JPS6093061A - Automatic stapler - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify a structure of an automatic stapler by effecting sheet reception and stapling for the next one sheet set part on a bundle of sheets already stapled and located in a tray. CONSTITUTION:Sheets outputted from a sheet output part (copying machine) are successively introduced into a sheet aligning tray 10 of a stapler mechanism, and accumulated in a state thereof aligned to each other. Then, after first set sheets P'' have been introduced into an accumulated in a tray 10, a stapler head 50 of the stapler mechanism is driven down, the first set sheet bundle P'' is together stapled in the tray. Thereafter, the stapled first set sheet bundle P'' is left in the tray 10 as it is, and a staple bending table 51 opposing to the stapler head 50 is moved to the top side of the first set sheet bundle P''. Successively, the next set sheet bundle P' is accumulated on the aforesaid stapled one set sheet bundle P'' for stapling.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention stacks and receives sheets sequentially output from an automatic stapler 1, that is, a sheet output section, in a sheet receiving section in an aligned state, and receives a plurality of sheets in the sheet receiving section. The present invention relates to a device that automatically drives a staple into a stack of sheets after one set (part) of sheets has been stacked to perform batch binding.

For example, in a copying machine, in order to streamline, speed up, and save labor in the copying process, the copying machine itself is equipped with the above-mentioned methods so that it can automatically obtain copies that are finished with stable binding as needed. Automatic staplers with a built-in automatic stapler mechanism, such as the above, or as individual units that can be used in combination with existing copying machines that do not have such a mechanism are already known. , has also been put into practical use. There is also a sorter (sheet sorting device) with a built-in automatic stapler mechanism.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 respectively show the schematic configuration of an example of a conventional automatic stapler unit.

A is an image forming device such as a copying machine, a printing device, a simple printing machine, etc. as a sheet output unit, and a sheet output device that outputs other sheets one after another (sheet materials such as kaft sheet paper, cards, thin boards, etc.). , in this example, it is assumed to be a copying machine for convenience. B is an automatic stapler unit connected to the sheet (copy sheet) output [1 side of the copying machine A, and the sheet receiving port 8 of this unit is aligned with the sheet output port 7 of the copying machine A side to copy. It is immovably connected to machine A.

In addition, the copying fiA and unit B are connected via a cable etc. in order to operate in conjunction with each other. They are also connected to each other in terms of electrical circuits.

In the example in Fig. 1, when copying is performed in non-stable binding mode, the copy sheets sequentially output from copying mechanism A (details omitted) are transferred from the first sheet path l to the deflector 2. 2 A second sheet path 3 held in the posture shown by the dashed line and communicated with the first sheet path 1 → a copy tray disposed on the face plate of the copying machine along the path from the first sheet output port 4 111 is issued sequentially to 5. P indicates the utilized and deposited copy sheet.

On the other hand, when the copying is performed in the stable binding mode, the copy sheets outputted one after another from the copying mechanism A' are transferred from the first sheet path l to the deflector 2 is switched to the state shown by the solid line and held, and the copy sheets are outputted one after another from the copying mechanism A'. The sheet enters unit B from the copying machine A side through the path of the third sheet path 6 connected to the copying machine A → the second sheet output port 7 → the sheet receiving opening 8 of the automatic stabilizer unit) B.

The sheets introduced into unit B pass through a sheet path 9 and are sequentially introduced into a sheet alignment tray 10 serving as a sheet receiving section. This tray 10 is equipped with a sheet alignment function, and the sheets introduced into the tray 10 are properly aligned in a V-shape and stacked one after another in an overlapping state. P indicates the deposited copy sheet. The sheet aligning mechanism is not shown in the figure, but various mechanisms are known, such as those using tilting, those using vibration, those using rocking plates, and those using rotating paddles.

Then, on the copying machine A side, the original circulation copying cycle using the RDF device (automatic document circulation feeding device), etc. is completed.
When one set of copy sheets has been deposited in the tray lO, the staple driving mechanism 11 is actuated by a signal sent from the control circuit to staple the sheet bundle P for one set in the tray lO. will be done.

The stably bound sheet bundle is then automatically discharged from the tray 10 into the sheet bundle stacker 13 by the sheet i/bundle 1/1 output mechanism 12.

The sheet bundle publishing mechanism 12 of this example consists of an arm 15 that is swung by a drive device 14 about a shaft 15a, and a sheet bundle chuck member 16 provided at the tip of the arm, and includes a sheet bundle P in the tray IO. After stable driving is completed, the chuck member 16 grips the leading end of the sheet bundle, and the arm 15 swings downward, thereby ejecting the sheet bundle in the tray 10 into the stacker 13. During this ejection, the side wall plate 101 on the leading edge side of the tray 10 collapses forward. When the sheet bundle in the tray 10 is discharged into the stacker 13, the arm 15 releases its grip on the sheet bundle and returns to the original solid line foot position, and the side wall plate 10. The machine returns to its original standing position as shown by the solid line, and becomes ready to accept the next set of copy sheets.

If the copying machine A is in stable binding mode and the copying conditions for producing multiple copies are set, then the copying cycle for the next set of copies is executed on the copying machine A side.
Then, the copy sheet is introduced into the tray 10 in the automatic stapler unit B in the same manner as above, and the operations of automatically stabbing the staple and discharging it into the stacker 13 are repeated several times for a set number of copies, thereby finalizing the copy sheet. Target stacker 1
A set number of sheet bundles P, each of which has been stapled, are accumulated and stored in each of the sheets 3 and 3.

The stacker 13 of this example is housed in the exterior machine casing of the automatic stapler unit B, and is moved up and down by a vertical movement mechanism (not shown), and is automatically moved down sequentially according to the amount of stacked sheet bundles P. be done. The sheet bundle P in the stacker is taken out by pulling the stacker out along the rail member 17 toward the front side of the machine case.

The copying machine A in the example in Figure 2 (C indicates the pedestal on which the copying machine is installed) is of a type with only one sea I/output port 7 (generally small and popular copying type A). In this case, whether copying is performed in the non-stapling binding mode or in the stable binding mode, the copy sheet is transferred from the sheet output port 7 to the automatic stapler to the sheet receiving unit B [in unit B along the path 18]. will be introduced to

However, when copying is performed in the non-staple binding mode, the deflector 18 in unit B is switched to the position shown by the two-dot chain line and is held, and the copy sheet that enters unit B is uncoupled by the deflector 18. J on the side
The sheets are diverted into the sheet path 19 toward the copy tray 20 where the sheets have been t-i, and are sequentially discharged into the copy tray 20.

- When actual copying is performed in the stable binding mode, the deflector 18 is switched to the solid water position and is held, and is successively introduced into the copy 10 that has entered unit B. When one set of copy sheets P has been accumulated in the sheet alignment tray 10, the stable driving mechanism 11 is operated in the same way as in the example shown in FIG. The sheet bundle P is then discharged from the tray 10 into the sheet bundle stacker tray 22 by the sheet bundle discharge mechanism 21.

The sheet bundle discharging mechanism 21 of this example is of a nip roller type, and when discharging a stably bound sheet bundle, the side wall lOI on the leading edge side of the tray lO collapses forward, and the sheet bundle in the tray 10 is caused by the inclination of the tray. It slides forward, gets caught between the nip rollers 21 and 212, and is ejected into the stacker tray 22 by the rotational force of the rollers. Thereafter, the side wall lO1 of the tray 10 returns to the original standing position of the solid line, and the tray 10 becomes ready to receive the next set of copy sheets.

By the way, conventional automatic staplers, whether they are a unit type as in the above example or a type with a built-in sheet output device, are equipped with at least a sheet alignment tray 10, a stable driving mechanism 11, and a sheet bundle ejection device. It is equipped with mechanisms 12 and 21, a sheet bundle stacker 13, or a stacker tray 22. As a result, the configuration is complicated, large, and expensive.Unit type models require a large installation space, and built-in models, such as copying machines, take up a large space inside the machine, and the machine itself becomes large.

Therefore, when it comes to copiers, conventional automatic staplers
The application of both the unit type and built-in type was almost limited to large, high-end copying machines, and it was difficult to apply them to small, popular general-purpose copying machines. Regarding the sorter, if it has a built-in automatic stapler mechanism, its thickness
The number of sorter bins is designed to be 2 to 3 in order to ensure a good space factor.
I had no choice but to reduce the number of bottles. Set the sheet alignment function to each bin of the sorter, and set the stable driving mechanism to Jtfil for each bin, or move the stable driving head relative to each bin, or conversely move the stable driving head to the stable driving head. There is also a known system in which each bin is sequentially moved to perform stable binding on a bundle of sheets that have been distributed and sorted in each bin, but in such a system, the overall configuration of the sorter is extremely complicated.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and is much simpler and more compact than the conventional ones, and therefore can virtually eliminate the space problem in small-diameter general copying machines or sorters. It is an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost, highly practical automatic stapler that can be incorporated without having to create an automatic stapler, or can constitute a small-sized automatic stapler unit.

That is, the present invention includes a sheet alignment tray that sequentially stacks sheets output from a sheet output unit and receives them in an aligned state, and a sheet alignment tray that operates when one set of sheets has been accumulated in the tray. There is a stable driving mechanism that drives the stable into the bundle, and every time the stable driving operation of this mechanism is completed, the sheet east that has already been stably driven is moved as it is!・Align the stable bending table facing the stable 1-cutting head of the stable driving mechanism, leaving it in alignment I・1/A, to the -1- side of the stable driven sheet bundle in 1・1/A. The gist of the invention is an automatic stapler consisting of a mechanism for moving the position.

In other words, the automatic stapler of the present invention does not eject the stack of sheets on the sheet alignment tray that has been subjected to the stable driving process one by one, but remains in the tray as it is, and does not receive the sheets of the next set and perform the stable driving process. Sheet alignment tray 1 is used to align the stably driven sheet bundle of each sheet receiving/stable driving cycle by aligning the stable driving sheet bundle existing in the tray.
- The necessity of disposing the sheet I/bundle discharge mechanism 12, 21, sheet stacker 13 or stacker tray 22 as in the conventional device is eliminated by adopting a system configuration in which these sheets are stacked and stored one after another as a stack tray. It's something I lost.

Therefore, the automatic stapler of the present invention has a much simpler and more compact structure than the conventional one, and can be installed in small and popular general copiers or sorters.
It has the effect of being able to be incorporated without causing substantial cost problems, or of being able to construct a compact, inexpensive, versatile, and practical automatic stapler unit, and that can serve the intended purpose well. achieved.

A detailed explanation will be given below based on an embodiment of the apparatus shown in the figure.

FIG. 3 is a vertical side view of an example of a sorter incorporating an automatic stapler according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the automatic stapler, and FIG. 5 is a positional movement of the staple bending table of the stable driving mechanism. It is a front view of a mechanism part.

In FIG. 3, D is the overall code of the sorter. The sorter D of this example is a unit type used in combination with a copying machine A as a sheet output device, and the sorter D has a sheet receiving opening 30.
is fixedly connected to the copying machine A so as to face the sheet output port 7 on the copying machine A side. In addition, the sorter D and the copying machine A are also electrically connected via a cable or the like in order to perform linked operations.

Reference numeral 31 denotes a vertical sheet conveying belt member which is stretched between a pair of rollers 32 and 33 that are arranged in parallel at the upper and lower parts of the sorter exterior nodal circle, and which moves in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow i! 1! It is continuously rotated. 341 to 34n are multi-stage sheet storage bins disposed vertically on the descending side belt portion 31b side of the belt member 31 described in 1-; This is a sheet suction fan that is disposed along the belt length in a concave space with the moving side bell I section 31b and whose suction side is on the downward moving side belt section 31b side.

36 is the sheet output port 7 from the copying machine A side into the sorter D →
The nip rollers 37, 38, and 39 that press the copy sheet introduced through the sheet receiving port 30 against the surface of the ascending belt section 31a of the L belt member 31 are pressed by the nip rollers 36 to the ascending belt section 31a. The copy sheet that is pressed against the surface of the belt section 31a and conveyed in the -1 direction by the -1 drive of the belt section 31a is deflected and guided along the upper roller suspension section of the belt member 31 toward the downward moving side belt section 31b side. This includes a guide plate, a pressure roller, and a deflector that is controlled to swing around a shaft 39a.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a sheet deflecting member for guiding sheets to each sheet storage bin of the sorter, and the vertical position movement of the member is controlled along the downward movement side belt portion 31b of the belt member 31 (the vertical position movement mechanism of this member is shown in the figure). omission).

In the sorter of this example, the topmost bin 34 of each sheet storage bin. is a non-sorting bin, this bin 34 is equipped with a sheet alignment mechanism 41 to form a sheet alignment tray 10, and a unit box 42 having a built-in stable driving mechanism is provided to form part of an automatic stapler. .

The sheet alignment mechanism 41 of this example is of a swinging plate type, in which the soil and stone side wall plate 43 of the tray 10 (FIG. 5) is used as a reference plate fixed to the tray, and the left side wall plate 44 is connected to a rotating eccentric roller 45 and a tension spring 46. There is no rocking plate that is driven forward and backward in the tray width direction.

The sheet introduced into the tray 10 slides rearward in the tray due to the rear tilt of the tray 10, and its trailing edge abuts the inner surface of the rear side wall plate 47 (FIG. 3) of the tray. You can receive 1st prize. Also, the sheet is moved toward the tray right side wall plate 43 as a reference plate by the swinging drive of the tray left side wall plate 44 as a swinging plate, and its right side hits the inner surface of the right side wall plate 43, and the sheet is moved toward the tray right side wall plate 43 as a reference plate. - They are moved closer together until they are caught. As a result, the sheets introduced into the tray 10 one after another are aligned with the rear side wall plate 47 and the right side wall plate 43 of the tray, using a ruler to align those sides! 4? The two right-angled phases R on the plate side are properly aligned and are gradually exhausted.

A stable driving mechanism and a staple bending table position moving mechanism as shown in FIG. 5 are built into the unit box 42. That is, 50 is a stable driving head, 51 is a staple bending table facing the head, 51a is an anvil portion on the top surface of the tip side of the staple bending table, and 52 is a crank wheel 53 and a force l/hole plate 54 that are oscillated in conjunction with each other. This is the crank 5 arm that is driven. The base of the stable driving head 50 and the base of the staple bending table 51 are connected to the tip of the crank arm 52 by a common shaft 55, and the head 50 and the table 51 individually rotate around the shaft 55. Be free. The base 51 is normally held at its lower surface by the distal end extension plate 52a of the crank arm 52, and is prevented from rotating downward from a substantially horizontal position. The head 50 is always urged to open and rotate about a shaft 55 with respect to the base 51 by an opening spring (not shown), and is held in a predetermined opening angle posture shown by the solid line.

53a is a connecting pin between the crank wheel 53 and the crank arm 53, and 52b is a pin implanted at approximately the longitudinal center of the crank arm 53, which projects into the cam hole 54a of the cam hole plate 54 and engages with it.

The crank arm 52 is normally stopped and held at the position shown in the figure, and the tip of the staple bending table 51 is located on the tray surface near the right angle between the rear side wall plate 47 and the right side wall plate 43 of the tray 10. ing. In this state, when the crank wheel 53 is driven 61 rotations clockwise, the crank arm 52 performs a rocking retardation that is a combination of the crank retardation by the crank wheel 53 and the guiding action by the cam plate 54. In the case of this example, the shaft 55 connecting the stable driving head 50 and the base 51 is oscillated so as to draw a trajectory as shown by the bold line arrow (in addition, the oscillating mechanism is made up of the rank 1L and the cam plate). (This is known as an intermittent film feeding mechanism, for example.)

As the crank arm 52 swings, the stable driving head 50 and the staple bending table 51, which are connected and supported by a shaft 55 at the tip of the crank arm 52, are also connected to the shaft 55.
The position movement is delayed according to the movement trajectory of. That is, the tip of the staple bending table 51 has a crank tit 5.
In the process of one rotation in step 3, the flap first moves in the direction from the surface 1- of the tray 10 toward the right side wall plate 43 of the tray, and is pulled out of the tray. Next, the holding movement → forward movement in the direction of the tray and combined movement of the first movement → combined movement of forward movement and descent in the direction of the tray After drawing a trajectory of downward movement, the final position is the first position shown in the fifth figure. Return to state. Furthermore, unit box 42
A head striking mechanism for striking the stable driving head 50 is also built-in, but it is omitted from the figure, and an arrow 56 (FIG. 5) indicating the striking force is shown.

57 (Figures 3 and 4) is the stapler mechanism section 10, 41,
It is a cover lid that covers the entire upper side of 42, and can be opened and closed freely around a shaft 58. In this example, when the cover lid is closed, the control circuit of the stapler mechanism is in a closed state. It is kept in a circuit state when opened.

(1) Copying in sorter mode When copying is performed in a mode in which sorter D is used as the original sorter, the deflector 39 is held in the switching position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The output is sequentially introduced from the copying machine A side into the sorter D, and the ascending moving side belt portion 3 of the belt member 31
The copy sheet pressed against the surface 1a by the nip roller 36 and conveyed upward is moved by the guide plate 37, the pressing roller 38,
The deflector 39 rotates the belt member 31 along the upper roller suspension portion to the downward moving side belt portion 31b side of the belt member 31. The sheet that has gone around is held on the outer surface of the descending belt portion 31b by the air suction force of the fans 351 to 353, and is conveyed vertically downward as the belt portion 31b moves downward.

The sheet deflecting member 40 starts from the third bin 34 from the top.
2nd sheet introduction The first vertically descending conveyed sheet located in the 1st section is introduced into the bin 342 at the -F second stage by the deflecting member 40. When this sheet introduction is completed, the deflecting member 40 is controlled to move to the sheet introducing portion of the next third stage bin 343, and the second stacked descending conveyed sheet is introduced into the bin 343.Then, the deflecting member 40 sequentially moves the second stacked descending sheet into the bin 343. By controlling the positional movement in accordance with When it has finished moving down to the bin, it moves up again to the position -E of the Sea I/inlet port of the second bin 342, and repeats the distribution and introduction of sheets to the bins of 11f and each stage 9 times.Thus, finally A plurality of collated copy sheet bundles, one set at a time, are sorted and stored in each bin of the second and subsequent stages.

(2) Copying in stable binding mode When copying in stable binding mode, the deflector 3
9 is held in the switching position shown by the solid line in FIG. The cover lid 57 is kept closed. Since the deflector 39 is held in the above-mentioned switching position, all the copy sheets sequentially output from the copying machine A side to the sorter D side pass through the upper surface side of the deflector 39 when they reach the sheet pressing roller section 38. the first stage bin of the sorter, i.e. the stapler
The sheets are introduced one after another into the sheet alignment tray IO of the mechanism and are deposited in a mutually aligned state. When the lth set of copy sheets has been introduced and deposited into the tray IO, the stable driving head 50 of the stable driving mechanism is driven down by the operation of the driving mechanism, and the stacked sheet bundle in the tray is collectively stably bound. will be done.

When the lowered head 50 returns to the open position, the crank tit 53 rotates only once. Then, as described above, due to the swinging movement of the crank arm 52, the tip of the stable bending table 51 is removed from the tray 101 and moved back to the tray 1θ, and finally moves as shown in the sixth figure. The sheet bundle P is moved to a position on the -L surface of the sheet bundle P which was previously stably driven and remains in the tray lO.

Next, the second set of copy sheets is sequentially introduced into the tray 10 and stacked in alignment with each other, and the stable bending table 51 is moved in position by driving the stable and driving the crank wheel 53 once in the same manner as described above. will be done.

Through the above-described repeated operations, a predetermined number of sheet bundles P, each of which has been stably driven, is finally stacked and stored in the tray 10 as a sheet bundle stacker tray. Thereafter, the cover lid 57 is opened and the stable-driven sheet bundle in the tray lθ is taken out.

FIG. 7 shows another example of a mechanism for moving the stable bending table 51 to the upper surface side of the stable driven sheet bundle P in the tray lθ.

In this example, the rotating cam 59 moves the stable bending table 51 to the shaft 5.
When the cam 59 is rotated one rotation each time the stable driving for one set of sheet bundles introduced into the tray IO is completed, the stable bending table 51 is rotated one rotation. The table 51 is largely pushed up and rotated about the shaft 55, and the part of the stable-driven sheet bundle corresponding to the table 51 is bent up as shown by the solid line, and the tip of the table 51 is bent upward. The puller comes out from the bottom of the raised sheet bundle and comes off. Then, the warped portion of the sheet bundle is restored to a flat state and rides on the tray or the lower sheet east, and then the leading end of the platform 51 descends onto the sheet bundle, resulting in a transfer state.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 and 2 are schematic configuration diagrams of an example of a conventional automatic stapler unit, Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view of a sorter incorporating an automatic stapler according to the present invention, and Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an automatic stapler unit according to the present invention. A partial plan view, FIG. 5 is a front view of a mechanism section for moving the stable bending table, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the staple bending table has been moved, and FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a modified example. A is a copying machine, ■1 is an automatic stapler unit, and D is a sorter. Patent Applicant Canon Co., Ltd. Agent Fuku 1) To 3-19-

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A sheet alignment tray that sequentially stacks the sheets output from the sheet output unit and receives them in a uniformly aligned state; a stable driving mechanism that drives a stable against the stable driving mechanism, and a stable driving head of the stable driving mechanism that leaves the stable driven sheet bundle as it is in the sheet alignment tray every time the stable driving operation of the mechanism is completed. an automatic stapler-0 consisting of a mechanism for moving the stable bending table facing the stable bending table to the upper surface side of the stack of sheets in which the stable has been driven in the tray;