JPH04189192A - Sheet distribution/storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To avoid deterioration of after process quality by arranging an after process unit at a position opposed to one lateral end part of a recording sheet in a bin tray after sorting process and applying a specified after process to the one lateral end part of the recording sheet. CONSTITUTION:A recording sheet 4 discharged from an image recording device 2 is sequentially transferred to a sheet distribution stage S1 passing through a sheet transfer device 5, and then is stored one after another in each bin tray after distribution. If the sorting process of the recording sheet 4 is completed, an after process control device 8 sets a target bin tray 6 in an after process stage S2 sequentially, then sets an after process unit 7 at a specified target after process position M1 or M2 after movement of the unit 7. After that, the after process control device 8 applies after process to target after process points along the one lateral end part of the recording sheet 4 stored in the target bin tray 6 sequentially using the after process unit 7. Subsequently, it is possible to avoid deterioration of the after process quality after use of the after process unit 7.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a sheet distribution and storage device that distributes and stores recording sheets discharged from an image recording device such as a copying machine or a printer, and particularly relates to a sheet distribution and storage device that distributes and stores recording sheets discharged from an image recording device such as a copying machine or a printer. The present invention relates to an improvement in a sheet distributing/accommodating device that enables post-processing such as stenibbling and punching after distributing and accommodating sheets.

[Conventional technology]

In general, a sheet distribution/accommodation device called a sorter has a sheet conveyance path formed within a housing, and conveyance rollers are appropriately arranged along this sheet conveyance path, and is used for image recording devices such as copying machines and printers. Recording sheets discharged from the sheet discharge port are conveyed to a preset sheet distribution stage, and on one side of the housing, multiple bin trays are arranged in the vertical direction to adjust the recording sheet distribution timing. Accordingly, there is a system in which each bin tray is sequentially moved to the sheet distribution stage, and recording sheets are sequentially distributed and accommodated in each bin tray.

The recording sheets distributed and accommodated in the sorter described above are often subjected to post-processing such as stapling, and a post-processing unit such as a stapler is installed in the sorter to automatically perform post-processing within the sorter. There is a request for this to be carried out on a regular basis.

Examples of sorters that meet such requests include the one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-41360 and the one published in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 63-25.
2872, and those published in Japanese Patent Publication No. 64-302 are already known.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the former type (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6'3-41360), post-processing with a stapler is performed after the stack of recording sheets distributed and stored in the bin tray is re-stored in the post-processing tray. Since it is a thing, it is inevitable that
It is necessary to provide a post-processing tray separately from the bin tray, and also to provide a conveying means for conveying the stack of recording sheets to the post-processing tray, which not only complicates the sorter configuration but also makes the post-processing tray more complicated. When transferring the recording sheet bundle to the processing tray side, there is a risk that the recording sheet bundle once aligned on the bin tray may be dispersed, and there is a technical problem that post-processing by a stapler tends to be wasteful.

Also, the latter (JP-A-63-252872, JP-A-64
-302), a stapler is installed near the sheet distribution stage where it does not interfere with the sheet conveying member, and post-processing by the stapler is performed on the stack of recording sheets stored in the bin tray. This method avoids the technical problems associated with the former type because stapling is performed at the corners of the stack of recording sheets. A technical problem arises in that dual stapling cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, and while avoiding the complication of the device configuration and deterioration of the quality of post-processing due to a post-processing unit such as a stapler, The present invention provides a sheet distribution and storage device that enables post-processing by a post-processing unit such as a stapler to any location along the edge.

[Means to solve the problem]

That is, the present invention, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), records sheets arranged in a housing l and discharged from a sheet discharge port 3 of an image recording apparatus 2 such as a copying machine or a printer. Sheet distribution stage S1 with 4 preset
A sheet conveying means 5 is provided, and a bin tray is provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction on one side of the housing 1, and is sequentially moved to the sheet distribution stage SL in accordance with the distribution timing of the recording sheet 4. The sheet distributing and storing device is designed to sequentially distribute and store the recording sheets 4 in the sheet conveying means 5. The post-processing unit 7 provided therein, the position moving means 8 which movably supports the post-processing unit 7 at least in the width direction of the sheet conveying means 5, and the sheet distributing unit 7 when the sheet distributing and storing operation is completed. At post-processing stage S2, which is different from stage S1, after the post-processing unit 7 is moved and set to a predetermined post-processing target position, a location along one side edge of the recording sheet 4 distributed and accommodated in each bin tray. The apparatus is characterized in that it is equipped with a post-processing control means 9 for causing the post-processing unit 7 to sequentially perform predetermined post-processing.

In such technical means, the sheet conveying means 5
As long as the recording sheet 4 can be conveyed to the sheet distribution stage S1, the design may be changed as appropriate. In this case, from the viewpoint of facilitating the handling of the discharge record sheet 4 when no sorting process is required,
It is preferable to provide a sheet storage tray separately from the bin tray and to design the recording sheet 4 to be stored on this sheet storage tray side.

Further, the number of bin tray rotors can be selected as appropriate depending on the required sorting ability, and the structure of the bin tray rotor is designed so that the ejected recording sheets 4 can be stored while being positioned at a predetermined position. The design can be changed as appropriate, such as by forming a positioning flange on the bintreiro itself or using the vertical wall of the sorter housing l as a positioning part. Further, in order to align the recording sheets 4 housed in the bin tray rotor at predetermined positions, it is preferable to provide a sheet aligning means for aligning the recording sheets 4 to the positioning section at predetermined timings.

Also, regarding the means of transportation in Bintreiro mentioned above,
As long as the bin tray rotor can be moved sequentially to the sheet distribution stage SL, the design may be changed as appropriate, but from the viewpoint of shortening the height dimension of the sorter housing 1, it may hinder the sorting process and post-processing. It is preferable to set the gap between each bintreiro as narrowly as possible within a range where no.

Furthermore, the post-processing stage s2 may be located at least at a location different from the sheet distribution stage Sl, but from the viewpoint of avoiding unnecessary movement of the bin tray when transitioning from sorting processing to post-processing, Preferably, the processing stage s2 and the sheet distribution stage s1 are arranged in close proximity.

Further, the post-processing unit 7 is capable of performing post-processing on one side edge of the recording sheet 4, and
If there is a request to change the post-processing target position,
A stapler, puncher, etc. can be selected as appropriate.

In this case, the post-processing unit 7 may be configured to retreat to a retracted position that does not interfere with the vertical movement of the bin tray rotor when the post-processing is not being performed, and to advance to the post-processing execution position when the post-processing is to be performed, or to constantly move the bin tray rotor It is fixedly placed in a position that does not interfere with the vertical movement operation, and when performing post-processing, the design is changed as appropriate, such as by designing it so that the target bintreiro in post-processing stage S2 can advance to the post-processing unit 7 side to realize post-processing. can do.

Here, in the former type, when executing post-processing, the post-processing unit 7 that has advanced to the post-processing execution position
It is necessary to design so that the target bin tray rotor in the post-processing stage S2 does not interfere with each other, and specific measures include, for example, forming a notch in the bin tray rotor portion corresponding to the post-processing execution position, or In the case of a type in which the gap is set as narrow as possible, by devising the means for moving the bin tray, it is possible to make an appropriate selection such as enlarging the cap between the target bin tray and the upper and lower bin trays.

In addition, in the latter type, it is necessary to design the bintrayiro so as not to impair the alignment of the recording sheets 4 housed in it. Then, the upper tray is pulled out to the post-processing unit 7 side by a drawer support means provided in the post-processing stage S2, and post-processing is performed on the recording sheets 6 still stored in the upper tray, or, A retractable gripper is attached to the post-processing unit 7 side, and after the gripper pulls out the recording sheet 4 in the target bin tray to the post-processing unit 7 side, post-processing is performed on the recording sheet 4, etc. as appropriate. be able to.

Further, the post-processing unit 7 may normally be one equipped with a single processing function section, but if the relative positional relationship between multiple post-processing target positions is fixed, multiple processing units may be used in advance. It may be equipped with a functional section.

Further, the post-processing unit 7 may perform the post-processing on all bin trays that have been subjected to the sorting process, but in a case where the recording sheet 4 is removed from the bin tray, the post-processing unit 7 From the viewpoint of eliminating wasteful post-processing operations due to
It is preferable to design it so that it is attached to the

Further, the position moving means 8 is configured such that it can at least move the post-processing unit 7 along a predetermined movement path, and also accurately stop the post-processing unit 7 at a predetermined post-processing target position. If it is designed,
You may change the design as appropriate.

Here, the moving path of the post-processing unit 7 may normally be a straight line along one side edge of the recording sheet 4, but especially when a stapler is used as the post-processing unit 7, From the viewpoint of improving the storage stability of the recording sheet 4 by corner stapling, which performs staple links at the corner portions of the sheet 4, the staple position at the corner portion is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction along one side edge of the recording channel 4. In this case, for example, the position moving means 8 includes a linear guide section extending along one side edge of the recording sheet 4, and a linear guide section facing the one side edge corner of the recording sheet 4. What is necessary is just to design it so that it may be provided with the curved guide part which curves.

Further, the post-processing control means 9 causes the post-processing unit 7 to perform predetermined post-processing, and first moves and sets the post-processing unit 7 to a predetermined post-processing target position, and also moves the target bintreiro to the post-processing stage. After setting S2, only the post-processing unit 7, or the post-processing unit 7 and its accompanying mechanisms (in the case of a movable bin tray type, the bin tray pull-out means, etc.) are controlled.

In this case, each control function of the post-processing control means 9 can be appropriately selected according to the desired function.

For example, regarding the position control of the post-processing unit 7, the post-processing unit 7 may be stopped at a predetermined post-processing target position based on information from a position detection sensor, or the post-processing unit 7 may be stopped at a predetermined post-processing target position based on information from a position detection sensor, or the post-processing unit 7 may be stopped at a predetermined post-processing target position based on information from a position detection sensor, or the post-processing unit 7 may be Processing unit 7
The amount of movement from the reference position may be determined, and the post-processing unit 7 may be moved by the amount of movement determined, for example.

Further, regarding processing control of the post-processing unit 7, the image recording device uses an ADF (Auto Document
In cases such as copying machines with AD
In the F usage mode, the post-processing unit 7 starts post-processing when the ADF finishes copying the final document, or the post-processing unit 7 is equipped with a sheet presence/absence detection means. When the sheet presence/absence detection means detects that the recording sheet 4 does not exist,
The post-processing operation for the recording sheets 4 in the target bin tray is canceled and the next target bin tray is immediately moved to the post-processing stage s2, and the operation timing of the post-processing unit 7 is also changed to multiple post-processing target positions. In the type in which the post-processing unit 7 is set to move and post-processing is performed at each post-processing target position, the post-processing unit 7 is set to move to the post-processing target position for each bin tray and the post-processing is performed each time. You may also apply
In consideration of operational efficiency, when the post-processing unit 7 is moved to one post-processing target position, predetermined post-processing is performed on the recording sheets 4 stored in each bin tray at the post-processing target position. can be selected as appropriate, such as performing the steps continuously.

[Effect]

According to the technical means as described above, FIGS.
), the recording sheets 4 discharged from the image recording apparatus 2 are sequentially conveyed to the sheet distribution stage S1 through the sheet conveyance means 5, and are sequentially distributed and accommodated in each bin tray.

Then, when the sorting process of the recording sheets 4 is completed, the post-processing control means 8 sequentially sets the target bin trays on the post-processing stage S2, and at the same time, the post-processing target position (
Ml or M2) in FIG. 1(b) is a post-processing unit 7.
After moving and setting, the post-processing unit 7 sequentially performs post-processing on the post-processing target locations along one side edge of the recording sheet 4 housed in the target bin tray.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

Table of Contents I6 Overview of the device ■, Structure of each part of the device (1) Sheet conveyance system (2) Bin tray ('2-a) Basic structure (2-b) Bin tray movement system (3) Sheet alignment mechanism (4) Stapler (4- a) Basic stapler configuration (4-b) Stapler forward/backward movement system (4-c) Stapler processing position movement system (4-d) Sheet presence/absence detection system (5) Device control system ■, Device operation (1) Sorting process ( 2) Stapling process ■, Modification of the device ■, Outline of the device Figures 2 and 3 show A D F (Auto
Copying machine body 1o with Document Feeder
A sheet distribution/accommodation device (hereinafter referred to as a sorter in this embodiment) 20 to which the present invention is applied is attached.

In the figure, reference numeral 21 is a housing of the sorter 2o, which is movable on casters 22. and,
A recess 23 having a U-shaped cross section is formed along the vertical direction on the side opposite to the copying machine main body 100 of the housing 21, and an opening communicating with the inside of the housing 21 is formed on the side of the copying machine main body 10 of the recess 23. 24 have been established.

In addition, a plurality of stages (20 stages in this embodiment) of bin trays 40 are arranged movably up and down at a location facing the recess 23, and the protruding end of each bin tray 40 is arranged to protrude from inside the recess 23. It is now possible to do so. On the other hand, a non-sorting tray 25 is arranged at the top of the housing 21, which is used when sorting processing is not required.

Further, a sheet introduction port 26 is provided in the housing plate 21a corresponding to the sheet discharge port 11 of the copying machine main body 10, and the recording sheet 12 introduced from the sheet introduction port 26 is transferred via a sheet conveyance system 30. The sheets are conveyed to either each bin tray 40 or the non-sort tray 25.

Furthermore, a sheet alignment mechanism 70 is disposed near the bin tray 40, and this sheet alignment mechanism 70 has the following functions:
The recording sheets 12 in the bin tray 40 are arranged at predetermined timing intervals during the sorting process, and the recording sheets 12 are held down during the staple link process.

Further, a stapler 100 is disposed in a space within the housing 21 located below the sheet conveyance system 30 and along the width direction of the sheet conveyance system 30, and a portion facing the stapler 100 is used for post-processing. This is set as stage S2.

The stapler 100 performs dual stapling on one side edge of the recording sheet 12 accommodated in the bin tray 40 located in the post-processing stage S2, or staples a corner portion of the recording sheet 12. It is supposed to be done.

■, Structure of each part of the device (1) Sheet conveyance system In FIG. 3, the sheet conveyance system 30 is connected to the sheet introduction port 26
It has a common sheet conveyance path 31 that goes into the housing 21 from the common sheet conveyance path 31, and branches from this common sheet conveyance path 31 into a first sheet conveyance path 32 that goes downward and a second sheet conveyance path 33 that goes upward. The sheet conveyance path 32 is connected to a sheet distribution stage (a target bin tray 4 in which recording sheets 12 are stored).
On the other hand, the second sheet transport path 33 leads to the non-sorting tray 25 position.

An appropriate number of conveyance rollers 34 and 35 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the middle of the first and second sheet conveyance paths 32 and 33, and the tip of each sheet conveyance path 32 and 33 is Discharge rollers 36 and 37 are provided, respectively. Further, a sheet exit sensor (hereinafter abbreviated as EXIT SNR as the case may be) 38 is disposed immediately before the discharge roller 36 of the first sheet conveyance path 33, which outputs, for example, a high level signal when the recording sheet 12 passes. It is set up.

Incidentally, reference numeral 39 is a switching gate disposed within the common sheet conveyance path 31 and for switching and selecting one of the sheet conveyance paths 32 and 33.

(2) Basic configuration of bin tray (2-a) In FIGS. 2 to 4, the tip tray 40 is arranged diagonally downward at a predetermined angle toward the opening 24 side of the recess 23, and in the width direction thereof. (corresponding to the width direction of the sheet conveyance path 32) A flat tray base 41 arranged at a slight inclination toward the front side, and a positioning flange 42 erected at the edge of the tray base 41 on the opening 24 side;
Notches 43 for stapling by the stapler 80 formed at three locations on the side edge of the opening 24 of the tray base 41 (one corner and three locations sandwiching the center);
44, 45, a notch 46 for gripping the recording sheet 12 cut out approximately in the center of one side edge located on the front side in the width direction of the tray base 41, and positioning on the rear side in the width direction of the tray base 41. A substantially triangular tamper opening 47 is formed near the flange 42. The bin tray 40 may be constructed by forming a reinforcing flange on one end edge of the tray base 41 adjacent to the positioning flange 42 on the rear side, thereby increasing the rigidity of the bin tray 40.

Further, the housing plate defining the front side of the recess 23 of the housing 21 functions as a positioning wall 48 for the recording sheets 12 accommodated in the bin tray 40.

Note that at least the edges 46a and 47a of the gripping notch 46 and the tamper opening 47 on the protruding direction side of the bin tray 40 are formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the width direction of the bin tray 40, so that recording sheets are 12 is designed so that when it enters the bin tray 40, it will not be blocked by the edges of the notch 46 or the opening 47.

(2-b) Bin tray moving system In FIGS. 4 to 6, a pair of engaging bins 51 are provided on both sides of the bin tray 40 in the width direction near the positioning flange 42.
．． A V-shaped support arm 54 is attached to one side of the bin tray 40 in the width direction nearer to the protrusion direction, and an engagement pin 53 is provided to protrude from the lower end of the support arm 54. .

Cam screws 55 to 57 are rotatably provided in portions of the housing 21 located on both sides of the recess 23 in the width direction corresponding to the respective engagement pins 51 to 53. It engages with the cam grooves 55a to 57a of the respective cam screws 55 to 57.

In this embodiment, the pitch of each of the cam grooves 55a to 57a is not constant, and the pitch of the portion corresponding to the sheet distribution stage Sl and the post-processing stage S2 is set to be sufficiently larger than the pitch of the other portions.

More specifically, in this embodiment, the bin trays 40 located at the sheet distribution stage Sl and the post-processing stage S2 are in a continuous positional relationship, and the sheet distribution stage S
The gap g1 between the bin tray 40 located at position L and the bin tray 40 located above it, and the gap g2 between the bin tray 40 located at post-processing stage S2 and the bin trays 40 located above and below it are different from other bin trays 40. Gap between g. It is set to be sufficiently larger. Incidentally, here, the gap g 19g 2 is set within a range that does not interfere with the sorting process and the stapling process, and the gap g. is set within a range where the bin tray 40 does not come into contact with it.

The drive system for each of the cam screws 55 to 57 includes a bin drive motor (stepping motor in this embodiment) 58 capable of forward and reverse rotation, a drive pulley 59 fixed to the output shaft of the bin drive motor 58, and a drive pulley 59 for the cam screws 55 to 57. 5
Driven pulleys 60-62 attached to the lower ends of 5-57
A drive belt 63 is passed between the drive pulley 59 and the driven pulley 62, and a drive belt 63 is passed between each of the driven pulleys 60 to 62, and the driving force from the bin drive motor 58 is transferred to each cam screw 55 to 62. 57 at the same timing.

In this embodiment, each cam screw 55 to
When the bin tray 57 rotates once, each bin tray 40 moves upward or downward by one pitch.

In FIG. 3, numeral 65 is an upper limit position detection sensor for detecting that the bin tray 40 located at the top has reached the upper limit position, and 66 is a sensor for detecting that the bin tray 4o located at the bottom has reached the lower limit position. This is a lower limit position detection sensor that detects.

(3) Sheet Aligning Mechanism In FIG. 7, the sheet aligning mechanism 70 includes a flat tamper 71 which is disposed through the tamper opening 47 of each bin tray 40, and the upper and lower ends of the tamper 71 are connected, respectively. A pair of movable support mechanisms 72.73 that support the tamper 71 in a movable manner along the width direction of the bin tray 4o, and a sheet alignment drive system 8o that drives each movable support mechanism 72.73.
It is equipped with

In this embodiment, the movable support mechanisms 72 and 73 are as follows:
A ball screw shaft 75 is rotatably supported between a pair of bearing brackets 74 (one not shown).
A nut 76 is screwed onto the tamper 71, and the nut 76 is fixed to the upper and lower ends of the tamper 71.

The sheet alignment drive system 80 also includes a tamper drive motor (stepping motor in this embodiment) 81, two drive pulleys 82 and 83 fixed to the output shaft of the tamper drive motor 81, and each movable support mechanism 72. It is provided with driven pulleys 84, 85 fixed to the ball screw shaft 75 of .73, and timing bells 1-86, 87 hooked between the driving pulleys 82, 83 and the driven pulleys 84, 85, respectively. .

Note that the nut 76 of the lower movable support mechanism 73 is provided with a protruding piece 77 for position detection, and this protruding piece 77 is connected to a home position sensor 78 (in this embodiment, a light emitting element) provided corresponding to the home position. When the tamper 71 reaches the position of the transmissive optical sensor in which the tamper 71 and the light receiving element are arranged facing each other, the home position sensor 78 outputs a low level signal, for example, to detect that the tamper 71 has reached the home position. There is.

(4) Stapler (4-a) Basic configuration of stapler In this embodiment, the stapler 100 has the notches 43, 44, 4 of the tip tray 40 in the processing position moving system 125.
5, the corner staple link position 1i PO, dual staple link position P], , P2 is set. In this case, the stapler 100 set at the corner tape link position PO is inclined at 45° on the horizontal plane compared to when it is set at the dual stapling positions Pi, P2.

The basic configuration of the stapler 100 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
1a, the base end of a movable arm 102 is rotatably supported by a pivot 103, and the movable arm 102 is
An upper case 101b is provided coaxially with the movable arm 102 and biased toward the movable arm by a biasing spring (not shown), and a staple storage section 104 is provided in the upper case 101b, and a stapler is provided at the tip of the movable arm 102. 1
05 is provided, and the driving force of the stapler drive motor 107 is transmitted to the movable arm 102 through the driving force transmission mechanism 108 consisting of the heald 108a, the cam 108b, and the link arm 108c. During operation, the movable arm 102 is swung downward, and as shown in FIG. A stapler 105 is driven into 12 bundles of recording sheets by a lowering driving mechanism 106.

(4-b) Staple advancement/retraction movement system As shown in FIG. 9(a), the stapler 100 advancement/retraction movement system includes a guide rail 112 attached to a support bracket 111 along the advancement/retraction direction of the stapler 100. A movable plate 113 on which the stapler 100 is installed is movably supported via guide rollers 114, while a drive motor 115 for advancing and retreating is disposed on the support bracket, and an output shaft of the drive motor 115 for advancing and retreating is disposed on the support bracket. A cam arm 116 extending in the radial direction of the output shaft is fixed to the cam arm 116.
An engagement pin 117 is provided protrudingly from the rotatable free end of the movable plate 113, and the movable plate 113 is provided with an engagement sleeve l- extending in the vertical direction.
An engagement plate 118 having a shape of 119 is fixed, and the engagement pin 117 is movably engaged with an engagement slit 119 of the engagement plate 118.

In this embodiment, the stapler 100 is shown in FIG.
As shown in a), when the bin tray 40 is moving up and down, it is placed at the retracted position B where it does not interfere with the bin tray 40, and when the advancing/retracting drive motor 115 has made a half rotation,
As shown in FIG. 9(b), the engagement pin 117 of the cam arm 116 pushes out the engagement plate 118 toward the bin tray 40 while sliding along the engagement slit l19.
The movable plate 113 advances to a predetermined position, and the stapler 100 is set to the stapling execution position A.

Then, the stapler 100 located at the stapling execution position returns to the retracted position B shown in FIG.
Every time the advance/retreat drive motor 115 makes a half rotation, the stapler 1
00 advance and retreat operations are repeated.

Further, a stapler 1 is mounted on the support bracket 111.
, 00 is located at either the stapling execution position A or the evacuation position B.
21 and 122 are arranged. This position detection sensor 1
Reference numerals 21 and 122 are transmission type optical sensors in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are disposed facing each other; for example, the movable plate 11
A protruding piece 123 protruding from a part of the sensor 3 blocks the optical path of one of the position detection sensors 121 and 122, thereby detecting the position.

(4-c) Stapler Processing Position Movement System In FIGS. 1O to 12, the processing position movement system 125 of the stapler 100 includes a kite rail 126 for regulating the moving path of the stapler 100, and a kite rail 126 along this guide rail 126. It includes a movable cart 1.31 for moving the stapler 100, and a stop position detection device 145 for detecting the stop position of the movable cart 131.

In this embodiment, the guide rail 126 includes a linear guide portion 127 extending along the rising flange 42 of the bin tray 40 and a notch 43 of the bin tray 40.
A curved guide portion 12 that curves opposite to a corner portion corresponding to
8, a cut groove 129 is formed along the longitudinal direction in this guide rail 126, and this cut groove 129 is formed along the longitudinal direction.
A rack 130 is provided on one side edge of 29.

Furthermore, the movable cart 131 has guide rollers 1 and 33 attached to both sides of a rectangular movable plate 132, and the guide rails 1 and 33 are attached to both sides of a rectangular movable plate 132.
It is movably arranged on the upper surface of 26.

At one end of the movable plate 132, a support bracket 111 for the stapler 100 is bent downward through the cut groove 129, and the stapler moves forward and backward in the horizontal portion of the support bracket 111. A stapler 100 is installed through the system.

Furthermore, at the other end of the movable plate 132, a substantially inverted support bracket 134 is bent downward through the cut groove 129, and the horizontal part of the support bracket 134 is used for moving the processing position. A drive motor (in this embodiment, a stepping motor) 135 is attached to the movable plate 132, and the rack 13 is attached to the movable plate 132.
The drive pulley 1 is fixed to the output shaft of the drive motor 135, and a pinion 136 that meshes with the drive pulley 1 is rotatably supported.
37 and a driven pulley 138 fixed coaxially with the pinion 136, a transmission belt 139 is passed around. Incidentally, reference numeral 140 is a kite pulley that is rotatably supported by the movable plate 132 and engages with one edge of the cut groove 129 located on the opposite side of the rack 130.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the stop position detection device 145 includes a position detection sensor 146 for installing the stapler 100 at the corner stapling position PO, and a position detection sensor 146 for installing the stapler 100 at the corner stapling position PO. The stapler 100 is provided with position detection sensors 147 and 148 for installing the stapler 100 at P2, and a protruding piece 149 protruding outward from one side edge of the movable plate 132. In addition, each of the above position detection sensors 14
Reference numerals 6 to 148 have a light emitting element and a light receiving element arranged facing each other in the upper and lower parts of the U-shaped case. It blocks the sensor optical path between the two and changes from high level to low level.

Furthermore, in FIG. 13, reference numeral 150 is a short-circuit switch that short-circuits the drive motor 135, and short-circuits the drive motor 135 when the output of any of the position detection sensors 146 to 148 changes from high level to low level. However, the braking action causes the drive motor 135 to stop immediately. Incidentally, reference numeral 151 is a motor driver for sending a drive signal to the drive motor 135.

(4-d) Sheet presence/absence detection system In this embodiment, two systems of sheet presence/absence detectors 16 are used to determine whether or not stapling processing is required.
0.165 is provided.

One of the sheet presence/absence detectors 160 includes a light emitting element 161 and a light receiving element 1 at the top and bottom of the recess 23 corresponding to the corner cutout 45 of each bin tray 40, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
62, and either bin tray 40
If the recording sheet 12 is present inside, the optical path between the light emitting element 161 and the light receiving element 162 is blocked, thereby detecting the presence or absence of the recording sheet 12.

The other sheet presence/absence detector 165 is a reflective sensor (a sensor in which a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are arranged side by side) embedded in the tip of the lower case 101a serving as a support, as shown in FIG. When the recording sheet 12 is placed on the lower case 101a, the irradiation light from the light emitting element is taken into the light receiving element and outputs, for example, a high level signal,
Thereby, the presence or absence of the recording sheet 12 is detected.

(5) Device control system The device control system in this embodiment is composed of a microcomputer system as shown in FIG.

In the same figure, the microcomputer system is a CPU
Consisting of 171, ROM172, and RAM173, ROM
172 includes a sorting processing program (15th
, and 16) and stapling processing programs (see FIGS. 20, 21, and 22), etc., are stored in advance, and the CPU 171 executes each program and transfers them between the CPU 173 and the RAM 173 as appropriate. A predetermined control signal is created by processing input data while exchanging data.

In such a system, sheet exit sensor 38.
Upper limit position detection sensor 65. Lower limit position detection sensor 66, sheet presence/absence detection sensor 160, 165, tamper home position sensor 78. Stapler position detection sensor 121,
122. Position detection sensor 1 for corner stapling
46. Dual stapling position detection sensor 147
, 148, stapling process start switch 18
Each signal from the 1° stapling mode selection switch 182 etc. is sent to the CPUI via the input interface 174.
71 as input data, and each control signal from the CPU 171 drives each roller of the sheet conveyance system 30 via an output interface 175.
83. Solenoid 18 for driving switching gate 39
4. Bin drive motor 58. Tamper drive motor 80. Stapler drive motor 107. Stapler advance/retreat drive motor 115, processing position movement drive motor 135. The signal is sent to each control device such as the short-circuit switch 150, and each control device is controlled as appropriate.

In this embodiment, data communication is carried out between the main body side CPU'176 provided on the side of the copying machine main body 10 and the CPU 171, and the data communication is performed between the main body side CPU'176 provided on the side of the copying machine main body 10 and the above-mentioned CPU171. Various information such as
71.

(2) Operation of the device (1) Sorting process ◎Processing overview Now, it is assumed that a predetermined number of copies of a document are made using the ADF on the copying machine main body 10 side, and the copies are sorted.

At this time, a sorting selection signal is fetched from the main body side CPU 176 to the CPUI 71, and the sorting processing program is executed.

Then, first, the switching gate 39 selects the first sheet conveyance path 32 by driving the solenoid 184, and
By driving the feed motor 183, each conveyance roller 34,
35. The discharge rollers 36 and 37 are driven. In this state, the recording sheet 12 discharged from the sheet discharge port 11 of the copying machine main body 10 is transferred to the common sheet conveyance path 31.
The sheets are then sequentially conveyed through the first sheet conveyance path 32 to the sheet distribution stage S1, and sequentially distributed and stored in the bin tray 40 that is sequentially moved to the sheet distribution stage S1.

◎Bin Tray Movement Control FIG. 15 shows the movement control flow of the bin tray 40 during the sorting process.

In the same figure, after copying is started on the copying machine main body lO side, the CPU 171 turns on the sheet exit sensor 38 →
At the stage where it is turned off, each bin tray 40 is raised by one pitch by driving the pin drive motor 58 in units (step [hereinafter abbreviated as ST] 1.2), and the job, that is, the copying of each page of the original is performed. Check whether the final copy of the job has been completed (Sr3).

Next, if the final copy of the job has not been completed, the processes from STI to ST3 are repeated, and when the final copy of the job has been completed, it is determined whether all jobs, that is, the copy job of the entire document has been completed. Check whether or not (Sr4).

Furthermore, if all the jobs have not been completed, the bin drive motor 58 is driven unit by unit when the sheet exit sensor 38 changes from on to off.
is lowered by one pitch (Sr5.6), and it is checked whether the final copy of the job has been completed (Sr1).

If the final copy of the job has not yet been completed, the processes from Sr5 to ST7 are repeated, and when the final copy of the job is completed, the pin home sensor (corresponding to the lower limit position detection sensor 66) is turned on. After checking whether all the jobs have been completed (Sr8), it is checked whether all jobs have been completed (Sr1). At this time, if Sr1 determines that all jobs have not been completed, ST
Return to step 1 and perform a series of subsequent processes.

In such a process, if it is determined that all jobs have been completed at Sr4 or Sr1, the series of sorting processes is ended.

If Sr8 determines that the pin home sensor 66 is not turned on, a FAIL display will be displayed (Sr8).
TIO).

◎Tamper Movement Control FIG. 16 shows the movement control flow of the tamper 71 during sorting processing.

In the figure, the CPU 171 takes in the size information of the recording sheet 12 from the main body side CPU 176 (ST1),
By driving the tamper drive motor 80 in the forward rotation according to the motor signal (R1 area) shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
(Sr2).

Thereafter, by counting the ON→OFF signal of the sheet ejection sensor 38, the number of ejected recording sheets 12 is counted (5T3), and it is determined whether the final copy of the job, that is, the copy job of each page of the original has been completed. 5T4), and if it is determined that the final copy of the job has not been completed, Sr3. Repeat the process of Sr4.

Then, in Sr4, if it is determined that the final copy of the job has been completed, the motor signal (R
By rotating the tamper drive motor 80 in the forward and reverse directions within a predetermined range depending on the size of the tamper 71 (as shown in FIG.
is moved to the edge position of the recording sheet 12 (indicated by the - dotted chain line), the recording sheet 12 is pressed against the positioning wall 48 to align it, and then returned to the standard position for each size (S75
).

Thereafter, it is checked whether all the copy jobs have been completed (5T6), and if it is determined that all the copy jobs have not been completed, the processes from Sr3 to Sr6 are repeated.

If it is determined in Sr6 that all the copy jobs have been completed, the tamper drive motor 80 is reversely driven in response to the motor signal (R3 area) shown in FIG. ), the tamper 71 located at the size-specific reference position indicated by the solid line is moved back to the home position indicated by the two-dot chain line (Sr1), and at this stage, the tamper operation during the sorting process is ended. It is to be noted that whether or not the vehicle has returned to the home position is determined by the change in the signal from the tamper home sensor 78 from a low level to a high level, as shown in FIG.

◎Specific example of sorting process (see Figure 19) Now, AD
Assume that n sheets of original are copied using F and sorted.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 19(a), first, the first original copy recording sheet 12(1) is distributed and accommodated in the uppermost bin tray 40(1) located on the sheet distribution stage S1, and then As shown in FIGS. 19(b) and 19(C), after the second bin tray 40(2) is set on the sheet distribution stage S1, this bin tray 40(2) is
), record sheet 1-12 (1) is distributed and stored, and from then on,
Bin tray from 3rd to nth tier 40 (3) ・-
Recording sheets 12(1) are sequentially distributed and stored in 40(n).

Next, when the copying operation of the second original is started, the second original original is sequentially conveyed to the sheet distribution stage S1. Then, Figure 19(d)
As shown in , first, the recording sheet 12 (
2) is distributed and accommodated, and then, as shown in FIGS. 19(e) and (f), the n-1st bin tray 40 (n-1)
is set on the sheet distribution stage S1, the recording sheet 12 (2) is distributed and accommodated in this bin tray 40 (n-1), and thereafter, the bin trays 40 (n-2) from the n-2th stage to the top stage are )...The recording sheets 12 (2) are sequentially distributed and accommodated in 40 (1).

Thereafter, similar operations are repeated until the k-th document copy is completed.

In such a series of copy jobs, the tamper 7
As shown in FIGS. 19(a) to 19(f), 1 is set at the reference position for each size at the time of copy start, and 1
Starting from the first sheet, each time each document copy job is completed, the recording sheet I2 is moved to the edge position of the recording sheet 12 in each bin tray 40, and the recording sheets I2 are aligned.

(2) Stapling Process Basic Control of Stapling The basic control flow of the bin tray 40 and stapler 100 during the stapling process is shown in FIG.

In the figure, the CPU 171 first operates the main body side CPL'.
Based on the information from 176, check whether the copying machine main unit 10 is in ADF mode (5T1), and if it is in ADF mode, check whether the final original copy has been completed using ADF (5T2), ADF mode is used. At the stage when the final original copy is completed, it is determined that the sorting process is completely completed (Sr1). If the copying machine main unit 10 is not in the A or D F use mode, check whether the manual start switch 181 is on when starting the stapling process (5T4), and if the start switch 181 is on, the sorting It is determined that all processing has been completed (Sr1).

After that, check whether stapling processing is required according to the output of the first sheet presence/absence detector 160.
5) If it is determined that stapling processing is required, the bin tray 40 is moved down by one step, and the topmost hint tray 40 or the bin tray 40 with the number of stacks corresponding to the number of sorting positions is positioned on the post-processing stage S2. The bin tray 40 is set at the initial stapling position so as to do so (Sr6).

After this, stapling mode mode selection switch 1
Check whether the stapling mode is dual mode according to the information from 82 (5T7), and if it is dual mode, execute dual stapling processing.
8), On the other hand, if it is not the dual mode, it is determined that the mode is the corner mode, and corner stapling processing is executed (Sr9
).

Then, at the stage where a series of stapling processes are completed, or when it is determined that stapling process is not required in Sr5 (8 force or high level of light receiving element 162 of sheet presence/absence detector 160), the next sorting process is performed. In preparation for processing, the top bin tray 40
Each bin tray 40 was returned to the initial sorting position so that the bin trays 40 were placed on the sheet distribution stage S1 (STIO
), the series of processing ends.

◎Dual stapling process An example of the process of Sr1 in FIG. 20 is shown in FIG. 21(a).

In the figure, the CPU 171 first controls the drive motor 13.
5 to move the movable trolley 131,
The drive motor 135 is stopped based on information from the position detection sensor 147, and the stapler 100 is set at the dual stapling position P1 (STI).

At this stage, basic stapling operations are performed (S
r1), check whether the stapling target is the final bin tray 405T3), the final bin tray 40
If not, move the bin tray 40 up or down by one pitch and set the next bin tray 40 to be stapled to the post-processing stage S2 (5T4), and then from Sr2 to ST4 until the last bin tray 40 to be stapled is reached. Repeat the process.

Then, at the stage where the final bin tray 40 has been stapled, the movable cart 131 is moved by driving the drive motor 135 again, and the drive motor 13 is moved based on the information from the position detection sensor 148.
5 is stopped, and the stapler 100 is set at the dual stapling position P2 (Sr5).

At this stage, perform the basic staple link operation (S
r6), check whether the stapling target is the final bin tray 40.5T7), the final bin tray 40
If not, move the bin tray 40 downward or upward by one pitch and set the next bin tray 40 to be stapled to the post-processing stage S2 (5T8), and then from Sr6 to ST8 until the final bin tray 40 to be stapled is reached. Repeat the process.

In Sr1, if it is determined that the stapling target is the final bin tray 40, the drive motor 135 is reversely driven to move the movable cart 131, and the drive motor 1 is moved based on information from the position detection sensor 146.
5T to stop the stapler 35 and return the stapler 100 to the corner stapling position (initial position in this embodiment) PO.
9) At this stage, it is determined that the stapling process is completed (STIO).

◎Corner stapling process An example of the process of Sr1 in FIG. 20 is shown in FIG. 21(b).

In the figure, the CPU 171 first checks whether the stapler 100 is at the corner stapling position (initial position) PO (5TI), and if not, drives the drive motor 135 appropriately to move the movable cart 131.
is moved, the drive motor 135 is stopped based on information from the position detection sensor 146, and the stapler 100 is set at the corner stapling position PO (Sr1).

Then, at the stage when it is confirmed that the stapler 100 is at the corner stapling position PO, a basic stapling operation is performed (Sr1), and a check is made as to whether the stapling target is the final bin tray 40 or not.
), if it is not the last bin tray 40, change the bin tray 40 to 1
The bin tray 40 to be stapled next is moved up or down by the pitch and set to the post-processing stage S2 (5T5), and thereafter the processes from Sr3 to ST5 are repeated until the last bin tray 40 to be stapled is reached.

Then, when the stapling process has been performed on the final bin tray 40, it is determined that the stapling process has been completed (Sr6).

◎Basic stapling operation (stapler) The operation flow of the stapler 100 during the basic stapling operation is shown in the 22nd page.
Figure (a) is shown.

In the figure, the CPU 171 first advances (STI) the stapler 100 to the stapling execution position A (see FIG. 9(b)) and determines whether a stapling operation is required based on information from the sheet presence/absence detector 165. Check whether or not (Sr1).

When it is determined that a stapling operation is necessary, the stapling operation is performed (ST3), and then the stapler 100 is moved backward to the retracted position B (see FIG. 9(a)) (Sr4), while the stapling operation is performed (ST3). If it is determined that the ring operation is not required, the stapler 100 is immediately moved backward to the retracted position (Sr4), and the basic operation of the stapler 100 is ended.

◎Basic Stapling Operation (Tamper) The operation flow of the tamper 71 during the basic stapling operation is shown in FIG. 22(b).

In the figure, the CPU 1'71 first moves the tamper 71 to the standard position for each size (see No. 171ffl(a)).
After setting to move (STI), it is checked whether the stapler 100 is at the stapling execution position A based on the information from the position detection sensor 121 (5T2), and it is determined that the stapler 100 is at the stapling execution position A. Then, as shown in FIG. 17(b), the sheet presser position Petanfe is moved (Sr1).

Next, it is checked whether the stapler 100 is at the retracted position B based on the information from the position detection sensor 122 (5T4), and if it is determined that the stapler 100 is at the retracted position B, the position is moved as shown in FIG. 17(b). Then, the tamper 71 located at the sheet holding position is moved to the standard position for each size (Sr5).

Then, before the final stapling operation is performed, the basic stapling operation is completed with the tamper-fabrication set at the standard position for each size, and when it is determined that the final stapling operation has been performed (Sr6),
Returned Tampa 7I to home position (Sr7)
After that, the basic stapling operation is completed.

◎Specific example of stapling processing (Fig. 23) Now, assume that, for example, an ADF is used to copy n sheets of a document, sort them, and then perform dual stapling.

At this time, if the number of originals k is an even number, the topmost bin tray 40(1) will be located on the sheet distribution stage Sl when the sorting process is completed, as shown in FIG. 23(a). Each bin tray 40 is arranged at the initial sorting position, and the stapler 100 is set at the corner stapling position (initial position) PO.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 23(b), first, each bin tray 40 moves downward by one pitch, and the topmost bin tray 40(1) is set to the post-processing stage S2, and the mode selection switch 182 is set to the post-processing stage S2. By selecting the dual mode, the stapler 100 is set to the first dual stapling position PI, and the staple 105 is driven into one side edge of the recording sheet 12 relative to the uppermost bin tray 40(1).

Next, as shown in FIGS. 23(c) and 23(d), the bin trays 40 are sequentially moved up by one pitch, and the second and subsequent bin trays 40(2)...40(n) are sequentially moved to the post-processing stage. By the stapler 100 set to move to S2 and set to the dual stapling position P1, the bin trays 40(2), . . . , 40 to be stapled are
Staples 105 are sequentially driven into one side edge of the recording sheet 12 for (n).

Then, when stapling for the final bin tray 40 (n) is completed at the dual stapling position PI, the stapler 1
00 is moved to the second dual stapling position P2, and the stable 105 is driven into one side edge of the recording sheet 12 relative to the final bin tray 40(n).

Next, as shown in Figure 23 (g), the bin trays 40 are sequentially moved down by one pitch, and the bin trays 40 (n-1)...40 (1) from the n-1th stage to the top stage are
) are sequentially moved to the post-processing stage S2, and the stapler 100 is set to the dual stapling position P2.
The bin tray 40 (
Stables 105 are sequentially driven into one side edge of the recording sheet 12 for n-1)...40(1).

Then, at the stage when the stapling process for the topmost bin tray 40 (1) is completed, the stapling process for - series is completed, and as shown in FIG. 23(h),
Each bin tray 40 returns to the initial sorting position, and the stapler 100 also returns to the corner stapling position (
Initial position) Return to PO.

Note that if the number of original sheets is k or an odd number, the nth stage hint tray 40 (n) will be located on the sheet distribution stage S1 when the sorting process is completed, but the stapling process in this case is , First, each bin tray 40
is moved down by one pitch, and the nth bin tray 4 is moved down by one pitch.
0(n) on the post-processing stage S2, and set the stapler 100 at the dual stapling position P1. After that, each bin tray 40 is moved downward by one pitch, and each bin tray 40(b)...40 Stapling is performed on the recording sheets 12 in (1) in sequence, and then the stapler 100 is moved to the dual stapling position P.
1, and thereafter each bin tray 40 is moved upward by one pitch, and each bin tray 40(n)...40(1
) are sequentially stapled on the recording sheets 12.

(2) Modification of the device FIGS. 24 and 25 show a dual puncher that punches holes in three locations.

In the same figure, the puncher 200 is mounted on a movable plate 201 that can move forward and backward with respect to a support bracket (not shown), and when punching is not performed, it is on standby at the retracted position shown by the solid line in FIG. During execution, the machine advances to the punching execution position shown by the two-dot chain line and punches one side edge of the 12 bundles of recording notes.

In this embodiment, the basic configuration of the puncher 200 includes one sheet mounting table 202 having a U-shaped cross section, and a through hole 203 that penetrates in the vertical direction is provided in this sheet placing table 202. A driving rod 204 is disposed at 203 so as to be movable up and down.

The drive system of the driving rod 204 is assembled on the movable plate 201, and its specific configuration includes, for example, a puncher drive motor 205, an eccentric cam 206,
A driving force transmission mechanism 207 such as a transmission belt or pulley that transmits the driving force of the puncher drive motor 205 to the eccentric cam 206
The swing arm 208 is connected at one end to the driving rod 204 and swings depending on the state of engagement with the eccentric cam 206 to move the driving rod 204 up and down.

In this embodiment, the puncher 200 is installed on a processing position moving system 210 together with a support bracket (not shown), and is mounted in a direction along one side edge of the recording sheet 12 in the bin tray 40 (as indicated by an arrow in the figure). ) will be moved accordingly.

In particular, the processing position movement control system in this modification differs from that in the embodiment in that the amount of movement is uniquely set according to the size of the recording sheet 12, and the puncher 200 is moved by the amount of movement. It has become.

In this modification, at least one side edge of the bin tray 40 corresponding to the pair of driving rods 204 of the puncher 200 is provided with notches 44 similar to those in the embodiment so as not to interfere with the driving operation by the puncher 200.
．． 45 is formed.

Next, an example of the punching process according to this modification will be described in the 26th section.
As shown in the figure.

In the figure, the CPU 171 first determines that the sorting process has been completed (STI), and then checks whether punching process is required (ST2).

When it is determined that punching processing is required, set the hint tray 40 at the initial punching position (5T3).
, puncher movement amount (three punching positions PI) according to the size of the recording sheet 12.

First, move the puncher 200 to the punching position Pi (ST5).
.

After that, perform the basic punching operation (ST6), check whether the punching target is the final tip tray 40 (5T7), and if it is not the final bin tray 40, move the bin tray 40 up or down by one pitch,
The next bin tray 40 to be punched is transferred to the post-processing stage S2 (ST8), and thereafter, the processes from ST6 to ST8 are repeated until the final bin tray 40 is to be punched.

Next, when the final punching operation for the punching position PI is completed, the puncher 2 moves to the punching position P2.
After moving and setting 00 (ST9), perform the basic punching operation (STlO) and check whether the punching target is the final bin tray 40 (STI I), and if it is not the final bin tray 40, move the bin tray 40 by one pitch. 5T to lower or raise and set the next punching target bin tray 40 on the post-processing stage S2.
12) Thereafter, the processes from 5TIO to 5T12 are repeated until the punching target reaches the final bin tray 40.

Then, when the final punching operation for the punching position ff1P2 is completed, the puncher 200 is returned to the initial position (ST13), and it is determined that the series of punching processes is completed (ST14).

In this modification, a puncher provided with one driving lot 204 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a pair of driving ronds 204 may be arranged at a predetermined interval, and the centering operation of the puncher may be performed as a centering operation of the puncher. ,
After moving and setting the puncher position according to the size of the recording sheet 12, the basic punching operation may be performed for each bin tray 40.

3 Effects of the Invention 2 As described above, according to the invention described in claim I, a post-processing unit such as a stapler or a puncher is installed at a location opposite to one side edge of the recording sheet in the bin tray after the sorting process has been completed. Since it is possible to perform predetermined post-processing on one side edge of the recording sheet, post-processing such as stapling, punching, etc. The range of post-processing can be greatly expanded compared to a case where post-processing is only possible on the corner portions of the recording sheet.

In particular, according to this invention, the post-processing unit can be moved and set as appropriate along one side edge of the recording sheet in the tip tray, so there is no need to install post-processing units individually. In addition to being able to easily perform post-processing on multiple locations with the unit, it is also possible to easily optimize the post-processing locations.

Furthermore, we have made it possible to perform post-processing while the recording sheets that have been sorted are still stored in the bin tray, so it is possible to set up a separate tray for post-processing, or to store a stack of recording sheets in a tray dedicated to post-processing. There is no need to provide a conveyance means for conveying the paper, which can avoid complicating the device, and also prevent the occurrence of variations in the recording sheet bundle when transferring the recording sheet bundle to a tray dedicated for post-processing. Therefore, deterioration in the quality of post-processing caused by the post-processing unit can be effectively avoided.

Further, according to the invention as claimed in claim 2, since the post-processing stage is arranged close to the sheet distribution stage, the movement span of the tip tray when moving from the point of completion of the sorting process to the post-processing can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the transition time from the time when the sorting process is completed to the post-processing process.

Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the invention, in a type including a unit element that advances toward the tip tray side during the post-processing operation, interference between the bin tray and the post-processing unit can be reliably avoided. Since the overall height of the multi-stage tip tray is minimized, the apparatus can be made more compact without interfering with post-processing.

Furthermore, according to the invention as claimed in claim 4 i, it is confirmed whether or not there is a recording sheet in the target bin tray, and when it is confirmed that there is no recording sheet, the post-processing operation for the target bin tray is performed. cancel and immediately,
Since the process moves to the post-processing operation for the next target bin tray, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the post-processing process without performing unnecessary post-processing operations.

Further, according to the invention as set forth in claim 5, the movement of the processing position of the post-processing unit during post-processing is minimized, so that the efficiency of the post-processing process is improved.
Post-processing time can be shortened.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 6, dual stapling along one side edge of the recording sheet or stapling at a corner of the recording sheet is selectively realized by devising the position moving means of the stapler. I can,
Furthermore, the stapling position for corner stapling is set at an angle with respect to the stapling position for dual stapling, so the user can freely select the stapling mode according to his or her preference, and also adjust the corner stapling condition. can be kept in good condition.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the sheet distribution and storage device according to the present invention, FIG. 1(b) is an explanatory diagram showing the moving state of the post-processing unit according to the second invention, and FIG. A third perspective view showing an embodiment of the sheet distribution and storage device according to the invention.
The figure is an end view taken along the line I-I in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a view seen from the arrow direction in Figure 2, and Figures 5 and 6 are front views showing details of the tip tray movement system according to the embodiment. Figures and perspective views; Figure 7 is a perspective view showing details of the sheet alignment mechanism according to the embodiment;
The figure is a schematic diagram showing details of the stapler according to the embodiment, No. 9
Figures (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams showing the advancing and retracting operating states of the stapler according to the embodiment, Figure 1O is a plan explanatory diagram showing details of the stapler processing position movement system according to the embodiment, and Figure 11 is the
FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line xn-xn in FIG. 11, FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram showing the principle of stopping the drive motor of the stapler processing position movement system, and FIG. Figure 15 is a block diagram showing the device control system according to the embodiment, Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the operation process of the bin tray during sorting processing in the embodiment, and Figure 16 is the operation process of the sheet alignment mechanism during sorting processing in the embodiment. 17(a) and 17(b) are explanatory diagrams showing details of the operation process of the sheet aligning mechanism, FIG. 18 is a timing chart showing examples of drive signals for the sheet aligning mechanism, and FIGS. 19(a) to 21(a) is a schematic diagram showing a specific operation example of the bin tray and sheet alignment mechanism in the sorting process in the embodiment, FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the stapling process in the embodiment, and FIG.
b) is a flowchart showing a dual stapling process and a corner stapling process, No. 22
Figures (, a) and (b) are flow charts showing the stapler and tamper control process during basic stapling operations.
Figures (a) to (h) are schematic diagrams showing specific operation examples of the bin tray and stapler during the stapling process in the example, and Figure 24 is a diagram of an apparatus similar to Figure 4 using a puncher as a post-processing unit. FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a puncher, and FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a punching process in the modification. [Explanation of symbols] Sl...Sheet distribution stage S2...Post-processing stage I...Housing 2...Image recording device 3...Sheet discharge port 4...Record notebook 5...Sheet transport means 6 ... Bin tray 7 ... Post-processing unit 8 ... Position moving means 9 ... Post-processing control means Patent applicant: Fuji Serotox Co., Ltd. Agent
Patent Attorney Tomohiro Nakamura (2 others) Figure 1 (a) Figure 1 (b) Figure 4 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 9 (a) Figure 9 (b) Figure 10 Figure 16 Figure 21 (a) Form C D Figure 21 (b) Figure 22 (b) Figure 24 261゜Procedural Amendment (Hangong February 13, 1992)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) The image recording device (2) is disposed within the housing (1).
) is ejected from the sheet ejection port (3) of the recording sheet (4).
) to a preset sheet distribution stage (S1), and a sheet conveying means (5) for conveying recording sheets (4) to a preset sheet distribution stage (S1);
) according to the distribution timing of the above sheet distribution stage (
In a sheet distribution/accommodation device comprising bin trays (6) that move sequentially in S1) and sequentially distributing and accommodating recording sheets (4) in each bin tray (6), below the sheet conveying means (5) or one post-processing unit (7) located above and disposed in a space within the housing (1) extending in the width direction of the sheet conveying means (5); a position moving means (8) for movably supporting the post-processing unit (7); and a position moving means (8) for movably supporting the post-processing unit (7); After moving and setting the post-processing unit (7) to a predetermined post-processing target position, the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set to a predetermined post-processing target position, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set, and then the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set to the predetermined post-processing target position. A sheet distribution/accommodation device comprising a post-processing control means (9) for causing a processing unit (7) to sequentially perform predetermined post-processing. 2) The article according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing stage (S2) is a sheet distribution stage (S1).
A sheet distributing/accommodating device characterized in that the sheet distributing/accommodating device is arranged close to the. 3) Among those described in claim 1, a post-processing unit (7)
In the type that is equipped with a unit element that advances to the bin tray (6) side during post-processing operation, each bin tray (
The moving means (6) includes at least a sheet conveying means (5) between the bin tray (6) located on the sheet distribution stage (S1) and the bin tray (6) located above it.
In addition to securing a gap that allows the sheet distributing operation from A sheet distribution and storage device characterized by ensuring a gap that allows movement and setting the interval between other bin trays (6) as narrow as possible. 4) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing unit (7) includes sheet presence/absence detection means for detecting whether or not the recording sheet (4) is present in the target bin tray (6) of the post-processing stage (S2). The post-processing control means (9) is configured such that the sheet presence/absence detection means detects the recording sheet (4).
A sheet distributing and storing device characterized in that when detecting the absence of a recording sheet (4) in the target bin tray, the post-processing operation for the recording sheet (4) in the target bin tray is canceled and the next target bin tray is immediately moved to the post-processing stage. 5) Among the products according to claim 1, in the type in which the post-processing unit (7) is moved and set to a plurality of post-processing target positions and post-processing is performed at each post-processing target position, the post-processing control means In step (9), when the post-processing unit (7) is moved to one post-processing target position, the predetermined position is set for the recording sheets (4) accommodated in each bin tray (6) at the post-processing target position. A sheet distribution and storage device characterized in that post-processing is performed continuously. 6) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing unit (7) is a stapler, and the position moving means (8) is a linear guide extending along one side edge of the recording sheet (4) in the bin tray (6). section and bin tray (6)
A sheet distributing and storing device comprising: a curved guide portion that curves in opposition to a corner portion of one side edge of a recording sheet (4) therein.