JP2018016424A - Post-processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a post-processing device that can prevent discharged printed matter bundles from collapsing after being stacked without such a work as aligning staple positions of the printed matter bundles that are stacked after staple processing.SOLUTION: A post-processing device includes: binding means for binding an end part of a sheet bundle constituted of a plurality of sheets; discharge means for discharging and stacking the sheet bundle of which end part has been bound; and fold line forming means for making a fold line in the sheet bundle so that the end part of the sheet bundle of which end part has been bound defines a prescribed angle relative to a sheet face of the sheet bundle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic system, a technique is known in which a post-processing apparatus having a stapling function is attached to perform printing with stapling. Such a post-processing apparatus receives printed sheets from the image forming apparatus, performs a stapling operation inside the post-processing apparatus, and discharges a bundle of stapled sheets to a paper discharge tray.

  In the conventional post-processing apparatus, the stapling position of the stapled paper bundle is the same, so when a large amount of paper bundles are stacked, only the stapling position of the printed material stacked on the discharge tray is stacked high. However, there is a problem that stacking of paper bundles occurs during printing.

  Also, if you continue to eject the stack of paper while the staples of the printed material stacked on the output tray are stacked high, the stack of paper that will be discharged later will collide with the highly stacked portion of the stack of paper, In some cases, the stacking collapse and paper jam occurred. In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to lower the sheet discharge tray by using a height detecting means for detecting that the printed matter has been stacked up to a certain height.

  However, the conventional height detection means cannot detect that only the stapling portion of the sheet bundle is stacked high, and even if such height detection means is used, the discharge tray is not sufficiently lowered. The next sheet bundle is discharged as it is. For this reason, it has been impossible to prevent sheet stacking collapse and paper jamming due to a subsequent sheet bundle colliding with a highly stacked portion of the sheet bundle stacked on the paper discharge tray.

  As a technique for solving these problems, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-197178 (Patent Document 1) discloses that when stapling a bundle of printed sheets, the stapled sheet bundle is alternately rotated and discharged. Technology is disclosed. In this technique, each sheet bundle is stacked on the sheet discharge tray so that the staple positions of each sheet bundle stacked on the sheet discharge tray do not overlap with each other, so that the stack of sheets can be prevented from being collapsed ( For example, refer to FIG.

  However, according to the conventional technique, it is possible to prevent the stapled paper bundle stacked on the paper discharge tray from collapsing, but the staple position of each stacked paper bundle is changed. Therefore, when aligning the printed image orientation of each sheet bundle after completion of printing, there has been a problem that the staple positions of each sheet bundle stacked on the discharge tray must be manually aligned.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a post-processing apparatus that can prevent the stack of discharged paper bundles from collapsing without performing operations such as aligning the staple positions of the stacked paper bundles after staple processing. .

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an aspect of the post-processing apparatus according to the present invention is a binding unit that binds an end portion of a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets, and discharges and stacks the sheet bundle in which the end portion is bound. A post-processing apparatus having a discharge unit, wherein the end portion of the sheet bundle bound with the end portion folds the sheet bundle so as to form a predetermined angle with respect to a sheet surface of the sheet bundle. It has a formation means.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the stack of discharged sheets from being stacked without performing operations such as aligning the staple positions of the stacked sheets after staple processing.

It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of an example of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (before binding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at FIG. 2 from the top. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process using the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (at the time of a binding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (after a binding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (before folding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at FIG. 7 in the direction of arrow AD1. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the folding part used with the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (at the time of a folding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (at the time of a folding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (at the time of a folding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (at the time of a folding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (at the time of a folding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example (at the time of a folding process) of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the sheet | seat bundle bound by the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the sheet | seat bundle folded by the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at FIG. 17 in the direction of arrow AD4. It is a figure which shows the state which the sheet | seat bundle discharged | emitted by the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention was piled up. It is a figure which shows the state by which the sheet bundle is discharged | emitted by the post-processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention to a stacking tray. It is the figure which looked at FIG. 20 in the direction of arrow AD5. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for discharging a sheet bundle to a stacking tray in the post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding components may be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof may be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an example of a post-processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The post-processing apparatus B of this embodiment is connected to the image forming apparatus A. The image forming apparatus A is an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a multifunction machine.

  The sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus A is carried in from the entrance guide plate 1 and is conveyed to the branching claws 4 and 5 through the conveying rollers 2 and 3. In the branching claws 4 and 5, the sheet transport path is branched into three transport paths (proof transport path P1, sort transport path P2, and staple transport path P3). This branching can be performed, for example, by controlling a solenoid (not shown) for operating the branching claws 4 and 5 by a control means (not shown) based on a setting made in advance by the user.

  Among the three transport paths, a sheet that is not sorted is transported to the proof transport path P1, and a sheet to be sorted is transported to the sort transport path P2 and the staple transport path P3. Further, paper that is not stapled (bound) is transported to the sort transport path P2, and paper that is stapled (bound) is transported to the staple transport path P3.

  The sheet transported to the proof transport path P 1 is discharged to the proof tray 8 by the transport roller 6 and the paper discharge roller 7. The sheet transported to the sort transport path P2 is discharged to the stacking tray 11 by the transport roller 9 and the paper discharge roller 10. The stacking tray 11 is movable in the vertical direction in the figure, and can perform an operation (sorting operation) for sorting the discharged sheets by a predetermined number.

  Further, the sheet transported to the staple transport path P3 is discharged to the staple tray 16 by the transport rollers 12, 13, 14 and the staple discharge roller 15, and falls to the reference fence 17 by the tapping roller 16a. Thereafter, the plurality of sheets are aligned by the jogger fence 18, and the edges of the sheets are bound by the stapler 19 to form a sheet bundle. The bound sheet bundle is conveyed to the paper discharge roller 10 by a branching claw (not shown) and discharged to the stacking tray 11.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the post-processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram when FIG. 2 is viewed from above. 2 and 3 show a state before the sheet bundle SB is bound. The main part of the post-processing apparatus B includes a stapler 19, a sensor 28, and a folding unit 29 arranged along the conveyance path CL along which the sheet bundle SB is conveyed.

  The sheet bundle SB is composed of a bundle of a plurality of sheets sent from the image forming apparatus A. The sheet bundle SB is transported along the transport path CL in the transport direction CD. The sheet bundle SB is an example of a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

  In this example, the sheet bundle SB is composed of sheets on which printed images are formed. However, the sheets constituting the sheet bundle SB are not limited to printed sheets, and images are formed. It is not limited to things. That is, as a sheet constituting the sheet bundle, a sheet formed with a pattern by a method other than printing or a plain sheet may be included.

  The conveyance path CL is a path through which the sheet bundle SB is conveyed by a rotation roller (not shown) using a motor or the like as a drive source. The transport path CL has one end located in the stapler 19 and the other end connected to the stacking tray 11 (FIG. 1). The conveyance direction CD is a direction in which the sheet bundle SB is conveyed toward the stapler 19 on the conveyance path CL.

  The stapler 19 can bind the sheet bundle SB. The binding process means a process of binding a predetermined position of the sheet bundle SB with a member such as a stale. In this example, the end of the sheet bundle SB that is not printed is bound. The stapler 19 is an example of a binding unit in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

  The sensor 28 can detect the position of the rear end of the sheet bundle SB. The sensor 28 is an example of a sensor that detects the position of the sheet bundle in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention. Note that the rear end of the sheet bundle SB is one end of the sheet bundle SB on the side subjected to the binding process, including an end portion subjected to the binding process as described later. In the post-processing apparatus B of this example, when the sensor 28 detects the rear end of the sheet bundle SB that has been bound by the stapler 19, it is controlled to stop the conveyance of the sheet bundle SB. Such control can be controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided in the post-processing apparatus.

  The folding unit 29 is an example of a crease forming unit in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention. The folding part 29 is provided between the reference fence 17 and the stapler 19 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the folding unit 29 includes an upper folding member 29 a and a lower folding member 29 b that are opposed to the conveyance path CL in the vertical direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the folding part 29 is provided with a folding part 30 including a rotating shaft 31 and a folding roller 32 described later. As shown in FIG. 3, the folding portion 29 is disposed obliquely with respect to the transport direction CD.

  The folding unit 29 can fold the bound sheet bundle SB by the upper folding member 29 a, the lower folding member 29 b, and the folding unit 30. Specifically, the center side of the sheet bundle SB (the side toward the center of the sheet surface of the sheet bundle SB) can be folded from the stapling position of the bound sheet bundle SB.

  The folding portion 29 is provided with a position moving means (not shown) so that the upper folding member 29a and the lower folding member 29b can move in the vertical direction with respect to the transport path CL. When the sheet bundle SB is conveyed to the stapler 19, the upper folding member 29 a and the lower folding member 29 b are retracted to a position that does not interfere with the sheet bundle SB passing through the folding portion 29 by the position moving unit.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the post-processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. 5 to 15 are diagrams illustrating a state when the sheet bundle SB is bound in the configuration example of the main part of the post-processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, processing by the post-processing apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the sheet bundle SB is conveyed to the stapler 19 (step S101). At this time, a sufficient gap that does not hinder the movement of the sheet bundle SB is formed between the upper folding member 29a and the lower folding member 29b. As shown in FIG. 5, a part of the sheet bundle SB is placed in the stapler 19 and the end of the sheet bundle SB in the stapler 19 is bound (step S102). ).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state before the folding process after the sheet bundle SB is bound. When the binding process is completed by the stapler 19, the sheet bundle SB is conveyed in the discharge direction DD (direction from the stapler 19 toward the stacking tray 11) opposite to the conveyance direction CD as shown in FIG. 6 (step S103). . In FIG. 6, the rear end side of the discharge direction DD of the sheet bundle SB is bound.

  When the sheet bundle SB is conveyed in the discharge direction DD and passes through the sensor 28, the position of the rear end of the sheet bundle SB is detected by the sensor 28 (step S104). Note that the rear end of the sheet bundle SB is one end of the sheet bundle SB including the end portion on which the binding process has been performed. When the sensor 28 detects the trailing edge of the sheet bundle SB (step S105), the conveyance of the sheet bundle SB is stopped (step S106).

  The time from the detection of the trailing edge of the sheet bundle SB to the stop of conveyance of the sheet bundle SB can be determined in advance according to the size of the sheet. Therefore, a predetermined portion can be folded with respect to the bound portion of the sheet bundle SB regardless of the size of the sheet.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the conveyance of the sheet bundle before the sheet bundle is folded, FIG. 8 is a view of FIG. 7 viewed in the direction of the arrow AD1, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the state fixed on the conveyance path | route when a bundle is folded. When the conveyance of the sheet bundle SB is stopped (step S106), the folding process of the sheet bundle SB is started by the folding unit 29 (step S107). Until the conveyance of the sheet bundle SB stops, the upper folding member 29a, the lower folding member 29b, and the folding unit 30 stand by at positions where they do not interfere with the sheet bundle SB.

  The folding process of the sheet bundle SB by the folding unit 29 is performed as follows. First, after the conveyance of the sheet bundle SB in the discharge direction DD is stopped, the upper folding member 29a and the lower folding member 29b are moved closer to each other from the standby state toward the conveyance path CL by the position moving means (not shown). (See FIG. 8). Then, the sheet bundle SB is vertically sandwiched between the upper folding member 29a and the lower folding member 29b. As a result, the sheet bundle SB is fixed on the transport path CL (see FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the side surface 29c of the upper folding member 29a and the side surface 29d of the lower folding member 29b form curved surfaces that allow folding processing by the folding unit 30 in a state where the sheet bundle SB is fixed.

  The sheet bundle SB fixed to the upper folding member 29 a and the lower folding member 29 b is then folded by the folding unit 30. The folding unit 30 folds the end portion (corner portion where the staple is positioned) of the sheet bundle SB so that a fold is formed inside the sheet from the position of the staple of the sheet bundle SB. At this time, the fold of the sheet bundle SB constitutes a fold extending in an oblique direction with respect to the side of the sheet at the end portion (one of the four corners of the sheet bundle SB) of the sheet bundle SB.

  The upper folding member 29a and the lower folding member 29b are examples of fixing means for the crease forming means in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention. Moreover, the folding part 30 is an example of the folding means of the fold formation means in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

  The fold line is preferably arranged inside the sheet bundle SB (center side of the sheet bundle SB) with respect to the staple position of the sheet bundle SB, and the fold line is preferably valley-folded at one of the four corners of the sheet bundle. . In this way, as will be described later, the sheet bundle SB can be stacked so that the staple position overlaps the discharge direction DD. Therefore, only the end portion (staple position) of the stacked sheet bundle SB is not stacked high, and the stacked collapse of the stacked sheet bundle SB can be reliably prevented.

  Here, the structure of the folding part 30 is demonstrated. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the folding unit used in the post-processing apparatus of the present embodiment. The folding unit 30 includes a rotation shaft 31, a roller 32, an arm 33, and a guide plate 34. The rotating shaft 31 includes a motor or the like (not shown) and can be rotated by the driving force. The roller 32 is connected to the rotary shaft 31 via the arm 33. The arm 33 and the guide plate 34 rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 31.

  The guide plate 34 is formed of a metal such as aluminum or a hard synthetic resin. The corner portion of the guide plate 34 that is in contact with the paper is chamfered so as not to damage the paper. Further, the contact portion with the paper has a smooth surface. The contact surface of the guide plate 34 with the paper may be a part of a smooth cylindrical surface. The roller 32 is made of a metal such as aluminum or a hard synthetic resin. The surface of the roller 32 is also a smooth surface so as not to damage the paper.

  The roller 32 is rotatable with respect to the arm 33. Thereby, the roller 32 can be rotated along the side surface 29c of the upper folding member 29a and the side surface 29d of the lower folding member 29b as the rotating shaft 31 rotates. Further, the guide plate 34 is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft 31. Thereby, the guide plate 34 can be rotated by rotating the rotating shaft 31.

  In the roller 32 and the guide plate 34, the gap between the tip of the roller 32 and the side surfaces 29c and 29d during rotation is smaller than the gap between the tip of the guide plate 34 and the side surfaces 29c and 29d during rotation. It is comprised so that it may become.

  10 to 14 are views showing a state in which the sheet bundle is folded. As shown in FIG. 10, the folding unit 30 rotates the rotating shaft 31 to rotate the folding roller 32 in the direction of the arrow AD2 and the folding guide plate 34 in the direction of the arrow AD3.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the guide plate 34 is shaped to sink into a position lower than the sheet bundle while rotating. When the rotating shaft 31 is further rotated from this state, the guide plate 34 comes into contact with the end face of the sheet bundle SB and the end face of the sheet bundle SB is lifted. When the rotating shaft 31 is further rotated from this state, the contact between the guide plate 34 and the end face of the sheet bundle SB is released, and the subsequent roller 32 rotates along the side surfaces of the upper folding member 29a and the lower folding member 29b. Thereby, the sheet bundle SB is further folded. At this time, since the bent angle of the end face of the sheet bundle SB is an acute angle, the subsequent roller 32 rotates while rotating while pressing on the outer surface of the end face having the acute angle. (See FIG. 13).

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state after the sheet bundle is folded. In FIG. 14, the rotation of the rotating shaft 31 is stopped, and the upper folding member 29a and the lower folding member 29b are moved in directions away from the conveying path by the position moving means (not shown). The folded sheet bundle SB can be formed with an obtuse fold (folded portion) with respect to the printing surface (stacking surface) of the sheet bundle SB.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state after the sheet bundle folding process is completed. In FIG. 15, the conveyance of the sheet bundle SB in the discharge direction DD is resumed in a state where the sheet bundle SB has been bound and folded (step S108). The sheet bundle SB subjected to the binding process and the folding process is discharged to the stacking tray 11 and stacked on the stacking tray 11 (step S109).

  At this time, the fold of the sheet bundle SB is conveyed while being in contact with the upper folding member 29a as shown in FIG. For this reason, the fold of the sheet bundle SB becomes an obtuse angle. However, since the fold is formed reliably, the fold of the sheet bundle SB is maintained even after passing through the upper folding member 29a.

  16 to 19 are diagrams illustrating an example of a sheet bundle processed by the post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment. Of these, FIG. 16 shows the state after the binding process, FIGS. 17 and 18 show the state after the folding process, and FIG. 19 shows the state where the sheets are stacked.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the sheet bundle SB is obtained by binding the upper left ends of a plurality of sheets printed by the image forming apparatus A with staples SP. The binding process is performed by the stapler 19 described above. As shown in FIG. 16, the bound sheet bundle SB is folded and valley-folded according to the fold line FL (broken line portion). The folding process is performed by the folding unit 29 described above. The fold line FL is set obliquely with respect to the side surface of the sheet toward the center of the sheet from the position of the staple SP. The position and direction of the fold line FL can be determined by the position of the staple SP.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the end portion of the sheet bundle SB that has been subjected to the binding process is folded along the folding line FL to form a folded portion FP. In this state, the sheet bundle SB is discharged and stacked on the stacking tray 11. As shown in FIG. 19, the sheet bundle SB stacked on the stacking tray 11 is folded back at an obtuse angle with respect to the printing surface of the sheet bundle SB. It overlaps with the discharge direction DD of the bundle SB. That is, the position of the staple SP does not overlap with the stacking direction of the sheet bundle SB.

  As a result, only the end portion (position of the staple SP) of the stacked sheet bundle SB is not stacked high, and the stacked sheet bundle SB can be prevented from being collapsed. Further, since the position of the staple SP overlaps with the discharge direction DD of the sheet bundle SB, the printing surface of the sheet bundle SB overlaps with substantially the same position in the stacking direction of the sheet bundle SB. It is possible to prevent the stack of discharged paper bundles from collapsing without performing operations such as aligning the staple positions.

  20 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet bundle is discharged to the stacking tray in the post-processing apparatus B according to the present embodiment, FIG. 21 is a diagram when FIG. 20 is viewed in the direction of the arrow AD5, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which a sheet bundle is discharged to a stacking tray in the post-processing apparatus of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the sheet bundle SB with the folds folded is discharged from the paper discharge roller 10 and stacked on the stacking tray 11 (step S201). As shown in FIG. 21, the sheet bundle SB stacked on the stacking tray 11 is stacked such that the position of the staple SP overlaps the discharge direction DD (so as not to overlap the stacking direction). Therefore, as described above, only the bound end portion (position of the staple SP) of the stacked sheet bundle SB is not stacked high.

  The stacking tray 11 is in a direction away from the paper discharge roller 10 so that the end 11a on the side close to the paper discharge roller 10 is at a low position and the end 11b on the side far from the paper discharge roller 10 is at a high position. Inclined. Therefore, the sheet bundle SB discharged from the sheet discharge roller 10 is stacked in an inclined state on the stacking portion 11c so that the bound end portion of the sheet bundle SB is placed on the end portion 11a side.

  As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, a sensor 40 is provided below the discharge portion 10a of the discharge roller 10 and beside the end portion 11a of the stacking tray 11 so as not to prevent the discharge of the sheet bundle SB. ing. The sensor 40 can detect the upper end TP of the folded FP in which the fold of the sheet bundle SB3 stacked on the top among the sheet bundles SB1 to SB3 stacked on the stacking tray 11 is formed (step S202).

  The discharge unit 10a and the stacking tray 11 are an example of a discharge unit in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention. The discharge unit 10a is an example of a discharge unit included in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention, and the stacking tray 11 is an example of a discharge tray included in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

  When the sensor 40 detects the upper end TP of the folded portion FP where the fold of the sheet bundle SB3 is formed, the position of the upper end TP is a predetermined position based on the discharge portion 10a of the discharge roller 10 (from the position of the discharge portion 10a). It is determined that the position is higher than the lower position (step S203), and the stacking tray 11 is lowered (step S204).

  When the discharge of the sheet bundle SB is continued (step S205), the detection by the sensor 40 is continued (step S202). When the discharge of the sheet bundle SB is not continued (step S205), the discharge of the sheet bundle SB is finished. (Step S206).

  Accordingly, the stack tray 11 waits so that the position of the upper end TP of the folded portion FP where the fold of the sheet bundle SB3 detected by the sensor 40 is formed is lower than the position of the discharge portion 10a of the discharge roller 10. Can be made. As a result, the sheet bundles SB1 to SB3 stacked on the stacking tray 11 can be prevented from coming into contact with the subsequent sheet bundle SB4 discharged from the discharge unit 10a. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the stack of sheets from being stacked and jammed.

  Moreover, the post-processing method which is embodiment of this invention can be performed using an example of the above-mentioned post-processing apparatus. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 22, after having at least a binding processing step of binding the end portion of the sheet bundle SB and a discharging step of discharging and stacking the sheet bundle SB bound at the end portion. This is a processing method (steps S101 to S109), in which a fold is formed in the sheet bundle SB so that the end of the sheet bundle SB bound at the end forms a predetermined angle with respect to the sheet surface of the sheet bundle SB. Steps are executed (see FIGS. 1 to 15). As a result, since the folds of the sheet bundle SB overlap in a state where the sheet bundle SB is stacked, it is possible to prevent the staple positions from overlapping in the stacking direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the stack of sheets SB from being collapsed due to the stacking of only the end portions (staple positions) of the stacked sheets SB (see FIGS. 16 to 19).

  In the crease forming step, a crease can be formed closer to the center side of the sheet bundle than the end portion of the sheet bundle SB bound at the end portion (see FIGS. 16 to 18). As a result, the sheet bundle SB can be stacked such that the staple position overlaps the discharge direction DD. Therefore, only the end portion (staple position) of the stacked sheet bundle SB is not stacked high, and the stacked collapse of the stacked sheet bundle SB can be reliably prevented.

  Further, in the crease forming step, a fixing step for fixing the sheet bundle SB and a folding step for folding the end portion of the sheet bundle SB with the end portions bound in a state where the sheet bundle is fixed can be executed ( 8 to 15). Thereby, a fold can be firmly put in the sheet bundle SB.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the discharge step is performed at the upper end of the folding portion FP on which the folds of the uppermost stack of sheets SB <b> 1 to SB <b> 3 stacked on the stacking tray 11 are formed. The sheet bundle SB can be discharged and stacked so that the position of TP is below the position of the sheet bundle SB4 to be discharged (position below the position of the discharge portion 10a of the discharge roller 10) ( Steps S201 to S206).

  Accordingly, the stacking tray 11 can be put on standby so that the position of the upper end TP of the folded portion FP where the folds of the sheet bundle SB3 are formed is lower than the position of the discharge portion 10a of the discharge roller 10. Therefore, the sheet bundles SB1 to SB3 stacked on the stacking tray 11 can be prevented from coming into contact with the succeeding sheet bundle SB4 discharged from the discharge unit 10a, and the sheet bundle can be prevented from being collapsed or jammed. .

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims. Is possible.

SB sheet bundle 10 paper discharge roller 10a discharge unit 11 stacking tray 19 stapler 28 sensor 29 folding unit 29a upper folding member 29b lower folding member 30 folding unit

JP 2011-197178 A

Claims (10)

A binding means for binding the end of a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets;
A post-processing apparatus having discharge means for discharging and stacking a bundle of sheets bound at the end,
A post-processing apparatus comprising a crease forming unit that folds the sheet bundle so that the end portion of the sheet bundle bound with the end portion forms a predetermined angle with respect to a sheet surface of the sheet bundle. .   2. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the crease forming unit puts the fold into a center side of a sheet surface of the sheet bundle with respect to the end portion of the sheet bundle with the end portion bound.   The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fold is formed by valley-folding one of the four corners of the sheet bundle. A sensor for detecting a rear end of the sheet bundle on which the end portion is bound;
The post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the sensor detects the rear end, the crease forming unit puts the crease. The crease forming means further includes a fixing means for fixing the sheet bundle,
5. The folding device according to claim 1, further comprising: a folding unit that is disposed at a position that does not contact the fixing unit, and that folds the end portion of the sheet bundle in which the end portion is bound in a state where the fixing unit fixes the sheet bundle. The post-processing apparatus of any one of Claims. The discharging means is
A discharge unit for discharging the sheet bundle;
A discharge tray for stacking discharged sheet bundles;
The upper end position of the end of the sheet bundle stacked on the discharge tray where the folds are formed is lower than the position of the discharge section. The post-processing apparatus of any one of Claims 1-5 which lowers | hangs down. A binding processing step of binding the end of a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets;
A post-processing method having a discharging step of discharging and stacking a bundle of sheets bound at the end,
A post-processing method comprising a crease forming step of forming a crease in the sheet bundle so that the end portion of the sheet bundle bound with the end portion forms a predetermined angle with respect to a sheet surface of the sheet bundle. .   The post-processing method according to claim 7, wherein in the crease forming step, the crease is formed closer to a center side of the sheet bundle than the end part of the sheet bundle in which the end part is bound. The crease forming step further includes a fixing step of fixing the sheet bundle,
The post-processing method according to claim 7, further comprising a folding step of folding the end portion of the sheet bundle in which the end portions are bound in a state where the sheet bundle is fixed.   The discharging step is such that the upper end position of the end portion where the fold of the stacked sheet bundle is stacked is lower than the position of the discharged sheet bundle. The post-processing method according to claim 7, wherein the sheet bundle is discharged and stacked.

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