Sheet-material associating – Associating or disassociating – Sheet associating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-04
2003-06-10
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet-material associating
Associating or disassociating
Sheet associating
C270S037000, C270S058110, C270S058120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06575446
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet finisher which conducts post processing such as stapling processing, folding processing, or similar processing on sheets on which images are recorded by an image forming apparatus such as a copier, printer, facsimile device, or hybrid machine including these apparatus, and to an image forming apparatus having the sheet finisher.
Conventionally, the following technology is well known as a sheet finisher which conducts edge stapling processing, or center stapling processing on a set of sheets which is formed such that a plurality of sheets on which images are recorded by an image forming apparatus such as a copier, or printer, are bundled to one set.
The technology disclosed in Japanese Tokkaisho No. 61-139495 is a sheet finisher in which a stapler for edge stapling and s stapler for center stapling are separately arranged.
The technology disclosed in Japanese Tokkaihei No. 2-144370 is a sheet finisher in which the following operations are conducted: when the center stapling processing is conducted, delivered sheet is switch-backed and conveyed to the center stapling position; and the trailing edge of the sheet is put in order on the reference surface and stacked, and then center stapling is conducted.
A sheet finisher which is composed of total 3 sets of staplers, that is, 2 sets of staplers for edge stapling processing for 2 portions in the vicinity of the sheet side edge and for center stapling processing for 2 portions in the central portion of the sheet, and further a slant stapling only stapler for slant edge stapling processing for one portion in the vicinity of the corner portion of the sheet, is conventionally known.
The following problems exist in the conventional technology.
(a) Because the edge stapling stapler and center stapling stapler are separately provided, the size of the overall sheet finisher is increased. Further, the production cost is increased.
(b) The distance to convey the sheet to the central stapling position is increased, and therefore, at the time of center stapling processing, a time period for the sheet arrangement is longer, thereby, the productivity for the sheet processing is lowered.
(c) Because 2 sets of staplers for the edge stapling processing and for the center stapling processing, and further a slant stapling only stapler for slant edge stapling processing are provided, and in order to prevent the interference between the slant stapling only stapler and the other 2 sets of staplers, the stapler driving mechanism becomes complicated. Further, total 3 sets of staplers are necessary, resulting in high production cost.
Further, a finisher as the sheet finisher is already disclosed in Japanese Tokkaisho No. 60-142359, No. 60-185463, No. 62-239169, further, Japanese Tokkaisho No. 62-288002, No. 63-267667, Japanese Tokkaihei No. 2-276691, No. 8-319054, and Japanese Tokkohei No. 5-41991.
A bookbinding apparatus disclosed in Japanese Tokkaisho No. 60-183459 has a cover sheet supply apparatus, and after a group of copying sheets and a cover sheet are superimposed, a bookbinding finishing operation such as holing or stapling is conducted.
Japanese Tokkaihei No. 6-72064, No. 7-187479, and No. 8-192951 disclose a sheet finisher having a center stapling processing function.
The above-described finisher has the following problems.
(d) In a sheet finisher which can conduct both of edge stapling processing to staple a set of sheets by putting stapler pins into one or two portions in the vicinity of the side edge of the set of sheets, and center stapling processing to staple a set of sheets by putting stapler pins into a central portion in the conveyance direction of a set of sheets, the edge stapling processed set of sheets is delivered by a normally rotating delivery belt and a delivery roller pair which is normally rotated by being interlocked with the delivery belt, onto a movable delivery sheet tray provided outside the apparatus.
In the case where sheets on which edge stapling processing is not conducted, exist on the movable delivery sheet tray, when the delivery belt and the delivery roller pair are reversely rotated in order to convey a set of sheets which is center stapling-processed, to the next twice-folding process, the trailing edge of the sheet on the movable delivery sheet tray is wound into the apparatus by the reversely rotating delivery roller pair and reversely moved into the apparatus, thereby, a sheet damage is generated.
(e) In the sheet finisher which can conduct both of the edge Stapling processing and center stapling processing, the delivery means to deliver the set of sheets which is edge stapling-processed, onto the movable delivery sheet tray outside the apparatus is different from a conveyance means to convey the set of sheets which is center stapling-processed, to the next process, therefore, the apparatus is complicated. Further, the timing adjustment for each of the delivery means after the edge stapling processing and the conveyance means after the center stapling processing is also complicated.
(f) In the conventional sheet finisher, a drive source (motor, etc.) of a movable stopper member for a flat stapling mode and a drive source (motor, etc.) of a movable stopper member for the center stapling are separately provided, thereby, the production cost is increased.
(g) When a stepping motor is used for a drive source, because sometimes a phase shift is generated by the external force, it is necessary that an initializing operation is conducted before the start of the drive, to position the motor at a position at which the drive can be started. When one portion is operated being interlocked with another portion, it is necessary to limit the order of each initializing operation. When the order of them is mistaken, interference is generated among operation members, resulting in a failure of the apparatus. In order to prevent that, the driving system of the apparatus becomes complicated, which is a defect.
(h) The length of the sheet in its conveyance direction is different depending on the environmental temperature, cutting accuracy, one side or two-sided recording, etc. After the leading edge portions of the sheets having the difference in the length are defined as the reference, and sheets are arranged at the leading edge portion, when center stapling and center-folding are conducted, the trailing edge portions of the sheets are irregular due to the difference of the length of the sheet. In the case where irregular trailing edge portions of this twice-folded processed set of sheets are cut by a cutter, or the like, when sheets are cut by making the edge portion of the outermost sheet as the reference, if the a sheet whose overall length is short, exists inside the set of sheets, an irregular portion remains after cutting, thereby, the finished appearance of the set of sheets is spoiled.
(i) In the case where a movable stopper member for the twice-folding is moved corresponding to the sheet size, stopped at a predetermined position, and the leading edge portion of the conveying set of sheets is positioned, when a stepping motor is used as a drive source, the movable stopper member is moved by the impulsive force from the leading edge portion of the conveying set of sheets. When the movable stopper member is moved and shifted from the predetermined position, the twice-folding portion at the center of the sheet is shifted, and the leading edge portion of the set of the sheets does not coincide with the trailing edge of the set of sheets, thereby, the finished appearance of the set of sheets is spoiled.
(j) In the conventional sheet finisher, a width arrangement means to arrange the sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction is arranged on only the upstream side of the staple means in the sheet conveyance direction. When the edge stapling processing is conducted, the width arrangement means is located in the vicinity of the upstream side of the staple means, therefore, there is no problem. When the center stapling processing is con
Hattori Masato
Kodera Tetsuhiro
Ohtsuka Masaru
Toyoizumi Teruhiko
Wakabayashi Hiroyuki
Konica Corporation
Muserlian Lucas & Mercanti
Shapiro Jeffrey A.
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