KR20190135787A - Sheet transmission apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a sheet relay apparatus for transferring a sheet from an image forming apparatus to another apparatus and an image forming system including the same. According to the present invention, the sheet relay apparatus comprises: a first path formed from an inlet side into which sheets from the image forming apparatus are drawn to a discharge side for discharging the sheets and having a first branch point and a second branch point; a second path from an insert device through the first branch point to a folding device and having a third branch point; and a third path from the third branch point to the second branch point of the first path. The first to third branch points define a triangular inversion path, and the sheets from the image forming apparatus and sheets from the insert device pass through at least one of the three sides of the triangular inversion path, but an upper and lower surfaces are reversed when passing through the other two sides except the side which is the shortest distance from the destination.

Description

Sheet relay and image forming system {SHEET TRANSMISSION APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of image forming apparatuses, and more particularly, to a sheet relay apparatus which is connected to an apparatus for forming an image on paper, such as a printer, a copier, a scanner, and the like, to transfer paper to another apparatus, and an image forming system comprising the same It is about.

Image forming apparatuses for forming letters or pictures on paper generally include printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, and multifunction devices including one or more thereof. These image forming apparatuses automatically feed paper (sheet) of various sizes to form letters or pictures on one or both surfaces of the sheet.

Meanwhile, in addition to the image forming apparatus described above, a post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus is widely used. Post-processing includes, for example, bookbinding operations such as aligning, punching, stapling sheets, and the like. In addition, in recent years, in addition to the conventional post-processing apparatus described above, a folding apparatus for folding sheets in various ways has been adopted.

1 is a view schematically showing a conventional image forming system.

1 is an image forming system disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5010181. The image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus 11, a folding apparatus 13, and a post-processing apparatus 15. The folding device 13 includes a folding part 131 and an insert part 133. The folding unit 131 includes a plurality of rolls for folding the sheet to pass through. The folding unit 131 folds the paper by passing from the folding point (line) of the sheet between the rolls. In order to convey the sheets from the image forming apparatus 11 and the insert portion 133 to this folding portion 131, the folding apparatus 13 includes sheet conveying paths. The paths are provided with a plurality of roll pairs 137 to transport the sheets. The path provided by the existing folding device 13 is, for example, from the transport path 1351 and the insert part 133 which directly discharge the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus 11 to the post-processing device 15. The folding process in the path 1352 for introducing sheets to be fed, the path 1353 for transferring sheets supplied from the image forming apparatus 11 and the insert unit 133 to the folding unit 131, and the folding unit 131. And a path 1354 for discharging these completed sheets to the aftertreatment device 15. At a point where the path 1351 and the path 1353 meet, a path switching element (not shown) is disposed to transfer the sheets to be folded among the sheets transferred from the image forming apparatus 11 and the insert unit 133 to the path 1353. The sheets to be guided and immediately transferred to the aftertreatment device 15 are guided to the path 1351. Arrows in FIG. 1 indicate that the sheet on which the image is formed is conveyed in the image forming apparatus 11. The insert part 133 is provided with a path 139 to supply the sheet, and a reverse path 136 is provided below the upper and lower surfaces of the sheets fed from the insert part 133 to the path 138. Reverse the top and bottom.

The conventional image forming system 1 folds with respect to the sheets flowing from the image forming apparatus 11 since the reverse path 136 is disposed at a position where only the sheets flowing into the insert portion 133 can be reversed. There is a problem that it cannot be reversed in the device 13, which limits the kind of post processing possible.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 5010181

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and provides a sheet relay apparatus having an inversion path that can be used for inversion of sheets to be drawn from an image forming apparatus and an insert apparatus.

The present invention provides an image forming system in which the type of post-processing possible is expanded, including the improved sheet relay apparatus described above.

The present invention provides a relay apparatus disposed between an image forming apparatus and a post processing apparatus to relay sheets, which comprises: discharge for discharging sheets to the post processing apparatus from an inlet side where the sheets from the image forming apparatus are retracted. A first path formed laterally to the side and having a first branch point and a second branch point; A second path that is formed in a longitudinal direction and crosses the second path while passing through the first branch point and has a third branch point; And a third path connected from the third branch point to the second branch point of the first path, wherein the first branch point to the third branch point define a triangular inversion path.

The first path to the third path is one roll pair capable of forward and reverse rotation is disposed to selectively transfer the sheets in the forward or reverse direction, the first branch point to the third branch point of the triangular inner in the first branch To third route switching elements are disposed respectively.

 Sheets passing through the first path or the second path pass through at least one of the three sides of the triangular inverted path, and the upper and lower surfaces of the sheets pass through the other two sides except the side closest to the destination. Is reversed.

The second path transfers the sheet to a folding device disposed below.

The second path receives the sheet from the insert device disposed above.

The apparatus may further include a fourth path for discharging the folded sheets connected to the discharge side from the folding device.

The present invention also provides an image forming system, comprising: an image forming apparatus; A post-processing apparatus for performing post-processing of sheets including bookbinding; And a sheet relay device disposed between the image forming device and the post-processing device to relay the sheet, wherein the sheet relay device includes the after the sheets from the inlet side into which the sheets from the image forming device are retracted. A first path formed transversely to the discharge side for discharge to the processing apparatus and having a first branch point and a second branch point; A second path that is formed in a longitudinal direction and crosses the second path while passing through the first branch point and has a third branch point; And a third path connected from the third branch point to the second branch point of the first path, wherein the first branch point to the third branch point define a triangular inversion path.

The apparatus may further include a folding device disposed under the sheet relay device to fold the sheet transferred through the second path.

The apparatus may further include an insert device disposed on the sheet relay device to transfer the sheet to the second path.

The sheet relay device may further include a fourth path connected to the discharge side from the folding device to discharge the folded sheets.

At least one roll pair capable of forward and reverse rotation is disposed on at least the first to third paths, and first to third path switching elements are disposed on the first to third branch points within the triangle.

The first to third branch points define a triangular inversion path, and the sheets from the image forming apparatus and the sheets from the insert device pass through at least one of three sides of the triangular inversion path. The upper and lower sides are reversed when passing through the remaining two sides, except for the side that is the shortest distance from the destination.

The first path is straight or curved, and one of the three triangular sides of the inversion path is present in the first path.

According to the present invention, there is provided a sheet relay apparatus having an inversion path that can be used for inversion with respect to sheets fed from the image forming apparatus and the insert apparatus, respectively. Such a sheet relay apparatus can transfer sheets from the image forming apparatus and the insert apparatus to the folding apparatus or the post-processing apparatus with or without inversion. By equipping the sheets from the image forming apparatus and the insert apparatus in the sheet relay apparatus, it is possible to perform the inversion for various bookbinding in the sheet relay apparatus even if the configuration for inversion of the sheet is not present in other apparatuses. It has high compatibility with various image forming apparatuses with or without the inversion function of the sheet.

1 is a view schematically showing a conventional image forming system.
2 is a diagram schematically showing an image forming system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a diagram showing a sheet relay device, an insert device, and a folding device included in the image forming system of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing an example of a folding roll set and a folding method employed in a folding apparatus included in the image forming system of the present invention.
5A to 5D show examples of transfer of sheets received from the image forming apparatus by the transfer mechanism included in the sheet relay apparatus of the present invention.
6A-6D show an example of the transfer of the sheets from the insert device by the transfer mechanism included in the sheet relay device of the present invention.
7A and 7B are views for showing an example of inverting and transferring the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet in the image forming system of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The sheet used herein refers to paper used in an image forming system, and may be referred to as paper, sheet, or paper. In addition, in the following, the apparatus for performing the bookbinding operation such as sheet alignment, punching, stapling, etc. is referred to as a post-processing apparatus. The folding apparatus for performing the sheet folding operation is distinguished from the post-processing apparatus described above. Refer to.

The sheet relay apparatus of the present invention may be disposed between an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and a post-processing apparatus for performing post-processing such as bookbinding on the sheet. A folding device for folding a sheet may be disposed below the sheet relay device, and an insert device capable of supplying a sheet itself may be disposed above the sheet relay device. Another type of optional device may be arranged at the location of the folding device. The sheet relay device may include a transport mechanism for transporting the sheets. The sheet relay apparatus may receive the sheet from the image forming apparatus and send it to be folded in the folding apparatus, or directly transfer the sheet to the post-processing apparatus without folding. The sheet relay device may also send other sheets supplied from the insert device to the folding device for folding at the folding device, or directly to the post-treatment device without folding. The transport mechanism has paths for transporting the sheets, the paths of which are arranged with roll pairs arranged in a forward and reverse direction. The conveying mechanism conveys the sheets from the image forming apparatus to the folding apparatus or the post processing apparatus, and conveys the sheets from the insert apparatus to the folding apparatus or the post processing apparatus. The conveying mechanism also includes a configuration capable of reversing the upper and lower sides of the sheets during the conveyance of the sheets, one of the main elements being called a reverse path.

In other examples, both the insert device and the folding device disposed at the top and the bottom of the sheet relay device, respectively, may not be provided or any one may be provided.

The sheet relay apparatus of the present invention has an inversion path which can be used as both an insert apparatus and an inversion of sheets conveyed in an image forming apparatus. To this end, a reverse path is provided at a point where a path (first path) through which sheets from the image forming apparatus are conveyed and a path (second path) through which sheets from the insert apparatus are conveyed meet. For example, the inversion path may be formed in a triangular shape by providing a third path with the first path and the second path, whereby the inversion path may overlap with a part of the first path and a part of the second path.

The sheets from the image forming apparatus and the sheets from the insert apparatus are passed through the reverse path to the folding apparatus or the post processing apparatus. In particular, the sheet passes through one of the three sides of the triangular inversion path in the case of the transfer without the upper and lower inversion of the sheet, and passes through two of the three sides in the case of inversion. One side passes through the shortest distance to the destination, and two passes through the other side except for the side that corresponds to the shortest distance. The upper and lower sides are reversed.

Such a sheet relay apparatus can be preferably used disposed between the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus, and is referred to herein for a configuration including some or all of the image forming apparatus, the insert apparatus, the folding apparatus, and the post-processing apparatuses. It can be called a forming system.

In particular, since the sheet relay apparatus of the present invention has an inversion function by itself, the sheet relay apparatus of any of the image forming apparatuses is irrespective of whether sheet inversion is performed in the image forming apparatus or whether the image forming apparatus has a sheet inversion function. Can be used in conjunction with the back end.

In the case of including the folding device, the inversion of the sheet may be selectively performed according to the folding method in the folding device which performs the folding operation of the sheet. In addition, when the sheet supplied from the insert device has a tap on the side, reversal of the sheet is performed because it is necessary to eject the tab-formed portion toward the tip in the discharging direction before discharging to the aftertreatment device. . It is also possible to invert one or both of them in order to mix and bind the sheets from the image forming apparatus and the sheets from the insert apparatus. Examples of these sheet inversions are described in more detail below.

2 is a diagram schematically showing an image forming system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 2, an image forming system 2 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus 21, a sheet relay apparatus 23, and a post-processing apparatus 25. These image forming apparatuses 21, the sheet relay apparatus 23, and the post-processing apparatus 25 are sequentially arranged to deliver the processed sheets to the rear apparatus or to post-process the received sheets.

The image forming apparatus 21 refers to an apparatus capable of forming characters or pictures on various sheets or sheets such as, for example, a printer, a scanner, a copying machine, a fax machine, and a multifunction apparatus having two or more of them. In the illustrated example, the image forming apparatus 21 is simplified. The image forming apparatus 21 forms an image on sheets of various sizes fed from the tray 211 and discharges the sheets on which the images are formed to the sheet relay apparatus 23 through the discharge path 213.

In some embodiments, the insert device 233 may be disposed above the sheet relay device 23, and the folding device 231 may be disposed below. That is, only one or both of the insert device 233 and the folding device 231 may be disposed. In addition, other types of optional devices may be disposed at the folding device 231. These elements perform an operation set according to a control signal of a controller (not shown).

The insert device 233 is used to insert other sheets separately from the sheets conveyed from the image forming apparatus 21. For example, the insert device 233 may additionally include various sheets such as a sheet in which an image is already formed and a sheet inserted to be bound together with the sheets conveyed from the image forming apparatus 21. The insert device 233 may include one or more trays 2331 and a transfer path 2333 for transferring sheets introduced from the tray 2331. When the sheets are stacked in the tray 2331, the sheets are inserted into the sheet relay device 23 one by one, for example, in a predetermined order.

Folding device 231 includes a folding roll set 2311 for folding the sheet. The folding roll set 2311 includes a plurality of rolls, and the points to be folded of the sheet are inserted first between the rolls to fold the sheet about the corresponding points (folding lines). Examples of folding methods or types are shown in FIG. 4. The top view of FIG. 4 shows a folding roll set 2311 and below are examples of the folding type. First, referring to the folding roll set 2311, when the fold portion of the sheet is used as the front end and passes the point a between the upper two rolls, the line point is folded. Subsequently, the sheet is folded once more by passing the point b between the two upper left and lower left rolls. In this way various forms of folded sheets can be formed, the sub-pictures of FIG. 4 showing examples. For example, types of folded sheets include, but are not limited to, C-Fold, 3-Fold, 4-Fold, Z-Fold, and the like.

In order to position the surface on which the image is formed (hereinafter also referred to as the image surface) according to the type of the folded sheet inside or outside the folded sheet, the sheet may be entered into the folding roll set 2311 after the sheet is reversed according to the current state of the sheet. There is a need. This is carried out by the transfer mechanism 235 including the inversion path 236 included in the sheet relay device 23.

The transfer mechanism 235 transfers the sheets from the image forming apparatus 21 and the sheets from the insert apparatus 233 to the folding apparatus 231 or the post-processing apparatus 25, and the folding operation in the folding apparatus 231. The completed sheets are dropped into the basket 234 or transferred to the aftertreatment device 25.

The transfer mechanism 235 also transfers the sheets from the image forming apparatus 21 and the sheets from the insert apparatus 233 directly to the post-processing apparatus 25 without transferring them to the folding apparatus 231.

The transfer mechanism 235 includes an inversion path 236 for inverting the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet being transported as needed, and the inversion path 236 employed in the present invention includes sheets and inserts from the image forming apparatus 21. It is configured to be able to invert all of the sheets from the device 233.

The transfer mechanism 235 includes paths made of members through which the sheet can pass and roll pairs 237 arranged in the path. The roll pairs 237 may rotate in the forward and reverse directions by a driving unit including a motor (not shown) capable of forward and reverse rotation and a power transmission means. The inversion path 236 has a triangular shape and includes path switching elements 2361, 2362, 2363 disposed at branch points inside the triangular shape. The triangular inversion path 236 has three sides, and the sheets from the image forming apparatus 21 and the sheets from the insert apparatus 233 pass through at least one of the three sides. For example, if the sheet passes through one of the three sides, it moves on the path with the shortest distance without inversion, and inverts when it passes through the other two sides except for one side corresponding to the shortest distance with the destination. Move to the destination. This will be described in more detail below.

The post-processing apparatus 25 is an apparatus for performing post-processing including a binding operation such as alignment, punching, stapling, etc. for sheets, also called a finisher. The aftertreatment device 25 comprises the elements for alignment, punching, stapling and paths for conveying the sheets therein, as described above, but for the sake of understanding the paths are generally indicated by reference numeral 252 and the trays indicated by reference. Represented by 251.

Returning to the sheet relay apparatus 23 again, FIG. 3 schematically shows the sheet relay apparatus 23, the insert apparatus 233, and the folding apparatus 231 of the present invention. In FIG. 3, three diagrams are prepared to easily understand respective paths.

The conveyance mechanism 235 of the sheet relay device 23 is for discharging the sheets to the post-processing device 25 from the inlet side where the sheets from the image forming apparatus 21 are drawn in, as shown on the left side in FIG. The first path 2351 is formed to the discharge side. The first path 2351 has a first branch point 2237 and a second branch point 2372.

The transfer mechanism 235 also includes a second path 2352 from the insert device 233 to the folding device 231, as shown in the center of FIG. 3. The second path 2352 is disposed to pass through the first bifurcation 2237 of the first path 2351, and is substantially connected to the path 2333 of the insert device 233. The second path 2352 includes a third branch point 2373. The first path 2351 is formed in the transverse direction, the second path 2352 is formed in the longitudinal direction, and the second path 2352 intersects with the first path 2351 while passing through the first branch point 2237. do.

The transfer mechanism 235 is also connected to the third path (373) connected from the third branch point 2373 of the second path 2352 to the second branch point 2372 of the first path 2351 as shown on the right side of FIG. 2353).

The first branch point 2237, the second branch point 2372, and the third branch point 2373 form a triangular shape and define an inversion path 236. The triangular inverted path 236 has three sides, and the first to third path switching elements 2361, 2362, and 2363 are disposed at respective branch points 2371, 2372, and 2373 therein. The first to third path switching elements are capable of turning at an angle so that the sheets being transported can change paths.

Roll pairs 237 that are rotatable in a forward direction and a reverse direction are disposed in the first path 2351, the second path 2352, and the third path 2353 including the inversion path 236. For reference, the forward rotation herein refers to the direction of rotation for transferring the original sheet from the starting point to the destination, and the reverse is called the reverse direction.

5A to 5D show an example of conveying sheets transferred from the image forming apparatus 21 by the conveying mechanism 235 included in the sheet relay apparatus 23 of the present invention. The dashed arrows in the figure indicate the movement of the sheet.

5A is an example of transferring the sheet from the image forming apparatus 21 directly to the post-processing apparatus 25. In this case, the sheet is conveyed to the aftertreatment device 25 through the first path 2351, and the first path switching element 2361 and the second branch points 2237 and 2352 disposed at the first branch point 2237 and the second branch point 2372. Path diverting element 2362 directs the sheet to continue through first path 2251 without path diverting.

5B is an example of transferring the sheet from the image forming apparatus 21 to the folding apparatus 231. The sheet first passes through the first path 2351 and is then diverted by the first path switching element 2361 at the first bifurcation 2237 to pass to the second path 2352 and to the destination folding device 231. Will be reached. Then, as can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, after folding in the folding device 231, the sheet is dropped into the basket 234, or discharged to the after-treatment device 25 through the fourth path (2354). .

5C shows an example of transferring the sheet from the image forming apparatus 21 to the post-processing apparatus 25 after inverting the upper and lower surfaces. The sheet first passes through the first path 2351 and is then routed by the first path switching element 2361 at the first bifurcation point 2237, proceeds through the second path 2352, and then roll pair 237. As they rotate in the reverse direction, the path is switched by the third path switching element 2363 and passes through the third path 2353. At this time, the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet are reversed. Thereafter, the second branch point 2372 is converted to the first path 2351 and discharged to the post-processing device 25 through the first path 2351.

5D shows an example of transferring the sheet from the image forming apparatus 21 to the folding apparatus 231 after inverting the upper and lower surfaces. In this case, the sheet passes through the first path 2351 to pass through the first bifurcation point 2237 and the second bifurcation point 2372, and then reverses the first path 2351 by the reverse rotation of the roll pairs 237. The path is then diverted by a second path diverting element 2362 at a second branch point 2372 and passes through a third path 2353. At this time, the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet are reversed. The sheet then passes through a second path 2352 at the third bifurcation 2373 to reach the folding device 231. 2 and 3, after being folded in the folding device 231, the sheet falls to the basket 234 or is discharged to the aftertreatment device 25 through the fourth path 2354. .

6A-6D show an example of the transfer of the sheets from the insert device 233 by the transfer mechanism 235 included in the sheet relay device 23 of the present invention. Arrows in the figures indicate the movement of the sheet.

6A shows an example of transferring the sheet from the insert device 233 to the aftertreatment device 25. In this case, the sheet loaded on the tray 2331 passes through the path 2333 of the insert device 233 and enters the second path 2352 of the transfer mechanism 235 connected thereto. The sheet passing through the second path 2352 is switched by the first path switching element 2361 at the first bifurcation point 2237, and passes through the first path 2351 and is discharged to the aftertreatment device 25. .

6B shows an example of transferring the sheet from the insert device 233 to the folding device 231. The sheet loaded in the tray 2331 passes through the path 2333 of the insert device 233 and enters the second path 2352 of the transfer mechanism 235 connected thereto. The sheet continues through the second path 2352 to reach the folding device 231 through the first bifurcation point 2237 and the third bifurcation point 2373. 2 and 3, after folding in the folding device 231, the sheet falls to the basket 234 or is discharged to the aftertreatment device 25 through the fourth path 2354. .

6C shows an example of transferring the sheet from the insert device 233 to the post-processing device 25 by inverting the top and bottom surfaces thereof. The sheet loaded in the tray 2331 passes through the path 2333 of the insert device 233 and enters the second path 2352 of the transfer mechanism 235 connected thereto. Guided by the first path switching element 2361 at the first bifurcation 2237, the sheet proceeds through a second path 2352 to pass through the first bifurcation 2237 and the third bifurcation 2373, and then the roll pair The reverse rotation of 237 proceeds in the reverse direction, and the path is diverted by the third path switching element 2363 at the third branch point 2373 to pass through the third path 2353. At the second branch point 2372, the sheet is discharged to the post-processing device 25 after passing through the first path 2351 after the path is switched. As the traveling direction is reversed and the sheet enters the third path 2353, the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet are reversed.

6D illustrates an example of transferring the sheet from the insert device 233 to the folding device 231 by inverting the top and bottom surfaces thereof. The sheet loaded in the tray 2331 passes through the path 2333 of the insert device 233 and enters the second path 2352 of the transfer mechanism 235 connected thereto. The sheet is routed by a first route diverting element 2361 at the first bifurcation 2237 to enter the first route 2351 and then crosses the first route 2351 to pass through the second bifurcation 2372. Proceed. The sheet travels in the reverse direction by the reverse rotation of the roll pairs 237, and the path is diverted by the second path switching element 2362 at the second branch point 2372 to pass through the third path 2353 to allow the folding device ( 231). 2 and 3, the sheet is folded in the folding apparatus 231 and then dropped into the basket 234 or discharged to the aftertreatment apparatus 25 through the fourth path 2354.

As can be seen above, when the sheet is conveyed from the starting point to the destination without inverting the upper and lower sides of the sheet as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B, the sheet is moved from the three sides of the triangular inversion path 236 to the destination. Pass the side corresponding to the shortest distance.

On the contrary, in the case where reversal of the upper and lower sides of the sheet is performed while transferring from the starting point to the destination as shown in FIGS. 5C, 5D, 6C, and 6D, the sheet is the shortest to the destination among the three sides of the inversion path 236. It passes through the other two sides except the side corresponding to the distance.

As described above, in the sheet relay apparatus of the present invention and the image forming system including the same, the inversion path 236 is straight or curved, and the sheet transfer apparatus 25 transfers the sheet from the image forming apparatus 21 directly to the post-processing device 25. By being disposed in connection with the one path 2351, it can be used as a reversal of the sheets from the image forming apparatus 21 and the insert apparatus 233, and the sheet relay control of the operation of the elements for the reversal. May be collectively in the device 23. As a result, the above-described conveying operations can be performed without changing or modifying the image forming apparatus 21 or the post-processing apparatus 25, which is a method of additionally connecting the sheet relay apparatus 23 to the existing apparatus. To facilitate its use.

7A and 7B are diagrams for illustrating an example of inverting and transferring the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet in the image forming system of the present invention.

7A and 7B illustrate a case in which a sheet having a tap on one side needs to be reversed. In the case of a sheet provided with a tab, the sheet is generally supplied through the insert device 233, and loaded into the tray 2331 of the insert device 233. At this time, the sheets are aligned and the sheets can be stably fed one by one so that the opposite side of the sheets is stacked so as to be the front end of the traveling direction. Accordingly, the tabed sheets are discharged to the aftertreatment device 25 by passing through the second path 2352 and the first path 2351 on the opposite side of the tab in the traveling direction. 7 shows that the sheet with the tabs is conveyed to the post-processing device 25 without inversion, in which case the tray 251 of the post-processing device 25 is aligned so that the tabed side is the alignment surface. It won't work. In the post-processing device 25, elements such as a stapler are installed to staple sheets aligned in the tray 251, in which the sheets having tabs are discharged to the post-processing device 25 without being reversed. In this case, stapling is also not possible. Therefore, the sheets supplied from the insert device 233 also need to invert the top and bottom surfaces through the inversion path 236. Moreover, in the case of performing bookbinding in which a sheet having a tab is inserted between sheets from the image forming apparatus 21, the sheets from the image forming apparatus 21 may or may not need to be inverted, and inverted. The image forming system of the present invention can be preferably applied in which the path 236 can also be used for reversing the sheets from the image forming apparatus 21 and the insert apparatus 233.

In the foregoing detailed description of the present invention, specific embodiments have been described. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

2: image forming system, 21: image forming apparatus, 23: sheet relay apparatus, 25: post-processing apparatus, 211, 251, 2331: tray, 213, 252: discharge path, 231: folding apparatus, 233: insert apparatus, 234 : Basket, 235: transfer mechanism, 236: reverse path, 237: roll pair, 2333: transfer path, 2351: first path, 2352: second path, 2353: third path, 2354: fourth path, 2361: first Path switching element, 2362: second path switching element, 2363: third path switching element, 2371: first branch, 2372: second branch, 2373: third branch

Claims (13)

A sheet relay apparatus disposed between an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatus to relay a sheet, the sheet relay apparatus comprising: a transverse direction from an inlet side into which sheets from the image forming apparatus are drawn to a discharge side for discharging sheets to the post-processing apparatus A first path having a first branch point and a second branch point;
A second path that is formed in a longitudinal direction and crosses the second path while passing through the first branch point and has a third branch point; And
And a third path connected from the third branch point to the second branch point of the first path.
Wherein the first to third branch points define a triangular inversion path.
The method according to claim 1,
The first path to the third path is one roll pair capable of forward and reverse rotation is disposed to selectively transport the sheets in the forward or reverse direction,
And first to third path switching elements are disposed at the first to third branch points inside the triangle, respectively.
The method according to claim 1,
Sheets passing through the first path or the second path pass through at least one of the three sides of the triangular inverted path, and the upper and lower surfaces of the sheets pass through the other two sides except the side closest to the destination. The sheet relay apparatus which is inverted.
The method according to claim 3,
The second route is to transfer the sheet to the folding device disposed below, the sheet relay device.
The method according to claim 3,
The second route is to receive the sheet from the insert device disposed above, the sheet relay device.
The method according to claim 4,
And a fourth path for discharging the folded sheets connected to the discharge side from the folding device.
As an image forming system:
An image forming apparatus;
A post-processing apparatus for performing post-processing of sheets including bookbinding; And
A sheet relay device disposed between the image forming apparatus and the post-processing device to relay a sheet;
The sheet relay apparatus includes: a first path formed transversely from an inlet side into which sheets from the image forming apparatus are drawn to a discharge side for discharging sheets to the post-processing apparatus, and having a first branch point and a second branch point; A second path that is formed in a longitudinal direction and crosses the second path while passing through the first branch point and has a third branch point; And a third path connected from the third branch point to the second branch point of the first path, wherein the first to third branch points define a triangular inversion path.
The method according to claim 7,
And a folding device arranged under the sheet relay device to fold the sheet transferred through the second path.
The method according to claim 7,
And an insert device disposed above the sheet relay device for delivering the sheet to the second path.
The method according to claim 8,
And the sheet relay device further comprises: a fourth path connected to the discharge side from the folding device to discharge the folded sheets.
The method according to claim 10,
At least one roll pair capable of forward and reverse rotation is disposed on at least the first to third paths,
And first to third path switching elements are disposed at the first to third branch points in the triangle shape, respectively.
The method according to claim 10,
The first to third branch points define a triangular inversion path,
The sheets from the image forming apparatus and the sheets from the insert apparatus pass through at least one of three sides of the triangular inversion path, but pass through two other sides except the side that is the shortest distance from the destination. The upper and lower sides are reversed, image forming system.
The method according to claim 10,
The first path is straight or curved,
And one of the three sides of the triangle on the inversion path is in the first path.

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