JP6065659B2 - Paper processing apparatus, image forming system, and paper bundle binding method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus, an image forming system, and a sheet bundle binding method, and in particular, a sheet-like recording medium such as a sheet, a transfer sheet, and a sheet (hereinafter referred to as “sheet” in the present specification including claims) A sheet processing apparatus that executes a binding process on the recording medium, a sheet processing apparatus, and an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a digital multifunction peripheral that combines at least two of these functions. And a sheet bundle binding method executed in a sheet processing apparatus.

  A so-called finisher, a paper post-processing device that performs punching processing, alignment processing, binding processing, sorting processing, and the like after an image is formed by an image forming apparatus such as a copier, printer, or digital multifunction peripheral (MFP). Is widely known. In the case of performing the binding process with such an apparatus, a method is often employed in which sheets discharged outside the image forming apparatus are once stacked on a stacking tray, aligned, and then bound with a stapler using a metal needle.

  A finisher having such a function is widely used because it is convenient and efficient because it performs unattended and automatically executes a large number of binding processes on a sheet after image formation.

  On the other hand, a binding device that can bind a plurality of sheets without using a metal binding needle is also known. Such an apparatus that does not use a binding needle has recently attracted attention because of its excellent resource saving.

  As such a sheet post-processing apparatus that does not use a binding needle, for example, an invention described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-165365 (Patent Document 1) is known.

  In the paper post-processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a large number of minute teeth formed so as to mesh with each other are formed on the lower end surface of the pressure rod and the upper end surface of the fixed block, and between these teeth, The end opposite to the crease of the recording paper is located. When the recording paper stops at a predetermined position, the solenoid is energized. As a result, the plunger moves above a predetermined position, so that it moves toward the pressure rod connected to the plunger via a connecting link, and the lower end surface of the rod and the upper end surface of the fixed block are connected to the recording paper. They are pressed against each other strongly through the end portions. At this time, the upper and lower minute teeth are engaged with each other with the recording paper interposed therebetween, and a tooth mold is formed on the two paper portions, and these are intertwined and pressed together. This is called half-cutting.

  In addition, half-punching means that a plurality of stacked papers are pressure-bonded and entangled with each other without using a staple used in a general stapler (stapler) or a binding piece such as a clip. This is a processing method for binding a plurality of papers. In addition to the method described above, a part of a plurality of overlapped papers is cut to form a tongue piece, and the tongue piece is inverted from its root portion and formed on a paper portion near the tongue piece. Also known is a half-punching method in which an inverted tongue piece is inserted into the slit, and a plurality of papers are thereby bound together.

  However, in the paper post-processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, binding is performed by meshing the concave and convex blades. However, when the paper is higher than the height of the blade, the concave and convex portions are not formed and may not be bound. is there. In addition, when the number of sheets bundled is large, the uneven blade pressure may not be sufficiently applied to the sheet near the middle of the sheet bundle. In such a case, it is impossible to provide a well-bound paper bundle in any case. Both of these are phenomena that occur when the number of sheets in a sheet bundle is large.

  Therefore, a problem to be solved by the present invention is to increase the number of sheets to be bound in a binding process that does not use a binding needle.

    In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a sheet processing apparatus comprising: a stacking unit that stacks sheets; and a plurality of binding units that perform a stapleless binding process on a bundle of sheets stacked on the stacking unit. The plurality of binding means binds a first end binding portion that binds a preset first portion on the back side of the sheet bundle, and a second end that binds a second portion other than the first portion. A binding section, and the sheets are alternately bound while overlapping a preset number of sheets in the first end binding section and the second end binding section. Note that problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified in the following description of embodiments.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the number of sheets to be bound in a binding process that does not use a binding needle.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of an image forming system including the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 and a sheet post-processing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the binding method of the crimped binding in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation mechanism of the crimping tooth in a binding tool. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a basic relationship between a paper stacking tray before paper transport and first and second edge binding portions. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which two sheets are conveyed one by one to the sheet stacking tray from the state before the sheet conveyance in FIG. 5 and the first edge binding portion is located at the standby position. FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the paper introduction portion at the tip of the crimp tooth is located at the paper receiving position from the state of FIG. FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state before the binding process in which the third and fourth sheets are further conveyed and stacked on the first and second sheets from the state of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of binding a sheet bundle at the second end binding unit from the state of FIG. 8 and exchanging positions of the first and second end binding units. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the first end binding portion enters the binding position and the second end binding portion is positioned at the standby position after the positions are switched by the operation illustrated in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state when the fifth and sixth sheets are conveyed from the state illustrated in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of aligning sheets from the state of FIG. 11, binding a sheet bundle at the first end binding unit, and exchanging positions of the first and second end binding units. FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state when the sheet introduction unit of the first edge binding unit enters the sixth sheet P6 bound from the state illustrated in FIG. 12. When the last sheet to be stacked is one sheet, the second edge binding unit performs the crimp binding with the third sheet, the fifth sheet, the sixth sheet, and the seventh sheet, and creates a sheet bundle of one sheet. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing shown. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows a state when a 2nd edge binding part is advanced to the same position (binding position) as a 1st edge binding part, and a paper is received and bound. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a sheet bundle in which eight sheets bound by the operation illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 14 are bundled. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sheet bundle when four sheets are shifted by two sheets and bound to one end, the center, and the other end. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state when the paper bundle is lifted. It is a flowchart which shows the first half part of an example of the process sequence of the binding process in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the second half part of an example of the process sequence of the binding process in this embodiment.

  In the present invention, when a small number of sheets that are relatively difficult to peel off are subjected to pressure binding processing, two or more binding portions are set, and a part of the sheet bundle bound by one binding portion is newly added by the other binding portion. The process of binding together with a bundle of sheets is repeated to increase the number of sheets to be bound per copy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 2 and a sheet post-processing apparatus 3 as a sheet processing apparatus. The image forming apparatus 2 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 are connected so as to communicate with each other. In the image forming system 1, the image forming apparatus 2 forms an image on a sheet, the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 receives the sheet from the image forming apparatus 2, and performs various post-processing on the received sheet. The various post-processing includes, for example, end binding processing, center folding processing, and the like. The center folding process includes a saddle stitching process. In the present embodiment, the sheet post-processing device 3 binds the sheet bundle PB at a predetermined location without using a needle in the edge binding process and the saddle stitching process. The sheet post-processing apparatus 3 that performs such various post-processing has a discharge mode, an end binding mode, and a middle folding mode as operation modes.

  The image forming apparatus 2 only needs to form an image by an electrophotographic method, a droplet discharge method, a type method, or other known image forming methods. As an example, it can be configured as a color image forming apparatus having an electrophotographic image forming unit. In the image forming apparatus 2 having an electrophotographic image forming unit, for example, a control unit, an image forming unit, an optical writing unit, a paper feeding unit, a paper feeding conveyance path, an image reading unit, an intermediate transfer unit, a fixing unit, and a paper discharge A conveyance path, a double-sided conveyance path, and the like (both not shown) are provided, and images are formed on both sides or one side of a sheet.

  The sheet post-processing device 3 is provided with first to third transport paths Pt1, Pt2, and Pt3. The first transport path Pt <b> 1 is a transport path for receiving the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus 2 and discharging the paper to the first paper discharge tray 10. The second transport path Pt2 is a transport path for branching from the first transport path Pt1 and performing an end binding process or the like on the sheet bundle. The third transport path Pt3 is connected to the second transport path Pt2 and is a transport path for performing the saddle stitching and folding process on the sheet bundle PB. These first to third transport paths Pt1, Pt2, and Pt3 are formed by, for example, guide members (not shown).

  In the first transport path Pt1, the entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12, 13, and the paper discharge roller 14 are arranged in order from the upstream portion to the downstream portion of the first transport path Pt1. The entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12 and 13, and the paper discharge roller 14 are rotationally driven by a motor to transport the paper. An inlet sensor 15 is disposed upstream of the inlet roller 11. The entrance sensor 15 detects that a sheet has been carried into the sheet post-processing device 3.

  A processing unit 49 that performs, for example, punching is provided between the upstream conveying roller 12 and the downstream conveying roller 12. The processing part 49 is composed of, for example, a punch 49a and a die 49b. In the present embodiment, the processing unit 49 is a perforation unit, and is controlled by a perforation processing control unit (not shown). The punching processing control unit determines whether or not to punch a sheet according to the number of sheets to be bound, the sheet thickness, and the like.

  A first branch claw 17 is disposed downstream of the transport roller 12. The first branching claw 17 swings around the support shaft and selectively feeds the sheet to either the downstream portion of the branching claw 17 in the first transport path Pt1 or the second transport path Pt2. invite. The first branch claw 17 is driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid.

  In the discharge mode, the paper carried into the first transport path Pt1 from the image forming apparatus 2 is transported by the entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12, 13 and the paper discharge roller 14, and is discharged to the first paper discharge tray 10. Is done. On the other hand, in the end binding mode and the center folding mode, the sheet carried into the first transport path Pt1 is transported by the entrance roller 11 and the transport roller 12, and the traveling direction is changed by the first branching claw 17 to change the first direction. 2 is conveyed to the second conveyance path Pt2.

  In the second transport path Pt2, transport rollers 20, 21, 22, a paper stacking tray 23, a first jogger fence 24, and an end binding part (first binding part) 25 are arranged. The transport rollers 20, 21, 22 are driven by a motor to transport the paper. The first jogger fence 24 is driven by a motor to align the width direction of the paper. Further, the second and third branching claws 26 and 27 are disposed downstream of the paper stacking tray 23. Similarly to the first branch claw 17, the second and third branch claws 26 and 27 swing around the support shaft, and the downstream portion of the first branch claw 17 in the first transport path Pt1 The paper is selectively guided to one of the third transport paths Pt3. The first and third branch claws 26 and 27 are driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid.

  In the edge binding mode, the sheets are sequentially stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23. As a result, a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked is formed on the sheet stacking tray 23. At that time, the sheet is in contact with a first movable reference fence (not shown) provided on the sheet stacking tray 23 at the rear end thereof, so that the position in the sheet conveyance direction is aligned, and the width of the sheet is adjusted by the first jogger fence 24. The direction position is aligned. The first movable reference fence is driven by a motor. Here, the sheet stacking tray 23, the first jogger fence 24, and the first movable reference fence constitute a first sheet bundle forming unit 28 that stacks a plurality of sheets to form a sheet bundle. The first sheet bundle forming unit 28 includes a motor that drives the first jogger fence 24 and a motor that drives the first movable reference fence. Then, the sheet bundle on the sheet stacking tray 23 is conveyed to the end binding unit 25 located below the sheet stacking tray 23 by the first movable reference fence.

  In the edge binding portion 25, a pair of concave and convex crimping teeth are arranged with a sheet bundle interposed therebetween. In a state where the sheet bundle PB is present, the sheet bundle PB is bound by a crimping binding method in which one crimping tooth is applied in the direction of the other crimping tooth. Details of the binding method will be described later.

  The sheet bundle PB whose ends are bound by the end binding portion 25 is pushed up by the first movable reference fence and is transported to the first transport path Pt1. Thereafter, the paper is transported by the transport roller 13 and the paper discharge roller 14 and is discharged to the first paper discharge tray 10. On the other hand, in the middle folding mode, the sheet conveyed to the second conveyance path Pt2 is conveyed to the third conveyance path Pt3 by the conveyance rollers 20, 21, 22 and the first movable reference fence.

  In the third conveyance path Pt3, conveyance rollers 31 and 32 and a saddle stitching middle folding portion 33 are arranged. The transport rollers 31 and 32 are driven by a motor to transport the paper. The saddle stitching middle folding portion 33 includes a middle folding portion 34, a saddle stitching portion (second binding portion) 35, and a second sheet bundle forming portion 36. The sheets conveyed to the third conveyance path Pt3 are sequentially accumulated in the second sheet bundle forming unit 36 by the conveyance rollers 31 and 32. As a result, a sheet bundle PB in which a plurality of sheets are stacked is formed. In other words, the second sheet bundle forming unit 36 superimposes a plurality of sheets conveyed by the conveying unit 51 to form a sheet bundle PB. At that time, the front end of the sheet abuts against the second movable reference fence 37, the position in the sheet conveyance direction is aligned, and the position in the width direction is aligned by the second jogger fence (not shown). Since the second movable reference fence 37 is a plate-like member that aligns (aligns) the position in the sheet conveyance direction as described above, it is hereinafter referred to as an alignment plate. Then, the vicinity of the center in the sheet conveyance direction is bound by the sheet bundle PB and the saddle stitching portion 35, and the saddle stitching is performed. The saddle stitched sheet bundle PB is returned to the center folding position by the alignment plate 37. The alignment plate 37 is driven by a drive motor along the transport direction of the third transport path Pt3 by a transport direction drive mechanism described later. The alignment position of the alignment plate 37 is controlled by a CPU of the control unit 61 described later.

  The sheet bundle returned by the alignment plate 37 and positioned at the center folding position is folded at the center part in the sheet transport direction by the center folding part 34 and folded in the middle. In the center folding section 34, the center folding plate 38 facing the center portion in the sheet transport direction of the sheet bundle PB located at the center folding position moves from right to left in FIG. 1 to move the center section in the sheet transport direction of the sheet bundle PB. The sheet is pushed between the nips of the pair of pressing rollers 39 and 40 while being bent. The half-fold plate 38 is driven by a motor. The sheet bundle PB pushed into the nip between the pair of pressing rollers 39, 40 is pressed from above and below by the pressing rollers 39, 40. This pressing force is applied by an elastic member such as a spring (not shown). The pair of pressing rollers 39 and 40 are driven in the transport direction by a motor. The sheet bundle PB folded in this manner is discharged onto the second discharge tray 42 by the pressing rollers 39 and 40 and the discharge roller 41. The discharge roller 41 is also driven by a motor.

  The transport unit 51 includes an entrance roller 11, transport rollers 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 31, 32, paper discharge rollers 14, 41, and motors that drive the rollers. Further, the first to third branch claws 17, 26, 27 constitute a path switching unit 52 together with a motor or a solenoid for driving them.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the image forming system 1 including the image forming apparatus 2 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 3. The sheet post-processing apparatus 3 includes a control circuit 300 on which a CPU 301, an I / O interface 302, and the like are mounted. The CPU 301 includes a CPU of the image forming apparatus 2, a switch of the operation panel 200, and a sensor (not shown). A signal is input via the communication interface 201, and the CPU 301 executes predetermined control based on the input signal. Further, the CPU 301 drives and controls the solenoid and the motor via the driver and the motor driver, and acquires sensor information in the apparatus from the interface. In addition, motor drive control is performed by the motor driver via the I / O interface 302 in accordance with the control target and sensor, and sensor information is acquired from the sensor.

  The CPU 301 is a microcomputer having a storage unit, a communication interface, and the like. The storage unit includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The ROM stores a program executed by the CPU 301, and the RAM functions as a data buffer and a work area. The control circuit 300 is connected to the inlet sensor 15, the processing unit 49, the first sheet bundle forming unit 28, the saddle stitching and folding unit 33, the transport unit 51, the path switching unit 52, and the like.

  Further, the control of the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 in FIG. 1 is executed based on an instruction or information from the CPU of the image forming apparatus 2. The user's operation instruction is issued from the operation panel 200 of the image forming apparatus 2. From the operation panel 200, whether or not to execute the binding process according to the present embodiment and the paper type, for example, plain paper, thin paper, or thick paper are input. Plain paper, thin paper, or thick paper is classified according to the weight of the paper such as continuous weight and basis weight.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a binding method for crimping binding according to the present embodiment. The crimp binding is performed by the crimp tooth 100. The crimping tooth 100 includes an upper crimping tooth 101 and a lower crimping tooth 102, and as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 having a pair of concave and convex surfaces 101s and 102s are arranged to face each other. It is a thing. One of the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 is set to the fixed side, the other is set to the movable side, or both are set to the movable side, and the movable side crimping teeth are moved toward each other to move the sheet bundle PB between the two. A force is applied between them (FIGS. 3B to 3C). As the pressing force is increased, the uneven shapes of the uneven surfaces 101s and 102s are transferred to the sheet bundle PB, and the binding is completed (FIG. 3D).

  In this crimping binding, the sheet bundle PB is squeezed by the pressure between the pair of concave and convex surfaces 101 s and 102 s formed in a shape that fits to each other. PB can be bound. In addition, in the uneven | corrugated shape of the uneven | corrugated surfaces 101s and 102s of the crimping | compression-bonding tooth | gear 100, it is the inclined surface parts 101b and 102b of the arbitrary angles which both can closely_contact | adhere. Further, the shapes of the concavo-convex apex portions 101a and 102a and the valley portions 101c and 102c are different. When the crimping teeth 100 are engaged with each other, for example, the inclined surface portions 101b and 102b are in close contact with each other, and the apex portion 101a of the upper crimping tooth 101 is placed. And the valley 102c of the lower crimp tooth 102 are not in contact with each other.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation mechanism of the crimping tooth in the binding tool.

  The binding tool ST includes a crimping tooth 100, and the crimping tooth 100 can bind the sheet bundle PB by the operation mechanism shown in FIG. The operation mechanism of the crimp tooth 100 includes an upper tooth arm 104, a lower tooth arm 105, a base 106, a support shaft 107, a drive mechanism 108, and a return spring 109. The upper tooth arm 104 includes an upper pressure-bonding tooth 101 at the distal end portion 104 a, and the base end portion 104 b is fixed to the base end portion 106 b of the pedestal 106. The lower tooth arm 105 is pivotally connected to the upper tooth arm 104 via a support shaft 107 at a substantially central portion of the upper tooth arm 104. A lower crimping tooth 102 is attached to a position facing the upper crimping tooth 101 of the distal end portion 105 a of the lower tooth arm 105. In addition, a return spring 109 is attached between the tip portion 105 a of the lower tooth arm 105 and the tip portion 106 a of the pedestal 106, and the tip portion 105 a of the lower tooth arm 105 is always separated from the tip portion 104 a of the upper tooth arm 104. The elastic force is given to the direction. Here, the return spring 109 is constituted by a tension spring.

  The drive mechanism 108 includes a drive motor 108a, a drive gear 108b, a driven gear 108c, and a lower tooth pushing cam 108d. A drive gear 108b is coaxially attached to the drive shaft 108e of the drive motor 108a. The drive gear 108b meshes with the driven gear 108c, and transmits the rotational driving force of the drive gear 108b to the driven gear 108c. The lower tooth pushing cam 108d is fixed to the shaft 108f of the driven gear 108b in an eccentric state. The lower tooth push cam 108d is a cam that drives the base end portion 105b of the lower tooth arm 105, and rotates in an eccentric state around the shaft 108f, and functions as an eccentric cam.

  Thus, when the distance between the shaft 108f and the contact point 108g of the lower tooth arm 105 is the maximum, the distal end portion 105a of the lower tooth arm 105 is positioned closest to the distal end portion 104a of the upper tooth arm 104. In addition, the pressure applied by the lower pressure-bonding teeth 102 to the upper pressure-bonding teeth 101 is maximized. Further, when the distance is the minimum, the distal end portion 105a of the lower tooth arm 105 is located at the position farthest from the distal end portion 104a of the upper tooth arm 104, and the distance between the upper pressure bonding tooth 101 and the lower pressure bonding tooth 102. Becomes the maximum, and the sheet bundle PB is easily inserted between the two.

  That is, in the drive mechanism 108, the lower tooth arm 105 can swing around the support shaft 107 as the arm rotation center. In the swinging operation, the drive gear 108b is rotated using the drive motor 108a as a drive source, and the driven gear 108c is rotated following the rotation. The rotation of the driven gear 108c causes the lower tooth pushing cam 108d that rotates integrally with the shaft 108f of the driven gear 108c to perform a non-linear rotational movement, and pushes down the base end portion 105b side of the lower tooth arm 105 (in the direction of arrow R1). As a result, the lower crimping tooth 102 moves upward (in the direction of arrow R2), contacts the upper crimping tooth 101, and can be further pressurized. The return spring 109 is for returning the lower pressure-bonding teeth 102 to the initial position separated from the upper pressure-bonding teeth 101.

  As the stapleless staple means, there are adhesive binding means, semi-punched binding means, toner-type binding means, tape binding means, paper binding means, etc. in addition to the above-described pressure binding means by means of the pressure teeth. is there.

  5 to 15 are operation explanatory views showing an outline of the binding operation in the present embodiment. 5 to 15, (a) is a front view of the paper and the paper stacking tray as viewed from the end binding portion 25 side in FIG. 1, and (b) is a side view of (a).

  In FIG. 5A, the end binding portion 25 has one place (hereinafter referred to as the first end binding section 20a) at the center portion in the width direction W of the paper P1, and two places (hereinafter referred to as the second end binding portions). Three ends of the edge-binding portion 25b are provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the sheet stacking tray 23 can be advanced and retracted from the lower end 23a of the sheet stacking tray 23 to the binding portion by a preset distance. Can move up and down in a direction perpendicular to the accumulation surface 23b. That is, in FIG. 5B, assuming that the sheet length direction L is the X direction and the direction perpendicular to the stacking surface 23b is the Z direction, the sheet can move within a preset range in the XZ direction. .

  Although the moving mechanism is not particularly described here, the arms 110 and 111 for holding the binding tool ST shown in FIG. 4 are fixed on the XZ plane by a moving mechanism using, for example, a motor, a gear, a cam, or a link. Move in the range (arrow D2 direction and D3 direction). Since this movement mechanism can be easily configured by those skilled in the art, it is not specifically described here.

  6 to FIG. 15, the paper stacking tray 23 is omitted, and only the paper is illustrated. However, the paper is transported onto the paper stacking tray 23, and the binding process is performed in the loaded state. In FIG. 5B, the second end binding portion 25b advances from the front end 23b of the paper stacking tray 23 to the binding portion on the back side by a predetermined amount, and the first end binding portion 25a recedes by a predetermined amount from the front end 23b. It is in the state located in the retreated position.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which two sheets are conveyed one by one to the sheet stacking tray 23 from the state before the sheet conveyance in FIG. As described above, the paper stacking tray 23 is omitted.

  After the first sheet P1 and the second sheet P2 are respectively conveyed in the direction of arrow D1 and stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23, the first end binding portion 25a that has been retracted from the sheet stacking tray 23 is Move in the direction of arrow D4 and enter. At that time, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth 101 and 102 face the leading ends of the papers P1 and P2 so as not to enter (the part that exhibits the binding function). Note that the leading end sides (sides facing the paper transport direction) of the first and second end binding portions 25a and 25b function as the paper introduction portions 101f and 102f. The paper introduction portions 101f and 102f are formed on an inclined surface such that the most distal portion is the thinnest and the base end portion is flush with the protruding portions of the upper and lower crimping teeth 101 and 102.

  That is, the front end portion of the first edge-binding portion 25a that has entered the paper is configured to have a thin planar structure, and forms the paper introduction portions 101f and 102f formed of the inclined surfaces. On the other hand, since the paper stacking tray 23 has an inclination as shown in FIG. 1, the front end of the conveyed paper slides on the inclined surfaces of the paper introduction portions 101f and 102f, and does not catch the first or second end. It enters between the upper and lower crimping teeth 101, 102 of the binding portions 25a, 25b. This prevents a paper jam from occurring at the leading ends of the first and second end binding portions 25a and 25b.

  Further, the leading end portions of the first and second end binding portions 25a and 25b that enter and set on the sheet are made flat and thin, and the sheet is conveyed and stacked thereon as shown in FIG. The gap between the entire sheet stack on the sheet stacking tray 23 is eliminated as much as possible. Therefore, when the misalignment in the width direction W of the paper is aligned by the jogger fence 24, excellent alignment quality can be exhibited. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, even when the tip end portion of the first end binding portion 25a is inserted and set on a sheet, or vice versa, an excessive gap is eliminated. As a result, the excellent alignment quality can be exhibited as described above, and the binding quality is not deteriorated. In FIG. 7, after the first and second sheets P1 and P2 are stacked on the second end binding portion 25b, the first end binding portion 25a is moved to the second sheet P2. The state when it is advanced to the tip end side of is shown.

  From FIG. 6 to FIG. 15, reference numerals of the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth 101 and 102 and the inclined surfaces 101f and 102f are omitted in order to avoid complexity of the drawings.

  From the state shown in FIG. 7, the third and fourth sheets P3 and P4 are further transported and stacked on the first and second sheets P1 and P2 as shown in FIG. As described above, when the total number of sheets positioned at the binding position to be bound by the second end binding unit 25b is four, the jogger fence 24 is operated to align the width direction of the sheets. Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the second end binding portion 25b performs pressure binding to both ends in the width direction of the sheet bundle PB. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state when four sheets are stacked. Reference numeral PS1 denotes a first binding portion that is bound first at both ends in the width direction of the sheet bundle PB.

  When the binding operation is completed, as shown by an arrow D5 in FIG. 9, the second end binding portion 25b is retracted from the paper stacking tray 23, ascends, and enters the upper portion of the fourth sheet P4. The approach position is up to just before the lower pressure-bonding tooth 102 as shown in FIG. Since the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 are paired, the upper crimping tooth 101 has entered the same position as the lower crimping tooth 102.

  Further, in FIG. 9, the first end binding portion 25a, which has entered only before the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth 101, 102, can bind the paper with the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth 101, 102 in the direction of arrow D6 ( Enter to the binding position. At this time, the inclined surfaces 101f and 102f on the distal end side of the first end binding portion 25a are inclined to the maximum height of the upper and lower crimping teeth 101 and 102 while gradually increasing in thickness from the distal end, and the upper and lower crimping teeth 101 and 102f. Continuing on the concavo-convex apex portions 101c and 102c, which is the maximum protrusion 102. Accordingly, the first end binding portion 25a can smoothly enter between the second sheet P2 and the third sheet P3.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operation of exchanging the positions of the first and second end binding portions 25a and 25b. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the first end binding portion 25a enters the binding position and the second end binding portion 25b is positioned at the standby position for receiving paper after the positions are changed.

  In FIG. 10, two sheets P3 and P4 of the third and fourth sheets are stacked on the first end binding portion 25a, but the fifth and sixth sheets are thereafter stacked as shown in FIG. The eye sheets P5 and P6 are conveyed. When four sheets of paper P3, P4, P5, and P6 are stacked on the first edge binding portion 25a, the jogger fence 24 is driven to align the width direction of the sheets. When this alignment operation is completed, the first end binding portion 25a binds the vicinity of the center of the sheet bundle PB as shown in FIG. After that, as shown by an arrow D5, the sheet is retracted from the sheet stacking tray 23 and ascends, and enters the sixth sheet P6 bound by itself as shown in FIG. Reference symbol PS2 indicates a second binding portion in which the central portion in the width direction of the sheet bundle PB is first bound.

  These series of operations are the same as the operations performed in FIGS. 9 and 10 for the second end binding portion 25b. However, the position where it rises and enters is two sheets up. In this way, the operation of binding at both ends and the center of the sheet bundle PB is repeated four by four while overlapping two by two.

  At the end of this process, as shown in FIG. 14, when the number of sheets to be stacked is one, that is, when the seventh sheet P7 is conveyed and there is no sheet after that, the second sheet The end binding unit 25b performs crimp binding with the third, sixth, and seventh sheets, creates one sheet bundle PB, and finishes the process. Note that the symbol PS3 indicates a third binding portion that is bound the second time at both ends in the width direction of the sheet bundle PB. The third binding portion PS3 is the same location as the first binding portion PS1 in plan view.

  When the number of copies of one copy is larger, the binding process is repeated by the first and second end binding portions 25a and 25b while shifting by two for every four sheets. As a result, the number of sheets that can be stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23 can be bound as one copy.

  In the present embodiment, one binding is performed near the center in the width direction W of the paper, and two bindings are performed at both ends in the width direction of the paper. However, two bindings are performed near the center and at both ends. You can also The pattern to be bound is appropriately set according to the paper size and the length in the width direction W of the first and second end binding portions 25a and 25b.

  Further, in the above-described binding operation, after the sheets are bound, the first and second end binding portions 25a and 25b are retracted from the sheet stacking tray 23, and are lifted and entered. As shown, it is on the sheet up to just before the lower pressure-bonding teeth 102. However, as shown in FIG. 15, the second end binding portion 25b may be advanced to the same position (binding position) as the first end binding portion 25a.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a sheet bundle PB in which eight sheets P1 to P8 bound by the operation shown in FIGS. 6 to 14 are bundled. In this way, when four sheets of paper are shifted by two sheets and bound at both ends, the center, and both ends, a single bundle of sheets PB can be created reliably.

  On the other hand, even if four sheets are shifted by two sheets and bound to one end PS1 ′, the center PS2, and the other end PS3 ′ as shown in FIG. 17, the binding needle is not used. In the binding process, the number of bindings can be increased.

  However, when the uppermost sheets P7 and P8 of the sheet bundle PB are lifted, the sheet bundle is spread as shown in FIG. That is, it is not possible to create a single sheet bundle PB, and although it is a single sheet bundle PB, it becomes difficult to use. Therefore, considering the usability after binding, a binding method including the first binding positions PS1 set at both ends of the sheet bundle PB is desirable as shown in FIG. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16, it is most preferable that the portion corresponding to the lowest position (the first binding portion) and the uppermost portion (the last binding portion) of the sheet bundle PB are bound at both ends of the sheet bundle PB. The binding method shown in FIG. 17 has no particular problem when the sheet bundle PB is simply bound and stored.

  FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an example of a sheet bundle that is bound differently from the present embodiment, and FIG. 18 is an explanatory view showing a state when the sheet bundle is lifted.

  19 and 20 are flowcharts illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the binding process in the present embodiment, which is executed by the CPU 301 of the sheet post-processing device 3.

  The multi-point binding of the sheet bundle is started when a multi-point binding instruction is issued from the image forming apparatus 2 main body side. Therefore, when a multi-point binding instruction is input from the main body side of the image forming apparatus 2 to the CPU 301 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 (step S101), the second end binding unit 25b is set to a sheet width corresponding to the sheet size. It is moved to the binding position STP1 at both ends in the direction (step S102: FIG. 5B).

  Next, the first edge-binding portion 25a is moved to the standby position STP2 in front of the paper stacking tray 23 (step S103: FIG. 6B), and the half of the number of sheets (2n: n is an integer of 2 or more) (n ) Until the sheet is discharged between the second end binding portions 25b. In the present embodiment, since the number of sheets to be bound is 4, it waits for the discharge of the first and second two sheets P1, P2 (step S104).

  When the two sheets P1 and P2 are discharged (step S104-Y), the top end (inclined surface 101f) of the first end binding portion 25a is discharged onto the discharged sheet (second sheet P2). Is moved (advanced) to the paper receiving position STP3 (step S105: FIG. 7B). Then, it waits for the number of sheets to be bound (2n) to be discharged between the second end binding portions 25b (step S106). Since the number of sheets to be bound is four in this embodiment, the second and third sheets P3 and P4 are awaited to be discharged. When the third and fourth sheets P3 and P4 are discharged (step S106-Y: FIG. 8), the second end binding unit 25b performs a binding process (step S107). As a result, the sheet bundle PB composed of the four sheets P1 to P4 is bound by the first binding portion PS1 at both ends of the sheet (FIG. 9).

  Next, it is determined whether there is a sheet to be bound next (step S108). This determination is made based on the binding information from the image forming apparatus 2. If there is a sheet to be bound (step S108-Y), the first end binding portion 25a is moved (advanced) to the binding position STP1 (step S109). Further, the second end binding portion 25b is moved (retracted) to be raised to a position corresponding to the paper receiving position on the next binding number (2n) of sheets (4 sheets in the present embodiment) (step S110: 9), and the second end binding portion 25b is moved (advanced) to the sheet receiving position STP3 (step S111: FIG. 10). In this state, the process waits for the number of sheets to be bound (2n) to be discharged between the first end binding portions 25a (step S112).

  Since the number of sheets to be bound is 4, when the four sheets P3 to P6 are discharged (step S112-Y: FIG. 11), the first end binding unit 25a causes the sheet bundle PB to be bound (step S113). : FIG. 12).

  Next, it is determined whether there is a sheet to be bound (step S114). If there is a sheet to be bound (step S114-Y), the second end binding portion 25b is moved (advanced) to the binding position STP1 (step S115). The first edge-binding portion 25a is moved (retracted) and raised to a position corresponding to the sheet receiving position on the next sheet number (2n) (four sheets in this embodiment) (step S116: FIG. 13). ). Then, the process returns to step S105, the first edge binding portion 25a is moved to the paper receiving position STP3, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  If there is no sheet to be bound in step S114, the second end binding portion 25b is moved to the binding position (step S117), and the second end binding portion 25b is caused to execute a binding process (step S118). Note that the fact that there is no sheet to be bound in step S114 is the last of at least the copy, so the process proceeds to step S119 to determine whether or not it is the last sheet of the job.

  If it is not the last sheet of the job, the process returns to step S101 to repeat the subsequent processes in order to process the next copy. If it is the last sheet of the job, since there is no sheet to be processed, the present process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if there is no binding instruction from the main body of the image forming apparatus 2 in step S101 and the sheet is sent, the final sheet is discharged from the first transport path Pt1 to the first discharge tray 10 without binding processing (step S101). Steps S120 and S121).

  Note that if there is no sheet to be bound in step S108 after binding at the second edge binding unit 25b in step S107, it is at least the final sheet, so the process proceeds to step S119 to determine whether the job is the final sheet. Judging. If there is no sheet to be bound in step S108, the binding process for the section ends with both sides of the sheet bundle PB being bound. Further, when there is no sheet to be bound in step S114, after binding at the first end binding part 25a in step S113, both sides of the sheet bundle PB are bound by the second end binding part 25b in step S118. Yes. As a result, the sheet bundle PB is always bound in a state where both ends of the sheet bundle PB are bound, that is, in the state shown in FIG.

  In this embodiment, the crimping binding device is used as the needleless binding device. However, instead of the crimping binding device, one of a known half-punch binding device, an adhesive binding device, and a toner binding device is used. You can also.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. In the following description of the effects, each component in the claims corresponding to each part of the present embodiment is indicated by parentheses or reference numerals, and the correspondence between them is clarified.

(1) A sheet stacking tray 23 (stacking unit) for stacking sheets, and first and second end binding units 25a that perform a stapleless binding process on the sheet bundle PB stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23 (stacking unit). , 25b (a plurality of binding means), and a sheet post-processing apparatus 3 (paper processing apparatus), wherein the first and second end binding portions 25a, 25b (a plurality of binding means) A first end binding portion 25a that binds the second binding portion PS2 (first preset portion) of the back side PBB of the PB, and a first binding portion PS1 (other than the first portion) of the sheet bundle PB A second end binding portion 25b that binds the second portion), and a predetermined number (2n) of sheets set in advance by the first end binding portion 25a and the second end binding portion 25b. Since binding is performed alternately while overlapping, in the binding process that does not use the binding needle, It is possible to increase the number of sheets.

(2) A sheet stacking tray 23 (stacking unit) for stacking sheets, and first and second end binding units 25a that perform a needleless binding process on the sheet bundle PB stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23 (stacking unit). , 25b (a plurality of binding means), and a sheet post-processing apparatus 3 (paper processing apparatus), wherein the first and second end binding portions 25a, 25b (a plurality of binding means) A first end binding portion 25a that binds the second binding portion PS2 (a preset first portion) of the back side PBB of the PB, and a first binding portion PS1 of the sheet bundle PB other than the first portion. A second end binding portion 25b that binds the (second portion), and the upper two sheets (n sheets) of the sheet bundle PB bound by the first end binding portion 25a are set to a preset number of sheets. The lower two sheets (n sheets) of the new sheet bundle PB at the second end binding portion 25b and the preset number of sheets Since performing a stapling even alternately processed in binding processing without using staples, it is possible to increase the number of stapled sheets.

(3) The second binding portion PS2 (first portion) is the central portion of the back side PBB of the sheet bundle PB, and the first binding portion PS1 (second portion) is the position of the sheet bundle PB. Since it is the both ends of the back side PBB, the binding of the sheet bundle PB is repeatedly carried out such as both ends, the center, both ends, and the center. Thereby, when the top sheet of the sheet is lifted, the spread of the sheet bundle PB can be prevented as much as possible.

(4) Since the lowermost part and the uppermost part of the sheet bundle PB are bound at both ends of the back PBB by the second end binding part 25b, for example, the sheet bundle when the uppermost sheet is lifted The spread of PB can be prevented and the easiness of lifting can be improved.

(5) The initial value of the number of sheets to be bound by the first and second end binding portions is 2n (n is an integer of 2 or more), and the first and second end binding portions are overlapped by n. However, the sheet bundle PB can be bound in a state where the upper and lower n sheets overlap each other.

(6) Since the final sheets to be alternately bound are n sheets or less, even if the final sheets are bound two by one, even one final sheet can be bound.

(7) Since the first and second end binding portions (binding means) are a crimping and binding apparatus including a pair of concave and convex crimping teeth 100, the sheet bundle is caused by the pressure between the concave and convex surfaces 101s and 102s. The PB is squeezed, and the fibers between the sheets are entangled by the squeezing and further fixed, so that the sheet bundle PB can be bound securely.

(8) Since the distal end portion of the crimping tooth 100 is provided with the sheet introduction portions 101f and 102f that are inclined so that the distal end portion is the thinnest and the base end portion is flush with the protruding portion of the crimping tooth. The conveyed paper tip slides on the inclined surfaces of the paper introduction portions 101f and 102f and enters between the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth 101 and 102 of the first or second end binding portions 25a and 25b without being caught. it can.

  In addition, when only the paper introduction sections 101f and 102f are installed on the paper, the gap between the paper and the paper stacked and transported on the paper is eliminated as much as possible in the paper width direction by the paper alignment member before the binding process. Both the alignment quality and the binding quality in the binding process at the other binding unit can be satisfied.

(9) Since the binding means is one of a half-punch binding device, an adhesive binding device, and a toner binding device, it is applicable not only to a crimping binding device but also to generally known needleless binding devices. be able to.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and all the technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are all included. The subject of the present invention. The above embodiment shows a preferable example, but those skilled in the art can realize various alternatives, modifications, variations, and improvements from the contents disclosed in this specification, These are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 2 Image forming apparatus 3 Paper post-processing apparatus (paper processing apparatus)
23 Paper stacking tray 25a First end binding portion 25b Second end binding portion 100 Crimping teeth 101s, 102s Uneven surface 101f, 102f Paper introduction portion PB Paper bundle PBB Back side of paper bundle PS1 First binding portion (both ends) )
PS2 2nd binding part (central part)

JP-A-7-165365

Claims (12)

Loading means for loading paper,
A plurality of binding means for performing a stapleless binding process on the sheet bundle loaded on the stacking means;
A paper processing apparatus comprising:
The plurality of binding means binds a first end binding portion that binds a preset first portion on the back side of the sheet bundle, and a second end binding that binds a second portion other than the first portion. And
With
A sheet processing apparatus that binds alternately while overlapping a predetermined number of sheets in the first edge-binding portion and the second edge-binding portion. Loading means for loading paper,
A plurality of binding means for performing a stapleless binding process on the sheet bundle loaded on the stacking means;
A paper processing apparatus comprising:
The plurality of binding means binds a first end binding portion that binds a preset first portion on the back side of the sheet bundle, and a second end binding that binds a second portion other than the first portion. And
With
A process of alternately binding a preset number of sheets bundled by the first end binding unit together with a preset number of new sheet bundles by the second end binding unit, Paper processing device. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the first portion is a central portion on the back side of the sheet bundle, and the second portion is both ends on the back side of the sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The lowermost and uppermost portions of the sheet bundle are bound at both ends on the back side by the second end binding portion. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The initial value of the number of sheets to be bound by the binding means is 2n sheets (n is an integer of 2 or more), and the first and second end binding portions are alternately bound while overlapping each other by n sheets. Processing equipment. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of the final sheets to be alternately bound is n or less. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the binding means is a crimping and binding apparatus including a pair of crimping teeth having an uneven shape. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7,
A paper processing apparatus comprising a paper introduction portion inclined at a distal end side of the crimping tooth so that a most distal end portion is thinnest and a base end portion is flush with a protruding portion of the crimping tooth . The paper processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The paper processing apparatus, wherein the binding means is one of a half-punch binding apparatus, an adhesive binding apparatus, and a toner binding apparatus.   An image forming system comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. A sheet bundle binding method in which sheets are stacked on a stacking unit, and a stapleless binding process is performed on the stacked sheet bundle by first and second binding units,
A first binding step of binding a back central portion of the sheet bundle by the first binding means;
A second binding step of binding both ends of the back side of the sheet bundle by the second binding means;
With
A sheet bundle binding method, wherein the first and second binding steps are alternately executed while overlapping a predetermined number of sheets. The sheet bundle binding method according to claim 11,
The sheet binding method, wherein the second binding step is included in the first and last steps of the binding process.