JP2003098774A - Image forming apparatus, postprocessing device for the image forming apparatus, and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus and a postprocessing device for the image forming apparatus, which eliminate a need of checking which classification of paper is set in a tray stage of the cover sheet of the postprocessing device at each time to enable a user to confirm the paper classification condition of the cover sheet on the picture of an operation panel. SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus which is provided with a postprocessing device 2 having a cover sheet function and has an operation part panel 100 is provided with a means for selecting and inputting the paper classification of the cover sheet from the upside of the operation part panel 100, a means for storing the inputted paper classification, and a display means for displaying set contents of the paper classification on the operation part panel 100, and the postprocessing device for the image forming apparatus is provided with an operation panel for setting the paper classification of the cover sheet and a display means for displaying set contents of the paper classification on the operation panel.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic copying machine,
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a function of post-processing a recording sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a printer and a facsimile together with a cover sheet (cover), a stapler, folding, and the like, and a post-processing apparatus of the image forming apparatus, and a system thereof. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer or a facsimile is provided with a cover sheet and a function of post-processing such as a stapler or folding (also referred to as a cover sheet function). An image forming apparatus including a post-processing device is known.

In the conventional image forming apparatus, a means for storing the paper type information of the set paper is provided, and the image forming process condition is changed based on the paper type information.

However, the fact is that the cover sheets are also fed uniformly regardless of the paper type.

[0005]

In the post-processing device,
In recent years, the number of tray stages on which the cover sheet can be set has become plural. as a result,
It was necessary to confirm which kind of cover sheet was set in which tray stage, or to check the state of the cover sheet tray stage each time the cover sheet was fed.

As the paper type of the cover sheet, various types of paper having different characteristics are used. For example, various types of paper such as printed coated paper / thick paper / tabbed paper are used. .

A wide variety of papers have different paper friction coefficients, and when uniform feed control is performed to feed paper,
There are problems such as sending out a large number of sheets at once (multi-sheet feeding phenomenon) and a no-feed phenomenon in which no sheet is fed.

Further, for example, when the cover sheet is a deformed sheet such as a tab sheet (index sheet), when the control is performed such that the cover sheet is brought into contact with the registration rollers in the post-processing apparatus and aligned, the tab portion is abutted. , There is a problem that the paper skews and causes a paper jam.

Further, when the image forming apparatus is used as a printer, the printer is often installed at a position away from the host computer, and when a cover sheet is attached to the print output, the information on the cover sheet is unknown. If so, the user would have to check the condition of the cover sheet each time, which was extremely complicated.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to eliminate the need to check each type of paper set in the tray stage of the cover sheet of the post-processing apparatus each time, and the user can display the cover sheet on the screen of the operation panel. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatus of the image forming apparatus capable of confirming the paper type status.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatus for the image forming apparatus, in which the multi-sheet feeding phenomenon and the no-feed phenomenon are eliminated and the feeding reliability is improved.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatus for the image forming apparatus, which can prevent paper jam even when the cover sheet is a deformed sheet such as tab sheet (index sheet). To do.

Another object of the present invention is to allow the user to confirm from the driver screen on the host computer whether or not the paper type of the cover sheet is the desired cover sheet when the image forming apparatus is used as a printer. An object is to provide an image processing system that makes it possible.

[0014]

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention which solves the above-mentioned problems is provided with a post-processing device having a cover sheet function, and in an image forming apparatus having an operation section panel, from the operation section panel. It is characterized by further comprising means for selecting and inputting the paper type of the cover sheet, means for storing the input paper type, and display means for displaying the setting content of the paper type on the operation unit panel.

A post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, which solves the above problems, has an operation panel for setting the paper type of a cover sheet, and a display means for displaying the setting content of the paper type on the operation panel. Is characterized by.

[0016] A preferred mode is to have a changing means for changing the pressure of the feeding roller at the time of feeding the sheet according to the paper type information of the cover sheet, and the feeding roller at the time of feeding the cover sheet starts to drive to the next conveying roller. When the paper type information of the cover sheet is a deformed sheet, it is possible to control the time management until it is sent to the registration roller by aligning it against the registration roller. Do not do it.

An image forming system according to the present invention which solves the above-mentioned problems includes an image forming apparatus which is a printer and a host computer which has a printer driver, and outputs the paper type information of a cover sheet via a communication means. It is characterized in that it is transmitted to a host computer and is displayed on a printer driver screen on the host computer.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

An example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, 1 is an image forming apparatus and 2 is a post-processing apparatus.

The illustrated image forming apparatus 1 has an operation unit panel 100 on the upper portion. Reference numeral 101 is an automatic document feeder. The image forming apparatus 1 has an image forming function, and although not shown, for example, an image reading unit, an image processing unit, an image writing unit, an image forming unit, a cassette paper feeding unit, a large-capacity paper feeding unit, and a fixing unit. It is equipped with a device, an automatic double-sided copy feeding unit, and the like.

The post-processing device 2 is provided, for example, on the left side surface of the image forming apparatus 1 in the drawing. The post-processing device 2 has a cover sheet function, and an upper cover sheet tray 200 and a lower cover sheet tray 201 are provided on the top of the post-processing device 2 as illustrated. Reference numeral 202 denotes a recording sheet discharge unit provided with a cover sheet.

Next, the structure of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the operation unit panel 100 has an input unit 102 for selecting and inputting the paper type of the cover sheet. The input means 102 is composed of, for example, a touch panel.

Reference numeral 103 denotes a memory which is an example of a means for storing the input paper type, such as a ROM, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, and a non-volatile memory card. Can be used.

Reference numeral 104 denotes a display means for displaying the setting content of the paper type on the operation panel, and displays the setting content stored in the memory 103. A liquid crystal display or the like is adopted as a display method.

Explaining a specific operation method, the information of the paper type sheets set for each tray stage of the cover sheet of the post-processing apparatus is displayed on the operation unit panel 10 of the image forming apparatus 1.
The necessary keys are selected and input by the input means 102 on the memory 0 and stored in the memory 103.

The input paper type information is also displayed on the operation unit panel by the display means 104.

The CPU 105 carries out such a series of control. Conventionally, means for storing the paper type of the cover sheet,
The means for setting the paper type information of the cover sheet is unique to the present invention, which is not available in conventional models.

The control method will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 by taking an example of the operation panel.

Above the operation panel shown in FIG. 3, an upper cover sheet tray 200 and a lower cover sheet tray 2 are provided.
Key 1 to select the type of cover sheet corresponding to 01
06 and 107 are provided. In the example shown, key 1
06 is, for example, “top cover: hard coated paper”, key 10
For example, 7 is displayed as "lower cover: index paper", and the type of paper is selectable.

In order to make it selectable, it is preferable that all kinds of commercially available standard cover sheets are stored in a memory so that they can be selected. In the case of unique types of paper, an external memory in which those types of paper are stored may be used. Further, in the case of an unselectable peculiar paper, it is also preferable to configure so that it can be input.

It is preferable that such an input means allows the selection screen to be hierarchically displayed by pressing the output setting key 108 on the screen of the operation unit panel 100 so as to be selectable.

The above example is control by input from the operation unit panel 100 provided in the image forming apparatus 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the paper type of the cover sheet is set on the side of the post-processing apparatus 2. An operation panel (not shown) for setting may be provided and the setting contents of the paper type may be displayed on the operation panel. In that case, it is preferable that the information on the paper type is also transmitted to the image forming apparatus side.

Next, another preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the post-processing device has a changing means for changing the pressure of the feeding roller at the time of feeding the paper according to the paper type information of the cover sheet. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the cover sheet tray 20
According to the paper type information of the cover sheet P fed from 0, the pressing force of the feeding roller 400 at the time of feeding is changed to change the feeding.

An example of the changing means is not particularly limited as long as it can change the pressing force of the roller 400 on the cover sheet P, and for example, adjustment of a biasing spring can be cited. In the past, there was no means to determine the cover sheet type, so the pressing force of the feed roller when feeding the cover sheet was constant, but the cover sheet paper type (coated paper / thick paper / tab paper, etc.) was post-processed. By the recognition of the apparatus, it becomes possible to adjust the pressure of the feed roller at the time of feeding according to the paper type. It is possible to perform control such that the pressing force of the delivery roller is weakened for a sheet having a low friction coefficient, and the pressing force of the delivery roller is strengthened for a sheet having a high friction coefficient. By changing the feeding roller pressure at the time of feeding according to the paper type (coated paper / thick paper / tab paper, etc.) of the cover sheet, multi-sheet feeding and no-feeding are eliminated, and feeding reliability is improved.

As another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
In the post-processing apparatus, the time management from the driving of the feeding roller 400 at the time of feeding the cover sheet P to the feeding to the next conveying roller (not shown) is controlled according to the type of the cover sheet. It is also preferable to have control means. Feeding reliability is improved because there is no need to feed multiple sheets or no feed.

Further, as another preferable aspect of the present invention, in the post-processing apparatus, when the paper type information of the cover sheet is a deformed sheet such as a tab sheet (index sheet), the sheet is abutted against the registration roller. It is also preferable not to execute the alignment control. The alignment control is performed in order to improve the positional accuracy of the punch, but it is not necessary because the punch holes are originally formed in the tab sheet in advance. Paper jams are prevented by not aligning the abutment of the registration rollers.

Next, an example of the image forming system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. That is, the image forming system includes, as shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 1 which is a printer, and a host computer 500 having a printer driver, and the paper type information of the cover sheet is transmitted to the host computer via the communication unit 501. It is transmitted to the computer 500 and displayed on the printer driver screen on the host computer 500. The communication means 501 is not particularly limited, but may be a wired line or a wireless line, or may be a network connection or the like. When the image forming apparatus is used as a printer, the printer is often installed at a position away from the host computer. According to the present invention, the user can determine whether the paper type of the cover sheet is a desired cover sheet or not. It becomes possible to confirm from the driver screen on the computer.

[0039]

According to the inventions of claims 1 and 2,
It is not necessary to check what kind of paper is set in the tray of the cover sheet of the post-processing apparatus each time, and the user can confirm the paper type status of the cover sheet on the screen of the operation panel.

According to the invention described in claims 3 and 4, the multi-sheet feeding phenomenon and the no-feed phenomenon are eliminated, and the feeding reliability is improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, paper jam can be prevented even when the cover sheet is a deformed sheet such as a tab sheet (index sheet).

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, when the image forming apparatus is used as a printer, the user can confirm from the driver screen on the host computer whether or not the paper type of the cover sheet is the desired cover sheet. Will be possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an operation unit panel.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a post-processing device.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Image forming apparatus 100: Operation panel 101: Automatic document feeder 102: input means 103: memory 104: display means 105: CPU 106, 107: Select key 108: Output setting key 2: Post-processing device 200: Upper cover sheet tray 201: Lower cover sheet tray 202: Ejection unit 400: Sending roller 500: Host computer 501: Communication means

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Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus having a post-processing device having a cover sheet function and having an operation unit panel, a means for selecting and inputting a paper type of a cover sheet from the operation unit panel, and the input paper. An image forming apparatus comprising: a means for storing a type and a display means for displaying setting contents of a paper type on the operation unit panel. 2. A post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus, comprising: an operation panel for setting a paper type of a cover sheet; and a display unit for displaying the setting content of the paper type on the operation panel. 3. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising changing means for changing the pressure of the feed roller at the time of feeding the paper according to the paper type information of the cover sheet. 4. A control means for controlling the time management from the start of driving of the feed roller at the time of feeding the cover sheet to the feeding to the next conveying roller according to the type of the cover sheet. The post-processing device according to claim 2, wherein the post-processing device is an image forming device. 5. The image formation according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein when the paper type information of the cover sheet is a deformed sheet, the control of abutting against the registration roller and aligning is not executed. Aftertreatment device of the device. 6. An image forming apparatus, which is a printer, and a host computer having a printer driver, transmitting paper type information of a cover sheet to the host computer via a communication means, and the printer on the host computer. An image forming system characterized by displaying on a driver screen.