. A punch die 155 through which the punch blade 153 passes is opposed to the lower side of the upper frame 150 with the sheet carry-in path (P1) 156 interposed therebetween.

  By the way, the upper frame 150 that supports the punch blade guide 154 and the like and the punch lower frame 170 on which a die and the like are formed are integrally movable in the left-right direction in FIG. This can be moved by a roller 171 on the punch support frame 167. This movement is performed by a rack 172 provided on the right side of FIG. 16 of the upper guide 164 and a gear 173 engaged therewith. The rack 172 is moved by a moving motor 174 via a gear 173, and by this movement, an upper guide 164 including a punch unit 151, 152, a punch blade guide 154 and a punch lower frame 170 including a punch die 155 are provided on the lower guide 165. The punch support frame 167 is slid left and right with a roller.

  In this sliding operation, the upper guides 164 such as the punch units 151 and 152 and the punch die 155 are positioned at the most right home position shown in the drawing, and the lower guide is introduced after the sheet is carried into the sheet carry-in path (P1) 156. The moving motor 174 fixed to 165 is driven. By this driving, the gear 173 rotates, and this rotation moves the rack 172 to the left side in the figure. When the sensor 175 detects the side edge of the sheet that is being conveyed by this movement, the driving of the moving motor 174 is stopped. As a result, even if there is some variation in the width direction of the sheet, a desired punch hole can be punched at the same position in all the conveyed sheets. A scrap box 166 for storing punch scraps generated by punching processing by the punch blade 153 is provided in the lower guide 165 below the punch units 151 and 152 in FIG.

[Explanation of single punch unit operation]
The single-punch unit 28 configured as described above operates as follows. First, when it is detected by the sensor S1 that the sheet is carried in by the carry-in roller 24, the edge in the sheet conveying direction, the center, or in the case of the center, the filing punch hole fr or the paper staple is used as the punch hole. The one-punch unit 28 operates in accordance with the punch hole punching position rp to be driven, or the punch hole punching position such as filing or filing fr and the simple ring punch hole rp at the center.

  The description here shows an example in which punch holes are formed in both the filing punch hole fr and the simple ring punch hole rp. As shown well in FIG. 18, the position of 2 / 1L in the sheet conveying direction is the center in the conveying direction from the sheet length information. This position is a folding position Y when the sheet bundle described above is formed, and is also a position where the paper staple 60 is driven across the position. Accordingly, the filing punch hole fr and the simple ring punch hole rp are punched forward and backward in the sheet conveying direction with the folding position interposed therebetween.

  When the sheet detected at the center S1 comes to a position β minutes before the center line 1 / 2L, the conveyance of the sheet by the carry-in roller 24 and the discharge roller 25 is temporarily stopped. In this conveyance process, the upper guide supporting the punch units 151 and 152 operates the moving motor 174 until the sensor 175 for detecting the sheet side edge from the rightmost home position position in FIG. 21 detects the sheet side edge. The punch hole fp for filing is set from the part, and the punching process is executed after stopping.

  In this punching process, the punch motor 162 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise in FIG. This rotation angle is determined by detecting the pulse generation flag attached to the inlet gear of the drive shaft 158 by the encoder sensor 160. When the drive shaft 158 rotates counterclockwise, the eccentric cam 181 also rotates counterclockwise. As the eccentric cam 181 rotates, the punch blade 153 of the ring punch unit 151 moves upward in the direction b shown in the figure. On the other hand, the filing punch unit 152 moves downward because the phase of the eccentric cam 181 is different, and punches the filing punch fp in the sheet. After punching the punch hole fp for filing, the punch motor 162 is reversed. At the same time, the carry-in roller 24 and the paper discharge roller 25 are driven and rotated again to further convey the sheet, and the sheet is stopped when the difference from the sheet center line 1 / 2L becomes α. When the punch motor is further rotated in the clockwise direction shown in FIG. 22 in this state, the punch blade 153 of the ring punch unit 151 is moved in the direction a shown in FIG. A ring punch rp through which 62 penetrates is drilled.

  After punching the upstream filing punch hole fp and the simple ring punch hole rf, the sheet is moved again over the 1/2 L center line. This time, a simple ring punch hole r'p and a filing punch hole f'p on the downstream side are drilled. As a result, as shown in FIG. 23, four punch holes are punched across the center 1 / 2L line of the conveyed sheet. When punch punching is completed, the sheets with punch holes punched therein are temporarily accumulated in the stacker portion 35 as described above, and are folded by the paper saddle stitching stapler 50, the folding roller 45, and the folding blade 46. 2 Stacked on the paper discharge tray.

  FIG. 19 shows the state of the sheet bundle 100 discharged after the above folding process. A ring punch hole rp is formed near the side edge of the sheet bundle 100 and is bound by the paper staple 60 by the paper saddle stitching stapler 50. A filing punch hole fp is formed near the center in the sheet width direction. When binding into a file, the filing punch hole fP is bound through a binding fitting. Therefore, as in the prior art, the completed two-fold sheet bundle can be bound and organized without filing punches with another punch, improving convenience.

  By the way, in the present application, the following consideration is given to the position of the punch hole. In FIG. 10, when the sheet bundle 100 is folded in half, the distance from the fold line, which is a position of 1/2 L of the sheet, to the punch, is shifted between the innermost sheet and the outermost sheet. This is because the sheet on the folding blade 46 side is folded without any interposition, the folding thickness is added toward the outside near the folding roller 45, and the position of the punch opening approaches the folding position. Therefore, if the sheets to be folded are all at the same position (distance between α and β in FIG. 18), when the number of conveyed sheets to be bound is large, a deviation occurs when folded, an excessive load is applied to the paper staple 60, and filing occurs. It is difficult to put in. Therefore, in the present application, when the stacker unit 35 is stacked, the interval between the punch holes of α and β from the center line 1 / 2L of the sheet closest to the folding blade 46 is increased for each sheet sequentially fed. Like to do. By doing so, the deviation of the punch position of the folded sheet bundle 100 is reduced or eliminated, and the paper staple 60 can be easily penetrated and filing. In this embodiment, α and β of the succeeding sheet are gradually increased with reference to α and β of the first sheet stacked on the stacker unit 35, and the interval of α and β of the last stacked sheet is set to the maximum. It is getting bigger.

  As described above, the operation after punching and accumulating in the stacker unit 35 is the same as the conventional saddle stitching process without punching, and the difference is that the paper staple of the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 is made. 60, when binding the sheet bundle 100, the leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 are passed through the simple ring punch holes rp and r′p to perform binding. Some of them are bound using a ring member, but simple ring binding is possible without using a fairly strong ring member. Further, since punch holes are opened in advance, a hard paper or thick sheet bundle is used. When binding 100, the load resistance when penetrating the legs of the paper staple 60 can also be reduced. As already described, the folding blade 46 that folds the sheet bundle 100 into the folding roller 45 passes through the punch hole (rp) of the sheet bundle 100 and is then folded inward, and the adhesive is applied to the leg 62 side of the paper staple 60. The contact is strengthened by contacting the portion 63.

[Description of control configuration]
The control configuration of the above-described image forming system will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 1 includes a control unit (hereinafter referred to as “main body control unit”) 80 of the image forming apparatus A and a control unit (hereinafter referred to as “sheet processing control unit”) 90 of the sheet processing apparatus B. The main body control unit 80 includes an image formation control unit 81, a paper feed control unit 85, and an input unit 83. Then, “image forming mode” and “sheet processing mode” are set from the controller panel 18 provided in the input unit 83. As described above, the image forming mode sets the number of printouts, sheet size, color / monochrome printing, enlargement / reduction printing, duplex / single-sided printing, and other image formation conditions. The main body control unit 80 controls the image forming control unit and the paper feed control unit according to the set image forming conditions to form an image on a predetermined sheet, and then sequentially carries out the sheets from the main body discharge port 3.

  At the same time, the sheet processing mode is set by input from the controller panel 18. As the sheet processing mode, for example, “print-out mode”, “side edge stapling mode”, “metal stapling binding mode”, “paper stapling binding mode”, “simple ring mode”, or the like is designated. The image forming apparatus A forms an image on the sheet according to the image forming condition and the sheet processing condition.

  The sheet processing control unit 90 includes a control CPU 91 that operates the sheet processing apparatus B according to a designated sheet processing mode, a ROM 92 that stores an operation program, and a RAM 93 that stores control data. The control CPU 91 includes a sheet conveyance control unit 94 that conveys the sheet sent to the carry-in entrance 23, a sheet accumulation operation control unit 95 that performs a sheet accumulation operation, and a sheet binding process that performs a sheet binding process. An operation control unit 96 and a sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 that executes a sheet bundle folding operation are provided.

  The sheet conveyance control unit 94 is connected to the control circuit of the drive motor M1 for the carry-in roller 24 and the discharge roller 25 in the sheet carry-in path P1, and receives a detection signal from the sheet sensor S1 arranged in this path. It is configured. The sheet stacking operation control unit 95 moves the forward / reverse rotation motor M2 of the forward / reverse rotation roller 30 and the trailing end regulating member to stack the sheets on the first processing tray 29 as the first stacking unit. Is connected to a drive circuit of a paper discharge motor M3. Further, the sheet binding processing operation control unit 96 includes a stapling motor MD and a driving motor 56 built in the end face binding stapler 33 of the first processing tray 29 and the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 and the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 of the stacker unit 35. And connected to the drive circuit of the clincher motor 122.

  The sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 is connected to a driving circuit of a roller driving motor M6 that drives and rotates the first and second folding rollers 45a and 45b. The sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 is connected to the control circuit of the shift means MS for controlling the movement of the conveyance rollers 36 and 37 of the second switchback conveyance path SP2 and the stopper 38 of the stacker unit 35 to predetermined positions. Are connected so as to receive a detection signal from a sheet sensor arranged in the path.

The control unit configured as described above causes the sheet processing apparatus to execute the next processing operation.
"Printout mode"

  In this mode, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents, for example, from the first page, and sequentially carries out face-down from the main body discharge port 3. Accordingly, the sheet processing apparatus B moves so as to guide the path switching piece 27 (not shown) to the paper discharge roller 25. Therefore, at the timing when the sheet passes through the paper discharge roller 25, the forward / reverse roller 30 is lowered from the upper standby position onto the processing tray 29, and the forward / reverse roller 30 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. Then, the sheet that has entered the processing tray 29 is carried out toward the first paper discharge tray 21 by the forward / reverse rotation roller 30 and stored on the tray. The successive sheets are sequentially carried out to the first paper discharge tray 21 and accumulated and stored on the tray.

Therefore, in this printout mode, the sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus A are stored in the first paper discharge tray 21 via the sheet carry-in path P1 of the sheet processing apparatus B. In this order, they are loaded and stored upward.
"Side edge binding mode"

  In this mode, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents in the order from the first page to the page in the same manner as in the above-described mode, and carries it out from the main body discharge port 3 in a face down state. The sheet sent to the sheet carry-in path P1 is guided to the sheet discharge roller 25 by a path switching piece (not shown). Therefore, at the timing when the sheet passes through the paper discharge roller 25, the forward / reverse roller 30 is lowered from the upper standby position onto the processing tray 29, and the forward / reverse roller 30 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. Due to the counterclockwise rotation of the forward / reverse rotation roller 30, the sheet discharged from the discharge roller 25 is switched back and conveyed onto the processing tray 29 along the first switchback conveyance path SP1. By repeating this sheet conveyance, a series of sheets are stacked on the processing tray 29 in a face-down state.

  Each time the sheets are stacked on the processing tray 29, the control CPU 91 operates a side alignment plate to align the positions in the width direction of the sheets to be stacked, although not particularly shown. Next, the control CPU 91 operates the end-face stitching and stapling device 33 in response to a job end signal from the image forming apparatus A to bind the trailing edge of the sheet bundle accumulated on the processing tray 29. After this stapling operation, the control CPU 91 moves a rear end regulating member (not shown) that also serves as a bundle carrying-out means to the first discharge tray side in FIG.

The bundle of sheets stapled by this movement is carried out and stored on the first paper discharge tray 21. As a result, the side edges of a series of sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming apparatus A are stapled and stored in the first paper discharge tray 21.
"Metal staple saddle stitching mode"

  In this mode, the image forming apparatus A uses the sheet processing apparatus B to bind the sheets with the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 and finishes the booklet. A path switching piece (not shown) located at the junction of the sheet conveyance path P1 and the second switchback path moves so that the sheet can be conveyed to the paper discharge roller 25. As a result, the sheet sent to the sheet carry-in path P <b> 1 is guided to the paper discharge roller 25. Therefore, the control CPU 91 stops the paper discharge roller 25 at the timing when the sheet trailing edge passes the path switching piece based on the signal that the sheet trailing edge is detected by the sheet sensor S1, and at the same time, the sheet is switched to the second switchback path. Move so that you can move to SP2. Then, the paper discharge roller 25 is reversely rotated (counterclockwise in FIG. 3). Then, the sheet that has entered the carry-in path P1 is reversed in the conveyance direction and guided to the second switchback conveyance path SP2. Then, it is guided to the stacker unit 35 by the conveying rollers 36 and 37 arranged in this path.

  At the timing when the sheet is carried into the stacker unit 35 from the second switchback conveying path SP2, the sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 moves the stopper 38 via the shift means control circuit MS that controls the movement of the stopper 38 that regulates the leading edge of the sheet. It moves to the sheet receiving position Sh3 shown in FIG. Then, the entire sheet is supported by the stacker unit 35. In this state, the control CPU 91 operates the aligning member 39 to align the sheets in the width direction. (Note that this width-alignment alignment does not have to be performed on the first sheet, and does not have to be performed every time the sheet enters).

  Next, the sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 moves the stopper 38 to a position slightly elevated from the sheet receiving position so that the rear end of the sheet is carried into the third switchback path SP3. Then, since the second switchback path SP2 is bound with a sheet or the like (not shown), the rear end of the sheet moves backward toward the third switchback path SP3. In this state, subsequent sheets are sent from the second switchback conveyance path SP2 onto the stacker unit 35, and the subsequent sheets are stacked on the preceding sheet. At that time, the stopper 38 is moved to Sh3 in accordance with the carry-in of the subsequent sheet.

  Next, the alignment member 39 is operated in the same manner as described above, and the loaded sheet and the sheet supported on the guide are aligned in the width direction. By repeating such an operation, the sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus A are aligned on the stacker unit 35 via the second switchback conveyance path SP2. Therefore, when the sheet bundle folding operation control unit receives the job end signal, the sheet bundle folding operation control unit moves the stopper 38 to the above-described metal staple center binding position Sh2, and positions and sets the center of the sheet at the binding position.

Therefore, the sheet binding processing operation control unit operates the metal saddle stitching stapler 40 to bind the two positions in the center of the sheet. (In addition to the two places, one or more places may be provided as necessary.) With this operation completion signal, the sheet bundle folding operation control unit 97 moves the stopper 38 to the folding position Sh1, and the center of the sheet. Is positioned at the folding position Y. Therefore, the sheet bundle is folded in the sequence shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D and the folded sheet bundle is carried out to the second paper discharge tray 22.
"Paper staple saddle stitching mode"

  In this mode, the image forming apparatus A uses the sheet processing apparatus B to bind the sheets with the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 and finishes it into a booklet.

This paper staple saddle stitching mode is basically the same as the metal staple saddle stitching mode described above. The difference is that the binding position when performing the binding process is different, so the stop position of the stopper 38 when performing the binding process is the paper staple binding position Sh22. This binding position is a position where the paper staple 60 is bound across the folding line of the folding position Y. Accordingly, the folding process after the binding is completed is performed on the sheet bundle in the sequence shown in FIGS. 10A to 10D, and the folded sheet bundle is carried out to the second paper discharge tray 22. In this folding operation, the paper staple 60 is also folded, and the leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 are pushed in to strengthen the adhesive force between the leg portions. These points are different from the metal staple saddle stitching mode, and other operations are common.
"Simple ring mode"

In this mode, the image forming apparatus A punches a punch hole at a predetermined position of the sheet by the sheet processing apparatus B by the single punch unit 28, conveys the sheet to the stacker unit 35, aligns the sheets in a bundle shape, The paper saddle stitching stapler 50 binds punch holes to perform simple ring binding, and then folds it into a booklet and stores it in the second paper discharge tray 22.
In the simple ring mode, the operation of binding sheets in advance with the paper saddle stitching stapler 50 is the same as the paper saddle stitching mode described above. Since the punching operation of the punch holes has already been described in detail with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19, the description thereof is omitted here, but punch hole punching control is controlled by the sheet conveyance control unit 94.

  In the above embodiment, the paper saddle stitch stapler 50 has been described as the second binding portion. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sheet bundle is locally deformed by causing the deformation in the thickness direction by the crimping teeth. In this case, the sheets may be bound together by intertwining the sheets, or a part of the sheets may be cut and bound together. .

A Image forming apparatus B Sheet processing apparatus C Saddle stitching unit P1 Sheet transport path SP1 First switchback path SP2 Second switchback path SP3 Third switchback path Sh1 Folding position (Y)
Sh21 Metal staple saddle stitching position (XS)
Sh22 Saddle saddle stitching position (XP)
Sh3 Sheet receiving position 21 First discharge tray 22 Second discharge tray 29 Processing tray 28 Punch unit 33 End binding staple device 35 Stacker unit 38 Stopper (tip regulating member)
40 Metal staple saddle stitching stapler (first binding processing section)
40a Metal staple 45 Folding roller 46 Folding blade 50 Paper stapling saddle stitching stapler (second binding processing unit)
60 Paper Stapling 63 Adhesive Unit 61 Leg Unit 62 Leg Unit 90 Sheet Processing Control Unit 95 Sheet Stacking Operation Control Unit 96 Sheet Binding Processing Operation Control Unit 97 Sheet Bunch Folding Operation Control Unit 100 Sheet Bunch

Claims (11)

A stacker unit for temporarily stacking conveyed sheets in a substantially vertical state;
A stopper that regulates the leading edge of the sheets accumulated in the stacker portion;
A first binding processing unit that is provided in the stacker unit and performs saddle stitching with a metal staple at a middle binding position in the sheet conveying direction of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper;
A second binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching at a middle binding position in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper without using metal staples;
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a folding processing unit configured to fold the folding position bound by the first binding processing unit or the second binding processing unit of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper;
The interval between the binding position of the second binding processing unit and the folding position of the folding processing unit is set shorter than the interval between the binding position of the first binding processing unit and the folding position of the folding processing unit. A sheet processing apparatus.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first binding processing unit and a second binding processing unit are arranged in this order in the direction toward the folding processing unit on the upstream side of the folding processing unit.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second binding processing unit and a first binding processing unit are arranged in this order in a direction away from the folding processing unit on a downstream side of the folding processing unit.   4. The sheet binding in the second binding processing section is performed by using paper staples having leg portions to be inserted into the sheet and back portions connecting the leg portions. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The folding processing unit includes a folding blade that presses from the side intersecting the sheet bundle accumulated in the stacker unit, and a folding roller that folds the sheet bundle moved by the folding blade, and the second binding processing unit includes: Sheet binding using paper staples is performed in a direction in which the back of the paper staples crosses over the folding position and the folding blade folds the sheet bundle while pressing the legs of the paper staples against the sheets. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4. A stacker unit for temporarily stacking conveyed sheets in a substantially vertical state;
A stopper that regulates the leading edge of the sheets accumulated in the stacker portion;
A first binding processing unit that is provided in the stacker unit and performs saddle stitching with a metal staple at a middle binding position in the sheet conveying direction of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper;
A second binding processing unit that performs saddle stitching at a middle binding position in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper without using metal staples;
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a folding processing unit configured to fold the folding position bound by the first binding processing unit or the second binding processing unit of the sheet bundle regulated by the stopper;
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the first binding processing unit and the second binding processing unit are provided on both sides in the sheet conveying direction with the folding position interposed therebetween.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first binding processing unit is located upstream of the folding position, and the second binding processing is located downstream of the folding position.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second binding processing unit is positioned upstream of the folding position, and the first binding processing unit is positioned downstream of the folding position.   9. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the sheet binding in the second binding processing unit is performed using paper staples.   The folding processing unit includes a folding blade that presses from the side intersecting the sheet bundle accumulated in the stacker unit, and a folding roller that folds the sheet bundle moved by the folding blade, and the second binding processing unit includes: Sheet binding using paper staples is performed in a direction in which the back of the paper staples crosses over the folding position, and the folding blade folds the sheet bundle while pressing the legs of the paper staples against the sheets. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 9. Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet;
A sheet processing apparatus for processing the sheet from the image forming means,
An image forming apparatus comprising the structure according to claim 1.