JP5793515B2 - Sheet processing device - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a sheet processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing on a sheet on which an image is formed by an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are sheet processing apparatuses that perform sorting, stapling, or folding processing on sheets after image formation. The sheet processing apparatus can bind a simple booklet by performing a stapling process on a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets.

  In the bookbinding process described above, cardboard may be used for some sheets in order to distinguish them from other sheets. Some sheets are, for example, a front cover, a back cover, and a chapter separator.

  However, when using thick paper, there are problems such as stapling mistakes and high costs.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-194574

  The problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus that realizes a sheet that is distinguished from other sheets by plain paper in the bookbinding process.

The sheet processing apparatus according to the embodiment includes a conveyance unit that conveys a sheet, a folding unit that performs a folding process on the sheet, a binding unit that performs a binding process on the sheet, and a control unit that performs control for bookbinding. The folding means performs a folding process using either the first folding position separated by a predetermined dimension upstream from the central portion in the sheet longitudinal direction or the second folding position separated by a predetermined dimension downstream in the sheet conveying direction as a folding position. Apply. The control unit performs the folding process, and includes a first sheet having a first area and a second area narrower than the first area with the folding position as a boundary, and a second sheet not subjected to the folding process. of combination of the sheet you have line control performing the binding processing, the foreground and the rearmost sheet of the booklet and the first sheet, so that the first region of each of the sheet is outside the booklet In addition, control is performed to set the folding position to the first folding position or the second folding position .

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram illustrating hardware configurations of the image forming apparatus and the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Sectional drawing of the folding unit which shows the folding position of the sheet | seat in 1st Embodiment. 6 is a control flowchart of a simple bookbinding mode according to the first embodiment. The external appearance schematic diagram of the booklet in 1st Embodiment. 10 is a control flowchart of a simple bookbinding mode according to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described.
(First embodiment)

  The sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment mixes and binds a sheet that has been subjected to folding processing (first sheet) and a sheet that has not been subjected to folding processing (second sheet). The sheet processing apparatus performs the above processing according to a command from a printer driver screen of an external user terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer) or the operation unit of the image forming apparatus. In the first embodiment, a bookbinding process using a simple bookbinding mode in which a first sheet is used for a front cover that is the frontmost surface and a back cover that is the rearmost surface of a booklet to be bound will be described as an example. In the simple bookbinding mode, for example, an A4 size booklet is bound, and an A3 size sheet is used as the first sheet. The sheet size is not limited to these. In the following description, the front cover refers to both the front cover and the back cover.

  FIG. 1 is a control block diagram illustrating hardware configurations of the image forming apparatus 100 and the sheet processing apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a main control unit 110, a paper feeding unit 130, a scanner unit 140, a printer unit 150, an operation unit 160, and a communication interface (I / F) unit 170. Each unit of the image forming apparatus 100 is connected via a bus 180.

  The main control unit 110 includes a processor 112 composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a memory 114, and a storage device 120. The memory 114 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, and includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 116 that stores various control programs, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 118 that provides a temporary work area to the processor 112. The storage device 120 temporarily stores print data to be printed. The storage device 120 may be, for example, a hard disk drive or other magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, a semiconductor storage device such as a flash memory, or any combination thereof. The main control unit 110 controls each unit based on various programs stored in the ROM 116 or the storage device 120. The main control unit 110 communicates with the control unit 210 of the sheet processing apparatus 200.

  The paper feed unit 130 includes a cassette unit and a manual feed unit. Each of the cassette unit and the manual feed unit can accommodate a plurality of sheets. A plurality of cassette units may be provided. The cassette unit in the first embodiment includes a cassette a that stores A3 size sheets and a cassette b that stores A4 size sheets. The paper feeding unit 130 takes out the sheets placed on the cassette unit or the manual feeding unit one by one and conveys them to the printer unit 150.

  The scanner unit 140 includes a scanning reading unit that reads a document as an image, a document table, and an automatic document feeder that transports the document to a reading position. The scanning reading unit reads an image of a document set on a document table or an automatic document feeder.

  The printer unit 150 includes an image forming unit including a photosensitive drum, a developing unit using toner as a developer, and the like. The printer unit 150 prints an image based on image data read by the scanner unit 140 or print data received from a communication I / F unit 170 described later on a sheet. In the simple bookbinding mode according to the first embodiment, the printing method differs between printing a cover and printing a content sheet that is a sheet other than the cover. In the case of printing a front cover, the printer unit 150 prints two A4 size images side by side on an A3 size sheet. That is, 2-in-1 print processing is performed. In the case of printing a content sheet, the printer unit 150 prints an image on an A4 size sheet.

  The operation unit 160 includes various operation keys and a touch panel type display unit (not shown). The operation keys include, for example, a numeric keypad, a reset key, a stop key, and a start key. The display unit displays instruction items related to printing conditions such as sheet size, number of copies, print density setting, or finishing (binding, folding, bookbinding), for example. The operation unit 160 receives input from the user from various operation keys or a display unit.

  The communication I / F unit 170 is an interface connected to an external user terminal such as a PC or a print server via a network. The communication I / F unit 170 includes an appropriate wireless or wired interface such as IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.3, IEEE 1284, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared connection, or optical connection. The communication I / F unit 170 may further include a USB connection unit to which a USB standard connection terminal is connected, a parallel interface, and the like. The main control unit 110 communicates with a user terminal, a USB device, and other external devices via the communication I / F unit 170. The communication I / F unit 170 receives print data from a user terminal, for example.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 200 will be described. The sheet processing apparatus 200 includes a control unit 210, a conveyance unit 230, a finisher unit 250, and a saddle unit unit 300. Each unit of the sheet processing apparatus 200 is connected via a bus 350.

  The control unit 210 is mainly configured by a processor 212, a memory 214, and a storage device 220. The memory 214 includes a ROM 216 and a RAM 218. The control unit 210 comprehensively controls the sheet processing apparatus 200 based on information received from the main control unit 110 and various programs stored in the ROM 216 and the storage device 220.

  The conveyance unit 230 conveys the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 to a predetermined position according to the content of processing. The finisher unit 250 performs stapling processing (binding processing) and sorting processing on the sheets in accordance with instructions from the control unit 210. The saddle unit 300 performs a folding process and a saddle stitch bookbinding process on the sheet in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 210.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment. The sheet processing apparatus 200 includes an inlet roller pair 232, a first branch member 234, a finisher unit 250, a saddle unit unit 300, and first to third transport paths 236, 238, and 240. The first to third transport paths are the transport unit 230. The conveyance unit 230 includes a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 242 that convey a sheet.

  The pair of entrance rollers 232 receives the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus 100 and conveys the sheet to the first branch member 234. The first branch member 234 conveys the sheet to the first conveyance path 236 following the finisher section 250 or the second conveyance path 238 following the saddle unit section 300 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 210 based on the sheet processing information. The processing information is information about sort processing, stapling processing, folding processing, and the like, for example.

  The finisher unit 250 includes a second branch member 252, a first discharge roller pair 254, a first fixed tray 256, an exit roller pair 258, a standby tray 260, a processing tray 262, a first stapler (binding means) 264, and a discharge roller. 266 and a movable tray 268.

  The second branch member 252 conveys the sheet conveyed from the first conveyance path 236 to the first paper discharge roller pair 254 or the outlet roller pair 258 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 210. The first paper discharge roller pair 254 discharges the sheet to the first fixed tray 256. The exit roller pair 258 conveys the sheet to the standby tray 260.

  The standby tray 260 adjusts the flow of sheet conveyance by temporarily holding the sheet. That is, the standby tray 260 secures time required for sheet discharge and sheet stapling processing downstream of sheet conveyance.

  The processing tray 262 is disposed below the standby tray 260. The processing tray 262 receives a sheet conveyed from the standby tray 260. The sheets on the processing tray 262 are subjected to alignment in the sheet conveyance direction (vertical alignment) and alignment in the sheet width direction (lateral alignment). The paper discharge roller 266 discharges the aligned sheet to the movable tray 268. The sheets may be discharged after being subjected to a sorting process.

  The first stapler 264 performs a stapling process on a predetermined position of the sheet before the sheet on the processing tray 262 is discharged to the movable tray 268. The first stapler 264 in the first embodiment performs stapling at two places on the rear end portion in the sheet conveyance direction.

  The movable tray 268 aligns and stacks the sheets discharged from the processing tray 262. The movable tray 268 in the first embodiment moves up and down according to the amount of stacked sheets.

  Next, the saddle unit 300 will be described. The saddle unit section 300 includes a stacking section 302, a second stapler 310, a folding unit (folding means) 320, a second paper discharge roller pair 332, and a second fixed tray 334.

  The stacking unit 302 temporarily stacks sheets conveyed from the second conveyance path 238 to the saddle unit unit 300 in a standing position. The stacking unit 302 includes a stack tray 304 and a stacker 306. The stack tray 304 supports the sheet surface. The stacker 306 receives the lower end of the sheet. The stacker 306 supports the lower ends of the sheets stacked in the standing position and aligns the positions of the end portions of the sheets in the transport direction. The sheets stacked on the stacking unit 302 are also aligned in the sheet width direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction.

  The stacker 306 moves up and down along the stack tray 304. The stacker 306 adjusts the position of the sheet bound by the second stapler 310 and the position of the sheet folded by the folding unit 320. When the stacker 306 is stopped, stapling by the second stapler 310 and folding processing by the folding unit 320 are started.

  The second stapler 310 functions when performing saddle stitch binding on a sheet bundle. Two second staplers 310 in the first embodiment are arranged side by side in the sheet width direction. The second stapler 310 has a stapler head 312 and an anvil 314. The stapler head 312 and the anvil 314 bind the sheets.

  The folding unit 320 has a folding plate 322 and a folding roller pair 324. The folding plate 322 stands by at a position that does not hinder the conveyance of the sheet. When the sheet folding position comes to the front of the folding plate 322, the folding plate 322 moves toward the folding roller pair 324. The front end of the folding plate 322 pushes toward the nip portion of the rotating folding roller pair 324 while striking the folding position of the sheets stacked on the stack tray 304. The pair of folding rollers 324 folds the sheet protruding from the folding plate 322 with nipping and conveying.

  The third branch member 330 switches the conveyance destination of the sheet subjected to the folding process by the folding unit 320 to the second discharge roller pair 332 or the processing tray 262. When the folded sheet is discharged, the third branch member 330 is conveyed to the second discharge roller pair 332. The second paper discharge roller pair 332 discharges the sheet to the second fixed tray 334. When the stapling process is performed on the folded sheet, the third branch member 330 conveys the sheet to the third conveyance path 240. The third conveyance path 240 conveys the sheet folded by the folding unit 320 to the exit roller pair 258 through the upper part of the saddle unit section 300 in a state where the fold is forward in the conveyance direction.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the folding unit showing the folding position of the sheet in the first embodiment. When the folding unit 320 folds the front cover, the control unit 210 changes the position of the stacker 306 that supports the sheet P in the standing state, that is, the folding position of the sheet between the front cover and the back cover.

  When the folding unit 320 folds the front cover, the control unit 210 sets the folding position to, for example, a first folding position N that is approximately 5 mm away from the folding position M, which is the central portion in the sheet conveying direction, downstream in the sheet conveying direction. That is, the first folding position 322 is approximately 5 mm above the double folding position M in FIG. When the folding unit 320 folds the back cover, the control unit 210 sets the folding position to a second folding position that is, for example, approximately 5 mm away from the folding position M upstream in the sheet conveying direction. That is, in FIG. 3, it is approximately 5 mm below the half-fold position M. The interval D between the double folding position M and the first folding position N is not limited to approximately 5 mm.

  Next, the control flow of the simple bookbinding mode in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of the simple bookbinding mode in the first embodiment.

  The control unit 210 of the sheet processing apparatus 200 acquires print information (ACT 401). The print information includes the number of printed sheets, the sheet size, processing information, and the like. The control unit 210 receives print information from the main control unit 110 of the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 210 starts the simple bookbinding mode according to the processing information. (ACT402)

  The control unit 210 determines whether or not the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 is a cover sheet based on the print information received from the main control unit 110 of the image forming apparatus 100 (ACT 403). When the sheet is not a cover (ACT 403, No), that is, when the sheet is a content sheet, the control unit 210 conveys the sheet to the processing tray 262 (ACT 404). The inlet roller pair 232 conveys the sheet to the first branch member 234. The controller 210 controls the first branching member 234 and the second branching member 252 to transport the contents sheet to the standby tray 260 via the first transport path 236 and the exit roller pair 258. The standby tray 260 conveys the content sheet to the processing tray 262.

  On the other hand, when the sheet is a front cover (ACT 403, Yes), the control unit 210 determines whether the sheet is a front cover or a back cover (ACT 405). The control unit 210 determines whether it is a front cover or a back cover based on the received print information. When the sheet is a front cover (ACT 405, No), the control unit 210 performs a folding process on the front cover (ACT 406). The inlet roller pair 232 conveys the cover sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 to the first branch member 234. The first branch member 234 conveys the cover sheet to the saddle unit unit 300 via the second conveyance unit 238. The folding unit 320 of the saddle unit 300 folds the front cover with the first folding position as the folding position. The folding roller pair 324 pinches and conveys the sheet subjected to the folding process. The control unit 210 conveys the cover sheet subjected to the folding process to the processing tray 262 (ACT 404). The third branch member 330 conveys the sheet conveyed from the folding roller pair 324 to the third conveyance path 240. The third conveyance path 240 conveys the sheet to the standby tray 260 via the exit roller pair 258. The standby tray 260 conveys the sheet to the processing tray 262. When the sheet is a back cover (ACT 405, Yes), the control unit 210 performs a folding process on the back cover (ACT 407). The folding unit 320 folds the back cover at the second folding position. The control unit 210 conveys the back cover that has been subjected to the folding process to the processing tray 262 (ACT 408). The processing tray 262 performs vertical alignment and horizontal alignment on the stacked sheet bundle. The first stapler 264 binds the booklet by performing a stapling process on the sheet bundle (ACT 409). The paper discharge roller 266 discharges the booklet (ACT 410).

  FIG. 5 is a schematic external view of a booklet according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5A is a schematic perspective view of a booklet bound by the sheet processing apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. By setting the cover folding position to the first folding position and the second folding position, the cover has a first area α and a second area β narrower than the first area at the folding position, and Each region α is located outside the booklet. In other words, since the cover sheet has a folding position at a position away from the folding position, the length from the folding position to each end in the sheet longitudinal direction is different. That is, the cover is not aligned with the open side end, which is the rear end (hereinafter referred to as the rear end) in the sheet conveyance direction, and the first area α located outside the second area β located inside the booklet is not present. Protruding. When the sheet bundle before stapling is vertically aligned on the processing tray 262, the front cover is aligned on the basis of the rear end portion of the first area α, and therefore the front end portion (hereinafter referred to as the front end portion) of the front cover in the sheet conveying direction. , And protrudes downstream in the sheet conveying direction from the content sheet. BB ′ indicates a staple position. The control unit 210 sets the stapling position (binding position) to a second binding position that is positioned at the distal end portion with respect to the preset first binding position. The second binding position is, for example, a position where an interval of at least 1 mm is provided from the rear end portion to the front end portion of the second region β of the cover.

  According to the first embodiment described above, since the front end of the cover protrudes more than the front end of the inner sheet by folding the cover at a predetermined distance from the two-fold position, it is easier to distinguish. Become. Since plain paper is used for the cover, there are few stapling errors. Further, the stapling process is performed with the first region wider than the second region outside the first sheet folding position as a boundary, so that the appearance is not impaired.

The folding position is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, when binding a right-bound booklet or depending on the shape of the conveyance path, the front cover folding position may be the second folding position and the back cover folding position may be the first folding position.
(Second Embodiment)

  The sheet processing apparatus in the second embodiment changes the first folding position and the second folding position in the first embodiment according to the size of the booklet to be bound.

  FIG. 6 is a control flowchart of the simple bookbinding mode in the second embodiment. ACT 501 is the same as ACT 401 of the first embodiment. Next, the control unit 210 determines the size of the booklet to be bound based on the print information (ACT 502). The size of the booklet is determined by, for example, the size of the content sheet that uses the second sheet. If the size of the booklet is, for example, the first size larger than the A4 size, the interval D between the double folding position M and the first folding position N is increased (ACT 503). On the other hand, when the size of the booklet is the second size smaller than the first size, the interval D is reduced (ACT 504).

  When the interval D is determined in ACT 503 or ACT 504, the control unit 210 starts the simple bookbinding mode according to the processing information (ACT 505). Thereafter, ACT505 to ACT513 are the same as ACT402 to ACT410 in the first embodiment. Note that the size of the booklet in ACT 502 is not limited to the determination by the second sheet. You may determine by the magnitude | size of the 1st sheet | seat used for a cover.

  According to the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and a booklet with better appearance can be bound by changing the folding position according to the size of the booklet. .

  According to at least one embodiment described above, by using the first sheet as the cover, it is possible to bind a booklet that can be distinguished from the content sheet with plain paper.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. The first sheet subjected to the folding process is not limited to use as a cover, and may be used as a chapter separator in the middle of a booklet, for example. In this case, the folding position of the first sheet may be the first folding position or the second folding position.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

M ... Folding position N ... First folding position P ... Sheet α ... First area β ... Second area 100 ... Image forming apparatus 200 ... Sheet processing apparatus 210 ... Control section 230 ... Conveying section 264 ... First stapler 320 ... Folding unit

Claims (4)

A transport unit for transporting the sheet;
With respect to the sheet, either the first folding position separated by a predetermined dimension upstream from the center in the sheet longitudinal direction or the second folding position separated by a predetermined dimension downstream in the sheet conveying direction is set as the folding position. Folding means for performing folding processing;
Binding means for performing a binding process on the sheet;
The first sheet having the first area and the second area that is narrower than the first area with the folding position as a boundary, and the second sheet not subjected to the folding process are combined. A control unit that performs the binding process and performs booklet binding control;
Equipped with a,
The control unit uses the foremost and backmost sheets of the booklet as the first sheet, and sets the folding position so that the first region of each sheet is outside the booklet. A sheet processing apparatus that performs control to set the position or the second folding position . When the size of the booklet is a first size larger than a predetermined size, the control unit widens the interval between the sheet longitudinal direction central portion and the first folding position in the folding process, and the booklet The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the size of the sheet is a second size smaller than the first size, the interval is controlled to be narrowed . The control unit positions the fold of the first sheet downstream in the sheet conveying direction, and sets a binding position by the binding unit to be downstream of the preset first binding position in the sheet conveying direction. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control for setting the binding position is performed . The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first sheet is twice as large as the second sheet.

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