JPS61150966A - Image display forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the size and the weight of device by providing means for leading the sheet carried through sheet feeding means arranged on a bottle tray at the sheet sorting section to the sheet carrying section thereby eliminating an intermediate tray and an inverting unit and reducing the required space. CONSTITUTION:When copying on both faces, second page document is placed on the document table 2 to start copy work. Then all flappers 1261-126n are returned to the position where the sheet is led to the carrying path 123 to energize a solenoid 1591 thus to rotate a backup link 1551 clockwise and to lift the auxiliary board 153 while to rotate an arm 1501 counter-clockwise thus to contact the feed roller 1511 against a sheet on the tray 611. Consequently, the sheet is fed to the carry path 123 through rotation of roller 1511 then led through a path 144 to the sheet carrying section 59 thus to feed out the sheet copied on both faces to the mounting unit 60. When employing the bottle tray as a paper feeder, the roller 151n is contacted against the sheet in the tray 61n and rotated to feed the sheet to the roller 121n then to the path 123 through rotation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet sorting section capable of sorting and collecting sheets such as transfer paper. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that can perform multiple functions such as forming multiple images on one side of a sheet, and can also perform image formation by feeding sheets stacked on a bin tray of a sheet sorting section to an image forming section.

(B) Conventional technology In recent years, image forming devices such as copying machines (hereinafter referred to as copying machines) have a sheet sorting function for sorting and collecting copied sheets, a duplex function for forming images on both sides of the sheet, and a duplex function for forming images on both sides of the sheet. There is a demand for multifunctionality such as multiple functions for multiple copying, as well as systemization. Conventionally, these multifunctions have been built into the main body of the copying machine in advance, or separate from the main body of the copying machine, such as a sorting device, duplex device, etc. It is attached to support multi-functionality.

For example, as shown in FIG.
A document table 2 that can slide back and forth with a document placed thereon, a lens system LE fixed to a support member S of the device main body, a device main body that cannot place a large number of sheets, and a document table 2 that is perpendicular to the sheet surface. A cylindrical photoreceptor 3 having a central axis extending in the direction, a developing device 5, a cleaner 6, and a charger 7 arranged near the periphery are integrally arranged in a frame 9, and these photoreceptors 3, The developing device 5, the cleaner 6, and the charger 7 constitute a unit 10 that can be inserted into and removed from the main body support member S. Further, a conveyance device 13 having a transfer charger 11, a separation roller 12, etc. is arranged below the unit 10, and a paper feeder for feeding the sheets on the cassettes C, C2 to the conveyance device 13. Roller 15 and registration roller 1
6 is disposed, and a fixing device 17 to which the transferred sheet is fed from the conveying device 13 is disposed. A flapper 1 for changing the sheet feeding direction is provided at the exit portion of the fixing device 17.
9 is disposed, and the flapper 19 separates the sheets from a sheet sorting device 20 separate from the main body 1 of the copying apparatus or the main body 1 of the apparatus.
The selected and fed materials are selected and fed to a conveyor belt 23 that leads to an intermediate tray 22 disposed inside. The sheet sorting device 20 has a large number of sheet storage bin trays 25..., and these trays 25 can be transported up and down by a conveyor 2.6, and
The sheet is ejected to a predetermined tray 25 by the paper feed roller 27.
It is collected. On the other hand, the intermediate tray 22 is installed at a lower position of the apparatus main body 1 and inclined in order to ensure sheet stacking and refeeding properties.
A feed roller 29 and a delivery roller 30 are provided to eject the sheet from the sheet.

Based on the above configuration, when the document table 2 moves, the document table 2
The document M placed on top is irradiated by a light source, and the reflected light passes through the lens system LE and forms an image on the surface of the photoreceptor 3, which has been uniformly charged by the charger 7 in advance, forming an electrostatic latent image. Then, based on the rotation of the photoreceptor 3 in the direction of the arrow, the electrostatic latent image forms a toner image at the developing device 5 position. On the other hand, the sheets loaded in cassette CI or C2 are
5, and is aligned with the toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor by a registration roller 16, and further transferred to the sheet surface by a transfer charger 11. Furthermore,
The sheet carrying the toner image is separated from the photoreceptor 3 by a separation roller 12, sent to a fixing device 17 by a conveying device 13, and fixed therein. In the case of single-sided copying, the flapper 19 is switched to the sheet sorting device side, and the copied sheet is ejected to a predetermined tray 25 by the paper feed roller 27, and the tray 25 is transferred to the conveyor 2.
The sorting specified in advance by 6 is moved according to the method, and the sheets are sorted in a predetermined pattern.

On the other hand, in the case of double-sided photography, the flapper 19 is switched to the intermediate tray side. Therefore, the sheets copied on one side are guided to the intermediate tray 22 by the conveyor belt 23, and a predetermined number of sheets are stacked and accumulated on the tray 22. When the single-sided copying is completed, the sheet on the intermediate tray 22 is fed by the feed roller 29 from the trailing edge of the sheet, that is, switched back, and then exposed to light by the feed roller 30 with the uncopied side facing upward. The sheets are copied onto both sides of the body 3 and the transfer charger 11, and are sent to the sheet sorting device 20 by the flapper 19 via the fixing device 17 in the same manner as described above, where they are sorted in a predetermined pattern. Copying device 1
Another example of ' is shown in FIG. Like the copying device 1, the copying device 1' also has an original platen 2,
Cassette l-C.

C2, a lens system LE, a unit 10 consisting of a photoreceptor 3, a developing device 5, a cleaner 6, and a charger 7, and further a conveying device 1.
3, a fixing device 17, and the like. And the fixing device 17
A reversing guide path 32 having a paper feed roller 34 is provided branching off to a path 31 from
This switches to the reversing guide path 32 and the path 35 to the sheet sorting device 20'. Furthermore, the inversion is id path 32
A path 37 is provided which is guided from the sheet through a flapper 36, and the path 37 is guided to the intermediate tray 22' by a number of discharge ports 37a, depending on the sheet size.

On the other hand, the sheet sorting device 20' is constructed separately from the main body of the copying apparatus 1', and is fixed to the main body of the apparatus with screws or the like. The sorting device 20' also includes a large number of trays 25'.
... are fixed, and a path An (rih-7-hkl
yI2Fl'・=lrrl', f! A 7ftIttr upper flapper 41... and a paper feed roller 42 are provided.

Based on the above configuration, the sheet transferred by the photoreceptor 3 and fixed by the fixing device 17 is guided to the path @31. In the case of single-sided copying, the flapper 33 is switched to the path 35 side, and the sheet is sent from the discharge roller 39 to the sheet sorting device 20'. Then, according to a predetermined sorting method, the sheets are collected in a predetermined tray 25' by the flapper 41 and paper feed roller 42 of the sorting device 20'. On the other hand, in the case of double-sided copying, the flapper 33 is switched to the reversing guide and idle path 32 side,
A single-sided copy sheet sent from a path 31 is guided to a guide path 32, and further, the sheet is switched back by reversing the paper feed roller 34. And flapper 3
6, the reversed sheet passes through the path 37 and is transferred to the intermediate tray 2.
2', and a predetermined number of single-sided copy sheets are dropped onto the tray 22'. Further, the sheet on the intermediate tray 22' is sent to the photoreceptor 3 portion with the non-copied side facing up by the feeding roller 29 and the sending roller 30, and is transferred to the upper surface of the sheet at this portion. The sheets that have been double-sided copied are then sent to the sheet sorting device 20' and sorted into each tray 25'.

(8) Problems to be Solved by the Invention Therefore, the main body of the copying machine 1 (or a special double-sided copying machine) requires special intermediate trays 22, 22', and furthermore, the intermediate tray 22 is used to ensure sheet loading performance. Therefore, it can be installed at an angle or in the middle! - Since it is necessary to install a reversing lji structure such as the reversing guide path 32 outside the tray, a large dead space is created in the main body of the apparatus, and the double-sided copying device becomes quite large. , 20', the entire unit is quite large. Furthermore, the third
As shown in Figures 1 and 4, when a double-sided copying device is incorporated into the main body of a copying machine 1, it is necessary to have a fairly robust structure in terms of strength as the main body becomes larger.
It also causes weight increase.

Furthermore, when troubleshooting problems such as paper jams, the main body of the copying machine, the double-sided copying part, the sheet sorting device, and the sheet conveyance path are long and complicated, so paper jams occur over a wide range of locations, and It takes time to find the paper jam, and because the intermediate tray and conveyance part of the duplex copying device are built inside the device, the paper jam location cannot be seen from the outside, and work such as opening the cover is required. This makes troubleshooting extremely troublesome.

Furthermore, as shown in the above-mentioned conventional example, the intermediate trays 22, 22' are generally installed in the lower part of the apparatus, that is, near the floor surface9, and the user has to bend down to clear paper jams, making it extremely difficult to use. is getting worse.

In addition, single-sided copied sheets are stacked on the intermediate trays 22 and 22', but these sheets often curl due to the pressure and heat received during the fixing process, and the curled sheets are removed from the intermediate trays. When refeeding, feeding errors such as double feeding are likely to occur, which leads to an increase in the size and complexity of the copying apparatus.

Additionally, in addition to multi-functionality and systemization of copying devices as mentioned above, there has recently been a trend toward personalization, but copying devices that support this personalization are limited by the size, weight, price, etc. of the device itself. They are not equipped with many functions; for example, even paper feeding devices are generally equipped with a single paper feeding device or devices that only have a manual feed function. Therefore, in such personal copying machines, mini-sorters, optional cassettes, document feeders, etc. are added according to the user's requests, but these mini-sorters and other devices only have individual functions. I haven't done it,
If these devices are installed one after another in the main body of the device, even though the main body is small and low-priced, the unit device as a whole becomes quite large and expensive, and the advantages of personal devices cannot be utilized. It has become.

In addition, due to the multifunctionality and systemization of copying machines, sheet classification functions and double-sided copying functions have been added.
! 21++ upper 0, -1-Kamiya Ptsu 4-wage system +ro*lT\
L~ = CLOSE (CZ = + CLOUD) However, during editing, bookbinding, etc., it is often necessary to copy sheets by interrupting or manually feeding them. Therefore, the copying machine has a built-in interrupt function. Some copying machines are equipped with a manual feed mechanism in the paper feed section, but if you wish to interrupt operations such as editing or bookbinding in the copying machine, use the copying machine that has been set in the copying machine in advance. It is very inconvenient because it can only make copies using size sheets, and it is not possible to make copies if the magnification, copy size, or sheet type is different. Copying machines that can handle different magnifications, copy sizes, sheet types, etc., but copying machines with such functions are large and expensive, and there are many users who can use the copying machines. In addition, in copying machines that do not have such a function, when interrupting, the user must replace the set sheets or repeat manual feeding for the required number of sheets. must be done.

Further, when the copying apparatus is actually used, the type and number of sheets may be managed, for example, for each department. In this case, if there are only a few departments in use, it is sufficient to place paper feed cassettes dedicated to each department in parallel in the copying machine in advance, but if there are many departments in use and the types of sheets used are many, it is possible to It has become impossible to arrange two paper feed cassettes side by side in advance in a copying machine. Therefore, it is conceivable to configure the copying device so that multiple paper feed devices can be installed, but this would inevitably increase the size and weight of the device, complicate the mechanism, and increase the price, making it impractical. .

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is provided with a sheet sorting section having a large number of sheet storage bin trays, each of which has a sheet sorting section. An image forming apparatus capable of sorting and collecting sheets in bin trays, further comprising a sheet conveying section for conveying sheets from a sorting section to an image forming section, and further comprising a sheet conveying section facing at least one of the bin trays to sort and collect sheets on the bin trays. The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with a sheet feeding means capable of feeding sheets that have been fed, and a sheet conveying means that guides the sheet fed by the sheet feeding means to the sheet conveying section. .

(e) Operation Based on the above-mentioned configuration, the sheet sorting section sorts and stacks the sheets into each bin tray according to a predetermined pattern, and the copying apparatus also stacks the sheets, one side of which has been copied, into the bin tray, and then transfers the sheets from the bin tray. The sheet is fed again by the sheet feeding means, further sent to the sheet feeding section by the sheet feeding means, and fed again to the main body of the copying apparatus to perform multi-functional processing such as double-sided copying.

Further, the bin tray is used as a paper feeding device, and a sheet is fed from the bin tray by a sheet feeding means, and further fed to the main body of the copying apparatus by a sheet conveying means and a sheet conveying section to make a new copy.

(F) Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the copying apparatus U has a copying section,
The apparatus main body 50 includes an original table 2, a light source, and a lens system LE, 2.
cassettes C1 and C2, and the device main body 5
A cylindrical photoreceptor 3 is disposed inside the photoreceptor. Further, near the periphery of the photoreceptor 3, there are two developing devices 5, 5' each containing toner of a different color, a cleaner 6, and a primary charger 7, and a conveyance section is installed at the tip of the station 13. A transfer charger 11 and a separation roller 12 are provided. In addition, paper feed rollers 15.
15 are arranged and guided to the pair of registration rollers 16 via paths 51' and 52, respectively, and a guide port opened on the lower surface of the apparatus main body 50.
is guided to a pair of registration rollers 16 via. Further, a fixing device 17 is disposed at the rear end portion of the conveying device 13, and a pair of discharge rollers 56 are disposed in the fixing device 17 to discharge the sheet to the outside of the machine. A sensor S that detects. is installed.

On the other hand, the sheet sorting section 57 and the sheet conveying section 59 are arranged facing the sheet sorting section 57 and the sheet conveying section 59. The sheet sorting section 57 has a large number of sheet storage bins 11 to 61. ,
is installed, and upper and lower boos IJ115, 116
are arranged rotatably, and these pulleys 115°1
A belt 117 is wound around 16. Furthermore, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, conveyor rollers 119, 120 and 121□ to 121o are arranged at predetermined intervals around the belt 117 so as to elastically contact the belt and rotate accordingly. There is also a guide plate 122 between these rollers.
are arranged to constitute a sheet conveyance path 123.

Furthermore, FIs 125 for receiving sheets from the ejection roller pair 56 of the copying apparatus main body 50 extend so as to communicate with the conveyance path 123, and facing the conveyance path 123, each tray 61. ~61. A large number of flappers 1261 to 126. which can select and branch sheets in different directions. is each conveyance roller 1211-121. It is rotatably supported on a supporting shaft. In addition, each flapper 126 is connected to the solid line position by a spring to restrict the intrusion of the sea 1- in the direction of the tray and guide it to the path 123 along the belt 117, and the solenoid 131.
The energization switches it to the chain line position leading to the tray path 132. In addition, each tray 611-61. A sheet detection sensor 133 consisting of a light emitting element 133a and a light receiving element 133b is installed in each of the sheets. Arms 1501 to 15 are attached to the spindles of the respective conveyance rollers 1211 to 121n.
0. is rotatably supported, and feeding rollers 1511 to 151 are disposed at the tip of the arm, and a clockwise urging force is applied by a torsion coil spring (not shown), so that the feeding roller is placed on the tray. It is biased to a position away from the Note that these feeding rollers 151
1 to 151 degrees are the conveyance rollers 121. ~12.1
．． and conveyance rollers 1211 to 121 . through a chain or gear train (not shown). The sheet on the tray can be rotated in a direction to send out the sheet to the conveyance path 123 in synchronization with the rotation of. On the other hand, each tray 611-61. is an auxiliary plate 153 whose bottom surface is rotatably supported by a pin 152.
..., and further below these auxiliary plates 153 are backup links 1551 to 155, and support shafts 156.
It is rotatably supported by... One end arm of the backup links 1551 to 155 and the feeding roller support arms 1501 to 150L are connected via links 1571 to 157, respectively, and when the arm 150 is rotated downward (counterclockwise), , the backup link 155 rotates upward (clockwise).

Additionally, each backup link 155 . Solenoids 159□ to 159, respectively, to one end arm part of ~155o
are connected to each other, and feeding rollers 1511 to 151 . Then, the auxiliary plate 153 can be switched to the feeding position (see the lowermost tray 61. in FIG. 2). Further, a drive source such as a motor is directly connected to the shaft to which the lower pulley 116 is fixed, and this drive source also serves as a drive source for the sheet conveying section 59 at the same time. The sheet conveyance section 59 has a conveyance path 141 that is aligned with a discharge path 144 extending from the conveyance path 123, and the sheet conveyance section 59 has a conveyance path 141 that is aligned with a discharge path 144 extending from a conveyance path 123.
e l＼ 86%”A −= ＾41 7
Q 1 A Q T
M y+” y sz Fm guide plate 143□
~1434 are arranged.

Note that among these pairs of conveyance rollers, the intermediate conveyance roller pair 1
423 and 1424 are so-called oblique rollers, which control the position of the sheet in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet.
The final transport roller pair 1424 is configured to be corrected with respect to a reference, and the final conveyance roller pair 1424 is connected to the guide port 53 of the copying apparatus main body 50.
It is consistent with Further, a third cassette C3 can be attached to the other end of the sheet conveying section 59, and a third cassette C3 is connected to the path 145 by the sheet feeding roller 15'.
from there to a final conveyance roller pair 1425.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

First, a case will be described in which m pages of a document are copied onto both sides of a sheet to produce n copies of a double-sided copy sheet.

When the operator instructs double-sided copying of the number n of sheets and activates the start switch of the copying device main body 50, the first page of the document placed on the document table 2 is copied by the device main body 50, and the ejection roller pair 56 Path 125 of sheet volume WIl wander 60 from
will be introduced in At this time, the sheet detection sensor S near the discharge roller pair 56 in the fixing mold 17. When the passage of the leading edge of the sheet is detected, the sensor signal is input to a microprocessor unit (hereinafter abbreviated as MPU), and from the MPU the first stage flapper 126. A signal for exciting the lunoid is output, and the flapper 126 is switched and held at the position shown by the chain line in FIG. 2, where it communicates with the tray side path 1321. Therefore, the first sheet is conveyed by the belt 117 and the conveyance rollers 119, 120, and further guided by the first stage flapper 126 and passed through the tray path 1321 to the first stage tray 61. discharged to the top. Next, the second sheet is the detection sensor S. When detected by the first
The stage flapper 1351 is connected to the tray side path 132. At the same time, the second stage flapper 1262 is switched and held at the position where it communicates with the tray side path 132°. As a result, the second sheet is ejected to the second tray 61□ in the same way as the first sheet. Similarly, the third sheet is placed in the first tray 61.
3, and then the nth sheet!・is the nth tray 61. , is discharged to. Next, place the second plate on document table 2.
When the page of the original is replaced and the copying operation is started, all seven flappers 1261 to 126n are first returned to the positions shown by the solid line in FIG. Nth stage flapper 126n
is returned), then the first stage solenoid 1591 is energized and rotates the backup link 1551 clockwise to lift up the auxiliary plate 153, and rotates the arm 15o1 counterclockwise via the link 1571. and then move the feeding roller 151□ to the tray 61. It touches the sheet above. Therefore, due to the rotation of the feed roller 151, the sheet is transferred to the conveyance path 1.
23, is further guided to the sheet conveying section 59 through the conveying path 144, and is further guided to the conveying roller pair 1 of the conveying section 59.
42 to 1424 lead to the guide port 53 of the copying apparatus main body 5o. Then, the second page of the original is copied onto the uncopied side of the copying apparatus main body 5o, and the double-sided copied sheet is sent from the discharge roller pair 56 to the sheet stacking device 60. At this time, the sheet detection sensor 1.33
a, 133b, the first tray 61. When it is detected that the sheet has been ejected from the solenoid 159. is de-energized and returned to the normal position in which the feed roller 1511 is located above and the auxiliary plate 153 is located below, and the first stage flapper 126□ moves to the tray based on the sheet passage detection by the detection sensor S0. Hold it so that it leads to the side path 1321. Therefore, the double-sided copied sheet is guided by the flapper 1261 and discharged onto the first tray 611. Similarly, the uncopied side of the second sheet stored on the second tray 612 is copied, and the second sheet with both sides copied is transferred to the second tray 612. It is discharged and loaded at ゜. Similarly, the nth double-sided sheet is placed in the nth tray 61. It is discharged and loaded on top. Below, regarding copying from page 3 to page m,
In the same way as double-sided copying of the first and second pages, n copies of m-page double-sided copying sheets are finally stacked on each tray 611 to 61n, and all the copies are printed. , a case will be described in which multiple copies are performed in which multiple images are overlapped and copied on one side of a sheet.

As in the case of double-sided copying, first, a sheet with the first original copied on one side is discharged and stacked on the first tray 61. Then, when the second document is placed on the document table 2 and the start switch is activated to make multiple copies, the first stage flapper 126□ is switched to the position shown by the chain line in Figure 2, and the first stage solenoid 1591 is excited and the first tray 6
1. while lifting the auxiliary plate 153 of the feed roller 151.
Therefore, the sheet on the tray 611 is fed to the conveyance path 123. Also, at the same time as the start switch is activated, the nth stage flapper 126° moves the sheet to the tray path 1.
32. , so that the transport path 12
3 is conveyed by the bell l-117, the nth stage flapper 126. are discharged and collected onto the tray 61°. Then, the sheet detection sensor 133 detects the sheet in the nth tray 61. When it is detected that the solenoid has been accumulated on the nth stage solenoid link 155. The auxiliary plate 153 is lifted by the arm 150. lowers and brings the feeding roller 151 into contact with the sheet on the tray 61, more specifically on the auxiliary plate 153, and transports the sheet onto the conveyance path 12.
As a result, the sheet is reversed once, with its copy side facing down and its trailing edge facing forward (switchback) from path 144 to conveying path 141 of sheet conveying unit 59.
will be sent to. Each conveying roller 142 of the sheet conveying section 59. - 1424, the single-sided copy sheet is guided to the guide port 53 of the copying apparatus main body 50, and the second original is superimposed on the side being copied in the apparatus main body 50 and copied. Furthermore, in the same way as double-sided copying, the multiple copied sheets)
. is discharged and stacked on the first tray 611.

In the above description, the first (top) tray 61□ and the nth (bottom) tray 61□ are used for multiple copying, but it goes without saying that other trays may be used.

Next, a case will be described in which unused sheets are fed from the bin trays 11 to 61 degrees to the copying apparatus main body 50 and the bin tray is used as a paper feeding device.

An operator places an unused sheet in a predetermined bintreiro 1 by each department, for example, the bottom bintreiro 1. , and an instruction for one-sided copying using sheets from the bin tray is given, and the start switch of the copying apparatus main body 50 is activated. Then, the flapper 126 is returned to the solid line position in FIG. , in the clockwise direction to lift up the auxiliary plate 153, and at the same time, rotate the links 157. via arm 150. counterclockwise to feed roller 151. , the tray 61
．． It touches the sheet above. In this state, the feeding roller 15
When you rotate 1, , Bintreiro 1. , the upper sheet is transported by transport rollers 121. direction, and is further fed by the conveying roller 121. is sent out to the conveyance path 123 by the rotation of.

Then, the sheet is transferred to a conveyance path 144 by a belt 117.
and is guided to the sheet conveying section 59, and then further conveyed to the sheet conveying section 5.
It is guided to the guide port 53 of the main body 50 of the copying apparatus by nine pairs of conveying rollers 142° to 1424. Then, the original placed on the original platen 2 is copied by the copying apparatus main body 50 and introduced into the path 125 of the sheet stacking device 60 from the discharge roller pair 56 . At this time, when the passage of the leading edge of the sheet is detected by the sheet detection sensor S0 located near the discharge roller pair 56, the sensor signal is input to the MPU, and the solenoid of the first stage flapper 126□ is energized from the MPU. A signal is output to move the flapper 126 to the tray side path 13.
It is switched and held at the position shown by the chain line in Fig. 2, which communicates with the 2 side.

Therefore, the copied sheet is transported by the belt 117 and transport rollers 119, 120, and is further guided by the first stage flapper 1261, passes through the tray path 1321, and is discharged and collected on the first stage tray 611. . Note that, if necessary, based on the sheet classification function of the sheet classification section 57 described above, single-sided copy sheets are sorted into each bin tray 1. ~
61. ．． It is also possible to sort according to a predetermined pattern. Furthermore, in the above explanation, C. unused sheets were stacked on the bottom bin tray rotor 1n; , but not limited to Bintreiro 11-6
1. , can be carefully selected and loaded onto up to n-1 bin trays. At this time, the copied sheets are discharged and stored in a bin tray that is not loaded with unused sheets. Further, by disposing a cassette holding member in a portion of the bin trays 1 to 61, paper can be fed from a cassette.

(G) As described in detail, according to the present invention, the sheet storage bin trays 1L to 6 of the sheet sorting section 57 are provided with a sheet conveying section 59 that conveys sheets from the sorting section 57 to the image forming section 50.
1. Sheet feeding means 1511-1 facing at least one of the bin trays and capable of feeding the sheets collected in the bin tray.
51. and the sheet feeding means 1511.
The sheet fed by ~151n is transferred to the sheet conveying section 59.
Since the sheet conveying means 117 that guides the sheet to the sheet is provided, it is equipped with multiple functions such as a double-sided copying function and/or multiple copying function in addition to a sheet sorting function. In addition to the fact that the dead space caused by the intermediate tray and the reversing path can be reduced, it is possible to achieve a significant size reduction, and the structure can be simplified and the weight can be reduced. And it can be manufactured at low cost. In addition, the sheet classification function, double-sided copying function, and multiple copying function are available from Bintreiro 1 to
61, can be used in common, the flow of sheets can be easily checked from the outside, and troubleshooting work such as sheet jams can be done almost the same for each function9. Moreover, the processing work itself becomes easier, and usability can be improved.

Furthermore, since the sheets are fed to the image forming section 50 from the focus registers 611 to 61 degrees of the sheet sorting section 57 via the sheet conveyance means 117, the portions where sheet jams are likely to occur, such as the sheet conveyance path, are placed at relatively upper positions. In addition, the sheet can be reliably fed by the feeding means, and the reliability of the image forming apparatus U itself can be improved, as well as the usability can be further improved. In addition, it can be easily added to the main body of a personal image forming (copying) device, and a single image forming device U according to the present invention can be equipped with multiple functions, taking advantage of the advantages of a personal machine. It is also possible to make it multi-functional.

In particular, each bin 1-61 of the sheet sorting section 57. ~6
By using 1. as a paper feed device, it is possible to easily copy sheets with different magnifications, copy sizes, sheet types, etc. even when editing or binding is in progress on the copying machine itself. Furthermore, since up to n -1 bin trays can be used as paper feeding devices, sheet management can be performed extremely easily even when the sheets to be used are separated by department or when a large number of MH sheets are used. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are diagrams showing an embodiment according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an overall front view, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing a sheet sorting section of a sheet stacking device. FIGS. 3 and 4 are overall front views showing different conventional examples.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In an image forming apparatus that is equipped with a sheet sorting section that has a large number of sheet storage bin trays and is capable of sorting and collecting sheets in each bin tray of the sheet sorting section, a sheet that conveys sheets from the sorting section to the image forming section. a conveying section, and a sheet feeding means facing at least one of the bin trays and capable of feeding the sheets collected in the bin tray, and a sheet fed by the sheet feeding means. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the image forming apparatus further comprises a sheet conveying means for guiding the image to the sheet conveying section.