JP4810118B2 - Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus including a stapler that performs binding processing on sheets.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, sheet processing apparatuses capable of stapling a predetermined number of sheets are widely known. In such a sheet processing apparatus, a stapling operation may occur during the stapling operation, in which the stapler binding needle is not bound to the sheet bundle and only the needle is blanked.

The reason is,
(A) Due to a binding operation error of the stapler body,
(B) This is because the user performs a blank shot by pulling out a sheet to be stapled before starting the stapling operation.
Etc.

In the conventional sheet processing apparatus, for these staple staples,
(1) No staple binding needle collecting means is provided, and the missed needle is left as it is.
(2) A magnetic material, an adhesive material, or the like as in Patent Document 1 and a miss needle is adsorbed thereto, or that is attached to a cartridge (see FIG. 13),
(3) The presence / absence detection of paper is provided on the stage of the stapler, the case where there is no paper is identified instantly, and the control not to perform the stapling operation is performed to reduce the occurrence of stapling staples
(4) As described in Patent Document 2, a guide is provided on a holder member that holds the staple unit, and a binding error needle generated in the staple unit is discharged to the outside of the sheet processing apparatus.
There was.
JP-A-6-40647 JP 2003-326505 A

  However, in the case of the conventional technology as described above, there are concerns that the following problems will occur.

  In the case of the above (1), it is not known where the binding miss needle dropped in the apparatus goes, causing short circuit and failure.

  Especially for a large machine that is regularly inspected by a serviceman, this configuration allows the serviceman to remove misbinding staples scattered in the device. However, a low-cost machine is maintenance-free. In many cases, there is a high possibility of a device failure.

  In the case of (2) above, missed needles may be missed due to deterioration of the adhesive material or adsorption mistakes.

  In the case of the above (3), there is a possibility that needle stitching mistakes may occur very rarely, such as an increase in cost due to the addition of a sensor, or when the user pulls out the sheet during the stapling operation.

In the case of the above (4), since a holder member for holding the staple unit is required, in addition to the increase in the volume of the holder member itself, the increase in the volume for providing the guide increases the size and cost of the apparatus. There is also a possibility that the shape of the holder member needs to be changed for each apparatus using the staple unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent a problem caused by an empty punch caused by a binding error with a simple structure and at a low cost.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
In a sheet processing apparatus including a binding unit that performs a binding process with a binding needle at a predetermined staple position on a sheet stacked on a sheet stacking unit,
The binding means includes
A cartridge for storing the binding needle;
A striking unit that ejects the binding needles stored in the cartridge one by one;
A bending portion that is provided opposite to the launching portion and folds the binding needle that has been launched from the launching portion;
With
The cartridge is provided so as to be positioned vertically below the bent portion,
The binding process by binding means for guiding to the outside of the blank beating needle device body that has not been made to the sheet, from the stapling position of the cartridge the downhill surface inclined downward toward the outside of the device body It is provided on the upper surface.
In a sheet processing apparatus including a binding unit that performs a binding process with a binding needle at a predetermined staple position on a sheet stacked on a sheet stacking unit,
The binding means includes
A cartridge for storing the binding needle;
A striking unit that ejects the binding needles stored in the cartridge one by one;
A bending portion that is provided opposite to the launching portion and folds the binding needle that has been launched from the launching portion;
With
The cartridge is provided so as to be positioned vertically below the bent portion,
From the staple position to the receiving portion for guiding the empty punch that has not been subjected to the binding processing by the binding means to the receiving portion provided inside the apparatus main body for receiving the empty punch. A down surface inclined downward is provided on the upper surface of the cartridge.
In a sheet processing apparatus including a binding unit that performs a binding process with a binding needle at a predetermined staple position on a sheet stacked on a sheet stacking unit,
The binding means includes
A cartridge for storing the binding needle;
A striking unit that ejects the binding needles stored in the cartridge one by one;
A bending portion that is provided opposite to the launching portion and folds the binding needle that has been launched from the launching portion;
With
The cartridge is provided so as to be positioned vertically below the bent portion,
A sliding surface inclined downward toward the outside of the binding means is provided on the upper surface of the cartridge in order to slide down the blank punch that has not been subjected to the binding processing by the binding means on the sheet. Is characterized in that an empty needle storage portion is provided in which an empty needle that has slid down the sliding surface is stored.

In the image forming apparatus, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
A sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on a sheet image-formed by the image forming unit,
The sheet processing apparatus is the sheet processing apparatus described above.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent inconvenience caused by an empty punch caused by a binding error with a simple structure and at low cost.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in this embodiment should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions. It is not intended to limit the scope to the following embodiments.

  First, the configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 to which the sheet processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming apparatus main body 200 and a finisher 300. The image forming apparatus main body 200 includes an image reader 400 that reads a document image and a printer 500 as an image forming unit. . The image reader 400 is equipped with a document feeding device 600.

In the document feeder 600, when the document to be fed passes through the sink reading position on the platen glass 102, it is scanned by the scanner unit 104 held at a position corresponding to the sink reading position, whereby the image sensor. An original image is read at 109 (so-called original flow reading method).

  It is also possible to read the document by conveying the document onto the platen glass 102 by the document feeder 600 and stopping it at a predetermined position, and scanning the scanner unit 104 from left to right in this state (so-called document). Fixed reading method).

  The exposure control unit 110 of the printer 500 modulates and outputs a laser beam based on the image information read by the image sensor 109, and the laser beam is scanned on the photosensitive drum 111 as an image carrier while being scanned by the polygon mirror 110a. Irradiated. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the scanned laser beam is formed on the photosensitive drum 111.

  The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 111 is visualized as a developer image by the developer supplied from the developing device 113. In addition, at the timing synchronized with the start of laser light irradiation, a sheet is fed from each cassette 114, 115, the manual feed unit 125 or the double-sided conveyance path 124, and this sheet is placed between the photosensitive drum 111 and the transfer unit 116. It is conveyed to. The developer image formed on the photosensitive drum 111 is transferred onto the fed sheet by the transfer unit 116.

  The sheet on which the developer image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 117, and the fixing unit 117 fixes the developer image on the sheet by heating and pressurizing the sheet. The sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 117 passes through the flapper 121 and the discharge roller pair 118 and is discharged from the printer 500 toward the outside (finisher 300).

  Here, when the sheet is discharged with its image forming surface facing downward (face-down), the sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 117 is once guided into the reversing path 122 by the switching operation of the flapper 121, and the trailing edge of the sheet. After passing through the flapper 121, the sheet is switched back and discharged from the printer 500 by the discharge roller pair 118 (so-called reverse discharge). This reverse discharge is performed when forming an image sequentially from the first page, such as when forming an image read using the document feeder 600 or when forming an image output from a computer. The subsequent sheet order is the correct page order.

  In addition, when a hard sheet such as an OHP sheet is fed from the manual feeding unit 125 and an image is formed on the sheet, the image forming surface is faced up without leading the sheet to the reverse path 122 (face up). ) Is discharged by the discharge roller pair 118.

  Further, when double-sided recording for forming an image on both sides of the sheet is set, the sheet is guided to the reverse path 122 by the switching operation of the flapper 121 and then conveyed to the double-sided conveyance path 124 and then to the double-sided conveyance path 124. Control is performed so that the fed sheet is fed again between the photosensitive drum 111 and the transfer unit 116 at the timing described above.

  The finisher 300 sequentially fetches sheets discharged from the printer 500, aligns a plurality of fetched sheets and bundles them into one bundle, stapling processing that binds the rear end of the bundled sheet bundle with a stapler, sort processing, non-sort processing , Etc., post-process each sheet.

  The finisher 300 has an entrance roller pair 301 for guiding the sheet discharged from the printer 500 to the inside. The sheet conveyed by the inlet roller pair 301 is guided to the finisher path 302. A switching flapper 303 is disposed downstream of the finisher path 302. The switching flapper 303 is a flapper for leading to the non-sort path 304 or the sort path 305.

  When performing non-sort processing, the switching flapper 303 is turned on, and the sheet is guided to the non-sort path 304. Thereafter, the sheet is discharged onto the sample tray 308 via a pair of conveying rollers 306 and 307 provided on the non-sort path 304.

  On the other hand, when stapling or sorting is performed, the switching flapper 303 is turned off and the sheet is guided to the sorting path 305. The sheets guided to the sort path 305 are stacked on the intermediate stacking unit 1 serving as a sheet stacking unit provided in the sheet conveyance path via the sort discharge roller pair 309.

  The sheets stacked in a bundle on the intermediate stacking unit 1 are subjected to alignment processing, stapling processing, and the like as necessary, and then discharged onto the stack tray 311 by the discharge roller pair 310. A stapler 9 is used for the stapling process for binding sheets stacked in a bundle on the intermediate stacking unit 1. The stack tray 311 is configured to be capable of self-propelling in the vertical direction.

  Next, the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment performs alignment processing, stapling processing, and the like on the sheets stacked on the intermediate stacking unit 1 as necessary.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration outline of a sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a sheet processing according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the apparatus, and all are diagrams when a sheet is carried in.

  In FIG. 1, an intermediate stacking unit 1 is for temporarily stacking sheets for post-processing (binding processing, stapling processing, stapling). Further, 2 is a pair of IN rollers for carrying the sheet discharged by the printer 500 in the direction of the arrow 3 to the intermediate stacking unit 1, and 4 is a lateral alignment slide guide that can be reciprocated by an actuator (not shown) in the direction of the arrow 5. Reference numeral 6 denotes a vertical alignment paddle that is rotated in the direction of the arrow 7 by an actuator (not shown), and 9 is a small electric stapler (hereinafter referred to as a stapler 9) as a binding means for performing a binding process on the vertically and horizontally aligned sheets.

  In this apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, when viewed from the side, the intermediate stacking unit 1 is inclined at about 35 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction a. Therefore, the sheet S1 discharged from the printer 500 and fed to the intermediate stacking unit 1 by the IN roller pair 2 falls to the upper surface of the intermediate stacking unit 1 by its own weight when the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the IN roller pair 2, and The sheet slides down the slope until the end of the sheet hits the vertical alignment reference wall 10.

  In the meantime, the lateral alignment slide guide 4 moves in the direction of the arrow 5 described in FIG. 1, so that the sheet on the intermediate stacking unit 1 is moved until the side surface of the sheet hits the lateral alignment reference wall 11.

  Thereafter, while the lateral alignment slide guide 4 returns to the original position shown in FIG. 1, the vertical alignment paddle 6 rotates in the direction of the arrow 7, and the sheet side face stands up and aligns with the alignment reference wall 10. Align the vertical direction.

  Sheet S2 in FIG. 2 is a diagram in a state where the operation is completed. Further, the succeeding paper S1 is carried in, and the same operation is repeated every time for each sheet, so that an aligned sheet bundle is formed.

  Thereafter, staple binding is performed by the stapler 9. The staple position to which the staple binding is performed is the position of the corner of the sheet bundle indicated by 12 in FIG.

  The stapler 9 performs staple binding by striking a needle vertically from the back surface of the sheet in the front surface direction and bending the tip portion of the ejected needle with a clincher 23 (see FIG. 1) as a bending portion. In FIG. 3, the clincher 23 is not shown in order to clearly show the position 12 where the staple is hit, so that the needle can be seen from above. In the state shown in the figure, since the subsequent sheet S1 is still being carried in, the needle should not be bound yet at that position. However, in order to clarify the sheet carry-in position and the needle position 12, It is shown.

  Thereafter, the bound sheet bundle is discharged from the intermediate stacking unit by a discharge unit (not shown), and the post-processing unit enters a state of waiting for the next job.

  This completes the description of the stapling process of the sheet processing apparatus.

  Next, the stapler 9 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing the stapler 9 of the present embodiment, and 20 is a staple cartridge (hereinafter referred to as the cartridge 20) that can be attached to and detached from the stapler 9 body. FIG. 5 is a view showing the cartridge 20 detached from the main body of the stapler 9 by pulling the cartridge 20 straight in the direction of the arrow 21 shown in FIG. 6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the stapler 9 of this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a view of the main part of the stapler 9 of this embodiment as viewed from above.

  The cartridge 20 alone detached from the stapler 9 body has a shape as shown in FIG. A sheet-like material in which linear staples (not shown) are glued in a band shape is stored in a storage portion in the cartridge 20 in a state where a plurality of sheets are stacked.

  The linear staple needle is formed in a U shape like a staple needle 22 shown in FIG. 6 from a protruding portion 20a of the cartridge 20 shown in FIG. In the state where it was formed, it is shot out. The clincher 23 descends in the direction of the arrow 25 about the fulcrum 24 at substantially the same time as the staple needle 22 is ejected, so that the staple needle 22 penetrates the sheet (not shown) placed on the protruding portion 20a and penetrates the sheet. The leading end portion of the staple staple 22 is bent and staple binding is performed.

  Then, the clincher 23 returns to the original position (position shown in FIG. 6), and a series of staple binding operations is completed. In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the clincher 23 moves toward the protruding portion 20a and performs the binding operation has been described. However, in the configuration in which the clincher 23 is fixed and the launching portion strikes and bends the needle toward the clincher 23. Needless to say, the present invention is effective.

  By the way, the clincher 23 is lowered by moving a lever 26 linked to the clincher 23 shown in FIG. The lever 26 is similarly configured on the front side (see FIG. 8).

  In the vicinity of the lever 26, a lubricant (grease) is applied in order to enhance the sliding of the mechanism for moving the lever 26. In addition, guide covers 27 and 28 as a pair of side walls that cover the mechanism portion are formed on the upper surface 30 of the cartridge 20 inside the mechanism portion, as shown in FIGS.

The pair of guide covers 27 and 28 prevent foreign matters such as a lubricant from entering the region surrounded by the pair of guide covers 27 and 28 on the upper surface 30 of the cartridge 20. In addition,
In FIG. 7, in order to indicate the position of the lever 26, a state in which there are no guide covers 27 and 28 is illustrated.

  The guide covers 27 and 28 are smooth with no protrusions protruding in the direction of the arrow 29 (see FIG. 8) on the side surfaces. The guide covers 27 and 28 are fixed to the stapler 9 body side. Further, the upper surface 30 of the cartridge 20 is also smooth with no protruding shape protruding in the direction of the arrow 29 in the shaded area. In FIG. 8, parts are partially deleted for easy viewing.

  Next, a description will be given with reference to FIG. 8 when an idle punched staple is generated.

  When the staple needle 31 that should pass through the sheet S is blanked at the position shown in FIG. 8, the staple needle (blank needle) 31 moves in the direction of gravity. Therefore, the staple 31 that moves in the direction of gravity is configured to move in the direction of the arrow 32a along the passage 32 formed on the upper surface 30 of the cartridge 20. Here, the upper surface 30 of the cartridge 20 constitutes a sliding surface according to the present invention.

  At this time, the staple needle 31 has the upper surface 30 inclined at 35 degrees as shown in FIG. 1, and the upper surface 30 does not have any protrusions that obstruct the movement operation of the staple needle 31 and is all inclined. Since it is smooth in the direction, it falls along the passage 32 in the direction of the arrow 32a.

  At this time, the guide covers 27 and 28 prevent the lubricant in the mechanism near the lever 26 from entering the passage 32, so that the staple needle 31 is attached to the upper surface 30 and the guide covers 27 and 27 due to the viscosity of the lubricant. 28, and the staple 31 can move smoothly through the passage 32 without being hindered from moving. In addition, since the falling staple is a magnetic material, the staple 30 is not attracted to the passage 32 by forming the upper surface 30 with a non-magnetic material (no adverse effect on downhill performance). The staple can be dropped to the outside of the stapler 9.

  Further, the sheet processing apparatus in this embodiment is configured so that the dotted line portion 33 shown in FIG. 8 corresponds to the apparatus exterior cover portion, and the end portion (cartridge knob) of the cartridge 20 is a handle when the cartridge is attached or detached. And projecting outward from the outer cover. Therefore, the user can easily attach and detach the cartridge 20 from the outside of the apparatus in the direction of the arrow 34.

  Since the binding misstaple needle 31 is guided to the outside of the apparatus main body through the passage 32, a secondary problem caused by dropping into the apparatus, for example, an apparatus failure due to the binding needle being caught in the mechanism portion. Alternatively, it is possible to prevent a short circuit due to falling on the electrical component.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the end portion of the cartridge 20 is exposed and protrudes outward from the exterior cover has been described. For example, if a binding miss staple receiving portion is installed in advance at a place where the staple miss staple 31 is dropped from the stapler 9, it is possible to prevent the mis stitch from being mixed into the mechanism portion or the electrical equipment portion to cause a malfunction. it can.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing an expensive control means, the occurrence of a binding error needle is not suppressed, but the needle of the binding error that has occurred is actively guided to the outside of the apparatus. By providing the passage, it is possible to discharge a binding miss needle without incurring costs and prevent a device failure.

  Further, by replacing the cartridge with a new one after using the staple cartridge 20, the guide surface becomes new, so that the guide surface can be kept clean. Therefore, regardless of the frequency of use, it is possible to more reliably drop the empty punching needle generated due to a binding error to the outside of the stapler 9 or the outside of the apparatus, and to maintain its certainty constant. It becomes.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the stapler 9 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the component similar to Example 1, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the first embodiment described above, as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, the pair of guide covers 27 and 28 are fixed to the stapler 9 main body, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. The pair of guide covers 41 and 42 are integrally fixed to the staple cartridge 40.

  Since the guide covers 41 and 42 are attached to and detached from the stapler 9 when the staple cartridge 40 is attached and detached, the staples of the guide covers 41 and 42 are guided by the use frequency of the stapler 9 (the passage 32 is formed). ) Even when the guide surface is deteriorated due to oil, dirt, dust scratches, etc., the cleaning of the guide covers 41 and 42 is facilitated.

  Further, by replacing the cartridge with a new one after using the staple cartridge 40, the guide surface becomes new, so that the guide surface can be kept clean. Therefore, regardless of the frequency of use, it is possible to more reliably drop and discharge the empty needle generated due to a binding error to the outside of the apparatus, and to maintain the certainty thereof.

  Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the stapler 9 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the knob portion of the staple cartridge 40.

  In the present embodiment, the staple cartridge knob 50 at the end of the staple cartridge 40 of the second embodiment described above is provided with a blank needle storage portion 51 that can store a blank needle. 10 and 11 show the case where the staple cartridge storage portion 51 is provided in the staple cartridge 40 of the second embodiment. However, the staple cartridge knob at the end of the staple cartridge 20 of the first embodiment described above is shown in FIGS. An empty needle storage unit may be provided.

  As described in the first and second embodiments, by providing the passage 32 for guiding the blank punch, the blank needle can be discharged to the outside of the stapler 9 so that the stapler 9 is exposed from the exterior of the apparatus. If arranged, it is possible to discharge to the outside of the apparatus.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the empty punch needle moving in the passage 32 is stored in the empty punch needle storage portion 51 provided in the staple cartridge knob 50, thereby preventing the empty punch needle from being scattered outside the apparatus. Can do.

The size of the blank needle storage unit 51 is based on the number of blank punches that are expected to occur when the binding process is performed until the maximum number of staples that can be stored in the staple cartridge 40 is empty. It may be set as appropriate.

  As a result, after the staples in the staple cartridge 40 become empty, when the cartridge is replaced with a new cartridge, the empty needle storage unit 51 is also replaced. The hitting needle can be prevented from being discharged into the passage 32, and the empty hitting needle can be prevented from being scattered outside the apparatus. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to process a blank punch generated due to a binding error, and convenience is improved.

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating a sheet processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 1 is a schematic top view illustrating a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the stapler of Example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view for demonstrating the staple cartridge of Example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the stapler of Example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the stapler of Example 1 of this invention. It is the schematic which looked at the principal part of the stapler of Example 1 of this invention from upper direction. It is a schematic perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the stapler of Example 2 of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the stapler of Example 3 of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view for demonstrating the empty needle storage part of the staple cartridge of Example 3 of this invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Intermediate stacking part 2 IN roller pair 4 Slide guide 6 Paddle 9 Stapler 10 Vertical alignment reference wall 11 Horizontal alignment reference wall 20 Staple cartridge 20a Protruding part 22 Staple needle 23 Clincher 26 Link lever 27 Guide cover 28 Guide cover 30 Upper surface 31 Staple needle 33 Exterior line 40 Staple cartridge 41 Guide cover 42 Guide cover 50 Cartridge knob 51 Empty needle storage section

Claims (9)

In a sheet processing apparatus including a binding unit that performs a binding process with a binding needle at a predetermined staple position on a sheet stacked on a sheet stacking unit,
The binding means includes
A cartridge for storing the binding needle;
A striking unit that ejects the binding needles stored in the cartridge one by one;
A bending portion that is provided opposite to the launching portion and folds the binding needle that has been launched from the launching portion;
With
The cartridge is provided so as to be positioned vertically below the bent portion,
The binding process by binding means for guiding to the outside of the blank beating needle device body that has not been made to the sheet, from the stapling position of the cartridge the downhill surface inclined downward toward the outside of the device body A sheet processing apparatus provided on an upper surface. In a sheet processing apparatus including a binding unit that performs a binding process with a binding needle at a predetermined staple position on a sheet stacked on a sheet stacking unit,
The binding means includes
A cartridge for storing the binding needle;
A striking unit that ejects the binding needles stored in the cartridge one by one;
A bending portion that is provided opposite to the launching portion and folds the binding needle that has been launched from the launching portion;
With
The cartridge is provided so as to be positioned vertically below the bent portion,
From the staple position to the receiving portion for guiding the empty punch that has not been subjected to the binding processing by the binding means to the receiving portion provided inside the apparatus main body for receiving the empty punch. A sheet processing apparatus comprising a sliding surface inclined downward toward the upper surface of the cartridge. In a sheet processing apparatus including a binding unit that performs a binding process with a binding needle at a predetermined staple position on a sheet stacked on a sheet stacking unit,
The binding means includes
A cartridge for storing the binding needle;
A striking unit that ejects the binding needles stored in the cartridge one by one;
A bending portion that is provided opposite to the launching portion and folds the binding needle that has been launched from the launching portion;
With
The cartridge is provided so as to be positioned vertically below the bent portion,
A sliding surface inclined downward toward the outside of the binding means is provided on the upper surface of the cartridge in order to slide down the blank punch that has not been subjected to the binding processing by the binding means on the sheet. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an empty punching needle storage unit that stores an empty punching needle that has slid down the sliding surface. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a pair of side walls on both sides of the downhill surface along an inclination direction of the downhill surface. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the pair of side walls are provided in the cartridge. The downhill surface, the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a non-magnetic material. The cartridge has a sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is detachably attached to said binding means. The sheet stacking unit is provided in the middle of the sheet conveyance path along which the sheet is conveyed, and is inclined with respect to the vertical direction.
The cartridge has a sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the downhill surfaces are provided inclined along the inclination of the sheet stacking portion. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
A sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on a sheet image-formed by the image forming unit,
The sheet processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus which is a sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8.

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