JPH107308A - Finisher - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a finisher capable of eliminating the trouble of selecting a punching action mode, and preventing the occurrence of a selection mistake. SOLUTION: In this finisher equipped with a punching unit 120 for forming a punching hole on a paper sheet, a punching unit 120 has five punching rods 123a-123e, and the rods 123a, 123c, and 123e (threehole mode) or the rods 123b and 123d (two-hole mode) are actuated to form punching holes on a paper sheet. The three- or two-modes are automatically selected in accordance with a paper sheet size.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a finisher and, more particularly, to a finisher for forming a punch hole in a sheet discharged from a copying machine or a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various sorters (finishers) for sorting sheets on which images have been formed have been developed as options for image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic copying machines and laser printers. In addition, this type of finisher is provided with not only a sorting function but also a function of stapling a sheet and forming a punch hole for a file in the sheet.

[0003] The number of punch holes differs depending on the needs of the user. For example, in the United States, it is required to use two holes and three holes depending on the paper size. Therefore, the user must select a desired punch operation mode.

[0004]

However, it is troublesome for the user to select a desired punch operation mode each time, and there is a possibility that a selection error may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a finisher which eliminates the complexity of selecting a punch operation mode and prevents the occurrence of a selection error.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above objects, a finisher according to the present invention is provided with a punching means capable of forming a punched hole in a sheet in a plurality of punching operation modes and a punching means selected for punching processing. Control means for operating the punching means in a specific punching operation mode corresponding to the size of the paper sheet.

In the above configuration, the punch means operates in a specific punch operation mode corresponding to the sheet size. That is, when the paper size is determined, the optimal punch operation mode for the size is automatically selected, so that the complexity of the punch operation mode selection can be solved, and problems such as erroneous selection can be prevented.

Further, the finisher according to the present invention is provided with registration means for allowing an operator to register a specific punch operation mode corresponding to a sheet size. For example, A3
3 hole mode for size, 2 for B5 size
The operator can register a specific mode such as a hole mode corresponding to the paper size. With this,
Each user can operate the punch means in a punch operation mode most suitable for the user.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a finisher according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments described below, the present invention is applied to a staple sorter connected to an electrophotographic copying machine.

(First Embodiment, see FIGS. 1 to 15) FIG.
In the figure, 1 is an electrophotographic copying machine, and 10 is a staple sorter. The copier 1 forms an image on a sheet by a well-known electrophotographic method, and includes a circulation type automatic document feeder 5 at an upper portion thereof. The automatic document feeder 5 sequentially sends a group of documents stacked on the tray onto the platen glass, and after the exposure process has been performed for the number of copies designated by the operator, discharges the document from the platen glass and returns it to the tray.

As shown in FIG. 2, the staple sorter 10 is for roughly drawing out a large-capacity non-sort tray 20, a bin assembly 30 having 20 levels of bins 31, and a sheet bundle stored in each bin 31. , A staple unit 70, a paper transport unit 80, a paper transport gate 100, and a punch unit 120.

The staple sorter 10 can process an image-formed sheet discharged from the copying machine 1 in the following modes. Non-sort tray 20 without sorting paper
Processing for loading and storing on top (non-sorting), paper is stored in each bin 3
1. Processing for sorting pages in order (sort), processing for stapling the sorted sheet bundle (sort / staple), processing for taking out the stapled sheet bundle from each bin 31 and stacking and storing them on the non-sort tray 20 (sort / stack) Further, a process (group) for sorting sheets into each bin 31 for each page, a process for stapling a sheet bundle sorted for each page (group / staple), and taking out a stapled sheet bundle from each bin 31 The processing (group / stack) for loading and storing in the sort tray 20 can be executed. Further, a punching process for forming a punch hole one by one while the paper is being transported by the transport unit 80 can be executed in combination with each of the above modes.

Next, the internal structure of the staple sorter 10 will be described in detail. First, the paper transport unit 80 includes a pair of receiving rollers 81 for receiving the paper discharged from the copying machine 1.
A switching claw 82 for switching a paper transport direction; a first transport path 83 extending in a substantially vertical direction;
And a second transport path 90 extending substantially horizontally to the bin assembly 30 side. The switching claw 82 is rotatably mounted on the pin 82a as a fulcrum based on the on / off state of the solenoid SL50. Switching claw 82
Is set at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 when the solenoid SL50 is off. At this time, the sheet received by the receiving roller pair 81 is guided by the curved right side surface of the switching claw 82 and sent to the first transport path 83. When the solenoid SL50 is turned off, the switching claw 82 slightly rotates clockwise. At this time, the sheet is guided by the upper surface of the switching claw 82 and sent to the non-sort tray 20 through the sheet transport gate 100 described below.

The first transport path 83 includes guide plates 84, 85, 8
6, 87, and a punch unit 120 is provided in the middle section for forming a binding hole at the leading end or the trailing end in the sheet transport direction. The punch unit 120 will be described later in detail.

The second conveying path 90 includes a pair of conveying rollers 91 and 9
2 and guide plates 93 and 94, which are rotatable by about 90 ° about a support shaft 95 as a fulcrum. At the time of the sort mode or the group mode processing, the second transport path 90 is set at the transport position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2, and the paper sent from the first transport path 83 is sent to each bin 31. During the sheet take-out process described below, the second conveyance path 90 is turned by about 90 ° clockwise about the support shaft 95 as a fulcrum (see FIG. 5), and retracts from the sheet conveyance position. The roller pair 81, 91, 92 is driven to rotate by a motor M50.

The bin assembly 30 has 20 stages of bins 31.
₁…… 31₂₀And each bin 31 is inclined at regular intervals
And each pin 32 provided on the lower end side is vertically
A spa formed on the outer peripheral surface of the installed drive shaft (not shown)
Engage with the iral groove. This drive shaft is driven by a motor M60.
By rotating forward / reverse, one rotation of the drive shaft
31 goes up and down one pitch. The bin assembly 30 is shown in FIG.
The position indicated by the solid line is the lower limit position (home position).
At this time, the first bin 31₁Is staple unit 7
0. Hereinafter, the bin assembly 30 is
When set to the first position, the first bin 31₁
Position X₁Called. One more rotation of the drive shaft
(Forward rotation), the first bin 31₁Is level X_TwoRises to
This level X _TwoPaper is fed from the paper transport unit 80
You. Further, when the drive shaft makes one rotation, the first bin 31₁Is
Level X_ThreeRise to this level X_ThreeTake out the paper bundle with
It is.

On the other hand, the bin assembly 30 is provided with first and second chucking units 40 and 40a for holding one side of the sheet bundle and pulling out or returning from the bin 31. First chucking unit 40 is attached to a position corresponding to a bin 31 set on the level X _1. The second chucking unit 40a is attached to a position corresponding to a bin 31 set on the level X _3. Chucking unit 40, 40a
Are mounted on a single movable frame (not shown) in two upper and lower stages, and are movable along the inclination of the bin 31 together with the movable frame. The chucking unit 40,40a home position retracted from the side of the bottle 31 (not shown), is movable in a chucking position Y ₁ and drawer position Y _2, level stroke of Y ₁ -Y ₂ withdrawing the sheet bundle from the bin 31 set to X ₁ and level X _3.

At the lower end of each bin 31, a bin 31 is provided.
Stopper 3 for regulating the lower end of the paper stored above
4 is attached. Each stopper 34 is always set in an upright position shown by a solid line in FIG. 2 by a spring member (not shown). The chucking units 40, 4
0a and rods (not shown) is attached to the, when the chucking units 40,40a moves from the chucking position Y ₁ to the extraction position Y _2, a stopper 34 is brought down by the tip of the rod, the sheet bundle bin 31 Can be removed from

Next, the paper transport gate 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper transport gate 100 has a box 101 provided with a pair of rollers 102 and 103 and paper guide plates 104 and 105. Roller 10
2 and 103 can be driven forward / reversely by a motor M21. The sheet transport gate 100 can be moved up and down by being guided by a guide member (not shown), and a motor M20 is provided as a driving source. Paper transport gate 100
The home position is a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2, and in this home position, the gate 100 moves the sheet guided by the upper surface of the switching claw 82 from the receiving roller pair 81 by rotation of the rollers 102 and 103. 2 is transported to the left in the middle, and is sent onto the non-sort tray 20.

Meanwhile, the paper conveying gate 100 for receiving the stapled sheet bundle can be lowered to a position corresponding to the bin 31 set at the level X ₃ (FIG. 5
reference). In this transfer position, the gate 100 holds the bundle of sheets pulled out of the bin 31 by the second chucking unit 40a and the rollers 102 and 103.
(See FIG. 6). At this time, the second chucking unit 40a releases the sheet bundle from being pinched, and at the same time, the rollers 102 and 103 are driven to rotate forward, and the sheet bundle is bin 3
1 (see FIG. 7). Paper bundle is completely bin 3
When exiting from 1, the normal rotation of the rollers 102 and 103 is stopped, and at the same time, the gate 100 is raised (see FIG. 8). When the gate 100 rises to a predetermined height, the rollers 10
2 and 103 are reversed, and the sandwiched sheet bundle is discharged onto the non-sort tray 20 (see FIG. 9). Next, Gate 1
00 lowers to the delivery position (see FIG. 10) and repeats the stacking operation.

Next, the staple unit 70 will be described. The staple unit 70 has a well-known electrically driven structure, and includes a head portion 71 capable of attaching and detaching a cartridge containing a staple, and an anvil portion 72 that receives and bends a staple ejected from the head portion 71. . The staple unit 70 drive staples at two points of the one point of the corner ends from the level X ₁ bottle 31 set on the sheet bundle drawn by the first chucking unit 40 or the central portion. Accordingly, the staple unit 70 has the front side of the staple sorter 10 as a home position, is movable toward the back side, stops at a predetermined position, drives in staples, and returns to the home position.

Next, the punch unit 120 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Are plates 121 and 122 also serving as a paper guide function.
And five punching rods 123a each having a blade at the tip.
To 123e, a drive shaft 124, and a pair of circular cams 1
25, an eccentric cam 126, a one-turn clutch 127,
It is composed of a flapper solenoid SL60 and a switching plate 140 provided with a motor M70. Each of the punching rods 123a to 123e is slidably inserted into a guide cylinder 130 fixed to the plate 121, and is urged by a coil spring 131 in a direction away from the plate 122 toward the plate 121. The cams 125 and 126 are provided on the drive shaft 124 with the respective punching rods 123a to 123e.
It is fixed at the position corresponding to. The plate 122 is provided with a punch hole die (not shown) into which the tips of the punching rods 123a to 123e can be inserted.

By the way, three punching rods 123
a, 123c and 123e are for three holes, and the other two punching rods 123b and 123d are installed for two holes. In order to switch these operations, the drive shaft 124 is reciprocally movable in the axial direction. That is, the drive shaft 1
One end of 24 is rotatably and slidably supported by a fixed plate 139, and the other end is rotatably supported by a switching plate 140 and supported in a state fixed in the axial direction. Switching plate 140
Is a guide groove 1 in which a pin 141 is formed in a plate 121.
Arrow a on the plate 121 while being guided by 21a
It is slidable in the a 'direction. On the other hand, the switching plate 140
A pin 143 projecting from the center axis 142a of the switching cam 142 at an eccentric position is engaged with the groove 140a formed in the switching cam 142. The switching cam 142 is rotationally driven in one direction by a motor M70 via a belt 144.
The switching plate 140 is slid in the directions of the arrows a and a 'every rotation of 80.degree., And in synchronization with this, the drive shaft 124 also slides in the same direction. The slide pitch of the switching plate 140 corresponds to the distance c between the cams 125 and 126.

Therefore, the switching plate 140 and the drive shaft 124
Is slid in the direction of arrow a, the eccentric cam 126
Contact the punching rods 123a, 123c, 123e, and the circular cam 125 contacts the punching rods 123b, 1b.
23d (see FIG. 4A). At this time,
When the drive shaft 124 makes one rotation, the rods 123a, 123c, and 123e that come into contact with the eccentric cam 126 perform one stroke, and the paper 123 positioned between the plates 121 and 122
Form a hole. Rod 1 in contact with circular cam 125
23b and 123d do not operate. On the other hand, when the switching plate 140 and the drive shaft 124 are sliding in the direction of the arrow a ′, the eccentric cam 126
b, 123d, and the circular cam 125 contacts the punching rods 123a, 123c, 123e (see FIG. 4B). At this time, when the drive shaft 124 makes one rotation, the rods 123b and 123 contacting the eccentric cam 126
d moves one stroke to form two holes in the paper. Rods 123a, 123c, which are in contact with the circular cam 125,
123e does not operate.

The switching plate 14 is provided on the plate 121.
0 to detect the slide position of the sensor SE64, S
E65 is installed. Sensor SE64 is switching plate 1
When the 40 projections 145 shield the optical axis, an ON signal is generated, and it is detected that the punch unit 120 is set in the two-hole mode. The sensor SE65 is a switching plate 14.
When the zero protruding piece 146 blocks its optical axis, an ON signal is generated to detect that the punch unit 120 is set to the three-hole mode.

One rotation of the drive shaft 124 is equivalent to one rotation clutch 1
27. That is, the one-rotation clutch 127 transmits the rotational force of the gear 128 connected to the transport motor M50 to the drive shaft 124 when the flapper solenoid SL60 is momentarily turned on, and rotates the drive shaft 124 once. This kind of one-turn clutch 127 is a well-known one having a mechanism including a kick spring or the like built therein. The punch operation timing is controlled based on the timing at which a sensor (not shown) installed near the punch unit 120 detects the leading end or the trailing end of the sheet conveyed through the first conveying path 83.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show screens of the touch panel 151 by liquid crystal display on the operation panel provided in the copying machine 1. FIG. FIG. 11 shows a screen for selecting a paper size for copying. The operator turns on either the displayed APS key or manual key 153. APS key 15
2 is for setting the automatic paper selection mode,
The optimum paper size is automatically selected from the original size and the copy magnification set on the platen glass. When the manual key 153 is turned on, the touch panel 151
The screen changes to the screen shown in FIG. On this screen, keys 154 to 157 for the operator to select the paper size are displayed. When the operator turns on any key 154 to 157, the paper of the corresponding size is selected.

The touch panel 151 has a screen (not shown) for selecting a punch mode, a sort mode, a group mode, a staple mode, and a stack mode.
Can also be displayed, and the punch mode is selected on this screen.

FIG. 13 shows a copying machine 1 and a staple sorter 1.
0 shows a control circuit. The control circuit is ROM 171 and RA
It is configured around a CPU 170 having M172,
The CPU 170 operates according to the program stored in the ROM 171 according to the motors M20, M21, M50, M6.
0, M70, solenoids SL50, SL60, etc. Further, the CPU 170 includes the sensors SE64, SE
Detection signals from 65 and the like are input. Furthermore, CPU1
Reference numeral 70 communicates with another CPU, for example, the CPU 173 for controlling the automatic document feeder 5, and exchanges necessary data.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show the punch unit 12.
A control procedure for switching the operation mode 0 to the two-hole mode or the three-hole mode will be described. In the present embodiment, the punch mode is predetermined according to the selected paper size. For example, when the paper size is A3T, B5T, or letter, the mode is the two-hole mode, and when the paper size is the legal size, the mode is the three-hole mode. This can save the operator the trouble of manually selecting the two-hole or three-hole mode according to the paper size, and can prevent a selection error. Note that "T" refers to a case where the paper is set with its long side parallel to the transport direction.

While the CPU 170 is processing the main routine,
When the punch switching process is called, in FIG.
First, after confirming that the copying machine 1 is on standby in step S1, it is determined in step S2 whether or not the actuator flag is "0". If it has been reset to "0", the paper size is selected in step S3. Here, the paper size is selected on the touch panel 151 shown in FIGS. Next, in step S4, the mode is switched to the punch mode corresponding to the sheet size, and the process returns to the main routine.

FIG. 15 shows a switching execution subroutine executed in step S4. Here, first, the actuator flag is set to “1” in step S11.
Next, if it is determined in steps S12, S13, and S14 that the paper size is A3T, B5T, or letter, it is determined in step S15 whether the sensor SE64 is on. The sensor SE64 includes the switching plate 140 and the drive shaft 1 as described above.
24 is set to the two-hole mode position. Therefore, if it is on, the motor M7 in step S16
0 is stopped, the actuator flag is reset to "0" in step S17, and the process returns to the main routine. If the sensor SE64 is off, the motor M7 is turned on in step S18.
Rotate 0 and return to the main routine. If YES is determined in step S15 after rotating the motor M70, steps S16 and S17 are executed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S19 that the paper is legal size, then in step S20 the sensor S
It is determined whether E65 is ON. The sensor SE65 detects that the switching plate 140 and the drive shaft 124 are set to the three-hole mode as described above. Therefore, if it is on, the motor M70 is stopped in step S21, and the actuator flag is reset to "0" in step S22,
Return to the main routine. If the sensor SE65 is off, the motor M70 is rotated in step S23, and the process returns to the main routine. If YES is determined in the step S20 after rotating the motor M70, a step S21,
Execute S22. It should be noted that the paper size and the corresponding punch operation mode are merely examples, of course.

(Second Embodiment, see FIGS. 16 to 20) This second embodiment shows a staple sorter provided with a registration means which allows an operator to register a specific punch operation mode corresponding to the size of a sheet. The staple sorter has the same configuration as that shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 shows a paper size selection screen of the touch panel 151 on the operation panel according to the second embodiment, in which a post-processing key 200 is displayed in addition to the APS key 152 and the manual key 153. Post-processing key 2
When 00 is turned on, the touch panel 151 is switched to a sorter operation mode selection screen shown in FIG. On this screen, in addition to various keys 201 to 206 for selecting an operation mode of the staple sorter, a user setting key 20 is displayed.
7 is displayed. The user setting key 207 is provided for registering a specific punch operation mode corresponding to the sheet size in advance by a user's will.

When the user setting key 207 is turned on, the touch panel 151 switches to a registration screen shown in FIG. This registration screen includes two-hole mode registration keys 211a to 214a for each paper size and three-hole mode registration keys
11b to 214b are displayed, and the return key 2
15 is displayed. Mode registration keys 211a-21
4b is 2 by turning on one for each paper size.
The hole or three-hole mode is stored in the non-volatile memory.

At the beginning of the operation of the staple sorter, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the paper size is A3T, B5T, and letter, the two-hole mode is set.
Set to hole mode. The operator can turn on the user setting key 207 to display this registration screen, and turn on any of the mode registration keys 211a to 214b to change the punch operation mode to a desired punch operation mode other than the initial setting. The mode is stored in the nonvolatile memory. When the operator turns on a print key (not shown) while the registration screen shown in FIG. 18 is displayed, punch processing is executed in the punch operation mode set on this registration screen. Return key 21
In step 5, when this button is turned on, the touch panel 151 returns to the screen shown in FIG.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show a control procedure for executing the switching of the punch mode in the second embodiment. This control procedure is executed as an alternative to the control procedure of switching execution shown in FIG. Note that FIG.
The same step numbers perform the same processing.

In this switching execution subroutine,
First, in step S11, the actuator flag is set to "1".
And it is determined in step S11a whether or not the user has been registered. That is, it is determined whether the user setting key 207 shown in FIG. 17 is turned on and the punch operation mode registration screen shown in FIG. 18 is displayed, and if the registration screen is not displayed, the first embodiment Steps S12 to S23 are performed in the same manner as in the embodiment, and the mode is switched to the punch operation mode preset according to the sheet size.

On the other hand, in the case of user registration, ie, FIG.
If the registration screen of step 8 is displayed, steps S31, S
After determining the paper size in 33, S35 and S37, the punch operation mode registered by the user for the corresponding paper size is determined in steps S32, S34, S36 and S38. Steps S32, S34, S36, S38
If YES is determined in any of the cases, the process proceeds to step S15, and the punch unit is switched to the two-hole mode. NO in any of steps S32, S34, S36, S38
When the determination is made, the process proceeds to step S20, and the punch unit is switched to the three-hole mode.

(Third Embodiment, See FIGS. 21 and 22) In the third embodiment, a punching process is collectively performed on a sheet bundle sorted on the bin 31. The staple sorter has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 2, and a punch unit 110 is provided instead of the staple unit 70. The punch unit 110 performs punching processing on the sheet bundle drawn by the first chucking unit 40 from the top bin 31 set at the level X _1. The punch unit 110 has one punching rod 111, moves parallel to the leading end of the sheet bundle, stops at a predetermined position, and
Perform punching operation for each hole.

More specifically, the punch unit 110 is mounted on a carriage 112 movable on a guide plate 115 via rollers 116, and the carriage 112 is connected to a belt 119 driven forward / reversely by a motor M71. ing. A guide groove 117 is formed in the guide plate 115, and the pin 113 of the carriage 112 is engaged with the guide groove 117, whereby the carriage 112 (the punch unit 11) is formed.
0) is guided along the leading end of the sheet bundle S. A projecting piece 114 is protruded from the carriage 112, and the projecting piece 1
The position where 14 is detected by the sensor SE66 is the home position of the punch unit 110 (see the dashed line in FIG. 22).

In FIG. 22, Pa to Pe indicate punch holes formed in the sheet bundle S, and the punch holes P in the three-hole mode.
a, Pc, and Pe are formed.
b and Pd are formed. The punch hole Pa is formed by operating the punching rod 111 when the punch unit 110 is set at the home position. The other punch holes Pb to Pe are formed by rotating the motor M71 forward in the direction of arrow f and stopping the punch unit 110 at a predetermined position. Each punch hole Pb
The stop position corresponding to Pe is determined by providing a plurality of sensors for detecting the protrusion 114 on the movement path of the protrusion 114,
The control can be performed by detecting the number of rotations of the motor M71 with an encoder, or by counting the number of pulses using a pulse drive motor as the motor M71.

Switching between the two-hole mode and the three-hole mode according to the selected paper size is the same as in the first embodiment. Also, as shown in the second embodiment,
The operator may be able to register a specific punch operation mode corresponding to the paper size on the operation panel.

(Other Embodiments) The finisher according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified within the scope of the invention.

In particular, the configurations of the bin assembly 30 and the paper transport unit 80 are arbitrary. For example, if the copying machine or printer has an image memory function and forms a desired number of images in page order, only one bin 31 may be provided. Alternatively, a bin dedicated to stapling may be provided separately from the sort bin. In addition to the copying machine 1, the present invention may be applied to a staple sorter connected to a printer that outputs image information transferred from a host computer as a hard copy. Further, as a means for the operator to register a specific punch operation mode corresponding to the paper size, a switch dedicated to registration may be used in addition to the operation panel 151.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a staple sorter and a copying machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the staple sorter.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a punch unit in the staple sorter.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the punch unit, FIG.
Hole mode, (B) shows two-hole mode.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of staples and sheet bundle removal / stacking in a staple sorter.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of staples and sheet bundle removal / stacking in the staple sorter, continued from FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of staples and sheet bundle removal / stacking in the staple sorter, continued from FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of staples and sheet bundle removal / stacking in the staple sorter, and is a continuation of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of staple and sheet bundle removal / stacking in the staple sorter, continued from FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of staple and sheet bundle removal / stacking in the staple sorter, continued from FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a paper selection screen displayed on a touch panel on an operation panel of the copying machine.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a manual paper selection screen displayed on the touch panel.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the copying machine.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a punch switching process.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure for executing switching of a punch mode.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a paper selection screen displayed on a touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a sorter operation mode selection screen displayed on the touch panel according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing a user registration screen displayed on a touch panel according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure for executing switching of a punch mode according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the control procedure shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is an elevation view showing a main part of a staple sorter according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a plan view of the punch unit shown in FIG. 21;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Copier 10 ... Staple sorter 110,120 ... Punch unit 111,123a-123e ... Punching rod 124 ... Drive shaft 125,126 ... Cam 140 ... Switching plate 170 ... CPU 207 ... User setting key 211a-214b ... Punch operation mode Registration key M70: Motor for switching M71: Motor for moving punch unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A finisher for forming a punched hole in a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus, comprising: a punching unit capable of forming a punched hole in a plurality of punching operation modes on a sheet; And a control means for operating the punch means in a specific punch operation mode corresponding to the size of the paper sheet. 2. The finisher according to claim 1, further comprising a registration unit that allows an operator to register a specific punch operation mode corresponding to a sheet size.