JP4325137B2 - Sheet processing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that staples a sheet bundle after image formation, and more particularly to a technique for improving the ease of opening (page turning ability) of a sheet bundle subjected to staple binding.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recent image forming apparatuses can be connected to a built-in means for stapling an image-formed sheet bundle or a post-processing apparatus (also called a finisher) capable of performing stapling and advanced discharge sheet stacking. There is something.
[0003]
In this type of image forming apparatus, as the type of staple binding, it is generally possible to select corner binding shown in FIG. 8A, center two-point binding (also called double binding, etc.) shown in FIG. ing. In the case of corner binding, conventionally, the staple angle θ is generally set to 45 degrees with respect to the side of the sheet.
[0004]
A sheet bundle bound at two central positions can be opened only in one direction, whereas a sheet bundle bound at a corner is characterized by a high degree of freedom in the opening direction. Corner binding also has the advantage that only one staple is required per bundle.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When corner-binding a sheet bundle printed on both sides, whether the bound sheet bundle is opened up and down or read left and right depends on the orientation of the front and back images. That is, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), when the top and bottom of the sheet have the same orientation, the image is opened to the left and right, whereas the image is displayed on the front and back as shown in (b). If the top and bottom are reversed, read up and down.
[0006]
In general, the binding angle of 45 degrees used for corner binding has the advantage of being able to handle both left and right and top and bottom openings, but the easiest to open is the 45 degrees diagonal direction along the staples, straight. If you try to open it up and down or left and right, you may feel difficulty opening.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide an apparatus for improving the ease of opening a bundle of sheets subjected to stapling.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention is a sheet processing apparatus provided with stapling means for stapling a sheet bundle after image formation, and the opening direction of the sheet bundle bound by the stapling means is a corner. An opening direction acquisition unit that acquires information on whether the binding corner is in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, a staple type acquisition unit that acquires whether corner binding is instructed as the type of staple to be bound by the staple unit, and A binding control unit that controls a staple binding process by the staple unit in accordance with the opening direction, and the binding control unit receives a corner binding instruction from the staple type acquisition unit. According to the opening direction of the sheet bundle acquired by the opening direction acquisition means. A binding angle, which is an angle formed by the staples struck on a sheet bundle, with respect to the opening direction is set to be closer to perpendicular than 45 degrees regardless of whether the opening direction is a vertical direction or a horizontal direction. you and controls.
[0009]
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the binding control unit controls a binding angle of staples according to the opening direction.
[0010]
More preferably, the binding control unit controls the binding angle of the staple so that the direction of the staple stapled is closer to the opening direction than when the binding angle is not controlled. .
[0011]
In yet another preferred embodiment, the binding control means includes a one der Luca and discharge direction of the image-formed sheet is parallel or perpendicular with respect to the orientation and the binding unit of the image formed on the sheet, the opening direction The binding angle is controlled in accordance with the combination.
[0012]
In a further preferred aspect, the sheet post-processing apparatus further includes means for setting a binding angle control rule corresponding to each combination.
[0013]
Moreover, in another suitable aspect, the said binding means controls the binding position of a staple further according to the said opening direction in addition to control of the said binding angle.
[0014]
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the binding control unit controls the binding position of the staple according to the opening direction.
[0015]
In a further preferred aspect, the binding control means translates the binding position in the direction of the adjacent sheet edge along the opening direction.
[0016]
In another preferable aspect, the opening direction acquisition unit obtains the opening direction of the sheet bundle from user-specified information of the opening direction in the case of duplex printing.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. The apparatus of FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body 10 and a post-processing apparatus 20 attached thereto.
[0019]
The image forming apparatus main body 10 includes a job control unit 12, a UI (user interface) unit 14, and an image formation control unit 16.
[0020]
The job control unit 12 is a mechanism that performs a control operation in units of jobs in addition to the processing order of the submitted jobs. For example, the job control unit 12 controls the order of a copy job from a local document reading mechanism, a print job from a remote client device, or the like according to, for example, a first-in first-out method or a user instruction. The job control unit 12 also stores output parameter designations for individual jobs, and applies them when executing jobs. Among the output parameters, those relating to the staple binding control of the present embodiment include designation of the presence / absence of staple binding, and the opening direction of the sheet bundle when performing duplex printing and staple binding. Note that the functions listed here are conventionally known functions, and conventional functions can be used as the job control unit 12.
[0021]
The UI unit 14 is user interface means for displaying the status of the image forming apparatus and inputting operation instructions, and includes a device for display and input, such as a liquid crystal touch panel.
[0022]
The image formation control unit 16 is a mechanism for performing control relating to image formation processing and post-processing on a sheet at the time of job execution. For this reason, the image formation control unit 16 controls mechanisms such as an IOT (image output terminal) that performs image formation processing, and transmits instructions to the post-processing device 20 at the subsequent stage. In the control related to image formation, paper conveyance including paper feeding for latent image formation, transfer to paper (in the case of electrophotography), double-sided printing and face-up / down (printing surface up / down during output) control Control such as. Further, in the control for the post-processing device 20, an instruction regarding staple processing, an instruction for an output destination tray in the post-processing device 20, and the like are performed. The staple control unit 17 is a unit that controls the staple processing related to the present embodiment.
[0023]
When an instruction for stapling is given, the staple control unit 17 specifies designation information regarding the staple type (corner binding, center two-point binding, etc.), the binding angle and the binding position in the case of corner binding, and the like. It is transmitted to the post-processing device 20 together with the instruction. Of these, the binding angle and the binding position at the time of corner binding are controlled so that the bound sheet bundle can be easily opened. These binding angles and binding positions are determined according to the binding processing control rules 19 stored in the storage device according to the print attributes such as the orientation of the image to be formed and the opening direction of the bound sheet bundle. A method (rule) for determining the binding angle and the binding position will be described in detail later.
[0024]
The designation of the staple type, the image orientation, the opening direction, and the like is included in the user's print attribute information input from the UI unit 14 and in the print job sent to the image forming apparatus main body 10 via the network. Can be obtained from the print attribute information. For example, as described with reference to FIG. 6 and the like, for example, there is an image forming apparatus that can be designated by the user as one of processing parameters for double-sided printing. Therefore, in the case of duplex printing, information on the opening direction may be acquired from the processing parameters. In the opening direction, there are a left-right opening and a vertical opening (see FIG. 6).
[0025]
The job control unit 12 and the image formation control unit 16 described above are typically realized by software.
[0026]
In the post-processing device 20, the control unit 22 controls each unit. Here, the post-processing device 20 includes a stapler 24 for stapling a sheet bundle on which images have been formed. The control unit 22 controls the stapler 24 according to the staple instruction given from the staple control unit 17 of the main body 10 to bind the sheet bundle with staples.
[0027]
FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a mechanical configuration of the post-processing device 20. In the post-processing apparatus 20, the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus main body 10 is discharged to the compiler tray 206 by the sheet path 202 and the sheet feeding mechanism 204. When there is no stapling instruction, when a bundle of sheet bundles 300 constituting one part is stored in the compiler tray 206, the sheet bundle discharge roll 208 is driven, and the sheet bundle 300 is discharged onto the stack tray 210.
[0028]
When a stapling instruction is given, when a bundle of sheets constituting one copy is stored in the compiler tray 206, the stapler 24 is driven by the control unit 22, and the staple type, binding angle, and binding specified by the staple control unit 17 of the main body 10 are performed. According to the position, stapling is executed. In this example, the compiler tray 206 is inclined so as to be lowered toward the sheet as shown in the figure, and the stapler 24 is provided on the lower end side.
[0029]
FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the configuration of the stapler 24 of the present embodiment, and schematically shows a state around the stapler 24 as viewed from above. As shown in this figure, the stapler 24 is movable within the movable range R along the front side with respect to the sheet discharge direction X of the compiler tray 206. The sheet discharge direction X is a discharge direction when an image-formed sheet is discharged to the compiler tray 206. The stapler 24 is rotatable in a predetermined angular range around an axis in the vertical (vertical) direction in addition to the parallel movement along the near side. As a result, at the positions A and B at both ends of the movable range R, the stapler 24 is inclined as shown in the figure, so that the corner binding of the sheet bundle 300 can be stapled. On the other hand, at the position C of the central axis of the tray 206 in the movable range R, the stapler 24 can perform two staples in parallel with the side of the sheet bundle 300, thereby realizing the central two-point binding. . Such a movable stapler 24 is also disclosed in JP-A-5-155510.
[0030]
In the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the stapler 24 at the time of corner binding is controlled according to the opening direction of the binding result, or the staple position is moved in parallel according to the opening direction, thereby opening more than before. Realizes easy stapling.
[0031]
Control of the binding angle and the binding position at the time of corner binding will be described with reference to FIG.
[0032]
In this embodiment, the classification of whether the sheet discharge direction X with respect to the compiler tray 206 and the top direction of the image are parallel or vertical, and the classification of whether the binding direction opening direction is left-right opening or top-bottom opening. And the binding angle and the binding position are adjusted. The celestial direction of the image is the upward direction when the image is oriented in a readable direction. For example, when the image is a text document, the direction above the characters is the top direction of the image. Here, since only the parallel or perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction is a problem here, the top direction of the image is equivalent to the vertical direction of the image. Each case of (a) to (d) in FIG. 4 corresponds to each combination of the above two classifications.
[0033]
(1) First, when the sheet discharge direction X is parallel to the top direction of the image and the opening direction is the left-right opening, the binding angle and the binding position of the staple are adjusted as shown in FIG. In the case (a), first, the binding angle of the staple 310 is made steep with respect to the reference state 400 (that is, 45 degrees with respect to the side of the sheet). A state 410 in which the binding angle is adjusted in this way is a state 410. Further, with respect to the state 410, the staple binding position is translated in the direction of the sheet edge closer to the opening direction. The final staple angle and position thus determined is shown as state 420.
[0034]
Here, steep binding angle means that the angle θ formed by the staple 310 with respect to the sheet side of the stapler 24 on the movable range R side (perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction X in this example) is increased (to 90 degrees). It is that).
[0035]
In the case (a), the stapling angle of the staple 310 is made steep so that the direction of the staple is nearly perpendicular to the opening direction (in this case, “left and right”), so it is easier to open than in the case of 45 degrees. Become. Further, by moving the binding position of the staple 310 parallel to the sheet end side along the opening direction, as shown in FIG. 5, the “opening margin” 320 when binding, that is, the opening direction of the sheet bundle 300 is performed. The shortest distance between the end side 300a and the staple 310 can be reduced. Reducing the opening margin 320 facilitates opening of the sheet bundle 300 and also contributes to relatively widening the readable portion 330 of the sheet when the sheet bundle 300 is opened. To improve.
[0036]
The case shown in (a) has been described above, but the basic idea is the same for the remaining three cases (b) to (c).
[0037]
(2) When the sheet discharge direction X and the top direction of the image are parallel and the opening direction is up and down, the binding angle is made gentle (state 400 → state 410) as shown in FIG. The binding position is translated to the edge side of the sheet along the direction (state 410 → state 420).
[0038]
(3) If the sheet discharge direction X and the top direction of the image are vertical and the opening direction is left-right opening, the binding angle is made gentle (state 400 → state 410) as shown in FIG. The binding position is translated to the edge side of the sheet along the direction (state 410 → state 420).
[0039]
(4) When the sheet discharge direction X and the top direction of the image are vertical and the opening direction is vertical opening, the binding angle is made old (state 400 → state 410) as shown in FIG. The binding position is translated to the edge side of the sheet along the direction (state 410 → state 420).
[0040]
By adjusting the binding angle and the binding position according to such a rule, it is possible to obtain a binding result that is easy to open.
[0041]
In the above description, it has been described that the binding angle is steep or gentle, and the binding position is translated in the opening direction to the sheet edge side. However, how steep the binding angle is (angle adjustment amount) and which binding position is It is set in advance in the image forming apparatus whether or not the image is to be translated (position adjustment amount). That is, in each of the above cases (a) to (d), the staple 310 is made to have a steep or gentle angle by a preset angle adjustment amount with respect to the reference state (45 degrees), and the angle adjustment is further performed. The staple 310 is moved parallel to the sheet edge 300a side by the position adjustment amount with respect to the later state. Of course, the order of angle adjustment and parallel movement may be interchanged.
[0042]
It is also preferable that the angle adjustment amount and the position adjustment amount can be set and changed. For this purpose, for example, a UI for setting an angle adjustment amount or a position adjustment amount may be provided in the UI unit 14, and the adjustment amount input via this UI may be stored in a nonvolatile memory in the main body 10. By applying security protection such as password protection to the calling of these setting UIs, it is also possible to limit such adjustment amount change settings to only a specific person such as a system administrator.
[0043]
The binding angle and binding position determination rules described above are stored in the image forming apparatus main body 10 as the binding processing control rules 19 described above.
[0044]
The binding process control rules described above are based on the angle and position when the staple 310 is bound. However, since the staple binding is performed by the movable stapler 24, in practice, control according to the above-described binding processing control rule is realized by controlling the position and angle of the stapler 24. For example, the staple position and angle (final staple state 420 in FIG. 4) when binding is performed according to the binding processing control rule, the staple control unit 17 of the image forming apparatus main body 10, and the control unit of the post-processing apparatus 20. At 22, the position and angle of the stapler 24 may be converted to control the stapler 24. In this case, the staple control unit 17 or the control unit 22 may have conversion information for that purpose.
[0045]
The above is the corner binding binding control with the opening direction specified. However, in the case of corner binding with no opening direction specified, the staple binding may be performed at an angle of 45 degrees as usual.
[0046]
In the above-described staple binding control, it is necessary to obtain the relationship between the top direction of the image and the sheet discharge direction. This can be obtained, for example, by specifying a staple binding condition. This will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0047]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a UI screen for specifying a staple binding condition and a staple type. On the UI screen for specifying the staple binding condition shown in FIG. 5A, the user selects a desired staple type by using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) button 410 and sets a document on an automatic document feeder (ADF) tray. The direction is designated from the GUI buttons 420a and 420b. The default state is a state in which the button 405 “do not staple” is selected.
[0048]
The document setting direction includes a direction in which characters can be read correctly and a direction in which characters are in landscape orientation. The direction in which the characters are in landscape orientation includes a direction rotated 90 degrees to the right and a direction rotated 90 degrees to the left with respect to the direction in which the characters can be read correctly. In the apparatus of this example, the latter is presented as an option. ing. Since the staple binding position is expressed as a relative position with respect to the image to be formed, the orientation of the image is designated by the buttons 420a and 420b in order to interpret the designation of the staple type such as “left corner” and “right corner”. do that for me. Note that (b) shows the staple position of each staple type in each document setting direction.
[0049]
In this manner, the orientation of the original image (that is, the input image) set by specifying the staple conditions is specified, but the orientation of the image may be rotated during image formation. For example, even when printing on the same paper size, when using the paper set in the tray with portrait (LEF: Long Edge Feed) and when set in the tray with landscape orientation (SEF: Short Edge Feed) This is because there is a case of using. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, even when the same left corner binding result 500 is obtained, when the LEF paper is used, as shown in (a), when the SEF paper is used ( As shown in b). The orientation of the paper has a certain relationship with the sheet discharge direction. Therefore, once the type of paper is determined, it is determined how the original image should be rotated to form an image in relation to the size of the original image. Thereby, the relationship between the orientation of the formed image and the sheet discharge direction can be determined. This example is a simple example in which a one-page document image is formed on one side of a sheet, but in addition to this, the direction of image rotation is specified according to various print attribute designations.
[0050]
As described above, when the orientation of the original image determined by the specification of the staple binding conditions, the staple type with respect to the orientation, and how the original image is rotated to form an image, the orientation of the image and the sheet discharge direction are determined. Can be determined (parallel or vertical). Then, from this relationship and information on the opening direction, it is possible to control the staple binding so that the binding result can be easily opened as described above.
[0051]
As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, it is possible to generate a binding result that is easy to open according to the opening direction.
[0052]
In the above example, information on the opening direction was obtained from the attribute settings for duplex printing. However, if the configuration allows the user to specify the opening direction even for single-sided printing, the binding result is easy to open even for single-sided printing. Can be obtained.
[0053]
Moreover, in the above embodiment, both the change of the binding angle and the parallel movement of the binding position are performed as the control for making the binding result easy to open. It can have an effect on the improvement.
[0054]
FIG. 6 shows that there are two types of corner binding, left corner and right corner. However, the binding processing control rule shown in FIG. 4 is expressed by expressing that the binding angle is made steep or gentle. Therefore, it can be applied to both cases. However, since the actual binding angle and the direction of adjustment of the binding position are opposite between the left corner and the right corner, the staple control unit 17 or the control unit 22 controls the adjustment direction according to the type of corner. To.
[0055]
In the example of FIG. 1, the staple binding control function is realized by being distributed to the image forming apparatus main body 10 and the post-processing apparatus 20, but the staple control unit 17 and the binding process control rule 19 of the image forming apparatus main body 10 are changed. It is also possible to incorporate various printing attribute designation information acquired by the image forming apparatus main body 10 into the post-processing apparatus 20 to the post-processing apparatus 20 and execute the above-described staple binding control according to the attribute designation information on the post-processing apparatus 20 side. Is possible.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a mechanical mechanism of the post-processing apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a stapler and a sheet discharge direction.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a binding process control rule.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the effect of parallel movement of the binding position.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a UI screen for specifying staple binding conditions and a staple type.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between image rotation and a sheet discharge direction.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining types of staple binding.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an opening direction of a binding result.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus main body, 12 Job control part, 14 UI part, 16 Image formation control part, 17 Staple control part, 19 Binding process control rule, 20 Post-processing apparatus, 22 Control part, 24 Stapler, 300 Sheet bundle, 310 Staple 400 Staple reference state (45 °), 410 Staple state after angle adjustment, 420 Final staple state.

Claims (6)

A sheet processing apparatus including a stapling unit that staples a bundle of sheets after image formation,
An opening direction acquisition unit that acquires information on whether the opening direction of the sheet bundle to be bound by the stapling unit is a vertical direction or a horizontal direction with respect to a corner of the corner binding ;
Staple type acquisition means for acquiring whether corner binding is instructed as the type of staple to be bound by the staple means;
A binding control unit for controlling a staple binding process by the staple unit according to the acquired opening direction;
Equipped with a,
The binding control unit applies the sheet bundle to the sheet bundle according to the opening direction of the sheet bundle acquired by the opening direction acquisition unit when it is acquired that corner binding is instructed by the staple type acquisition unit. Controlling a binding angle, which is an angle formed by the staple to be struck, with respect to the opening direction so that the opening direction is closer to a perpendicular than 45 degrees regardless of whether the opening direction is the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. sheet processing apparatus said. The binding control means includes a one der Luca and discharge direction of the image-formed sheet is parallel or perpendicular with respect to the orientation and the binding unit of the image formed on the sheet, the binding according to the combination of the opening direction the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controlling the angle. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising means for setting a binding angle control rule corresponding to each combination. The binding control unit, the addition to the control of the binding angle, further sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls in accordance with the opening direction the binding position of the staple.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening direction obtaining unit obtains the opening direction of the sheet bundle from user-specified information of the opening direction in the case of duplex printing. When the corner binding is instructed and the opening direction acquisition unit does not acquire information on the opening direction of the sheet bundle, the binding control unit uses the stapling unit so that the binding angle is 45 degrees. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a staple binding process is controlled.

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