JP5987452B2 - Post-processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to improve convenience when sealing and opening documents, a cutting blade, a knife, and a cam are attached to an upper mold that can move the sealing device up and down, and a predetermined hole is opposed to these. And a lower mold for receiving a document to be sealed. This lower die is punched so that the cutting blade does not leave a part of the document away from the document when the upper die approaches, and at the same time, the knife makes a groove in the document adjacent to the punched part, and then the cam strikes. The punched portion is folded, and when the upper die is separated from the lower die, the knife inserts the tip of the punched portion into the groove to seal the document. In addition, it is disclosed that an upper blade is attached to an upper die, a lower blade is attached to a lower die, and a document is cut when the upper die approaches the lower die.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, a tongue-like piece is formed by lowering the lever by operating the lever so as to be able to bind the documents without using a metal needle, and by cutting the three ends of the paper bundle. There is disclosed a document binding tool including a first punch and a second punch that forms a reverse tongue-like piece that is also surrounded by three cuts in the vicinity thereof. In addition, the document binding tool is provided with a rotating claw that rotates in conjunction with the lowering of the first punch to bend the downward tongue-shaped piece formed by the first punch to the side, and the rotating claw is on the side. The tongue-shaped piece bent upward is lifted in a state where the tip of the tongue-shaped piece is supported from below, and the tongue-shaped piece is pushed into the punched hole formed by pushing up the tongue-shaped piece formed by the second punch. It is disclosed that a hooking portion to be inserted and locked is provided in the second punch.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an image forming apparatus main body including a document reading unit, a main body tray, an image forming unit, and a paper feeding unit in order to provide a paper discharge device that improves the stacking performance of discharged paper bundles. And a paper stacking unit including a paper post-processing device and a shifter mechanism, and an image forming apparatus in which the paper stacking unit functions as a paper discharge device is disclosed. Here, the sheet bundle stapled by the sheet post-processing device is alternately offset by a shifter mechanism at a discharge position left and right, that is, at a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the discharge direction, and discharged to the second sheet stack tray. Is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Publication No.49-5960 Japanese Patent No. 2903492 JP 2006-8370 A

  An object of the present invention is to suppress the height of the entire stacked sheet bundle.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a sheet bundle forming unit that stacks a plurality of sheets to form a sheet bundle, a cut is formed in a part of the sheet bundle formed by the sheet bundle forming unit, and the sheet bundle Forming a tongue portion on the sheet bundle that leaves a portion where one end portion is continuous with the sheet bundle by cutting a part of the tongue into a predetermined shape, and folding the tongue portion to the other end portion of the tongue portion Binding means for binding the sheet bundle into the cut, conveying means for conveying the sheet bundle bound by the binding means, and stacking means for stacking the sheet bundle conveyed by the conveying means The binding means binds the sheet bundle so that the longitudinal direction of the tongue portion inserted into the notch is along the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle, and on one side in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. Paper bundle The one-side binding mechanism for binding, and the other-side binding mechanism for binding the paper bundle on the other side in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the paper bundle, and the paper bundle bound by the one-side binding mechanism and the The sheet bundle bound by the other side binding mechanism is arranged at different positions on the stacking unit in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the sheet bundle, and the sheet bundle bound by the one side binding mechanism and the other side binding A post-processing device comprising: an arrangement mechanism that displaces the tongue formed on one of the bundles of sheets bound by the mechanism from the other bundle of sheets.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the arrangement mechanism is configured such that the tongues in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle are not in contact with each other when the sheet bundle bound by the one-side binding mechanism is on the stacking unit. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing apparatus is arranged at a plurality of positions.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the arrangement mechanism is configured such that the tongues in the direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet bundle are not in contact with each other on the stacking unit. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the post-processing apparatus is arranged at a plurality of positions.

Invention 請 Motomeko 4 wherein, said conveying means, downstream in the transport direction of the sheet bundle than the one end the other end of the tongue portion of the sheet bundle stapled by said stapling means carry the sheet bundle to become oriented is a post-processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein.
The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the one-side binding mechanism includes the other end portion of the tongue portion formed by the one-side binding mechanism and the other end portion of the tongue portion formed by the other-side binding mechanism. DOO is a post-processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that bind the sheet bundle to be placed on the front and rear opposite side of the sheet bundle on said stacking means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming mechanism for forming an image on a sheet, a sheet bundle forming unit for stacking a plurality of sheets on which images are formed by the image forming mechanism to form a sheet bundle, and the sheet bundle forming Forming a notch in a part of the sheet bundle formed by the means, and cutting a part of the sheet bundle into a predetermined shape to leave a portion where one end portion is continuous with the sheet bundle. A binding unit that forms the sheet bundle, folds the tongue, inserts the other end of the tongue into the cut, and binds the sheet bundle, and a conveyance unit that conveys the sheet bundle bound by the binding unit And a stacking unit that stacks the sheet bundle conveyed by the conveying unit, and the binding unit is configured so that a longitudinal direction of the tongue portion inserted into the notch is along a conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. Bind paper bundle Rutotomoni other side binding for binding and stitching one side binding mechanism the sheet bundle on one side in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle on the other side in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the sheet bundle And the sheet bundle bound by the one-side binding mechanism and the sheet bundle bound by the other-side binding mechanism are different in a direction crossing the transport direction of the sheet bundle on the stacking unit. The tongue portion formed on one of the sheet bundles bound by the one side binding mechanism and the sheet bundle bound by the other side binding mechanism is shifted from the other sheet bundle. An image forming apparatus including an arrangement mechanism for performing the above-described operation.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the binding means includes a one-side binding mechanism that binds the sheet bundle on one side in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle, and the other in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. and a second side binding mechanism for binding the sheet bundle on the side, the one on the basis of whether carried out by side binding mechanism for binding process by or the other side binding mechanism performs the binding processing, the image forming mechanism in the paper The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a rotating unit that rotates a direction of an image to be formed.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the image forming mechanism prints an image on a sheet constituting the sheet bundle based on whether the binding process is performed by the one-side binding mechanism or the other-side binding mechanism. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising a switching unit that switches a forming order.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the height of the entire stack of stacked sheets can be suppressed as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided. Further, according to the first aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the present configuration is not provided, the amount of shifting the sheet bundle by the arrangement mechanism is suppressed.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the height of the entire stack of stacked sheets can be further suppressed as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the entire stacked sheet bundle can be stabilized as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the tongue formed on the sheet bundle from being damaged as compared with the case where this configuration is not provided.
According to the invention described in claim 5, it is possible to match the directions of the binding portions in the sheet bundle on which the one-side binding mechanism and the other-side binding mechanism have respectively performed the binding process.

According to the invention described in claim 6, the height of the entire stacked sheet bundle can be suppressed as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to match the orientations of the images in the sheet bundle on which the one-side binding mechanism and the other-side binding mechanism have respectively performed the binding process.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to match the order of the sheets in the sheet bundle on which the one-side binding mechanism and the other-side binding mechanism have respectively performed the binding process.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an image forming system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the periphery of the compilation | stacking part. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the periphery of the compilation | stacking part seen from the III direction of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows a stapleless binding mechanism and its peripheral member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the part bound by the stapleless binding mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows the part bound in the sheet bundle. It is explanatory drawing which shows the part bound in the sheet bundle. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of offsetting a sheet bundle. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a bundle of sheets stacked on the stacking unit as viewed from VIII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a bundle of sheets stacked on the stacking unit as viewed from VIII in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning on the stacking part of the sheet | seat bundle | flux bound by the stapleless binding mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the sheet | seat bundle in a 2nd stacking form. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a binding part and the image formed on a paper.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Image forming system 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming system (image forming apparatus) 1 to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. An image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1 performs post-processing on, for example, an image forming apparatus 2 such as a printer or a copier that forms an image by electrophotography, and a sheet S on which a toner image is formed by the image forming apparatus 2. And a sheet processing apparatus 3 to be applied.

<Image forming apparatus 2>
The image forming apparatus 2 includes a paper supply unit 6 that supplies a paper S on which an image is formed, and an image forming unit (image forming mechanism) 5 that forms an image on the paper S supplied from the paper supply unit 6. The image forming apparatus 2 also includes a sheet reversing device 7 that reverses the surface of the sheet S on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 5 and a discharge roll 8 that discharges the sheet S on which the image is formed. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 2 includes a user interface 9 that receives information related to the binding process from the user.

<Paper Processing Device 3>
The paper processing device 3 includes a transport device 10 that transports the paper S output from the image forming device 2 further downstream, a compile stacking unit 35 that collects and bundles the paper S, and a needleless device that binds the end of the paper S. And a post-processing device 30 including a binding mechanism 50 and the like. In the illustrated example, the sheet processing apparatus 3 is an example of a rotation unit and a switching unit, and includes a control unit 80 that controls the entire image forming system 1.
The conveyance device 10 of the paper processing apparatus 3 is configured to apply an inlet roll 11 that is a pair of rolls that receive the paper S output via the discharge roll 8 of the image forming apparatus 2 and the paper S received by the inlet roll 11. And a puncher 12 for drilling as necessary. Further, the transport device 10 further downstream of the puncher 12 includes a first transport roll 13 that is a pair of rolls for transporting the paper S to the downstream side, and a pair of transports the paper S toward the post-processing device 30. And a second transport roll 14 which is a roll.

The post-processing device 30 of the paper processing device 3 includes a receiving roll 31 that is a pair of rolls that receive the paper S from the transport device 10. In addition, the post-processing device 30 is provided on the downstream side of the receiving roll 31 to stack the sheets S and form a bundle of sheets B, and a pair of sheets that discharge the sheets S toward the compile stacking section 35. And an exit roll 34 which is a roll.
Further, the post-processing device 30 includes a paddle 37 that rotates so as to push the sheet S toward an end guide 35 b (described later) of the compiling stacking unit 35. Further, the post-processing device 30 includes a tamper 38 for aligning the edges of the paper S. Furthermore, the post-processing device 30 is an example of a transport unit, and an eject roll 39 that transports the sheet bundle B by pressing and rotating the sheets S collected by the compile stacking unit 35. I have.

  Further, the post-processing device 30 includes a stapleless binding mechanism 50 that binds the end portion of the sheet bundle B accumulated in the compilation stacking unit 35. Furthermore, the post-processing device 30 includes an opening 69 for discharging the sheet bundle B to the outside of the post-processing device 30 by the eject roll 39. The stacking unit 70 is an example of a stacking unit and stacks the sheet bundles B discharged from the opening 69 so that the user can easily take them.

<Structure around the compiling loader 35>
Next, the compile stacking unit 35 and the surrounding structure will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the periphery of the compile stacking unit 35, and FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the periphery of the compile stacking unit 35 viewed from the direction of arrow III in FIG.
3 indicates the user side of the image forming system 1, and indicates the front side of the sheet in FIGS.

First, the compiling stacking unit 35, which is an example of a sheet bundle forming unit, includes a bottom 35a having a top surface on which the sheets S are stacked. The bottom portion 35a is provided so as to be inclined so that the paper S falls along the upper surface.
In addition, the compiling stacking unit 35 includes an end guide 35b that is arranged so as to align the end of the sheet S falling along the bottom 35a in the traveling direction.

  As will be described in detail later, the movement of the sheet S around the compile stacking unit 35 is first supplied toward the compile stacking unit 35 (see the first traveling direction S1 in FIG. 2), and then the traveling direction is changed. It reverses and falls along the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking section 35 (see the second traveling direction S2 in FIG. 2). Thereafter, the ends of the sheets S are aligned, and a sheet bundle B is formed. Then, the sheet bundle B rises along the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking portion 35 with the traveling direction reversed (see the third traveling direction S3 in FIG. 2).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, each end of the bottom portion 35a of the compiling stacking portion 35 is defined as follows. First, the end portion on the leading end side in the second traveling direction S2 indicating the direction in which the sheet S falls along the upper surface of the bottom portion 35a of the compiling stacking portion 35 is referred to as a leading end portion Ta. This tip side end portion Ta is an end portion in contact with the end guide 35b. Further, the end portion along the second traveling direction S2 and the end portion on the user side (lower side in FIG. 3) of the image forming system 1 is referred to as a first side end portion Tb. Further, the end facing the first side end Tb, that is, the end along the second traveling direction S2, and the end on the back side (the upper side in FIG. 3) of the image forming system 1, This is referred to as a second side end Tc.

  The paddle 37 is provided above the compilation stacking unit 35 and downstream of the exit roll 34 in the first traveling direction S1 of the sheet S. Further, the paddle 37 is provided so that the distance from the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking portion 35 is changed by being driven by a motor or the like (not shown). Specifically, the paddle 37 is provided so as to be movable in the directions of arrows U1 and U2 in FIG. 2, and moves in the direction of the arrow U1 to approach the bottom 35a of the compile stacking unit 35 (drawn by a solid line). The position Pb) is moved away from the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking unit 35 by moving in the direction of the arrow U2 (position Pa drawn by a broken line). The paddle 37 rotates in the direction of the arrow R in FIG. 2, so that the sheet S conveyed along the first traveling direction S1 in FIG. It is configured to push in the direction S2.

  The tamper 38, which is an example of an arrangement mechanism, includes a first tamper 38a and a second tamper 38b that are opposed to each other with the compile stacking unit 35 interposed therebetween. Specifically, the first tamper 38a and the second tamper 38b are arranged to face each other in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) intersecting the second traveling direction S2. The first tamper 38a and the second tamper 38b are driven by a motor (not shown) or the like so as to align the end portions along the traveling direction of the sheet S falling along the bottom portion 35a. It is equipped so that the mutual distance of 38b may change.

In the illustrated example, the first tamper 38a is movable in the direction along the tip end portion Ta (arrows C1 and C2), and can be arranged at four positions Ta1 to Ta4. Further, the second tamper 38b is movable in the direction along the tip end portion Ta (arrows C3 and C4), and can be arranged at four positions Tb1 to Tb4.
Note that the positions Ta1 to Ta4 and Tb1 to Tb4 of the first tamper 38a and the second tamper 38b in the present embodiment are changed according to the paper size and orientation of the paper S supplied to the compiling stacking unit 35. be able to.

The eject roll 39 includes a first eject roll 39a and a second eject roll 39b, and the first eject roll 39a and the second eject roll 39b sandwich the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking section 35, and the upper side of the bottom 35a. It is arranged to face the lower side.
The first eject roll 39a is provided on the bottom side 35a of the compiling stacking unit 35 on the surface side on which the sheets S are stacked. Further, the first eject roll 39a is provided so as to be capable of advancing and retreating with respect to the second eject roll 39b upon being driven by a motor or the like (not shown). On the other hand, the second eject roll 39b is disposed at the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking unit 35, and is disposed on the back side of the surface on which the sheets S are stacked. ing.

Specifically, the first eject roll 39a moves in the direction of the arrow Q1, and the first eject roll 39a approaches the bottom 35a of the compilation stacking section 35 (position P2 drawn with a broken line). On the other hand, the first eject roll 39a moves in the direction of the arrow Q2, and the first eject roll 39a moves away from the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking section 35 (position P1 drawn by a solid line).
The first eject roll 39a is driven by a motor (not shown) in contact with the paper S and rotates in the arrow T1 direction to raise the paper bundle B (in the third traveling direction S3). It is comprised so that it may convey.
The positions P1 and P2 of the first eject roll 39a can be changed according to the number and thickness of the sheets S supplied to the compiling stacking unit 35.

<Needleless binding mechanism 50>
A needleless binding mechanism 50 that is an example of a binding unit will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the stapleless binding mechanism 50 includes a first stapleless binding mechanism 50 a and a second stapleless binding mechanism 50 b that are opposed to each other with the compilation stacking unit 35 interposed therebetween. Here, the first needleless binding mechanism 50a and the second needleless binding mechanism 50b are configured in the same manner except that the vertical direction is reversed (described later).
The first stapleless binding mechanism 50a is provided at a corner portion sandwiched between the distal end side end portion Ta and the first lateral end portion Tb, and the second needleless binding mechanism 50b includes the distal end side end portion Ta and the second side. It is provided at a corner portion sandwiched between the end portions Tc.

  Further, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a can be moved in the direction along the tip end portion Ta (arrows C1 and C2) by being driven by a motor or the like (not shown), and can be arranged at two positions Sa1 and Sa2. It is. The second needleless binding mechanism 50b is movable (arrows C3 and C4) in the direction along the distal end Ta by receiving driving of a motor or the like (not shown), and can be arranged at two positions Sb1 and Sb2. .

Here, the illustrated example has a configuration including two first stapleless binding mechanisms 50a and a second stapleless binding mechanism 50b. The first stapleless binding mechanism 50a can be regarded as one side binding mechanism, and the second needleless binding mechanism 50b can be regarded as the other side binding mechanism.
However, as long as the binding process can be performed on the first side end Tb side and the second side end Tc side, for example, the first side end Tb, the tip end Ta, The configuration may be such that one binding mechanism 50 moves on a rail (not shown) provided along the two side end portions Tc under the driving of a motor (not shown) or the like. In this case, the binding mechanism 50 can be regarded as one side binding mechanism, and the rail (not shown) and the motor (not shown) can be regarded as the other side binding mechanism.

  Next, the two binding mechanisms 50a and 50b will be further described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the needleless binding mechanism 50 and its peripheral members. More specifically, FIG. 4A shows the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a viewed from the user side of the image forming system 1 (the front side in FIG. 1), and FIG. The 2nd needleless binding mechanism 50b seen from the user side is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a includes a stapleless binding motor M1 that is controlled by the control unit 80 (see FIG. 1) and drives the stapleless binding mechanism 50a. The first stapleless binding mechanism 50a is rotated by receiving a drive from the stapleless binding motor M1 and applies a force opposite to the drive force transmitted by the cam 82. And a spring 84.

Here, the first staple-less binding mechanism 50a (and the second staple-less binding mechanism 50b) deforms the paper S constituting the paper bundle B without using a stapler spelling needle (so-called staple needle), thereby forming the paper. The end of the bundle B is bound. Specifically, the configuration is as follows.
The first stapleless binding mechanism 50a includes a base 501 and a base 503 that are arranged to face each other. As shown in FIG. 4A, the sheet bundle B is bound when the base portion 503 approaches the base 501 (F1 direction in the drawing) with the sheet bundle B sandwiched between the bases 501. .

  The base 501 includes a holding member 502 that is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the base 501. The base 501 and the restraining member 502 are provided so as to sandwich the bottom portion 35a (see FIG. 2) of the compiling stacking unit 35, and the sheet bundle B on the compiling stacking unit 35 is composed of the base 501 and the restraining member 502. Between. As shown in FIG. 4, the base 501 has a protrusion 506 that extends toward the base 503 and is formed integrally with the base 501.

The base 503 includes a blade 504 that cuts into the sheet bundle B, and a punching member 505 that forms and bends a tongue 522 (described later) on the sheet bundle B and inserts the tongue 522 into the cut formed by the blade 504. Have.
The blade 504 is formed of a substantially rectangular plate-like member that extends toward the sheet bundle B sandwiched between the base 501 and the holding member 502. Specifically, the blade 504 has eye holes 504a on a substantially rectangular surface, and further has a tip 504b whose width decreases as the sheet bundle B is approached.

The punching member 505 is a member having an L-shaped bent portion. One end of the punching member 505 is a main portion 505a, and the other end is a sub-portion 505b.
The punching member 505 has a main portion rotation shaft 505r provided at an L-shaped bent portion. This punching member 505 is rotatable around a main portion rotation shaft 505r. When the punching member 505 rotates about the main portion rotation shaft 505r, the main portion 505a comes into contact with and separates from the blade 504. A gap is formed between the sub part 505b and the base part 503 so that the punching member 505 can rotate.

  Here, the main portion 505 a extends toward the base 501. Further, the main portion 505a has a blade portion 505c on the side opposite to the side where the main portion rotating shaft 505r is provided, that is, on the side facing the base 501. The blade portion 505c is a blade that punches out the shape of the tongue portion 522. Note that no blade is formed on the side of the blade portion 505c facing the blade 504, and the tongue portion 522 and the sheet S are configured to be continuous by one end portion 522a (described later). Further, the main portion 505 a has a protrusion 505 d extending toward the blade 504 on the side of the main portion 505 a that faces the blade 504.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50 a includes a base 501 and a base portion 503 provided above the base 501. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, the second needleless binding mechanism 50b is arranged upside down from the first needleless binding mechanism 50a, and the base 501 is located above the base 503. It becomes the arrangement which is arranged.

  Unlike FIG. 4, when one stapleless binding mechanism 50 moves to perform the binding process, the stapleless binding is performed on the first side end Tb side and the second side end Tc side. A switching mechanism for switching the vertical direction of the mechanism 50 may be provided. In addition, it is not essential that the first needleless binding mechanism 50a and the second needleless binding mechanism 50b are opposite in the vertical direction, and a configuration in which the vertical direction matches may be used.

<Operation of Needleless Binding Mechanism 50>
Here, the operation of binding the end portion of the sheet bundle B stacked on the compiling stacking unit 35 by the stapleless binding mechanism 50 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.
Here, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a portion bound by the stapleless binding mechanism 50. More specifically, FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the slit 521 and the tongue 522, and FIG. 5B shows the slit 521 and the tongue 522 bound by the first needleless binding mechanism 50a. FIG. 5C is an explanatory diagram showing a binding portion 51 bound by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a, and FIG. 5D is a binding by the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b. It is explanatory drawing which shows the bound part 51 made.

  First, when the sheet bundle B to be subjected to the binding process is stacked on the compiling stacking unit 35, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a is moved to the position Sa1 or the position by receiving a signal from the control unit 80 and driven by a motor (not shown). The second stapleless binding mechanism 50b is arranged at the position Sb1 or the position Sb2. In the following, the operation of performing the binding process by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a will be described. However, the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b is also similar to the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a except that the vertical direction is reversed. It operates in the same way.

  In this position Sa1 or position Sa2, the needleless binding motor M1 that has received an instruction from the controller 80 is driven to rotate the cam 82. As a result, the base 503 approaches the base 501 (direction F1 in FIG. 4A), and the leading end 504b of the blade 504 and the blade 505c of the punching member 505 penetrate the sheet bundle B. Then, slits (cuts) 521 and tongues 522 from which the sheet S is punched out with the one end 522a formed are formed on each sheet S constituting the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 5A).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the cam 82 rotates and the base portion 503 is further pressed, the sub-portion 505b of the punching member 505 hits the protruding portion 506 formed integrally with the base 501 and is punched out. The member 505 rotates clockwise in FIG. 4A around the main portion rotation shaft 505r. As a result, the main portion 505 a is inclined toward the blade 504, and the protrusion 505 d of the punching member 505 approaches the blade 504. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the protrusion 505d of the punching member 505 bends the tongue 522 and pushes it toward the eye hole 504a of the blade 504 in the direction F2. In FIG. 5B, the punching member 505 is not shown.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4A, after the cam 82 further rotates and passes through the bottom dead center, the base 503 moves away from the base 501 while receiving the force of the spring 84 (F3 in the figure). reference). As the base portion 503 moves in the direction F3 in the drawing, the tongue portion 522 moves while being caught in the eye hole 504a of the blade 504.
Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, the sheet bundle B is bound by inserting (weaving) the tongue 522 into the slit 521. At this time, a binding hole 523 is formed in the sheet bundle B where the tongue 522 is punched. In the present embodiment, a portion where the slit 521, the tongue portion 522, and the binding hole 523 are arranged is a portion (binding portion) 51 subjected to the binding process.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, in the binding portion 51 that is bound by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a, the other end 522b that is the tip of the tongue 522 is disposed on the upper side Bh side of the sheet bundle B. The On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), in the binding portion 51 bound by the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b, the other end that is the tip of the tongue 522 is provided on the lower surface Bt side of the sheet bundle B. 522b is arranged.

<Binding portion 51>
Next, the binding portion 51 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
Here, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a bound portion in the sheet bundle B. FIG. More specifically, FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the VIa direction in FIG. 5C, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the VIb direction in FIG. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view of the binding portion bound by the staple needle 41, FIG. 6D is a plan view seen from the VId direction of FIG. 5C, and FIG. 6E is FIG. 5C. FIG. 6F is a plan view of the portion bound by the staple needle 41 as viewed from the VIe direction.

First, the direction of the binding portion 51 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, the tongue portion 522 of the binding portion 51 bound by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b is in the direction in which the sheet bundle B is conveyed ( It is formed along the third traveling direction S3). Further, the tongue 522 transports the sheet bundle B from the base of the tongue 522 (one end 522a, one end) to the tip of the tongue 522 (the other end 522b, the other end). It is arrange | positioned so that it may become the downstream in the direction (3rd traveling direction S3). Accordingly, the tongue 522 is restrained from being caught by another member when the sheet bundle B is conveyed, and for example, the tongue 522 is prevented from being damaged.

Further, the tongue 522 is disposed so that the front end (the other end 522 b) of the tongue 522 faces the outside of the sheet S constituting the sheet bundle B. In other words, the tip of the tongue 522 is disposed closer to the end of the paper S than the root (one end 522a) of the tongue 522.
Here, for example, when the sheet bundle B is opened by the user, the sheet bundle B is gradually rolled in a state where a part of the sheet S constituting the sheet bundle B is picked. At this time, the portion of the sheet S that is left untouched is normally located at the end of the sheet bundle B other than the corner portion where the binding portion 51 of the sheet bundle B is formed. Therefore, the binding portion 51 is gradually opened from the center side of the sheet S as the sheet S is pulled from the portion where the sheet S is left.
At this time, when the tip (the other end 522b) of the tongue 522 is arranged to face the outside of the sheet S as shown in the drawing, when the force to be opened from the center side of the sheet S is received, the tongue 522 is received. Receives a force in the direction of entering the slit 521.

On the other hand, unlike the example shown in the figure, when the tip of the tongue 522 (the other end 522b) is arranged facing the center side of the paper S, when receiving a force opened from the center side of the paper S, The tongue 522 receives a force in a direction in which the tongue 522 comes out of the slit 521.
Accordingly, when the tip of the tongue 522 is arranged facing the outside of the paper S as shown in the drawing, the tip of the tongue 522 is arranged facing the center of the paper S, unlike the example shown in the drawing. Compared with the case where it exists, the binding of the binding part 51 is hard to come off.

Next, the dimension of the binding part 51 is demonstrated.
First, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the tongue portion 522 of the binding portion 51 includes a first portion 522c that protrudes from the upper side surface Bh (see FIG. 5C) of the sheet bundle B. , And a second portion 522d protruding from the lower side surface Bt (see FIG. 5C) of the sheet bundle B. The first portion 522c and the second portion 522d have a thickness that is at least equal to the height H1 of the sheet bundle B. Therefore, the binding portion 51 forms bulges on the front and back sides of the sheet bundle B, and the height H3 of the binding portion 51 is at least three times the height H1 of the sheet bundle B.
For example, when the number of sheet bundles B is large, the rigidity of the tongue 522 is increased, so that the first portion 522c and the second portion 522d further extend from the sheet bundle B to the height H1 of the sheet bundle B. Protruding. Therefore, the height H3 of the binding portion 51 becomes thicker.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the binding process is performed with the staple 41 as a comparative example, the height H5 of the binding portion is, for example, the height H1 + 2 mm of the sheet bundle B. Therefore, as the thickness of the sheet bundle B becomes thicker, the binding portion 51 becomes thicker than when bound by the staple needle 41.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6D and 6E, the length in the direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the third traveling direction S3, that is, the length in the width direction of the tongue portion 522 of the binding portion 51 (long) The length Lx) is shorter than the length of the binding portion 51 in the longitudinal direction (length Ly). Here, when plain paper of normal paper quality is used as the paper S constituting the paper bundle B, the length Lx is, for example, 5 mm.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6F, as a comparative example, when the staple 41 is inclined at 60 degrees with respect to the third traveling direction S3, it intersects (orthogonally) the third traveling direction S3. The length Lz in the direction is, for example, about 9 mm. Therefore, the binding portion 51 described above can be made shorter in the direction intersecting the third traveling direction S3 than the binding portion bound by the staple needle 41.

<Operation of Image Forming System 1>
Next, the operation of the image forming system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, of the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b, the case where the first bundleless binding mechanism 50a performs the binding process on the sheet bundle B will be described. The same operation is performed when the binding process is performed on the sheet bundle B by the binding mechanism 50b.

First, in the present embodiment, information relating to an image formed on the paper S and binding processing is received via a personal computer (not shown), the user interface 9 or the like. When the control unit 80 receives these pieces of information, the operation of the image forming system 1 is started.
In the state before the toner image is formed on the first sheet S by the image forming unit 5 of the image forming apparatus 2, the respective members are arranged as follows. That is, the first eject roll 39a is disposed at the position P1, the paddle 37 is disposed at the position Pa, the first tamper 38a is disposed at the position Ta4, and the second tamper 38b is disposed at the position Tb3. In addition, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a is disposed at the position Sa2.

Then, a toner image is formed on the first sheet S by the image forming unit 5 of the image forming apparatus 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the first sheet S on which the toner image is formed is reversed by the sheet reversing device 7 as necessary, and then is fed to the sheet processing device 3 one by one through the discharge roll 8. Supplied.
In the transport device 10 of the paper processing device 3 to which the first paper S is supplied, the first paper S is received by the entrance roll 11, and punching processing is performed on the first paper S by the puncher 12 as necessary. Is given. Thereafter, the first sheet S is conveyed toward the downstream post-processing device 30 via the first conveyance roll 13 and the second conveyance roll 14.

In the post-processing device 30, the first sheet S is received by the receiving roll 31. The first sheet S that has passed through the receiving roll 31 is conveyed by the exit roll 34 along the first traveling direction S1. At this time, the first sheet S is conveyed so as to pass between the compile stacking unit 35 and the first eject roll 39a and between the compile stacking unit 35 and the paddle 37.
After the leading edge of the first sheet S in the first advancing direction S1 passes between the compiling stacking unit 35 and the paddle 37, the paddle 37 descends from the position Pa (moves in the direction of arrow U1 in FIG. 2). It arrange | positions in the position Pb. As a result, the paddle 37 comes into contact with the first sheet S. Then, the first sheet S is pushed in the second traveling direction S2 in FIG. 2 by the rotation of the paddle 37 shown in FIG. 2 in the direction of arrow R, and the end of the first sheet S on the end guide 35b side is pushed. The portion comes into contact with the end guide 35b. Thereafter, the paddle 37 rises (moves in the direction of the arrow U2 in FIG. 2), moves away from the first sheet S, and is placed again at the position Pa.

  Further, after the first sheet S is received by the compiling stacking unit 35 and the end on the end guide 35b side reaches the end guide 35b, the first tamper 38a is disposed from the position Ta4 to the position Ta2. At this time, the second tamper 38b remains disposed at the position Tb3. As a result, the first tamper 38a pushes the first sheet S, and the first sheet S contacts the second tamper 38b. Thereafter, the first tamper 38a is separated from the first sheet S and is disposed again at the position Ta4.

  When the second and subsequent sheets S on which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit 5 following the first sheet S are supplied to the post-processing device 30 in order, the paddle 37 is similarly operated as described above. And the end of the paper S is aligned by the tamper 38. That is, the second sheet S is supplied in a state where the first sheet S is aligned, and the second sheet S is aligned with the first sheet S. The same applies to the case where the sheet S is supplied after the third sheet. In this way, a predetermined number of sheets S are accommodated in the compilation stacking unit 35, and the end of each sheet S is aligned to form a sheet bundle B.

Next, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50 a performs a binding process on the sheet bundle B stacked on the compilation stacking unit 35. The sheet bundle B bound by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a is subjected to offset processing as necessary (described later).
Then, the first eject roll 39a descends from the position P1 (moves in the direction of the arrow Q1 in FIG. 2) and is disposed at the position P2. Then, as the first eject roll 39a rotates (arrow T1 in FIG. 2), the first eject roll 39a rises along the bottom 35a of the compiling stacking portion 35 (see the third traveling direction S3 in FIG. 2). The sheet bundle B discharged from the compiling stacking unit 35 is stacked on the stacking unit 70 through the opening 69.

<Offset operation>
Here, the operation of offsetting the sheet bundle B stacked on the stacking unit 70 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of offsetting the sheet bundle B. FIG. More specifically, FIG. 7A is an explanatory view showing the arrangement of the sheet bundle B bound by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a on the stacking portion 70, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning on the stacking | stacking part 70 of the sheet bundle B bound by the binding mechanism 50b.

Here, as an example, as an operation for realizing the stacking example shown in FIG. 8H to be described later, it will be described that the sheet bundle B is arranged at four positions on the stacking unit 70.
Further, the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 that are sequentially supplied to the stacking unit 70 will be described. However, the sheet bundle B after the fifth sheet bundle (not shown) is supplied. In the case, the following operation is repeated.

  First, as described above, the first tamper 38a moves from the position Ta4 to the position Ta2 each time the sheet S is supplied to the compiling stack 35 with the second tamper 38b disposed at the position Tb3. repeat. As a result, the ends of the sheets S are aligned, and the sheet bundle B is formed. Then, the binding process is performed on the sheet bundle B, and then the offset process is performed on the sheet bundle B.

  The first sheet bundle B1 is subjected to binding processing by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a. When the binding process is performed by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a, the first tamper 38a is disposed at the position Ta4. Then, an offset process is performed on the first sheet bundle B1 subjected to the binding process. That is, the second tamper 38b moves from the position Tb3 to the position Tb1 (arrow C3). Thus, the first sheet bundle B1 is pressed in the direction of the arrow C3 and comes into contact with the first tamper 38a disposed at the position Ta4. Then, the first sheet bundle B1 that has come into contact with the first tamper 38a is discharged to the stacking unit 70 by the eject roll 39.

  The second sheet bundle B2 to be formed next is bound by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a, and then the first tamper 38a moves from the position Ta4 to the position Ta3 (arrow C2). Then, the second tamper 38b moves from the position Tb3 to the position Tb2 (arrow C3). Thus, the second sheet bundle B2 is pressed in the direction of the arrow C3 and comes into contact with the first tamper 38a disposed at the position Ta3. The second sheet bundle B <b> 2 that has been subjected to the offset process is discharged to the stacking unit 70 by the eject roll 39.

The third sheet bundle B3 to be formed next is subjected to the binding process by the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b, and then the first tamper 38a moves from the position Ta4 to the position Ta2 (arrow C2). Is discharged to the loading unit 70.
Then, after the fourth sheet bundle B4 to be formed is subjected to the binding process by the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b, the second tamper 38b moves from the position Tb3 to the position Tb4 (arrow C4). Next, when the first tamper 38a moves from the position Ta4 to the position Ta1 (arrow C2), the fourth sheet bundle B4 is subjected to an offset process, and is ejected to the stacking unit 70 by the eject roll 39.

<First loading form>
Now, the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 stacked on the stacking unit 70 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet bundle B stacked on the stacking unit 70 as viewed from VIII in FIG. More specifically, FIG. 8A is a view showing the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 in the comparative example, and FIG. 8B is a view showing an arrangement mode of the first binding portion. FIG. 8C shows the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 stacked according to the arrangement of the first binding portion, and FIG. 8D shows the second binding. FIG. 8E is a view showing the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 stacked according to the arrangement form of the second binding portion, and FIG. FIG. 8F is a diagram illustrating an arrangement mode of the third binding portion, and FIG. 8G illustrates the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 stacked according to the arrangement mode of the third binding portion. FIG. 8H is a diagram showing the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 stacked according to the arrangement mode of the first and third binding portions. (I) is a modification of FIG. 8 (h).

  First, as shown in FIG. 8A, which is a comparative example different from the present embodiment, when the binding portions 51 of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 are all stacked, The height H7 of the entire first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 is 12 times the height H1 of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 6B). In addition, when the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 are stacked as shown in FIG. 8A, the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle are accumulated due to the accumulation of the bulges of the binding portion 51. The entire B4 becomes unstable and unsuitable for mass loading.

  Here, the arrangement | positioning aspect of the 1st binding part shown in FIG.8 (b) is demonstrated. In the arrangement mode of the first binding portion, the binding portions 51 of the first sheet bundle B1 and the second sheet bundle B2 subjected to the binding process by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a are arranged at positions where they do not contact each other. Is done. Specifically, the first portion 522c of the binding portion 51 in the first sheet bundle B1 is arranged (offset) at a position where it does not contact the second portion 522d of the binding portion 51 in the second sheet bundle B2. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the first portion 522c of the binding portion 51 in the first sheet bundle B1 is shifted to the outside (right side of the broken line in the drawing) from the end of the second sheet bundle B2. 2 is disposed at a position not in contact with the second sheet bundle B2.

  Here, when the arrangement mode of the first binding portion shown in FIG. 8B is applied to the comparative example shown in FIG. 8A, the result is as shown in FIG. 8C. As shown in FIG. 8C, the total height H9 of the stacked first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 is 8 of the height H1 of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 6B). Doubled. Therefore, compared with the comparative example shown in FIG. 8A, the height of the entire sheet bundle B is suppressed, and the stacked first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 are more stable.

  Next, the arrangement | positioning aspect of the 2nd binding part shown in FIG.8 (d) is demonstrated. In the arrangement mode of the second binding portion, the binding portion 51 of the first sheet bundle B1 subjected to the binding process by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a is formed at the right end of the sheet bundle B in the drawing. ing. On the other hand, the binding portion 51 of the second sheet bundle B2 subjected to the binding process by the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b is formed at the left end of the sheet bundle B in the drawing. In this way, the binding portions 51 formed by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b respectively correspond to the opposite ends of the sheet bundle B (the end portions in the left-right direction of the sheet bundle B in the figure). ). In other words, the binding portions 51 formed by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second needleless binding mechanism 50b are arranged at positions that do not contact each other as shown in the figure.

  When the arrangement mode of the second binding portion shown in FIG. 8 (d) is applied to the comparative example shown in FIG. 8 (a), the result is as shown in FIG. 8 (e). As shown in FIG. 8E, the total height H11 of the stacked first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 is 8 of the height H1 of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 6B). Doubled. Therefore, the height of the entire sheet bundle B is suppressed as compared with the comparative example shown in FIG. In addition, since the binding portions 51 of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 are arranged at both ends in the left-right direction in the drawing, it is more stable.

  Next, the arrangement | positioning aspect of the 3rd binding part shown in FIG.8 (f) is demonstrated. In the arrangement mode of the third binding portion, the binding portion 51 of the first sheet bundle B1 subjected to the binding process by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a is formed at the right end of the sheet bundle B in the drawing. ing. On the other hand, the binding portion 51 of the second sheet bundle B2 subjected to the binding process by the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b is formed at the left end of the sheet bundle B in the drawing. Furthermore, the first portion 522c of the binding portion 51 in the first sheet bundle B1 is outside the end portion opposite to the end portion to which the binding portion 51 of the second sheet bundle B2 is applied (from the broken line in the figure). Is also shifted (to the right), and is disposed (offset) at a position where it does not contact the second sheet bundle B2. Similarly, the first portion 522c of the binding portion 51 in the second sheet bundle B2 is outside the end portion opposite to the end portion to which the binding portion 51 of the first sheet bundle B1 is applied (the broken line in the figure). On the left side).

  When the arrangement mode of the third binding portion shown in FIG. 8 (f) is applied to the comparative example shown in FIG. 8 (a), the result is as shown in FIG. 8 (g). As shown in FIG. 8G, the total height H13 of the stacked first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 is 6 of the height H1 of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 6B). Doubled. Therefore, the height of the entire sheet bundle B is suppressed as compared with the comparative example shown in FIG. In addition, since the binding portions 51 of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 are arranged at both ends in the left-right direction in the drawing, it is more stable. Further, for example, when the left end in the drawing of the second sheet bundle B2 shown in FIG. 8G receives a force toward the right side, the first portion 522c of the first sheet bundle B1 moves in the direction. Be disturbed. Therefore, the stacked first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 are more stable and are prevented from collapsing from the stacked state.

  Now, in the comparative example shown in FIG. 8A, when the arrangement mode of the first binding portion shown in FIG. 8B and the arrangement mode of the third binding portion shown in FIG. It becomes like 8 (h). As shown in FIG. 8H, the total height H15 of the stacked first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 is 4 of the height H1 of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 6B). Doubled. Therefore, the height of the entire sheet bundle B is suppressed as compared with the comparative example shown in FIG.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8H, the height H15 of the stacked first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 is the first height without forming the binding portion 51. The height is equal to that when the sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 are stacked. In addition, the entire stacked first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 are arranged flat.

  In the comparative example shown in FIG. 8A, the aspect in which the arrangement mode of the first binding portion shown in FIG. 8B and the arrangement mode of the third binding portion shown in FIG. The mode is not limited to the mode illustrated in FIG. 8H in which the binding by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b is switched for every two sheet bundles B. The first staple-less binding mechanism 50a and the second staple-less binding mechanism 50b are respectively subjected to the binding process, and the binding portions 51 are shifted and stacked by offsetting the sheet bundle B to the opposite end sides. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 (i), the first stapleless binding mechanism 50 a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50 b may alternately perform the binding process for each sheet bundle B.

  The stacking mode of the sheet bundle B has been described in which both ends of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 are stacked in the same mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and both ends of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 may be stacked in different modes. For example, the arrangement of the first binding portion shown in FIG. 8B and the third binding portion shown in FIG. 8F at one end of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4. May be applied, and only the arrangement mode of the third binding portion shown in FIG. 8F may be applied to the other end.

  Here, as described above, the longitudinal direction of the tongue portion 522 of the binding portion 51 is arranged along the third traveling direction S3 (see FIG. 6D). From this, compared with the case where the longitudinal direction of the tongue portion 522 of the binding portion 51 is arranged in a direction intersecting with the third traveling direction S3, the direction intersecting with the third traveling direction S3 of the binding portion 51. The length in FIG. 8 (the length in the left-right direction in FIG. 8) is shorter.

  As a result, the amount of movement of the first tamper 38a and the second tamper 38b and the time for movement when the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 are offset are suppressed. Furthermore, the area required for stacking the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 on the stacking unit 70 is suppressed.

<Second loading form>
Next, a second stacking mode of the sheet bundle B in the stacking unit 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the sheet bundle B bound by the stapleless binding mechanism 50 on the stacking unit 70. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the sheet bundle B in the second stacking form. More specifically, FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating an arrangement mode of the fourth binding portion, and FIG. 10B is a diagram illustrating the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle stacked on the stacking unit 70. FIG. 10C is a cross-sectional view of B4 as viewed from Xb of FIG. 9, and FIG. 10C is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 on the stacking unit 70 in a modified example.

  Here, the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 that are sequentially supplied to the stacking unit 70 will be described. Further, the first sheet bundle B1 and the second sheet bundle B2 are subjected to the binding process by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a, and the third sheet bundle B3 and the fourth sheet bundle B4 are configured without the second staple. A mode in which the binding process is performed by the binding mechanism 50b will be described. When a sheet bundle after the fifth sheet bundle (not shown) is supplied, the operation when the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 are supplied is repeated.

  In the first stacking form described above, the sheet bundle B is moved, and the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b are moved in a direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the third traveling direction S3. It has been explained that the binding process is performed without any problem. On the other hand, in this stacking form, for example, as shown in FIG. 10A, the binding portion 51 is formed at different positions in the sheet bundle B without moving the sheet bundle B, and the binding portions 51 contact each other. The aspect arrange | positioned in the position which does not carry out is applied.

Specifically, the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 are stacked on the stacking unit 70 while being bound as follows.
First, the sheets S are sequentially supplied to the compiling stacking unit 35, and the ends of the sheets S are aligned by the first tamper 38a and the second tamper 38b to form the first sheet bundle B1. Then, in response to a signal from the control unit 80, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a is moved from the position Sa2 to the position Sa1 by driving a motor or the like (not shown). Then, after the first sheet bundle B1 is subjected to the binding process by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a arranged at the position Sa1, the first sheet bundle B1 is discharged to the stacking unit 70 by the eject roll 39. The

  Next, when the second sheet bundle B2 is formed, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a is moved from the position Sa1 to the position Sa2 by driving a motor or the like (not shown). Then, the second sheet bundle B2 is bound by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a disposed at the position Sa2, and then the second sheet bundle B2 is discharged to the stacking unit 70 by the eject roll 39. The

Next, when the third sheet bundle B3 is formed, the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b performs the binding process after moving from the position Sb2 to the position Sb1. The third sheet bundle B3 subjected to the binding process is discharged to the stacking unit 70 by the eject roll 39.
Next, when the fourth sheet bundle B4 is formed, the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b performs the binding process after moving from the position Sb1 to the position Sb2. The fourth sheet bundle B4 subjected to the binding process is discharged to the stacking unit 70 by the eject roll 39.

As described above, in the second stacking form, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism are not moved (offset) in the direction intersecting the third traveling direction S3. The position where 50b performs the binding process is moved in the direction intersecting with the third traveling direction S3.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B, the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 stacked on the stacking unit 70 are arranged at positions where the binding portions 51 respectively formed are different from each other. Thus, the binding portions 51 are prevented from contacting each other.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 10B, the total height H19 of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 stacked is the height H1 of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 6B). 6 times. Accordingly, the height H19 of the entire stacked first sheet bundle B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 is suppressed as compared with the comparative example shown in FIG.

  In the second stacking form, for example, the binding portion 51 formed on the sheet bundle B is prevented from being damaged as the sheet bundle B is moved in a direction intersecting the third traveling direction S3. . Further, in the second stacking mode, an area required for stacking the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 on the stacking unit 70 as compared with the case where the sheet bundle B is offset. Is suppressed.

  Here, it has been described that the first staple-less binding mechanism 50a and the second needle-less binding mechanism 50b perform the binding process at two locations in the direction intersecting the third traveling direction S3. However, if the binding portions 51 formed on the sheet bundle B are not in contact with each other, for example, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a (or the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b) intersects the third traveling direction S3. The configuration may be such that the binding process is performed at three or more locations in the direction.

Further, if the first staple-less binding mechanism 50a and the second needle-less binding mechanism 50b are configured to change the binding position for each sheet bundle B in the direction intersecting the third traveling direction S3, the position for performing the binding process is set. In addition to the movement, the sheet bundle B may be moved.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10C, the first sheet bundle B1 and the second sheet bundle B2 subjected to the binding process by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b. The third sheet bundle B3 and the fourth sheet bundle B4 that have been processed may be offset. Note that the mode illustrated in FIG. 10C is the same as the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 8F and the fourth binding illustrated in FIG. 10A in the comparative example illustrated in FIG. It can be grasped as a mode to which the arrangement mode of the part is applied.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 10C, the height H21 of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 stacked is the height H1 of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 6B). Will be 4 times. Therefore, by stacking the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 as shown in FIG. 10C, the stacked first sheet bundle is more than the comparative example shown in FIG. The height H21 of the entire B1 to fourth sheet bundle B4 is suppressed.

  The stacking mode of the sheet bundle B is not limited to stacking both ends of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 in the same mode, and may be a mode in which the binding portions 51 are stacked and stacked. For example, both ends of the first sheet bundle B1 to the fourth sheet bundle B4 may be stacked in different modes.

<Image orientation>
Here, the relationship between the binding portion 51 formed on the sheet bundle B and the image formed on the sheet S constituting the sheet bundle B will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 11. To do.
Here, FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the binding portion 51 and the image formed on the paper S, and shows a view of the paper bundle B discharged to the stacking unit 70 as viewed from the upper surface side. More specifically, FIG. 11A is an explanatory view showing the sheet bundle B that has been bound by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a, and FIG. 11B is bound by the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b. It is explanatory drawing which shows the sheet bundle B to which the process was performed. FIG. 11C is an explanatory view showing another example of the sheet bundle B subjected to the binding process by the second staple binding mechanism 50b.

  As described above, the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b bind the respective opposite ends of the sheet bundle B (see FIG. 3). Here, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11C, when an image is formed on the upper surface side of the sheet bundle B discharged to the stacking unit 70, for example, On the other hand, when the binding separation process is performed by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b, the positions at which the binding portions 51 are formed on the sheet bundle B are different. In the illustrated example, the binding portion 51 is formed at the lower left corner of the paper S shown in FIG. 11A, whereas the upper left corner of the paper S shown in FIG. A binding portion 51 is formed in the portion.

  In the present embodiment, the sheet bundle B in which the binding portion 51 is formed by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the sheet bundle B in which the binding portion 51 is formed by the second needleless binding mechanism 50b The position and orientation (front and back) of the binding portion 51 in the bundle B are matched.

Specifically, each device is operated as follows.
First, an image is formed on the paper S by the image forming unit 5 of the image forming apparatus 2 while being controlled by the control unit 80. At this time, an image is formed by the image forming unit 5 in the first direction with respect to the paper S. A plurality of sheets S (1 to N) forming the sheet bundle B are formed in the order of N to 1. The sheet S on which images are formed in this order is conveyed by the image forming unit 5 to the compiling stacking unit 35 without being reversed by the sheet reversing device 7. Then, after the plurality of sheets S are stacked and the sheet bundle B is formed in the compilation stacking unit 35, the binding process is performed by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11A, an image is formed on the upper surface of the sheet bundle B discharged to the stacking unit 70 and is stacked on the stacking unit 70 from the upper surface side to the lower surface side. 1 to N.

  On the other hand, when forming the sheet bundle B in the mode shown in FIG. 11B, each device is operated as follows. First, an image is formed on the paper S by the image forming unit 5 of the image forming apparatus 2 while being controlled by the control unit 80. At this time, an image is formed by the image forming unit 5 in the second direction rotated by 180 ° from the first direction with respect to the paper S. A plurality of sheets S (1 to N) forming the sheet bundle B are formed in the order of 1 to N. Further, the paper reversing device 7 reverses the paper S on which the images are formed in this order by the image forming unit 5. When the sheet S is reversed, the back surface and the front surface of the sheet S are interchanged before and after the sheet S is reversed, and the leading end and the trailing end of the sheet S with respect to the transport direction of the sheet S are used. The front and back are interchanged. Then, after a plurality of sheets S are stacked and a sheet bundle B is formed in the compilation stacking unit 35, a binding process is performed by the second binding mechanism 50b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, an image is formed on the lower surface of the sheet bundle B discharged to the stacking unit 70 and is stacked on the stacking unit 70 from the upper surface side to the lower surface side. , N to 1 in order.

  As described above, the control unit 80 controls the sheet bundle B that is bound by the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the sheet bundle B that is bound by the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b, thereby forming an image. The order in which the unit 5 forms the image is reversed, and the orientation of the image to be formed is also reversed. And the presence or absence of paper reversal by the paper reversing device 7 is switched. As a result, the position and orientation (front and back) of the binding portion 51 coincide in the sheet bundle B in which the sheets S on which images are formed are bundled.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the first needle-less binding mechanism 50a and the second needle-less binding mechanism 50b are arranged in the opposite directions. Accordingly, for example, the binding in the sheet bundle B can be performed by switching the control by the control unit 80 of the image forming unit 5 and the sheet reversing device 7 without requiring the mechanism of the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b to be reversed upside down. The front and back directions of the portion 51 can be matched. In the illustrated example, the other end portion 522b, which is the tip of the tongue portion 522, is disposed on the side of the sheet bundle B on which the image is formed.

  Note that as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, it is not essential to align the position and orientation (front and back) of the binding portion 51 in the sheet bundle B, and the first stapleless binding is performed as described above. As long as the mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b are configured to bind the opposite ends of the sheet bundle B, for example, the sheet bundle B may be formed as shown in FIG. . Alternatively, only the direction of the image formed by the image forming unit 5 is rotated 180 degrees between the sheet bundles B bound to the first stapleless binding mechanism 50a and the second stapleless binding mechanism 50b. A mode in which the image forming unit 5 performs only switching of the order in which the image forming unit 5 forms the image on the paper S and the presence or absence of paper reversal by the paper reversing device 7 may be employed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming system, 2 ... Image forming apparatus, 3 ... Paper processing apparatus, 10 ... Conveying apparatus, 30 ... Post-processing apparatus, 34 ... Exit roll, 35 ... Stacking part for compilation, 37 ... Paddle, 38 ... Tamper, 39 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Eject roll, 50 ... Needleless binding mechanism, 51 ... Binding part, 69 ... Opening part, 70 ... Loading part, 80 ... Control part, 521 ... Slit, 522 ... Tongue part, 523 ... Binding hole

Claims (8)

A sheet bundle forming means for stacking a plurality of sheets to form a sheet bundle;
By forming a notch in a part of the sheet bundle formed by the sheet bundle forming means and cutting a part of the sheet bundle into a predetermined shape, a portion where one end is continuous with the sheet bundle is formed. A binding means for forming a tongue portion to be left in the paper bundle, folding the tongue portion, inserting the other end of the tongue portion into the cut, and binding the paper bundle;
Transport means for transporting the sheet bundle bound by the binding means;
Loading means for loading the bundle of sheets conveyed by the conveying means,
The binding means binds the paper bundle so that the longitudinal direction of the tongue portion inserted into the cut is along the transport direction of the paper bundle, and the binding means on one side in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the paper bundle. A sheet having a one-side binding mechanism that binds the bundle of sheets and an other-side binding mechanism that binds the bundle of sheets on the other side in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the bundle of sheets; The bundle of sheets and the bundle of sheets bound by the other side binding mechanism are arranged at different positions on the stacking unit in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the bundle of sheets, and the bundle of sheets bound by the one side binding mechanism and the It is provided with an arrangement mechanism for arranging the tongue portion formed in one paper bundle among the paper bundles bound by the other side binding mechanism so as to be shifted from the other paper bundle. Post-processing device.   The arrangement mechanism arranges the sheet bundle bound by the one-side binding mechanism at a plurality of positions on the stacking unit in which the tongue portions do not contact each other in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:   The arrangement mechanism arranges the sheet bundle bound by the other side binding mechanism at a plurality of positions on the stacking unit where the tongue portions do not contact each other in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The conveying unit conveys the sheet bundle in a direction in which the one end portion of the tongue portion of the sheet bundle bound by the binding unit is downstream of the other end portion in the sheet bundle conveying direction. post-processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that. In the one-side binding mechanism, the other end portion of the tongue portion formed by the one-side binding mechanism and the other end portion of the tongue portion formed by the other-side binding mechanism are on the stacking unit. post-processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that bind the sheet bundle to be placed on the front and rear opposite side of the sheet bundle. An image forming mechanism for forming an image on paper;
A sheet bundle forming unit configured to stack a plurality of sheets on which images are formed by the image forming mechanism to form a sheet bundle;
By forming a notch in a part of the sheet bundle formed by the sheet bundle forming means and cutting a part of the sheet bundle into a predetermined shape, a portion where one end is continuous with the sheet bundle is formed. A binding means for forming a tongue portion to be left in the paper bundle, folding the tongue portion, inserting the other end of the tongue portion into the cut, and binding the paper bundle;
Transport means for transporting the sheet bundle bound by the binding means;
Loading means for loading the bundle of sheets conveyed by the conveying means,
The binding means binds the paper bundle so that the longitudinal direction of the tongue portion inserted into the cut is along the transport direction of the paper bundle, and the binding means on one side in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the paper bundle. A sheet having a one-side binding mechanism that binds the bundle of sheets and an other-side binding mechanism that binds the bundle of sheets on the other side in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the bundle of sheets; The bundle of sheets and the bundle of sheets bound by the other side binding mechanism are arranged at different positions on the stacking unit in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the bundle of sheets, and the bundle of sheets bound by the one side binding mechanism and the bundle of sheets It is provided with an arrangement mechanism for arranging the tongue portion formed on one sheet bundle out of the sheet bundle bound by the other side binding mechanism to be shifted from the other sheet bundle. Image forming apparatus. The binding means includes a one-side binding mechanism that binds the sheet bundle on one side in a direction that intersects the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle, and a second that binds the sheet bundle on the other side in a direction that intersects the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. A side binding mechanism,
The image forming mechanism includes a rotation unit that rotates the orientation of an image formed on a sheet based on whether the binding process is performed by the one-side binding mechanism or the other-side binding mechanism. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 . Based on whether to perform the other hand by side binding mechanism by or the other side binding mechanism performs the binding processing binding processing, a switching section in which the image forming mechanism switches the order of forming an image on a sheet constituting the sheet bundle 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

Images