Sheet processing apparatus, sheet containing apparatus, and image forming system

Abstract

The invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus, a sheet accommodating apparatus, and an image forming system. The sheet processing apparatus includes a plurality of first casters, a processing unit, a second caster, and a support portion. The plurality of first trundles support the sheet processing device so that the sheet processing device can move. The processing unit is provided in the sheet processing apparatus so as to be removable and insertable. The second caster is provided to the processing unit, and supports the processing unit by being in contact with an installation surface of the sheet processing device when the processing unit moves in the extraction direction. The support portion supports the second caster so that the second caster can move between a storage position and a support position, and moves the second caster from the support position to the storage position along with an operation of inserting the processing unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that performs a prescribed process on a sheet, a sheet storage apparatus that stores a sheet, an image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus, and an image forming system including the sheet storage apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a sheet processing apparatus, a sheet storage apparatus, etc., there has been known a structure in which a processing unit and a sheet storage unit can be pulled out from the apparatus in order to perform a jam clearing process on a sheet generated in the processing unit or to replenish the sheet to the storage unit.

[0003] In a case where a pull-out unit such as a processing unit and a storage unit that can be pulled out is pulled out from the apparatus, a structure including casters has been proposed to assist the pull-out operation. The casters support the pull-out unit during the pull-out operation by contacting and rotating on a setting surface (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-19533).

[0004] Here, in a sheet processing apparatus, a sheet storage apparatus, etc. having a pull-out unit, casters for moving the entire apparatus are provided separately from casters provided on the pull-out unit to assist the pull-out operation of the pull-out unit. Therefore, when moving the entire apparatus using the casters for moving the entire sheet processing apparatus, the sheet storage apparatus, etc., for example, when there are irregularities on a setting surface such as a floor, the casters provided on the pull-out unit to assist the pull-out operation may contact the irregularities on the floor surface or the like. As a result, the movement of the apparatus itself using the casters for moving the entire apparatus may be hindered, reducing usability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a structure that can suppress a decrease in usability without hindering the movement of the apparatus itself in a structure having casters that assist the pull-out operation when pulling out a pull-out unit from the apparatus.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet processing apparatus, wherein the sheet processing apparatus includes: a plurality of first casters that support the sheet processing apparatus so as to be movable; a processing unit that is detachably provided in the sheet processing apparatus and performs a predetermined process on a sheet; a second caster that is provided on the processing unit and supports the processing unit by contacting a mounting surface of the sheet processing apparatus when the processing unit moves in the drawing-out direction; and a support portion that supports the second caster so as to be movable between a storage position and a support position, the storage position being a position where the second caster is located when the processing unit is inserted into the sheet processing apparatus, the support position being a position for supporting the processing unit drawn out from the sheet processing apparatus on the mounting surface where the sheet processing apparatus is provided, and the support portion moves the second caster from the support position to the storage position in association with an operation of inserting the processing unit.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming system, wherein the image forming system includes: an image forming unit having an image forming portion that forms an image on a sheet; and a sheet processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on the sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming portion, the sheet processing apparatus including: a plurality of first casters that support the sheet processing apparatus so as to be movable; a processing unit that is detachably provided in the sheet processing apparatus and performs the predetermined process on the sheet; a second caster that is provided on the processing unit and supports the processing unit by contacting a mounting surface of the sheet processing apparatus when the processing unit moves in the drawing-out direction; and a support portion that supports the second caster so as to be movable between a storage position and a support position, the storage position being a position where the second caster is located when the processing unit is inserted into the sheet processing apparatus, the support position being a position for supporting the processing unit drawn out from the sheet processing apparatus on the mounting surface where the sheet processing apparatus is provided, and the support portion moves the second caster from the support position to the storage position in association with an operation of inserting the processing unit.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet storage device, wherein the sheet storage device includes: a plurality of first casters that support the sheet storage device so as to be movable; a storage unit that is removably and insertably provided in the sheet storage device and stores sheets; a second caster that is provided on the storage unit and supports the storage unit by contacting a mounting surface of the sheet storage device when the storage unit moves in the extraction direction; and a support portion that supports the second caster so as to be movable to a storage position and a support position, the storage position being a position where the second caster is located in a state where the storage unit is inserted into the sheet storage device, the support position being a position for causing the second caster to support the storage unit extracted from the sheet storage device on the mounting surface where the sheet storage device is mounted, and along with an operation of inserting the storage unit, the support portion moves the second caster from the support position to the storage position.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming system, wherein the image forming system includes: a sheet storage device that stores sheets; and an image forming unit that has an image forming portion that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet storage device, the sheet storage device including: a plurality of first casters that support the sheet storage device so as to be movable; a storage unit that is removably and insertably provided in the sheet storage device and stores sheets; a second caster that is provided on the storage unit and supports the storage unit by contacting a mounting surface of the sheet storage device when the storage unit moves in the extraction direction; and a support portion that supports the second caster so as to be movable to a storage position and a support position, the storage position being a position where the second caster is located in a state where the storage unit is inserted into the sheet storage device, the support position being a position for causing the second caster to support the storage unit extracted from the sheet storage device on the mounting surface where the sheet storage device is mounted, and along with an operation of inserting the storage unit, the support portion moves the second caster from the support position to the storage position.

[0010] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of the image forming system according to the embodiment.

[0012] Figure 2It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

[0013] Figure 3 It is a control block diagram of the image forming system according to the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 4 It is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the saddle stitching unit according to the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 5 It is a front view of the additional bending processing unit according to the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 6A It is a perspective view of the flat-back processing unit according to the embodiment.

[0017] Figure 6B It is a cross-sectional view of the flat-back processing unit according to the embodiment.

[0018] Figure 7A It is a perspective view of the additional bending processing unit according to the embodiment as viewed from the front side.

[0019] Figure 7B It is a perspective view of the additional bending processing unit according to the embodiment as viewed from the rear side.

[0020] Figure 8 It is a perspective view showing a part of the flat-back processing unit and the drive unit according to the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 9 It is a perspective view of the flat-back processing unit and the vicinity of the clamping unit according to the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 10 It is a cross-sectional view of the flat-back processing unit and the clamping unit according to the embodiment.

[0023] Figure 11A It is a schematic view showing a state in which the conveyance of the sheet bundle is stopped by using the clamping unit during the operation of the flat-back processing according to the embodiment.

[0024] Figure 11B It is a schematic view showing a state in which the sheet bundle is clamped during the operation of the flat-back processing according to the embodiment.

[0025] Figure 11C It is a schematic view showing a state in which the flat-back processing is performed on the sheet bundle during the operation of the flat-back processing according to the embodiment.

[0026] Figure 11D It is a schematic view showing a state after the clamping of the sheet bundle is released during the operation of the flat-back processing according to the embodiment.

[0027] Figure 12A It is a perspective view of the state in which the front cover of the sheet processing apparatus according to the embodiment is closed.

[0028] Figure 12B It is a perspective view of the state in which the front cover of the sheet processing apparatus of the embodiment is opened.

[0029] Figure 13 It is a perspective view of the state in which the saddle stitching unit of the sheet processing apparatus of the embodiment is pulled out.

[0030] Figure 14A It is a perspective view showing the structure around the support leg of the embodiment with a part omitted, and is a view showing the storage state of the saddle stitching unit.

[0031] Figure 14B It is a perspective view showing the structure around the support leg of the embodiment with a part omitted, and is a view showing the state just after the saddle stitching unit is pulled out.

[0032] Figure 15A It is a view showing the storage state of the saddle stitching unit of the embodiment, and is a view showing the structure around the support leg with a part cut away.

[0033] Figure 15B It is a view showing the storage state of the saddle stitching unit of the embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view of the structure around the support leg.

[0034] Figure 16A It is a view showing the state just after the saddle stitching unit of the embodiment is pulled out, and is a view showing the structure around the support leg with a part cut away.

[0035] Figure 16B It is a view showing the state just after the saddle stitching unit of the embodiment is pulled out, and is a cross-sectional view of the support leg and the rail bracket.

[0036] Figure 17A It is a perspective view of the support leg and the rail bracket of the embodiment.

[0037] Figure 17B It is from the side opposite to Figure 17A a perspective view of the support leg and the rail bracket observed from the opposite side.

[0038] Figure 18 It is a cross-sectional view of the support leg and the rail bracket of the embodiment, and is a view showing the state in which the rotation of the support leg is restricted.

[0039] Figure 19 It is a perspective view of the abutting member of the embodiment.

[0040] Figure 20A It is a view showing the structure around the support leg of the embodiment with a part cut away, and is a view showing the storage state of the saddle stitching unit.

[0041] Figure 20B FIG. is a view showing a structure around a support leg of an embodiment with a part cut away, and is a view showing a state at the start of pulling out of a saddle stitching section.

[0042] Figure 20C FIG. is a view showing a structure around a support leg of an embodiment with a part cut away, and is a view showing a state at the start of rotation of the support leg.

[0043] Figure 20D FIG. is a view showing a structure around a support leg of an embodiment with a part cut away, and is a view showing a state in which the support leg further rotates.

[0044] Figure 20E FIG. is a view showing a structure around a support leg of an embodiment with a part cut away, and is a view showing a state in which rotation of the support leg ends.

[0045] Figure 20F FIG. is a view showing a structure around a support leg of an embodiment with a part cut away, and is a view showing a state in which a stopper of the support leg functions.

[0046] Figure 21 FIG. is a front view of a sheet storage device according to another example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] USE Figures 1 to 20F , the embodiment will be described. First, use Figure 1 , the schematic structure of the image forming system of the present embodiment will be described.

[0048] [IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM]

[0049] In this embodiment, a copying machine is used as the image forming apparatus. A sheet processing apparatus is connected to the sheet discharge port of the copying machine, and a saddle portion for performing saddle binding processing and half-folding processing is provided inside the sheet processing apparatus. The image forming system 1000 includes an image forming apparatus A and a sheet processing apparatus B. The sheet processing apparatus B on the downstream side receives the sheet S after image formation by the image forming apparatus A, and performs saddle binding processing, half-folding processing, flat-back processing, etc. as needed, and discharges it to the discharge portion on the downstream side. The image forming apparatus A includes various configured apparatuses such as a copying machine, a printer, a printing press, a facsimile machine, and a multifunctional device having the above-mentioned multiple functions. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B will be described in detail. In addition, in the following description, regarding the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B, the side where the user or other operator operates the apparatus (for example, the side where the operation panel, operation buttons, etc. are present) is referred to as the front side (F side, Figure 1 , 2 etc., the side in front of the paper surface), and the side opposite to the front side is referred to as the rear side (B side, Figure 1 , 2 etc., the inner side of the paper surface).

[0050] [Image Forming Apparatus]

[0051] As Figure 1 shown, the image forming apparatus A includes an image forming unit A1, an image reading unit A2, and an original feeding unit A3. The image forming unit A1 includes a feeding unit 2, an image forming unit 3, a discharging unit 4, and a data processing unit 5 inside the housing 1.

[0052] The feeding unit 2 includes a plurality of cassettes 2a, 2b, 2c, and different standard-sized sheets S, etc. can be stored in multiple layers in each cassette 2a, 2b, 2c. The sheet S is, for example, paper, plastic sheet, etc. A separating mechanism for separating the sheets S inside one by one and a feeding mechanism for feeding out the sheet S are provided in each cassette 2a, 2b, 2c. For the sheet S stored in the feeding unit 2 having such a structure, the sheet S of the size specified by the control unit 310 ( Figure 3 ) of the image forming apparatus A is fed out. The sheet S supplied from one of the plurality of cassettes 2a, 2b, 2c is further conveyed downstream by the conveying roller 7. The sheet conveyed by the conveying roller 7 has its front end aligned by the registration roller pair 8, and the skew is corrected. Then, the sheet S with its front end aligned by the registration roller pair 8 is fed to the image forming unit 3 on the downstream side at a predetermined timing.

[0053] The image forming apparatus A is connected to a sheet storage device 2d and a manual feed tray 2e. The sheet storage device 2d is composed of an optional unit for storing sheets of a size that is consumed in large quantities. The manual feed tray 2e is configured to be able to feed special sheets such as thick paper sheets, coated sheets, and film sheets that are difficult to separate and feed.

[0054] The image forming unit 3 only needs to be configured to form an image on the sheet S conveyed from the feeding unit 2, and various image forming mechanisms can be adopted. In the illustrated embodiment, an electrostatic image forming mechanism is shown as the image forming unit 3. However, the image forming unit 3 is not limited to the illustrated electrostatic image forming mechanism, and an inkjet image forming mechanism, an offset printing image forming mechanism, etc. can also be adopted.

[0055] In Figure 1 the illustrated image forming unit 3, there are provided a photosensitive member 9 formed in a drum shape or a belt shape, an exposure device 10 for exposing the photosensitive member 9, a developing device 11 for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 9 with toner, a charging device (not shown) for charging the photosensitive member 9, and a cleaner (not shown) for cleaning the photosensitive member 9. In Figure 1 this, as an example, a monochrome printing mechanism is shown. The photosensitive member 9 forms an electrostatic latent image by being exposed by the exposure device 10, and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive member 9 by developing the electrostatic latent image using the developing device 11. The toner image formed on the photosensitive member 9 is transferred to the sheet S conveyed from the registration roller pair 8 by the transfer device 12. The sheet S with the transferred toner image is fixed by the fixing device 13. In addition, a reverse conveyance path is provided in the image forming apparatus A. After the sheet S on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing device 13 is turned over front and back, it is conveyed to the registration roller pair 8 again, and an image is formed on the back surface of the sheet S. A discharge roller 15 is provided at a position downstream of the fixing device 13 and downstream of the branch point to the reverse conveyance path, and the sheet S is conveyed from the discharge port 16 of the image forming apparatus A to the sheet processing device B described later by the discharge roller 15.

[0056] An image reading unit A2 for optically reading the original image is provided above the image forming unit A1 configured as described above, and an original feeding unit A3 is mounted further above the image reading unit A2.

[0057] The image reading unit A2 includes a first platen glass 17, a second platen glass 21, a reading carriage 18 having a light source, a photoelectric conversion element 19, and a reduction optical system 20 formed by combining a reflecting mirror and a lens. Then, the reading carriage 18 is scanned along the first platen glass 17, light from the light source is irradiated onto the image of the document placed on the first platen glass 17, the reflected light of the image from the document is guided to the photoelectric conversion element 19 by the reduction optical system 20, and the image is read. The photoelectric conversion element 19 can form the image read by the image reading unit A2 on a sheet by the image forming unit A1 by converting the image data into an electrical signal and transferring it to the image forming unit 3.

[0058] The document feeding unit A3 includes a feeding tray 22 and a discharging tray 24, feeds the documents placed on the feeding tray 22 one by one, and discharges them to the discharging tray 24 after passing them through the second platen glass 21. In addition, when reading the document fed by the document feeding unit A3 and passing through the second platen glass 21, the reading carriage 18 is stopped in advance below the second platen glass 21, and the image data is read from the image passing through the second platen glass 21.

[0059] [Overall Structure of the Sheet Processing Device]

[0060] Next, Figure 2 is used to describe the overall structure of the sheet processing device B that performs processing such as binding and folding on the sheets conveyed from the image forming device A. Figure 2 The detailed structure of the sheet processing device B is shown. After processing the sheets received at the receiving portion 26, which is the entrance of the conveying path 28 connected to the discharge port 16 of the image forming device A, the sheet processing device B can load them onto the first tray (first loading tray) 49, the saddle stitching discharge unit 131, and the second tray (second loading tray) 71 described later. In the present embodiment, the path refers to the entire path for conveying sheets using conveying guides, conveying rollers, etc.

[0061] In the illustrated device, the sheets conveyed to the conveying path 28, which is the first conveying path, are discharged to the first tray 49 after being processed by the processing unit B1 described later, or the sheets conveyed in the conveying path 28 are discharged to the second tray 71, or are discharged to the saddle stitching discharge unit 131 after being processed by the saddle stitching unit B2 described later. As Figure 3 shown in the block diagram representing the overall control structure of the device, each device has a control unit, a communication unit, etc., and thus, the device is controlled.

[0062] The processing unit B1, which is the end stitching processing unit, is arranged below the path outlet (transfer part 35) of the conveying path 28. It aligns and gathers multiple sheets sequentially transferred from the conveying path 28 via the transfer part 35 to form a sheet bundle, and can perform stitching processing on the ends of the sheet bundle. The sheet bundle after stitching processing is loaded on the first tray 49, which is the loading unit. The rear end (upstream end) of the sheet or sheet bundle loaded on the first tray 49 abuts against the loading wall 50 on the upstream side in the discharge direction of the sheets on the first tray 49, and is loaded along the loading wall 50.

[0063] The first tray 49 can be lifted relative to the processing tray 37 described later, and loads the sheet bundle after being stitched by the stitching processing mechanism 47 described later. In the present embodiment, the first tray 49 and the second tray 71 can be lifted by a lifting mechanism (not shown). That is, in the present embodiment, when feeding sheets to the first tray 49 and the second tray 71, which are the loading trays, in order to keep the position of the uppermost sheet on the loading surface of the tray constant relative to the discharge roller pair 42 and the second discharge roller 207, the first tray 49 and the second tray 71 are lifted so as not to reduce the neat arrangement of the loaded sheets.

[0064] The saddle stitching unit B2 is arranged below the transfer part of the saddle stitching path 32, which is the second conveying path branching downward in the vertical direction from the conveying path 28. It aligns and gathers multiple sheets sequentially transferred from the conveying path 28 via the saddle stitching path 32 and the transfer part to form a sheet bundle, and after performing saddle stitching processing, discharges it to the saddle stitching discharge unit 131, or performs folding processing without performing saddle stitching processing and discharges it to the saddle stitching discharge unit 131. Hereinafter, each structure will be described in detail.

[0065] [Housing]

[0066] As Figure 2 shown, the sheet processing device B includes a housing 27, a conveying path 28, a processing unit B1, a saddle stitching unit B2, a first tray 49, a saddle stitching discharge unit 131, a second tray 71, etc. The conveying path 28, the processing unit B1, and the saddle stitching unit B2 are arranged inside the housing 27. In addition, the conveying path 28 has a sheet receiving part 26 and a sheet transfer part 35. The processing unit B1 and the saddle stitching unit B2 process the sheets transferred from the transfer part 35 of the conveying path 28. The first tray 49, the saddle stitching discharge unit 131, and the second tray 71 load the sheets conveyed from each processing unit. The illustrated housing 27 is connected to the housing 1 of the image forming device A on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction in the conveying path 28. And the housing 27 and the housing 1 are arranged such that the height of the discharge port 16 of the image forming device A from the installation surface is substantially the same as that of the receiving part 26 of the sheet processing device B, and the discharge port 16 is connected to the receiving part 26.

[0067] [Sheet feeding path]

[0068] The conveying path 28 as the sheet feeding path is composed of a substantially straight path that horizontally crosses the housing 27, and includes a receiving portion 26 connected to the discharge port (main body discharge port) 16 of the image forming apparatus A and a transfer portion 35 that crosses the apparatus and is located on the opposite side from the receiving portion 26. In this conveying path 28, an inlet roller 29, a first conveying roller 201, a second conveying roller 202, and a third conveying roller 203, which are conveying rollers, are arranged. The conveying rollers can convey the sheet from the receiving portion 26 toward the first discharge path 31 in the first linear conveying direction, and can also convey the sheet from the first discharge path 31 toward the receiving portion 26 in the second linear conveying direction. That is, the inlet roller 29, the first conveying roller 201, the second conveying roller 202, and the third conveying roller 203 can convey the sheet in the conveying path in the first linear conveying direction and the second linear conveying direction opposite to the first linear conveying direction, and are arranged in sequence from the receiving portion 26 side in the first linear conveying direction.

[0069] The first discharge path 31 is connected to the transfer portion 35 of the conveying path 28, and a first conveying roller 36 is arranged at this connection portion. The sheet transferred from the conveying path 28 to the first discharge path 31 and discharged from the first discharge path 31 is loaded on the first tray 49 or guided to the processing unit B1. In addition, each of the above-mentioned conveying rollers may be other members such as a conveyor belt that can convey the sheet.

[0070] [Layout of the sheet feeding path]

[0071] As Figure 2 shown, a saddle stitching path 32 and an upper conveying path 30, which are branch paths, are connected to the conveying path 28. The saddle stitching path 32 and the upper conveying path 30 are arranged in sequence from the receiving portion 26 toward the first discharge path 31 in the first linear conveying direction. In addition, the saddle stitching path 32 branches downward in the vertical direction from the conveying path 28, and the upper conveying path 30 branches upward in the vertical direction from the conveying path 28. At the branch portions of the conveying path 28 with the saddle stitching path 32 and the upper conveying path 30 respectively, a saddle stitching path switching member 33 and an upper conveying path switching member 34, which are switching members for switching the conveying direction of the conveyed sheet, are arranged.

[0072] [Branch portion of the path]

[0073] The upper conveyance path switching member 34 is constituted by a switching guide that can move in a manner to change the conveyance path so as to convey the sheet material carried into from the receiving unit 26 to either the first discharge path 31 or the upper conveyance path 30. The upper conveyance path switching member 34 can be moved by a drive unit (not shown) such as an electromagnetic solenoid or a micro motor.

[0074] [Upper Conveyance Path]

[0075] The upper conveyance path 30 (print discharge path) for conveying sheet materials other than those discharged to the first discharge path 31 branches from the conveyance path 28 and has an upper conveyance path switching member 34 for guiding the sheet materials to the upper conveyance path 30 at the path branch portion. In addition, as conveyance rollers for guiding the sheet materials to the second tray 71, a fourth conveyance roller 204, a fifth conveyance roller 205, a sixth conveyance roller 206, and a second discharge roller 207 are provided on the upper conveyance path 30. Thus, the sheet materials guided to the upper conveyance path 30 are discharged from the upper conveyance path discharge port 40 to the second tray 71 (overflow tray).

[0076] The processing unit B1 is constituted by a processing tray 37 as a placement unit that places the sheet materials conveyed in the first discharge path 31 on the downstream side of the conveyance path 28 and aligns and aggregates the placed multiple sheet materials, and a stapling processing mechanism 47 that performs stapling processing on the aggregated sheet bundle. And the processing unit B1 performs stapling processing on the sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 37. The stapling processing mechanism 47 is arranged vertically below the conveyance path 28. As Figure 2 shown, a step is formed in the first discharge path 31, and the processing tray 37 is arranged below this step. A first turning path is provided between the first discharge path 31 and the processing tray 37. The first turning path changes the conveyance direction to the opposite direction in a state where a part of the sheet material is discharged from the discharge port 31a of the first discharge path 31 to the first tray 49 and guides the sheet material onto the processing tray 37.

[0077] Specifically, an upper conveyance roller 41 and a lower conveyance roller 48 for clamping and conveying the sheet materials are provided on the first discharge path 31. A discharge roller pair 42 as a discharge unit is constituted by the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48. The upper conveyance roller 41 can abut against and separate from the lower conveyance roller 48, and the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48 can convey the sheet materials in a state of clamping the sheet materials in a direction toward the first tray 49 and a direction opposite to this direction. And it is possible to convey toward the processing tray 37 via the first turning path using the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48.

[0078] In addition, the upper conveying roller 41 and the lower conveying roller 48 (i.e., the discharge roller pair 42) discharge the sheet or the bundle of sheets on the processing tray 37 from the discharge port 31a to the first tray 49 serving as a loading tray (loading section). The discharge port 31a is a portion that opens above the lower conveying roller 48 of the housing 27. Moreover, the discharge roller pair 42 discharges the sheet conveyed to the first discharge path 31 without passing through the processing tray 37 from the discharge port 31a to the first tray 49.

[0079] The stapling processing mechanism 47 has a rear end restricting portion 47a that abuts against the end portion (rear end) of the sheet and positions the sheet. A scooping portion 38 is disposed on the processing tray 37, and the scooping portion 38 conveys the sheet conveyed to the processing tray 37 by the upper conveying roller 41 and the lower conveying roller 48 toward the rear end restricting portion 47a. Further, the stapling processing mechanism 47 performs stapling processing on the end portions of a bundle of sheets formed by a plurality of sheets placed on the processing tray 37 and whose end positions are restricted by the rear end restricting portion 47a. In addition, the stapling processing mechanism 47 has a sheet bundle discharging mechanism that discharges the sheet bundle to the first tray 49 after performing stapling processing on the end portions of the sheet bundle.

[0080] In addition, Figure 2 The stapling processing mechanism 47 shown supports the sheet conveyed from the first discharge path 31 so as to span between the processing tray 37 and the first tray 49 on the downstream side of the processing tray 37. That is, the front end portion of the sheet conveyed from the first discharge path 31 is supported on the uppermost sheet of the first tray 49 on the downstream side, and the rear end portion is supported on the processing tray 37.

[0081] [Saddle Stitching Path]

[0082] A saddle stitching path 32 for conveying the sheet to the saddle stitching section B2 is connected to the conveying path 28, and a saddle stitching path switching member 33 for guiding the sheet to the saddle stitching path 32 is provided at the path branch portion. The sheet guided to the saddle stitching section B2 by the saddle stitching path 32 is discharged to the saddle stitching discharge unit 131 via a post-folding path guide 114 in a substantially horizontal direction, a second post-roller path guide 116, a pre-clamping guide 119, and a saddle stitching discharge guide 124 after performing intermediate folding processing and folding processing. In the present embodiment, the saddle stitching discharge guide 124 serving as a discharge guide portion is used as an auxiliary guide for appropriately loading the sheet onto the saddle stitching discharge unit 131.

[0083] [Control Structure]

[0084] Use Figure 3, a schematic overview of the control structure of the image forming system 1000 will be described. First, the image forming apparatus A includes a control unit 310, an operation unit 302, a conveyance control unit 303, an image processing unit 304, a drive unit 305, and a communication unit 306. The control unit 310 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 311, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 312, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 313. The CPU 311 controls each part while reading a program corresponding to a control sequence stored in the ROM 312. In addition, job data and input data are stored in the RAM 313, and the CPU 311 controls with reference to the data stored in the RAM 313 based on the above program and the like.

[0085] The operation unit 302 is, for example, an operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus A and connected to the control unit 310, and an operator operates the apparatus and makes various settings. The conveyance control unit 303 controls various conveyance rollers that convey sheets and a switching member that switches the conveyance path in the image forming apparatus A. The image processing unit 304 controls the image forming unit 3. The drive unit 305 controls various motors and power supplies. The communication unit 306 communicably connects an external device 301 such as a personal computer and the communication unit 321 of the sheet processing apparatus B to the control unit 310.

[0086] The sheet processing apparatus B includes a stacker control unit 330, a conveyance control unit 322, an end stapling control unit 323, a discharge processing control unit 324, and a communication unit 321. The stacker control unit 330 includes a CPU 331, a ROM 332, and a RAM 333, similarly to the control unit 310. The conveyance control unit 322 controls various conveyance rollers that convey sheets and a switching member that switches the conveyance path in parts other than the saddle stitching unit B2 of the sheet processing apparatus B. The end stapling control unit 323 controls the processing unit B1. The discharge processing control unit 324 controls the discharge of sheets and various loading trays for loading the discharged sheets. The communication unit 321 communicably connects the communication unit 306 of the image forming apparatus A and the communication unit 341 of the saddle stitching unit B2 to the stacker control unit 330. In addition, the communication between the communication unit 306 and the communication unit 321 can be performed either by wired communication or by wireless communication.

[0087] The saddle stitching unit B2 includes a saddle stitching control unit 350, a conveyance control unit 342, a perfect binding control unit 343, an intermediate folding control unit 344, a flat-back processing control unit 345, and a communication unit 341. Similar to the control unit 310, the saddle stitching control unit 350 includes a CPU 351, a ROM 352, and a RAM 353. The conveyance control unit 342 controls various conveyance rollers for sheet conveyance and a switching member for switching the conveyance path in the saddle stitching unit B2. The perfect binding control unit 343 controls the perfect binding processing unit 104. The intermediate folding control unit 344 controls the intermediate folding mechanism C1. The flat-back processing control unit 345 controls the flat-back processing unit C2. The communication unit 341 communicably connects the communication unit 321 of the sheet processing device B and the saddle stitching control unit 350. In addition, in the present embodiment, the saddle stitching control unit 350 is configured to communicate with the stacker control unit 330 via the communication unit 341 and the communication unit 321, but it may also be configured to control each unit using a shared control unit. Further, in the present embodiment, as a structure for controlling the sheet processing device B, it includes a conveyance control unit 322, an end stitching control unit 323, a discharge processing control unit 324, a stacker control unit 330, and a saddle stitching control unit 350, but it may also be configured to control each unit using one control unit.

[0088] [Saddle Stitching Unit]

[0089] Use Figure 2 And Figure 4, the saddle stitching unit B2 will be described. The saddle stitching unit B2 has an intermediate folding processing mechanism C1 and a flat back processing unit C2, and performs intermediate folding processing, saddle stitching processing, and flat back processing as specified processing. The specified processing can be any one of the above-mentioned various processes, or it can also be multiple processes. The intermediate folding processing mechanism C1 aligns and gathers the sheets conveyed from the conveying path 28 to form a bundle of sheets, performs a stitching process at the central portion in the conveying direction of the bundle of sheets (the intermediate portion in the second conveying direction, which is the conveying direction of the saddle stitching path roller 100, described later, as the second conveying unit), and performs an intermediate folding process (hereinafter also referred to as "magazine finish") of bending the bundle of sheets at the position after the stitching process. The flat back processing unit C2 is disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the bundle of sheets of the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1 (the downstream side in the first conveying direction, which is the conveying direction of the saddle stitching third roller pair 118, described later, as the first conveying unit), and performs a flat back processing of forming a crease on the spine of the bundle of sheets after the intermediate folding processing. Further, a saddle stitching discharge unit 131 is disposed on the downstream side in the first conveying direction of the flat back processing unit C2, and loads the bundle of sheets after the binding process. Additionally, it is also possible to align and gather one sheet or multiple sheets, and perform only an intermediate folding process of bending the central portion in the conveying direction without performing saddle stitching processing and flat back processing.

[0090] [Intermediate Folding Processing Mechanism]

[0091] The intermediate folding processing mechanism C1 includes a front-end limiting stopper 109, a saddle stitching processing unit (saddle stitching binding unit) 104, and an intermediate folding processing unit 112. It bundles the sheets into a bundle and performs intermediate folding processing and saddle stitching processing. That is, the sheets conveyed from the conveying path 28 to the saddle stitching path 32 are conveyed to the saddle stitching stacking tray 150, which serves as an aggregating unit and a second aggregating unit, by the saddle stitching path roller 100 serving as a second conveying unit. The saddle stitching stacking tray 150 aggregates multiple sheets conveyed in the second conveying direction by the saddle stitching path roller 100 along the saddle stitching path 32 to form a sheet bundle. The sheet bundle aggregated on the saddle stitching stacking tray 150 is positioned at a specified position on the saddle stitching stacking tray 150 by the front-end limiting stopper 109. The saddle stitching processing unit 104 performs a binding process at the central portion (the middle portion in the second conveying direction) in the conveying direction of the sheet bundle positioned by the front-end limiting stopper 109. The intermediate folding processing unit 112 includes a pushing plate 112a and a folding roller pair 113. By pushing the vicinity of the position (the central portion in the conveying direction of the sheet bundle after the binding process) where the binding process is performed by the saddle stitching processing unit 104 with the pushing plate 112a while conveying the sheet bundle with the folding roller pair 113, the sheet bundle is bent and conveyed in such a way that the spine of the sheet bundle is on the downstream side in the conveying direction. In addition, the intermediate folding processing unit 112 can also perform intermediate folding processing on a sheet bundle (or a single sheet) on which the saddle stitching processing has not been performed. Here, the intermediate folding processing refers to a process of forming a crease near the center of the sheet bundle and folding the sheet bundle in half. The crease formed by the intermediate folding processing unit 112 does not necessarily need to be located at the center of the sheet bundle and can also be offset from the center within the component tolerance range. In addition, the folding position can also be changed according to the user's settings.

[0092] The saddle stitching processing unit 104 is a mechanism that performs a binding process by moving the head unit and the anvil unit along the central portion (line) of the sheet bundle while clamping the sheet bundle with the head unit and the anvil unit. In addition, as Figure 2 and Figure 4 shown, the intermediate folding processing unit 112 has the following structure: the pushing plate 112a inserts the sheet bundle into the clamping portion of the folding roller pair 113 that are pressed against each other, and while folding the sheet bundle by the rotation of the folding roller pair 113, the sheet bundle is conveyed.

[0093] [Flat-back processing unit]

[0094] The flat-back processing unit C2 performs a flat-back processing on the sheet bundle along the crease (line) of the sheet bundle after the intermediate folding processing to make it into a flat-back shape. The flat-back processing unit C2 includes a lower clamping unit 120 and an upper clamping unit 121 as a pair of clamping portions (clamping units) and a flat-back processing unit 134 having a pressing roller 123.

[0095] The lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 perform clamping and release of the sheet bundle by relatively moving in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle conveyed by the saddle stitching third roller pair 118 described later (the direction in which an imaginary line connecting the respective rotation axes of the saddle stitching third roller pair 118 extends or the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction 118c of the saddle stitching third roller pair 118). The pressing roller 123 moves along the width direction of the sheet bundle (the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheet bundle and Figure 2 , 4 the front-back direction of the sheet bundle). Thereby, the spine of the sheet bundle is pressed. Further, the flat-back processing unit C2 performs flat-back processing for forming corners on the spine of the sheet bundle by pressing the spine of the sheet bundle clamped by the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 with the pressing roller 123 in a state where the spine of the sheet bundle protrudes to the downstream side in the first conveying direction with respect to the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121. In addition, the above-mentioned "corner" includes a curved surface and refers to the boundary line between the cover and the spine of the sheet bundle and the boundary line between the spine and the back cover of the sheet bundle. Further, the "width direction of the sheet bundle" is the direction along the front-back direction (F-B direction) of the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B, and hereinafter, it may also be simply referred to as the "width direction".

[0096] Specifically, the flat-back processing unit C2 clamps a part of the sheet bundle from both sides in the vertical direction (the thickness direction of the sheet bundle) with the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 in a state where the spine of the sheet bundle after being intermediate-folded by the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1 protrudes to the downstream side in the first conveying direction. The pressing roller 123 moves along the width direction of the sheet bundle, which is orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheet bundle and the thickness direction of the sheet bundle, while pressing the spine of the sheet bundle clamped by the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121. The flat-back processing unit C2 performs flat-back processing for forming corners on the spine of the sheet bundle in this way. The flat-back processing is a process in which, by flattening the spine of the sheet bundle shown in Figure 11A , 11B by the pressing roller 123, as shown in Figure 11C , 11D , two stripes are formed on the spine of the sheet bundle, and two corners are formed on the spine of the sheet bundle. On the spine of the sheet bundle, the two corners are formed at positions sandwiching the staples driven in during the stapling process by the saddle stitching processing unit 104 in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle. In addition, the two corners formed on the spine of the sheet bundle are formed at positions sandwiching the crease formed during the intermediate folding process by the intermediate folding processing unit 112.

[0097] In addition, an intermediate folding conveyance mechanism is disposed between the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1 and the flat-back processing unit C2. The intermediate folding conveyance mechanism conveys the bundle of sheets that has been subjected to intermediate folding processing by the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1 to the downstream flat-back processing unit C2 and stops it there.

[0098] As described above, the processing unit B1 and the conveyance path 28 are disposed in a substantially horizontal direction, the saddle stitching path 32 that guides the sheets to the saddle stitching unit B2 is disposed in a substantially vertical direction, and the saddle stitching stacking tray 150 that aligns and gathers the sheets is disposed substantially along the vertical direction. In this way, by disposing the conveyance path 28 in a direction across the housing 27 and disposing the saddle stitching path 32 and the saddle stitching unit B2 in a substantially vertical direction, it is possible to achieve a slenderness that reduces the width of the apparatus in the horizontal direction.

[0099] A saddle stitching discharge unit 131 is disposed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the bundle of sheets in the saddle stitching unit B2, and the bundle of sheets folded into a magazine shape is received therein. The illustrated saddle stitching discharge unit 131 is disposed vertically below the first tray 49. This is because, due to the device specifications assuming that the usage frequency of the first tray 49 is higher than that of the saddle stitching discharge unit 131, a height position at which it is easy to take out the sheets on the tray is set for the first tray 49.

[0100] [Structure of the saddle stitching unit]

[0101] Next, the structures of the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1, the intermediate folding conveyance mechanism C3, and the flat-back processing unit C2 that constitute the saddle stitching unit B2 will be described in more detail.

[0102] [Details of the intermediate folding processing mechanism]

[0103] As Figure 2 shown, the saddle stitching path switching member 33 guides the sheets to the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1 by being switched to convey the sheets to the saddle stitching path 32. In the height direction of the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1, a saddle stitching inlet roller 101, a sorting unit 102, a rear end pressing guide 103, a saddle stitching processing unit 104, a pulling and separating roller 105, an intermediate folding processing unit 112, a first alignment roller 107, a second alignment roller 108, a front end limiting stopper 109, and a front end gripper 110 are sequentially disposed from the upper side (upstream side) in the vertical direction as the inlet side.

[0104] The saddle stitching inlet roller 101 further conveys the sheets received from the saddle stitching path 32 by the saddle stitching path roller 100 downward. The sorting unit 102 brings the sheets conveyed downward from the saddle stitching inlet roller 101 closer to Figure 2On the right side, the sheets are gathered on the saddle stitching stacking tray 150. The rear end pressing guide 103 presses the rear ends of the sheets loaded on the saddle stitching stacking tray 150. The saddle stitching processing unit 104 performs stitching processing at the central portion in the conveying direction of the bundle of sheets gathered on the saddle stitching stacking tray 150. The pulling separation roller 105 is a roller that assists in the conveyance of the sheets conveyed to the saddle stitching stacking tray 150 and pulls the sheets toward the front end stopper 109. The pulling separation roller 105 is configured to be able to abut against and separate from the opposed roller 105a.

[0105] The intermediate folding processing unit 112 includes a folding roller pair 113, a push plate 112a as a pressing portion, and a roller guide 111. The folding roller pair 113 forms a crease through intermediate folding. The push plate 112a presses the sheet into the clamping portion of the folding roller pair 113. The roller guide 111 covers the folding roller pair 113. The first alignment roller 107 and the second alignment roller 108 convey the sheets conveyed to the saddle stitching stacking tray 150 and perform alignment processing in the height direction of the sheets. The front end stopper 109 determines the position in the height direction of the front end of the sheet by abutting against the front end (lower end) of the conveyed sheet. The front end gripper 110 presses the front end (lower end) of the sheet loaded on the front end stopper 109.

[0106] The saddle stitching inlet roller 101 and the pulling separation roller 105 are driven by the same motor. The rear end pressing guide 103 is disposed at a position facing the sorting unit 102 with respect to the saddle stitching stacking tray 150. The saddle stitching processing unit 104 is disposed at a position downstream of the sorting unit 102 and the rear end pressing guide 103 and upstream of the pulling separation roller 105.

[0107] The sheets conveyed from the saddle stitching path 32 to the saddle stitching unit B2 are conveyed by the saddle stitching inlet roller 101 to the front end stopper 109 that has moved to a position corresponding to the size. The pulling separation roller 105 has an auxiliary conveying function for accurately conveying the conveyed sheets to the front end stopper 109 located within the saddle stitching stacking tray 150. At this time, in order to prevent the front end of the sheet from getting caught on the folding roller pair 113 and to convey the sheet efficiently, the folding roller pair 113 is partially covered by the roller guide 111.

[0108] The first alignment roller 107 and the second alignment roller 108 accurately bring the conveyed sheets into contact with the front end stopper 109 and perform alignment processing in the height direction of the sheets.

[0109] The sorting and arranging section 102 brings the sheet conveyed to the front end limiting stopper 109 close to the rear end pressing guide 103, and uses the rear end pressing guide 103 to press the rear end (upper end) of the approaching sheet, thereby preparing to receive the next sheet. At this time, the rear end pressing guide 103 moves to a position corresponding to the size and stands by.

[0110] The front end (lower end) of the sheet bundle formed by loading a specified number of sheets on the saddle stitching stacking tray 150 is grasped and fixed by the front end clamp 110. In this state, the saddle stitching processing unit 104 performs a stapling process at the center of the second conveying direction of the sheet bundle. After the stapling process, the front end limiting stopper 109 is lowered in a state where the front end (lower end) of the sheet bundle is grasped by the front end clamp 110. At this time, the front end limiting stopper 109 is lowered so that the position pressed into the folding roller pair 113 by the push plate 112a becomes a position of 1 / 2 of the sheet size, thereby causing the sheet bundle to be lowered from the stapling position.

[0111] When performing the center folding process, the roller guide 111 is retracted, the front end gripper 110 is released, and then the center of the sheet bundle is pressed into the grip of the folding roller pair 113 by the push plate 112a. Thus, the sheet bundle is center folded.

[0112] The saddle stitching entrance roller 101, the pull-in separation roller 105, the sorting and arranging section 102, and the rear end pressing guide 103 are controlled by the conveying control section 342 ( Figure 3 ) is controlled. In addition, the front end restriction stopper 109, the front end gripper 110, the saddle stitching processing unit 104, the first alignment roller 107 and the second alignment roller 108 are controlled by the saddle stitching control unit 343 ( Figure 3 ) is controlled. Furthermore, the folding roller pair 113 and the push plate 112a are controlled by the intermediate folding control unit 344 ( Figure 3 ) for control.

[0113] [Middle folding conveyor mechanism]

[0114] use Figure 2 and Figure 4 , the structure of the intermediate folding conveying mechanism C3 is described. The intermediate folding conveying mechanism C3 is a mechanism that delivers the sheet bundle that has been intermediately folded by the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1 to the flat back processing unit C2. Specifically, the intermediate folding conveying mechanism C3 first directly conveys the sheet bundle that has been intermediately folded using the folding roller pair 113 so that the spine of the sheet bundle is located at a position downstream of the fore edge in the conveying direction, and delivers the sheet bundle to the post-folding path guide 114. The post-folding path guide 114 is along the conveying direction 113c ( Figure 2in a direction that bends downward toward the vertical direction (here, the substantially horizontal direction), and is disposed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the folding roller pair 113, and the folding roller conveyance direction 113c is along a perpendicular line to a straight line passing through the rotation centers of the respective rollers of the folding roller pair 113 as the first conveyance roller pair (the first imaginary line α2 described later, Figure 4 ).

[0115] Here, as Figure 4 shown, a straight line that is orthogonal to the first line α1 passing through the rotation centers of the folding roller pair 113 and the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle and Figure 2 , 4 the front-back direction of the sheet) and passes through the clamping portion of the folding roller pair 113 in a state where the sheet bundle is not clamped is set as the first imaginary line α2. In this case, the folding roller pair 113 is disposed such that the first imaginary line α2 is parallel to the horizontal direction or is inclined more upward in the vertical direction as it approaches the downstream side in the conveyance direction. In the present embodiment, the first imaginary line α2 is inclined more upward in the vertical direction as it approaches the downstream side in the conveyance direction. On the other hand, the post-folding path guide 114 extends in a direction inclined with respect to the first imaginary line α2, and in the present embodiment, extends in a substantially horizontal direction.

[0116] The post-folding path guide 114 guides the conveyance of the sheet bundle and guides the sheet bundle to the saddle-stitching second roller pair 115 located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The saddle-stitching second roller conveyance direction 115c is disposed along a direction that descends downward in the vertical direction as it approaches the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the saddle-stitching second roller conveyance direction 115c is along a perpendicular line to a straight line passing through the rotation centers of the respective rollers of the saddle-stitching second roller pair 115. The saddle-stitching second roller pair 115 is driven by the intermediate folding control unit 344 and conveys the sheet bundle.

[0117] The sheet bundle conveyed by the saddle-stitching second roller pair 115 is transferred to the downstream side in the conveyance direction and is guided by the second post-roller path guide 116 that is disposed in parallel with the saddle-stitching second roller conveyance direction 115c ( Figure 2 ). Further, the second post-roller path guide 116 has a second post-roller path upper guide 116a that guides the upper surface of the sheet bundle and a second post-roller path lower guide 116b that guides the lower surface of the sheet bundle. A saddle-stitching conveyance sensor 117 is disposed above the guiding surface of the second post-roller path upper guide 116a in the vertical direction and between the receiving port and the discharging port of the sheet bundle. The position of the leading end of the sheet bundle is detected by this saddle-stitching conveyance sensor 117.

[0118] The second roller rear path guide 116 guides the conveyance of the sheet and guides it to the saddle stitching third roller pair 118 located downstream in the conveyance direction. The saddle stitching third roller conveyance direction 118c ( Figure 2 )is arranged in a direction that descends toward the lower side in the vertical direction as it goes downstream in the conveyance direction. The saddle stitching third roller conveyance direction 118c is the direction along the perpendicular line (the second imaginary line β2 described later, Figure 4 )to the straight line passing through the rotation centers of the respective rollers of the saddle stitching third roller pair 118.

[0119] The saddle stitching third roller pair 118, which is the conveyance unit and the conveyance roller pair, is driven by the intermediate folding control unit 344 to clamp and convey the sheet bundle that has been subjected to saddle stitching processing and intermediate folding processing in such a manner that the spine of the sheet bundle is located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the end portion on the fore-edge side. That is, the saddle stitching third roller pair 118 conveys the sheet bundle with the spine of the sheet bundle as the front end. When the direction of conveying the sheet bundle by the saddle stitching third roller pair 118, which also serves as the first conveyance unit, is set as the first conveyance direction (saddle stitching third roller conveyance direction 118c), the saddle stitching path roller 100, which is the second conveyance unit for conveying the sheet to the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1, is located on the upstream side in the first conveyance direction with respect to the saddle stitching third roller pair 118. And the saddle stitching path roller 100 conveys the sheet in a second conveyance direction different from the first conveyance direction at a position upstream in the first conveyance direction with respect to the saddle stitching third roller pair 118. Hereinafter, the upstream side and the downstream side of the direction of conveying the sheet bundle by the saddle stitching third roller pair 118, that is, the first conveyance direction (saddle stitching third roller conveyance direction 118c), may sometimes be simply referred to as the "upstream side" and the "downstream side".

[0120] In addition, the folding roller pair 113, the saddle stitching second roller pair 115, and the saddle stitching third roller pair 118 are driven by the same motor, and the intermediate folding control unit 344 controls the driving of the above-mentioned respective roller pairs by controlling this motor. The saddle stitching third roller pair 118 clamps the sheet bundle after intermediate folding by the intermediate folding processing unit 112 and conveys it toward the flat back processing unit C2, and is located immediately upstream of the flat back processing unit C2.

[0121] Here, as Figure 4 shown, the straight line that is orthogonal to the second line β1 passing through the rotation centers of the saddle stitching third roller pair 118 and the width direction and passes through the clamping portion of the saddle stitching third roller pair 118 in the state where the sheet bundle is not clamped is set as the second imaginary line β2. In this case, the saddle stitching third roller pair 118 is arranged such that the second imaginary line β2 intersects the first imaginary line α2, and the second imaginary line β2 is more inclined downward in the vertical direction as it goes downstream in the conveyance direction of the folding roller pair 113.

[0122] In other words, the third saddle-stitching roller pair 118 is configured such that the second imaginary line β2 inclines more downward in the vertical direction as it is more downstream in the conveying direction with respect to the horizontal direction. That is, in the present embodiment, the second imaginary line β2 inclines with respect to the first imaginary line α2. And, in the folding roller pair 113, the sheet bundle is conveyed in the horizontal direction, or in a direction that inclines more upward in the vertical direction as it is more downstream in the conveying direction with respect to the horizontal direction (folding roller conveying direction 113c). In contrast, in the third saddle-stitching roller pair 118, the sheet bundle is conveyed in a direction that inclines more downward in the vertical direction as it is more downstream in the conveying direction with respect to the horizontal direction (third saddle-stitching roller conveying direction 118c).

[0123] Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the intermediate folding conveying path C4, which is the third conveying path for conveying the sheet bundle between the folding roller pair 113 and the third saddle-stitching roller pair 118, is bent to transfer the sheet bundle conveyed by the folding roller pair 113 to the third saddle-stitching roller pair 118. That is, the intermediate folding conveying path C4 has a post-folding path guide 114 and a post-second-roller path guide 116, and the conveying path is bent between the post-folding path guide 114 and the post-second-roller path guide 116. In other words, the direction of guiding the sheet bundle by the post-second-roller path guide 116 inclines with respect to the direction of guiding the sheet bundle by the post-folding path guide 114.

[0124] In this way, by making the conveying direction of the sheet bundle of the folding roller pair 113 different from the conveying direction of the sheet bundle of the third saddle-stitching roller pair 118 and bending the conveying path between the post-folding path guide 114 and the post-second-roller path guide 116, it is possible to reduce the size of the width of the sheet processing device B (the length in the second conveying direction, Figure 2 the length in the left-right direction), and achieve miniaturization of the device. In addition, by making the sheet conveying direction of the third saddle-stitching roller pair 118, that is, the folding roller conveying direction 113c, face obliquely downward and discharging the sheet bundle downward by the third saddle-stitching roller pair 118, it is possible to discharge the sheet bundle processed by the saddle-stitching unit B2 to a position further below the device. As a result, the saddle-stitching discharge unit 131 for discharging the sheet bundle processed by the saddle-stitching unit B2 can be arranged below the device, and the amount by which the first tray 49 located above the saddle-stitching discharge unit 131 can descend can be increased. As a result, the sheet loading capacity of the first tray 49 can be increased. In addition, when horizontal, vertical, or parallel is mentioned in the configuration of the conveying path guide for the above-mentioned sheet or sheet bundle and the conveying direction of the sheet or sheet bundle, it also includes cases where an angle is formed with respect to horizontal, vertical, or parallel due to tolerances or the like.

[0125] [Details of the flat-back processing unit]

[0126] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 and use Figures 5 to 10 to describe the flat-back processing unit C2. As described above, the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121, which are a pair of clamping parts, and the flat-back processing unit 134 having the pressing roller 123 are provided. As Figure 5 shown, the clamping mechanism C5 having the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 has a pre-clamping guide 119. The pre-clamping guide 119 is arranged at a position downstream of the saddle-stitching third roller pair 118 in the conveying direction, and is arranged along a direction bent downward in the vertical direction with respect to the saddle-stitching third roller conveying direction 118c to guide the conveyance of the sheet bundle.

[0127] The pre-clamping guide 119 has a pre-clamping upper guide portion 119a as a first guide portion for guiding the upper surface of the sheet bundle and a pre-clamping lower guide portion 119b as a second guide portion for guiding the lower surface of the sheet bundle. The pre-clamping upper guide portion 119a and the pre-clamping lower guide portion 119b are arranged at positions spaced apart from the line centered on the saddle-stitching third roller conveying direction 118c by more than 1 / 2 of the thickness of the sheet bundle that can pass through the apparatus (the thickness of the sheet bundle when performing an intermediate folding process on the sheet bundle having the maximum thickness that can be conveyed in this apparatus). That is, the interval between the pre-clamping upper guide portion 119a and the pre-clamping lower guide portion 119b is larger than the maximum thickness of the sheet bundle that can be processed by the sheet processing apparatus B (the maximum thickness of the sheet bundle that can be subjected to an intermediate folding process by the intermediate folding processing mechanism C1). In addition, at least one of the pre-clamping upper guide portion 119a and the pre-clamping lower guide portion 119b can be omitted.

[0128] The lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121, which are a pair of clamping units, perform clamping and release of the sheet bundle by relatively moving along the thickness direction of the sheet bundle conveyed by the saddle-stitching third roller pair 118. That is, the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 can relatively move between a first position and a second position. At the first position, the sheet bundle conveyed from the saddle-stitching third roller pair 118 can be received, and at the second position, the sheet bundle is clamped. And the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 move from the first position to the second position to clamp a part of the sheet bundle from both sides in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle.

[0129] In the case of the present embodiment, the upper clamping unit 121 as the first clamping portion is movable, and the lower clamping unit 120 as the second clamping portion is fixed. That is, it is configured to clamp the sheet bundle by moving the upper clamping unit 121 in a direction approaching the lower clamping unit 120. However, either the upper clamping unit 121 may be fixed and the lower clamping unit 120 may be movable, or both may be movable. In any case, the sheet bundle is clamped by the upper clamping surface (upper clamping pressing portion) 142 of the upper clamping unit 121 facing the lower clamping unit 120 and the lower clamping surface (lower clamping pressing portion) 143 of the lower clamping unit 120 facing the upper clamping unit 121 (see Figure 5 , Figures 11A to 11D ).

[0130] The lower clamping surface 143 of the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping surface 142 of the upper clamping unit 121 are respectively parallel to the pre-clamping upper guide portion 119a and the pre-clamping lower guide portion 119b, and are arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet bundle of the pre-clamping guide member 119. Further, the sheet bundle guided and conveyed by the pre-clamping guide member 119 is further guided by the upper clamping surface 142 and the lower clamping surface 143 and conveyed by a predetermined amount. In addition, the pre-clamping lower guide portion 119b is fixed to the lower clamping unit 120, and the pre-clamping upper guide portion 119a is fixed to the upper clamping unit 121. In the present embodiment, the pre-clamping upper guide portion 119a moves together with the upper clamping unit 121 in a substantially vertical direction (the thickness direction of the sheet bundle).

[0131] [Flat-back processing unit]

[0132] Next, the internal structure of the flat-back processing unit 134 will be described using Figures 5 to 10 . As a structure for supporting and moving the pressing roller (flat-back processing roller) 123, the flat-back processing unit 134 includes a unit frame 147, roller pressing portions 138a, 138b, pressing springs 145a, 145b, an upper movement restricting portion 139, and a lower movement restricting portion 140. As shown in Figure 5 and Figure 10 , the pressing roller 123 is arranged such that its outer peripheral surface contacts the end surfaces on the downstream sides of the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 respectively. In addition, as shown in Figure 6B , a roller shaft 141 is arranged on the inner diameter side of the pressing roller 123, and the pressing roller 123 can rotate relative to the roller shaft 141.

[0133] As shown in Figure 6A , 6B , the unit frame 147 has: a pair of side plates 147a arranged on both sides of the pressing roller 123; a back plate 147b arranged on the downstream side in the first conveying direction of the pressing roller 123 (Figure 6B on the left side of ( ); and an upper side plate 147c and a lower side plate 147d which are arranged on both sides in the rotation axis direction of the pressing roller 123 and are provided to be bent from both end portions of the inner side plate 147b. The unit frame 147 is configured in this way so as to house the pressing roller 123 inside each side plate and expose the pressing roller 123 on the upstream side in the first conveying direction.

[0134] In the present embodiment, the inner side plate 147b, the upper side plate 147c and the lower side plate 147d are integrally formed and, as Figure 6B shown, have a substantially U-shaped cross section. In addition, they may be separate or integrally formed with the pair of side plates 147a. Both end portions of the roller shaft 141 of the pressing roller 123 are rotatably supported by the upper side plate 147c and the lower side plate 147d respectively. In addition, the upper side plate 147c and the lower side plate 147d extend toward the upstream side in the first conveying direction compared with the pressing roller 123, and an upper side movement restricting portion 139 and a lower side movement restricting portion 140 are respectively supported at the front end side portions.

[0135] That is, the upper side movement restricting portion 139 is provided at the front end portion of a support shaft 139a fixed to the upper side plate 147c and extending downward from the upper side plate 147c. In addition, the lower side movement restricting portion 140 is provided at the front end portion of a support shaft 140a fixed to the lower side plate 147d and extending upward from the lower side plate 147d. In addition, the upper side movement restricting portion 139 is a roller rotatably supported at the front end portion of the support shaft 139a, and the lower side movement restricting portion 140 is a roller rotatably supported at the front end portion of the support shaft 140a. In addition, in the present embodiment, the lower side movement restricting portion 140 is arranged in a manner of being arranged in two, but may be one. In addition, the upper side movement restricting portion 139 may also be two. The upper side movement restricting portion 139 and the lower side movement restricting portion 140 are located on both sides of the pressing roller 123 in the rotation axis direction of the roller shaft 141.

[0136] The roller pressing portions 138a and 138b are respectively connected to the roller shaft 141 on the outer side in the roller thickness direction of the pressing roller 123 and on the downstream side in the conveying direction. Pressing springs 145a and 145b are arranged between the roller pressing portions 138a and 138b and the inner side plate 147b of the unit frame 147, and the roller shaft 141 is applied with a force by the pressing springs 145a and 145b. Since the roller shaft 141 is configured to be movable in the conveying direction, the pressing force for pressing the spine of the sheet bundle by the pressing roller 123 changes along with the change in the protruding amount of the spine of the sheet bundle from the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121, which will be described later.

[0137] In addition, since the pressing roller 123 is urged by the pressing springs 145a and 145b via the roller shaft 141, the pressing roller 123 is pressed by the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121. In contrast, on the side opposite to the pressing roller 123 with the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 interposed therebetween, an upper movement restricting portion 139 and a lower movement restricting portion 140 are arranged facing the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 respectively ( Figure 5 ). That is, in the conveying direction (the first conveying direction) of the sheet bundle, on the upstream side of the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121, the upper movement restricting portion 139 is arranged relative to the upper clamping unit 121, and the lower movement restricting portion 140 is arranged relative to the lower clamping unit 120.

[0138] As Figure 9 and Figure 10 shown, the end face 120a on the upstream side of the lower clamping unit 120 abuts against the lower movement restricting portion 140. In addition, the end face 121a on the upstream side of the upper clamping unit 121 abuts against the upper movement restricting portion 139. In the present embodiment, the lower movement restricting portion 140 and the upper movement restricting portion 139 are respectively rollers having a rotation axis in the vertical direction ( Figure 10 in the present embodiment, it is substantially the vertical direction) orthogonal to the width direction of the sheet bundle and the conveying direction of the sheet bundle, and rotate while abutting against the end faces 120a and 121a. Thereby, the upward movement of the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 is restricted by the pressing force applied to the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 from the pressing roller 123.

[0139] For the sheet bundle conveyed by the saddle stitching third roller pair 118, when the front end of the sheet bundle is detected by the above-mentioned saddle stitching conveying sensor 117, the conveying amount is counted by the flat-back processing control unit 345, and it is stopped after conveying a predetermined conveying amount. Specifically, as shown in Figure 11A described later, it is stopped in a state where the spine of the sheet bundle after intermediate folding protrudes to the downstream side in the conveying direction compared with the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120. In the present embodiment, in the flat-back processing, the protruding amount of the spine of the sheet bundle from the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120 is adjusted by controlling the conveying amount of the sheet bundle by the saddle stitching third roller pair 118.

[0140] [Upper clamping unit and lower clamping unit]

[0141] The upper clamping unit 121 moves from the receiving position (the first position) for receiving the sheet bundle to the clamping and holding position (the second position) for holding the sheet bundle, thereby pressing the sheet bundle between the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120, and holding the sheet bundle by using the upper clamping surface 142 and the lower clamping surface 143. At this time, as described later Figure 11B shows, the front end of the sheet bundle is in a state of protruding a specified protruding amount P1 from the end faces 120c and 121b on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 after clamping and holding.

[0142] The upper clamping unit 121 operates by driving the clamping drive motor 132 by using the flat-back processing control unit 345 ( Figure 7A , 7B ). As shown in Figure 7A , 7B , the flat-back processing unit C2 further transmits the drive transmitted by the clamping drive system 133 composed of pulleys, belts, and gear trains to the clamping drive link 122, so that the upper clamping unit 121 connected to the clamping drive link 122 can move in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle. A plurality of clamping springs 144 for pressing the sheet bundle are built in between the clamping drive link 122 and the upper clamping unit 121. Since the contraction amount of the clamping spring 144 changes according to the thickness of the sheet bundle in a state where the movement amount of the clamping drive link 122 is constant, the pressing force also changes. The above-mentioned clamping and holding position also changes according to the thickness of the sheet bundle.

[0143] [Flat-back processing unit]

[0144] As described later Figure 11C shows, the flat-back processing unit C2 performs flat-back processing in the following manner: for the sheet bundle held between the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 in a state of protruding a specified protruding amount P1 from the end faces 120c and 121b, the pressing roller 123 arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction presses the back of the sheet bundle while scanning along the width direction of the sheet bundle.

[0145] During flat-back processing, the drive motor 135 ( Figure 7B ) is operated by using the flat-back processing control unit 345, so that the pressing roller 123 moves. As shown in Figure 8 , the pressing roller 123 is connected to a drive belt 137 arranged along the width direction of the sheet bundle and can move in the width direction of the sheet bundle along the guide rail 120b shown in Figure 9 . The drive belt 137 is transmitted power from the drive motor 135 via a drive system 136 composed of a gear train ( Figure 7B ) and rotates. Thereby, the scanning of the pressing roller 123 along the width direction of the sheet bundle can be performed.

[0146] In addition, the initial positions of the pressing roller 123 are set on the front side and the rear side of the sheet processing device B. That is, after moving the pressing roller 123 from the rear side to the front side with respect to the first sheet bundle and performing the flat-back processing, the pressing roller 123 can be moved from the front side to the rear side with respect to the second sheet bundle and perform the flat-back processing. Sensors (not shown) are respectively provided at the initial positions of the pressing roller 123, and the position of the pressing roller 123 can be detected. However, the initial position may also be set only on either the front side or the rear side, and the pressing roller 123 can be scanned in the width direction from the front side to the rear side or from the rear side to the front side. In the case where the initial position is set on either side like this, for example, after moving the pressing roller 123 from the rear side to the front side with respect to the first sheet bundle and performing the flat-back processing, the pressing roller 123 is returned from the front side to the rear side, and the pressing roller 123 is also moved from the rear side to the front side with respect to the second sheet bundle and perform the flat-back processing, etc.

[0147] In addition, during one flat-back processing, the pressing roller 123 is moved in one direction from the front side to the rear side or from the rear side to the front side, but during one flat-back processing, the pressing roller 123 can also move reciprocally. For example, during one flat-back processing, it can also be set whether to move the pressing roller 123 in one direction or to move it reciprocally according to the number of sheets included in the sheet bundle and the type of sheet. At the time of this setting, it can be automatically performed on the control unit side, or can be set by an operator such as a user or a maintenance person. Moreover, during one flat-back processing, it can be arbitrarily set on the operator side whether to move the pressing roller 123 in one direction or to move it reciprocally.

[0148] As Figure 9 and Figure 10 shown, the lower clamping unit 120 has a guide rail 120b formed along the width direction of the sheet bundle. When the pressing roller 123 moves in the width direction of the sheet bundle, the lower movement restricting portion 140 moves along the guide rail 120b while engaging with the guide rail 120b. The guide rail 120b is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section as Figure 10 shown by combining a plurality of members, and is formed so that a part of the roller-shaped lower movement restricting portion 140 can enter. The lower surface on the outer diameter side of the lower movement restricting portion 140 engages with the lower surface of the guide rail 120b, and the outer peripheral surface of the lower movement restricting portion 140 abuts against the end surface 120a. Thereby, the movement of the sheet bundle in the thickness direction when the pressing roller 123 moves is restricted. In addition, the guide rail 120b may also be a groove formed in one member on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the lower clamping unit 120.

[0149] After the flat-back processing is completed, by making the drive motor 135 ( Figure 7B), the pressing roller 123 is moved in the width direction to retreat from the conveyance path of the sheet bundle. Further, by operating the clamping drive motor 132 ( Figure 7A , 7B ), the upper clamping unit 121 is moved in a direction away from the sheet bundle (as described later Figure 11D ). Thus, the sheet bundle can be further conveyed downstream. In addition, the sheet bundle can be discharged without performing the above-mentioned flat-back treatment.

[0150] [Discharge unit]

[0151] As Figure 2 shown, the sheet bundle after passing through the saddle stitching unit B2 is conveyed toward the saddle stitching discharge guide 124 through the saddle stitching third roller pair 118. The saddle stitching discharge guide 124 is disposed at a position downstream of the pressing roller 123 in the first conveyance direction. The saddle stitching discharge guide 124 is supported so as to be swingable about a first fulcrum 124b having a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axes of the rollers of the saddle stitching third roller pair 118. The first fulcrum 124b is located above a line obtained by extending the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle based on the saddle stitching third roller pair 118 (the first conveyance direction, the saddle stitching third roller conveyance direction 118c). And, the saddle stitching discharge guide 124 is configured to hang downward in the vertical direction from the first fulcrum 124b.

[0152] In addition, the side surface on the upstream side in the first conveyance direction of the saddle stitching discharge guide 124 is inclined so as to be more toward the upstream side in the first conveyance direction as it goes from the first fulcrum 124b toward the intermediate portion 124a in the vertical direction. In addition, the side surface on the upstream side in the first conveyance direction of the saddle stitching discharge guide 124 is inclined so as to be more toward the downstream side in the first conveyance direction as it goes from the intermediate portion 124a toward the lower end in the vertical direction. That is, the side surface on the upstream side in the first conveyance direction of the saddle stitching discharge guide 124 is formed to be bent in such a manner that the intermediate portion 124a in the vertical direction protrudes toward the upstream side in the first conveyance direction compared with other portions. And, a guide surface 124d is provided between the intermediate portion 124a and the lower end in the side surface on the upstream side in the first conveyance direction of the saddle stitching discharge guide 124.

[0153] The guiding surface 124d is located below the line obtained by extending the conveying direction 118c of the above-described saddle-stitching third roller, contacts the bundle of sheets conveyed by the saddle-stitching third roller pair 118, and guides the bundle of sheets downward. When the bundle of sheets contacts the guiding surface 124d, the saddle-stitching discharge guide 124 can rotate about the first fulcrum 124b. In addition, due to the rigidity of the bundle of sheets, there are also cases where contact with the guiding surface 124d of the saddle-stitching discharge guide 124 does not occur, and even in the case of contact, the amount of rotation varies depending on the rigidity. Therefore, the saddle-stitching discharge guide 124 does not necessarily rotate.

[0154] In addition, a second fulcrum 124c is provided at the lower end of the saddle-stitching discharge guide 124, and the saddle-stitching discharge roller 125 described later is connected in such a way that it can rotate about the second fulcrum 124c. The second fulcrum 124c is located below the guiding surface 124d and has a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the first fulcrum 124b.

[0155] When the saddle-stitching third roller pair 118 continues to convey the bundle of sheets, the bundle of sheets is handed over to the saddle-stitching discharge unit 131, and the saddle-stitching discharge unit 131 is arranged at a position downstream of the flat-back processing unit 134 in the first conveying direction and below the saddle-stitching discharge guide 124 in the vertical direction. The saddle-stitching discharge unit 131 includes a saddle-stitching discharge upstream belt 127, a saddle-stitching discharge upstream sensor 128, a saddle-stitching discharge downstream belt 129, and a saddle-stitching discharge downstream sensor 130.

[0156] The saddle-stitching discharge upstream belt 127 is located below the guiding surface 124d of the saddle-stitching discharge guide 124, further guides and conveys downward the bundle of sheets guided downward by the guiding surface 124d. The saddle-stitching discharge upstream belt 127 is inclined in such a way that it is more toward the lower side in the vertical direction as it goes downstream in the conveying direction. The saddle-stitching discharge downstream belt 129, which is the sheet bundle discharge part, receives the bundle of sheets conveyed from the saddle-stitching discharge upstream belt 127, and further guides and conveys it downstream. The saddle-stitching discharge downstream belt 129 is inclined in such a way that it is more toward the upper side in the vertical direction as it goes downstream in the conveying direction. Therefore, the bundle of sheets guided by the guiding surface 124d to the saddle-stitching discharge upstream belt 127 is conveyed by the saddle-stitching discharge upstream belt 127 in a direction inclined downward in the vertical direction and then conveyed by the saddle-stitching discharge downstream belt 129 in a direction inclined upward in the vertical direction.

[0157] In addition, a saddle stitch discharge upstream sensor 128 for detecting a sheet bundle on the upstream side is disposed on the upstream side within the transportable area of the saddle stitch discharge upstream belt 127, and a saddle stitch discharge downstream sensor 130 for detecting a sheet bundle on the downstream side is disposed on the upstream side within the transportable area of the saddle stitch discharge downstream belt 129.

[0158] After guiding and transporting the sheet bundle transferred to the saddle stitch discharge unit 131 using the saddle stitch discharge upstream belt 127 and the saddle stitch discharge downstream belt 129, the sheet bundle is loaded. The saddle stitch discharge upstream belt 127 clamps the sheet bundle at a clamping point between it and the saddle stitch discharge roller 125 on the downstream side in the transport direction. The sheet bundle present on the saddle stitch discharge upstream belt 127 is configured to suppress the opening of the opening side (gutter side) at this clamping point. The position of this clamping point can be changed with the second fulcrum 124c as the fulcrum according to the thickness of the sheet bundle.

[0159] When processing the subsequent sheet bundle, the previous sheet bundle is transported upstream in the transport direction by the saddle stitch discharge upstream belt 127, and after the saddle stitch discharge upstream sensor 128 or the saddle stitch discharge downstream sensor 130 detects the previous sheet bundle, it stops with a specified transport amount. This transport amount is a position that can suppress the opening of the opening side of the previous sheet bundle at the clamping point between the saddle stitch discharge upstream belt 127 and the saddle stitch discharge roller 125, and is a positional relationship such that it will contact the upper surface of the previous sheet bundle when discharging the subsequent sheet bundle. That is, in the present embodiment, in the saddle stitch discharge unit 131, the subsequent sheet bundle is overlapped and loaded on the previous sheet bundle in such a way that the sheet bundles partially overlap each other.

[0160] In this way, the saddle stitch discharge unit 131 discharges the subsequent sheet bundle onto the upper surface of the previous sheet bundle in such a way that it does not enter the opening of the previous sheet bundle, so that no adverse conditions such as jamming, curling, and extrusion occur with respect to the previous sheet bundle, and stable loading can be performed. That is, by appropriately changing the above transport amount according to the size of the sheet bundle, the subsequent sheet bundle can be stably loaded on the previous sheet bundle.

[0161] The saddle stitch discharge section 126 is disposed at a position downstream of the saddle stitch discharge guide 124 in the first transport direction, and is disposed between the saddle stitch discharge upstream belt 127 and the saddle stitch discharge downstream belt 129. The sheet bundle transported to the saddle stitch discharge unit 131 is discharged to the outside of the sheet processing device B through the saddle stitch discharge section 126, and the user can easily obtain the discharged sheet bundle.

[0162] In addition, when there are other devices on the downstream side of the saddle stitching discharge unit 131, the conveyance can also be directly continued without loading, so as to transfer the sheet bundle to the downstream device. Further, in the present embodiment, a discharge cover 151 as a cover member is provided outside the saddle stitching discharge portion 126. The discharge cover 151 is configured not to interfere with the discharge of the sheet bundle from the saddle stitching discharge portion 126, and is configured such that an operator such as a user cannot enter the interior of the device via the saddle stitching discharge portion 126.

[0163] [Control of flat-back processing]

[0164] Next, Figures 11A to 11D will be used to describe the control of the flat-back processing in the present embodiment. As described above, the flat-back processing unit C2 performs a flat-back processing for forming corners on the spine of the sheet bundle on which the saddle stitching process and the intermediate folding process have been performed. Hereinafter, a flat-back processing mode, which is a control mode for performing the flat-back processing, will be described. Further, Figure 3 The intermediate folding control unit 344 shown in controls each conveyance roller pair such as the folding roller pair 113, the second saddle stitching roller pair 115, and the third saddle stitching roller pair 118 with the same drive.

[0165] The flat-back processing mode will be described. The flat-back processing mode is a mode in which the pressing roller 123 is pressed against the spine of the sheet bundle Sb to form corners on the spine of the sheet bundle Sb. The intermediate folding control unit 344 uses the detection of the front end of the sheet bundle Sb by the saddle stitching conveyance sensor 117 as a trigger factor, and conveys the sheet bundle Sb after intermediate folding to between the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120 in a separated state. Then, as Figure 11A shown, the intermediate folding control unit 344 stops the conveyance of the sheet bundle Sb in a state where the spine Ssp of the sheet bundle Sb protrudes further downstream in the first conveyance direction than the end faces 121b and 120c on the downstream side in the first conveyance direction of the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120.

[0166] In this state, the flat-back processing control unit 345 drives the clamping drive motor 132 ( Figure 7A , 7B ), so that the upper clamping unit 121 moves toward the lower clamping unit 120, and as Figure 11B shown, the sheet bundle Sb is clamped by the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120. At this time, the spine Ssp of the sheet bundle Sb is in a state of protruding downstream by P1 from the end faces 121b and 120c on the downstream side in the first conveyance direction of the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120.

[0167] Next, the flat-back processing control unit 345 drives the drive motor 135 ( Figure 7B)(The operation causes the pressing roller 123 to move in the width direction of the sheet bundle Sb. At this time, as Figure 11C shown, while pressing the spine Ssp of the sheet bundle Sb, the pressing roller 123 moves in the width direction, thereby performing a flat-back treatment on the spine Ssp of the sheet bundle Sb. After that, as Figure 11D shown, the flat-back treatment control unit 345 drives the clamping drive motor 132 ( Figure 7A , 7B ), so that the upper clamping unit 121 is separated from the lower clamping unit 120, and the clamping of the sheet bundle Sb is released. In the first mode, the flat-back treatment ends here, and the discharging operation of the sheet bundle Sb is performed as described above.

[0168] [Withdrawal of the saddle stitching unit B2]

[0169] Next, Figures 12A to 13 is used to describe the operation when maintaining the saddle stitching unit B2 as a processing unit. The maintenance here includes jam clearing processing for the user to remove the sheets in the unit in case of abnormal sheet conveyance, component replacement by the user or maintenance personnel, etc. Figures 12A to 13 is a perspective view of the sheet processing apparatus B as viewed from the side (upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction) connected to the image forming apparatus A. Figure 12A shows the state where the front cover 501 of the sheet processing apparatus B is closed, Figure 12B shows the state where the front cover 501 of the sheet processing apparatus B is opened, Figure 13 shows the state where the saddle stitching unit B2 of the sheet processing apparatus B is withdrawn.

[0170] The saddle stitching unit B2 is configured to be able to be withdrawn from the housing 27 as a frame body and inserted into the assembly position of the housing 27. In the present embodiment, the saddle stitching unit B2 is withdrawn from the front side (F side) in the front-back direction (F - B direction) orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction in the sheet processing apparatus B. In addition, hereinafter, when referring to the sheet conveyance direction (sometimes also simply referred to as the "conveyance direction"), it is set as the sheet conveyance direction in the conveyance path 28 ( Figure 2 the left-right direction). Also, as shown by the coordinate axes in Figure 12A , the U side is the upper side in the vertical direction, and the D side is the lower side in the vertical direction. Also, the F side is the front side of the sheet processing apparatus B, and the B side is the back side (also referred to as the rear side) of the sheet processing apparatus B. Moreover, the L side is the left side when viewing the sheet processing apparatus B from the front side, which is the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. The R side is the right side when viewing the sheet processing apparatus B from the front side, and is the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction.

[0171] In the sheet processing apparatus B, a front cover (open / close door) 501 that forms a part of the exterior body of the apparatus is provided. The outer shell 27 as a frame includes a main frame 500, a front cover 501, other exterior covers, etc. Casters 502 are provided at four locations on the lower surface of the main frame 500. The four casters 502 as the first casters (main support portions) support the outer shell 27 on the installation surface. By providing the casters 502 in this way, when setting or moving the sheet processing apparatus B to a desired position, it is easy to move based on the user or maintenance personnel.

[0172] As Figure 12A shown, a handle 501a is provided at the end on the R side of the front cover 501. In addition, as Figure 12B shown, in the illustrated example, the front cover 501 is rotatably supported by the main frame 500 at three locations via hinges 502b. The rotational axis direction of the hinge 502b is the vertical direction, and the end on the L side of the front cover 501 is supported so as to be rotatable about the rotational axis of the hinge 502b. When the user or maintenance personnel perform maintenance on the saddle stitching unit B2, first, by placing a hand on the handle 501a of the front cover 501 in the Figure 12A state and pulling it toward the F side, the front cover 501 is opened from the R side to the L side. At this time, the front cover 501 rotates about the hinge 502b, and as Figure 12B shown, the operating lever 550 for operating when pulling out the saddle stitching unit B2 is exposed. In addition, the direction of opening the front cover 501 may be the opposite of the above. Alternatively, the front cover 501 may be opened left and right.

[0173] By operating the operating lever 550 by the user or maintenance personnel, the locking (not shown) between the saddle stitching unit B2 and the main frame 500 is released, and as Figure 13 shown, the saddle stitching unit B2 can be pulled out from the inside of the outer shell 27 toward the F side (front side). In addition, by pressing the pulled-out saddle stitching unit B2 toward the B side (rear side), the saddle stitching unit B2 is inserted into the inside of the outer shell 27, and by inserting it into the assembled position, it is locked to the main frame 500 by a locking portion (not shown).

[0174] The saddle stitching unit B2 is supported by the main frame 500 via a rail portion 503. The rail portion 503 guides the saddle stitching unit B2 so that it can be pulled out from the inside and inserted into the inside of the main frame 500 of the outer shell 27. Such a rail portion 503 has a fixed rail 503a fixed to the main frame 500 and a sliding rail 503b that can slide relative to the fixed rail 503a in the F - B direction (front - rear direction). In Figure 13 it, the rail portion 503 that supports the R side of the saddle stitching unit B2 is illustrated, but the same rail portion 503 is also arranged on the L side (refer to the followingFigure 14A , 14B ). Such an orbital part 503 guides the saddle stitching part B2 so that it can be withdrawn from the inside and inserted into the inside relative to the housing 27. That is, the saddle stitching part B2 is supported and fixed to the sliding rail 503b, and by sliding the sliding rail 503b relative to the fixed rail 503a in the F-B direction, the saddle stitching part B2 can be withdrawn and inserted relative to the main frame 500 of the housing 27.

[0175] As Figure 12B shown, the state where the saddle stitching part B2 is located inside the main frame 500 is the assembly position of the saddle stitching part B2. On the other hand, as Figure 13 shown, the position where the saddle stitching part B2 protrudes to the outside compared to the housing 27 is the withdrawal position of the saddle stitching part B2, and it is also the maintenance position when removing the sheet or replacing parts when a sheet jam occurs in the saddle stitching part B2.

[0176] In addition, Figure 12B the assembly position only needs to be a position where the front cover 501 is in a closed state, and it is not necessary for all elements constituting the saddle stitching part B2 to be located inside the main frame 500 including the struts, etc. For example, it also includes a state where a part such as the operating lever 550 and the cover member protrudes to the front side compared to the main frame 500. In this case, for example, the part protruding to the front side compared to the main frame 500 is located in a recess formed inside the front cover 501.

[0177] In addition, Figure 13 the withdrawal position shown only needs to be a position where the user or the maintenance personnel can access the saddle stitching part B2, and it is not necessary for all elements constituting the saddle stitching part B2 to be located outside the main frame 500. For example, components such as wire bundles and various drive mechanisms arranged on the B side of the saddle stitching part B2 can also be located inside the main frame 500.

[0178] In addition, the withdrawal position can also be set to two-stage positions such as the maintenance position for the user to perform jam clearing processing and the maintenance position for the maintenance personnel to perform maintenance on each unit, etc. For example, in order for the maintenance personnel to also access the electrical components, etc. arranged on the B side (inside) of the device, the saddle stitching part B2 can be further withdrawn toward the F side compared to the maintenance position based on the user. Thus, during user-based maintenance, there will be no unnecessary withdrawal and insertion actions of the saddle stitching part B2, and during maintenance by the maintenance personnel, the maintenance personnel can easily perform operations, improving the usability of the device. For example, the sliding rail 503b can be withdrawn from the fixed rail 503a in two stages. And during maintenance by the maintenance personnel, compared with Figure 13The saddle stitching unit B2 is further pulled out compared to the state of the position (based on the maintenance position of the user).

[0179] In addition, in the present embodiment, a rail portion 503 is provided below the saddle stitching unit B2. However, the position of the rail portion 503 that supports the saddle stitching unit B2 only needs to be a position that does not interfere with maintenance, and it can also be other positions. For example, the rail portion 503 that guides the saddle stitching unit B2 can also be provided above. However, for the rail portion 503, in order to support the saddle stitching unit B2 as a heavy object, compared with the case where the rail portion 503 is provided above, when the rail portion 503 is provided below, it is easier to ensure the supporting rigidity of the rail portion 503. In addition, in the present embodiment, a part of the saddle stitching stacking tray 150 that conveys the sheet from the saddle stitching path 32 protrudes above the saddle stitching unit B2 (refer to Figure 2 ). Therefore, compared with the lower side portion of the saddle stitching unit B2, the width in the L-R direction (left-right direction) becomes narrower on the upper side portion of the saddle stitching unit B2, and it is difficult to arrange the rail portion 503 on the upper side of the saddle stitching unit B2. Even if the rail portion 503 is arranged on the upper side, it is difficult to perform the blockage removal process on the upper side portion of the saddle stitching unit B2. On the other hand, by arranging the rail portion 503 below the saddle stitching unit B2 as in the present embodiment, it is easy to access the saddle stitching unit B2 from above. Therefore, it is easy to perform the blockage removal process that occurs in the saddle stitching unit B2.

[0180] [Supporting Legs]

[0181] Here, as described above, when the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out relative to the main body frame 500 toward the F side, the center of gravity position of the sheet processing device B shifts toward the F side compared to the state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is assembled in the main body frame 500. Therefore, when the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out, the device may tilt forward. When the saddle stitching unit B2 is heavy, a load is also applied to the rail portion 503, which may be a main cause of deformation of the main body frame 500 and the like. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to suppress the tilting of the device when the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out, supporting legs 600 are provided as a supporting portion that supports the saddle stitching unit B2.

[0182] In addition, if the casters 502 for moving the entire sheet processing device B are provided separately from the casters 601 provided on the saddle stitching unit B2 to assist the pulling-out operation of the saddle stitching unit B2 as described later, when moving the entire device using the casters 502, especially when the installation surface such as the floor has irregularities, since the casters 601 will come into contact with the irregular portions of the floor surface or the like, the movement of the device itself will be hindered, and the usability may be reduced. Therefore, in the present embodiment, along with the operation of inserting the saddle stitching unit B2 into the sheet processing device B, the support leg 600 is moved from the support position to the storage position. The support position is the position where the support leg 600 is located to support the saddle stitching unit B2 pulled out from the sheet processing device B on the installation surface where the sheet processing device B is installed. The storage position is the position where the support leg 600 is located in the state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is inserted into the sheet processing device B. Hereinafter, Figures 14A to 20F , the support leg 600 will be described.

[0183] Figure 14A is a perspective view near the support leg 600 in the state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is stored inside the main body frame 500. Figure 14B is a perspective view near the support leg 600 in the state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out from the main body frame 500. In addition, in Figure 14A , 14B , in order to easily show the relationship between the support leg 600 and the rail portion 503, the saddle stitching unit B2 is omitted.

[0184] The main body frame 500 is constituted by combining a plurality of brackets. In Figure 14A , 14B , the lower part of the front right side of the main body frame 500 is constituted by a front lower bracket 500a arranged along the L-R direction at the lower part on the F side and a lower right bracket 500b arranged along the F-B direction at the lower part on the R side. The rail portion 503 for supporting the saddle stitching unit B2 is configured to be spanned between the front lower bracket 500a and a rear lower bracket (not shown) similarly arranged at the lower part on the B side, and to move along the F-B direction between the lower right bracket 500b and a lower left bracket (not shown) similarly arranged at the lower part on the L side. Hereinafter, the structure of the lower part of the front right side will be described, but the structures of the four corners of the lower part of the main body frame 500 are basically the same.

[0185] The end portion on the F side of the lower right support 500b is disposed on the upper surface of the end portion on the R side of the front lower support 500a, and these end portions are fixed to each other. Further, in a state where the caster 502 is fixed to the end portion on the R side of the front lower support 500a, an adjustment handle 502bb is provided at a position on the side opposite to the caster 502 (upper side) through a hole formed in the end portion on the F side of the lower right support 500b. By rotating the adjustment handle 502bb, the height of the caster 502 relative to the front lower support 500a can be adjusted. Thus, even if there is a deviation in the installation surface such as the floor where the sheet processing device B is installed, by adjusting the height of each of the four casters 502 provided on the lower surface of the main body frame 500, it is possible to easily match the height of the sheet processing device B with that of the image forming device A.

[0186] As described above Figure 12B shown, in a state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is in the assembled position, as Figure 14A shown, the support leg 600 is located between the front lower support 500a and the rail support 504, and the rail support 504 is provided between a pair of rail portions 503. The rail support 504 is provided on the F side, and the rail support 504 on the F side fixes both end portions in the L-R direction to the sliding rails 503b in a manner of bridging the end portions on the F side of a pair of sliding rails 503b. The saddle stitching unit B2 is supported by the rail support 504 in a state where the position in the F-B direction is determined by a plurality of positioning members 503bb provided on the sliding rails 503b of the rail portion 503. Therefore, the saddle stitching unit B2 can move in the F-B direction along the fixed rail 503a together with a pair of sliding rails 503b and the rail support 504.

[0187] The support leg 600 can move to a storage position ( Figure 14A ), and a support position ( Figure 14B ), the storage position is the position where the support leg 600 is located in a state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is inserted into the interior of the housing 27, and the support position is the position for supporting the saddle stitching unit B2 on the installation surface where the sheet processing device B is installed in a state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out from the interior of the housing 27. In the present embodiment, the support leg 600 can rotate about a rotation axis 602a between the storage position and the support position. Specifically, the support leg 600 is supported so as to be able to rotate about the rotation axis 602a relative to the rail support 504 which is a rail side support portion provided on the rail portion 503.

[0188] In addition, as Figure 14AAs shown in FIG. 1 , the support leg 600 is located between the front lower bracket 500a and the rail bracket 504 when the saddle stitching unit B2 is located at the assembly position. This position is the storage position of the support leg 600. In this embodiment, the support leg 600 is moved from the assembly position to the extraction position by the force of the spring 603 described later. Figure 14A The stowed position shown is rotated to Figure 14B In addition, in response to the saddle stitching unit B2 being moved from the extraction position to the assembly position, a portion of the support leg 600 is brought into contact with a portion of the sheet processing device B, thereby releasing the locking state described later, thereby moving the support leg 600 from the extraction position to the assembly position. Figure 14B The bearing position shown is rotated to Figure 14A That is, the support leg 600 moves from the storage position to the support position in conjunction with the action of pulling out the saddle stitching unit B2, and moves from the support position to the storage position in conjunction with the action of inserting the saddle stitching unit B2.

[0189] like Figure 14A As shown, in the storage position, the caster 601 and the support leg 600 are located above the bottom surface of the sheet processing device B supporting the caster 502. That is, in the storage position, the caster 601 and the support leg 600 are located inside the main frame 500 (above the front lower bracket 500a). In this way, since the support leg 600 is located inside the main frame 500 (above the bottom surface of the main frame 500 (the bottom surface of the sheet processing device B)) in the storage position, when the sheet processing device B is moved using the caster 502, the support leg 600 can be prevented from hindering the movement of the sheet processing device B.

[0190] In addition, the movement of the support leg 600 is not limited to the above-mentioned rotation, and may be a movement obtained by combining a plurality of sliding movements such as sliding movement to the F side and sliding movement to the D side. For example, when the support leg 600 is moved from the supporting position to the storage position, the support leg 600 may be lifted and moved to the storage position.

[0191] In addition, the support leg 600 supports a caster 601 as a second caster (rotating member). The caster 601 is provided in the saddle stitching section B2, and when the saddle stitching section B2 moves in the extraction direction, it contacts the installation surface of the sheet processing device B and supports the saddle stitching section B2. Such a caster 601 is rotatably provided at the lower end portion in the vertical direction of the support leg 600 with a rotation axis 601a parallel to the rotation axis 602a as the center. Specifically, the caster 601 is rotatably supported on the support metal plate 602 constituting the support leg 600 via the rotation axis 601a. ​​The rotation axis 601a extends in the LR direction (sheet conveying direction, a direction intersecting the vertical direction and the front-back direction).

[0192] The four casters 502 provided on the main body frame 500 can rotate themselves and rotate within a range of 360° relative to the main body frame 500 through a plurality of rotation shafts (not shown). This is to facilitate the handling when moving the device when setting up the sheet processing device B, etc. On the other hand, the caster 601 provided on the support leg 600 can only rotate in one direction (the extraction direction of the saddle stitching unit B2, the front-back direction).

[0193] Thus, when the saddle stitching unit B2 is extracted, since the caster 601 only moves in the same direction as the extraction direction of the saddle stitching unit B2, it will not become a load on the user when operating to extract the saddle stitching unit B2, and the operability is good. In other words, it is possible to suppress the reduction in operability caused by the caster 601 facing a direction different from the extraction direction when the saddle stitching unit B2 is extracted.

[0194] On the other hand, when moving the sheet processing device B, when the caster 502 wants to rotate and move in a direction different from the direction of advancement by the rotation of the caster 601, if the caster 601 of the support leg 600 abuts against the installation surface, since the caster 601 only rotates in one direction, it is difficult to move the sheet processing device B. In contrast, in the present embodiment, since the support leg 600 is in the storage position, when moving the sheet processing device B using the caster 502, the caster 601 of the support leg 600 that only rotates in one direction does not hinder the movement of the sheet processing device B, and the movement of the sheet processing device B can be carried out smoothly, and the operability is good.

[0195] In addition, even if the caster 601 has a structure that can rotate in the same way as the caster 502, when moving the sheet processing device B, if there are unevenness on the installation surface such as the floor, the caster 601 may also abut against the uneven part, which may hinder the movement of the device. However, in the present embodiment, since the support leg 600 can be moved from the support position to the storage position, it does not hinder the movement of the device itself, and it is possible to suppress the reduction in usability.

[0196] In this way, even when the caster 601 that supports the movement of the saddle stitching unit B2 in the extraction direction is provided as in the present embodiment, it does not hinder the movement of the sheet processing device B itself, and it is possible to suppress the reduction in usability. In addition, the movement of the sheet processing device B itself is, for example, the movement when setting up the sheet processing device B, and the movement when pulling the sheet processing device B away from the image forming device A due to poor sheet conveyance, etc.

[0197] Next, use Figures 15A to 17B , to describe the structure of the support leg 600 in detail. Figure 15Ais a side view of the periphery of the support leg 600 as viewed from the upstream side (R side) in the conveying direction, Figure 15B is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the support leg 600 as viewed from the downstream side (L side) in the conveying direction. Figure 16A is a side view of the periphery of the support leg 600 in a state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out as viewed from the R side, Figure 16B is a cross-sectional view thereof. Figure 17A is a perspective view of the support leg 600 in a state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out as viewed from the upstream side (B side) in the pulling-out direction of the saddle stitching unit B2, Figure 17B is a perspective view of the support leg 600 in a state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out as viewed from the downstream side (F side) in the pulling-out direction of the saddle stitching unit B2.

[0198] The support leg 600 is biased in a first direction by a spring 603 serving as a biasing portion and a first biasing portion. The first direction is a direction in which the support leg 600 rotates about a rotation axis 602a from a storage position to a support position along with an operation of pulling out the saddle stitching unit B2 from the housing 27. Further, when the saddle stitching unit B2 moves from the pulled-out state to the mounting position in the housing 27, the rotation of the support leg 600 about the rotation axis 602a in a second direction toward the storage position is restricted by a restricting portion 610 until the saddle stitching unit B2 reaches a specified position relative to the housing 27. Further, the restricting portion 610 releases the rotation restriction of the support leg 600 in the second direction and allows the support leg 600 to move to the storage position according to an operation of inserting the saddle stitching unit B2 into the inside of the housing 27 beyond the specified position relative to the housing 27. Moreover, a locking mechanism 620 is constituted by the spring 603 and the restricting portion 610, and the locking mechanism 620 locks the support leg 600 at the support position in a state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out from the sheet processing apparatus B. Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given.

[0199] The supporting leg 600 has a supporting metal plate 602 which is rotatably supported on the protruding plate portion 504d provided to protrude downward from the lower part of the rail bracket 504 about a rotation axis 602a serving as a first rotation axis. Specifically, one end portion (the upper end portion at the supporting position) of the supporting metal plate 602 is supported on the rotation axis 602a. On the other hand, the caster 601 is rotatably supported on the other end portion (the lower end portion at the supporting position) of the supporting metal plate 602 about a rotation axis 601a. The supporting metal plate 602 has a first metal plate 605 serving as a first member and a second metal plate 606 serving as a second member. The first metal plate 605 is a metal plate member formed in a U-shaped cross section and is rotatably supported on the rotation axis 602a. The second metal plate 606 is a metal plate member formed in a U-shaped cross section and is supported so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 602c serving as a second rotation axis relative to the first metal plate 605. A spring 607 serving as a second biasing portion that biases the second metal plate 606 in a direction away from the first metal plate 605 is disposed between the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606.

[0200] The spring 603 is a torsion coil spring. As shown in Figure 15A , Figure 16A , Figure 17A , 17B , the spiral portion is supported on the rotation axis 602a, one end side portion 603a is hooked on a notch 504a formed in the rail bracket 504 ( Figure 17A ), and the other end side portion 603b is hooked on a notch 602b formed in the supporting metal plate 602 ( Figure 17B ). The rail bracket 504 has: a first plate portion 5041 disposed above the supporting metal plate 602; a second plate portion 5042 formed to be bent downward from an end portion on the B side of the first plate portion 5041; and a third plate portion 5043 formed to be bent downward from both end portions in the L-R direction of the first plate portion 5041, respectively.

[0201] The notch 504a is formed by cutting a part in the L-R direction of the second plate portion 5042 from the upper end portion downward. In addition, the notch 504a is formed at a position above the rotation axis 602a in the vertical direction, and the one end side portion 603a of the spring 603 is hooked on the notch 504a at a position above the rotation axis 602a in the vertical direction. Further, the above-mentioned protruding plate portion 504d is provided on the lower surface of the first plate portion 5041. In addition, the pair of third plate portions 5043 are respectively fixed to the sliding rail 503b.

[0202] The support metal plate 602 is composed of a first metal plate 605 and a second metal plate 606, each of which is formed in a U-shaped cross section as described above. In the present embodiment, in a state where the support leg 600 is in the support position, the first metal plate 605 is on the F side of the second metal plate 606, and the second metal plate 606 is disposed inside the first metal plate 605. The cutout 602b is formed so as to cut off a part of the corner portion on the F side of the first metal plate 605 at the support position. As Figure 15A shown, in the storage position, the position where the other end side portion 603b of the spring 603 is hooked on the cutout 602b is above the rotation axis 602a in the vertical direction. As Figure 16A shown, in the support position, the position where the other end side portion 603b of the spring 603 is hooked on the cutout 602b is below the rotation axis 602a in the vertical direction. And by hooking the other end side portion 603b of the spring 603 on the cutout 602b at such a position and hooking the one end side portion 603a on the cutout 504a at the above position, the spring 603 applies a force to the support metal plate 602 in the direction from the storage position toward the support position ( Figure 15A and Figure 16A the counterclockwise direction).

[0203] The spring 607 is a compression spring. In the present embodiment, it is disposed inside the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606, each of which is formed in a U-shaped cross section. And the spring 607 generates a force in a direction to separate the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606 by pressing the bottom surfaces of the respective metal plates in an elastically compressed state. In addition, the position and shape of the spring 607 are not limited thereto, as long as a force in a direction to separate the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606 can be generated. It may not be a compression spring. For example, it may be a torsion coil spring. Further, the spring 607 may be disposed outside the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606.

[0204] In addition, a contact member 604 is provided on the support metal plate 602. The contact member 604 is fixed to the side surface of the second metal plate 606 on the side opposite to the first metal plate 605. As Figure 15A 、 15BAs shown, when the support leg 600 is in the stored position, the abutting member 604 abuts against the front lower bracket 500a by the force of the spring 603. In addition, when the support leg 600 is in the stored position, the surface of the support leg 600 on the side opposite to the abutting member 604 (the side surface of the first metal plate 605) abuts against the first plate portion 5041 of the rail bracket 504 by the force of the spring 607 between the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606. That is, in the state where the support leg 600 is in the stored position, the support metal plate 602 and the abutting member 604 are arranged to brace between the rail bracket 504 and the front lower bracket 500a by the forces of the spring 603 and the spring 607. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the inadvertent shaking of the support leg 600 in the state where it is in the stored position. For example, it is possible to suppress abnormal noise caused by the support leg 600 swinging in the vertical direction when moving the sheet processing apparatus B.

[0205] Moreover, as will be described in detail later, when the support leg 600 moves from the stored position to the support position, if there is no restriction brought about by the abutment of the abutting member 604 against the front lower bracket 500a, the support leg 600 will move toward the support position by the force of the spring 603. At this time, by the force of the spring 607 provided between the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606 that constitute the support metal plate 602, the second metal plate 606 rotates in a direction away from the first metal plate 605.

[0206] [Restriction of the support leg]

[0207] Next, use Figure 16B 、 Figure 17A and Figure 18 to describe the structure for restricting the rotation of the support leg 600. As Figure 16B shown, the second metal plate 606 that constitutes the support metal plate 602 has an abutting portion 606b and a bent portion 606a as a first engaging portion. The bent portion 606a is formed by bending the upper end portion of the second metal plate 606 at the support position toward the B side. The abutting portion 606b is a portion below the bent portion 606a on the B-side side surface of the second metal plate 606 at the support position. On the other hand, a hole portion 504b as a second engaging portion is formed in the second plate portion 5042 of the rail bracket 504. The hole portion 504b is a hole penetrating in the F-B direction.

[0208] As described above, when the support leg 600 moves from the stored position to the support position and the second metal plate 606 rotates in a direction away from the first metal plate 605 by the force of the spring 607, as Figure 16BAs shown, the bent portion 606a of the second metal plate 606 is inserted into the hole portion 504b of the rail bracket 504. At this time, the abutting portion 606b of the second metal plate 606 abuts against the portion 504c to be abutted, and the portion 504c to be abutted is the side surface on the F side below the hole portion 504b of the second plate portion 5042 at the support position. Thereby, the rotation of the support leg 600 biased toward the support position by the spring 603 is restricted, and the support leg 600 is located at the support position. That is, the abutting portion 606b of the second metal plate 606 and the portion 504c to be abutted of the second plate portion 5042 function as a restricting portion that restricts the rotation of the support leg 600 in the first direction, and the state where the abutting portion 606b abuts against the portion 504c to be abutted is the state where the support leg 600 is located at the support position.

[0209] At this time, as Figure 16B shown by the circle D1 shown by the dashed line in Figure 16B , the acting force of the spring 603 acts on the support metal plate 602 in the counterclockwise direction about the rotation axis 602a. On the other hand, the acting force of the spring 607 acts between the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606 that constitute the support metal plate 602. Therefore, as

[0210] shown by the circle D2 shown by the dashed line in Figure 16A , the acting force of the spring 607 acts on the second metal plate 606 in the clockwise direction about the rotation axis 602c. In addition, in this state, the bent portion 606a of the second metal plate 606 merely passes through the hole portion 504b of the second plate portion 5042, and the bent portion 606a and the hole portion 504b are not engaged.

[0211] This is because if the caster 601 abuts against the installation surface α during the period when the support leg 600 moves from the storage position to the support position, the restriction generated by the abutment between the abutting portion 606b of the second metal plate 606 and the abutted portion 504c of the second plate portion 5042 will not function, and it may not be possible to reliably position the support leg 600 at the support position. In this case, the bent portion 606a of the second metal plate 606 may not enter the hole portion 504b of the second plate portion 5042. If the bent portion 606a does not enter the hole portion 504b, as will be described later, when a force acts on the support leg 600 in the second direction opposite to the first direction, the support leg 600 may rotate in the direction of returning to the storage position, and the saddle stitching portion B2 may not be supported by the support leg 600.

[0212] Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the support leg 600 rotates from the storage position to the support position along with the extraction operation of the saddle stitching portion B2, the caster 601 of the support leg 600 does not abut against the installation surface α until the abutting portion 606b abuts against the abutted portion 504c. Further, in a state where the saddle stitching portion B2 is extracted from the main body frame 500 by a further amount compared to a specified amount, the rail portion 503 is deflected due to the weight of the saddle stitching portion B2, whereby the caster 601 of the support leg 600 is provided on the installation surface α. The specified amount is the amount until the rotation of the support leg 600 is restricted (the rotation amount from the storage position until the abutting portion 606b abuts against the abutted portion 504c). That is, when the saddle stitching portion B2 is extracted by the specified amount, the rotation of the support leg 600 is restricted, and when the saddle stitching portion B2 is further extracted from this position, the rail portion 503 is deflected due to the weight of the saddle stitching portion B2, and the caster 601 contacts the installation surface α, and the saddle stitching portion B2 is supported on the installation surface α via the support leg 600.

[0213] Here, for example, in a state where the caster 601 of the support leg 600 is provided on the installation surface, when the saddle stitching portion B2 is returned from the extraction position to the assembled position, due to the contact between the caster 601 and the installation surface, the support leg 600 rotates about the rotation shaft 602a along Figure 16BA force that rotates in the clockwise direction, i.e., the second direction, acts on the support leg 600. At this time, if the rotation of the support leg 600 in the second direction is not restricted, the support leg 600 will rotate in the direction of returning to the storage position, and there is a possibility that the saddle stitching unit B2 will not be supported by the support leg 600. Therefore, in the present embodiment, there is a restricting portion 610 that restricts the caster 601 from moving from the support position in the direction toward the storage position when the saddle stitching unit B2 moves in the direction of being inserted into the sheet processing apparatus B from the withdrawn state. In the present embodiment, the restricting portion 610 restricts the support leg 600 of the support caster 601 from rotating in the second direction around the rotation axis 602a toward the storage position.

[0214] When inserting the saddle stitching unit B2 from the withdrawn state into the interior of the housing 27, the restricting portion 610 restricts the support leg 600 from rotating in the second direction around the rotation axis 602a toward the storage position until the saddle stitching unit B2 reaches a specified position relative to the housing 27. As will be described later, the specified position is the position where the abutting member 604 abuts against the front lower bracket 500a of the main frame 500 when moving the saddle stitching unit B2 from the withdrawn position to the assembled position.

[0215] Such a restricting portion 610 has a bent portion 606a as the above-described first engaging portion and a hole portion 504b as the second engaging portion. As described above, the hole portion 504b is provided in the rail bracket 504, which is a member that moves together with the saddle stitching unit B2 during the insertion and withdrawal operations of the saddle stitching unit B2. As long as it is a member that moves together with the saddle stitching unit B2 during the insertion and withdrawal operations of the saddle stitching unit B2, the hole portion 504b for engaging the bent portion 606a may also be provided in a member other than the rail bracket 504. And, in a state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is located at a position upstream of the specified position in the insertion direction of the saddle stitching unit B2, that is, before the abutting member 604 abuts against the front lower bracket 500a, when the support leg 600 rotates in the second direction around the rotation axis 602a, the hole portion 504b engages with the bent portion 606a to restrict the rotation of the support leg 600.

[0216] That is, when a force acts in a direction that causes the support leg 600 to rotate in the second direction around the rotation axis 602a, the support leg 600 starts from Figure 16B the support position as shown, as Figure 18As shown, it rotates slightly in the second direction about the rotation axis 602a. At this time, by engaging the bent portion 606a inserted into the hole portion 504b with the lower edge portion of the hole portion 504b, the further rotation of the support leg portion 600 in the second direction is restricted. In this state, the support leg portion 600 is in a state of rotating slightly in the second direction from the support position, and can support the saddle stitching portion B2 on the installation surface. In addition, in this state, since the support leg portion 600 is biased in the first direction by the spring 603, the support leg portion 600 is in a state of being locked in the support position. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the restricting portion 610 and the spring 603 function as a locking mechanism 620 that locks the support leg portion 600 in the support position.

[0217] In this way, in the present embodiment, when moving the saddle stitching portion B2 relative to the main body frame 500 from the assembled position to the withdrawn position, the support leg portion 600 can be reliably positioned at the support position. In addition, when moving the saddle stitching portion B2 from the withdrawn position to the assembled position, it is possible to prevent the support leg portion 600 from rotating in the second direction to a specified position and being unable to support the saddle stitching portion B2. As a result, during the withdrawal and insertion operations of the saddle stitching portion B2, the support state of the saddle stitching portion B2 based on the support leg portion 600 can be more reliably maintained. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet processing apparatus B from tipping forward when the saddle stitching portion B2 is in the withdrawn state.

[0218] In addition, the caster 601 is configured such that even when the distance between the bottom surface of the main body frame 500, on which four casters 502 are fixedly provided in an adjustable manner for height matching between the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B, and the installation surface becomes the shortest, the caster 601 does not contact the installation surface until the contact portion 606b contacts the contacted portion 504c.

[0219] [Release of Restriction]

[0220] Next, the structure for releasing the restriction of the restricting portion 610 will be described. In the present embodiment, by engaging the bent portion 606a with the hole portion 504b as described above, the inadvertent rotation of the support leg portion 600 from the support position to the storage position is suppressed. However, when inserting the saddle stitching portion B2 into the interior of the housing 27, it is necessary to rotate the support leg portion 600 to the storage position. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the restricting portion 610 releases the rotational restriction of the support leg portion 600 in the second direction according to the operation of inserting the saddle stitching portion B2 into the interior of the housing 27 beyond a specified position with respect to the housing 27, and allows the support leg portion 600 to move to the storage position.

[0221] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the acting force of the spring 607 disposed between the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606 constituting the support metal plate 602 is made smaller than the acting force of the spring 603 that applies a force to the support leg 600 toward the support position. Further, the bent portion 606a is formed so as not to engage with the hole portion 504b when the second metal plate 606 rotates in a direction approaching the first metal plate 605 about the rotation axis 602c. That is, as Figure 16B shown, the bent portion 606a rotates in a direction along the locus of the circle D2 about the rotation axis 602a. The direction along the locus of the circle D2 is the direction in which the second metal plate 606 rotates in a direction approaching the first metal plate 605 about the rotation axis 602c. The positional relationship between the bent portion 606a and the hole portion 504b and the bending angle of the bent portion 606a are defined such that when the bent portion 606a rotates about the rotation axis 602a, the bent portion 606a does not contact the hole portion 504b regardless of whether it is in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction in the figure.

[0222] In addition, as described above, when the saddle stitching unit B2 is returned from the retracted position to the assembled position, when the support leg 600 rotates about the rotation axis 602a in the clockwise direction, i.e., the second direction, due to the contact of the caster 601 with the installation surface, the caster 601 rotates along the locus of the circle D1. In this way, the front end portion of the bent portion 606a rotates in the clockwise direction from the Figure 16B position and engages with the hole portion 504b as shown in Figure 16B . That is, in the present embodiment, when the support leg 600 rotates about the rotation axis 602a in the second direction, the bent portion 606a engages with the hole portion 504b to restrict the further rotation of the support leg 600 toward the storage position, and when the second metal plate 606 rotates in a direction approaching the first metal plate 605 about the rotation axis 602c, the bent portion 606a disengages from the hole portion 504b without engaging with the hole portion 504b, allowing the support leg 600 to rotate about the rotation axis 602c in the second direction. Figure 18 As described above, the abutting member 604 is provided on the support leg 600. The abutting member 604 is provided on the second metal plate 606 and abuts against a part of the housing 27 when the saddle stitching unit B2 is inserted into the interior of the housing 27 from the retracted state and the saddle stitching unit B2 reaches a predetermined position. Specifically, in the process of transitioning from the state described later

[0223] to the state of Figure 20F , the abutting member 604 abuts against the F-side surface of the front lower bracket 500a of the main body frame 500. And, as Figure 20E shown, Figure 20EAs shown, the abutting member 604 causes the second metal plate 606 to rotate in a direction approaching the first metal plate 605 about the rotation axis 602c according to the operation of inserting the saddle stitching unit B2 from a specified position into the interior of the housing 27.

[0224] That is, along with the operation of inserting the saddle stitching unit B2 into the interior of the housing 27, since the abutting member 604 abuts against the front lower bracket 500a, a force directed toward the first metal plate 605 acts on the second metal plate 606. As described above, the acting force of the spring 607 disposed between the first metal plate 605 and the second metal plate 606 is smaller than the acting force of the spring 603 that applies a force to the support leg 600 toward the support position. Therefore, when a force directed toward the first metal plate 605 acts on the second metal plate 606 as described above, first, the spring 607 elastically contracts, and the second metal plate 606 approaches the first metal plate 605. At this time, since the acting force of the spring 603 is larger than the acting force of the spring 607, instead of the support leg 600 rotating about the rotation axis 602c, the operation of bringing the second metal plate 606 closer to the first metal plate 605 is performed.

[0225] In addition, assuming that the acting force of the spring 603 is smaller than the acting force of the spring 607, when a force directed toward the first metal plate 605 acts on the second metal plate 606 as described above, first, the spring 603 may elastically deform, and the support leg 600 may rotate in the second direction about the rotation axis 602a. In this case, the bent portion 606a engages with the hole portion 504b, and the state where the restriction by the restricting portion 610 is not released is established. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the acting force of the spring 603 is made larger than the acting force of the spring 607. Thereby, when a force directed toward the first metal plate 605 acts on the second metal plate 606, before the spring 603 elastically deforms, the spring 607 elastically deforms, and before the support leg 600 rotates in the second direction about the rotation axis 602a, the second metal plate 606 rotates in a direction approaching the first metal plate 605 about the rotation axis 602c. Thereby, the restriction release by the restricting portion 610 can be reliably performed, and along with the operation of inserting the saddle stitching unit B2 into the interior of the housing 27, the support leg 600 can be rotated from the support position to the storage position.

[0226] In the present embodiment, in order to smoothly rotate the support leg portion 600 between the support position and the storage position along with the insertion and extraction operations of the saddle stitching unit B2 as described above, the shape of the abutting member 604 is formed such that, in a state where the support leg portion 600 is in the support position, the thickness in the F-B direction of the lower portion is larger than that of the upper portion. Further, the abutting surface 604a of the abutting member 604 that abuts against a part of the housing 27, i.e., the front lower bracket 500a, is formed such that when the saddle stitching unit B2 is inserted into the interior of the housing 27 from a specified position and abuts against the front lower bracket 500a, the support leg portion 600 rotates about the rotation axis 602a and is stored in the storage position.

[0227] Specifically, the shape of the abutting surface 604a of the abutting member 604 that abuts against the front lower bracket 500a is formed as a shape composed of a plurality of curved surfaces. Figure 19 is a perspective view of the abutting member 604 as viewed from the abutting surface 604a side. The abutting surface 604a has a first region 604a1 and a second region 604a2. The first region 604a1 abuts against the upper corner portion of the front lower bracket 500a during the insertion and extraction operations of the saddle stitching unit B2, and the second region 604a2 abuts against the upper surface of the front lower bracket 500a in a state where the support leg portion 600 is in the storage position, and abuts against or approaches and faces the F-side surface of the front lower bracket 500a at a stage where the support leg portion 600 rotates from the storage position to reach the support position.

[0228] The shape of the first region 604a1 is such that when the support leg portion 600 moves in the F-B direction together with the saddle stitching unit B2, the abutting surface 604a smoothly abuts against the upper corner portion of the front lower bracket 500a and does not get caught on the corner portion. Specifically, the first region 604a1 has a curved shape that is recessed toward the second metal plate 606 and is more downwardly inclined toward the F side in a state where the support leg portion 600 is in the storage position. Thus, when the support leg portion 600 moves in the F-B direction and abuts against the corner portion of the front lower bracket 500a, the rotation of the support leg portion 600 between the storage position and the support position can be smoothly performed. The second region 604a2 is smoothly continuous with the first region 604a1 and is formed to be farther from the second metal plate 606 than the first region 604a1, and is formed as a flat surface or a convex surface with a small curvature that stably abuts against the upper surface of the front lower bracket 500a in a state where the support leg portion 600 is in the storage position.

[0229] Use Figures 20A to 20F to describe the rotation operation of the support leg portion 600 having such an abutting member 604 that accompanies the extraction operation of the saddle stitching unit B2. Figure 20AThis is the state where the saddle stitching unit B2 is in the assembled position and the support leg 600 is in the stored position. In this state, the second region 604a2 of the abutting member 604 abuts against the upper surface of the front lower bracket 500a by the force of the spring 603. When the saddle stitching unit B2 is pulled out from the housing 27 starting from this state, as Figure 20B shown, the support leg 600 also moves toward the F side. In this state, the second region 604a2 of the abutting member 604 still abuts against the upper surface of the front lower bracket 500a.

[0230] Next, when the saddle stitching unit B2 is further pulled out from the housing 27, as Figure 20C shown, the first region 604a1 of the abutting member 604 starts to abut against the upper corner of the front lower bracket 500a, and by the force of the spring 603, the support leg 600 starts to rotate in the first direction. When the saddle stitching unit B2 is further pulled out from the housing 27, as Figure 20D shown, the first region 604a1 of the abutting member 604 slides and moves along with the upper corner of the front lower bracket 500a, and by the force of the spring 603, the support leg 600 further rotates in the first direction.

[0231] When the saddle stitching unit B2 is further pulled out from the Figure 20D state, as Figure 20E shown, the support leg 600 disengages from above the front lower bracket 500a, and the support leg 600 further rotates. At this time, the second region 604a2 of the abutting member 604 abuts against the F-side side surface of the front lower bracket 500a, and the second metal plate 606 is in a state of approaching the first metal plate 605 against the force of the spring 607. Therefore, the abutting portion 606b of the second metal plate 606 does not abut against the portion 504c to be abutted of the rail bracket 504.

[0232] When the saddle stitching unit B2 is further pulled out from the Figure 20E state, the abutting member 604 moves away from the side surface of the front lower bracket 500a, and by the force of the spring 607, the second metal plate 606 rotates around the rotation shaft 602c in the direction away from the first metal plate 605. And, as shown in the above Figure 16B shown, the abutting portion 606b abuts against the portion 504c to be abutted, restricting the rotation of the support leg 600 in the first direction, and becoming the state where the support leg 600 is in the supported position. In addition, in this state, the bent portion 606a is inserted into the hole portion 504b. This state is the state where the stopper of the support leg 600 functions.

[0233] On the other hand, when the saddle stitching unit B2 is inserted from the pulled-out position to the assembled position, the above-described stopper of the support leg 600 functions until it becomes Figure 20FState. That is, even if a force is applied to the support leg 600 to cause the support leg 600 to rotate in the second direction about the rotation axis 602a, the bent portion 606a engages with the hole portion 504b and inhibits the support leg 600 from rotating in the second direction until the abutting member 604 provided on the support leg 600 abuts against the front lower bracket 500a (until the saddle stitching portion B2 reaches a specified position relative to the housing 27). In the present embodiment, the position where the abutting member 604 abuts against the F-side side surface of the front lower bracket 500a is set as the specified position.

[0234] When further inserting the saddle stitching portion B2 starting from the Figure 20F state, by causing the abutting member 604 to abut against the F-side side surface of the front lower bracket 500a, the second metal plate 606 is pressed. And the second metal plate 606 rotates in a direction approaching the first metal plate 605 about the rotation axis 602c against the acting force of the spring 607, and the bent portion 606a disengages from the hole portion 504b as described above. That is, the stopping function of the support leg 600 is released. Thereby, the support leg 600 can rotate in the second direction about the rotation axis 602a. In this state, when further inserting the saddle stitching portion B2 into the interior of the housing 27, by the abutment of the abutting member 604 against the upper corner portion of the front lower bracket 500a, the support leg 600 is caused to Figure 20D , Figure 20C , Figure 20B sequence rotate in the second direction about the rotation axis 602a against the acting force of the spring 603, and rotate to the storage position as shown in Figure 20A .

[0235] Thus, in the present embodiment, even if a force is applied to the support leg 600 to cause the support leg 600 to rotate in the first direction (counterclockwise direction) about the rotation axis 602a, further rotation of the support leg 600 in the first direction can be inhibited by the abutment of the abutting portion 606b against the portion to be abutted 504c. That is, even when a load is applied to the support leg 600 when the saddle stitching portion B2 is withdrawn from the interior of the housing 27, it is possible to prevent the support of the saddle stitching portion B2 by the support leg 600 from being unavailable.

[0236] In addition, even if a force is applied to the support leg 600 to cause the support leg 600 to rotate in the second direction (clockwise direction) about the rotation axis 602a, by engaging the bent portion 606a with the hole portion 504b, it is possible to suppress further rotation of the support leg 600 in the second direction. That is, even when a load is applied to the support leg 600 when the saddle stitching unit B2 is inserted into the interior of the housing 27, it is possible to suppress the inability to support the saddle stitching unit B2 using the support leg 600. Thus, in the present embodiment, during the insertion and extraction operations of the saddle stitching unit B2, for example, even if a force in the first direction or the second direction is applied to the support leg 600 about the rotation axis 602a due to friction between the caster 601 and the installation surface, the support leg 600 can be maintained in the support position, and it is possible to suppress a state in which the saddle stitching unit B2 is not supported by the support leg 600. In addition, as long as it is configured such that the support leg 600 can support the saddle stitching unit B2 during the extraction and insertion operations of the saddle stitching unit B2 as described above, it may also be configured such that the stop function is manually activated to restrict the support leg 600 from returning to the storage position.

[0237] In addition, as Figure 20E shown, by causing the abutting member 604 to abut against the side surface on the F side of the front lower bracket 500a during the insertion operation of the saddle stitching unit B2, the second metal plate 606 is rotated to release the stop function of the support leg 600. That is, according to the operation of the user inserting the saddle stitching unit B2 into the interior of the housing 27, the stop function of the support leg 600 is automatically released, and the support leg 600 is allowed to rotate to the storage position. Therefore, there is no need for a special operation for allowing the support leg 600 to rotate to the storage position, such as an operation for manually releasing the stop function, etc., and usability can be improved.

[0238] In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above Figure 14A shown, the front lower bracket 500a has been subjected to a drawing process to ensure strength and has irregularities on the upper surface. Therefore, during the insertion and extraction operations of the saddle stitching unit B2, the abutting member 604 of the support leg 600 may get caught on the irregularities. Therefore, a guiding member 500a1 is provided in the area of the front lower bracket 500a that contacts the abutting member 604, and the guiding member 500a1 guides the abutting member 604 so as not to get caught. When there are no irregularities or the like on the surface of the front lower bracket 500a and there is no portion where the abutting member 604 of the support leg 600 gets caught during the insertion and extraction operations of the saddle stitching unit B2, the guiding member 500a1 may be omitted. In the above description, although the guiding member 500a1 has not been mentioned, the upper surface, the side surface on the F side, and the upper corner portion of the front lower bracket 500a against which the abutting member 604 abuts are the upper surface, the side surface on the F side, and the upper corner portion of the guiding member 500a1.

[0239] [Another example]

[0240] In the above description, the structure in which the support leg 600 is provided in the saddle stitching unit B2 of the sheet processing apparatus B has been described. However, the structure in which the support leg 600 as described above is provided is not limited to the sheet processing apparatus B. For example, it is also possible to Figure 21 provide the support leg 600 in the lowermost box body 210 of the sheet storage device 2d as shown. The sheet storage device 2d is, for example, the structure described in Figure 1 .

[0241] The lowermost box body 210 as the storage unit stores sheets and is configured to be able to be pulled out from the outer shell 211 of the frame of the sheet storage device 2d and inserted into the assembly position of the outer shell 211. And, in the same manner as in the case of the above-described saddle stitching unit B2, it is configured that when the box body 210 is inserted and pulled out, the box body 210 is supported by the support leg 600. The structure including the stop function of the support leg 600 and the like is the same as that described in the above sheet processing apparatus B. In addition, the relationship between the plurality of casters (first casters) 200 that support the sheet storage device 2d on the installation surface and the support leg 600 is also the same as the relationship between the caster 502 and the support leg 600 described above.

[0242] In this way, by supporting the box body 210 with the support leg 600 when the lowermost box body 210 is inserted and pulled out, for example, even when a large amount of sheets or the like are stored inside the box body 210 and the weight of the box body 210 increases, it is possible to suppress the sheet storage device 2d from tilting when the box body 210 is pulled out. In addition, by configuring the support leg 600 as described above, when the box body 210 is inserted and pulled out, for example, even if a force in the first direction or the second direction is applied to the support leg 600 around the rotation axis 602a, the support leg 600 can be maintained in the support position, and it is possible to suppress the state in which the box body 210 is not supported by the support leg 600.

[0243] In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the plurality of casters 200 provided on the sheet storage device 2d can rotate the caster itself and rotate the caster relative to the sheet storage device 2d within a range of 360° by having a plurality of rotation axes (not shown). This is to facilitate the processing when moving the device when the sheet storage device 2d is installed or the like. On the other hand, the caster 601 provided on the support leg 600 can only rotate in one direction (the pulling-out direction of the lowermost box body 210).

[0244] Thus, when the bottommost cassette 210 is extracted, since the caster 601 moves only in the same direction as the extraction direction of the cassette 210, it does not become a load when the user performs the operation of extracting the cassette 210, and the operability is good. In other words, it is possible to suppress the reduction of operability caused by the caster 601 moving in a direction different from the extraction direction when the cassette 210 is extracted.

[0245] On the other hand, when the sheet storage device 2d is moved, if the caster 200 wants to rotate and move in a direction different from the direction in which the caster 601 rotates and moves forward, if the caster 601 of the supporting leg 600 abuts against the installation surface, it is difficult to move the sheet storage device 2d because the caster 601 rotates only in one direction. In contrast, in the present embodiment, since the supporting leg 600 is located at the storage position, when the sheet storage device 2d is moved by the caster 200, the caster 601 of the supporting leg 600 that rotates only in one direction does not hinder the movement of the sheet storage device 2d, and the sheet storage device 2d can be moved smoothly, and the operability is good.

[0246] In addition, even if the caster 601 is a structure that can rotate in the same manner as the caster 200, when the sheet storage device 2d is moved, if there are uneven surfaces on the installation surface such as the floor, the caster 601 may abut against the uneven parts, which may hinder the movement of the device. However, in this embodiment, since the support leg 600 can be moved from the support position to the storage position, the movement of the device itself will not be hindered, and the reduction in usability can be suppressed. <Other embodiments>

[0247] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the support leg 600 is configured to move to the support position and the storage position in conjunction with the movement of the saddle stitching unit B2 and the bottom box body 210 in the insertion direction and the extraction direction. However, as long as the support leg 600 is configured to return from the support position to the storage position in conjunction with the movement of the saddle stitching unit B2 and the bottom box body 210 in the insertion direction, the support leg 600 may be configured to move from the storage position to the support position manually.

[0248] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the movement (rotation) of the support leg 600 in the direction of returning from the support position to the storage position is restricted by the restriction portion 610, and the restriction is released in conjunction with the movement of the saddle stitching unit B2 and the bottom layer box body 210 in the insertion direction. However, for example, the support leg 600 may be locked at the support position and the lock may be manually released, thereby returning the support leg 600 to the storage position in conjunction with the insertion of the saddle stitching unit B2 and the bottom layer box body 210.

[0249] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the processing unit is the saddle stitching unit B2 that performs the intermediate folding process, the saddle stitching process, and the flat-back process as the specified processes has been described. However, the processing unit is not limited thereto, and it may be a unit that performs any one of the above-described processes, or may be a unit that performs a plurality of processes. In addition, the specified processes are not limited to these processes, and may be an end stitching process performed at the end of the sheet bundle, or a perforation process for making holes in the sheet bundle. That is, the specified processes only need to include any one or more of various processes known in the past, such as the intermediate folding process, the saddle stitching process, the flat-back process, the end stitching process, and the perforation process, which are performed on the sheet or the sheet bundle.

[0250] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the sheet processing device B has a control unit and controls each structure inside the sheet processing device B. However, each structure inside the sheet processing device B may also be a structure controlled by the control unit included in the image forming device.

[0251] Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, as the conveying unit that conveys the sheet inside the sheet processing device B, an example of a pair of rollers has been described. However, it may also be a structure that conveys the sheet using a belt. Specifically, it may be either a structure that sandwiches and conveys the sheet using a pair of belts or a structure that sandwiches the sheet using a belt and a roller, or the conveying structure may be changed according to the position and path of the conveyed sheet. For example, it may be that the sheet is conveyed using a pair of rollers at a certain position and the sheet is conveyed using a pair of belts at other positions.

[0252] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming system 1000 in which the sheet processing device B is directly connected to the image forming device A has been described. However, it may also be other system configurations. For example, it may be a configuration in which other processing devices, conveying devices, etc. are connected between the image forming device A and the sheet processing device B. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming device A that forms a monochromatic image using toner has been described as an example. However, it may be an image forming device that forms a color image using toner, or an image forming device that forms an image on a sheet using ink.

[0253] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims should be given the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications as well as equivalent structures and functions.

[0254] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-222470 filed on December 28, 2023, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-171115 filed on September 30, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A sheet material processing device, wherein: The sheet material processing device comprises: a plurality of first casters, the plurality of first casters supporting the sheet processing device to be movable; a processing unit, the processing unit being disposed in the sheet material processing device so as to be withdrawable and insertable, and performing a predetermined processing on the sheet material; a second caster, the second caster being disposed on the processing unit and contacting with a setting surface of the sheet processing device to support the processing unit when the processing unit moves in the extraction direction; as well as A supporting portion, wherein the supporting portion supports the second caster so as to be movable to a storage position and a supporting position, wherein the storage position is the position of the second caster when the processing unit is inserted into the sheet processing device, and the supporting position is a position for the second caster to support the processing unit pulled out of the sheet processing device at a setting surface where the sheet processing device is set, and along with the action of inserting the processing unit, the supporting portion moves the second caster from the supporting position to the storage position.

2. The sheet material processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The support portion moves the second caster from the storage position to the support position in accordance with the operation of pulling out the processing unit.

3. The sheet material processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The sheet processing apparatus further includes a locking mechanism configured to lock the support portion at the supporting position in a state in which the processing unit is pulled out of the sheet processing apparatus.

4. The sheet material processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The first caster is arranged on the bottom surface of the sheet material processing device. In the stored position, the second caster and the support portion are located above the bottom surface.

5. The sheet material processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The sheet processing apparatus includes a restriction portion that restricts movement of the second caster in a direction from the supporting position toward the housing position when the processing unit moves from a pulled-out state toward an insertion direction into the sheet processing apparatus.

6. The sheet material processing device according to claim 5, wherein: The restriction portion releases restriction on the direction of the support portion toward the storage position in response to an operation of inserting the processing unit into the sheet processing apparatus, and allows the support portion to move toward the storage position.

7. The sheet material processing device according to claim 5, wherein: The sheet material processing device further comprises: a first force applying portion that applies force to the support portion in a direction from the storage position toward the support position; and a first rotation axis that rotatably supports the support portion; The support portion includes: a first member rotatably supported on the first rotation axis; a second member supported to be rotatable relative to the first member about a second rotation axis; and a second force applying portion, the second force applying portion applying force to the second member in a direction away from the first member, The restricting portion comprises: a first engaging portion, the first engaging portion being provided on the second member; and a second engaging portion, wherein the second engaging portion is provided on a component that moves together with the processing unit during the insertion and extraction of the processing unit, and engages with the first engaging portion to limit the rotation of the supporting portion when the supporting portion rotates about the first rotating axis in the direction toward the storage position.

8. The sheet material processing device according to claim 7, wherein: The sheet material processing device further comprises: a rail portion that guides the processing unit so that it can be drawn out from the sheet processing device and inserted into the sheet processing device; and a rail side support portion, the rail side support portion being provided on the rail portion and supporting the support portion so as to be rotatable about the first rotation axis, The second engagement portion is formed on the rail-side support portion.

9. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: The force applied by the second force applying portion is smaller than the force applied by the first force applying portion.

10. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: When the second member rotates about the second rotation axis in a direction approaching the first member, the first engaging portion does not engage with the second engaging portion.

11. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: The sheet processing device also includes an abutment member, which is arranged on the second member. When the processing unit is inserted into the sheet processing device from a pulled-out state, the abutment member abuts against a part of the sheet processing device. According to the action of inserting the processing unit into the sheet processing device, the second member is rotated around the second rotating axis in a direction approaching the first member.

12. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: The contact surface of the contact member that contacts a part of the sheet processing device is formed so that the support portion rotates around the first rotation axis and is stored in the storage position by contacting the part of the sheet processing device when the processing unit is inserted into the sheet processing device.

13. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The sheet material processing device further comprises: a rotating shaft that rotatably supports the support portion; as well as a main support portion that supports the sheet processing device on the installation surface, When the support portion is located at the support position, when the distance between the rotation axis and the lower end of the support portion in the vertical direction is set to L1, and the distance between the rotation axis and the lower end of the main support portion in the vertical direction is set to L2, L1<L2 is satisfied.

14. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The processing unit has: a conveying section that conveys a sheet bundle subjected to a center-folding process or a sheet bundle subjected to a saddle-stitching process and a center-folding process so that a spine of the sheet bundle is located downstream of a book edge in a conveying direction; as well as The flat back processing section comprises: a pair of clamping units, the pair of clamping units clamping and releasing the sheet bundle by moving relative to the sheet bundle conveyed by the conveying section; and a pressing roller, the pressing roller pressing the back of the sheet bundle clamped by the pair of clamping units toward the pair of clamping units, the flat back processing section performs a flat back processing, in which the pressing roller presses the back of the sheet bundle clamped by the pair of clamping units in a conveying direction of the sheet bundle based on the conveying section so that the back of the sheet bundle protrudes to the downstream side relative to the pair of clamping units, The prescribed processing includes the flat back processing.

15. An image forming system, wherein: The image forming system comprises: an image forming unit having an image forming portion that forms an image on a sheet; and a sheet processing device for performing a predetermined process on the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit, The sheet material processing device comprises: a plurality of first casters, the plurality of first casters supporting the sheet processing device to be movable; a processing unit, the processing unit being disposed in the sheet material processing device so as to be withdrawable and insertable, and performing the prescribed processing on the sheet material; a second caster, the second caster being disposed on the processing unit and contacting with a setting surface of the sheet processing device to support the processing unit when the processing unit moves in the extraction direction; as well as A supporting portion, wherein the supporting portion supports the second caster so as to be movable to a storage position and a supporting position, wherein the storage position is the position of the second caster when the processing unit is inserted into the sheet processing device, and the supporting position is a position for the second caster to support the processing unit pulled out of the sheet processing device at a setting surface where the sheet processing device is set, and along with the action of inserting the processing unit, the supporting portion moves the second caster from the supporting position to the storage position.

16. A sheet material storage device, wherein: The sheet material receiving device comprises: a plurality of first casters, the plurality of first casters supporting the sheet storage device to be movable; A receiving unit, which is disposed in the sheet receiving device in a withdrawable and insertable manner and receives sheets; a second caster, the second caster being arranged at the receiving unit and contacting with a setting surface of the sheet receiving device to support the receiving unit when the receiving unit moves in the drawing direction; as well as A supporting portion, wherein the supporting portion supports the second caster so as to be movable to a storage position and a supporting position, wherein the storage position is the position of the second caster when the storage unit is inserted into the sheet storage device, and the supporting position is a position for the second caster to support the storage unit pulled out of the sheet storage device at a position on a setting surface where the sheet storage device is set, and along with the action of inserting the storage unit, the supporting portion moves the second caster from the supporting position to the storage position.

17. The sheet storage device according to claim 16, wherein: The support portion moves the second caster from the storage position to the support position in accordance with the operation of pulling out the storage unit.

18. The sheet storage device according to claim 16, wherein: The sheet storage device further includes a locking mechanism configured to lock the support portion at the support position in a state in which the storage unit is pulled out of the sheet storage device.

19. The sheet storage device according to claim 16, wherein: The first caster is arranged on the bottom surface of the sheet material receiving device. In the stored position, the second caster and the support portion are located above the bottom surface.

20. The sheet storage device according to claim 16, wherein: The sheet storage device includes a restriction portion that restricts movement of the second caster in a direction from the supporting position toward the storage position when the storage unit moves from a pulled-out state to a direction in which it is inserted into the sheet storage device.

21. The sheet storage device according to claim 20, wherein: The restriction portion releases restriction on the direction of the support portion toward the storage position in response to the insertion of the storage unit into the sheet storage device, and allows the support portion to move toward the storage position.

22. The sheet storage device according to claim 20, wherein: The sheet material storage device further comprises: a first force applying portion that applies force to the support portion in a direction from the storage position toward the support position; and a first rotation axis that rotatably supports the support portion; The support portion includes: a first member rotatably supported on the first rotation axis; a second member supported to be rotatable relative to the first member about a second rotation axis; and a second force applying portion, the second force applying portion applying force to the second member in a direction away from the first member, The restricting portion comprises: a first engaging portion, the first engaging portion being provided on the second member; and a second engaging portion, wherein the second engaging portion is provided on a component that moves together with the receiving unit during the insertion and withdrawal of the receiving unit, and engages with the first engaging portion to limit the rotation of the supporting portion when the supporting portion rotates in a direction toward the storage position around the first rotating axis.

23. The sheet storage device according to claim 22, wherein: The sheet material storage device further comprises: a rail portion that guides the storage unit so that it can be drawn out from the sheet storage device and inserted into the sheet storage device; and a rail side support portion, the rail side support portion being provided on the rail portion and supporting the support portion so as to be rotatable about the first rotation axis, The second engagement portion is formed on the rail-side support portion.

24. The sheet storage device according to claim 22, wherein: The force applied by the second force applying portion is smaller than the force applied by the first force applying portion.

25. The sheet storage device according to claim 24, wherein: When the second member rotates about the second rotation axis in a direction approaching the first member, the first engaging portion does not engage with the second engaging portion.

26. The sheet storage device according to claim 25, wherein: The sheet storage device also includes an abutment member, which is arranged on the second member. When the storage unit is inserted into the sheet storage device from a pulled-out state, the abutment member abuts against a part of the sheet storage device. According to the action of inserting the storage unit into the sheet storage device, the second member is rotated around the second rotating axis in a direction approaching the first member.

27. The sheet storage device according to claim 26, wherein: The contact surface of the contact member that contacts a part of the sheet storage device is formed so that the support portion rotates around the first rotation axis and is stored in the storage position by contacting the part of the sheet storage device when the storage unit is inserted into the sheet storage device.

28. The sheet storage device according to claim 16, wherein: The sheet material storage device further comprises: a rotation shaft that rotatably supports the support portion; and a main support portion, the main support portion supporting the sheet storage device on the installation surface, When the support portion is located at the support position, when the distance between the rotation axis and the lower end of the support portion in the vertical direction is set to L1, and the distance between the rotation axis and the lower end of the main support portion in the vertical direction is set to L2, L1<L2 is satisfied.

29. An image forming system, wherein: The image forming system comprises: a sheet material storage device for storing sheets; and an image forming unit having an image forming portion that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet storage device, The sheet material receiving device comprises: a plurality of first casters, the plurality of first casters supporting the sheet storage device to be movable; A receiving unit, which is disposed in the sheet receiving device in a withdrawable and insertable manner and receives sheets; a second caster, the second caster being arranged at the receiving unit and contacting with a setting surface of the sheet receiving device to support the receiving unit when the receiving unit moves in the drawing direction; as well as A supporting portion, wherein the supporting portion supports the second caster so as to be movable to a storage position and a supporting position, wherein the storage position is the position of the second caster when the storage unit is inserted into the sheet storage device, and the supporting position is a position for the second caster to support the storage unit pulled out of the sheet storage device at a position on a setting surface where the sheet storage device is set, and along with the action of inserting the storage unit, the supporting portion moves the second caster from the supporting position to the storage position.

Images