JP3293659B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a structure for sorting a copy obtained by executing a copying process for each of a plurality of document groups after the image formation, for each of the document groups.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer includes an original feeder (ADF) for automatically feeding out originals separated one by one toward an original reading section of the apparatus. May be equipped. By the way, when such a document feeder is used, until all the documents placed on the document set portion are fed out and copying is completed,
At present, it was impossible to place a document for the next copy. Therefore, when a document to be copied next is to be placed, it is necessary to wait until the copying operation being performed at the present stage is completed, which wastes time and reduces efficiency.

In view of this, a plurality of original groups are placed on an original set portion of an original feeding device, and as soon as the original feeding for the copying operation at the present stage is completed, the next original group is started. Has been proposed to start feeding of the original and perform the next copying operation. In order to enable this reserved copying, conventionally, for example, a first document group used for a preceding copying job (hereinafter, referred to as a preceding job) and a second document group used for a subsequent copying job (hereinafter, referred to as a structural job) are used. The leading edge of the original group is set at the same position as the original group, and a partition plate having a structure completely different from that of the original is interposed between the original groups, or the first original group for the preceding job and the second original group for the succeeding job are placed. Have been carried out from different conveyance systems. By the way, when such a reserved copy is executed, it is better to sort the copies obtained by executing the copy process in the image forming apparatus for each document group in order to eliminate the mixture of the copies. It is convenient. Therefore, conventionally, a so-called sorter is attached to the image forming apparatus, and the bins are divided into a plurality of groups in an arrangement direction of a plurality of bins provided in the sorter.
A structure has been proposed in which the group is used in association with a group of documents fed from a document feeder (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-177564).

[0004]

However, in such a structure for discharging a copy, the originals contained in the first original group for the preceding job and the second original group for the succeeding job are obtained. There is the following problem in the relationship between the number of copies to be made and the number of bins on the sorter side. That is, the number of copies of the copy obtained from the first document group for the preceding job is less than the total number of one bin in the bin group divided on the sorter side, and the second document for the succeeding job is If the number of copies of the copy obtained from the group is equal to or greater than the total number of the other bins in the bin group divided on the sorter side, the bin from which the copy from the first original group for the preceding job is discharged is set. Despite the surplus, it is not used for discharging copies from the second original group for the succeeding job. Therefore, even if a plurality of original groups are placed and set on the original feeder to execute the reserved copy, the sorter cannot sort the originals depending on the number of copies obtained from the original group. However, there is a problem that usability deteriorates.

In view of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional sorter-attached image forming apparatus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bin for distributing and storing in a sorter according to the number of copies obtained from a document group. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a structure capable of performing selection and enabling discharge of each document group.

[0006]

In order to achieve this object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a document placed on a document set section is separated one by one and conveyed to a document reading section.
A document feeder that can be transferred to a discharge unit after reading, and a plurality of bins for discharging a copy obtained by executing a copying process based on a document fed from the document feeder. in the image forming apparatus and a sorter having a said document feeder is double the same set position
Documents placed on a document set portion on which a number of document groups can be placed are partitioned into a first document group for preceding copying work and a second document group for subsequent copying work, and these document groups are sequentially sorted. The sorter has a structure capable of feeding out, and the sorter distributes and stores a copy obtained from the first original group for the preceding copying operation and a copy obtained from the original group for the subsequent copying operation independently of each other. And a distributing / non-distribution selecting means for selecting a posture to be discharged to a proof tray for accommodating a copy discharged without being distributed and stored, and a distribution / non-distribution selecting means for selecting these postures. When the distribution / non-distribution means is selected by the distribution / non-distribution means, the copies obtained from the first document group are stored in order from the top in the arrangement direction of the bins, and the second copy for the subsequent copying operation is stored. Multiple copies obtained from manuscript group Set the state level to accommodate the object from the array direction lowest bin in the order, the distribution non-distribution means, first
Used to store copies that have been copied from a group of originals
Remember the number of bins
When the number of copies to be executed exceeds the number of remaining bins
Ejects the copy from the next document group to the proof tray.
It is characterized by choosing the attitude to be .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the distributing / non-distributing means selects the distribution mode of the sorter, and when a predetermined number or more of copies are executed from the first original group, the distribution from the next original group is started. It is characterized in that feeding out of a document for copying is prohibited.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the distributing / non-distributing means has executed a predetermined number or more of copies from the first set of originals, the copy from the next set of originals is copied to the proof tray. It is characterized by selecting the attitude to discharge.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the distributing / non-distributing means stores the number of bins used for storing the copied material copied from the first document group, and stores the next document group. When the number of copies to be copied from the printer exceeds the number of remaining bins, copying is prohibited.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a distribution non-distribution means.
Can divide the bin of the sorter into n, then (n +
1) It is characterized in that discharge of a copy from a group of original documents is prohibited .

The invention according to claim 6 is a distribution non-distribution means.
Can be divided into n sorter bins by (n +
1) Dispatch the copy from the original group to the proof tray
It is characterized by selecting the attitude to be performed.

[0012]

[0013]

According to the present invention, copies from the first original group for preceding copying and the second original group for subsequent copying placed at the same set position are output in the sorter. Is reversed, it is possible to sort the copies for each document group by identifying the storage state of the copies. Especially multiple manuscripts
Groups can be sorted by simply placing them in the same set position
The first original for the preceding copy.
After the feeding of the group is completed, the subsequent copy
Eliminate the trouble of reloading the second group of originals for copying
Can be. Further, according to the present invention, when the distributing and storing position to the sorter is set, the number of copies of the copy is set to a bin in the relationship between the number of copies of the copy from the document group and the number of bins on the sorter side. If the number is larger than the number, the discharge mode of the original group used in obtaining the copy can be selected, and the copy at this time is discharged in a different mode from the distribution and storage. be able to.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes:
As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus main body A and a sorter B having a conveyance path connected to a copy discharge path in the main body are provided. The document feeder 1 for performing the following is provided.

FIG. 2 is a schematic layout diagram showing the entire configuration of the above-described document feeding apparatus. In FIG. 2, the document feeding apparatus 1 includes a document setting section 2, a sheet feeding section 3, and a conveying section 4. , A document unloading unit 5, a document reversing unit 6, and a document stacker 7 as main units. Each unit will be described below together with its function. The document setting section 2 is constituted by a tray provided on the upper portion of the document feeder main body, and one end in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction is set as a reference end when placing the document. The leading edge of a document placed with its edge pressed against the paper feed guide 3 can be guided to the paper feed unit 3. The document setting section 2 is provided with a first detecting means 8 for detecting the size of the document along the feeding direction. This will be described later in the sheet feeding section 3.

The paper feed section 3 is a section for separating the originals placed on the original set section 2 one by one and transporting them toward the original placing table 9 as shown in FIG. At a position corresponding to the leading end of the document placed on the feeding roller 2, a feeding roller 10 capable of reversing the feeding direction of the document by a peripheral surface is disposed. A separation belt 11 that can move in a relative direction to the rotation direction (the direction of the arrow in the drawing) is brought into contact with the rotation direction. Therefore, the original placed on the original setting unit 2 is set with the original surface to be read facing upward.
A plurality of feeding rollers 12 and 13 are arranged at a position in front of the feeding roller 10 in the document feeding direction (the direction indicated by the symbol F) in the feeding direction,
These feeding rollers 12 and 13 are configured to protrude upward from the tray of the document setting section 2 and contact the document. At a position where the feeding direction is reversed by the feeding roller 10, a feeding roller 14 that feeds the original toward the original placing table 9 is opposed to and abutted on the original feeding path.

The feeding roller 10 and the separation belt 11 described above are used to feed the feeding roller 1 of the stacked originals.
This is for separating the original in contact with 0 from another original and feeding it out. Therefore, the coefficient of friction with respect to the original is set higher for the feeding roller 10 than for the separation belt 11, and the separation belt 11 By moving in a direction relative to the feed roller 10, only the original that is in contact with the feed roller 10 is fed.

In FIG. 2, a transport section 4 is a section for transporting the original fed from the paper feed section 3 on the original placing table 9, and a transport belt movable along the upper surface of the original placing table 9. 4A, the transport belt 4A includes a plurality of pulleys 4B, 4C, and 4D that are arranged at both ends of the document table 9 in the feeding direction and opposed to the document table 9.
The document can be transported and fixed. In FIG. 2, a document discharge section 5 is a section for introducing a document that has been read into the document stacker 7, and has a discharge roller at a position where the leading end of the document sent by the conveyance belt 4 </ b> A of the document conveyance section 4 reaches. 5A. Further, in FIG. 2, the document reversing section 6 is a section for reversing the side of the document which has been read on one side when reading a double-sided document, and includes a discharge roller 5A of the document discharge section 5 and a guide section opposed thereto. Switching claw 6A that can move forward and backward with respect to the document carry-out path set by
And a guide member 6B for guiding the document, the surface of which is inverted by the switching claw 6A, toward the document table 9;
By switching the position of the switching claw 6A, a transport path to the document stacker 7 and a transport path to the guide member 6B can be selected. Therefore, when the conveyance path is set toward the guide member 6B, the original conveyed from the original mounting table 9 is transported again to the original mounting table 9 with the front and back surfaces reversed.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned paper feed unit 3 is provided with a document size detecting mechanism. This mechanism will be described below. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, this mechanism includes the above-described first detecting means 8 and second detecting means 15, and the first detecting means 8 is provided from the tray side of the document setting section 2. A driven roller 8 that can come out and contact the lowermost document
A, a sector 8B coaxially supported by the driven roller 8A, a photo-interrupter 8C disposed near the sector 8B, and pressure means 8D for pressing a document against the driven roller 8A. The first detecting means 8 is for detecting the length of the document along the document feeding direction, and as shown in FIG. Of the horizontal document placed along the document feeding direction of the document placed on the upstream side of the longest position in the document feeding direction, that is, on the side deviated from the rear end of the document, and along the feeding direction. It is provided downstream from the shortest position of the length along the document feeding direction of the vertically placed document to be placed with the longitudinal direction set, so-called, so-called, forward of the trailing end of the document. The original can be distinguished from the portrait orientation and the landscape orientation, and the original in the case of the portrait orientation is configured to rotate as the original moves. In the drawing, reference symbol a indicates the maximum length of a landscape document, reference symbol b indicates the minimum length of a portrait document, and reference symbol c indicates a range in which the first detection unit 8 can be installed. .

On the other hand, the second detecting means 15 is for detecting the size in the width direction corresponding to the direction perpendicular to the document feeding direction, and is constituted by, for example, a reflection type photo sensor. 3, the original fed from the paper feed unit 3 is arranged immediately before reaching the original mounting table 9. In FIG. 4, the second detecting means 15 sequentially reads the width of the readable original from the placement reference end side (the side indicated by (▼) in the figure) of the original set in the original setting section 2. In the position where each size in the direction can be detected,
The detection means 1 are arranged as shown by reference numerals 15A, 15B, and 15C, and among them, the detection means 1 located on the reference end side.
5A is provided at a position separated from the reference end by a predetermined amount. This is for detecting the case where the edge of the document is not aligned with the reference end and detecting the state of the document placed and set.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned paper feed unit 3 is provided with a partition mechanism for controlling the feeding of the original at the time of reserved copying. This reserved copy is the first copy for the preceding copy work.
A second copy for the subsequent copy operation is placed at the same original set position as the original group.
This is a mode in which the original group is placed and the original group for the subsequent copy is fed out as soon as the copying operation from the first original group is completed. That is, in FIG. 5, a job feed roller serving as a feed member is provided at a position above the feed rollers 12 and 13 and opposed to the feed rollers 12 and 13 at a position upstream in the document feeding direction. 16 and a partition member 17 on the downstream side. In FIG. 5, the job feed roller 16 and the partition member 17 are
Both are used as members capable of pressing a document toward the feeding rollers 12 and 13 by its own weight, and a job feeding roller is provided at one end of an operating lever 18 having a rotation center set between these members. 16 is rotatably mounted, and a partition member 17 is mounted at the other end. The attachment between the partition member 17 and the operating lever is performed via a coupling portion formed on a support arm 19 that positions the partition member 17 at the swinging end. The base end is supported by the non-moving portion, so that the swing end can swing. A rotation center of an operation lever 18 is rotatably supported by an immovable portion of the paper feed unit 3. The position of the rotation center will be described later. It is a position where a moment that can be displaced to the side is obtained.

On the other hand, a base end of a drive lever 20 is fixed to the rotation center of the operation lever 18, and the drive lever 20 can swing about the rotation center as a fulcrum. It can be swung by driving a solenoid 21 having a connected actuator.
In the case of the present embodiment, the solenoid 21 is set to a non-excited state as a normal state. In this state, the actuator protrudes and the drive lever 20 moves in the figure.
By swinging in the counterclockwise direction, the partition member 17 located at the other end of the operation lever 18 is displaced toward the original placing surface side, and the job feed roller 16 located at one end of the operation lever 18 is placed on the original loading surface. Separate from the surface. When the solenoid 21 is switched to the excited state, the actuator is retracted and the drive lever 20 is swung clockwise in the drawing to move the partition member 17 away from the original placing surface, contrary to the conventional case. At the same time, the job feeding roller 16 is displaced toward the original placing surface. By the driving state of the solenoid 21, the job feeding roller 16 and the partition member 17 are alternately set to the contact / separation state with respect to the document placing surface side.

First and second job detecting means 22 and 23 are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the original in the document feeding direction with the partition member 17 interposed therebetween. Is the partition member 1 when making a reservation copy.
7 is for detecting the leading edge of the document on the upstream side and the downstream side in the document feeding direction across the document 7, and a reflection type or transmission type optical sensor is used.

On the other hand, the structure of the sorter B connected to the copy discharge side of the image forming apparatus main body A is shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. The sorter B is provided with a plurality of bins B1 in the illustrated embodiment in the vertical direction, and ten bins B1 for storing copies in the figure, and a bin forming a proof tray further below the lowest one. B2 is arranged. The copy in this case means a transfer sheet carrying a visible image formed in the image forming apparatus main body A. The sorter B includes a transport path B3 connected to a copy discharge path A1 on the image forming apparatus A side. The transport path B3 has a path B3a toward the bin B1 and a bin B2.
And a switching claw (not shown) for switching the transport direction is disposed at this branch position. The transport direction switching claw is, for example,
It is provided so as to be swingable, and a posture in which the copy is directed to the bin B1 and a posture in which the copy is directed to the bin B2 are selected. Since all of the bins B1 have the same configuration, one of the bins will be described with reference to FIG. 7 as follows. That is, in FIG. 7, the bin B1 is provided with an entrance at a position facing the path B3a of the transport path B3.
A carry-out roller B4, which is set in a rotational direction capable of moving the copy upwards while being opposed to and abutting the conveyance path, and disposed downstream of the movement of the copy by the carry-out roller B4. An introduction claw B5 is provided that is swingably supported so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the path B3. The introduction claw B5 is configured to set an advancing / retreating position with respect to the path B3a of the transport path B3 by, for example, a solenoid (not shown). When the copy conveyed is introduced into the bin B1 and retreated from the path B3a, the copy is allowed to move upward by the unloading roller B4. A paper discharge sensor B6 for detecting the presence or absence of a copy in the bin is provided at the entrance side of each bin, and the paper discharge sensor B6 is connected to a control unit 24 described later. I have. In FIG. 6, reference numeral A2 indicates a discharge roller, and reference numeral A3 indicates a discharge sensor.

That is, the control unit 24 controls the feeding of the original group at the time of the determination of the original size and the reserved copying and the selection of the position in the sorter B, that is, the selection of the distribution position and the non-distribution position. The main part is constituted by a microcomputer with a built-in timer that controls a sequence for image formation in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. And
On the input side of the control unit 24, in FIG. 8, the first and second detection means 8 described above as being related to the present embodiment,
15 and first and second job detecting means 22 and 23, a reserved copy selection key switch 25, a detection switch 7A for detecting discharge of a document to the document stacker, and a discharge sensor B6 on the sorter B side. Is a paper feed unit 3 for feeding out a document, a solenoid 21 (see FIG. 5) for controlling the partitioning and feeding out of a document group, and image formation for executing an image forming process including transfer paper selection and paper feeding. A processing unit 26, a document size display unit 27, a solenoid for switching the transport direction on the sorter B side (indicated by reference numeral B7 in the figure), and a solenoid for introducing a copy into the bin (reference numeral B8 in the figure) (Indicated by)
Are connected via an I / O interface (not shown).

The control unit 24 includes first and second detection means 8,
The determination of the original size is performed by combining the signals from the reference signals 15 and 15, the transfer paper is selected in accordance with the determination result, and the presence or absence of the signal from the detection means 15A on the placement reference end side in the second detection means is determined. The determination is made to determine whether the document placement state is good or not, and an error message is displayed based on the determination result. Therefore, the control unit 2
4, as shown in Table 1, a map for determining the document size based on the types of signals from the first detection unit 8 and the second detection unit 15 is registered.

[0027]

[Table 1]

When the control unit 24 determines that a plurality of original groups are to be placed on the original setting unit 2 (see FIG. 2) based on a signal input from the reserved copy selection key switch 25, first, the first job The solenoid 21 (see FIG. 5) until the first job detecting means 22 (see FIG. 5) determines that the first document group for
When a copy start command is output from a copy start switch (not shown), the first job detecting means 22 confirms that the first document group has been placed, and the solenoid is turned on. 21 (see FIG. 5) is switched to the excitation state, and is returned to the normal state again after a predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, when the solenoid 21 is maintained in the normal state, the partition member 17 (see FIG. 5) is displaced toward the original placing surface side to strike the leading end of the first original group for the preceding job. At the same time, the job feed roller 16 is displaced to a position separated from the original placing surface side, and when the solenoid 21 is switched to the excited state by issuing a copy start command, the partition member 17 is moved to the original placing surface. At the same time, the job feed roller 16 comes in contact with the upper surface of the document, and the first document group can be fed out. Further, when the partition member 17 is again displaced toward the original placing surface in response to the solenoid 21 returning to the normal state after a predetermined time has elapsed, the partition member 17 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the original group for the preceding job. And a state in which the leading edge of the original document group for the succeeding job is hit. By the operation of the job feed roller 16 and the partitioning member 17, once the solenoid 21 is excited, and then returns to the normal state after a predetermined time, the partitioning is performed on the upper surface of the original job group. Since the member 17 is in contact, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 3 and 5, the state of receiving the original document group for the succeeding job is set. The position setting of the job feed roller 16 and the partition member 17 is as follows.
It is also set according to the state of the document discharged to the document stack 7 after reading. That is, when the reserved copy mode is selected, the control unit 24 feeds out the first document group for the preceding job and discharges this document group to the document stacker 7 via the unloading unit (see FIG. 5). The detection switch 7A provided on the document stacker 7
, The feeding of the second document group for the succeeding job is not performed until the discharged document group is removed. For this reason, in the document group partitioning mechanism, when the second job detecting means 23 detects that the feeding of the first document group for the preceding job is completed, an interval of a predetermined time is set. It is confirmed that the original ejected to the original stacker 7 has been removed, and the first job detecting means 22
Thus, only when the existence of the second original group for the succeeding job is confirmed, the driving state of the solenoid 21 is set so as to feed out the second original group for the succeeding job. ing.

Further, the control section 24 selects and sets a distribution / non-distribution mode for sorting copies on the sorter B side in accordance with the document feeding on the document feeder side. . That is, when the control unit 24 distributes and stores copies obtained from the first document group and the second document group, the bin B1 (FIG. 6) is used as a transport path on the sorter side.
Path B3a for the first original group for the preceding job or the second original group for the succeeding job, and in the case of the first original group, the distribution start copy Is determined, and if this is the case, the position for storing the copy is set in order from the top one of the bins B1. Further, in the case of the second original group for the succeeding job, it is determined whether or not there is an unstored bin among the bins. When the number of distribution copies is small, in other words, when the difference between the number of bins and the number of distribution copies is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the copy at the distribution start position is stored in the lowest bin in the bin arrangement direction, and the subsequent distribution The position is set so that copies of the number of copies can be stored in order from the next lowermost bin. Further, when the number of copies exceeds the number of remaining bins, or when the difference between them is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, feeding from the next original group is prohibited, and a copy from this original group is obtained. In this case, it is determined that there is a discharged copy, and bin B is provided as a proof tray provided separately from the bin for the distribution leader.
2 (see FIG. 6). Such processing is performed, for example, when dividing a bin group of n and storing a copy from a document group for each of the preceding and succeeding jobs in each bin group, starting from the (n + 1) th group of document groups. In this case, since the number of original groups exceeds the number of divided bin groups, the feeding of the n original groups from the next original group is prohibited. While
When a copy from the group of originals is obtained, the attitude of conveying the copy toward the bin B2 forming the proof tray is set.

Since the present embodiment has the above configuration,
Now, the operation procedure will be described with reference to a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit, as shown in FIG. That is, when the original is set, it is determined whether or not the original is a reserved copy. If the original is not a reserved copy, the original is placed vertically and horizontally based on signals from the first and second detection means 8 and 15. The setting of the document is determined based on a signal from the detection means 15A located on the document placement side of the second detection means 15, and the results of these determinations are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Is displayed by executing.

On the other hand, in FIG. 9, when the reservation copy is set, the solenoid 21 in the partition mechanism is maintained in the normal state (non-excited state due to the OFF state), and the first job detecting means 22 detects the original. The presence / absence determination is performed, and when the leading edge of the document is detected, the solenoid 21 is switched to the excited state. When the leading edge of the document is not detected,
An error message indicating that the original has not been set is displayed. When the solenoid 21 is excited, as described above, the partition member 17 retreats from the document placing surface side, and the job feed roller 16 abuts on the document upper surface. The first document is fed, and one fed document is separated from the other documents by the separation belt 11.

A timer is set at the same time when the excitation state of the solenoid 21 is set. When the time measured by the timer reaches a predetermined time, the solenoid 21 is returned to the normal state, and the job feeding roller 16 is moved to the original placing surface. The partition member 17 is retracted from the side, and the partition member 17 is set in a state of abutting on the upper surface of the original to stop the leading end of the second original group for the subsequent job. Then, the second job detecting unit 23 detects that the feeding of the first original group for the preceding job is completed, and determines that the second job detecting unit 23 is completed based on the switching off. If so, set the timer. This timer is set to interrupt the feeding of the subsequent document group by setting an interval before feeding the second document group for the subsequent job. After determining whether or not the original group is removed, the next original group is fed out. For this reason, the elapse of a predetermined time by the timer is determined, and the state of the detection switch 7A provided on the document stacker 7 is determined within this time. The display is performed. Then, when the presence of the discharged document is confirmed and the display thereof is set, it is determined whether or not the distribution process is selected as the position on the sorter B side. In this determination, if it is not distribution processing, as shown in FIG.
The leading edge of the original is detected by the second and second job detecting means 23. When the original is not placed, the feeding of the original is terminated, and the leading edge of the original is detected by any of the detecting means. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the solenoid 21 is switched to the excited state, the job feed roller 16 is brought into contact with the original, and the feed rollers 12 and 13 are moved.
Is set to feed the second original for the subsequent job. In FIG. 9, when the presence / absence of a discharged document using the detection switch 7A is determined and the discharged document cannot be confirmed by the detection switch 7A on the document stacker 7, the document group from the document stacker 7 is output. Is determined to have been removed, the solenoid 21 on the partition mechanism side is switched to the excited state, and as in the case described above, feeding is performed for the second original group for the succeeding job, and
If the leading edge of the document is not detected by any of the first and second job detecting means 22 and 23, the partitioning operation is terminated, and if the document is detected, that is,
It is determined that the third original group is further stacked on the second original group in addition to the second original group for the succeeding job, and the above-described feeding operation is continued.

On the other hand, when the above-mentioned distribution and storage are performed by the sorter, for example, an attitude setting process for non-distribution selection shown in FIG. 12 is executed based on the determination result. That is, as a mode for discharging the copy to the sorter B, whether or not the storage is distributed storage is determined based on, for example, whether or not a reserved copy.
The attitude of the solenoid for switching the transport direction is switched to the path B3a toward the bin B1, and the order of the jobs is determined. In the case of non-distribution storage, the attitude of the solenoid for switching the transport direction is switched to the path B3b toward the bin B2 forming the proof tray. And
When the solenoid is switched to the position for setting the transport direction toward the path B3a for distribution and storage, the order of the jobs is determined, and if the copy is from the first document group for the preceding job, the distribution is performed. It is determined whether or not the copy is the starting copy, and in the case of the copy, the position of the introduction solenoid is set so that the copy can be stored in order from the highest one of the bins B1. If the orientation of the introduction claw B5 is set, and if the copy is equivalent to the number of distribution copies after the second copy, it is determined whether or not the number of distribution copies differs from the remaining bins by a predetermined value or more. I do. This determination is
This is a process for enabling distribution processing only when the number of distribution units is smaller than the remaining bin number, and prohibiting distribution when the distribution unit number is larger than the remaining bin number. Therefore, when the number of distribution units with respect to the number of bins is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the introduction solenoid B8 (see FIG. 8) is used to set the direction of the introduction B5 at the entrance of the bin B1 so that the copy can be introduced toward the bin B5. The attitude is set, and at the same time, a timer is set. If a signal from the paper discharge sensor B6 is determined after a predetermined time has elapsed and the paper discharge sensor B6 is not turned on, it is determined that a paper discharge abnormality has occurred and displayed.

In determining the order of the jobs, the first and second job detecting means 22 and 23 determine that the job is a succeeding job.
When it is determined by (1), it is determined whether or not there is an unstored bin among the bins. This is a process for reducing the number of empty bins as much as possible by using the remaining bins used for storing the copy in the preceding job in the distribution process of the copy in the succeeding job, and there is no remaining bin. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the feeding of the original from the second original group for the next succeeding job is stopped, or if a copy from this original group is obtained, the distribution is stopped. In order to set the transport direction of the copy toward the bin B2 that forms the proof tray not for storage, the attitude of the transport direction switching solenoid B7 (see FIG. 8) is set. On the other hand, when there are remaining bins, as shown in FIG. 15, the difference between the number of bins and the number of distribution units is obtained, and when this difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that is, when the number of distribution units is smaller than the number of bins, Determines whether or not the copy is the distribution start copy, and sets, for the first one, the state of storing the bins B1 and solenoid B6 sequentially from the lowest one of the bins B1 for distribution and storage. Then, if it is not the first one, the operating positions of the introducing claw B5 and the solenoid B6 are set in order to set the introducing position of the copy toward the bin other than the lowest.

Therefore, the copies obtained from the preceding and succeeding document groups are stored in order from the reverse direction in the bin arrangement direction, and if this order is recognized in advance by the operator, the document group It can be easily understood that the copy is different. When the storage position in each bin is determined by the setting of the direction of the introduction claw B5, a timer is set as shown in FIG. 12, and when the time measured by the timer reaches a predetermined time. The storage state of the copy is detected based on the presence or absence of a signal from the paper discharge sensor B6.
As shown in FIG. 3, an indication of a discharge abnormality is displayed. If the number of originals exceeds the number of bins when storing the copy other than the distribution start number, as shown in FIG. While the operation of the mechanism including the partition mechanism on the side is stopped, the copy from the original fed in the excess state is judged to be the discharged copy, and the state of the transport direction switching solenoid is set to bin B2. Is set to the transport path B3b toward the printer and discharged to the bin B2 forming a proof tray. Therefore, when the reserved copy is performed and the distribution and storage by the sorter cannot be performed, the copy from the following document group is not deposited on the copy from the preceding document group. Copies of each document group can be easily identified. In the above flowchart, it is determined whether or not the number of distribution units exceeds the number of bins based on whether the difference between the number of bins and the number of distribution units is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Alternatively, the number of bins for each divided group may be stored, and whether or not the number of bins exceeds the bin number may be determined by counting the number of distribution units fed from the document group. Further, not only the number of copies but also the number of document groups and the number of bins may be compared. In the latter case, for example, when the document group is divided into n bin groups, when (n + 1) document groups are set, the (n + 1) th document group is exceeded, The feeding of the original from the document group is prohibited, or the copy from the individual document group is discharged toward the bin B2, which is a proof tray, which is a bin other than the n-th group. Therefore, also in this case, the copy is sorted for each document group.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a reserved copy capable of performing copying sequentially from a plurality of document groups is selected, a copy obtained from the document group for the preceding job is distributed and stored. Since the storage start order can be made different for each job, copies from the original document group for other jobs can be distinguished from each other, and so-called so-called mixture of copies can be prevented. Further, according to the present invention, when the number of bins used for distributing and storing exceeds the number of copies from the original group to be ejected, the original from the next original group is copied. Feeding is prohibited to prevent mixed copies from occurring, and copies from this document group are stored in a bin different from the bin for distribution and storage. Is effectively performed using all of the bins, which can facilitate the distinction of copies for each job.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a layout diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a layout diagram illustrating an entire configuration of a document feeder used in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a layout diagram showing a main part of the document feeding device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first and second embodiments of the document feeding apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the arrangement of the detecting means.

FIG. 5 is a schematic layout diagram illustrating a configuration of a partition mechanism used in the document feeding device illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a sorter used in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a main part of the sorter shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a control unit used in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the control unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining another operation of the control unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a subroutine in a control unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining another operation of the control unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating still another operation of the control unit illustrated in FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating still another operation of the control unit illustrated in FIG. 8;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining another operation of the control unit shown in FIG. 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 document feeder 2 document setting section 3 paper feed section 4 transport section 5 document discharge section 7 document stacker 7A detection switch 8 first detection means 9 document placement table 15 second detection means 16 job feeding roller 17 partition Member 21 Solenoid 22 First Job Detection Means 23 Second Job Detection Means 24 Control Unit 26 Image Forming Processing Unit 27 Display Unit A Image Forming Apparatus Body B Sorter B1 Distribution Storage Bin B2 Proof Tray Bin B3 Transport Path B3a Bin B1 Path toward B3b Path toward bin B2 B5 Introducing claw B6 Discharge sensor

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-59-124654 (JP, A) JP-A-4-59563 (JP, A) JP-A-1-177563 (JP, A) JP-A 63-124 101276 (JP, A) JP-A-3-264469 (JP, A) JP-A-59-31250 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 39/11 G03G 15 / 00

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] An original feeding device capable of separating an original placed on an original set unit for each sheet, transporting the original to an original reading unit, reading the original, and transferring the original to a discharge unit, and the original A sorter having a plurality of bins for discharging a copy obtained by executing a copying process based on a document fed from a feeding device, wherein the document feeding device is the same as the document feeding device. Multiple document groups at the set position
A configuration in which a document placed on a placeable document setting unit is partitioned into a first document group for preceding copying work and a second document group for subsequent copying work, and these document groups can be sequentially fed out. The sorter is configured to distribute and store the copy obtained from the first original group for the preceding copy operation and the copy obtained from the original group for the subsequent copy operation independently of each other. A dispensing / distribution selecting means for selecting a position for discharging a copy to be discharged without being stored to a proof tray for accommodating the copied material; and a distributing / non-distributing selecting means for selecting these positions. When the dispensing and storing position is selected, the copies obtained from the first original group are stored in order from the top in the bin arrangement direction, and are obtained from the second original group for the subsequent copying operation. Copy of the bottle Positions to accommodate the documents are set in order from the lowest in the arrangement direction, and the distribution / non-distribution unit executes copying from the first document group.
The number of bins used to store the copied
Number of copies to be copied from the next original
If the number of bins exceeds the
The position to discharge the paper to the proof tray
An image forming apparatus. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distributing / non-distributing means selects a distributing position of the sorter.
When a certain number or more copies have been executed from the first document group,
An image forming apparatus that prohibits feeding of a document for copying from a next document group. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distributing / non-distributing means, when a predetermined number or more of copies have been executed from the first document group, a copy which has been copied from the next document group. Image forming apparatus for selecting an attitude for discharging paper to a proof tray. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distributing / non-distributing means stores the number of bins used for accommodating a copy having been copied from the first document group. An image forming apparatus that prohibits copying when the number of copies to be copied from the next original group exceeds the number of remaining bins. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The distributing / non-distributing means can divide the bin of the sorter into n
Prohibits the discharge of copies from the (n + 1) th original group
An image forming apparatus. 6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The distributing / non-distributing means can divide the bin of the sorter into n
The proofed copy from the (n + 1) th original group.
An image forming apparatus for selecting a position for discharging to a ray .