JP5440417B2 - Ring binding apparatus and image forming system provided with the ring binding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ring bookbinding apparatus that binds printed sheet bundles with a ring binder and an image forming system including the ring bookbinding apparatus.

  In recent years, image forming systems have been equipped with post-processing devices that perform various post-processes in addition to simply printing, and have been designed to improve the efficiency of office processing. Examples of post-processing include punch processing, stapling processing, inserter processing for inserting a cover or insertion paper, folding processing such as half-folding and tri-folding, and bookbinding processing.

  One of the bookbinding processes is a ring bookbinding process. This ring bookbinding process is performed by attaching a ring binder shown in Patent Document 1, for example, to a plurality of holes formed in a sheet bundle and closing the ring. Is bound and a booklet as shown in FIG. 5 is created.

  Various proposals have been made for this ring binding. For example, in Patent Document 2, when ring binders of different sizes are used, the thickness of the sheet bundle is measured, and if it is out of the allowable range, A technique for resizing is disclosed.

  Also, Patent Document 3 is a ring binding apparatus that can set one type of ring binder, and is it possible to perform ring processing by comparing the size (length) of the paper on which the ring binder is mounted and the type (length) of the ring? Disclosure technology is disclosed.

JP 2007-30319 A JP 2008-94081 A JP 2009-248509 A

  The ring binder is designed to have a margin slightly larger than the maximum capacity so that the attached booklet can be spread 180 degrees. This maximum number of sheets is set based on the standard plain paper thickness, but cannot be bound or bound according to the specified number of sheets, such as when using thick paper or attaching a cover of thick paper. Even if the spread is not smooth.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 2 measures the thickness of a sheet bundle, but the normal thickness measurement can only be measured step by step, and sufficient accuracy cannot be obtained. In addition, the measured thickness may change even when the number is the same. This is because the thickness of the paper changes due to the hygroscopicity of the paper or the subtle distortion of the paper after printing accumulates, resulting in a change in the measured thickness. Although it is conceivable to perform the thickness measurement with high accuracy, the high accuracy measurement has an adverse effect of increasing the cost.

  A problem that arises from the fact that the thickness of the sheet bundle cannot be measured accurately occurs when the number of sheets to be stored is very close to the maximum number of sheets that can be stored. For example, when a ring bookbinding apparatus including a ring binder containing 50 sheets and a ring binder containing 100 sheets is used to create a plurality of booklets by ring-binding a bundle of 50 sheets of one copy, the thickness measurement of Patent Document 2 is performed. If the measured thicknesses of the respective sheet bundles are different from each other, a booklet bound by 50 ring binders and a booklet bound by 100 ring binders may be mixed. That is, depending on the deviation of the thickness measurement of each sheet bundle, there are cases where the apparatus determines that 50 ring binders are appropriate and when 100 ring binders are appropriate. A plurality of booklets bound by ring binders with different sizes cannot be delivered and must be redone.

  Even when a booklet of one copy is created, if a 50-sheet bundle is automatically bound, the booklet is bound by a ring binder for 100 sheets, and a booklet with a ring binder that is too large for the bundle of sheets is produced. Sometimes it is illegal.

  The present invention solves the problems as described above, can create a booklet using a ring binder having a size most suitable for the sheet bundle, and even when a plurality of sheet bundles are bound by a ring, the booklet has the same ring size. A ring bookbinding apparatus capable of creating the image forming apparatus and an image forming system including the ring bookbinding apparatus.

The above object can be achieved by the following configuration. That is,
1. A sheet storage means for storing and aligning a plurality of sheets into a sheet bundle;
Punching means for punching a plurality of holes in one side of the sheet bundle;
At least two cartridges each containing a different size ring binder;
A thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the sheet bundle stored in the paper storing means;
Display input means for displaying information and inputting information of papers constituting the paper bundle;
A ring binding means for removing a ring binder from the cartridge and mounting it on the sheet bundle;
Control means for selecting one of the cartridges and controlling the ring binding means to perform ring binding;
A ring binding apparatus comprising:
When the sheet information of the sheet bundle is input, the control unit selects the size of the ring binder to be used from the input sheet information and sets the selected size as the first size, and the thickness measuring unit measures the selected size. The size of the ring binder to be used is selected based on the thickness of the sheet bundle, the selected size is set as the second size, the first size is compared with the second size, and if they are the same, the ring binding is performed with the ring binder of that size. The ring bookbinding apparatus is characterized in that the means is operated and the display input means issues an error warning if they do not match.
2. 2. The ring binding apparatus according to 1 above, wherein the sheet information is information on the number and thickness of each type of sheet to be used.
3. When the first size and the second size do not match, the control means causes the display input means to display a manual selection screen for manually selecting a ring binder type to be used following an error warning. The ring binding apparatus according to 1 or 2 above.
4). When the control means determines the size of the ring binder for the first paper bundle, when the ring binding is performed for a plurality of copies, the control means uses the ring binder of that size to ring the second and subsequent paper bundles. 4. The ring bookbinding apparatus according to any one of 1 to 3, wherein the bookbinding is controlled to perform bookbinding.
5. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, and the ring binding apparatus according to any one of 1 to 4 that performs ring binding on a bundle of sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus. Image forming system.

  The present invention provides a ring bookbinding apparatus capable of creating a booklet using a ring binder having a size most suitable for a sheet bundle, and capable of producing a booklet having a uniform ring size even when a plurality of sheet bundles are bound to a ring. An image forming system including a bookbinding apparatus is provided.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an image forming system to which the present invention is applied. Sectional drawing which shows the ring bookbinding apparatus of embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of ring binding of this invention. Schematic which shows the display input screen at the time of performing ring binding of this invention. The perspective view which shows the booklet by which ring binding was carried out.

  FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing an image forming system to which the present invention is applied. This image forming system includes a large-capacity sheet feeding device LT, an image forming device IF, an inserter device IN that inserts a cover sheet and a partition sheet into a sheet bundle, a ring binding device LG of the present invention, and a finisher that performs various post-processing from the right side of the figure. This is a system in which the devices FN are connected.

  The image forming apparatus IF is a device that forms an image by an electrophotographic method, an offset printing method, or the like, and has an operation panel OP that is a display input unit.

  The inserter IN is equipped with three paper feed trays IT1, IT2, and IT3, one in the upper two stages and one in the inside, and can set cover sheets and partition sheets of different colors and thicknesses, from the operation panel OP. Based on the input instruction, the paper is inserted into a predetermined position of the paper bundle.

  Further, the finisher device FN includes a punch unit FN1 that performs a two-hole punch for a file, a flat stitch unit FN2 that performs a side stitch, a saddle stitch unit FN3 that performs a saddle stitch, and a folding unit FN4 that folds a sheet in three or three. Then, after various post-processing is performed on the paper, it is discharged to the lifting tray T1 or the lower tray T2.

  Each device has control units CL1 to CL5, and performs image formation and post-processing while communicating with each other via a communication line.

  The above image forming system is an example, and it is needless to say that other configurations may be used.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the ring bookbinding apparatus LB of the present invention.

  In the figure, a horizontal conveyance path 1 is provided across the central upper part, conveys paper from the upstream, and delivers it to the downstream finisher FN. A paper feed tray 2 is provided in the upper part of the apparatus, and when offline ring binding is performed, paper is sequentially fed and joined to the horizontal conveyance path 1. A paper discharge tray 3 is also provided at the upper part of the apparatus so that paper that is not subjected to post-processing can be discharged by the finisher device FN.

  A bookbinding transport path 10 that branches downward from the center of the horizontal transport path 1 is a transport path for transporting paper for ring binding. The paper passes through the transport path 10 and is temporarily transported upward on the tray 11 disposed obliquely. When the rear end of the paper is removed from the transport path 10, the paper descends downward along the tray 11 and stops by hitting a stopper (not shown). .

  A plurality of holes for ring binding can be formed in the stopped paper by the punching device 12. The punching device 12 is a known mechanism having a die, a punch, a cam for driving the punch, and a container for storing punch scraps, and can punch holes as many as the number of rings of the ring binder in the paper.

  The perforated paper moves downward along the second tray 13 and stops by hitting a stopper (not shown). When a predetermined number of papers are collected, the gripper 14 holds the end of the paper bundle. The gripper 14 is configured such that one gripper is fixed and the other gripper is movable, and the movable gripper moves to sandwich the sheet bundle. A thickness measuring sensor SS is provided on the movable gripper, and the thickness of the gripped sheet bundle is measured.

  Two cartridges 15 and 16 are arranged on the right side of the center of the figure. The cartridges 15 and 16 contain ring binders LB of different sizes, and are configured to be movable in the horizontal direction by a moving mechanism (not shown) so that one of the cartridges can be moved to the take-out position by control described later. It has become. The dotted line shown on the right side of the solid cartridge indicates the state where the left cartridge 15 has moved to the removal position.

  A ring binding mechanism 17 is located below the take-out position, and the ring bind mechanism 17 is rotated around the shaft 18 to move between the take-out position and the bind position.

  The ring binding mechanism 17 takes out one ring binder LB from the cartridge at the take-out position, moves to the bind position, and attaches the ring binder to the end of the sheet bundle held by the gripper 14. The attachment method is a known method such as the method described in Patent Document 1.

  The booklet equipped with the ring binder moves along the belt conveying device 19 (broken line position) below the gripper 14 and stops by hitting the stopper SP. Then, the belt conveyance device 19 is rotated to the solid line position in the figure, and the belt is driven counterclockwise to deliver the booklet to the second belt conveyance device 20. The second belt conveyance device 20 conveys the booklet and discharges it to a discharge tray 21 that can be raised and lowered. A portion of the illustrated frame line including the tray 21 is configured to be pulled out toward the front side of the apparatus, and a booklet that has been bound into a ring can be taken out.

  The above configuration is an example of a ring bookbinding apparatus, and other configurations may be used.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control of the present invention when ring binding is performed. The control is performed in cooperation with the above-described control unit, but in the flowchart, these are collectively shown as a flow of ring binding.

  First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not to select a ring binder size by inputting paper parameters when ring binding is performed. This determination is made by confirming an instruction input by the operator on the operation panel OP. FIG. 4A shows the instruction input screen, which is entered from the “machine state” tab among the upper selection tabs and displays the “ring binding setting” screen. In the middle area of this display screen, there is a question as to whether or not to input paper information for ring binding, and the operator inputs an instruction by selecting “YES” or “NO” on the screen. .

If the instruction is “YES” (Yes in step S1), input of paper information is received in step S2. This input screen is the lower area, and the screen state during input is shown in FIG. On the left side of the lower area, the basis weight of various types of paper stored in the image forming system is displayed, and on the right side there is a number display column. Use the up / down key on the left to select the basis weight of the paper you want to enter. In the figure, the basis weight of 80 g / m ² is selected (indicating that it is selected by black and white reversal), and 20 sheets are input. In addition, two sheets having a basis weight of 140 g / m ² are input as insertion sheets. Although the paper feed tray and the insertion paper tray are displayed separately, it is not always necessary to separate them.

  When the determination key at the center is pressed, an arrow and a recommended binder display field appear on the right side, and a recommended size binder is displayed (step S3). Here, a ring binder for 50 sheets named Type A is the recommended size. The recommended binder size is displayed when the control unit calculates the thickness of the sheet bundle from the input basis weight and the number of sheets, and selects the size of the ring binder from the calculated value.

  When a plurality of sizes are obtained as a result of the calculation, the type of each ring binder is displayed and the operator is allowed to select. Although a selection screen when a plurality of ring binders is displayed is not shown, it may be selected by an up / down key in the same manner as the basis weight selection. The operator finally presses the enter key to validate the selection (step S4).

  On the other hand, if No in step S1, the process proceeds to step S5, where all available ring binders are displayed, and the operator is made to select them (step S6).

  Thus, the ring binder selected in step S4 or step S6 is stored in the memory as selection 1.

  In step S7, printing of the first copy is started. When printing is performed to form the first copy of the booklet and the sheet bundle is accumulated on the second tray 13, the thickness measurement of the sheet bundle is performed by the thickness sensor S in step S8, and the measured value is obtained in step S9. The type of the suitable ring binder is selected from the above, and this is selected as 2.

  In subsequent step S10, selection 1 and selection 2 are compared. If the two match, the process proceeds to step S11, and the selected ring binder is set. This set is to move a cartridge of a selected size to the take-out position. In step S12, ring binding processing is performed.

  On the other hand, if the two do not match in step S10, the process proceeds to step S13 to display an error and display a manual selection screen in step S14 to allow the operator to select a ring binder to be used.

  Subsequent to step S14, the second and subsequent copies remaining in step S15 and ring binding are performed, and the process is continued until all copies and ring binding are completed. For the second and subsequent sheet bundles, the ring binder size determination process is not performed, and printing of each part and ring binding are continuously performed. Then, when printing of all the copies is finished, the process is finished.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the size of the ring binder used for ring binding is selected by inputting information (number of sheets and basis weight) of sheets constituting the sheet bundle, and the thickness of the sheet bundle before ring binding is actually set. The size was selected from the measured values, and the size of the ring binder to be used was determined by comparing the two selected values.

  Therefore, when a booklet is formed by printing a plurality of copies, since the same size ring binder is used for all booklets, the completed booklet is not uneven.

  The present invention functions effectively when the thickness of the sheet bundle is the thickness near the upper limit of the allowable value of the small size ring binder or the thickness near the lower limit of the allowable value of the large size ring binder. For example, when 51 sheets are used as a booklet, there is a risk that a booklet bound with a ring binder for 50 sheets and a booklet bound with a ring binder for 100 sheets may be formed only by measuring the thickness. For example, the size based on the parameters of the paper entered by the operator and the size based on the thickness measurement are compared to determine the size of the ring binder to be used, so the same ring binder can be installed for all booklets. If there is a discrepancy, the operator should endure a little difficulty to make a compact booklet, or endure the size of the ring binder to ensure sufficient ease of opening. A ring binder can be selected accordingly.

  In FIG. 4B, in the above description, information on the basis weight and number of sheets used by the operator is input. However, this information may be set from the operation panel OP when setting paper in the paper feeder. In such a case, the setting information can also be used. In this case, in addition to the basis weight and number of sheets to be used, the type (size) of the ring binder of the calculation result can be displayed immediately. Furthermore, the thickness is measured without performing these displays, and if the two sizes match, the process is automatically continued, and only when there is a mismatch, the display is performed so that the operator can select the type of ring binder. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Horizontal conveyance path 10 Bookbinding conveyance path 11, 13 Tray 12 Punching device 14 Gripper 15, 16 Cartridge 17 Ring binding mechanism 19, 20 Belt conveyance apparatus Discharge tray 21
SS Thickness Sensor LB Ring Binder SP Stopper LT Large Capacity Feeder IF Image Forming Device IF Image Forming Device IN Inserter Device LG Ring Binding Device FN Finisher Device OP Operation Panel CL1-CL5 Control Unit

Claims (5)

A sheet storage means for storing and aligning a plurality of sheets into a sheet bundle;
Punching means for punching a plurality of holes in one side of the sheet bundle;
At least two cartridges each containing a different size ring binder;
A thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the sheet bundle stored in the paper storing means;
Display input means for displaying information and inputting information of papers constituting the paper bundle;
A ring binding means for removing a ring binder from the cartridge and mounting it on the sheet bundle;
Control means for selecting one of the cartridges and controlling the ring binding means to perform ring binding;
A ring binding apparatus comprising:
When the sheet information of the sheet bundle is input, the control unit selects the size of the ring binder to be used from the input sheet information and sets the selected size as the first size, and the thickness measuring unit measures the selected size. The size of the ring binder to be used is selected based on the thickness of the sheet bundle, the selected size is set as the second size, the first size is compared with the second size, and if they are the same, the ring binding is performed with the ring binder of that size. The ring bookbinding apparatus is characterized in that the means is operated and the display input means issues an error warning if they do not match.   The ring binding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet information is information on the number of sheets and thickness for each type of sheet to be used.   When the first size and the second size do not match, the control means causes the display input means to display a manual selection screen for manually selecting a ring binder type to be used following an error warning. The ring binding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   When the control means determines the size of the ring binder for the first paper bundle, when the ring binding is performed for a plurality of copies, the control means uses the ring binder of that size to ring the second and subsequent paper bundles. The ring bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein bookbinding is controlled to be performed.   An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, and a ring binding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 that performs ring binding on a bundle of sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus. An image forming system provided.

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