JP5841105B2 - Sheet post-processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The embodiment described in this specification relates to a technique for binding sheets.

  Conventionally, as a method of binding a plurality of sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, a method of binding a sheet bundle by driving a wire bundle into a sheet bundle to be penetrated and bending the tip of the wire is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-284762 A

  However, in the conventional method using the wire, when the wire is removed from the sheet bundle and the sheet is used again, a hole or a scratch generated in the sheet when the wire is removed from the sheet bundle causes the sheet in the image forming apparatus. There is a risk of poor feeding.

  This specification aims to provide a technique for binding sheets so that the sheets can be easily reused.

In general, according to the embodiment, the sheet post-processing apparatus includes an application unit, a pressurizing unit, and a punch head. The application unit applies an adhesive to the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus. The pressurizing unit pressurizes the sheet bundle to which the coating unit has applied the adhesive, thereby bonding the sheets together. The punch head is disposed in a first direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction with respect to the application unit, and the application unit applies the adhesive to the application position with respect to the sheet at the position when applying the adhesive. To make a hole at a position shifted in the first direction.
In general, according to the embodiment, the sheet post-processing apparatus includes a coating unit, a pressurizing unit, a punch head, a motor, a drive mechanism, a transport device, and a control device. The application unit reciprocates in a third direction perpendicular to the sheet, and applies the adhesive to the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus. The pressurizing unit pressurizes the sheet bundle to which the coating unit has applied the adhesive, thereby bonding the sheets together. The punch head is at the same position as the application unit in the sheet conveyance direction, and reciprocates in the third direction at a position different from the application unit in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction and the third direction, thereby opening a hole in the sheet. The drive mechanism reciprocates the application unit and the punch head with a phase shifted by 180 ° based on the rotation of the motor. The conveying device conveys the sheet. The control device reciprocates the application unit and the punch head with the phase shifted by 180 ° by the drive mechanism in a state in which the conveyance of the sheet by the conveyance device is stopped, and thus the same in the sheet conveyance direction for one sheet. Apply adhesive in position and drill holes.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of a sheet post-processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the application position of an adhesive agent, and each driven roller in the conveyance direction downstream from the stamp for application. It is a perspective view which shows a punch unit. It is a perspective view which shows the drive structure of a drive mechanism. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the rotation angle of a 1st cam, and the state of a punch head and a coating stamp. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the rotation angle of the action shaft of a 1st cam, and the position of a punch head and a coating stamp. 10 is a flowchart of job processing by the sheet post-processing apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of the sheet | seat post-processing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the application position of a pressure sensitive adhesive, and a driven roller. It is a schematic block diagram of the sheet | seat post-processing apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the application position of a pressure sensitive adhesive. The figure which shows a sheet folding roller. It is a figure which shows a folding roller. Schematic which connected the post-processing apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment to the image forming apparatus. The figure which shows the finisher selection screen displayed on the display part of FIG. The figure explaining the tape sticking operation | movement by the glue binding part in 4th Embodiment. The tape stamp apparatus in 4th Embodiment is shown, (a) shows a standby position, (b) shows a stamp state. FIG. 18 shows a stamping operation by the tape stamping apparatus shown in FIG. 18, (a) shows the standby position of the tape head, (b) shows the stamping operation of the tape head, moves toward the paper for the stamp, and the tape The figure which shows the state which affixed the double-sided adhesive sheet of a head on a sheet | seat with predetermined width, and is pressurized, (c) shows the state which returned to the original standby position after affixing a double-sided adhesive sheet, (d) is a tape head. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet is fed to the transfer contact surface, and (f) shows an inclined posture of the tape stamp device disposed in the glue binding portion. FIG. 16 is a control block diagram of finisher control for performing a post-processing operation shown in FIG. 15. The flowchart explaining the flow of the glue binding operation | movement by the finisher control part of FIG. The tape stamp apparatus of 5th Embodiment is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is A arrow directional view of (a). It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the post-processing apparatus by embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure around a binding process part. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a glued sheet bundle is stacked on a processing tray. It is a figure which shows the state in which the glued sheet bundle is pressed on the processing tray. It is a transition diagram for demonstrating a series of pressing operation by a press mechanism. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows schematic structure at the time of seeing the binding process part T periphery from the process tray side. It is a partial exploded perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the gluing part in a binding process part. It is a figure which shows an example of the control block of a post-processing apparatus provided with the sheet | seat binding apparatus by embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a process in the sheet | seat binding apparatus by embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the some predetermined | prescribed gluing object area | region defined with respect to the sheet | seat at the time of performing the gluing process in a binding process part. It is a figure for demonstrating the gluing position at the time of performing gluing with the pattern shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the mode of the cross section of the bound sheet bundle at the time of performing the gluing process to six sheets in the above procedures. It is a figure which shows the mode of the cross section of the sheet | seat bundle glued in the state in which the paste part overlaps slightly. It is a figure which shows the other gluing method in 6th Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for explaining control for changing a gluing position based on the number of sheets of a sheet bundle to be bound. It is a figure which shows an example of the gluing process by the procedure shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control which changes a glue position based on the position which performs the binding process to a sheet bundle. It is a figure which shows the gluing pattern in the case of binding the corner | angular part of a sheet | seat. FIG. 41 is a diagram illustrating an example of gluing in a case where binding processing of six sheets is performed while shifting the gluing position according to the rule illustrated in FIG. 40. It is a figure which shows an example of the mechanism for enabling the movement in the y-axis direction of a pasting head. It is a figure which shows an example of the gluing position in the case of changing a gluing position for every several pages. FIG. 45 is a cross section of a sheet bundle when the binding process is performed while shifting the gluing position according to the rule shown in FIG. 43. FIG. It is a partial exploded perspective view for demonstrating the other structure of the gluing part in a binding process part. It is a figure which shows the attachment / detachment mechanism of the gluing unit. It is a figure which shows an example of the mechanism for enabling a pasting unit to move to a y-axis direction.

Each embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating hardware configurations of the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 and the image forming apparatus 500.

  A sheet post-processing apparatus 100 (so-called finisher) performs a book binding process in which a sheet bundle discharged from an image forming apparatus 500 such as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) is edge-bound using a pressure-sensitive adhesive or a hole punching process in a sheet. After-treatment is performed. A pressure-sensitive adhesive is an adhesive that produces an adhesive force when it receives a predetermined pressure or more.

The sheet post-processing apparatus 100 includes a punch unit 1, a sheet binding unit 21, a control unit 31, a communication I / F 32, and an operation panel 33. Each of these elements is connected by a bus 34.
The punch unit 1 performs a drilling process and a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating process.
The sheet binding unit 21 performs a binding process by edge binding of sheets.

  The control unit 31 controls the entire sheet post-processing apparatus 100. The control unit 31 includes a processor 311 that performs various calculations, and a memory 312 that stores programs and the like read by the processor 311. The communication I / F 32 is an interface connected to an external device. The communication I / F 32 transmits / receives data to / from the image forming apparatus 500 or the like by wireless or wired. The operation panel 33 is a touch panel and accepts user operation input. The operation panel 33 displays setting information, operation status, log information, and notification to the user of the sheet post-processing apparatus 100.

  The image forming apparatus 500 includes a scanner unit 51, a printer unit 52, a control unit 53, a storage device 54, a communication I / F 55, and an operation panel 56. These elements are connected by a bus 57. The scanner unit 51 reads an image on a sheet placed on a document table or the like. The printer unit 52 forms an image on a sheet based on the image data read by the scanner unit 51 and the like.

  The control unit 53 controls the entire image forming apparatus 500. The control unit 53 includes a processor 531 that performs various calculations, and a memory 532 that stores programs read by the processor 531. The storage device 54 stores various programs and jobs. The communication I / F 55 is an interface connected to an external device. The communication I / F 55 transmits / receives data to / from an external device, the sheet post-processing apparatus 100, and the like by wireless or wired. The operation panel 56 is a touch panel and accepts user operation input. The operation panel 56 displays setting information, operation status, log information, and notification to the user of the image forming apparatus 500.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the sheet post-processing apparatus 100.
The sheet post-processing apparatus 100 includes a punch unit 1 and a sheet binding unit 21.
There is a conveyance path 4 that conveys the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 500 to the punch unit 1 and the sheet binding unit 21 across the punch unit 1 and the sheet binding unit 21. Each part of the transport path 4 has a transport roller 41.

  The conveying roller 41 includes a driving roller 411 and a driven roller 412 facing the driving roller 411 with the sheet interposed therebetween. The drive roller 411 has high rigidity and is set to a sufficient friction coefficient that can convey the sheet. The driven roller 412 is made of resin or has an elastic layer such as rubber on the outer peripheral side, and is driven by the driving roller 411. The driven roller 412 is provided on the back side of the sheet on which an image is formed when the image forming apparatus 500 performs single-side printing, and on the side of the sheet on which the pressure sensitive adhesive by the application stamp 13 is applied. The driven roller 412 has a friction coefficient lower than that of the driving roller 411 by laminating a fluorine resin (for example, polyfluoroethylene resin) on the surface layer.

The punch unit 1 is located between the image forming apparatus 500 and the sheet binding unit 21.
The punch unit 1 includes a motor 11, a drive mechanism 6, a punch head 12, a coating stamp 13 (coating portion), a guide frame 14, and a dust box 15. In FIG. 2, the punch head 12 and the application stamp 13 are drawn while being shifted in the sheet conveyance direction for easy understanding, but the punch head 12 and the application stamp 13 are provided at the same position in the sheet conveyance direction. That is, they are juxtaposed in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

  The punch head 12 makes a hole in the sheet. The application stamp 13 applies a predetermined amount of pressure-sensitive adhesive to the sheet by being pressed against the sheet. When the punch head 12 and the application stamp 13 perform punch processing and adhesive application processing on the sheet, the sheet is sandwiched between the conveyance rollers 41 immediately below the punch head 12 and the application stamp 13. For example, the conveyance is stopped.

  The application stamp 13 includes, for example, a seal that is wound up by a predetermined amount when pressed. A pressure sensitive adhesive is laminated on the seal. When the application stamp 13 is pressed against the sheet, the pressure-sensitive adhesive on the seal is peeled off from the seal and transferred to the sheet side. In this case, for example, the glue binding part 3 (gluing part) described in the fourth and fifth embodiments can be employed.

  Based on the rotation of the motor 11, the driving mechanism 6 reciprocates the punch head 12 up and down between a position for punching the sheet (lower position in FIG. 2) and a retracted position from the sheet (upper position in FIG. 2). The application stamp 13 is reciprocated at a phase different from that of the punch head 12 between the position where the adhesive is applied to the sheet (lower position in FIG. 2) and the retracted position from the sheet (upper position in FIG. 2). Move. When punching is performed by the punch head 12, the application stamp 13 is retracted upward, and when the adhesive is applied by the application stamp 13, the punch head 12 is retracted upward.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the application position of the adhesive and each driven roller 412 located downstream in the transport direction from the application stamp 13.
The application stamp 13 applies an adhesive to a region of the sheet along the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, except for a region where the driven roller 412 contacts. Thereby, in this embodiment, adhesion of the pressure sensitive adhesive to the driven roller 412 can be avoided.

  In addition, the application stamp 13 is configured for end binding in the present embodiment. When a binding job by edge binding is input to the sheet post-processing apparatus 100, the sheet is positioned at a position where the downstream end in the sheet conveyance direction comes directly below the application stamp 13. The application stamp 13 is pressed against the downstream end of the sheet stopped in the position in the conveyance direction, and applies the pressure sensitive adhesive to the position. The sheet coated with the pressure sensitive adhesive is conveyed to the sheet binding portion 21 (see FIG. 2).

  The sheet binding unit 21 includes a conveyance belt 211, a pressure unit 212, and a discharge tray 213. A sheet discharged from the conveyance path 4 and stacked on a standby tray (not shown) falls on the conveyance belt 211. The pressure unit 212 presses and presses the downstream end portion in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle placed and aligned on the conveyance belt 211. As a result, an adhesive force is generated in the pressure-sensitive adhesive at the sheet end, and the downstream end of the sheet is bound. The binding-processed sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 213 by the conveyance belt 211.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the punch unit 1. Note that a coating stamp 13 is also provided on the right side of the punch head 12 on the right side of FIG. 4, but illustration thereof is omitted here.
As described above, the punch unit 1 includes the motor 11, the drive mechanism 6, the punch head 12, the coating stamp 13, the guide frame 14, and the dust box 15. The sheet passes through the conveyance path 4 between the dust box 15 and the guide frame 14, and is subjected to punching processing and adhesive coating processing by the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13. The motor 11 can be controlled to rotate in both forward and reverse directions.

  The guide frame 14 has a longitudinal shape formed in an inverted U shape in a sectional view, and accommodates a drive frame 64 (FIG. 5) described later therein. The top surface 141 of the guide frame 14 has guide holes 142 and 143 through which the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 are inserted. The guide frame 14 regulates the movement of the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 in the vertical direction by the guide holes 142 and 143.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the drive mechanism 6 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a drive configuration of the drive mechanism 6. In FIG. 5, the side surfaces of the second and third cams 62 and 63 that are not engaged with the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 (the second and third cams 62 and 63 in the drive frame 64 in FIG. 5). In order to show the rear surface), the second and third cams 62 and 63 are also drawn outside the drive frame 64 in such a posture that the surface comes to the front side in FIG.

  The drive mechanism 6 includes first to third drive cams 61 to 63, an angle sensor (not shown), and a drive frame 64. The drive mechanism 6 changes the rotation of the motor 11 into a horizontal sliding motion of the drive frame 64, and the drive frame 64. The second and third cams 62 and 63 change the sliding movement of the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 up and down.

  The rotation of the motor 11 is transmitted to the first cam 61. An action shaft 611 (FIG. 6) is erected on the first cam 61. The action shaft 611 is housed in the housing portion 641 at the end of the drive frame 64. The movement direction of the drive frame 64 is restricted, and the drive frame 64 is slidable only in the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 5) perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. When the first cam 61 rotates, the action shaft 611 acts on the housing portion 641 to reciprocate the drive frame 64 along the width direction of the seat. The first cam 61 rotates forward and backward according to the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 11. That is, if the rotation direction of the motor 11 is different, the rotation direction of the first cam 61 is different, and thus the phase of the reciprocation of the drive frame 64 and the phase of movement of the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 in the vertical direction are different. It will be.

  On the outer periphery of the first cam 61, notches are formed at predetermined intervals. An angle sensor (not shown) detects passage of the notch portion of the first cam 61. Based on the output signal of the angle sensor (not shown), the control unit 31 can detect the rotation state of the first cam 61, and consequently the state of the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 (the protruding state to the sheet side, the retracted state). Can be detected.

The drive frame 64 is formed in a longitudinal frame shape, and the second and third cams 62 and 63 are arranged inside. The housing portion 641 is formed at the tip of the drive frame 64.
The second and third cams 62 and 63 include rotating shafts 621 and 631 extending in the horizontal direction. The rotating shafts 621 and 631 are inserted into and supported by holes 144 and 145 formed on both side surfaces 146 of the guide frame 14 (only one hole 144 and 145 is shown in FIG. 5). The second and third cams 62 and 63 are configured to rotate in the sliding direction of the drive frame 64. For example, the drive frame 64 is inserted into the grooves 623 and 633 on one side surface of the second and third cams 62 and 63 (the back side surfaces of the second and third cams 62 and 63 in the drive frame 64 in FIG. 5). The second and third cams 62 and 63 are configured to rotate in accordance with the sliding direction of the drive frame 64 by arranging a projection (not shown) protruding from the inner surface of the drive frame 64. There may be a protrusion on the second and third cams 62 and 63 side, and a groove on the drive frame 64 side.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the rotation angle of the first cam 61 and the states of the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13.
One side surface of the second and third cams 62 and 63 (the second and third cams 62 and 63 in the drive frame 64 on the back side in FIG. 5) engages with the drive frame 64. The other side surface of 62 (the front side surface of the second and third cams 62 and 63 in the drive frame 64 in FIG. 5) is engaged with the punch head 12, and the other side surface of the third cam 63 is the application stamp. 13 is engaged. Specifically, groove portions 622 and 632 (see FIG. 6) curved on the outer peripheral side are formed on the other side surfaces of the second and third cams 62 and 63, respectively, and the punch heads 12 and 632 are formed in the groove portions 622 and 632, respectively. Protrusions 121 and 131 of the coating stamp 13 are arranged.

  Accordingly, when the drive frame 64 reciprocates in the horizontal direction, the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 are restricted from moving by the guide frame 14 only in the vertical direction. The punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 move up and down in accordance with the distance from the rotary shafts 631 and 632 of the groove portions 622 and 632 at the positions. The shapes of the grooves 622 and 632 are configured such that the phase of the vertical movement of the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 is shifted by 180 degrees.

Hereinafter, the relationship between the position of the action shaft 611 of the first cam 61 and the positions of the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
When the operating shaft 611 of the first cam 61 is in the position shown in FIG. 6A, the punch unit 1 is in a neutral state in which the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 are both separated from the sheet.
When the action shaft 611 of the first cam 61 rotates 90 ° counterclockwise in FIG. 6 from the neutral state (when rotating 270 ° clockwise), as shown in FIG. The application stamp 13 is positioned at the evacuation position.

  Therefore, when accepting a punch job, the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 controls the motor 11 so that the action shaft 611 of the first cam 61 rotates 90 ° counterclockwise from the neutral state.

  When the working shaft 611 of the first cam 61 rotates 180 ° counterclockwise from the neutral state (when rotating 180 ° clockwise), as shown in FIG. 6C, the punch head 12 moves from the punching position. The punch unit 1 is raised to the retracted position side, and is again in the neutral state.

  When the working shaft 611 of the first cam 61 rotates 90 ° clockwise from the neutral state (when rotated 270 ° counterclockwise), the punch head 12 is positioned at the retracted position as shown in FIG. At the same time, the application stamp 13 protrudes toward the sheet and is positioned at the application position of the adhesive.

  Therefore, when receiving the adhesive application job, the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 controls the motor 11 so that the action shaft 611 of the first cam 61 rotates 90 ° clockwise from the neutral state, that is, receives the punch job. The motor 11 is driven in the opposite direction to the case.

  When the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 receives a job for performing both punching and adhesive application processing on a single sheet, the working shaft 611 of the first cam 61 is 360 from the neutral state in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction. The motor 11 is controlled to rotate. As a result, the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 each project to the sheet side once and are positioned at the punching position and the coating position, so that both the punching process and the adhesive coating process can be performed.

Hereinafter, job processing by the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The sheet post-processing apparatus 100 receives a job from the image forming apparatus 500 (Act 1).
When the punching process or the adhesive application process is not required (Act2: NO), the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 discharges the sheet as it is to the discharge tray 213 (Act3).

  The sheet post-processing apparatus 100 conveys the sheet sent from the image forming apparatus 500 to a position where the punch head 12 and the application stamp 13 are arranged when punching or adhesive coating is required (Act 2: YES). And stop at this position (Act 4).

When the input job is punch processing (Act 5: punch), the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 drives the motor 11 in the punching direction in which the application stamp 13 does not pass through the adhesive application position, and the punch head 12 is moved. The sheet is punched by being lowered to the punching position (Act 6). In the example of FIG. 6, the punching direction is a direction in which the action shaft 611 of the first cam 61 is rotated 90 ° counterclockwise when the punch unit 1 is in the neutral state of FIG.
The sheet post-processing apparatus 100 discharges the punched sheet to the discharge tray 213 (Act 3).

  When the input job is an adhesive application process (Act 5: application), the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 drives the motor 11 in the adhesive application direction in which the punch head 12 does not pass through the punching position, thereby applying the application stamp. The pressure sensitive adhesive is applied to the sheet by lowering 13 to the adhesive application position (Act 7). The adhesive application direction is a direction in which the action shaft 611 of the first cam 61 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise when the punch unit 1 is in the neutral state of FIG. At this time, the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 applies the pressure-sensitive adhesive along the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction at the downstream end in the sheet conveying direction.

The sheet post-processing apparatus 100 discharges the sheet coated with the pressure-sensitive adhesive onto the transport belt 211 (Act 8).
When the number of sheets designated by the job is reached (Act 9: YES), the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 presses the downstream end portion in the transport direction of the sheet bundle on the transport belt 211 by the pressurizing unit 212, thereby terminating the sheet. Binding is performed (Act 10). Thereafter, the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 discharges the edge-bound sheet bundle to the discharge tray 213 (Act 3). If it is determined in Act 9 that the set number of sheets designated in the job has not been reached (Act 9: NO), the process returns to Act 5, and the processes after Act 5 are executed again.

  When the input job is to perform both punch processing and adhesive coating processing (Act 5: both), the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 causes the motor 11 so that the punch head 12 and the coating stamp 13 move up and down one cycle. Drive. In this case, when the punch unit 1 is in the neutral state shown in FIG. 6A, the action shaft 611 of the first cam 61 rotates 360 ° clockwise or counterclockwise. As a result, the sheet is punched and the adhesive is applied (Act 11).

  When the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 performs the processing on the number of sheets designated by the job (Act 9: YES), the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 binds the sheet bundle (Act 10), and discharges the sheet (Act 3).

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the sheet post-processing apparatus 100A. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the application position of the pressure-sensitive adhesive and the driven roller 412.

  In the present embodiment, in the punch unit 1, an application part 13 </ b> A for applying a pressure sensitive adhesive to the sheet is provided separately from the punch head 12. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the application unit 13 </ b> A applies a pressure-sensitive adhesive in a region where the driven roller 412 comes into contact with a portion of the sheet along a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction.

  Thereby, in this embodiment, it can pressurize a pressure sensitive adhesive beforehand upstream of the pressurization part 212, and the pressurization part 212 can make the adhesion | attachment of sheets stronger. The application unit 13A includes a winding-type seal on which a pressure-sensitive adhesive is laminated, and the pressure-sensitive adhesive on the seal is sealed by moving the application unit 13A while the seal is in contact with the sheet. And the sheet portion from which the pressure-sensitive adhesive is peeled off may be wound around a reel as the application portion 13A moves. That is, the application unit 13A may have a configuration similar to a so-called correction tape. The structure of the glue binding part 3 (gluing part) as described in the fourth and fifth embodiments to be described later can be adopted as the application part 13A of this embodiment.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of the sheet post-processing apparatus 100B. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the application position of the pressure-sensitive adhesive.
In this embodiment, the application part 13B which apply | coats a pressure sensitive adhesive to a sheet | seat is provided in the punch head 12 and the different body. In addition to the sheet binding portion 21, a saddle stitching portion 22 is provided. The conveyance path 4 branches into two conveyance paths starting from the flapper 42. The sheet binding portion 21 is arranged in one conveyance path 48 branched from the conveyance path 4, and the saddle stitching portion 22 is arranged in the other conveyance path 49.

  In the present embodiment, the sheet post-processing apparatus 100B applies a pressure-sensitive adhesive in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction at a central portion in the sheet conveyance direction, as shown in FIG. Apply. Similarly to the above, the application unit 13B has a configuration similar to that of a so-called correction tape, and the application unit 13B is moved in a state where the seal on which the pressure-sensitive adhesive is laminated is in contact with the sheet. What is comprised so that it can apply | coat to can be used. Similarly to the first and second embodiments, the application unit 13B has a configuration and drive control so that the pressure-sensitive adhesive can be applied to the sheet along the downstream end in the sheet conveyance direction and the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. It is assumed that For example, the application unit 13B can employ the glue binding unit 3 (gluing unit) described in the fourth and fifth embodiments.

The sheet coated with the pressure-sensitive adhesive for saddle stitching at the application unit 13 </ b> B is conveyed to the saddle stitching unit 22.
The saddle stitching unit 22 includes a stacker 221, a sheet folding roller pair 223, a folding blade 224, a folding roller pair 227, a conveyance roller 225, and a discharge tray 226.
Sheets are stacked on the stacker 221. At this time, the sheets are stacked in such a direction that the application area of the pressure-sensitive adhesive comes to the folding blade 224 side.

FIG. 13 is a view showing the sheet folding roller pair 223, and FIG. 14 is a view showing the folding roller pair 227.
The sheet folding roller pair 223 is in a position facing the folding blade 224 with the stacker 221 interposed therebetween (see FIG. 11). A nip N1 is formed between the pair of sheet folding rollers 223.

  The pair of folding rollers 227 is downstream of the sheet folding roller pair 223 in the sheet conveying direction. The nip N2 between the folding roller pair 227 is smaller than the nip N1 between the sheet folding roller pair 223. The folding roller pair 227 is actually arranged in the state on the left side of FIG. 14, and is provided so as to be movable in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 11 by a moving mechanism (not shown).

  The folding blade 224 comes into contact with the folding half portion of the sheet on which the pressure-sensitive adhesive is applied, pushes the sheet bundle on the stacker 221 into the nip N1 of the sheet folding roller pair 223, and folds the sheet bundle in two. At this time, the pressing force of the sheet folding roller pair 223 is insufficient to sufficiently generate the adhesive force in the pressure sensitive adhesive.

  The sheet bundle that has been folded in two through the sheet folding roller pair 223 is further folded at the half-folded portion and is narrowed across the sheet width by the roller pair 227, and the folded-half portion is sufficiently pressurized. As a result, a sufficient adhesive force is generated in the pressure-sensitive adhesive, and the sheets are firmly bonded to each other at the half-folded portion and saddle stitched.

The sheet bundle thus folded in half and saddle stitched is discharged to the discharge tray 226 by the transport roller 225.
By adopting such a configuration, in this embodiment, even if the application area of the pressure-sensitive adhesive is inaccurate, only the fold portion can be firmly bonded.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the pressure-sensitive adhesive has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the adhesive applied to the present embodiment may be suitable for reuse in which the adhesive strength is reduced or almost disappeared by receiving high or low heat. In addition, the adhesive used by the adhesive portion may be one whose adhesive strength is reduced or almost disappeared by receiving light.

  In the first to third embodiments, the pressure-sensitive adhesive is applied by the coating stamp 13 and the coating portions 13A and 13B having a configuration similar to that of the correction tape. However, the pressure-sensitive adhesive is driven by driving the piezoelectric element or the thermal element. An ink jet type printer head that discharges ink may be used as the application unit. As a specific configuration in this case, it is possible to employ a gluing portion 101 (gluing structure) described in sixth and seventh embodiments described later.

The order of the processes in each of the above embodiments may be different from the order illustrated in the above embodiments.
The present invention can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limited manner. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims, and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Further, all modifications, various improvements, alternatives and modifications belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are all within the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Sheet processing part, 11 ... Motor, 12 ... Punch head, 13 ... Application | coating part, 6 ... Drive mechanism, 41 ... Conveyance roller, 100 ... Sheet post-processing apparatus, 212 ... Pressure part, 221 ... Stacker, 223 ... Sheet folding roller pair, 224 ... Folding blade, 227 ... Folding roller pair (pressure part).

(Fourth embodiment)
In general, a sheet post-processing apparatus that binds and discharges a plurality of sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus in a bundle has been proposed. Such a post-processing apparatus is also called, for example, a finisher, and performs staple binding at a predetermined position using a metal staple.
However, when the stapling process is performed using the staple, a needle hole may be generated in the paper after the staple is pulled out, which may hinder the use of the paper thereafter. In addition, the pulled out metal staples may be mixed in somewhere.
In view of this, a bookbinding apparatus has been proposed in which either a stapling processing unit using a staple needle or a binding unit that performs binding using a glue is replaceable.

In the bookbinding apparatus described above, the glue strength is not considered. In particular, from the viewpoint of so-called reuse of copy paper, if the paste strength is strong, even if the paper is peeled off one by one, the paper may not be peeled off and the paper may be torn. Also, if the glue strength is weak, it peels off immediately and the function of binding sheets cannot be performed.
In addition, the bookbinding apparatus described above is not convenient because the unit needs to be replaced when changing from the stapling method using staples to the binding method using glue.

It is an object of the present embodiment and the fifth embodiment to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus that can easily perform binding of a bundle of sheets, and can perform bonding with appropriate bonding strength according to the thickness of the sheet.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus that can selectively execute both a binding method using staples and a binding method using glue.

  In each of the following embodiments including this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, a part having the same function as the part shown in the other embodiment may be given a different symbol or name from the other embodiment. However, components having substantially the same functions from the description of the embodiments are to be interpreted as being the same as corresponding portions in the other embodiments even if the reference numerals or names are different. For example, the discharge tray 6 in the present embodiment is the same as the discharge trays 213 and 226 that have appeared in the first to third embodiments described above.

FIG. 15 is a front view showing a state where a sheet post-processing device (finisher) is attached to the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the finisher in FIG.
In FIG. 15, the finisher 1 includes a staple binding unit 2 that binds a plurality of sheets P with staples, a glue binding unit 3 that binds by glue without using staples, and a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 100. A first transport unit 4 that transports P to the glue binding unit 3; a second transport unit 5 that branches from the first transport unit 4 and transports the paper P to the staple binding unit 2; And a paper discharge tray section 7 which is movably disposed. Further, the sheet bundle bound by the staple staple binding unit 2 and the glue binding unit 3 is discharged to the discharge tray 6 of the discharge tray unit 7.

  The MFP 100 includes a paper cassette unit 102, an image forming process unit (not shown), a fixing unit (not shown), and a paper discharge roller unit 103 in the apparatus main body 101. For example, a toner image formed by the image forming process unit is transferred onto the sheet P fed from the sheet feeding cassette unit 102. Then, the unfixed toner image transferred onto the paper P is fixed by the fixing unit, and the paper P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged out of the apparatus by the paper discharge roller unit 103. The paper P discharged from the paper discharge roller unit 103 is fed to the finisher 1.

  The MFP 100 includes an automatic document feeder (ADF) 104. The sheet-like document set on the document feeder 104A is fed one by one to a scanner unit (not shown), and the read document information is temporarily stored in the memory unit 105. The memory unit 105 stores, for example, document information transmitted from a personal computer (not shown), document information read by the scanner unit via the ADF 104, the number of print sheets P, the thickness of the print sheet P, and the like. The

  The operation unit 106 of the image forming apparatus 100 can perform various operations while viewing the display screen displayed on the display unit 107. The control unit 108 controls the entire MFP, and transmits paper information such as the number of printed sheets and the printing thickness stored in the memory unit 105 to the finisher control unit 150. The finisher control unit 150 is disposed on the image forming apparatus 100 side in the present embodiment, but may be disposed on the finisher 1 side.

  In the finisher 1, the operation unit 106 selects a binding method of the paper P by the staple staple binding unit 2 or the glue binding unit 3. When glue binding is selected, the first binding strength adjustment mode and the second binding strength adjustment mode can be selected. In the first binding strength adjustment mode and the second binding strength adjustment mode, the standard binding strength, the first binding strength that is stronger than the standard strength, and the second binding strength that is stronger than the first binding strength are set. , Allowing the user to select. As shown in FIG. 16, the selection of these modes and intensities is displayed on, for example, a touch panel type display unit 107 of the operation unit 106, and is selected by the operator pressing a corresponding display.

  FIG. 16 shows a finisher selection screen of the display unit 107. On the finisher selection screen, a staple needle display unit 131 for selecting a binding method by the staple needle binding unit 2, a glue binding display unit 132 for selecting a binding method, a first binding strength adjustment mode display unit 133, and a second binding strength An adjustment mode display unit 134, a standard strength display unit 135, a first binding strength display unit (strong 1 display) 136, and a second binding strength display unit (strong 2 display) 137 are displayed.

  Here, in the first binding strength adjustment mode, the binding strength is adjusted by changing the number of times of applying paste (number of times of application). In the second binding strength adjustment mode, the binding strength is adjusted by changing the pasting width (application width) of the glue. The binding strength adjustment in each mode will be described later.

  In the finisher 1, the glue binding unit 3 includes a rotary paddle unit 302 and a lever that reciprocally rotates within a predetermined range in the vicinity of the paper discharge side of the paper supply roller 301 disposed at the conveyance end of the first conveyance unit 4. The rear end portion of the discharged paper P is gripped from both sides by the first paddle 302A and the grip portion 305 of the rotary paddle portion 302. The discharged paper P waits on the standby tray 303. Here, the transport direction of the paper P is a vertical alignment direction, and the direction of the paper surface orthogonal to the vertical alignment direction is a horizontal alignment direction.

  The standby tray 303 is inclined upward toward the front in the vertical alignment direction. When one sheet of paper P is fed, the standby tray 303 opens to the left and right toward the outside in the horizontal alignment direction. Drop on the processing tray 304. At this time, the gripping operation of the grip portion is released, and the rotating paddle portion 302 starts rotating substantially simultaneously, and the rear end portion of the paper P is sequentially directed downward by a plurality of other paddles 302B and 302C during one rotation. The paper P is forcibly dropped onto the processing tray 304. At that time, the paddle with a long foot is pushed toward the rear in the vertical alignment direction while contacting the surface of the paper P. A positioning unit 306 is disposed behind the processing tray 304 in the vertical alignment direction, the rear end of the paper P abuts against the positioning unit 305 to perform positioning in the vertical alignment direction of the paper P, and the rear end of the paper P is aligned. It is done.

In the glue binding portion 3, a strong adhesive double-sided adhesive tape is attached to the surface of the rear end portion in the longitudinal alignment direction of the paper P as will be described later, and the next binding paper moves while contacting it. However, the next sheet does not immediately stick to the double-sided adhesive tape, and the rear end of the next sheet reaches the positioning unit 306 smoothly. This double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is bonded by applying pressure to the paper.
In addition, since it has the structure similar to the paper P conveyance system of the staple binding unit 2 and the binding unit 3, the description thereof is omitted.

The glue binding unit 3 is provided with a tape stamp device 50 that binds the sheets whose rear ends are aligned by the positioning unit 306 one by one with a strong adhesive tape, and binds a plurality of sheets into a bundle. .
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the tape stamp device 50 can move in the horizontal alignment direction, intermittently moves in the horizontal alignment direction, and has a predetermined width (the width direction is the vertical alignment direction). Adhere a double-sided adhesive sheet. This pasted double-sided PSA sheet is referred to as a cut PSA sheet part G.

FIG. 18 shows the tape stamp device 50.
The tape stamp device 50 is attached close to a positioning unit 306 that aligns the leading ends of the paper P by abutting the rear end of the paper P in the vertical alignment direction.

  The tape stamp device 50 includes a tape head 52 and a stamp stand 53 that holds the tape head 52 in a tiltable manner. As shown in FIG. 18A, the tape head 52 has a standby posture shown in FIG. 17 having an angle θ (0 degree <θ <90 degrees) upward with respect to the paper placement surface 306A of the positioning unit 306; It is possible to tilt between the paper loading surface 51A shown in FIG. In the standby position, the tape head 52 rises above the maximum height at which the paper P can be stacked on the paper placement surface 306A and tilts, so that the paper P dropped and supplied to the processing tray 304 is received by the positioning unit 306. It is easy. Of course, the tape head 52 may not be inclined at the standby position.

A series of operations in which the tape head 52 is tilted from the standby position to the press posture, the pressure P is applied to bond the paper P and the cut adhesive sheet portion G, and then return to the standby position is referred to as a tape head stamp operation.
The mechanism for performing the tape head stamping operation is related to the first long hole 54 formed in the stamp stand 53 in the vertical direction, the second long hole 55 whose upper end is lower than the first long hole 54, and the first long hole 54. A first engaging pin 56 that engages with the second elongated hole 55, and a first engaging pin 56 and a second engaging pin 57 that are attached to the side surface of the tape head 52. . The first engagement pin 56 is engaged with a side surface of the tape head 52 in an auxiliary long hole (not shown) that is long in the longitudinal direction. This is because the first engagement pin 56 can move to the upper end of the first long hole 54 after the second engagement pin 57 reaches the upper end of the second long hole 55. The tape head 52 starts to tilt with the second engagement pin 57 as a fulcrum by moving the auxiliary long hole 56.

  Further, a pressure F generated by a pressure application unit (not shown) is applied to the tape head 52 downward through a first elastic body 58 such as a spring. When the pressing force F is applied to the tape head 52, the tape head 52 moves downward against the elastic force of the second elastic body 59 such as a spring. When the first engagement pin 56 reaches the upper end position of the second long hole 55, the tape head 52 assumes the horizontal posture shown in FIG. 19 and descends while maintaining this horizontal posture. The contact surface of the transfer contacts. Even if the pressing force F is applied to the first elastic body 58 in this state, the tape head 52 does not lower any more, the first elastic body 58 is contracted, and the double-sided adhesive sheet is attached to the paper P.

  When the applied pressure F is released, the elastic force stored in the second elastic body 59 is released, and the tape head 52 is returned to the standby position. At that time, the pasted portion of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet attached to the paper P remains as the cut pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet portion G.

  In the tape head 52, there is disposed a roll tape 33 in which a tape-like double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is detachably attached to one side of a belt-like mount tape 32 indicated by a broken line and wound in a roll shape. The side is wound around the winding shaft 34. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the roll tape 33 is wound around two folding rollers 35 and transfer contact surface forming rollers 36 and 37 that are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal alignment direction. The take-up shaft 34 is rotationally driven by a tape take-up mechanism constituted by a motor M or the like, and takes up the roll tape. The first transfer contact surface forming roller 36 and the second transfer contact surface forming roller 37 protrude downward from the lower surface of the tape head 52, and the transfer contact surface 38 is defined between the rollers in the longitudinal alignment direction. Further, in the lower surface 52A of the tape head 52, a portion corresponding to the transfer contact surface 38 is formed on the wall surface, and the mount tape 32 contacts.

  The roll tape 33 is controlled by controlling the rotation of the motor M in a direction (hereinafter referred to as a width direction) between the first transfer contact surface forming roller 36 and the second transfer contact surface forming roller 37. The width of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 fed in the width direction from the first transfer contact surface forming roller 36 can be adjusted. When the width of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is short, the adhesive force between the sheets P is weak. For example, when the paper P is a thick paper, the paper is stiff, so that a large peeling force is likely to be applied in the direction of peeling the adhesive when turning the pages of the paper bundle. At that time, if the width of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is wide, the adhesive strength is increased accordingly. Further, when the paper P is thin, the peeling force applied to the bonded portion is weak.

  Therefore, the adhesive strength can be adjusted by adjusting the width of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 fed to the transfer contact surface 38.

  For example, the length between the first transfer contact surface forming roller 36 and the second transfer contact surface forming roller 37 is divided into three equal parts, and one third of the length from the first transfer contact surface forming roller 36. The state in which the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is fed out is the standard binding strength, the state in which the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is fed out by a length of 2/3 is the first binding strength, and the second transfer from the first transfer contact surface forming roller 36. By setting the state of feeding to the length of the contact surface forming roller 37 as the second binding strength, the feeding amount is manually set by the user or automatically set based on the paper information such as the paper thickness, A sheet bundle without sheet peeling can be obtained.

  This corresponds to the case where the second binding strength adjustment mode shown in FIG. 16 is selected. When the display selection of the standard display unit 135 is performed, when the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is fed out from the first transfer contact surface forming roller 36 by one third, when the display selection of the strong 1 display unit 136 is performed, When the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is fed out by two minutes and the display selection of the strong 2 display unit 137 is performed, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is fed out to the state where the second transfer contact surface forming roller 37 is fed out.

  For example, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 may be formed in a matrix with dot portions having a concave portion on the mount tape 32 side and a convex portion on the non-attached surface side, and may be torn at the boundary portion between the attached portion and the non-attached portion. I can do it. Therefore, when the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is pressed and pasted to the pasting surface of the binding portion of the paper P and returned to the direction opposite to the pressing direction, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is dotted at the boundary position between the pasting region and the non-pasting region. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 can be attached to the binding region of the paper P by the length that is torn between the two parts.

Moreover, binding strength can be strengthened by making the cut adhesive sheet part G into multiple layers instead of one layer. This corresponds to the first binding strength adjustment mode of FIG. In this case, the cut adhesive sheet portion G can have one layer as the standard binding strength, two layers as the first binding strength, and three layers as the second binding strength.
Note that the above-described mechanism for performing the tape head stamp operation and the configuration of the roll tape are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the tape stamp operation when, for example, the second binding strength adjustment mode is selected and the second binding strength is selected.
19, in FIG. 19A, the tape head 52 has moved up to the standby position and is waiting for the paper P to be supplied to the processing tray 304. In FIG. 19B, the tape stamping operation of the tape head 52 is started in a state where the paper is supplied to the processing tray 304 and the rear end of the paper is in contact with the positioning unit 306, and the cut adhesive sheet portion G is attached to one layer. When attached, the tape head 52 returns to the original standby position as shown in FIG. 19C, and the tape stamping operation for one sheet P is completed. Then, as shown in FIG. 19 (d), when the roll tape 33 starts to be fed and the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 is fed to the second transfer contact surface forming roller 37, the feed of the roll tape 33 is finished. FIGS. 19A to 19D described above are shown with the tape stamp device 50 in a horizontal posture, but in actuality, as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 20 is a control block diagram of finisher control for performing the post-processing operation shown in FIG. The finisher control block includes a finisher control unit 150, a memory unit 105 of the MFP 100, an operation unit 106, a first transport unit 4, a second transport unit 5, a staple needle binding unit 2, and a glue binding unit 3. These components are connected by a bus line 140.

  The finisher control unit 150 includes a processor 151 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a memory 152. The finisher control unit 150 conveys the sheet to the glue binding unit 3 by the first conveyance unit 4 based on the operation information of the operation unit 106 and the sheet information from the memory unit 105, and performs post-processing by the glue binding or the second conveyance. The sheet is conveyed to the staple stapler 2 by the unit 5, and the entire finisher 1 is controlled to perform post-processing by the staple.

  The memory 152 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, and includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 153 that stores various control programs, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 154 that provides a temporary work area to the processor 151. For example, the ROM 153 stores the number of sheets of a bundle of sheets to be bundled.

  When the glue binding display unit 132 is selected on the operation unit 106, the first binding unit 4 and the glue binding unit 3 are driven. Usually, for example, the standard binding strength may be set in the second binding strength adjustment mode. When the cardboard information is acquired from the memory unit 105, the first binding strength or the second binding strength is set according to the thickness information. Of course, by the manual operation on the operation unit 106, the ON operation of the first binding strength adjustment mode display unit 133 or the ON operation of the second binding strength adjustment mode 134 is performed, and the standard binding strength, the first binding strength, The second binding strength can be selected.

  Based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 21, an operation of attaching the cut adhesive sheet G to one sheet P when glue binding is selected will be described. As shown in FIG. 17, when the cut adhesive sheet portions G are attached at a plurality of positions in the horizontal alignment direction, the tape stamp device 50 is intermittently driven in the horizontal alignment direction.

In Act1, it is determined whether or not the first binding strength adjustment mode is selected. If the first binding strength adjustment mode, the process proceeds to Act2. If the second binding strength adjustment mode is selected, the process proceeds to Act13.
In Act 2, it is determined whether or not the standard binding strength is obtained. If the standard binding strength is obtained, the process proceeds to Act 3. If not (the first binding strength or the second binding strength), the process proceeds to Act 4.
In Act 3, the tape stamp operation by the tape head 52 is performed only once, and the process ends.
In Act 4, it is determined whether or not it is the first binding strength. If it is the first binding strength, the process proceeds to Act 5, and if it is the second binding strength, the process proceeds to Act 8.

In Act 5, the first tape stamp operation by the tape head 52 is performed, the cut adhesive sheet portion G is pasted at a predetermined position on the paper P, and the process proceeds to Act6.
In Act 6, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 of the roll tape 33 is fed by a predetermined amount corresponding to the width of the cut pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet portion G, and the process proceeds to Act7.
In Act 7, a second tape stamping operation is performed by the tape head 52, the second cut adhesive sheet portion G is pasted on the cut adhesive sheet portion G previously pasted on the paper P, and the process ends.

When the second binding strength is determined in Act 4, the cut adhesive sheet portion G is stacked in three layers, so that the same operation as in Act 5 to Act 7 is performed from Act 8 to Act 10, and the third layer cut adhesive sheet portion G In Act 11, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 31 of the roll tape 33 is fed out by a predetermined amount corresponding to the width of the cut pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet portion G in Act 11, and the process proceeds to Act 12.
In Act 12, a third tape stamping operation is performed by the tape head 52, and the third-layer cut adhesive sheet portion G is pasted on the two-layer cut adhesive sheet portion G previously pasted on the paper P. finish.

On the other hand, if it is determined in Act 1 that the second binding strength adjustment mode is selected, it is determined in Act 13 whether or not the standard binding strength is the same as in Act 2, and if it is the standard binding strength, the process proceeds to Act 14. If not (first binding strength or second binding strength), the process proceeds to Act16.
.

In Act 14, the roll tape 33 is fed by the standard amount, and the process proceeds to Act 15.
In Act 15, a tape stamp operation is performed by the tape head 52, a cut adhesive sheet portion G having a standard width is pasted at a predetermined position on the paper P, and the process ends.
In Act 16, as in Act 4, it is determined whether or not the first binding strength is reached. If the first binding strength, the process proceeds to Act 17, and if it is the second binding strength, the process proceeds to Act 18.

In Act 17, the roll tape is fed out twice as much as the standard amount, the process proceeds to Act 15, the tape stamping operation is performed by the tape head 52, and the cut adhesive sheet portion G having twice the standard width is pasted at a predetermined position on the paper P. finish.
In Act 18, the roll tape is fed out by 3 times the standard amount, the process proceeds to Act 15, and the tape stamping operation is performed by the tape head 52, and the cut adhesive sheet portion G of 3 times the standard width is pasted at a predetermined position on the paper P. finish.

As described above, when the first binding strength adjustment mode is selected, it is possible to increase the paste application density when the paste margin is narrow, and it is advantageous because the paste strength can be increased. When the second binding strength adjustment mode is selected, the thickness of the binding portion of the sheet bundle can be reduced.
In FIG. 18, the feeding direction of the roll tape 33 is the direction from the first transfer contact surface forming roller 36 toward the second transfer contact surface forming roller 37, but may be reversed.

(Fifth embodiment)
22A and 22B show a tape stamp device according to a fifth embodiment, wherein FIG. 22A is a top view and FIG. 22B is a view taken along the arrow A in FIG.
In the tape stamp device 70 of this embodiment, the transport direction of the roll tape 33 is set as a horizontal alignment direction, a stamp support base 72 is attached to a movable body 71 movable in the horizontal alignment direction, and a stamp stand 53 provided on the stamp support base 72 is provided. A tape head 73 is attached in the same manner as in FIG.

  In the tape head 73, a roll tape 33 similar to that of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 18 is disposed in a case 74, and the start end side of the roll tape 33 is wound around the winding shaft 34. The roll tape 33 is wound around two folding rollers 35 and a transfer roller 75 having a rotation axis in the longitudinal alignment direction as shown in FIG. 9B. The transfer roller 75 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the case 74 and presses the double-sided adhesive tape 31 against the binding margin portion of the paper P.

In addition, a base member 76 that supports the rear end portion of the paper P is disposed on the moving body 71 at a position facing the transfer roller 75 along the lateral alignment direction, and supports the paper P at the time of stamping.
The moving body 71 moves in the lateral alignment direction by a drive mechanism (not shown). At that time, the tape head 73 applies a pressure to the double-sided adhesive tape 31 on the paper P by the transfer roller 75 and is kept pressed.

As described above, when the tape head 73 is moved by the movement of the moving body 71, the roll tape 33 is adhered to the paper P while the double-sided adhesive tape 31 is peeled off from the mount tape 32 by the pressing force of the transfer roller 75. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 31 is moved along with being pulled out, and the belt-like pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet portion B is stuck on the paper P. At this time, the take-up shaft 34 may be taken up by a motor drive, but by using the moving force in the lateral alignment direction of the tape head 73, the take-up tape is taken up synchronously and the mount tape is taken up. It may be.
In the present embodiment, the binding strength can be adjusted by adjusting the movement distance in the lateral alignment direction.

  According to each embodiment described above, by adjusting the application area of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or by laminating, it is possible to easily peel off the paper without damaging the paper in consideration of the thickness of the paper. The copy paper can be reused.

[Explanation of Symbols in Fourth and Fifth Embodiments]
1 Post-processing equipment (finisher)
2 Staple stitching section 3 Gluing section 4 First transport section 5 Second transport section 7 Paper discharge tray section 50, 70 Tape stamp device 52 Tape head 31 Double-sided adhesive sheet 32 Mount tape 33 Roll tape 36 First transfer contact surface Forming roller 37 Second transfer contact surface forming roller 38 Transfer contact surface 306 Positioning portion

According to the fourth and fifth embodiments, for example, a sheet post-processing apparatus having the following configuration can be provided.
[1]
A processing tray that sequentially feeds and stacks sheets of image-formed paper, which are post-processed and bound into a bundle;
A positioning unit that performs positioning by contacting the rear end of the sheet loaded in the processing tray in the conveyance direction;
A glue binding portion that performs glue binding on a rear end portion of the paper that contacts the positioning portion;
Have
The glue binding unit is a sheet post-processing apparatus provided with a glue unit that performs glueing so that the glue binding strength can be adjusted for each sheet fed to the processing tray.
[2]
The glue part is
A roll-shaped roll tape in which an adhesive is attached to the mount tape,
A tape head that holds the roll tape so that it can be wound;
A tape head holding section for holding the tape head in a vertically movable manner;
A tape head actuating mechanism that pressurizes the tape head against the paper on the processing tray and affixes the adhesive that has been fed a predetermined length to the paper;
A feeding amount adjusting unit for adjusting the feeding amount of the adhesive;
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to 1, wherein the sheet post-processing apparatus is provided.
[3]
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the glued portion sets the feeding direction of the roll tape as the conveying direction of the sheet.
[4]
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the glued portion sets the feeding direction of the roll tape to a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet.
[5]
Furthermore, any one of 1 to 4 is provided, wherein a staple staple binding unit using staples is provided, and post-processing of paper by the glue binding unit and post-processing of paper by the staple binding unit can be selected. The paper post-processing device as described in 1.
[6]
A processing tray that sequentially feeds and stacks sheets of image-formed paper, which are post-processed and bound into a bundle;
A positioning unit that performs positioning by contacting the rear end of the sheet loaded in the processing tray in the conveyance direction;
A glue binding portion that performs glue binding on a rear end portion of the paper that contacts the positioning portion;
A moving body that moves the glue binding portion along a paper width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction;
A pasting unit that performs glueing so that the glue binding strength can be adjusted for each of the sheets fed to the processing tray by moving the movable body in the sheet width direction;
A sheet post-processing apparatus.

(Sixth embodiment)
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, post-processing apparatuses that perform various post-processing on a sheet on which an image is formed in an image forming apparatus are known.

  Some of the above-described conventional post-processing apparatuses have a function of binding a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets by stapling.

  However, the sheet bundle bound by the staple cannot be shredded as it is. In addition, when the staple is removed from the stapled sheet bundle and reused as paper in the image forming apparatus, the hole opened by the staple has an adverse effect on the sheet conveyance in the image forming apparatus and causes the sheet jam. There is a risk of becoming.

  The present embodiment and the seventh embodiment provide a technique for preventing a glued portion of a bound sheet bundle from becoming thicker than the other parts due to the thickness of the glue itself when binding a plurality of sheets by glueing. With the goal.

  First, a sheet binding device according to a sixth embodiment and a post-processing device (so-called finisher) including the same will be described.

<Overall description of device>
FIG. 23 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the post-processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment.

  The post-processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment receives, for example, a sheet output from the image forming apparatus 7 that is communicably connected to the post-processing apparatus 1, and performs binding processing, folding processing, punching processing, and the like on the sheet. Various processes are performed.

  The post-processing apparatus 1 roughly includes, for example, a binding processing unit T, a folding processing unit B, a stapler W, and a punching unit 109 as processing functions.

  The sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus 7 first passes through the punching portion 109. When punching a sheet, the hole punching unit 109 performs hole punching on the sheet at this point.

  The sheet that has passed through the punching unit 109 is switched by the flapper 117 to either the transport path 110 or the transport path 108.

  When it is desired to perform only the punching process on the sheet, or when the sheet that has passed through the punching unit 109 is to be discharged out of the apparatus as it is, the sheet is guided to the conveyance path 108 by the flapper 117, and further by the flapper 107. It is guided to the conveyance path 119 and discharged onto the first discharge tray 106.

  On the other hand, when it is desired to perform a binding process on the sheet by the binding processing unit T, the sheet guided to the transport path 108 is further guided to the transport path 120 by the flapper 107 and discharged onto the buffer tray 104. FIG. 24 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration around the binding processing unit T.

  The sheets discharged onto the buffer tray 104 are then stacked on the processing tray 102 while being hit by the paddle 103 that rotates counterclockwise on the paper surface of FIG.

  The binding processing unit T includes a gluing unit 101 that performs gluing on the upper surface of the sheets stacked on the processing tray 102. Each time a sheet is stacked on the processing tray 102, the binding processing unit T performs gluing by the gluing unit 101 on the upper surface of the sheet. However, for example, when it is desired to bind a bundle of ten sheets, no gluing is performed on the upper surface of the tenth sheet. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a state where the glued sheet bundle is stacked on the processing tray 102.

  When gluing on the processing tray 102 is completed for all the plurality of sheets to be bound, the pressing mechanism D directs the processing tray 102 toward the processing tray 102 with the plurality of sheets glued on the upper surface overlapping each other. And press. The gluing unit 101 here injects liquid glue on the sheet, and the plurality of sheets are firmly bonded with glue by pressing by the pressing mechanism D, and the sheet binding process is completed (see FIG. 47). reference).

  On the other hand, when it is desired to perform a folding process or a stapling process on the sheet that has passed through the punching unit 109, the sheet is guided to the conveyance path 110 by the flapper 117, and the stapler W is applied to the sheet discharged onto the stacker 111. The stapling process by, and the folding process by the folding processing unit B are performed. Specifically, the folding processing unit B folds the sheet bundle that has been stapled by the stapler W, for example, with the folding blade 112 and the folding roller 113, further sandwiches the crease with the folding roller 114, and then with the discharge roller 115. The sheet bundle folded on the third discharge tray 116 is discharged.

  FIG. 27 is a transition diagram for describing a series of pressing operations by the pressing mechanism D. FIG. As shown in the figure, the pressing mechanism D includes, for example, a pressing member 101r, a guide member 101g, a motor 101z, a cam 101x, a rack gear 101y, a motor 101m, a pinion gear 101f, a guided member 101n, a pin 101q, and the like. it can.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the pressing mechanism D will be described.

  A cam 101x is attached to the output shaft of the motor 101z, and the cam 101x rotates by driving the motor 101z to rotate. The cam 101x is provided with a pin 101q, and the pin 101q slides in a guide groove 101t formed in the pressing member 101r.

  The pressing member 101r is further provided with a guided member 101n, and the guided member 101n is guided by a guide groove of the guide member 101g so as to be reciprocally movable.

  Therefore, when the motor 101z is driven to rotate, the pin 101q of the cam 101x also rotates, and the driving force is transmitted to the pressing member 101r through the guide groove 101t by the moving pin 101q, and the pressing member 101r follows the guide groove of the guide member 101g. Reciprocate.

  A rack gear 101y extending in a direction (pressing direction) orthogonal to the direction in which the guide groove of the guide member 101g extends is formed at the end of the pressing member 101r. The rack gear 101y meshes with a pinion gear 101f attached to the output shaft of the motor 101m. By rotating the motor 101m, the guide member 101g and the pressing member 101r are reciprocated in the extending direction of the rack gear 101y. Can do.

  The sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets bound by the binding process is then discharged onto the second discharge tray 105 by a discharge member (not shown) provided on the processing tray 102, for example. FIG. 50 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration when the periphery of the binding processing unit T is viewed from the processing tray 102 side.

  FIG. 29 is a partially exploded perspective view for explaining the configuration of the gluing unit 101 in the binding processing unit T. FIG. As shown in the figure, the gluing unit 101 includes a gluing head 101a (gluing unit), a supply pipe 101d, a shaft 101c, a motor 101b, and the like. The gluing head 101 is supported by a shaft 101c having a worm gear formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof so as to be capable of reciprocating in the arrow direction shown in FIG. The shaft 101c is connected to the output shaft of the motor 101c and rotates by the rotational drive of the motor 101c. Thus, when the motor 101 rotates in the forward direction, the glue head 101a moves toward one side by the action of the worm gear of the shaft 101c, and when the motor 101 rotates in the reverse direction, the glue head 101a moves toward the other side by the action of the worm gear of the shaft 101c.

  In this way, the glue head 101a supported so as to be able to reciprocate is supplied with liquid glue via a supply pipe 101d by a pump (not shown). The liquid glue supplied to the gluing head 101a is jetted from a nozzle 101an provided in the gluing head 101a to a desired area on the upper surface of the sheets stacked on the processing tray 102. Here, for example, the motor 101b, the shaft 101c, and the like correspond to the “movement mechanism”.

  Thus, the binding processing unit T (gluing unit) can selectively glue at least one of a plurality of “predetermined gluing target areas” on the sheet to be glued. The plurality of “predetermined pasting target areas” have positions set in advance with respect to the sheet, and are areas such as G11 to G15 shown in FIG.

  Here, as an example, the configuration in which the binding processing unit T is disposed at the position illustrated in FIG. 23 in the post-processing device 1 is illustrated, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. It can also be provided at other locations in the apparatus such as the folding processing section B.

  FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control block of the post-processing device 1 including the sheet binding device according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 30, the post-processing device 1 is described in part. For example, the CPU 801, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 802, a MEMORY 803, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 804, a gluing head 101a, a motor 101m, a motor 101z, a motor 101b, a communication interface 805, and the like.

  Various actuators, sensors, and the like included in the post-processing device 1 such as the ASIC 802, the MEMORY 803, the HDD 804, the motor 101m, the motor 101b, and the communication interface 805 are connected to the CPU 801 via a communication line such as a parallel bus or a serial bus. Yes.

  The CPU 801 controls, for example, the gluing head 101a, the motor 101m, the motor 101z, the motor 101b, the communication interface 805, and the like by loading a program downloaded from the HDD 804 or the outside of the apparatus into the MEMORY 803 and executing the program.

  In the sheet binding apparatus and the post-processing apparatus 1 including the same according to the present embodiment, the CPU 801 has a role of performing various processes in the sheet binding apparatus and the post-processing apparatus 1 including the sheet binding apparatus, and in the MEMORY 803, the HDD 804, and the like. It also has a role of realizing various functions by executing stored programs. It goes without saying that the CPU 801 can be replaced by an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) capable of executing equivalent arithmetic processing. Similarly, the HDD 804 can be replaced by a storage device such as a flash memory.

  The MEMORY 803 includes, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a VRAM (Video RAM), a flash memory, and the like. The sheet binding apparatus and the post-processing apparatus 1 including the sheet binding apparatus have a role of storing various information and programs.

<Detailed description of sheet binding device>
Next, details of the sheet binding apparatus according to the embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 31 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in the sheet binding device according to the embodiment.

  The CPU 801 (sheet number information acquisition unit) acquires information (information for identifying each sheet) indicating whether or not the sheet to be subjected to the binding process is the first sheet from the image forming apparatus 7 or the like. If the sheet is the first sheet in the sheet bundle (Act 101, Yes), it is determined whether or not the gluing head 101a is located at the left end (the rear side of the apparatus, the back side of the sheet in FIG. 23) ( Act102). The determination of the position of the gluing head 101a here may be determined by the CPU 801 based on the past control history, or may be realized by recording the current position in the HDD 804 or the like and reading it out. Good. The position of the gluing head 101a can also be detected by a sensor or the like.

  When the gluing head 101a is not located on the left end side (rear side of the apparatus) (Act 102, No), the gluing head 101a is shifted to the left end (rear side of the apparatus) and returned to the initial position close to the corner of the sheet (Act 103). ). Thereafter, the CPU 801 sets the movement direction flag of the glue head 101a stored in the HDD 804 to “from the left end side toward the right end side” (Act 104), and causes the glue head 101a to perform the glue process on the upper surface of the sheet (Act 105).

  On the other hand, the CPU 801 (sheet number information acquisition unit) determines whether the gluing head 101a is located at the left end (on the back side of the apparatus) when the sheet to be bound is not the first sheet (Act 101, No). It is determined whether or not (Act 106).

  When the gluing head 101a is located on the left end side (device rear side) (Act 106, Yes), the CPU 801 sets the gluing head 101a moving direction flag stored in the HDD 804 to “from the left end side toward the right end side”. (Act 107), the gluing head 101a is shifted one step to the right end side (the front side of the apparatus) (ACT 108), and the gluing process on the upper surface of the sheet by the gluing head 101a is performed (Act 105).

  The CPU 801 determines whether or not the gluing head 101a has reached the “maximum shift position” (limit shift position on the front side of the apparatus) (Act 109).

  When the gluing head 101a has reached the “maximum shift position” (Act 109, Yes), the CPU 801 sets the movement direction flag of the gluing head 101a stored in the HDD 804 to “from the right end side toward the left end side” ( Act 110), the gluing head 101a is shifted by one step to the left end side (rear side of the apparatus) (ACT 111), and the gluing process on the upper surface of the sheet is performed by the gluing head 101a (Act 105).

  If the movement direction flag of the gluing head 101a is “from left to right” (Act 112, Yes), the CPU 801 shifts the gluing head 101a to the right end side (the front side of the apparatus) by one step (ACT 113). Gluing processing is performed on the upper surface of the sheet by the gluing head 101a (Act 105).

  On the other hand, when the movement direction flag of the gluing head 101a is not “going from left to right” (Act 112, No), the CPU 801 shifts the gluing head 101a to the left end side (the apparatus back side) by one step ( ACT 114), and a pasting process is performed on the upper surface of the sheet by the pasting head 101a (Act 105).

  In this manner, the CPU 801 (control unit) in the sheet binding apparatus according to the present embodiment moves the gluing head 101a to thereby select the “first sheet (among the plurality of sheet bundles) to be subjected to the binding process. For example, an area to be glued between a “first sheet” and a “second sheet different from the first sheet (for example, a sheet on the second page or a page other than the first page)” The gluing is performed by the gluing head 101a so as to be different (shifted).

  Further, here, the CPU 801 drives and controls the gluing head 101a so that the gluing positions are different between adjacent sheets (first sheet and second sheet). In this way, by shifting the gluing position between adjacent sheets, the gluing thickness does not accumulate at the same position on the sheet continuously between adjacent overlapping sheets, and the places where the thickness increases due to gluing are dispersed. be able to.

  FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of predetermined gluing target areas defined for a sheet when performing a gluing process in the binding processing unit T.

  As shown in FIG. 32, the plurality of predetermined pasting target areas here are divided into three groups G1 to G3. The group G1 has a plurality of gluing target areas G11 to G15, the group G2 has a plurality of gluing target areas G21 to G25, and the group G3 has a plurality of gluing target areas G31 to G35. doing.

  As shown in FIG. 33, for example, when binding a total of six sheets while driving the motor 101b, the CPU 801 controls the areas G11 and G21 in the groups G1 to G3 for the first sheet. G31 is glued to areas G12, G22, and G32 in the group G1 to group G3 for the second sheet, and the area G13 in groups G1 to G3 is glued to the third sheet. G23 and G33 are glued, and the fourth sheet is glued to the areas G14, G24 and G34 in the group G1 to G3, and the fifth sheet is glued to the areas in the groups G1 to G3. G15, G25 and G35 are glued. The CPU 801 does not glue the last sixth sheet, discharges the sixth sheet onto the glued fifth sheet, and presses these six sheets by the pressing mechanism D. Press the glued part.

  FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional state of the bound sheet bundle when the gluing process is performed on six sheets according to the above-described procedure. As can be seen from the figure, in the sheet surface direction, the gluing areas located on both surfaces of an arbitrary sheet are at different positions and do not overlap.

  Here, the CPU 801 selects one of a plurality of predetermined gluing target areas in a predetermined order every time the page to be gluing is changed. Thereby, periodicity (regularity) can be given to the glued portion at the binding position, which can contribute to improvement in the aesthetic appearance of the binding position and stabilization of the binding strength.

  In this way, by making the gluing position on the sheet different from the other sheets in the sheet bundle to be subjected to the binding process, it is compared with the case of gluing to the same place on all the sheets constituting the sheet bundle. Thus, an increase in the thickness near the gluing position due to the thickness of the gluing itself due to the overlapping gluing positions can be suppressed.

  Here, “differentiating the areas to be glued” means that the gluing position on the first sheet and the gluing position on the second sheet are not “completely the same”. As shown in FIG. 57, even when a part of the area to be glued on the first sheet partially overlaps the area to be glued on the second sheet, “to make the area to be glued different” Shall be included. That is, even if the pasting positions are overlapped to some extent, it is only necessary that the thickness of the sheet bundle to be bound can be reduced as compared with the method in which the pasting portions are overlapped at the same position.

  FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating another gluing method according to the sixth embodiment.

  In the example shown in FIG. 36, the CPU 801 “the first predetermined sheet that is the first first cover page (Page 1 shown in FIG. 36)” and “the last second” among the plurality of sheets to be subjected to the binding process. The second predetermined sheet (Page 5 shown in FIG. 36), which is the page immediately before the front cover page, is always the gluing target area closest to the corner of the sheet among the plurality of predetermined gluing target areas. Gluing is performed on the pasting target area G35) surrounded by the circle U.

  In general, sheets serving as front and back covers are easily peeled off from corner portions where stress is easily applied. Thus, the front cover and the back cover are always glued at the corners of the sheet to prevent the front cover and the back cover from peeling off from the corners.

  FIG. 37 is a flowchart for explaining control for changing the gluing position based on the number of sheets of the sheet bundle to be bound.

  As shown in FIG. 37, the CPU 801 (number information acquisition unit) acquires information indicating the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be bound by gluing from the image forming apparatus 7 or the like (ACT 201).

  When the number of sheets indicated by the acquired number information is four or less (ACT 202, No), the CPU 801 pastes the first sheet (for example, the first page). The area and the area to be glued on the second sheet (for example, the sheet of the second page or other page other than the first page) are set to the same position on the sheet (ACT 203).

  In this way, when binding a small number of documents with negligible influence of the increase in thickness due to gluing, gluing may be performed on the same portion of the sheet for stable binding processing and improvement of aesthetics. Good.

  Further, the CPU 801 increases the number of areas of a plurality of predetermined pasting target areas as the number of sheets indicated by the acquired number information is larger. Specifically, for example, when the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be bound is 4 or 5 (ACT 204, No), as shown in FIG. 38, the respective groups G1 ′ to G5 ′. Are pasted so as to circulate in the predetermined order (ACT 205).

  Further, for example, when the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be bound is six or more (ACT 204, Yes), the CPU 801 has five types in each of the groups G1 to G3 as shown in FIG. The pasting target areas are pasted so as to circulate in a predetermined order (ACT 206).

As the number of sheets to be bound increases, the degree of influence on the thickness of pasting at the same location increases.
Therefore, when the number of sheets to be bound is large, the number of places to be glued is increased so as not to overlap as much as possible, and when the number of sheets to be bound is small, the number of places to be glued is reduced.

  FIG. 39 is a flowchart for explaining the control for changing the gluing position based on the position for performing the binding process on the sheet bundle.

  As shown in FIG. 39, the CPU 801 (binding position information acquisition unit) acquires “binding position information indicating which position on the sheet is set as the binding position” acquired from the image forming apparatus 7 (ACT 301). . This information is set by the user on, for example, a control panel of the image forming apparatus 7 or a printer driver on an external device such as a PC that transmits a print instruction to the image forming apparatus 7.

Examples of the binding position here include the following.

(1) Binding at a plurality of locations along the long side or short side (2) Binding the corner of the sheet (3) Binding along a line parallel to any side passing through the center of the sheet

  When the CPU 801 binds at a plurality of locations along one side (for example, the long side) of the sheet based on the acquired binding position information (ACT 302, Yes), the first sheet (for example, the first sheet) The gluing target area is glued so that the gluing target area on the second sheet (for example, the second page or other page other than the first page) differs in the direction of the side (for example, the long side). (ACT303).

  When a sheet bundle is bound at a plurality of locations along any side, depending on the type of document to be bound, there may be little margin provided in the vicinity of the side to be bound. In such a case, if the gluing position on the first sheet and the gluing position on the second sheet are shifted in the direction perpendicular to the side, the gluing will stick to the content portion of the document beyond the margin. There is a risk that.

  Therefore, when binding a sheet bundle at a plurality of locations along any one side, by shifting the pasting target area in the direction of the side, avoiding a situation where pasting is performed beyond the margin of the document. Can do.

  Further, the CPU 801 determines the pasting target area on the first sheet (for example, the first page) according to which position on the sheet is set as the binding position based on the acquired binding position information. The direction of shifting with respect to the pasting target area on the second sheet (for example, a sheet of a page other than the second page or the other first page) is changed.

  Specifically, when it is determined from the acquired binding position information that the corner portion of the sheet is to be bound (ACT 304, Yes), the CPU 801 sets the pasting target position to two orthogonal sides (short side and long side). ) Shift in each direction (ACT 305). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 40, the CPU 801 shifts the gluing position for each page so as to go around the gluing target areas Gs1 to Gs4 whose positions are shifted in two orthogonal axial directions in order. FIG. 41 is a diagram illustrating an example of gluing when the binding process of six sheets is performed while shifting the gluing position according to the rule illustrated in FIG.

  As described above, when the plurality of gluing target areas arranged along the side of the sheet are glued, and when the vicinity of the corner of the sheet is glued, the second gluing target area on the first sheet is selected. By changing the shifting method with respect to the area to be glued on the sheet, it is possible to realize appropriate gluing according to the binding method.

  That is, for example, when the user specifies binding near the corner of the sheet, when the user views the sheet bound in such a manner, the user normally reads the page while turning the page diagonally. . In such a case, when the area to be glued on the first sheet is shifted in the side direction with respect to the area to be glued on the second sheet, the portion glued in the area long in the side direction turns the sheet diagonally. There is a risk of obstructing. Therefore, for example, when binding near the corner of the sheet, the direction of shifting the pasting target area is not biased to a specific side direction, and when binding is performed at a plurality of binding positions arranged in the specific side direction, By shifting the target area in the specific side direction, there is no problem when the user browses the bound sheet bundle.

  Note that the CPU 801 determines, based on the acquired binding position information, when the binding method is not a binding method that binds at a plurality of locations along the side direction of the sheet or a binding method that binds at a corner portion (ACT 304, No), for example, the binding of (3) above. And glue the sheet so that the pasting position is shifted in a direction passing through the center of the sheet and parallel to either side.

  40 and 41, for example, a mechanism in which a gluing head 101a 'that moves integrally with the gluing head 101a is added as shown in FIG. Conceivable. Accordingly, the gluing position can be shifted for each sheet not only in the sliding direction in which the shaft 101c extends but also in the direction orthogonal to the shaft 101c (the y direction in FIG. 42) as necessary.

  Of course, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by using a rack and pinion mechanism as shown in FIG. 25 to be described later, the gluing portion 101 itself can be moved in the y-axis direction. A shift in direction can also be realized.

  Further, in the above-described example, the gluing position in contact with both sides of an arbitrary page is set so that the position is different in the sheet surface direction, but is not necessarily limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, by adopting a configuration in which the gluing position is changed for each of a plurality of pages, the gluing positions can be distributed as a whole while allowing a certain amount of overlap of the gluing positions. Even when the gluing position is changed according to such a rule, since the gluing positions are dispersed in the entire sheet bundle, the adverse effect of the thickness of the gluing portion can be reduced. FIG. 44 is a cross section of the sheet bundle when the binding process is performed while shifting the gluing position according to the rule shown in FIG.

  Each operation in the processing in the above-described sheet binding apparatus is realized by causing the CPU 801 to execute a sheet binding program stored in the memory 802.

(Seventh embodiment)
Subsequently, a seventh embodiment will be described.

  The seventh embodiment is a modification of the above-described sixth embodiment. In the seventh embodiment, the configuration of the sixth embodiment is that a plurality of gluing heads are provided. Different. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, portions having the same functions as those in the sixth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 45 is a partial exploded perspective view for explaining another configuration of the gluing unit in the binding processing unit.

  In the sheet binding apparatus according to the present embodiment, a plurality of gluing units 601 themselves are arranged corresponding to a plurality of predetermined gluing target areas. As described above, by adopting a configuration in which a plurality of gluing units are mounted from the beginning, it is possible to improve work efficiency when gluing at a plurality of locations on the sheet.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 45, the gluing unit 601 according to the present embodiment is configured to be detachable from a pedestal provided with the engaging portion 601x, and replacement work and the like during maintenance are facilitated.

  Furthermore, the pedestal provided with the engaging portion 601x is slidable in the arrangement direction of a plurality of predetermined pasting target areas by a shaft 602 fixed to the casing 606. The gluing unit 601 slidably supported in this way can reciprocate in the extending direction of the shaft 602 by a belt 604 laid over a pulley 603 attached to the drive shaft of the motor 605.

  Of course, it is needless to say that the binding position can be controlled by the CPU 801 in the sixth embodiment described above also by the sheet binding apparatus having the configuration shown in the present embodiment.

  An example of a mechanism for performing gluing with a pattern as shown in FIGS. 40 and 41 is as shown in FIG. In FIG. 47, as an example, a rack gear is formed on the side surface (side surface parallel to the y-axis) of the casing 606, and the casing 606 itself is shifted in the y-axis direction by a pinion gear 607P attached to the output shaft of the motor 607. Yes. The motor 607 can be driven and controlled by the CPU 801, for example.

  As a result, the gluing position can be shifted for each sheet not only in the sliding direction in which the shaft 602 extends but also in the direction orthogonal to the shaft 602 (y direction in FIG. 47).

In each of the above-described embodiments, the gluing unit that performs gluing on the sheet is not necessarily limited to the unit that ejects liquid glue, and examples thereof include some other modes described below.

(1) Adhesion of double-sided tape with glue on both sides (2) Application of paste-like glue (3) Application of liquid glue (4) Application of stick-like glue

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration in which the portion to be glued is changed based on the number of sheets of the sheet bundle to be bound, the binding position on the sheet when performing the binding processing, and the like has been exemplified. For example, it is possible to change the method of shifting the target area to be glued based on the contents of the image (margin setting information, etc.) formed on the sheet in the image forming apparatus 7. Needless to say.

  Each of the above-described embodiments described individually is not only a single component shown in each embodiment but also a combination of any of these embodiments within a range where no technical contradiction occurs. Needless to say, this can be done.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the case where gluing is performed on the upper surface of the sheet has been described as an example, but as a result, the above-described embodiments have been described between the sheets of the sheet bundle that is the target of the binding process. It is only necessary to perform gluing according to such a rule, and not only a configuration for gluing to the upper surface of the sheet but also a configuration for gluing to the lower surface of the sheet can be adopted.

  Further, a program for executing the above-described operations in a computer constituting the sheet binding device and the post-processing device including the sheet binding device can be provided as a sheet binding program. In the present embodiment, the case where the program for realizing the function for carrying out the invention is recorded in advance in a storage area provided in the apparatus is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a similar program can be downloaded from the network. The program may be downloaded to the apparatus, or a similar program stored in a computer-readable recording medium may be installed in the apparatus. The recording medium may be in any form as long as it can store a program and can be read by a computer. Specifically, as a recording medium, for example, an internal storage device such as a ROM or a RAM, a portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a DVD disk, a magneto-optical disk, or an IC card, a computer Examples include a database holding a program, another computer, its database, and a transmission medium on a line. Further, the function obtained by installing or downloading in advance may be realized in cooperation with an OS (operating system) or the like inside the apparatus.

  Note that a part or all of the program may be an execution module that is dynamically generated.

  In addition, it goes without saying that various processes realized by causing the CPU or MPU to execute a program in each of the above-described embodiments can also be executed at least in a circuit by an ASIC. .

[Explanation of Symbols of Sixth and Seventh Embodiments]
T binding processing section, B folding processing section, W stapler, 109 punching section, 801 CPU, 802 ASIC, 803 MEMORY, 804 HDD, 101 m motor, 101 b motor, 805 communication interface, 1 post-processing device.

According to the sixth and seventh embodiments, for example, a sheet post-processing apparatus having the following configuration can be provided.
[1]
A sheet binding processing apparatus for binding a plurality of sheets by gluing,
A gluing portion that can be selectively glued to at least one of a plurality of different gluing target areas on a sheet to be glued;
Gluing by the gluing unit is performed so that a gluing area is different between a first sheet of the plurality of sheets to be bound and a second sheet different from the first sheet. A control unit to perform,
A sheet binding apparatus comprising:
[2]
The sheet binding device according to [1], wherein the first sheet and the second sheet are adjacent sheets.
[3]
A binding position information acquisition unit that acquires binding position information indicating which position on the sheet is the binding position;
When the controller binds at a plurality of locations along any side of the sheet based on the information acquired by the binding position information acquisition unit, the control unit sets the pasting target region on the first sheet to the second The sheet binding device according to [1], wherein the pasting target area on the sheet is pasted differently in the direction of the side.
[4]
The control unit sets the pasting target area on the first sheet according to which position on the sheet is set as the binding position based on the information acquired by the binding position information acquisition unit. 2. The sheet binding device according to [3], wherein a direction of shifting with respect to a pasting target area on the second sheet is changed.
[5]
The control unit selects one of the plurality of predetermined pasting target areas in a predetermined order every time a page to be pasted changes, according to [1]. The sheet binding apparatus according to the description.
[6]
A sheet number acquisition unit for acquiring information indicating the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be bound by gluing;
The control unit increases the number of areas of the plurality of predetermined pasting target areas as the number of sheets indicated by the information acquired by the sheet number information acquisition unit increases. Sheet binding device.
[7]
A sheet number acquisition unit for acquiring information indicating the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be bound by gluing;
When the number of sheets indicated by the information acquired by the sheet number information acquisition unit is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the control unit pastes a pasting target area to be glued on the first sheet and a glue on the second sheet. The sheet binding device according to [1], wherein the pasting target area is located at the same position on the sheet.
[8]
The control unit always maintains the first predetermined sheet that is the first first cover page and the second predetermined sheet that is the page immediately before the last second cover page of the plurality of sheets to be bound. The sheet binding device according to [1], wherein gluing is performed on at least one gluing target area closest to a corner of the sheet among the plurality of predetermined gluing target areas.
[9]
The gluing part is
The sheet binding device according to [1], further comprising a plurality of gluing units arranged corresponding to each of the plurality of predetermined gluing target areas.
[10]
The gluing part is
A gluing unit for gluing on the sheet;
A movement mechanism for supporting the gluing unit so as to be movable in a direction in which the plurality of predetermined gluing target areas are arranged;
The sheet binding device according to [1], further comprising:
[11]
A sheet binding method in a sheet binding processing apparatus that includes a gluing device capable of selectively gluing at least one of a plurality of different gluing target areas different from each other on a sheet to be glued and that binds a plurality of sheets by gluing. And
Obtain information for identifying each sheet of the plurality of sheets to be glued,
Gluing by the gluing unit is performed so that a gluing area is different between a first sheet of the plurality of sheets to be bound and a second sheet different from the first sheet. Sheet binding method to be performed.

Claims (9)

An application unit for applying an adhesive to a sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus;
A pressure unit that pressurizes the sheet bundle on which the application unit has applied the adhesive, and bonds the sheets;
With respect to the application position of the adhesive by the application unit, the sheet is disposed in a first direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction with respect to the application unit, and the application unit is in a position when applying the adhesive. A punch head that drills holes at positions displaced in the first direction;
A sheet post-processing apparatus. The apparatus of claim 1.
A motor,
A driving mechanism that reciprocates the application unit and the punch head by shifting the phase by 180 ° in the second direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction and the first direction based on the rotation of the motor;
A sheet post-processing apparatus. The apparatus of claim 2.
The drive mechanism reciprocates the punch head between a punching position for punching a sheet and a first retracted position from the sheet, and an application position for applying an adhesive to the sheet and a second retracted position from the sheet. The reciprocating movement of the coating unit between the two, and when the punch head is moved to the punching position, the coating unit is moved to the second retracted position, and the coating unit is moved to the coating position. A sheet post-processing apparatus that moves the punch head to the first retracted position. The device according to claim 2 or claim 3,
The drive mechanism is
A drive member that reciprocates in the first direction based on rotation of the motor;
A first transmission member that reciprocates the punch head in the second direction by the reciprocation of the drive member;
A second transmission member that reciprocates the application portion in the second direction by reciprocating the drive member;
A sheet post-processing apparatus. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The application unit is a sheet post-processing apparatus that applies the adhesive only to a region excluding a region in contact with a conveyance roller in a portion of the sheet along the first direction. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The application unit is a sheet post-processing apparatus that applies an adhesive only to a region of the sheet along the first direction that is in contact with a conveyance roller. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive;
The application unit applies an adhesive in the first direction at a central portion in the sheet conveyance direction,
A stacker on which sheets coated with adhesive are stacked;
A pair of sheet folding rollers,
A folding blade that folds the sheet by pushing the sheets stacked on the stacker into the nip of the sheet folding roller pair;
By narrowing the folded sheet bundle passing through the pair of sheet folding rollers, an adhesive force is generated in the adhesive applied to the crease part of the sheet, and the pressure part as the press part that adheres the crease parts of the sheet to each other. A pair of additional rollers,
A sheet post-processing apparatus.   The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the punch head and the coating unit are provided at the same position in the sheet conveying direction. An application unit that reciprocates in a third direction perpendicular to the sheet and applies an adhesive to the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus;
A pressure unit that pressurizes the sheet bundle on which the application unit has applied the adhesive, and bonds the sheets;
A punch head that is in the same position as the application unit in the sheet conveyance direction and reciprocates in the third direction at a position different from the application unit in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction and the third direction, thereby opening a hole in the sheet. When,
A motor,
A driving mechanism for reciprocating the application unit and the punch head by shifting the phase by 180 ° based on rotation of the motor;
A conveying device for conveying a sheet;
In a state in which the conveyance of the sheet by the conveyance device is stopped, the application mechanism and the punch head are reciprocated by shifting the phase by 180 ° by the driving mechanism, so that one sheet is moved in the sheet conveyance direction. A control device for applying an adhesive and opening a hole in the same position;
A sheet post-processing apparatus.

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