JP2519620Y2 - Paper folding machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a paper folding machine provided between a copying machine and a sheet accommodating means such as a sorter and capable of folding a large-sized sheet and conveying it to the sorter. In particular, the present invention relates to a device which is provided with a bypass conveyance path separate from the conveyance path of a paper folding machine and is configured to convey a small size sheet to a sorter without passing through the paper folding machine.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, a sorter is connected to a copying machine, and a large-sized copy created by the copying machine is automatically folded into a predetermined size by a paper folding machine to form a copy of the same size. Sorting and stacking are performed on trays of sheet storage means such as a sorter. The above-mentioned paper folding machine is provided, for example, in the intermediate processing device 5 as shown in FIG. 2, and the switching claw 6 is provided adjacent to the carry-out port of the copying machine. Ten
It is transported to and can be automatically folded. Further, a bypass transport path 7a is provided separately from the paper transport path leading to the paper folding machine 10, and means for transporting a small-sized copy directly to the sorter via the bypass transport path 7a is used. . The paper transport path before and after the paper folding machine is configured by a carry-in path 18 and a carry-out path 19,
The terminal end of the carry-out path 19 joins the bypass carrying path 7a and is connected to the sorter via the discharge roller 9, and according to the paper size information set in the copying machine,
The switching claw 6 is operated to switch between the two paper transport paths.

Further, in the illustrated paper folding machine 10, four paper folding rollers 11 to 14 and insertion paths 15 and 16 are arranged. Is inserted into the insertion path 15 from the carry-in path 18, a first fold is formed between the rollers 12 and 13, and the leading end of the sheet is inserted into the insertion path 16. Then, after that, a second fold is formed by the rollers 13 and 14, and a mechanism in which the copy folded as Z-fold passes through the carry-out path 19 and is discharged to the sorter is used. .

(Problems to be solved by the invention) However, in a high-performance copying machine which has been widely used recently, a large size document and a small size document are mixed and set in an automatic document feeder. The scheme is used. A document size detecting device provided in an image reading device of a copying machine automatically detects the document size and selects a sheet according to the size to perform copying. Therefore, in a paper folding machine connected to a copying machine equipped with an automatic document feeder, the paper conveyance path is switched according to the paper size information output from the control device of the copying machine, and the paper is conveyed toward the paper folding machine. Means are used to guide the copy to the paper transport path and the bypass transport path.

However, the copy that is introduced into the paper folding machine and is folded is a large-sized copy, and it takes a relatively long time to perform folding by the paper folding machine.
Since the copy guided along the bypass transport path is of a small size, it has characteristics such as a relatively short transport time on the bypass transport path.

Therefore, when a paper folding machine is connected to a copying machine that discharges large and small sized copies in a mixed state, while the large sized copy is folded by the paper folding machine, It is easy for problems such as small size copies to be discharged first through the bypass transport path. Further, even if overtaking of a copy does not occur in the intermediate processing apparatus as described above, a small size copy is simultaneously transferred to the discharge roller at the same time as a large size copy, and these copies cause page distortion. As it is, there is a drawback that an undesirable problem such as accumulation on the tray of the sorter occurs.

In order to prevent the occurrence of such an inconvenient state, in the conventional intermediate processing device, when a small size sheet is conveyed after a large size sheet, the intermediate processing device or the control device of the copying machine is used. It is necessary to temporarily stop the copying operation of the copying machine or temporarily skip the scanning by the image reading device by the output of the paper size signal from the copying machine. However, there are drawbacks such as complicated program settings in. In addition, when the skip mode is set in the copying machine, another problem such as a drastic reduction in the copying efficiency of the copying machine occurs.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventionally used apparatus, and the paper transfer time in the bypass transfer path provided in the intermediate processing device is passed through the paper folding machine. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of preventing the page disorder of the copy from occurring by setting the same as the case.

(Means and Actions for Solving Problems) The present invention has an intermediate processing device provided with a paper folding machine corresponding to the ejecting part of a copying machine, and has a large size by the paper folding machine provided in the intermediate processing device. The present invention relates to an apparatus configured to fold a sheet of a size and discharge it toward a sheet accommodating means such as a sorter. In the present invention, a bypass conveyance path is provided to the paper conveyance path for guiding the paper to the paper folding machine via a switching claw, and the paper conveyance speed of the conveyance roller device provided in the bypass conveyance path is set to the paper folding machine side. And a means for setting the conveying speed so that the passage time of the paper passing through the bypass conveying path is the same as the conveying speed of the sheet passing through the paper folding machine. There is.

Therefore, when the apparatus of the present invention is used, even when large and small size originals are set in the copying machine in a mixed state and copying is performed, while the large size copy is folded by the paper folding machine, It is possible to prevent inconveniences such as a small size copy overtaking. Further, according to the present invention, the time required for a small-sized copy to pass through the bypass conveyance path and the time required for a large-sized copy to be folded and discharged between the copying machine and the sheet accommodating means such as a sorter. Since they are set to be the same, an inconvenient state such as disorder of the pages of the copy accumulated on the tray of the sorter does not occur.

Further, in the apparatus of the present invention, in order to make the copy conveyance speed through the bypass conveyance path the same as the copy speed through the paper folding machine, the bypass conveyance path is configured as a long detour, or Since it is possible to use means such as slowing the transport speed of the transport rollers provided on the path, the mechanism of the intermediate processing device can be arbitrarily selected, and the degree of freedom in designing the intermediate processing device is improved. Will be things.

(Embodiment) The configuration of the device of the present invention will be described according to the illustrated embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate processing device 5 provided with the paper folding machine 10 of the present invention is provided between the copying machine 1 and the sorter 3, and the leading end portion of the paper conveying path is the copying machine 1. Of the sorter 3 and its end is connected to the sheet introduction port of the sorter 3. The sheet conveying path provided in the intermediate processing device 5 of the present invention has a switching pawl 6 at its inlet portion,
The bypass transport path 7 and a carry-in path 18 leading to the paper folding machine 10 are branched, and a plurality of sets of transport rollers 8 are provided in the bypass transport path 7.
Are provided, and the paper is carried by the carrying rollers.

The switching claw 6 provided at the sheet introduction port of the intermediate processing device is provided with information on the size of the original detected by the copying machine,
Alternatively, it can be configured to swing based on the size information of the selected paper, etc., but it is also possible to use size information from other paper size detection devices. Then, according to the information on the size of the paper detected by these detection devices, through the control device of the copying machine, or by the control device provided in the intermediate processing device,
The conveyance mode is set such that the sheet introduced into the intermediate processing device is folded or discharged directly toward the sorter.

Further, the bypass conveyance path 7 is, as shown in the figure,
It is configured as a curved long paper conveyance path, and is set in a state where the time for which the paper passes through the paper conveyance path is lengthened. In addition to this, in the bypass transport path of the present invention, the drive speed of the transport roller 8 provided in the paper transport path is set to be slower than the speed at which a copy is ejected from the copying machine, and the bypass transport path is set. It is possible to set the time for which the paper is conveyed in the path 7 to be long.
This is to prevent a small size sheet passing through the bypass conveyance path from passing while the sheet is being folded by the paper folding machine 10, as described later. Further, a paper folding machine 10 is connected to a carry-in path 18 branched from a bypass carrying path in the intermediate processing device 5 of the present invention, and from the paper folding machine 10 to a sorter 3 via a carry-out path 19. The sorter 3 is connected to the paper conveyance path that reaches the
It is configured to be sent to.

The paper folding machine 10 of the present invention is configured as a Z-folding paper folding machine in the illustrated embodiment, and is provided with four rollers 11 to 14 and insertion paths 15 and 16. There is. Then, after the leading edge of the paper introduced into the insertion path 15 from the carry-in path 18 through the nip portion of the rollers 11 and 12 comes into contact with the stopper of the insertion path 15, the feeding operation is still continued. As a result, buckling occurs at the portion contacting the roller 12 and a fold is formed. After that, the part of the fold is moved along the roller 12 and the rollers 12 and 13
Introduced into the nip portion of and, the first fold is formed.
The sheet in which the first fold is formed and a part of which is superposed is introduced into the second insertion path 16 as it is.

When the leading end of the sheet introduced into the second insertion path 16 comes into contact with the stopper provided at the end of the insertion path 16, buckling occurs near the portion nipped between the rollers 12 and 13. A second fold is formed, which is the roller 1
The sheet, which is introduced between 3 and 14 to be folded and formed as a Z-fold, is guided to the discharge roller 9 through the carry-out path 19 and discharged toward the sorter 3.

In the intermediate processing device of the present invention, as described above,
A large-sized sheet that is folded through the paper folding machine 10 passes through the sheet conveyance path between the switching claw 6 and the discharge roller 9 and a small-sized sheet that is directly discharged through the bypass conveyance path. The sheet is configured so that the time it takes for the sheet to pass through the bypass transport path can be set to be the same, and for that purpose, the above-described configuration of the bypass transport path is adopted.

In addition to this, in the apparatus of the present invention, the speed of the conveyance roller 8 provided in the bypass conveyance path is variably formed, and a program set in the control unit of the intermediate processing apparatus causes a large size sheet to be followed by a small size sheet. It is also possible to reduce the sheet transport speed in the bypass transport path only when the sheet of paper is discharged as a copy. Further, in the case of the above configuration, when the small size sheets are continuously discharged, the retention time of the sheets in the bypass conveyance path can be shortened.

That is, in the intermediate processing device of the present invention, when large and small sized copies are mixed and ejected continuously from the copier, the time required for the large sized paper to pass through the paper folding machine and the small sized paper Since it is possible to set the time when the sheet of paper passes through the bypass conveyance path to be almost the same, when passing the discharge roller 9, the large-sized paper is overtaken by the small-sized paper. It is possible to prevent an inconvenient state from occurring.

In the embodiment of the present invention described above, the copying machine 1
The intermediate processing device 5 is connected to the intermediate processing device 5 and is provided with a mechanism for discharging the sheet folded by the paper folding device toward the sorter 3. However, in the device of the present invention, Arbitrary means such as a mechanism for directly discharging from the processing device to the discharge tray can be used. Further, as the paper folding machine, it is possible to use a device having an arbitrary configuration such as Z-folding, bag-folding, or half-folding. It is also possible to additionally provide other devices such as those which are changed in direction and inserted into the paper folding machine.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the apparatus of the present invention is configured as described above, even when copying large and small size originals in a copying machine in a mixed state and copying, a large size copy is printed. It is possible to prevent inconveniences such as the next small-sized copy overtaking while being folded by the folding machine. Further, according to the present invention, the time required for a small-sized copy to pass through the bypass conveyance path and the time required for a large-sized copy to be folded and discharged between the copying machine and the sheet accommodating means such as a sorter. Since they are set to be the same, an inconvenient state such as disorder of the pages of the copy accumulated on the tray of the sorter does not occur.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem such as the passing of a small size sheet while the large size sheet is being processed by the paper folding machine. Also, when using the device of the present invention, the performance of the copying machine does not affect,
The copying speed of the copying machine can be fully exerted, and the productivity of making copies by the copying machine can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the structure of an intermediate processing device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a conventional example. Reference numeral 1 in the figure: 1 copy machine, 2 discharge roller, 3 sorter, 5
...... Intermediate processing device, 6 ...... Switching claw, 7 ...... Bypass transport path, 8 …… Transport roller, 9 …… Ejection roller, 10 …… Paper folding machine, 11 to 14 …… Roller, 18 …… Import path , 19 …… Outgoing route.

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An intermediate processing device provided with a paper folding machine corresponding to the ejecting part of a copying machine is arranged, and a large-sized paper is folded by the paper folding machine provided in the intermediate processing device, and a paper storage such as a sorter is accommodated. In a device configured to discharge toward a means, a conveyance roller device that is provided in the bypass conveyance path by providing a bypass conveyance path through a switching claw with respect to a paper conveyance path that guides a sheet to the paper folding machine A means is provided to set the paper transport speed of the device to be slower than the transport speed on the paper folding machine side so that the paper passing time through the bypass transport path is the same as the paper passing time through the paper folding machine. A paper folding machine characterized by setting the conveying speed.