JPH0242221B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a sorter attached to a copying machine, and in particular, to an optional unit connected to a paper discharge port of the sorter, which performs secondary processing of paper. The present invention relates to a post-processing device for a copying machine, which is provided with a means for performing this, and is capable of transporting sheets with their sides aligned along a reference line when sending the sheets toward the optional unit.

(Prior Art) It has been common practice in the past to provide a sorter attached to a copying machine to sort and collate sheets.

In addition, the sorter has a system that eliminates miscopies by guiding them out of the machine without sorting them, reducing the trouble of replacing the collated copies later. In addition to such means, various accessory devices may be provided.

An example of a sorter equipped with an auxiliary device as described above is the example shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-74257, in which the collating device is equipped with a manual feed mechanism and a paper feed mechanism is installed between the pages of copies. Insert another sheet of paper and
In some cases, books can be bound immediately after they are taken out of the sorter, and in others, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 162965/1984, a shredding means is added to the sorter so that mistakes can be processed immediately without being sent outside. There are also some that have been made into

Furthermore, as a device that utilizes the empty space of the sorter, there is a device that is provided with a document stocker, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 88644/1983.

By providing various processing devices such as those described above attached to a copying machine or a sorter, it becomes possible to easily carry out post-processing operations for copying.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, as mentioned above, sorters that have traditionally been attached to copying machines have been equipped with various functions in addition to the original sorting mechanism of the sorter. Although it is configured as follows, for example,
It has never been done to add a device for performing secondary processing on a copy.

In addition, in order to perform secondary processing on copies, it is necessary to provide the processing unit with paper alignment means, but in a normal bookbinding device, etc.
Providing a sheet alignment means has the problem that the mechanism of the apparatus becomes complicated.

Therefore, it would be very difficult to provide the above-mentioned copy secondary processing means to the sorter due to mechanical problems, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to configure it as a simplified device. There were problems such as not being able to do it.

(Object of the invention) The present invention provides an apparatus for secondary processing of copies,
This allows the optional unit to be attached to the sorter as an optional unit, and the optional unit is configured as a compact unit, and a paper alignment mechanism for aligning the edges of the sheets is provided inside the optional unit. The paper is intended to be easily subjected to secondary processing.

(Means and effects for solving the problem) The present invention provides a removable cassette-shaped unit equipped with a mechanism for performing secondary processing on paper on the upper part of a sorter provided as an accessory to a copying machine. The paper transport path of the sorter is branched and connected to the paper transport path of the unit.

Furthermore, in the apparatus of the present invention, a paper alignment mechanism is provided in the paper conveyance path in the unit, which is composed of an upwardly curved paper path and a diagonal feed roller disposed in the paper path, and The structure is such that the material is transported along the reference line to a unit that performs secondary processing.

The cassette-shaped optional unit may be provided with a puncher, a slitter, or any other optional mechanism.

By configuring as described above, in the apparatus of the present invention, the uses of the sorter attached to the copying machine can be expanded, and at the same time, it is possible to easily perform secondary processing of the copy while copying the original.

Furthermore, in the apparatus of the present invention, since the paper alignment means is provided in the paper conveyance path that connects the optional unit and the sorter, the paper guided to the optional unit can be accurately positioned, and It becomes possible to perform the next processing work easily.

(Example) To explain the configuration of the sorter of the present invention according to the illustrated example, first, as shown in FIG.
In the copying machine 1 of the present invention, in the discharge port 2 part,
A sorter 3 provided with a paper inlet 4 is connected.

This sorter 3 has almost the same structure as the normal sorter that has been used conventionally as described above, and has a paper sorting mechanism 6 at its lower part, and a paper sorting mechanism 6 at its upper part. A discharge port 5 is provided for discharging the water.

As shown in FIG. 2, a branching device 7 is provided on the paper transport path connected to the inlet 4 of the sorter 3, and the paper transport path switching member such as a branching claw is used to switch the paper. sorter sorting mechanism 6,
Alternatively, it is designed to be guided to the discharge port 5.

The optional unit 10 provided on the sorter 3 basically has the configuration as shown in FIGS. There are 12.

The paper transport path 12 is configured as a curved path regulated by a feed roller 13 and a guide member 14, and guides the paper to the optional mechanism 30 via a feed roller 15 disposed at the discharge side end of the curved path. I'm starting to do that.

Then, a paper alignment mechanism 20 is provided in the middle of the paper conveyance path 12, and the paper is sent to the next optional mechanism 30 in a state in which the paper is aligned along the reference line.

As shown in FIG. 3, the paper alignment mechanism 20 has rollers 23 for diagonal feeding provided at predetermined intervals on a shaft 22 formed obliquely with respect to the paper conveyance path. In the case of motor 21
The shaft 22 is driven by the roller 23, and the paper is fed diagonally in accordance with the inclination angle of the roller 23 with respect to the conveying direction, so that the side surfaces of the paper are aligned along the reference line 25. Note that when the paper is fed diagonally as described above, the paper is in a curved state along the paper path, so even if the roller 23 applies a force diagonal to the conveying direction, the stiffness of the paper will not change. Since it is strengthened, the paper is prevented from folding, and the side surface of the paper is accurately aligned with the reference line.

Further, the reference line 25a is for regulating the other end of the paper, but is usually used as a reference line when controlling the other end of the paper so that it does not protrude from the line 25a. , sensors (not shown), etc. are provided.

As the optional mechanism 30 provided subsequent to the sheet alignment mechanism 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when a punch mechanism 31 is used, a pair of punching shafts 32
In addition to a vertical movement device, a stopper 34 for stopping the paper for perforation and a sensor 35 for detecting the edge of the paper are also provided.
The punch mechanism 31 is used to punch a plurality of file holes in the leading edge of a sheet of paper.

Then, the paper aligned by the paper alignment mechanism is stopped by a stopper 34, and then a hole is formed in a predetermined portion of the paper by the punching shaft 32 of the punch mechanism 31.

When the stopper 34 is released from the stopped state by a drive device 33 such as a solenoid, the paper with the holes is moved to the feed roller 15 and the discharge roller 17.
As a result, the paper is ejected onto the ejection tray 19. At this time, the sensor 36 detects the trailing edge of the paper in preparation for the next operation of the punch mechanism 31.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 4, the optional mechanism 3
When a slitter mechanism is provided as 0a, the slitter mechanism is configured instead of the punch mechanism as described above. This slitter mechanism has a pair of rotary blades 37, 37a rotatably formed via a support member 38, and is moved between the feed roller 15 and the discharge roller 17 while the paper is being conveyed. The paper is cut vertically into two pieces.

In this embodiment, one or two sets of cutting blade devices can be formed to cut the paper into a predetermined number of sheets, and after copying a wide sheet of paper, it is cut into the required size. used in cases. Further, when this slitter mechanism is provided, unlike the case of a punch mechanism, an accessory device such as a stopper is not required, but it is necessary to provide an edge sensor 35 and a terminal sensor 36.

In the embodiment described above, the feed roller 13,
Reference numerals 15 and 15 show devices that are individually driven by respective drive motors 13a and 15a, but in the device of the present invention, these drive devices can use any mechanism. For example, rotating devices other than the sheet alignment mechanism 20 may be driven by one driving device.

In the apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the punching device and cutting device shown in the above-described embodiments, it is also possible to provide a device such as a stamper. In this case, by providing a stamp such as a date instead of the one described above, a predetermined print can be made on the copied paper so that the copies can be easily organized.

In the apparatus of the present invention described above, the sorter 3
By forming a cassette-shaped optional unit with a predetermined function on the top of the sorter, it is possible to perform secondary processing on the copied paper. This makes it possible to construct a device that can perform the following.

Furthermore, since the optional unit of the present invention has a paper alignment mechanism in its cassette, the paper to be subjected to secondary processing is positioned with its front end and side surfaces at predetermined positions. Since the machined part is sent in the same state, cutting, drilling, and other operations can be automatically performed at predetermined locations.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the apparatus of the present invention has the above-described configuration, it is possible to arbitrarily select the optional unit formed in the shape of a cassette to be set on the sorter. The required mechanism can be easily selected.

Further, in the apparatus of the present invention, the mechanism in the cassette can be easily replaced, and the mechanism required for secondary processing of paper can be easily combined and installed in the sorter.

Furthermore, the optional unit of the present invention includes:
Since a paper alignment mechanism is provided corresponding to each optional mechanism, the paper can be accurately positioned immediately before the paper is subjected to secondary processing.
For example, compared to the case where a paper alignment mechanism is commonly provided in the sorter main body, the paper can be fed along the reference line with precision that corresponds to each mechanism, so that the paper alignment mechanism in the secondary processing section can be fed. Paper can be processed well.

Therefore, in the apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus having various functions is constructed in a cassette shape on top of the sorter, and is configured to be easily installed, so that secondary processing can be performed at the same time as copying. This can be easily done and the mechanism can be constructed as a compact one.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the device of the present invention, Figs. 2 and 3 show the configuration when a punch mechanism is used as an optional unit, Fig. 2 is a side view, and Fig. 3 is a plan view. FIG. 4 is a side view of the slitter mechanism provided as an optional unit. Codes in the diagram 1...Copy machine, 3...Sorter,
4... Inlet, 6... Sorting mechanism, 7... Branching device, 10... Option unit, 12... Paper conveyance path, 13... Feed roller, 14... Guide,
20...Paper alignment mechanism, 23...Roller, 25...
...Reference line, 30...Optional mechanism, 31...Punch mechanism, 32...Drilling shaft, 37, 37a...Rotary blade.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. On the upper part of the sorter attached to the copying machine,
A cassette-shaped unit equipped with a mechanism for performing secondary processing on paper is removably provided, the paper transport path of the sorter is branched and connected to the paper transport path of the unit, and the paper transport path within the unit is A paper alignment mechanism consisting of an upwardly curved paper path and a diagonal feed roller disposed in the paper path is installed in the paper path, and secondary processing is performed with the sides of the paper aligned along the reference line. A post-processing device for a copying machine, characterized in that the copying machine is transported toward a unit.