WO2016051528A1 - Bookbinding device, paper conveyance device, and cutting device - Google Patents

Abstract

A bookbinding device (1) is provided with a piling means, a bonding portion forming means (300), a binding attachment means (400), and a cutting means (500). The piling means is movable in a first direction and a second direction, and is able to pile up a plurality of sheets of paper approximately parallel to a third direction in a state of being in a predetermined position. The bonding portion forming means is able to form a bonding portion at a specified end surface of a stack of paper in the state where the piling means is in the predetermined position. The binding attachment means is able to hold a binding, and is able to attach the binding to the stack of paper via the bonding portion formed on the specified end surface when the piling means has moved in the first direction beyond the predetermined position. The cutting means is able to cut at least one of an end edge in the third direction, an end edge in a fourth direction, and an end edge in a fifth direction of a booklet when the piling means has moved in the second direction beyond the predetermined position.

Description

Bookbinding device, paper transport device, and cutting device

The present invention relates to a bookbinding apparatus, a sheet conveying apparatus, and a cutting apparatus.

Conventionally, a bookbinding device, a paper transport device, and a cutting device are known. For example, in the bookbinding apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the intermediate sheets stacked by the stacking mechanism are transported in the horizontal direction toward the vertical transport path. Two covers are supplied from the cover supply mechanism to the vertical conveyance path. One end side of the supplied two cover sheets is attached to the end side of the middle paper with a binding tape. A cover that covers the two covers is supplied from the cover supply mechanism to the vertical conveyance path. The inner paper with the two cover sheets attached is wrapped in the cover by being conveyed in the horizontal direction toward the supplied cover. In the bookbinding apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, the three edges (the so-called top side, ground side, and fore edge side) of the booklet are cut on the rotary table.

JP 2003-25755 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-72258

Since the conventional bookbinding apparatus has a complicated and large apparatus structure, the installation space and the manufacturing cost may increase. An object of the present invention is to provide a bookbinding apparatus, a sheet conveying apparatus, and a cutting apparatus that can suppress at least one of complicated and large-sized apparatus structure.

The bookbinding apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is movable in the first direction and the second direction, and can stack a plurality of sheets substantially in parallel with the third direction in a predetermined position, The first direction and the second direction are opposite directions, the third direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, and the stacking means is in the predetermined position. The adhesive portion can be formed on a specific end surface of the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is the plurality of sheets stacked by the stacking unit, and the specific end surface is an end surface of the sheet bundle on the first direction side. When the cover is capable of holding the adhesive portion forming means and the cover, and the stacking means is moved in the first direction from the predetermined position, the cover is formed via the adhesive portion formed on the specific end surface. A cover remover that can be attached to the paper bundle. And the second direction side edge of the booklet that is the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached when the stacking means is moved in the second direction from the predetermined position, and the fourth direction side. And the fourth direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction, and The fifth direction includes cutting means that is opposite to the fourth direction.

A sheet conveying apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a sheet stacking unit having a placement surface that is a plane on which supplied sheets are stacked, and transports the sheet substantially horizontally toward the sheet stacking unit. A conveying means capable of discharging the sheet above the placement surface, and a sheet provided above the placement surface and discharged toward the placement surface by the conveyance means. A member that comes into contact with the first end portion from below, and the first end portion is a contact member that is an end portion in a first direction that is orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper and that is substantially horizontal; Restricting movement of the sheet in the second direction from the first restriction position by contacting the second end of the sheet that extends in a substantially vertical direction along the position and falls toward the placement surface. The second direction is opposite to the first direction. The second end portion is an end portion of the second direction, the first stop position and a first stop member is a proper position of said predetermined second end.

The paper transport device according to the third aspect of the present invention, after forming an image on the first surface of the paper, transports the paper by a first transport amount, discharges the paper from a discharge port, and further discharges the paper. Image formation including a mechanism that takes in from an outlet, forms an image on a second surface of the sheet opposite to the first surface, and then conveys the sheet by a second conveyance amount and discharges the sheet from the discharge port. The first transport amount is a transport amount of the paper that discharges only a part of the paper from the discharge port, and the second transport amount is the paper that discharges the entire paper from the discharge port. A sheet conveying device for conveying the sheet discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus, and a plate-like member that can be disposed in the vicinity of the discharge port. The surface on which the discharged paper can be placed, and the discharge A conveying plate having a guide surface that is a surface extending in a guide direction, which is a direction away from the mouth, and the guide surface downstream of the guide position in the guide direction and upstream of the second position in the guide direction. A rotating body that is rotatable along a direction in which the sheet is conveyed downstream in the guiding direction, and the first position of the sheet conveyed in the first conveying amount is in the guiding direction. The downstream end is a position on the guide surface on which the sheet is placed, and the second position is the guide on which the downstream end in the guide direction of the sheet transported by the second transport amount is placed. And a first conveying roller that is a position on the surface.

A paper transport device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a plate-like member that can be disposed in the vicinity of a discharge port of an image forming apparatus capable of printing an image on a paper, and places the paper discharged from the discharge port A conveyance plate having a guide surface that is a surface that extends in a guide direction that is a possible surface and a direction away from the discharge port; and the sheet that is provided along the guide surface is transported downstream in the guide direction. A first conveying roller that is a rotating body that is rotatable in a direction, and the first conveying roller is rotatably supported, and at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side in the guiding direction along the guiding surface, And a support member that is a member capable of changing the position of the first transport roller.

A bookbinding apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a holding unit capable of holding a plurality of supplied sheets stacked in a first direction, and a sheet bundle that is the plurality of sheets held by the holding unit. Among them, a paper aligning means capable of aligning a sheet bundle end surface, which is an end surface in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, substantially flush along the first direction, and the first direction and the third direction. A peripheral surface that can be rotated about an axis that intersects the direction and is orthogonal to the second direction, and to which an adhesive can be attached; the third direction is orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction An application roller that is in a direction to be fed, a supply unit that is capable of supplying the adhesive to the peripheral surface, and the paper aligning unit that aligns the end face of the sheet bundle substantially flush with the holding unit and the application roller. By moving at least one in the third direction, Moving means for moving the application roller relative to the end face of the sheet bundle along a position close to the end face of the sheet bundle from the second direction side, and the moving means moves the application roller relative to each other. A rotation means for rotating the application roller.

The bookbinding apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is capable of holding a sheet bundle that is a plurality of sheets stacked in the first direction, wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction and the third direction. A sheet holding means including a first portion which is provided on a fourth direction side of the sheet holding means and is a part of a cover sheet supplied to a predetermined position with a first holding force from the fourth direction and the fifth direction. The fourth direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction, the fifth direction is a direction opposite to the fourth direction, and the first holding force is determined by the first portion in the first direction. A first clamping means that is a force that hinders the movement to move to the first clamping means, and a second portion of the cover sheet that is disposed to face the first clamping means in the third direction and is supplied to the predetermined position. Can be clamped with a second holding force from the direction and the fifth direction, The second portion is a part of the cover located on the third direction side with respect to the first portion, and the second holding force is a second clamping force that prevents the movement of the second portion in the first direction. And the first sandwiching means can be transported substantially parallel to the second direction from the predetermined position to the target position, and the target position is sandwiched by the first sandwiching means and the second sandwiching means. Is a position facing the target end surface from the fourth direction side, and the target end surface is a first driving means that is an end face in the fourth direction of the sheet bundle held by the paper holding means, and the first clamping The first portion is clamped with the first holding force of the first value in the means, and the second portion is clamped with the second holding force of the second value in the second clamping means. The drive means conveys the first clamping means with the first conveyance force, and the front The first control means in which the first holding force of the first value is larger than the second holding force of the second value, and the first transport force is larger than the second holding force of the second value. And the cover sheet sandwiched by the first sandwiching means and the second sandwiching means on the target end surface of the sheet bundle held by the sheet retaining means in a state where the first sandwiching means is at the target position. And a cover attachment means capable of attaching the cover.

The cutting device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is a blade that extends in a substantially horizontal first direction and cuts a sheet bundle in a substantially vertical direction, and the sheet bundle is stacked in a substantially vertical direction. A first cutter that is paper, a blade that extends in parallel with the first cutter and is opposed to the first cutter from a second direction, and is a blade for cutting the paper bundle in a substantially vertical direction, The second direction has a second cutter which is a direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a first alignment surface which is a surface extending substantially in the vertical direction and the first direction, and the first alignment surface is a first alignment position. And a first standby position, wherein the first alignment position is a position separated in the third direction from the reference center position by a distance approximately half of the paper size, and the third alignment position. The direction is opposite to the second direction, and the paper size is the size of the paper. The length in the second direction or the third direction, the reference center position is a center position between the first cutter and the second cutter, and the first standby position is from the first alignment position. And the first aligning means that are spaced apart in the third direction.

According to the first to seventh aspects, it is possible to provide any one of a bookbinding apparatus, a sheet conveying apparatus, and a cutting apparatus that can suppress at least one of complicated and large-sized apparatus structure.

1 is a perspective view of a bookbinding apparatus 1. FIG. 1 is a front view of a bookbinding apparatus 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a paper alignment mechanism 100, a bundle operation mechanism 200, a bundle operation mechanism 200, and a glue application mechanism 300 in an initial state. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the bookbinding apparatus 1 in a paper stacking process. It is a right side view of the table 110, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the cutting mechanism 500, and the booklet transport mechanism 600 in the booklet transport process. 2 is a front view of a first printer 3 and a paper supply unit 5. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the paper supply unit 5 with a path plate 51A in a restriction position. 4 is a left side view of the roller driving unit 80. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sheet supply unit 5 in which the mounting position of the roller driving unit 80 is changed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sheet supply unit 5 in which a path plate 51A is rotated. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the paper alignment mechanism 100 and the bundle operation mechanism 200 in the paper stacking process. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a paper alignment mechanism 100 in a paper stacking process. It is a right side view of the paper alignment mechanism 100 in the initial state. FIG. 3 is a front view of a paper supply unit 5 and a paper alignment mechanism 100. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a right paper alignment unit 104. It is a perspective view of the movable part 301. FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the movable part 301. FIG. It is a cross-sectional view of the paste application part 340. 4 is a rear view of the glue application mechanism 300, the table 110, and the sheet bundle 8. FIG. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the second printer 4, the cover sheet supply unit 6, and the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 in an initial state. It is a perspective view of the movable part 401 in an initial state. 3 is a plan view of a movable unit 401. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged plan view of an upper clamp 430. FIG. It is a top view of the cutting mechanism 500 and the table 110 in a booklet conveyance process. 3 is a perspective view of a cutting mechanism 500. FIG. 3 is a front view of a cutting mechanism 500. FIG. 6 is a right side view of the booklet transport mechanism 600. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a hand unit 640. FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process in which a sheet of paper 8A is supplied to the table 110. FIG. 6 is a right side view of the paper alignment mechanism 100 in a paper stacking process. It is a left view of the bookbinding apparatus 1 in a paste application | coating process. It is explanatory drawing of a 1st application | coating operation | movement. It is explanatory drawing of 2nd application | coating operation | movement. It is explanatory drawing of a 3rd application | coating operation | movement. It is explanatory drawing of a 4th application | coating operation | movement. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a mode in which a glue application roller 350 applies glue 7 to a sheet bundle 8. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the second printer 4, the cover sheet supply unit 6, and the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 in the cover sheet transport process. It is a flowchart of a 1st cover conveyance process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of operation | movement of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440. FIG. FIG. 38 is a left side view of the second printer 4, the cover sheet supply unit 6, and the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 in the cover sheet transport process following FIG. 37. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cover holding mechanism 400 that holds a cover 9. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the table 110 and a cover holding mechanism 400 in a cover sheet transport process. It is a flowchart of a 2nd cover conveyance process. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cover holding mechanism 400 that holds a cover 9. It is a left view of the bookbinding apparatus 1 in a cover sheet sticking process. FIG. 46 is a left side view of the bookbinding apparatus 1 in the cover sticking step following FIG. 45. It is a flowchart of a booklet operation process. FIG. 47 is a left side view of the bookbinding device 1 in the cover sticking step following FIG. 46. FIG. 49 is a left side view of the bookbinding apparatus 1 in the cover sticking step following FIG. 48. FIG. 50 is a left side view of the bookbinding device 1 in the cover sticking step following FIG. 49. FIG. 6 is a right side view of the table 110, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the cutting mechanism 500, and the booklet transport mechanism 600 in the booklet transport process following FIG. FIG. 52 is a right side view of the table 110, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the cutting mechanism 500, and the booklet transport mechanism 600 in the booklet transport process following FIG. FIG. 53 is a right side view of the table 110, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the cutting mechanism 500, and the booklet transport mechanism 600 in the booklet transport process following FIG. FIG. 54 is a plan view of the cutting mechanism 500 and the table 110 in the booklet transport process and the cutting process following FIG. 53. FIG. 55 is a plan view of the cutting mechanism 500 and the table 110 in the cutting process following FIG. FIG. 56 is a plan view of the cutting mechanism 500 and the table 110 in the cutting process following FIG. It is a front view of the cutting mechanism 500 in a cutting process. It is a flowchart of a position adjustment process. It is a perspective view of glue application mechanism 1300 in a modification. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a mode in which a glue application roller 350 applies glue 7 to a sheet bundle 8 in a modified example.

Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used for explaining the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration and processing of the apparatus described are not intended to limit the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples. .

<1. Schematic structure of bookbinding apparatus 1>
The schematic structure of the bookbinding apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the lower left side, the upper right side, the upper left side, the lower right side, the upper side, and the lower side in FIG. 1 are defined as the front side, the rear side, the left side, the right side, the upper side, and the lower side of the bookbinding apparatus 1, respectively. In the present embodiment, the vertical direction of the bookbinding apparatus 1 is substantially parallel to the vertical direction. The front / rear and left / right directions of the bookbinding apparatus 1 are substantially parallel to the horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction. The front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the bookbinding apparatus 1 are directions substantially orthogonal to each other.

FIG. 4 shows an operation process of the bookbinding apparatus 1 in a left side view with some components omitted from the bookbinding apparatus 1 (the same applies to FIGS. 31, 45, 46, and 48 to 50 described later). . FIG. 5 shows a positional relationship among the table 110, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the cutting mechanism 500, and the booklet transport mechanism 600 in the right side view, and the right cutting unit 520 and the transport unit 602 are omitted (described later with reference to FIGS. The same applies to FIG. 53).

The bookbinding apparatus 1 includes a main body frame 2, a first printer 3, a second printer 4, a paper supply unit 5, a cover supply unit 6, a paper alignment mechanism 100, a bundle operation mechanism 200, a glue application mechanism 300, a cover holding mechanism 400, a cutting A mechanism 500 and a control unit 900 are included. The main body frame 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped frame structure.

The installation base 25 is a plate-like body extending leftward from the lower left frame of the main body frame 2. The first printer 3 is placed on the installation table 25. That is, the first printer 3 is arranged on the left side of the main body frame 2. The top plate 21 is a plate-like body that covers the upper surface of the main body frame 2. The second printer 4 is placed on the top plate 21. That is, the second printer 4 is disposed above the main body frame 2.

The first printer 3 is a printer that prints images on a plurality of sheets 8A (see FIG. 6) constituting the contents (or text) of the booklet created by the bookbinding apparatus 1. The first printer 3 has a paper discharge port 3A that is an opening through which printed paper is discharged. In the present embodiment, the first printer 3 is a laser printer capable of printing an image at high speed on thin and standard size paper suitable for the contents of the booklet (for example, A4 size plain paper). The paper discharge port 3A is provided on the upper surface of the first printer 3, and discharges the printed paper 8A in the upper right direction.

The second printer 4 is a printer that prints an image on a cover 9 (see FIG. 37) of a booklet created by the bookbinding apparatus 1. The cover sheet 9 has a size and a shape that can cover a sheet bundle 8 (see FIG. 4) described later. The second printer 4 has a cover discharge port 4A which is an opening through which a printed cover 9 is discharged. In the present embodiment, the second printer 4 is an inkjet printer capable of printing an image with high image quality on a thick and large size paper suitable for a cover (for example, A3 size special paper). The cover discharge port 4A is provided on the front surface of the second printer 4 and discharges the printed cover 9 in the forward direction. The paper supply unit 5 conveys the paper 8A discharged from the paper discharge port 3A to the paper alignment mechanism 100 from the left side of the main body frame 2.

The front cover supply port 22 is provided at the front edge of the top plate 21. The cover sheet supply port 22 is a rectangular opening that penetrates the top plate 21 in the vertical direction and extends in the horizontal direction. The cover sheet supply port 22 is located in front of the second printer 4. The cover sheet supply unit 6 is provided on the top plate 21 and is located between the cover sheet supply port 22 and the second printer 4. The cover sheet supply unit 6 includes a pair of guide plates 62 and 63 disposed to face each other in the vertical direction. The printed cover sheet 9 discharged from the cover sheet discharge port 4 </ b> A is inserted between the pair of guide plates 62 and 63. The pair of guide plates 62 and 63 guide the printed cover 9 toward the cover supply port 22.

The paper alignment mechanism 100, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the glue application mechanism 300, the cover holding mechanism 400, the cutting mechanism 500, and the control unit 900 are arranged inside the main body frame 2. Schematically, each mechanism has the following positional relationship with the paper alignment mechanism 100 as a reference. The bundle operation mechanism 200 is on the upper side of the paper alignment mechanism 100 (see FIGS. 3 to 5). The cover holding mechanism 400 is on the front side of the paper alignment mechanism 100 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The cutting mechanism 500 is on the rear side of the paper alignment mechanism 100 (see FIGS. 1 and 5). The glue application mechanism 300 is located between a table 110 at a first transport position, which will be described later, and a cover holding mechanism 400 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). However, a part of the cutting mechanism 500 protrudes to the rear side of the main body frame 2. A part of the cover holding mechanism 400 can advance to the upper side of the main body frame 2 through the cover supply port 22 as described later.

The paper alignment mechanism 100 is a mechanism for holding the paper bundle 8 and performing paper alignment. The sheet bundle 8 is a plurality of sheets 8A stacked in a predetermined stacking direction (in the present embodiment, the up-down direction). The alignment of the sheet bundle 8 is an operation of aligning the end face of the sheet bundle substantially flush along the stacking direction. The sheet bundle end surface is an end surface of the sheet bundle 8 in a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction (in the present embodiment, the front-rear direction and the left-right direction).

The bundle operation mechanism 200 is a mechanism that performs various operations (for example, presser, conveyance, etc.) on the sheet bundle 8 held by the paper alignment mechanism 100. The glue application mechanism 300 is a mechanism that forms an adhesive portion on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 to which the cover sheet 9 can be attached. The front end face of the sheet bundle 8 is the front sheet bundle end face. The cover holding mechanism 400 is a mechanism for holding the cover 9 supplied from the cover supply unit 6 and sticking the held cover 9 to the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8. The cutting mechanism 500 is a mechanism for cutting a booklet 10 (see FIG. 5), which is a sheet bundle 8 to which a cover 9 is attached, according to a specified size.

The control unit 900 is a controller including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like not shown. The CPU controls the bookbinding operation of the bookbinding apparatus 1 based on a program stored in the ROM. The control unit 900 may be a computer (for example, a personal computer, a microcomputer, or an ASIC) that can execute control according to the present disclosure.

As described above, the first printer 3, the second printer 4, the sheet supply unit 5, the cover sheet supply unit 6, the sheet alignment mechanism 100, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the glue application mechanism 300, the cover sheet holding mechanism 400, the cutting mechanism 500, and the control All the parts 900 are supported by the main body frame 2. The user can move the bookbinding apparatus 1 integrally through a plurality of casters 29 provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the main body frame 2.

<2. Detailed structure of bookbinding apparatus 1>
Hereinafter, the detailed structure of each part in the bookbinding apparatus 1 will be described.

<2-1. Structure of first printer 3 and paper supply unit 5>
The structures of the first printer 3 and the paper supply unit 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 schematically shows the internal structure of the first printer 3. In FIG. 10, a pair of guide portions 59 and a pair of connecting plates 57A to 57C described later are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first printer 3 includes a paper feed cassette 31, a paper feed roller 32, a process unit 35, and a paper discharge roller 37. The paper feed cassette 31 accommodates the paper 8A before printing. The process unit 35 forms a toner image by a known electrophotographic method. The paper feed roller 32 conveys the paper 8 </ b> A stored in the paper feed cassette 31 to the process unit 35. The paper discharge roller 37 discharges the printed paper 8A from the paper discharge port 3A in the upper right direction. A paper discharge tray 3B that receives the paper 8A discharged from the paper discharge port 3A is provided on the upper surface of the first printer 3 and on the right side of the paper discharge port 3A.

In the first printer 3, paths 33 and 34 for conveying the paper 8A are provided. The path 33 is a path for printing the image of the paper 8A. The path 33 extends from the paper feed cassette 31 to the paper discharge port 3A through the paper supply roller 32, the process unit 35, and the paper discharge roller 37 in this order. The path 34 is a path for inverting the printed paper 8 </ b> A and re-transporting it to the process unit 35. An upstream end of the path 34 branches from the path 33 at a branch point 36 provided between the process unit 35 and the paper discharge roller 37. The downstream end of the path 34 joins the path 33 between the paper feed roller 32 and the process unit 35.

When the first printer 3 performs single-sided printing, the paper 8A accommodated in the paper feed cassette 31 is conveyed on the path 33 as follows. The paper 8 </ b> A is conveyed from the paper feed cassette 31 to the process unit 35 by the paper feed roller 32. The toner image formed by the process unit 35 is transferred to the first surface of the paper 8A. The sheet 8A to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to a fixing device in the process unit 35, and the toner image is thermally fixed on the first surface of the sheet 8A. Thereafter, the entire sheet 8A is discharged from the sheet discharge port 3A by the sheet discharge roller 37.

When double-sided printing is performed by the first printer 3, first, the paper 8A is transported on the path 33 and an image is printed on the first surface of the paper 8A as in the case of single-sided printing. When the rear end of the paper 8A conveyed by the paper discharge roller 37 passes the branch point 36, the rotation of the paper discharge roller 37 is stopped. At this time, the conveyance of the paper 8A is temporarily stopped in a state where a part of the paper 8A is discharged from the paper discharge port 3A.

Next, the rotation direction of the paper discharge roller 37 is switched, and the rotation of the paper discharge roller 37 is resumed. The conveyance direction of the sheet 8A is reversed, and the sheet 8A enters the path 34 from the branch point 36. After the sheet 8A is conveyed on the path 34, the sheet 8A returns to the path 33 between the sheet feed roller 32 and the process unit 35. As a result, the paper 8A is reversed and an image is printed on the second surface of the paper 8A by the process unit 35. The second surface is a surface opposite to the first surface. Thereafter, the entire sheet 8A is discharged from the sheet discharge port 3A by the sheet discharge roller 37.

That is, the paper 8A discharge mechanism provided in the first printer 3 forms an image on the first surface of the paper 8A, then transports the paper 8A by the first transport amount, discharges it from the paper discharge port 3A, and further discharges the paper. 8A is taken in from the paper discharge port 3A, an image is formed on the second surface of the paper 8A, and then the paper 8A is transported by the second transport amount and discharged from the paper discharge port 3A.

The first transport amount is the transport amount of the paper 8A that discharges only a part of the paper 8A from the paper discharge port 3A. In other words, the first transport amount is smaller than the length in the transport direction of the paper 8A. The second transport amount is the transport amount of the paper 8A that discharges the entire paper 8A from the paper discharge port 3A. In other words, the second transport amount is larger than the length in the transport direction of the paper 8A. The transport direction length is the length from the downstream end in the transport direction to the upstream end of the paper 8 </ b> A transported by the paper discharge roller 37.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the paper supply unit 5 includes a path plate 51 (see FIG. 2), a plurality of transport rollers 56A, a plurality of transport rollers 56B, a fixed plate 58, a pair of guide portions 59, and a roller drive. Parts 80 and 90.

The path plate 51 is a plate-like member that can be disposed in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 3A of the first printer 3, and includes three path plates 51A, 51B, and 51C that are substantially continuous in the left-right direction. The route plates 51A to 51C are rectangular plate-like members that extend in the front-rear direction and the substantially left-right direction, respectively. The length in the front-rear direction of the path plates 51A to 51C is larger than the length in the front-rear direction of the paper 8A. The right end portion of the path plate 51C is fixed to the fixed plate 58. The fixed plate 58 is a plate-like member that connects the paper supply unit 5 to the main body frame 2 (see FIG. 1). The route plate 51B extends in the lower left direction from the left end portion of the route plate 51C. The route plate 51A extends in the lower left direction from the left end portion of the route plate 51B. The upper surfaces of the route plates 51A to 51C form the guide surface of the route plate 51.

The route plate 51 is disposed on the upper side of the first printer 3. The lower end portion of the path plate 51A is disposed in the paper discharge tray 3B, and the path plate 51A is disposed at a position facing the paper discharge port 3A. The path plate 51 extends from the paper discharge tray 3B to the inside of the main body frame 2 (see FIG. 2). The guide surface of the path plate 51 is a surface on which the paper 8A discharged from the paper discharge port 3A is placed and extends in the guide direction. The guide direction is a direction away from the paper discharge port 3A, and in this embodiment, is a direction extending rightward from the paper discharge port 3A.

Guide covers 52A to 52C are provided on the upper surfaces of the route plates 51A to 51C, respectively. The guide covers 52A to 52C are plate-like members that cover the upper surfaces of the path plates 51A to 51C, respectively, in the front-rear direction. A gap is formed between the path plate 51A and the guide cover 52A so that the paper 8A can pass in the guide direction. Similarly, a gap is formed between the path plate 51B and the guide cover 52B and between the path plate 51C and the guide cover 52C so that the paper 8A can pass in the guide direction.

The roller driving units 80 and 90 are mechanisms for conveying the paper 8A placed on the guide surface of the path plate 51 to the downstream side in the guide direction. The roller driving unit 80 is provided at the right end of the path plate 51B. The roller driving unit 90 is provided at the right end of the path plate 51C. That is, the roller driving unit 90 is located downstream of the roller driving unit 80 in the guide direction.

The pair of guide portions 59 are columnar members arranged side by side in the front-rear direction above the guide covers 52B and 52C. The pair of guide portions 59 extends in the left-right direction between the upper end surface of the fixed plate 58 and the upper side of the guide cover 52B. Screw grooves 59A extending in the front-rear direction are formed on the opposing surfaces of the pair of guide portions 59, respectively. The screw groove 59A is a groove portion into which a screw for fixing connection plates 57A to 57C described later can be screwed. The right end portions of the pair of guide portions 59 are fixed to the upper end surface of the fixing plate 58 by a pair of connecting plates 57C that are respectively screwed into the screw grooves 59A.

7 and 8, the roller driving unit 80 includes a plurality of conveying rollers 56A, a driving motor 81, a support unit 82, a first shaft 83, a second shaft 84, and a plurality of driven rollers 85. The support portion 82 is a frame-like member that extends in the front-rear direction than the path plate 51B and opens in the left-right direction. The support portion 82 is fixed to the lower side of the pair of guide portions 59 by a pair of connecting plates 57A screwed to the screw grooves 59A. The path plate 51 </ b> B extends in the left-right direction through the inside of the support portion 82 fixed to the pair of guide portions 59.

The first shaft 83 is a shaft provided inside the support portion 82 and extending in the front-rear direction. The drive motor 81 is provided at the front end portion of the support portion 82 and rotates the first shaft 83 around the axis. The plurality of transport rollers 56 </ b> A are rotating bodies that are provided on the first shaft 83 and arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction. The second shaft 84 is an shaft that extends in the front-rear direction and is provided inside the support portion 82 and directly below the first shaft 83. The plurality of driven rollers 85 are rotating bodies that are arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction and are rotatable about the second shaft 84. The plurality of transport rollers 56 </ b> A and the plurality of driven rollers 85 are opposed to each other in the vertical direction and are in contact with each other on the guide surface of the path plate 51.

The guide cover 52B has a plurality of slits 55A. The plurality of slits 55 </ b> A are portions that are provided side by side in the front-rear direction and are notched leftward from the right end portion of the guide cover 52 </ b> B. The first shaft 83 is disposed on the upper side of the guide cover 52B. Lower portions of the plurality of transport rollers 56A are disposed in the corresponding slits 55A. Although not shown, the path plate 51B has a plurality of openings that penetrate the path plate 51B in the vertical direction. The plurality of openings have substantially the same shape and size as the plurality of slits 55A, and face the plurality of slits 55A in the vertical direction. The second shaft 84 is disposed below the path plate 51B. The upper portions of the plurality of driven rollers 85 are disposed in the openings of the corresponding path plates 51B.

The roller driving unit 90 has the same structure as the roller driving unit 80. The roller drive unit 90 includes a plurality of transport rollers 56B, a drive motor 91, a support unit 92, a first shaft and a second shaft (not shown), and a plurality of driven rollers 95 (see FIG. 10). The support portion 92 is fixed to the lower side of the pair of guide portions 59 by a pair of connecting plates 57B screwed to the screw grooves 59A. The path plate 51 </ b> C extends in the left-right direction through the inside of the support portion 92 fixed to the pair of guide portions 59.

The drive motor 91 rotates the first shaft provided with the plurality of transport rollers 56B around the axis. The plurality of driven rollers 95 can rotate around the second shaft of the roller driving unit 90. The plurality of transport rollers 56 </ b> B and the plurality of driven rollers 95 oppose each other in the vertical direction and contact with each other on the guide surface of the path plate 51. Lower portions of the plurality of transport rollers 56B are disposed in the slits 55B of the corresponding guide covers 52C. The upper portions of the plurality of driven rollers 95 are disposed in openings (not shown) of the corresponding path plates 51C.

7 and 9, the roller drive unit 80 is slidable in the left-right direction within a predetermined range. The predetermined range is a range in which the plurality of transport rollers 56A can move in the left-right direction in the corresponding slits 55A, and the range in which the plurality of driven rollers 85 can move in the left-right direction in the openings of the corresponding path plates 51B. 7 and 9 show a state where the roller driving unit 80 has moved to the right end position and the left end position within a predetermined range, respectively. The user slides the roller drive unit 80 within a predetermined range, and then fixes the pair of connecting plates 57A to the screw grooves 59A, thereby causing the left and right positions of the roller drive unit 80 (that is, the guide direction of the plurality of transport rollers 56A). Position) can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the roller driving unit 80 is installed downstream of the first position F1 in the guiding direction and upstream of the second position F2 in the guiding direction. The first position F1 is a path plate 51 on which a downstream end portion in the guide direction of the paper 8A conveyed by the first conveyance amount from the first printer 3 (in this embodiment, the right end portion of the paper 8A) is placed. The position on the guide surface. The second position F2 is a position on the guide surface of the path plate 51 on which the downstream end portion in the guide direction of the paper 8A transported by the second transport amount from the first printer 3 is placed. In other words, the first position F1 is a position away from the paper discharge roller 37 in the discharge direction by the first transport amount. The second position F2 is a position away from the paper discharge roller 37 in the discharge direction by the second transport amount. The discharge direction is a direction in which the paper 8A is discharged from the paper discharge port 3A, and is the upper right direction in the present embodiment.

Similarly, after the user slides the roller driving unit 90, the pair of connecting plates 57B are fixed to the screw grooves 59A, so that the left and right positions of the roller driving unit 90 (that is, the guide direction positions of the plurality of transport rollers 56B) are fixed. ) Can be adjusted. The roller driving unit 90 of this embodiment is installed at a position where the distance in the guiding direction between the roller driving units 80 and 90 is smaller than the length of the paper 8A in the guiding direction.

For example, when the first printer 3 is replaced with another image forming apparatus, the transport amount of the paper discharged from the replaced image forming apparatus may be different from the transport amount of the paper 8A discharged from the first printer 3. . Depending on the size of the paper 8A printed by the first printer 3, the transport amount of the paper 8A discharged from the first printer 3 may change. Therefore, the paper supply unit 5 can appropriately convey the printed paper by the user adjusting the position of the roller driving units 80 and 90 according to the image forming apparatus or the paper size. Note that the user may adjust the positions of the roller driving units 80 and 90 by changing the position of the paper supply unit 5.

In this embodiment, the user can change the left-right direction position of the roller drive unit 80 to any of a plurality of predetermined reference positions. The plurality of reference positions correspond to different sizes of the paper 8A. For example, at least one of the pair of guide portions 59 is marked with a scale (not shown) indicating a plurality of reference positions along the screw groove 59A. At the position of the scale corresponding to the size of the paper 8A to be printed by the first printer 3, the user fixes the roller driving unit 80 with a pair of connecting plates 57A. Accordingly, the paper supply unit 5 can appropriately convey the paper 8A having different sizes by the paper supply unit 5 by adjusting the position of the roller driving unit 80. When the first printer 3 prints paper 8A having different sizes, the user does not need to change the overall position of the paper supply unit 5.

As shown in Fig. 10, the path plate 51B has a pair of shaft pins 98 and a plurality of support pieces 99. The pair of shaft pins 98 are small-diameter shafts that protrude from the left end of the path plate 51B to both the front and rear sides. The pair of shaft pins 98 rotatably supports the path plate 51A while being inserted into holes provided at the right front end and the right rear end of the path plate 51A. The plurality of support pieces 99 are a plurality of plate-like pieces protruding from the lower left end portion of the path plate 51B. The route plate 51A and the guide cover 52A are rotatable around a pair of shaft pins 98 extending in the front-rear direction. When the path plate 51 </ b> A rotates counterclockwise to a specified position (see FIG. 7) when viewed from the front, the path plate 51 </ b> A comes into contact with the plurality of support pieces 99 and is restricted from rotating counterclockwise. The specified position is a rotational position of the route plate 51A where the upper surfaces of the route plates 51A and 51B are substantially flush.

Since the user can change the rotational position of the route plate 51A relative to the route plate 51B, the efficiency of various operations is improved. For example, the user can easily install the route plate 51A in the paper discharge tray 3B of the first printer 3 and take out the route plate 51A from the paper discharge tray 3B. Further, the user can easily arrange the path plate 51A so as to face the discharge port according to the position and shape of the discharge port of the image forming apparatus.

Note that the guide direction may be either the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, or the direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction as long as it is a direction away from the paper discharge port 3A. The support part 82 is not limited to a mode in which the user manually adjusts the position of the roller driving part 80. The support unit 82 is a drive unit (for example, a motor) that moves to the upstream side and the downstream side in the guide direction of the roller drive unit 80 according to the reference position or paper size specified by the user. Adjustments may be made.

<2-2. Structure of paper alignment mechanism 100>
The paper alignment mechanism 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 11 to 15. FIG. 11 shows the positional relationship between the paper alignment mechanism 100 and the bundle operation mechanism 200 in the left side view, and the left paper alignment unit 103, the right paper alignment unit 104, the contact member 106, and the like are omitted. 12 and 13 omit the conveyance unit 102, the left paper alignment unit 103, the right paper alignment unit 104, the support base 111, the movable unit 153, the conveyance unit 154, and the like (the same applies to FIG. 30 described later). FIG. 13 schematically illustrates the contact member 106. FIG. 14 schematically illustrates the paper supply unit 5 and the paper alignment mechanism 100.

As shown in FIG. 3, the paper alignment mechanism 100 includes a movable unit 101, a conveyance unit 102, a left side paper alignment unit 103, a right side paper alignment unit 104, a front side paper alignment unit 105, and a contact member 106. The movable part 101 is movable in the front-rear direction inside the main body frame 2. The conveyance unit 102 moves the movable unit 101 in the front-rear direction. The left side paper aligning unit 103 performs paper alignment on the left end surface of the sheet bundle 8. The left end face of the sheet bundle 8 is the left sheet bundle end face. The right side paper aligning unit 104 performs paper alignment on the right end surface of the sheet bundle 8. The right end face of the sheet bundle 8 is the right sheet bundle end face. The front-side paper aligning unit 105 performs paper alignment on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8. The contact member 106 guides the paper 8 </ b> A conveyed to the inside of the main body frame 2 by the paper supply unit 5 on the table 110.

The transport unit 102 includes a transport motor 121, a screw shaft 122, and guide rails 123 and 124. The screw shaft 122 extends in the front-rear direction inside the main body frame 2. The conveyance motor 121 can rotate the screw shaft 122 around the axis. The guide rails 123 and 124 are provided on the left and right sides of the screw shaft 122, respectively, and extend in the front-rear direction along with the screw shaft 122.

11 and 12, the movable part 101 includes a table 110, a support base 111, a nut 114, a rotation mechanism 116, a tapping motor 170, and a vibration motor 180. The table 110 is a substantially rectangular plate-like body provided in the upper end portion of the support base 111 in plan view. The table 110 has a placement surface 110 </ b> A that is a plane on which the sheets 8 </ b> A conveyed inside the main body frame 2 are stacked. The placement surface 110 </ b> A is slightly smaller than the paper 8 </ b> A printed by the first printer 3. The mounting surface 110A includes a first mounting surface 1111 and a second mounting surface 1121 described later. A space extending upward from the mounting surface 110A is referred to as an upper region. At least a part of a contact member 106 to be described later is included in the upper region.

The support base 111 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a space formed therein. The support base 111 is movable along the guide rails 123 and 124. The nut 114 is provided on the support base 111, and the screw shaft 122 is inserted therein. The nut 114 and the screw shaft 122 are known ball screws (the same applies to other nuts and screw shafts described later). When the transport motor 121 rotates the screw shaft 122, the support base 111 including the nut 114 moves along the guide rails 123 and 124. That is, the table 110 supported on the support base 111 moves linearly in the front-rear direction within the main body frame 2.

The movable range of the table 110 includes the first transport position. The movable range of the table 110 is an area through which the table 110 moving in the front-rear direction can pass. The first transport position (see FIGS. 3, 4, 11, and 13) is a front-rear direction position of the table 110 from which the paper 8 </ b> A supplied by the paper supply unit 5 is discharged onto the placement surface 110 </ b> A. The long side and the short side of the paper 8A supplied to the inside of the main body frame 2 are parallel to the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, respectively. The left end portion 16 (see FIG. 29) of the paper 8A conveyed inside the main body frame 2 is an upstream end portion in the conveyance direction (right direction in the present embodiment) of the paper 8A. The right end 17 (see FIG. 29) of the sheet 8A conveyed into the main body frame 2 is a downstream end in the conveyance direction of the sheet 8A.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the table 110 includes a first table 1110 and a second table 1120. The first table 1110 is a plate-like body that extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The upper surface of the first table 1110 includes a first placement surface 1111 and a support surface 1112. The first placement surface 1111 is a rectangular plane extending in the left-right direction along the front edge of the first table 1110. The first placement surface 1111 is a substantially horizontal surface on which the front portion of the paper 8A supplied to the table 110 can be placed. The support surface 1112 is a plane on the rear side of the first placement surface 1111 provided slightly below the first placement surface 1111.

The fixed shaft 160 is provided on the first table 1110. The fixed shaft 160 is a shaft that is provided slightly below the front end portion of the support surface 1112 and projects rightward from the right surface of the first table 1110. The fixed shaft 160 rotatably supports a lever 161 described later.

The second table 1120 is a substantially rectangular plate-like body that is long in the left-right direction in plan view.
The upper surface of the second table 1120 includes a second placement surface 1121. The second placement surface 1121 is a plane on which a portion of the paper 8 </ b> A supplied to the table 110 can be placed on the rear side of the portion placed on the first placement surface 1111. The second placement surface 1121 is aligned with the first placement surface 1111 in the front-rear direction. The length of the second placement surface 1121 in the left-right direction is substantially equal to the length of the first placement surface 1111 in the left-right direction. The end portion on the first placement surface 1111 side (front side) of the second placement surface 1121 is referred to as a proximity portion 1122. An end of the second placement surface 1121 opposite to the first placement surface 1111 (rear side) is referred to as a separation portion 1123.

The lever 161 is an inverted L-shaped plate in the left side view. The lever 161 includes a first plate portion 161A, a second plate portion 161B, and a through hole 161C. The first plate portion 161 </ b> A is a plate-like body that is fixed to the right front end portion on the lower surface of the second table 1120 and is supported from below by the fixed shaft 160. The second plate portion 161B is a plate-like body that extends downward from the front end portion of the first plate portion 161A via the front side of the fixed shaft 160. The through hole 161C is a hole that penetrates the lower end portion of the second plate portion 161B in the left-right direction.

The second table 1120 can rotate around the fixed shaft 160 via the lever 161. The second table 1120 is rotatable between the first rotation position and the second rotation position. The first rotation position (see FIG. 12) is the rotation position of the second table 1120 where the second table 1120 is separated upward from the support surface 1112. When the second table 1120 is in the first rotation position, the separation portion 1123 is above the proximity portion 1122. The mounting surface 110A is bent between the first mounting surface 1111 and the second mounting surface 1121.

The second rotation position (see FIG. 13) is the rotation position of the second table 1120 on which the second table 1120 is placed on the support surface 1112. When the second table 1120 is in the second rotation position, the separation portion 1123 is in the vertical position substantially equal to the proximity portion 1122. Since the first mounting surface 1111 and the second mounting surface 1121 are substantially flush with each other, the mounting surface 110A has one substantially horizontal plane as a whole.

As shown in FIG. 12, the rotation mechanism 116 is a mechanism that rotates the second table 1120. The rotation mechanism 116 includes a fixed shaft 160, a lever 161, a drive motor 162, a rotation shaft 164, and a wire 166. The drive motor 162 is provided below the rear end portion of the second table 1120. A drive gear (not shown) of the drive motor 162 is fixed to an output shaft (not shown) of the drive motor 162.

The rotary shaft 164 extends in the left-right direction on the rear side of the output shaft of the drive motor 162 and on the lower side of the rear end portion of the second table 1120. A gear 165 provided on the rotation shaft 164 meshes with a drive gear of the drive motor 162. The rotational motion of the drive motor 162 is converted into the rotational motion of the rotating shaft 164. The cylindrical winding member 167 is fixed to the right end portion of the rotation shaft 164. One end of the wire 166 is wound around the circumferential surface of the winding member 167. The other end portion of the wire 166 is fixed to the second plate portion 161B while being inserted through the through hole 161C. That is, the wire 166 connects the rotating shaft 164 and the lever 161.

When the drive motor 162 is driven while the second table 1120 is in the first rotation position, the wire 166 is pulled out from the winding member 167. As a result, the second table 1120 rotates from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. When the drive motor 162 is driven while the second table 1120 is at the second rotation position, the wire 166 is wound around the winding member 167. As a result, the second table 1120 rotates from the second rotation position to the first rotation position.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the tapping motor 170 is fixed to the lower surface of the first table 1110. The tapping motor 170 includes an output shaft 171 extending in the left-right direction. The cam member 172 is provided at the distal end portion of the output shaft 171. The cam member 172 is a substantially rhombic plate-like body when viewed from the right side, and is below the wire 166. The peripheral surface of the cam member 172 includes a first peripheral surface 173, a second peripheral surface 174, a third peripheral surface 175, and a fourth peripheral surface 176. The first peripheral surface 173 to the fourth peripheral surface 176 each protrude in a direction away from the substantially central portion of the cam member 172 and are curved in an arc shape when viewed from the right side.

The first peripheral surface 173 is at a position closest to the output shaft 171 in the peripheral surface of the cam member 172. The third peripheral surface 175 is at a position farthest from the output shaft 171 in the peripheral surface of the cam member 172. The third peripheral surface 175 is on the opposite side of the first peripheral surface 173 across the output shaft 171. The second peripheral surface 174 is located at a position rotated about 90 degrees counterclockwise from the first peripheral surface 173 about the output shaft 171 as viewed from the right side of the peripheral surface of the cam member 172. The fourth circumferential surface 176 is located at a position rotated about 90 degrees in the clockwise direction from the first circumferential surface 173 around the output shaft 171 as viewed from the right side of the circumferential surface of the cam member 172. The distance from the output shaft 171 to the second peripheral surface 174 and the distance from the output shaft 171 to the fourth peripheral surface 176 are substantially equal to each other.

When the cam member 172 is in the initial rotation position (see FIGS. 12 and 13), the wire 166 extends in a straight line between the through hole 161C and the rotation shaft 164. The initial rotation position is the rotation position of the cam member 172 where the first peripheral surface 173 is the uppermost of the peripheral surfaces of the cam member 172.

As shown in FIG. 12, the vibration motor 180 is fixed at a substantially horizontal center on the lower surface of the second table 1120 and behind the fixed shaft 160. The vibration motor 180 includes an output shaft 181 (see FIG. 30) extending forward. The eccentric cam 182 is fixed to the output shaft 181. The output shaft 181 passes through a position different from the position of the center of gravity of the eccentric cam 182. A portion of the eccentric cam 182 that is most distant from the output shaft 181 in the radial direction is referred to as a tip portion 183 (see FIG. 30). The position of the center of gravity of the eccentric cam 182 is between the output shaft 181 and the tip 183.

When the vibration motor 180 rotates the eccentric cam 182, the tip 183 reciprocates between a first position (see FIG. 30) and a second position (not shown). The tip 183 at the first position is disposed on the opposite side of the second table 1120 with the output shaft 181 interposed therebetween. The tip portion 183 in the second position is disposed between the output shaft 181 and the second table 1120.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 13, and 14, the contact member 106 is a rail member that is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the left side and extends substantially parallel to the conveyance direction of the paper 8 </ b> A above the second table 1120. . The contact member 106 is fixed to the lower right side of the position where the paper 8 </ b> A is discharged from the paper supply unit 5 and above the second placement surface 1121. The contact member 106 includes a support wall portion 106A and two guide wall portions 106B.

The support wall 106A is a plate-like body that is long in the left-right direction in plan view. That is, the support wall portion 106A extends substantially parallel to the conveyance direction of the paper 8A. The length in the left-right direction of the support wall 106A is at least half of the length in the left-right direction of the paper 8A. That is, the conveyance direction length of the contact member 106 is at least half of the conveyance direction length of the paper 8A. The front end portion of the support wall portion 106 </ b> A is in front of the rear end portion of the paper 8 </ b> A discharged from the paper supply unit 5. The two guide wall portions 106B are plate-like bodies that extend upward from the rear end portion of the support wall portion 106A and are long in the left-right direction when viewed from the front. That is, the two guide wall portions 106B both extend substantially parallel to the transport direction and extend in the substantially vertical direction. The two guide wall portions 106B are provided side by side in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the front paper aligning unit 105 includes a front aligning plate 150, a support unit 151, movable units 152 and 153, and a transport unit 154. The support portion 151 is a columnar body that extends in the vertical direction below the movable region of the table 110. The movable part 152 is connected to the front side of the support part 151 by a known ball screw. The support unit 151 can move the movable unit 152 in the vertical direction in accordance with driving of a motor (not shown). The movable portion 153 is an L-shaped plate-like body fixed to the rear surface of the support portion 151 as viewed from the right side. The movable part 153 is connected to the transport part 154 by a known ball screw. The transport unit 154 is a drive mechanism that extends in the front-rear direction below the movable region of the table 110. The transport unit 154 can move the movable unit 153 in the front-rear direction in accordance with driving of a motor (not shown).

The front alignment plate 150 is a substantially rectangular plate-like body that is provided at the upper end of the movable portion 152 and extends in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The front aligning plate 150 is movable between an ascending position (see FIG. 12) and a descending position (see FIG. 13) as the movable portion 152 moves up and down. The front aligning plate 150 is movable between a forward position (see FIGS. 12 and 13) and a reverse position (not shown) as the movable portion 153 moves back and forth.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the front alignment plate 150 is in the raised position and the forward movement position, the front alignment plate 150 is in the first facing position. The first facing position is a position where the front aligning plate 150 is disposed in the movable region of the table 110 and the front aligning plate 150 faces the table 110 from the front. When the front alignment plate 150 is in the first facing position and the table 110 is in the first transport position, the front-rear direction distance between the front alignment plate 150 and the two guide wall portions 106B is the length in the front-rear direction of the placement surface 110A. Shorter than that.

The front alignment plate 150 in the first facing position can contact the front end portion 15 (see FIG. 29) of the paper 8A falling toward the placement surface 110A from the front side, and the front end portion 15 can be positioned at the first restriction position. is there. The first restricting position is a predetermined appropriate position of the front end portion 15 of the paper 8A accumulated on the table 110. The first restriction position is a position on an imaginary straight line extending in the left-right direction in plan view. That is, the rear surface of the front alignment plate 150 at the first facing position extends in the substantially vertical direction along the first restriction position. The first restricting position is included in a glue application region described later.

Although not shown, when the front alignment plate 150 is in the lowered position and the retracted position, the front alignment plate 150 is in the first separation position. The first separation position is a position where the front aligning plate 150 is disposed on the lower side of the movable area of the table 110 and on the rear side of the front end portion of the table 110. In the present embodiment, the front alignment plate 150 at the first separation position is disposed inside the support base 111.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the right side paper alignment unit 104 includes a drive motor 141, a cam member 141 </ b> A, an arm member 142, and a right alignment plate 140. The drive motor 141 is provided on the lower right side of the movable area of the table 110. The drive motor 141 can rotate an output shaft (not shown) extending in the vertical direction. The cam member 141 </ b> A is provided on the output shaft of the drive motor 141. The pin 145 protrudes upward from the cam member 141A and rotatably supports the right end portion of the arm member 142. The left end portion of the arm member 142 is connected to the right surface of the right alignment plate 140. The pin 146 is provided on the right side of the right alignment plate 140 and extends in the vertical direction. The pin 146 rotatably supports the left end portion of the arm member 142.

The right alignment plate 140 is a rectangular plate-like body that is provided on the right side of the table 110 at the first transport position and extends in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction. The right alignment plate 140 faces the right end surface of the sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A from the right side when the table 110 is in the first transport position.

As shown in FIG. 14, the left paper alignment unit 103 is substantially bilaterally symmetric with the right paper alignment unit 104. The left paper alignment unit 103 has the same structure as the right paper alignment unit 104 and includes a drive motor 131, a cam member 131A, an arm member 132, and a left alignment plate 130. The left alignment plate 130 is a rectangular plate-like body that is provided on the left side of the table 110 at the first transport position and extends in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction. The left aligning plate 130 faces the left end surface of the sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A from the left side when the table 110 is in the first transport position.

The left alignment plate 130 is movable in the left-right direction between the second facing position and the second separation position as the drive motor 131 is driven. The second facing position is a position where the left alignment plate 130 approaches from the left side with respect to the table 110 at the first transport position. The second separation position is a position where the left alignment plate 130 is separated to the left of the second opposing position with respect to the table 110 at the first transport position. In FIG. 14, the left alignment plate 130 at the second separation position is illustrated by a solid line, and the left alignment plate 130 at the second facing position is illustrated by a virtual line.

The left alignment plate 130 in the second facing position is the left end of the paper 8A that falls toward the placement surface 110A when the table 110 is in the first transport position and the paper 8A is discharged by the paper supply unit 5. The left end portion 16 can be positioned at the second restriction position by contacting the portion 16 (see FIG. 29) from the left side. The second restricting position is a predetermined appropriate position of the left end portion 16 (upstream end portion in the transport direction) of the paper 8A stacked on the table 110. The second restriction position is a position on a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction on the left side of the table 110 in plan view. That is, the right surface of the left alignment plate 130 at the second facing position extends in a substantially vertical direction along the second restriction position.

The right alignment plate 140 is movable in the left-right direction between the third facing position and the third separation position as the drive motor 141 is driven. The third facing position is a position where the right alignment plate 140 is close to the table 110 at the first transport position from the right side. The third separation position is a position where the right alignment plate 140 is separated to the right side of the third facing position with respect to the table 110 at the first transport position. In FIG. 14, the right alignment plate 140 at the third separation position is illustrated by a solid line, and the right alignment plate 140 at the third facing position is illustrated by a virtual line.

The right alignment plate 140 at the third facing position is the right edge of the paper 8A that falls toward the placement surface 110A when the table 110 is at the first transport position and the paper 8A is discharged by the paper supply unit 5. The portion 17 (see FIG. 29) can be contacted from the right side, and the right end portion 17 can be positioned at the third restriction position. The third restriction position is a predetermined appropriate position of the right end portion 17 (downstream end portion in the transport direction) of the paper 8 </ b> A stacked on the table 110. The third restriction position is a position on a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction on the right side of the table 110 in plan view. That is, the left surface of the right alignment plate 140 at the third facing position extends in a substantially vertical direction along the third restriction position.

<2-3. Structure of bundle operation mechanism 200>
The structure of the bundle operation mechanism 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the paper aligning mechanism 100 and the bundle operating mechanism 200 in the bookbinding apparatus 1 shown in FIG. The bundle operation mechanism 200 includes a movable unit 201 and a transport unit 202. The movable portion 201 is movable in the front-rear direction inside the main body frame 2 and above the paper alignment mechanism 100. The conveyance unit 202 moves the movable unit 201 in the front-rear direction.

The movable unit 201 includes a support plate 211, a movable body 212, a connecting plate 213, a screw shaft (not shown), a pair of guide rails 215, a belt 216, pulleys 217 and 218, a lifting motor 219, and a bundle operation unit 230. The movable body 212 is a columnar member extending in the left-right direction, and is connected to the transport unit 202 by a known ball screw. The transport unit 202 is a drive mechanism that extends in the front-rear direction above the movable region of the table 110. The transport unit 202 can move the movable body 212 in the front-rear direction as the transport motor 221 is driven.

The support plate 211 is a plate-like body supported on the lower side of the movable body 212. The connection plate 213 is a plate-like body that extends downward from the support plate 211. The elevating motor 219 is provided on the rear side of the connecting plate 213. The pulley 218 is provided on a shaft extending upward from the lifting motor 219. A screw shaft (not shown) provided on the front surface of the connecting plate 213 extends in the vertical direction. The pulley 217 is provided at the upper end of the screw shaft of the connecting plate 213. The belt 216 is stretched around pulleys 217 and 218.

The bundle operation unit 230 is provided on the front side of the connecting plate 213. The bundle operation unit 230 includes a connecting plate 231 and a presser plate 232. The connecting plate 231 is a rectangular plate-like body that extends in the up-down direction and the left-right direction, and has a nut (not shown) through which the screw shaft of the connecting plate 213 is inserted. The presser plate 232 is a plate-like body that extends downward from the lower end of the connecting plate 231 to the front side. The front end portion of the pressing plate 232 can contact the upper surface of the sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A in the left-right direction.

When the transport motor 221 is driven, the bundle operation unit 230 moves in the front-rear direction on the upper side of the paper alignment mechanism 100 as the movable body 212 moves. When the lifting motor 219 is driven, the screw shaft of the connecting plate 213 rotates via the belt 216 and the pulleys 217 and 218. As a result, the bundle operation unit 230 moves in the vertical direction along the pair of guide rails 215.

<2-4. Structure of glue application mechanism 300>
The structure of the glue application mechanism 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 16 to 19. FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cross section passing through the approximate center in the left-right direction of the movable portion 301 as viewed from the left side. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the cross section passing through the approximate vertical center of the glue application unit 340 as viewed from above, and schematically shows the main body 349, the glue 7, and the sheet bundle 8. FIG. 19 shows the positional relationship between the glue application mechanism 300 and the table 110 at the first transport position in the rear view.

As shown in FIG. 3, the glue application mechanism 300 is arranged in front of the table 110 at the first transport position. The glue application mechanism 300 includes a movable part 301 and a transport part 302. The movable portion 301 is movable in the left-right direction inside the main body frame 2 and on the front side of the table 110 at the first transport position. The conveyance unit 302 moves the movable unit 301 in the left-right direction. The conveyance unit 302 includes a conveyance motor 321 and a screw shaft 322. The screw shaft 322 extends in the left-right direction on the upper side of the screw shaft 122. The conveyance motor 321 can rotate the screw shaft 322 around the axis.

As shown in FIG. 16, the movable portion 301 includes a support portion 311, a nut (not shown), an adhesive receiving installation portion 313, a heat insulating plate 314, a chain 316, pulleys 317 and 318, a drive motor 319, and an adhesive application portion 340. The support portion 311 is a rectangular plate-like body that extends in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The nut of the movable portion 301 is provided at the lower front end portion of the support portion 311 and the screw shaft 322 is inserted therethrough. The drive motor 319 is provided on the front surface of the support portion 311 and above the nut of the movable portion 301. The pulley 318 is provided on a shaft 319 </ b> A that extends upward from the drive motor 319.

The heat insulating plate 314 is provided on the rear surface of the support portion 311. The glue application unit 340 is provided on the rear surface of the heat insulating plate 314. The glue application unit 340 is a movable body that applies the glue 7 within the range of the glue application area described later while moving in the left-right direction over at least the length of the sheet bundle 8 in the left-right direction. The glue 7 of this embodiment is a thermoplastic adhesive. The glue application unit 340 includes a main body part 349 and a glue application roller 350. The glue application roller 350 has a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, and can apply the liquid glue 7 to an object. The glue application roller 350 is a cylindrical body that has a peripheral surface 351A to which the glue 7 can be attached and is rotatable around a shaft 353 extending in the vertical direction.

16 and 17, the main body 349 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-like body whose vertical direction is the longitudinal direction, and can accommodate the paste application roller 350 and the paste 7 therein. The main body 349 includes an adhesive supply port 341, an adhesive storage unit 342, a roller installation unit 343, bearing units 344 and 345, an adhesive application port 346, and a heater 347. The glue supply port 341 is an opening provided on the upper surface of the main body 349 for supplying glue pieces (not shown). The paste piece is a solidified paste and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in the present embodiment.

The glue storage part 342 is a substantially bottomed box-like space provided inside the main body part 349 and extending downward from the glue supply port 341. The glue storage unit 342 can store glue pieces supplied via the glue supply port 341. The front side of the glue storage part 342 is surrounded by the front wall part 349 </ b> A of the main body part 349. The front wall portion 349 </ b> A is an inclined surface that inclines downward from the front end portion of the glue supply port 341.

The roller installation part 343 is a space provided inside the main body part 349 and is formed on the rear side of the glue storage part 342 and on the front side of the glue application port 346. The roller installation part 343 communicates with the glue storage part 342 and the glue application port 346 in the front-rear direction. The bearing portion 344 is a concave portion extending downward from the center of the lower end portion of the roller installation portion 343. The bearing portion 345 is an opening that is provided on the upper surface of the main body portion 349 and on the rear side of the glue supply port 341 and communicates with the roller installation portion 343 in the vertical direction.

The glue application roller 350 is disposed on the roller installation portion 343 in a state where both ends of the shaft 353 are accommodated in the bearing portions 344 and 345. That is, the glue application roller 350 is held by the bearing portions 344 and 345 so as to be rotatable about the shaft 353. The rotation center of the glue application roller 350 is referred to as the axis of the glue application roller 350.

The glue application port 346 is an opening cut out from the rear surface of the main body 349 to the front. The glue application port 346 exposes a part of the peripheral surface 351A of the glue application roller 350 in the roller installation part 343 from the inside of the main body part 349 in the backward direction. A portion of the peripheral surface 351 </ b> A that is exposed from the glue application port 346 is referred to as a glue application surface of the glue application roller 350. The glue application surface is at a position in the front-rear direction substantially the same as the first restriction position described above. The glue application surface extends in the vertical direction from the sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the glue application roller 350 substantially closes the roller installation portion 343 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. More than half of the peripheral surface 351 </ b> A is accommodated in the roller installation portion 343. Therefore, the area of the glue application surface is less than half the area of the peripheral surface 351A. A plurality of crests and troughs extending linearly along the up-down direction are alternately and continuously formed along the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface 351A. The plurality of valley portions are a plurality of groove portions 351C in which a part of the peripheral surface 351A is recessed toward the axis. The plurality of groove portions 351C extend in the vertical direction in parallel with the axis of the glue application roller 350, respectively.

The plurality of groove portions 351 </ b> C may extend along the axis of the glue application roller 350, and may be inclined with respect to the axis of the glue application roller 350, for example. In this case, the plurality of groove portions 351C are formed in a spiral shape on the peripheral surface 351A. The peripheral surface 351A may be provided with a plurality of concave portions having various shapes (for example, a substantially circular shape, a substantially semicircular shape, a polygonal shape, etc.) instead of the plurality of groove portions 351C, and is curved in a wave shape continuous in the circumferential direction. It may be a smooth circumferential surface.

The heater 347 is a heating element provided on the front surface of the front wall portion 349A. The plurality of paste pieces stored in the paste storage unit 342 are dissolved by the heat generated by the heater 347 and changed into liquid paste 7. The glue 7 stored in the glue storage part 342 can adhere to the peripheral surface 351A. Since the paste 7 enters the plurality of groove portions 351C, the peripheral surface 351A can hold more paste 7. The heater 347 may be provided on the rear surface of the front wall portion 349A, or may be provided on the right wall portion, the left wall portion, the upper wall portion, or the lower wall portion of the main body portion 349.

As shown in FIG. 16, the portion recessed downward from the lower left end of the glue application port 346 is a glue guide 346A. The glue guide portion 346A guides the glue 7 that hangs down from the peripheral surface 351A toward the glue receiving member 360 described later. The pulley 317 is provided at the upper end of the shaft 353. The chain 316 is bridged over pulleys 317 and 318 through a through hole 311A formed in the support portion 311.

The glue receiving installation portion 313 is connected and fixed to the lower side of the main body portion 349 by the connecting plate 361. The glue receiving installation portion 313 can place a glue receiving member 360 capable of storing liquid. For example, the glue receiving member 360 is a cup that opens upward so that liquid can be stored. Since the connecting plate 361 has a heat insulating property, the heat generated by the heater 347 is difficult to be transmitted to the glue receiving portion 313.

The lid member 348 is a plate-like body provided on the upper surface of the main body 349. The lid member 348 is rotatable around a pin 348A that protrudes upward from the right rear corner of the upper surface of the main body 349. The lid member 348 can move between an open position where the glue supply port 341 is opened and a closed position where the glue supply port 341 is closed.

For example, when the user supplies glue pieces to the glue supply port 341, the user moves the lid member 348 to the open position. The user moves the lid member 348 to the closed position after supplying the paste pieces to the paste storage unit 342. The lid member 348 in the closed position suppresses the smell of the glue 7 from leaking to the outside of the main body 349 even when the glue 7 stored in the glue storage part 342 generates a smell. In addition, a valve member capable of blocking communication between the paste supply port 341 and the paste storage unit 342 may be provided in the paste supply path 341A. In this case, the lid member 348 may not be provided.

As shown in FIG. 19, the movable portion 301 of this embodiment is arranged in such a posture that the axis of the glue application roller 350 is inclined from the vertical direction of the bookbinding apparatus 1. The axis of the glue application roller 350 intersects the left-right direction and the up-down direction, and is orthogonal to the front-rear direction. Specifically, the vertical direction of the movable portion 301 is slightly inclined to the right with respect to the vertical direction of the bookbinding apparatus 1. The front-rear direction of the movable unit 301 substantially coincides with the front-rear direction of the bookbinding apparatus 1. The movable unit 301 can be moved in the left-right direction by the transport unit 302 while maintaining an inclined posture.

3 and 19, when the transport motor 321 rotates the screw shaft 322, the support portion 311 moves in the left-right direction. The glue application unit 340 supported on the rear side of the support unit 311 moves in the left-right direction on the front side of the table 110 at the first transport position. The conveyance motor 321 can adjust the moving speed of the glue application unit 340.

The right end portion and the left end portion of the movable range of the glue application unit 340 are a first retracted position and a second retracted position, respectively. When the glue application unit 340 is in the first retracted position, the glue application unit 340 is separated from the movable range of the table 110 in the right direction. When the glue application part 340 is in the second retracted position, the glue application part 340 is separated from the movable range of the table 110 in the left direction. That is, the glue application unit 340 can move in the left-right direction within the movable range of the table 110. A locus along which the glue application surface of the glue application roller 350 moves in accordance with the movement of the glue application unit 340 is referred to as a glue application region of the glue application unit 340. The glue application area extends in the left-right direction across the movable range of the table 110.

When the drive motor 319 rotates the shaft 319A, the glue application roller 350 rotates around the shaft 353 via the chain 316 and the pulleys 317 and 318. At this time, the glue 7 supplied to the peripheral surface 351 </ b> A moves to the glue application port 346, whereby the glue 7 is applied to an object in contact with or close to the glue application surface. The glue 7 that is not applied to the object and hangs down on the peripheral surface 351A is discharged downward through the glue guide portion 346A, and is dropped and stored in the glue receiving member 360.

The drive motor 319 can adjust the rotation speed of the glue application roller 350, and can adjust the rotation of the glue application roller 350 to normal rotation and reverse rotation. Normal rotation is the clockwise rotation of the glue application roller 350 about the shaft 353 in plan view. The reverse rotation is the rotation of the glue application roller 350 in the direction opposite to the normal rotation.

<2-5. Structure of cover holding mechanism 400>
The cover holding mechanism 400 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 20 to 23, 31, 41 and 44. FIG. 20 shows the positional relationship among the second printer 4, the cover sheet supply unit 6, and the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 in the left side view (the same applies to FIG. 37 described later). In FIG. 21, an urging portion 461 and a pair of mark sensors 499, which will be described later, are omitted. In FIG. 22, the lifting motor 490, the lifting motor 450, the urging unit 461, and the like are omitted. FIG. 23 enlarges the range surrounded by the phantom line in FIG. 41 and 44, the right mark sensor 499 is omitted.

4 and 31, the cover holding mechanism 400 is disposed on the front side of the table 110 and the glue application mechanism 300. The cover holding mechanism 400 includes a movable part 401 and a conveying part 402. The movable portion 401 is movable in the vertical direction inside the main body frame 2 and in front of the glue applying portion 340. The transport unit 402 moves the movable unit 401 in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIGS. 20, 21, and 31, the movable portion 401 is disposed on the front side of the glue application mechanism 300 and within the range of the cover sheet supply port 22 (see FIG. 1) in a plan view. The movable portion 401 includes a support plate 411, support frames 413 and 414, rear rails 415 and 416, and front rails 417 and 418. The support plate 411 is a substantially square plate-like body when viewed from the front, and is connected to the transport unit 402 by a known ball screw. The transport unit 402 is a drive mechanism that extends in the vertical direction on the front side of the movable unit 401. The transport unit 402 can move the movable unit 401 in the vertical direction along the pair of guide rails 423 as the transport motor 422 is driven.

When the movable part 401 is at the lower end of the movable range, the entire movable part 401 is accommodated inside the main body frame 2 (see FIGS. 4 and 20). The movable part 401 is movable upward to a position where the movable part 401 protrudes above the main body frame 2 through the cover sheet supply port 22 (see FIG. 37). The movable range of the movable part 401 includes the reference position for pasting. The sticking reference position is a vertical direction position of the movable portion 401 where a butting plate 460 described later covers the entire sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A in front view.

The support frames 413 and 414 are provided at the left end and the right end on the rear surface of the support plate 411, respectively. The support frames 413 and 414 are columnar bodies that are arranged side by side in the left-right direction and extend in the up-down direction. The rear rails 415 and 416 are provided on the rear surfaces of the support frames 413 and 414, respectively, and extend in parallel in the vertical direction through contact positions described later. The lengths of the rear rails 415 and 416 in the vertical direction are each equal to or longer than the length of the cover sheet 9 in the vertical direction. The front rails 417 and 418 are provided between the support frames 413 and 414 on the rear surface of the support plate 411. The front rails 417 and 418 are disposed on the right side of the support frame 413 and the left side of the support frame 414, respectively, and extend in parallel in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 21, the movable portion 401 includes a first clamp 403 that can clamp the cover 9 supplied to the cover holding mechanism 400 from the front-rear direction. The first clamp 403 includes an upper clamp 430 and a lower clamp 440. The upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and selectively hold and release the cover sheet 9 at different vertical positions.

The upper clamp 430 is movable along the rear rails 415 and 416, and includes a rear plate 431, a front plate 432, and a pair of solenoids 433 and 435. The rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 are rectangular plate-like bodies that are opposed to each other in the front-rear direction and extend in the up-down direction and the left-right direction. A gap between the rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 facing each other in the front-rear direction is an operation region 430A. The pair of solenoids 433 and 435 move the rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 in directions toward or away from each other via the opening and closing links 434 and 436, respectively.

The lower clamp 440 has the same structure as the upper clamp 430. The lower clamp 440 is movable along the rear rails 415 and 416, and includes a rear plate 441, a front plate 442, and a pair of solenoids 443 and 445. A gap between the rear plate 441 and the front plate 442 facing each other in the front-rear direction is an operation region 440A. The pair of solenoids 443 and 445 move the rear plate 441 and the front plate 442 in directions toward or away from each other via the opening and closing links 444 and 446, respectively.

The operation areas 430A and 440A are spaces extending in the left-right direction through which the cover 9 supplied to the cover holding mechanism 400 can pass. The operation areas 430A and 440A oppose each other in the vertical direction and have the same shape in plan view. The left and right lengths of the operation areas 430A and 440A are larger than the left and right length of the cover 9. The center positions in the left-right direction of the operation areas 430A and 440A substantially coincide with the center position in the left-right direction of the cover 9 supplied from the cover sheet supply unit 6, and substantially coincide with the center position in the left-right direction of the table 110.

As shown in FIG. 21, the movable portion 401 includes an elevating motor 450, pulleys 451 and 452, a belt 453, a connecting portion 454, and a positioning plate 455. The elevating motor 450 is provided on the right side of the upper end portion of the support frame 413. A pulley 451 is provided on a shaft (not shown) extending from the elevating motor 450 through the support frame 413 to the left. The pulley 452 is provided on the left side of the lower end portion of the support frame 413. The belt 453 is stretched over pulleys 451 and 452.

The connecting portion 454 is a member that connects the left end portion of the rear plate 441 and the belt 453. The positioning plate 455 is a plate-like body that is provided on the right side surface of the support frame 414 and extends in the front-rear direction. The positioning plate 455 can support a positioning protrusion 456 (see FIG. 39) provided on the front surface of the rear plate 431 from below. The positioning protrusion 456 is a plate-like body that protrudes forward from the vicinity of the right end of the front surface of the rear plate 431 through the right side of the front plate 432.

The movable part 401 includes a butting plate 460, a lifting motor 490, a screw shaft 491, and a second clamp 404. The screw shaft 491 extends between the front rails 417 and 418 in the vertical direction. The elevating motor 490 can rotate the screw shaft 491 about the axis. The abutting plate 460 is a rectangular plate-like body that is provided on the rear surface side of the support plate 411 and extends in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The abutting plate 460 is provided on the front side of the front rails 417 and 418 and on the rear side of the front rails 417 and 418 and the screw shaft 491. The vertical length of the abutting plate 460 is larger than the vertical length of the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A.

The second clamp 404 can hold the booklet 10 before cutting from above and below (see FIG. 46). The second clamp 404 includes an upper clamp 470 and a lower clamp 480. The upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 are arranged on both upper and lower sides with the abutting plate 460 interposed therebetween, and selectively hold and release the booklet 10 by each raising and lowering.

The upper clamp 470 includes a movable body 471 and a clamp body 472. The movable body 471 is a member that extends in the left-right direction from the rear side of the front rail 417 to the rear side of the front rail 418 and is movable along the front rails 417 and 418. The movable body 471 has a nut (not shown) through which the screw shaft 491 is inserted. The clamp body 472 is a plate-like body that is provided on the rear surface of the movable body 471 and protrudes below the movable body 471. The clamp body 472 is a rectangular plate-like body extending in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

The lower clamp 480 has the same structure as the upper clamp 470 and is substantially vertically symmetrical with the upper clamp 470. The lower clamp 480 includes a movable body 481 and a clamp body 482. However, when the screw shaft 491 rotates in one direction, the nut of the movable body 471 converts the linear motion direction in which the rotational motion of the screw shaft 491 is converted, and the nut of the movable body 481 converts the rotational motion of the screw shaft 491. The direction of linear motion is opposite to each other. The clamp body 482 is a plate-like body that is provided on the rear surface of the movable body 481 and protrudes above the movable body 481. The abutting plate 460 and the clamp bodies 472 and 482 extend in the left-right direction over a range including the cover 9 supplied from the cover-sheet supply unit 6 in the left-right direction.

With reference to FIG. 21, the raising / lowering operation | movement of the 1st clamp 403 is demonstrated. When the lifting motor 450 is driven, the connecting portion 454 moves along the rear rails 415 and 416 via the pulleys 451 and 452 and the belt 453. That is, the lower clamp 440 connected to the connecting portion 454 moves in the vertical direction. When the lower clamp 440 is not in contact with the upper clamp 430, the upper clamp 430 is held at the upper reference position. The upper reference position (see FIGS. 20 and 21) is the vertical position of the upper clamp 430 where the positioning protrusion 456 is supported by the positioning plate 455. That is, the positioning plate 455 is provided above the contact position described later, and restricts the downward movement of the upper clamp 430.

The lower clamp 440 that moves upward contacts the upper clamp 430 at the upper reference position from below, and moves upward while supporting the upper clamp 430. That is, the upper clamp 430 can move upward from the upper reference position by being pressed by the lower clamp 440 that moves upward. The upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 move to the upper end of each movable range in a state where they are aligned in the vertical direction.

When the lower clamp 440 moves downward from the upper end of its movable range, the upper clamp 430 supported by the lower clamp 440 moves downward to the upper reference position by its own weight. Since the upper clamp 430 that has reached the upper reference position is restricted from moving downward by the positioning plate 455, the lower clamp 440 moves away from the upper clamp 430. The lower clamp 440 moving downward is movable to the lower end of the movable range via the lower reference position.

The lower reference position (see FIGS. 20 and 21) is the vertical position of the lower clamp 440 that is symmetrical with the upper reference position in the vertical direction with the abutting plate 460 interposed therebetween. That is, the distance from the butting plate 460 to the upper reference position and the distance from the butting plate 460 to the lower reference position are substantially the same. The distance from the upper reference position to the lower reference position is slightly smaller than the vertical length of the cover 9 supplied to the cover holding mechanism 400.

When the pair of solenoids 433 and 435 move the rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 in directions close to each other, the operation region 430A is closed. When the pair of solenoids 433 and 435 move the rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 away from each other via the opening and closing links 434 and 436, respectively, the operation region 430A is opened. Similarly, the operation region 440A can be changed to an open state or a closed state by a pair of solenoids 443 and 445.

When the operation area 430A into which the cover 9 has entered is closed, the cover 9 is sandwiched between the rear plate 431 and the front plate 432. That is, the cover sheet 9 that has entered the operation area 430 </ b> A is sandwiched by the upper clamp 430. When the operation area 440 </ b> A into which the cover 9 has entered is closed, the cover 9 is sandwiched between the rear plate 441 and the front plate 442. That is, the cover sheet 9 that has entered the operation area 440A is sandwiched by the lower clamp 440.

With reference to FIG. 21, the raising / lowering operation | movement of the 2nd clamp 404 is demonstrated. When the elevating motor 490 rotates the screw shaft 491, the movable body 471 provided with the nut moves along the front rails 417 and 418. At the same time, the movable body 481 provided with the nut moves in the direction opposite to the movable body 471 along the front rails 417 and 418. In other words, the clamp bodies 472 and 482 move vertically and symmetrically with respect to the abutting plate 460 so as to approach or separate from each other.

The movable body 471 can move downward to a position where it comes into contact with the upper end of the abutting plate 460. The movable body 481 can move upward to a position where it comes into contact with the lower end portion of the abutting plate 460. When the movable body 471 moves to the lower end of the movable range and the movable body 481 moves to the upper end of the movable range, the vertical distance between the clamp bodies 472 and 482 (that is, the gap between the clamp bodies 472 and 482). ) Is the smallest. At this time, the vertical distance between the clamp bodies 472 and 482 is smaller than the vertical length of the booklet 10.

The detailed structure of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the upper clamp 430 includes sliding portions 437 and 438, and a pair of the above-described rear plate 431, front plate 432, solenoids 433 and 435, and opening and closing links 434 and 436. A connecting shaft 439 is included. The sliding portions 437 and 438 are provided at the left end portion and the right end portion on the front surface of the rear plate 431, respectively. The sliding part 437 guides the upper clamp 430 in the vertical direction by moving along the rear rail 415. The sliding portion 438 guides the lower clamp 440 in the vertical direction by moving along the rear rail 416.

The rear plate 431 has a through hole 431A formed on the right side of the sliding portion 437 and a through hole 431B formed on the left side of the sliding portion 438. The through holes 431A and 431B penetrate the rear plate 431 in the front-rear direction. The solenoid 433 is provided on the rear surface of the rear plate 431 and on the right side of the through hole 431A. The solenoid 435 is provided on the rear surface of the rear plate 431 and on the left side of the through hole 431B. The open / close links 434 and 436 are substantially L-shaped plate-like bodies arranged in the through holes 431A and 431B, respectively, in plan view.

The left end and the right end of the front plate 432 face the through holes 431A and 431B in the front-rear direction, respectively. The pair of connecting shafts 439 are shafts that are arranged on the right side of the through hole 431A and the left side of the through hole 431B, respectively, and project forward from the front surface of the rear plate 431. The pair of connecting shafts 439 penetrates the front plate 432 in the front-rear direction and supports the front plate 432 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction.

The rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 have guide surfaces 430B and 430C, respectively. The guide surface 430B is a surface that is inclined downward from the upper surface of the rear plate 431 to the front side over a range in the left-right direction facing the operation region 430A. The guide surface 430C is a surface that inclines from the upper surface of the front plate 432 downward to the rear side over a range in the left-right direction that faces the operation region 430A. That is, the upper end of the operation area 430A where the guide surfaces 430B and 430C are formed has the largest opening width in the front-rear direction in the operation area 430A.

23, the solenoid 435 has a shaft 435A extending in the right direction. When the solenoid 435 is ON, the shaft 435A retracts, and when it is OFF, the shaft 435A advances. The open / close link 436 is supported in the through hole 431B (see FIG. 21) via a shaft 436A extending in the vertical direction. The open / close link 436 can swing around the shaft 436A inside the through hole 431B. The columnar connecting shaft 436D extends upward from the rear end 436B of the opening / closing link 436. The connecting shaft 436D is connected to the shaft 435A. A front end 436 </ b> C of the opening / closing link 436 is in contact with the right end of the rear surface of the front plate 432. Each connecting shaft 439 has a winding spring 439A that urges the front plate 432 backward.

Although not shown, the solenoid 433 has a shaft extending in the left direction, like the solenoid 435. Similarly to the opening / closing link 436, the opening / closing link 434 is swingably supported inside the through hole 431A. The rear end of the opening / closing link 434 is connected to the shaft of the solenoid 433. The front end portion of the opening / closing link 434 is in contact with the left end portion of the rear surface of the front plate 432.

As shown in FIG. 21, the lower clamp 440 has the same structure as the upper clamp 430. The lower clamp 440 includes a pair of sliding portions (not shown) and a pair of connecting shafts (not shown) in addition to the above-described rear plate 441, front plate 442, solenoids 443 and 445, and opening / closing links 444 and 446. The opening / closing links 444 and 446 are disposed in through holes 441A and 441B formed in the rear plate 441, respectively. The rear plate 441 and the front plate 442 have guide surfaces similar to the guide surfaces 430B and 430C, respectively. The opening / closing link 444 is connected to the shaft of the solenoid 443 and is in contact with the left end portion of the rear surface of the front plate 442. The open / close link 446 is connected to the shaft of the solenoid 445 and is in contact with the right end portion of the rear surface of the front plate 442.

23, when the solenoid 435 retracts the shaft 435A, the rear end 436B is moved to the left via the connecting shaft 436D. At this time, as the opening / closing link 436 swings about the shaft 436A, the front end 436C moves in the forward direction and biases the front plate 432 forward. Similarly, when the solenoid 433 retracts the shaft, the open / close link 434 biases the front plate 432 forward. Therefore, when both the solenoids 433 and 435 are ON, the front plate 432 moves forward along the connecting shaft 439 against the urging force of the winding spring 439A. Since the front plate 432 is separated from the rear plate 431, the operation region 430A is opened.

23, when the solenoid 435 advances the shaft 435A, the rear end 436B is moved rightward via the connecting shaft 436D. At this time, as the opening / closing link 436 swings about the shaft 436A, the front end 436C moves backward. The front plate 432 moves rearward along the connecting shaft 439 by the biasing force of the winding spring 439A. Similarly, when the solenoid 433 advances the shaft, the front plate 432 moves backward. Therefore, when both the solenoids 433 and 435 are OFF, the front plate 432 approaches the rear plate 431 by the urging force of the winding spring 439A, and the operation region 430A is closed.

The clamping operation of the lower clamp 440 is the same as the clamping operation of the upper clamp 430. When the solenoids 443 and 445 are both ON, the operation area 440A is opened. When both the solenoids 443 and 445 are OFF, the operation area 440A is closed.

The plurality of regulating pins 463, 464, 465 will be described with reference to FIGS. The upper clamp 430 has a pair of restriction pins 463. The pair of regulating pins 463 are members that regulate the position in the left-right direction of the cover sheet 9 supplied to the upper clamp 430. The pair of restriction pins 463 are provided symmetrically with respect to the approximate center of the operation region 430A in the left-right direction. The pair of restriction pins 463 are shafts that protrude forward from the rear plate 431 and penetrate the front plate 432, similarly to the pair of connecting shafts 439. The distance in the left-right direction between the pair of regulating pins 463 is slightly larger than the length in the left-right direction of the cover 9.

The lower clamp 440 has a pair of restriction pins 464 and a pair of restriction pins 465. The pair of regulating pins 464 are members that regulate the position in the left-right direction of the cover sheet 9 supplied to the lower clamp 440. The pair of restriction pins 464 are provided symmetrically with respect to the approximate center of the operation region 440A in the left-right direction. The pair of regulating pins 464 are shafts that protrude forward from the rear plate 441 and penetrate the front plate 442. The pair of restriction pins 463 and the pair of restriction pins 464 are at substantially the same left-right position. That is, the distance in the left-right direction between the pair of restricting pins 464 is slightly larger than the length in the left-right direction of the cover 9.

The pair of regulation pins 465 are members that regulate the lower end position of the cover 9 supplied to the lower clamp 440. The pair of restriction pins 465 are, like the pair of restriction pins 464, shafts that are provided symmetrically with respect to the approximate center in the left-right direction of the operation region 440A and project forward from the rear plate 441 and penetrate the front plate 442. is there. The pair of restriction pins 465 are provided below the pair of restriction pins 464 and are arranged at a narrower interval than the pair of restriction pins 464. The distance in the left-right direction between the pair of restriction pins 465 is smaller than the length in the left-right direction of the cover 9.

The pair of restriction pins 463 includes a reference pin and an opposite pin. The reference pin is a restriction pin 463 that serves as a reference when restricting the position of the cover sheet 9 in the left-right direction. The direction from the reference pin toward the opposite pin is referred to as the regulation direction. Of the end faces of the booklet 10, the left-right position of the reference end face serving as a reference when specifying the cutting position of the booklet 10 is referred to as a cutting reference position P1 (see FIGS. 22 and 23).

The position in the left-right direction of the end portion of the reference pin in the restriction direction is referred to as restriction position P2 (see FIG. 23). The restriction position P2 is provided at a left-right position that is shifted in the restriction direction from the cutting reference position P1. It is desirable that the distance between the regulation position P2 and the cutting reference position P1 is smaller. The pair of restriction pins 464 also have the same positional relationship as the pair of restriction pins 463.

In the present embodiment, the cutting reference position P1 substantially coincides with the above-described third restriction position (see FIG. 56). That is, the right end surface of the booklet 10 is the reference end surface (see FIG. 56). The right restriction pins 463 and 464 are reference pins, and the left restriction pins 463 and 464 are opposite pins. The right restriction pins 463 and 464 (more specifically, the left end portions of the right restriction pins 463 and 464) are provided at left and right positions shifted from the cutting reference position P1 in the left direction.

41 and 44, the movable portion 401 includes an urging portion 461 and a pair of mark sensors 499. The urging portion 461 is provided at the left end portion of the abutting plate 460, and includes a drive motor 461A, a shaft portion 461B, and a pair of arm portions 461C. The shaft portion 461B is provided on the left side of the left regulation pins 463 and 464, and extends in the vertical direction on the front side of the abutting plate 460. The pair of arm portions 461C are columnar bodies extending in parallel from the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the shaft portion 461B, respectively. The pair of arm portions 461 </ b> C extend rearward from the abutting plate 460 from both the upper and lower sides of the abutting plate 460. The protruding ends of the pair of arm portions 461C are behind the operation areas 430A and 440A.

The drive motor 461A can rotate the shaft portion 461B around the axis. When the drive motor 461A rotates the shaft portion 461B, the pair of arm portions 461C swings in the left-right direction around the shaft portion 461B. The drive motor 461A swings the pair of arm portions 461C between a standby position and an urging position. When the pair of arm portions 461C are in the standby position, the pair of arm portions 461C extend rearward from the shaft portion 461B, and the protruding ends of the arm portions 461C are slightly on the left side of the left regulation pins 463 and 464. When the pair of arm portions 461C are in the urging position, the pair of arm portions 461C extend rightward and rearward from the shaft portion 461B, and the protruding ends of the arm portions 461C are slightly on the right side of the left regulation pins 463 and 464. . That is, the pair of arm portions 461C can swing in the left-right direction across the position of the opposite pin in the left-right direction.

The pair of mark sensors 499 are provided on the right side of the support frame 413 and the left side of the support frame 414 in the movable portion 401, respectively. The pair of mark sensors 499 are slightly below the upper clamp 430 at the upper reference position and slightly forward from the operation areas 430A and 440A. The pair of mark sensors 499 are reflective sensors for optically detecting the pair of marks 9B (see FIG. 44) facing the front surface of the cover 9 held by the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440.

<2-6. Structure of cutting mechanism 500>
The cutting mechanism 500 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 24 shows the positional relationship of the paper alignment mechanism 100, the cutting mechanism 500, and the booklet transport mechanism 600 in plan view (the same applies to FIGS. 54 to 56 described later). In FIG. 26, the post-cutting unit 530 is omitted (the same applies to FIG. 57 described later).

24 and 25, the cutting mechanism 500 includes a left cutting unit 510, a right cutting unit 520, a rear cutting unit 530, a driving unit 540, and a support rail 590. The left cutting unit 510 can cut the left edge of the booklet 10. The right cutting unit 520 can cut the right edge of the booklet 10. The post-cutting unit 530 can cut the trailing edge of the booklet 10. Cutting the edge of the booklet 10 means cutting the edge of the booklet 10 from the booklet 10. The drive unit 540 moves the left cutting unit 510 and the right cutting unit 520 symmetrically. The support rail 590 supports the booklet 10 conveyed to the cutting mechanism 500 from below.

The drive unit 540 includes a base 541, a transport motor 542, a pair of rails 543 and 545, and a screw shaft 544. The base 541 is a substantially square plate-like body arranged in the rear part of the main body frame 2 when viewed from the front. The rail 543 is provided at the front edge portion on the upper surface of the base portion 541 and extends in the left-right direction. The rail 545 is provided at the rear edge portion on the upper surface of the base portion 541 and extends in the left-right direction. The screw shaft 544 is provided between the rails 543 and 545 on the upper surface of the base portion 541 and extends in the left-right direction through a support rail 590 described later. The conveyance motor 542 can rotate the screw shaft 544 around the axis.

The left cutting unit 510 includes a drive motor 511, a power conversion unit 512, a cutting member 513, a support unit 516, and a matching unit 517 described later. The support portion 516 is a member that integrally holds the members included in the left cutting portion 510 and is movable along the pair of rails 543 and 545. The support portion 516 has a nut (not shown) through which the screw shaft 544 is inserted. A shaft extending from the drive motor 511 is connected to the power conversion unit 512. The shaft extending from the power conversion unit 512 is connected to the cutting member 513.

The cutting member 513 is supported on the upper side of the mounting surface 516 </ b> A that is a plane of the support portion 516. The cutting member 513 includes a pressing member 514 and a cutting blade 515. The cutting blade 515 is a blade extending in the front-rear direction capable of cutting the booklet 10 in the vertical direction. The lower end portion of the cutting blade 515 is a blade edge 515A (see FIG. 26) extending in the front-rear direction. The pressing member 514 is a member that urges the booklet 10 along the cutting blade 515 from above. The longitudinal lengths of the pressing member 514 and the cutting blade 515 are larger than the longitudinal lengths of the booklet 10. In a state where the presser member 514 is not biasing the booklet 10, the lower end portion of the presser member 514 is positioned below the blade edge 515 </ b> A.

The right cutting part 520 has the same structure as the left cutting part 510 and is substantially bilaterally symmetrical with the left cutting part 510. The right cutting unit 520 includes a drive motor 521, a power conversion unit 522, a cutting member 523, a support unit 526, and a matching unit 527 described later. The cutting member 523 is supported on the upper side of the mounting surface 526A which is a flat surface of the support portion 526. The cutting member 523 includes a pressing member 524 and a cutting blade 525. The lower end portion of the cutting blade 525 is a blade edge 525A (see FIG. 26) extending in the front-rear direction. In a state where the pressing member 524 does not urge the booklet 10, the lower end portion of the pressing member 524 is positioned below the blade edge 525 </ b> A.

The support portion 526 is a member that integrally holds the members included in the right cutting portion 520 and is movable along the pair of rails 543 and 545. The support portion 526 has a nut (not shown) through which the screw shaft 544 is inserted. However, when the screw shaft 544 rotates in one direction, the nut of the support portion 516 converts the linear motion direction that converts the rotational motion of the screw shaft 544, and the nut of the support portion 526 converts the rotational motion of the screw shaft 544. The direction of linear motion is opposite to each other.

The post-cutting part 530 includes a drive motor 531, a power conversion part 532, a cutting member 533, and a support part 536. The support portion 536 is a member that integrally holds the members included in the post-cutting portion 530. A shaft extending from the drive motor 531 is connected to the power converter 532. The shaft extending from the power conversion unit 532 is connected to the cutting member 533. The cutting member 533 is supported on the upper side of the placement surface 536A which is a plane of the support portion 536.

The cutting member 533 includes a pressing member 534 and a cutting blade 535. The cutting blade 535 is a blade extending in the left-right direction that can cut the booklet 10 in the vertical direction. The lower end portion of the cutting blade 535 is a blade edge 535A (see FIG. 5) extending in the left-right direction. The pressing member 534 is a member that urges the booklet 10 along the cutting blade 535 from above. The lateral lengths of the pressing member 534 and the cutting blade 535 are larger than the lateral length of the booklet 10. In a state where the presser member 534 is not urging the booklet 10, the lower end portion of the presser member 534 is positioned below the blade edge 535 </ b> A.

A cutting board (not shown) that receives the blade edge 515A when the booklet 10 is cut is provided immediately below the blade edge 515A on the placement surface 516A. A cutting board (not shown) that receives the blade edge 525A when the booklet 10 is cut is provided immediately below the blade edge 525A on the placement surface 526A. A cutting board (not shown) that receives the cutting edge 535A when the booklet 10 is cut is provided immediately below the cutting edge 535A on the placement surface 536A.

As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the support rail 590 is provided substantially at the center in the left-right direction on the upper surface of the base 541 and extends over the entire front-rear direction of the base 541. The support rail 590 includes a support base 591, a bottom plate 592, and a pair of side plates 593. The support base 591 supports the bottom plate 592 from below. The bottom plate 592 is a rectangular plate extending in the front-rear direction along the upper surface of the support base 591. The pair of side plates 593 are rectangular plates that extend upward along the left and right sides of the bottom plate 592, respectively. The vertical positions of the upper sides of the pair of side plates 593 are substantially equal to the vertical positions of mounting surfaces 516A, 526A, and 536A described later. The support rail 590 has an opening region 590 </ b> A that is surrounded by a bottom plate 592 and a pair of side plates 593 and opens upward. The opening region 590A is a space in which a below-described lower plate 642 can move in the front-rear direction.

When the transport motor 542 rotates the screw shaft 544, the support portion 516 moves along the pair of rails 543 and 545. At the same time, the support portion 526 moves in the opposite direction to the support portion 516 along the pair of rails 543 and 545. That is, the left cutting part 510 and the right cutting part 520 move in the direction of approaching or separating from each other symmetrically with respect to the support rail 590. When the left cutting portion 510 is at the left end of the movable range and the right cutting portion 520 is at the right end of the movable range, the left-right distance between the left cutting portion 510 and the right cutting portion 520 is the largest (see FIG. 24 to FIG. 26). At this time, the left-right direction distance between the left cutting unit 510 and the right cutting unit 520 is larger than the left-right direction length of the booklet 10.

When the drive motor 511 is driven, the rotational motion of the drive motor 511 centering on the front-rear direction is converted into the rotational motion centered on the left-right direction by the power conversion unit 512. The power conversion unit 512 moves the cutting member 513 in the vertical direction by supplying the converted rotational motion to the cutting member 513. Similarly, when the drive motor 521 is driven, the cutting member 523 is moved in the vertical direction by the rotational motion of the drive motor 521 supplied via the power converter 522. When the drive motor 531 is driven, the cutting member 533 is moved in the vertical direction by the rotational movement of the drive motor 531 supplied via the power converter 532.

When the cutting member 513 is at the upper end of the movable range, the vertical distance between the lower end of the pressing member 514 and the placement surface 516A is larger than the vertical length of the booklet 10 (see FIGS. 25 and 26). When the cutting member 523 is at the upper end of the movable range, the vertical distance between the lower end of the pressing member 524 and the placement surface 526A is larger than the vertical length of the booklet 10 (see FIGS. 25 and 26). When the cutting member 533 is at the upper end of the movable range, the vertical distance between the lower end of the pressing member 534 and the placement surface 536A is larger than the vertical length of the booklet 10 (see FIG. 25).

The matching units 517 and 527 will be described with reference to FIGS. The alignment units 517 and 527 are mechanisms for positioning the booklet 10 disposed in the cutting mechanism 500 in the left-right direction. The alignment unit 517 includes an alignment plate 518 and a drive motor 519. The alignment plate 518 is a rectangular plate-like body provided on the left side of the cutting edge 515A. The right surface of the alignment plate 518 extends in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction, and faces the gap between the placement surface 516A and the blade edge 515A from the left side. The drive motor 519 is disposed on the left side of the alignment plate 518. A shaft extending rightward from the drive motor 519 is connected to the alignment plate 518. The drive motor 519 moves the alignment plate 518 in the left-right direction along the placement surface 516A by moving the shaft back and forth (see FIG. 57).

The alignment unit 527 includes an alignment plate 528 and a drive motor 529. The alignment plate 528 is a rectangular plate-like body provided on the right side of the blade edge 525A. The left surface of the alignment plate 528 extends in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction, and faces the gap between the placement surface 526A and the blade edge 525A from the right side. That is, the right surface of the alignment plate 518 and the left surface of the alignment plate 528 are surfaces that extend in parallel to each other and face in the left-right direction. The drive motor 529 is disposed on the right side of the alignment plate 528. The drive motor 529 moves the alignment plate 528 in the left-right direction along the placement surface 526A by moving the shaft back and forth (see FIG. 57).

<2-7. Structure of booklet transport mechanism 600>
The structure of the booklet transport mechanism 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 28, the conveyance unit 602 is omitted. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 27, the booklet transport mechanism 600 includes a movable part 601 and a transport part 602. The movable part 601 is movable in the front-rear direction above the base part 541. The conveyance unit 602 moves the movable unit 601 in the front-rear direction.

The conveyance unit 602 includes a conveyance motor 621, pulleys 622 and 623, a screw shaft 624, a guide rail 625, and a belt 626. The screw shaft 624 extends in the front-rear direction on the upper side of the base portion 541. The guide rail 625 is provided above the screw shaft 624 and extends in the front-rear direction along with the screw shaft 624. The pulley 623 is provided at the rear end portion of the screw shaft 624. The pulley 622 is disposed on the upper side of the pulley 623 and is provided on a shaft extending rearward from the transport motor 621. The belt 626 is stretched over pulleys 622 and 623.

27 and 28, the movable part 601 includes a support part 610, a nut 611, a sliding part 612, a lifting motor 630, a pinion 631, a rack 632, a guide rail 633, and a hand part 640. The support part 610 supports each member provided in the movable part 601. The nut 611 is provided in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the support portion 610, and the screw shaft 624 is inserted therethrough. The sliding portion 612 is provided at the upper end portion of the support portion 610 and is connected to the guide rail 625. The elevating motor 630 is provided in the vicinity of the lower end portion of the support portion 610. The pinion 631 is provided on a shaft extending in the right direction from the lifting motor 630. The rack 632 extends in the up-down direction while meshing with the pinion 631. The guide rail 633 extends downward from the lower end portion of the support portion 610 and faces the rack 632 from the left side.

The hand portion 640 includes an upper plate 641, a lower plate 642, a pair of reference plates 643, a support portion 644, a clamp motor 650, gears 651A and 651B, screw shafts 652A and 652B, and nuts 653A and 653B. The support portion 644 is a plate-like body that supports each member provided in the movable portion 601, and is disposed between the rack 632 and the guide rail 633. The lower end portion of the rack 632 is fixed to the right surface side of the support portion 644. A groove portion into which a part of the circumferential surface of the guide rail 633 is fitted is formed on the left surface side of the support portion 644.

The clamp motor 650 is provided on the upper surface of the support portion 644. The screw shaft 652A is rotatably supported on the front side of the support portion 644 and extends in the vertical direction. The screw shaft 652B is rotatably supported on the rear side of the support portion 644 and extends in the vertical direction. A shaft (not shown) extending downward from the clamp motor 650 meshes with gears 651A and 651B arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The front gear 651A is provided at the upper end of the screw shaft 652A. The rear gear 651B is provided at the upper end of the screw shaft 652B.

The lower plate 642 is a rectangular plate-like body provided in the lower end portion of the support portion 644 and extending in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. The upper plate 641 is a rectangular plate-like body extending in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, supported by the support portion 644 on the upper side of the lower plate 642. The lower plate 642 and the upper plate 641 have substantially the same shape and size with the longitudinal direction as the longitudinal direction, and face each other in the vertical direction. The screw shafts 652A and 652B are inserted through nuts 653A and 653B provided on the upper plate 641, respectively. The lower ends of the screw shafts 652A and 652B are connected to the lower plate 642, respectively.

The front end portion of the upper plate 641 and the front end portion of the lower plate 642 are clamp portions 660A. The rear end portion of the upper plate 641 and the rear end portion of the lower plate 642 are the clamp portions 660B. The pair of reference plates 643 are plate-like members that are provided slightly in front of the rear end portion of the lower plate 642 and project upward from the lower plate 642. The pair of reference plates 643 are provided at the left end and the right end of the lower plate 642, respectively. The surfaces of the pair of reference plates 643 facing the clamp portion 660B (that is, the rear surfaces of the pair of reference plates 643) extend in the vertical direction at the same longitudinal position.

When the transport motor 621 is driven, the screw shaft 624 rotates via the pulleys 622 and 623 and the belt 626, and the support portion 610 including the nut 611 moves along the guide rail 625. That is, the hand unit 640 supported below the support unit 610 moves in the front-rear direction above the support rail 590. When the elevating motor 630 is driven, the rack 632 moves via the pinion 631, and the support portion 644 moves along the guide rail 633. That is, the hand unit 640 moves in the vertical direction above the support rail 590.

When the clamp motor 650 is driven, the screw shafts 652A and 652B are rotated via the gears 651A and 651B, and the upper plate 641 provided with the nuts 653A and 653B is moved in the vertical direction. As the upper plate 641 moves upward, the opening widths of the clamp portions 660A and 660B are increased. When the upper plate 641 moves to the upper end of its movable range, the opening widths of the clamp portions 660A and 660B are both larger than the vertical length of the booklet 10. As the upper plate 641 moves downward, the opening widths of the clamp portions 660A and 660B become smaller.

<3. Bookbinding Operation of Bookbinding Device 1>
Hereinafter, the bookbinding operation of the bookbinding apparatus 1 will be described for each process. When the user inputs a bookbinding operation start instruction to the control unit 900 (see FIG. 1), the following bookbinding operation is executed under the control of the control unit 900.

<3-1. Initialization process>
First, the control unit 900 executes an initialization process for returning the bookbinding apparatus 1 to an initial state. Through the initialization process, the paper alignment mechanism 100, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the glue application mechanism 300, the cover holding mechanism 400, the cutting mechanism 500, and the booklet transport mechanism 600 are each controlled to the initial state.

3, 4, 11, and 12, when the paper alignment mechanism 100 is controlled to the initial state, the table 110 is in the first transport position. The left alignment plate 130 and the right alignment plate 140 are in the second separation position and the third separation position, respectively. The front alignment plate 150 is in the first facing position. The second table 1120 is in the first rotation position. The cam member 172 is in the initial rotation position. The eccentric cam 182 is in a rotational position where the tip 183 (see FIG. 30) is disposed at the first position.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 11, when the bundle operation mechanism 200 is controlled to the initial state, the bundle operation unit 230 is in the initial position. Specifically, the bundle operation unit 230 is slightly on the front side of the table 110 at the first transport position and slightly above the front alignment plate 150 at the first opposing position. As shown in FIG. 3, when the glue application mechanism 300 is controlled to the initial state, the glue application part 340 is in the first retracted position, and the rotation of the glue application roller 350 stops.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 20 to 22, when the cover holding mechanism 400 is controlled to the initial state, the movable portion 401 is at the lower end of the movable range. In the first clamp 403, the upper clamp 430 is at the upper reference position and the lower clamp 440 is at the lower reference position. The operation areas 430A and 440A are both in a closed state. In the second clamp 404, the upper clamp 470 is at the upper end of the movable range, and the lower clamp 480 is at the lower end of the movable range.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 25 and 26, when the cutting mechanism 500 is controlled to the initial state, the left cutting portion 510 is at the left end of the movable range, and the right cutting portion 520 is the right end of the movable range. In the department. The cutting members 513, 523, 533 are at the upper end of each movable range. The alignment plates 518 and 528 are in their initial positions. The initial position of the alignment plate 518 is the left end of the movable range. The initial position of the alignment plate 528 is at the right end of the movable range.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 24 and 27, when the booklet transport mechanism 600 is controlled to the initial state, the hand unit 640 is in the initial position. In this case, the hand portion 640 is in the vicinity of the front end portion of the support rail 590. The clamp portion 660A is on the front side of the opening region 590A (see FIG. 26). The vertical position of the upper surface of the lower plate 642 is substantially equal to the vertical position of the first placement surface 1111 (see FIG. 13). The upper plate 641 is at the upper end of the movable range.

<3-2. Paper transport process>
After the initialization process is executed, the first printer 3 (see FIG. 1) sequentially prints the images shown in the booklet on the plurality of sheets 8A in accordance with a print instruction from the control unit 900 or a print instruction by the user. The controller 900 executes a paper stacking process in parallel with the printing operation of the first printer 3. The paper transporting process is a process of transporting the paper 8 </ b> A printed by the first printer 3 into the main body frame 2 by the paper supply unit 5.

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the paper transport process will be described. The controller 900 drives the drive motor 81 to rotate the plurality of transport rollers 56A counterclockwise when viewed from the front. Accordingly, the plurality of driven rollers 85 that come into contact with the plurality of transport rollers 56A rotate in the clockwise direction when viewed from the front. Similarly, the controller 900 drives the drive motor 91 to rotate the plurality of transport rollers 56B and the plurality of driven rollers 95.

In the first printer 3, after an image is formed on the first surface of the paper 8A, the paper 8A is transported by the first transport amount, and a part of the paper 8A is discharged from the paper discharge port 3A. The discharged paper 8A moves to the first position F1 along the guide surface of the path plate 51. Since the paper 8A does not reach the roller driving unit 80, the paper 8A is taken into the first printer 3 from the paper discharge port 3A without being transported by the plurality of transport rollers 56A.

Next, in the first printer 3, after an image is formed on the second surface of the paper 8A, the paper 8A is transported by the second transport amount, and the entire paper 8A is discharged from the paper discharge port 3A. The discharged paper 8A moves to the second position F2 along the guide surface of the path plate 51. At this time, since the paper 8A reaches the roller driving unit 80, the paper 8A is sandwiched between the plurality of transport rollers 56A and the plurality of driven rollers 85 and transported downstream in the guide direction. Further, the paper 8A that has reached the roller driving unit 90 is sandwiched between the plurality of transport rollers 56B and the plurality of driven rollers 95, and is transported downstream in the guide direction. The paper 8 </ b> A is conveyed into the main body frame 2 via the fixed plate 58 and is discharged toward the paper aligning mechanism 100.

The control unit 900 ends the paper conveyance process after the conveyance of all the paper 8A printed by the first printer 3 is completed. Specifically, the control unit 900 stops driving the drive motors 81 and 91.

<3-3. Paper accumulation process>
The control unit 900 executes a paper stacking process in parallel with the paper transporting process. The paper stacking process is a process of stacking the paper 8A transported into the main body frame 2 by the paper aligning mechanism 100. The paper stacking process will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 11 to 15, 29, and 30. FIG. FIG. 29 shows the table 110, the contact member 106, the right alignment plate 140, and the front alignment plate 150 in the paper alignment mechanism 100.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the control unit 900 drives the tapping motor 170 and the vibration motor 180 to vibrate the table 110 as will be described later. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the controller 900 drives the drive motor 131 to reciprocate the left alignment plate 130 between the second separation position and the second facing position. The controller 900 drives the drive motor 141 to move the right alignment plate 140 to the third facing position. As a result, the sheets 8A are stacked on the table 110 as follows.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 11, and 14, the sheet 8 </ b> A conveyed in the sheet conveying step is placed on the placement surface 110 </ b> A via the rear side of the bundle operation unit 230 and the front side of the contact member 106 at the initial position. It is discharged to the upper area of. At this time, as shown in FIG. 29, the right end portion 17 of the sheet 8A is on the downstream side in the discharge direction (right direction) of the sheet 8A.

The discharged paper 8A falls by its own weight toward the mounting surface 110A while moving rightward in the upper area by inertia. The trailing end 18 of the falling paper 8A contacts the support wall 106A of the contact member 106 and is supported from below by the support wall 106A. At this time, the pair of guide wall portions 106B regulates the rearward movement of the rear end portion 18 and guides the rear end portion 18 in the right direction. The front end portion 15 of the discharged paper 8A falls to a position lower than the rear end portion 18 on the support wall portion 106A.

Therefore, the paper 8A with the rear end portion 18 supported from below falls while moving in the right front direction by the rightward inertial force acting on the paper 8A and the downward gravity. As the paper 8A moves in the front right direction, the rear end portion 18 is separated from the support wall portion 106A to the front side. The separated rear end portion 18 falls by its own weight toward the placement surface 110A on the lower side of the support wall portion 106A.

Thus, the paper 8A discharged to the upper area of the placement surface 110A falls on the placement surface 110A in a posture inclined downward in the front side. That is, the contact member 106 can supply the paper 8A to the placement surface 110A so that the paper 8A is urged forward. Therefore, the front end portion 15 of the paper 8A falling on the placement surface 110A is reliably in contact with the front alignment plate 150 at the first facing position and positioned at the first restriction position.

The first sheet 8A is discharged to the upper area and falls directly onto the placement surface 110A. The second and subsequent sheets 8A overlap on the sheet 8A previously placed on the placement surface 110A. The sheet 8A is discharged to the upper area in a posture inclined downward on the front side. The rear side portion of the second and subsequent sheets 8A is less likely to come into contact with the sheet 8A placed on the placement surface 110A while being discharged to the upper region. Therefore, the sliding friction generated between the paper 8A discharged to the upper area and the paper 8A placed on the placement surface 110A is suppressed. The two sheets 8A overlapping in the vertical direction are prevented from adhering due to static electricity due to sliding friction. Therefore, the positional deviation of the plurality of sheets 8A constituting the sheet bundle 8 is unlikely to occur on the placement surface 110A.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 29, the right end 17 of the paper 8A falling on the placement surface 110A moves to the right from the third restriction position by contacting the right alignment plate 140 at the third facing position. To be regulated. The left end portion 16 of the paper 8A on the placement surface 110A is urged from the left by the left alignment plate 130 that reciprocates between the second separation position and the second facing position. The sheet 8A on the placement surface 110A is sandwiched between the left alignment plate 130 at the second facing position and the right alignment plate 140 at the third facing position. The left end portion 16 and the right end portion 17 of the paper 8A are positioned at the second restriction position and the third restriction position, respectively.

As described above, the plurality of sheets 8A dropped on the placement surface 110A are accumulated on the table 110 in a state where the front end portion 15, the left end portion 16 and the right end portion 17 are positioned. In the present embodiment, since the second table 1120 is at the first rotation position, each of the plurality of sheets 8A on the placement surface 110A has the rear end portion 18 lifted above the front end portion 15. Bend. For this reason, even when the discharged paper 8A is curved with respect to the transport direction, the plurality of paper 8A stacked on the table 110 is corrected to a posture extending linearly along the transport direction.

12, 13 and 30, the tapping motor 170 rotates the cam member 172 clockwise around the output shaft 171 when viewed from the right side. While the cam member 172 is rotating, the drive motor 162 stops the rotating shaft 164 at a predetermined position. Accordingly, the length of the wire 166 between the through hole 161C and the rotating shaft 164 is constant.

When the cam member 172 rotates 90 degrees from the initial rotation position, the second peripheral surface 174 contacts the wire 166. The wire 166 does not change from a posture extending in a straight line between the through-hole 161C and the rotating shaft 164. When the cam member 172 further rotates 90 degrees, the third peripheral surface 175 comes into contact with the wire 166 (see FIG. 30). At this time, the third peripheral surface 175 urges the wire 166 to bend the wire 166 upward. As the wire 166 is bent, the second table 1120 in the second rotation position rotates to the third rotation position. The third rotation position is a rotation position of the second table 1120 slightly moved counterclockwise from the second rotation position around the fixed shaft 160 in the right side view.

When the cam member 172 further rotates 90 degrees, the fourth peripheral surface 176 contacts the wire 166. The wire 166 bent upward returns to a posture extending linearly between the through-hole 161C and the rotating shaft 164. Accordingly, the second table 1120 returns from the third rotation position to the second rotation position. When the cam member 172 further rotates 90 degrees, the cam member 172 returns to the initial rotation position and is separated from the wire 166. By the continuous rotation of the cam member 172, the second table 1120 reciprocally swings between the second rotation position and the third rotation position. As a result, the second table 1120 vibrates.

13 and 30, the vibration motor 180 rotates the eccentric cam 182 around the output shaft 181. For example, the rotational speed per unit time of the eccentric cam 182 is twice the rotational speed per unit time of the cam member 172. By the continuous rotation of the eccentric cam 182, the tip end portion 183 reciprocates between the first position and the second position. The center of gravity of the eccentric cam 182 reciprocates above and below the output shaft 181. As the position of the center of gravity of the eccentric cam 182 changes, the second table 1120 vibrates.

The plurality of sheets 8A accumulated on the table 110 form a sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A. The front end face, the left end face, and the right end face of the sheet bundle 8 are substantially flush with each other along the first restriction position, the second restriction position, and the second restriction position, respectively. Since the sheet 8A is slightly larger than the placement surface 110A, the sheet bundle 8 slightly protrudes in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction from the placement surface 110A in plan view.

The control unit 900 ends the paper stacking process after all the paper 8A printed by the first printer 3 is stacked on the table 110. Specifically, the controller 900 moves the front alignment plate 150, the left alignment plate 130, and the right alignment plate 140 to the first separation position, the second separation position, and the third separation position, respectively. The control unit 900 stops driving the tapping motor 170 and the vibration motor 180.

In the paper stacking process described above, when the paper 8A is supplied (discharged) to the table 110, the paper 8A moves to the front right by contacting the contact member 106. Since the sheet 8 </ b> A is urged to the front side by the contact member 106, the front end portion 15 reliably contacts the front alignment plate 150. The paper 8 </ b> A is accumulated on the table 110 in a state where the paper 8 </ b> A is positioned at the first restriction position by the front alignment plate 150. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 has a simple structure and can stack a plurality of sheets 8A on the table 110 along the first restriction position.

In the second table 1120, the separation portion 1123 is above the proximity portion 1122. The sheet 8 </ b> A supplied to the table 110 easily moves in the forward direction along the second placement surface 1121 to a position where it contacts the front aligning plate 150. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 has a simple structure and can stack a plurality of sheets 8A on the table 110 along the first restriction position.

The sheet 8A supplied to the table 110 moves in the transport direction (right direction) while dropping from the contact member 106. The right end portion 17 of the paper 8A contacts the right alignment plate 140 and is positioned at the third restriction position. The paper 8 </ b> A supplied to the table 110 is positioned at the second restriction position by the left alignment plate 130. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 has a simple structure and can stack a plurality of sheets 8A on the table 110 along the second restriction position and the third restriction position.

The tapping motor 170 and the vibration motor 180 vibrate the second table 1120 in the second rotation position. Due to the vibration of the second table 1120, the paper 8A on the placement surface 110A is likely to move forward. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can accurately position the plurality of sheets 8A along the first restriction position.

The front-rear direction distance between the contact member 106 and the front alignment plate 150 is shorter than the front-rear direction length of the mounting surface 110A. The paper 8A supplied to the table 110 is likely to come into contact with the contact member 106 and the front aligning plate 150 before being placed on the placement surface 110A. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can accurately position the plurality of sheets 8A along the first restriction position.

When the sheet 8A is supplied to the table 110, the pair of guide wall portions 106B guide the rear end portion 18 and the support wall portion 106A contacts the rear end portion 18 from below. Since the sheet 8 </ b> A is restricted from moving backward, the sheet 8 </ b> A falling toward the table 110 is likely to come into contact with the front alignment plate 150. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can accurately position the plurality of sheets 8A along the first restriction position.

The conveyance direction length of the contact member 106 is at least half of the conveyance direction length of the paper 8A. The contact member 106 can guide the rear end portion 18 along the transport direction until the left end portion 16 (upstream end portion in the transport direction) of the paper 8 </ b> A is discharged above the table 110. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can stack a plurality of sheets 8A at a more appropriate position.

<3-4. Paste application process>
The controller 900 executes the glue application process after the paper stacking process. The glue application process is a process in which the glue 7 for applying the cover sheet 9 is applied to the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 by the glue application mechanism 300. The glue applying process will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19 and FIGS. 31 to 36. FIG. In the following description, the length in the left-right direction of the front end surface 8B (see FIGS. 32 to 36) of the sheet bundle 8 is twice the circumferential length of the circumferential surface 351A. 32 to 36 schematically show the sheet bundle 8 and the glue application roller 350 in plan view. 32 to 35 show a specific virtual point on the peripheral surface 351A as a point P. FIG. FIG. 36 schematically shows the sheet bundle 8 and the glue application roller 350 viewed from the upper right front side (the same applies to FIG. 60 described later).

As shown in FIG. 31, first, the control unit 900 moves the holding plate 232 to the pressing position by moving the bundle operation unit 230 backward from the initial position and lowering it. The pressing position is a position of the pressing plate 232 where the front end portion of the pressing plate 232 urges the front edge portion of the sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A from the upper side. When the pressing plate 232 is in the pressing position, the front edge portion of the sheet bundle 8 is sandwiched from above and below by the pressing plate 232 and the first placement surface 1111. At this time, the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 is slightly in front of the pressing plate 232 and the first placement surface 1111.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the control unit 900 generates the liquid paste 7 by melting the paste pieces stored in the paste storing unit 342 by the heat generated by the heater 347. The control unit 900 drives the transport motor 321 (see FIG. 3) to reciprocate the glue application unit 340 in the left-right direction, and drives the drive motor 319 to rotate the glue application roller 350. As a result, the glue 7 is applied to the front end face 8B (see FIGS. 32 to 36) of the sheet bundle 8 as follows.

The control unit 900 causes the glue application mechanism 300 to perform any one of the first application operation to the fourth application operation according to the thickness of the sheet bundle 8, the type of the sheet 8A, the user's selection, and the like. The first application operation of the glue application mechanism 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 32. The movement speed of the glue application unit 340 in the first application operation is a predetermined reference speed regardless of whether the glue application part 340 moves in the left-right direction.

In the first application operation, as shown in state X11 in FIG. 32, the glue application unit 340 moves from the first retracted position to the second retracted position with the glue applying roller 350 rotated forward. At this time, the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A is substantially equal to the reference speed. That is, the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A is substantially equal to the moving speed of the glue applying unit 340 (that is, the moving speed of the glue applying roller 350 in the left-right direction).

The glue application roller 350 moves to the left through a position close to the front end face 8B. The position close to the front end face 8B is a position where the peripheral face 351A faces the front end face 8B from the front side, and the peripheral face 351A approaches or contacts the front end face 8B to the extent that the paste 7 can be applied. The position where the glue application roller 350 is close to the right end portion 8C of the front end face 8B is referred to as a first proximity position. The position where the glue application roller 350 is close to the left end portion 8D of the front end face 8B is referred to as a second proximity position. While the glue application roller 350 passes through the second proximity position from the first proximity position, the glue application roller 350 rotates forward twice.

18, as the glue application roller 350 rotates, the glue application surface of the glue application roller 350 is exposed behind the main body 349 through the glue application port 346. The glue 7 adhered to the glue application surface adheres to the front end face 8B by centrifugal force. As a result, the glue application roller 350 applies the glue 7 from the right end 8C to the left end 8D of the front end face 8B. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the second retracted position, the transport motor 321 (see FIG. 3) and the drive motor 319 each temporarily stop driving.

Next, as shown in state X12 in FIG. 32, the glue applying unit 340 moves from the second retracted position to the first retracted position in a state where the glue applying roller 350 is reversed. At this time, the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A is substantially equal to the moving speed of the glue application roller 350. While the glue application roller 350 moves from the second proximity position to the first proximity position, the glue application roller 350 reverses twice. Thereby, the glue 7 is further applied to the front end face 8B. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the first retracted position, the transport motor 321 and the drive motor 319 each temporarily stop driving. The glue application roller 350 ends the first reciprocating movement.

Next, as shown in state X13 in FIG. 32, the glue application unit 340 moves from the first retracted position to the second retracted position with the glue applying roller 350 rotated forward. At this time, the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A is approximately twice the moving speed of the glue application roller 350. While the glue application roller 350 moves from the first proximity position to the second proximity position, the glue application roller 350 rotates forward four times. The glue 7 is further applied to the front end face 8B. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the second retracted position, the transport motor 321 and the drive motor 319 each temporarily stop driving.

Next, as shown in state X14 in FIG. 32, the glue application unit 340 moves from the second retracted position to the first retracted position with the glue applying roller 350 reversed. At this time, the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A is approximately twice the moving speed of the glue application roller 350. While the glue application roller 350 moves from the second proximity position to the first proximity position, the glue application roller 350 reverses four times. The glue 7 is further applied to the front end face 8B. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the first retracted position, the transport motor 321 and the drive motor 319 each temporarily stop driving. The glue application roller 350 ends the second reciprocating movement.

Next, as shown in the states X15 and X16 in FIG. 32, the glue application roller 350 performs the third reciprocation similarly to the first reciprocation. The paste 7 is further applied to the front end face 8B, and the first application operation is completed.

The first application operation has the following effects. In the first reciprocating movement, the moving speed of the glue applying roller 350 and the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A are substantially equal. In this case, the frictional resistance generated between the paste 7 immediately after being applied to the front end surface 8B and the peripheral surface 351A in contact with the paste 7 is reduced. Since the load applied to the glue 7 attached to the front end face 8B is suppressed, the glue 7 attached to the front end face 8B is difficult to move and deform in the left-right direction. Therefore, the glue application roller 350 that performs the first reciprocating movement can apply the glue 7 evenly to the front end face 8B.

In the second reciprocating movement, the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A is larger than the moving speed of the glue application roller 350. The glue 7 immediately after being applied to the front end face 8B comes into contact with the circumferential surface 351A from the upstream side in the rotational direction of the glue application roller 350 and is urged toward the front end face 8B. The glue 7 applied during the second reciprocating movement easily enters between the plurality of sheets 8A forming the sheet bundle 8 together with the glue 7 applied during the first reciprocating movement. Accordingly, the glue application roller 350 that performs the second reciprocating movement can apply the glue 7 to the front end face 8B and simultaneously allow the glue 7 to enter between the plurality of sheets 8A.

In the third reciprocating movement, the moving speed of the glue applying roller 350 and the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A are substantially equal. In this case, as in the first reciprocation, the frictional resistance between the glue 7 and the peripheral surface 351A is reduced. Accordingly, the glue application roller 350 that performs the third reciprocating movement can apply the glue 7 evenly to the front end face 8B.

In the first application operation, the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A is different for each of the two consecutive reciprocating movements (for example, the first and second reciprocating movements). Accordingly, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can apply a sufficient amount of glue 7 to the front end face 8B and at the same time adjust the glue 7 to be attached to the front end face 8B to an appropriate amount.

The lateral movement of the glue application roller 350 is controlled independently of the rotation of the glue application roller 350. The glue application roller 350 can rotate at an appropriate rotation speed in order to apply sufficient glue 7 to the front end face 8B. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can apply a sufficient amount of glue 7 to the front end face 8B according to the moving speed of the glue application roller 350.

The second application operation of the glue application mechanism 300 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in a state X21 in FIG. 33, the glue application roller 350 applies the glue 7 to the front end face 8B by the same operation as in the state X11 in FIG. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the second retracted position, the transport motor 321 and the drive motor 319 each temporarily stop driving.

Next, as shown in a state X22 in FIG. 32, the glue applying unit 340 moves at a reference speed from the second retracted position to the first retracted position with the rotation of the glue applying roller 350 stopped. Since the glue application roller 350 does not rotate during the movement of the glue application roller 350, the glue application roller 350 does not apply the glue 7 to the front end face 8B. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the first retracted position, the second application operation is terminated.

The second application operation has the following effects. For example, when the plurality of sheets 8A are thin sheets, or when the thickness of the sheet bundle 8 is small, it is desirable that the amount of glue 7 applied to the front end surface 8B is small. In this case, when the glue application roller 350 performs the second application operation, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can reduce the amount of the adhesive 7 applied to the front end surface 8B compared to the first application operation. The glue application operation is completed by one reciprocating movement of the glue application roller 350. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can speed up the glue application process while suppressing the amount of glue 7 used.

34, the third application operation of the glue application mechanism 300 will be described. First, as shown in a state X31 in FIG. 34, the glue application roller 340 moves from the first retracted position to the second retracted position in a state where the glue applying roller 350 is rotated forward. At this time, the moving speed of the glue application roller 350 is approximately twice the reference speed. The peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A is substantially equal to the reference speed. While the glue application roller 350 moves from the first proximity position to the second proximity position, the glue application roller 350 rotates forward once. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the second retracted position, the transport motor 321 and the drive motor 319 each temporarily stop driving.

Next, as shown in state X32 in FIG. 34, the glue application roller 350 further applies glue 7 to the front end face 8B by the same operation as in state X12 in FIG. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the first retracted position, the third application operation is terminated.

The third application operation has the following effects. In the state X31 of FIG. 34, compared with the case where the circumferential surface 351A rotates forward twice or more while the glue application roller 350 moves from the first proximity position to the second proximity position, the glue application roller 350 has the front end face 8B. It is possible to reduce the amount of the glue 7 applied to the surface. The moving speed of the glue application roller 350 that moves to the second proximity position is approximately twice the reference speed, and the glue application roller 350 ends the glue application operation in one reciprocating movement. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can speed up the glue application process while suppressing the amount of glue 7 used.

Referring to FIG. 35, the fourth application operation of the glue application mechanism 300 will be described. First, as shown in a state X41 in FIG. 35, the glue application roller 350 applies the glue 7 to the front end face 8B by the same operation as in the state X11 in FIG. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the second retracted position, the transport motor 321 and the drive motor 319 each temporarily stop driving.

Next, as shown in a state X42 in FIG. 35, the glue application roller 340 moves at a reference speed from the second retracted position to the first retracted position with the glue applying roller 350 reversed. At this time, the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A is approximately twice the moving speed of the glue application roller 350. While the glue application roller 350 moves from the second proximity position to the first proximity position, the glue application roller 350 reverses four times. The glue 7 is further applied to the front end face 8B. When the glue application unit 340 reaches the first retracted position, the fourth application operation ends.

The fourth application operation has the following effects. In the fourth application operation, while the glue application roller 350 moves to the first retracted position, the glue 7 is applied in the reverse direction four times. The amount of glue 7 applied by the glue application roller 350 increases as compared with the case where the peripheral speed is substantially equal to the reference speed. The glue application roller 350 completes the glue application operation with a single reciprocation. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can apply sufficient glue 7 to the front end face 8B while speeding up the glue application process.

The glue application mechanism 300 can appropriately change the moving speed of the glue application roller 350 and the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A by selectively executing the first to fourth application operations. The bookbinding apparatus 1 can adjust the amount of the glue 7 applied to the front end face 8B as necessary by changing the peripheral speed of the peripheral face 351A. The bookbinding apparatus 1 can adjust the time required for the glue application process as necessary by changing the moving speed of the glue application roller 350. In the first to fourth application operations, the movement speed and the number of movements of the glue application roller 350 and the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface 351A are not limited to the above examples, and may be changed as appropriate.

The control unit 900 ends the glue application process after performing any one of the first to fourth application operations. Specifically, the control unit 900 stops driving the conveyance motor 321 and the drive motor 319. Incidentally, as described above, the vertical direction of the movable portion 301 is slightly inclined to the right with respect to the vertical direction of the bookbinding apparatus 1. (See FIG. 19). The glue application roller 350 is arranged in such a posture that the axis is inclined to the right side in the upward direction. Accordingly, the glue application mechanism 300 applies the glue 7 to the sheet bundle 8 in the following manner when any one of the first to fourth application operations is performed.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 36, when the glue application roller 350 passes between the first proximity position and the second proximity position, the glue 7 attached to the glue application surface is moved in front of the sheet bundle 8 by centrifugal force. Move toward the edge 8E. At this time, the glue 7 that has adhered to the front end face 8B in the same height position as the front end face 8B adheres to the front end face 8B.

36, when the glue application unit 340 moves from the first retracted position to the second retracted position, the glue applying roller 350 rotates normally. A portion of the rotating peripheral surface 351A that is closest to the front end surface 8B is referred to as a proximity portion of the glue application surface. The proximity portion of the paste application surface moves toward the upstream side in the direction in which the peripheral surface 351A moves relative to the front end surface 8B.

The portion of the sheet bundle 8 that connects the front end surface 8B and the upper end surface 8F is the first corner 8H. A portion of the peripheral surface 351 </ b> A having the same height as the first corner portion 8 </ b> H is referred to as a first facing portion. While the glue application roller 350 moves from the first proximity position to the second proximity position, the first facing portion rotates to rub the glue 7 against the first corner portion 8H. Accordingly, the paste 7 is applied to the front end face 8B and the first corner 8H.

While the glue application roller 350 moves from the first proximity position to the second proximity position, the front edge portion 8E of the sheet bundle 8 is bent slightly downward by contacting the normally rotating glue application surface. Specifically, the proximity portion of the peripheral surface 351A moves toward the upstream side in the direction in which the glue application roller 350 moves relative to the front end surface 8B. Since the frictional resistance generated between the proximity portion and the front end face 8B is relatively small, the front edge portion 8E is easily bent downward smoothly. The front edge 8E is slightly bent downward, so that the plurality of sheets 8A are easily separated from each other. The glue 7 applied to the front end surface 8B easily enters between the plurality of sheets 8A.

36, when the glue application unit 340 moves from the second retracted position to the first retracted position, the glue applying roller 350 reverses. The proximity portion of the paste application surface moves toward the upstream side in the direction in which the peripheral surface 351A moves relative to the front end surface 8B. A portion of the sheet bundle 8 that connects the front end surface 8B and the lower end surface 8G is a second corner portion 8I. A portion of the peripheral surface 351A having substantially the same height as the second corner portion 8I is referred to as a second facing portion. While the glue application roller 350 moves from the second proximity position to the first proximity position, the second facing portion rotates to rub the glue 7 against the second corner portion 8I. Accordingly, the paste 7 is applied to the front end face 8B and the second corner 8I.

While the glue application roller 350 moves from the second proximity position to the first proximity position, the front edge 8E of the sheet bundle 8 is bent slightly upward by contacting the reverse glue application surface. Specifically, the proximity portion of the peripheral surface 351A moves toward the upstream side in the direction in which the glue application roller 350 moves relative to the front end surface 8B. Since the frictional resistance generated between the proximity portion and the front end surface 8B is relatively small, the front edge portion 8E is easily bent upward smoothly. Since the front edge portion 8E is slightly bent upward, the plurality of sheets 8A are easily separated from each other. The glue 7 applied to the front end surface 8B easily enters between the plurality of sheets 8A.

Thus, the glue application roller 350 applies the glue 7 in the order of the first corner 8H and the second corner 8I below the first corner 8H. Therefore, the glue 7 applied to the front edge 8E is unlikely to sag from the front edge 8E. Note that the glue application roller 350 may reverse when moving from the first proximity position to the second proximity position, and may rotate normally when moving from the second proximity position to the first proximity position. In this case, the glue application roller 350 applies the glue 7 to the front end face 8B, and applies the glue 7 in the order of the second corner portion 8I and the first corner portion 8H.

As described above, in the glue application process, the sheet bundle 8 is held in a stationary state by the paper alignment mechanism 100 and the bundle operation mechanism 200. As the glue application roller 350 moves in the left-right direction, the glue 7 is applied to the front end face 8B of the stationary sheet bundle 8. The bookbinding apparatus 1 can apply the glue 7 to the sheet bundle 8 without having to move the sheet bundle 8 after the plurality of sheets 8A are stacked. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can be downsized.

As the glue application mechanism 300 applies the glue 7, the glue 7 stored in the glue storage section 342 decreases, and the liquid level that is the upper end surface of the glue 7 falls (see FIG. 17). The glue application roller 350 is arranged in such a posture that its axis intersects the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the glue application roller 350 is disposed in such a posture that the axis is inclined to the right side in the upward direction. Therefore, even when the liquid level of the glue 7 falls in the glue reservoir 342, the state in which the glue 7 is supplied to the glue application roller 350 is easily maintained. That is, regardless of the amount of the glue 7 stored in the glue storage unit 342 and the diameter of the peripheral surface 351 </ b> A, the glue application roller 350 easily comes into contact with the glue 7 stored in the glue storage unit 342. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can apply a sufficient amount of glue 7 to the sheet bundle 8 even when the diameter of the glue application roller 350 is small.

The front wall portion 349A is inclined downward toward the glue application roller 350 (see FIG. 17). The glue 7 stored in the glue storage part 342 easily moves toward the glue application roller 350 along the front wall part 349A. Regardless of the amount of glue 7 stored in the glue storage unit 342 and the diameter of the peripheral surface 351 </ b> A, the glue application roller 350 easily comes into contact with the glue 7 stored in the glue storage unit 342. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can apply a sufficient amount of glue 7 to the sheet bundle 8 even when the diameter of the glue application roller 350 is small.

When the diameter of the glue application roller 350 is small, the surface area of the peripheral surface 351A is also small, so the contact area between the glue 7 attached to the peripheral surface 351A and the air is also small. Since the glue application surface of the glue application roller 350 is less than half of the circumferential direction of the peripheral surface 351A, the amount of the glue 7 exposed from the inside of the main body 349 is suppressed. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can suppress the smell of the glue 7 from diffusing outside the main body 349 even when the glue 7 attached to the glue application surface produces a smell.

Among the glues 7 that have entered the plurality of groove portions 351C, the glue 7 that does not adhere to the front end surface 8B stays in the groove portions 351C, and thus hardly drops from the peripheral surface 351A (see FIG. 18). The glue 7 staying in the groove part 351C returns to the glue storing part 342 again with the rotation of the peripheral surface 351A. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can suppress the spread of the odor of the paste 7 even when the odor generating paste 7 is used.

The glue receiving member 360 receives the glue 7 that has fallen without being applied to the sheet bundle 8 (see FIG. 16). The glue 7 dropped on the glue receiving member 360 is less likely to generate odor when solidified. Since the heat generated by the heat generated by the heater 347 is blocked by the connecting plate 361 having heat insulating properties, it is difficult for the heat to be transmitted to the glue receiving installation portion 313. The liquid paste 7 received by the paste receiving member 360 is easily solidified without being heated. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can suppress the spread of the odor of the paste 7 even when the odor generating paste 7 is used.

<3-5. Cover transport process>
After execution of the initialization process, the second printer 4 (see FIG. 1) prints an image represented on the cover of the booklet on the cover 9 according to a print instruction from the control unit 900 or a print instruction by the user. In parallel with the printing operation of the second printer 4, the control unit 900 executes a cover sheet transporting process. The front cover transporting step is a step of transporting the front cover 9 printed by the second printer 4 to the inside of the main body frame 2 by the front cover holding mechanism 400.

The cover transporting process will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 23 and FIGS. 37 to 44. FIG. 39 schematically shows the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 in a right side view. FIG. 42 shows the positional relationship between the sheet aligning mechanism 100 in which the table 110 is in the first transport position and the cover holding mechanism 400 in the sticking reference position in the left side view, and the left sheet aligning unit 103 and the right sheet aligning unit. 104, the contact member 106, and the like are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 37, first, the control unit 900 moves the movable unit 401 upward from the lower end of the movable range and positions the movable unit 401 at the receiving position. The receiving position is a vertical position of the movable portion 401 where the movable portion 401 protrudes above the main body frame 2 through the cover sheet supply port 22 (see FIG. 1). The control unit 900 moves the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 to the upper end of each movable range and positions them directly below the cover sheet supply unit 6. The control unit 900 controls the operation areas 430A and 440A to be in an open state (see FIG. 23).

The cover 9 printed by the second printer 4 is guided toward the cover supply port 22 by the cover supply unit 6. The cover 9 discharged from the cover supply unit 6 passes between the pair of restriction pins 463 (see FIG. 21) and enters the operation region 430A of the upper clamp 430. Further, the cover sheet 9 passes between a pair of restriction pins 464 (see FIG. 21) and enters the operation region 440A of the lower clamp 440 positioned immediately below the upper clamp 430. Accordingly, in the operation areas 430A and 440A, the position of the cover 9 in the left-right direction is restricted by the pair of restriction pins 463 and 464.

At this time, since the operation areas 430A and 440A are both open, the first holding force and the second holding force are both substantially zero. The first holding force is a force that prevents the portion of the cover 9 that is disposed inside the operation region 440 </ b> A from moving up and down from the lower clamp 440. The second holding force is a force that prevents a portion of the cover 9 that is disposed inside the operation region 430 </ b> A from moving up and down from the upper clamp 430.

The control unit 900 controls the operation of the cover holding mechanism 400 by starting either the first cover transport process or the second cover transport process. The user can set in advance either the first cover sheet conveyance process or the second cover sheet conveyance process to the control unit 900 as an execution target.

The first cover transport process will be described with reference to FIGS. 38 to 42. FIG. As shown in FIG. 38, first, the number of sheets is acquired as a variable A (S1). The number of sheets is the number of sheets 8A constituting the sheet bundle 8 on the table 110. For example, the CPU of the control unit 900 sets the number of sheets input by the user or the number of sheets printed by the first printer 3 in the variable A stored in the RAM (not shown) of the control unit 900.

The paper thickness is acquired as variable B (S3). The paper thickness is the length in the vertical direction of the paper 8A constituting the paper bundle 8 on the table 110. For example, the CPU of the control unit 900 sets the sheet thickness input by the user or a preset reference value of the sheet thickness in the variable B stored in the RAM of the control unit 900.

The cover size is acquired as variable C (S5). The cover size is the vertical length of the cover 9 supplied to the cover holding mechanism 400. For example, the CPU of the control unit 900 sets a cover size input by the user or a reference value for a preset cover size in the variable C stored in the RAM of the control unit 900.

The thickness of the sheet bundle 8 is calculated as the variable D based on the variables A and B (S7). The thickness of the sheet bundle 8 is the vertical length of the sheet bundle 8 on the table 110 (specifically, the vertical length of the front end face of the sheet bundle 8). The CPU of the control unit 900 sets a value obtained by multiplying the variables A and B stored in the RAM as a variable D stored in the RAM. Steps S1 to S7 may be executed until the cover 9 is supplied to the cover holding mechanism 400. In step S7, the thickness of the sheet bundle 8 input by the user may be set in the variable D.

Next, the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are closed (S9). That is, the operation areas 430A and 440A are both closed. Next, the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are moved downward by a predetermined amount (S11). In the present embodiment, by moving the lower clamp 440 downward by a predetermined amount, the upper clamp 430 supported by the lower clamp 440 also moves downward by a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount may be at least the distance L or more. The distance L (see FIG. 39) is the upper end of the upper clamp 430 from the upper end of the pair of restriction pins 465 (see FIG. 21) when the upper clamp 430 is supported by the lower clamp 440 (state T1 in FIG. 39). Up and down direction distance.

When step S11 is executed, the positioning protrusion 456 of the upper clamp 430 supported by the lower clamp 440 is above the positioning plate 455 (see FIGS. 21 and 39). The lower clamp 440 is movable in the vertical direction through the rear side of the positioning plate 455. On the other hand, when the positioning protrusion 456 contacts the positioning plate 455, the upper clamp 430 is restricted from moving downward.

Next, the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are opened (S13). The operation areas 430A and 440A are both open. The upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are moved upward by a predetermined amount (S15). In the present embodiment, by moving the lower clamp 440 upward by a predetermined amount, the upper clamp 430 supported by the lower clamp 440 also moves upward by a predetermined amount. The upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 return to the upper end of each movable range.

Next, the lower clamp 440 is closed at the first bias value (S17). That is, the open state of the operation area 430A is maintained, while the operation area 440A is closed. At this time, the solenoids 443 and 445 are turned OFF, so that the front plate 442 is biased to the rear plate 441 by a first bias value by a winding spring not shown (see FIGS. 21 to 23). As a result, the first holding force is changed from substantially 0 to the first bias value. The first urging value is strong enough to prevent the cover 9 sandwiched between the front plate 442 and the rear plate 441 from slipping out of the operation region 440A by its own weight or external force.

Next, the movement of the lower clamp 440 is started (S19). At this time, the elevating motor 450 moves the lower clamp 440 downward with a conveying force larger than a second urging value described later. As described above, the lower clamp 440 moves downward from the upper end of the movable range. When the positioning projection 456 contacts the positioning plate 455, the upper clamp 430 is positioned at the upper reference position.

39, an operation example of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 executed in steps S9 to S19 will be described. As described above, the cover sheet 9 supplied to the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 is sent toward the operation area 440A of the lower clamp 440 via the operation area 430A of the upper clamp 430. At this time, as shown in a state T1 in FIG. 39, the lower end portion of the cover sheet 9 may not enter the operation area 440A. In this case, the cover sheet 9 is appropriately conveyed as follows.

First, as shown in the state T2, when the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are closed, the lower side portion of the cover sheet 9 in the operation area 430A is sandwiched between the upper clamps 430 (S9). As shown in the state T3, as the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 move downward, the cover 9 sandwiched between the upper clamps 430 is pulled downward by at least a distance L (S11). As shown in state T4, when the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are released, the cover sheet 9 is released from the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 (S13).

As shown in state T5, as the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 move upward, the lower end portion of the cover 9 enters the operation region 440A from the operation region 430A and contacts the pair of restriction pins 465 (S15). At this time, the pair of regulating pins 465 pushes back the cover 9 upward while supporting the lower end of the cover 9 so as to extend in the left-right direction.

As shown in state T6, when the lower clamp 440 is closed, the lower side portion of the cover 9 in the operation area 440A is sandwiched between the lower clamps 440 (S17). As shown in state T7, the lower clamp 440 moves downward through the rear side of the positioning plate 455, while the upper clamp 430 moves downward to the upper reference position (S19). At this time, the cover sheet 9 sandwiched between the lower clamps 440 is drawn downward through the open operation region 430A.

Therefore, even when the lower end of the supplied cover 9 does not enter the operation area 440A, the cover holding mechanism 400 can position the lower end of the cover 9 with the pair of restriction pins 465 and can transport the cover 9 to an appropriate position. As another example, the lower end portion of the cover sheet 9 supplied to the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 may not contact the pair of regulation pins 465. Also in this case, similarly to the above, the cover 9 is properly conveyed in a state where the lower end portion of the cover 9 is positioned by the pair of restriction pins 465.

38, after the execution of step S19, it is determined whether or not the lower clamp 440 has reached the holding execution position based on the rotation amount of the elevating motor 450 (S21). The holding execution position is a position of the lower clamp 440 where the holding of the cover sheet 9 by the upper clamp 430 is started. The holding execution position is preferably below the upper reference position and above the sticking reference position. In the present embodiment, the holding execution position is a vertical position that is substantially the same as a pasting center position H1 described later. If the lower clamp 440 has not reached the holding execution position (S21: NO), the process returns to step S21.

When the lower clamp 440 reaches the holding execution position (S21: YES), the upper clamp 430 is closed at the second urging value (S23). That is, the operation areas 430A and 440A are both closed. At this time, when the solenoids 433 and 435 are turned OFF, the front plate 432 is biased to the rear plate 431 by the winding spring 439A at the second bias value (see FIGS. 21 to 23). As a result, the second holding force is changed from substantially 0 to the second urging value.

The second urging value is strong enough to prevent the cover 9 sandwiched between the front plate 432 and the rear plate 431 from slipping out of the operation area 430A due to its own weight. The second urging value is a force smaller than the first urging value, in other words, the holding force of the cover 9 is smaller than the first urging value. In this embodiment, the biasing force of the winding spring 439A of the upper clamp 430 is smaller than the biasing force of the winding spring of the lower clamp 440.

Thereafter, the lower clamp 440 that holds the cover 9 moves downward from the holding execution position. The first bias value at which the lower clamp 440 holds the cover sheet 9 is larger than the second bias value at which the upper clamp 430 holds the cover sheet 9. The conveying force of the lower clamp 440 is larger than the second urging value. Therefore, in accordance with the movement of the lower clamp 440, the cover sheet 9 is pulled out from the operation area 430A while the lower side portion of the cover sheet 9 is held in the operation area 440A. The cover 9 extends straight between the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 due to the tension applied by the upper clamp 430.

Next, the movement of the lower clamp 440 is stopped based on the variable C (S25). At this time, the lower clamp 440 is positioned so that the cover center position M1 substantially coincides with the sticking center position H1. The cover center position M1 is the center position in the vertical direction of the cover 9 held by the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 (see FIG. 41). The sticking center position H1 is the center position in the vertical direction of the abutting plate 460 (see FIG. 41). The sticking center position H1 is synonymous with the vertical center position of the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 (specifically, the clamp bodies 472 and 482).

In the present embodiment, when the lower clamp 440 moves downward from the upper end of the movable range, the position where the lower clamp 440 is positioned differs depending on the cover size. The vertical position of the pair of restriction pins 465 included in the lower clamp 440 corresponds to the vertical position of the lower end portion of the cover sheet 9. A position located upward from the pair of restriction pins 465 by a distance corresponding to half the cover size (that is, a value obtained by multiplying the RAM variable C by 1/2) is specified as the cover center position M1. The CPU of the control unit 900 controls the vertical position of the lower clamp 440 (that is, the pair of restriction pins 465) based on the rotation amount of the lifting motor 450 (that is, the conveyance amount of the lower clamp 440), thereby covering the cover. The center position M1 can be adjusted in the vertical direction.

In step S25, the CPU of the control unit 900 moves the lower clamp 440 holding the lower side portion of the cover 9 downward to a position where the cover center position M1 and the pasting center position H1 coincide with each other. As shown in FIG. 41, the cover sheet 9 is conveyed to the first adjustment position. The first adjustment position in the first cover transport process is the vertical position of the cover 9 where the cover center position M1 and the pasting center position H1 coincide.

38, after the execution of step S25, the movable part 401 is moved based on the variable D (S27). At this time, the movable portion 401 is positioned so that the pasting center position H1 substantially coincides with the thickness center position H2. The thickness center position H2 is the center position in the vertical direction on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 on the table 110 (see FIG. 42).

In this embodiment, when the movable unit 401 moves downward from the receiving position, the position where the movable unit 401 is positioned differs depending on the thickness of the sheet bundle 8. Upward from the first placement surface 1111 (see FIG. 12) of the placement surface 110A by a distance corresponding to half the thickness of the sheet bundle 8 (that is, a value obtained by multiplying the RAM variable D by 1/2). A certain position is specified as the thickness center position H2. The CPU of the control unit 900 can adjust the sticking center position H1 in the vertical direction by controlling the vertical position of the movable unit 401 based on the rotation amount of the conveyance motor 422 (that is, the conveyance amount of the movable unit 401). .

In step S27, the CPU of the control unit 900 moves the movable unit 401 holding the cover 9 downward until the pasting center position H1 coincides with the thickness center position H2. As shown in FIG. 42, the movable part 401 is transported to the second adjustment position as the reference reference position. The second adjustment position in the first cover sheet conveyance process is the vertical position of the movable portion 401 where the pasting center position H1 and the thickness center position H2 coincide.

Step S27 may be executed during the execution of steps S9 to S25. That is, the operation of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 and the operation of the movable unit 401 may be executed in parallel. The processing after step S27 is executed in a cover sticking step described later.

In this way, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can reliably carry the cover sheet 9 with the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 by executing steps S9 to S19. By performing steps S13 and S17 to S25, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can transport the cover 9 with the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 while suppressing wrinkles and slack from occurring on the cover 9. The bookbinding apparatus 1 can accurately position the cover 9 held by the cover holding mechanism 400 with respect to the sheet bundle 8 on the table 110 by executing steps S1 to S7 and S25 to S27. Specifically, the vertical center of the cover sheet 9 and the vertical center of the front end face of the sheet bundle 8 substantially coincide.

Referring to FIGS. 43 and 44, the second cover sheet conveyance process will be described. Below, it demonstrates centering on a different point from the 1st cover conveyance process among the 2nd cover sheet conveyance processes. The CPU of the control unit 900 can execute the second cover transport process when the second printer 4 executes the following image printing.

As shown in FIG. 44, the second printer 4 prints an image within the print area 9A based on the print data. The print area 9A is a rectangular area that is designated by the print data and has a size capable of printing an image. The center position in the vertical direction of the print area 9A is referred to as a data center position M2. Further, the second printer 4 prints a pair of marks 9B on the area outside the print area 9A on the cover 9 and on the portion overlapping the data center position M2. The pair of marks 9 </ b> B are images of a specific pattern indicating the data center position M <b> 2, and are printed on both ends in the left-right direction of the cover 9 in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 43, in the second cover transport process, the number of sheets is acquired as a variable A as in step S1 (S41). Similar to step S3, the sheet thickness is acquired as a variable B (S43). Similar to step S7, the thickness of the sheet bundle 8 is calculated as a variable D based on the variables A and B (S45). Steps S41 to S45 may be executed until the cover 9 is supplied to the cover holding mechanism 400. Next, similarly to steps S9 to S23, operation control of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 is executed (S47 to S61).

After step S61, it is determined whether the pair of marks 9B has been detected by the pair of mark sensors 499 (S63). As shown in FIG. 44, when the cover 9 is supplied to the cover holding mechanism 400, the CPU of the control unit 900 causes the left mark sensor 499 to emit light and irradiates the front left end of the cover 9 with light. To do. The CPU of the control unit 900 determines whether or not an image of a specific pattern has been detected based on the amount of light detected by the light receiving unit of the left mark sensor 499. When the image of the specific pattern is detected, the CPU of the control unit 900 determines that the left mark 9B has been detected. Similarly, the CPU of the controller 900 determines whether the right mark sensor 499 has detected the right mark 9B.

If the pair of marks 9B has not been detected (S63: NO), the process returns to step S63. When the pair of marks 9B is detected (S63: YES), the movement of the lower clamp 440 is stopped based on the detected pair of marks 9B (S65). At this time, the lower clamp 440 is positioned so that the data center position M2 substantially coincides with the pasting center position H1.

In the present embodiment, when the lower clamp 440 moves downward from the upper end of the movable range, the position where the lower clamp 440 is positioned differs depending on the position and size of the printing area 9A. The CPU of the control unit 900 can adjust the data center position M2 in the vertical direction by controlling the vertical position of the lower clamp 440 based on the rotation amount of the lifting motor 450.

The CPU of the control unit 900 specifies the vertical position of the pair of regulation pins 465 (that is, the vertical position of the lower end portion of the cover 9) when the pair of marks 9B is detected. The CPU of the control unit 900 specifies the vertical distance from the vertical position of the specified pair of restriction pins 465 to the position of the pair of mark sensors 499 (that is, the detection position of the pair of marks 9B). A position located upward from the pair of regulating pins 465 by the specified vertical distance is specified as the data center position M2.

The CPU of the control unit 900 moves the lower clamp 440 holding the lower side portion of the cover 9 downward to a position where the data center position M2 and the pasting center position H1 coincide. As shown in FIG. 44, the cover sheet 9 is conveyed to the first adjustment position. The first adjustment position in the second cover sheet conveyance process is the vertical position of the cover sheet 9 where the data center position M2 and the pasting center position H1 coincide.

Next, similarly to step S27, the movable portion 401 is moved based on the variable D so that the pasting center position H1 substantially coincides with the thickness center position H2 (S67). That is, the movable part 401 is conveyed to the second adjustment position as the sticking reference position. The second adjustment position in the second cover sheet conveyance process is the vertical position of the movable portion 401 where the data center position M2 coincides with the thickness center position H2.

During step S47 to S65, step S67 may be executed. That is, the operation of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 and the operation of the movable unit 401 may be executed in parallel. The processing after step S67 is executed in a cover sticking step described later.

As described above, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can reliably convey the cover sheet 9 with the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 while suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles and slack in the cover sheet 9 as in the first cover sheet conveyance process. The bookbinding apparatus 1 can accurately position the cover 9 held by the cover holding mechanism 400 with respect to the sheet bundle 8 on the table 110 by executing steps S41 to S45 and S63 to S67. Specifically, the vertical center of the printing area 9 </ b> A substantially coincides with the vertical center of the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8.

41 and 44, after the cover sheet 9 is conveyed to the first adjustment position, the control unit 900 reciprocates the pair of arm portions 461C between the standby position and the biasing position a plurality of times. The pair of arm portions 461C urge the cover 9 to the right when moving from the standby position to the urging position. The cover 9 moves to the right inside the operation areas 430A and 440A up to a position where it comes into contact with the right regulation pins 463 and 464. The right end portion of the cover sheet 9 is positioned at the restriction position P2 (see FIG. 23). Thereafter, the control unit 900 stops the pair of arm portions 461C at the standby position, and ends the cover sheet transporting process.

<3-6. Covering process>
The controller 900 executes a cover sheet attaching process after the cover sheet conveying process and the glue applying process. The cover sticking step is a step of sticking the cover 9 held by the cover holding mechanism 400 to the sheet bundle 8 to which the glue 7 is applied. The cover sticking step will be described with reference to FIGS. 38, 42, 43, and 45 to 50. FIG.

42, the controller 900 moves the table 110 forward from the first transport position while maintaining the state where the second table 1120 is in the first rotation position. The control unit 900 moves the bundle operation unit 230 forward in synchronization with the movement of the table 110. The sheet bundle 8 moves forward while being sandwiched between the presser plate 232 and the first placement surface 1111. The table 110 is moved forward to the second transport position. The second transport position is a position in the front-rear direction of the table 110 where the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 is pressed against the abutting plate 460.

The table 110 passes through the third transfer position while moving from the first transfer position to the second transfer position. The third transport position is a front-rear direction position of the table 110 where the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 contacts the cover sheet 9 held by the cover sheet holding mechanism 400. A position where the adhesive portion formed on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 and the cover sheet 9 contact each other is referred to as a contact position. The upper clamp 430 holds the cover sheet 9 above the contact position. The lower clamp 440 holds the cover sheet 9 below the contact position.

When the first cover transport process is started in the cover transport process, the control unit 900 executes step S27 and subsequent steps of the first cover transport process. As shown in FIG. 38, it is first determined whether or not the sheet bundle 8 has reached the contact position (S29). The control unit 900 specifies the current position of the table 110 based on the rotation amount of the conveyance motor 121 (that is, the conveyance amount of the table 110).

If the current position of the table 110 is not the third transport position, it is determined that the sheet bundle 8 has not reached the contact position (S29: NO), and the process returns to step S29. When the current position of the table 110 is the third transport position, it is determined that the sheet bundle 8 has reached the contact position (S29: YES), and the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are released (S31). That is, the first holding force is changed from the first bias value to substantially zero, and the second holding force is changed from the second bias value to substantially zero. The lower clamp 440 is retracted in a direction away from the cover 9 by moving to the lower end of the movable range (S33). Thereafter, the first cover sheet conveyance process is terminated.

Thus, when the table 110 moves from the first transport position to the second transport position, the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 hold the cover sheet 9 with the contact position therebetween (see FIG. 42). The cover 9 is held in a posture that extends in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. When the table 110 reaches the third transport position, the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 on the table 110 comes into contact with the rear surface of the cover sheet 9 held by the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440. The cover sheet 9 is attached to an adhesive portion formed on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8.

When the bookbinding apparatus 1 executes steps S29 to S33, the operation areas 430A and 440A are opened when the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 contacts the cover sheet 9. As the table 110 moves from the third transport position to the second transport position, the upper side portion of the cover sheet 9 released from the upper clamp 430 falls out from the operation area 430A. At the same time, the lower side portion of the cover 9 released from the lower clamp 440 comes out upward from the operation area 440A. Further, since the lower clamp 440 is retracted in a direction away from the cover sheet 9, the cover sheet 9 is easily extracted from the operation area 440A.

Note that, when the second cover transport process is started in the cover transport process, the control unit 900 executes step S67 and subsequent steps of the second cover transport process. As shown in FIG. 43, steps S69 to S73 of the second cover sheet conveyance process are the same as steps S29 to S33, and thus description thereof is omitted.

45, when the table 110 reaches the second transport position, the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 pressed by the pressing plate 232 is pressed against the abutting plate 460 through the cover sheet 9. When the table 110 reaches the second transport position, the control unit 900 moves the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 in directions close to each other.

A clamp body 472 (see FIG. 21) of the upper clamp 470 that moves downward biases the cover 9 against the front edge of the upper surface of the sheet bundle 8, and the upper portion of the cover 9 serves as the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8. Bend backward along. A clamp body 482 (see FIG. 21) of the lower clamp 480 that moves upward biases the cover 9 against the front edge of the lower surface of the sheet bundle 8, and the lower portion of the cover 9 serves as the front end of the sheet bundle 8. Bend backward along the surface. Thereby, the booklet 10 which is the sheet bundle 8 wrapped with the cover 9 is created. The clamp bodies 472 and 482 sandwich the front end portion of the booklet 10 from the upper and lower sides on the rear side of the abutting plate 460.

In this embodiment, the cover sheet 9 is attached to the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 with the cover sheet 9 in the first adjustment position and the movable portion 401 in the second adjustment position. Specifically, when the first cover sheet conveyance process is executed, the cover sheet 9 is pasted on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 in a state where the center of the cover sheet 9 is aligned with the center of the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8. It is done. When the second cover sheet conveyance process is executed, the cover sheet 9 is attached to the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 with the vertical center of the printing area 9 </ b> A and the vertical center of the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 aligned. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can create a booklet 10 in which the positional deviation between the sheet bundle 8 and the cover sheet 9 is small.

In the paper stacking process described above, the right aligning plate 140 positions the right end surface of the paper bundle 8 at the third restriction position (that is, the cutting reference position P1 shown in FIGS. 22 and 23). The pair of arm portions 461C positions the right end portion of the cover sheet 9 at a restriction position P2 shown in FIG. The cutting reference position P1 is on the right side of the regulation position P2. Accordingly, in the cover sheet attaching step, the cover sheet 9 is attached to the sheet bundle 8 with the right end portion of the cover sheet 9 shifted to the left side from the right end portion of the sheet bundle 8. In the created booklet 10, the right end portion of the sheet bundle 8 protrudes from the cover 9 to the right side.

In the present embodiment, the front end surface of the booklet 10 is bound by the cover 9. The upper side and the lower side of the images printed on the cover 9 and the paper 8A included in the booklet 10 correspond to the left side and the right side of the bookbinding apparatus 1, respectively. Accordingly, the back side, the fore edge side, the top side, and the ground side of the booklet 10 correspond to the front side, the rear side, the left side, and the right side of the bookbinding apparatus 1, respectively.

Thereafter, the control unit 900 moves the second table 1120 from the first rotation position to the second rotation position (see FIG. 45). The mounting surface 110A changes from a bent surface to a substantially horizontal plane. The sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A changes to a posture extending in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 is less likely to cause creases and wrinkles in the sheet bundle 8, and can suppress deterioration in the quality of the booklet 10 during the bookbinding operation.

Further, the control unit 900 moves the table 110 backward to the first transport position. The control unit 900 moves the bundle operation unit 230 rearward together with the table 110, and moves the bundle operation unit 230 to the upper end of the movable range. 46, the front end portion of the booklet 10 is held between the clamp bodies 472 and 482, and the presser plate 232 and the table 110 are separated from the booklet 10. The booklet 10 sandwiched between the clamp bodies 472 and 482 hangs downward and rearward due to its own weight.

Next, the control unit 900 executes a booklet operation process. The booklet operation process will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 47, in the booklet operation process, first, the movable portion 401 of the cover holding mechanism 400 starts to move upward from the reference reference position at the first speed (S81). The first speed is preferably close to the maximum speed at which the transport motor 422 moves the movable portion 401. Based on the rotation amount of the transport motor 422, it is determined whether or not the movable portion 401 has reached the receiving position (S83). When the movable part 401 has not reached the receiving position (S83: NO), the process returns to step S83.

When the movable part 401 reaches the receiving position (S83: YES), the movable part 401 is stopped for a predetermined time (S85). The predetermined time is a length of time that the vibration of the booklet 10 conveyed in step S81 is subsided, and is, for example, 5 seconds. While the movable unit 401 stops for a predetermined time, the control unit 900 moves the table 110 from the first transport position to the second transport position. As shown in FIG. 48, the table 110 moves to the lower side of the booklet 10 held by the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480. Further, the control unit 900 drives the contact detection sensor 190.

As shown in FIG. 49, the contact detection sensor 190 includes a light emitting unit 191 and a light receiving unit 192. The light emitting unit 191 and the light receiving unit 192 are on both sides of the table 110 and on a substantially diagonal line of the table 110 with the table 110 in the second transport position. When the table 110 is at the second transport position, the light emitting unit 191 emits laser light that passes slightly above the placement surface 110A toward the light receiving unit 192. The light receiving unit 192 detects the laser light emitted from the light emitting unit 191.

After execution of step S85, the movable unit 401 starts to move downward from the receiving position at the second speed (S87). The second speed is slower than the first speed. By moving the movable portion 401 downward at a relatively low speed, vibration is unlikely to occur in the booklet 10 sandwiched between the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480. Since the booklet 10 is prevented from colliding with the placement surface 110A at a high speed, the booklet 10 is hardly damaged. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not an object is detected by the contact detection sensor 190 (S89). When laser light is detected by the light receiving unit 192, it is determined that no object is detected (S89: NO). In this case, the process returns to step S89.

As shown in FIG. 49, in the process in which the movable unit 401 moves downward, the lower end portion of the booklet 10 hanging from the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 is irradiated with the laser light of the light emitting unit 191. At this time, since the detection of the laser beam by the light receiving unit 192 is hindered, it is determined that the object is detected (S89: YES). In this case, the table 110 is moved a predetermined amount backward from the second transport position (S91). That is, when the lower end portion of the booklet 10 contacts the placement surface 110A, the table 110 slightly moves from the back side of the booklet 10 toward the fore edge side. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can prevent the cover 9 that contacts the placement surface 110A from being bent when the booklet 10 is placed on the placement surface 110A.

Next, based on the amount of rotation of the transport motor 422, it is determined whether or not the movable part 401 has reached the sticking reference position (S93). When the movable part 401 has not reached the sticking reference position (S93: NO), the process returns to step S93. When the movable part 401 reaches the sticking reference position (S93: YES), the movement of the movable part 401 is stopped (S95). Thereafter, the booklet operation process is terminated.

50. As a result, as shown in FIG. 50, the movable portion 401 is positioned at the reference reference position, and the booklet 10 is placed on the placement surface 110A. Further, the control unit 900 moves the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 in a direction away from each other. The upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 release the booklet 10. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can appropriately place the booklet 10 sandwiched between the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 on the table 110.

<3-7. Booklet transport process>
The controller 900 executes the booklet transport process after the cover sheet attaching process. The booklet transporting process is a process of transporting the booklet 10 on the table 110 to the cutting mechanism 500 by the booklet transporting mechanism 600. The booklet transport process will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 24, and 51 to 54.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 24, the control unit 900 moves the table 110 on which the booklet 10 is placed backward to a position where the rear end of the table 110 is close to the hand unit 640 in the initial position. . The control unit 900 controls the movement of the bundle operation unit 230 and arranges the lower end portion of the presser plate 232 on the front side of the booklet 10. As shown in FIG. 51, the control unit 900 controls the movement of the bundle operation unit 230 and urges the front end surface of the booklet 10 backward on the rear surface of the presser plate 232. The biased booklet 10 moves backward on the placement surface 110A. The control unit 900 moves the bundle operation unit 230 in the backward direction until the rear end of the booklet 10 enters the clamp unit 660A.

It should be noted that the amount of movement of the bundle operation unit 230 required to cause the rear end portion of the booklet 10 to enter the clamp unit 660A differs depending on the length of the booklet 10 in the front-rear direction. The control unit 900 adjusts the amount of movement of the bundle operation unit 230 according to, for example, the longitudinal length of the booklet 10 input by the user. Thereafter, the controller 900 moves the upper plate 641 (see FIG. 28) downward from the upper end of the movable range. In the clamp portion 660A, the rear end portion of the booklet 10 is sandwiched from above and below by the upper plate 641 and the lower plate 642 (see FIG. 28).

As shown in FIG. 52, the control unit 900 moves the hand unit 640 rearward from the initial position in a state where the rear end portion of the booklet 10 is held by the clamp unit 660A. At this time, the lower plate 642 moves backward within the opening region 590A (see FIG. 25). The booklet 10 sandwiched between the clamp portions 660A is conveyed rearward along the upper sides of the pair of side plates 593 (see FIG. 25).

The control unit 900 moves the hand unit 640 backward to the drawing position. The drawing position is a position where the booklet 10 held between the clamp portions 660A is drawn from the placement surface 110A. When the hand unit 640 is in the pull-out position, the entire booklet 10 in the front-rear direction is placed on the support rail 590, and the front end of the booklet 10 is arranged in front of the hand reference position described later. The drawing position of the hand unit 640 changes in the front-rear direction according to the length of the booklet 10 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the control unit 900 adjusts the amount of movement of the hand unit 640 according to, for example, the longitudinal length of the booklet 10 input by the user. Similarly, the control unit 900 adjusts the amount of movement of the hand unit 640 according to the longitudinal length of the booklet 10.

Next, the control unit 900 moves the upper plate 641 to the upper end portion of the movable range, and releases the rear end portion of the booklet 10. The control unit 900 moves the hand unit 640 backward by a predetermined amount until the rear end of the booklet 10 comes out of the clamp unit 660A. Further, the control unit 900 moves the hand unit 640 to the upper end of the movable range, and then moves the hand unit 640 to the front end of the movable range.

As shown in FIG. 53, the control unit 900 moves the hand unit 640 downward to a position where the clamp unit 660B faces the booklet 10 from the front side. Further, the control unit 900 moves the hand unit 640 backward to the hand reference position. The hand reference position is a position in the front-rear direction of the hand unit 640 that serves as a reference for positioning the booklet 10 at the first and second cutting positions. The first cutting position is a front-rear direction position of the booklet 10 where the booklet 10 is positioned between the left cutting unit 510 and the right cutting unit 520. The second cutting position is a front-rear direction position of the booklet 10 at which the booklet 10 is located immediately below the cutting member 533. The hand reference position is constant regardless of the longitudinal length of the booklet 10.

When the hand unit 640 moves toward the hand reference position, the front end portion of the booklet 10 enters the clamp unit 660B, and the front end surface of the booklet 10 contacts the rear surface of the reference plate 643. As the hand unit 640 moves, the reference plate 643 urges the booklet 10 backward. When the hand unit 640 reaches the hand reference position, the control unit 900 moves the upper plate 641 downward from the upper end of the movable range. In the clamp portion 660B, the front end portion of the booklet 10 is sandwiched between the upper plate 641 and the lower plate 642 from the vertical direction. As a result, the front end portion of the booklet 10 is sandwiched between the clamp portions 660 </ b> B and positioned by the reference plate 643. The control unit 900 can accurately position the booklet 10 to the cutting position by executing position control of the hand unit 640 based on the position of the reference plate 643.

As shown in FIG. 54, the control unit 900 moves the hand unit 640 backward from the hand reference position. The booklet 10 sandwiched between the clamp portions 660B is conveyed in the backward direction along the upper sides of the pair of side plates 593 (see FIG. 25). Until the distance in the front-rear direction between the rear surface of the reference plate 643 and the cutting blade 535 becomes equal to a pre-specified front-rear direction cutting size (in this embodiment, the length in the edge direction of the booklet 10 after cutting), the hand unit 640 Is moved. Thereby, the booklet 10 is conveyed to the second cutting position. The rear portion of the booklet 10 is stacked on the placement surface 536A (see FIG. 25) and disposed below the cutting member 533. Thus, the booklet transport process ends.

<3-8. Cutting process>
The controller 900 executes the cutting process after the booklet transport process. The cutting step is a step of cutting the booklet 10 on the table 110 into a size specified in advance by the cutting mechanism 500. The cutting process will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 54, the control unit 900 moves the cutting member 533 downward from the upper end of its movable range. Along the pressing member 534 that presses the booklet 10, the cutting edge 535A of the cutting blade 535 moves downward to a position where it reaches a cutting board (not shown). The rear edge of the booklet 10 is cut off from the booklet 10 by the blade edge 535A. The front-rear direction length of the booklet 10 after cutting is equal to the front-rear direction cut size specified in advance.

As shown in FIG. 55, the control unit 900 performs the left cutting unit 510 and the right cutting unit 520 until the horizontal distance between the placement surfaces 516A and 526A (see FIG. 26) is slightly smaller than the horizontal length of the booklet 10. Are moved in directions close to each other. The control unit 900 moves the hand unit 640 in the forward direction. The left end portion and the right end portion of the booklet 10 sandwiched between the clamp portions 660B are placed on placement surfaces 516A and 526A, respectively. The booklet 10 is conveyed forward along the upper sides of the pair of side plates 593. The hand unit 640 moves until the booklet 10 reaches the approximate center of the support rail 590 in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the booklet 10 is conveyed to the first cutting position. Thereafter, the control unit 900 moves the upper plate 641 (see FIG. 28) to the upper end portion of the movable range to release the front end portion of the booklet 10. Furthermore, the control unit 900 moves the hand unit 640 to the initial position.

As shown in FIGS. 56 and 57, the control unit 900 moves the left cutting unit 510 and the right cutting unit 520 in directions close to each other. The cutting members 513 and 523 move in directions close to each other through the upper side of the booklet 10 placed on the placement surfaces 516A and 526A. The left cutting unit 510 and the right cutting unit until the horizontal distance between the cutting blades 515 and 525 becomes equal to a predetermined horizontal cutting size (in this embodiment, the vertical length of the booklet 10 after cutting). 520 is moved.

Next, the control unit 900 executes a position adjustment process. With reference to FIGS. 57 and 58, the position adjustment process will be described. As shown in FIG. 58, first, the counter plate is moved to the alignment preparation position (S101). The counter plate is an alignment plate different from the reference plate among the alignment plates 518 and 528. The reference plate is an alignment plate that positions the booklet 10 at the alignment execution position among the alignment plates 518 and 528.

The alignment execution position is a position away from the center position Z between the cutters to the reference plate side by a distance that is approximately half the length of the booklet 10 in the horizontal direction. The center position Z between the cutters is the center position in the left-right direction of the blade edges 515A and 525A. In this embodiment, the alignment execution position is the same as the cutting reference position P1 described above. The alignment preparation position is a position away from the center position Z between the cutters toward the counter plate by a distance less than half of the length of the booklet 10 in the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the right alignment plate 528 that faces the right end surface of the booklet 10 (in this embodiment, the ground of the booklet 10) is the reference plate. The left alignment plate 518 facing the left end surface of the booklet 10 (in this embodiment, the top surface of the booklet 10) is a counter plate.

In step S101, the alignment plate 518 is moved rightward from the initial position until the right surface of the alignment plate 518 reaches the alignment preparation position (see FIG. 57). At this time, the right surface of the alignment plate 518 comes into contact with the left end surface of the booklet 10 on the placement surface 516A, and biases the booklet 10 in the right direction. When the right surface of the alignment plate 518 reaches the alignment preparation position, the center of the booklet 10 in the left-right direction is on the right side of the center position Z between the cutters.

Next, the counter plate is moved from the alignment preparation position to the initial position (S103). After the opposing plate starts moving from the alignment preparation position toward the initial position, the reference plate is moved from the initial position to the alignment execution position (S105). In step S105, the alignment plate 528 is moved leftward from the initial position until the left surface of the alignment plate 528 reaches the alignment execution position (see FIG. 57). The left surface of the alignment plate 528 comes into contact with the right end surface of the booklet 10 on the placement surface 526A, and biases the booklet 10 leftward. When the left surface of the alignment plate 528 reaches the alignment execution position, the center of the booklet 10 in the left-right direction substantially coincides with the center position Z between the cutters.

Next, the reference plate is moved from the alignment execution position to the initial position (S107). Thereafter, the position adjustment process is terminated. The control unit 900 moves the cutting members 513 and 523 downward from the upper end of the movable range. Along the pressing member 514 that presses the booklet 10, the cutting edge 515A of the cutting blade 515 moves downward to a position where it contacts a cutting board (not shown). Similarly, along the pressing member 524 that presses the booklet 10, the cutting edge 525A of the cutting blade 525 moves downward to a position where it contacts a cutting board (not shown). The left edge portion and the right edge portion of the booklet 10 are separated from the booklet 10 by blade edges 515A and 525A, respectively. The length in the left-right direction of the booklet 10 after cutting is equal to the cutting size in the left-right direction specified in advance.

Thereby, the edge part on the end face side different from the front end face on which the cover 9 is pasted is cut out in the booklet 10, and the booklet 10 having a desired size is created. The controller 900 ends the cutting process. Specifically, control unit 900 moves left cutting unit 510 to the left end of the movable range, and moves right cutting unit 520 to the right end of the movable range. The user collects the booklet 10 cut in the cutting process from the cutting mechanism 500.

Thus, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can match the center position Z between the cutters and the center in the left-right direction of the booklet 10 (in this embodiment, the center in the vertical direction of the booklet 10) by executing the position adjustment process. In the present embodiment, the cutting position of the booklet 10 by the cutting blades 515 and 525 is adjusted based on the cutting reference position P1 (see FIG. 23). That is, the cutting position of the booklet 10 by the cutting blades 515 and 525 is positioned with reference to the cutting reference position P1 corresponding to the end of the booklet 10 on the ground side (that is, the ground of the booklet 10). Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can accurately cut the booklet 10 without being affected by the attachment position of the cover 9. It is possible to suppress the image printed on the paper 8 </ b> A constituting the text of the booklet 10 from being largely deviated with respect to the ground of the booklet 10.

Note that the cutting reference position P1 (see FIG. 23) may be a position where the left alignment plate 130 (see FIG. 14) substantially coincides with the second restriction position where the left end surface of the sheet bundle 8 is positioned. In this case, the left regulation pins 463 and 464 (see FIG. 41) are reference pins, and the right regulation pins 463 and 464 (see FIG. 41) are opposite pins. The cutting reference position P1 is on the left side of the regulation position P2 (that is, the right end portion of the left regulation pins 463 and 464). The cover sheet 9 is attached to the sheet bundle 8 with the left end part of the cover sheet 9 shifted to the right side from the left end part of the sheet bundle 8. That is, in the booklet 10 created in the cover sticking step, the left end portion of the sheet bundle 8 protrudes from the cover 9 to the left side.

In the position adjustment process (see FIG. 58), the cutting position of the booklet 10 by the cutting blades 515 and 525 is positioned with reference to the cutting reference position P1 corresponding to the top end of the booklet 10. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can accurately cut the booklet 10 without being affected by the attachment position of the cover 9. It is possible to suppress the image printed on the paper 8 </ b> A constituting the text of the booklet 10 from being largely shifted with reference to the top end of the booklet 10.

<4. Example of modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above disclosure, and various modifications are possible as exemplified below.

(1) Modification regarding the entire structure of the bookbinding apparatus 1 Each mechanism included in the bookbinding apparatus 1 (for example, the paper supply unit 5, the paper alignment mechanism 100, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the glue application mechanism 300, the cover holding mechanism 400, and the cutting mechanism) 500, booklet transport mechanism 600) may be used alone or in combination with other devices. For example, the paper supply unit 5 may be used alone or in combination with other devices in order to transport paper printed by other image forming apparatuses.

The position of each mechanism included in the bookbinding apparatus 1 can be changed as long as the bookbinding operation described above can be realized. For example, the first printer 3 may be installed on the right side of the main body frame 2. In this case, the paper supply unit 5 may supply the paper 8A from the right side of the main body frame 2 by conveying the paper 8A printed by the first printer 3 to the left side. The second printer 4 may be installed below the main body frame 2. In this case, the cover holding mechanism 400 may supply the cover 9 from the lower side of the main body frame 2 by conveying the cover 9 printed by the second printer 4 upward. The positions of the mechanisms (for example, the bundle operation mechanism 200, the glue application mechanism 300, the cover holding mechanism 400, and the cutting mechanism 500) may be changed so that the relative positional relationship does not change with the paper alignment mechanism 100 as a reference. .

(2) Modified Example Regarding Paper Alignment Mechanism 100 The paper alignment mechanism 100 may stack a plurality of sheets 8A so that the positions of the rear end, right end, and left end of the sheets 8A coincide. The paper alignment mechanism 100 may not include the contact member 106. The table 110 may be a non-rotating table having a mounting surface 110A that is a substantially horizontal plane. The drive motor 162 may rotate the second table 1120 via a pair of levers 161 provided at the right end and the left end of the second table 1120.

The rotational speed per unit time of the eccentric cam 182 may be the same as the rotational speed per unit time of the cam member 172, or may be smaller than the rotational speed per unit time of the cam member 172. The timing at which the vibration motor 180 applies vibration to the second table 1120 and the timing at which the tapping motor 170 applies vibration to the second table 1120 may be the same or different from each other.

The contact member 106 may be a wire extending in the left-right direction above the table 110. The contact member 106 may extend substantially horizontally toward the right front above the table 110. The contact member 106 may extend above the table 110 toward the lower right side.

The paper alignment mechanism 100 may vibrate the second table 1120 by means different from the tapping motor 170 and the vibration motor 180. The paper alignment mechanism 100 may include any one of the tapping motor 170 and the vibration motor 180. The hit motor 170 and the vibration motor 180 may vibrate at least one of the first table 1110 and the second table 1120. For example, the vibration motor 180 may be provided on the lower surface of the first table 1110 to vibrate the first table 1110.

(3) Modification concerning glue application mechanism 300 With reference to FIG. 59, a glue application mechanism 1300 which is a modification of the glue application mechanism 300 will be described. In the following description, the same components as those of the glue application mechanism 300 are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only differences from the glue application mechanism 300 will be described. In FIG. 59, the conveyance unit 302 is omitted.

The paste application mechanism 1300 includes a movable unit 1301 and a transport unit 302 (see FIG. 3). The movable part 1301 includes a support part 1311, a nut (not shown), a glue application part 1340, a glue receiving member 1360, and a pump drive mechanism 1380. The support portion 1311 is a rectangular plate-like body extending in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The nut of the movable portion 1301 is provided at the lower front end portion of the support portion 1311 and the screw shaft 322 (see FIG. 3) is inserted. Accordingly, the transport motor 321 (see FIG. 3) can move the movable portion 1301 in the left-right direction.

The paste application part 1340 includes a main body part 1349. The main body 1349 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-like body that is long in the vertical direction. A heater 347 (see 17) is provided inside the main body 1349. The roller installation portion 1343 is provided on the rear side of the main body portion 1349. The glue application roller 350 is rotatably held inside the main body 1349. A part (glue application surface) of the peripheral surface 351 </ b> A of the adhesive application roller 350 is exposed rearward from the roller installation portion 1343. The glue receiving member 1360 is a bottomed box-like body that is open on the upper side, and is provided at the lower end of the main body 1349.

The pump drive mechanism 1380 includes a tank 1383, a communication member 1381, a screw pump 1385, pulleys 1357 and 1358, a belt 1356, and a pipe 1387. The tank 1383 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-like body that is long in the vertical direction. The tank 1383 is provided on the left side of the main body 1349. The tank 1383 extends from the left side of the lower end of the glue receiving member 1360 to the upper left side of the main body 1349.

The communication member 1381 is a box-like body that connects the lower end portion of the glue receiving member 1360 and the lower end portion of the tank 1383. The inside of the glue receiving member 1360 and the inside of the tank 1383 communicate with each other via a communication member 1381. The screw pump 1385 includes a shaft portion 1385A and a spiral portion 1358B. The shaft portion 1385A is a cylindrical body that extends through the tank 1383 in the vertical direction. The spiral portion 1358B is a plate-like body provided on the peripheral surface of the shaft portion 1385A and formed in a spiral shape along the axis of the shaft portion 1385A.

The pulley 1357 is provided on the shaft portion 1385A above the tank 1383. A pump drive motor 1350 is provided on the front surface of the support portion 1311. The pulley 1358 is provided on the drive shaft of the pump drive motor 1350. The belt 1356 is bridged over pulleys 1357 and 1358 via a notch 1311A provided in the support portion 1311. An adhesive supply port 341 (see FIG. 17) is provided on the upper surface of the main body 1349. The pipe 1387 is connected to the upper end of the tank 1383 and the glue supply port 341. The inside of the tank 1383 and the inside of the glue storage part 342 (see FIG. 17) communicate with each other via a pipe 1387 and a glue supply port 341.

With the above structure, the rotating glue application roller 350 applies the glue 7 to the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 while the movable portion 1301 moves in the left-right direction. At this time, the glue 7 dropped from the glue application surface enters the glue receiving member 1360 from above. The glue 7 entering the inside of the glue receiving member 1360 flows out into the tank 1383 through the communication member 1381. The pump drive motor 1350 rotates the screw pump 1385 around the shaft portion 1385A via the belt 1356 and the pulleys 1357 and 1358. Along with the rotation of the screw pump 1385, the spiral portion 1358 </ b> B moves the glue 7 in the tank 1383 upward. The transferred glue 7 passes through the pipe 1387 and is sent to the glue storage unit 342.

In this way, the pump drive mechanism 1380 collects the liquid glue 7 falling on the glue receiving member 1360 and sends it to the glue reservoir 342. The glue 7 dropped from the glue application surface is less likely to stay outside the main body 1349. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can suppress the spread of the odor of the paste 7 even when the odor generating paste 7 is used.

The bookbinding apparatus 1 may move the paper alignment mechanism 100 in the left-right direction in a state where the left-right direction position of the rotating glue application roller 350 is fixed during the glue application step. In this case, the glue 7 is applied to the front end face of the sheet bundle 8 by moving the front end face of the sheet bundle 8 in the left-right direction along the glue application surface of the glue application roller 350. The bookbinding apparatus 1 may apply the glue 7 to the front end face of the sheet bundle 8 by moving both the glue application roller 350 and the paper alignment mechanism 100 in the left-right direction.

The glue application roller 350 is not limited to the posture in which the axis is inclined to the right side in the upward direction. The glue application roller 350 may be arranged with its axis substantially parallel to the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 60, the glue application roller 350 may be arranged in such a posture that its axis is inclined leftward in the upward direction. In this case, the glue application mechanism 300 applies the glue 7 to the front end face 8B in the following manner when any of the first to fourth application operations is performed.

60, when the glue application unit 340 moves from the first retracted position to the second retracted position, the glue applying roller 350 reverses. The proximity portion of the paste application surface moves toward the downstream side in the direction in which the peripheral surface 351A moves relative to the front end surface 8B. The first facing portion rotates so as to rub the glue 7 against the first corner portion 8H. Accordingly, the paste 7 is applied to the front end face 8B and the first corner 8H.

While the glue application roller 350 moves from the first proximity position to the second proximity position, the first corner 8H of the sheet bundle 8 bends downward by contacting the reverse glue application surface. Specifically, the proximity portion of the peripheral surface 351A moves toward the downstream side in the direction in which the glue application roller 350 moves relative to the front end surface 8B. Since the frictional resistance generated between the proximity portion and the front end surface 8B is relatively large, the first corner portion 8H is easily bent downward. As the first corner portion 8H bends downward, the first facing portion can easily apply the paste 7 to the first corner portion 8H.

60, when the glue application unit 340 moves from the second retracted position to the first retracted position, the glue applying roller 350 rotates normally. The proximity portion of the paste application surface moves toward the downstream side in the direction in which the peripheral surface 351A moves relative to the front end surface 8B. The second facing portion rotates so as to rub the glue 7 against the second corner portion 8I. Accordingly, the paste 7 is applied to the front end face 8B and the second corner 8I.

While the glue application roller 350 moves from the second proximity position to the first proximity position, the second corner portion 8I of the sheet bundle 8 is bent upward by coming into contact with the normally rotating glue application surface. Specifically, the proximity portion of the peripheral surface 351A moves toward the downstream side in the direction in which the glue application roller 350 moves relative to the front end surface 8B. Since the frictional resistance generated between the proximity portion and the front end surface 8B is relatively large, the second corner portion 8I is easily bent upward. As the second corner portion 8I bends upward, the second facing portion can easily apply the glue 7 to the second corner portion 8I.

Thus, the glue application roller 350 applies the glue 7 in the order of the first corner 8H and the second corner 8I below the first corner 8H. Therefore, the glue 7 applied to the front edge 8E is unlikely to sag from the front edge 8E.

(4) Modification Regarding Cover Cover Holding Mechanism 400 As shown in FIG. 44, the upper clamp 430 may be provided with a sensor 498 that detects whether or not the cover 9 is present in the operation area 430A. In this case, when the cover 9 is detected by the sensor 498 in the first and second cover transport processes (FIGS. 38 and 43), the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 may be closed (S9 and S47). . Thereby, it is possible to suppress the processing after step S9 or the processing after step S47 from proceeding in a state where the cover 9 is not inserted in the operation area 430A.

The control unit 900 may execute the following basic conveyance process instead of the first and second cover sheet conveyance processes. In the basic conveyance process, as shown in FIG. 37, when the lower side of the cover 9 enters the operation area 440A, the operation area 440A is closed. The lower clamp 440 moves downward while gripping the lower side portion of the cover sheet 9. As the lower clamp 440 moves, the upper clamp 430 moves downward to the upper reference position by its own weight in a state where the cover sheet 9 is inserted into the operation area 430A.

After the upper clamp 430 reaches the upper reference position, the lower clamp 440 moves away from the upper clamp 430 to the lower reference position. When the lower clamp 440 is positioned at the lower reference position, the operation area 430A is closed. As shown in FIG. 40, the cover sheet 9 is held by the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440. As shown in FIG. 42, the movable portion 401 that holds the cover 9 moves downward to the sticking reference position.

In the basic transport process described above, a part of the first and second cover transport processes may be selectively executed. For example, when steps S9 to S19 are executed, the cover holding mechanism 400 can reliably convey the cover 9. When steps S13 and S17 to S25 are executed, the cover holding mechanism 400 can transport the cover 9 while suppressing wrinkles and slack in the cover 9. When steps S1 to S7 and S25 to S27 are executed, the cover holding mechanism 400 can accurately position the cover 9 with respect to the sheet bundle 8.

The first and second cover transport processes can be modified as follows. A modification of the first cover transport process described below can also be applied to the second cover transport process. In step S17, at least one of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 may be controlled so that the first holding force is larger than the second holding force. In step S19, the conveying force of the lower clamp 440 may be controlled by the elevating motor 450 so that the force is greater than the second holding force in step S23. In step S23, the upper clamp 430 is controlled so that the second holding force after the lower clamp 440 reaches the holding execution position is larger than the second holding force before the lower clamp 440 reaches the holding execution position. It only has to be done.

The lower clamp 440 may be controlled so that the first holding force in step S31 is smaller than the first holding force in step S17. Similarly, the upper clamp 430 may be controlled so that the second holding force in step S31 is smaller than the second holding force in step S23. The conveyance force of the table 110 that moves from the first conveyance position to the second conveyance position may be any force that is greater than the first holding force and the second holding force in step S31. In other words, in step S31, the holding force of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 may be weakened to such an extent that the cover 9 can be easily pulled out from the operation areas 430A and 440A.

At least one of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 may be a clip that can hold a part of the cover 9, a suction part, an adhesive part, a roller, or the like. For example, when the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are mechanisms for holding the cover 9 by a pair of rollers, the upper clamp 430 is moved to the second at the same time as the movement of the lower clamp 440 (S19) without executing step S21. It may be clamped by the urging value (S23). In step S31, the force with which the pair of rollers urge the cover sheet 9 is weakened without separating the pair of rollers.

In the case where the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are mechanisms for holding the cover 9 by the bonding portions, the magnitudes of the first holding force and the second holding force may be adjusted according to the magnitude of the force to adhere to the cover 9. Good. In the case where the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are mechanisms that sandwich the cover sheet 9 with a pair of roughened plates, the magnitudes of the first holding force and the second holding force are the magnitude of the frictional force on the cover sheet 9, respectively. May be adjusted.

The cover holding mechanism 400 may include a plurality of positioning pins (not shown) instead of the positioning plate 455 (see FIGS. 41 and 44). The plurality of positioning pins are arranged in the vertical direction on the right side surface of the support frame 414, and are movable in the front-rear direction. A solenoid (not shown) selectively energizes one of the plurality of positioning pins and moves it to an advanced position that protrudes rearward from the support frame 414. Similar to the positioning plate 455, the positioning pin in the advanced position contacts the positioning protrusion 456 (see FIG. 39) of the upper clamp 430 and restricts the downward movement of the upper clamp 430.

In this case, the CPU of the control unit 900 that executes step S25 reduces the cover size to half (that is, a value obtained by multiplying the RAM variable C by 1/2) according to the RAM variable C (that is, the cover size). For the corresponding distance, the positioning pin located upward from the sticking center position H1 is moved to the advance position by the solenoid. Thus, the upper reference position is set at a position away from the pasting center position H1 by a distance corresponding to half of the cover size. The upper clamp 430 can hold the cover 9 at a position adjusted according to the cover size. Similarly, in step S65, the upper reference position may be changed according to the data center position M2.

The second cover transport process can be modified as follows. The second printer 4 may print only one mark 9B on the cover 9. In this case, the cover holding mechanism 400 may be provided with only one mark sensor 499 that can detect the mark 9B. The CPU of the control unit 900 may determine that there is mark detection when one mark 9B is detected (S63: YES).

The booklet operation process (see FIG. 47) can be modified as follows. In step S83, it may be determined whether or not the movable unit 401 has moved upward to a predetermined first specific position based on the number of rotations of the transport motor 422. The first specific position is a vertical position of the movable portion 401 where the lower end portion of the booklet 10 sandwiched between the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 is disposed at least above the placement surface 110A.

In step S89, based on the rotation speed of the transport motor 422, it may be determined whether the movable unit 401 has moved downward to a predetermined second specific position. The second specific position is a position where the lower end portion of the booklet 10 held between the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 is in contact with the placement surface 110A or slightly above the placement surface 110A. Directional position.

The mounting surface 110A may be a surface inclined backward. In this case, the booklet 10 can be appropriately placed on the placement surface 110A during the execution of steps S87 to S95. A protrusion may be provided on the mounting surface 110A. In this case, the booklet 10 can be appropriately placed on the placement surface 110 </ b> A because the protrusion is caught by the lower end portion of the booklet 10 during the execution of step S <b> 91.

In the above embodiment, the case where the booklet 10 is transported upward from the placement surface 110A and then placed on the placement surface 110A again is exemplified. Instead, after the booklet 10 is conveyed upward from the first surface, the booklet 10 may be placed on a second surface different from the first surface. The first surface may be an upward surface on which the sheet bundle 8 can be placed. The second surface may be an upward surface on which the booklet 10 can be placed.

When the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 have a structure that can move in the vertical direction while holding the booklet 10, the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp that hold the booklet 10 instead of moving the movable unit 401 in the vertical direction. You may move 480 up and down. When the table 110 has a structure that can move in the vertical direction, the table 110 may be moved in the vertical direction instead of moving the movable portion 401 in the vertical direction. Along with the vertical movement of the movable part 401, the vertical movement of the table 110 may be performed.

For example, in step S81, at least one of the operation of moving the table 110 downward and the operation of moving the movable unit 401 upward may be executed. Thereby, since the table 110 and the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 move relative to each other, the booklet 10 can be separated upward from the placement surface 110A. In step S87, at least one of the operation of moving the table 110 upward and the operation of moving the movable unit 401 downward may be executed. Thereby, since the table 110 and the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 move relative to each other, the booklet 10 can be placed on the placement surface 110A from above.

The moving speed of the movable part 401 in steps S81 and S87 may be the same. Step S85 may not be executed. Steps S89 to S91 may not be executed.

The cover holding mechanism 400 may include only one clamp corresponding to the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440, or may include three or more. Instead of the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440, another mechanism (for example, a belt conveyor, a roller group, or the like) that conveys the cover sheet 9 in the movable portion 401 may be provided. The lift motor 450 may move both the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440. Two motors may move the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 independently.

The bookbinding apparatus 1 may position the upper clamp 430 by a mechanism for moving the upper clamp 430 or the positioning protrusion 456 in the vertical direction, for example, according to the cover size or the data center position M2. The lower clamp 440 only needs to hold a part (first part) of the cover 9. The upper clamp 430 only needs to hold a part (second part) different from the first part of the cover sheet 9. The vertical position (in other words, the upper reference position) of the upper clamp 430 may be fixed.

(5) Modification regarding Cutting Mechanism 500 In the cutting mechanism 500, the alignment plate 528 facing the right end surface of the booklet 10 may be a counter plate, and the alignment plate 518 facing the left end surface of the booklet 10 may be a reference plate. The cutting reference position P1 may be a position different from the alignment execution position in the left-right direction. Also in these cases, the bookbinding apparatus 1 can match the center of the booklet 10 in the left-right direction and the center position Z between the cutters by the position adjustment process (see FIG. 58).

When the alignment execution position matches the cutting reference position P1, the center position in the left-right direction of the booklet 10 and the center position Z between the cutters match if the orientation of the booklet 10 conveyed by the hand unit 640 does not change. Therefore, the cutting members 513 and 523 can cut the booklet 10 at an accurate position even if the position adjustment process is not executed.

The cutting mechanism 500 may not cut the trailing edge of the booklet 10. In this case, the booklet transport mechanism 600 may transport the booklet 10 as follows. In the same manner as described above, after the rear end portion of the booklet 10 is inserted into the clamp portion 660A by the bundle operation unit 230, the rear end portion of the booklet 10 is clamped by the clamp portion 660A (see FIG. 51). Next, the hand unit 640 is moved backward from the initial position (see FIG. 52). At this time, the hand unit 640 passes through the drawing position and moves backward to convey the booklet 10 to the first cutting position. The left cutting unit 510 and the right cutting unit 520 cut the booklet 10 as in the above embodiment. Thus, when only the left edge part and the right edge part of the booklet 10 are cut, it is not necessary to change the booklet 10 from the clamp part 660A to the clamp part 660B.

The cutting mechanism 500 may cut the trailing edge of the booklet 10 after cutting both left and right edges of the booklet 10. The cutting mechanism 500 may cut at least one of the left edge, the right edge, and the rear edge of the booklet 10. The cutting mechanism 500 may cut the left edge and the right edge of the booklet 10 simultaneously, or may cut either the left edge or the right edge of the booklet 10 first.

<5. Examples of effects of the present disclosure>
Hereinafter, the effects of the present disclosure will be exemplified. The parentheses noted in the following configuration exemplify what corresponds to each configuration in the above embodiment.

(1) Effects of First Disclosure Conventionally, a bookbinding apparatus is known as exemplified in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2003-25755 and 2003-72258. Since the conventional bookbinding apparatus has a complicated and large apparatus structure, the installation space and the manufacturing cost may increase. In view of such a problem, the first disclosure has the following configuration.

(1-1) A plurality of sheets can be moved in the third direction (upward) while being movable in the first direction (forward direction) and the second direction (rearward direction) and at a predetermined position (first transport position). , The first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other, and the third direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction. 110)
An adhesive part can be formed on a specific end surface (front end surface) of a sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) in a state where the stacking unit is at the predetermined position, and the sheet bundle is the plurality of sheets stacked by the stacking unit. The specific end face is an end face on the first direction side of the sheet bundle, and an adhesive portion forming means (glue application mechanism 300);
When the cover (cover 9) can be held and the stacking means moves in the first direction from the predetermined position, the cover is moved through the adhesive portion formed on the specific end surface. A cover attachment means (cover holding mechanism 400) that can be attached to a sheet bundle;
When the stacking unit moves in the second direction from the predetermined position, the second direction side edge, the fourth direction side (left side) of the booklet that is the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached And the fourth direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction. A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) comprising: a cutting means (cutting mechanism 500) in which the fifth direction is opposite to the fourth direction.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to stack a plurality of sheets and form a bundle of sheets while the stacking unit is in a predetermined position. The adhesive portion forming means can form an adhesive portion on a specific end surface of the sheet bundle while the stacking means is in a predetermined position. The cover sheet attaching means can create a booklet by attaching the cover sheet to the sheet bundle via the adhesive portion when the stacking means moves in the first direction. The cutting means can cut at least a part of the edge at a position different from the specific end face in the booklet when the stacking means moves in the second direction.

Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can execute the stacking of a plurality of sheets and the formation of the adhesive portion without moving the stacking unit from the predetermined position. The bookbinding apparatus can create and cut a booklet by moving the stacking means from a predetermined position in the first direction and the second direction. That is, the bookbinding apparatus can execute a series of steps necessary for the bookbinding operation only by linearly moving the stacking means. Since the bookbinding apparatus can suppress the length of the movement distance of the stacking means during the bookbinding operation, it can suppress at least one of the complexity and size increase of the apparatus structure.

(1-2) The bookbinding apparatus may include a housing (main body frame 2) provided with the stacking means, the adhesive portion forming means, the cover attaching means, and the cutting means.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can make the entire apparatus compact by holding the stacking means, the bonding portion forming means, the cover attachment means, and the cutting means in the casing.

(1-3) The bookbinding apparatus is configured to supply sheet supply means (sheets) that can supply the plurality of sheets located on the fourth direction side of the casing toward the inside of the casing in the fifth direction side. The supply unit 5) and the cover on the third direction side of the casing can be supplied to the sixth direction side (lower side) toward the inside of the casing, and the sixth direction is A cover sheet supply unit (cover sheet holding mechanism 400) that is opposite to the third direction, wherein the stacking unit is movable within the housing and is supplied by the sheet supply unit. May be accumulated at the predetermined position, and the cover attachment means may hold the cover supplied by the paper supply means inside the housing.
In this case, the plurality of sheets and the cover are supplied into the housing from different directions. The plurality of sheets and the cover sheet are supplied into the housing from a direction different from the moving direction of the stacking unit. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can arrange the adhesive portion forming means, the cover attachment means, the cutting means, the paper supply means, and the cover supply means in different directions with the stacking means as the center. Since the bookbinding apparatus can arrange a plurality of components necessary for bookbinding operation in a space-saving manner, it can suppress at least one of complication and enlargement of the apparatus structure.

(1-4) The cover attachment means and the cover supply means are one movable mechanism (cover cover holding mechanism 400) that can move between a reception position and an attachment position. Outside the housing, it is a position where the cover on the third direction side of the housing can be received, and the mounting position is the inside of the housing and the movable mechanism receiving the cover. The cover sheet received at the position may be a position where it can be attached to the sheet bundle.
In this case, since the bookbinding apparatus can realize the cover attachment means and the cover supply means with a single movable mechanism, it is possible to suppress at least one of complication and enlargement of the apparatus structure.

(2) Effects of Second Disclosure Conventionally, an apparatus for conveying paper is known. For example, in the sheet aligning apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-114248, the paper is accumulated inside the reference line by guiding the paper edge by the regulation table. The accumulated paper is conveyed by a roller to the copying machine main body so that the edge of the paper is aligned on the reference line.

In the above-described prior art, the position where the paper edge is guided by the regulation table is likely to vary, and it is difficult to match the positions of the accumulated paper edges. When the edge of the sheet is made closer to the reference line by the roller, there is a possibility that the sheet conveyance path becomes long and the apparatus becomes large. In view of such a problem, the second disclosure has the following configuration.

(2-1) a paper stacking unit (table 110) having a mounting surface (mounting surface 110A) that is a plane on which the supplied paper (paper 8A) is stacked;
Transport means (paper supply section 5) capable of transporting the paper substantially horizontally toward the paper stacking section and discharging the transported paper above the placement surface;
A member that is provided above the placement surface and contacts a first end portion (rear end portion 18) of the paper that is discharged by the conveying means and falls toward the placement surface from below; One end portion is a contact member (contact member 106) that is an end portion in a first direction (rear direction) that is orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction (right direction) and is substantially horizontal.
The sheet extends in a substantially vertical direction along the first restriction position and comes into contact with the second end portion (front end portion 15) of the sheet falling toward the placement surface, and the sheet is positioned at a position higher than the first restriction position. It is a member that restricts movement in two directions (forward direction), the second direction is a direction opposite to the first direction, the second end is an end in the second direction, A sheet conveying device (a sheet supply unit 5 and a sheet aligning mechanism 100) including a first restricting member (a front aligning plate 150) that is an appropriate position of the second end portion determined in advance.

According to the present disclosure, the sheet conveyed by the conveying unit is discharged so that the first end portion is in contact with the contact member, and falls toward the placement surface. As the first end portion moves away from the contact member, the falling paper moves in the second direction. The first restricting member contacts the second end of the sheet falling on the placement surface, and positions the second end at the first restricting position. The plurality of sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit so that the positions of the respective second end portions coincide with each other. Therefore, the sheet conveying apparatus can accurately match the positions of the plurality of sheets to be stacked without including a roller as in the prior art. Since the paper transport device can suppress the length of the paper transport path, it can suppress at least one of complication and enlargement of the device structure.

(2-2) The sheet conveying device extends in a substantially vertical direction along the second restriction position, and is disposed at a downstream end (right end 17) in the conveying direction of the sheet falling toward the placement surface. A member that contacts and restricts the sheet from moving to the downstream side in the transport direction from the second restriction position, and the second restriction position is an appropriate position at the predetermined downstream end. A certain 2nd regulation member (right alignment board 140) may be provided.
In this case, the sheet discharged by the transport unit moves to the downstream side in the transport direction due to inertia. The second restricting member contacts the downstream end of the sheet falling on the placement surface, and positions the downstream end at the second restricting position. The plurality of sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit so that the positions of the respective downstream end portions coincide with each other. Accordingly, the sheet transport device can accurately match the positions of the plurality of sheets to be stacked.

(2-3) The distance between the contact member and the first regulating member in the first direction or the second direction may be shorter than the length of the mounting surface in the first direction or the second direction. Good.
In this case, the paper falling toward the paper stacking unit is likely to contact the contact member and the first regulating member. Accordingly, the sheet transport device can accurately match the positions of the plurality of sheets to be stacked.

(2-4) The contact member has a plate shape extending substantially parallel to the transport direction and extending substantially in the vertical direction, and guides the first end portion of the paper discharged by the transport means. A wall portion (guide wall portion 106B), a plate shape extending substantially parallel to the transport direction and extending from the first wall portion in the second direction, and the sheet of the paper guided by the first wall portion; You may provide the 2nd wall part (support wall part 106A) which contacts a 1st end part from the downward direction.
In this case, the first wall portion guides the paper discharged by the conveying means, and the second wall portion contacts the first end portion of the paper guided by the first wall portion from below. The second end of the sheet falling toward the placement surface is likely to come into contact with the first regulating member. Accordingly, the sheet transport device can accurately match the positions of the plurality of sheets to be stacked.

(2-5) The contact member may extend substantially parallel to the transport direction, and a length of the contact member in the transport direction may be half or more of a length of the paper in the transport direction.
In this case, the contact member can more reliably guide the sheet along the transport direction until the upstream end of the sheet is discharged above the placement surface.

(2-6) Binding means capable of binding the end face on the second end side of the sheet transport apparatus and the sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) which is a plurality of sheets stacked on the mounting surface. A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) including the glue application mechanism 300 and the cover holding mechanism 400) may be used.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can align the end faces of the sheet bundle bound by the binding means substantially flush with each other.

(2-7) The binding means may include application means (glue application mechanism 300) capable of applying an adhesive (glue 7) to the end face.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can align the end faces of the sheet bundle to which the adhesive is applied by the applying means.

(2-8) The binding means includes a cover attaching means (cover holding mechanism 400) capable of attaching a cover (cover cover 9) that wraps the bundle of sheets to the end face to which the adhesive is applied by the applying means. But you can.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can create a booklet by attaching a cover to the end face of the sheet bundle.

(3) Effects of Third Disclosure In view of the same problems as those of the second disclosure, the third disclosure has the following configuration.

(3-1) a first stacking member (first table 1110) having a first surface (first placement surface 1111) that is a substantially horizontal surface on which a first portion of the paper (paper 8A) can be placed;
A second surface (second mounting surface 1121) that is provided side by side with the first stacking member and on which the second portion of the paper can be mounted, and the separating portion (separating portion 1123) is in proximity. The second portion is a portion different from the first portion of the paper, and the proximity portion is located on the first surface side of the second surface. A second integrated member (second table 1120) that is an end portion, and the separation portion is an end portion of the second surface opposite to the first surface;
Paper supply means (paper supply unit 5) capable of supplying the paper so that the paper is placed on both the first surface and the second surface;
A first end portion of the paper that is provided on the opposite side of the second stacking member across the first stacking member and extends in a substantially vertical direction along the first restricting position and is supplied to the paper supply means The first end is a member that contacts the (front end 15) and positions the first end at the first restricting position, and the first end is a first direction from the second surface toward the first surface (front And a first positioning member (pre-alignment plate 150) that is an appropriate position of the predetermined first end, and a sheet conveying device (sheet supply unit 5). And the paper alignment mechanism 100).

According to the present disclosure, the paper supplied by the paper supply means is placed on the first surface and the second surface. Since the separation portion is above the proximity portion, the paper placed on the first surface and the second surface moves in the first direction. The first positioning member contacts the first end of the sheet moving in the first direction, and positions the first end at the first restriction position. The plurality of sheets are stacked on the first stacking member and the second stacking member so that the positions of the respective first end portions coincide with each other. Therefore, the sheet conveying apparatus can accurately match the positions of the plurality of sheets to be stacked without including a roller as in the prior art. Since the paper transport device can suppress the length of the paper transport path, it can suppress at least one of complication and enlargement of the device structure.

(3-2) The sheet conveying device may include a vibration unit (a tapping motor 170, a vibration motor 180) capable of vibrating at least one of the first stacking member and the second stacking member.
In this case, the sheets placed on the first surface and the second surface are easily moved in the first direction by vibration of at least one of the first stacking member and the second stacking member. The first end of the paper is easy to contact the first positioning member. Accordingly, the sheet transport device can accurately match the positions of the plurality of sheets to be stacked.

(3-3) The sheet conveying device is configured to be in a second direction side (right side) that is substantially horizontal with respect to at least one of the first stacking member and the second stacking member. ) And extends in a substantially vertical direction along the second restricting position, contacts the second end (right end 17) of the paper supplied to the paper supply means, and the second end is The second positioning portion is a member positioned at the second restriction position, the second end portion is an end portion in the second direction, and the second restriction position is a second appropriate position of the second end portion. A positioning member (right alignment plate 140) may be provided.
In this case, the second end portion of the paper supplied by the paper supply means is positioned at the second restriction position by the second positioning member. The plurality of sheets are stacked on the first stacking member and the second stacking member so that the positions of the respective second end portions coincide with each other. Accordingly, the sheet transport device can accurately match the positions of the plurality of sheets to be stacked.

(3-4) The sheet conveying device is provided on the third direction side (left side) opposite to the second direction with respect to at least one of the first stacking member and the second stacking member. And extending in a substantially vertical direction along the third restriction position, contacting the third end portion (left end portion 16) of the paper supplied to the paper supply means, and making the third end portion the third restriction portion. A third positioning member (left), wherein the third end is an end in the third direction, and the third restricting position is a predetermined appropriate position of the third end. An alignment plate 130) may be provided.
In this case, the third end portion of the paper supplied by the paper supply means is positioned at the third restriction position by the third positioning member. The plurality of sheets are stacked on the first stacking member and the second stacking member so that the positions of the third end portions thereof coincide with each other. Accordingly, the sheet transport device can accurately match the positions of the plurality of sheets to be stacked.

(3-5) The second stacking member has a first rotational position in which the separation portion is located above the proximity portion about a substantially horizontal axis (fixed shaft 160) orthogonal to the first direction. The movable portion is rotatable between a second rotation position where the separation portion and the proximity portion are substantially equal to each other in a vertical direction, and the second surface has the movable body at the second rotation position. In some cases, it may be a substantially horizontal plane at a position in the vertical direction substantially equal to the first surface.
In this case, as the second stacking member moves from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the plurality of stacked sheets change from a bending position to a position extending in a substantially horizontal direction. Therefore, the sheet conveying device can suppress the generation of folds and wrinkles on the plurality of sheets to be stacked.

(3-6) Binding the end surface on the first end portion side of the sheet transport device and a sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) which is a plurality of sheets placed on the first surface and the second surface. Bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) provided with binding means (glue application mechanism 300 and cover sheet holding mechanism 400) capable of printing.
In this case, the same effect as (2-6) is obtained.

(3-7) The binding means may include application means (glue application mechanism 300) capable of applying an adhesive (glue 7) to the end face.
In this case, the same effect as (2-7) is obtained.

(3-8) The binding means includes a cover sticking means (cover holding mechanism 400) capable of sticking a cover (cover cover 9) that wraps the bundle of sheets to the end surface to which the adhesive is applied by the applying means. But you can.
In this case, the same effect as (2-8) is obtained.

(4) Effects of Fourth Disclosure Conventionally, a bookbinding apparatus having a mechanism for conveying paper is known. For example, an on-line apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-85276 is integrally provided with a reading paper feeding apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a bookbinding apparatus. In the reading paper feeding apparatus, the sheets stacked on the paper feeding deck are conveyed to the image forming apparatus along the first conveyance path. In the image forming apparatus, after the toner image is formed on the sheet, the sheet is supplied to the bookbinding apparatus along the second conveyance path. In the bookbinding apparatus, after the sheets are aligned, the bind tape is bonded to the sheet bundle.

In the above-described online device, for example, when a failure or a design change of the image forming apparatus occurs, it is assumed that another image forming apparatus is used instead of the image forming apparatus provided in advance. When using another image forming apparatus, it is necessary to change the sheet conveyance path provided in the online apparatus according to the structure of the image forming apparatus. In view of such a problem, the fourth disclosure has the following configuration.

(4-1) After an image is formed on the first side of the sheet (sheet 8A), the sheet is conveyed by the first conveyance amount and discharged from the discharge port (sheet discharge port 3A). A mechanism (paper feeding) that takes in from the discharge port and forms an image on a second surface of the sheet opposite to the first surface, and then conveys the sheet by a second conveyance amount and discharges the sheet from the discharge port. An image forming apparatus (first printer 3) including a roller 32, a process unit 35, and a paper discharge roller 37), wherein the first transport amount is a transport of the paper for discharging only a part of the paper from the discharge port. And the second transport amount is a transport amount of the sheet that discharges the entire sheet from the discharge port, and a sheet transport for transporting the sheet discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus Device (paper supply unit 5),
A plate-like member that can be disposed in the vicinity of the discharge port, and a guide surface that is a surface on which the paper discharged from the discharge port can be placed and a surface that extends in a guide direction that is a direction away from the discharge port. A transport plate (route plate 51) having,
The paper is provided along the guide surface downstream of the first position in the guiding direction and upstream of the second position in the guiding direction. A rotating body that is rotatable, and the first position is a position on the guide surface on which a downstream end portion of the paper transported by the first transport amount in the guide direction is placed; The position includes a first transport roller (a plurality of transport rollers 56A) that is a position on the guide surface on which a downstream end portion in the guide direction of the sheet transported by the second transport amount is placed. Paper transport device.

According to the present disclosure, when an image is formed on the first surface of the sheet by the image forming apparatus, a part of the sheet is discharged from the discharge port. The discharged paper is not conveyed by the first conveying roller, but is taken from the discharge port and an image is formed on the second surface. When an image is formed on the second surface of the sheet by the image forming apparatus, the entire sheet is discharged from the discharge port. The discharged paper is transported downstream in the guide direction by the first transport roller.

Therefore, the paper transport device can appropriately transport the paper discharged from a known image forming apparatus capable of duplex printing. For example, when the user replaces the image forming apparatus, the distance from the discharge port of the replaced image forming apparatus to the first transport roller is adjusted according to the first transport amount and the second transport amount of the image forming apparatus after replacement. To do. As a result, the paper transport device can appropriately transport the paper on which the image is formed without having to significantly change the structure of the paper transport device.

(4-2) The paper transport device rotatably supports the first transport roller, and the first transport roller is disposed along at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side in the guide direction along the guide surface. You may provide the supporting member (support part 82) which is a member which can change the position of a roller.
In this case, the user can freely and easily adjust the distance from the discharge port to the first transport roller by changing the position of the first transport roller with the support member.

(4-3) A plate-like member that can be disposed in the vicinity of the discharge port (paper discharge port 3A) of the image forming apparatus (first printer 3) capable of printing an image on paper (paper 8A). A transport plate (path plate 51) having a guide surface which is a surface on which the discharged paper can be placed and extends in a guide direction which is a direction away from the discharge port;
A first transport roller (a plurality of transport rollers 56A) which is a rotating body provided along the guide surface and which is rotatable in a direction of transporting the paper downstream in the guide direction;
A support that is a member that can rotatably support the first transport roller and that can change the position of the first transport roller along at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side in the guide direction along the guide surface. A sheet conveying apparatus (sheet supply section 5) comprising a member (support section 82).

According to the present disclosure, the paper discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus can be placed on the guide surface of the transport plate, and the paper placed on the guide surface is downstream in the guide direction by the first transport roller. Can be conveyed. For example, when exchanging the image forming apparatus, the user can freely and easily adjust the distance from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus after replacement to the first conveying roller by changing the position of the first conveying roller by the support member. . The paper transport device can appropriately transport the paper on which the image is formed without having to significantly change the structure of the paper transport device.

(4-4) The support member can change the position of the first transport roller to any one of a plurality of predetermined reference positions, and the plurality of reference positions have different sizes of the paper. May correspond.
In this case, the user can easily and accurately change the position of the first transport roller according to the size of the paper.

(4-5) The transport plate includes a plate-shaped first plate portion (path plate 51A) and a second plate portion (path plate 51B) provided side by side in the guide direction, and the first plate portion is The transport plate is a member provided at an upstream end in the guide direction and rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis perpendicular to the guide direction, and the second plate portion is the first plate portion. A member that is provided on the downstream side in the guiding direction and that rotatably supports the first plate portion.
In this case, the user can freely change the position and shape of the upstream portion in the guide direction of the transport plate according to, for example, the position and shape of the discharge port by changing the rotation position of the first plate portion with respect to the second plate portion. Can change.

(4-6) The paper transport device is provided along the guide surface downstream of the first transport roller in the guide direction, in a direction of transporting the paper downstream of the guide direction. A second transport roller (a plurality of transport rollers 56B) that is a rotatable rotating body is provided, and the distance in the guide direction between the first transport roller and the second transport roller is the length of the sheet in the guide direction. It may be smaller than this.
In this case, the sheet conveying apparatus can convey the sheet conveyed by the first conveying roller further downstream in the guiding direction by the second conveying roller.

(4-7) A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding) including the sheet transporting device and binding means (the glue application mechanism 300 and the cover holding mechanism 400) capable of binding the plurality of sheets transported by the paper transporting device. The device 1) may be used.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can create a booklet by binding a plurality of sheets conveyed by the sheet conveying apparatus. For example, when replacing the image forming apparatus used in the bookbinding apparatus, the user adjusts the distance from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus after replacement to the first transport roller. Thereby, the bookbinding apparatus can appropriately convey the paper on which the image is formed without having to significantly change the structure of the bookbinding apparatus.

(5) Effect of Fifth Disclosure Conventionally, a bookbinding apparatus is known that includes an application device that forms an adhesive portion to which a cover sheet can be attached by applying an adhesive to the adhesive surface of a sheet bundle. For example, a coating apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4515116 includes a drum and a clamper. The drum rotates around an axis extending in the horizontal direction in a state where the drum is immersed in the molten glue as an adhesive. The clamper holds the sheet bundle with the adhesive surface facing the drum from above, and moves horizontally along a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the drum. The drum applies an adhesive to the bonding surface.

In the above prior art, a drum arranged in a different posture from the above drum is required in order to attach glue to the corners of the adhesive surface of the sheet bundle. Therefore, the mechanism of the bookbinding apparatus may be complicated. In view of such a problem, the fifth disclosure has the following configuration.

(5-1) holding means (paper alignment mechanism 100) capable of holding a plurality of supplied sheets (sheet 8A) in a state of being stacked in a first direction (up and down direction);
Out of the sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) that is the plurality of sheets held by the holding means, the sheet bundle end face (front end face 8B) that is the end face in the second direction (front direction) orthogonal to the first direction. A paper aligning means (paper aligning mechanism 100) capable of aligning substantially the same along the first direction;
A peripheral surface (peripheral surface 351A) that can rotate around an axis that intersects the first direction and the third direction (left-right direction) and is orthogonal to the second direction, to which an adhesive (glue 7) can be attached. An application roller (glue application roller 350) in which the third direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction;
Supply means (main body 349) capable of supplying the adhesive to the peripheral surface;
When the paper aligning means aligns the end face of the sheet bundle substantially flush, the application roller moves to the end face of the sheet bundle by moving at least one of the holding means and the applying roller in the third direction. A moving means (conveyance motor 321) for moving the application roller relative to the end face of the sheet bundle along a position approaching from the second direction side,
A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) comprising: a rotation means (drive motor 319) that rotates the application roller when the moving means relatively moves the application roller.

According to the present disclosure, when the application roller rotates while moving relative to the end face of the sheet bundle, the adhesive adhering to the peripheral surface moves to the end face of the sheet bundle by centrifugal force. The axis of the application roller intersects the first direction and the third direction and is orthogonal to the second direction. Therefore, the rotating peripheral surface rotates so as to rub the adhesive against the corner of the sheet bundle. The corner of the sheet bundle is a portion that connects the end face of the sheet bundle and the first direction end of the sheet bundle. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can apply the adhesive to the sheet bundle end face and corners of the sheet bundle with a simple mechanism including the above-described application roller.

(5-2) The rotating means rotates the coating roller in a rotational direction in which the portion of the peripheral surface closest to the end face of the sheet bundle is directed upstream in the direction in which the coating roller relatively moves. Also good.
In this case, when the coating roller rotates while moving relative to the end face of the sheet bundle, the end face of the sheet bundle comes into contact with the proximity portion and bends. The proximity portion is a portion of the rotating peripheral surface that is closest to the sheet bundle end surface. The proximity portion rotates and moves toward the upstream side in the direction in which the application roller moves relative to the end face of the sheet bundle. Since the frictional resistance generated between the adjacent portion and the sheet bundle end face is relatively small, the sheet bundle end face is easily bent smoothly. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can more reliably allow the adhesive to enter between the plurality of sheets forming the sheet bundle.

(5-3) The rotating means rotates the application roller in a rotation direction in which the portion of the peripheral surface closest to the end face of the sheet bundle moves toward the downstream side in the direction in which the application roller relatively moves. Also good.
In this case, when the application roller rotates while moving relative to the end face of the sheet bundle, the corner of the sheet bundle comes into contact with the proximity portion and bends. The proximity portion rotates and moves toward the downstream side in the direction in which the application roller moves relative to the end face of the sheet bundle. Since the frictional resistance generated between the adjacent portion and the end face of the sheet bundle is relatively large, the corner portion of the sheet bundle is more easily bent. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can apply a sufficient adhesive to the corners of the sheet bundle.

(5-4) The first direction is a vertical direction, and the supply means is a box-like shape capable of storing the adhesive therein, and a member that rotatably holds the application roller in the inside And a storage tank (main body portion 349) having an opening (roller installation portion 343) that exposes a part of the peripheral surface in a direction opposite to the second direction (rearward direction), and the moving means includes: The storage tank may be relatively moved together with the application roller.
In this case, when the moving means moves the storage tank relative to the sheet bundle end surface together with the application roller, the rotation means rotates the application roller. Part of the peripheral surface exposed from the opening applies the adhesive stored in the storage tank to the sheet bundle. Since the axis of the application roller extends in a direction intersecting the horizontal direction, the application roller easily comes into contact with the adhesive in the storage portion regardless of the amount of adhesive stored in the storage portion and the diameter of the peripheral surface. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can appropriately apply the adhesive even if the diameter of the application roller is small.

(5-5) The sheet bundle connects the first end face (upper end face 8F) and the second end face (lower end face 8G), which are both end faces in the first direction, and the sheet bundle end face and the first end face. A first corner portion (first corner portion 8H) that is a portion to be connected, and a second corner portion (second corner portion 8I) that is a portion that connects the end face of the sheet bundle and the second end face. The three directions include a fourth direction (left direction) and a fifth direction (right direction) that are opposite directions, and the moving means reciprocally moves at least one of the holding means and the application roller, After the application roller is relatively moved in the fourth direction, the application roller is relatively moved in the fifth direction, the rotating means is configured to move the application roller relatively moved in the fourth direction, Rotate in the direction of rotation toward the fifth direction and move relative to the fifth direction The application roller is rotated in a rotation direction in which the proximity portion is directed toward the fourth direction side, the proximity portion is a portion of the peripheral surface that is closest to the end face of the sheet bundle, and the application roller is By rotating while relatively moving in four directions, the adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle end surface and the first corner, and by rotating while relatively moving in the fifth direction, the sheet bundle end surface and The adhesive may be applied to the second corner.
In this case, when the application roller relatively moves in the fourth direction, an adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle end face and the first corner. When the application roller relatively moves in the fifth direction, the application roller applies an adhesive to the end face and the second corner of the sheet bundle. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can apply sufficient adhesive to the sheet bundle end face, the first corner, and the second corner by the reciprocating movement of the application roller.

(5-6) The first end surface is an upper end surface of the sheet bundle, the second end surface is a lower end surface of the sheet bundle, and the application roller has the axis line directed upward. You may arrange | position with the attitude | position which inclines to the five direction side.
In this case, the application roller applies the adhesive to the first corner, and then applies the adhesive to the second corner below the first corner. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress the applied adhesive from dropping from the sheet bundle.

(5-7) The application roller may include a plurality of recesses (groove portions 351C) in which a part of the peripheral surface is recessed toward the axis.
In this case, the adhesive supplied to the peripheral surface by the supply means tends to enter the plurality of recesses. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can attach more adhesive to the peripheral surface of the application roller.

(5-8) The moving means may move the application roller among the holding means and the application roller.
In this case, the application roller applies the adhesive to the sheet bundle while moving in the third direction while the holding means for holding the sheet bundle is stationary. No space is required for the holding means to move in the third direction. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can be reduced in size.

(5-9) The supply means may include a heat generating element (heater 347) capable of generating heat, and may supply a thermoplastic adhesive that dissolves when the heat generating element generates heat to the peripheral surface.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus melts and liquefies the adhesive by heating the heating element when applying the adhesive to the sheet bundle. The bookbinding apparatus does not cause the heating element to generate heat when no adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle. The adhesive is changed to a solidified state in which odor is hardly generated. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress the spread of the odor of the adhesive even when the adhesive that generates the odor is used.

(6) Advantageous Effects of Sixth Disclosure Conventionally, a bookbinding apparatus provided with an application device that forms an adhesive part to which a cover sheet can be attached by applying an adhesive to the adhesive surface of a sheet bundle is known. For example, a coating apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4515116 includes a melt tank and a drum. The melt tank has a substantially box shape whose upper side is open, and can store molten glue as an adhesive inside. The drum is rotatable around an axis extending in the horizontal direction while being immersed in the molten paste. The sheet bundle moves horizontally with the adhesive surface facing the rotating drum from above. The drum applies the molten paste stored in the melt tank to the bonding surface.

In the above prior art, a drum having a large diameter is necessary so that the drum can be easily immersed in the molten paste even when the liquid level of the molten paste is lowered. In view of such a problem, the sixth disclosure has the following configuration.

(6-1) holding means (paper aligning mechanism 100) capable of holding a plurality of supplied sheets (sheet 8A) in a state where they are stacked in the vertical direction;
Of the sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) that is the plurality of sheets held by the holding means, a sheet bundle end face (front end face 8B) that is an end face in a first direction (front direction) orthogonal to the up-down direction. Paper aligning means (paper aligning mechanism 100) capable of aligning substantially flush along the vertical direction;
A storage part (glue storage part 342) capable of storing the adhesive (glue 7) and a second direction side (rear side) opposite to the first direction side with respect to the storage part; A box-shaped storage tank (main body part 349) having an opening (roller installation part 343) through which the adhesive can flow out of the storage part;
When the paper aligning means aligns the sheet bundle end surface substantially flush with the sheet bundle end surface, the storage tank is moved in the vertical direction along a position close to the sheet bundle end surface from the first direction side. And a moving means (conveyance motor 321) for moving in a third direction (left-right direction) orthogonal to the first direction;
In the storage tank, a part of the peripheral surface (circumferential surface 351A) is held at a position exposed to the second direction side from the opening, and intersects the third direction and is an axis orthogonal to the first direction. An applicator roller (glue applicator roller 350) that can rotate around
A plurality of groove portions (groove portions 351C) provided along the circumferential direction on the peripheral surface, and each of the plurality of groove portions extends along the axis and is a portion into which the adhesive can enter. (Groove 351C);
A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) comprising: a rotation means (drive motor 319) that rotates the application roller when the moving means moves the storage section.

According to the present disclosure, when the storage tank moves in the third direction, a part of the peripheral surface exposed from the opening portion approaches the sheet bundle end surface that is substantially flush with the first direction side. In the reservoir, the adhesive enters the plurality of grooves. The plurality of grooves move to the opening by the rotation of the application roller, and apply the adhesive to the end face of the sheet bundle. Since the axis of the application roller intersects the third direction and is orthogonal to the first direction, the application roller contacts the adhesive in the storage part regardless of the amount of adhesive stored in the storage part and the diameter of the peripheral surface. easy. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can appropriately apply the adhesive even if the diameter of the application roller is small.

(6-2) The application roller may substantially close the opening in the third direction.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress the odor of the adhesive from leaking to the outside of the storage tank through the opening even when the odor-causing adhesive is used.

(6-3) The storage tank may accommodate at least half of the circumferential surface in the circumferential direction inside.
In this case, the area of the peripheral surface exposed from the opening is less than half of the area of the peripheral surface. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress the spread of the odor of the adhesive even when the adhesive that generates the odor is used.

(6-4) The storage tank also includes a supply path (glue supply path 341A) capable of supplying the adhesive to the storage section, and a closing means (lid member 348) capable of closing the supply port. Good.
In this case, when the adhesive is not supplied to the reservoir, the closing means can close the supply path. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress leakage of the odor of the adhesive to the outside of the storage tank even when using the odor-causing adhesive.

(6-5) The bookbinding apparatus is provided in the storage tank and receives a heating element (heater 347) capable of heating the storage section and the adhesive dropped from the peripheral surface below the application roller. An adhesive receiving portion (glue receiving installation portion 313) on which a first receiving member (glue receiving member 360) can be installed, and a support member provided in the storage tank and supporting the adhesive receiving portion and having heat insulation ( Connecting plate 361), and the reservoir may be able to store a thermoplastic adhesive.
In this case, the application roller applies the adhesive dissolved in the storage tank heated by the heating element to the end face of the sheet bundle. The adhesive dropped from the rotating application roller is collected by the first receiving member. Since the support member has a heat insulating property, the heat generated by the heating element is not easily transmitted to the first receiving member. The liquid adhesive collected in the first receiving member is likely to transition to a solidified state where odor is hardly generated. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress the spread of the odor of the adhesive even when the adhesive that generates the odor is used.

(6-6) The bookbinding apparatus is provided in the storage tank, receives a second dropping member (glue receiving member 1360) below the coating roller, and receives the adhesive dropped from the peripheral surface, and the storage tank. And a delivery means (pump drive mechanism 1380) that collects the adhesive falling on the second receiving member and delivers it to the storage section.
In this case, the adhesive dropped on the second receiving member is sent to the storage part by the sending means and stored again in the storage part. The adhesive is difficult to stay outside the storage tank. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress the spread of the odor of the adhesive even when the adhesive that generates the odor is used.

(6-7) The storage tank may include a wall portion (front wall portion 349A) that surrounds the storage portion from the first direction side and is inclined downward toward the application roller.
In this case, even when the adhesive stored in the storage part decreases, the adhesive easily moves toward the application roller along the wall part. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can appropriately apply the adhesive even if the diameter of the application roller is small.

(7) Effect of Seventh Disclosure Conventionally, a technique for applying an adhesive to an application target with an application roller is known. For example, in the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-11061, the application roller rotates while moving in the left-right direction in a state where the application roller is opposed to the upper surface of the framework as the application object. At this time, the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface of the application roller is substantially the same as the moving speed of the application roller. The application roller applies glue to the upper surface of the framework along the left-right direction.

In the above prior art, since the rotation speed of the application roller is substantially the same as the moving speed, there is a possibility that an appropriate amount of glue cannot be applied to the application object depending on, for example, the type or material of the application object. In view of such a problem, the third disclosure has the following configuration.

(7-1) holding means (paper alignment mechanism 100) capable of holding a plurality of supplied sheets (8A) in a state of being stacked in the first direction (up and down direction);
Out of the sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) that is the plurality of sheets held by the holding means, the sheet bundle end face (front end face 8B) that is the end face in the second direction (front direction) orthogonal to the first direction. A paper aligning means (paper aligning mechanism 100) capable of aligning substantially the same along the first direction;
A plurality of grooves that intersect a third direction (left-right direction) orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction and that can rotate around an axis that is orthogonal to the second direction and extend along the axis. An application roller (glue application roller 350) in which (groove portion 351C) is provided on the peripheral surface (circumferential surface 351A) along the circumferential direction;
Supply means (main body 349) capable of supplying an adhesive to the plurality of grooves;
When the paper aligning means aligns the end face of the sheet bundle substantially flush with the end face of the sheet bundle, the application roller is moved along the position close to the end face of the sheet bundle from the second direction side. Moving means for moving in the direction (conveyance motor 321);
A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) comprising: a rotating means (drive motor 319) capable of rotating the application roller independently of movement of the application roller by the moving means and changing a rotation speed of the application roller. ).

According to the present disclosure, the application roller is rotated while moving in the third direction, whereby the adhesive supplied to the plurality of grooves by the supply unit is applied to the end face of the sheet bundle. The rotating means can rotate the application roller independently of the movement of the application roller, and can change the rotation speed of the application roller. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can apply an appropriate amount of adhesive to the end face of the sheet bundle by rotating the application roller at an appropriate rotation speed according to, for example, the number and type of sheets forming the sheet bundle.

(7-2) The first direction is a vertical direction, and the supply means has a box shape in which the adhesive can be stored inside, holds the application roller rotatably inside the inside, and A storage tank (main body portion 349) having an opening (roller installation portion 343) that exposes a part of the peripheral surface from the inside in a direction opposite to the second direction (rearward direction). The application roller may be moved together with the storage tank.
In this case, when the storage tank moves in the third direction, a part of the peripheral surface exposed from the opening by the rotation of the application roller applies the adhesive stored in the storage tank to the sheet bundle end surface. Since the axis of the application roller extends in a direction intersecting the horizontal direction, the application roller easily comes into contact with the adhesive in the storage tank regardless of the amount of adhesive stored in the storage tank and the diameter of the peripheral surface. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can appropriately apply the adhesive even if the diameter of the application roller is small.

(7-3) The third direction includes a fourth direction and a fifth direction which are opposite directions, and the moving means moves the application roller at least once in both the fourth direction and the fifth direction. The rotating means may move and rotate at least one of the application roller moving in the fourth direction and the application roller moving in the fifth direction.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can adjust the amount of adhesive applied to the end face of the sheet bundle by adjusting the rotation of the application roller in accordance with the moving direction of the application roller.

(7-4) The rotating means rotates the application roller moving in the fourth direction and the application roller moving in the fifth direction, respectively, and the moving means varies the moving speed of the application roller. The movement speed of the application roller that moves in the fourth direction may be different from the movement speed of the application roller that moves in the fifth direction.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can adjust the amount of the adhesive applied to the end face of the sheet bundle by adjusting the moving speed of the applying roller according to the moving direction of the applying roller.

(7-5) The moving means moves the application roller between a first end (right end 8C) and a second end (left end 8D) that are both ends in the third direction on the end face of the sheet bundle. When the coating roller moves between the first end portion and the second end portion a first number of times (twice), the rotating means moves at a peripheral speed substantially the same as the moving speed of the coating roller. When the application roller that has rotated the peripheral surface and moved the first number of times moves a second number of times (two times) between the one end and the other end, the periphery is faster than the moving speed of the application roller. The peripheral surface may be rotated at a speed.
In this case, when the application roller moves the first time, the frictional resistance generated between the adhesive immediately after being applied to the end face of the sheet bundle and the peripheral surface to which the adhesive is applied is relatively small. Since the adhesive easily adheres to the end face of the sheet bundle, the application roller can apply the adhesive evenly to the end face of the sheet bundle. Further, when the application roller moves a second number of times, the adhesive immediately after being applied to the end face of the sheet bundle is urged toward the end face of the sheet bundle. The adhesive applied to the end face of the sheet bundle easily enters between a plurality of sheets forming the sheet bundle. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can apply the adhesive to the end face of the sheet bundle and simultaneously allow the adhesive to enter between a plurality of sheets forming the sheet bundle.

(7-6) When the application roller that has moved the second number of times moves a third number of times (twice) between the one end portion and the other end portion, the rotation means determines the moving speed of the application roller. The peripheral surface may be rotated at substantially the same peripheral speed.
In this case, when the application roller moves a third number of times, the moving speed and the peripheral speed are substantially the same, so that the adhesive is evenly applied to the end face of the sheet bundle. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can apply the adhesive to the end face of the sheet bundle and simultaneously allow the adhesive to enter between a plurality of sheets forming the sheet bundle.

(7-7) The rotating means rotates the peripheral surface at different peripheral speeds when the application roller moves in the fourth direction and when the application roller moves in the fifth direction. May be.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can adjust the amount of adhesive applied to the end face of the sheet bundle by adjusting the peripheral speed of the peripheral surface according to the moving direction of the application roller.

(8) Effect of Eighth Disclosure Conventionally, a bookbinding apparatus that performs packet binding is known. For example, in the bookbinding apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-25755, the intermediate sheets stacked by the stacking mechanism are transported in the horizontal direction toward the vertical transport path. Two covers are supplied from the cover supply mechanism to the vertical conveyance path. One end side of the supplied two cover sheets is attached to the end side of the middle paper with a binding tape. A cover that covers the two covers is supplied from the cover supply mechanism to the vertical conveyance path. The inner paper with the two cover sheets attached is wrapped in the cover by being conveyed in the horizontal direction toward the supplied cover.

In the above prior art, since the cover and the cover are conveyed by a large number of fixed rollers, there is a high probability that any of the fixed rollers will cause a paper jam. In view of such a problem, the eighth disclosure has the following configuration.

(8-1) A sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) which is a plurality of sheets (sheet 8A) stacked in a first direction (vertical direction) can be held, and the first direction is a direction opposite to each other. Paper holding means (table 110) including a direction (downward) and a third direction (upward);
A first portion which is provided on the fourth direction side (front side) with respect to the sheet holding means and which is a part of a cover (cover 9) supplied to a predetermined position (cover cover supply port 22) is formed in the fourth and fifth directions. The fourth direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction, the fifth direction is a direction opposite to the fourth direction, and the first direction is the first direction. Holding force is a first clamping means (lower clamp 440) that is a force that prevents the first portion from moving in the first direction;
The second portion of the cover that is disposed opposite to the first clamping means in the third direction and supplied to the predetermined position can be clamped from the fourth direction and the fifth direction with a second holding force. The second part is a part of the cover that is closer to the third direction than the first part, and the second holding force is a force that prevents the second part from moving in the first direction. Certain second clamping means (upper clamp 430);
The first clamping means can be transported from the predetermined position to a target position substantially parallel to the second direction, and the target position is the target end face of the cover sheet held by the first clamping means and the second clamping means. First driving means (a front end face of the sheet bundle 8) facing from the fourth direction side, and the target end face is an end face in the fourth direction of the sheet bundle held by the sheet holding means ( Elevating motor 450);
The first holding means holds the first portion with the first holding force of a first value (first bias value), and the second holding means holds the second portion with a second value (substantially 0). (Or the second urging value) in the state of being held by the second holding force, the first driving means is caused to convey the first holding means by the first conveying force, and the first holding force of the first value is First control means (S13, S17 to S25 or S51, which is a force larger than the second holding force of the second value, and the first conveying force is a force larger than the second holding force of the second value). Control unit 900) for executing S55 to S65;
With the first clamping means being at the target position, the cover sheet clamped by the first clamping means and the second clamping means is attached to the target end surface of the sheet bundle held by the sheet holding means A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) provided with possible cover attachment means (paper alignment mechanism 100 and glue application mechanism 300).

According to the present disclosure, the cover supplied to a predetermined position is sandwiched by the first sandwiching means with the first holding force having the first value, and is sandwiched by the second sandwiching means with the second holding force having the second value. . The first clamping means is transported from the predetermined position to the target position with a transport force larger than the second value of the second holding force. The cover sheet sandwiched by the first sandwiching means and the second sandwiching means is attached to the target end face in a state of facing the target end face of the sheet bundle held by the sheet holding means. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can execute bookbinding with a simple structure in which the first clamping means is moved linearly and paper jamming is suppressed. In the bookbinding apparatus, the cover sheet is held in a posture extending in parallel to the target end surface of the sheet bundle due to the tension, so that the cover sheet can be accurately attached to the sheet bundle.

(8-2) The first direction is substantially parallel to the vertical direction, the second direction is substantially parallel to the downward direction, the third direction is substantially parallel to the upward direction, the fourth direction and the The fifth direction may be substantially parallel to the horizontal direction.
In this case, the cover sheet is attached in a posture that extends in the vertical direction with respect to the sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked in the vertical direction. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately attach the cover to the sheet bundle.

(8-3) The cover attachment means can form an adhesive part on the target end surface of the sheet bundle held by the paper holding means, and the adhesive part is a part to which the cover can be attached With the forming means (glue application mechanism 300) and the first clamping means in the target position, the paper holding means can be conveyed in the fourth direction to the contact position, and the contact position is the formation of the adhesive portion. Second drive means (conveyance motor 121) that is a position where the adhesive portion formed by the means and the cover sheet sandwiched by the first sandwiching means and the second sandwiching means are in contact with each other; and the second drive means The sheet holding means is conveyed with a second conveying force, and when the sheet holding means reaches the contact position, the first portion is placed in the first clamping means with a third value (substantially 0). With the first holding force, The second holding means holds the second portion with the second holding force having a fourth value (substantially 0), and the first holding force having the third value is the first holding force having the first value. The second holding force of the fourth value is a force smaller than the second holding force of the second value, and the second conveying force is the first holding force of the third value and the second holding force. You may have the 2nd control means (control part 900 which performs operation | movement shown in S31 and FIG. 45 or operation | movement shown in S71 and FIG. 45) which is force larger than the 2nd holding force of a 4th value.
In this case, when the adhesive portion of the sheet bundle comes into contact with the cover, the first holding force and the second holding force are smaller than the conveying force of the sheet holding unit. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can release the cover from the first sandwiching means and the second sandwiching means when the adhesive portion of the sheet bundle contacts the cover.

(8-4) When the first clamping means is at the target position, the first clamping means and the second clamping means are configured such that the cover extends in the first direction across the contact position. You may hold a cover.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can attach the cover to the sheet bundle while suppressing wrinkles and slack from occurring on the cover.

(8-5) The second holding force of the second value is the second holding force of the fifth value (substantially 0) and the second holding force of the sixth value (second bias value). The second holding force of the sixth value is larger than the second holding force of the fifth value, and the first control means is configured such that the first holding means is in the middle position from the predetermined position (holding execution). The second portion is held by the second holding force of the fifth value while the first holding portion is transferred from the midway position to the target position. In the meantime, the second portion may be held by the second holding means with the second holding force of the sixth value, and the intermediate position may be a position provided between the predetermined position and the target position.
In this case, the second holding force is increased while the first clamping means is being conveyed from the predetermined position to the target position. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can prevent the cover sheet being conveyed from being released from the second clamping unit due to, for example, its own weight and vibration.

(8-6) At least one of the first clamping means and the second clamping means is a pair of plate portions (rear plates) that are disposed opposite to each other in the fourth direction and that can be displaced between the clamping position and the release position. 431, 441 and front plates 432, 442), and the holding position is a position where the pair of plate portions are moved in a direction approaching each other, and a position where the cover sheet is held by the pair of plate portions, The release position is a position where the pair of plate portions are moved away from each other, and a position where the cover is movable within a predetermined area ( operation areas 430A, 440A), and the predetermined area is the pair of plates. A space formed between the portions and a space where the cover sheet supplied to the predetermined position enters from the third direction side may be used.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can execute the bookbinding in which the paper jam is suppressed while transporting the cover with a simple structure in which the pair of plate portions are moved close to or apart from each other.

(9) Effects of Ninth Disclosure In view of the same problems as the eighth disclosure, the ninth disclosure has the following configuration.

(9-1) A sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) that is a plurality of sheets (sheet 8A) stacked in a first direction (vertical direction) can be held, and the first direction is a direction opposite to each other. Paper holding means (table 110) including a direction (downward) and a third direction (upward);
It is provided on the fourth direction side (front side) with respect to the sheet holding means, and can sandwich the target end (lower end) of the cover (cover 9) that can cover the bundle of sheets. A first clamping means (lower clamp 440), which is a direction orthogonal to one direction, and the target end is an end in the second direction of the cover;
The first clamping means can be transported between the supply position (cover cover supply port 22) and the target position substantially parallel to the first direction, and the supply position is closer to the third direction than the paper holding means. The first clamping means is a position where the cover is supplied from the third direction side to the first clamping means, and the target position is provided on the second direction side from the supply position. The front cover is a position facing the target end face (front end face of the sheet bundle 8) from the fourth direction side, and the target end face is the fourth direction of the sheet bundle held by the paper holding means. First driving means (elevating motor 450) which is an end face of
Cover attachment means (paper alignment mechanism 100 and glue application mechanism 300) capable of attaching the cover sandwiched by the first sandwiching means at the target position to the target end surface of the sheet bundle held by the sheet retaining means. )
The first clamping means is
A pair of plate-like members disposed opposite to each other in the fourth direction and a pair of first plate portions (rear plate 441 and front plate 442) that are displaceable between a first clamping position and a first release position; The first clamping position is a position where the pair of first plate portions are moved in a direction close to each other, and the cover sheet in the first region (in the operation region 440A) is clamped by the pair of first plate portions. The first release position is a position where the pair of first plate portions are moved away from each other, and a position where the cover is movable in the first area. Is a space formed between the pair of first plate portions, and the pair of firsts which are spaces where the cover sheet supplied to the first clamping means at the supply position enters from the third direction side. A plate part;
A regulating portion that regulates movement of the target end portion in the second direction by contacting the target end portion of the cover that has entered the first region from the third direction side from the second direction side. A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) having a pair of regulating pins 465).

According to the present disclosure, the sheet bundle is held by the sheet holding unit. The cover sheet supplied to the predetermined position is transported to a position facing the target end face of the sheet bundle by the first clamping means, and attached to the target end face by the cover attaching means. The first clamping means has a pair of first plate portions that can be displaced between a first clamping position and a first release position. When the pair of first plate portions is in the first release position, the cover can enter the first region. The target end portion of the cover that has entered the first region comes into contact with a restriction portion included in the first clamping means, and movement in the second direction is restricted. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can execute bookbinding with a simple structure in which the first clamping means is moved linearly and paper jamming is suppressed. Since the bookbinding apparatus can accurately position the cover with respect to the first clamping means for conveying the cover, the cover can be accurately positioned with respect to the sheet bundle.

(9-2) The bookbinding apparatus is arranged to face the first direction and can fold the cover along the target end surface by sandwiching the booklet held by the paper holding means in the first direction. The booklet includes a pair of clamping portions (upper clamp 470 and lower clamp 480) that are the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached, and the first driving means includes the first clamping means. When transporting from the supply position to the target position, the regulation unit transports the first clamping means in the second direction to a position that is a predetermined distance away from the reference position in the second direction, and the reference position is The center position of the first direction in the clamping portion may be used.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately position the cover with respect to the center position between the pair of sandwiching portions that bend the cover.

(9-3) The predetermined distance is approximately half of the length of the cover in the first direction (cover page size), or the center position in the first direction (data center position M2) in the image formed on the cover. Or the distance from the target end.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately position the approximate center position in the first direction on the cover or the approximate center position in the first direction on the cover image with respect to the center position between the pair of sandwiching portions.

(9-4) The first direction is substantially parallel to the vertical direction, the second direction is substantially parallel to the downward direction, the third direction is substantially parallel to the upward direction, and the fourth direction is horizontal. It may be substantially parallel to the direction.
In this case, the cover sheet is attached in a posture that extends in the vertical direction with respect to the sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked in the vertical direction. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately attach the cover to the sheet bundle.

(9-5) The bookbinding apparatus includes a cover sheet supply unit (cover sheet supply unit 6) that supplies the cover sheet from the third direction toward the first region in a state where the first clamping unit is in the supply position. ) And first control means (control for executing the operation shown in FIG. 37) for executing control to displace the pair of first plate portions to the first release position while the cover is supplied by the cover supply means. Part 900) and the control of the first control means, the first driving means is moved to the first driving means in a state where the pair of first plate parts are displaced to the first clamping position. After the control of the second control means (the control unit 900 for executing S9 to S11 or S47 to S49) for executing the control for transporting in the second direction and the control of the second control means, the pair of first controls With the plate portion displaced to the first release position, the first Control is performed by third control means (control unit 900 that executes S13 to S15 or S51 to S53) that controls the drive means to convey the first clamping means in the third direction and the third control means. Then, with the pair of first plate portions displaced to the first clamping position, the first driving means performs control to convey the first clamping means to the target position in the second direction. Fourth control means (control unit 900 for executing S17 to S19, S25 or S55 to S57, S65).
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can reliably contact the target end portion of the cover sheet supplied by the cover sheet supply unit with the control unit by each control of the first to fourth control units.

(9-6) The bookbinding apparatus includes a pair of second plate portions (a rear plate 431 and a front plate 432) disposed to face the first clamping means in the third direction, and The two plate portions are a pair of plate-like members arranged opposite to each other in the fourth direction and can be displaced between a second holding position and a second release position, and the second holding position is the pair of second members A position where the plate portions are moved in a direction approaching each other, and a position where the cover is sandwiched between the pair of second plate portions, and the second release position is a direction separating the pair of second plate portions from each other. And the cover is a position where the cover can move in the second area (in the operation area 430A), and the second area is a space formed between the pair of second plate portions. Two clamping means (upper clamp 430), and when the first clamping means is in the supply position The second clamping means is in contact with the first clamping means from the third direction side, and the first area and the second area communicate with each other in the first direction. With the one clamping means in the supply position, the cover is supplied to the first area through the second area, and the first control means is supplied with the cover by the cover supply means. Meanwhile, the pair of second plate portions may be displaced to the second release position.
In this case, the cover supplied by the cover supply means enters the first area via the second area. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can stably hold the cover sheet by both the first holding means and the second holding means.

(9-7) The bookbinding apparatus includes second driving means (elevating motor 450 for moving the upper clamp 430 up and down via the lower clamp 440) capable of conveying the second clamping means substantially parallel to the first direction. The second control means is configured to synchronize the second clamping means with the first clamping means in a state where the pair of second plate portions are displaced to the second clamping position. The second control unit is moved in the second direction, and the third control unit displaces the second clamping unit in the second driving unit in a state where the pair of second plate portions are displaced to the second release position. You may move to the said 3rd direction synchronizing with a clamping means.
In this case, the second clamping means is moved and opened / closed in synchronization with the operation of the first clamping means. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can securely clamp the cover sheet supplied by the cover sheet supplying unit with both the first clamping unit and the second clamping unit.

(9-8) The cover cover attaching unit can form an adhesive part on the target end surface of the sheet bundle held by the paper holding unit, and the adhesive part is a part to which the cover sheet can be attached The forming means (glue application mechanism 300) and the paper holding means can be transported to the contact position in the fourth direction. You may have the 3rd drive means (paper alignment mechanism 100) which is a position where the said cover which the said object edge part was clamped by the means contacts.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can paste the cover sheet on the sheet bundle while suppressing the posture of the sheet bundle held by the sheet holding unit from changing.

(10) Advantageous Effects of Tenth Disclosure Conventionally, a bookbinding apparatus that performs packet binding is known. For example, in the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-80236, a pair of clampers sandwich a booklet bundle, and the booklet bundle is conveyed in the order of a milling processing unit, a gluing processing unit, and a cover attaching processing unit. The milling cutter cuts the back surface of the booklet bundle conveyed to the milling processing unit. The glue roller applies glue to the back of the booklet bundle conveyed to the glue processing unit. The pair of nip plates affix a cover on the back of the booklet bundle conveyed to the cover attachment processing unit. In the above apparatus, the dimensions of the booklet bundle and the cover are measured between the stator and the measuring element. In accordance with the measured dimensions, the position of a clamping unit (for example, a pair of clampers and a pair of nip plates) that is a member that clamps a booklet bundle or a cover is controlled.

In the above-described conventional technique, the position of the clamping unit that directly clamps the booklet bundle or the cover is controlled. Therefore, when the positioning accuracy of the clamping unit is poor, an accurate bookbinding operation may not be performed. For example, when the positioning accuracy of the pair of clampers is poor, the booklet bundle may fall from the pair of clampers. Therefore, in order to accurately position the cover with respect to the booklet bundle, high-precision and complicated control is necessary. In view of such a problem, the tenth disclosure has the following configuration.

(10-1) a sheet holding means (table 110) capable of holding a sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) which is a plurality of sheets (sheet 8A) stacked in the first direction (vertical direction);
Provided on the second direction side (front side) of the sheet holding means, can hold the cover (cover 9) supplied to a predetermined position (cover cover opening 22), and moves substantially parallel to the first direction. A cover holding means (movable part 401) in which the second direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction;
The cover sheet is provided in the cover sheet holding unit and can convey the cover sheet held by the cover sheet holding unit in a predetermined state substantially parallel to the first direction. In the predetermined state, the cover sheet is a target end surface (the front end of the sheet bundle 8 A cover sheet conveying means (upper clamp 430 and lower clamp 440), wherein the target end surface is an end surface in the second direction of the sheet bundle;
The thickness of the sheet bundle held by the sheet holding means can be acquired, and the thickness is the thickness acquisition means (the control unit that executes S7 or S45) that is the length of the sheet bundle in the first direction. 900),
The cover can be transported to the cover transport means to a first adjustment position, and the first adjustment position is a specific position of the cover (cover center position M1 or data center position M2) and a reference position of the cover cover holding means (attachment) The specific position is a position in the first direction predetermined on the cover, and the reference position is the first direction predetermined in the cover holding means. First control means (control unit 900 that executes S25 or S65),
The cover holding means can be moved to a second adjustment position according to the thickness acquired by the thickness acquisition means, and the second adjustment position is the width of the sheet bundle held by the paper holding means. A center position (thickness center position H2) coincides with the reference position, and the width center position is a center position of the sheet bundle in the first direction (control to execute S27 or S67). Part 900),
While the cover is in the first adjustment position and the cover holding means is in the second adjustment position, the cover is held by the cover holding means on the target end surface of the sheet bundle held by the paper holding means. A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) comprising: a cover attachment means (paper alignment mechanism 100 and glue application mechanism 300) capable of attaching the cover.

According to the present disclosure, the sheet bundle is held by the sheet holding unit. The cover supplied to the predetermined position is held by the cover holding means. The cover held by the cover holding means is conveyed to the first adjustment position by the cover conveying means. Thereby, the specific position of the cover and the reference position of the cover holding means substantially coincide. The cover sheet holding means is moved to the second adjustment position according to the thickness of the sheet bundle. As a result, the center position of the width of the sheet bundle and the reference position of the cover holding means substantially coincide. The cover sheet held by the cover sheet holding unit is attached to the target end surface of the sheet bundle held by the sheet holding unit in a state where the specific position of the cover sheet and the width center position of the sheet bundle substantially coincide. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately position the cover with respect to the booklet bundle with simple control, and can accurately create the booklet with the cover attached to the sheet bundle.

(10-2) The first direction includes a third direction (downward direction) and a fourth direction (upward direction) that are opposite directions, and the cover sheet transporting means includes a target end (lower end) of the cover sheet. A restriction portion (a pair of restriction pins 465) that can be contacted from the third direction side, and can hold the target end portion that contacts the restriction portion, and the target end portion is the third portion of the cover. End holding means (lower clamp 440) that is an end in the direction, and first drive means (elevating motor 450) capable of transporting the end holding means from the predetermined position substantially parallel to the third direction. The specific position is a position that is a predetermined distance away from the target end in the fourth direction on the cover in the predetermined state, and the first control means connects the target end to the end holding means. In a state where the portion is held, the restricting portion is moved away from the reference position. Serial until said predetermined distance away position in the third direction, may be transported to the end supporting means to the first drive means.
In this case, the conveyance control of the edge holding means is executed with reference to the restriction portion where the target edge of the cover is positioned. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately position the cover held on the cover transport means.

(10-3) The predetermined distance is approximately half the length of the cover in the first state in the predetermined state, and the specific position is the first direction in the cover in the predetermined state. A substantially center position (cover center position M1) may be used.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately position the substantially center position in the first direction on the cover with respect to the width center position of the sheet bundle.

(10-4) The bookbinding apparatus can detect a mark (mark 9B) indicating an image center position (data center position M2) from the cover sheet supplied to or held by the cover sheet holding unit, and the image center position Comprises a detection means (mark sensor 499) which is the center position in the first direction in the image formed on the cover, and the first control means is the image center position indicated by the mark detected by the detection means. The cover sheet may be transported by the cover sheet transport means to a position where the reference position substantially coincides with the reference position.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately position the approximate center position in the first direction in the image formed on the cover with respect to the width center position of the sheet bundle.

(10-5) The bookbinding apparatus is arranged to face the cover in the first direction in the cover holding means, and holds the book in the first direction by holding the booklet held in the paper holding means in the first direction. The booklet includes a pair of clamping portions (upper clamp 470 and lower clamp 480) that are the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached, and the reference position is the pair of members. It may be the center position in the first direction in the clamping portion.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately position the cover with respect to the center position between the pair of sandwiching portions that bend the cover.

(10-6) The thickness acquisition unit includes the number of sheets (the number of sheets) constituting the sheet bundle held by the sheet holding unit and the length of the sheets in the first direction (sheet thickness). ) And the thickness may be acquired.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can easily and accurately obtain the thickness of the sheet bundle.

(10-7) The cover cover attaching means can form an adhesive portion on the target end face of the sheet bundle held by the paper holding means, and the adhesive portion is a portion to which the cover can be attached The forming means (glue application mechanism 300) and the paper holding means can be conveyed to the contact position in the second direction, and the contact position is in contact with the adhesive portion formed by the adhesive portion forming means and the cover sheet holding means. You may have the 2nd drive means (paper alignment mechanism 100) which is a position which the said held | maintenance cover contacts.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can paste the cover sheet on the sheet bundle while suppressing the posture of the sheet bundle held by the sheet holding unit from changing.

(11) Advantageous Effects of Eleventh Disclosure Conventionally, a bookbinding apparatus that performs packet binding is known. For example, in the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-80236, the pair of clampers separates from the booklet bundle by releasing the holding of the booklet bundle by the pair of clampers in order to wrap the booklet bundle with the attached cover. There is a need. In this case, another clamper different from the pair of clampers is required to support the booklet bundle that has been released. When another clamper is provided, the device structure may be complicated. In view of such a problem, the eleventh disclosure has the following configuration.

(11-1) A plurality of sheets having a first surface (mounting surface 110A) which is a substantially flat surface on which a sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8) can be placed, and the sheet bundle is stacked in a first direction (upward direction). First loading means (table 110), wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the first surface and is upward from the horizontal direction;
A cover (cover sheet 9) capable of covering the sheet bundle can be attached to a target end surface (front end surface) of the sheet bundle placed on the first surface, and the target end surface is in the second direction of the sheet bundle. (Front direction) end surface, and the second direction is a direction substantially perpendicular to the first surface, cover attachment means (paper alignment mechanism 100, glue application mechanism 300, and cover holding mechanism 400),
The booklet (booklet 10) placed on the first surface can be sandwiched from the first direction and the third direction (downward direction), and the booklet is the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached by the cover attachment means. The clamping means (upper clamp 470 and lower clamp 480) in which the third direction is opposite to the first direction;
By performing at least one of an operation of moving the first placement unit in the third direction and an operation of moving the clamping unit in the first direction in a state where the booklet is clamped by the clamping unit. The first loading means and the clamping means can be moved relative to each other in a direction away from each other, and the booklet held by the clamping means can be moved to a retracted position (receiving position). Is a first drive means (control unit 900 for executing the transport motor 422 and S81 to S83) that is a position where the booklet is separated from the first surface in the first direction;
The booklet has a second surface (mounting surface 110A) that is a substantially flat surface on which the booklet can be placed, and the second surface is provided at a position separated from the booklet at the retracted position in the third direction. Two mounting means (table 110);
After the booklet is moved to the retracted position by the first driving means, at least one of an action of moving the clamping means in the third direction and an action of moving the second placement means in the first direction By executing the above, the second placing means and the sandwiching means are relatively moved in a direction approaching each other, and the booklet sandwiched by the sandwiching means is moved to the placement position (paste reference position). The above-described placement position is a second driving means (the transport motor 422 and the control unit 900 that executes steps S85 to S95) that is a position where the booklet is placed on the second surface from the first direction side. And a bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1).

According to the present disclosure, a booklet is created by attaching a cover to the target end surface of the sheet bundle placed on the first surface. When the first placing unit and the sandwiching unit are relatively moved in the direction away from each other, the booklet sandwiched by the sandwiching unit is separated from the first surface. Next, when the second placing unit and the sandwiching unit are relatively moved in a direction approaching each other, the booklet sandwiched by the sandwiching unit is placed on the second surface. Therefore, the booklet sandwiched by one sandwiching means is conveyed from the first surface to the second surface through a state separated from the first surface and the second surface. The bookbinding apparatus can wrap a booklet bundle with a cover without complicating the apparatus structure.

(11-2) The first direction may be substantially parallel to the upward direction, the third direction may be substantially parallel to the downward direction, and the second direction may be substantially parallel to the horizontal direction.
In this case, a cover is attached to a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked in the vertical direction. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately attach the cover to the sheet bundle in a stable posture.

(11-3) The cover attachment means is an application means capable of forming an adhesive portion to which the cover can be attached by applying an adhesive to the target end face of the sheet bundle placed on the first surface. (Glue application mechanism 300) and application means (paper alignment mechanism 100 and cover holding mechanism 400) capable of attaching the cover to the adhesive part by bringing the cover into contact with the adhesive part formed by the application means You may have.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can affix the cover to the sheet bundle while suppressing the posture of the sheet bundle placed on the first surface from changing.

(11-4) The coating means is rotatable around an axis orthogonal to the second direction and intersecting the fourth direction (left-right direction), and a peripheral surface (peripheral surface) to which the adhesive is supplied 351A), and the fourth direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction, and the cover attachment means is Third drive means (conveyance motor 321) capable of moving at least one of the first placement means and the application means in the fourth direction along a position where the peripheral surface and the target end face are close to each other. You may have.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can form an adhesive portion on the target end surface of the sheet bundle by simple control that relatively moves the first placement unit and the coating unit.

(11-5) The sticking means includes a cover holding means (cover cover holding mechanism 400) capable of holding the cover at a position facing the adhesive portion formed by the applying means from the second direction side; There is provided a fourth driving means (paper alignment mechanism 100) capable of bringing the cover held by the cover holding means into contact with the adhesive portion by moving the first placing means in the second direction. May be.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can attach the cover to the sheet bundle with a simple control for moving the first placement unit in the second direction.

(11-6) The sandwiching means sandwiches the cover attached to the adhesive portion along the target end surface by sandwiching the target end (front end) of the booklet placed on the first surface. And the target end portion may be an end portion in the second direction of the booklet.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can execute both the conveyance of the booklet and the folding of the cover by one clamping means.

(11-7) The first mounting means and the second mounting means are fixed in positions in the first direction and the third direction, and the first driving means is configured to hold the clamping means in the first direction. The second driving means may be moved in one direction, and the clamping means may be moved in the third direction.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can convey the booklet from the first surface to the second surface only by moving the holding means.

(11-8) The first mounting means and the second mounting means may be one member having the first surface and the second surface which are the same surface.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus does not need to separately provide the first placing means and the second placing means, and therefore the apparatus structure can be simplified.

(11-9) The second placing means is movable so as to move in a direction opposite to the second direction (backward direction) when the booklet moved by the second driving means contacts the second surface. It may be the body.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress bending of the end portion of the booklet placed on the second surface.

(11-10) The first driving means relatively moves the first mounting means and the clamping means at a first speed, and the second driving means is configured to move the second mounting means and the clamping means. The means may be moved relatively at a second speed that is slower than the first speed.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress the time required for transporting the booklet from the first surface to the second surface, and can prevent the booklet placed on the second surface from being damaged.

(11-11) The second driving means relatively moves the second placing means and the clamping means after a predetermined time has elapsed since the booklet was moved to the retracted position by the first driving means. It may be moved.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can place the booklet on the second surface after the vibration generated in the booklet moved to the retracted position has subsided.

(11-12) The first placement unit may be a movable body that moves in a direction opposite to the second direction while the booklet is moved to the retracted position by the first driving unit.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can smoothly separate the booklet held by the holding means from the first surface.

(12) Effects of the Twelfth Disclosure Conventionally, a cutting device for cutting a sheet bundle is known. In the cutting apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-252890, the chuck mechanism sandwiches the bookbinding product and passes between the top cutting unit and the ground cutting unit, and then the bookbinding product is separated from the top cutting unit and the ground cutting unit. Transport to unit. The top and bottom cutting unit and the ground cutting unit cut both sides of the bound book at the same time. Further, the chuck mechanism conveys the bookbinding product to the fore edge cutting unit. The small edge cutting unit cuts the small edge side of the bound book.

In the above prior art, if the center position between the heaven cutting unit and the earth cutting unit does not match the center position of the bookbinding product in the vertical direction, the binding position of the bookbinding product is shifted from the proper position in the vertical direction. ing. In this case, in the bound product after cutting, there is a possibility that the image printed on the paper is shifted upward or downward from the planned position. In view of such a problem, the twelfth disclosure has the following configuration.

(12-1) A blade that extends in a substantially horizontal first direction (front-rear direction) and cuts the sheet bundle (booklet 10) in a substantially vertical direction (vertical direction). A first cutter (blade edge 525A) which is a plurality of stacked sheets (sheet 8A);
A blade extending in parallel to the first cutter and facing the first cutter from a second direction (left direction), for cutting the sheet bundle in a substantially vertical direction, wherein the second direction is A second cutter (cutting edge 515A) which is a direction orthogonal to the first direction;
The first alignment surface (the left surface of the alignment plate 528), which is a surface extending in the substantially vertical direction and the first direction, has a first alignment position (alignment execution position) and a first standby position (initial stage). The first alignment position is a position separated in the third direction (right direction) from the reference center position (inter-cutter center position Z) by a distance approximately half the paper size. The third direction is a direction opposite to the second direction, the paper size is the length of the paper in the second direction or the third direction, and the reference center position is the first cutter and the first direction. A cutting device (cutting device) comprising a first alignment means (alignment portion 527) that is a central position between two cutters, and wherein the first standby position is a position away from the first alignment position in the third direction. Mechanism 500).

According to the present disclosure, when the first alignment surface is moved from the first standby position to the first alignment position in a state where the sheet bundle is disposed between the first cutter and the second cutter, the first alignment surface is contacted. The end surface of the sheet bundle is positioned at the first alignment position. The center position in the second direction or the third direction of the sheet bundle coincides with the center position between the first cutter and the second cutter. Therefore, the cutting device can cut the sheet bundle at an appropriate position.

(12-2) The cutting device has a second alignment surface (a right surface of the alignment plate 518) which is a surface extending in parallel with the first alignment surface, and the second alignment surface is set to a second alignment position (alignment preparation). Position) and a second standby position (initial position), and the second alignment position is a position separated from the reference center position in the second direction by a distance less than half of the paper size. The second standby position may include second alignment means (alignment portion 517) that is a position away from the second alignment position in the second direction.
In this case, when the second aligning surface is moved from the second standby position to the second aligning position in a state where the sheet bundle is disposed between the first cutter and the second cutter, the sheet bundle contacting the second aligning surface. Is positioned at the second alignment position. Therefore, the cutting device can arrange the center position of the sheet bundle in the second direction or the third direction on the third direction side with respect to the center position between the first cutter and the second cutter.

(12-3) The second alignment means moves the second alignment surface in the third direction from the second standby position to the second alignment position (S101), and further moves the second alignment surface to the second alignment surface. The second alignment position is moved from the second alignment position to the second standby position in the second direction (S103), and the first alignment means moves at least the second alignment surface from the second alignment position toward the second standby position. After the start, the first alignment surface is moved in the second direction from the first standby position to the first alignment position (S105), and the first alignment surface is moved from the first alignment position to the first standby position. You may move to the said 3rd direction to a position (S107).
In this case, before the first alignment surface moves from the first standby position to the first alignment position, the second alignment surface moves from the second standby position to the second alignment position. Therefore, the cutting device can reliably contact the first alignment surface with the end surface of the sheet bundle.

(12-4) The distance in the second direction or the third direction between the first standby position and the second standby position may be larger than the paper size.
In this case, the cutting device can arrange paper bundles of various paper sizes between the first alignment surface and the second alignment surface.

(12-5) The second alignment surface may be provided at a position facing the first alignment surface from the second direction.
In this case, the cutting device can adjust the position of the sheet bundle by the first alignment surface and the second alignment surface while preventing the posture of the sheet bundle from changing.

(12-6) Before the paper bundle is cut by the cutting device and the first cutter, at least one of the first cutter and the paper bundle is moved in the second direction or the third direction. First control for relatively positioning the first cutter and the sheet bundle according to a cutting size, and before the sheet bundle is cut by the second cutter, the second cutter and the sheet bundle Executing at least one of second control for relatively positioning the second cutter and the sheet bundle according to the cutting size by moving at least one in the second direction or the third direction; The cutting size is a movement control means (a control unit 900 that executes the operation shown in FIGS. 55 and 56) that is a predetermined length of the sheet bundle after cutting in the second direction or the third direction. Bookbinding equipped (Bookbinding apparatus 1) may be used.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can relatively position the first cutter and the sheet bundle according to the cutting size by controlling to move at least one of the first cutter and the sheet bundle. The bookbinding apparatus can relatively position the second cutter and the sheet bundle in accordance with the cutting size by controlling to move at least one of the second cutter and the sheet bundle.

(12-7) The bookbinding apparatus includes first drive means (right cutting part 520 and drive part 540) for moving the first cutter in the second direction or the third direction, and the movement control means includes: As the first control, the first cutter may be positioned with respect to the sheet bundle by moving the first cutter to the first driving unit.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can position the first cutter without changing the position of the sheet bundle.

(12-8) The bookbinding apparatus includes a second drive unit (left cutting unit 510 and drive unit 540) that moves the second cutter in the second direction or the third direction, and the movement control unit includes: As the second control, the second cutter may be positioned with respect to the sheet bundle by moving the second cutter to the second driving unit.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can position the second cutter without changing the position of the sheet bundle.

(12-9) The bookbinding apparatus moves the first cutter and the second cutter simultaneously in directions close to each other and simultaneously moves the first cutter and the second cutter in directions away from each other. Means (left cutting unit 510, right cutting unit 520, and drive unit 540), and the movement control unit includes the first cutter and the second cutter as the first control and the second control. The first cutter and the second cutter may be simultaneously positioned with respect to the sheet bundle by moving the two simultaneously.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can simultaneously position the first cutter and the second cutter without changing the position of the sheet bundle.

(12-10) The sheet bundle is a booklet in which the back side of the sheet bundle is bound, and the first alignment surface may be provided at a position facing an end surface (right end surface) on the ground side of the booklet. Good.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can position the cutting positions by the first cutter and the second cutter with reference to the end face of the booklet on the ground side, so that the quality of the booklet after bookbinding can be improved.

(13) Advantageous Effects of the 13th Disclosure Conventionally, a technique for improving the accuracy of the cutting position of a sheet bundle to which a cover is attached is known. For example, in the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-254623, a cover is moved in the paper width direction to a position where the sensor detects the cover by a roller pair provided in the cover transport path. The cover sheet moves to a position shifted by a certain amount in the sheet width direction with respect to the sheet bundle. When the cover sheet is attached to the end face of the sheet bundle, one end of the sheet bundle protrudes from one end of the cover sheet. One end of the sheet bundle serves as a reference position for cutting the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached.

In the prior art described above, since the roller pair and the sensor are provided to shift the cover sheet in the paper width direction with respect to the sheet bundle, the structure of the apparatus may be complicated. In view of such a problem, the thirteenth disclosure has the following configuration.

(13-1) A placing surface (mounting) that is a substantially horizontal plane on which the supplied sheet (sheet 8A) can be placed and on which the plurality of placed sheets are stacked in a substantially vertical direction (vertical direction). A paper stacking means (table 110) having a placement surface 110A);
It extends in a substantially vertical direction along a predetermined reference position (cutting reference position P1), is provided at a position facing the first end face (right end face) of the sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8), and contacts the first end face. The first end surface can be positioned at the reference position and the first end surface can be aligned along a substantially vertical direction, and the sheet bundle is the plurality of sheets placed on the placing surface. The first end surface is a first facing means (right alignment plate 140) that is an end surface of the sheet bundle in a substantially horizontal first direction (right direction);
A cover sheet (cover sheet 9) that can cover the sheet bundle can be transported to a position where the cover sheet faces a second end face (front end face) of the sheet bundle, and the second end face is in a second direction of the sheet bundle. (Front direction) end face, and the second direction is a substantially horizontal direction orthogonal to the first direction, a cover sheet conveying means (cover sheet holding mechanism 400),
Provided at a position facing the first end (right end) of the cover conveyed by the cover conveying means and at a position shifted in the third direction (left direction) from the reference position; It is possible to regulate movement of the cover in the first direction by contact, the first end is an end of the cover in the first direction, and the third direction is opposite to the first direction. A second opposing means (right-side regulating pins 463, 464) which is a direction;
A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) comprising: a cover attachment means (paper alignment mechanism 100 and glue application mechanism 300) capable of attaching the cover conveyed by the cover conveyance means to the second end surface.

According to the present disclosure, the first end surface of the sheet bundle on the placement surface is positioned at the reference position by the first facing means and is aligned along the substantially vertical direction. The movement of the cover sheet conveyed by the cover sheet conveying means in the first direction is restricted by the second facing means provided at a position shifted in the third direction from the reference position. The cover sheet is attached to the sheet bundle in a state where the first end portion of the cover sheet is displaced in the third direction from the first end surface of the sheet bundle. Accordingly, the bookbinding apparatus has a simple structure and can shift the cover sheet in the third direction (that is, the sheet width direction) with respect to the sheet bundle.

(13-2) The bookbinding apparatus is provided at a position facing a second end (left end) of the cover conveyed by the cover conveying means, and is brought into contact with the second end so that the cover The movement in the third direction can be restricted, and the second end portion may include third facing means (left restriction pins 463 and 464) which are the end portions in the third direction of the cover.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can suppress the cover sheet transported by the cover sheet transport unit from being excessively displaced in the third direction.

(13-3) In the bookbinding apparatus, the booklet (booklet 10), which is the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached by the cover attachment means, is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction (front-rear direction) orthogonal to the third direction. In addition, a cutting unit (a left cutting unit 510 and a right cutting unit 520) for cutting in a substantially vertical direction at a position away from the reference position by a predetermined distance in the third direction may be provided.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately cut the booklet without being affected by the position of the cover attached to the booklet.

(13-4) The bookbinding apparatus further includes movement control means (drive unit 540) that moves at least one of the cutting means and the booklet in at least one of the first direction and the third direction. Good.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can relatively position the cutting means and the booklet in accordance with the cutting size by controlling to move at least one of the cutting means and the booklet.

(13-5) The cutting unit includes a first cutting unit (right cutting unit 520) capable of cutting the booklet at a position that is a first distance away from the reference position in the third direction; The booklet may be cut at a position separated by a second distance in the third direction, and the second distance may include second cutting means (left cutting unit 510) that is larger than the first distance.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can cut the booklet at two different distances from the reference position by the two cutting means.

(13-6) The bookbinding apparatus urges the cover sheet conveyed by the cover sheet conveying unit in the first direction so that the urging member brings the first end portion close to the second opposing unit ( An urging portion 461) may be provided.
In this case, the bookbinding apparatus can reliably position the first end portion of the cover by the second facing means.

(14) Effect of 14th Disclosure Conventionally, a technique for cutting three sides of a sheet bundle without rotating the sheet bundle is known. For example, in the apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-252890, the chuck mechanism is always arranged on the back side of the bookbinding product. When attaching a cover to the back side of the bookbinding product, it was necessary to attach the cover to the back side of the bookbinding product before supplying the bookbinding product to the chuck mechanism. In this case, the posture of the bookbinding product is disturbed in the process of transporting the bookbinding product with the cover attached to the chuck mechanism, and the bookbinding product may not be cut at an accurate position. In view of such a problem, the fourteenth disclosure has the following configuration.

(14-1) A mounting surface (mounting) which is a substantially horizontal plane on which the supplied sheet (sheet 8A) can be placed and on which the plurality of placed sheets are stacked in a substantially vertical direction (vertical direction). A paper stacking means (table 110) having a placement surface 110A);
A cover sheet (cover sheet 9) can be attached to the target end face (front end face) of the sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8), and the sheet bundle is a plurality of sheets stacked on the mounting surface, and the target end face is A cover attachment means (paper alignment mechanism 100, glue application mechanism 300, and cover holding mechanism 400) which is an end surface of the sheet bundle in a substantially horizontal first direction (front direction);
A booklet (booklet 10) can be sandwiched from the second direction side (rear side), the booklet is the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached, and the second direction is a direction opposite to the first direction. One clamping means (clamp portion 660A),
When the cover is attached to the sheet bundle by the cover attachment means, the booklet can be sandwiched by the first sandwiching means, and the first sandwiching means can be conveyed to a withdrawal position, and the withdrawal position Is a first drive means (booklet transport mechanism 600 and control unit 900) that is a position where the booklet held by the first holding means is pulled out from the placement surface,
Second clamping means (clamp portion 660B) capable of clamping the booklet from the first direction side;
The booklet transported to the drawing position can be sandwiched by the second sandwiching means, and the second sandwiching means can be transported to a first cutting position and a second cutting position, and the first cutting position is The second driving means (the booklet transport mechanism 600 and the control unit 900) is located in the second direction relative to the pull-out position, and the second cutting position is located in the second direction relative to the first cutting position. )When,
When the second holding means is transported to the first cutting position, the booklet held by the second holding means is cut in a substantially vertical direction, and the third direction (right direction) portion of the booklet And at least one of the fourth direction part (left direction) of the booklet, the third direction is a substantially horizontal direction orthogonal to the first direction or the second direction, The fourth direction is the first cutting means (the left cutting part 510 and the right cutting part 520) which is the opposite direction of the third direction;
When the second clamping means is transported to the second cutting position, the booklet clamped by the second clamping means can be cut in a substantially vertical direction to separate the second direction portion of the booklet. Bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) comprising: a second cutting means (post-cutting unit 530).

According to the present disclosure, a cover is attached to a sheet bundle on the placement surface, and a booklet is created. The created booklet is sandwiched from the second direction side by the first driving means and pulled out from the placement surface. The pulled out booklet is sandwiched from the first direction side by the second driving means, and conveyed to the first cutting position and the second cutting position. At least one of the third direction portion of the booklet and the fourth direction portion of the booklet is separated from the booklet conveyed to the first cutting position. The booklet conveyed to the second cutting position is cut off in the second direction of the booklet. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can convey and cut the booklet while suppressing the posture of the booklet from changing after the cover is attached to the sheet bundle.

(14-2) The bookbinding apparatus is a member provided in the second clamping means and extending in a substantially vertical direction, and an end portion (front end portion) of the booklet held by the second clamping means in the first direction. ), And the second driving means positions the second clamping means at the first cutting position and the second cutting position based on the position of the reference plate. May be.
In this case, the end portion in the first direction of the booklet held by the second holding means is positioned by the reference plate. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can accurately position the booklet to the first and second cutting positions by executing the position control of the second clamping means based on the position of the reference plate.

(14-3) The bookbinding apparatus integrally includes the first clamping means and the second clamping means arranged on the first direction side of the first clamping means, and the first direction and the A hand part (hand part 640) movable in the second direction is provided, and the first driving means and the second driving means move the hand part to move the first clamping means and the second clamping means. May be conveyed.
In this case, since it is not necessary to provide the bookbinding apparatus separately for the first clamping means and the second clamping means, it is possible to prevent the apparatus structure from becoming complicated.

(14-4) A placement surface (mounting) that is a substantially horizontal plane on which the supplied sheet (sheet 8A) can be placed and on which the plurality of placed sheets are stacked in a substantially vertical direction (vertical direction). A paper stacking means (table 110) having a placement surface 110A);
A cover sheet (cover sheet 9) can be attached to the target end face (front end face) of the sheet bundle (sheet bundle 8), and the sheet bundle is a plurality of sheets stacked on the mounting surface, and the target end face is A cover attachment means (paper alignment mechanism 100, glue application mechanism 300, and cover holding mechanism 400) which is an end surface of the sheet bundle in a substantially horizontal first direction (front direction);
A booklet (booklet 10) can be sandwiched from the second direction side (rear side), the booklet is the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached, and the second direction is a direction opposite to the first direction. Means (clamp portion 660A);
When the cover is attached to the sheet bundle by the cover attachment means, the booklet can be held by the holding means and the holding means can be transported to a cutting position. Drive means (booklet transport mechanism 600 and control unit 900) that are in the second direction from the surface;
The booklet held by the holding means conveyed to the cutting position is cut in a substantially vertical direction, and a third direction portion (right direction) of the booklet and a fourth direction portion (left direction) of the booklet. The third direction is a substantially horizontal direction orthogonal to the first direction or the second direction, and the fourth direction is a direction opposite to the third direction. A bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding apparatus 1) comprising a cutting means (left cutting unit 510 and right cutting unit 520).

According to the present disclosure, a cover is attached to a sheet bundle on the placement surface, and a booklet is created. The created booklet is clamped from the second direction side by the driving means, pulled out from the placement surface, and conveyed to the cutting position. In the booklet conveyed to the cutting position, at least one of the third direction portion of the booklet and the fourth direction portion of the booklet is cut off. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus can convey and cut the booklet while suppressing the posture of the booklet from changing after the cover is attached to the sheet bundle.

(15) Remarks regarding the above disclosure The first disclosure to the fourteenth disclosure can be modified in various ways, and the disclosures may be combined as appropriate. For example, the direction indicated in each disclosure is not limited to the direction in the above embodiment, and can be changed according to the definition of each disclosure. The moving means, conveying means, and driving means shown in each disclosure are not limited to motors, and may be solenoids, engines, belt conveyors, and the like. The cover attachment means shown in each disclosure may be a mechanism for attaching a cover with a string or a wire, for example, as long as the cover can be attached to the end face of the sheet bundle. The application means shown in each disclosure only needs to be able to apply an adhesive to the end face of the sheet bundle, and may be a mechanism that applies the adhesive with, for example, a spray or a brush.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bookbinding apparatus 5 Paper supply part 51 Path | route plate 56A Conveyance roller 56B Conveyance roller 82 Support part 106 Contact member 106A Support wall part 106B Guide wall part 110 Table 110A Loading surface 121 Conveyance motor 130 Left alignment board 140 Right alignment board 150 Front alignment Plate 300 Glue application mechanism 319 Drive motor 321 Transport motor 343 Roller installation part 347 Heater 349 Main body part 349A Front wall part 350 Glue application roller 351A Peripheral surface 351C Groove part 400 Cover sheet holding mechanism 430 Upper clamp 440 Lower clamp 450 Lifting motor 510 Left cutting part 515A Cutting edge 517 Alignment part 518 Alignment plate 520 Right cutting part 525A Cutting edge 527 Alignment part 528 Alignment plate 540 Drive part 900 Control part

Claims (38)

1. It is movable in the first direction and the second direction, and a plurality of sheets can be stacked substantially in parallel with the third direction while being in a predetermined position. The first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other. The stacking means in which the third direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction;
   In the state where the stacking unit is in the predetermined position, an adhesive portion can be formed on a specific end surface of the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is the plurality of sheets stacked by the stacking unit, and the specific end surface is the sheet. An adhesive portion forming means which is an end surface of the bundle on the first direction side;
   When the cover can be held and the stacking means moves in the first direction from the predetermined position, the cover is attached to the sheet bundle via the adhesive portion formed on the specific end surface. A cover attachment means that is possible;
   When the stacking unit moves in the second direction from the predetermined position, the second direction side edge and the fourth direction side edge of the booklet that is the sheet bundle to which the cover is attached , And at least one of the edges on the fifth direction side can be cut, and the fourth direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction, and the fifth direction Is a bookbinding apparatus comprising cutting means that is opposite to the fourth direction.
2. A paper stacking unit having a placement surface which is a flat surface on which the supplied papers are stacked;
   Transporting means capable of transporting the paper substantially horizontally toward the paper stacking unit and discharging the transported paper above the placement surface;
   The member is provided above the placement surface, and is a member that comes into contact with the first end portion of the paper that is discharged by the conveying means and falls toward the placement surface from below, and the first end portion is A contact member that is an end portion in a first direction that is orthogonal to the paper transport direction and is substantially horizontal;
   The sheet moves in the second direction from the first restriction position by contacting the second end of the sheet that extends in the substantially vertical direction along the first restriction position and falls toward the placement surface. The second direction is a direction opposite to the first direction, the second end is an end in the second direction, and the first restriction position is predetermined. And a first restricting member that is an appropriate position of the second end.
3. The sheet extends in a substantially vertical direction along the second restriction position and contacts the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the sheet falling toward the placement surface, and the sheet is conveyed more than the second restriction position. The sheet conveyance according to claim 2, wherein the second conveyance position is a member that regulates movement toward the downstream side in the direction, and the second regulation position includes a second regulation member that is a predetermined appropriate position of the downstream end. apparatus.
4. The distance of the said 1st direction or said 2nd direction of the said contact member and said 1st control member is shorter than the length of the said 1st direction or the said 2nd direction of the said mounting surface. Paper transport device.
5. The contact member is
   A first wall portion that extends substantially parallel to the transport direction and extends in a substantially vertical direction and guides the first end portion of the paper discharged by the transport means;
   A plate that extends substantially parallel to the transport direction and extends from the first wall portion in the second direction and that contacts the first end portion of the paper guided by the first wall portion from below. The sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising two wall portions.
6. The contact member extends substantially parallel to the transport direction;
   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a length of the contact member in the conveying direction is at least half of a length of the sheet in the conveying direction.
7. After the image is formed on the first surface of the paper, the paper is transported by a first transport amount and discharged from the discharge port, and the discharged paper is taken in from the discharge port, and the first surface of the paper is An image forming apparatus including a mechanism that forms an image on a second surface, which is the opposite surface, and then transports the paper by a second transport amount and discharges the paper from the discharge port. The second conveyance amount is a conveyance amount of the sheet that discharges the whole of the sheet from the discharge port, and the second conveyance amount is the discharge amount of the image forming apparatus. A paper transport device for transporting the paper discharged from the outlet;
   A plate-like member that can be disposed in the vicinity of the discharge port, and a guide surface that is a surface on which the paper discharged from the discharge port can be placed and a surface extending in a guide direction that is a direction away from the discharge port Having a transport plate;
   The paper is provided along the guide surface downstream of the first position in the guiding direction and upstream of the second position in the guiding direction. A rotating body that is rotatable, and the first position is a position on the guide surface on which a downstream end portion of the paper transported by the first transport amount in the guide direction is placed; And a first transport roller that is a position on the guide surface on which a downstream end in the guide direction of the sheet transported by the second transport amount is placed.
8. A support that is a member that can rotatably support the first transport roller and that can change the position of the first transport roller along at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side in the guide direction along the guide surface. The paper conveyance device according to claim 7 provided with a member.
9. A plate-like member that can be disposed in the vicinity of a discharge port of an image forming apparatus capable of printing an image on a sheet, a surface on which the sheet discharged from the discharge port can be placed, and a direction away from the discharge port A transport plate having a guide surface which is a surface extending in the guide direction;
   A first transport roller that is a rotating body that is provided along the guide surface and is rotatable in a direction of transporting the paper downstream in the guide direction;
   A support that is a member that can rotatably support the first transport roller and that can change the position of the first transport roller along at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side in the guide direction along the guide surface. And a sheet conveying device.
10. 9. The support member can change the position of the first transport roller to any one of a plurality of predetermined reference positions, and the plurality of reference positions respectively correspond to different sizes of the paper. 9. The paper conveying device according to 9.
11. The transport plate includes a plate-like first plate portion and a second plate portion provided side by side in the guide direction,
    The first plate portion is a member that is provided at an upstream end portion of the guide direction in the transport plate and is rotatable around a substantially horizontal axis orthogonal to the guide direction,
    The paper according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the second plate portion is a member that is provided on the downstream side of the first plate portion in the guide direction and rotatably supports the first plate portion. Conveying device.
12. A second transport which is a rotating body provided along the guide surface downstream of the first transport roller and capable of rotating in the direction of transporting the paper downstream of the guide direction. With rollers,
    The paper transport device according to claim 7, wherein a distance between the first transport roller and the second transport roller in the guide direction is smaller than a length of the paper in the guide direction.
13. A paper conveying device according to any one of claims 7 to 12,
    A bookbinding apparatus comprising: a binding unit that binds the plurality of sheets conveyed by the sheet conveying apparatus.
14. Holding means capable of holding a plurality of supplied sheets in a state of being stacked in the first direction;
    Among the sheet bundles that are the plurality of sheets held by the holding unit, a sheet bundle end surface that is an end surface in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction is aligned substantially along the first direction. Paper alignment means capable of
    It has a peripheral surface that can rotate around an axis that intersects the first direction and the third direction and is orthogonal to the second direction, and the third direction is the first direction. An application roller that is in a direction perpendicular to the second direction;
    Supply means capable of supplying the adhesive to the peripheral surface;
    When the paper aligning means aligns the end face of the sheet bundle substantially flush, the application roller moves to the end face of the sheet bundle by moving at least one of the holding means and the applying roller in the third direction. A moving means for moving the application roller relative to the end face of the sheet bundle along a position approaching from the second direction side;
    A bookbinding apparatus comprising: a rotating unit that rotates the application roller when the moving unit relatively moves the application roller.
15. 15. The rotation unit according to claim 14, wherein the rotation unit rotates the application roller in a rotation direction in which a portion of the peripheral surface closest to the end face of the sheet bundle moves upstream in a direction in which the application roller relatively moves. Bookbinding equipment.
16. 15. The rotation unit according to claim 14, wherein the rotation unit rotates the application roller in a rotation direction in which a portion of the peripheral surface closest to the end face of the sheet bundle moves toward a downstream side in a direction in which the application roller relatively moves. Bookbinding equipment.
17. The first direction is a vertical direction,
    The supply means has a box shape in which the adhesive can be stored inside, and holds the application roller rotatably in the inside. A part of the peripheral surface is in a direction opposite to the second direction. A storage tank having an opening to be exposed;
    The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the moving means relatively moves the storage tank together with the application roller.
18. The sheet bundle includes a first end face and a second end face which are both end faces in the first direction, a first corner which is a portion connecting the sheet bundle end face and the first end face, and the sheet bundle end face. Including a second corner that is a portion connecting the second end face,
    The third direction includes a fourth direction and a fifth direction that are opposite to each other,
    The moving means reciprocally moves at least one of the holding means and the application roller to move the application roller in the fourth direction and then move the application roller in the fifth direction. ,
    The rotating means rotates the application roller that relatively moves in the fourth direction in a rotation direction in which a proximity portion moves toward the fifth direction side, and the application roller that relatively moves in the fifth direction, The proximity portion is rotated in the rotation direction toward the fourth direction side, and the proximity portion is a portion of the peripheral surface that is closest to the end face of the sheet bundle,
    The application roller rotates while relatively moving in the fourth direction, so that the adhesive is applied to the end face of the sheet bundle and the first corner, and is rotated while relatively moving in the fifth direction. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the adhesive is applied to the end face of the sheet bundle and the second corner portion.
19. The first end surface is an upper end surface of the sheet bundle,
    The second end surface is a lower end surface of the sheet bundle,
    The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the application roller is arranged in a posture in which the axis is inclined toward the fifth direction toward the upper direction.
20. The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the coating roller includes a plurality of recesses in which a part of the peripheral surface is recessed toward the axis.
21. The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the moving means moves the application roller among the holding means and the application roller.
22. The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the supply unit includes a heat generating element capable of generating heat, and is capable of supplying a thermoplastic adhesive that melts when the heat generating element generates heat to the peripheral surface. .
23. A sheet holding means capable of holding a sheet bundle that is a plurality of sheets stacked in a first direction, wherein the first direction includes a second direction and a third direction opposite to each other;
    The first portion that is provided on the fourth direction side of the paper holding means and that is a part of the cover sheet supplied to a predetermined position can be clamped with a first holding force from the fourth direction and the fifth direction, The fourth direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction, the fifth direction is a direction opposite to the fourth direction, and the first holding force prevents the movement of the first portion in the first direction. First clamping means that is force,
    The second portion of the cover that is disposed opposite to the first clamping means in the third direction and supplied to the predetermined position can be clamped from the fourth direction and the fifth direction with a second holding force. The second part is a part of the cover that is closer to the third direction than the first part, and the second holding force is a force that prevents the second part from moving in the first direction. A second clamping means;
    The first clamping means can be transported from the predetermined position to a target position substantially parallel to the second direction, and the target position is the target end face of the cover sheet held by the first clamping means and the second clamping means. A first driving unit that is an end surface in the fourth direction of the bundle of sheets held by the sheet holding unit;
    With the first holding means holding the first part with the first holding force of the first value, and with the second holding means holding the second part with the second holding force of the second value The first driving means is caused to convey the first clamping means with a first conveying force, and the first holding force of the first value is larger than the second holding force of the second value, A conveying force is a first control means that is a force larger than the second holding force of the second value;
    With the first clamping means in the target position, the cover sheet held by the first clamping means and the second clamping means on the target end surface of the sheet bundle held by the paper holding means. A bookbinding apparatus comprising a cover attachment means that can be attached.
24. The first direction is substantially parallel to the vertical direction,
    The second direction is substantially parallel to the downward direction;
    The third direction is substantially parallel to the upward direction;
    The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the fourth direction and the fifth direction are substantially parallel to a horizontal direction.
25. The cover attachment means is
    An adhesive portion can be formed on the target end surface of the sheet bundle held by the paper holding means, and the adhesive portion is a portion where the cover can be attached;
    In the state where the first clamping means is at the target position, the sheet holding means can be transported in the fourth direction to the contact position, and the contact position is formed by the adhesive portion formed by the adhesive portion forming means; Second driving means which is a position where the cover held by the first clamping means and the second clamping means comes into contact;
    After the paper holding means is transported to the second driving means by the second transport force, when the paper holding means reaches the contact position, the first portion is placed on the first clamping means with the third value. The second holding means holds the second portion with the second holding force of the fourth value, and the third holding force of the third value is the first value of the first value. The second holding force of the fourth value is a force smaller than the second holding force of the second value, and the second conveying force is the first holding force of the third value. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising: a second control unit that is a force larger than the second holding force of the fourth value.
26. The first holding means and the second holding means hold the cover in a posture in which the cover extends in the first direction across the contact position when the first holding means is at the target position. Item 26. A bookbinding apparatus according to Item 25.
27. The second holding force of the second value includes the second holding force of the fifth value and the second holding force of the sixth value, and the second holding force of the sixth value is the fifth value of the fifth holding force. A force greater than the two holding forces,
    The first control means causes the second holding means to hold the second portion with the second holding force of the fifth value while the first holding means is transported from the predetermined position to the middle position. While the first clamping means is transported from the midway position to the target position, the second clamping means is caused to clamp the second portion with the second holding force of the sixth value, and the midway position is the predetermined position. 27. The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein the bookbinding apparatus is a position provided between the position and the target position.
28. At least one of the first clamping means and the second clamping means is a pair of plate portions that are opposed to each other in the fourth direction and can be displaced between a clamping position and a release position, and the clamping position is A position where the pair of plate portions are moved in a direction close to each other, and a position where the cover is sandwiched by the pair of plate portions, and the release position is moved in a direction separating the pair of plate portions from each other. A position where the cover is movable in a predetermined area, the predetermined area is a space formed between the pair of plate portions, and the cover supplied to the predetermined position is on the third direction side. The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 23 to 27, wherein the bookbinding apparatus is a space that enters from the front.
29. A blade extending in a substantially horizontal first direction and cutting a sheet bundle in a substantially vertical direction, wherein the sheet bundle is a plurality of sheets stacked in a substantially vertical direction;
    The blade extends in parallel with the first cutter and is opposed to the first cutter from the second direction, and is a blade for cutting the sheet bundle in a substantially vertical direction. The second direction is the first direction. A second cutter that is orthogonal to
    A first alignment means that has a first alignment surface that is a surface extending in a substantially vertical direction and in the first direction, and that moves the first alignment surface between a first alignment position and a first standby position; The first alignment position is a position away from the reference center position in the third direction by a distance approximately half the paper size, the third direction is the opposite direction of the second direction, and the paper size is The length in the second direction or the third direction, the reference center position is a center position between the first cutter and the second cutter, and the first standby position is from the first alignment position. A cutting apparatus comprising: the first aligning means which is located away from the third direction.
30. A second alignment means that has a second alignment surface that extends parallel to the first alignment surface, and that moves the second alignment surface between a second alignment position and a second standby position; The second alignment position is a position away from the reference center position in the second direction by a distance less than half of the paper size, and the second standby position is a position away from the second alignment position in the second direction. 30. The cutting device according to claim 29, comprising the second alignment means.
31. The second alignment means moves the second alignment surface from the second standby position to the second alignment position in the third direction, and further moves the second alignment surface from the second alignment position to the second standby position. Move in the second direction to the position,
    The first alignment means moves the first alignment surface from the first standby position to the first alignment position after at least the second alignment surface starts moving from the second alignment position toward the second standby position. The cutting apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the cutting device is further moved in the second direction until the first alignment surface is further moved in the third direction from the first alignment position to the first standby position.
32. 32. The cutting device according to claim 30, wherein a distance between the first standby position and the second standby position in the second direction or the third direction is larger than the paper size.
33. The cutting apparatus according to any one of claims 30 to 32, wherein the second alignment surface is provided at a position facing the first alignment surface from the second direction.
34. A cutting device according to any of claims 29 to 33;
    Before the sheet bundle is cut by the first cutter, at least one of the first cutter and the sheet bundle is moved in the second direction or the third direction, and the first cutter is adjusted to the cutting size. A first control for relatively positioning the cutter and the sheet bundle; and before the sheet bundle is cut by the second cutter, at least one of the second cutter and the sheet bundle is moved in the second direction or the And moving in a third direction to execute at least one of second control for relatively positioning the second cutter and the sheet bundle according to the cutting size, and the cutting size is determined after predetermined cutting. A bookbinding apparatus comprising: a movement control unit that is a length in the second direction or the third direction of the sheet bundle.
35. Comprising first driving means for moving the first cutter in the second direction or the third direction;
    The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the movement control unit positions the first cutter with respect to the sheet bundle by moving the first cutter to the first driving unit as the first control.
36. A second drive means for moving the second cutter in the second direction or the third direction;
    The bookbinding according to claim 34 or 35, wherein the movement control means positions the second cutter with respect to the sheet bundle by moving the second cutter to the second driving means as the second control. apparatus.
37. A cutter driving means for simultaneously moving the first cutter and the second cutter in directions close to each other and simultaneously moving the first cutter and the second cutter in directions away from each other;
    The movement control means moves the first cutter and the second cutter simultaneously to the cutter driving means as the first control and the second control, so that the first cutter and the second cutter are moved with respect to the sheet bundle. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the second cutter is positioned simultaneously.
38. The sheet bundle is a booklet in which the end face on the back side of the sheet bundle is bound,
    The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 34 to 37, wherein the first alignment surface is provided at a position facing an end surface on a ground side of the booklet.

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