JPH11157724A - Postprocessing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform the processing without requiring excess labor in the case of comparatively simple jam treatment by providing an opening/closing cover openable/closable in an inside space formed between it and an image forming device. SOLUTION: When a jam is caused, an opening/closing cover 46 is rotated to the image forming device 1 side by an operator, and an upper part of a paper sheet delivery part N is opened. Since the upper part of the comparatively easily jamming paper sheet delivery part N is widely opened, the operator can easily perform jam treatment without pulling out the inside constitution of a finisher 4. Since a positioning projection part 47 is formed in the opening/ closing cover 46, when the opening/closing cover 46 is opened, the positioning projection part 47 abuts to a side surface of a reading scanner 8 as a fixing member to restrict tilting of the opening/closing cover 46 more than that to the image forming device 1 side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus such as a finisher mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A finisher 100 as an example of a post-processing apparatus is, for example, as shown in FIG.
2 is mounted in an upright state on one side surface. Image forming apparatus 10
In the binding mode, the sheet on which the target image is formed and discharged in step 2 is introduced into the finisher 100, a predetermined number of sheets are stacked and aligned, and then bound by a stapler (not shown) built in the finisher 100. The bound sheet bundle is pushed up by a discharge unit (not shown) built in the finisher 100, and
Is discharged.

As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5, an internal structure 1 of a finisher 100 such as a paper transport mechanism and a stapler is shown.
05 is designed to be able to be pulled out integrally with the side plate 106, and work such as jam removal and staple supply is performed in a state of being pulled out.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional post-processing apparatus, the internal structure integrated with the side plate is pulled out so as to protrude outside the apparatus, and in this state, operations such as jam processing and staple supply are performed. ing. In the case of staple supply or complicated jam processing, the above pull-out operation is unavoidable, but in the case of simple jam processing, the work of pulling out the internal configuration of the post-processing device is troublesome each time, and unnecessary labor is imposed on the operator. become. In the case where another article is temporarily placed in the space on the drawer side, the internal configuration of the finisher 100 must be pulled out after the article is once moved even in the case of relatively simple jam processing. Was extremely troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a post-processing apparatus which can easily carry out a relatively simple jam processing without requiring extra labor.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in a post-processing apparatus mounted on an image forming apparatus, an inner part formed between the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus is formed. It has an open / close cover that can be opened and closed in the space. Here, the inner space is
It refers to a space in an area defined by the outer shape of an apparatus including an image forming apparatus or an extension thereof (hereinafter the same).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, there is adopted a configuration having an outer shape forming the inner space.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the first or second aspect is provided.
In the configuration described above, the opening / closing cover is rotatably provided by being pivotally supported at a lower end in the height direction of the image forming apparatus, and widens an upper surface side of a sheet transfer portion between the image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus. It is configured to be open.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first, second or third aspect, the open / close cover abuts on a fixed member of the image forming apparatus when opened, and a movable member of the image forming apparatus. It has a configuration in which it has a positioning projection that holds it in a position that does not interfere with the operation.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the fourth aspect, the positioning protrusion is used as a part of a discharge tray for a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus with an outer surface of the openable cover. In this case, the sheet is formed at a position that does not hinder the discharge of the sheet.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an image forming apparatus to which the post-processing apparatus according to the present invention is attached will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body 2 having a finisher 4 as an example of a post-processing apparatus mounted on a left side surface, and a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 2. And a reading scanner 8 as an example of a fixed member installed on the uppermost surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2, and an ADF (automatic printer) as an example of a movable member installed on the upper surface of the reading scanner 8. Document feeder)
10 and an automatic double-sided unit 12 provided on the side surface opposite to the finisher 4.
A manual feed tray 14, a large capacity paper feed tray 16, and the like are provided. The ADF 10 is supported at its rear end by a hinge (not shown), and is provided so as to be rotatable vertically. Since both the reading scanner 8 and the ADF 10 have a well-known configuration, the description of the configuration and functions will be omitted. In FIG. 1, a large number of black painted triangles indicate paper detection sensors.

The image forming apparatus main body 2 has a sheet feeding section 20 below the image forming section 18 and a sheet discharging section 22 above the image forming section 18.
Is positioned so that the target image is conveyed almost vertically from below to above in the vicinity of one side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2 provided with the automatic duplex unit 12. It is formed and discharged. In the image forming unit 18, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 26 by the writing unit 24 based on image data transmitted from the reading scanner 8 or a personal computer (not shown). The image is visualized by 28. Sign 2
Reference numeral 9 denotes a developer replenishing device that replenishes the developing unit 28 with developer.

When the sheet is selected by the operator or the sheet is automatically selected, the sheet selected from the corresponding one of the plurality of sheet cassettes 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d of the sheet feeding unit 20 is selected. Paper is fed. The sheet is conveyed to the transfer section with the timing of the visualized toner image on the photosensitive drum 26 and the leading edge of the image adjusted by the registration roller 30, and the toner image is transferred to the sheet by the transfer means 32. The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is fixed to the fixing device 3.
4 and is fixed, and then sent to the paper discharge unit 22.

The paper discharge unit 22 includes a paper discharge route R1 indicated by a solid line that enters the automatic duplex unit 12 and a main body 2 of the image forming apparatus.
A discharge route R indicated by a dotted line and discharged to an inner tray 36 formed above the relay conveyance means 6 in the upper part of FIG.
2. The paper discharge route R indicated by a solid line that enters the relay conveyance means 6.
Three. The paper discharge route R1 and the paper discharge route R2 are
The switching is selectively performed by the branching claw 40 and the branching claw 42, and the paper discharge route R <b> 3 is selectively switched by the branching claw 40.

The paper discharged to the automatic double-sided unit 12 by the paper discharging route R1 is switched back in the automatic double-sided unit 12, and is conveyed from a position short of the registration roller 30 into a substantially vertical conveyance path. When paper is fed via the manual feed tray 14 or the large-capacity paper feed tray 16, the paper is transported in a substantially vertical transport path as indicated by the arrow. The paper discharge route R3 that enters the relay conveyance means 6 includes a paper discharge route R4 indicated by a dotted line that is discharged to a paper discharge tray 38 that is the upper surface of the relay conveyance means 6, and a finisher that passes through a conveyance path in the relay conveyance means 6. 4 and a branch route R5 indicated by a solid line, which is selectively switched by a branch claw 44 provided in the relay conveying means 6.

Above the sheet transfer portion N between the image forming apparatus main body 2 and the finisher 4, an inner space S is formed on the left and right sides in the drawing, which is defined by the outer shape of the image forming apparatus 1 and the finisher 4. ing. The outer shape of the finisher 4 is formed in a shape excluding the waste portion along the internal configuration from the original rectangular shape, and the inner space S is formed by the outer shape of the finisher 4.

The finisher 4 opens and closes and functions as a part of a discharge tray 38 which is the upper surface of the relay conveying means 6 when the length of the sheet on which the target image is formed by the image forming apparatus 1 in the discharge direction is equal to or longer than a predetermined length. With the cover 46,
Paper output tray 4 for stacking paper bundles after binding processing
Eight. Inside the finisher 4, there are provided a stapler 50 for binding a bundle of sheets, and a discharge unit 52 for pushing up the bundle of sheets bound by the stapler 50 and discharging the bundle to a discharge tray 48. Finisher 4
The paper discharge route R5 entering the paper discharge route R6 indicated by a solid line and directly discharged to the paper discharge tray 48 without performing the binding process.
And a discharge route R7 indicated by a dotted line for performing a binding process and discharging to the discharge tray 48, which can be selectively switched by a branching claw 54.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer surface of the finisher 4 is mainly composed of the opening / closing cover 46 and side covers 56 and 57. The opening / closing cover 46 is rotatably supported at the lower end in the height direction of the image forming apparatus 1, that is, the sheet transfer portion N side by a configuration not shown, and is rotatable in the arrow direction shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing cover 46 is performed by a handle 60. In FIG. 2, the reading scanner 8 and the ADF 1
0 and the like are omitted. A handle 58 is formed on the side cover 56 so that the internal configuration of the stapler 50 and the like of the finisher 4 can be integrally pulled out with the side cover 56 in the arrow direction as shown in FIG. Operations such as staple supply are performed with the internal configuration pulled out. In FIG. 3, reference numerals 76 and 78 denote an upper guide plate and a lower guide plate, respectively, for smoothly guiding the sheet to the finisher 4 at the sheet transfer portion N. Reference numeral 80 denotes a sponge that closes a rotation allowable gap that allows the rotation of the rotation member such as the opening / closing cover 46 on the upper surface of the sheet transfer portion N.

As shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing cover 46 is formed into a curved surface so as to smoothly guide the leading end of the sheet. On the surface thereof, a narrow conveying rib 64 for floating the sheet in a partial contact state is formed along the sheet discharging direction. In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of preventing the paper from being bent in the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the discharge direction) of the paper, the transport rib 64 is used.
Is composed of three pieces, 64a located at the center of the sheet discharging direction and 64b and 64c located on both sides thereof.
The end of the opening / closing cover 46 on the depth side in the drawing is in contact with the side surface of the reading scanner 8 as a fixing member on the image forming apparatus 1 side when the opening is opened at the time of jam clearance, and the opening position of the opening / closing cover 46 is set. A restricting positioning projection 47 is formed. The positioning projection 47 is formed at a position in the opening / closing cover 46 that does not hinder the discharge of the sheet.

The upper surface of the relay conveyance means 6, which is the discharge tray 38, is covered with covers 66, 68, and 70. The front and rear covers 66, 70 can easily remove jams generated in the relay conveyance means 6. As described above, one end side is pivotally supported, and is rotatably provided upward. The cover 66 on the upstream side in the sheet discharging direction has an inclined surface that descends toward the upstream side so as to obtain a return function by the weight of the sheet. Cover 66, 6
As with the transport ribs 64, raised portions 66a, 68a, and 70a are integrally formed at the central portions of the raised portions 70 and 70 from the viewpoint of reducing the contact resistance of the sheet to the sheet discharge tray 38, and the raised portions 70a on the downstream side are integrally formed. The auxiliary tray 72 for improving the paper alignment function is rotatably provided with the downstream side supported by a shaft 75. The auxiliary tray 72 has an inclined surface 72a that pushes the stacked sheets back to the upstream side in the discharge direction. The raised portion 70a is formed in an L-shaped side surface so that the upstream end of the auxiliary tray 72 can be housed flush with the transfer surface, and the height on the downstream side is such that the auxiliary tray 72 can rotate without hindrance. Is set to

As shown in FIG. 1, a transport path 73 and a plurality of transport rollers 74 are provided inside the relay transport means 6, and receive the paper discharged from the apparatus main body 2 and transport it to the finisher 4. I can do it.

Next, a jam processing operation when a jam occurs in the finisher 4 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, when a jam occurs, the opening / closing cover 46 is turned to the image forming apparatus 1 side by the operator, and the upper part of the sheet transfer portion N is opened. Since the upper part of the sheet transfer portion N where the jam is relatively likely to occur is widely opened, the operator can easily perform the jam processing without pulling out the internal configuration of the finisher 4. Further, in the case where the internal configuration of the finisher 4 is pulled out to perform the jam processing, the pull-out direction is limited, and accordingly, the position of the jam processing operator is also limited. Then, Finisher 4
The jam can be cleared by opening the cover 46 from any position around the area. Further, in this embodiment, since the positioning projection 47 is formed on the opening / closing cover 46, when the opening / closing cover 46 is opened, the positioning projection 47 is formed.
Abuts against the side surface of the reading scanner 8 as a fixing member, and the opening / closing cover 46 is prevented from further tilting toward the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 4 shows an ADF 1 for placing an original on a contact glass which is the upper surface of the reading scanner 8.
It shows a state where 0 is raised upward.

If there is no positioning projection 47, A
When the DF 10 is turned upward, the upper end of the opening / closing cover 46 enters the turning operation area W of the ADF 10 as shown by a two-dot chain line. Therefore, if the jam clearance is performed with the ADF 10 raised and the ADF 10 is lowered without returning the open / close cover 46 to its original position, the ADF 10 may collide with the open / close cover 46, possibly causing damage. However, when the positioning projection 47 is provided as in this embodiment,
Since the opening / closing cover 46 can be positioned so as not to enter the turning operation area W of the ADF 10, the operator can perform the turning operation of the ADF 10 and the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing cover 46 without paying attention to the danger of collision. It can be done easily. The projecting height of the positioning projection 47 is set to a size that can open the upper surface of the sheet transfer portion N as widely as possible and that the opening / closing cover 46 does not enter the rotation operation area W of the ADF 10.

In the above embodiment, the inner space S is formed by the shape of the finisher 4.
Is easily formed on the image forming apparatus 1 side.

[0025]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the open / close cover which can be opened / closed in the inner space formed between the image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus is provided, the internal structure of the post-processing apparatus is drawn out. Jam processing can be easily performed without requiring labor. Since the opening / closing operation is performed in the inner space, the operation is not affected by the space situation around the image forming apparatus.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the post-processing device has a shape that forms an inner space.
In addition to the effects described above, the opening and closing cover can be opened and closed without changing the shape of the image forming apparatus. Further, the outer surface of the opening / closing cover can be used as a part of a paper discharge tray of the image forming apparatus.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the opening and closing cover is provided so as to widely open the upper surface side of the sheet transfer portion with the image forming apparatus. In addition, a large jam processing space can be provided in a portion where the jam is likely to occur, and the jam clearing operation can be further facilitated.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the positioning cover is provided with the positioning projection on the opening / closing cover.
In addition to the effects of the third aspect, since the operation can be performed without worrying about interference with the movable member on the image forming apparatus side, usability can be improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the positioning convex portion is provided at a position which does not hinder the discharge of the sheet, in addition to the effect of the fourth aspect, the outer surface of the opening / closing cover is partially formed of the discharge tray. In this case, it is possible to avoid a paper discharge trouble in the case where the paper is used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a state in which a post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a partially omitted perspective view.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a state where an internal configuration is drawn out.

FIG. 4 is a main part front view showing a state in which an opening / closing cover is opened.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional mounted state and a drawn-out state of an internal configuration.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus S Inner space 46 Opening / closing cover 47 Positioning convex part N Paper transfer part 8 Reading scanner as a fixed member 10 ADF as a movable member

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A post-processing apparatus mounted on an image forming apparatus, comprising: an opening / closing cover that can be opened and closed in an inner space formed between the image processing apparatus and the post-processing apparatus. apparatus. 2. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said post-processing apparatus has an outer shape forming said inner space. 3. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing cover is rotatably provided with a lower end in the height direction of the image forming apparatus and is rotatably provided. A post-processing device provided so as to widely open a top surface side of a sheet transfer portion between the first and second sheet transfer portions. 4. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said opening / closing cover comes into contact with a fixed member of said image forming apparatus when opened, and hinders operation of a movable member of said image forming apparatus. A post-processing device having a positioning convex portion for holding at a position not coming. 5. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the positioning projection is provided when the outer surface of the opening / closing cover is used as a part of a discharge tray of a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus. A post-processing device, wherein the post-processing device is formed at a position that does not hinder the discharge of wastewater.