JPH09309655A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To resolve the inconvenience cansed by the increased height of an image forming device when after treatment means like a finish section and mail box section are installed and avoid reduction of advantage of conveying pass method in the vertical direction. SOLUTION: At the one side of the image forming device 4, positioning a picture processing section 6 at the central portion, and a paper feed section 8 at the lower side, and a paper delivering section 10 at the upper side, and a transferring path 12 extending upwardly and almost orthogonally are installed. At the upper surface of the system, a relaying system 18 is provided in parallel with the upper surface 4a, and the relaying section 18 is connected to a finish section 16 positioned at the one side of the device main body 4 and the delivery section 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention particularly relates to a finisher for post-processing a sheet discharged (output) from an apparatus,
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus to which post-processing means such as a mailbox, a sorter, and a sorter stapler can be attached.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a so-called multi-function copying machine of this type is provided with a sheet discharge section at the upper part of the apparatus. In the case of normal sheet discharge, a sheet on which a target image is formed is discharged through the sheet discharge section. It is configured to be stacked on the top surface of the device.

Further, until now, the copying machine base has been made to the last, and when used as a printer, a reversing mechanism is mounted on a peripheral machine or the like for outputting in page order. However, with the rapid spread of personal computers in recent years, printer-based construction is becoming mainstream. Therefore, the proposed form is a substantially vertical transport path system, that is, a system in which the image forming means is arranged in the middle, the paper feed section is arranged in the lower part, and the paper discharge section is arranged in the upper part so that the image surface faces downward. is there.

To explain this in detail, as shown in FIG. 5, in the height direction of the apparatus main body 50, the paper reading unit 54 is located below the image reading and forming unit 52, and the paper discharging unit 56 is located above.
Is provided to form a sheet conveying path 58 extending in a substantially vertical direction. The sheet supplied by the paper feed roller group 62 from the paper feed tray 60 of the paper feed unit 54 is sent to the registration roller pair 64 by the transport roller located on the sheet transport path 58. Then, the registration roller pair 6 is timed with the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 66 by the writing unit 65 corresponding to the image data from the scanner or personal computer (not shown).
4, the toner image is transferred to the transfer unit 68.
The sheet S on which the unfixed toner image is placed is conveyed to the fixing section 70, is conveyed to the sheet discharging section 56 after fixing, and is normally discharged onto the upper surface 50a of the apparatus to be stacked.

According to the above-mentioned embodiment, the sheet conveying path is very short as compared with the conventional copying machines, and most of the sheet conveying path can be exposed only by opening one side surface of the apparatus. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the output time from sheet feeding to sheet discharging, improve the sheet transportability, and obtain very good jam removability.

[0006]

It is possible to add a double-sided unit or a mailbox in the case of the above-mentioned conventional substantially vertical conveying path system or in the case of other cases. On the other hand, even in these so-called top-face paper discharge type image forming apparatuses, there is a demand to further attach a finisher such as a finisher to the side surface of the apparatus. However,
In any of the above-mentioned conventional structures, there is a problem in that post-processing means such as a finisher and a mailbox cannot coexist.

The reason for this will be described below by taking the substantially vertical transport path system as an example. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, when a mail box 72 having a 4-bin tray as a post-processing unit is mounted above the apparatus main body 50 as a general form, the apparatus height as a system increases. Especially,
When the reading scanner is installed above the apparatus, the operation surface of the reading scanner becomes extremely high, which makes the operation difficult.
Since the apparatus is expensive, the number of bins and the number of loaded sheets in the mailbox 72 are naturally limited, and only simple post-processing devices, that is, post-processing devices with low function can be installed.

Further, for example, when the mail box 72 is mounted above the apparatus main body 50, it becomes difficult to add a finisher. Further, since four directions, that is, a normal paper discharge, a double-sided reversal path, and a path to the post-processing system are required, branching of the path becomes complicated, and cost increase and conveyance quality deterioration are likely to occur. This is nothing but the merits of the substantially vertical transport path method. When forming a double-sided image, after the image is formed on one side by the above process, the upper surface 50a of the apparatus main body 50 is used to perform switchback reversal (arrow R), and a double-sided path 76 in the double-sided unit 74 is passed. From the upstream side of the registration roller pair 64, the sheet is merged into the sheet conveying path 58 of the apparatus main body 50. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 78 indicates a manual feed unit.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of eliminating problems such as coexistence of a plurality of post-processing means with respect to the apparatus main body and making full use of the merit thereof in the substantially vertical transport path system. To do.

[0010]

[Means for Solving the Problems] Contrary to the conventional fixed idea that the post-processing means is directly connected to the paper discharge portion, the downstream portion of the paper discharge portion is extended along the shape of the main body of the apparatus, and the extended portion is also provided. A conveyance function is provided, which increases the degree of freedom of the installation position of the post-processing means. This is the gist of the present invention. Specifically, in the invention according to claim 1, a sheet discharge unit is provided in the upper portion of the apparatus, and in the case of normal sheet discharge, the sheet on which the target image is formed is stacked on the upper surface of the apparatus through the sheet discharge unit. In the forming apparatus, a relay unit including a sheet conveying path connectable to the sheet discharge section and a conveying unit is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus so as to extend in the horizontal direction of the apparatus. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the structure according to the first aspect, the image forming section is provided below the sheet discharging section, and the sheet feeding section is provided below the image forming section. Is an apparatus configuration for forming and feeding a target image on a sheet surface by feeding and conveying the sheet substantially vertically.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the second aspect, the upper surface of the device is set lower than a predetermined level with respect to the paper discharge port of the paper discharge unit, and thus the space between the paper discharge unit and the upper surface of the device is set. The configuration is such that the relay unit is housed in the concave portion formed in. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the third aspect, the sheet discharge port of the sheet discharge unit and the transport path of the relay unit are arranged on substantially the same straight line.

According to the invention of claim 5, claim 1 or 2
In the configuration described above, a configuration is adopted in which a paper discharge processing unit is mounted on the downstream side of the relay unit.
Here, the paper discharge processing means refers to a concept including post-processing means such as a finisher, a mailbox, a sorter, a sorter stapler, and a normal paper discharge tray (hereinafter the same). According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, the relay unit itself has a tray of at least one bin or more. According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the configuration according to the first or second aspect, the relay unit itself has a plurality of trays and has a sorting function of sorting the sheets.

According to the invention of claim 8, claim 1 or 2
In the configuration described above, the relay unit itself has a tray of at least one bin or more, and a sheet discharge processing unit is mounted on the downstream side of the relay unit, and a sheet discharged from the sheet discharge unit is The configuration is such that it is possible to sort by the tray and the paper discharge processing means. According to a ninth aspect of the invention, in the configuration according to the first or second aspect, the relay unit has a reversing path different from the sheet conveying path. According to a tenth aspect of the invention, in the configuration according to the ninth aspect, the inversion path is formed by the upper surface of the device.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention (application example in a substantially vertical transport path system) will be described below with reference to FIG. On one side of the image forming apparatus 2, in the height direction of the apparatus main body 4, a sheet feeding section 8 is located below the image forming section 6 and an ejecting section 1 is located above.
0 is provided. With this vertical arrangement configuration, the sheet conveying path 12 extending in a substantially vertical direction is formed.
The main process equipment of the image forming section 6 and the sheet feeding section 8 are built in the apparatus main body 4 so that most of the sheet conveying path 12 can be exposed only by opening one side surface of the apparatus. . A double-sided unit 14 is mounted on the sheet conveying path 12 side of the apparatus main body 4, and a sorter 16 as an example of a post-processing unit as a paper discharge processing unit having a plurality of bin trays 16a is mounted on the opposite side. A relay unit 18 as a paper discharging unit that connects the paper discharging unit 10 having a paper discharging port 10a to the sorter 16 on the upper surface is mounted in a state of extending in the horizontal direction of the apparatus, that is, substantially parallel to the apparatus upper surface 4a. Has been done. A manual feed unit 20 is provided below the duplex unit 14. Therefore, by disposing the duplex unit 14, the sorter 16 as the post-processing means (paper discharge processing means), and the manual feed unit 20 on both sides of the image forming apparatus 20 as described above, the upper surface of the apparatus is effectively utilized. Therefore, the operability of the jam processing of the double-sided unit 14 and the processing efficiency of the double-sided copying are not impaired.

In the case of the substantially vertical transport path system, FIG.
As is clear from the above, since the main equipment is biased to one side of the device, a large space is provided in the central part of the device, that is, below the device upper surface 4a. Utilizing this structural feature, the paper output unit 1
While maintaining the current height of 0, the upper surface 4a of the apparatus is set lower than a predetermined value, that is, lower than the case of the type of apparatus in which the main equipment is located in the central portion of the apparatus, whereby the paper discharge unit 10 and the upper surface 4a of the apparatus are set. The relay unit 18 is housed in the recess H formed between the relay unit 18 and the. The upper surface of the relay unit 18 is set flush with the upper surface of the paper discharge unit 10, that is, the uppermost surface of the apparatus, and the paper discharge port 10a and the relay unit 1 are arranged.
The eight conveyance paths 40 are set so as to be continuous on substantially the same straight line. As described above, in the case of the substantially vertical transport path system, the height of the paper discharge unit 10 can be maintained as it is, that is, the relay unit 18 can be installed without making the apparatus bulky. Further, when the sheet discharge port 10a and the transport path 40 of the relay unit 18 are connected on substantially the same straight line, there is an advantage that the transport distance of the sheet can be minimized. The relay unit 18 can be installed even in the case where the main device is a type of device located in the center of the device,
The same effect as above can be obtained.

The sheet S fed by the sheet feeding roller group 24 from the sheet feeding tray 22 of the sheet feeding section 8 is conveyed by the sheet conveying path 1
It is sent to the registration roller pair 26 by a carrying means such as a carrying roller located on the upper side of the second roller. Then, in correspondence with image data from a scanner or a personal computer (not shown), the writing unit 28 conveys the toner image formed on the photoconductor drum 30 to the transfer unit 32 from the registration roller pair 26 at the same timing. The toner image is transferred. The sheet S on which the unfixed toner image is placed is the fixing unit 34.
To the sheet discharge section 10 after fixing. When forming a double-sided image, after the image is formed on one side by the above process, the upper surface side of the apparatus main body 4, that is, the relay unit 18 is formed.
The switchback is reversed by using the internal structure of the registration roller pair, and the registration roller pair 2 is passed through the duplex path 36 in the duplex unit 14.
The upstream side of 6 merges with the sheet conveying path 12 of the apparatus body 4. In the case of using the manual feed unit 20, the sheet is fed to the sheet transport path 12 by the paper feed roller group 38 of the manual feed unit 20.

Inside the relay unit 18, a conveying path 40 as an extension of the sheet conveying path 12 is formed and a conveying means such as a conveying roller 42 is provided. That is, it has the same function as the sheet conveying path 12 of the apparatus main body. The sheet S on which the fixing has been completed is sent from the paper output unit 10 to the sorter 16 through the relay unit 18.
In this way, by providing the relay unit 18,
The configuration in which the post-processing means such as the sorter 16 is added in the height direction of the apparatus main body 4 can be avoided, and the arrangement of the post-processing means can be freely set. As a result, it is possible to avoid a decrease in operability due to the height of the apparatus and a restriction on the number of bins and the number of sheets to be loaded in the post-processing means. In this embodiment, the sorter 16 is illustrated as the post-processing means, but the same can be applied to a mailbox, finisher, sorter stapler and the like.

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description of the functions will be omitted unless particularly necessary. The difference from the above embodiment is that a relay unit 44 having a tray of one bin or more is provided. The relay unit 44 in this example includes four bin trays 45a, 45b, 4
5c and 45d, corresponding to these, paper discharge rollers 46a, 46b, 46c and 46d, branch claws 47a and 47
b, 47c, 47d are provided. That is, the relay unit 44 itself also has a sorting function of sorting sheets such as mailboxes and sorters. Also, the trays 45a, 45b, 45c, 45 of the relay unit 44
It is also possible to sort the sheets discharged from the paper discharge unit 10 by d and the sorter 16. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a discharge tray 48 serving as a discharge processing unit is provided on the downstream side of the relay unit 44, and trays 45a, 45b, 45c, 45d of the relay unit 44 and the discharge tray 48 are provided.
It is also possible to sort the sheets discharged from the sheet discharge unit 10 with.

As described above, when the relay unit 44 installed substantially parallel to the upper surface of the apparatus body 4 is used as a post-processing means,
Even if the number of trays is increased, the bulkiness in the device height direction can be kept constant and a little. Further, since the relay unit 44 itself has the function of the post-processing means, the device main body 4 can be provided in a state where the height of the device is not increased.
Coexistence of more post-processing means can be realized. Further, since the route to the normal paper discharge and the route to the post-processing means are the same, it is possible to avoid complication of the route. In order not to diminish the advantage of the substantially vertical transport path method that the transport path is short and the output time is short, normal paper discharge is performed in the most upstream tray, that is, the tray 45a.

In the case of forming a double-sided image, switchback reversal was conventionally performed using the paper discharge tray portion on the upper surface of the apparatus, but this is relay unit 18 or relay unit 44.
If it is carried out internally, it is necessary to provide all the transport means in the relay units 18, 44 with the forward / reverse rotation function, which leads to an increase in cost and a reduction in transport reliability. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to solve the problem by providing a branching unit 49 immediately after the paper discharge unit 10 and forming another switchback inversion path in the relay unit 44. Further, in FIG. 4, since the upper surface 4a of the apparatus main body 4 which functions as the paper discharge tray forms the switchback reversal path RE, existing equipment can be used even if a new switchback reversal path is not formed. It is possible and the configuration is simple.

[0021]

According to the invention described in claim 1, 2 or 5, since the relay unit is provided in the state in which the upper surface of the apparatus extends in the horizontal direction of the apparatus, post-processing means etc. are added to the side surface of the apparatus. can do. Further, in the case of being applied to the substantially vertical transport path system, the post-processing means and the like can be added without compromising the improvement of the jam removing property, which is an advantage thereof. According to the third aspect of the present invention, by utilizing the characteristic structure of the substantially vertical transport path system, the upper surface of the apparatus is lowered so that the height of the sheet discharge section can be maintained and the relay unit can be housed in a non-bulky state. Therefore, in addition to the above basic effects, the bulkiness of the device due to the provision of the relay unit can be prevented. According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, since the sheet discharge port of the sheet discharge section and the transport path of the relay unit are arranged to extend substantially on the same straight line, in addition to the effect of claim 3, sheet post-processing means It is possible to minimize the transport distance to the etc.

According to the invention of claim 6, 7 or 8,
Since the relay unit itself has a sorting function, the relay unit itself can be used as a post-processing means.
Alternatively, in addition to the effect described in item 2, multi-functionalization can be further improved. According to the invention of claim 9, since another switchback inversion path is provided in the relay unit, in addition to the effect of claim 1 or 2, the forward / reverse rotation function is provided in all of the transport means in the relay unit. It is possible to easily perform the switchback inversion at the time of double-sided image formation without providing the above. According to the invention described in claim 10, since the switchback reversal path uses the upper surface of the apparatus having the paper discharge tray function, in addition to the effect described in claim 9, it is easy to add a new structure. Switchback inversion can be performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of an image forming apparatus showing another embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view when the paper discharge processing means is changed in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an image forming apparatus showing still another embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing another example of a conventional image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4a Device upper surface 6 Image forming unit 8 Paper feeding unit 10 Paper discharging unit 10a Paper discharging port 12 Sheet conveying path 16 Sheeter as post-processing means as paper discharging processing means 18, 44 Relay unit 40 Conveying path 48 As paper discharging processing means Output tray H Recess S Sheet

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication G03G 15/00 510 G03G 15/00 510 530 530

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus in which a sheet discharge section is provided at the upper part of the apparatus, and a sheet on which a target image is formed is normally discharged on the upper surface of the apparatus through the sheet discharge section. The image forming apparatus is characterized in that a relay unit including a sheet conveying path connectable to the sheet discharge section and a conveying unit is provided in a state of extending in the horizontal direction of the apparatus. 2. An image forming unit is provided below the paper discharging unit, and a paper feeding unit is provided below the image forming unit, so that a sheet is fed and conveyed substantially vertically to form a target image on the sheet surface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus has an apparatus configuration for forming an image. 3. An upper surface of the apparatus is set lower than a predetermined level with respect to a sheet discharge port of the sheet discharge section, whereby the relay unit is accommodated in a recess formed between the sheet discharge section and the apparatus upper surface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is provided. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet discharge port of the sheet discharge section and the transport path of the relay unit are substantially collinear. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a paper discharge processing unit is mounted on the downstream side of the relay unit. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relay unit itself has a tray of at least one bin or more. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relay unit itself has a plurality of trays and has a sorting function of sorting sheets. 8. The relay unit itself has a tray of at least one bin or more, and a discharge processing means is mounted on the downstream side of the relay unit to discharge the sheet discharged from the discharge section. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus can be sorted by a tray and the paper discharge processing unit. 9. The relay unit has a reversing path different from the sheet conveying path.
Or the image forming apparatus according to 2. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the reversal path is formed by the upper surface of the apparatus.