JPH04290800A - Sheet post-treatment device and image formation device equipped with sheet post-treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To staple sheets stacked on a sorter at a plurality of points using a stapler. CONSTITUTION:A pin B of a sorter 1 is arranged in a tilted position, and a sheet stopper B' is installed at the lower end of this pin B. A bundle of sheets S, guided the sheet stopper B', is matched using first and second matching part 23,32 and a staple 113 is hooked to bind the bundle of the sheets S at the specified points using at least, a motor-driven stapler 100a.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to sheets that are ejected from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a laser beam printer, or a printing machine after forming an image, and are sequentially sorted and stored in sheet trays (hereinafter referred to as bins). The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus equipped with a post-processing device and a sheet post-processing device, and specifically relates to the structure of a post-processing means.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional sheet sorting device (hereinafter referred to as a sorter) will be described with reference to FIG. After aligning by pressing the alignment member a provided on the side against the alignment reference member c provided on the front side,
If necessary, insert the binding device d, which is placed in one corner of the bin b and is rotatably supported, in the direction of the bin b, and close the bin b.
A binding device d sequentially bound one corner of the sheets S stacked in each bin b.

[0003] In addition to the above, there has also been an apparatus that uses a gripper or the like to align and convey a bundle of sheets S stacked in a bin b, and binds the bundle at an arbitrary position.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the above conventional example has the following drawbacks.

■ When aligning the sheets S on bin b,
In order to press the sheets S against the alignment reference member c on one side, for example, when aligning small-sized sheets S stacked in the center, the amount of movement of the alignment member a becomes extremely large.
The alignment member a itself becomes large.

2. The notch f provided in the bottle b becomes large, which impairs the strength of the bottle b.

3. When connected to a copying machine capable of high-speed processing, the alignment member a must operate within a short period of time between discharges of sheets S, which makes high-speed alignment processing particularly difficult for small-sized sheets S. Become.

[0008] When the binding device d is provided, a notch e must be provided at the position facing the bin b in order to prevent interference. When adjusting the position of the binding device d according to the size, it is necessary to make a large notch in the bin b according to the amount of movement of the binding device d, and the stopper b' at the rear end of the bin b is cut out accordingly, and the bin Along with the lack of strength of b,
Due to the decrease in the stopper b' at the rear end, misalignment of the rear end of the sheet S occurs.

■ Also, use a gripper etc. to hold the sheet S.
A binding device that aligns and transports bundles of paper and binds them at arbitrary positions has the drawback that the size of the device itself becomes large, resulting in high costs.

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. For example, referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the present invention provides at least In a sheet post-processing device (1) comprising one sheet receiving tray (B) and a sheet discharging means for discharging the sheet (S) to the sheet receiving tray (B), the sheet receiving tray (B)
), a movable first sheet aligning means (23) for aligning one side edge of the sheet (S) stored in the sheet (S);
) and a movable second sheet aligning means (32) for aligning the other side edge.

[0011] Also, a sheet post-processing device ( In 1), the sheet tray (B)
a movable first sheet aligning means (23) for aligning one side edge of the sheet (S) stored in the sheet (S);
a movable second sheet aligning means (32) that aligns the other side edge; and a post-processing means (100a, 100) that performs post-processing such as binding the sheets (S) on the sheet tray (B).
0b).

[0012] Further, in the sheet post-processing device comprising at least one sheet receiving tray (B) for storing the sheet (S), and a sheet discharging means for discharging the sheet (S) to the sheet receiving tray (B), a first sheet aligning means (23) that aligns one side edge of the sheet (S) stored in the sheet tray (B); and a movable second aligner that aligns the other side edge of the sheet. means (32) and the sheet tray (B
) conveying means (102, 10) for conveying the sheet (S) on
5) and a sheet stacking section (106) that receives and stacks the transported sheets.

[0013] at least one sheet tray (B) for storing sheets, and the sheet (S) in the sheet tray (B);
Sheet post-processing device (
1), a first sheet aligning means (for aligning one side edge of the sheet (S) stored in the sheet receiving tray (B);
23), a second aligning means (32) for aligning the other end of the sheet (S), and a post-processing unit for performing post-processing such as binding the sheet (S) on the sheet receiving tray (B). Means (100
a, 100b), a conveying means (102, 105) for conveying the sheet on the sheet receiving tray (B), and a sheet stacking section (10) for receiving and stacking the conveyed sheet (S).
6) are arranged in the sheet post-processing device (1).

[0014] Further, a sheet post-processing device (100a,
100b), the sheet (S) on the sheet tray
The present invention is characterized in that post-processing means (100a, 100b) for performing post-processing such as binding on the sheet (S) are provided at a position corresponding to the sheet stopper (B') that regulates the position of the sheet (S).

[0015]

[Operation] Based on the above structure, the sheet (S) is discharged to at least one sheet receiving tray (B) by the sheet discharge means. Then, the sheet (S) discharged onto the sheet receiving tray (B) is aligned at one end thereof by the first aligning means (23) and at the other end by the second aligning means (32).

[0016] Also, after aligning one side end of the sheet (S) discharged to the sheet receiving tray (B) by the first aligning means (23) and aligning the other side edge by the second aligning means (32), Post-processing means (100a, 100b) are applied to the sheet (S).
Perform post-processing such as binding.

[0017] Furthermore, after aligning one side end of the sheet (S) discharged to the sheet receiving tray (B) by the first aligning means (23) and aligning the other side edge by the second aligning means (32), The sheet (S) is transported by the transport means (102, 105) and stacked on the stacking section (106).

Further, after aligning one side end of the sheet (S) discharged to the sheet receiving tray (B) by the first aligning means (23) and aligning the other side edge by the second aligning means (32), The post-processing means (100a, 100b) performs post-processing such as binding, and the sheets are further transported by the transport means (102, 105) and stacked on the stacking section (106).

[0019] Also, post-processing means (100a, 100b)
Post-processing such as sheet binding is performed on the sheet stopper (B') side.

[0020] The above-mentioned symbols in parentheses are for illustration purposes only, and do not limit the present invention in any way.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, the copying machine 200 includes a copying machine main body 201, an automatic document feeder 202 disposed on the upper part of the copying machine 201, and a copying machine main body 201 disposed on the side from which the sheet S is ejected. It is composed of a folding device 203 and a sorter 1 disposed downstream thereof.

The originals 206 placed on the original platen 205 of the automatic original feeder 202 are separated in order from the bottom and fed through a path 209 onto the platen glass 207 of the copying machine main body 201, where they are copied. It is read by the optical system 210 of the machine body 201, and after the reading is completed, the platen glass 2
07, the document passes through path 211, and is discharged onto the uppermost surface of document mounting table 205. The sheet S is fed from the deck 212, has an image formed thereon by the image forming section 213, is fixed by the fixing section 215, and generally passes through the folding device 203.
The sheets are conveyed to the sheet inlet 10 of the sorter 1.

The sorter 1, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
It has a sorter main body 6 consisting of a pair of front and rear side plates 3, a base 5 and a cover 2, and stores a large number of bins B.
The sorter body 6 is equipped with bin units 9 that can be moved up and down along guide rails 7 provided respectively.

[0025] The copying machine main body 2 is attached to the sorter main body 6.
A carry-in port 10 is provided for carrying in the sheets S discharged from the bin unit 9, and a first sheet conveyance path 11 is configured from the carry-in port 10 toward the bin unit 9. A second sheet conveyance path 12 is formed by branching from the first sheet conveyance path 11, and on the downstream side of the first sheet conveyance path 11, there is also an upper discharge roller pair 13 for discharging non-sorted sheets (sheets that are not sorted). A lower discharge roller pair 15 for discharging sorted sheets (sheets to be sorted) is disposed on the downstream side of the second sheet conveyance path 12.

Further, a pair of carry-in rollers 16 and a deflector 17 are disposed at the branching portion of the first and second sheet conveyance paths 11 and 12, and the deflector 17 operates in a non-sort mode (sorting sheets). When the mode (no mode) is selected, the sheet S is displaced so as to be guided to the first sheet conveyance path 11, and the sort mode (a mode for sorting sheets) is selected.
When is selected, the sheet S is displaced so as to be guided to the second sheet conveyance path 12.

As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the bin unit 9 has a pair of bin frames 19 on the front side and the back side, each having a frame structure consisting of an upright part 19a and a bottom part 19b.
A bottle slider 20 is attached to the tip of the bottom part 19b of the bottle frame 19, and the upright part 1 of the bottle frame 19
The bottle slider 9a and the bottle slider 20 are each fixed at their tip portions by a bottle cover 21.

A support plate 22 is fixed to the back side of the base end of the bottle frame 19, and upper and lower arms are rotatable about a rotation axis 25 provided on the support plate 22 and the bottle cover 21. A first alignment rod 23 is installed at the tips of 23a and 23b.
c is fixed vertically to constitute the first alignment section 23.

[0029] Then, a notch 27 provided in each bottle B
The alignment rod 23c is passed through the sheet S on the bin B.
are aligned to the front side.

Further, a sector gear 29 is rotatably disposed on the support plate 22 about the rotation axis 25.
A lower arm 23b is fixed to this sector-shaped gear 29. A pinion 30 that meshes with this fan-shaped gear 29 is attached to a pulse motor 31 fixed to the lower side of the support plate 22.

[0031] Further, an upper arm 3 is rotatably supported on a vertical shaft on the lower side of the bin cover 21 and in front of the left side of the bin frame 19.
An alignment rod 32c is fixed perpendicularly to the ends of the lower arm 32b and the second alignment member 32, and the notch 26 of each bottle B is penetrated through the second alignment rod 32c. 33 is driven to align the sheets S on the bin B to the back side.

[0032] Also, the bin B stored in the bin unit 9
... has one end movably mounted on the comb-tooth groove of the bin slider 20, and, as shown in FIG. 5, a trunnion 33 is rotatably inserted into the base end thereof,
Pins 35 are fixedly installed at the front and rear of the base end. and,
The pin 35 passes through slits 36 provided in the front and rear upright portions (bottle support plates) 19a, and an O-ring 37 is interposed between the pin 35 and the trunnion 33 as a buffer material. The trunnions 33 are fitted into the guide rail 7 so as to be stacked as shown in FIG. 2. Then, the lowest trunnion 33 comes into contact with a lower guide roller 39 that is rotatably supported by the upright part 19a (the back side is not shown) of the pin frame 19 shown in FIG. The bin spacing is kept constant so as to be equal to the diameter of the trunnion 33. The bottle B is tilted and supported with one end facing upward, and a stopper B' is provided at the bottom base end. and,
The bin unit 9 has an upper guide roller 40 and a lower guide roller 39 fitted into the guide rail 7 so that it can move up and down along the guide rail 7.

On the other hand, in the vicinity of the pair of lower discharge rollers 15, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, there are two electric staplers 100a and 100a for binding the sheets S stored in the bin Bc.
00b is disposed at a position perpendicular to the carrying direction of the sheet S so that it can move forward and backward in the direction of arrow C by a driving means, and is normally retracted to position A so as not to interfere with the vertical movement of the bin B. When binding the bundle of sheets S on bin B,
Move to position B and staple the bundle of sheets S. After the stapling is completed, the electric staplers 100a and 100b are returned to position A by driving means (not shown).

[0034] Also, electric staplers 100a, 100b
performs a stapling operation by rotating a motor (not shown), and when binding the sheets S of a plurality of bins B...,
After detecting the stapling end signal for the sheets S in one bin B, the bin unit 9 moves by one bin and stapling the sheets S in the next bin B.
The sheets S stored in the book are bound together.

[0035] Also, staplers 100a, 1 are placed in the bin B.
Notches B1 and B2 are provided in the portion into which the stapler 00b enters, so as not to interfere with the staplers 100a and 100b.

[0036] Also, electric staplers 100a, 100b
Since two are provided, the operator can operate either one (one-position binding) or both (two-position binding) according to the operator's selection.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, camshaft holders 41 are disposed on the front and rear side plates 3 facing the staplers 100a, 100b and the pair of lower discharge rollers 15, respectively, and as shown in FIG. 42 is provided with a bearing 43,
The lead camshaft 45 is connected to the camshaft holder 41 and the bearing 45.
A lead cam 46 is fixed to the lead cam shaft 45. Then, the pulley 47 is connected to the shaft 45
A shift motor 50 that drives the pulley 47 via a belt 49 is attached to the lower surface of the motor stand 42 (see FIG. 2).

Further, the lead cam 46 is located opposite to the pair of lower discharge rollers 15, and as shown in FIG.
Turn on the Bd transformer 33a...33d is the lead cam 46
The lower discharge roller pair 1 is placed on the spiral groove 46a of the lower discharge roller pair 1 so that the width X between the bins Bd...
It is designed so that it is easy to receive sheets S from No. 5 and to make it easy to operate the electric staplers 100a and 100b.

Further, the guide rail 7 is bent so that, for example, the bottle Bc protrudes toward the front side, which also serves the same purpose.

Next, a structure for taking out a bundle of sheets S will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0041] Upper and lower L-shaped arms 101a are rotatably supported around a vertical shaft 101d provided in the bin unit 9 on the back side of the sorter 1, and a downwardly directed pusher is attached to the tip of the arm 101a. The push-out member 101 is constructed by fixing the rod 101c, and is rotated by a driving means (not shown). The push rod 101c in the bottle B passes through a notch 27 shown in FIG. (Since the push rod 101c moves in parallel with the alignment rod 23c so as not to interfere with it, the push rod 101c and the alignment rod 23c can have a common notch 27.) This notch 27 Since bottle B is bent downward on the right side, the right end 51a of bottle B is not cut out to maintain the strength of bottle B.

Further, a receiving tray 106 is provided close to the left side of the bin Bc and slightly below the bin Bc, and this tray 106 is configured to move up and down depending on the stacking state of the sheets S. A sheet take-out roller 102 is provided above the tray 102 below and to the right of the top surface of the bin Bc, and is rotated by a driving means (not shown).

[0043] Then, this sheet take-out roller 102
A rotatable presser roller 105 is attached to the tip of an arm 103b that is supported above by a horizontal shaft 103a, and is pressed against the lower roller 102 by a driving means (not shown).

Since the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, the sheets S discharged from the copying machine main body 201 can be outputted from the inlet 10 in either the non-sort mode (the mode in which the sheets are not sorted) or the sort mode (the mode in which the sheets are not sorted). The sheet is guided by the deflector 17 that is displaced in the classification mode) and introduced into the first sheet conveyance path 11 or the second sheet conveyance path 12.

When the non-sort mode is selected, the sheets pass through the first sheet conveyance path 11 and are discharged to the bin cover 21, which is the first bin of the bin unit 9, by the upper discharge roller pair 13. It will be stored.

[0046] Furthermore, when the sort mode is selected,
In the bin unit 9, as the lead cam 46 rotates, the trunnion 33 is sequentially moved by the spiral groove 46a of the lead cam 46, and the bin unit 9 is moved between the position facing the lower discharge roller pair 15 and the bin B facing the stapler as shown in FIG. As shown, three openings X are formed which are wider than the intervals between the other bins B..., and the upper guide roller 40 is moved by the moving trunnion 33.
, or the lower guide roller 39 is pushed and moved. Then, the sheets S pass through the second sheet conveyance path 12 and are discharged and stored by the pair of lower discharge rollers 15 from the first bin B1 to the next opened bins B, . . . .

For example, when the sheet S is discharged into the bin Bb which has been moved to a position facing the lower discharge roller pair 15, the sheet S is arranged at an angle with the rear end stopper B' facing down. The bottle Bb is moved toward the rear end stopper B' by its own weight.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, since the second alignment member 32 has already been moved to the reference position of the sheet S by a driving means (not shown), the first alignment member 23 is adjusted to the size of the sheet S. Based on the corresponding pulse signal, the side edge of the moving sheet S is pressed against the second alignment member 32 by a predetermined amount in the direction of arrow E from the standby position C by the pulse motor 31 (see FIG. 4). Then, the first alignment rod 32 returns to the standby position C in preparation for discharging the next sheet S. (Even when the sheet S is ejected from the copying machine main body 201 along the line H shown in FIG. A plurality of sheets S... are aligned in the bin Bb with their side ends in contact with the second alignment member 32 and their rear ends in contact with the stopper B' of the bin B.

Further, the first alignment member 23 penetrates through all the bins B, and the sheets S stored in other bins B...
... are also matched in the same way.

[0050] The binding of the sheets S discharged and stored in the bins B... can be selected, and if the binding mode is not selected, the operation of the sorter 1 is temporarily terminated here.

When the stapling mode is selected, the electric staplers 100a and 100b are moved from position A to stapling position B indicated by a solid line as shown in FIG. 2 in response to a stapling start signal from a control means (not shown).

At this time, the electric staplers 100a, 100
For example, as shown in FIG.
The anvil portion 112 enters the opening X formed between the opening X and the lower opening X and moves to the binding position.

[0053] Then, the electric stapler 100a, 100
When stapler b moves to the stapling position, a stapling permission signal is issued from a control means (not shown), and the electric stapler 100a,
100b is driven, and as shown in FIG. 7, the needles 113 are driven into the sheets S.

Further, when the driving of the staple 113 is completed, the electric staplers 100a and 100b are returned to position A (see FIG. 2), and the stapling for one bottle is completed.

[0055] In the binding operation for a plurality of bins B, it is most efficient if the binding is performed sequentially from the last bin B in which the sheets were ejected and stored. At this time, based on the bin shift completion signal, the electric stapler 100a, 1
00b, the electric stapler 100
In response to a series of operation completion signals from a and 100b, the next bin shift operation is performed, and by repeating this, the binding operation is automatically completed.

In this embodiment, the second alignment part 32 is provided on the bin frame 19 of the bin unit 9, and the first alignment member 23 is attached to the bin unit 9, so that the bin B
The sheets S within can be reliably aligned. In addition, the sheets are aligned by moving the alignment rods 23c that pass through the notches 27 provided in all the bins B..., and the alignment member 23 is mounted on the bin unit 9, so that the sheets are discharged into the bins B. It is possible to align the sheets S by moving the alignment member 23 not only after the bins are shifted but also during the bin shift. That is, the sheet S is aligned at any time except when the sheet S is entering the bin B.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the first and second alignment members 23 and 32 are moved around the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is integrally arranged in the bin unit 9, the movement of the first and second aligning members 23, 32 is always Stable sheet alignment is possible.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, since the three expanded portions X are provided at the same time opposite the positions where the electric staplers 100a and 100b are arranged, the electric staplers 100a and 100b are
00b, the head part 111 and anvil part 112 can easily move to the binding position as shown in FIG. 2, without interfering with the sheets S stored in the lower bin B. Sheets can be bound securely.

Although the example in which the sheets S are aligned using one side reference on the front side has been shown above, it is also possible to align the sheets S using one side reference on the back side. Furthermore, in the above example, it is of course possible to align the sheets S using the second alignment member 32 using the first alignment member 23 as a reference depending on the case.

Next, referring to FIG. 9, a description will be given of the case where the sheets S are conveyed into the bin B by dividing the sheet width around the center line.

[0061] If the width of the S sheet S is large, the first alignment part 2
If the amount of movement of 3 is small, matching is performed as described above.

When the width M of the sheet S is small, the amount of movement N of the sheet S on the bin B is large, and the interval between the sheets S to be conveyed is small, if the first alignment member 23 is not moved at high speed, the next conveyance will be delayed. Since the first aligning member 23 will interfere with the sheet S that is coming, if the second aligning member 32 is moved to the position and fixed, and the first aligning member 23 performs the same alignment as above, the first aligning member The amount of movement of 23 is reduced, making the alignment action easier. In this case, the sheet S is discharged at the second
This is a position further back than the fixed position of the alignment member 32. Note that the first alignment member 23 is fixed and the second alignment member 32 is fixed.
Alternatively, the sheets S may be aligned by the following steps.

Next, the action of taking out a bundle of sheets S will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. In response to the sheet bundle take-out signal, first, the bin B from which the sheets S are taken out moves to a position (Bc) facing the push-out member 101, and the second aligning member 32 returns to the standby position. Then, the push-out member 101 rotates from the standby position N to a predetermined push-out position O depending on the sheet size. The front end of the sheet S moves onto the sheet take-out roller 102 and stops. Then, in response to a signal from a detection means (not shown), the presser roller 105 descends and presses the bundle of sheets S onto the sheet take-out roller 102, and then the sheet take-out roller 102 is driven and conveyed to the front side, and placed on the receiving tray 106. It will be placed. (Note that depending on the state of the bundle of sheets S, the tray 106 may be
, V direction) Also, the bundle of unbound sheets S is taken out from bin B where it was last discharged and stored, and the bundle of bound sheets S is taken out from bin B where it was last bound. It is efficient if this is done.

At this time, based on the bin shift completion signal,
A series of operations are performed by the sheet take-out roller 102 and the presser roller 105, and in response to a completion signal of this operation, the next bin shift operation is performed, and by repeating this, the stacking operation on the receiving tray 106 is automatically completed.

[0065] Here, the bin shift may be started while the sheet is being taken out.

Next, the sheet binding operation will be explained.

First, in the case of two-position binding, the electric stapler 100b is configured to be movable in the direction of arrow F by a drive means (not shown). In the case of a large size sheet S, as shown in FIG. 7, the staples 113 bind at positions a distance K from both ends of the sheet S, respectively. In the case of a small size sheet S, the stapler 100b is moved to position W, as shown in FIG. This allows the distances of the needles 113 from both ends of the sheet S to be the same even if the sheet size changes. Also, make the notch B1 of bottle B slightly larger,
If the electric stapler 100a is also movable in the direction of arrow F, it becomes possible to arbitrarily select the distance K.

Furthermore, when changing the distance K from the edge of the sheet S shown in FIG. 10, as shown in FIG.
The second aligning member 32 is moved to a position farther back than the position shown in FIG. Set the distance. Stapler 100b staple 1
The position 13 is also set at a distance L from the edge of the sheet S on the back side. In this way, it is possible to perform binding by changing the size of the sheets S and the binding position.

Next, in the case of one piece of binding, as shown in FIG.
Stapling is performed by positioning the needle 113 at an arbitrary distance D from the front end of the sheet S without moving the sheet S. In this way, stapler 10
Stapling operation can be performed without moving 0a. Therefore, the notch B1 of the bottle B can be made smaller.

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, only one stapler 100a is provided. In this case, the sheets S are moved by the pushing member 101 to perform binding, and when the alignment by the first and second alignment members 23 and 32 is completed, the stapler 100a provided on the front side moves the sheets S to the front side. Stitch the needle 113 at a distance of O from the edge. After this, the second alignment member 32 moves to the standby position, and then the push-out member 101
moves to position Y, and the rollers 102 and 105 move the stapler 113 of the stapler 100a a distance O from the back end of the sheet S.
The sheet S is conveyed until it reaches the position , and the staples 113 are stitched. Then, the front end and the back end of the sheet S are the same distance O.
A bundle of sheets S bound in two places is discharged onto a receiving tray 106 by rollers 105 and 102.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, one stapler 100a is configured to be movable in the direction of arrow G and vice versa. In this case, after the sheets S are aligned by the first and second alignment members 23 and 32, the electric stapler 100a provided on the back side staples the staples 113 at a distance K from the back end of the sheet S, and then, The stapler 100a moves in the direction of arrow G and staples the sheet S at a position a distance K from the front side with the staples 113. And the stapler 100a is arrow G
Return in the opposite direction and prepare for the next operation. By repeating this operation of the stapler 100a, the bundles of sheets S on all the bins B are stapled. In this way, a plurality of staples 113 are used to staple a bundle of sheets S using one stapler 100a, so costs can be reduced. In addition, notch B
2 may be made wider to accommodate different sizes of the sheets S.

Next, still another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, only one electric stapler 100a is provided, and a return member 107 similar to the first alignment member 23 is further provided. This return member 107 includes an axis 107a, an arm 107b, and a return rod 107c. Then, the bin B is enlarged due to the sheet S having a large movement amount, and the pushing member 101
', the stroke of the first alignment member 23' is expanded, and a notch B4 is provided in which the return rod 107c moves.

[0075] Thus, the first and second alignment members 23', 3
When the alignment is completed in step 2', the stapler 100a staples the sheets S with the staples 113 at a distance O from the front side. Then, when the second alignment member 32' moves to the standby position,
The push-out member 101' moves to position YO, and the stapler 1
00a, the sheet S is conveyed until the staple 113 is at a distance O from the rear end of the sheet S, and the staple 113 is stapled. Then, after returning the return member 107 to the reference position on the bin B by rotating it to the ta position (it may be near the reference position), the return pressing member 107 returns to the standby position and Wait for operation for seat S.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the first and second aligning members 23' and 32' align the sheet S by a distance U from the back side of the electric stapler 100a, and then The aligning member 32' returns to the standby position, the pushing member 101' moves the sheet S, binds the staples 113 at a distance W from the front end of the sheet S, and then the pushing member 101' moves the sheet S further. Then, the staples 113 are stapled at a position a distance W from the rear end of the sheet S. Then, by rotating the return member 107 to position T, it is returned to approximately the reference position on the bottle B. Sheet S at this reference position is in bin B
Since the stapler 100a does not interfere with the stapler 100a when it moves, there is no need to move the stapler 100a in the direction of arrow J.

In this embodiment, when the return member 107 is not provided, when the stapler operates the sheet S on the second bin,
If the sheet S is long, the second alignment member 32' will not work, but the stapling operation is possible. Also, here, instead of the return member 107, the tray 10 described in FIG.
Of course, the rollers 105 and 102 for discharging the paper to the tray 6 may be rotated forward or reverse (at this time, the tray 106 may not be provided).

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18.

In this embodiment, a first alignment member 109 is provided in place of the first alignment member 23 of the previous embodiment. This first alignment member 109 is configured as follows. The upper and lower arms 10 are connected to the sorter body 6 by a shaft 109d.
9a and 109b are pivotally supported, and this upper and lower arm 10
An alignment rod 109c is vertically attached to the tips of 9a and 109b. These upper and lower arms 109a, 10
A center shaft 110a is vertically installed in the middle of the center shaft 9b, and the electric stapler 100a, 10
An arm 110b is attached to a position facing 0b, and a pushing piece 110c at the tip end of this arm 110b is attached.

[0080] These central shafts 110a and arm 1
10b and a pusher piece 110c, the pushing member 110 is formed by a notch 11 provided in the bottle B as shown in FIG.
1, so it does not interfere with Bin B. Further, the central shaft 110a is rotatably driven by a driving means (not shown) using a belt 112 or the like.

In the above configuration, when the sheets S are discharged onto the bin B, they are aligned by the first alignment member 109 and the second alignment member 32. Then, when the operator makes a selection, the second aligning member 32 returns to its original position after being stapled by the electric staplers 100a and 100b, and the extruding member 110 moves in the direction of the arrow W while the first aligning member 109 remains in its original position. The stack of bound sheets S is sent out to rollers 102 and 105, and stacked on a receiving tray 106 by these rollers 102 and 105.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 19, even when a stopper B' is provided at the leading end of the sheet S in the conveyance direction and an electric stapler 100 is provided near this stopper B', the present invention can be applied. is applicable.

[0083] In the embodiment, a type of sorter in which the bins are moved by a lead cam is exemplified, but the present invention can also be applied to a type of sorter in which the interval between bins is switched by a link 300, as shown in Fig. 20.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 21, the Geneva mechanism 3
The present invention can also be applied to a type of sorter that switches the interval between bins using 01.

Further, as shown in FIG. 22, it has two sorter units 302 and 303, and the sorter unit 30
The present invention is also applicable to a type of sorter having a post-processing station 305 between 2 and 303.

Further, as described above, the present invention can be applied whether the sorter 1 has the receiving tray 106 or not.

The present invention can also be applied to post-processing devices such as punching devices and gluing devices instead of staplers.

[0088]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, since the first alignment member and the second alignment member align both ends of the sheet on the sheet tray, the first and second alignment members By changing the position, the sheet can be reliably and quickly aligned to any position on the sheet tray.

Furthermore, by providing post-processing means such as sheet binding, sheets can be aligned at any position on the sheet receiving tray, and sheet post-processing can be performed at any position. Even if the size of the sheet changes or the number of sheets to be processed changes, sheet post-processing can be performed reliably.

Further, by stacking the sheets on the sheet receiving tray on the stacking section by the conveyance means, the sheets on the sheet receiving tray can be taken out, and the capacity of the sheet post-processing device can be increased.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a copying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical side view of the sorter.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sorter.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bin unit.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional plan view showing the relationship between the lead cam and the trunnion.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the state in which the bin is moved by the lead cam.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the operating state of the sorter.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the vicinity of the bottle.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing another operating state of the sorter.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing still another operating state.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another operating state thereof.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing still another operating state thereof.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the operation of a sorter according to another embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing another operating state.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the operating state of a sorter according to still another embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing another operating state.

FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a sorter showing another embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing the sorter operating state of another embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a longitudinal side view showing another type of sorter.

FIG. 20 is a longitudinal side view showing still another type of sorter.

FIG. 21 is a longitudinal side view showing another type of sorter.

FIG. 22 is a longitudinal side view showing yet another type of sorter.

FIG. 23 is a plan view showing a conventional sorter.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Sheet post-processing device (sorter) 23
First alignment member 32 Second alignment member 100a, 100b Post-processing means (electric stapler) 102, 105 Conveying means (sheet take-out roller, presser roller) 106 Loading section (receiving tray) B
Sheet tray (bin) B' Sheet stopper (stopper) S Sheet

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A sheet post-processing device comprising at least one sheet tray for storing sheets, and a sheet discharge means for discharging the sheet to the sheet tray, wherein one side of the sheet stored in the sheet tray is provided. A sheet post-processing device comprising: a movable first sheet aligning means for aligning edges; and a movable second sheet aligning means for aligning the other side edge of the sheet. 2. A sheet post-processing device comprising at least one sheet tray for storing sheets, and a sheet discharge means for discharging the sheet to the sheet tray, wherein one side of the sheet stored in the sheet tray is provided. A movable first sheet aligning means for aligning the edges, a movable second sheet aligning means for aligning the other side edge of the sheet, and post-processing such as binding of the sheets on the sheet tray. A sheet post-processing device comprising: post-processing means for performing the following steps. 3. A sheet post-processing device comprising at least one sheet tray for storing sheets, and a sheet discharge means for discharging the sheet to the sheet tray, wherein one side of the sheet stored in the sheet tray is provided. a movable first sheet aligning means for aligning the edges, a movable second aligning means for aligning the other side edge of the sheet, a conveying means for conveying the sheet on the sheet receiving tray; A sheet post-processing device comprising: a sheet stacking section that receives and stacks conveyed sheets. 4. A sheet post-processing device comprising at least one sheet tray for storing sheets and a sheet discharge means for discharging the sheet to the sheet tray, wherein one side edge of the sheet stored in the sheet tray is The first step to perform alignment is
a second aligning means for aligning the other side edge of the sheet; a post-processing means for performing post-processing such as binding of the sheet on the sheet tray; A sheet post-processing device characterized in that the sheet post-processing device is provided with a conveying means for conveying the sheets and a sheet stacking section for receiving and stacking the conveyed sheets. 5. A sheet post-processing device comprising a sheet discharging means for discharging the sheet to at least one sheet receiving tray for storing sheets, wherein a sheet discharging means is provided at a position corresponding to a sheet stopper for regulating the position of the sheet on the sheet receiving tray. A sheet post-processing device comprising a post-processing unit for performing post-processing such as binding on the sheet. 6. An image forming means for forming an image on a sheet, at least one sheet tray for storing the sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming means, and a sheet discharging means for discharging the sheet to the sheet tray. , a movable first sheet aligning means for aligning one side edge of the sheets stored in the sheet receiving tray; a movable second sheet aligning means for aligning the other side edge of the sheet; a post-processing means for performing post-processing such as binding the sheets on the sheet tray;
An image forming apparatus equipped with