JP5962466B2 - Recording material conveying apparatus, recording material processing apparatus, and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording material conveyance device, a recording material processing device, and an image forming system.

  In Patent Document 1, a sheet discharge sensor, an entrance roller, and a branch claw are provided at a sheet discharge conveyance path inlet for receiving a sheet from a copying machine. A sheet processing apparatus is disclosed that separates sheets that go in the direction.

JP-A-11-130338

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the number of guide members that guide a recording material at a branch portion where the recording material conveyance path branches.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first transport path capable of transporting the recording material in one direction, and a second transport medium that branches from the first transport path at the first branching section and transports the recording material. And a third conveyance path that branches from the first conveyance path at the second branch portion that is located downstream of the first branch portion in the one direction and that transports the recording material. And on the first transport path at a predetermined protruding position located downstream in the one direction from the first branch and upstream in the one direction from the second branch. Is provided so that it can be retracted from the first transport path, and is formed on the first transport path toward the downstream side in the one direction and the predetermined protrusion. The recording material that has been transported toward the location is directed toward the second transport path. And a recording material conveyed on the first conveyance path toward the downstream side in the one direction, and the rear end portion reaches the predetermined protruding portion. And a recording material guide member provided with a second guide surface that guides the recording material so that the recording material conveyed in the direction opposite to the one direction is directed to the third conveyance path. It is a material conveying device.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a recording material bundle is generated by accumulating the recording materials sequentially conveyed on the first conveyance path downstream of the second branch portion in the one direction. In addition, a processing means for performing a predetermined process on the recording material bundle is provided, and a new recording material used for generating a new recording material bundle while the processing by the processing means is being performed. Is conveyed toward the processing means starting from the front end, the second guide surface of the recording material guide member is used, and the rear end of the new recording material is the third conveyance path. 2. The recording material conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the recording material conveying apparatus is temporarily fed to the recording material.
The invention according to claim 3, comprising a recording material conveying device for conveying the recording material, and processing means for performing predetermined processing on the recording material, the recording material conveying apparatus, according to claim 1 or 2 A recording material processing apparatus including the recording material conveying apparatus according to any one of the above.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a recording material conveying device for conveying a recording material and an image forming apparatus for forming an image on the recording material, the recording material conveying device according to any one of the first to second aspects. An image forming system configured to include the recording material conveyance device described in 1 above.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of guide members that guide the recording material at the branch portion where the recording material conveyance path branches.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a change in the order of the recording materials that may occur when the recording materials are put on standby before the processing means.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of guide members that guide the recording material at the branching portion where the recording material conveyance path branches, and that are provided in the recording material processing apparatus. Become.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of guide members that guide the recording material at the branching portion where the recording material conveyance path branches and are provided in the image forming system. .

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming system to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. It is a figure explaining the structure of a 1st post-processing apparatus. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the staple head when the paper stacking unit is viewed from above. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a movement when a sheet is conveyed to a second stacking unit. It is a figure explaining the movement at the time of paper being conveyed to an end binding stapler unit. It is a figure explaining the movement at the time of paper conveyance to a saddle stitch unit. It is a figure explaining the movement at the time of paper conveyance to a saddle stitch unit. It is a figure explaining the movement at the time of paper conveyance to a saddle stitch unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of conveyance of a sheet bundle. FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing processing when a rear end portion of a sheet is retracted from a first sheet conveyance path. FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing processing when a rear end portion of a sheet is retracted from a first sheet conveyance path. It is a figure for demonstrating the separation distance etc. of a switching gate and a conveyance roll.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming system 1 to which the exemplary embodiment is applied.
An image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1 has an image forming apparatus 2 that forms a color toner image on a sheet P as an example of a recording material by, for example, an electrophotographic method, and the toner image is formed by the image forming apparatus 2. And a paper processing device 3 that performs a predetermined process on the paper P. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 2 that forms an image by an electrophotographic method is illustrated, but the image forming apparatus 2 may be configured by, for example, an ink jet printer.

  The paper processing apparatus 3 as an example of the recording material processing apparatus includes a transport apparatus 10 that transports the paper P output from the image forming apparatus 2 further downstream, and a thick paper or the like for the paper P transported by the transport apparatus 10. And a slip sheet supply device 20 for supplying slip sheets such as window blank sheets. Further, a folding device 30 that performs a folding process such as an inner tri-fold (C-fold) or an outer tri-fold (Z-fold) on the paper P transported from the transport device 10 and a downstream side of the folding device 30 are provided. And a first post-processing device 40 that performs punching, edge binding, and saddle stitching on the paper P. Further, a second post-processing device 500 is provided on the downstream side of the first post-processing device 40 and performs further processing on the sheet bundle P (booklet) that is folded or saddle-stitched. In addition, the sheet processing apparatus 3 includes a control unit 100 configured by a program-controlled CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controlling the entire sheet processing apparatus 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first post-processing device 40 includes a punching unit 41 that punches (punches) the paper P, and an end binding stapler unit 42 that binds the end of the paper bundle P. In addition, a first stacking unit 43 that stacks the edge-bound sheet bundle P so as to be easily taken by the user, and a saddle-stitching unit 44 that creates a spread booklet by folding the sheet bundle P in a half-fold / saddle manner. ing. Furthermore, a second stacking unit 45 is provided for stacking sheets P that are not subjected to processing in the first post-processing device 40 or sheets P that are only punched.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the first post-processing device 40.
As shown in the figure, the first post-processing device 40 is provided with a receiving port 49 that receives the paper P conveyed from the folding device 30. In addition, a first sheet transport path R <b> 1 provided from the receiving port 49 to the end binding stapler unit 42 and used for transporting the paper P received at the receiving port 49 to the end binding stapler unit 42 is provided.

  Further, a second paper conveyance path R2 that is branched from the first paper conveyance path R1 and used to convey the paper P to the second stacking section 45 is provided at the first branching section B1. Further, a third paper conveyance path R3 that branches from the first paper conveyance path R1 and is used for conveyance of the paper P to the saddle stitching unit 44 is provided at the second branch portion B2. In the present embodiment, the second branch portion B2 is positioned downstream of the first branch portion B1 in the transport direction of the paper P in the first paper transport path R1.

  In the present embodiment, the sheet P is disposed between the first branch part B1 and the second branch part B2, and the transport destination of the paper P is switched to one of the first paper transport path R1 to the third paper transport path R3. A switching gate 70 (to set) is provided. Here, the switching gate 70 protrudes onto the first sheet conveyance path R1 at a predetermined protrusion located on the downstream side of the first branch part B1 and the upstream side of the second branch part B2. Then, the sheet P conveyed downstream on the first sheet conveyance path R1 is guided to the second sheet conveyance path R2, and the sheet P conveyed upstream on the first sheet conveyance path R1 is conveyed to the third sheet. Guide to route R3 (details will be described later).

  In addition, the switching gate 70 includes a first guide surface 75 and a second guide surface 76 disposed on the opposite side of the first guide surface 75, and the downstream side on the first paper transport path R <b> 1. The sheet P conveyed to the second sheet conveyance path R2 is guided by the first guide surface 75 to the second sheet conveyance path R2, and the sheet P conveyed to the upstream side on the first sheet conveyance path R1 is third by the second guide surface 76. Guide to the paper transport path R3 (details will be described later). Note that the switching gate 70 is provided so as to be retractable from the first paper transport path R1, and when the paper P is transported to the end binding stapler unit 42, the switching gate 70 is retracted from the first paper transport path R1. Is done.

  In the present embodiment, a gate driving mechanism 71 that includes a motor and drives the switching gate 70 is provided. Each of the first paper transport path R1 to the third paper transport path R3 includes a pair of roll members that are driven to rotate, and a transport roll 90 that transports the paper P on the paper transport path is provided. Yes.

  Here, the punching unit 41 is provided on the side of the receiving port 49, and punches (punches) such as 2 holes or 4 holes on the paper P conveyed to the first post-processing device 40. Here, the punching unit 41 includes a unit main body 411 that has a punching blade and performs punching of 2 holes or 4 holes on the paper P, and a hole forming process performed by the unit main body 411 disposed below the unit main body 411. And a storage container 412 for storing perforated waste generated by the above. Further, the perforation unit 41 is arranged between the inside of the first post-processing device 40 and the storage container 412, and a location where the storage container 412 is installed and the inside of the first post-processing device 40 are connected to the perforation unit 41. A partition wall 413 is provided.

Next, the end binding stapler unit 42 will be described.
The edge binding stapler unit 42 as an example of the processing unit includes a support plate 67 that is disposed at an angle and supports the paper P from below, and a paper stacking unit that stacks a required number of sheets P to generate a sheet bundle P. 60, a binding processing unit 50 is provided for performing stapling (edge binding) on the end of the sheet bundle P generated by the sheet stacking unit 60. Further, the end binding stapler unit 42 is provided with a transport roll 61 that is rotatably provided and used for transporting the sheet bundle P generated by the sheet stacking unit 60 to the first stacking unit 43. Furthermore, a movable roll 62 is provided that can move to a position retracted from the transport roll 61 and a position in pressure contact with the transport roll 61.

  Here, when processing by the end binding stapler unit 42 is performed, first, the paper P conveyed from the folding device 30 (see FIG. 1) is received by the receiving port 49. Thereafter, the sheet P is transported along the first sheet transport path R <b> 1 and reaches the end binding stapler unit 42. Then, the sheet P is transported to above the support plate 67 and then falls onto the support plate 67. The paper P is supported from below by the support plate 67 and slides on the support plate 67 due to the inclination applied to the support plate 67.

  Thereafter, the sheet P comes into contact with the end guide 64 attached to the end of the support plate 67. In addition, in the present embodiment, an end guide 64 that extends upward in the figure is provided at the end of the support plate 67, and the paper P that has moved on the support plate 67 hits the end guide 64. . Thereby, in this embodiment, the movement of the paper P is stopped. Thereafter, this operation is performed every time the paper P is conveyed from the upstream side, and a paper bundle P in which the rear end portions of the paper P are aligned is generated on the support plate 67.

  In the present embodiment, a rotating paddle 63 for moving the sheet P on the support plate 67 toward the end guide 64 is also provided. The sheet P is fed by the tilt applied to the support plate 67 and the rotating paddle 63. Move to the end guide 64. Although not described above, in the present embodiment, a sheet width position aligning member 65 that aligns the position of the sheet bundle P in the width direction is provided. In this embodiment, every time the paper P is supplied onto the support plate 67, the end (side) in the width direction of the paper P is pressed by the paper width alignment member 65, and the paper P (paper bundle P) The position in the width direction is also aligned.

  When a predetermined number of sheets P are stacked on the support plate 67, stapling is performed on the end of the sheet bundle P by the staple head 51 provided in the binding processing unit 50. The staple head 51 executes staple binding by driving metal staples (U-shaped needles) into the sheet bundle P. Thereafter, in the present embodiment, the movable roll 62 advances toward the transport roll 61, and the sheet bundle P is sandwiched between the movable roll 62 and the transport roll 61. Thereafter, the transport roll 61 functioning as a part of the downstream transport unit is driven to rotate, and the sheet bundle P is transported to the first stacking unit 43.

  The staple head 51 is provided so as to be movable toward the back side and the near side of the apparatus in the drawing. In the present embodiment, the staple processing can be performed on the paper P at a plurality of locations. More specifically with reference to FIG. 3 (a diagram illustrating the operation of the staple head 51 when the paper stacking unit 60 is viewed from above). In the present embodiment, the conveyance direction of the paper P (paper bundle P) and The staple head 51 is moved along the depth direction of the first post-processing device 40, which is an orthogonal direction, so that the binding processing can be performed on a plurality of different portions of the sheet bundle P. It has become.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the staple head 51 of the present embodiment has, for example, two points (positions (A) and (A) in FIG. 3) located at different positions in the depth direction of the first post-processing device 40. B) Stops at position), and performs binding processing (two-point end binding processing) at these two points. Further, for example, the staple head 51 stops at one end of the sheet bundle P (one corner of the sheet bundle P) (position (D) in FIG. 3), and at the stop position, the staple processing (one point) is performed. Edge binding).

  The staple head 51 stops at, for example, the other end of the sheet bundle P (the other corner of the sheet bundle P) (the position (C) in FIG. 3), and the binding process (one point) is performed at this stop position. Edge binding). Here, in this embodiment, the staple head 51 moves linearly between the positions (A) and (B), but between the positions (A) and (C) and ( Between the B) position and the (D) position, the staple head 51 moves with rotation of, for example, 45 °.

In addition, although description was abbreviate | omitted above, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, multiple end guides 64 are provided. The end guides 64 are arranged at different locations in the depth direction of the first post-processing device 40 (the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the paper P).
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, each of the end guides 64 is arranged in a relationship orthogonal to the support plate 67, the end portion of the paper P hits and restricts the movement of the paper P, and this restriction And an opposing piece 642 that is connected to the portion 641 and arranged to face the support plate 67. In the present embodiment, when the sheets P are stacked on the support plate 67, the end portion of the sheet P enters between the opposing piece 642 and the support plate 67 and the end portion abuts against the restriction portion 641. Thereby, the alignment process of the paper P is performed.

  Although not described above, when the stapling process is performed at the position (A) in FIG. 3 by the staple head 51, the facing piece 642 located at the center (the center in the vertical direction) in FIG. And a binding process is performed through a gap formed between the opposing piece 642 positioned below in the drawing. Further, when the staple processing is performed at the position (B) in FIG. 3 by the staple head 51, between the facing piece 642 positioned in the upper part of FIG. 3 and the facing piece 642 positioned in the center in the figure. A binding process is performed through the formed gap.

Next, referring to FIG. 2 again, the saddle stitching unit 44 will be described.
As shown in the figure, the saddle stitching unit 44 is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and accumulates a required number of sheets of paper P after image formation, via a third sheet conveyance path R3. A discharge roll 442 that discharges the conveyed paper P to the paper stacking unit 441 and an end guide 443 that moves along the paper stacking unit 441 to determine the saddle stitching position and the center folding position are provided. In addition, a plurality of paper alignment members (not shown) that convey the paper P collected on the paper stacking unit 441 toward the end guide 443 are provided. The sheet aligning member is composed of a rotating paddle.

  Further, in the saddle stitching unit 44, the paper P stacked on the paper stacking unit 441 is stacked on the paper stacking unit 441 and the paper stacking unit 441 including a pair of alignment plates that slide to move in order to align the sheets P in the width direction. A stapler 446 for saddle stitching the sheet bundle P is provided. Further, in order to fold the sheet bundle P, which is saddle-stitched by the stapler 446, at the saddle stitch position, the folding knife 447 that advances from the back side to the front side of the sheet stacking unit 441, and the sheet bundle that has been started to be folded by the folding knife 447 A folding roll 448 composed of a pair of rolls sandwiching P is provided, and a transport roll 449 for transporting the sheet bundle P sandwiched between the folding rolls 448 toward the second post-processing apparatus 500 is provided.

  When the first post-processing device 40 produces a half-folded / saddle-stitched booklet, first, the paper P is received at the receiving port 49, along the first paper transport path R1, and the paper P The sheet P is conveyed until the rear end of the sheet reaches the switching gate 70. At this time, the switching gate 70 as an example of the guide member and the recording material guide member is disposed so as to guide the paper P to the first paper transport path R1 (edge binding stapler unit 42). Then, after the trailing edge of the paper P reaches the switching gate 70, the conveyance of the paper P is temporarily stopped.

  Thereafter, the switching gate 70 is driven, the trailing edge of the sheet P is pressed from the side by the switching gate 70, and the trailing edge of the sheet P enters the third sheet conveyance path R3. Thereafter, reverse rotation of the transport roll 90 (transport roll indicated by reference numeral 90A in the figure) (hereinafter referred to as “forward / reverse roll 90A”) is started. Thereby, the conveyance of the sheet P along the third sheet conveyance path R <b> 3 is started, and the sheet P is sent to the discharge roll 442 provided in the saddle stitching unit 44. Thereafter, the paper P is sent out to the paper stacking unit 441 by the discharge roll 442. Thereafter, these operations are repeated each time a new sheet P is conveyed.

  As a result, for example, the number of sheets set by the control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 2, for example, 5 sheets, 10 sheets, 15 sheets, and the like are accumulated in the sheet accumulating unit 441. When the paper P is stacked on the paper stacking unit 441, a paper aligning member (not shown) rotates and presses the stacked paper P against the end guide 443 to assist in paper alignment. Further, the sheet width aligning member 445 slides in the width direction of the sheets P stacked on the sheet stacking unit 441 and aligns the stacked sheets P from the width direction.

  Here, although depending on the size of the sheet P, after a predetermined number of sheets P are stacked in the sheet stacking unit 441, the end guide 443 is raised and the central portion of the sheet P (sheet bundle P) is moved. The stapler 446 is located at a staple position. At this time, the sheet bundle P rising by the end guide 443 moves upward along the sheet stacking portion 441. However, when the sheet bundle P is long, it proceeds along the broken line 3A in the figure. To do.

  In this case, there is a possibility that the leading end of the sheet bundle P hits the punching unit 41 and the movement of the sheet bundle P may be restricted. In this embodiment, the punching unit 41 is provided by the partition wall 413 provided in the punching unit 41. The sheet bundle P is guided to the side path, and movement of the sheet bundle P is not restricted. The partition 413 may be omitted, and the sheet bundle P may be guided to the side path of the punching unit 41 on the side surface of the container 412.

  When the central portion of the sheet bundle P reaches the stapling position by the stapler 446, the stapler 446 performs saddle stitching on the sheet bundle P. Next, the sheet bundle P that has finished saddle stitching is moved by the downward movement of the end guide 443 so that the folded portion (the central portion of the sheet bundle P) coincides with the tip position of the folding knife 447. Note that the folding knife 447 is retracted behind the paper stacking unit 441 in a paper stacking stage on the paper stacking unit 441, a saddle stitching stage by the stapler 446, and a paper transport stage after the saddle stitching.

  After the folding position of the sheet bundle P has moved to the tip position of the folding knife 447, the folding knife 447 is pushed out from the back side of the sheet stacking unit 441 toward the front side. As a result, the folding knife 447 projects from the front side of the paper stacking unit 441 through an opening (not shown) formed in the paper stacking unit 441. With this protrusion, the central portion of the sheet bundle P is pushed out to the folding roll 448 and sandwiched between the folding rolls 448. Thereafter, the sheet bundle P is conveyed to the downstream side by the folding roll 448, and the sheet bundle P is delivered to the conveyance roll 449. Then, the sheet bundle P that has been subjected to the half-folding / saddling process is sent to the second post-processing apparatus 500 by the transport roll 449.

  In the above description, the binding process by the edge binding stapler unit 42 and the saddle stitching / saddle stitching process by the saddle stitching unit 44 have been described. However, the sheet P that is not subjected to these two processes (in the first post-processing device 40). The sheet P) that is not subjected to the above process and the sheet P that is only subjected to the punching process by the punching unit 41 are guided to the second sheet transport path R2 by the first guide surface 75 of the switching gate 70, and the second stacking unit 45 is loaded.

Here, the movement of each part of the first post-processing device 40 will be described in more detail.
First, with reference to FIG. 4 (a diagram illustrating the movement when the paper P is transported to the second stacking unit 45), the movement of each unit when the paper P is transported to the second stacking unit 45 will be described. As described above, the sheet P that is not processed by the first post-processing device 40 or the sheet P that is only subjected to the punching process by the punching unit 41 is changed by the first guide surface 75 of the switching gate 70. The paper is guided to the two-sheet transport path R2 and stacked on the second stacking unit 45. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the switching gate 70 is disposed so as to cross the first paper transport path R1. Thus, the paper P that has been transported from the upstream side along the first paper transport path R1 is guided to the second paper transport path R2. Thereafter, the sheet P is stacked on the second stacking unit 45.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5 (a diagram for explaining the movement when the paper P is conveyed to the edge-binding stapler unit 42), the movement of each part when the paper P is conveyed to the edge-binding stapler unit 42 will be described. . When the paper P is transported to the edge-binding stapler unit 42, as shown in FIG. 5, the switching gate 70 is retracted from the first paper transport path R1. In this case, the sheet P conveyed to the switching gate 70 along the first sheet conveying path R1 passes through the portion where the switching gate 70 is provided (the protruding portion from which the switching gate 70 protrudes) as it is. The paper is further transported along the first paper transport path R1. As a result, the sheet P reaches the end binding stapler unit 42.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 (a diagram for explaining the movement when the paper P is conveyed to the saddle stitching unit 44), the movement of each part when the paper P is conveyed to the saddle stitching unit 44 will be described. To do.
When the paper P is transported to the saddle stitching unit 44, the paper P is received at the receiving port 49 and transported along the first paper transport path R1. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the switching gate 70 is retracted from the first paper transport path R1. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the paper P is transported until the trailing edge of the paper P reaches the switching gate 70, and after the trailing edge of the paper P reaches the switching gate 70, the transport of the paper P is performed. Once stopped.

  Next, the gate driving mechanism 71 that functions as a part of the guide member driving unit is driven, and the switching gate 70 is disposed so as to cross the first paper transport path R1 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the rear end portion of the paper P is pressed from the side by the second guide surface 76 of the switching gate 70, and the rear end portion of the paper P enters the third paper transport path R3. Thereafter, the reverse rotation of the forward / reverse rotation roll 90A functioning as the conveying means is started. As a result, the paper P that has been transported in one direction on the first paper transport path R1 is transported in a direction opposite to this one direction and is guided by the second guide surface 76 of the switching gate 70, As shown in FIG. 8, the sheet is fed into the third sheet conveyance path R3. Thereafter, the paper P is conveyed to a discharge roll 442 provided in the saddle stitching unit 44, and the paper P is sent out to the paper stacking unit 441 by the discharge roll 442.

  When the conveyance of the sheet P to the third sheet conveyance path R3 by the reverse rotation of the forward / reverse roll 90A is completed, the switching gate 70 is retracted from the first sheet conveyance path R1 to pass the sheet P conveyed next. To do. When the trailing edge of the next sheet P reaches the switching gate 70, the conveyance of the sheet P is stopped and the switching gate 70 is driven as described above. As a result, the trailing edge of the next sheet enters the third sheet transport path R3. Thereafter, as described above, the reverse rotation of the forward / reverse roll 90 </ b> A is started, and the paper P is sent to the discharge roll 442.

  That is, when the paper P is transported to the saddle stitching unit 44, the paper P is sequentially transported to generate the paper bundle P. In this case, each time a new paper P is transported, Conveyance of the paper P along the first paper conveyance path R1, driving of the switching gate 70 (the switching gate 70 is disposed so as to cross the first paper conveyance path R1), reverse rotation of the forward / reverse rotation roll 90A, and the first paper conveyance path R1 The switching gate 70 is evacuated from.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, after a predetermined number of sheets P are stacked on the sheet stacking unit 441, the end guide 443 is raised, and the central portion of the sheet bundle P is the stapler 446. Located at the stapling position. At this time, the sheet bundle P rising by the end guide 443 moves upward along the sheet stacking unit 441. If the sheet bundle P is long, the sheet bundle P shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, the leading end of the sheet bundle P advances toward the punching unit 41.

  In this case, as described above, the leading end of the sheet bundle P may abut against the perforation unit 41, and the movement of the paper P may be restricted. In this embodiment, the partition wall 413 provided in the perforation unit 41 includes the paper sheet P. It is arranged so as to cross the conveyance path of the bundle P, and is arranged not in a relationship orthogonal to this conveyance path but in a crossing relationship (a relationship crossing in an oblique direction). For this reason, the sheet bundle P is guided to a path beside the punching unit 41, and the movement of the sheet bundle P is not restricted by the punching unit 41.

  In the present embodiment, the sheet bundle P is guided to the space between the punching unit 41 and the third sheet transport path R3. Here, it is also conceivable to guide the sheet bundle P not to the third sheet conveyance path R3 side but to the side opposite to the side where the third sheet conveyance path R3 is provided (to the side indicated by reference numeral 9A in FIG. 9). In this case, however, the first post-processing device 40 needs to be enlarged in order to prevent the sheet bundle P from protruding from the device. On the other hand, when the paper P is guided between the punching unit 41 and the third paper transport path R3 as in the present embodiment, a place where a dead space can be used is used, and such an increase in size is unlikely to occur. Become.

  Although the description is omitted above, the edge-binding stapler unit 42 accumulates a predetermined number of sheets P and generates a sheet bundle P, and then performs a binding process on the sheet bundle P. The binding process takes time. On the other hand, when a plurality of sheet bundles P (booklets) are continuously created, a new sheet P (sheet P used for creating the next booklet) from the upstream side with respect to the end binding stapler unit 42. Will be transported. In other words, a new sheet P used for generating a new sheet bundle P (new booklet) is conveyed while the end binding stapler unit 42 is performing the binding process. Here, the first post-processing device 40 of the present embodiment also has a function of temporarily retracting the rear end portion of the sheet P newly transported in this way from the first sheet transport path R1. .

A specific description will be given with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 (a diagram for explaining processing when the rear end portion of the paper P is retracted from the first paper transport path R1).
When a new paper P (paper P used to create the next booklet, hereinafter referred to as “new paper P”) is transported from the upstream side, first, along the first paper transport path R1, and The new paper P is conveyed until the trailing edge of the new paper P reaches the switching gate 70. At this time, the switching gate 70 is disposed so as to guide the new sheet P to the first sheet transport path R1 (disposed from the first sheet transport path R1).

  Then, after the trailing edge of the new paper P reaches the switching gate 70, the conveyance of the new paper P is temporarily stopped, and the switching gate 70 is driven. As a result, the rear end portion of the new paper P enters the third paper transport path R3 as described above. Thereafter, the reverse rotation of the forward / reverse roll 90A is started. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the rear end of the new paper P is sent to the third paper transport path R3, and the rear end of the new paper P is retracted from the first paper transport path R1.

  Next, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the switching gate 70 is retracted from the first paper transport path R1. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, the second sheet P (hereinafter referred to as “second sheet P2”) is conveyed from the upstream side, but the leading end of the second sheet P2 is determined in advance. When the position is reached (for example, after the leading end of the second sheet P2 passes through the switching gate 70), the rotation of the forward / reverse roll 90A (rotation in the forward direction) is started. As a result, the new paper P temporarily sent to the third paper transport path R3 and the second paper P2 are supplied to the paper stacking unit 60 in a state where they overlap each other. At this time, the booklet (sheet bundle P) created in advance is discharged, and the sheets P are not stacked on the sheet stacking unit 60.

  Here, when such processing is performed, it is not necessary to stop the conveyance of the second sheet P2. Here, when the conveyance of the second sheet P2 is stopped, the sheet P subsequent to the second sheet P2 is also sequentially stopped. Accordingly, the image forming operation in the image forming apparatus 2 (see FIG. 1). Must be interrupted. In this case, the number of sheets P on which an image can be formed per unit time is reduced and productivity is lowered. On the other hand, when the process described above is performed, the stop of the conveyance of the second sheet P2 is avoided, and the decrease in productivity is suppressed.

  If the new paper P is simply placed on the first paper transport path R1 and the forward rotation of the forward / reverse roll 90A is started at the timing when the second paper P2 is transported to a predetermined location. For the time being, the decline in productivity will be suppressed. However, when the new paper P is simply kept waiting on the first paper transport path R1, the transported second paper P2 is pulled under the new paper P, and in a different order from the predetermined order. There is a possibility that the new paper P and the second paper P2 are stacked. Here, as described above, when the rear end of the new paper P is retracted from the first paper transport path R1, the new paper P and the second paper P2 are stacked in a predetermined order. Become.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12 (a diagram for explaining a separation distance between the switching gate 70 and the transporting roll 61), the switching gate 70 and the transporting roll 61 are more than the length L1 of the paper P. The separation distance L2 is set so that the separation distance L2 from the head becomes larger. More specifically, the separation distance L2 is set to be larger than the length of the long side of the A4 paper P.

  Here, when the separation distance L2 is smaller than the length L1 of the paper P, when the new paper P is made to wait on the first paper transport path R1, the leading end of the new paper P is The transport roll 61 is reached. In this case, when the booklet (sheet bundle P) prepared in advance is transported to the first stacking unit 43 by the transport roll 61 and the movable roll 62, the new sheet P is also transferred to the first stacking unit. There is a risk of being transported to 43. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the separation distance L2 between the switching gate 70 and the transport roll 61 is made larger than the length L1 of the paper P. In addition, in the present embodiment, when the new paper P is temporarily stopped on the first paper transport path R <b> 1, the new paper P is stopped at a position where the leading end of the new paper P does not reach the transport roll 61. I have to.

  Note that when the booklet is created by the edge binding stapler unit 42 with a paper P larger than the A4 paper P such as the A3 paper P, the productivity is lower than the small paper P such as A4 (preceding). Therefore, when the large sheet P is transported to the sheet stacking unit 60, the sheet stacking unit 60 precedes it. The booklet created in this way has already been discharged, and the transport roll 61 and the movable roll 62 are in a separated state. For this reason, in the case of the paper P exceeding a predetermined size, such as the A3 paper P, it is not necessary to wait for the paper P on the first paper transport path R1, and the paper P is sequentially discharged to the paper stacking unit 60. Is done.

  By the way, although explanation is omitted in the above, generally, the switching gate 70 is installed at each of the branches where the paper transport path branches. In the configuration of the present embodiment, two branch parts, the first branch part B1 and the second branch part B2, are provided. In general, switching is made to each of the first branch part B1 and the second branch part B2. A gate 70 is installed. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, one switching gate 70 switches between the first paper transport path R1 and the second paper transport path R2, and the first paper transport path R1 Switching to the third paper transport path R3 is performed. Thereby, in this embodiment, compared with the case where the switching gate 70 is provided in each branch part, a number of parts is reduced and manufacturing cost is reduced. Furthermore, as the number of parts is reduced, the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 6 and the like, the process of guiding the paper P to the third paper transport path R3 by pressing the rear end of the paper P from the side by the switching gate 70 has been described. The guidance of the paper P to the third paper transport path R3 is not limited to such processing, and may be performed by other processing.

For example, the paper P is transported along the first paper transport path R1 until the rear end of the paper P passes through the switching gate 70, and then the switching gate 70 is driven. In other words, after the rear end of the paper P has completely passed through the protruding position where the switching gate 70 protrudes on the first paper transport path R1, the switching gate 70 is projected on the first paper transport path R1. Next, the forward / reverse roll 90 </ b> A is reversed to transport the paper P in the reverse direction.
In this case, when the switching gate 70 is projected onto the first paper transport path R1, the switching gate 70 and the paper P are in a non-contact state, and the paper P is compared with the case where the paper P is pressed from the side as described above. Damage or the like is less likely to occur.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming system, 2 ... Image forming apparatus, 3 ... Paper processing apparatus, 42 ... End binding stapler unit, 61 ... Conveyance roll, 70 ... Switching gate, 71 ... Gate drive mechanism, 75 ... 1st guide surface, 76 ... second guide surface, 90A ... forward / reverse roll, B1 ... first branch, B2 ... second branch, P ... paper, R1 ... first paper transport path, R2 ... second paper transport path, R3 ... first 3 paper transport path

Claims (4)

A first transport path capable of transporting the recording material in one direction;
A second conveyance path that branches from the first conveyance path at the first branching section and conveys the recording material;
A third conveyance path that branches from the first conveyance path at a second branch part located downstream of the first branch part in the one direction, and in which the recording material is conveyed;
Projection onto the first transport path at a predetermined projecting location located downstream in the one direction from the first branch and upstream in the one direction from the second branch. And can be retracted from the first transport path, and is located on the first transport path toward the downstream side in the one direction and at the predetermined protruding portion. A recording material conveyed toward the second conveyance path, and a recording material conveyed toward the downstream side in the one direction on the first conveyance path. The second recording medium guides the recording material so that the recording material conveyed in the direction opposite to the one direction after the rear end portion reaches the predetermined protruding portion is directed to the third conveyance path. And a recording material guide comprising And wood,
A recording material conveying apparatus. In the one direction, on the downstream side of the second branch portion, the recording materials sequentially conveyed on the first conveyance path are accumulated to generate a recording material bundle, and with respect to the recording material bundle A processing means for performing a predetermined process is provided,
When a new recording material used for generating a new recording material bundle is conveyed toward the processing means starting from the leading end during the processing by the processing means, the recording material guide said second guide surface is used in the member, the recording material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rear end portion of the new recording medium, characterized in that the fed temporarily to the third transport path. A recording material conveying device for conveying the recording material, and a processing means for performing a predetermined process on the recording material,
The recording material conveying apparatus, a recording material conveying device comprise configured recording material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2. A recording material conveying device for conveying the recording material, and an image forming device for forming an image on the recording material,
The recording material conveying apparatus, an image forming system which is configured to include a recording material conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 2.

Images