JPS62166366A - Both sides copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To effectively use the reverse side of a form which has a copy taken on only its top side by providing a one side copying control means which operates the 2nd side copying means at the time of detecting a form being left in one side copy mode. CONSTITUTION:A residual form detection switch 31 which detects a form being left is provided under an intermediate tray 24 and rollers 26 and 27 convey a form sent out of the intermediate tray to a timing roller 14. Then, the 2nd side is copied similarly to the 1st side and the form after the copying of the 2nd side is conveyed toward a pin selector 28 by a form conveyor roller 19, a form conveyor belt 30, etc. Consequently, if the both sides copying process is interrupted while a form having a copy taken on only the 1st side in both sides copy mode is left in the intermediate tray, the remaining form is utilized in one side copy mode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field> The present invention relates to a copying machine having a double-sided copying function, and particularly to a copying machine characterized by single-sided copying control in a single-sided copying mode.

<Summary of the Invention> The present invention makes a copy on the first side of the paper fed from the paper feed unit in the duplex copying mode, temporarily stores it in the intermediate tray, and then copies it on the second side of the paper fed from the intermediate tray. In a copying machine that performs double-sided copying by copying, when paper remains in the intermediate tray in single-sided copying mode, the remaining paper can be used as copying paper.

<Prior Art and Its Disadvantages> A copying machine having an automatic double-sided copying function has an intermediate tray for copying the second side after copying the first side. This intermediate tray is used temporarily during a series of copying processes as a stack of sheets copied on the first side. In such a conventional copying machine, if the copying process is interrupted for some reason during the copying process of the first side, after the copying process of the first side is completed, the copying process is not performed on the second side, and the copying process is transferred to the intermediate tray. All remaining paper was ejected.

For this reason, the paper that was forcibly ejected from the intermediate tray cannot be used effectively, and when reusing these papers and making new copies on the back side, the paper that was forcibly ejected from the intermediate tray cannot be used effectively. Manual work was required to collect them and load them into the paper feed cassette or manual paper feed unit. In addition, if you use a paper cassette or manual paper feeder to reuse the back side of the paper that has been copied on the first side as described above, you should also use the paper cassette or manual paper feeder when using regular copy paper. There was also the problem that the selection of departments was restricted.

<Objective of the Invention> The object of the present invention is to prevent duplex copying from occurring when duplex copying is interrupted with only the first side of the paper remaining in the intermediate tray in the duplex copying mode. An object of the present invention is to provide a double-sided copying machine that can use paper in a single-sided copy mode.

<Structure and Effects of the Invention> The present invention has a mode selection means for selecting a single-sided copy mode and a double-sided copy mode, and in the double-sided copy mode, a first page that feeds paper from a paper feed section and copies it on the first side. A double-sided copying machine comprising a one-sided copying device and a second-sided copying device that feeds paper from an intermediate tray that stores the paper copied by the first-sided copying device and copies it on the second side. , further comprising a detection means for detecting that paper remains in the intermediate tray, and a one-sided copying control means for operating the second-sided copying means when the detection means detects that paper remains in the one-sided copying mode. It is characterized by:

With the above configuration, in the single-sided copy mode, it is possible to feed the paper remaining in the intermediate tray and copy on the side that has not been copied yet. Therefore, the back side of the paper that has been copied only on the first side can be effectively used, and manual work for this purpose is not required. Furthermore, since a dedicated paper feeding section for feeding paper to be reused is not required, there is no problem that the selection range for selecting regular copy paper is limited.

<Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a double-sided copying machine which is an embodiment of the present invention.

The entire device consists of the main body 1. Automatic document feeder 2. Consists of 3 sorters and 4 desks. A document table is provided on the top surface of the main body 1, and an automatic document feeder is mounted on the top of the document table. This automatic document feeder 2 sequentially conveys a plurality of documents to predetermined positions on a document table. An optical system (not shown) consisting of a copy lamp, a mirror, a lens, etc. is provided below the document table 1 to form an image of the document onto the photoreceptor drum 15 .

Paper fed from either the manual paper feed section 11 or the paper feed cassette 12 or 13 is temporarily stopped in contact with the timing roller 14, and is conveyed toward the photosensitive drum 15 at a predetermined timing. . A charger and a developing unit (not shown) are provided around the photosensitive drum 15, and after a toner image is transferred to the first surface of the paper, the paper is transported by the paper transport belt 16 toward the fixing roller 17.

The paper fixed by the fixing roller 17 is transferred to the transport roller 1
8 to the sorter 3.

The sorter 3 has a function of switching back the paper conveyance direction. The paper sent out by the roller 18 is carried to the left by the paper transport rollers 19 and 2°, and when the trailing edge of the paper reaches the vicinity of the roller 20, the roller 2o is reversely rotated and the paper is transferred to the paper transport roller 21. transport in the direction.

The desk 4 is equipped with an intermediate tray 24 and a unit that feeds the paper stored in the intermediate tray to the timing roller 14.

Paper transported from a paper transport roller 21 provided in the sorter is temporarily stored in an intermediate tray 24 by paper transport rollers 22 and 23. The paper P stored in this tray is sent out to the right by a paper feed roller 25 at a predetermined timing. A paper remaining detection switch 31 is provided at the bottom of the intermediate tray 24 to detect that paper remains. Rollers 26 and 27 transport the paper sent out from the intermediate tray to the timing roller 14. Thereafter, copying processing for the second side is performed in the same manner as the copying processing for the first side. The paper on which the second side has been copied is transported toward the bin selector 28 by the paper transport rollers 19, the paper transport belt 30, and the like.

Double-sided copying is performed as described above.

Although the lower part of the desk 4 shows the external appearance rather than the internal structure, it is also possible to replenish the intermediate tray 24 with paper from the outside by opening the door 32.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control section of the copying machine. Overall control is performed by program processing of the CPU 100. The control program is written in ROMI O1 in advance. The RAM 102 is used as a working area for flags and the like that indicate the distinction between double-sided copying mode and single-sided copying mode, or the distinction between first-sided copying processing mode and second-sided copying processing mode in double-sided copying mode, when executing the program. Various input/output devices are connected to the I10 boat 103, and each input/output device is controlled by CPU processing. The input/output device includes an indicator 104 that includes a lamp that indicates the distinction between double-sided copying mode and single-sided copying mode, a lamp that indicates that paper remains in the intermediate tray, and the like. A keyboard 105 including keys for selecting a mode, a print key for instructing the start of copying processing, etc. Sensor group 10 including a sensor that detects that paper remains in the intermediate tray
6. It consists of a motor 107 and the like that drives the conveyance of paper, rotation of the photoreceptor drum, etc.

3 to 6 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the control section. As shown in FIG. 3, the main routine performs a single-sided/double-sided mode discrimination process to select either the single-sided copy mode or the double-sided copy mode, and determines whether or not the print key has been operated (nlO, n12).

When the print key is operated, first it is necessary to determine whether the currently set mode is double-sided copy mode or not.
14) If the duplex copying mode is selected, it is determined whether the copying process to be performed at that time is the copying process for the first side (n
16). If the mode is for copying the first side, it is determined that no paper remains in the intermediate tray and copying is performed on the first side of the paper (n20).

In the double-sided copy mode, in which copy processing is performed on the second side of the paper, copy processing is performed on the second side of the paper at n22.

When the print key is operated in the one-sided copy mode, it is detected whether there is any paper remaining in the intermediate tray (n24). If no paper remains, normal one-sided copying processing is performed (n26).

At this time, if it is detected that the paper remains in the intermediate tray, the second side copying process in the double-sided copying mode is performed at n22. That is, the paper is fed from the intermediate tray, the second side (the side that has not yet been copied) is subjected to copy processing, and then the paper is discharged to the sorter pins.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of step nlo in FIG.

In this process, first, it is detected whether or not there is any paper remaining in the intermediate tray (n30). When it is detected that no paper remains, the lamp indicating that there is paper remaining in the intermediate tray is turned off, and it is determined whether or not the duplex copy mode selection key is operated (n32-"n34).Single-sided/ When the double-sided copy mode selection key is operated, if the current mode is single-sided copy mode, the lamp indicating double-sided copy mode is turned on and the double-sided copy mode is set (n34
-n36→n38→n40).

If the single-sided/double-sided copy mode selection key is operated in the double-sided copy mode when no paper remains in the intermediate tray, the lamp representing the double-sided copy mode is turned off and the single-sided copy mode is set (n42→n44).

Furthermore, when it is detected that there is paper remaining in the intermediate tray, a lamp indicating this is turned on (n46) and the process is terminated. That is, at this time, the single-sided/double-sided copy mode selection key is disabled.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process of step n20 in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process of step n22 in FIG.
3 is a flowchart showing the processing of FIG.

In the first side copying process, as shown in FIG. 5, unless the copying process is interrupted, copying is performed on the first side of the paper fed from the paper feeding unit (n52). After copying the first page a necessary number of times, end processing is performed (n56). In this termination process, a flag is set to indicate that the copying process for the first side has been completed.

Due to reasons such as a paper jam during the copying process for the first page,
Alternatively, when the copying process is interrupted due to a key operation or the like that interrupts the copying process, the interruption process is performed (n58). In this interruption process, the double-sided copy mode is canceled, etc.

In the second side copying process, as shown in FIG. 6, the second side of the paper is copied, that is, the paper is fed from the intermediate tray and the copying process is performed (n60). When the second side copying process is completed for all sheets, the finishing process is performed (n64
). In this process, the double-sided copy mode is canceled, etc.

As described above, the paper remaining in the intermediate tray can be used as copy paper in the single-sided copy mode.

According to the above embodiment, the paper remaining in the intermediate tray is not limited to copies generated in the double-sided copy mode, but can be stored in the intermediate tray by storing paper that has already been copied on one side or regular copy paper from the outside. The tray can be actively used as a paper feed cassette. Therefore, the types of paper that can be fed can be increased.

In addition, in the example, when paper remains in the intermediate tray in single-sided copy mode, the intermediate tray is automatically selected as the paper source. Of course, by doing so, it is possible to select the paper feed cassette or manual paper feed section.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a double-sided copying machine which is an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the control section of the copying machine, and Figs.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the control section. 24-Intermediate tray, 31-Paper remaining detection switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) a first side copying means having a mode selection means for selecting a one-sided copying mode and a two-sided copying mode, and for feeding paper from a paper feed unit and copying on the first side in the two-sided copying mode; A double-sided copying machine equipped with a first-side copying unit that feeds paper from an intermediate tray that stores the paper copied by the one-sided copying unit and copies it on the second side, wherein the paper remains in the intermediate tray. and a single-sided copying control means for operating the first side copying unit when the detecting unit detects that paper remains in the single-sided copying mode. Machine.