JPH10152258A - Paper after-treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an injury of an operator and deformation of a discharge claw by retreating the discharge claw automatically into a safe place untouched by hand in pulling out a stapling unit. SOLUTION: During stand-by or during action excluding a stapling mode, a discharge claw 13 is stationary in the 'ON' state of a sensor S2 for detecting its position. When a stapling unit is pulled out frontward, the discharge claw 13 acts and moves only by the fixed distance simultaneously with detection of a stapling unit changeover switch being turned off. At the time of pulling out the stapling unit, the discharge claw 13 is thus retreated into a safe place untouched by hand so as to prevent an injury of an operator and deformation of the discharge claw 13. When staples run out, a staple presence detecting sensor is turned off. At this time, the discharge claw 13 acts and moves by the specified distance in the same way.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, etc., and more particularly, to a sheet aligning tray section for stacking sheets in a state where sheets are aligned, and a sheet aligning tray section. Pull out a stapler unit that has a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the stacker, and a discharge claw that aligns the edges of the sheets on the sheet alignment tray and feeds the stapled sheet bundle toward the discharge unit. The present invention relates to a retractable mechanism of a discharge claw in a sheet post-processing device provided so as to be capable of being provided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A sheet aligning tray unit for stacking sheets in a state where sheets are aligned, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the sheet aligning tray unit, a sheet aligning unit on the sheet aligning tray unit, and stapling. 2. Description of the Related Art A paper post-processing apparatus has been conventionally proposed in which a staple unit having a discharge claw that feeds a bound sheet bundle toward a paper discharge unit is provided so as to be able to be pulled out. The discharge claw is fixed at a predetermined place except when the discharge claw is operated to send out the stapled sheet bundle toward the discharge section.

[0003]

By the way, the staple unit is used when the staple of the internal staple runs out, when the staple is jammed, or when a paper jam occurs in the staple unit. For the maintenance, the sheet is drawn out of the sheet post-processing apparatus (mainly on the front side of the hand).
However, conventionally, when the staple unit is pulled out, there is a discharge claw at a position where the discharge claw can be easily touched by an operator (user), which may cause an injury to the operator or a deformation of the discharge claw. There was a problem that caused unexpected trouble.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to prevent a trouble caused by a discharge claw, such as injury to a discharge claw hitting a hand or deformation of a discharge claw, when a staple unit is pulled out to perform an operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper post-processing apparatus capable of performing the following.

[0005]

The object of the present invention is to provide a sheet aligning tray section for stacking sheets in a state where sheets are aligned, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the sheet aligning tray section, and a sheet aligning section on the sheet aligning tray section. In a sheet post-processing device provided with a discharge stapler having a discharge claw that feeds a stapled sheet bundle toward a discharge unit while aligning the end portions of the paper with The first problem is solved by automatically retreating the ejection claw to a safe place where the ejection claw is not touched. Further, the object is to provide a sheet aligning tray unit that stacks sheets in a state where the sheets are aligned, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the sheet aligning tray unit, and aligning the edges of the sheets on the sheet aligning tray unit. In a paper post-processing apparatus provided with a staple unit capable of pulling out a staple unit having a discharge claw that feeds a staple-bound sheet bundle toward a paper discharge unit, when replenishing staples when the staples of the stapler are used up, Second, the discharge claw is automatically retracted to a safe place where the discharge claw is not touched. Further, the object is to provide a sheet aligning tray unit that stacks sheets in a state where the sheets are aligned, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the sheet aligning tray unit, and aligning the edges of the sheets on the sheet aligning tray unit. In a paper post-processing apparatus provided with a staple unit capable of pulling out a staple unit having a discharge claw that feeds a staple-bound sheet bundle toward a paper discharge unit, when the staple stapler of the stapler is clogged, The problem is solved by a third means for automatically retreating the discharge claw to a safe place where it is not touched when removing. Further, the object is to provide a sheet aligning tray unit that stacks sheets in a state where the sheets are aligned, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the sheet aligning tray unit, and aligning the edges of the sheets on the sheet aligning tray unit. A sheet post-processing apparatus provided with a discharge claw that has a discharge claw that feeds a stapled sheet bundle toward a discharge section, wherein a jammed sheet is generated when paper remains in the staple unit. The problem is solved by a fourth means for automatically retreating the discharge claw to a safe place where the discharge claw is not touched when removing. Further, a fifth object of the present invention is to provide a method according to the second and third means, wherein the discharge claw is automatically retracted to a safe place where the user does not touch the discharge claw every time the mode in which the job can be performed irrespective of the stapling is terminated. It is solved by the means of.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

The paper post-processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is attached to a paper discharge section of the image forming apparatus 1, and the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 is directly discharged by a switching claw 2 to a paper discharge tray (shift tray). 3, a first transport path A for sorting and stacking, a second transport path B for stapling or reversing, and a sheet that has entered the second transport path B due to the reverse rotation of the transport roller 8 is returned to the first transport path A again. And a third transport path C leading to the second transport path. 2a is the center of rotation of the switching claw 2. The paper discharge tray 3 arranged at the most downstream side of the third transport path C has a function of stacking both sheets that are not stapled and sheets that are stapled.

A conveying roller 4 and a driven roller 5 for receiving the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 are provided near the entrance of the sheet post-processing apparatus, and an entrance sensor S1 is provided immediately before the conveyance roller 4 and the driven roller 5. The leading and trailing edges of the conveyed sheet are detected. The transport roller 4
The switching claw 2 is disposed downstream of the device, and the transport direction can be changed to any of the first transport path A and the second transport path B by a solenoid and a spring (not shown). . A transport roller 6 and a driven roller 7 driven by the transport roller 6 are arranged in the first transport path A, and guide the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 directly to the discharge tray 3. Also, in the second transport path B for stapling and reversing, the transport roller 8 and the driven roller 9 each having a brush described later are provided, and the paper is transported to the staple unit D at the time of staple, and at the time of reversal. The third transport path C is guided.

The other units shown in FIG. 1 will be described later with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the staple unit D (a side view when FIG.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the same. Note that FIGS. 3 and 4 show the positions of the ejection claws differently, and the details will be described later. The stapling unit D includes a stapler 10 for stapling, a jogger fence 11 for aligning sheets in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, a discharge belt 12 for discharging the stapled sheets to the discharge tray 3,
And a discharge claw 13 and a staple tray 2 fixed thereto.
0, a reference fence 21 and the like. Note that S2
Is a sensor for detecting the position of the ejection claw 13, so that the position of the rear end of the paper is always constant even for different paper sizes.
Adjusting its position. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper reference for staple is arranged outside the maximum width of the paper when the paper is inverted. Here, the discharge claw 13 functions as a fence for aligning the edges of the paper on the staple tray (the paper alignment tray section described in the claims) 20 and the stapled paper bundle is directed to the paper discharge tray 3. It also has the function of sending out.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the paper discharge section. A paper discharge roller 14 and a paper discharge driven roller 17 that follows the paper discharge roller 14 are disposed at a paper discharge port to the paper discharge tray 3, and discharge paper that is not stapled, stapled, and inverted paper. The sheet is discharged to the paper tray 3. The paper discharge driven roller 17 is normally at a position in contact with the paper discharge roller 14, but can be moved around the fulcrum a together with the paper discharge guide plate 18 to the position indicated by the one-dot chain line as necessary. . The discharge tray 3 can be moved in the vertical direction along the guide plate 22 by the vertical guide rollers 15.
It is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown). The discharge tray 3 can also be moved by a shift guide roller 16 in a direction perpendicular to the paper discharge direction (vertical direction in the figure), and the shift operation is also performed by a drive mechanism (not shown). S3 is an upper surface detection sensor for detecting the upper surface of the discharged paper, and a discharge tray so that the upper surface of the discharged and stacked paper is always at a fixed position with respect to the discharge roller 14. The height of 3 is adjusted. FIG.
, 23 indicates a reversing guide, and S4 indicates a reversing entrance sensor.

The operation includes a sort / stat mode in which sheets are discharged directly to the discharge tray 3 one by one without performing stapling, a staple mode in which sheets are stapled and then discharged, and a stapling mode in which the sheets are inverted and then discharged. It is divided into three modes: a paper reversal mode.

Hereinafter, each mode will be described separately. (1) Sort / stack mode The switching claw 2 is located at the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 1, and the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 is sent to the first transport path A, and is transported to the paper discharge port by the transport rollers 6. Sent. At this time, the paper discharge driven roller 17 is always in contact with the paper discharge roller 14 while being pressed by its own weight, and the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 3 by this. The discharged sheets are sequentially discharged by the predetermined number of sheets to the discharge tray 3, and the sensor S3 detects the upper surface thereof, so that the upper surface of the sheet is adjusted so that the upper surface is always at a constant height. It is stacked on the paper tray 3. If necessary, the paper discharge tray 3 performs a shift operation in a direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction to sort the paper. Also, in a reversing mode to be described later, the discharge tray 3
Performs a similar operation.

(2) Staple mode The switching claw 2 is at the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1, and the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 is reversed and guided to the second transport path B.
It is transported to the staple unit D. At this time, the discharge claw 13 is moved on the transport path of the staple tray 20 by the sensor S2 such that the rear end of the sheet is always at a fixed position with respect to the transport roller 8. A brush roller 8 'larger than the diameter of the roller 8 is provided on the same axis as the conveying roller 8, so that the leading end of the sheet abuts on the discharge claw 13 and the trailing end is directed toward the staple tray 20. It is stacked in a state pressed against.

Next, the jogger fence 11 performs an operation of moving toward the reference fence 21 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and the sheets are stacked in a state where they hit the reference fence 21 and the discharge claw 13. Each time a sheet enters the staple tray 20, the same operation is repeated, and the sheets are stacked in an aligned state. Next, a stapling operation is performed by the stapler 10, and the stapled sheet bundle is conveyed in the direction of the discharge roller 14 by the discharge claw 13 serving as a reference in the conveyance direction, and discharged onto the discharge tray 3. You. After the paper is ejected, the sheet abuts against the guide plate 22 by its own weight, and is stacked with its rear ends aligned. The sheet bundle stacked for a predetermined number of copies is controlled so that the upper surface of the sheet is always at a fixed position, as in the sort / stack mode.

(3) Reverse Mode The switching claw 2 is located at the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 similarly to the staple mode, and the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 is reversed to the second transport path B. Be guided. At this time, the tip of the switching claw 2 is pressurized in a state of being overlapped with the reversing guide 23, and the sheet is conveyed so as to push it away. Next, when the trailing end passes through the switching claw 2, the transport roller 8 rotates in the reverse direction, and the sheet is switched back in the inverted state and sent to the third transport path C, and again transported through the first transport path A. The sheet is sent to a sheet discharge port by the roller 6. The reverse rotation timing of the transport roller 8 is obtained from the output of the reverse entrance sensor S4. At this time, the discharge claw 13 fixed to the discharge belt 12 has escaped to a position where it does not hit the leading end of the sheet guided to the second transport path B. This position is set by a sensor S2 that detects the position of the ejection claw 13.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the retraction operation of the discharge claw 13, which is a main part of the present invention, will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, at the time of operation other than the standby mode or the stipple mode,
The discharge claw 13 is stationary with the sensor S2 for detecting its position turned on.

First, a first embodiment will be described. When the staple unit D is pulled out toward the user, the discharge claw 13 is moved by a certain distance from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. I do. In the first embodiment, when the staple unit D is pulled out, the ejection claw 13 is retracted to a safe place where the staple unit D is not touched by a hand. The deformation of the ejection claw can be prevented.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. When the staples disappear, the staple presence sensor (not shown) turns off. Then, when the staple needle presence / absence detection sensor is turned off, the discharge claw 13 operates for a fixed distance from the position shown in FIG. 4 and moves to the position shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, when the staple unit D is pulled out, the discharge claw 13 is retracted to a safe place where the user does not touch the discharge claw in order to cope with a trouble when the staple needle runs out. As a result, it is possible to prevent the operator from being injured and to prevent the discharge claw 13 from being deformed.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. When the stapling needle is clogged, a stapling operation switch (not shown) does not turn on or off even after a certain period of time. When this state is detected, the discharge claw 13 moves by a fixed distance from the position shown in FIG. 4 and moves to the position shown in FIG. In the third embodiment, in order to cope with a trouble when the staple needle is clogged, when the staple unit D is pulled out, the discharge claw 13 is evacuated to a safe place where the hand is not touched. As a result, it is possible to prevent the operator from being injured and to prevent the discharge claw 13 from being deformed.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In the reversing mode, the transfer paper is guided to the second conveyance path B, so that the discharge claw 13 is at the position shown in FIG. 4 so as not to hit the transfer paper.
When a jam occurs and the reversing entrance sensor S4 or a sensor (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet in the staple unit D is turned on at this time, the discharge claw 13 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. Until the discharge claw 13 touches the hand when the jammed paper is removed. In the fourth embodiment, in order to cope with a trouble when paper jam occurs,
When the staple unit D is pulled out, the ejection claw 13 is retracted to a safe place where the staple unit D is not touched by the hand, so that injury to the operator and deformation of the ejection claw 13 can be prevented.

When the staples have run out or are jammed, the staple mode cannot be used, but jobs in other modes (sort / stack mode, reverse mode, etc.) are possible. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, when the stapling needle is lost or clogged, the ejection claw 13 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 3. (The position shown). Then, after the job is completed, it is moved again to the position shown in FIG. In the fifth embodiment, each time the mode in which a job can be performed irrespective of stipple ends, the discharge claw 13
Is automatically retracted to a safe place where it cannot be touched, so that in the case of a job other than the staple mode, the ejection claw 13 is returned to a predetermined position, and by executing the mode, the productivity is improved. Drop can be prevented.

[0022]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the staple unit is pulled out, the ejection claw is retracted to a safe place where the staple unit is not touched by a hand, thereby preventing the operator from being injured and the ejection claw. Can be prevented from being deformed.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in order to cope with a trouble when the staple needle is lost, when the staple unit is pulled out, the discharge claw is retracted to a safe place where the staple unit is not touched by the hand. Injury of the user and the deformation of the ejection claw can be prevented. According to the third aspect of the present invention, in order to cope with a trouble when the staple needle is clogged, when the staple unit is pulled out, the discharge claw is retracted to a safe place where the staple unit is not touched by the hand. Injury of the user and the deformation of the ejection claw can be prevented. According to the invention described in claim 4, when the staple unit is pulled out in order to cope with a trouble when paper jam occurs,
Since the discharge claw is retracted to a safe place where the discharge claw is not touched, it is possible to prevent the injury of the operator and the deformation of the discharge claw. According to the fifth aspect of the invention, when the job is in a mode other than the staple mode, the ejection claw is returned to a predetermined position, and by executing the mode, it is possible to prevent a decrease in productivity.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the staple unit.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the staple unit in a state where a discharge claw is at a first position.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the staple unit in a state where a discharge claw is at a second position.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of discharging a sheet bundle in a staple mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A first transport path B second transport path C third transport path D staple unit 10 stapler 11 jogger fence 12 paper discharge belt 13 discharge claw 20 staple tray 21 reference fence

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kenji Yamada 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] A sheet aligning tray for stacking sheets in a state where the sheets are aligned, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the sheet aligning tray, and aligning edges of the sheets on the sheet aligning tray; A sheet post-processing apparatus provided with a discharge claw having a discharge claw for sending a stapled sheet bundle toward a paper discharge unit, wherein the discharge claw is touched by hand when the stapling unit is pulled out. A paper post-processing device characterized in that it is automatically evacuated to a safe place. 2. A sheet aligning tray section for stacking sheets in a state where sheets are aligned, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the sheet aligning tray section, and aligning edges of the sheets on the sheet aligning tray section. A sheet post-processing apparatus provided with a pull-out unit having a discharge claw for feeding a stapled sheet bundle toward a discharge unit, wherein when the stapler of the stapler runs out, the staple supply is performed. Wherein the discharge claw is automatically retracted to a safe place where it is not touched by a hand. 3. A sheet aligning tray section for stacking sheets in a state where sheets are aligned, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the sheet aligning tray section, and aligning edges of the sheets on the sheet aligning tray section. A sheet post-processing apparatus provided with a stapler unit capable of pulling out a stapling unit having a discharge claw that feeds a stapled sheet bundle toward a sheet discharge unit. A sheet post-processing device, wherein the ejection claw is automatically retracted to a safe place where it is not touched when removing. 4. A sheet aligning tray section for stacking sheets in a state where sheets are aligned, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the sheet aligning tray section, and aligning edges of the sheets on the sheet aligning tray section. A sheet post-processing device provided with a staple unit capable of pulling out a staple unit having a discharge claw that feeds a staple-bound sheet bundle toward a paper discharge unit, wherein a jammed sheet is generated when paper remains in the staple unit. A sheet post-processing device for automatically retreating the discharge claw to a safe place where the claw is not touched when removing the sheet. 5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the discharge claw is automatically retracted to a safe place where it is not touched by the hand each time a mode in which a job can be performed irrespective of stapling is completed. A paper post-processing device characterized by the above-mentioned.