Patent Grant
7946563
The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus for stapling sheets carried out from an image forming apparatus such as a copier or a printer or for folding the sheets at a predetermined fold position. More particularly, the present invention relates to improvements in apparatus configuration allowing the apparatus to efficiently post-process continuously carried-out sheets.
In general, post-processing apparatuses which staples sheets carried out from an image forming apparatus or which folds the sheets into a booklet are well known. Such a post-processing apparatus comprises a plurality of sheet collecting means in order to post-process the sheets. For example, a first sheet collecting means collects and staples the sheets into a bunch. A second sheet collecting means folds the collected sheets into a booklet.
For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-63031) discloses an apparatus that selectively conveys sheets from an image forming apparatus through a path branching off to upper first sheet collecting means and lower second sheet collecting means. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-63031, two staple devices are arranged in the sheet path leading to the first and second sheet collecting means. The sheets are collected at the staple position. The first staple device performs out end surface stapling by stapling the sheets at an end thereof, and the second staple device performs saddle stitching by stapling the sheets at the center thereof. Thus, the staple position is provided on one of the branching paths to staple and carry the sheets out to a first tray and a second tray. Then, the second sheet collecting means, positioned below the first sheet collecting means, folds the stapled sheets into a booklet and then carries out the sheets for housing.
Likewise, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-169028) switches sheets carried out from the image forming apparatus, back from a carry-in path and collects the sheets in sheet collecting means. The sheets are then stapled at the end surface thereof by a staple device located on a tray and then accommodated in a housing stacker located behind the tray. On the other hand, the sheet bunch on the tray are stapled at the center thereof and then guided to the front of the tray. The sheet bunch is folded into a booklet on a folding path located in front of the tray and is collected in a housing stacker.
Both, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, adopt the apparatus configuration in which sheets are set and collected on the path (or tray) with the staple device located thereon, stapled, and then carried out to the first and second tray. Furthermore, Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-269158) proposes an apparatus configuration in which sheets from an image forming apparatus are guided to a first path and a second path which branch off from each other, and are set and stapled on each of the paths, with the sheets on one of the paths directly carried out to a sheet discharging stacker and the stapled sheets on the other path folded into a booklet and then carried out to the sheet discharging stacker.
Further, Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-295448) discloses a mechanism used in an apparatus configuration having a driver unit and a clinch unit which are separate from each other, to support the units so that the positions of the units are movable in a sheet width direction. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-295448, FIG. 20 shows a guide shaft that supports the driver unit so that the position of the driver unit is movable in the sheet width direction and a lead screw that moves the position of the unit. Further, FIG. 23 shows a guide shaft that supports the clinch unit so that the position of the clinch unit is movable in the sheet width direction, and a traveling wire that moves the position of the unit. A drive motor is coupled to the lead screw and the traveling wire and controlled to control the position of each unit.
Further, Patent Document 5 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-214973), discloses an end stapler that is located on a first tray positioned above a sheet conveying path to staple sheets at an edge thereof. A saddle stitching stapler is located on a second tray positioned below the sheet conveying path to staple the sheets at the center thereof. The sheet bunch loaded on the first tray is stapled at the edge (trailing edge) and then discharged to a downstream stacker. The sheet bunch loaded on the second tray are stapled at the center thereof, folded together, and then discharged to the downstream stacker.
Further, Patent Document 6 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-266405) proposes a mechanism that varies a direction in which needle points are bent, depending on the thickness of a sheet bunch. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-266405 proposes an anvil unit which has a plurality of folding grooves and the position of which is adjusted relative to a driver unit to vary the bending direction of the needle point. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-266405 further proposes that for a bunch of a normal bunch thickness, U-shaped needle points be bent so as to face each other and that for a bunch of a smaller bunch thickness, the needle points be folded in the same direction.
Further, Patent Document 7 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-269249) proposes an apparatus configuration which guides sheets from an image forming apparatus to a first path and a second path which branch off from each other and on each of which the sheets are set and stapled, with the sheets on one of the paths directly carried out to a sheet discharging stacker and the stapled sheet bunch on the other path folded together and then carried out to the sheet discharging stacker.
Patent Document 8 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-214973) discloses a post-processing apparatus having first trays arranged above and below a sheet carry-in path and a second tray located below the first trays so that sheets from the sheet carry-in path are housed on the first trays and housed on the second tray via a switchback path. A saddle stitching stapler is located on the second tray to staple the collected sheets at the center thereof.
When both stapling mechanism and sheet folding mechanism are incorporated into an apparatus, which sets and staples sheets carried out from an image forming apparatus or the like, folds the sheets into a booklet, and executes post-processing such as punching on the booklet, as described above, the conventional apparatus configurations pose the following problems.
The consecutively carried-out sheets are not efficiently processed by the apparatus configuration in which the sheets are guided to the common path so that the sheet bunch collected on the path is stapled and carried out to the first and second stackers and in which the sheet folding mechanism is located in one of the paths to the stackers as in the case of Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-63031) and Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-169028). For example, during the operation time when the staple device executes a stapling process on the collected sheet bunch, the carrying-out operation of the succeeding sheet must be stopped. Also, when a preceding sheet bunch is stapled at the end surface thereof by the staple device and then carried out to the first stacker and the succeeding sheet is stapled at the center thereof by the staple device and then carried out to the second stacker via the folding mechanism, the succeeding sheet cannot be processed until the preceding sheet bunch has been completed. Furthermore, when a trouble such as a sheet jam occurs in the staple device or the like, the succeeding sheet may be jammed requiring the whole apparatus to be shut down.
On the other hand, the paths are bent in the apparatus configuration in which sheets from the image forming apparatus are sorted, at a carry-in port, into the first and second paths and in which the end stapling process and the sheet folding process are executed on the respective paths as in the case of Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-269158). With this configuration, cardboards for color printing or the like are difficult to handle. With a compact configuration, the paths must be bent in order to distribute the sheets to the first and second paths via the carry-in port. It is difficult for such a bent apparatus configuration to smoothly convey color printed sheets or the like which are relatively thick and which have a small coefficient of friction. This disadvantageously results in the increased size of the apparatus, frequent sheet jams, or the like.
It is therefore necessary that the sheets from an image forming apparatus should be stably conveyed, which is performed by carrying the sheets into the apparatus through a linear carry-in path and a switchback path. Further, the above-described problems can be obviated by constructing a first switchback conveying path and a second switchback conveying path which are arranged away from the carry-in path and installing a staple mechanism and a sheet folding mechanism in the respective switchback conveying paths.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a post-processing apparatus performing a stapling finish and a sheet folding finish on sheets carried out from an image forming apparatus, wherein the apparatus is small and compact and is capable of stably executing processing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a post-processing apparatus that, when a stapling finish and a sheet folding finish is to be placed on consecutively carried-out sheets, allows the succeeding sheet to be carried into the apparatus during one of the post-processing operations so as to allow the other post-processing operation to be performed on the succeeding sheet thereby allowing the consecutive post-processing operations to be efficiently performed.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention.
To accomplish the above objects, the present invention adopts the following configuration.
A post-processing apparatus according to the present invention transfers sheets from a sheet carry-in port to a first post-processing section and a second post-processing section which are different from each other and which execute post-processing such as stapling and sheet folding on the sheets, and includes a sheet carry-in path located in a substantially horizontal direction. The sheets that are fed to the carry-in port are sequentially transferred to a predetermined sheet discharging port, a first switchback conveying path branching off from the sheet carry-in path so as to reverse a sheet conveying direction, the first post-processing section connected to the first switchback conveying path to execute the post-processing on the sheets, a second switchback conveying path branching off from between the carry-in port and sheet discharging port of the sheet carry-in path upstream of the first switchback conveying path so as to reverse the sheet conveying direction to transfer the sheets to a position different from that of the sheet carry-in path. The second post-processing section is located downstream of the second switchback conveying path to execute the post-processing on the sheets.
The first post-processing section has first sheet collecting means, on which the sheets from the first switchback conveying path are set and collected into a bunch and staple means for stapling the sheets collected on the first sheet collecting means, at an edge thereof. The second post-processing section has at least one of second sheet collecting means on which the sheets from the second switchback conveying path are set and collected into a bunch. A folding roll means is provided for folding together the sheets collected on the second sheet collecting means. Further, a saddle stitching staple means is provided for stapling the sheets at a center thereof.
The sheet carry-in path is located in a substantially horizontal direction, and the second switchback conveying path is located in a substantially vertical direction.
A sheet discharging tray is located on the sheet carry-in path downstream of the first and second switchback conveying paths so that the sheets are loaded and supported on the sheet discharging tray. The sheet discharging tray supports a leading end of the sheets guided through the first switchback conveying path and the second switchback conveying path.
The sheet discharging tray on which the sheets and/or sheet bunch is loaded and housed is connected to the first sheet collecting means. The sheet discharging tray supports the sheet-conveying-direction for leading end of the sheets from the sheet carry-in path and is connected to the first sheet collecting means so that a sheet-conveying-direction for trailing end of the sheets is supported by the first sheet collecting means.
Further, a forward reversible sheet conveying roller means is located on the second switchback conveying path for temporarily holding, on the switchback conveying path, the sheet traveling to the first sheet collecting means positioned downstream of the sheet carry-in path.
The post-processing apparatus further includes sheet discharging roller means located at a sheet discharging port of the sheet carry-in path, a sheet conveying roller means located at a path inlet of the second switchback conveying path, and a conveyance control means for controlling the sheet discharging roller means. The sheet conveying roller means, and the conveyance control means controls the sheet discharging roller means and the sheet conveying roller means so that the succeeding sheet fed to the carry-in port stands by temporarily on the second switchback conveying path while the first post-processing section is performing a post-processing operation. Therefore, after the post-processing operation of the first post-processing section is finished, the succeeding sheet standing by on the second switchback conveying path is transferred to the first post-processing section.
Further, to allow a plurality of sheets on the second switchback conveying path so that the sheets overlap one another, the conveyance control means intermittently and rotationally drives the sheet conveying roller means to offset the overlapping sheets forward and backward in a conveying direction by a predetermined amount.
The sheet collecting means located in the first post-processing means gets loaded with the sheets from the sheet discharging port and the sheets are housed on the sheet collecting means. The sheet collecting means has a sheet end regulating means against which the sheet end abuts for regulation and aligning conveying means thereby transferring the sheet to the regulating means. The conveyance control means sets an offset amount by which a plurality of sheets are offset from each other on the switchback conveying path, longer than a distance between the sheet end regulating means and the aligning conveying means.
Further, the sheet discharging roller means and the sheet conveying roller means are configured so that a distance between the sheet discharging roller means and the sheet conveying roller means is shorter than at least a conveying-direction distance of a maximum sized sheet. The roller means includes a pair of rollers that are able to freely come into pressure contact with each other and leave each other. The conveyance control means separates the sheet discharging rollers from each other to lay the standby sheet standing by on the second switchback conveying path, on top of the succeeding sheet fed to the carry-in port and then uses the sheet discharging rollers to transfer the sheets to the first post-processing section.
A sheet locking member is located on the sheet carry-in path upstream of the second switchback conveying path and temporarily holds the sheet traveling to the second switchback conveying path.
In addition to the first and second switchback conveying paths, a path is constructed on the sheet carry-in path so that the sheets fed to the carry-in port are discharged to an exterior of the apparatus via the path.
The end surface staple means and the saddle stitching staple means are arranged in a vertical direction in a space surrounded by the sheet carry-in path and the first and second switchback conveying paths.
A single drive motor constitutes both the end surface staple means and the saddle stitching staple means. A moving stroke of the saddle stitching staple means is set shorter than that of the end surface staple means.
The post-processing apparatus further includes a first guide means and a second guide means for supporting the end surface staple means and the saddle stitching staple means so that the end surface staple means and the saddle stitching staple means are movable along an edge of the collected sheets. A position sensor is located on only one of the first guide means and the second guide means to detect positions of the first processing unit and the second processing unit.
Further, the saddle stitching staple means includes a sheet loading table on which the sheet bunch is held at a predetermined staple position, a driver unit sticking a staple needle into the sheet bunch supported on the sheet loading table, a clinch unit folding a tip of the staple needle stuck into the sheet bunch, a moving unit including the driver unit and which is movable in a sheet width direction, the second guide means for supporting the moving unit so that the moving unit is movable in the width direction relative to the sheet bunch on the sheet loading table, a driving means for moving the moving unit is movably supported by the guide means, and a control means for controlling the driving means. An abutting stopper member is located in the guide means to position the moving unit at a preset predetermined position. The driving means includes a drive motor and a position holding means allowing the moving unit to abut against the abutting stopper member and holding the position of the moving unit. The position holding means holds the position of the moving unit abutting against the abutting stopper member using one of (1) a sliding transmission means located between the drive motor and the moving unit, (2) a spring means for biasing the moving unit toward the abutting stopper member, and (3) a magnetic torque induced by magnetic imbalance occurring between a rotor and a stator of the drive motor.
The saddle stitching staple means includes sheet bunch holding means for holding the series of sheets set into a bunch, in a predetermined posture, staple means for stapling the sheet bunch held by the sheet bunch holding means, and staple control means for controlling a staple operation of the staple means. The staple means includes a head unit and an anvil unit which are separate from each other, the head unit having a driver member sticking the staple needle into the sheet bunch held by the sheet bunch holding means. The anvil unit has a folding groove in which the tip of the staple needle is stuck into the sheet bunch is folded. The head unit is configured to be movable in a predetermined width direction of the sheet bunch held on the sheet bunch holding means. Further, the anvil unit has a plurality of the folding grooves arranged at different positions in the width direction and which have different tip folding depths. The staple control means moves the head unit to a position located opposite the folding groove with a folding shape selected in accordance with a sheet bunch thickness and/or a sheet material to staple the sheet bunch at one position or a plurality of positions.
The sheet carry-in path includes a first sheet discharging tray downstream of the first and second switchback conveying paths and on which the sheets are loaded and supported, a second sheet discharging tray on which the sheet bunch processed by the saddle stitching staple means is loaded and supported, and a tray elevating and lowering means for supporting the first sheet discharging tray so that the first sheet discharging tray is able to elevate and lower. The first sheet discharging tray and the second sheet discharging tray are arranged in a vertical direction, ,and an outer cover between the first sheet discharging tray and the second sheet discharging tray has an opening and closing cover through which the saddle stitching staple means is maintained.
An image forming system including a post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, has an image forming apparatus sequentially forming images on sheets and the post-processing apparatus executing post-processing such as a stapling process, a stamping process, and a punching process on the sheets from the image forming apparatus. The post-processing apparatus transfers sheets conveyed from a sheet carry-in port to a first post-processing section and a second post-processing section which are different from each other and which execute post-processing such as stapling and sheet folding on the sheets, and includes a sheet carry-in path located in a substantially horizontal direction and along which the sheets fed to the carry-in port are sequentially transferred to a predetermined sheet discharging port. A first switchback conveying path branching off from the sheet carry-in path so as to reverse a sheet conveying direction, a first post-processing section connected to the first switchback conveying path to execute post-processing on the sheets, a second switchback conveying path branching off from between the carry-in port and sheet discharging port of the sheet carry-in path upstream of the first switchback conveying path so as to reverse the sheet conveying direction to transfer the sheets to a position different from that of the sheet carry-in path, and a second post-processing section located downstream of the second switchback conveying path to execute the post-processing on the sheets are provided.
a) is a diagram illustrating the sectional structure of folding roll means in
b) is a plan view illustrating the folding roll means in
a) is a diagram illustrating a driving mechanism for the folding roll means in
b) is a diagram illustrating a driving mechanism for a folding blade in
c) is a diagram illustrating the structure of a one-way clutch in
a) is a state diagram showing a sheet bunch placed and set at a fold position during a sheet bunch folding operation performed by the apparatus in
b) is a state diagram showing an initial state of the sheet bunch folding operation performed by the apparatus in
c) is a state diagram showing the sheet bunch inserted into a nip position of the folding roll means during the sheet bunch folding operation performed by the apparatus in
d) is a state diagram showing a carry-out state in which the sheet bunch is folded by the folding roll means during the sheet bunch folding operation performed by the apparatus in
a) is a diagram showing a standby state in which a succeeding sheet shown in
b) is a diagram illustrating the first and second sheets housed on a processing tray;
a) is a diagram illustrating the standby state in which the succeeding sheet is standing by and in which the first sheet is at the standby position, while the second sheet has reached the carry-in port;
b) is a diagram illustrating that the first and second sheets being loaded on a stacking guide;
a) is a side view schematically showing the configuration of saddle stitching staple means of the apparatus as a first embodiment for the system in
b) is a front view schematically showing the configuration of the saddle stitching staple means of the apparatus;
a) is a diagram illustrating a shift mechanism for a moving unit of the saddle stitching staple means;
b) is a diagram illustrating a driving mechanism using a torque limiter as position holding means for the moving unit of the saddle stitching staple means;
a) is a diagram illustrating a driving mechanism using a bias spring (position holding means), as a different form of the shift mechanism for the moving unit of the saddle stitching staple means;
b) is a diagram illustrating a driving mechanism using a bias spring (position holding means), as a different form of the shift mechanism for the moving unit of the saddle stitching staple means;
a) is a schematic diagram illustrating the general configuration of saddle stitching staple means as a second embodiment;
b) is a diagram illustrating a saddle stitching operation of the saddle stitching staple means;
a) is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the end surface staple means in
b) is a diagram showing a moving mechanism moving the end surface staple means in
a) is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the saddle stitching staple means in
b) is a diagram showing a moving mechanism moving the saddle stitching staple means in
a) is a diagram illustrating a transmission mechanism for the end surface staple means in
b) is a diagram illustrating the transmission mechanism for the end surface staple means and the saddle stitching staple means; and
Now, preferred embodiments will be described below in detail.
In the image forming apparatus A, as shown in
Further, image reading device 11 has a scan unit 13 that scans a document sheet set on a platen 12 and a photoelectric converting element (not shown) that electrically reads an image from the sheet. An image data is subjected to a digital process by the image processing section. The resultant image data is transferred to a data storage section 14 and sends an image signal to the laser light emitter 5. A document feeding device 15 feeds document sheets accommodated in a stacker 16 to the platen 12.
The image forming apparatus A configured as described above has a control section (controller) shown in
Further, simultaneously with the image formation conditions, post-processing conditions are input and specified via the control panel 18. For example, a “printout mode”, a “stapling mode”, and a “sheet bunch folding mode” are specified as the post-processing conditions. The image forming apparatus A forms an image on the sheet in accordance with the image formation conditions and the post-processing conditions. This image forming aspect will be described with reference to
Thus, the image forming apparatus A sequentially forms images on a series of sheets from the first to nth pages. The post-processing apparatus B receives the sheets carried out in a face down posture, starting with the first page. In the “printout mode”, the sheets are sequentially loaded and housed on a first sheet discharging tray 21 located in the post-processing apparatus B. In the “stapling mode”, the sheets are loaded and housed on a first collecting section (first sheet collecting means; this also applies to the description below) located in the post-processing apparatus B. The sheets collected on the tray are stapled by end surface staple means 33 in response to a job end signal and then housed in the first sheet discharging tray 21.
When the double-side printing and 2in1 printing are specified as image formation conditions and the “sheet folding mode” is set for post-processing, if the final page is the nth page, the image forming apparatus A forms an image for the (n/2)th page and an image for the (n/2+1)th page on a front surface of the first sheet and forms an image for the (n/2−1)th page and an image for the (n/2+2)th page on a back surface of the sheet, as shown in
The post-processing apparatus B, coupled to the image forming apparatus A, described above, receives the sheet with an image formed thereon from the body sheet discharging port 3 in the image forming apparatus A, through a carry-in port 23. The post-processing apparatus B then (1) accommodates the sheet on the first sheet discharging tray 21 (the above-described “printout mode”), (2) sets the sheets from the body sheet discharging port 3 into a bunch and staples and houses the sheets on the first sheet discharging tray 21 (the above-described “stapling mode”), or (3) sets the sheets from the body sheet discharging port 3 into a bunch, folds the sheet bunch into a booklet, and houses the sheet bunch on a second sheet discharging tray 22 (the above-described “sheet bunch folding mode”).
Thus, as shown in
Further, as shown in
As described above, the opening and closing cover is located at the intermediate position between the first sheet discharging tray 21 and the second sheet discharging tray 22, which are arranged in the vertical direction, so that the saddle stitching staple means 40, stapling the sheet traveling to the lower second sheet discharging tray 22, can be maintained through the opening and closing cover. This allows the saddle stitching staple means 40 to be easily maintained through the opening and closing cover 20c. In this case, a work area is provided by removing the sheets loaded on the lower second sheet discharging tray 22. Thus, the relevant structure is simple and a maintenance operation can be easily performed.
Furthermore, the upper one of the two vertically arranged sheet discharging trays, the first sheet discharging tray 21, is configured to be able to elevate and lower in the vertical direction, and the opening and closing cover is located within an elevating and lowering trajectory of the first stack tray so that the saddle stitching staple means 40 for the sheet traveling to the second sheet discharging tray 22 can be maintained through the opening and closing tray. Thus, during the maintenance operation, the work area can be provided by moving the first stack tray above or below the opening and closing cover. The maintenance operation can then be safely and easily performed. This allows a small-sized, compact apparatus to be constructed.
The opening and closing cover 20c can be easily opened and closed by using a needle empty signal or an inappropriate operation signal from the saddle stitching staple means 40 to retract the first sheet discharging tray 21 above or below the opening and closing cover 20c.
In this path configuration, a carry-in roller 24 and a sheet discharging roller 25 are arranged on the sheet carry-in path P1. The rollers are coupled to a forward reversible drive motor M1 (not shown). The sheet carry-in path P1 has a path switching piece 27 located on the switchback conveying path SP2 to guide sheets and coupled to actuating means such as a solenoid. The sheet carry-in path P1 also has a post-processing unit 28 which is located between a carry-in roller 24(a) succeeding the carry-in port 23 and a carry-in roller 24(b) lying behind the post-processing unit 28 to execute post-processing by using a sheet sensor S1 to detect the trailing end of a sheet from the carry-in port 23; the post-processing unit 28 is, for example, stamp means for executing a stamping process using a detection signal from the sheet sensor S1 or a punch means for executing a punching process using the detection signal from the sheet sensor S1. The illustrated post-processing unit 28 is located at the carry-in port 23 upstream of the paired front and back carry-in rollers 24 (24a and 24b) so as to be able to be removed from and installed back in the casing 20 depending on the apparatus specifications.
The sheet carry-in path P1 has a sheet locking member (buffer guide) 26, located upstream of a branching path (at the position of the path switching piece 27) from the second switchback conveying path SP2, to temporarily hold the sheet traveling to the second switchback conveying path SP2, as shown in detail in
The first switchback conveying path SP1, located downstream of the sheet carry-in path P1 (closer to a trailing end of the apparatus) as described above, is configured as follows. As shown in
Further, the first sheet discharging tray 21 is located downstream of the switchback conveying path SP1 to support the leading end of sheets guided to the first switchback conveying path SP1 and the second switchback conveying path SP2.
With the above-described configuration, the sheet from the sheet discharging port 25a reaches the collecting tray 29 and is transferred toward the first sheet discharging tray 21 by the forward reverse roller 30. Once the trailing end of the sheet from the sheet discharging port 25a reaches the collecting tray 29, the forward reverse roller 30 is reversely rotated (counterclockwise in the figure) to transfer the sheet on the collecting tray 29 in a direction opposite to a sheet discharging direction. At this time, the caterpillar belt 31 cooperates with the forward reverse roller 30 in switching back and transferring the trailing end of the sheet along the collecting tray 29.
A trailing end regulating member 32 and the end surface staple means 33 is located at a trailing end of the collecting tray 29; the trailing end regulating member 32 regulates the position of the sheet trailing end. The illustrated staple means 33 is composed of an end surface stapler and staples the sheet bunch collected on the tray at one or more positions. The trailing end regulating member 32 is also used to provide a function of carrying out the stapled sheet bunch to the first sheet discharging tray 21, located downstream of the collecting tray 29. The trailing end regulating member 32 is configured to be able to reciprocate in the sheet discharging direction along the collecting tray 29. A carry-out mechanism of the illustrated trailing end regulating member 32 comprises a grip pawl 32a that grips the sheet bunch and a trailing end regulating surface 32b against which the sheet trailing end abuts for regulation. The carry-out mechanism is configured to be movable in the lateral direction of the figure along a guide rail provided on an apparatus frame. A driving arm 34a reciprocating the trailing end regulating member 32 and coupled to a sheet discharging motor M3 is provided.
The collecting tray 29 has a side aligning plate 34b with which the sheets collected on the tray align in the width direction. The side aligning plate 34b is composed of a lateral (the front to back of the device in
In the “stapling mode”, along the first switchback conveying path SP1 configured as described above, the sheets from the sheet discharging port 25a are set on the collecting tray 29. The sheet bunch is then stapled at one or more positions at the trailing edge thereof by the end surface staple means 33. In the “printout mode”, a sheet from the sheet discharging port 25a, the sheet fed along the collecting tray 29 is passed between the forward reverse roller 30 and the driven roller 30b and carried out to the first sheet discharging tray 21. Thus, the illustrated apparatus is characterized in that the sheet to be stapled is bridged between the collecting tray 29 and the first sheet discharging tray 21 to allow the apparatus to be compactly configured.
Now, description will be given of the configuration of the second switchback conveying path SP2, branching off from the sheet carry-in path P1, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
A switchback approaching path 35a is connected to a conveying direction trailing end of the collecting guide 35; the switchback approaching path 35a overlaps the outlet end of the second switchback conveying path SP2. This is to allow the trailing end of the carried-in (succeeding) sheet fed from the conveying roller 37 on the second switchback conveying path SP2 to overlap the trailing end of the loaded (preceding) sheets supported on the collecting guide 35 to ensure the page order of the collected sheets. A leading end regulating member 38 regulating the sheet leading end is located downstream of the collecting guide 35. The leading end regulating member 38 is supported by a guide rail so as to be movable along the collecting guide 35. The leading end regulating member 38 is moved between positions Sh1 and Sh2 and Sh3, shown in the figure, by shift means MS (not show).
When the leading end regulating member 38 is placed at the illustrated position Sh3, the trailing end of the sheet (sheet bunch) supported on the collecting guide 35 enters the switchback approaching path 35a. In this condition, the succeeding sheet fed through the second switchback conveying path SP2 is reliably stacked on the collected sheets. When the leading end regulating member 38 is placed at the illustrated position Sh2, the center of the sheets (sheet bunch) supported on the collecting guide 35 is placed at a staple position X on the saddle stitching staple means 40, described below. Likewise, when the leading end regulating member 38 is placed at the illustrated position Sh1, the sheet bunch is stapled and the center of the sheet bunch supported on the collecting guide 35 is placed at a fold position Y on the folding roll means 45. Thus, the illustrated positions Sh1, Sh2, and Sh3 are set at the optimum positions depending on the sheet size (conveying-direction length).
A sheet side edge aligning member 39 is located on a downstream side of the collecting guide 35 in the sheet conveying direction. The sheet side edge aligning member 39 aligns, with a reference, the width-direction position of the sheets carried into the collecting guide 35 and supported on the leading end regulated member 38. That is, with the leading end regulating member 38 placed at the position Sh3 and the whole sheets supported on the collecting guide 35, side edges of the sheets are aligned with the sheet side edge aligning member 39. Since the illustrated apparatus aligns the sheets using the sheet center as a reference, the sheet side edge aligning member 39 is composed of a lateral pair of aligning plates, the aligning plates are arranged at an equal distance from the sheet center as a reference to align the sheet bunch supported on the collecting guide 35. Thus, an aligning motor M5 is coupled to the sheet side edge aligning member 39.
The staple position X and the fold position Y are set on an upstream side and a downstream side, respectively, along the collecting guide 35. The saddle stitching staple means 40 is located at the staple position X. The saddle stitching staple means 40 is composed of a driver unit 40A and an anvil unit 40B which are separately arranged opposite to each other and across the collecting guide 35. A needle cartridge is installed on the driver unit 40A and contains needles coupled together like a band. A driver member moves upward and downward between a top dead center and a bottom dead center to allow a former member to fold the needle at the leading end into a U shape. The needle is then stuck into the sheet bunch. The driver unit 40A thus comprises a drive motor MS2, a driving arm that moves the driver member upward and downward, and a driving cam that drives the arm.
A folding groove is formed in the anvil unit 40B such that the tip of the staple needle stuck into the sheet bunch is folded in the folding groove. In the saddle stitching staple means 40 configured as described above, the driver unit 40A and the anvil unit 40B are separately arranged opposite to each other so that the sheet bunch can pass between the units 40A and 40B. This enables the sheet bunch to be stapled at the center or any other desired position.
The folding roll means 45 and a folding blade 46 are provided at the fold position X, located on the downstream side of the staple means 40; the folding roll means folds the sheet bunch and the folding blade 46 inserts the sheet bunch into a nip position NP on the folding roll means 45. As shown in
The pair of rolls 45a and 45b is preferably formed of a material such as rubber, which has a relatively large coefficient of friction, to fold the sheet being transferred in a rotating direction. The rolls 45a and 45b may be formed by lining a rubber like material. The folding roll means 45 is shaped to have recesses and protrusions and thus gaps 45g in the sheet width direction as shown in
Each of the rolls 45a and 45b is coupled to the roll driving means RM. The illustrated roll driving means RM is composed of a roll drive motor M6 and a transmission mechanism (transmission means) 47V as shown in
The illustrated clutch means 45c is composed of a one-way clutch and located between the transmission shaft 47X and a transmission collar 47Z so as to transmit the rotation of the transmission shaft 47X to the transmission collar 47Z in only one direction. The roll 45a is coupled to the transmission collar 47Z via a gear, and the roll 45b is coupled to the transmission collar 47Z via a belt. The motor rotation in only one direction is transmitted to the rolls 45a and 45b, thus coupled to the roll drive motor M6 via the clutch means 45c. The rolls are configured so as to be freely rotatable in a sheet delivery direction.
The rolls 45a and 45b are positioned in the area to which the collecting guide 35 is curved or bent to project. Further, the rolls 45a and 45b are located at a distance h from the sheet bunch supported on the collecting guide 35 as shown in
In the illustrated apparatus, the relationship between the coefficient of friction ν1 between the rolls 45a and 45b and the sheets, the coefficient of friction ν2 between the sheets, and the coefficient of friction ν3 between the sheets and the folding blade 46 is set to be ν1>ν2>ν3. Consequently, when the sheet bunch shown in
Now, the configuration of the blade driving means BM of the folding blade 46 will be described. As shown in
Now, with reference to
The driving control means 64d, shown in
When the thus folded sheet bunch is caught between the rolls 45a and 45b, the sheet contacting the roll surface is prevented from being drawn in between the rotating rolls 45a and 45b. That is, the folding roll means 45 rotates in conjunction with the inserted (pushed-in) sheets, preventing only the sheet contacting the rolls from being caught in between the rolls before the remaining sheets are caught. Furthermore, the folding roll means 45 rotates in conjunction with the inserted sheets, preventing the roll surface from rubbing against the sheet contacting the roll surface thereby preventing image rubbing.
A control arrangement for the image forming system described above will be described with reference to the block diagram in
Simultaneously with the settings for the image forming mode, the post-processing mode is set by input via the control panel 18. The post-processing mode is set to, for example, the “printout mode”, a “stapling finish mode”, or a “sheet bunch folding finish mode”. The body control section 50 transfers information on a post-processing finish mode, a sheet count, and a document copy count, and stapling mode information (whether the sheets are to be stapled at one position or a plurality of positions) to a post-processing control section 60. Every time image formation is finished, the body control section transfers the job end signal to the post-processing control section 60.
The post-processing control section 60 comprises a control CPU 61 that operates the post-processing apparatus B in accordance with the specified finish mode, a ROM 62 in which operation programs are stored, and a RAM 63 in which control data is stored. The control CPU 61 comprises a sheet conveyance control section 64a that allows the sheet fed to the carry-in port 23 to be conveyed, a sheet collecting operation control section 64b that performs a sheet collecting operation, a sheet stapling operation control section 64c that executes a sheet stapling process, and a sheet folding operation control section 64d that performs a sheet bunch folding operation.
The sheet conveyance control section 64a is coupled to a control circuit for the drive motor M1 for the conveying roller 24 and sheet discharging roller 25 on the sheet carry-in path P1. The sheet conveyance control section 64a is configured to receive a sensing signal from the sheet sensor S1, located on the path P1. The sheet collecting operation control section 64b is connected to a driving circuit for the forward reverse motor M2 for forward reverse roller 30, which allows the sheets to be collected on the first collecting section (collecting tray), and for the sheet discharging motor M3 for the trailing end regulating member. Moreover, the sheet stapling operation control section 64c is connected to a driving circuit for drive motors MS1 and MS2 built in the end surface stapling means 33 of the first collecting section 29 and in the saddle stitching staple means 40 of the second collecting section (collecting guide) 35, respectively.
The sheet folding operation control section 64d is connected to a driving circuit for the roll drive motor R6, which drivingly rotates the rolls 45a and 45b, and to a driving circuit for the clutch means 45c. The control section 64d is connected to a control circuit for the shift means MS for controllably moving the conveying rollers 36 and 37 on the second switchback conveying path SP2 and the leading end regulating means 38 of the collecting guide 35. The control section 64d thus receives sensing signals from sheet sensors arranged on the paths. The control section 64d is further connected to a driving circuit for the blade drive motor M7, which operates the folding blade 46.
The control section 64d configured as described above allows the post-processing apparatus to perform the following process operations.
Further, in the printout mode, the image forming apparatus A forms images on a series of documents starting with, for example, the first page. The image forming apparatus A sequentially carries out the sheets through the body sheet discharging port 3 in a face down posture. The post-processing apparatus B retracts the buffer guide 26 of the sheet carry-in path P1 upward in
Thus, in the printout mode, the sheets with images formed thereon by the image forming apparatus are accommodated on the first sheet discharging tray 21 via the sheet carry-in path P1 in the post-processing apparatus B. For example, the sheets are sequentially laid on top of one another in a face down posture starting with the first page and ending with the nth page. In this mode, the sheets are not guided to the first switchback conveying path SP1 or the second switchback conveying path SP2, shown in
In the stapling finish mode, as shown in
Further, every time a sheet is accumulated on the collecting tray 29, the control CPU 61 operates the side aligning plate 34b to align the sheet with the side aligning plate 34b in the width direction. Then, in response to the job end signal from the image forming apparatus A, the control CPU 61 operates the end surface staple means 33 to staple the sheet bunch collected on the tray 29, at the trailing edge thereof. After the stapling operation, the control CPU 61 moves the trailing end regulating means 32, also serving as bunch carry-out means, from the position shown by the solid line in
To continuously execute the stapling finish process, the control CPU 61 temporarily holds the succeeding sheet on the second switchback conveying path SP2. This sheet buffering operation will be described with reference to
Further, if the succeeding sheet is carried in by the image forming apparatus A while the stapling operation and/or the sheet bunch carry-out operation is being performed on the sheet bunch on the collecting tray 29, the CPU 61 uses the sheet sensor S1 to sense the succeeding sheet. At the time when the sheet trailing end is expected to pass through the path switching piece 27 on the sheet carry-in path P1, the control CPU 61 stops the sheet discharging roller 25. At the same time, the control CPU 61 moves the path switching piece 27 to the position shown in
While the sheet bunch on the collecting tray 29 is discharged to the first sheet discharging tray 21, the control CPU 61 rotates the conveying roller 36 clockwise as shown in
The embodiment of the present invention is thus characterized as described below. The substantially linear sheet carry-in path P1 has the first switchback conveying path SP1 on the downstream side and the second switchback conveying path SP2 on the upstream side. The first processing section (the above-described collecting tray) 29 is located on the first switchback conveying path SP1, and the second processing section (the above-described collecting guide) 35 is located on the second switchback conveying path SP2. Thus, the succeeding sheet fed to the sheet carry-in path P1 while the post-processing operation such as stapling is being performed by the downstream first processing section 29 is temporarily held on the upstream second switchback conveying path SP2. After the processing operation of the first processing section 29 is finished, the succeeding sheet held on the second switchback conveying path SP2 is transferred to the first switchback conveying path SP1. The succeeding sheet fed to the sheet carry-in path P1 while the second processing section 35 of the second switchback conveying path SP2 is performing the post-processing operation is temporarily held on the sheet carry-in path P1.
Further, conveyance control is performed as described below if the second succeeding sheet is carried into the sheet carry-in path P1 while the post-processing operation is being performed on the first switchback conveying path SP1. In this case, as shown in
An embodiment of the present invention also allows at least two succeeding sheets to stand by temporarily on the switchback conveying path SP2. For example, if a trouble such as a jam occurs during the post-processing of the preceding sheet bunch on the collecting tray 29 and at least two succeeding sheets reside in the upstream image forming apparatus A or the like, at least two succeeding sheets need to stand by on the second switchback conveying path SP2. In this case, as described above, the conveyance control means 64a lays the second sheet SA2 on top of the first sheet SA1 with the sheet discharging rollers 25 separated from each other as shown in
As described above, the first sheet SA1 standing by on the second switchback conveying path SP2 is offset from the second sheet SA2 fed through the sheet carry-in path P1, by the predetermined amount ho, or the plurality of sheets, the first and second sheets SA1 and SA2, are arranged on the second switchback conveying path SP2 offset from each other like scales by the predetermined amount ho. This is because to allow the sheets to abut against the trailing end regulating member 32, located on the collecting tray 29, for alignment, the aligning means (the above-described caterpillar belt) 31 allow the sheets to sequentially abut against the trailing end regulating member 32 for alignment starting with the lowermost sheet. Thus, as shown in
In the sheet bunch folding finish mode, the image forming apparatus A forms images on sheets, for example, in the order described with reference to
At the timing when the sheet is carried into the collecting guide 35 through the second switchback conveying path SP2, the control CPU 61 moves the leading end regulating member 38 to the lowermost Sh1 position. The whole sheets are then supported by the collecting guide 35. In this condition, the control CPU 61 operates the sheet side edge aligning member 39 to align the sheets (the alignment need not be performed for the first sheet or for every arrival of the sheet).
The control CPU 61 then moves the leading end regulating member 38, shown in
As previously described, the sheet side edge aligning member 39 is operated to align the carried-in sheet with the sheet supported on the collecting guide. This operation is repeated to allow the sheets with images formed thereon by the image forming apparatus A to be set on the collecting guide 35 via the second switchback conveying path SP2. Upon receiving the job end signal, the control CPU 61 moves the leading end regulating member 38 to the position Sh2 to align the sheet center with the staple position X for setting.
The control CPU 61 then operates the saddle stitching staple means 40 to staple the sheets at one position or a plurality of positions in the center thereof. In response to a completion signal for this operation, the control CPU 61 moves the leading end regulating member 38 to the position Sh1 and aligns the sheet center with the fold position Y for setting. The control CPU 61 then executes the folding process on the sheet bunch in accordance with the sequence shown in
Further, to continuously execute the sheet bunch folding finish process described above, the control CPU 61, shown in
To continuously execute the sheet bunch folding process described above, the control CPU 61 temporarily holds the succeeding sheet fed to the sheet carry-in path P1, on the buffer guide 26. As previously described, the sheets are collected on the collecting guide 35 through the second switchback conveying path SP2, shown in
If the succeeding sheet is carried in by the image forming apparatus A while the stapling operation and/or the sheet bunch folding operation is being performed on the sheet bunch on the collecting guide 35, the control CPU 61 uses the sheet sensor S1 to sense the succeeding sheet. At the time when the sheet trailing end is expected to pass through the buffer guide 26 of the sheet carry-in path P1, the control CPU 61 stops the sheet discharging roller 25. Simultaneously, the control CPU 61 moves the buffer guide 26 to the position shown in
After the sheet bunch on the collecting guide 35 is discharged to the second sheet discharging tray 22, the succeeding sheet is carried in by the image forming apparatus A and laid on top of the residing (standby) sheet. At this timing, the control CPU 61 rotates the sheet discharging roller 25 clockwise in
According to an embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the first and second switchback conveying paths SP1 and SP2 are arranged on the sheet carry-in path P1 so as to lie at a distance from each other in the vertical direction. The collecting tray 29 is located on the first switchback conveying path SP1 so that the stapling process can be executed on the collecting tray 29. The collecting guide 35 is located on the second switchback conveying path SP2 so that the bunch folding process can be executed on the sheets on the collecting guide 35. Thus, if the stapling finish operation and the bunch folding finish operation are to be consecutively performed, the succeeding post-processing can be executed without the need to wait for the preceding post-process to be finished. Furthermore, even if a trouble such as a jam occurs during the execution of the preceding post-processing, the sheet residing in the system for the succeeding post-processing can be conveyed to the position of the succeeding post-processing.
Further, the saddle stitching staple means 40 is located at the staple position X on the collecting guide 35. However, the sheet processing path may extend through the collecting guide, the staple position, and the fold position respectively, and the collecting guide means may be followed by the staple device, with the sheet folding means located downstream of the staple device. Moreover, the sheet bunch may be folded and then carried out onto the second sheet discharging tray 22 without being stapled by the staple means.
Alternatively, a third sheet discharging tray 21b may be provided as shown in
In the above-described embodiment, the end surface staple means 33 for stapling the sheets at the edge and saddle stitching staple means 40 are arranged in the vertical direction in the space surrounded by the sheet carry-in path P1, the first switchback conveying path SP1, and the second switchback conveying path SP2. Therefore, the apparatus is compact.
Further, the saddle stitching staple means 40 will be described below with reference to
Two device configurations described below are known for the driver unit 70, and either of the configurations can be adopted for the embodiment of the present invention. In the first configuration, staple needles each folded like the letter U are bonded together like a band, and the band-like needle is installed on the head unit. The band-like needle is depressed (struck) into the sheet bunch. The driver unit 70 is thus composed of a needle housing section in which the needles folded like the letter U and connected together like a band are housed, a driver plate that depresses the staple needle delivered by the needle housing section, toward the sheet bunch, and a driving cam that depresses the driver plate. Such a device is widely known as a stationary stapler and will thus not be described in detail.
The configuration of the driver unit 70 is shown in
With this configuration, in the driver member 72 and former member 73, built in the head section 70a, rotation of the drive motor MD causes the drive cam 77 to depress the drive lever 76 from the upper top dead center to the lower bottom dead center via the stored-energy spring. The lowering operation of the drive lever 76 moves the driver member 72 and former member 73, coupled to the drive lever 76, from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. The driver member 72 is composed of a plate-like member so as to depress a rear part of the staple needle folded like the letter U. The former member 73 is composed of a U-shaped member as shown in
The clinch unit 60 is located opposite the driver unit 70 configured as described above, across the sheet bunch. The clinch unit 60 is swingably supported by the driver unit 70 via a shaft or configured as a structure separate from the driver unit 70. The clinch unit 60 folds the needle tip stuck into the sheet bunch by the driver unit 70. The clinch unit 60 is thus composed of an anvil member 61 having a folding groove in which the tip of the staple needle is folded. The illustrated clinch unit 60 is composed of the anvil unit 61 having the folding grooves 62a and 62b, arranged opposite the driver unit 70 across the sheet bunch on the sheet loading table. In particular, the illustrated apparatus is characterized in that the plurality of folding grooves, that is, the lateral paired folding grooves 62a and 62b, are formed in the anvil member 61 at respective positions in the width direction of the sheet bunch supported on the sheet loading table 50, so as to lie at a predetermined distance from each other. This configuration allows the sheet bunch supported on the sheet loading table 50 to be stapled at the two lateral positions with the clinch unit 60 fixed and without the need to move the clinch unit 60.
The clinch unit 60 may be a wing member (not shown) which folds the needle tip of the staple needle and which is swingably rotated in conjunction (synchronism) with the needle tip stuck into the sheet bunch by the driver unit 70. In this case, a pair of folding wings is swingably supported on the frame of the clinch unit 60 via a shaft at positions opposite to the respective ends of the U-shaped needle. The pair of folding wings is then swung in conjunction with the operation performed by the driver unit 70 to stick the staple needle into the sheet bunch. The swing of the pair of wings allows the needle tip of the staple needle to be folded flat along a back surface of the sheet bunch. That is, the folding grooves allow the needle tip to be folded like the letter U (spectacle clinch). The wing member allows the needle tip to be linearly folded (flat clinch). Either of the configurations can be adopted for the present invention.
The driver unit 70 and clinch unit 60, described above, need to be configured to be movable in the sheet width direction (the lateral direction of
Further, an embodiment of the present invention relates to the movement of the units 70 and 60. The driver unit and/or clinch unit moved in the sheet width direction is hereinafter referred to as the “moving unit U”. In the illustrated apparatus, the moving unit U is composed of the driver unit 70′.
The moving unit U composed of the driver unit (this is also applied to the description below) is supported by apparatus frames (hereinafter also referred to as “apparatus side frames”) 80a and 80b via guide means so as to be able to reciprocate along the guide means 82. As shown in
The moving unit U has the head section 70a′, driver member 72′, former member 73′, driver lever 76′, and drive cam 77′ built in a unit frame 71 fittingly supported on the guide rails 82. A drive motor (not shown) is used to stick the staple needle into the sheet bunch on the sheet loading table 50′.
On the other hand, the illustrated clinch unit 60′ is composed of the anvil member 61′, located on a plan continuous with the sheet loading table 50′ as previously described. The folding grooves 62′a and 62′b are formed in the anvil member 61′. The folding groove 62′ includes the right folding groove 62′a and the left folding groove 62′b, located at a predetermined distance L from each other and allowing the sheet bunch to be stapled at two positions. The head section 70′a of the moving unit U moves in the lateral direction to the positions located opposite the right folding groove 62′a and the left folding groove 62′b.
The moving unit U, movably supported on the guide rail 82 as described above, has driving means DM described below. The driving means is composed of the drive motor M, the shift means MS, and a position holding means H. The drive motor M is composed of a normal electromagnetic motor and attached to the side frame 80 of the apparatus frame 80 as shown in
Now, the screw groove 86a in the lead screw 86 will be described. The screw groove 86a, engraved in the outer periphery of the lead screw 86, may have a uniform pitch angle, but in the figure, has a varying pitch angle. As shown in
Instead of being composed of the lead screw 86, the shift means MS may be configured as follows. Although not shown in the drawings, a traveling wire 86w (or a traveling belt; this also applies to the description below) is provided along and parallel to the guide rail 82, and the moving unit U is fixedly coupled to the wire. That is, the apparatus frame 80 has a lateral pair of pulleys around which a wire (or belt) is installed. The moving unit U is fixed to the wire, and the one of the right and left pulleys is coupled to the drive motor. The drive motor is rotated forward or backward to allow the wire or belt to travel along the guide rail. The moving unit U, coupled to the wire or belt, also moves in the lateral direction.
The moving unit U configured as described above comprises a positioning mechanism described below which moves the moving unit U to the staple position Z in the sheet width direction for positioning. The apparatus frame 80 has the stopper member 85 against which the moving unit U abuts at the predetermined staple position Z (Z1 and Z2) for positioning. In the illustrated apparatus, a right limit stopper member 85a is provided where the head section 70′a lies opposite the right folding groove 62′a. Likewise, a left limit stopper member 85b is provided where the head section 70′a lies opposite the left folding groove 62′b. The right limit stopper member 85a and the left limit stopper member 85b are fixed to, for example, the right and left side frames 80 of the apparatus frame, respectively. Alternatively, the right and left limit stopper members 85a and 85b may be fixedly arranged on the guide rail 82.
With the above-described configuration, the moving unit U abuts against the right limit stopper member 85a or the left limit stopper member 85b and is stopped at the staple positions Z1 and Z2 for motion regulation. However, in this condition, the moving unit U can move in the opposite direction, that is, leftward from the right limit position or rightward from the left limit position, at which the moving unit U is stopped by the stopper member for position regulation. The moving unit U has the position holding means H, described below. The position holding means H is configured so that the moving unit U abuts against the position holding means H and is biased toward the stopper member. That is, the position holding means H holds the position of the moving unit abutting against the abutting stopper member 85 using one of (1) sliding transmission means h1 (shown in
As shown in
In this case, control means for controlling the drive motor M performs control such that even after the moving unit U is moved to the predetermined staple position Z1 or Z2, the drive motor M is continuously rotated in the same direction to allow the torque limiter to exert the sliding transmission force.
The position holding means H may be composed of the bias spring h2 in place of the sliding clutch mechanism. The bias spring h2 may be located between the drive motor M and the shift means MS (the form in
A bias spring 88 shown in
As described above, the position holding means H for biasing the moving unit U toward the stopper member 85 can be composed of a magnetic torque induced by the drive motor M. As shown in
A second embodiment of the saddle stitching staple means 40 will be described with reference to
As shown in
With this configuration, in the driver member 42 and former member 43, built in the head section 41a, rotation of the drive motor MD causes the drive cam 107 to move the drive lever 106 from the upper top dead center to the bottom dead center via the stored-energy spring. The lowering operation of the drive lever 106 moves the driver member 42 and former member 43, coupled to the drive lever 106, from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. The driver member 42 is composed of a plate-like member so as to depress a rear part of the staple needle folded like the letter U. The former member 43 is composed of a U-shaped member as shown in
The anvil unit 40′B, located opposite the driver unit 40′A configured as described above has a structure shown in
When the tip of the staple needle is folded by a smaller amount (a shorter length), the folding groove 781is shaped as a recessed groove having a smaller folding depth (hv1) like the folding groove 78a, shown in
Now, a third embodiment of the stapling device will be described in detail with reference to
The end surface staple means 33 (hereinafter, will also be referred to as first processing unit) is composed of the driver unit 170 and the clinch unit 160 as shown in
The configuration of the saddle stitching staple means 40 will be described with reference to
The cartridge 75 containing the staple needles is installed inside the frame so that the staple needles in the cartridge 75 are sequentially supplied to the bending block 74. The driver member 72 and the former member 73 are coupled to the drive lever 76 swingably attached to the frame 71 and driven in the vertical direction between the top dead center and the bottom dead center. The frame has a stored-energy spring (not shown) that drives the drive lever 76 in the vertical direction, the drive cam 77 that stores energy in the spring, and the drive motor MD that drives the drive cam 77.
The clinch unit 260 is located opposite the driver unit 70 configured as described above, across the sheet bunch. The clinch unit 60 is swingably supported by the driver unit 70 via a shaft or configured as a structure separate from the driver unit 70. In the illustrated apparatus, the clinch unit 60 is composed of a unit separate from the driver unit 70. The clinch unit 60 folds the needle tip stuck into the sheet bunch by the driver unit 70. The clinch unit 60 is thus composed of the anvil member 61 having the folding groove in which the tip of the staple needle is folded. The illustrated clinch unit 60 is composed of the anvil unit 61 having the folding grooves 62a and 62b, arranged opposite the driver unit 70 across the sheet bunch on the sheet loading table. In particular, the illustrated apparatus is characterized in that the plurality of folding grooves, that is, the lateral paired folding grooves 62a and 62b, are formed in the anvil member 61 at respective positions in the width direction of the sheet bunch supported on the collecting guide 35, so as to lie at a predetermined distance from each other. This configuration allows the sheet bunch supported on the collecting guide 35 to be stapled at the two lateral positions with the clinch unit 60 fixed and without the need to move the clinch unit 60.
The clinch unit 60 may be a wing member (not shown) which folds the needle tip of the staple needle and which is swingably rotated in conjunction (synchronism) with the needle tip stuck into the sheet bunch by the driver unit 70. In this case, a pair of folding wings is swingably supported on the frame of the clinch unit 60 via a shaft at positions opposite to the respective ends of the U-shaped needle. The pair of folding wings is then swung in conjunction with the operation performed by the driver unit 70 to stick the staple needle into the sheet bunch. The swing of the pair of wings allows the needle tip of the staple needle to be folded flat along a back surface of the sheet bunch. That is, the folding grooves allow the needle tip to be folded like the letter U (spectacle clinch). The wing member allows the needle tip to be linearly folded (flat clinch) . Either of the configurations can be adopted for the present invention.
With this configuration, in the driver member 72 and former member 73, built in the head section 70a, rotation of the staple motor MD causes the drive cam 77 to depress the drive lever 76 from the upper top dead center to the lower bottom dead center via the stored-energy spring. The lowering operation of the drive lever 76 moves the driver member 72 and former member 73, coupled to the drive lever 76, from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. The driver member 72 is composed of a plate-like member so as to depress a rear part of the staple needle folded like the letter U. The former member 73 is composed of a U-shaped member as shown in
The driver units, 70, and the clinch units, 60, constituting each of the end surface staple means 33 and the saddle stitching staple means 40 need to be configured to be movable in the sheet width direction (the lateral direction of
As shown in
The end surface staple means 33 and the saddle stitching staple means 40 are installed so as to be movable in the sheet width direction as described above, and each comprise driving means. The end surface staple means 33 has the lead screw 86 located parallel to the guide rails 80a and 80b. The saddle stitching staple means 40 has a lead screw 87 located parallel to the guide rails 80a and 80b. An engaging projection 82 formed on the unit frame 33f or 40f of each of the processing units engages the screw groove 86a. The lead screw 86 in the end surface staple means 33 and the lead screw 87 in the saddle stitching staple means 40 are coupled to the drive motor M. This transmission mechanism will be described with reference to
An embodiment of the present invention is thus characterized in that the first unit driving means MD1 and the second unit driving means MD2 are constructed using the single driving means (drive motor) M; the first unit driving means MD1 moves the end surface staple means 33 in the sheet width direction, and the second unit driving means MD2 moves the saddle stitching staple means 40 in the sheet width direction. Thus, the end surface staple means 33 can be moved in the sheet width direction by rotating the drive motor M by a predetermined amount from a home position thereof. Furthermore, the controllable rotation of the drive motor M enables the saddle stitching staple means 40 to be moved in the sheet width direction.
The positions of the end surface staple means 33 and the saddle stitching staple means 40 are controlled using the single driving means (drive motor) M as described above. In this case, these processing units may have different moving strokes St. For example, as shown in
The single driving means (drive motor) Mis controllably rotated to place the end surface staple means 33 at the appropriate position (HP, P1a, P2a, P2b, P1b, or P3) and to place the saddle stitching staple means 40 at the appropriate position (P5a, P4a, P4b, or P5b). The transmission gear G1 constituting the above-described first transmission means thus has a reduction gear ratio different from that of the transmission gear G2 constituting the above-described second transmission means. That is, the reduction gear ratios of the transmission gears G1 and G2 are set so that a predetermined rotation of the driving means (drive motor) M moves the end surface staple means 33 over a stroke St01, while moving the saddle stitching staple means 40 over a stroke St02. This configuration allows the two processing units 33 and 40 with different strokes to be controlled by the single drive motor M without using any special clutch.
In the above description, to move the first and second processing units 33 and 40 with different strokes to the respective processing positions using the single driving motor M, the first transmission means G1 and the second transmission means G2 have the different transmission ratios corresponding to the respective strokes. Alternatively, sliding transmission means may be provided in one of the first and second transmission means G1 and G2 to allow the first and second processing units 33 and 40 to reciprocate over the respective strokes. This will be described with reference to
In
When moved in the sheet width direction, the saddle stitching staple means 40 abuts against the right or left limit abutting stopper members 85c or 85d and is subjected to position regulation at this position. The end surface staple means 33 is subsequently moved. Consequently, even though the drive motor M is continuously rotated in the same direction, the rotation of the rotating shaft is slidably transmitted by the torque limiter to hold the saddle stitching staple means 40 at the predetermined processing position P4a or P4b.
As described above, according to the present invention, the first switchback conveying path is provided downstream of the sheet carry-in path, and the second switchback conveying path is provided upstream of the first switchback conveying path. The first collecting means, provided on the first switchback conveying path, sets and collects the sheets and then executes the stapling process, and the sheet collecting means, provided on the second switchback conveying path, executes the sheet folding process on the sheets. The present invention thus exerts the following effects.
The sheet guided to the first and second switchback conveying path through the sheet carry-in path is conveyed along the relatively linear path. Thus, a thick sheet or a sheet with a small coefficient of friction can be reliably and stably conveyed. This prevents a conveyance mark such as image rubbing from being left on the sheet.
The sheet from the image forming apparatus to be subjected to the stapling finish is guided to the first collecting means through the first switchback conveying path. The sheets to be subjected to the folding finish are guided to the second sheet collecting means through the second switchback conveying path. Thus, even when the preceding sheet is being processed, the succeeding sheet to be subjected to the different finish process can be carried into the apparatus. This enables continuous sheet processing to be efficiently achieved at a high speed. In particular, even if for example, a trouble such as a jam occurs during the processing of the preceding sheet, the succeeding sheet can be carried into the apparatus without being stopped. This allows jam processing to be executed at the optimum timing.
Moreover, the first switchback conveying path for the stapling finish is located downstream of the sheet carry-in path, and the second switchback conveying path for the sheet folding finish is located upstream of the sheet carry-in path. This allows the second switchback conveying path, on which the sheet folding mechanism or the saddle stitching staple means is located, to be placed in the central part of the apparatus. A compact, small-sized apparatus can thus be provided.
The present application claims the priorities of Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-022041, Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-022038, Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-022040, Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-144038, Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-221653, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-221654 which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-022038 | Jan 2007 | JP | national |
| 2007-022040 | Jan 2007 | JP | national |
| 2007-022041 | Jan 2007 | JP | national |
| 2007-144038 | May 2007 | JP | national |
| 2007-221653 | Aug 2007 | JP | national |
| 2007-221654 | Aug 2007 | JP | national |
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| 2004-269249 | Sep 2004 | JP |
| 2007-214973 | Aug 2007 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20080181701 A1 | Jul 2008 | US |
