JP4855906B2 - Bookbinding apparatus and image forming system having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bookbinding apparatus in which sheets conveyed from a copying machine, a printer, and the like are arranged in a bundle and mounted on a cover sheet, and an improved bundle storage mechanism that can easily check a sheet bundle after the cover is mounted. About.

  In general, this type of bookbinding apparatus collects sheets conveyed from the image forming apparatus in a bundle on the tray means and aligns them, and applies an adhesive to the back of the sheet bundle and reverses the T on the center of the cover sheet. A so-called case binding is known which is joined in a letter shape and the cover sheet is folded back and bound. The bound sheet bundle is stored in a storage stacker, and the storage method at this time uses the following method.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a storage stacker is constituted by a tray member, and a sheet bundle bound with a cover is stacked on the tray and stored. For this reason, the conveyor which carries out a sheet bundle is comprised so that it may move up and down according to the stacking amount of a sheet bundle. Further, in Patent Document 2, a storage stacker is configured in a box (box shape) shape in the same apparatus, and a sheet bundle bound from the top is stored in this box in a standing position. A rotation table that deflects the posture of the sheet bundle is provided in the sheet discharge path, and the sheet bundle is stored in the stacker with the back cover portion facing downward. In Patent Document 2, a cutting means for cutting the three directions except for the back binding portion is arranged in the sheet bundle discharge path, and the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion of the bound sheet bundle are trimmed and cut. The arrangement to align is disclosed.
JP 2004-209869 A JP 2005-305822 A

  As described above, when the front-bound sheet bundle is stacked and stored vertically in the horizontal posture as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the adhesive of the back-bound back cover portion is not completely solidified, Or when it leaks out from an edge, an adhesive agent may adhere to the cover surface of the sheet bundle stacked up and down. In such a case, it is necessary to discard the sheet bundle as a cover mistake. At the same time, when the adhesive on the back cover portion is not completely solidified, the back cover may be wrinkled or out of shape due to the weight of the sheet bundle stacked up and down.

  In view of the above, it is proposed in Patent Document 2 to store a bound sheet bundle in an upright position. However, in this publication, a back cover portion is stored downward in a box-shaped stacker. For this reason, when the user tries to take out a part of the stack from the stacker during the continuous mounting, the sheet bundle in the stacker has a problem that it is difficult to understand the separation because the small edge portion is stored above. For example, when taking out one processed sheet bundle from the stacker to check the finished state, or when taking out several parts of a sheet bundle and using it, it is difficult to understand the separation of each booklet, There arises a problem that the sheet bundle is damaged when the sheet is taken out.

  Similarly to this, when confirming whether or not the back cover is correctly mounted in the course of continuous cover display, since the user cannot see the back cover in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, the back cover is not provided. It was difficult to detect problems such as the reverse of the title or the inadequate control of the adhesive temperature and the occurrence of wrinkles on the spine. Such a binding error depends on the configuration of the apparatus, but when a cover sheet is supplied by printing a title or the like by an upstream image forming apparatus, the setting error or the cover sheet is inserted in the upstream inserter apparatus (paper feeding apparatus). In the case of supplying from the printer, the above-mentioned problem occurs due to a mistake in setting the printed cover sheet on the paper feed tray.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when a cover sheet bundle is stored in a storage stacker, it is easy to check the finished state of the back cover, and there is no possibility of damaging other adjacent sheet bundles when part of the back cover is taken out. The problem is to provide a bookbinding device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bookbinding apparatus and an image forming system that can easily confirm the number of copies of a finished sheet bundle when a large number of sheet bundles are continuously mounted.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following configuration. In the present invention, the standing posture of the sheet bundle refers to an attitude in which the sheet bundle is stowed or conveyed in a standing state. Therefore, sheet stacking means for stacking and storing sheets sequentially conveyed out, glue applying means for applying an adhesive to the back of the sheet bundle from the sheet stacking means, and bonding disposed on the downstream side of the glue applying means A cover binding means for binding the cover sheet to the sheet bundle coated with the agent; a stack means for storing the sheet bundle arranged on the downstream side of the cover binding means; and the stack means from the cover binding means. A paper discharge path for carrying out the sheet bundle. The sheet discharge path and the stacking unit are configured to store the sheet bundle bound from the cover binding position in a standing posture. Therefore, the sheet discharge path is provided with a bundle posture deflecting unit that deflects the posture of the sheet bundle bound with the cover sheet, and the bundle posture deflecting unit is configured such that the sheet bundle bound with the cover unit is directed upward or sideways. It is configured to be stored in a standing posture.

  Further, a cutting means for cutting and aligning edges of the bound sheet bundle is disposed in the paper discharge path, and a bundle posture deflecting means for rotating the bound sheet bundle at a predetermined angle on the upstream side of the cutting means. Place.

  The sheet discharge path is provided with a jog means for storing the sheet bundle bound with the cover in the stack means with a predetermined amount offset in the storage orthogonal direction when storing in a standing posture. The jog means in this case is configured by a conveying means that is arranged in the paper discharge path and offsets the bound sheet bundle in a direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction. Alternatively, the jog means includes a bundle posture deflecting unit provided in the paper discharge path, and the bundle posture deflecting unit includes a grip rotating member that grips the sheet bundle bound with the cover sheet, and the grip rotating member includes a sheet rotating member. The sheet bundle is jogged in a direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction by rotating with the bundle gripping position offset by a predetermined amount.

  The stacking means is configured in a box shape having an upper opening, and the sheet discharge path is configured so that a sheet bundle bound to the upper opening is carried out in a standing posture with a spine facing upward. Is attached to the apparatus frame so that it can be pulled out, and the spine can be visually recognized from the outside of the apparatus in this pulled-out state.

  An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, and a bookbinding apparatus that stacks sheets from the image forming apparatus in a bundle and binds them to the front cover. The bookbinding apparatus is configured as described above.

  In the present invention, when storing the bound sheet bundle in the storage stacker, the sheet bundle is stored in a standing posture with the back cover facing upward or sideways. Even if the drying is incomplete or the adhesive leaks out from the edge during back folding, other adjacent sheet bundles are not soiled. At the same time, the spine is stored upward or sideways so that when a part of the back cover is taken out, there is no damage caused by pulling out another adjacent sheet bundle. In addition, there is an effect that the finish state of the back cover can be easily visually recognized when continuously covering.

  Furthermore, the present invention makes it easy to check the number of copies by offsetting a predetermined amount with respect to the spine cover in units of a predetermined number of copies when the spine is stored in a stacker in a posture that the user can easily check in a standing posture. For example, in a device having a grip rotation member in the sheet discharge path, a structure for offsetting a position where the rotation member grips the sheet bundle by a predetermined amount is adopted.

  The present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration of a bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention and an image forming system using the same, and FIG. 2 is a detailed explanatory diagram of the bookbinding apparatus.

  The image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus A that sequentially prints sheets, a bookbinding apparatus B attached downstream of the image forming apparatus A, and a post-processing apparatus disposed downstream of the bookbinding apparatus B. C. Then, the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus A is bound by the bookbinding apparatus B. Further, a sheet that is not subjected to bookbinding processing is configured to pass through the bookbinding apparatus B and to post-process the sheet by the post-processing apparatus C.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
First, the image forming apparatus A can employ various structures such as a copying machine, a printer, and a printing machine, but an electrostatic printing apparatus is illustrated. In the image forming apparatus A, a paper feed unit 2, a printing unit 3, a paper discharge unit 4, and a control unit are built in a casing 1. A plurality of cassettes 5 corresponding to the sheet size are prepared in the sheet feeding unit 2, and a sheet having a size designated by the control unit is fed out to the sheet feeding path 6. A registration roller 7 is provided in the sheet feeding path 6 and the sheet is fed to the downstream printing unit 3 at a predetermined timing after the leading edges of the sheets are aligned.

  The printing unit 3 is provided with an electrostatic drum 10. A print head 9, a developing device 11, a transfer charger 12, and the like are disposed around the electrostatic drum 10. The print head 9 is composed of, for example, a laser light emitter, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic drum 10. A toner ink is attached to the latent image by the developing device 11 and printed on a sheet by the transfer charger 12. . This print sheet is fixed by the fixing device 13 and carried out to the paper discharge path 17. The paper discharge unit 4 is provided with a paper discharge port 14 and a paper discharge roller 15 formed in the casing 1. Reference numeral 16 denotes a circulation path. The print sheet from the paper discharge path 17 is turned upside down by the switchback path and then sent to the registration roller 7 again to form an image on the back surface of the print sheet. In this way, the print sheet on which one side or both sides are formed is carried out from the paper discharge port 14 by the paper discharge roller 15.

  In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a scanner unit which optically reads a document image to be printed by the print head 9. As is generally known, the platen 23 on which a document sheet is placed and set, a carriage 21 that scans a document image along the platen 23, and an optical device that photoelectrically converts an optical image from the carriage 21. It comprises a reading means (for example, a CCD device) 22. In the illustrated example, a document feeder 25 for automatically feeding a document sheet to the platen is provided on the platen 23.

[Configuration of bookbinding device]
Next, the bookbinding apparatus B attached to the image forming apparatus A will be described. The bookbinding apparatus B includes a stacking unit 40 that stacks and arranges printing sheets in a bundle in the casing 30, an adhesive application unit 55 that applies adhesive paste to the sheet bundle from the stacking unit 40, and an adhesive. A cover binding means 60 for binding the cover sheet to the coated sheet bundle is configured.

[Configuration of transport route]
The conveyance path of each sheet will be described. In the casing 30, a carry-in path 31 having a carry-in entrance 31 a connected to the paper discharge port 14 of the image forming apparatus A is provided. From the carry-in path 31, the intermediate paper feed path 32 and the cover sheet are provided. The conveyance path 34 is connected via a path switching flapper 36. A bookbinding path 33 is connected to the intermediate sheet transport path 32 via the stacking unit 40, and a post-processing path 38 is connected to the cover sheet transport path 34. The bookbinding path 33 is arranged in a direction that cuts the apparatus in a substantially vertical direction, and the cover transport path 34 is arranged in a direction that crosses the apparatus in a substantially horizontal direction.

  The bookbinding path 33 and the cover transport path 34 intersect (orthogonal) each other, and a cover binding means 60 described later is disposed at the intersection. The carry-in path 31 configured as described above is connected to the paper discharge port 14 of the image forming apparatus A, and receives a print sheet from the image forming apparatus A. In this case, the image forming apparatus A carries out a print sheet (saddle stitching sheet) on which content information is printed and a print sheet (hereinafter referred to as “cover sheet”) on which a title or the like used as a cover cover is printed. In this way, the carry-in path 31 is branched into the intermediate sheet conveyance path 32 and the cover sheet conveyance path 34, and the print sheets are distributed and conveyed to the respective paths via the path switching flapper 36.

  On the other hand, an inserter device 26 is connected to the carry-in path 31 so that cover sheets that are not subjected to printing processing by the image forming apparatus A are separated from the paper feed tray 26a one by one and supplied to the carry-in path 31. is there. The inserter device 26 is provided with one or a plurality of stages of paper feed trays 26a. A paper feed means for separating and feeding the stacked sheets one by one at the front end of the tray, and a paper feed means downstream of the paper feed means. A paper path 27 is provided, and the paper feed path 27 is connected to the carry-in path 31 via a path switching piece 28. Further, the transport roller 31b is provided in the carry-in path 31, the transport roller 32a is provided in the intermediate paper transport path 32, the grip transport means (sheet bundle transport means; the same applies hereinafter) 47 and the bundle posture deflection means 64 described later. And a paper discharge roller (paper discharge means) 66 are disposed. Further, a transport roller 34a is disposed in the cover transport path 34, and a transport roller 38a is disposed in the post-processing path 38, and each is coupled to a drive motor.

[Configuration of stacking unit]
A stacking tray 41 (hereinafter referred to as “tray”) disposed in the paper discharge port 32b of the intermediate paper conveyance path 32 stacks and stores sheets from the paper discharge port 32b in a bundle shape as shown in FIG. Is constituted by a tray member arranged in a substantially horizontal posture, and a forward / reverse rotation roller 42a and a carry-in guide 42b are provided above the tray member. The forward / reverse rotation roller 42a forwardly rotates to transfer the print sheet to the front end side of the tray 41, and reversely rotates to a regulating member disposed at the rear end of the tray (the right end in FIG. 1). The rear end of the sheet is abutted against 43. Further, a sheet side aligning means (not shown) is provided on the tray 41, and both side edges of the printed sheet stored on the tray are aligned to the reference position. Printing sheet from the intermediate sheet conveying path 32 Do arrangement is collated sequentially piled up bundle on the tray 41.

[Configuration of sheet bundle conveying means]
The bookbinding path 33 is provided with grip conveying means 47 for transferring the sheet from the tray 41 to the adhesive application position E on the downstream side. As shown in FIG. 2, the grip conveying means 47 deflects the sheet bundle accumulated on the tray 41 from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture, and applies the adhesive along the bookbinding path 33 arranged substantially in the vertical direction. Transfer set to position E. For this reason, the tray 41 is moved from the stacking position (solid line in FIG. 2) to the transfer position (broken line in FIG. 2), and the sheet bundle is transferred to the grip conveying means 47 prepared at the transfer position.

[Configuration of adhesive application part]
An adhesive application means 55 is disposed at the adhesive application position E of the bookbinding path 33. As shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive application means 55 is composed of a glue container 56 that accommodates a hot-melt adhesive, an application roll 57, and a roll rotation motor MR. The glue container 56 is divided into a liquid adhesive storage chamber (hereinafter referred to as “liquid agent storage chamber”) 56 a and a solid adhesive storage chamber (hereinafter referred to as “solid agent storage chamber”) 56 b, and an application roll 57 is provided in the liquid agent storage chamber 56 a. Is built in freely rotating. A paste sensor 56S that detects the remaining amount of adhesive is disposed in the liquid agent storage chamber 56a. The illustrated glue sensor 56S also serves as an adhesive temperature sensor, and detects the temperature of the liquefied adhesive in the liquid storage chamber 56a, and at the same time, determines the remaining amount of adhesive by the temperature difference of the part immersed in the adhesive. To detect. The glue container 56 is embedded with a heating element (heating means) 50 such as an electric heater. The glue sensor 56S and the heating means 50 are connected to a control CPU 75 described later to adjust the temperature of the adhesive in the liquid agent storage chamber 56a to a predetermined melting temperature. The application roll 57 is made of a heat-resistant porous material, and is configured to impregnate the glue and swell the glue layer around the roll.

  The glue container 56 configured as described above is reciprocated along the sheet bundle. The conceptual diagram is shown in FIG. 3B, and the glue container 56 is formed in a short length (dimension) with respect to the lower end edge of the sheet bundle (the back cover portion at the time of bookbinding) S1, and the coating contained therein Along with the roll 57, it is supported on the guide rail 52 of the apparatus frame so as to move along the lower edge S1 of the sheet bundle. The glue container 56 is connected to a timing belt 53 attached to the apparatus frame, and a driving motor MS is connected to the timing belt 53.

  Therefore, the glue container 56 is reciprocated by the drive motor MS between the home position HP and the return position RP where the backward operation is started along the sheet bundle. Each position is set to the positional relationship shown in FIG. 3B, and the return position RP is set based on sheet width size information. Further, when the apparatus power is turned on (initial time), the home position HP is set, and after a predetermined time from the sheet grip signal of the grip sensor Sg provided in the preceding grip conveying means 47, for example (sheet bundle is adhesive application position E). (Estimated time to reach) from the home position HP to the return position RP. Simultaneously with this movement, the application roll 57 starts to rotate by the roll rotation motor MR. Note that SP shown in the figure is a home position sensor for the glue container 56. The adhesive application means 55 configured in this manner is rotated by the drive motor MS, and the glue container 56 starts to move along the guide rail 52 from the left side to the right side in FIG. In this outward path, the application roll 57 is pressed against the sheet bundle to disperse the sheet end, and in the return path from the return position RP to the home position HP, a predetermined gap is formed with the sheet end to apply the adhesive. The feed amount of the grip conveying means 47 is adjusted by a lifting motor (not shown).

[Configuration of cover binding means]
A cover binding means 60 is disposed at the cover binding position F of the bookbinding path 33. As shown in FIG. 4, the cover binding means 60 includes a back plate 61, a back folding plate 62, and a folding roll 63. At the cover binding position F, the above-described cover transport path 34 is arranged, and the cover sheet is fed from the image forming apparatus A or the inserter 26. Therefore, the back plate 61 is composed of a plate-like member that backs up the cover sheet, and is disposed in the bookbinding path 33 so as to be able to advance and retreat. A (medium paper) sheet bundle is joined in an inverted T shape to the cover sheet supported by the back plate 61. Therefore, the back folding plate 62 is composed of a pair of left and right press members, and is configured to be moved toward and away from each other by a driving means (not shown) in order to back fold the back portion of the cover sheet joined in an inverted T shape. Yes. Further, the folding roll 63 is composed of a pair of rollers for clamping and finishing the back-folded sheet bundle.

[Configuration of bundle posture deflection means and cutting means]
At the cutting position G located on the downstream side of the folding roll 63, a bundle posture deflecting means 64 for deflecting the top and bottom direction of the sheet bundle and a cutting means 65 for cutting the periphery of the sheet bundle are arranged. The bundle posture deflecting unit 64 deflects the sheet bundle mounted from the cover binding position E in a predetermined direction (posture) and feeds the sheet bundle to the downstream cutting unit 65 or the storage stacker 67. The cutting means 65 cuts and aligns the periphery of the sheet bundle. Therefore, the bundle posture deflecting unit 64 includes rotary tables 64 a and 64 b that grip and rotate the sheet bundle sent from the folding roll 63. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotary tables 64a and 64b are provided on a unit frame 64x attached to the apparatus frame so as to be movable up and down. A pair of rotary tables 64a and 64b are rotatably supported by the unit frame 64x with the bookbinding path 33 interposed therebetween, and one movable rotary table 64b is in the sheet bundle thickness direction (a direction orthogonal to the bookbinding path 33). It is supported to move freely. The rotary tables 64a and 64b are provided with turning motors Mt1 and Mt2 so as to deflect the posture of the sheet bundle in the bookbinding path 33. The movable rotary table 64b is equipped with a grip motor Mg that moves in the left-right direction in FIG.

  Accordingly, the sheet bundle guided into the bookbinding path 33 is gripped by the pair of left and right rotary tables 64a and 64b, and the posture direction of the sheet bundle is deflected by the turning motors Mt1 and Mt2. For example, the sheet bundle having the back portion carried downward is turned 180 degrees, and the small edge portion is sent downward to the discharge roller 66 on the downstream side. Further, it is possible to perform a trimming cut in which the sheet bundle is sequentially rotated by 90 degrees, and the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion are deflected downward at the cutting position G on the downstream side to cut the three peripheral directions of the sheet bundle. The movable rotary table 64b is provided with a grip sensor (not shown) to detect that the sheet bundle is securely gripped between the left and right rotary tables 64a and 64b, and the post-detection rotary table 64a. , 64b is driven to turn. The unit frame 64x can move the sheet bundle up and down along the bookbinding path 33 by a lifting motor MA. This constitutes a jog mechanism for offsetting the sheet bundle to be conveyed to the paper discharge roller 66 by a predetermined amount as will be described later. At the same time, when cutting the peripheral edge of the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is conveyed and set at the cutting position G, and its feed This is because the cutting width at the cutting position G is set by the amount.

[Composition of cutting means]
A cutting means 65 is disposed downstream of the bundle posture deflecting means 64. As shown in FIG. 4, the cutting means 65 includes a cutting edge press member 65b for pressing and supporting the cutting edge of the sheet bundle on the blade receiving member 65a, and a cutting blade unit 65c. The cutting edge press unit 65b is arranged at a position facing the blade receiving member 65a arranged in the bookbinding path 33, and is constituted by a pressing member that moves in a direction orthogonal to the sheet bundle by a driving means (not shown). The cutting blade unit 65c is composed of a flat blade-shaped cutting blade and a cutter motor MC that drives the cutting blade. By the cutting means 65 having such a configuration, a predetermined amount of the peripheral edge except the back portion of the sheet bundle that has been bound into a booklet is cut and aligned.

  On the downstream side of the cutting position G, a paper discharge roller (paper discharge means) 66 and a storage stacker 67 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 4, the storage stacker 67 stores the sheet bundle in a standing posture. As shown in FIG. 1, the storage stacker 67 is arranged in a drawer shape on the casing 30, and is configured to be able to be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus (the front side in FIG. 1). The user can see from the arrow direction (upper surface direction) shown in FIG. Incidentally, 67Sf shown in the figure is a fullness detection sensor, which detects the full state of the sheet bundle stored in the storage stacker 67 and warns the operator of the removal.

  On the other hand, the bookbinding path 33 constitutes a sheet discharge path 33a for guiding a sheet bundle from the cover binding position F to the storage stacker 67, and the sheet discharge roller 66 is disposed in the sheet discharge path 33a. The paper discharge roller 66 is composed of a pair of rollers and constitutes a paper discharge means for nipping the sheet bundle and guiding it to the storage stacker 67. The present invention is characterized in that, in such a configuration, when the sheet bundle is stored in the storage stacker 67 in a standing position, the back portion is stored in a state that the user can visually recognize. The control configuration will be described later.

[Configuration of sheet bundle delivery mechanism]
The paper discharge path 33 a is provided with a jog mechanism that offsets a predetermined amount in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction when the sheet bundle is carried out to the storage stacker 67. This is because the plurality of sheet bundles stored in the storage stacker 67 are stored by being offset by a predetermined amount for each unit, for example, and stored. With respect to the configuration of the jog mechanism, (1) the sheet bundle is offset in the conveyance orthogonal direction by the above-described bundle posture deflecting means 64, or (2) the sheet discharge roller (conveyance means) 66 is offset in the conveyance orthogonal direction. Each configuration will be described.

  In the configuration (1), as shown in FIG. 5, the sheet bundle is carried out to the sheet discharge roller 66 by the bundle posture deflecting means 64 described above in the following procedure. (A) The sheet bundle from the cover binding position F is carried out with the back portion (back cover portion) downward as shown in FIG. Therefore, the sheet bundle sent from the folding roll 63 is placed (set) on, for example, the cutting blade 65x (the state shown in FIG. 5A). In this state, the sheet bundle is nipped by the rotary tables 64a and 64b. In the sheet bundle nip, the movable rotary table 64b is moved by the grip motor Mg in the sheet bundle thickness direction (left side in FIG. 5A) to support the sheet bundle. Next, the cutting blade 65x is retracted from the paper discharge path 33a in the state shown in FIG. 5B, and the turning motors Mt1 and Mt2 are rotated by 90 degrees. With this turning, the sheet bundle is deflected in posture with the top (or ground) facing downward. In this state, the cutting blade 65x is again moved to the cutting position G in the state shown in FIG.

  Next, the unit frame 64x is moved by the lift motor MA, and the sheet bundle is nipped again by the rotary tables 64a and 64b. At this time, the nip point z is offset (offset) by a distance of Δα from the center point x of the sheet length (vertical length). When the sheet bundle is rotated 90 degrees in this state, the sheet bundle is offset by a predetermined amount (Δα) in the conveyance orthogonal direction to the state shown in FIG. The sheet bundle is stored in the storage stacker 67 by the paper discharge roller 66. Then, the sheet bundle is stored in the stacker in a standing position in the state shown in FIG. 7 with the back portion facing upward, and with the distance α offset shown in FIG. When cutting three sides of the sheet at the cutting position G, a predetermined amount of the lower edge (for example, the top) of the sheet bundle is cut in the state shown in FIG. 5B, and then the sheet bundle is turned 90 by the rotary tables 64a and 64b. The sheet bundle is turned to cut the edge portion of the sheet bundle, and after the cutting, the sheet bundle is turned by 90 degrees to cut the ground portion. After cutting the peripheral edge of the sheet bundle by a predetermined amount in this way, the sheet bundle is further rotated 90 degrees by the rotary tables 64a and 64b, and the small edge portion is sent downward to the paper discharge roller 66.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the configuration (2) stores the sheet bundle sent from the rotary tables 64a and 64b or the folding roll 63 by a pair of rollers having the following offset function. To be taken out. As shown in FIG. 4B, a pair of rollers 66a and 66b constituting the paper discharge roller 66 is rotatably supported on a movable frame 66c. Then, the movable frame 66c is attached to the apparatus frame so as to be movable by a predetermined amount (Δα) in the conveyance orthogonal direction (left and right direction in the figure). A shift motor MO is provided on the apparatus frame side, and the shift frame MO moves the movable frame 66c by Δα. Then, the sheet bundle held by the paper discharge roller 66 is offset by “α” in the orthogonal direction of conveyance, and then stored in the storage stacker 67 by the rotation of the paper discharge roller 66.

[Configuration of waste storage box]
Below the cutting position G, a waste storage box 68 is provided in parallel with the storage stacker 67, and stores a piece of paper cut by the cutting blade 65x. Therefore, a sweeper means 69 is provided immediately below the cutting position G. The sweeper 69 is swung in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 by a drive motor (not shown), and is positioned immediately below the cutting position G when cutting a sheet bundle. Then, the cut pieces are guided to the waste storage box 68, and after cutting, the sheet bundle is retracted from the cutting position G so that the sheet bundle can be stored in the storage stacker 67. The waste storage box 68 is provided with a full detection sensor (full detection sensor) 68Sf and a near full detection sensor 68Sn for detecting the storage amount of the cut piece of paper stored therein. The near-full detection sensor 68Sn is arranged so as to detect a piece of paper corresponding to one time for cutting the peripheral edge of the sheet bundle so as not to become full during cutting of the sheet bundle.

[Configuration of post-processing equipment]
The bookbinding apparatus B is provided with a post-processing apparatus C. The post-processing apparatus C is provided with a post-processing path 38 connected to the cover sheet transport path 34. The post-processing path 38 includes a staple unit, a punch unit, and a stamp unit. Post-processing devices such as the above are arranged, and a print sheet from the image forming apparatus A is received via the cover sheet conveyance path 34, subjected to stapling processing, punching processing, and stamping processing, and conveyed to the paper discharge tray 37. Further, the sheet from the image forming apparatus A that is not subjected to such post-processing is stored in the paper discharge tray 37.

[Configuration of control means]
Next, the configuration of the control means in the above apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In the present invention, the control means for controlling the grip conveying means 47 in the above-described configuration is described as follows: “After the sheet bundle from the stacking tray 41 is transferred to the cutting position G and cut, the sheet bundle is moved to the adhesive application position. It is characterized in that it is configured so that it is transferred to E and applied with glue. The configuration of the control means will be described below. FIG. 8 is a control block diagram. In a system in which the image forming apparatus A and the bookbinding apparatus B as shown in FIG. 1 are connected, for example, a control CPU 70 provided in the image forming apparatus A. Are provided with a control panel 71 and mode setting means 72. A control CPU 75 is provided in the control unit of the bookbinding apparatus B, and the control CPU 75 calls a bookbinding process execution program from the ROM 76 and executes each process in the bookbinding path 33.

  Further, the control CPU 75 receives a post-processing mode instruction signal, a job end signal, sheet size information, and other information required for bookbinding and a command signal from the control CPU 70 of the image forming apparatus A. On the other hand, in the carry-in path 31, the bookbinding path 33, and the cover sheet transport path 34, sheet sensors Se1 to Se6 for detecting the sheet (sheet bundle) to be transported are arranged at the positions illustrated in FIG. Therefore, the detection signal of each of the sheet sensors Se1 to Se6 is transmitted to the control CPU 75, and the control CPU 75 performs “stacking unit control unit 75a” “adhesive application unit control unit 75b” “cover cover binding unit control unit 75c” “cutting unit control unit”. 75d "," stack controller 75e "and" adhesive temperature controller 79 ". Then, the bookbinding process is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[Description of paper ejection operation]
Next, the bookbinding processing operation by the control CPU 75 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The image forming conditions and the post-processing mode are set on the control panel 71 of the image forming apparatus A (St001). The post-processing mode is set to, for example, “print-out mode”, “bookbinding processing mode”, “stapling mode”, “stamp mode”, “punch mode”, “jog mode”, or the like. In the printout mode, a sheet on which an image has been formed is carried out and stored in a paper discharge tray 37 (shown in the post-processing apparatus C) without bookbinding and post-processing.
In the bookbinding mode, sheets on which images are formed are aligned and collected, and are combined with the cover sheet and stored in the storage stacker 67. In the staple mode, the image-formed sheet is stapled by a stapling unit provided in the post-processing apparatus C, the stamp mode performs the stamping process, the punch mode performs the punching process, and the jog mode performs the sorting process. The process is executed by the processing apparatus C, and then stored in the paper discharge tray 37.

  Therefore, when the “bookbinding mode” is selected as the post-processing mode, the image forming apparatus A executes an image forming operation and carries out the image-formed sheet to the paper discharge port 14 (St002). In the bookbinding apparatus B, the sheet is received in the carry-in path 31. At this time, the control CPU 75 positions the route switching flapper 36 in the state shown in FIG. This sheet is sent to the paper discharge port 32b by the conveyance roller 32b, and is sequentially stacked and stored on the stacking tray 41 (St003).

  Therefore, upon receiving a job end signal (St004) from the image forming apparatus A, the control CPU 75 carries out the sheet bundle on the stacking tray 41 by the grip conveying means 47 and deflects its posture by 90 degrees. As a result, the sheet bundle aligned on the stacking tray 41 is deflected from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture, and is transferred to the adhesive application position E on the downstream side through the bookbinding path 33 (St005).

  The control CPU 75 feeds the cover sheet from the cover transport path 34 before and after the feeding set of the sheet bundle to the adhesive application position E. This cover sheet may be supplied after being formed with an image from the image forming apparatus A or supplied from the inserter apparatus 26. When the sheet is fed from the inserter device 26, the control CPU 75 operates sheet feeding means (not shown) to separate the sheets one by one from the sheet feeding tray 26a and feed them to the sheet feeding path 27.

  The sheet sent to the paper feed path 27 is conveyed to the carry-in path 31 by the conveyance roller 27a. At this time, the control CPU 75 positions the path switching piece 28 in the state shown in FIG. The cover transport path 34 is provided with a registration mechanism 34b for correcting the posture of the sheet, and the sheets aligned by the registration mechanism 34b reach the cover binding position F by being transported by a predetermined amount from this position and are set stationary. (St006). Following the cover sheet feeding and setting, the control CPU 75 drives the adhesive application means 55 to apply the adhesive to the sheet bundle set at the adhesive application position E (St007). The glue container 56 provided with the application roll 57 moves to the right in FIG. 3B along the lower edge of the sheet bundle, and applies the adhesive impregnated on the roll surface to the sheet bundle.

  After completion of the adhesive application operation, the control CPU 75 transfers the sheet bundle to the cover binding position F on the downstream side by the grip conveying means 47. Then, since a cover sheet is set at this position, the cover sheet is backed up to the back plate 61 and the sheet bundle is joined in an inverted T shape. Next, in this state, the back folding plate 62 presses the back portion of the cover sheet and mounts the sheet bundle (St008).

  After the above cover processing, the control CPU 75 determines whether or not the cutting mode is selected (St009). In the cutting mode, the grip conveying means 47 is released from the sheet bundle and returned to the initial position. At this time, the cutting blade 65x is positioned at the cutting position G, and receives the falling sheet bundle (St010). In this state, the movable rotary table 64b is moved from the standby position to the sheet gripping position, and the sheet bundle is nipped between the rotary table 64a (St012). Next, after moving the cutting blade 65x to the standby position, the control CPU 75 turns the rotary tables 64a and 64b by 90 degrees to deflect the top of the sheet bundle to the lower end (St013). Therefore, the sheet bundle is pressed and held by the cutting edge press member 65b, and a predetermined amount is cut by the cutting blade 65x (St014).

  Next, the control CPU 75 retracts the cutting edge press member 65b to the standby position, then turns the sheet bundle 180 degrees, deflects the posture so that the ground portion becomes the lower end, and cuts the lower end portion. Next, the control CPU 75 similarly retracts the cutting edge press member 65b to the standby position, and then turns the sheet bundle 90 degrees to deflect the posture so that the fore edge is at the lower end, and cuts the lower end. In this way, after the edges of the sheet bundle are trimmed and aligned, the control CPU 75 shifts to a paper discharge operation when the trimming of the sheet bundle in three directions is completed. On the other hand, when the cutting mode is not selected in step St010, the control means 75 shifts to the next paper discharge operation.

  In the paper discharge operation, the control CPU 75 determines whether or not the jog paper discharge mode is selected (St015). In the jog paper discharge mode, the control CPU 75 operates the jog mechanism shown in FIG. 5 or 6 (St016). When the jog mode is not selected, the sheet discharge roller 66 is operated to store the sheet bundle in the storage stacker 67 (St017).

  In the above-described embodiment, the sheet bundle from the bookbinding path 33 is stacked on the storage stacker 67 with the stack posture deflecting unit 64 so that the back portion is in the upward posture. (For example, facing the front side of the apparatus in FIG. 1).

1 is an explanatory diagram of an overall configuration of an image forming system including a bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of a bookbinding apparatus in the system of FIG. 1. The structure of the adhesive application means in the apparatus of FIG. 2 is shown, (a) is the structure of the glue container, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the aspect of adhesive application. Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the bundle attitude | position deflection | deviation means in the apparatus of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the aspect of the sheet jog of the bundle attitude | position deflection | deviation means shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing of the jog mechanism different from the bundle attitude | position deflection | deviation means shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a sheet stack storage stacker in the apparatus of FIG. 2. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control means in the apparatus of FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a bookbinding operation in the apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

A image forming apparatus B bookbinding apparatus C post-processing apparatus 41 stacking tray 47 grip conveying means 55 adhesive application means 60 cover binding means 61 back plate 62 back folding plate 63 folding rolls 64a and 64b bundle posture deflection means (rotary table)
65 Cutting means 65a Blade receiving member 65b Cutting edge press means 65c Cutting means 65x Cutting blade 66 Paper discharge roller 66c Movable frame 67 Storage stacker

Claims (7)

Sheet stacking means for stacking and storing sheets sequentially carried out in a bundle;
Glue application means for applying an adhesive to the back of the sheet bundle from the sheet stacking means;
A cover binding means for binding the cover sheet to a sheet bundle disposed downstream of the glue applying means and coated with an adhesive;
Stacking means for storing a sheet bundle arranged on the downstream side of the cover binding means and bound with the cover;
A paper discharge path for carrying out the sheet bundle from the cover binding means to the stack means;
With
In the bookbinding apparatus configured to store the sheet bundle, which is bound from the cover binding position, in a standing position from the cover binding position.
The sheet discharge path is provided with a bundle posture deflecting unit for deflecting the posture of the sheet bundle bound with the cover,
The bookbinding apparatus is characterized in that the bundle posture deflection means is configured to store the sheet bundle bound to the stack means in a standing posture with the spine facing upward or sideways. A cutting means for cutting and aligning the edges of the bound sheet bundle is disposed in the paper discharge path,
2. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a bundle posture deflecting unit for rotating the sheet bundle bound with the cover sheet by a predetermined angle is provided upstream of the cutting unit. The jogging means is provided in the paper discharge path for storing a sheet bundle bound with a cover in the stacking means with a predetermined amount offset in a storage orthogonal direction when storing in a standing posture. The bookbinding apparatus according to 1 or 2. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the jog unit includes a conveyance unit that is disposed in the sheet discharge path and offsets a bound sheet bundle in a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction. The jog means comprises a bundle posture deflection means provided in the paper discharge path,
The bundle posture deflecting unit includes a grip rotating member that grips the cover sheet bound sheet bundle,
4. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the grip rotating member jogs the sheet bundle in a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction by rotating in a state in which the grip position of the sheet bundle is offset by a predetermined amount. The stack means is configured in a box shape having an upper opening,
The sheet discharge path is configured to carry out a sheet bundle bound to the upper opening with the back cover in an upright posture.
The bookbinding according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the stacking means is attached to the apparatus frame so as to be able to be pulled out, and is configured so that the spine can be visually recognized from the outside of the apparatus in the pulled-out state. apparatus. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet;
A bookbinding apparatus that stacks sheets from the image forming apparatus in a bundle and binds the cover;
With
An image forming system, wherein the bookbinding apparatus has the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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