JPH10181983A - Sheet processing unit and image former therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure conformability even in the case where a sorting sheet is stuck and surely make discriminate a bundle by resetting a sticking position of this sorting sheet to another position separated from a contact position with a regulating member of sheets. SOLUTION: When a sorting sheet 602a is stuck to a sticking position at the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, it is stuck to such a position where a relationship between a distance 610 up to a side 602a' nearer to a conformable reference member 44 of the sorting sheet 602a from the discharge end of a discharge sheet P and another distance 611A up to the conformable reference member 44 from the discharge end of the discharge sheet P is to be 610<=611A. In addition, when it is stuck to a sticking position at the upstream side, a sorting sheet 602b is stuck to such a position as to be 611B<=612. With these sheets 602a and 602b stuck to suchlike positions, these sheets 602a and 602b are not contacted with the conformable reference member 4 any longer, therefore conformability on a discharge tray 12 of the sheet P is thus maintained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus provided with the same, and more particularly, to a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a laser beam printer, and a facsimile printer after forming an image. Alternatively, the present invention relates to a device for sorting a sheet bundle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet processing apparatus for stacking sheets or a bundle of sheets to be discharged to a sheet stacking section after an image is formed, while the sheets or the sheet bundle are alternately shifted to the sheet stacking section. In a shift tray or the like provided in such a sheet processing apparatus, for example, the sheet bundle is stacked while being shifted for each unit, and the respective units are identified and sorted.

FIGS. 33 and 34 show the structure of this shift tray.
A sheet receiving tray 120 (hereinafter, referred to as a tray), which is a sheet stacking unit that stores sheets to be discharged by the sheet feeding unit 21, is moved in a direction (arrow C) orthogonal to the sheet discharging direction (arrow B) by driving means (not shown) for each sheet bundle. The shift driving is performed to enable the sheet bundles P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ , and P ₄ to be identified.

However, in an image forming apparatus equipped with such a sheet processing apparatus, for example, an image forming apparatus capable of outputting each output of facsimile, copy, printer and the like by one apparatus, one tray is shifted to identify a bundle. Attempting to do so causes the following problems.

For example, when a plurality of users use the image forming apparatus as a printer and, as described above, each output bundle is offset on one tray, a certain user selects one of the bundles stacked on the tray. the removal of one bundle (bundle P ₂ in FIG. 34), it becomes impossible to distinguish between the sheet bundle P ₃ and the sheet bundle P ₁ as shown in FIG. 35.

[0006] Furthermore, when pulling out the sheet bundle P _2, a portion P 'is also the upper and lower beams P _1, P ₃ as shown in FIG. 36 become drawn together, even discrimination between the sheet bundle It will be difficult. The same problem occurs when a plurality of users share one tray as a fax, and even more so when used as a fax, a copy, or a printer.

[0007]

In order to solve such a problem, a sheet or sheet discharged to a sheet stacking section after a tape-shaped sorting sheet is attached to an image-formed sheet or sheet bundle. 2. Description of the Related Art There is a sheet processing apparatus configured to stack a bundle in a state of being alternately shifted on a sheet stacking unit.

However, in the sheet processing apparatus having such a configuration and the image forming apparatus provided with the same, for example, the sorting sheet is caught by a regulating member provided in a sheet stacking section for aligning a sheet bundle or the like. Therefore, there is a problem that consistency is deteriorated.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem. Even when a partition sheet is pasted, consistency can be ensured and bundle identification can be performed reliably. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet processing apparatus capable of performing the above and an image forming apparatus having the same.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a sheet processing apparatus for attaching a sorting sheet to an end portion of a sheet or a sheet bundle, and then discharging the sheet to a sheet stacking section and stacking the sheet. A restricting member is provided for restricting the movement of the sheet or the sheet bundle in a direction intersecting the discharge direction by abutting on one side end intersecting the discharge direction of the sheet or the sheet bundle, and the attaching position of the sorting sheet is set to the position of the sheet or the like. It is characterized in that it is a position deviated from a contact position with the regulating member.

The present invention also provides a sheet processing apparatus for attaching a sorting sheet to an end of a sheet or a sheet bundle on which an image is formed, and then discharging and stacking the sorted sheet on the sheet stacking unit. A stopper member is provided to contact the leading end or the trailing end of the sheet or the like to restrict the movement or retreat of the sheet or the like in the discharge direction, and the position where the sorting sheet is attached to the stopper member such as the sheet. The position is deviated from the position.

According to the present invention, there is provided a sheet processing apparatus for attaching a sorting sheet to an end portion of a sheet or a sheet bundle on which an image is formed, and then discharging and stacking the sorted sheet on the sheet stacking section. Or, a regulating member that abuts on one side end perpendicular to the discharge direction of the sheet bundle and regulates movement of the sheet or the like in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction, and the sheet abuts on the leading end or rear end of the sheet or the like. A stopper member for restricting movement or retreat of the sheet in the discharge direction is provided, and a position at which the sorting sheet is pasted is a position deviated from a contact position with the stopper member and the regulating member such as the sheet. It is a feature.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a pressing means for pressing the other end of the sheet stacking section orthogonal to the sheet discharging direction to contact the sheet or the like with at least one of the regulating member and the stopper member is moved. On the other hand, the assembling position of the sorting sheet is a trajectory until the pressing means comes into contact with a sheet or the like and a position deviating from a trajectory pressing the sheet or the like.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a conveying means for conveying the sheet or the like to a position where the sorting sheet is to be attached, a detecting means for detecting a size of the sheet or the like, and the sorting in accordance with information from the detecting means. Control means for controlling the driving of the conveying means to change the position where the sheet is attached,
It is characterized by having.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet; and a sheet processing apparatus having a sheet stacking unit for stacking the image-formed sheet. Item 6 is a sheet processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 5.

Also, as in the present invention, after a sorting sheet is attached to the end of an image-formed sheet or sheet bundle,
A sheet stacking portion for stacking sheets to be discharged in a state of being alternately shifted is provided with a regulating member that abuts on one side end orthogonal to the direction of discharging the sheets and the like, and is moved in a direction perpendicular to the direction of discharging the sheets and the like. And a stopper member that contacts the leading end or the trailing end of the sheet or the like is provided to regulate the movement or retreat of the sheet or the like in the discharge direction. Then, by setting the position where the sorting sheet is attached to a position such as a sheet that is out of contact with the stopper member and the regulating member, the sorting sheet is prevented from contacting the stopper member and the regulating member.

Further, as in the present invention, a pressing means for pressing the other end orthogonal to the discharge direction of the sheet or the like is movably provided on the sheet stacking portion. The sorting sheet is brought into contact with the pressing means by setting the sticking position of the sorting sheet to a position deviating from the track until the pressing means contacts the sheet and the track pressing the sheet and the like. Don't do it.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
Is a circulation type document processing apparatus, and 300 is a sheet processing apparatus 100
And an image forming apparatus including a recirculating document processing apparatus 200.

Here, the image forming apparatus 300 includes a cassette 307 for storing the sheet P on which an image is to be formed, a cassette 3
And a transfer unit 30 that transfers the toner to the conveyed sheet P.
3. a developing unit 302 for developing the toner on the transfer unit 303;
An optical unit 304 that reads an image on a platen 308 and exposes the image onto a transfer unit 303, a fixing unit 305 that fixes the toner transferred onto the sheet P to the sheet P, and an ejection unit that ejects the sheet P after fixing outside the machine. 306 etc.

The recirculating document processing apparatus 200 includes a tray 201 for setting a document bundle, a paper feed roller 202 for feeding documents one by one from the bottom sheet of the document bundle, a separation unit 203 for separating the document, Transport roller 205 for transporting the scanned original to platen 308, transport belt 206 for transporting the original on platen 308, belt rollers 207 and 208 for driving transport belt 206, platen 308 after reading
It comprises transport rollers 205 and 209 and a discharge roller 204 for stacking the transported document on the tray 201 again.

Then, the bundle of originals stacked on the tray 201 is fed and discharged one by one, and the bundle of originals stacked on the tray 201 is again fed and discharged. This is repeated for a desired number of cycles, and an output sheet corresponding to the cycle is discharged, whereby a desired number of output bundles can be obtained.

The sheet processing apparatus 100 receives the sheet P sent from the discharge roller 306 of the image forming apparatus, and conveys the sheet P.
03 and a discharge roller 121 for discharging and stacking the sheets to the discharge tray 120.
A drive unit (not shown) can move up and down in the direction of the arrow according to the number of sheets stacked on the discharge tray 120.

Next, the sheet aligning means provided on the discharge tray 120 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 2, one end (front side) of the discharge tray 120 abuts on one side perpendicular to the sheet P discharge direction to restrict the movement of the sheet P in the direction perpendicular to the discharge direction. An alignment reference member 44, which is a restricting member, is provided upright. An arc-shaped notch 45 is formed on the stacking surface 120 ′ of the discharge tray 120.
5 is provided with an alignment rod 46 which moves in the notch 45 to press the sheet P against the alignment reference member 44 and is a pressing means.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the alignment rod 46 is provided with upper and lower arms 48a, which can swing about a support shaft 47.
48b. The support shaft 47 is rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) provided on the upper and lower support plates 60a and 60b.

On the other hand, a sector gear 49 is provided below the lower arm 48b. The sector gear 49 is fixed to a support shaft 47 and is a forward / reverse rotatable stepping motor mounted on a lower support plate 60b. 50 is driven. When the stepping motor 50 rotates, for example, in the forward direction, the alignment rod 46 rotates in the direction of the arrow from the retracted position 46A to a position 46B suitable for the sheet size as shown in FIG. The sheet material P is pressed against the alignment reference member 44, so that the sheet material P is aligned. When the stepping motor 50 rotates in the reverse direction, the alignment rod 46 returns to the retracted position 46A and rotates.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a continuous sheet feeding unit provided in the sheet processing apparatus 100;
Next, the continuous sheet feeding unit 101 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

6 to 10, reference numeral 114 denotes a continuous sheet cartridge.
A tape-shaped sheet (hereinafter referred to as a sorting sheet) 602 is accommodated in the casing 14, and is detachably provided to the apparatus integrally with the case so that a user can easily supply the sorting sheet 602. ing.

A cartridge set detection sensor S7 for detecting the presence or absence of the cartridge 114 and the presence or absence of the sorting sheet 602 in the cartridge 114 is disposed in the cartridge facing portion. Further, on the downstream side of the cartridge 114, a paper feed roller 113 for feeding the sorting sheet 602 in cooperation with the cartridge 114 is arranged. It is urged toward the cartridge by an elastic member or the like.

Meanwhile, the transported sorting sheet 602
After the leading end is detected by the first registration sensor S6, the printing device 111, the sorting sheet 602, and the printing device 111
After passing through a gap roller 112 for ensuring a gap with the cutter unit 110, the sheet is conveyed to the cutter unit 110. In the cutter unit 110, the leading end of the sheet is nipped by the transport roller 109, and the transport roller 10
After the sheet reaches the second registration sensor S5 and is conveyed by a predetermined amount, the sheet 602 is stopped, and the cutter is rotated to cut the sorting sheet 602.
The cutter of the cutter unit 110 is a rotary intermittent cutter having no blade formed so as not to interfere with sheet conveyance at a predetermined angle.

Here, the printing device 111 will be described in more detail.

The printing device 111 according to the present embodiment
The valve jet method has already been proposed, and the movement in the main scanning direction is performed by using the print motor M5 shown in FIGS.
The printing table 115 supported by the shaft 116 via the b and 119c is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.

In the sub-scanning direction of the printing apparatus 111, the feeding units 113a, 120b, and 12
The sheet feed amount is controlled by rotating each roller via 0c and 120d and the clutch CL1.

The printing apparatus may be a thermal printing apparatus in which the sorting sheet is a heat-sensitive sheet, or a pressure-sensitive printing apparatus in which the sorting sheet is a pressure-sensitive sheet. Even if the sorting sheet is a plain paper dot type printing apparatus, similar results can be obtained without any trouble in the above-described configuration. That is, the printing device 111 itself may be of any type.

The printing device 111 is disposed immediately before the cutter unit 110. It is indispensable for stable printing to keep the sheet as much as possible at the time of printing, but when printing after cutting, the sheet length becomes short, so it becomes difficult to restrain, or the sheet is restrained. This is because the length of the sheet after cutting becomes long.

In the case of the present embodiment, the printing surface is printed on the right side of the sorting sheet in FIG. It is arranged to be a surface. Regarding the printing area, the present embodiment is arranged such that the cut sorting sheet is attached to the transfer paper (sheet P) from the back surface (the left side of the sheet in FIG. 1) (details will be described later). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the sorting sheet 602 is covered by the sheet P and is outside the area of (l ₁ + Δl), that is,
It is controlled by a control device (not shown) so as to be printed in the region of l _2.

With respect to the longitudinal direction, in the above-described configuration, printing can be performed to an arbitrary length by controlling the sheet feed amount in the sub-scanning direction. In this case, the CPU 90 (see FIG. 1) adjusts the conveyance amount after the second registration sensor S5 is turned on at the time of sheet cutting so that the cutting position does not enter the printing area. (Step 3 in FIG. 15 described later)
reference).

Here, the sorting sheet 6 in the cartridge
To supplement regard 02, the inner peripheral side of the sorting sheet 602, the adhesive layer 603 is provided in (a region indicated by oblique lines in the drawing) region all around having a width l _1, as shown in FIG. 11. Here, the adhesive layer 603 has a configuration in which the capsule is crushed by being pressed, and the adhesive in the layer is leached to generate an adhesive force. In the present embodiment, taking such a point into consideration, the continuous sheet feeding unit 1
01 are configured so as not to sandwich the adhesive layer 603.

When the sheet is conveyed on the basis of the center, the continuous sheet feeding section 101 is configured to be able to move in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction because the position of the end face of the sheet varies depending on the sheet size. More specifically, the driving motor M6 shown in FIG.
The plate 117a is engaged with the belt 118a via the b and 118c, and the plate 117 fixed to the frame of the feeding section is moved to move in the orthogonal direction. Plate 1
17, the detection sensor S8, which is a detection means for detecting the size of the sheet P, detects the end face of the flag of the plate 117, thereby determining a reference position, and driving a predetermined amount from the reference position. It supports various sheet sizes.

Next, details of the sheet processing apparatus 100 will be described.

Downstream of the first conveying roller 102, a sensor S4 for detecting the first conveying path I formed by the fixed guide 102a and the leading end of the sheet P on which an image is formed as shown in FIG. . Also, the first transport path I
Is connected to a second transport path II formed by the first and second swing guides 104 and 105. The first swing guide 105 is swingable about a support shaft 105a and is urged by an urging spring 107 in the direction of the arrow.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second swing guide 104 has a link 108 driven by the swing motor M1.
A guide hole 104a that engages with the link pin 108a is formed. When the link 108 is rotated by the swing motor M1, the guide 104 swings about the support shaft 104a. S1 and S2 are sensors for detecting the respective swing positions of the first and second swing guides 104 and 105. The first and second swing guides 104 and 105 are detected by these sensors S2 and S3. Is configured to be able to stop at an appropriate position.

On the other hand, a pressing roller 106 is disposed on the second swing guide 104 as shown in FIG. 6, and is pressed against the first swing guide 105 so as to stick the sorting sheet 602 to the sheet P. I have. The first swing swing guide 105 is arranged over the entire width of the sheet so as not to be a load when the sheet P is bent.

A one-way clutch (not shown) is provided on the support shaft 105a of the first swinging swing guide 105 so that the first transport roller 102 can be idled in the direction of the arrow in FIG. It is arranged. Also,
A roller 103 is disposed downstream of the second transport path II, and a third transport path III extending to the discharge roller 121 downstream of the second transport path II. A sensor S1 for controlling the operation is provided. Each roller 102, 1
03 and 121 are driven by a transport motor M7 (not shown).

Next, an outline of the operation in each mode will be described with reference to flowcharts.

The basic flow is as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 12A, an initial operation of each section is performed, and then a sheet conveying operation is performed. Here, in the present embodiment, there are three initial operations: a swing guide unit, a lifting tray unit, and a sheet feeding unit.

A description will be given of each part. In the swing guide section, as shown in FIG.
4,105 are home positions (hereinafter, referred to as H and P)
And a swing motor M1 based on signals from sensors S2 and S3 for detecting the respective positions.
Is rotated and controlled to perform an initialization operation.

As for the sheet feeding section, as shown in FIG. 9C, in order to perform registration of printing and cutting of the continuous sheet, the forward and reverse rotation of the motor M4 and the clutch are performed based on the signals of the sensors S6 and S7. Cl ₁ O
The position of the sheet is controlled and initialized by N and OFF. The description of the elevating tray will be omitted.

Further, as for the sheet transport mode, as shown in FIG. 13D, execution of the print mode is selected based on the presence or absence of the print designation.
The execution of the guide swing mode is selected based on whether there is any. In the print mode, the main and sub scans are performed by controlling the print motor, the transport motor, and the clutch as shown in FIG. Further, regarding the guide swing mode for printing additional information on the continuous sheet, the sticking mode is executed as shown in (f), and at the same time, whether the swing is finished based on whether or not the last sheet is determined. to decide.

FIG. 1 shows the pasting mode.
4 and FIG. 15, when the transfer paper (sheet P) reaches the sensor S1, the CPU 90, which is a control unit, moves the sheet P to a predetermined sorting sheet attaching position after the transfer sheet (sheet P) arrives at the sensor S1. The transport motor M7, which is a transport unit that transports the sorting sheet to the position where the sorting sheet is to be attached, is further rotated to transport the sheet P by a predetermined amount.
Is turned off (step 2).

Next, based on the sensor S3, the swing motor M1
Is turned on to swing the first and second swing guides 104 and 105 (step 2). At the same time, the sorting sheet 602 is conveyed and stopped based on the sensor S5 and print information,
After the cutter motor is turned ON / OFF and cut (steps 3 and 4), the conveying motor M7 for the sheet P and the sorting sheet 6
By simultaneously turning on the conveying motor M4 of No. 02, the cut sorting sheet 602 is sandwiched together with the sheet P by the roller 106 and adhered to the back surface of the sheet P (step 5).

The transport motor is turned off based on the sensor S5.
Then, based on the sensor S1, the swing guide is set to H. The swing motor is turned on to return to P, and the motor is controlled based on the sensor S2 (step 6).

By repeating these operations, the sorting sheet 602 cut for each copy is pasted on the sheet P to sort (partition) each sheet bundle, and at the same time,
The additional information can be printed on the sorting sheet 602.

Here, the control of the transport motor M7 will be supplementarily described.

After the sensor S1 is turned on, the motor M7 is turned off.
By arbitrarily setting (for example, by detecting the number of rotations of the motor M7) the transport amount until the FF is performed, the stop position of the sheet P at the time of sticking can be made variable. Also, the position where the cut sorting sheet 602 is attached to the sheet P can be made variable.

In this embodiment, the cut sorting sheet 602 is attached to the single leaf sheet P. However, the same applies to the case where the sorting sheet 602 is attached to a plurality of sheet bundles. The effect is obtained.

Further, also in the image forming apparatus provided with the intermediate tray 311 as shown in FIG. 16A, the sheets discharged from the conveying roller 306 are temporarily stored in the intermediate tray 311 and the stored sheet bundle is stored. Bundle transport roller pair 30
By conveying the sheet to the roller 102 at 9 and 310 and performing the same operation as in the sheet sticking mode of the present embodiment,
As shown in (b), a cut sheet can be attached to the lowermost sheet of the output bundle.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where printing is performed before attaching the sorting sheet has been described, but the same effect can be obtained by performing printing processing on the sorting sheet 602 after attaching to the sheet P. .

That is, for example, as shown in FIG.
0, a transport roller 109, and a discharge roller 12
In a configuration in which the printing unit 111 is disposed between the first and second transport rollers 103, the sorting sheet 602
Is cut in the same manner as in the present embodiment, affixed to sheet P, and then conveyed by rollers 103.

Here, the sheet P on which the sorting sheets are pasted is controlled and fed in the sub-scanning direction by a conveying motor M7 (not shown), and the printing apparatus 111 is controlled to move in the main scanning direction by the printing motor M5. It is clear that printing can be performed on the cut sheet that has been pasted.

Next, the position at which the sorted sheet 602 is cut and pasted onto the discharged sheet P will be described.

As described above, the sheets P to which the sorted sheets have been attached are discharged to the discharge tray 120 by the discharge rollers 121. When the discharge speed of the sheets P from the discharge rollers 121 is high, the stacked sheets on the discharge tray 120 18 may be disturbed in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. 18, in which case the pasted sorting sheet 602 may be obscured by the next sheet P.

In order to solve such a problem, the alignment bar 46 and the alignment reference member 44 described above are provided on the discharge tray 120 to improve the stacking integrity of the sheet bundle. However, the sorting sheet 602
Other problems may occur depending on the position where the is attached.

For example, as shown in FIG. 19A, when the sorting sheet 602 is attached to the edge Pa parallel to the sheet conveying direction of the sheet P, as described above, the discharge tray 12
The sheet P discharged to the top is moved from the position X to the alignment reference member 44 by the alignment rod 46 and pressed against the alignment reference member 44. At this time, when the sorting sheet 602 is stuck at a position where it comes into contact with the alignment reference member 44, as shown in FIGS.
The sorting sheet 602 comes into contact with the sheet, and it is impossible to maintain the consistency on the discharge tray 120.

When the sorting sheet 602 is attached to the position where the aligning rod 46 comes into contact with the aligning rod 46 during alignment, FIG.
Similarly, as shown in (c), it becomes impossible to maintain the sheet consistency on the discharge tray 120.

Therefore, in order to maintain the integrity of the sheet P to which such a sorting sheet 602 has been attached, the alignment rod 46 must be used when aligning the sheet P discharged onto the discharge tray 120.
In addition, it is necessary to attach the sorting sheet 602 so as to avoid the contact area with the alignment reference member 44.

Next, the sorting sheet 60 which avoids the contact area between the alignment bar 46 and the alignment reference member 44 as described above.
2 will be described.

First, an example of the attachment position of the sorting sheet 602 on the side that comes into contact with the alignment reference member 44 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, there are two places where the sorting sheet 602 is attached, on the downstream side and the upstream side of the alignment reference member 44 in the sheet conveyance direction (the direction of the arrow in the drawing). In the figure, 602a indicates a partition sheet attached to the downstream side, and 602b indicates a partition sheet attached to the upstream side.

When the sorting sheet 602a is to be stuck to the downstream sticking position, the sorting sheet 602a is separated by a distance 610 from the discharge end of the discharge sheet P to one side 602a 'of the sorting sheet 602a close to the alignment reference member 44, and P
Is affixed to a position where the relationship with the distance 611A from the discharge end to the alignment reference member 44 satisfies 610 ≦ 611A.

When the sorting sheet 602b is to be attached to the upstream sticking position, the sorting sheet 602b is placed on the side 6 near the alignment reference member 44 of the sorting sheet 602 from the discharge end of the discharge sheet P.
02B ′, and a distance 611B from the discharge end of the discharge sheet P to the side facing the sorting sheet 602b of the alignment reference member 44, where 611B ≦ 612.

The sorting sheet 6 is located at such a position.
By adhering 02a and 602b, the sorting sheets 602a and 602b do not come into contact with the alignment reference member 44, and the integrity of the sheet P on the discharge tray 120 can be maintained.

Next, an example of the attachment position of the sorting sheet 602 on the side that comes into contact with the alignment member 46 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, there are two places where the sorting sheet 602 is attached, on the downstream side and the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction (the direction of the arrow in the drawing). Note that in FIG.
2c is a partition sheet pasted on the downstream side, 602d
Indicates a partition sheet attached to the upstream side.

When the sheet is to be pasted to the upstream side of the pasting position, as shown in FIG.
Is the distance 616 from the discharge end of the discharge sheet P to the side 602d 'of the sorting sheet 602d near the discharge sheet P, and the distance 6 from the discharge end of the discharge sheet P to the alignment member contact position T.
It is pasted at a position where the relationship with 15B satisfies 616 ≧ 615B. In addition, in the figure, Y indicates the position after the sheet P has been moved by the alignment rod 46 from the position of X described above.

On the other hand, in the case of sticking to the downstream sticking position, the aligning member 46 moves in an arc as shown in FIG.
Thus, even if the sheet does not come into contact with the sorting sheet 602c in FIG. For this reason, the alignment member 46 moves in an arc (or diagonally) or the like, and sorts the sheet 602c before contacting the sheet P.
The adhering position may be moved to the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction by a predetermined distance 617 so that the sorting sheet 602c is displaced from the trajectory of the alignment member 46 so as not to contact the sheet.

That is, one side 6 of the sorting sheet 602c
If the position of 02c ′ is set at a distance 618 from the sheet front end so as not to interfere with the alignment member 46 and to be a position deviated from the trajectory until the alignment member 46 contacts the sheet P and the trajectory pressing the sheet P, good.

Here, it is needless to say newly that the sorting sheet attachment position can be easily changed by controlling the stop position of the sheet P as described with reference to FIG. 14 described above. . Although the configuration in which the sorting sheet 602 is attached to the lower surface of the sheet has been described, it is needless to say that the sorting sheet 602 may be attached to the upper surface of the sheet. 46 may be used in a system that moves linearly in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction or a system that moves obliquely. In addition, as shown in FIG.
Both A and the reference bar 900B may move to the sheet side to align the sheets (in this case, one regulating member also serves as a pressing member). Further, contrary to the present invention, of course, a method in which the sheet P is moved and aligned in the direction of the arrow 630 in FIG. 23 may be used.

The timing of the alignment may be any timing as long as the sheet P is discharged from the discharge roller pair and the next sheet does not come into contact with the alignment member during the alignment operation. Further, the alignment of the sheets P may be performed on the sheet P discharged from the discharge roller one by one or on a sheet discharged in a bundle of a plurality of sheets.

In some cases, the discharge tray 120 is provided with a sheet stopper as a stopper member. Here, regardless of the presence or absence of the aligning means 46, the sorting sheet 602 is moved to the discharge tray of the sheet P as shown in FIG. If it is pasted on the area of the sheet 120 that comes into contact with the sheet stopper 120A, misalignment will occur.
The attachment position of 02 should also avoid the contact area with the sheet stopper 120A.

However, for example, when a part of the sheet stopper 120A of the discharge tray 120 has a notch 120B having a width 120D wider than the width of the sorting sheet 602, the sorting sheet 602 may be attached to this area. Alternatively, it may be attached to the opposing side edge Pd.

Incidentally, in the above description, 1
Although the sheet processing apparatus having one discharge tray 120 has been described, a sheet processing apparatus having a sorter having a plurality of trays having alignment means will be described next.

[0082] Figure 26 is shows a known sheet processing apparatus having a sorter 100A, in the figure, B ₁ ~
Bn indicates a bin, 46 'indicates an alignment bar, and 44' indicates an alignment reference member.

Here, such a plurality of bins B _{1 to} Bn
For example, when the stacker 100A is used for a sorter 100A having a bin and the separation sheet is pasted on one bin and the bundle is identified, the stacking can be performed while performing the bundle identification up to the stackable number of sheets on the bin. Can only sort the number of bins (for example, n bins), but as shown in FIG. 27, it is possible to sort m parts of the number of sorts T _{1 to} Tm on _one bin. M × n members can be sorted.

Further, the sheets are stacked and aligned on one processing tray by the same alignment means as described above, and after the alignment, stapling and temporary stapling (simple binding) are performed, and then the bundle is conveyed and the bundle conveyed onto the stacker tray is transferred. It is a matter of course that the partition sheet may be pasted to the stacked sheet post-processing apparatus. For example, the stack tray 460 and the processing tray 4 as shown in FIG.
62, post-processing means device 100 including post-processing means 461
In B, when there are a plurality of post-processed bundle types as shown in FIG. 29 (in FIG. 29, two types of A1 to An and B1 to Bn), a partition sheet is attached to a bundle between the bundle groups. If it is performed, the post-processed bundle group can be identified.

FIG. 30A shows a form in which the sheet bundle A is bound by using the staples H, and FIG. 30B shows a form in which the sheet bundle A is subjected to the simple binding by using the staples H. The simple binding makes it easier to remove the staples H from the sheet bundle than the binding.

As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, a sheet discharging roller pair 121 is provided on the side of the sheet discharging tray 120 opposite to the sheet stopper 120A, and the sheet P is discharged toward the sheet stopper 120A. The sheet discharged by the rotating blade 751 made of a rubber material or the like, which does not have the pressing member for pressing the sheet end as described above, is moved to the arrow 750, and the sheet P is moved to the sheet stopper 120A with respect to the sheet stopper 120A. It is in contact with and aligned with the wall 44.

Also in this case, the same effect as described above can be obtained by attaching the sorting sheet 602 to an area where the sheet P does not contact the sheet stopper 120A and the reference wall 44.

[0088]

As described above, according to the present invention, a sorting sheet is attached to a position, such as a sheet, which is out of contact with a restricting member and a stopper member provided on a sheet stacking portion, thereby providing The sorting sheet can be prevented from contacting the stopper member and the regulating member, so that even when the partition sheet is pasted, consistency of the sheet or the like can be ensured, and bundle identification can be reliably performed.

Further, the sorting sheet may be attached to the track of the pressing means for contacting the sheet or the like with at least one of the restricting member and the stopper member until the sheet or the like comes into contact with the sheet and the position deviating from the track for pressing the sheet or the like. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the sorting sheet from abutting against the pressing means, thereby ensuring the consistency of the sheet and the like even when the separating sheet is stuck, and the bundle identification can be reliably performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a discharge tray of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the discharge tray.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the discharge tray.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the discharge tray.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional front view of a continuous sheet feeding unit of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal rear view of the continuous sheet feeding unit.

FIG. 8 is a view of the continuous sheet feeding unit as viewed from an arrow A.

FIG. 9 is a view of the continuous sheet feeding unit as viewed from an arrow B.

FIG. 10 is a right side view of the continuous sheet feeding unit.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a sorting sheet of the continuous sheet feeding unit.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a part of an initialization operation in the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating another part of the initialization operation in the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the continuous sheet feeding unit in a pasting mode.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a pasting mode in the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional front view of an image forming apparatus having an intermediate tray as an example of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a modification of the arrangement of the printing device of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a problem in a mounted state of a sheet or the like placed on the discharge tray.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a problem in a placement state due to a position where the sorting sheet is pasted.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing another example of a problem in a placement state due to a position where the sorting sheet is pasted.

FIG. 21 is a view for explaining a first example of a position where a sorting sheet is attached according to the embodiment;

FIG. 22 is a view for explaining a second example of the attachment position of the sorting sheet according to the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a view for explaining a third example of the attachment position of the sorting sheet according to the embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a plan view of the discharge tray according to another configuration.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a failure in a placement state due to a sticking position of a sorting sheet when a sheet stopper is provided on a tray.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the sheet processing apparatus provided with a sorter.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a sorting state on a bin of the sorter.

FIG. 28 is a vertical sectional front view of a post-processing device as an example of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a state where a sheet bundle is stacked on a stack tray of the post-processing device.

FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating a state where binding and simple binding are performed on a sheet bundle by the post-processing device.

FIG. 31 is a plan view of the discharge tray according to another configuration.

FIG. 32 is a side view of the discharge tray according to another configuration.

FIG. 33 is a side view of a tray of a conventional sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 34 is a side view showing a state in which the sheet bundle is shifted and placed on the tray.

FIG. 35 is a side view showing a state where one of the sheet bundles placed on the tray is pulled out.

FIG. 36 is a side view showing a state where one of the sheet bundles placed on the tray is pulled out.

[Explanation of symbols]

 44 alignment reference member 46 alignment rod 90 CPU 100 sheet processing device 101 continuous sheet feeding unit 120 discharge tray 120A sheet stopper 300 image forming device 602 sorting sheet M7 transport motor P sheet S8 detection sensor

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A sheet processing apparatus for attaching a sorting sheet to an end portion of a sheet or a sheet bundle, discharging the sheet to a sheet stacking section, and stacking the sheet, the discharge direction of the sheet or the sheet bundle to the sheet stacking section; While providing a restricting member for restricting movement of the sheet or the like in a direction intersecting with the discharge direction by abutting on one side edge that intersects,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position where the sorting sheet is attached is a position deviating from a contact position with the regulating member such as the sheet. 2. A sheet processing apparatus for attaching a sorting sheet to an end portion of a sheet or a sheet bundle on which an image is formed, and then discharging and stacking the sorted sheet on a sheet stacking unit. Or, while providing a stopper member that restricts the movement or retreat of the sheet or the like in the discharge direction by contacting the rear end, the attachment position of the sorting sheet is deviated from the contact position with the stopper member of the sheet or the like. A sheet processing apparatus characterized by a position. 3. A sheet processing apparatus for attaching a sorting sheet to an end of an image-formed sheet or a sheet bundle, and then discharging and stacking the sorted sheet on a sheet stacking unit. A restricting member that abuts one side end orthogonal to the discharge direction of the sheet and restricts movement of the sheet or the like in a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction, and discharges the sheet or the like by contacting the leading end or the rear end of the sheet or the like. A stopper member for restricting movement or retreat in the direction is provided, and a position where the sorting sheet is pasted is a position deviating from a contact position with the stopper member and the regulating member such as the sheet. Sheet processing equipment. 4. A pressing means movably provided on the sheet stacking portion for pressing the other end orthogonal to the discharge direction of the sheet or the like and bringing the sheet or the like into contact with at least one of the regulating member and the stopper member. On the other hand, the sticking position of the sorting sheet is a trajectory until the pressing means comes into contact with a sheet or the like and a position deviated from a trajectory pressing the sheet or the like. A sheet processing apparatus as described in the above. 5. A conveying means for conveying the sheet or the like to a position where the sorting sheet is to be attached, a detecting means for detecting a size of the sheet or the like, and affixing the sorting sheet according to information from the detecting means. 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit configured to control driving of the conveyance unit so as to change the attachment position. 6. 6. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet; and a sheet processing apparatus having a sheet stacking unit for stacking the sheet on which the image is formed, wherein the sheet processing apparatus includes: 5. An image forming apparatus, which is the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of 5.