JP3406964B2 - Sheet post-processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus for classifying, accommodating, and punching sheet materials discharged from an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a structure for accommodating blank punched needles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a sheet post-processing apparatus in which a stacked sheet bundle is stapled and bound by an electric stapler which is a binding means. here,
As this type of electric stapler, for example, an "opening" is prepared in advance.
A needle that has been bent in a shape (U-shape) is positioned at a predetermined position by an urging means such as a spring, and each needle at the tip is stitched into a sheet or the like by a needle driving means, or One of the tips of the unbroken needles in a belt
There is one in which the needle is formed into an "open" shape (U-shape) so that the tip of the needle penetrates into a sheet or the like.

After the tip of the needle is pierced through the sheet or the like in this way, the tip is further bent into a "folded" shape by the facing anvil.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when the clinching operation is performed when the sheets to be stapled are not present at the predetermined position where the staple driving is performed in the electric stapler, the driving means is operated. The needle that is pushed out and bent in a “folded back” shape (hereinafter, referred to as “blank stapling needle”) falls to an unspecified position inside or outside the electric stapler.

If the electric stapler is dropped and used in a finisher or a sorter with an automatic stapler, which is automatically attached to a copying machine, a printer or the like, the stapler is automatically operated. There is a possibility that the blank stapling needle may cause a malfunction of the finisher or the sorter with automatic stapler.

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus which can prevent malfunctions and the like caused by an idle needle.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, an accommodating portion for accommodating binding needles, a feeding means for feeding the binding needles one by one, and a driving portion for folding back the fed binding needles into a sheet bundle and folding back the sheets. A sheet post-processing apparatus having: a drive source for driving the feeding means and the driving section; and a storage container capable of storing an empty punching needle bent in a folded shape without being driven into the sheet bundle, The storage container is arranged between the driving part and the driving source.

The present invention is also characterized in that it comprises a control device for controlling the binding operation of the binding means, and the storage container is arranged above the control device.

[0009]

A storage container capable of accommodating an empty stapling needle that is folded into a sheet bundle without being stung into a sheet bundle is provided between a driving portion for driving the needle and a drive source for driving the driving portion.
Make sure that the blank needle is stored in the storage container.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. 511 is an image forming apparatus, 512 is a sorting apparatus which is a sheet post-processing apparatus having at least one bin tray 514, and 513 is an automatic document feeder. is there.

The operation modes of the image forming apparatus 511 will be described below. In the automatic document feeder 513, the document G placed on the document table 513a with the image surface facing upward is fed from the last page through the path A to the platen glass 513b of the image forming apparatus 511 by the lower separation. , Manuscript G
After stopping at a predetermined position, an optical system (not shown) is activated to start image formation.

After that, the formed image is transferred to a sheet and then fixed on the sheet, and the sheet on which the image is fixed in this way is delivered to a sorting device 512 through a sheet discharge roller (not shown).

The original G on the platen glass 513b
Passes through the path B and is discharged onto the uppermost surface of the document G. However,
A partition lever (not shown) is interposed between the copied document and the uncopied document so that they can be identified.

On the other hand, the sheets transferred to the sorting device 512 are stored in an appropriate bin tray 514 according to the input transfer processing mode, the number of copies, sorting, non-sorting, etc. Then, this operation is repeated for the number of documents.

Here, the sorting device 512 includes a non-sorting first transporting means 530, a sorting second transporting means 531, a second transporting means 531 and a bin tray 514.
, A spiral cam 532 for moving the bin tray 514 wide to discharge the sheet, and
And a switching means 533 for switching the sheet feeding direction to the second conveying means 531 and an electric stapler device 515 which is a binding means located at the position of the second conveying means 531. In addition, the bin tray 514
Is arranged so that the sheet comes into contact with the stopper 514a by its own weight.

Next, the structure of the electric stapler device 515 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 501 denotes a base for supporting the entire electric stapler apparatus, and an electric stapler apparatus 515.
Is fixed to a moving base (not shown) that is movable in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. A lower jaw 502 is rotatable about a shaft 501a fitted to the bent portion 502c as a fulcrum. The shaft 501a is provided on the base 501 in a protruding manner.

An anvil 509 is attached to the tip of the lower jaw 502, which is a driving means for bending the needle after it has been driven into the sheet bundle into a folded shape. Further, a cam groove 502b is formed at an end portion of the lower jaw 502, and the cam groove 502b is a caulking shaft 52 of the upper unit 523 which is a feeding means for feeding the binding needles one by one.
3b is engaged. The upper unit 523 is the base 5
It is possible to swing about a hinge shaft 524 provided on 01 as a fulcrum.

Reference numeral 525 denotes a crank arm. This crank arm 525 has one end rotatably supported by a shaft 526b provided on the base 501 and the other end provided on the upper unit 523. It is pivotally supported by a support shaft 526. The crank arm 525 is internally fitted to the stapler gear 307 shown in FIG. 3, and when the stapler gear 307 makes one rotation, the crank arm 52 is rotated.
5 also rotates around the support shaft 526.

Here, the base 501 is fixed, and the shaft 5
Since the distance between 26b and the support shaft 526 is also constant, when the crank arm 525 rotates, the upper unit 523 rotates about the hinge shaft 524 with respect to the base 501.

At this time, the body 503, which is provided in the upper unit 523 and has a storage portion for storing the binding needle inside, is also mounted on the body 503 because it is rotatably supported by the hinge shaft 524. Driver 565
It is pushed from the upper unit 523 through the head portion 565a of the above and rotates in the Y direction around the hinge shaft 524. At the same time, by the action of the cam groove 502b of the lower jaw 502 engaged with the caulking shaft 523b of the upper unit 523, the lower jaw 50
2 also rotates in the X direction about the axis 501a.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 507 denotes an electromagnetic motor, which is driven by an electromagnetic motor 507 which is a drive source thereof and a gear train 507a shown in FIG.
02 and the upper unit 503 are configured to swing in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively.

At the tip of the lower jaw 502, the lower jaw 5
02 and swinging of the upper unit 503 "turns back" the needle
An anvil 509 for bending up is attached,
In the vicinity of the anvil 509, at a position where there is no hindrance to the swing of the lower jaw 502 and the upper unit 503, the empty needle storage box 5 is provided.
04 is stored.

By the way, the electric stapling apparatus 515 has a space 508 between the lower jaw 502 and the upper unit 503.
A detection unit (not shown) for identifying whether or not a sheet to be stapled is present is installed on the sheet. When the detection unit detects the presence of sheets, the stapling operation is permitted by the control unit. If the sheet is pulled out of the space 508 for some reason after the start of the stapling operation, it is folded in a “folded back” shape, and an empty needle that has lost its place is generated.

Here, if such an empty hitting needle occurs, it may cause a malfunction of the electric stapling device 515 or the sorting device 512 as described above, so that the empty hitting needle is surely released. A magnetic member 506 is attached to the bottom of the blank needle storage box 504 so that it can be stored in the blank needle storage box 504.

Then, the empty needle storage box 504 is thus provided.
By attaching the magnetic member 506 to the bottom of the blanking needle, the blank needle is attracted by the magnetic action of the magnetic member 506 as shown in FIG. 4, and is reliably stored in the blank needle housing box 504.

By the way, in the present embodiment, FIG.
As shown in, the electric stapler device 515 is installed at a position facing the bin tray 514 in parallel with the inclination of the bin tray 514. In addition, the electric stapler device 515
An electric board 516 for controlling the overall operation of the sorting device 512 is located below the.

Therefore, the sorting device 51 having such a configuration
When the blank ejection needle is generated in No. 2, the blank ejection needle easily enters the inside of the electromagnetic motor 507 of the electric stapling apparatus 515 or the electric board 516. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the empty staple storage box 504 of the electric stapler device 515 is provided in the intermediate portion of the sort device 512 above the anvil 509 and the electromagnetic motor 507 as shown in FIG. I am trying.

The empty needle storage box 504 is thus
Is disposed between the anvil 509 and the electromagnetic motor 507, and is disposed above the electric board 516, so that the blank stapling needle may enter the electric stapler apparatus, fall into the sorting apparatus, and the like. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of malfunction due to.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the blank needle storage box 504 is guided by the rail member 505 of the lower jaw 2 and is orthogonal to the front surface of the figure, that is, the sheet conveying direction. It has a detachable structure that can slide in any direction, and in the lower jaw 502, an empty needle storage box 50
The magnetic member 506 is attached to a position facing the bottom surface of No. 4.

When discarding the empty needles stored by the above construction, the empty needle storage box 5 is used.
It is possible to easily perform the discarding process of the blank needle by only the operation of pulling out 04 (at this time, it is also separated from the magnetic member 506).

Note that the blank needle is a blank needle storage box 504.
For more reliable guidance, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower jaw 502 and the anvil 509 may be provided with taper portions 502a and 509a directed toward the empty needle storage box 504, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, guide members 502b may be provided at both ends of the tapered portion 502a of the lower jaw 502.

By the way, in the above description, the case where a magnetic member is used as a means for pulling an idler needle into the idler needle storage box 504 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a suction means such as air suction is used. May be.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, a storage container capable of accommodating an empty needle is provided between the driving portion for driving the needle and the drive source for driving the driving portion, and is empty. By ensuring that the striking needle is housed in the storage container, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of malfunctions and the like due to the blank striking needle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of a sheet post-processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an electric stapler of the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the electric stapler.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an empty staple storing operation of the electric stapler.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a configuration of the electric stapler and the empty staple storage box.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another configuration of the electric stapler and the empty staple storage box.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing other configurations of the electric stapler and the empty needle storage box.

[Explanation of symbols] 502 Lower jaw 503 Upper unit 504 Blank needle storage box 506 Magnetic member 507 Electromagnetic motor 509 anvil 511 image forming apparatus 512 sorter 515 electric stapler 514 Bin tray

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 37/04

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An accommodating portion for accommodating binding needles, a feeding means for feeding the binding needles one by one, a driving portion for folding back the fed binding needles into a sheet bundle, and the feeding means and driving portion. In a sheet post-processing apparatus having a driving source for driving, a storage container capable of storing an empty punching needle bent in a folded shape without being driven into the sheet bundle, and the storage container, the driving portion and A sheet post-processing apparatus, which is disposed between the drive source and the drive source. 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for controlling the binding operation of the binding means, wherein the storage container is arranged above the control device.