JPH01127564A - Housing device for paper - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately house and align sheets of paper in a paper housing device for carrying out staple handling of a copying machine, etc., by providing plural retainer members for retaining the rear end of a sheet of paper housed in nearly vertical direction into a tray in accordance with the size of the paper. CONSTITUTION:At the time of a staple mode, a copying paper discharged out of a copying machine body 1 is sent in nearly vertical direction into a staple tray 90 via a switchover portion 70 and conveying rollers 100, 101, and arranged in the direction of a stapler 130 due to the rotation in the oblique direction of a paddle wheel 120. In this case, since paper clogging results if a copying paper is curled because of heating for fixing with its top end portion being curved to a guide plate 93 side, one retainer member 110a or 110b suited to the paper size is revolved around a support shaft 111 by driving a solenoid at a timing conforming with the paddle wheel 120 and projected into the staple tray 90 to correct the curling, while being restored as the following copying paper is carried in. Thereby, sheets of paper can be surely housed and aligned.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper storage device that accommodates and aligns sheets discharged from a copying machine or the like and performs stapling processing or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of paper storage device was disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 59-4.
Those described in JP-A No. 3765, JP-A-60-183461, and JP-A-60-248563 are known. These are usually called finishers, and are configured to stack copied sheets on a tray or the like, align them, staple them, and then transfer them to a stacking section where they are stacked and accommodated.

Problems and Points to be Solved by the Invention Furthermore, as the tray of the finisher, a type that stores sheets substantially vertically has been considered for the sake of space saving of the device and accommodation alignment. However, when storing and aligning sheets vertically in this manner, there are the following problems. In other words, if the upper edge of a sheet of paper stored vertically becomes uneven due to curling or lack of stiffness of the paper, the sheets that are stored one after another collide with the scattered sheets of paper, resulting in a jam. Further, sheets to be stored later are inserted between already stored sheets, and the order of storage becomes incorrect.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, a paper storage device according to the present invention stores and aligns sheets ejected from an image forming device substantially vertically and performs stapling processing. It is characterized by comprising a tray that can accommodate sheets substantially vertically, and a plurality of pressing members that can press down the rear end of the stored sheets in the storage direction according to the size of the sheets.

According to the paper storage device having the above structure, the paper sent from the image forming device is accurately accommodated and aligned according to the size of the paper.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the paper accommodating device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Configuration of the copying machine body and ADF]

First, the configuration of the copying machine main body (1) will be explained with reference to FIG.

The copying machine main body (1) is placed on a desk (45), and a circulating automatic document feeder (30) (hereinafter -A) is mounted on the top surface.
DF) is attached. This copying machine body (1)
Inside is an optical system (3) and a charger (4) centered around a photoreceptor drum (2) that can be rotated in the direction of the arrow (a1).
, developing device t (51, transfer charger (6), cleaning device (7).

A known imaging element such as an eraser lamp (8) is arranged. Since these devices and copying processes are well known, their explanation will be omitted.

Copy paper is stored in automatic paper feed cassettes (10) and (11).
1) are selectively fed one by one and conveyed to the transfer section (2a) by a pair of timing rollers (15) in synchronization with the toner image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum (2). After the transfer, the sheet of paper is sent to a fixing device (17) via a conveyor belt (16), subjected to toner fixing, and discharged from a pair of discharge rollers (18).

A D F (30) is roughly the original tray (31).
), paper feed bell) (32), paper feed roller pair (33)
, a reversing guide plate (34), a conveyor belt (35), a reversing roller (36), and a pair of discharge ports (37). A D F (3Q) is a system in which the original is conveyed in a circular manner starting from the last page, and the original is placed on the tray (31) with the back side of the last page facing down, and the paper feed bell (from the last page) (32) The sheet is pulled out by the rotation of the paper feeding roller pair (33), and sent between the conveyance bell (35) and the document table glass (9) via the reversing guide plate (34). Next, the document is set at a predetermined position on the document table glass (9) by rotation of the conveyor belt (35), and is optically scanned by an optical system (not shown).

After image exposure, the original is transported from above the original platen glass (9) to the right in FIG. The document is discharged onto the document placed on the tray (31) with the side facing up. Here, one image exposure for all documents is defined as one cycle of copying processing.

The A D F (30) repeats one cycle of copying processing the number of times input using the number button (304) shown in FIG. The number of originals to be copied in one cycle of copying processing is also input using the number button (304'').Furthermore, the ADF (30) is installed in the copying machine body (1) so that it can be opened and closed. This allows you to open the ADF (30) and manually set the original on the platen glass (9) for copying.When the ADF (3Q) is open, It does not work.Also, the opening of ADF (No. 3) is due to the document glass (No.
) is detected by a switch (not shown) provided near the point.

In this embodiment, the paper storage device is the main body of the copying machine (1).
Copy sheets ejected from the tray are selectively stored on a paper ejection tray (80), or are stored and aligned in a stable tray (90) and stapled with a stapler (130). Therefore, when copying and stapling a plurality of copies using the ADF (30),
The copy sheets are sequentially stored in the stable tray (90), and the stapler (130) is operated based on the stapling signal output from the copier main body (1) when one cycle of copying processing is completed. Bind. The bound copies are stored in a stack box (161).

[Operation panel of the copying machine]

The operation panel (300) of the main body of the copying machine will now be explained with reference to FIG. This operation panel (300) is installed on the upper front part of the copying machine body (1), and includes a print button (301) for starting the copying operation, the number of copies required, the number of originals to be copied, magnification, etc. A number button (304) used for settings, an exposure setting button (305) for setting the image density when copying, a paper selection button (308) for switching the copy paper to the upper cassette (91) or the lower cassette (92). , a magnification setting button (311) for setting the copy magnification, etc. In addition, special input keys such as magnification calculation button, zoom memory set button, zoom memory button, book copy button, etc. are located on the opening/closing lid (330').
It can be used only when the opening/closing lid (330) is opened. Further, (322) is a display unit that displays the number of copies, magnification, paper size, etc.

[Configuration of Finisher Unit] Next, the configuration of the finisher unit (50) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

This finisher unit (50) generally includes rollers (60) and (61) for receiving copy paper, a switching member (70) for switching the conveyance path, and a paper discharge tray (80). Copy paper ejection rollers (85), (86) to the paper ejection tray (80) of and, and stable tray (90).
), and a copy paper conveyance roller (100) to this stable tray (90).

(101), a pressing member (110) that can press the upper end of the copy paper stored in the stable tray (90), and a presser member (110) that can press the upper end of the copy paper stored in the stable tray (90), and It consists of a paddle wheel (120) and a stapler (130).

In addition to the above-mentioned rollers (60) and (61), the copy paper receiving section includes a guide plate (62) facing the ejection roller pair (18),
(63), Units) Guide plate (6) installed inside (50)
4), the guide plate (65) connects the receiving part to the ejection roller (85).

(86). The guide plate (65) can be released upwardly about a support shaft (66) for handling paper jams, etc., and the roller (61) is attached to this guide plate (65).

In addition, a static elimination brush (19
) and a photo sensor (SEL) for detecting copy paper are installed.

The switching member (70) has a beak shape and is rotatably attached to the support shaft (71) as a fulcrum, and can be turned from the dotted chain line position to the solid line position in Figure 1 by turning on a solenoid (not shown). move. - When in the dot-dashed line position, the copy paper is guided toward the paper output tray (80) by the top surface (70a), and when in the solid line position, the copy paper is guided by the curved surface (70b) toward the stable tray (90) side. do.

The paper ejection tray (80) is fixed to the outside of the unit (50) via support plates (81) and (82), and the lower end is provided with an ejection roller (85).

(86) and a step, and a copy paper trailing edge regulating piece (81a)
intersects with Guide plates (87) and (88) are installed near the discharge rollers (85) and (86), and the discharge roller (86) is attached to the guide plate (87).

The stable tray (90) includes a substrate (91) and a guide plate (
g2), this substrate (91), a guide plate (93) facing the guide plate (92), and a stopper (95), and is installed in an upright state with a slight inclination to the left. The upper part of the guide plate (92) extends to the vicinity of the curved surface (70b) of the switching member (7), and the guide plate (92) is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. The upper part of the guide plate (93) faces the upper part of the guide plate (92) at a narrow interval, and the switching member (
70). In addition, a guide plate (9
3) has a paddle wheel (120
) The facing distance of the portion (99) facing the substrate (91) below the horizontal axis is narrower than the facing distance of the other portions.

Specifically, the distance between the opposing portion (99) and the substrate is set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the copy paper that can be accommodated in the stable tray (90). In this way, adjust the distance in the thickness direction of the stable tray (90) using the paddle wheel (
120) and wide others is to reduce as much as possible the contact resistance of the accommodated and aligned copy paper with the poorly accommodated and aligned copy paper, and to ensure that the copy paper is aligned with the alignment reference line (A'). ,
This is to match (A').

Furthermore, a sensor (SE3) for detecting copy paper fed into the stable tray (90) is installed in this part.

The stopper (95) constitutes the bottom plate of the stable tray (90), and is connected to the support shaft (97) via the arm (96).
It is rotatably held. The arm (96) is a bottle (
The torsion spring ((96a) is connected to the solenoid (SL2) via the
Both ends of the arm (96) are engaged with a protrusion (96b) of the arm (96) and a protrusion (52) provided on the frame (51).

Therefore, the stop valve (95) is connected to the solenoid (S L, 2
) is off, tone 3 spring (9
8), the bottom of the stable tray (90) is closed at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. On the other hand, when the solenoid (SL2) is turned on, it rotates about the support shaft (97) to the dashed line position and opens the bottom of the stable tray (90).

The conveyance rollers (100) and (101) are connected to the guide plate (
92) It is installed in the narrow upper part of (93) and is for feeding the copy paper guided downward by the curved surface (70b) of the switching member (70) into the tray (90), Directly above it is a photo sensor (S) for detecting copy paper.
E2) is installed.

Further, the conveyance rollers (100) and (101) are set so that the copy paper sandwiched in the nip thereof faces toward the guide plate (93). This is a stable tray (90)
This is to reduce the contact resistance between the copy paper fed into the interior and the copy paper already housed.

And 1. In addition, in order to prevent the lower edge of the copy paper stored almost vertically from bending due to its own weight or curling, and coming into contact with the subsequent paper stored, the alignment performance deteriorates and jams occur. A paper lifting prevention member (150) shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the lower part of the stable tray (90). To explain in detail, the paper lifting prevention member (150) is rotated by the support member (151) provided on the guide plate (93) via the support shaft (150C). A movably attached arm (150b) and the arm (150b)
The roller (
150a). The installation position of this paper lifting prevention member (150) is such that when the smallest size paper that can be accommodated is aligned at alignment corner part + A1 in FIG. At the other end, press the lower end near the stopper (95) with a roller (150
a) is installed so that it can be pressed by its own weight or spring force. tbThe bottom edge of the paper is slightly bent (
By being pressed by 150a), contact during paper storage is reduced, and the storage operation is ensured.

Pressing members (110a) and (110b) according to the present invention
) are frames (51), (51) as shown in Figure 3.
The spindles (111a) and (111b) are fixed to support shafts (nxa) and (tub) rotatably attached to the
SL3a), (SL3b), and A (11
2a), (112b) are coil springs (113a)
, (113b) in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Therefore, the pressing members (110a) and (110b
) is the solenoid (SL3a), and when (SL3b) is off, the coil spring (113a), (113
b) is biased to the suppressed position, but the solenoid (
When SL3a) (SL3b) is turned on, the support shaft (
lla).

(111b), the presser member (110a),
(110b) is the window (93a) of the guide plate (93), (
93b).

Further, the positions of the presser members (110a) and (110b) are near the leading edge of the paper stored in the stable tray (90), and the presser members (110a) and (110b)
) is shaped to guide the paper into the smooth tape M tray (90).

Referring to FIG. 2, the paddle wheel (120) has a plurality of blade members attached to the tip of the shaft (121) in a radial manner, and is arranged at an angle (θ
), and the shaft (121) is attached to the guide plate (93).
It is rotatably attached to a plaquette (122) fixed to the outside of the paddle wheel (120), and a part of the paddle wheel (120) protrudes into the stable tray (90) through a long hole (93C) formed in the guide plate (93). ing. Bracket (122
) is connected to a gear (123) via a reduction means (not shown), and the gear (123) is connected to the gear (12) fixed to the shaft (121).
4) meshes with each other. Therefore, the paddle wheel (120
) can be rotated in forward and reverse directions by a motor (M2).

That is, this paddle wheel (120) rotates in the direction of the arrow tel to align the copy sheets conveyed into the stable tray (90) with alignment standards (A') and (A').
(move in the A1 direction). In this case, the vertical component (
Vy) is set to be faster than the circumferential speed of the conveyance roller (100);
0) and (101) are also set to be weaker than the conveying force. Therefore, the paddle wheel (12
The conveying force due to the rotation in the direction of the arrow C1 (0) is applied after the trailing edge of the copy paper passes through the nip of the conveying rollers (100) and (101).
1) It is conveyed with a center reference that is the center passing through.

The inclination angle (θ) of the paddle wheel (120) is such that when the trailing edge of the copy paper passes through the conveyance rollers (100) and (101) and the carrying/feeding force of the paddle wheel (120) begins to act on the copy paper, It is set so that it is approximately parallel to the straight line connecting the corner and part of the alignment corner (At).This means that by rotating the paddle wheel (120), the copy paper can be directly aligned with the alignment corner in the shortest distance. This is to improve consistency by moving the alignment corner (Al) to the corner (Al) of the copy sheet, which is preferably located on the extension line (q) of the angle (θ) from the corner of the copy paper. , when the angle (θ) is 45° or less, the extension line (a position moved downward from C1, the angle (θ) is 45°
In the above case, the extension line (C1) may also be moved upward.Also, the vertical positional relationship between the paddle wheel (120) and the transport rollers (100) and (101) must be It is necessary that the copy paper be set so that it receives a conveying force from at least one of them.

The stapler (130) is a well-known electric type, and as shown in FIG. The corners of the copy sheets housed and aligned in the stable tray (9o) are bound.

[Operation of finisher unit 0 nit] Next, the operation of finisher unit (50) will be explained.

(Non-stable mode) Copy paper ejected from the ejection roller pair (18) of the copying machine main body (1) is transferred to the ejection tray (80) without being stabilized.
This is the operating mode for loading and accommodating.

In this case, the switching member (70) is positioned as shown by the dotted chain line in FIG. 1, and the copy paper received from the rollers (60) and (61) is )
and a guide plate (65), and is guided by a discharge roller (85).
).

(86) and is discharged onto the paper discharge tray (80).

(Staple mode) After storing and aligning the copy sheets in the stable tray (90) and binding them with the stapler (130), the stack box (1
61) (see Figure 8) or stack unit (160)
(See FIG. 7) etc.

In this case, the switching member (70) is switched to the position shown by the solid line in FIG.
0b) and the upper parts of the guide plates (92) and (93), and are fed into the stable tray (90) from the conveyance rollers (100) and (101). Conveyance roller (100)
, (101) and at the same time the paddle wheel (120)
is rotated forward in the direction of the arrow +CI, and its rear end is connected to the transport roller (
The copy paper separated from 100) and (101) receives the conveyance force due to the rotation of the paddle wheel (120), and the copy paper leaves a part of the corner +
A) moved in the direction and aligned. At this time, the copy paper is transported by a conveyance roller (100).

At (101), a conveying force is applied to the guide plate (93) based on the setting direction of the nip portion.

By the way, when the copy paper is curled by heating etc. by the fixing device (17) and is stored in the stable tray (90) with the upper end curved against the guide plate (93) 11, the copy paper that enters next The leading edge of the paper collides with the upper edge of the curled copy paper, causing a paper jam. To prevent this, in this embodiment, a pressing member (110a) for A4 size paper and a pressing member (110a) for B5 size paper are used.
110b) to press the upper end of the stored copy paper.

That is, after a predetermined period of time after the leading edge of the copy paper is detected by the 7t sensor (SE2), for example, at the timing when the copy paper is aligned with the corner part (A) by the rotation of the paddle wheel (120), the lensoid ( SL3) is turned off, and one holding member (110) according to the size is attached to the support shaft (111).
The head part (11) rotates in the direction of the arrow (b1) with
0') are the window parts (93a) and (93) of the guide plate (93).
b) into the stable tray (90) and presses the upper end of the stored copy paper (Sl) (see FIG. 4).

As a result, the upper end of the curled copy paper (Sl) is pressed against the tray bottom [guide plate (92):] side, and the curl is corrected.

On the other hand, the holding member (110) is moved from the arrow fbl by turning on the solenoid (Sl3) immediately before or after the leading edge of the next copy sheet (S2) reaches at least the vicinity of the holding member (110). It rotates in the opposite direction to release the pressed state against the stored copy paper (Sl).

With the above operation, the curling of the upper end of the stored copy paper (Sl) toward the guide plate (93) is corrected, and the copy paper (S2) to be fed next to the stable tray (90) is corrected. It is possible to reliably prevent paper jams from occurring due to collisions.

Note that the operations of the presser members (110a) and (110b) differ depending on the size of the paper. In other words, the paper stored is A.
For size 4, the presser member located above (11'Oa
m moves as described above, and the presser member (110
b) is retracted from the substrate (91) of the staple tray (90).

Further, when the paper is B5 size, the presser member (110a) located above is retracted from the substrate (91), and the presser member (110b) located below performs the above-mentioned movement.

With the above operation, the copy paper is moved one sheet at a time to the guide plate (
93) Stable tray (90) for pages facing the side
Contained and matched within. And the circulation type ADF
(Based on the stapling signal output at the end of one cycle of copy processing if A D F (30) is used, or based on the stapling signal from the operator if A D F (30) is not used.) Then, the stapler (130) operates to staple the copy sheets at the staple position IDI.

When the stapling process is completed, the solenoid (Sl2) is turned on and the stopper (95) is retracted to the position indicated by the dotted chain line in FIG. 1, opening the bottom of the stable tray (90).

At the same time, the motor (M2) is switched to reverse rotation, and the paddle wheel (120) rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow (C1). Due to the rotational biasing force, it is discharged downward from the stable tray (90) while turning in the lower right direction in FIG.

That is, the copy paper is turned to the right by the biasing force generated by the reverse rotation of the paddle wheel (120), so that the stapled portion avoids the staple position p) and is ejected.

As described above, the copy paper discharged from the stable tray (90) is stored in the stack box (161) shown in FIG.
, or the stack unit (160) shown in FIG.
are loaded and housed in a stack box (162).

[Stack unit configuration and operation]

Next, the stack unit (160) will be explained with reference to FIG.

This stack unit (160) is made up and down by connecting a stack box (162) to a pel (163) which is driven by a motor (M3) to rotate in forward and reverse directions via a metal fitting (164). be. In addition, windows (162a") formed on both sides of the stack box (162)
) is equipped with 7 sensors (SE4) for copy paper detection.
The height of the copy sheets stacked in the stack box (162) is detected.

That is, a stack of copy sheets that have been stapled is discharged from the stable tray (90) and placed in the stack box (90).
162), and the upper part is the sensor (SE4).
), the motor (M3) is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow +d1, and the stack box (162) is lowered as the bell (163) rotates. This lowering causes the upper part of the stacked copy paper to leave the optical axis of the sensor (SE4) 1. When the sensor (SE4) is turned off, the motor (
M3) is turned off. In this way, copy sheets are always ejected and stacked at the same height position.

[Finisher Unit Operation Panel] Next, Finisher Unit) The operation panel (50) will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

(SWI ”) is a mode selection switch, (170) is a non-staple mode display LED, (171) is a staple mode display LED, which is set to non-staple mode in the initial state, and the selection switch (,5WI
) is pressed once, the mode is switched to staple mode and non-staple mode in sequence, and the display LED (170)
, (171) lights up.

When executing the stable mode using the ADF (30), the stapling operation timing etc. are automatically processed through communication with the control unit of the copier main body (1) as explained below. be done. When executing stable mode without using A D F (30), first turn on the selection switch (SWI) and select staple mode.
After copying a predetermined number of sheets, the selection switch is turned on again to perform the stapling process.

Also, (SW2) is a staple release switch,
F (30) is used to cancel the staple mode by turning it on while the staple mode is being executed. For example, if you want to perform stable processing on only 8 copies while copying 10 copies and take out the remaining 2 copies without stapling, turn on this release switch (SW2) while executing the stapling mode for the 8 copies. As a result, the ninth and subsequent copy sheets are controlled to be discharged to the paper discharge tray (80).

(172) is a stack copy number display, which displays the number of set copies that have undergone stable processing, and is incremented based on a signal from the control unit of the copier main body (1), and reset based on a clear signal, etc. .

[Control circuit]

FIG. 11 shows a control circuit of the copying machine.

(: PU (1000) is a microcomputer that controls the operation of the ADF (3Q) and the copying machine main body (1).

Control signals are output from baud) (Q]3) to various movable elements of ADF (30), and baud)
A signal indicating the state of A D F (30) is input to (Qc). Control signals are output from the port (QD) to various elements of the copier main body (1), and
A signal indicating the state of the copying machine main body (1) is input to QE). Numerical data and the like from various setting buttons and the numeric keypad (304') on the operation panel (300) are input to QF.

CPU 2 (2000) is a microcomputer that controls the operation of the finisher unit (50).

The port (PB) displays L via the decoder (175).
ED (170) and (171) are connected and the port (Pc
) is connected to a stack copy number display (172) via a decoder (176). A motor (Ml) that drives rollers (60), (85), and (100) is connected to the baud (PD), and a paddle wheel (120) is connected to the baud (PE) via a forward/reverse driver (177). ) is connected to the motor (M2) that drives the motor. Beau) (P
p), (Pc), (PH1), and (Pa2) include a solenoid (SLI) that drives the switching member (70), a solenoid (SL2) that drives the % stopper (95), and a solenoid that drives the holding member (110). (SL3a), (SL
3b) are connected to each other. A stapler (130) is connected to the PB (PI) via a driver (178). In addition, switches (SWI), (SW2), and sensors (SE2) are used for BO (PJ) to (PN).
), (SE3) are connected.

Then, the CPU 1 (1000) and the CPU
2 (2000) means port (QA) and port (PA)
ADF signal between.

It exchanges staple signals, copy signals, eject signals, copy wait signals, etc.

(The following is a blank space) [Control Procedures] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the main routine of the copying machine executed by the CPU 1 (1000).

When the power is turned on, CPU 1 (1000) is reset and the program starts. Step (:#1) Clears the RAM and various registers built into the CPU 1 (1000) and performs initial settings to bring various movable elements to their initial states. Next, in step (#2), a circle timer is started. An internal timer determines the time required for each routine of this routine.

Step (#3) Te is CPU 2 (2000)
The state of the wait signal sent from the machine is determined. If the weight signal is "1", the process directly advances to step (#8). If the wait signal is “o”, step (#4)
The copy size setting subroutine is executed in sequence, the signal processing subroutine is executed in step (#5), the ADF control subroutine is executed in step (#6), and the copy control subroutine is executed in step (#7), and the process proceeds to step (#8). Then, in step (#8), the process waits for the internal timer started in step (#2) to end, and then returns to step (#2).

The copy size setting subroutine signal processing subroutine of steps (#4) and (#5) above will be explained below. Note that the ADF control subroutine and copy control subroutine of steps (16) and (#7) are the same as well-known ones, and their explanation will be omitted in this embodiment.

First, FIG. 13 shows the copy size setting subroutine of step (#4) in FIG.

First, in step (S1300), it is determined whether or not copying is in progress, and if copying is not in progress, step (S1300) is performed.
1301). S f y j (S 1301)
The operator determines whether or not A4 size vertical threading is selected for the copy paper size using the paper selection button (308) in Fig. 11, and if A4 size vertical threading is selected, step (sxao2)-i is selected. Proceed to step (Sl 302
), it is determined whether the mode of the paper storage device is the staple mode, and if it is the staple mode, the mode is switched to the non-stable mode in step (S1303), and the process moves to step (#5). If A4 size vertical threading is not selected in step (S1301), the process advances to step (S1310), and the operator selects LA4 size as the copy size using the paper selection button (308) in FIG. It is determined whether cross-cutting has been selected, and if it is A4 size cross-cutting, the process directly proceeds to step (#5). Similarly, when B5 size horizontal passing is selected, the step (S
1330 ), the process directly proceeds to step (#5).

If the size of the copy paper used is other than A4 size horizontal threading and B5 size horizontal threading, the process is carried out in accordance with the process when A4 size vertical threading is selected in the step (S1301). respectively, steps (51320~S1322, S1340~S
1342, S1350 to S1352) and the mode is set to non-stable.

In this embodiment, the paper sizes that can be stapled after storage and alignment by the paper storage device are limited to A4 size horizontal threading and B5 size horizontal threading, so the operator selects the stapling mode of the finisher. Also, if the copy paper size is other than the above, the mode is automatically switched to the non-stable mode. and,
The obtained stapling processing mode is sent to CPU 2 (2000) on the finisher unit side and processed.

Next, FIG. 14 shows the signal processing subroutine of step (#5) in FIG. 12.

First, in step (S1401), it is determined whether the ADF is being used. If you are not using ADF,
In step (S1403), the ADF signal is set to "0" and the process proceeds to step (51408). And A.D.
If F is used, AD in step (S1402)
After setting the F signal to "1", step (S140
4) It is determined whether the stable signal is "0" or not. Here, if the stable signal is not "0", set the stable signal to "0" and proceed to step (51408).
On the other hand, if the stable signal is "0" and one cycle of copying has not been completed, step (8
1408), if the copying of l cycles has been completed, the stable signal is set to "1" in step (S1407) and the process proceeds to step (51408). In other words, A.D.
When all copies of 1 cycle are completed using F, the stable signal is set to "1" and stapling processing is performed.

In step (81408), a stone is used to determine whether or not copying is in progress. If copying is in progress, the copy signal is set to "0" in step (S1409); if copying is not in progress, step (5)
1410), the copy signal is set to "1". Next, in step (S1411), the sensor (SEI) diOF
Determine whether or not it is F, and if it is OFF, step (S14
In step 13), the ejection signal is set to "1", and if it is not OFF, the ejection signal is set to "0" in step (S1412), and the process returns to the main routine of the copying machine.

Next, FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the main routine of finisher unit (50) executed by cpu2 (2000).

When cP U 2 (2000) is reset and the program is started, first, in step (Sl), (RAM) is cleared, various registers are initialized, and initial settings are made to put each device into an initial mode.

Next, in step (S2), an internal timer is started. The internal timer determines the time required for one routine of this main routine.

Next, each subroutine shown in steps (S3) to (S6) is called, and when the processing of all subroutines is completed, in step (S7), wait for the end of the internal timer,
Return to step (S2). The time length of one routine is used to count the various timers that appear in each subroutine.

Also, c P U 1 (10oo) of the copying machine body α)
When there is an interrupt request from
performs interrupt processing.

FIG. 16 shows a subroutine for canceling the stapling mode executed in step (S3).

First, in step (S31) it is determined whether the discharge flag is rlJ or not, and in step (S32) it is determined whether the staple mode release flag is "l". This discharge flag indicates that the stapled copy paper is in the stack box (1
When the copy paper is stored in the staple tray (90
), it is reset to "0". Further, the staple mode release flag is set to "1" when the release switch (SW2) is turned on. If both are "1", the operation mode is set to non-staple mode in step (533), the discharge flag is reset to "0", and the staple mode release flag is reset to "0".

Next, in step (534), it is determined whether the release switch (sw2) is on-edge or not, and if it is on-edge tear, it is determined in step (535) whether or not stapling mode is set as the operation mode, and the stapling mode is set. If set, the staple mode release flag is set to "1" in step (836'). That is, the release switch (sw2) is enabled to accept even during copying, the staple mode release flag is set to "1", and the copy paper of the current copy cycle is stapled in steps (S31) to (533). Once processed and stored in the stack box (161), the operation mode is changed from staple mode to non-stable mode.

FIG. 17 shows the mode setting subroutine executed in step (S4).

Here, first, in step (541) it is determined whether the mode selection switch (SWl) is on-edge or not, and if it is on-edge, it is determined in step (542) whether or not the copy signal is "0". The copy signal is set to "1" during the copying operation in the main body α) of the copying machine. Therefore, if the copy signal is "0" and it is determined that a copy operation is not in progress, it is determined in step (543) whether or not the stapling mode is set as the operation mode. If the mode is not the staple mode, the stable mode is set in step (548).

If the stapling mode is set in step (543), it is determined in step (S44) whether or not the ADF signal is "1", that is, whether copying is performed using ADF (30), and whether or not the ADF signal is used is determined. If so, the non-stable mode is set in step (S45). If you are not using the ADF (3), install the stable tray (9) in step (546).
It is determined whether or not the sensor (SE3) that detects the copy paper in the tray (90) is off, and if it is not off (if there is no copy paper in the tray (90)), the non-stable mode is set in step (545). do. If the sensor (SE3) is off (if there is copy paper in tray (9)), the 18th
Step (S523) of the transport alignment routine shown in Figure b
to move to. In other words, when copying and stapling without using A D F (3Q), a signal (staple signal) for automatically performing stapling is not generated, so turning on the switch (swl) forces the stapling process. Perform staple processing. In addition, the sensor (SE
3) If it is chaotic, there is a copy paper in the stable tray (9), so it will be stapled, but if it is on, there is no copy paper, so it will not be stapled and only the operation mode will be changed to female staple mode. Fru.

! 18a FIG. 1' 18th bell: This is a conveyance alignment subroutine executed in the main routine step (S5) of the finisher unit (50).

First, in step (S501) it is determined whether or not the copy signal transmitted from the copying machine is "1", and in step (S502) it is determined whether or not the stapling mode for performing the stapling operation is set, and the copying machine is If the signal is “1” and the mode is staple mode,
In step (S503), the solenoid (SLl)
By turning on, the switching member (7) is switched to the solid line position in Fig. 1, and the discharge flag set in step (S6) is reset to "0".Here, it is assumed that the copy signal is "1". means that the copying operation is in progress, and a copy signal of "0" means that the copying operation has finished.Copying operation means that the copying operation is completed after the copy start button (print button) is pressed. This is until one cycle of copying processing is completed and the unused copies are ejected to the ejection tray (8) or stack box (161).

Next, in step (S504), the paper size is changed to A4 according to the paper size signal transmitted from the copying machine.
Determine whether or not it is a horizontal passage of A4, and if it is a horizontal passage of A4,
By turning on the solenoid (SL3b), the paper holding member (110b) located below is retracted from the board (91), and if it is not A4 horizontal passing (in the case of B5 horizontal passing), the solenoid (SL3a) is turned on. When turned on, the paper holding member (iioa) located above K is pressed against the board (9).
1) Move further away.

Next, in step (S507), it is determined whether or not the leading edge of the paper being transported is detected by the sensor (SEl) provided in the middle of the transport path connecting the copying machine main body α) and the finisher unit (5). , it is determined whether the ejection signal obtained in steps (S1411) to (S1413) in FIG. Turn on the coarse motor (Ml),
The rollers (60), (85), etc. are rotated to drive the motor (M2) for the paddle wheel (120) in the direction of arrow C in FIG.

In step (5509) /li, the paper storage tray (staple tray) of the finisher unit (50)
A sensor (SE2) installed in the conveyance path for guiding the paper to (90) determines whether or not the leading edge of the paper is detected, and if it is detected, the remaining paper holding member (1
10a) or (ttab) (Paper size is A
4 horizontal passage (110a), B5 horizontal passage (110a)
110b)) is started in step (S10).

Next, in step (S511), the leading edge of the paper is detected by the sensor (SE2) provided in the middle of the conveyance path, and the leading edge of the paper is detected by the remaining paper pressing member (110a).
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not the timer (T1) that sets the time to reach the vicinity of (110b) has expired, and in step (S512), if the ADF is in use and one cycle of copy processing is completed, The alignment end flag, which is set to “l” when all the obtained sheets are accommodated, is “0”.
As a result, timer CT1) ends,
If the matching completion flag is "0", the process advances to step (5513) of the flowchart shown in FIG. 18b.

Then, in step (S 513), step (
S 515 ) or (S 516 ) solenoid (
When SL3a) or (SL3b) is turned on, it is determined whether or not the timer flag that is set at the same time is rOJ.
0'', the process advances to step (S514). Step (
5514), if the paper size transmitted from the copying machine is A4 horizontal paper, the solenoid (SL3a) is turned on.
) is retracted from the window (93a) provided on the board (91), and the tip of the paper to be accommodated is moved to the solenoid (sL3a).
A timer (TIS) is used to set the time from when the switch is turned on until the stopper (95) is reached, and the timer flag is set to "1". Also, step (S514)
In this case, if the paper size is not A4, the solenoid (SL3b) is turned on in step (S516) to release the paper holding member (110b) located below.
) is retracted from the window (93b) provided on the board (91), and the tip of the paper to be accommodated is moved to the solenoid (SL3b).
A timer (TIS) is used to set the time from when the switch is turned on until the stopper (95) is reached, and the timer flag is set to "1". This timer flag is activated by the solenoid twice during one cycle (if the paper size is A4 horizontal)
This is to prevent turning on (SL3b)) and setting the timer (TIS) in the case of SL3a) and B5 cross-passing. In other words, if the timer flag is "1", it means that when the paper size is A4 horizontal passing, the solenoid (SL)
3λ) is turned on, which means that the timer (TIS) is set. Also, when the paper size is B5 horizontal passing,
This means that the solenoid (SL3b) is turned on and the timer (TIS) is set.

In step (S 517 ), step (S 5
1s) or the timer (S 515) set in
TIS) has finished or not, and if it has finished, then
In step (5518), it is determined whether the paper size signal transmitted from the copying machine is A4 size or not, and if it is A4 size, the solenoid (SL3a) is turned off to accommodate the paper size signal in the stable tray (90). Press the trailing edge of the paper from the paper pressing member (110) located above. On the other hand, if it is not A4 size, press step (S5).
By turning off the solenoid (SL 3b) at step 20), the rear end of the paper stored in the stable tray (90) is pressed by the paper pressing member (110b) located below.

Next, in step (5521), the solenoid ($L
3a) and (SL3b), the paper holding members (110a) and (110b) are moved to the guide plate (93).
) Projecting from the windows (93a) and (93b), the drive of the motor (M2) that rotates the conveyor motor (Ml) and paddle wheel (120) of the finisher is stopped, and the process proceeds to step (5522). Step (
In S522), it is determined whether the stable signal is "1" or not, and if it is "1", both the matching end plug and the wait signal are set to "1" in step (S523). If this matching completion flag becomes "l", the process proceeds to step (S6), and it becomes possible to perform a stable processing operation.

On the other hand, if the determination in step (sso2) is NO and the menstable mode is to be executed, first, in step (ssso), the solenoid (SLl) is turned off, and the switching member (7) is turned off at the - point in FIG. Hold it at the chain line position and reset the discharge flag to "0". Next, step (
After confirming the off-edge of the discharge signal in step (5551), turn on the motor (Ml) in step (5552), and turn on the roller (
60) and (85) are rotationally driven.

Next, when off-edge of the discharge signal is confirmed in step (5553), the timer (T2) is activated in step (5554).
Start. The timer (T2) is set for the time until the copy paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray (80), and the end of this timer (T2) is confirmed in step (5556), and the copying process is started in the following step (S557). The signal is
0'', the motor (Ml) is turned off in step (5558), and this subroutine ends.

FIG. 19 shows a subroutine for stable and stack processing executed in step (S6) of the main routine.

First, in step (S601), the matching end flag is set to "
1", and in step (5602) the timer (
T3) Determine whether the plug is "0" or not. Both are YE
If S, that is, the copy paper stable tray (90)
When the alignment is completed, the timer (T3) # flag is set to "l" in step (S603), and the stapler (130) is turned on to staple the copy sheets. Note that this stapler operation signal is instantaneously turned off. At the same time, a timer (T3) is started. The timer (T3) is used to determine the timing for opening the stopper (95).
When the end of the timer (T3) is confirmed in step (S604), the solenoid (S605) is activated.
L2) is turned off. If it is off, in step (S606) the solenoid (SL2) is turned on to open the stopper (95), and the timer (T4) is turned on.
). At this point, the stabilized copy paper begins to fall. The timer (T4) is used to determine the timing for reversing the paddle wheel (120), and when the end of the timer (T4) is confirmed in step (S607), the motor (M2) is activated in step (5608).
) is turned off, then select %” step (S
609), the motor (M2) is turned on in reverse, and the paddle wheel (120) is rotated in the opposite direction to the arrow (C).

As a result, the copy paper falls while turning to the right in FIG. 2, and the stabilized portion avoids the stable position (D) and is ejected from the stable tray (90).

Next, in step (5610), the stable tray (90
) is on or not, and if it is on, that is, when it is detected that the copy paper has been ejected from the stable tray (90), In step (5611), the timer (T3) flag, matching end flag, and wait signal are reset to "0", the discharge flag is set to "1", and the solenoid (st
2) Turn off the motor (M2), count up, and display the number of stacked copies on the display (172).

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the present invention includes a plurality of pressing members capable of pressing the rear end in the storage direction of sheets stored substantially vertically according to the size of the paper. Even if the rear end of the paper stored vertically in the storage direction varies due to curls or lack of stiffness of the paper, the above-mentioned valve member suppresses this variation and prevents paper from jamming or changing the storage order when storing the paper. Paper can be accommodated and aligned.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the paper storage device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the internal structure, FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the holding member portion. , FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views for explaining the copy paper conveyance state of the stable tray, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a sheet lifting prevention member.
Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the stack unit attached, Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the state connected to the copying machine main body, Fig. 9 is a plan view of the operation panel of the copying machine main body, and Fig. 10 is the finisher. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the operation panel of the unit, FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the control circuit, and FIGS. 12 to 19 are flowcharts showing the control procedure. α) Copy machine main body (30) Circulating automatic document feeder (ADF) (5
0)-°°Finisher unit (90)...Stable tray (110a), (110b)...Press member (lla), (llllb)...Spindle (1)
30) Stapler (150) Paper lifting prevention member Applicant Minolta Camera Co., Ltd. Figure 2 Figure 5 Figure 4 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 15 Figure 16 Figure 17

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A paper storage device that accommodates and aligns sheets discharged from an image forming device to perform stable processing, comprising: a tray that can store the sheets substantially vertically; and a rear end in the storage direction of the stored sheets. A paper storage device comprising a plurality of press members that press paper according to the size of the paper.