JP2022027017A - Bonding device - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent a reduction in adhesive strength when a powder adhesive is attached to a sheet through an electrophotographic process.SOLUTION: There is provided a bonding device that forms, through an electrophotographic process, an adhesive image of a powder adhesive on a sheet to be conveyed. In the bonding device, the formation of the adhesive image is controlled such that, as an image forming pattern in an adhesion section corresponding to part in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet, a first pattern is used in a first conveyance period and a second pattern different from the first pattern is used in a second conveyance period subsequent to the first conveyance period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an adhesive device that forms an image of a powder adhesive on a sheet by an electrophotographic process.

Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose an apparatus in which toner is adhered to a sheet by an electrophotographic process to form a toner image, and a powder adhesive is adhered to the sheet by an electrophotographic process. The sheet to which the powder adhesive is attached is folded, then heated and pressurized. As a result, the facing regions of the folded sheets are adhered to each other by the powder adhesive.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-171607 JP-A-2007-193004 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-36957 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-162029

For example, when the sheet is folded to form a bag, it is necessary to continuously attach the powder adhesive to the sheet in the transport direction in a section occupying at least one end in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the sheet. This means that the powder adhesive is continuously supplied to the photoconductor from the same position in the rotation axis direction (corresponding to the width direction of the sheet) of the developing roller. When the powder adhesive is continuously supplied to the photoconductor from the same position in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller, the amount of the powder adhesive supplied to the photoconductor from the position of the developing roller gradually decreases, and thus adheres to the sheet. The amount of powder adhesive to be processed is also reduced in the above section. Since the adhesive strength at a place where the amount of the adhered powder adhesive is small is reduced, there is a possibility that sufficient quality of the product bag cannot be obtained.

The present invention provides a technique for suppressing a decrease in adhesive strength when a powder adhesive is adhered to a sheet by an electrophotographic process.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the adhesive device is an image forming means for forming an adhesive image of a powder adhesive on a sheet to be conveyed by an electrophotographic process, and a part of a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheet. As the image forming pattern of the bonding section corresponding to the above, the first pattern is used in the first transport period, and the second pattern different from the first pattern is used in the second transport period following the first transport period. , A control means for controlling the image forming means.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in adhesive force when a powder adhesive is adhered to a sheet by an electrophotographic process.

The block diagram of the image forming apparatus by one Embodiment. The block diagram of the process cartridge according to one Embodiment. An explanatory diagram of processing in a folding machine according to an embodiment. The figure which shows the positional relationship of each powder adhering to a sheet by one Embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the adhesive section and the non-adhesive section related to a certain product. The figure which shows the example of temporal switching of the image formation pattern in 1st Example in comparison with the comparative example. The figure which shows the example of temporal switching of the image formation pattern in 2nd Example. The figure which shows the example of temporal switching of the image formation pattern in 3rd Example. The figure which shows the example of the image formation pattern in 4th Example. The figure which shows the further example of the image formation pattern in 4th Example.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiment, not all of the plurality of features are essential for the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numbers, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

<1. Outline of the device>
Here, as one embodiment of the adhesive device, an example of an image forming device capable of forming both a toner image and an adhesive image on a sheet will be described. However, the mechanism described below can also be applied to an adhesive device that adheres only an adhesive without forming a toner image on a sheet, unless otherwise explained.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 1 that forms an image by an electrophotographic process according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming unit 10 which is an image forming means, and a post-processing unit 30. Based on the image data, the image forming unit 10 forms a toner image on the sheet P previously stored in the cassette 8 and conveyed along the conveying path, and adheres the powder adhesive to the sheet P. The powder adhesive adhering to the sheet P forms a certain two-dimensional pattern, and the image is called an adhesive image. As used herein, the term "image" shall include a toner image and an adhesive image. In addition, the "electrophotographic process" generally forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor, develops the electrostatic latent image with powder to generate a powder image, and transfers the powder image from the photoconductor to the sheet. The process of doing. When the powder used is a toner, the powder image is a toner image, and when the powder used is a powder adhesive, the powder image is an adhesive image. The image forming unit 10 includes four process cartridges 7n, 7y, 7m and 7c, and a primary transfer roller 4 corresponding to each of the process cartridges 7n, 7y, 7m and 7c. The process cartridges 7n, 7y, 7m, and 7c are replacement parts for the image forming apparatus 1, and are configured to be detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1.

The configurations of the process cartridges 7n, 7y, 7m and 7c are the same, and are collectively referred to as the process cartridge 7 below. However, different types of powder are stored in the process cartridges 7y, 7m and 7c and the process cartridge 7n. Specifically, the powder type "toner" is stored in the process cartridges 7y, 7m and 7c, and the powder type "powder adhesive" is stored in the process cartridge 7n. The colors of the toner stored in the process cartridges 7y, 7m and 7c are yellow, magenta and cyan, respectively.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the process cartridge 7. The process cartridge 7 includes a photoconductor unit CC and a developing unit DT. The photoconductor unit CC includes a photoconductor 101, a charging roller 102, and a cleaning member 103, and the developing unit DT includes the remaining members shown in FIG. The photoconductor 101 is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction in the figure when forming an image. The charging roller 102 charges the surface of the photoconductor 101 to a uniform potential by outputting a charging voltage. The surface of the charged photoconductor 101 is exposed to the laser beam emitted by the scanner unit 2 (FIG. 1), whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor 101.

The accommodating portion 104 of the developing unit DT accommodates the powder (toner or powder adhesive) to be supplied to the supply roller 106 and the developing roller 105. The transport member 108 is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction (arrow f direction) in the figure. As a result, the powder stored in the storage unit 104 is agitated and conveyed to the developing room 109. The supply roller 106 is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction in the figure to supply the powder to the developing roller 105 and strip the powder remaining on the developing roller 105 from the developing roller 105. The developing blade 107 is provided to regulate the thickness of the powder on the developing roller 105. The developing roller 105 is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction shown in the figure and outputs a developing voltage. Due to the development voltage, the powder carried by the developing roller 105 adheres to the electrostatic latent image (exposure region) of the photoconductor 101. That is, the developing roller 105 supplies the powder to the photoconductor while rotating. As a result, in the case of the process cartridges 7y, 7m and 7c, yellow, magenta and cyan toner images are formed on the photoconductor 101. Further, in the case of the process cartridge 7n, an adhesive image is formed on the photoconductor 101. The photoconductor 101 carries the formed image (toner image or adhesive image). In the following description, the toner image formed by the process cartridges 7y, 7m and 7c and the adhesive image formed by the process cartridge 7n may be collectively referred to as a powder image. Although not shown in the figure, the process cartridge 7 may further include a non-volatile memory for storing information such as the usage history of the process cartridge 7 and the remaining amount of powder.

Returning to FIG. 1, the primary transfer roller 4 provided corresponding to each process cartridge 7 transfers the powder image of each photoconductor 101 to the transfer belt 3 by outputting the primary transfer voltage. The transfer belt 3 is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction (V direction) in the figure when the image is formed. By superimposing the toner images formed on the photoconductors 101 of the process cartridges 7y, 7m and 7c and transferring them to the transfer belt 3, colors other than yellow, magenta and cyan can be formed. For example, black can be formed as a process black overlaid with yellow, magenta, and cyan toners. The powder image transferred to the transfer belt 3 is conveyed to the opposite position of the secondary transfer roller 5.

The sheet P stored in the cassette 8 is fed to the main transport path 1 m and transported to the opposite position of the secondary transfer roller 5. The secondary transfer roller 5 transfers the powder image of the transfer belt 3 to the sheet P by outputting the secondary transfer voltage. As described above, the process cartridge 7, the primary transfer roller 4, the scanner unit 2, the transfer belt 3, and the secondary transfer roller 5 form an image forming portion for forming a powder image on the sheet P.

After the transfer of the powder image, the sheet P is transferred to the first fixing device 6. The first fixing device 6 heats and pressurizes the sheet P to fix the powder image on the sheet P. When forming a powder image on both sides of the sheet P, the flapper 33 is set in a direction for guiding the sheet P to the nip portion between the first discharge roller 34a and the intermediate roller 34b, as shown by the dotted line in the figure. .. Then, the sheet P is sandwiched and conveyed toward the discharge tray 13 by the first discharge roller 34a and the intermediate roller 34b. When the rear end of the sheet P exceeds the flapper 33, the rotation directions of the first discharge roller 34a and the intermediate roller 34b are switched in the opposite directions. Further, as shown by the solid line in the figure, the flapper 33 is set in the direction in which the sheet P is guided to the double-sided transport path 1r. After that, the sheet P is conveyed again to the opposite position of the secondary transfer roller 5 which is the image forming position (transfer position) via the double-sided transfer path 1r.

After the sheet P having the powder image formed on both sides, or the sheet P having the powder image formed on one side when the powder image is formed only on one side of the sheet P, has passed through the first fixing device 6. , It is sandwiched and conveyed by the second discharge roller 34c and the intermediate roller 34b. At this time, as shown by the solid line in the figure, the flapper 33 is set in the direction of guiding the sheet P to the nip portion between the second discharge roller 34c and the intermediate roller 34b.

The sheet P on which the adhesive image is not formed and does not require post-treatment by the post-treatment unit 30 is discharged to the discharge tray 13. At this time, the flapper 13a is set in the direction in which the sheet P is guided to the tray 13, as shown by the broken line in the figure. On the other hand, the sheet P on which the adhesive image is formed and requires post-treatment by the post-treatment unit 30 is conveyed toward the intermediate path 15 of the post-treatment unit 30. At this time, the flapper 13a is set in the direction in which the sheet P is guided to the intermediate path 15 as shown by the solid line in the figure.

The post-processing unit 30 provided on the downstream side of the first fixing device 6 in the transport direction includes a folding device 31, a second fixing device 32, and a discharging unit 35. In the folding device 31, a folding process for folding the sheet P is executed. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the folding process. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the seat P is sandwiched and conveyed in the intermediate path 15 by the first guide roller 31c and the second guide roller 31d. When the tip q of the sheet P passes through the positions of the first guide roller 31c and the second guide roller 31d, the tip q of the sheet P is guided downward in the figure by the guide wall 31f (FIG. 3B). Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the tip q of the sheet P is pulled in by the first folding roller 31a and the second guide roller 31d facing each other and comes into contact with the wall 31g of the pulling portion 31e. After that, the sheet P is pushed by the first guide roller 31c and the second guide roller 31d, and proceeds to the back of the retracting portion 31e while sliding in contact with the wall 31g. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the tip q abuts on the end portion 31h of the retracting portion 31e. As shown in FIG. 1, the retracting portion 31e is formed substantially parallel to the intermediate path 15 on the lower side of the intermediate path 15, and at the stage of FIG. 3C, the sheet P is the second guide roller 31d. It wraps around and bends in a U shape.

When the sheet P is further pushed by the first guide roller 31c and the second guide roller 31d from the state of FIG. 3C, the intermediate position r of the sheet P is bent as shown in FIG. 3D. When the bending intermediate position r comes into contact with the second folding roller 31b, the intermediate position r of the sheet P becomes the first folding roller due to the frictional force received from the second folding roller 31b as shown in FIG. 3 (E). It is drawn into the nip portion between the 31a and the second folding roller 31b. Then, as shown in FIG. 3F, the sheet P is sandwiched and conveyed by the first folding roller 31a and the second folding roller 31b in a state of being folded with the intermediate position r as a crease, and the intermediate position r is on the tip side. Is discharged from the folding device 31.

Assuming that the length of the sheet P in the transport direction is L, the depth N (FIG. 3 (E)) of the retractable portion 31e can be set to L / 2. The depth N of the pull-in portion 31e is the distance from the nip portion between the first folding roller 31a and the second folding roller 31b to the end portion 31h of the pull-in portion 31e. By setting the depth N in this way, in the folding device 31, a process of folding the sheet P in half (middle folding) is performed at a position half of the sheet P in the transport direction. The depth N of the retracted portion 31e is not limited to half the length L of the sheet P in the transport direction. The depth N of the retracted portion 31e can be arbitrarily adjusted according to the position of the crease of the seat P.

The configuration of the folding device 31 is not limited to the configuration of FIG. For example, a folding mechanism that forms a crease by pressing the blade against the sheet P and pushing it into the nip portion of the roller pair can be used. Further, the folding process is not limited to the folding process in two, and the folding process such as Z folding and tri-folding can be executed. Since the folding device 31 of the present embodiment is composed of a rotating roller and a fixed pull-in portion 31e, the drive mechanism can be simplified as compared with a folding mechanism using a blade that reciprocates. Further, since the folding machine 31 of the present embodiment may be provided with a pull-in portion 31e having a depth N of half the sheet length in addition to the four rollers, the post-processing unit 30 can be downsized.

Returning to FIG. 1, the sheet P that has passed through the folding device 31 is conveyed to the second fixing device 32. The second fuser 32 has a fixing configuration similar to that of the first fuser 6. Specifically, the second fixing device 32 has a heating roller 32b as a heating member and a pressure roller 32a as a pressure member. The heating roller 32b is heated by a heating element such as a halogen lamp or a ceramic heater or an induction heating type heating mechanism. The pressure roller 32a is pressed against the heating roller 32a by an urging member such as a spring, and pressurizes the sheet P passing through the nip portion (crimping nip) between the heating roller 32b and the pressure roller 32a. Generates pressure.

The sheet P folded by the folding device 31 is heated and pressurized by the second fixing device 32. That is, the second fixing device 32 heats and remelts the powder adhesive that adheres to the sheet P to form an adhesive image, and brings the opposing regions of the folded sheets P into close contact with each other by pressure. After passing through the second fixing device 32, the powder adhesive Tn cools and hardens, so that the regions facing each other across the crease of the sheet P adhere to each other. The sheet P that has passed through the second fuser 32 is discharged to the discharge unit 35.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the powder image is transferred to the transfer belt 3 in the order of the process cartridges 7n, 7y, 7m, and 7c. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the toner images of three colors and the adhesive image are superimposed, the adhesive image of the powder adhesive Tn becomes the lowest layer (the layer in contact with the transfer belt 3) in the transfer belt 3. Yellow (Ty), magenta (Tm), and cyan (Tc) toner images are superimposed on it in order. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the adhesive image is the uppermost layer on the sheet P. Since the adhesive image is the uppermost layer, the facing regions of the folded sheets P can be adhered to each other by the second fixing device 32.

As the toners Ty, Tm and Tc, various known toners can be used. For example, a toner using a thermoplastic resin as a binder resin can be used. Further, a toner using a polyester resin, a vinyl resin, an acrylic resin, a styrene acrylic resin or the like can also be used. Further, the toner may contain a colorant, a magnetic material, a charge control agent, a wax, and an external additive.

As the powder adhesive Tn, a powder adhesive containing a thermoplastic resin can be used. Further, the powder adhesive Tn is a known heat of polyester resin, vinyl resin, acrylic resin, styrene acrylic resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyolefin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer resin and the like. It may contain a plastic resin. Further, the powder adhesive Tn may contain wax. Specifically, for example, it may contain an ester wax which is an ester of an alcohol and an acid, a hydrocarbon wax such as a paraffin wax, or the like. Further, the powder adhesive Tn may also contain a colorant. As the colorant, known colorants such as a black colorant, a yellow colorant, a magenta colorant, and a cyan colorant can be used. The content of the colorant in the powder adhesive Tn can be 1.0% by mass or less. Further, the content of the colorant in the powder adhesive Tn can be 0.1% by mass or less. Further, the powder adhesive Tn may contain a magnetic substance, a charge control agent, a wax, and an external additive.

In order to attach the powder adhesive Tn to the sheet P by using the electrophotographic method, for example, a powder adhesive Tn having a weight average particle size of 5.0 μm or more and 30 μm or less may be used. can. A toner used for printing can also be used as the powder adhesive Tn as long as it satisfies the adhesiveness.

The control unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 controls the entire image forming apparatus 1. For example, the control unit 100 controls the operation of the above-mentioned image forming unit for forming at least one of a toner image and an adhesive image on the sheet P by an electrophotographic process. In particular, in the present embodiment, regarding the operation of forming the adhesive image, the control unit 100 continuously covers the length of the powder adhesive on the photoconductor 101 at the same position in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the sheet P. Control is performed to prevent a decrease in adhesive strength due to being supplied. The control of the image forming operation of the adhesive image performed by the control unit 100 will be described in detail later. The control unit 100 may include a processor for executing a computer program and a memory for storing the computer program. The memory of the control unit 100 may store data indicating one or more of the image formation patterns described later.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a deliverable that can be produced by the image forming apparatus 1 and an example of an adhesive section and a non-adhesive section related to the deliverable. In the example of FIG. 5A, the sheet P is composed of two regions 52a and 52b with the crease 51 as a boundary. A toner image surrounded by a dotted rectangle is formed on the back surface of the region 52a. Further, a U-shaped adhesive image shown by shaded diagonal lines is formed across the two regions 52a. In the section _WA corresponding to a part of the width direction W orthogonal to the transport direction H, the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet P along the transport direction. This section _WA is referred to as an adhesive section in the following description. In the section _WB corresponding to the remaining portion of the width direction W, the powder adhesive is adhered to the front end portion and the rear end portion in the transport direction of the sheet P, but the powder adhesive is not adhered to the other portions. .. This section _WB is referred to as a non-adhesive section in the following description.

When the sheet P of FIG. 5A is folded in two at the crease 51 and the folded sheet P is heated and pressed by the second fuser 32, the powder adhesives in which the opposite regions 52a and 52b are once melted are melted. Adheres by the action of. Then, in the example of FIG. 5, since the non-adhesive section _WB is provided in the width direction W, the sheet P becomes a bag-shaped deliverable 55 (the contents are placed in the portion corresponding to the non-adhesive section _WB ). Can be accommodated). The deliverable 55 may be, for example, a drug bag on which the name of the drug and other information for accommodating the drug prescribed in the pharmacy are printed. In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 is used to form the toner image and bond with the powder adhesive non-stop (that is, collectively in one job) in order to easily and quickly create the deliverable 55. Can be used.

The deliverable produced by using the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to the medicine bag. For example, the deliverable may be a bag for accommodating any item such as small items, souvenirs or tickets. Further, the deliverable may be a crimping document (for example, a crimping postcard or a pay slip) in which information to be kept secret such as personal information is printed on the inside. In the case of a crimped document, unlike the example of FIG. 5A, the powder adhesive may be adhered to all four sides of the sheet P. Compared to bags that require a certain degree of sealing strength, for crimped documents that assume that the user can remove the adhesive and open the document to check the information inside, the amount of powder adhesive Tn adhered per unit area. Adjustments may be made to reduce the amount of.

Here, consider a case where an adhesive image is continuously formed on one or more sheets P. In the adhesive section _WA corresponding to a part of the width direction W of the sheet P, in order to prevent the contents from spilling out and the information to be concealed to be peeped when the deliverable is used, it is continuously along the transport direction. It is necessary to attach the powder adhesive to the sheet P. However, when an attempt is made to continuously supply the powder adhesive to the photoconductor 101 from the same position in the rotation axis direction (corresponding to the width direction W) of the developing roller 105, the powder adhesive is adhered from the supply roller 106 to the developing roller 105. The supply of the agent may not be able to keep up. As a result, if the required amount of powder adhesive does not adhere to the photoconductor 101, less powder adhesive will be transferred to the sheet P, and the adhesive surface will be unintentionally peeled off, the bottom of the bag will come off, or the product will adhere when the product is created. There is a risk that problems such as the parts to be adhered not adhering may occur.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 100 controls the operation for forming the adhesive image in the image forming unit so that different patterns are used at different timings as the image forming pattern of the adhesive section. For example, in the first transport period of the period in which one or more sheets P are transported, the control unit 100 uses the image formation pattern of the adhesive image formed in the adhesive section as the first pattern. Next, in the second transport period following the first transport period, the control unit 100 sets the image formation pattern of the adhesive image formed in the bonding section as a second pattern different from the first pattern. At a certain position in the bonding section, the photoconductor 101 is exposed to the laser beam in the first pattern, while the photoconductor 101 is not exposed to the laser beam at the same position in the second pattern. This means that when focusing on one position in the bonding section, there is a blank period in which the powder adhesive is not supplied from the developing roller 105 to the photoconductor 101 at that position. However, the control unit 100 continues to supply the powder adhesive from the accommodating unit 104 to the supply roller 106 and the developing roller 105 throughout the first transfer period and the second transfer period. As a result, the powder adhesive supported by the developing roller 105 is replenished during the blank period, and it is prevented that the amount of the powder adhesive to be attached to the sheet P is insufficient at the required timing.

In order to use a plurality of different image forming patterns in the bonding section while switching in time, the bonding section may be expanded as compared with the example shown in FIG. 5 (A). The wider the width of the entire bonding section, the stronger the bonding force can be secured, while the capacity of the bag when the bag is made from the sheet P, for example, becomes smaller. The width of the bonding section to be secured depends on the requirements imposed on the produced deliverables and does not limit the technology according to the present disclosure. Some examples of the relationship between the structure of the bonding section and the transport period and the image formation pattern used in each transport period will be further described in the following sections.

<2. First Example>
In the first embodiment, the bonding section _WA is expanded to include a first bonding section located at one end of the sheet and a second bonding section located at the other end in the width direction W. The control unit 100 images the image forming pattern A1 in the first transport period and the image forming pattern _A2 in the second transport period following the first transport period in order to form the adhesive image of the adhesive section WA. Let the forming part use it. Typically, the first transport period is a period for forming an adhesive image on the first sheet P1, and the second transport period is a period for forming an adhesive image on the second sheet P2 following the first sheet P1. It can be a period to form.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of temporal switching of an image forming pattern in the first embodiment in comparison with a comparative example. FIG. 6A shows a comparative example. In this comparative example, the bonding section _WA is not expanded, and the powder adhesive is adhered to the entire bonding section _WA without interruption over the first sheet P1 and the second sheet P2 following the first sheet P1. To. In the figure, the area on the sheet to which the powder adhesive is attached is shaded with diagonal lines (and dots). It can be said that this shading shows the region where the photoconductor 101 is exposed to the laser beam, that is, the state of the electrostatic latent image.

FIG. 6B shows an example of temporal switching of the image formation pattern according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6B, the bonding section _WA includes the first bonding section _WA1 and the second bonding section _WA2 . The first bonding section _{WA1 is located at the left end of the sheet in the figure, and the second bonding section WA2 is} located at the right end of the sheet in the figure. _In the first transport period H11 for forming an adhesive image on the first sheet P1, the image forming pattern A1 is used. The image forming pattern _A1 is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the first adhesive section WA1 and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the second adhesive section _WA2 . On the other hand, in the second transport period _H12 for forming an adhesive image on the subsequent second sheet P2, the image forming pattern A2 is used. The image forming pattern A2 is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the second adhesive section _WA2 , and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the first adhesive section _WA1 . Although not shown in the figure, when one or more sheets following the second sheet P2 are further present, two image forming patterns A1, A2, A1, A2, ... For each of these sheets, and so on. Image-forming patterns can be applied sequentially and alternately. By switching the image formation pattern in time in this way, it is possible to provide a blank period in which the powder adhesive is not supplied to the photoconductor 101 for a certain period at any position in the width direction W of the sheet. That is, the first transport period H ₁₁ is a blank period for the position belonging to the second bonding section _WA2 , and the second transport period H ₁₂ is a blank period for the position belonging to the first bonding section _WA1 . In the example of FIG. 6, before and after each of the first transport period H ₁₁ and the second transport period H ₁₂ , the powder adhesive is adhered to the entire width direction W of each sheet for a short period (dot shading). ) Is also provided.

In the example of FIG. 6C, it is assumed that the same toner image is formed on each sheet. The image forming pattern used is the same as in the example of FIG. 6B, that is, the image forming pattern A1 is used for the first sheet P1 in the first transport period _H11 , and the second is used in the second transport period _H12 . The image forming pattern A2 is used for the sheet P2. Referring to FIG. 6C, the toner image 61 is formed in the upper region (back surface) of the first sheet P1 in the drawing. Here, with respect to the second sheet P2 following the first sheet P1, the position where the powder adhesive is adhered is switched from the left side to the right side of the sheet. Therefore, the control unit 100 controls the image forming unit so that the rotating toner image 62 obtained by rotating the toner image 61 by 180 degrees is formed in (the back surface of) the lower region of the second sheet P2. By folding each sheet in two with such control, it is possible to continuously create a plurality of bags having the same design.

In this embodiment, the length of each of the first transport period H ₁₁ and the second transport period H ₁₂ is, for example, the rotation cycle of the developing roller 105 or more. In this case, it is guaranteed that the developing roller 105 rotates at least one revolution in each blank period, and the powder adhesive can be reliably replenished from the supply roller 106 in the entire rotation direction of the developing roller 105.

In this embodiment, each of the image forming patterns A1 and A2 may be continuously used over two or more sheets as long as the supply amount of the powder adhesive is not insufficient. That is, the present invention is not limited to the example of FIG. 6, and a sequence of image forming patterns such as patterns A1, A1, A2, A2, A1, A1, ... May be adopted for each sheet.

The inventors continuously created 1000 bags from 1000 sheets in the sequence of the image forming patterns of the comparative example of FIG. 6 (A) and the first embodiment of FIG. 6 (B). An experiment was conducted. In the experiment, the width of the bonding section _WA in the comparative example and the width of each of the first bonding section _{WA1 and the second bonding section WA2 in} the first embodiment were set to about 5 mm. As a result of the experiment, in the comparative example, when the adhesive image was formed on the about 100th sheet, the supply amount of the powder adhesive was insufficient, and problems such as bottoming out or non-adhesion of the bag occurred. On the other hand, the method of the first embodiment succeeded in continuously producing 1000 bags without causing any trouble. As described above, according to the first embodiment, the continuous supply of the powder adhesive from the same position in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 105 is suppressed, so that the shortage of the supply amount of the powder adhesive is avoided. As a result, the required adhesive strength for the deliverable can be secured. The width of each adhesive section is not limited to the above-mentioned example as long as the required adhesive force is secured.

As can be seen from FIG. 6, in the first embodiment, the dead space, i.e., the area where the powder adhesive is not attached but is not used for the purpose of the deliverable (eg, contributes to the capacity of the bag). Areas that do not exist) are not born. Therefore, the first embodiment is useful from the viewpoint of effective utilization of the sheet as a material.

<3. Second Example>
In the second embodiment, the bonding section _WA is located at one end of the sheet in the width direction W, and is extended so as to be divided into at least the first bonding section and the second bonding section in the width direction W. .. The control unit 100 causes the image forming unit to use different image forming patterns in the first transport period and the subsequent second transport period in order to form the adhesive image of the adhesive section _WA . Also in the second embodiment, the first transport period is a period for forming an adhesive image on the first sheet P1, and the second transport period is a period for adhering to the second sheet P2 following the first sheet P1. It can be a period for forming an image.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of temporal switching of the image formation pattern in the second embodiment. Referring to FIG. _7A , the bonding section WA is composed of an adjacent first bonding section _{WA1 and a second bonding section WA2 .} The bonding section _WA is located at the left end of the sheet in the figure. _In the first transport period H11 for forming an adhesive image on the first sheet P1, the image forming pattern B11 is used. The image forming pattern B11 is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the first adhesive section _{WA1 and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the second adhesive section WA2 .} On the other hand, in the second transport period _H12 for forming an adhesive image on the subsequent second sheet P2, the image forming pattern B12 is used. The image forming pattern B12 is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the second adhesive section _WA2 , and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the first adhesive section _WA1 . Although not shown in the figure, when one or more sheets following the second sheet P2 are further present, two image forming patterns B11, B12, B11, B12, ... For each of these sheets, and so on. Image-forming patterns can be applied sequentially and alternately. By switching the image formation pattern in time in this way, it is possible to provide a blank period in which the powder adhesive is not supplied to the photoconductor 101 for a certain period at any position in the width direction W of the sheet. That is, the first transport period H ₁₁ is a blank period for the position belonging to the second bonding section _WA2 , and the second transport period H ₁₂ is a blank period for the position belonging to the first bonding section _WA1 . Also in the example of FIG. 7, a short period (dot shading) in which the powder adhesive is adhered to the entire width direction W of each sheet before and after each of the first transport period H ₁₁ and the second transport period H ₁₂ . ) Is also provided.

In the example of FIG. 7B, the bonding section _WA is composed of the adjacent first bonding section _{WA1, the second bonding section WA2, and} the third bonding section _WA3 . The bonding section _WA is located at the left end of the sheet in the figure. _In the first transport period H11 for forming an adhesive image on the first sheet P1, the image forming pattern B21 is used. In the image forming pattern B21, the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the first adhesive section _WA1 , and the powder adhesive is applied to the sheet in the second adhesive section _WA2 and the third adhesive section _WA3 . It is a pattern that does not adhere to. In the second transport period _H12 for forming an adhesive image on the subsequent second sheet P2, the image forming pattern B22 is used. In the image forming pattern B22, the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the second adhesive section _WA2 , and the powder adhesive is applied to the sheet in the first adhesive section _WA1 and the third adhesive section _WA3 . It is a pattern that does not adhere to. Further, _in the third transport period H13 for forming an adhesive image on the subsequent third sheet P3, the image forming pattern B23 is used. In the image forming pattern B23, the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the third adhesive section _WA3 , and the powder adhesive is applied to the sheet in the first adhesive section _WA1 and the second adhesive section _WA2 . It is a pattern that does not adhere to. Although not shown in the figure, when one or more sheets following the third sheet P3 are further present, the image forming patterns B21, B22, B23, B21, B22, B23 ... Three image formation patterns can be applied iteratively. By switching the image formation pattern in time in this way, it is possible to provide a blank period over a certain period at any position in the width direction W of the sheet.

Also in the example of FIG. 7C, the bonding section _WA is composed of the adjacent first bonding section _{WA1, the second bonding section WA2, and} the third bonding section _WA3 . However, in the first transport period H11 for forming the adhesive image _on the first sheet P1, the image forming pattern B31 is used. In the image forming pattern B31, the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the second adhesive section _WA2 , and the powder adhesive is applied to the sheet in the first adhesive section _WA1 and the third adhesive section _WA3 . It is a pattern that does not adhere to. In the second transport period _H12 for forming an adhesive image on the subsequent second sheet P2, the image forming pattern B32 is used. In the image forming pattern B32, the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the first adhesive section _{WA1 and the third adhesive section WA3 ,} and the powder adhesive is applied to the sheet in the second adhesive section _WA2 . It is a pattern that does not adhere to. By switching the image formation pattern in time in this way, it is possible to provide a blank period over a certain period at any position in the width direction W of the sheet. The image forming pattern B32 of FIG. 7C is a pattern in which a plurality of striped regions to which the powder adhesive is adhered are formed on the sheet in the form of a plurality of stripes, but the number of the strips is not limited to two. For example, the number may be three or more.

In the example of FIG. 7D, the bonding section _{WA is composed of a slightly overlapping first bonding section WA1'and a second bonding section WA2 ' . In} the first transport period H11 for forming an adhesive image on the first sheet P1, the image forming pattern B41 is used. The image forming pattern B41 is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the first adhesive section _WA1 ', and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the remaining section. In the second transport period _H12 for forming an adhesive image on the second sheet P2, the image forming pattern B42 is used. The image forming pattern B42 is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the second adhesive section _WA2 ', and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the remaining section. In the example of FIG. 7D, there is no blank period for a small section _WOL in which the first bonding section _WA1'and the second bonding section _WA2 ' overlap. However, if such an overlapping section _WOL is sufficiently narrow, the supply amount of the powder adhesive will not be insufficient, and therefore such a structure of the bonding section may also be adopted. For example, when the width of each of the first bonding section _WA1'and the second bonding section _WA2'is 6 mm and the width of the overlapping section _WOL is 1 mm, there is a problem caused by insufficient supply of powder adhesive. The inventors have confirmed that the required adhesive strength can be secured without the occurrence of.

Of course, the bonding section _WA may be located at the right end of the sheet in the drawing without being limited to the illustrated example.

In any of the examples shown in FIG. 7, a toner image may be formed on each sheet in addition to the adhesive image. In these examples, the position where the powder adhesive is attached in the width direction is not flipped horizontally for each sheet, so that the toner image does not have to be rotated for each sheet.

Also in this embodiment, the length of each transport period is, for example, the rotation cycle of the developing roller 105 or more. In this case, it is guaranteed that the developing roller 105 rotates at least one revolution in each blank period, and the powder adhesive can be reliably replenished from the supply roller 106 in the entire rotation direction of the developing roller 105. However, in the example of FIG. 7B, if the total length of the two transport periods is equal to or longer than the rotation cycle of the developing roller 105, the above-mentioned effect of reliable replenishment of the powder adhesive can be achieved. .. Further, the same image forming pattern may be continuously used over two or more sheets as long as the supply amount of the powder adhesive is not insufficient.

In the sequence of image formation patterns of the second embodiment of FIG. 7 (A), the inventors continuously from 1000 sheets, as in the experiment described above in connection with the first embodiment. An experiment was conducted to make 1000 bags. Again, the width of each of the first bonding section WA1 and the second bonding section WA2 is set to about 5 mm. As a result of the experiment, even in the method of the second embodiment, 1000 bags were continuously produced without causing problems such as bottoming out or non-adhesion of the bags. As described above, also in the second embodiment, since the continuous supply of the powder adhesive from the same position in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 105 is suppressed, the shortage of the supply amount of the powder adhesive is avoided. Therefore, the required adhesive force for the deliverable can be secured. Again, the width of each adhesive section is not limited to the above-mentioned example as long as the required adhesive force is secured.

Compared with the first embodiment described in the previous section, in the second embodiment, the position where the powder adhesive is adhered is not reversed left and right for each sheet in the width direction. This means that when multiple deliverables are continuously created from multiple sheets, the orientation of the deliverables will be constant. Therefore, at the end of the job, when the user takes out the deliverables from the discharge unit 35, the directions of the deliverables are aligned. Therefore, the second embodiment provides an advantage that the workload of the user can be reduced as compared with the first embodiment. Further, in the second embodiment, when it is necessary to form the same toner image on a plurality of sheets, the toner image does not have to be rotated for each sheet, so that the implementation of the image forming process is not complicated. Can be done.

Further, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, focusing on one sheet, the powder adhesive is actually adhered to the sheet (that is, the photoconductor 101 is exposed to the laser beam) in the width direction W. The section of is constant regardless of the position in the transport direction. Therefore, the control unit 100 does not need to store the two-dimensional pattern of the adhesive image in advance, but simply determines whether or not each pixel position in the width direction W belongs to the above section, and is an appropriate image. The formation pattern can be instructed to the image forming portion. Thus, the present embodiment provides the advantage of not consuming a large amount of memory resources for storing the image formation pattern. This also applies to the first embodiment described above.

In the example of FIG. 5, the product 55 as a bag is formed by attaching a powder adhesive to one side parallel to the transport direction H and two sides parallel to the width direction W and folding the powder adhesive at the crease 51 in the center of the transport direction. Has been created. The side with the bonding section _WA is the bottom of the bag, and the side on the opposite side (upper side in the figure) is the opening of the bag. As another example, it is also possible to create a bag having the crease 51 as the bottom of the bag by applying the powder adhesive only to the two sides parallel to the transport direction H and folding the crease 51. In this case, the bonding sections _WA are provided at both ends in the width direction W, and the method of this embodiment may be applied to each of the two bonding sections _WA . This also applies to the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment described later.

<4. Third Example>
Also in the third embodiment, the bonding section _WA is located at one end of the sheet in the width direction W, and is extended so as to be divided into at least the first bonding section and the second bonding section in the width direction W. do. The control unit 100 causes the image forming unit to use different image forming patterns in the first transport period and the subsequent second transport period in order to form the adhesive image of the adhesive section _WA . However, in the third embodiment, both the first transport period and the second transport period are included in the period for forming the adhesive image on one sheet.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of temporal switching of the image formation pattern in the third embodiment. Referring to FIG. _8A , the bonding section WA is composed of an adjacent first bonding section _{WA1 and a second bonding section WA2 .} The bonding section _WA is located at the left end of the sheet in the figure. _In the first transport period H21, which corresponds to the first half of the period for forming the adhesive image on the sheet P, the image forming pattern C1 is used. The image forming pattern C1 is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the first adhesive section _{WA1 and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the second adhesive section WA2 .} On the other hand, in the second transport period H ₂₂ corresponding to the latter half of the period for forming the adhesive image on the sheet P, the image forming pattern C2 is used. The image forming pattern C2 is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction H in the second adhesive section _WA2 , and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the first adhesive section _WA1 . By switching the image formation pattern in time in this way, it is possible to provide a blank period in which the powder adhesive is not supplied to the photoconductor 101 for a certain period at any position in the width direction W of the sheet. In the example of FIG. 8, a short period (dot shading) in which the powder adhesive is adhered to the entire width direction W of each sheet before the first transport period H ₂₁ and after the second transport period H ₂₂ . ) Is also provided. The example of FIG. 8B is different from the example of FIG. 8A in that the image forming pattern C2 is used in the first transport period H ₂₁ and the image forming pattern C1 is used in the second transport period H ₂₂ . different.

Also in the example of FIG. 8C, the bonding section _WA is composed of the adjacent first bonding section _{WA1 and the second bonding section WA2 .} The period for forming the adhesive image on the sheet P is here divided into four transport periods H ₃₁ , H ₃₂ , H ₃₃ and H ₃₄ . In the first transport period H ₃₁ , the image forming pattern C1 is used. In the second transport period H ₃₂ , the image forming pattern C2 is used. In the third transport period H ₃₃ , the image forming pattern C1 is used again. In the fourth transport period _H34 , the image formation pattern C2 is used again. In the example of FIG. 8C, about 1/4 of the length of the sheet P in the transport direction is the length of one blank period. For example, when the length L of the sheet P in the transport direction is equal to the length 297 mm in the longitudinal direction of the A4 size, 1/4 of the length L is about 74 mm. In this case, for example, if the circumference of the developing roller 105 is 74 mm or less, the developing roller 105 can rotate at least one revolution during each blank period, and the powder adhesive can be applied to the entire rotation direction of the developing roller 105. Reliable replenishment is possible. In the example of FIG. 8D, the image formation pattern C2 is used in the first transport period H ₃₁ and the third transport period H ₃₃ , and the image formation pattern C1 is used in the second transport period H ₃₂ and the fourth transport period H ₃₄ . It differs from the example of FIG. 8C in that it is used.

In the example of FIG. 8E, the bonding section _{WA is composed of a slightly overlapping first bonding section WA1'and a second bonding section WA2 ' .} As described in connection with FIG. 7 (D), even if there is no blank period for such a small overlapping section, if the overlapping section is narrow enough, the supply amount of the powder adhesive is insufficient. Such a structure of the bonding section may also be adopted as it does not occur.

Of course, the bonding section _WA may be located at the right end of the sheet in the drawing without being limited to the illustrated example. Further, a toner image may be formed on each sheet in addition to the adhesive image.

Also in the third embodiment, the position where the powder adhesive is adhered in the width direction is not inverted for each sheet, so that the orientations of the deliverables created from the plurality of sheets are already aligned at the end of the job. Therefore, the third embodiment also provides the advantage that the workload of the user can be reduced as in the second embodiment. Since it is not necessary to rotate the toner image for each sheet, it is possible to avoid complicated implementation of the image forming process. In addition, in the third embodiment, it is not necessary to switch the adhesive image formed on one sheet for each sheet. Therefore, if an appropriate pattern of the adhesive image for one sheet is defined in advance, the control unit 100 can use the pattern in common for a plurality of sheets. As described above, the third embodiment provides the advantage that the control of the image forming unit can be further simplified.

<5. Fourth Example>
In the first to third embodiments, the one-dimensional image formation pattern in the width direction (for example, the exposure pattern of the photoconductor 101 for each line along the width direction) is constant in each transport period. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment described in this section, the one-dimensional image formation pattern in the width direction can be displaced linearly or non-linearly with the transfer of the sheet. When the period for forming an adhesive image on one sheet is divided into two or more transport periods, the image formation pattern in the bond section in one transport period is in the bond section in another transport period. It is different from the image formation pattern.

9 and 10 show various examples of image formation patterns in the fourth embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9A, the bonding section _WA is located at the left end of the sheet in the figure. The width of the section where the powder adhesive actually adheres to the sheet (hereinafter referred to as the adhesion section) is equal to half the width of the adhesion section _WA . The adhesion section is linearly displaced in the width direction along with the transfer of the sheet in the adhesion section WA to draw an inclined strip _- shaped two-dimensional pattern. In this example of FIG. 9A, the image formation pattern of the first transport period H ₂₁ is different from the image formation pattern of the second transport period H ₂₂ . In this way, at each position of the sheet in the width direction W, a blank period is created in which the powder adhesive is not supplied to the photoconductor 101. FIG. 9B shows an example in which the same image formation pattern as in FIG. 9A is flipped horizontally in the bonding section _WA . In the example of FIG. 9C, the adhesion section repeats the linear displacement in the width direction twice with the transfer of the sheet in the adhesion section _WA . In this example of FIG. 9C, the image formation pattern of the first transport period H ₃₁ is different from the image formation pattern of the second transport period H ₃₂ . Also in the examples of FIGS. 9 (D) to 9 (I), the adhesion section is displaced in the width direction together with the transfer of the sheet in the wider adhesion section, and as a result, the image formation pattern in a certain transfer period is different. It will be different from the image formation pattern in the transport period of.

Referring to FIG. 10 ( _A ), the adhesive section WA is located at the left end of the sheet in the figure. The adhesion section is non-linearly displaced in the width direction along with the sheet transfer in the adhesion section WA to draw an arc _- shaped two-dimensional pattern. In this example of FIG. 10A, the image formation pattern of the first transport period H ₂₁ is different from the image formation pattern of the second transport period H ₂₂ . In this way, at each position of the sheet in the width direction W, a blank period is created in which the powder adhesive is not supplied to the photoconductor 101. FIG. 10B shows an example in which the arc-shaped image forming pattern of FIG. 10A is horizontally inverted in the bonding section _WA . In the example of FIG. 10C, the adhesion section repeats a non-linear displacement in the width direction twice along the time axis in the adhesion section _WA . In this example of FIG. 10C, the image formation pattern of the first transport period H ₃₁ is different from the image formation pattern of the second transport period H ₃₂ . Also in the examples of FIGS. 10 (D) to 10 (H), the adhesion section is displaced in the width direction together with the transfer of the sheet in the wider adhesion section, and as a result, the image formation pattern in a certain transfer period is different. It will be different from the image formation pattern in the transport period of.

Of course, the bonding section _WA may be located at the right end of the sheet in the drawing without being limited to the illustrated example. Further, a toner image may be formed on each sheet in addition to the adhesive image.

Also in the fourth embodiment, the position where the powder adhesive is adhered in the width direction is not inverted for each sheet, so that the orientations of the deliverables created from the plurality of sheets are already aligned at the end of the job. Therefore, the fourth embodiment also provides the advantage that the work load of the user can be reduced as in the second embodiment and the third embodiment. Since it is not necessary to rotate the toner image for each sheet, it is possible to avoid complicated implementation of the image forming process. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, as in the third embodiment, it is not necessary to switch the adhesive image formed on one sheet for each sheet, so that the control of the image forming portion can be further simplified. Provide benefits.

So far, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10, many examples regarding the relationship between the structure of the bonding section and the transport period and the image formation pattern used in each transport period have been described. It may be combined. For example, any two or more of the adhesive images exemplified in FIGS. 8 to 10 may be used in a form in which the adhesive image is switched for each sheet as in the second embodiment. Further, although each figure shows an example in which the adhesive image is a binary image, the adhesive image may be a multi-valued image having gradation. For example, in the region where the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the above-mentioned image forming pattern, the powder adhesive may actually be thinly adhered to the sheet.

Further, the adhesive image formed on one sheet does not necessarily have to be line-symmetrical or rotationally symmetric. However, if a line-symmetrical adhesive image is formed with the crease as the center, the adhesive adheres to both the facing regions of the folded sheet, and a stronger adhesive force can be obtained. An axisymmetric adhesive image centered on these creases would be useful if strong adhesive strength is desired in the application of the deliverable.

<6. Other embodiments>
In the above embodiment, a program that realizes one or more functions is supplied to a system or an apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or the apparatus read and execute the program. It is also feasible in the form. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

The invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, a claim is attached to publicize the scope of the invention.

7n, 7y, 7m, 7c: Process cartridge, 100: Control unit

Claims (14)

An image-forming means for forming an adhesive image of a powder adhesive on a sheet to be conveyed by an electrophotographic process.
As an image forming pattern of the bonding section corresponding to a part of the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the sheet, the first pattern is used in the first transport period, and the second transport period following the first transport period is described. A control means for controlling the image forming means so as to use a second pattern different from the first pattern,
An adhesive device, characterized in that it comprises. The bonding section includes a first bonding section located at one end of the sheet and a second bonding section located at the other end of the sheet in the width direction.
The first pattern is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction in the first adhesive section, and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the second adhesive section.
The second pattern is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction in the second adhesive section, and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the first adhesive section.
The first transport period is a period for forming an adhesive image on the first sheet, and the second transport period is a period for forming an adhesive image on the second sheet following the first sheet. Is,
The adhesive device according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive device is characterized in that. The image forming means further forms a toner image on the sheet by an electrophotographic process.
When the control means is required to form the same toner image on the first sheet and the second sheet, the control means produces a rotating toner image obtained by rotating the toner image formed on the first sheet by 180 degrees. The image forming means is controlled so as to be formed on the second sheet.
2. The adhesive device according to claim 2. The bonding section is located at least at one end of the sheet in the width direction, and is divided into at least a first bonding section and a second bonding section in the width direction.
The first pattern is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction in the first adhesive section, and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the second adhesive section.
The second pattern is a pattern in which the powder adhesive is continuously adhered to the sheet along the transport direction in the second adhesive section, and the powder adhesive is not adhered to the sheet in the first adhesive section.
The adhesive device according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive device is characterized in that. The bonding device according to claim 4, wherein the bonding section comprises adjacent first bonding sections and the second bonding section. The first transport period is a period for forming an adhesive image on the first sheet, and the second transport period is a period for forming an adhesive image on the second sheet following the first sheet. The adhesive device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that. The adhesive device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein both the first transfer period and the second transfer period are included in a period for forming an adhesive image on one sheet. The image forming means includes a photoconductor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed and a developing roller that supplies the powder adhesive to the photoconductor for developing the electrostatic latent image.
In the control means, the powder adhesive is not supplied to the photoconductor during the first transport period in the second bonding section, and the powder adhesive is applied to the photoconductor over the second transport period in the first bonding section. By controlling the image forming means so as not to be supplied to
The length of each of the first transport period and the second transport period is equal to or longer than the rotation cycle of the developing roller.
The adhesive device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the adhesive device is characterized by the above. The image forming means further includes an accommodating portion for accommodating the powder adhesive supplied to the developing roller.
The powder adhesive is supplied from the accommodating portion to the developing roller throughout the first transport period and the second transport period.
The adhesive device according to claim 8, wherein the adhesive device is characterized in that. The bonding section is located at least at one end of the sheet in the width direction.
Both the first transport period and the second transport period are included in the period for forming an adhesive image on one sheet, and each of the first pattern and the second pattern is the powder adhesive. It is a pattern in which the section adhering to the sheet is displaced in the width direction within the adhering section with the transportation of the sheet.
The adhesive device according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive device is characterized in that. The adhesive device according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the image forming means further forms a toner image on the sheet by an electrophotographic process. A folding means for folding the sheet on which the adhesive image is formed by the image forming means, and a folding means.
A heating means that heats and pressurizes the sheet folded by the folding means, and
The adhesive device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising. Further provided is a fixing means for fixing the adhesive image to the sheet by heating and pressurizing the sheet on which the adhesive image is formed by the image forming means.
The folding means is provided on the downstream side of the fixing means in the transport direction of the sheet.
12. The adhesive device according to claim 12. The heating means heats and remelts the powder adhesive adhering to the sheet in the bonding section to bond the opposed regions of the folded sheets to each other.
By providing the non-adhesive section in the width direction, the sheet becomes bag-shaped after the adhesion by the heating means.
The adhesive device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the adhesive device is characterized in that.

Images