JP2765273B2 - Post-processing device for recording paper - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus for a recording sheet connected to an image forming apparatus and performing post-processing of a recording sheet sent from the image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a special sheet such as an OHP sheet. The present invention relates to an apparatus capable of satisfactorily performing an operation of storing the special paper in a tray when a recording paper is prepared by using the special paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine or a printer, a sorter is connected to a recording paper discharge section of the apparatus in addition to discharging recording paper to a discharge tray provided in the apparatus main body. And means for sorting and storing recording paper in a sorter tray. As the sorter provided for a large-sized apparatus having a large number of recording paper sheets, for example, as shown in JP-A-56-143455, a sorter tray is provided at a fixed position, and the recording is performed. The paper is configured to be transported by transporting means and sorted. In the conventional apparatus, while the recording paper is being conveyed by the conveying means,
The recording paper is branched and stored in a designated tray by using a branching unit.

On the other hand, in a sorter connected to a relatively small image forming apparatus, as shown in JP-A-64-34855, a sheet discharge section of the sorter is provided at a fixed position of the apparatus. In some cases, a tray that can be moved up and down may be used. In the sorter shown in the conventional example, the tray is moved to the paper discharge section to perform a sorting operation, and the uppermost one of the trays is configured as a non-sort tray, and the sorting is performed. The recording paper which does not need to be performed is discharged toward the uppermost tray.

In addition to the above conventional example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
In the sorter disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 88372, the paper path of the main body of the sorter is divided into two paths via a branching means provided in a recording paper introduction section. In the conventional example, one of the paper paths is configured as a path for discharging the recording paper that is not sorted toward the non-sort tray, and the other paper path is used to convey the recording paper corresponding to the sorting tray. Are located. Then, for the control device provided in the sorter, when the sorting mode is selected and when the mode in which the sorting is not performed is selected, the paper path is switched using the switching member arranged in the recording paper introduction unit. The user selects and performs an operation of storing recording paper.

[0005]

In the conventional sorter as described above, the paper path for conveying the recording paper toward the tray generally has a relatively large rigidity because it is configured as a curved path. When a recording paper is made using a thick paper, an OHP sheet, or the like, there is a problem that the paper cannot be satisfactorily conveyed in the paper path. In addition, when recording paper is formed using an OHP sheet or the like, particularly in a color copy, the recording paper created using the OHP sheet is transported along a curved road due to a high image density carried on the sheet. Then, there is a problem that the OHP sheet is curled. Therefore, in a conventional apparatus such as a sorter, when a recording sheet is prepared using an OHP sheet or the like, a means for discharging the recording sheet toward a non-sort tray is often used.

However, when the non-saw tray is configured to discharge OHP sheets, the OHP
Since the sheet is transparent, if it is mixed with other unsorted recording paper, the OHP sheet may not be distinguished. Further, when a transmission-type sensor is disposed on the tray to detect the presence or absence of the recording paper, the determination that there is no recording paper may be performed even if the OHP sheet remains on the tray. A malfunction may occur in the full display of. Further, when a non-sort tray is used as a tray for storing OHP sheets,
The defective copy is ejected together with the recording paper of the normal OHP sheet, which causes a problem that post-processing of the recording paper stored in the non-sort tray becomes troublesome.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to solve the problem of the conventional sorter as described above. A tray for exclusively discharging OHP sheet recording paper is arranged on a sorting tray row, and a normal OHP A sheet path for discharging recording sheets toward the dedicated tray is formed in a substantially straight line while accommodating only recording sheets formed of sheets.
The present invention relates to a sorter configured so as not to give an extra bending action or the like.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus for a recording sheet which is connected to an image forming apparatus and performs post-processing of a recording sheet sent from the image forming apparatus. In the present invention, a plurality of trays and a post-processing device which is provided on a side facing the image forming apparatus and which is provided at a substantially central portion in a vertical direction of the post-processing device or above the post-processing device, and receives a recording sent from the image forming device. A first recording paper transport path, which is continuous with the recording paper passage opening through which the paper passes, and is provided substantially in a straight line, and diverges from the first recording paper transport path to form a first recording paper; A second recording paper conveyance passage provided at a position above the paper conveyance passage, a branching unit for distributing the conveyed recording paper to the first recording paper conveyance passage or the second recording paper conveyance passage, A non-sort tray that is located at the top of the plurality of trays and contains the recording paper that has passed through the second recording paper transport path; and a non-sort tray that is provided below the non-sort tray and that is Holds recording paper that has passed the path A second tray, and a plurality of sorting trays which are provided below the second tray, the recording sheet is OH
When special paper such as a P sheet is used, the special paper is stored in the second tray via the first recording paper conveyance path.

As described above, since the non-sort tray is arranged at the top of a plurality of sorting trays provided in the sorter, it is possible to easily take out recording sheets having a high specification frequency. Further, a recording paper passage opening in the post-processing device is provided substantially at the center in the vertical direction of the post-processing device or above the post-processing device, so that frequently used paper passes through the recording paper passage opening and is conveyed to the first recording paper conveyance port. Since the sheet is accommodated in the non-sort tray from the second recording sheet conveyance path via the branching section via the passage, there is a recording sheet passage opening below the post-processing apparatus as in the conventional apparatus, and the post-processing apparatus The discharge time of the recording paper can be reduced as compared with the case where the recording paper is stored in the non-sort tray after passing through the periphery. The special paper such as the OHP sheet passes through the substantially linear first recording paper conveyance path, and is discharged to the second tray without being subjected to a curving action or the like during the discharge. Therefore, the special paper can be discharged without curl or the like. Since the second tray accommodating the special paper is provided above the plurality of sorting trays, it is possible to easily take out the special paper as compared with the case where the second paper tray is provided at the bottom of the plurality of trays.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a recording paper post-processing apparatus according to the present invention. A sorter 10 of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is connected to an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine 1, and is configured to sort and store copies made by the electronic copying machine 1 toward a tray. . The sorter 10 of the present invention is provided with a number of trays protruding from the side of the housing 11, the uppermost one being a non-sorting tray 20 and the lower one being a sorting tray (hereinafter referred to as a sorting tray). ) 22 is composed of a number of trays, and the sorting tray 22
The OHP tray 21 as a second tray is disposed on the OHP tray. In each of the trays, the non-sort tray 20 is disposed at a fixed position on the upper part of the housing 11;
The plurality of trays constituting the P tray 21 and the sorting tray 22 are configured to move up and down in accordance with the sorting operation, as described later. The recording paper is discharged toward the tray in a state where one of the movable trays is positioned corresponding to the discharge section 14a of the transport path provided in the apparatus main body.

Each tray provided on the sorter 10 is shown in detail in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in the electronic copying machine 1, the recording paper fixed through the fixing device 2 is sent to the sorter 10 via the discharge roller 3. The electronic copying machine 1 is provided with a means for determining an OHP sheet at a predetermined position in a paper feeding unit or a paper path, and a detecting means for the OHP sheet uses a recording paper using the OHP sheet. It is designed to detect when a is created. In addition, OHP
In addition to providing a sheet detection sensor and the like, when an OHP sheet is fed from the manual feed tray, processing on the OHP sheet can be performed by a feed signal from the manual feed tray. Alternatively, a button for designating an OHP sheet may be provided on the control panel of the electronic copying machine, and a signal may be input by pressing the button.

The sorter 10 of the present invention shown in this embodiment.
The housing 11 has a recording paper passage opening serving as a part for introducing recording paper, which is disposed at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the apparatus main body or slightly above the central portion, and the introduction roller device 12 is disposed in the passage opening. And a first linearly arranged, following the roller device 12, arranged to guide the recording paper.
A lower transport path 14 as a recording paper transport path and an upper transport path 13 as a second recording paper transport path are provided. Then, a switching gate 15 as a branching means is disposed at a branch portion of the upper and lower transport paths, and the recording paper is sorted through the gate 15 in accordance with the sorting mode for the recording paper. In addition, the discharge sections of the upper and lower transport paths 13 and 14 include:
Discharge rollers 16 and 17 are arranged, respectively, and the recording paper is sent out toward the tray.

The example shown in FIG. 2 shows a state in which the sorting mode for OHP sheets is set, and the OHP tray 21 is positioned with respect to the discharge section 14 a of the lower transport path 14. The OHP sheet discharged from the electronic copying machine 1 passes through the transport path 14 and is discharged from the discharge section 14 a by the discharge roller 17 to the OHP tray 2.
Discharge to 1 The sorter is provided with a sensor S1 for detecting the passage of the recording paper in the lower transport path 14 and a sensor S2 for detecting the recording paper stored in the tray. When there is recording paper on the other trays 21 and 22 except for the non-sort tray 20, the optical path is cut off. Further, in the state where the OHP sheet is stored in the OHP tray 21, light is transmitted as long as the image portion of the recording paper by the OHP sheet is not located in the optical path, so that the detection of the OHP sheet is not performed.

The example shown in FIG.
5 shows a state in which sorting is performed by using. As shown in the present embodiment, the sorting tray 22 is constituted by a number of trays T1, T2,..., Tn. The recording paper is sorted on the tray located at the discharge section 14 a of the transport path 14. The sorting tray 22 is provided with a means for increasing the intervals between the trays at the discharge section 14a of the transport path while each tray is being moved up and down, and is discharged to a specific tray. Problems such as the recording paper coming into contact with the upper tray are prevented. In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stapler 5 is provided inside the housing of the sorter 10, and the stapler 5 is used to bind the recording paper stored in the tray of the sorter. Used. For example, when binding the recording paper accommodated in the tray using the stapler, the stapler 5 is moved to a position corresponding to the tray, and the rear side of the recording paper stacked on the tray is bound. Perform the operation so that the book can be easily created.

In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tray is moved up and down in a stepwise manner to feed recording paper from the lower transport path 14 toward each tray. Driving means can be used. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the trays constituting the OHP tray and the sorting tray are denoted by reference numeral 25. The tray 25 has three corners with pins 26, 2
6a and 26b are provided respectively. And drive shaft 3
Cam screw 3 provided on each of 5, 35a and 35b
The pins provided on the tray are engaged with 6, 36a, and 36b, and the tray 25 is moved up and down by following the rotation of the drive shaft. The respective drive shafts are driven by belts 33 of the transmission device 32 via pulleys 38 arranged below the drive shafts, so that the respective drive shafts rotate in the same direction. The driving device 30
The transmission device 32 is driven by a motor 31 that can be driven forward and reverse.
The tray is driven in the ascending direction or in the descending direction.

In each of the drive shafts, as shown in the example of the drive shaft 35, the pitch of the cam screw 36 is set large in the high speed section 37, and the pitch is set small in the upper and lower portions. . Further, a section for moving the tray at a high speed is disposed at a position corresponding to the discharge section 14a of the carry-out path. Therefore, the tray 25 guided by the drive shaft 35 is quickly moved upward by engaging the pin 26 with the cam screw 36 every time the recording paper is stored, and then the recording paper is stored. Set a larger distance from the tray to be used. As described above, when the sort mode for the recording paper is set by configuring the tray driving device, the recording paper is moved in the ascending direction with respect to each tray constituting the sorting tray 22, The recording paper is discharged in order from the one on the tray. The discharging operation of the recording paper to the tray is performed in a state where the tray is located in the high speed section 37. Then, after discharging the designated number of recording papers to each tray, the sorting tray is driven in a lowering direction to discharge the recording paper of the next page toward the lowering tray. .

Further, as shown in FIG.
The tray 21 and the sorting tray 22 are provided with a paper aligning device 40 using a pressing bar member 41 for aligning the recording paper stored in each tray on the tray. In the paper aligning device 40 shown in FIG. 5, the pressing bar member 41 is disposed at a position that also penetrates the hole 27 provided in the tray 25, and the upper and lower ends of the pressing bar member 41 The pressing bar member 41 is moved via the provided driven members 46 and 46a. The pressing bar member 4
The driving device 42 for performing the driving of the first and second motors 1 and 2 includes a motor 43 that can be rotated forward and backward, and conductive members 44 and 44a
And upper and lower drive shafts 45 and 45a.

By driving the motor in the forward and reverse directions, the driven member is moved according to the screw provided on the drive shaft, and the pressing bar member 41 is moved in the direction of arrow X to align the recording paper P. To do. The recording paper P pressed by the pressing bar member 41 is aligned in a state where the side of the paper is positioned with respect to the side guide 47 so that the subsequent processing work can be easily performed. I have. An actuator 48 is provided on the driven member 46 that drives the pressing bar member 41, and the home position of the pressing bar member can be set in a state where the actuator is stopped by the sensor 49. From the position, the pressing bar member 4 is used for paper alignment.
Move 1

In the sorter of the present invention constructed as described above, the recording paper is stored in each tray arranged in the sorting tray 22, and the OHP sheet is also stored in the OHP tray 21. If the sheet is of a different size from the other sheets, means may be provided to prevent the sheet aligning device shown in FIG. 5 from operating. Then, when there is a recording sheet in each tray, a command to remove the recording sheet from the OHP tray is issued,
Thereafter, the recording sheets stored in the sorting tray can be aligned. Further, in the sorter shown in the above-described embodiment, a fullness detecting means can be provided for each of the OHP tray 21 and the sorting tray 22, so that the OHP sheets accommodated in the OHP tray are also full. Can be output. Then, when a full signal is output from one of the full detection means provided for each tray, the recording paper is removed from all trays,
In a state where the sheet sensor S2 shown in FIG. 2 outputs a signal indicating that there is no sheet, the sorting operation can be restarted. Further, the OHP tray 21 may be provided with, for example, a transparent window or the like so that the recording paper accommodated in the sorting tray can be checked.

In the sorter shown in the present embodiment, when a signal for discharging the recording paper of the OHP sheet is input to the control device of the sorter, the OHP tray is moved to the home position corresponding to the discharge port of the lower transport path 14. The state where OHP sheets can be accommodated is set by moving 21. Then, the switching gate 15 is set to a state in which the recording paper is guided toward the lower transport path 14, and the OHP sheet is
The state is set to discharge to the P tray 21. When recording paper is prepared using normal paper, the trays are sequentially operated so that the recording paper is sequentially stored from the upper tray of the sorting tray 22. On the other hand, when the sort mode is not set, the switching gate 15 is set at a position where the paper is guided toward the upper transport path 13, and the recording paper is discharged to the non-sort tray 20. Further, when miscopying or the like occurs inside the electronic copying machine or when recording paper that does not require sorting is discharged for other reasons, the recording paper is discharged toward the non-sort tray 20. For example, a means for causing the above to occur can be used.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in the case of using a device in which the tray moves up and down, the mechanism of the present invention provides the tray at a fixed position as shown in FIG.
The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus of a type that performs sorting by an indexer. The sorter 50 shown in FIG. 6 includes a non-sort tray 20, an OHP tray 21, and a sorting tray 22 similarly to the sorter shown in FIG.
And the transport paths 13 and 14 corresponding to each tray.
And a transport path 51 for sending recording paper toward the sorting tray 22 in the sort mode. And
In accordance with each sorting mode, the switching gates 15 and 52 are operated to discharge the recording paper sent from the electronic copying machine toward the designated tray.

In the sorter 50, a belt 53 is disposed to convey the recording paper toward the sorting tray 22, and the belt 53 is driven by driving pulleys 54, 54a.
To convey the recording paper introduced from the conveyance path 51 downward. An indexer 55 for sorting the recording paper supports a member provided with a guide plate member and a discharge roller 56 in a state of being suspended by a guide sheet member 58, and sorts the member by a driving member 57 arranged at an upper portion. The recording paper is stopped at a position corresponding to each tray, and the recording paper is sequentially discharged toward each of the sorting trays 22. Then, the recording paper guided from the conveyance path 51 to the conveyance section by the belt 53 is transferred to the belt 53 and the sheet 5.
8 and lowered, and the indexer 55
As you move upward or downward step by step,
Sort recording paper for each tray.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the OHP sheet is discharged from the transport path 14 to the OHP tray 21 through the discharge section 14a, and the transport path 14 is formed in a straight line. As a result, the sheet can be discharged as it is without adding a function of bending the OHP sheet. Further, any recording paper can be discharged to the non-sort tray 20 as in the case of the conventional sorter, and the non-sort tray 20 can be used as a purge tray. Further, in this embodiment,
It is also possible to provide a paper aligning device for the sorting tray, and as the paper aligning device, in addition to the means shown in FIG. It is possible to use a conventionally known paper alignment device having an arbitrary configuration for performing the above.

[0024]

As described above, since the non-sort tray is arranged at the top of a plurality of sorting trays provided in the sorter, it is possible to easily take out recording paper having a high specification frequency. Further, a recording paper passage opening in the post-processing device is provided substantially at the center in the vertical direction of the post-processing device or above the post-processing device, so that frequently used paper passes through the recording paper passage opening and is conveyed to the first recording paper conveyance port. Since the sheet is accommodated in the non-sort tray from the second recording sheet conveyance path via the branching section via the passage, there is a recording sheet passage opening below the post-processing apparatus as in the conventional apparatus, and the post-processing apparatus The discharge time of the recording paper can be reduced as compared with the case where the recording paper is stored in the non-sort tray after passing through the periphery. The special paper such as the OHP sheet passes through the substantially linear first recording paper conveyance path, and is discharged to the second tray without being subjected to a curving action or the like during the discharge. Therefore, the special paper can be discharged without curl or the like. Since the second tray accommodating the special paper is provided above the plurality of sorting trays, it is possible to easily take out the special paper as compared with the case where the second paper tray is provided at the bottom of the plurality of trays.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing a configuration of an apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a sorter of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of a tray in a sort mode.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a tray driving device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a paper aligning device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a sorter when the present invention is applied to an indexer type sorter.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Electronic copier, 10 sorters, 13.14
Conveyance path, 15.52 switching gate, 20 non-sort tray, 21 OHP tray, 22 sorting tray, 30 driving device, 36 cam screw, 40 paper aligning device, 41 pressing bar member, 50 sorter, 55 indexer.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued from the front page (56) References JP-A-1-303250 (JP, A) JP-A-59-187660 (JP, U) JP-A-4-112857 (JP, U) (58) Investigation Field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B65H 39/00-39/16

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A post-processing apparatus for a recording sheet connected to an image forming apparatus and performing post-processing of a recording sheet sent from the image forming apparatus, comprising: a plurality of trays; and a side of the post-processing apparatus facing the image forming apparatus. A recording paper passing port provided in or above a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the post-processing device, through which the recording paper sent from the image forming apparatus passes; The first provided in
And a second recording paper conveyance path branched from the first recording paper conveyance path and provided at a position above the first recording paper conveyance path. A branching unit that sorts the recording paper into the first recording paper conveyance passage or the second recording paper conveyance passage, and stores the recording paper that is located at the top of the plurality of trays and that has passed through the second recording paper conveyance passage. A non-sort tray, a second tray that is provided below the non-sort tray, and stores recording paper that has passed through the first recording paper transport path, and a plurality of sorting devices that are provided below the second tray. A recording paper post-processing device, wherein when the recording paper is a special paper such as an OHP sheet, the recording paper is stored in the second tray via the first recording paper conveyance path.