JP6227349B2 - Sheet post-processing apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus that binds and folds a sheet conveyed from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer at a predetermined crease position, and can post-process the continuously conveyed sheets. Relates to the device.

  In general, a sheet post-processing apparatus that aligns sheets conveyed from an image forming apparatus and folds the sheets into a booklet form is widely known. These sheet post-processing apparatuses are provided with a plurality of sheet stacking means for post-processing the sheets. For example, the first sheet stacking means stacks the sheets in a bundle and staples them, and the second sheet stacking means bundles the sheets. The apparatus configuration is such that the sheets stacked on the sheet are saddle-stitched and folded into a booklet shape. Further, in recent years, a binding apparatus that binds a sheet bundle without using a metal binding needle (metal staple) and a sheet post-processing apparatus using the binding apparatus are being provided in these binding processes.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for bookbinding without using metal binding staples and improving the recyclability and safety of the bound recording material bundle. In this apparatus, a folding plate and a pair of folding rollers fold a sheet bundle stacked on a stacking stacker in which a plurality of sheets are sequentially stacked. Then, the binding mechanism unit performs a process of binding the sheet bundle without using metal staples in the sheet bundle at a position separated from a folding position by the folding plate of the sheet bundle and the pair of folding rollers. An apparatus is disclosed.

As the binding mechanism of the binding mechanism unit, the sheet bundle is deformed in the thickness direction after the folding process of the sheet bundle folding plate and the pair of folding rollers, and the sheet bundle is bound. In the deformation in the sheet thickness direction, the crimping teeth formed in the concave and convex shapes engage with each other from above and below to cause local deformation in the sheets, and the sheets are intertwined and bound.

In addition, as another configuration example of the binding mechanism using the pressure-bonding teeth, a cutter mechanism that cuts and deforms the sheet bundle to bind the sheets is shown. This apparatus includes a U-shaped blade that cuts a U-shaped cut into a sheet bundle, a slit blade that forms a slit-shaped cut in accordance with the width of the U-shaped blade, and a U-shaped formed by the U-shaped blade. Is also shown that is bound by a pushing means for pushing into the slit blade formed by the slit blade.

  In any of these binding devices, a portion to which the binding device performs binding is set so as to be separated by a predetermined interval from the folding position of the sheet bundle to the binding position (FIG. 7, Patent Document 1). (See FIG. 11). In other words, the folding position and the binding position are set differently.

  Similarly, Patent Document 2 provides a notch forming portion bent in a convex shape on one side of a sheet bundle and a binding portion for binding the sheet bundle inside a range surrounded by the notch forming portion of the sheet bundle, and both ends of the notch portion. In this section, a folding position in which a sheet bundle is folded in two at a part is disclosed.

This is a press apparatus, which has a punch portion and a die portion, and punches a sheet bundle by the punch portion. The punch part has an engaging piece forming blade, a hole forming blade, and a notch forming blade (FIG. 5 of Patent Document 2). The engaging piece forming blade cuts the sheet bundle and provides the engaging piece on the sheet. The hole forming blade provides the sheet 5 with a locking piece which is a hole through which the engaging piece is inserted. The cut forming blade cuts the sheet. The cut forming blade is bent (curved) into a convex shape on one side. Both end portions of the engagement piece forming blade and both end portions of the cut forming blade are located on a straight line. The sheet bundle is conveyed so that the folding position of the sheet bundle coincides with this straight line. On the other hand, the die portion is provided with a first insertion hole into which the engaging piece forming blade is inserted, an insertion hole into which the hole forming blade is inserted, and an insertion hole into which the cut forming blade is inserted.

Similarly to Patent Document 1, both ends of the engagement piece forming blade and the both ends of the notch forming blade are also located on a straight line and set this position as the folding position. It is shifted.

  Incidentally, Patent Document 3 discloses a stapler device that uses paper staples without using metallic staples in consideration of the environment and safety. In this case, the operator manually inserts a bundle of sheets into the binding processing port and binds them, but cuts the paper staples at the beginning of the connected staples in which a plurality of substantially straight paper staples are connected in parallel, and substantially copies the staples. Mold into a letter shape. Then, by binding both the leg portions of the paper staple to the binding sheet, folding the both leg portions along the binding sheet and bonding them together, the binding sheet is bound using the easily deformable paper staple. The tabletop stapler that is possible is shown.

  Each of the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 is an apparatus that binds the middle of a sheet bundle, but employs an apparatus configuration that provides a booklet by shifting the folding position and the binding position. Further, Patent Document 3 is an apparatus that binds with paper staples without using metal for staples when binding a sheet bundle.

JP 2011-201698 A JP 2013-126904 A Japanese Patent No. 49512929

  As described above, in a device that performs post-processing such as stapling and booklet folding by aligning sheets carried out from an image forming apparatus or the like, when performing binding processing and sheet folding processing without using metal staples, The device configuration has the following problems.

  As in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, the portion to which the binding device performs binding is set to be separated by a predetermined interval between the folding position of the sheet bundle and the binding position (FIG. 7 of Patent Document 1). FIG. 11, see FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 11, FIG. 15 of Patent Document 2). In other words, the booklet is generated by setting the folding position and the binding position to be shifted. However, compared with the staple stapled at the same position as the folding position, the binding position is offset from the folding position, so the page without the binding position and the page with the binding position are not. The opening range will be different. Accordingly, since there are pages on the side with the binding position and pages on the side without the binding position, the image will be lost on the page with the binding position unless measures are taken to reduce the print area. Normally, when the folding position is set at a half of the sheet length, the binding position is biased. For example, up to a half page on the cover side, the sheet is turned beyond the folding position. However, the remaining half of the page can only be turned up to the binding position away from the folding position, and it can be considered that an unbalance occurs in the turning range in the same booklet and there is a sense of incongruity.

Further, the binding devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are formed by deforming the sheet itself, and for example, the deformation in the sheet thickness direction is caused by the pressing teeth formed in the concavo-convex shape engaging the sheet from above and below. Although what is shown by causing local deformation and intertwining the sheets together is shown, in order to engage the sheets, it is necessary to engage with a considerable pressure. Further, if the pressure is weak, the binding is insufficient, and there is a problem that the binding is not stable only with the pressure. When the binding by this crimping method is made coincident with the folding position, there is a problem that the deformation force due to the bending of the sheet works and the binding performance is insufficient.

Also, as another binding mechanism, a notch that is bent in a convex shape is formed on one side of the sheet bundle, and a binding portion that binds the sheet bundle is provided inside a range surrounded by the cut of the sheet bundle, and the notch is inserted into this binding portion. What is bound is shown. Since this makes a relatively large cut in the sheet itself, the sheet itself is damaged and the appearance is not so preferred.

  In view of this, binding by sheet crimping and binding by paper staples as shown in Patent Document 3 for binding a sheet bundle without making a large cut in the sheet are conceivable. However, this is one in which the operator manually inserts the edge of the sheet bundle into the binding opening and binds, and there is no consideration for folding and binding at half the position of the sheet bundle shown so far. It was not. Of course, it has not been shown that the binding position and the folding position of the sheet bundle are set to substantially the same position.

  In such a situation, the present inventor has considered that binding is performed at a half position of the sheet bundle with the above-described paper staple, and thus the binding force is relatively strong and the sheet after binding is opened. It is possible to open the left and right pages evenly, and of course, paper staples are used, so it is not necessary to separate layers from metal, and an environmentally-friendly sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the same are provided. That is the issue.

The present invention adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.
A stacker unit that temporarily accumulates sheets as a bundle, a stopper unit that restricts the leading end of a sheet that is carried into the stacker unit, and a sheet bundle that includes a plurality of sheets that are position- regulated by the stopper unit. Binding means for binding;
A sheet post-processing apparatus that includes a folding means performing folding processing on the predetermined folding position of a sheet bundle which is bound by this binding means, said binding means intended to bind the sheet bundle by the paper staple, the paper The staple is made up of a first leg and a second leg that are bent through the sheet bundle and a connecting part that connects them, and the first leg is on the one side with respect to the folding position. In the sheet post-processing apparatus, the position of the sheet bundle by the stopper unit is set so that the two leg portions are positioned on the other side to bind the sheet bundle.

The folding means includes a folding plate that moves in the folding direction with respect to the folding position of the sheet bundle and a folding roller that sandwiches the sheet folded by the folding plate, and the paper staples are bent inward from each other. One or both of the first leg portion and the second leg portion is provided with an adhesive portion, and the leg portions are bonded together at this adhesive portion to bind the sheet bundle.

A folding plate that folds the sheet bundle into the folding roller is brought into contact with a leg portion that is folded inward after the sheet bundle penetrates the paper staple.

A folding plate that folds the sheet bundle into the folding roller is folded inward after passing through the sheet bundle of the paper staple, and comes into contact with the adhesive portion on the leg side.

The binding means for driving the paper staple into the sheet bundle is disposed upstream of the folding means in the sheet carry-in direction.

Together when the connecting portion of the paper-made staples sets the movement amount of the stopper means so as to be positioned across the folding position of the substantially central portion of the carrying direction of the sheet bundle, the binding means intersecting said carrying direction 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet post-processing apparatus is also movable in the sheet width direction .

A stacker unit that temporarily accumulates sheets as a bundle, a stopper unit that regulates a leading end in the loading direction that is carried into the stacker unit, a binding unit that binds a sheet bundle whose position is regulated by the stopper unit, and a binding unit A sheet post-processing device comprising a folding means for performing a folding process on the sheet bundle at a predetermined folding position of the sheet bundle, wherein the binding means binds the sheet by paper staples and penetrates the sheet bundle to the inside And a connecting portion for connecting the legs, and an adhesive portion for adhering the mutually bent legs. The folding means is a sheet at a folding position at a substantially central portion of the sheet conveyance of the sheet bundle. A folding plate that moves in the folding direction with respect to the bundle and a folding roller that sandwiches the sheet folded by the folding plate, and the stopper means is made of the paper Sheet through the position of the legs of the tables to set the seat position to bind the sheet across the folding position.

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image forming unit that sequentially forms an image on a sheet, and a sheet post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing such as binding processing, stamp processing, and punching processing on the sheet from the image forming apparatus. The sheet post-processing apparatus includes any one of the above-described configurations.

The present invention includes folding means for performing a folding process on a sheet bundle at the folding position of the sheet bundle bound by the binding means. The binding means binds the sheet by paper staples, and the binding position of the paper staples is set the position of the seat with a stopper means to bind the sheet across the folding position. Thus, binding of the binding sheets in becomes possible to perform binding processing in the paper staple that binding across folding position of the folding process and sheet the sheet bundle is firmly. Further, since a large cutting process or the like is not performed on the sheet bundle, the sheet opening is small, and the damage to the sheet is small. Because metal staples are not used, the environment is protected and safety is improved.

Furthermore, paper staples consist of a leg that penetrates the sheet bundle and bends inward, a connecting part that connects the legs, and an adhesive part that bonds the mutually bent legs, and transports the sheet across the folding position. Since the connecting portion is positioned in the same direction as the direction, since the leg portion is bonded after passing through the sheet, the binding strength is further increased. In addition, since the connecting portion more suitable for folding is folded, the paper staple can be folded together with the sheet bundle with high accuracy.

Since the folding plate that folds the sheet bundle into the folding roller comes into contact with the leg portion folded inward after the paper bundle penetrates the paper staple, the leg portion is further pushed into the sheet side by the folding plate. The part is securely folded. Further, since the adhesive portions 63 of the leg portions are also in a direction in which they are pressure-bonded to each other, the binding is further strengthened.

  The present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an image forming system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration of a sheet post-processing apparatus, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the detailed configuration of a sheet folding unit. Therefore, the image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus A and a sheet post-processing apparatus B, and the sheet post-processing apparatus B incorporates a sheet folding apparatus C as a unit.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
The image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 sends a sheet from the sheet feeding unit 1 to the image forming unit 2, prints the sheet on the image forming unit 2, and then carries the sheet out from the main body discharge port 3. The sheet feeding unit 1 stores sheets of a plurality of sizes in sheet feeding cassettes 1 a and 1 b, and separates designated sheets one by one and feeds them to the image forming unit 2. The image forming unit 2 includes, for example, an electrostatic drum 4, a print head (laser light emitting device) 5 and a developing device 6 arranged around the electrostatic drum 4, a transfer charger 7, and a fixing device 8. An electrostatic latent image is formed by the light emitting device 5, toner is adhered to the developing device 6, an image is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer charger 7, and heat fixing is performed by the fixing device 8. The sheets on which images are formed in this way are sequentially carried out from the main body discharge port 3. 9 is a circulation path, and the sheet printed on the front side from the fixing device 8 is turned upside down through the main body switchback path 10 and then fed again to the image forming unit 2 to print on the back side of the sheet. This is the path for duplex printing. The sheet printed on both sides in this way is turned upside down by the main body switchback path 10 and then carried out from the main body discharge port 3.

  11 is an image reading apparatus, which scans an original sheet set on a platen 12 with a scan unit 13 and electrically reads it with a photoelectric conversion element 14 through a reflection mirror and a condenser lens. This image data is digitally processed by the image processing unit, for example, and then transferred to the data storage unit 17 to send an image signal to the laser emitter 5. 15 is a document feeder, which is a feeder device that feeds document sheets stored in the stacker 16 to the platen 12.

  The image forming apparatus A configured as described above is provided with a control unit (controller), and image forming conditions such as sheet size designation, color / monochrome printing designation, number of copies designation, single-sided / double-sided printing designation, enlargement / reduction from the controller panel 18. Printout conditions such as print designation are set. On the other hand, image data read by the scan unit 13 or image data transferred from an external network is stored in the data storage unit 17 in the image forming apparatus A, and the image data is transferred from the data storage unit to the buffer memory. Data signals are sequentially transferred from the buffer memory 19 to the laser emitter 5.

  From the controller panel 18, post-processing conditions are also input and designated simultaneously with the image forming conditions. As the post-processing conditions, for example, “print-out mode”, “staple binding mode”, “sheet bundle folding mode”, or the like is designated. The image forming apparatus A forms an image on the sheet according to the image forming condition and the post-processing condition.

[Configuration of sheet post-processing apparatus]
The sheet post-processing apparatus B connected to the image forming apparatus A receives an image-formed sheet from the main body discharge port 3 of the image forming apparatus A, and (1) stores the sheet in the first discharge tray 21. (2) Whether the sheets from the main body discharge port 3 are aligned in a bundle and stapled, and then stored in the first discharge tray 21 (described above “staple”). (Binding mode)) (3) After the sheets from the main body discharge port 3 are aligned in a bundle, they are folded into a booklet and stored in the second discharge tray 22 (the aforementioned “sheet bundle folding mode”). It is configured.

  For this reason, the sheet post-processing apparatus A includes a first paper discharge tray 21 and a second paper discharge tray 22 in the casing 20 as shown in FIG. P1 is provided. The sheet carry-in path P <b> 1 is configured by a substantially horizontal straight path in the casing 20. A first switchback conveyance path SP1 and a second switchback conveyance path SP2 that branch from the sheet carry-in path P1 and transfer the sheet in the reverse direction are arranged. The first switchback transport path SP1 is branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 on the downstream side and the second switchback transport path SP2 is branched on the upstream side of the path, and the both transport paths are arranged at a distance from each other.

  In such a path configuration, the carry-in roller 24 and the paper discharge roller 25 are arranged in the sheet carry-in path P1, and these rollers are connected to a drive motor M1 (not shown) that can be rotated forward and backward. Further, a path switching piece 27 for guiding the sheet to the second switchback conveying path SP2 is disposed in the sheet carry-in path P1, and is connected to an operating means such as a solenoid. Further, a post-processing unit 28 such as a stamp unit for performing a stamping process on a sheet from the inlet 23 or a punching unit for punching is provided on the downstream side of the carry-in roller 24 in the sheet carry-in path P1. The illustrated post-processing unit 28 is arranged on the upstream side of the carry-in roller 24 at the carry-in entrance 23 so that it can be attached to and detached from the casing 20 according to the device specifications.

[Configuration of the first switchback transport path SP1]
As well shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first switchback conveyance path SP1 arranged on the downstream side (rear end portion of the apparatus) of the sheet carry-in path P1 is configured as follows. A discharge roller 25 and a discharge port 25a are provided at the exit end of the sheet carry-in path P1, and a first stacking unit 29 is provided below the discharge port 25a with a step difference. The first stacking unit includes a tray (hereinafter referred to as “first processing tray 29”) for stacking and supporting sheets from the sheet discharge outlet 25a. Above the first processing tray 29, the forward / reverse roller 30 is disposed so as to be movable up and down between a position in contact with the sheet on the tray and a stand-by position (a chain line position in FIG. 3). A forward / reverse motor M2 is connected to the forward / reverse roller 30 and rotates clockwise when the sheet enters the first processing tray 29, and counterclockwise after the trailing edge of the sheet enters the tray. It is controlled to rotate. Accordingly, a first switchback transport path SP1 is formed on the first processing tray 29. 31 is a caterpillar belt, and the discharge roller 25 and one end pulley side are pressed against each other, and the tip pulley side is pivotally supported so as to hang down on the first processing tray 29 around the pulley shaft 31a. A driven roller 30 b that is engaged with the forward / reverse rotation roller 30 is provided on the first processing tray 29.

  A first paper discharge tray 21 is disposed on the downstream side of the first switchback conveyance path SP1, and the first paper discharge tray 21 is guided to the first switchback conveyance path SP1 and the second switchback conveyance path SP2. It is comprised so that the front-end | tip of a sheet | seat may be supported.

  With the above configuration, the sheet from the sheet discharge outlet 25a enters the first processing tray 29 and is transferred toward the first sheet discharge tray 21 by the forward / reverse rotation roller 30, and the rear end of the sheet is the first from the sheet discharge outlet. After entering the processing tray 29, when the forward / reverse rotation roller 30 is rotated reversely (counterclockwise in the figure), the sheet on the first processing tray 29 is transferred in the direction opposite to the paper discharge direction. At this time, the caterpillar belt 31 switches back and conveys the sheet rear end along the first processing tray 29 in cooperation with the forward / reverse roller 30.

  At the rear end of the first processing tray 29 in the paper discharge direction, a rear end regulating member 32 for regulating the position of the rear end of the sheet and an end face binding staple device 33 are disposed. The illustrated stapling device 33 is constituted by an end-face binding stapler, and staples the staple at one place or a plurality of places on the rear end edge of the sheet bundle stacked on the tray. Further, the trailing edge regulating member 32 is provided along the first processing tray 29 in order to share the function of carrying out the staple-bound sheet bundle to the first paper discharge tray 21 arranged on the downstream side of the first processing tray 29. And reciprocally movable in the paper discharge direction. The carry-out mechanism of the illustrated rear end regulating member 32 includes a grip claw that grips the sheet bundle and a rear end regulating surface 32b that regulates the rear end of the sheet, and moves in the horizontal direction in the figure along a guide rail provided on the apparatus frame. It is configured to be possible. Reference numeral 34a in the figure denotes a drive arm that reciprocates the rear end regulating member 32, and is connected to the paper discharge motor M3.

  Further, the first processing tray 29 is provided with a side aligning plate 34b for aligning the width direction of the sheets stacked on the tray. The side aligning plate 34b is arranged on the left and right sides (see FIG. 3) A pair of alignment plates, which are configured to approach and separate from the center of the sheet, and are connected to an alignment motor (not shown).

  The first switchback conveyance path SP1 configured as described above aligns the sheet from the sheet discharge outlet 25a on the first processing tray 29 in the “staple binding mode”, and this sheet bundle is end-bound staple. The apparatus 33 staples one or more rear end edges. Further, in the “print-out mode”, the sheet fed along the first processing tray 29 is transferred between the forward / reverse roller 30 and the driven roller 30b without switchback conveyance of the sheet from the sheet discharge outlet 25a. It is carried out to the first paper discharge tray 21. In this way, the apparatus shown in the figure is characterized in that the apparatus is made compact by supporting the sheets to be stapled by the first processing tray 29 and the first discharge tray 21 in a bridge manner.

[Configuration of second switchback transport path]
The configuration of the second switchback conveyance path SP2 branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the second switchback transport path SP2 is disposed substantially vertically in the casing 20, and a transport roller 36 is disposed at the path entrance and a transport roller 37 is disposed at the path exit. Further, on the downstream side of the second switchback conveyance path SP2, a stacker unit 35 (hereinafter referred to as a stacker unit 35) constituting a second processing tray for aligning and temporarily collecting sheets fed from the conveyance path is provided. ing. The illustrated stacker unit 35 is constituted by a conveyance guide for transferring a sheet. A saddle stitch stapler 40 and folding roller means 45 are disposed in the stacker portion 35. Hereinafter, these configurations will be sequentially described.

  The transport roller 36 disposed at the path entrance of the second switchback transport path SP2 is configured to be capable of forward and reverse rotation, and a sheet carried into the first switchback transport path SP1 on the downstream side is temporarily transferred to the second switchback transport path SP2. It is held (stayed) in the transport path SP2. This is because the preceding sheets are stacked on the first processing tray 29, stapled by a job end signal, and then the sheet bundle is transported from the image forming apparatus A to the sheet delivery path P1. Is temporarily held in the second switchback conveyance path SP2, and after the processing of the preceding sheet is completed, the standby sheet is conveyed from the first switchback conveyance path SP1 onto the first processing tray 29. It is to do. Its operation will be described later.

  First, the stacker unit 35 is formed by a guide member that guides conveyance of a sheet, and is configured to stack and store sheets on the guide. The illustrated stacker unit 35 is connected to the second switchback transport path SP <b> 2 and is disposed substantially vertically in the center of the casing 20. As a result, the apparatus is made compact and compact. The stacker portion 35 is formed in a length shape that accommodates the maximum size sheet therein, and in particular, the illustrated shape is curved or bent so as to protrude to the side where the saddle stitching stapler 40 and the folding roller means 45 described later are disposed. It is configured.

  On the rear end side in the transport direction of the stacker unit 35, a switchback entry path 35a that overlaps the exit end of the second switchback transport path SP2 is connected. This stacks by overlapping the leading edge of the loaded (following) sheet sent from the conveying roller 37 of the second switchback conveying path SP2 and the trailing edge of the stacked (preceding) sheet supported by the stacker unit 35. This is for securing the page order of sheets. Further, the stacker unit 35 is provided with a leading end regulating member (hereinafter referred to as a stopper) 38 as a stopper means for regulating the leading end of the sheet in the carrying direction, and the stopper 38 is movable along the stacker unit 35. It is supported by a guide rail or the like, and is configured to move between Sh1, Sh2, and Sh3 shown in the figure by shift means MS (not shown).

  When the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh3, the rear end of the sheet (bundle) supported by the stacker unit 35 enters the switchback entry path 35a, and the subsequent sheet sent from the second switchback conveyance path SP2 in this state. Will surely be stacked above the accumulated sheets. When the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh2, the center of the sheet (bundle) supported by the stacker unit 35 is positioned at a binding position X of a saddle stitching stapler 40 described later. Similarly, when the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh1, the folding position where the folding plate (hereinafter referred to as the folding blade 46) is inserted into the folding roller means 45 at the center of the sheet bundle that is stapled and supported by the stacker portion 35. Position to Y. Accordingly, the illustrated positions Sh1, Sh2, and Sh3 correspond to the folding position, the binding position, and the next sheet receiving position, respectively.

  A sheet side edge aligning member 39 is disposed in the stacker unit 35 on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. The sheet side edge aligning member 39 is aligned so that the position in the width direction of the sheet carried into the stacker unit 35 and supported by the stopper 38 is matched with the reference. That is, the sheet side edge is aligned and aligned by the sheet side edge alignment member 39 in a state where the stopper 38 is positioned at the position Sh3 and the entire sheet is supported by the stacker portion 35. In the illustrated apparatus, the sheet side edge aligning member 39 is composed of a pair of left and right aligning plates so that the sheets are width-aligned and aligned based on the center reference. The sheet bundle supported on the sheet is aligned and aligned. For this reason, the sheet side edge alignment member 39 is connected to an alignment motor M5 (not shown).

[Composition of saddle stitching stapler]
The saddle stitching stapler 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4, a binding position X is set on the upstream side and a folding position Y is set on the downstream side along the stacker unit 35, and a saddle stitching stapler 40 that binds a sheet bundle with a paper staple 60 at the binding position X. Is arranged. The saddle stitching stapler 40 is a clincher unit 42 that bends the leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 that is driven into the driver unit 41 that drives the paper staple 60 into the sheet bundle 100 and that bonds the legs to each other. Each unit is configured to be opposed to each other with the stacker unit 35 interposed therebetween.

5 to 8 shows a non-separation type in which the driver unit 41 and the clincher unit 42 are integrally formed on the frame and are not separated, and FIGS. 9 to 11 show these units vertically. The separated type is shown.

FIGS. 12 to 14 show a configuration of a paper staple 60 loaded on the saddle stitching stapler 40 and binding a sheet bundle. As will be described later, the paper staple 60 referred to in the present application is made of paper. This is a staple for binding a sheet bundle. The paper staples here may be thin plastic materials or the like as long as they are materials that are not only completely paper materials but also have the same flexibility as paper and can be discarded without being separated from paper. .

First, the outline of the non-separation type saddle stitch type stapler shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the saddle stitching stapler 40 is positioned below a drive motor 56 for driving staples when performing a binding operation with a paper staple 60, which will be described later. And a base 109 that supports the drive motor 56 and the frame 108.

As shown in FIG. 5, the drive motor 56 is rotatably attached to the upper portion of the frame 108. The drive motor 56 rotates the driver cam 52 when performing a binding operation. Further, when loading, for example, a roller-like staple 70 in which individual paper staples 60 are connected to a staple holder 111 of a frame 108 described later, the staple cover 106 on the left side of the drive motor 56 is released, thereby releasing the frame. The upper surface of 108 is open.

The frame 108 includes a staple cartridge 51 as a staple loading unit for loading the roller-shaped staple 70 at the rear end. Further, the frame 108 includes a substantially planar conveyance path 113 as a staple conveyance unit that conveys the paper staple 60 forward from the staple holder 111. Plate springs (not shown) are provided on the left and right sides of the conveyance path 113.

Further, the frame 108 is in the vicinity of the front end portion of the conveyance path 113 and rotates the driver cam 52 by driving the drive motor 56 to cut the paper staple 60 and form it into a substantially U shape. As a forming plate 115. The forming plate 115 is cut and molded. Further, the frame 108 includes a driver unit 41 as a staple penetrating portion for allowing the paper staple 60 to penetrate the binding sheet by driving of the drive motor 56. The driver unit 41 has a driver 53 that moves up and down a cutter blade 71 that penetrates the hole in the sheet. Further, the frame 108 includes a sheet presser 119 for pressing the binding sheet when the paper staple 60 is cut, molded, and penetrated.

Further, the frame 108 moves the paper staple 60 to the lower position of the conveyance path 113 from a position where the paper staple 60 is cut and molded to a position where the paper staple 60 penetrates the sheet bundle 100. As a moving mechanism, a pusher 117 biased forward by a spring is provided. Below the forming plate 115, the driver 53, the sheet presser 119, and the pusher 117, a sheet insertion slot 107 into which a binding sheet bundle to be bound is inserted and a table 120 on which the binding sheet is installed are provided.

At the bottom of the table 120, after passing through the binding sheet bundle 100 at the penetration position, both leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 are bent along the sheet bundle 100, and both the bent leg portions 61 and 62 are bonded together. For this purpose, a bent portion is provided. A clincher unit 42, an extruding unit 124, and a clincher slider 123 are provided as bent portions of the saddle stitching stapler 40, and the extruding unit and the slider 126 are moved by the clincher motor 122 at an appropriate timing. The saddle stitch stapler 40 includes a clincher unit 42 including a clincher lifter 129 that supports a clincher center 127 and a clincher left 128 to determine a position as a bent portion.

 The saddle stitching stapler 40 has such a configuration, and moves the driver unit 41 through the sheet bundle 100 installed on the table 120 in the sheet insertion opening 107 based on the operation of the drive motor 56. Then, the sheet bundle 100 is made to pass through the holes, and the paper staple 60 is inserted into the holes and bound.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a cutter blade 71 provided for passing the paper staple 60 through the sheet bundle at the tip of the driver 53 shown in FIG. 7 and its operation. FIG. 8A shows a state in which the paper staple 60 formed in a U shape by the forming plate 115 is set on the cutter blade 71 by the pusher 117. FIG. 8B shows a state in which the cutter blade is inserted into the sheet bundle 100 while holding the paper staple 60 when the unit 41 is lowered while being set on the cutter blade 71. Thereafter, the legs 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 are folded inward by the extrusion unit 124 and the clincher unit 42 and joined to each other. In accordance with this operation, when the driver 53 returns to the upper position, the sheet bundle 100 is bound by the paper staple 60, while the cutter blade 71 returns to the original position as shown in FIG. Wait for 60. In this way, the sheet bundle 100 is bound.
The details of the configuration of each part as the stapler of the saddle stitching stapler 40 are detailed in the cited document 3, and the description thereof is omitted here.

Next, the arrangement of the stacker portion 35 of the saddle stitching stapler 40 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the left and right saddle stitching staplers shown in FIG. 5 are arranged one by one at the left and right at the position intersecting the sheet conveyance direction. That is, the carriage 43 on which the saddle stitching stapler 40 is placed on the left and right is placed on the stacker portion so as to be movable according to the length in the width direction of the sheet. The saddle stitching stapler 40 has a forming plate 115 that forms a paper staple 60 in a crown shape and a drive motor 56 that moves a driver 53 that drives the paper staple 60 into a sheet bundle. Are connected through. Accordingly, the drive cam 56 rotates the driver cam 52 to drive the paper staple 60 into the sheet bundle 100. Further, the leg portions 61 and 62 are folded inward by the clincher unit 42, and the leg portions 61 and 62 are adhered to each other by an adhesive portion 63 applied to the leg portions. The paper staple 60 is connected to and stored in the staple cartridge 51 of the saddle stitching stapler 40 and is cut for each staple to be driven by the stapler.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the saddle stitching stapler 40 configured as described above is sequentially stacked with the sheets to be saddle stitched in contact with the stopper 38 which is the leading end regulating member at the leading end in the loading direction. Stacked in the unit 35. In this stacking, as described above, when the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh3, the rear end of the sheet (bundle) supported by the stacker portion 35 enters the switchback entry path 35a, and in this state, the second switchback. The subsequent sheets sent from the conveyance path SP2 are surely stacked above the accumulated sheets. Thereafter, the stopper 38 is moved to the Sh1 side in accordance with the carry-in of the subsequent sheet and is stored in the stacker unit 35. When the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh2, the center of the sheet (bundle) supported by the stacker unit 35 is positioned at the binding position X of the saddle stitching stapler 40 described later. Similarly, when the stopper 38 is positioned at the illustrated position Sh1, the center of the sheet bundle 100 stapled and supported by the stacker unit 35 is positioned at the folding position Y where the folding blade 46 is inserted into the folding roller means 45. It has become. Accordingly, the illustrated positions Sh1, Sh2, and Sh3 correspond to the folding position, the binding position, and the next sheet receiving position, respectively.
For example, when the sheet bundle 100 that has been raised is half the conveyance direction (1/2 in the length direction), in the case of the present application, when the binding position X in FIGS. 4 and 6 is reached, The stopper 38 stops the movement of the sheet bundle 100 and waits for the paper staple 60 to be driven. Note that the sheet binding position X is the same as the folding position Y, which will be described later, and the sheet bundle, and the binding position is the folding position.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the paper staple 60 is driven into the sheet bundle 100 by the saddle stitching stapler 40 and the binding process is performed. The paper staple 60 is set by the movement of the stopper 38 so as to be driven across the folding position in the sheet conveying direction. In the illustrated example, the leg portions 61 and 62 of the left and right paper staples 60 are driven across the folding position, and a folding position Y described later by a connecting portion of the leg portions (hereinafter referred to as a staple leg connecting portion 60a). It is designed to be located at the approximate center. By setting at this position, the staple bundle connecting portion 60a of the paper staple 60 is easily folded with the legs 61 and 62 inside as well as the sheet bundle folding process. That is, the paper staple 60 is positioned so as to bind the sheet bundle 100 across the folding position at the substantially central portion in the carry-in direction, which is the folding position of the sheet bundle.

[Other embodiments of saddle stitching stapler / upper and lower separation type]
Up to this point, the non-separation type in which the driver 53 side and the clincher unit 42 side of the saddle stitching stapler 40 are not separated has been described. This can be configured as a non-separable type since the direction of the staple leg connecting portion 60a of the paper staple 60 is set in the same direction as the sheet conveying direction and the binding position is set so as to straddle the sheet folding position. However, as another type, a separation type in which the driver 53 side and the clincher unit 42 side are separated as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 can be set close to the center in the width direction of the sheet bundle.

This separation type will be described. In addition, the thing with the same function is abbreviate | omitting detailed description as the same number. First, in FIG. 9, the driver unit 41 side and the clincher unit 42 side are completely separated vertically. For this reason, the driver 53 and the like that are the mechanism of the driver unit 41 are placed on the base 109 that also serves as the upper sheet guide. The mechanism portion on the clincher unit 42 side is placed on the clincher base 130. Accordingly, the sheet bundle 100 is conveyed and bound along the table 120 from the near side to the far side in FIG.

10 includes the saddle stitching stapler 40 shown in FIG. 9 in which the driver 53 side and the clincher unit 42 side are completely separated from each other in the binding position X. In this case, since all of the saddle stitching stapler 40 can be disposed in the stacker portion 35, the width direction can be made more compact than that in FIG. Other mechanisms are the same as the saddle stitching stapler 40 shown in FIG.

The saddle stitching 40 configured in this way is configured such that the driver unit 41 and the clincher unit 42 are separated and face each other, and a sheet bundle can pass between them. Accordingly, it is possible to staple the central portion of the sheet bundle and other arbitrary positions.

With respect to the saddle stitching stapler 40 configured as described above, the sheet for performing saddle stitching is applied to the stopper 38 which is the leading edge regulating member, and the second processing tray (stacker) is sequentially applied. Stacked. At the time of stacking, the sheet is first stopped at the lowermost position Sh1, and then raised to Sh2 to wait for the next sheet to be carried in, and then moved to the position of Sh3 as the binding position at the center of the sheet to perform the binding process. Thereafter, in the case of the present application, the sheet is lowered to Sh2 at the folding position where the sheet center, which will be described later, is folded. The stopper 38 is moved up and down by a moving mechanism (not shown). In other words, when the binding position is half of the transport direction of the raised sheet bundle (1/2 in the length direction), in the present case, the sheet is at the binding position X in FIGS. 4 and 6. The movement of the bundle is stopped and waiting for the paper staple 60 to be driven. Further, the folding position of the sheet bundle 100 is the same position in the sheet bundle as the folding position Y described later, and the binding position is the folding position.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the paper staple 60 is driven into the sheet bundle 100 by the saddle stitching stapler 40 and the binding process is performed as in FIG. The paper staple 60 is set by the movement of the stopper 38 so as to be driven across the folding position in the sheet conveying direction. In the illustrated example, the leg portions 61 and 62 of the left and right paper staples 60 are driven across the folding position, and the staple leg connecting portion 60a of the leg portion is positioned approximately at the center of the folding position Y described later. It is like that. By setting at this position, the staple bundle connecting portion 60a of the paper staple 60 is easily folded with the legs 61 and 62 inside as well as the sheet bundle folding process. In the paper staple 60 of FIG. 11, the interval between the staples in the sheet width direction is shorter than that of FIG. This is because the saddle stitching stapler 40 is divided vertically with the sheet conveyance path interposed therebetween so that the driving position of the staple 60 can be set arbitrarily.

[Composition of paper staples]
Here, the paper staple 60 loaded in the saddle stitch stapler 40 of the present application will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIGS. 12 and 13 are explanatory diagrams showing the configuration of a paper staple 60 and a roller-like staple 70 in which a plurality of paper staples 60 are connected in parallel. FIG. 12A is a plan view showing details of the paper staple 60. FIG. 12B is a perspective view showing a state in which the paper staple 60 is formed in a substantially U shape, and FIG. 12C is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the binding sheet bundle 100 is bound by the paper staple 60. It is. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the staple 70 in a state where the paper staple 60 is wound in a roller shape. For example, these are configured as follows. The basic form is detailed in the conventional cited document 3.

 First, as shown in FIG. 12A, a plurality of long and substantially straight paper staples 60 are connected in parallel. Each paper staple 60 has, for example, a width of about 6 to 12 mm in the vertical direction (the connecting direction of the paper staples 60) in FIG. 12A, and in the left-right direction (longitudinal direction of the staples) in FIG. The width is about 25 to 50 mm. The vicinity of the end in the longitudinal direction of each paper staple 60 is formed in a trapezoidal shape, and the width becomes narrower toward the tip. Further, an adhesive portion 63 to which an adhesive is applied is provided on the back surface in the vicinity of the end portion in the longitudinal direction of each paper staple 60.

In addition, an elliptical feed hole is provided at a predetermined position from both ends of the sides where the paper staples 60 are connected and connected. Each paper staple 60 is completely cut off as a slit between the two feeding holes. Out of the two feed holes, the paper staples 60 are connected as connecting and connecting portions 68 up to both ends of the side where the paper staples 60 are connected. The feed hole is gradually fed with the feed claws on the stapler side engaged.

This paper staple 60 is provided with a folding position slit portion 64 cut into the inside of each paper staple at a substantially central position of a staple leg connecting portion 60a that connects the legs in the longitudinal direction of the staple. This is to make it easy to fold the paper staple itself so as to surely perform the folding process when folding the paper staple 60 together with the sheet bundle 100 in the folding process described later.

Further, the saddle stitching stapler 40 separates the paper staple 60 from the staples connected as shown in FIG. 12A, and as shown in FIG. The staple leg portions 61 and 62 are formed in a substantially U shape by being bent at a substantially right angle from the left and right of the staple leg connecting portion 60a. As shown in FIG. 12C, the paper staple 60 formed in a substantially U shape has both leg portions 61 and 62 penetrating the sheet bundle 100 folded along the sheet bundle 100, and one leg is formed. The other leg part 62 which has the part 61 and the adhesion part 63 is bonded together. When the sheet bundle 100 is bound with the paper staple 60 and the folding process is performed with the leg side as the inner side, the folding position slit is formed approximately at the center of the staple leg connecting part 60a that connects the leg parts 61 and 62. Since the portion 64 is formed, the paper staple 60 can be easily folded.

The paper staple 60 shown in FIG. 12 is provided with the adhesive portion 63 on the back surface of one leg portion 62 in the longitudinal direction. However, the adhesive portion 63 may be provided on the back surface of both leg portions 61 and 62. In this case, the bonding portion 63 is bonded to the back surface of the sheet bundle with the leg portion 62 and bonded to the back surface of the leg portion 62 with the bonding portion 63 of the leg portion 61. In the paper staple 60 as well, the folding position slit portion 64 is provided in the staple leg connecting portion 60a, so that the folding process is reliably performed. As shown in FIG. 13, the paper staple 60 is wound around the saddle stitching stapler 40 in a roller shape and stored.

Further, the paper staple 60 in the present application is subjected to the following process so that the folding process after the binding is performed reliably. This is because the folding position slit portion 64 is formed at the central portion in the connecting direction of the staple leg connecting portion 60a shown in FIG. 12, and also on both leg portions 61 and 62 side as shown in FIG. A folding position slit portion 64 is provided. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14B, when the legs are bonded to each other, the folding position slit 64 of the staple leg connecting portion 60a and the folding position slits 65, 66 on the leg side overlap each other. When the position is reached and folding processing is performed, the folding position cuts 65 and 66 are folded.

In particular, in the case of FIG. 14, the width α of the staple longitudinal direction of the connecting portion folding position slit portion 64 provided in the approximate center of the staple leg connecting portion 60a and the width of the leg side folding position slit portions 65 and 66 are provided. Is set so that β is larger than α (in the length relationship of α <β). With such a relationship, even if the number of sheet bundles to be folded after binding is increased and the folding position cut on the leg portion is slightly shifted, the folding position slit portion 64a of the coupling portion and the folding portion on the leg portion side are folded. Since the position slit portions 65 and 66 are overlapped with each other, the folding process is performed in the overlapped area, so that the sheet bundle 100 that is easily and reliably bound by the paper staple 60 is also the longitudinal length of the paper staple 60. Can be folded in half at the center in the direction.

[Configuration of folding roller means]
Next, the configuration of the folding roller means will be described. At the folding position Y arranged on the downstream side of the saddle stitching stapler 40, as shown in FIG. 15A, the folding roller means 45 for folding the sheet bundle and the sheet bundle at the nip position NP of the folding roller means 45. A folding blade 46 is provided for inserting the. The folding roller means 45 is composed of rollers 45a and 45b that are in pressure contact with each other, and each roller is formed to have a substantially maximum sheet width. The rollers 45a and 45b constituting the folding roller means 45 are fitted in the long grooves of the device frame (not shown) so that the rotary shafts 45ax and 45bx are pressed against each other and are urged by the compression springs 45aS and 45bS in the pressure contact direction. ing. Note that at least one of the rollers may be supported by a shaft so as to be movable in the press-contact direction, and an urging spring may be wound around one of the rollers.

  The pair of folding rollers 45a and 45b are formed of a material having a relatively large friction coefficient such as a rubber roller. This is because the sheet is bent and transferred by a soft material such as rubber, and may be formed by lining the rubber material.

Incidentally, the folding roller means 45 is formed in an uneven shape as shown in FIG. 17, and a predetermined gap 144 is formed in the sheet width direction. FIG. 17 shows only one roller 45a of the folding roller, but the other roller 45b having the same shape is in pressure contact with each other as shown in FIG. 15a.

The folding roller 45a includes a large-diameter portion 145 that is slightly long in the sheet width direction, a folding-roller small-diameter portion 146 into which a tip of a folding blade described later is inserted, a large-diameter portion 147 that is slightly shorter in the width direction, and a little longer in the center. The large diameter portion 145 is located. This shape is formed symmetrically as shown in FIG. 17, and the other folding roller 45b (not shown in FIG. 17) has the same shape. Therefore, the above-described gap 144 of the folding rollers 45a and 45b is generated in the range of the folding roller small diameter portion 146. The gap 144 is arranged so as to coincide with the unevenness of the folding blade 46 as described below, and consideration is given so that the leading end of the folding blade can easily enter between the roller nips 45a and 45b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the tip of the folding blade corresponds to the gap 144, that is, the folding roller small-diameter portion 146 and is located closest to the joining point 45sg of the folding roller means 45 (from the folding side from the folding side). The longest tip portion) is located, and the folding blade long portion 140 (the shortest tip portion from the folding blade 46 side) farthest from the joining point 45sg of the pair of folding rollers is located corresponding to the folding roller large diameter portion 145. Yes. This is because the sheet bundle 100 to be folded in half is surely sandwiched between the folding roller means 45 by the folding blade short part 141 and folded, while the folding blade long part 140 is sandwiched between the folding roller means 45 and becomes inoperable. In order to prevent this, the positional relationship is uneven.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, a relatively short folding roller large-diameter portion 147 is positioned corresponding to the portion bound by the paper staple 60, and the folding blade 46 and the folding blade long portion 140 are also correspondingly provided. The folding blade middle long part 142 which is the middle length of the short part 141 is located. That is, the position of the tip of the folding blade 46 is the distance from the folding blade length 140 having the longest distance L1 from the joining point 45sg of the pair of folding rollers 45a and 45b and the joining point 45sg of the pair of folding rollers 45a and 45b. A folding blade short portion 141 having a short distance L2 and a folding blade intermediate long portion 142 positioned at a distance L3 between these distances L1 and L2 are used. In other words, the middle long portion y is set to an intermediate length which is shorter by the length z than the length x between the front end of the folding blade long portion 140 and the front end of the folding blade short portion 141 and is the length y. Specifically, the z component is set to about 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm.
This intermediate length is set corresponding to the location where the paper staple 60 is bound across the folding position of the sheet bundle, and the legs 61 and 62 are moved by the folding blade 46 as shown in FIG. The length of the tip is set so that the overlapping position is held between the folding rollers and the operation of the folding blade 46 is not hindered. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15 (b), the leg portions 61 and 62, which penetrate the sheet bundle 100 of the paper staple 60 and are joined to each other, are sandwiched by the folding roller large-diameter portion 147 of the folding roller means 45, and this paper staple is also used. Can be folded.

[Other Embodiments of Folding Blade and Folding Roller]
In the folding mechanism shown in FIG. 17, the distance between the tip of the folding blade 46 from the joining point 45sg of the pair of folding rollers 45a and 45b and the folding rollers 45a and 45b are made to correspond to the large diameter portion and the small diameter. Although the two-stage unit is shown, it can be configured as shown in FIG.

That is, the configuration of the folding blade 46 is such that the folding blade 45 a corresponding to the large diameter portion 145 of the folding roller 45 a and the folding blade long portion 140 that is the farthest from the joint 45 sg of the pair of 45 b and the folding blade short portion corresponding to the small diameter portion. 141 in a two-stage configuration. On the other hand, the folding rollers 45a and 45b have an intermediate diameter between the folding roller large diameter portion 145 and the folding roller small diameter portion 146 at a position corresponding to the folding blade short portion 141 in addition to the folding roller large diameter portion 145 and the folding roller small diameter portion 146. A folding roller middle diameter portion 148 is provided. The position of the medium diameter portion corresponds to the position where the paper staple 60 is bound across the folding position of the sheet bundle 100.

Accordingly, the folding blade short portion 141 pushes the sheet bundle into the gap 144 between the folding roller small diameter portions 146, while the range corresponding to the binding position of the paper staple 60 is the folding roller intermediate diameter portion 148. The bound paper staple 60 is pushed toward the folding roller.
In particular, in the present application, since the paper staples 60 are joined with the folding blades from the joined leg portions 61 and 62 side, the joining of the leg portions is reinforced.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 19, the degree of overlap of the leg portions when the leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 are clamped between the folding rollers 46 by the folding blade short portion 141 of the folding blade 46 is adjusted. By this, the degree of binding of the binding can be increased, and the folding accuracy can be increased.

That is, as shown in FIG. 19A, in the position where the leg portions 61, 62 of the paper staple 60 are largely overlapped at the contact position of the folding blade 46 (overlapped from the folding position shown by α). Since the leg portions 61 and 62 are pushed in by the folding blade, it can be expected that the adhesion between the leg portions increases. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 19B, at the contact position of the folding blade 46, the leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple do not overlap and the leg portions 61 and 62 are joined only on one side. In this case, since the leg parts 61 and 62 do not overlap each other, there is an advantage that the folding operation becomes easy. Accordingly, the operator can arbitrarily set whether to strengthen the binding state or increase the folding accuracy by selecting the position of the paper staple 60.

  By the way, the rollers 45a and 45b are connected to roller driving means (not shown). The roller driving means comprises a roller driving motor M6 and a transmission mechanism (transmission means). The illustrated transmission means includes a transmission belt that decelerates and transmits the rotation of the roller drive motor M6.

  Next, the configuration of the blade driving means of the folding blade 46 will be described. As shown in FIG. 15, the folding blade 46 is supported on an apparatus frame (not shown) so as to be movable in the sheet folding direction by a guide rail or the like. The folding blade 46 is supported so as to be able to reciprocate between a standby position retracted from the sheet supported by the stacker portion 35 and a nip position NP of the folding roller means 45. Blade driving means for reciprocating the folding blade 46 is not particularly shown, but is constituted by a blade driving motor M7 and a transmission belt for transmitting the rotation thereof.

  Accordingly, when the blade drive motor M7 rotates forward and backward, the folding blade 46 reciprocates between the standby position and the nip position NP along the guide rail. The folding blade 46 is composed of a plate-like member having a knife edge in the sheet width direction, and its tip is formed in an uneven shape as shown in FIG.

  Next, the sheet folding state by the folding roller means 45 and the folding blade 46 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the sheet bundle 100 supported by the stacker unit 35 in a bundle shape is locked by the stopper 38 in the state shown in FIG. 5A, and the fold position is positioned at the folding position Y in the stapled state.

As described above, the sheet bundle 100 is bound by the paper staple 60 with the saddle stitch stapler 40, and the staple leg connecting portion 60a of the paper staple 60 is positioned on the folding roller means 45 side as shown in the figure. The leg portions 61 and 62 are located on the folding blade 46 side. The staple leg connecting portion 60 a is disposed across the folding position Y of the folding blade 46. The thing of the figure is located in the substantially approximate center. This position is controlled by a stopper 38 that regulates the leading edge of the sheet bundle, and when the setting is completed, a set end signal is output.

Upon obtaining this sheet bundle setting end signal, the sheet folding operation control section 97 rotates the motor M6 at a lower speed than the moving speed of the folding blade 46. This is to create a condition for the first and second folding rollers 45a and 45b to be driven and rotated by the sheet bundle inserted into the nip position by the folding blade 46, as will be described later.

  Therefore, the sheet folding operation control unit 97 moves the folding blade 46 from the standby position toward the nip position NP at a predetermined speed. The rotational peripheral speed VR of the folding roller means 45 is set to zero or VB> VR with respect to the moving speed VB. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 15B, the sheet bundle is bent at the fold position by the folding blade 46 and inserted between the rollers. At this time, the first folding roller 45 a and the second folding roller 45 b are driven and rotated continuously with the sheet moved by the folding blade 46. Then, the sheet folding operation control unit 97 stops the blade driving motor M7 after the expected time for the sheet bundle 100 to reach a predetermined nip position, and stops the folding blade 46 at the position shown in FIG. In this case, the paper staple 60 is also folded as shown in the figure and is sandwiched between the folding rollers 45. Further, since the folding flade 46 is pushed into the leg portions 61 and 62 of the paper staple 60 toward the sheet bundle 100 side, adhesion between the leg portions is increased. This state is shown as a perspective view in FIG.

Thereafter, the sheet folding operation control unit 97 drives and rotates the first and second folding rollers 45a and 45b again. Then, the sheet bundle 100 is sent out in the feeding direction (left side in the figure).

Thereafter, the sheet folding operation control unit 97 moves and returns the folding blade 46 located at the nip position NP to the standby position in parallel with the feeding of the sheet bundle 100 by the rollers in the state shown in FIG.

  At the same time, the sheet bundle 100 and the paper staple 60 arranged across the folding position of the sheet bundle are also folded with the legs 61 and 62 inside. As a result, the leg portions 61 and 62 are inside the booklet in the folded state, so that the adhesive portion can be prevented from peeling off and the leg portions 61 and 62 can be prevented from being turned over.

[Description of control configuration]
The control configuration of the above-described image forming system will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes a control unit (hereinafter referred to as “main body control unit”) 80 of the image forming apparatus A and a control unit (hereinafter referred to as “post-processing control unit”) 90 of the sheet post-processing apparatus B. The main body control unit 80 includes an image formation control unit 81, a paper feed control unit 85, and an input unit 83. Then, “image forming mode” and “post-processing mode” are set from the controller panel 18 provided in the input unit 83. As described above, the image forming mode sets the number of printouts, sheet size, color / monochrome printing, enlargement / reduction printing, duplex / single-sided printing, and other image formation conditions. The main body control unit 80 controls the image formation control unit and the paper feed control unit in accordance with the set image forming conditions, and after the image is formed on a predetermined sheet, the sheets are sequentially carried out from the main body discharge port 3.

  At the same time, the post-processing mode is set by input from the controller panel 18. The processing mode is set to, for example, “print-out mode”, “staple binding finishing mode”, “sheet bundle folding finishing mode”, or the like. Therefore, the main body control unit 80 transfers the post-processing finishing mode, the number of sheets, the upper number of copies, and the binding mode (one-position binding or two or more bindings) information to the post-processing control unit 90. At the same time, the main body control unit transfers a job end signal to the post-processing control unit 90 every time image formation is completed.

  The post-processing control unit 90 includes a control CPU 91 that operates the sheet post-processing apparatus B according to a designated finishing mode, a ROM 92 that stores an operation program, and a RAM 93 that stores control data. The control CPU 91 includes a conveyance control unit 94 that conveys the sheet sent to the carry-in entrance 23, a stacking operation control unit 95 that performs the stacking operation of the sheets, and a binding operation control unit 96 that executes the sheet binding process. And a sheet folding operation control unit 97 that executes a sheet folding operation.

  The conveyance control unit 94 is connected to the control circuit for the drive motor M1 of the carry-in roller 24 and the discharge roller 25 of the sheet carry-in path P1 and receives a detection signal from the sheet sensor S1 arranged in this path. It is configured. Further, the stacking operation control unit 95 includes a forward / reverse rotation motor M2 of the forward / reverse rotation roller 30 and a discharge motor M3 of a rear end regulating member for stacking sheets on the first stacking unit (first processing tray) 29. Wired to the drive circuit. Further, the binding operation control unit 96 is connected to the drive circuit of the drive motor 56 and the clincher motor 122 incorporated in the end binding stapler 33 of the first stacking unit 29 and the saddle stitching stapler 40 of the stacker unit 35.

  The sheet folding operation control unit 97 is connected to a driving circuit of a roller driving motor M6 that drives and rotates the first and second folding rollers 45a and 45b. The sheet folding operation control unit 97 is connected to the control circuit of the shift means MS that controls the movement of the conveyance rollers 36 and 37 of the second switchback conveyance path SP2 and the stopper 38 of the stacker unit 35 to predetermined positions. It is wired so as to receive a detection signal from a sheet sensor arranged in the route.

The control unit configured as described above causes the sheet post-processing apparatus to execute the next processing operation.
"Printout mode"
In this mode, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents, for example, from the first page, and sequentially carries out face-down from the main body discharge port 3. Therefore, the sheet post-processing apparatus B moves the path switching piece 27 to the state shown by the solid line in FIG. As a result, the sheet sent to the sheet carry-in path P <b> 1 is guided to the paper discharge roller 25. Therefore, after the expected time that the leading edge of the sheet reaches the forward / reverse roller 30 of the processing tray 29 based on the signal that the leading edge of the sheet is detected at the paper discharge port 25a, the conveyance control unit 94 lowers the forward / reverse roller 30 from the upper standby position onto the tray. Then, the forward / reverse rotation roller 30 is rotated clockwise in FIG. Then, the sheet that has entered the first processing tray 29 is carried out toward the first paper discharge tray 21 by the forward / reverse rotation roller 30 and stored on the tray. The successive sheets are sequentially carried out to the first paper discharge tray 21 and accumulated and stored on the tray.

  Accordingly, in this printout mode, the sheets formed with the image by the image forming apparatus A are accommodated in the first paper discharge tray 21 via the sheet carry-in path P1 of the sheet post-processing apparatus B. They are stacked and stored in the order of n pages.

"Staple binding finish mode"
In this mode, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents from the first page to the nth page in the same manner as in the above-described mode, and carries it out from the main body discharge port 3 in a face-down state. Therefore, the path switching piece 27 is moved to the state of the solid line in FIG. As a result, the sheet sent to the sheet carry-in path P <b> 1 is guided to the paper discharge roller 25. Therefore, after the expected time that the leading edge of the sheet reaches the forward / reverse roller 30 of the processing tray 29 based on the signal that the leading edge of the sheet is detected at the paper discharge port 25a, the conveyance control unit 94 lowers the forward / reverse roller 30 from the upper standby position onto the tray. Then, the forward / reverse rotation roller 30 is rotated clockwise in FIG. Next, the conveyance control unit 94 drives the forward / reverse rotation roller 30 to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 3 after the estimated time when the trailing edge of the sheet is carried onto the tray 29. Then, the sheet that has entered from the paper discharge outlet 25a is switched back and conveyed onto the first processing tray 29 along the first switchback conveyance path SP1. By repeating this sheet conveyance, a series of sheets are accumulated in a bundle in a face-down state on the first processing tray 29.

  Each time the sheets are stacked on the processing tray 29, the control CPU 91 operates the side alignment plate 34b to align the width direction positions of the stacked sheets. Next, the control CPU 91 operates the end-face binding and stapling device 33 in response to a job end signal from the image forming apparatus A to bind the trailing edge of the sheet bundle accumulated on the tray. After this stapling operation, the control CPU 91 moves the rear end regulating member 32 that also serves as a bundle carrying-out means from the solid line position in FIG. 3 to the chain line position. Then, the staple-bound sheet bundle is carried out and stored on the first paper discharge tray 21. As a result, a series of sheets formed by the image forming apparatus A are stapled and stored in the first paper discharge tray 21.

"Sheet fold finish mode"
In this mode, the image forming apparatus A finishes a booklet by the sheet post-processing apparatus B. Therefore, the sheet post-processing apparatus B moves the path switching piece 27 of the sheet carry-in path P1 to the state of the solid line in FIG. As a result, the sheet sent to the sheet carry-in path P <b> 1 is guided to the paper discharge roller 25. Therefore, the control CPU 91 stops the sheet discharge roller 25 at the timing when the sheet trailing edge passes the path switching piece 27 with reference to the signal that the sheet trailing edge is detected by the sheet sensor S1, and at the same time, the path switching piece 27 is moved to the position of the broken line in FIG. Moving. Then, the paper discharge roller 25 is reversely rotated (counterclockwise in FIG. 3). Then, the sheet that has entered the carry-in path P1 is reversed in the conveyance direction and is guided from the path switching piece 27 to the second switchback conveyance path SP2. Then, it is guided to the second processing tray (stacker) by the transport rollers 36 and 37 arranged in this path.

  At the timing when the sheet is carried into the stacker unit 35 from the second switchback conveyance path SP2, the control CPU 91 moves the stopper 38 for regulating the leading end of the sheet to the lowermost position Sh1. Then, the entire sheet is supported by the stacker unit 35. In this state, the control CPU 91 operates the above-described sheet side edge aligning member 39 to align the sheets in the width direction. (Note that this width-alignment alignment does not have to be performed on the first sheet, and does not have to be performed every time the sheet enters).

  Next, the control CPU 91 moves the stopper 38 to a position Sh3 where the rear end of the sheet enters the switchback entry path 35a. Then, the rear end of the sheet supported by the guide of the stacker unit 35 moves back to the switchback entry path 35a. In this state, subsequent sheets are sent from the second switchback conveyance path SP2 onto the stacker unit 35, and the subsequent sheets are stacked on the preceding sheet. Then, the stopper 38 is moved from the Sh3 position to the Sh1 position side in accordance with the carry-in of the subsequent sheet.

  Next, the sheet side edge aligning member 39 is operated in the same manner as described above, and the loaded sheet and the sheet supported on the guide are aligned and aligned. By repeating such an operation, the sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus A are aligned on the stacker unit 35 via the second switchback conveyance path SP2. Therefore, when receiving the job end signal, the control CPU 91 moves the stopper 38 to the position Sh2, and positions and sets the sheet center at the binding position X.

  Therefore, the control CPU 91 operates the saddle stitching stapler 40 to staple the two places in the center of the sheet. (In addition to the two places, one or more places may be provided as necessary.) With this operation completion signal, the control CPU 91 moves the stopper 38 to the position Sh1 and sets the center of the sheet to the folding position Y. To do. Therefore, the sheet bundle is folded in the sequence shown in FIGS. 15A to 15D and the sheet bundle is carried out to the second paper discharge tray 22.

As described above, the apparatus of the present application is configured to bind with the paper tape 60 to the folding position where the sheet is folded, and the binding position is in the direction substantially intersecting with the sheet folding position and in the same direction as the sheet conveying direction. The sheets are bound across the sheet folding position so that the staple leg connecting portion 60a for connecting the staple leg portions 61 and 62 to each other is located. Their were also combined staple legs connecting portion 60a of the paper staple binding this sheet bundle 100, as will be folded into two at the blade 46 and folding the folding rollers 45, carried out positioning of the sheet bundle with a stopper 38 ing. Therefore, the booklet can be opened without using a metal staple as in the past, without damaging the sheet as compared with the conventional one not using a metal staple, and without a sense of incongruity at the two-fold position.

1 is an overall explanatory diagram of an image forming system according to the present invention. 1 is an overall explanatory view of a sheet post-processing apparatus provided with a sheet folding apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a part of the sheet post-processing apparatus of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet folding apparatus incorporated in the sheet post-processing apparatus of FIG. 2 . Explanatory drawing of the saddle stitch stapler (non-separation type) of the processing apparatus of FIG . FIG. 6 is a layout view of the saddle stitching stapler in FIG. 5 on a stacking stack. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the sheet bundle is bound across the folding position of the sheet bundle with the saddle stitching stapler of FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism for binding a sheet bundle with the saddle stitching stapler in FIG. 5 . Explanatory drawing of the saddle stitch stapler (separation type) of the processing apparatus of FIG . FIG. 10 is a layout view of the saddle stitching stapler in FIG. 9 on the stacking stack . FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the sheets are folded across the folding position of the sheet bundle with the saddle stitching stapler of FIG. 9 . FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a paper staple to be mounted on the saddle stitch stapler of the present application, (a) is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the paper staple is connected, (b) is a perspective view of the paper staple, and (c) is a sheet bundle. Cross-sectional explanatory drawing of the state bound with paper staples. Explanatory drawing which made paper-made staples the roll state. FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the paper staple applied to the folded sheet, and FIG. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a state where the sheet bundle is bound with paper staples. FIGS. 5A and 5B are operation explanatory views of the sheet bundle folding device in FIGS. 2 and 4, wherein FIG. 5A is a state diagram in which a sheet bundle bound with paper staples is positioned and set at a folding position, and FIG. (C) is a state diagram in which a sheet bundle and a paper staple are inserted into the folding roller at a nip position, and (d) is a state in which the sheet bundle and the paper staple are folded by a folding roller. Combined unloading state diagram. FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the sheet bundle and the paper staple are folded in FIG. 15. FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views of positions and shapes of folding rollers, folding bleeds, and paper staples of the sheet bundle folding device in FIGS. 2 and 4. FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views of positions and shapes of folding rollers, folding bleeds, and paper staple bindings according to another embodiment of the sheet bundle folding apparatus in FIGS. It is explanatory drawing which shows the position of a paper staple and a folding blade, (a) is explanatory drawing which the paper-made staple leg overlaps in the position of a folding flade. (B) the leg portion at a position of FLADE folding paper staple legs over - explanatory view of a state where not wrap. Explanatory drawing of the control structure in the system of FIG.

A image forming apparatus B sheet post-processing apparatus X binding position Y folding position 29 first processing tray (stacking tray)
34b Side alignment plate 35 Stacker section (second processing tray)
38 Stopper (tip regulating member)
39 Sheet side edge aligning member 40 Saddle stitching stapler 45 Folding roller 46 Folding blade 60 Paper staple 60a Staple leg connecting part 61 Staple leg part (one side)
62 Staple legs (other side)
63 Bonding portion 64 Folding position slit portion 65 Staple leg portion (one side) Folding position slit portion
66 Staple leg (other side) folding position slit
100 Sheet bundle 140 Folding blade long part (part where the distance from the joining point of the folding roller 45 is long)
141 Folding blade short part (part where the distance from the joining point of the folding roller 45 is short)
142 Middle long part of folding blade (intermediate position of long part 140 and short part 141)
144 (between the folding rollers) gap 145 large diameter portion of the folding roller (long in the sheet width direction)
146 Folding roller small diameter part 147 Folding roller large diameter part (short in sheet width direction)
148 Folding roller middle diameter

Claims (8)

A stacker unit for temporarily collecting sheets as a bundle;
Stopper means for regulating the position of the leading end of the sheet loaded into the stacker unit,
A binding means for binding a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets whose positions are regulated by the stopper means;
A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising: a folding unit that performs a folding process on a predetermined folding position of the sheet bundle bound by the binding unit;
The binding means binds a sheet bundle by a paper staple , and the paper staple includes a first leg portion and a second leg portion that are bent through the sheet bundle, and a connecting portion that connects them. The position of the sheet bundle by the stopper means is set such that the first leg portion is located on one side and the second leg portion is located on the other side with respect to the folding position so as to bind the sheet bundle. Sheet post-processing device. The folding means includes a folding plate that moves in the folding direction with respect to the folding position of the sheet bundle and a folding roller that sandwiches the sheet folded by the folding plate, and the paper staples are bent inward from each other. 2. A sheet bundle is bound by attaching an adhesive portion to one or both of the first leg portion and the second leg portion, and bonding the mutual leg portions at the adhesive portion. Sheet post-processing equipment. 3. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a folding plate that folds the sheet bundle into the folding roller contacts a leg portion bent inward after the paper staple penetrates the sheet bundle. The sheet post-processing according to claim 3, wherein a folding plate for folding the sheet bundle onto the folding roller is folded inward after the paper staple penetrates the sheet bundle and is brought into contact with an adhesive portion on a leg side. apparatus. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein binding means for driving the paper staple into a sheet bundle is disposed upstream of the folding means in the carry-in direction. Together when the connecting portion of the paper-made staples sets the movement amount of the stopper means so as to be positioned across the folding position of the substantially central portion of the carrying direction of the sheet bundle, the binding means intersecting said carrying direction 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet post-processing apparatus is also movable in the sheet width direction . A stacker unit for temporarily collecting sheets as a bundle;
Stopper means for regulating the position of the leading end of the sheet loaded into the stacker unit,
A binding means for binding a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets whose positions are regulated by the stopper means;
A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising: a folding unit that performs a folding process on a predetermined folding position of the sheet bundle bound by the binding unit;
The binding means binds a bundle of sheets by paper staples, a leg portion through which the paper staple penetrates the sheet bundle and is bent inward, a connecting portion connecting the legs, and a mutually bent leg portion. Consisting of an adhesive part that
The folding means is configured by a folding plate that moves in the folding direction with respect to the sheet bundle at a folding position at a substantially central portion in the carry-in direction of the sheet bundle, and a folding roller that sandwiches the sheet folded by the folding plate,
The sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein the stopper means sets the position of the sheet bundle so that the sheet penetration position of the leg portion of the paper staple straddles the folding position. Image forming means for sequentially forming images on sheets;
A sheet post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on the sheet from the image forming unit,
An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet post-processing apparatus having the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images