Printed matter consolidating device

Abstract

To provide a consolidating device for printed matter, capable of consolidating a plurality of printed matters produced by cutting a single printed material sheet into multiple sheets without requiring human intervention.SOLUTION: A consolidating device for printed matter according to this invention includes: a cutting device that includes a cutting section for cutting a sheet of pre-printed paper into multiple sheets, and a discharge section for arranging a plurality of sheets of printed materials produced by cutting at the cutting section one by one in one direction for predetermined pieces of two or more so as to discharge them in a direction different from the one direction; and a consolidating device for consolidating printed materials discharged from the discharge section of the cutting device into one pile. The consolidating device further comprises: an accommodation section 42 to accommodate the predetermined number of printed materials that are discharged in a row from the discharge section of the cutting device; a consolidation section 43 provided adjacent to the accommodating section in a predetermined direction different from the direction in which the printed material is discharged from the discharge section; and a conveyance mechanism 425 for conveying, to the consolidation section, a plurality of printed materials accommodated in the accommodating section as a single pile aggregate to the accommodating section each time the printed materials are accommodated in the accommodating section in a predetermined number.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for collecting printed matter such as postcards. [Background technology]

[0002] When individuals or companies produce New Year's cards, summer greeting cards, greeting cards, etc., they may specify the design to be printed on the postcards via an Internet site and then ask a professional printer such as a printing company to produce the required number of postcards, instead of printing the letters, designs, etc. on each postcard one by one using their own printer.

[0003] When a professional company produces multiple postcards with the same design, a dedicated device having a printer, a cutter, and a transport mechanism is used. In such a device, the printer prints multiple copies of the same design on a large-sized printing paper having an area several times larger than a postcard, cuts the printed paper at a predetermined position with a cutter, and then transports the paper to a collection location with a transport mechanism (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). For example, when producing 100 postcards, the printer prints the same design on each of the areas divided into four grid-like regions on a printing paper having a size four times larger than a postcard, cuts the paper with a cutter, and transports the paper to a collection location with a transport mechanism. This process is repeated 25 times. In the transport mechanism, first, of the four postcards cut from one printing paper, the two postcards located closest to the collection location are transported to the collection location first, and then the two postcards located farthest from the collection location are transported to the collection location and overlapped on top of the two postcards transported first. In other words, two piles are formed at the collection location. Once all 25 sheets of printing paper have been printed, cut, and transported, the 100 postcards are collected in a collection area into two piles of 50. Workers remove them, combine them into one pile, and bundle or wrap them for shipping. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-35067 [Patent Document 2] JP 2021-144171 A [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Automatic belting machine UP-320", [online], Yucos Co., Ltd., [Searched on July 21, 2022], Internet<URL:http: / / www.ucos.co.jp / products / 89 / > Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] With the above device, an operator must remove two piles of postcards from the collection area and consolidate them into one. If a process that requires manual labor is included, the operator may make a mistake, such as dropping a pile of postcards while removing it from the collection area. Such a mistake may also cause problems such as postcards being lost.

[0007] Here, we have used the example of producing multiple postcards with the same design, but the same problem exists when producing multiple postcards by printing and cutting multiple different designs on printing paper, or when producing printed materials other than postcards.

[0008] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a printed matter consolidation device that can consolidate multiple printed matters produced by cutting a single printed sheet of paper into multiple sheets into one without the need for human intervention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, is a cutting device that includes a cutting unit that cuts one printed sheet of paper into multiple sheets, and a discharge unit that arranges two or more predetermined numbers of printed sheets produced by cutting in the cutting unit one by one in one direction and discharges them in a direction different from the one direction, and collects the printed sheets discharged from the discharge unit into one pile, a storage section for storing the predetermined number of printed materials discharged in a lined state from a discharge section of the cutting device; a collecting section provided adjacent to the storage section in a predetermined direction different from a direction in which the printed matter is discharged from the discharge section; a conveying mechanism that conveys the plurality of printed products accommodated in the accommodation section to the consolidation section as one pile of printed products each time a predetermined number of the printed products are accommodated in the accommodation section; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0010] The printed matter collecting device according to the present invention includes a storage section that stores a plurality of printed matters discharged from a discharge section of a conveying device in a lined up state, a collecting section that is provided adjacent to the storage section in a predetermined direction different from the direction in which the printed matters are discharged from the discharge section of the conveying device, and a conveying mechanism that transports the printed matters stored in the storage section to the collecting section. The printed matters are typically rectangular printed matters, and in this case, the predetermined direction is a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the direction in which the printed matters are discharged. However, the printed matters targeted by the present invention may have shapes other than rectangular (triangle, hexagon, circle, etc.), and in this case, the predetermined direction may be any appropriate direction that allows the plurality of printed matters lined up one by one to be stacked in one pile by moving them in that direction.

[0011] In the printed matter consolidating device according to the present invention, each time a predetermined number of printed matters are stored in the storage unit, the transport mechanism transports the printed matters to the storage unit as one pile. Conventionally, a predetermined number of printed matters discharged to the discharge unit of the transport device were stored in the storage unit in a lined-up state, and ultimately the printed matters accumulated in the predetermined number of piles had to be manually consolidated into one by an operator. However, by using the printed matter consolidating device according to the present invention, the printed matters discharged from the cutting device can be consolidated into one without the need for human labor.

[0012] In the print material collecting device according to the present invention, the transport mechanism includes: a support mechanism that supports the printed materials discharged from the discharge section in a lined up state at different heights in the storage section; a conveying section that moves the printed works supported at different heights below or above one of the printed works to be stacked into one pile and conveys the stacked works to the collecting section; It is possible to adopt a configuration including the above.

[0013] In the printed matter collecting device of the above aspect, the printed matters stored in the storage section can be superimposed into one pile by the transport mechanism and transported to the collecting section.

[0014] Alternatively, in the print material collecting device according to the present invention, the transport mechanism includes: a conveying section that conveys the printed matter accommodated in the accommodation section to the collecting section one by one in the order of the printed matter located closest to the collecting section; It is also possible to adopt a configuration having the above.

[0015] In the printed matter collecting device of the above aspect, the printed matters stored in the storage unit can be transported one by one by the transport unit to the collecting unit, where they can be stacked and collected into one pile. Effect of the Invention

[0016] By using the printed matter consolidation device of the present invention, multiple printed matters created by cutting a single printed sheet of paper into multiple pieces can be consolidated into one without the need for human labor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system including an embodiment of a print material aggregation device according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2A to 2C are diagrams for explaining the operation of each part of the print material collecting device of the embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a main part of the print material collecting device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the structure of a conveying unit in the print material collecting device of the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram showing a state in which two printed sheets are stored in a storage unit in the printed sheet collecting device of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a structure of a collecting unit in the print material collecting device of the embodiment. [Figure 7] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating the structure of a vertically moving member in the printed material collecting device of the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a side view of the binding unit in the printed material consolidating device of the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the bundling unit in the printed material consolidating device of the embodiment, as viewed from the consolidating unit side. [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram showing a state in which one printed sheet is stored in a storage unit in the printed sheet collecting device of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 shows a modified example of the storage unit in the printed matter collecting device of the embodiment. [Figure 12] An example of a configuration for aggregating polygonal printouts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a print product consolidation device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The print product consolidation device (hereinafter, simply referred to as "consolidation device") of this embodiment is incorporated as a part of a print product production system.

[0019] 1 shows the overall configuration of a print production system 1 of this embodiment. This print production system 1 is used to mass-produce prints of the same design, such as postcards and business cards. The print production system 1 of this embodiment comprises a printing device 2, a cutting device 3, a consolidating device 4, and a control unit 5 that controls the operations of these devices. A user sets conditions in advance in the control unit 5, such as the size of the prints, the number of copies to be printed, the size of the printing paper to be used, and the number of prints to be bound together.

[0020] The printer 2 is a device that prints the same design in multiple layouts on printing paper that is several times (e.g., four times) the size of the final printed matter (e.g., postcard) to be created. For example, when printing 1000 postcards using printing paper that is four times the size of a postcard, 250 sheets of printing paper are set in the paper feed tray of the printer 2, and under the control of the control unit 5, the printing paper is set one by one, and the same design is printed in layouts on each of the four divided areas of the printing paper. This process is performed sequentially for each of the 250 sheets of printing paper. Below, an example will be described in which the printed matter to be aggregated is a postcard, but the print creation system 1 of this embodiment can also be used for various printed matters other than postcards.

[0021] After the layout printing, the printed paper is sent one by one to the cutting device 3 and cut into several pieces. The cutting device 3 determines where to cut the printed paper based on conditions set in the control unit 5, and cuts the printed paper with the layout printing into several pieces. The discharge section of the cutting device 3 is provided parallel to one side of the printed paper. After the cutting device 3 cuts the printed paper into several printed pieces, the multiple printed pieces that are located closest to the discharge section (the consolidation device 4 side) and that are lined up in a row are discharged from the discharge section first. After that, the multiple printed pieces that are lined up in a row are sequentially discharged, starting from the one closest to the discharge section.

[0022] The printing device 2 and the cutting device 3 have the same structure as those conventionally used, so detailed description will be omitted. The following describes the aggregation device 4, which is a characteristic component of this embodiment.

[0023] The consolidating device 4 comprises a printed matter receiving section 41, a storage section 42, a consolidating section 43, and a bundling section 44. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the consolidating process of printed matter in the printed matter receiving section 41, the storage section 42, the consolidating section 43, and the bundling section 44. The printed matter receiving section 41 receives printed matter cut by the cutting device 3. The storage section 42 stores printed matter that has passed through the transport path of the printed matter receiving section 41. The consolidating section 43 consolidates the printed matter stored in the storage section 42 into one pile. The bundling section 44 bundles the printed matters consolidated into one pile by the consolidating section 43.

[0024] 3 shows the configuration of the aggregation device 4 (excluding the bundling unit 44). Note that in FIG. 3 and other figures, an external housing and the like are omitted in order to illustrate the various components that configure the aggregation device 4.

[0025] In the printed matter receiving section 41, roller sets each having four rollers (two inner rollers 411 and two outer rollers 412) attached to a rod-shaped shaft member 413 are arranged above and below the conveying path. Three roller sets are arranged along the conveying path, with one roller set arranged above and one roller set arranged above the conveying path. The shaft members 413 of the three roller sets located below the conveying path are connected to the rotating shaft of a motor 415 by a belt 414, and the shaft members 413 of the three roller sets rotate at the same speed by the operation of the motor 415. In addition, the rollers provided in the three roller sets located above the conveying path come into contact with their respective paired rollers (located below the conveying path) via the printed matter, and rotate at the same speed as the rollers located below.

[0026] Of the three roller sets arranged along the transport path, the diameter of the roller (inner roller 411) located on the inner part (closer to the center) of the transport path is slightly larger than the diameter of the roller (outer roller 412) located on the outer part (both ends) of the transport path. Because the inner roller 411 and outer roller 412 rotate at the same speed, the printed material moving along the transport path is transported at a higher speed by the inner roller 411 than by the outer roller 412. As a result, the multiple printed materials are transported from the center to the outside of the transport path, and gaps are formed between the multiple printed materials by the time they reach the storage unit 42.

[0027] The storage section 42 is provided at the exit of the transport path of the printed matter receiving section 41. The printed matters that have passed through the transport path of the printed matter receiving section 41 sequentially enter the storage section 42. The storage section 42 has a bottom member 421, a frame member 422, a pressing member 423, a support member 424, and a printed matter transport section 425.

[0028] The bottom member 421 is a rectangular plate-like member that forms the bottom of the space that contains the printed matter, and has two grooves 4261, 4262 that extend in a direction perpendicular to the path through which the printed matter enters from the printed matter receiving section 41. The frame member 422 is a plate-like member that stands upright from one of the four sides of the bottom member 421 that is opposite the printed matter receiving section 41 and one side that is opposite the collecting section 43. The pressing member 423 is a member that is integrally formed by combining two rectangular plate-like members (one plate-like member 4231 and the other plate-like member 4232), is disposed above the bottom member 421, and is fixed to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the long side of the frame member 422 near the end on the opposite side to the conveying path. One plate-like member 4231 is disposed approximately parallel to the bottom member 421 on the side of the bottom member 421 that is farther from the printed matter receiving section 41. The other plate-like member 4232 is provided so as to rise obliquely upward from approximately half of the side of the plate-like member 4231 on the printed matter receiving unit 41 side, the side being farther from the collecting unit 43, toward the printed matter receiving unit 41. A solenoid is provided on the rear surface side of the other plate-like member 4232. This solenoid will be described later. The support member 424 is a small rectangular plate-like piece provided parallel to the bottom member 421 on the side of the bottom member 421 closer to the collecting unit 43 and the printed matter receiving unit 41.

[0029] The printed matter transport unit 425 is disposed below the bottom member 421. As shown in FIG. 4, the printed matter transport unit 425 includes a rail 4251, a solenoid 4252, a motor 4253, a disk member 4254, and a printed matter pushing member 4255. The solenoid 4252 has a main body 42521 that moves along the rail 4251, and a columnar member 42522 that protrudes from the upper surface of the main body 42521, and the columnar member 42522 is movable up and down. A printed matter pushing member 4255 is attached to the upper end of the columnar member 42522 via a disk member 4254. The printed matter pushing member 4255 is provided with a first pushing piece 42551 and a second pushing piece 42552. The first push-out piece 42551 is located above the groove 4261 when the columnar member 42522 is in the upper position, and is located below the groove 4261 when the columnar member 42522 is in the lower position. The second push-out piece 42552 is located above the groove 4262 when the columnar member 42522 is in the upper position, and is located below the groove 4262 when the columnar member 42522 is in the lower position. The motor 4253 is a drive source that moves the main body 42521 along the rail 4251. When the solenoid 4252 moves toward the collection section 43, it moves the columnar member 42522 to an upper position so that the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552 are positioned above the grooves 4261 and 4262, respectively, and when it moves to the opposite side, it moves the columnar member 42522 to a lower position so that the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552 are positioned below the grooves 4261 and 4262, respectively.

[0030] The printed matter that has passed through the printed matter receiving section 41 enters the storage section 42 while remaining lined up in a row and spaced apart from each other. As shown by hatching in FIG. 5, the printed matter 71 that has entered the side farther from the collecting section 43 is guided downward by the other plate-like member 4232 of the pressing member 423 and enters the space between the bottom member 421 and the one plate-like member 4231 of the pressing member 423. On the other hand, the printed matter 72 that has entered the side closer to the collecting section 43 enters above the one plate-like member 4231 of the pressing member 423, and one side of the rear end of the printed matter (the side closer to the printed matter receiving section 41) is supported by the support member 424. As a result, the printed matter 72 that has entered the side closer to the collecting section 43 and the printed matter 71 that has entered the side farther from the collecting section 43 are stored at different positions in the height direction.

[0031] When a predetermined number of printed matter that have passed through the printed matter receiving section 41 are stored in the storage section 42, the solenoid 4252 located at the end of the rail 4251 farther from the collecting section 43 moves along the rail 4251 to the end on the collecting section 43 side. This predetermined number can be, for example, the number of printed matter produced by cutting one sheet of printed paper in the cutting device 3. Specifically, for example, when the same design is printed and cut in four areas of one sheet of paper, the predetermined number is four, and the above operation is repeated every time two printed matter that have passed through the printed matter receiving section 41 are stored twice in the storage section 42.

[0032] At this time, the columnar member 42522 is in the upper position, the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552 protrude upward from the grooves 4261 and 4262, respectively, and the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552 first extrude the printed matter 71 stored on the side farther from the collecting unit 43 toward the collecting unit 43 side and enter below the printed matter 72 stored on the side closer to the collecting unit 43, and the two are overlapped vertically. Thereafter, the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552 move further, and the vertically overlapped printed matters 71 and 72 are simultaneously transported to the collecting unit 43.

[0033] When the printed materials 71 and 72 are transported to the collecting unit 43, the solenoid 4252 moves the columnar member 42522 to a lower position and moves to the end on the side away from the collecting unit 43 (returning to the original position). If the solenoid 4252 is reciprocated with the first pushing piece 42551 and the second pushing piece 42552 still protruding from the grooves 4261 and 4262, the printed materials 71 and 72 cannot be transported to the storage unit 42 until the solenoid 4252 returns to its original position. In contrast, in this embodiment, the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552 protrude upward from the grooves 4261, 4262 only when the printed materials 71, 72 are transported to the collection section 43, and the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552 are positioned below the grooves 4261, 4262 while the solenoid 4252 is returning to its original position.Therefore, there is no need to worry about the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552 interfering with the operation of storing the printed materials 71, 72 in the storage section 42 when the solenoid 4252 returns to its original position, and the printed materials 71, 72 can be transported continuously to the storage section 42.

[0034] The structure of the collecting section 43 will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 6. The collecting section 43 includes a bottom member 431, a vertical movement mechanism 432 for moving the bottom member 431 between an upper position and a lower position, a rear member 433 located on the rear side (opposite the binding section 44) of the bottom member 431, a horizontal movement mechanism 434 for moving the rear member 433 between an initial position (a position where the printed materials are collected) and the binding section 44, a regulating member 435 located on the front side (the side of the binding section 44) of the bottom member 431, a first side wall member 4361 located on the side of the storage section 42 across the bottom member 431, and a second side wall member 4362 located on the opposite side. Note that the second side wall member 4362 is omitted in Fig. 6 in order to illustrate the bottom member 431.

[0035] The bottom member 431 is a rectangular plate-like member with a plurality of small-diameter holes. The vertical movement mechanism 432 has an appearance as shown in Fig. 7, and includes a disk member 4321 that supports the lower surface of the bottom member 431, a first support part 4322 that houses an elastic member that supports the disk member 4321, a second support part 4323 that is a rod-like member connected to the first support part 4322, and a motor 4324 that moves the second support part 4323 up and down. The bottom member 431 supported by the disk member 4321 is moved up and down by moving the second support part 4323 (and the first support part 4322 and disk member 4321 connected thereto) up and down by the motor 4324.

[0036] The back member 433 is a plate-like member provided along one of the four sides of the bottom member 431 that is located opposite to the binding section 44. The lower end of the back member 433 is located at approximately the same height as the bottom member 431 when it is in the lower position. The horizontal movement mechanism 434 has two shaft members 4341 (only the ends of the shaft members 4341 are shown in FIG. 3 and the like), belts 4342 (only the belt 4342 on the front side is shown in FIG. 3 and the like) that are passed over both ends of the two shaft members 4341 on both sides of the back member 433, and a motor 4343 that rotates one of the shaft members 4341. The lower end of the back member 433 moves horizontally (towards the binding section 44 and in the opposite direction) along the conveying path 441 in synchronization with the reciprocating motion of the belt 4342.

[0037] The regulating member 435 is an L-shaped member having a horizontal surface and a vertical surface extending from one end of the horizontal surface, and the lower end of the vertical surface abuts (or is close to) the bottom member 431 when the bottom member 431 is in the upper position.

[0038] At the start of operation, the collecting section 43 is in a state in which the bottom member 431 is disposed in the upper position. With the bottom member 431 in the upper position, an end of the regulating member 435 abuts against one side of the tip (the direction in which the bottom member 431 is transported by the belt conveyor) of the bottom member 431. The regulating member 435, the back member 433, the first side wall member 4361, and the second side wall member 4362 define an area into which printed materials are input from the storage section 42. The printed materials 71, 72 pushed out of the storage section 42 by the columnar members 42522 are transported to this area of ​​the bottom member 431 and collected into one pile.

[0039] When a predetermined number of printed materials (e.g., 100 sheets) are collected on the bottom member 431, the vertical movement mechanism 432 moves the bottom member 431 from the upper position to the lower position under the control of the control unit 5. When the bottom member 431 moves to the lower position, the upper surfaces of the printed materials collected on the bottom member 431 are positioned below the lower end of the regulating member 435, and the bundling section 44 side is released. Thereafter, the horizontal movement mechanism 434 moves the back member 433 toward the bundling section 44 along the transport path 441 formed between the first side wall member 4361 and the second side wall member 4362. The printed materials collected on the bottom member 431 by being pushed out by the back member 433 move to the bundling section 44.

[0040] Fig. 8 is a side view of the bundling section 44, and Fig. 9 is a view of the bundling section 44 as seen from the front (the collecting section 43 side). The bundling section 44 includes a conveying path 441 from the collecting section 43, a bundling mechanism 442, a bundling tape storage section 443, a goods receiving section 444, a stopper member 445, and a pressing member 446. Both the stopper member 445 and the pressing member 446 reciprocate between an upper position (a position retracted from the conveying path 441; see Fig. 9) and a lower position (a position on the conveying path 441 or on the collected printed matter 73; see Fig. 8) by the operation of a drive mechanism not shown.

[0041] The printed matter (aggregated printed matter 73) collected in the collecting unit 43 is transported on the transport path 441 by the back member 433 of the collecting unit 43. When the transport of the aggregated printed matter 73 starts, both the stopper member 445 and the press member 446 are in the upper position. When the leading end of the aggregated printed matter 73 transported on the transport path 441 by the back member 433 approaches a predetermined bundling position, the stopper member 445 first descends from the upper position to the lower position (on the transport path 441). When the back member 433 transports the aggregated printed matter 73 to a position where it abuts against the stopper member 445 in the lower position, it stops and returns to the original position of the collecting unit 43 (the position shown in FIG. 3). When the leading end of the aggregated printed matter 73 is transported to a position where it abuts against the stopper member 445, the center of the longitudinal direction of the aggregated printed matter 73 is located in the bundling mechanism 442. Next, the press member 446 moves from the upper position to the lower position and presses the upper surface of the aggregated printed product 73. This holds the aggregated printed product 73 immovably in the binding position. The binding mechanism 442 binds the aggregated printed product 73 with a binding tape stored in a binding tape storage section 443. The binding mechanism 442 may be a conventionally known device such as the device described in Non-Patent Document 1, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. After binding the aggregated printed product 73, the stopper member 445 and the press member 446 each move to the upper position and retreat from the conveying path 441.

[0042] The bound printed product 731 bound by the bundling mechanism 442 remains in the bundling mechanism 442. After that, when the next aggregated printed product 73 is transported in the same manner as above, the aggregated printed product 73 pushes the bound printed product 731 out of the transport path 441 and is stored in the receiver 444. The back member 433 stops once in a state where the aggregated printed product 73 has pushed the bound printed product 731 out of the transport path 441. Then, the stopper member 445 moves to the lower position, and the back member 433 advances again to bring the aggregated printed product 73 into contact with the stopper member 445. Then, the press member 446 presses the upper surface of the aggregated printed product 73 and the bundling mechanism 442 binds it in the same manner as above. This series of operations is repeated for all the printed products.

[0043] In the conventional printing system, the printer 2 prints the same design on a single sheet of printing paper in multiple layouts, cuts it with the cutter 3, and sequentially discharges the multiple printed materials arranged in a line on the side closer to the discharge section of the cutter 3, and stacks the multiple printed materials. As a result, the same number of piles of printed materials were accumulated as the number of printed materials discharged in a line from the cutter 3. Therefore, ultimately, an operator had to consolidate the multiple piles of printed materials into one pile and bundle or package them. If a process requiring manual work by an operator is included in the process, there is a possibility that the operator will make mistakes, such as dropping a printed material, while taking out or stacking the multiple piles of printed materials, and that postcards will be lost as a result of such mistakes.

[0044] In contrast, in the print production system 1 of this embodiment, a plurality of printed materials arranged in a line, discharged from the cutting device 3 in the same manner as in the past, are stored in the storage section 42 through the print receiving section 41, and are transported to the collecting section 43 in a state of being stacked in one pile in the storage section 42. In this way, in the print production system 1 of this embodiment, a plurality of printed materials produced by being printed by the printing device 2 and cut by the cutting device 3 are collected into one pile in the collecting section 43, so that there is no need to manually collect the printed materials into one pile. In addition, since the print production system 1 of this embodiment has a mechanism for transporting the collected printed materials 73 from the collecting section 43 to the bundling section 44 and bundling them, all the processes from the layout printing on the printing paper to the bundling of the printed materials can be performed automatically and without human intervention. In addition, by setting the number of printed materials to be bundled together in advance, all the printed materials to be produced can be bundled into an appropriate number of printed materials and stored in the receiving section 444.

[0045] When multiple printed items are to be produced, the number of printed items ordered is not necessarily an integer multiple of the number of printed items that will be printed on one sheet of printing paper. For example, if an order is received for 55 postcards and the same design is printed on four sheets of printing paper that are four times the size of the postcards, it is possible to produce 56 postcards from 14 sheets of printing paper, but in this case, printing paper will be wasted. Therefore, when such a remainder occurs (in this case, three sheets), the remainder is often printed one at a time. In the above example, 52 postcards are produced from 13 sheets of printing paper, and one postcard is produced from each of the three sheets of printing paper that are the same size as the postcards.

[0046] As described above, when printing on printing paper of different sizes, in many printing devices 2, the remaining postcards are printed using a center reference. Center reference means that the printing paper is fed and printed so that its center coincides, regardless of its size. Printing paper printed using a center reference in the printing device 2 is transported to the cutting device 3 while still using the center reference. In the cutting device 3, large-format printing paper on which multiple postcards have been printed and arranged is cut and discharged in the same manner as above, while the remaining postcards are not cut and are discharged from the center of the discharge section.

[0047] FIG. 10 shows how the printed matter collecting device 4 of this embodiment receives and collects the remaining printed matter 74 (postcards). The solenoid 4252 described in FIG. 4 is disposed at the end (outside the conveying path) of the rear surface of the other plate-shaped member 4232 (plate-shaped member inclined upward toward the conveying path) of the pressing member 423 described with reference to FIG. 3. When collecting the remaining printed matter 74, the columnar member is moved upward from the upper surface of the solenoid to push the other plate-shaped member 4232 upward. The one plate-shaped member 4231 and the other plate-shaped member 4232 are integrally configured and are provided rotatably around an axis parallel to the long side of the frame member 422 opposite to the conveying path. Therefore, when the other plate-shaped member 4232 is pushed upward, the entire pressing member 423 is lifted upward, and the space between the bottom member 421 and the pressing member 423 is expanded upward.

[0048] The printed matter 74 discharged from the center of the discharge section of the cutting device 3 passes through the center of the transport path of the printed matter receiving section 41 and enters the storage section 42. The leading end side of the printed matter 74 that enters the storage section 42 from the center of the transport path is guided into the space between the bottom member 421 and the pressing member 423 along the inclination of the other plate-shaped member 4232 (the inclined plate-shaped member) of the pressing member 423, similar to the previously described printed matter 71 (the printed matter transported to the side farther from the collecting section 43). Meanwhile, the trailing end side of the printed matter 74 is supported by the support member 424, similar to the previously described printed matter 72 (the printed matter transported to the side closer to the collecting section 43).

[0049] As described above, when receiving the remaining printed matter 74, the entire pressing member 423 is pushed upward by the columnar member of the solenoid, and the space between the pressing member 423 and the bottom member 421 is expanded, so that the printed matter 74 can be stored without being curved, with the rear end side supported by the support member 424. Thereafter, the printed matter 74 stored in the storage section 42 is pushed out by the first pushing piece 42551 and the second pushing piece 42552 and sent to the collecting section 43. Note that, unlike the case of conveying two printed matters 71 and 72, the first pushing piece 42551 and the second pushing piece 42552 move back and forth only within a range equivalent to the movement range of the printed matter 74 (the range from the end farther from the collecting section 43 to the end of the storing section 42 on the collecting section 43 side). In other words, the movement range of the main body 42521 of the solenoid 4252 is reduced, and the time required for the solenoid 4252 to move is shortened.

[0050] In this way, the printed matter consolidating device 4 of this embodiment consolidates printed matter in the same configuration in both cases, when multiple printed matter 71, 72 are discharged from the cutting device 3 in a line, and when only one printed matter 74 is discharged based on the center, so that both can be processed continuously in a short time. Here, the case based on the center has been described, but when one printed matter is discharged along one side of the transport path, it can be transported in the same way as printed matter 71 or 72.

[0051] Next, another embodiment of the printed matter collecting device according to the present invention will be described. The printed matter collecting device of this embodiment is a printed matter collecting device in which only the configuration of the storage unit 42 of the printed matter collecting device 4 of the above embodiment is changed, and the configuration of each part other than that is the same as that of the above embodiment, so in this embodiment, only the storage unit 82 of the printed matter collecting device will be described. Also, the same components as those in the above embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0052] 11 shows the configuration of the storage unit 82. Similar to the storage unit 42 in the above embodiment, this storage unit 82 is provided at the exit of the transport path of the printed matter receiving unit 41, and the printed matters that have passed through the transport path of the printed matter receiving unit 41 sequentially enter the storage unit 82. The storage unit 82 has a printed matter transport unit 821 and a frame member 422.

[0053] The printed matter transport unit 821 forms the bottom of the space that contains the printed matter, and at the same time, has the function of transporting the printed matter contained in the space toward the collecting unit 43. The printed matter transport unit 821 includes a plurality of rods 8211 and a motor (not shown) that rotates the rods, and can have a configuration in which the motor shaft and the rods 8211 are connected by a belt, similar to the roller set of the printed matter receiving unit 41. Alternatively, a flat plate-shaped member can be used instead of the rods 8211, and the printed matter can be moved like a belt conveyor.

[0054] The multiple rods 8211 are driven by a motor and rotate at a predetermined speed in a direction in which their upper surfaces move toward the collecting section 43. These rods are arranged with their rotation axes (long axes) tilted slightly (for example, 3 to 10 degrees) from a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the printed matter is transported to the storage section 42 (tilt θ in FIG. 11). When the rods 8211 are arranged in such an inclined state, the printed matter placed on them is also transported in a direction along the rotation of the rods 8211. As a result, the printed matter being transported is transported while one side on the printed matter receiving section 41 side is pressed against the inner wall of the storage section 42, and is sent to the collecting section 43 with the one side aligned.

[0055] In the storage section 42 of the above embodiment, each time a predetermined number of printed matters that have passed through the printed matter receiving section 41 are stored in the storage section 42, the first pushing piece 42551 and the second pushing piece 42552 first push the printed matter 71 stored on the side farther from the collecting section 43 toward the collecting section 43, and then enter under the printed matter 72 stored on the side closer to the collecting section 43 to overlap them vertically, and the vertically overlapped printed matters 71 and 72 are simultaneously transported to the collecting section 43. In contrast, in the storage section 82 of this embodiment, as soon as a printed matter is stored from the printed matter receiving section 41, it is transported to the collecting section 43 by the printed matter transport section 821. Therefore, in the printed matter collecting device equipped with the storage section 82 of this embodiment, the printed matters are stacked one by one in the collecting section 43.

[0056] In the storage unit 42 of the above embodiment, the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552 are moved to transport the printed matter stored in the storage unit 42 to the collecting unit 43, and then the solenoid 4252 is returned to its original position, which requires the solenoid 4252 to reciprocate. In contrast, in the storage unit 82 of this embodiment, it is only necessary to rotate the rod 8211 in one direction at all times, and the drive mechanism can be configured more simply.

[0057] The above embodiment is merely an example and can be modified as appropriate in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the case where one or two printed materials are discharged side by side from the cutting device 3 has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to the case where three or more printed materials are discharged side by side. Specifically, a configuration can be adopted in which support members that support the three or more printed materials at different heights are provided in the storage unit 42, and the printed materials supported at the different heights are moved toward the collecting unit 43 in order by the first extrusion piece 42551 and the second extrusion piece 42552, so that they are stacked vertically and transported to the collecting unit 43. The storage unit 82 described as another embodiment can be of the same configuration regardless of the number of printed materials discharged side by side from the cutting device 3.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the print production system 1 is provided with the printer 2, the cutter 3, and the consolidating device 4, but the printer 2 is not necessarily required. For example, when printing sheets with layout printing are to be consolidated into one, a configuration with only the cutter 3 and the consolidating device 4 can be adopted. In addition, in the above embodiment, a case where multiple sheets of the same design are printed and consolidated into one pile has been described, but the designs do not necessarily have to be the same. For example, the print consolidating device of the present invention can also be used when cutting and consolidating sheets of printing sheets with different designs printed in multiple areas into one, such as when postcards with multiple designs printed on them are treated as one set and one or more sets are consolidated into one pile.

[0060] In the above embodiment, each part operates based on a condition preset in the control unit 5, but instead of operating under the control of the control unit 5 (or in parallel with that), each part may operate according to the detection result of a sensor disposed in the part. For example, a sensor disposed at a predetermined position may count the number of printed sheets passing through the location and the result may be used to determine whether a predetermined number has been reached, a weight sensor may be disposed in the collecting unit 43 or the like and the number of printed sheets may be calculated from the weight of the printed sheets collected in the storage unit 42 or the collecting unit 43, or a sensor may be disposed at a predetermined height in the collecting unit 43 and the predetermined number may be determined based on the printed sheets collected in the collecting unit 43 reaching a height detected by the sensor.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the conveying direction is configured to be the same as the longitudinal direction of the postcard when the postcard is conveyed from the printing device 2 and the cutting device 3 to the collecting device 4, so the various parts are arranged so that the direction in which the postcard is conveyed from the storage unit 42 to the collecting unit 43 is perpendicular to the direction in which the postcard is conveyed from the collecting unit 43 to the bundling unit 44, and the bundling tape is wound in a direction parallel to the short side of the postcard, but this arrangement can be changed. Specifically, if the conveying direction is configured to be the same as the short side direction of the postcard when the postcard is conveyed from the printing device 2 and the cutting device 3 to the collecting device 4, then the various parts can be arranged so that the direction in which the postcard is conveyed from the storage unit 42 to the collecting unit 43 is the same as the direction in which the postcard is conveyed from the collecting unit 43 to the bundling unit 44.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the multiple printed materials transported from the printed material receiving unit 41 to the storage unit 42 are moved in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction and collected in the collecting unit 43, but they do not necessarily have to be transported in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. An example is shown in FIG.

[0063] The example in FIG. 12 shows the aggregation of hexagonal printed matter. In the printed matter receiving section 41, multiple printed matters (three in FIG. 12) are lined up and transported, as in the above embodiment. In the storage section 42, these multiple printed matters are stored lined up in a direction perpendicular to one side, and transported in the perpendicular direction. Either of the above two embodiments may be used for this transport. In this way, when multiple polygonal printed matters are aggregated, the multiple printed matters are stored in the storage section 42 lined up in a direction perpendicular to one side of the polygon, and can be aggregated into a single pile by transporting them to the aggregation section 43 aligned in the perpendicular direction to the storage section 42.

[0064] [Aspects] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above-described exemplary embodiments are illustrative of the following aspects.

[0065] (Section 1) A printed matter consolidation device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a cutting unit that cuts a single printed sheet of paper into multiple sheets, and a discharge unit that arranges two or more predetermined numbers of printed matters produced by cutting in the cutting unit one by one in one direction and discharges the printed matters in a direction different from the one direction, and consolidates the printed matters discharged from the discharge unit into one pile, a storage section for storing the predetermined number of printed materials discharged in a lined state from a discharge section of the cutting device; a collecting section provided adjacent to the storage section in a predetermined direction different from a direction in which the printed matter is discharged from the discharge section; a conveying mechanism that conveys the plurality of printed products accommodated in the accommodation section to the consolidation section as one pile of printed products each time a predetermined number of the printed products are accommodated in the accommodation section; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0066] In the printed matter consolidating device according to paragraph 1, each time a predetermined number of printed matters are stored in the storage unit, the transport mechanism transports the printed matters to the storage unit as one pile of printed matters. Conventionally, a predetermined number of printed matters discharged to the discharge unit of the transport device were stored in the storage unit in a lined-up state, and so an operator had to manually consolidate the printed matters finally collected into a predetermined number of piles into one. However, by using the printed matter consolidating device according to paragraph 1, the printed matters discharged from the cutting device can be consolidated into one without the need for human labor.

[0067] (Section 2) The print material consolidation device according to paragraph 2 is a print material consolidation device according to paragraph 1, The printed matter is rectangular, The predetermined direction is a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the printed material is discharged from the discharge section.

[0068] Many of the printed materials produced by layout printing on a single sheet of printing paper are rectangular. In such cases, as described in paragraph 2, the specified direction should be perpendicular to the direction in which the printed material is discharged from the discharge section.

[0069] (Section 3) The printed matter collecting device according to the third aspect of the present invention is the printed matter collecting device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the conveying mechanism is a support mechanism that supports the printed materials discharged from the discharge section in a lined up state at different heights in the storage section; a conveying section that moves the printed works supported at different heights below or above one of the printed works to be stacked into one pile and conveys the stacked works to the collecting section; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0070] In the printed matter collecting device according to the third aspect, the printed matters stored in the storage section can be stacked into one pile by the transport mechanism and transported to the collecting section.

[0071] (Section 4) The printed matter collecting device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is the printed matter collecting device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the transport mechanism is a conveying section that conveys the printed matter accommodated in the accommodation section to the collecting section one by one in the order of the printed matter located closest to the collecting section; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0072] In the printed matter collecting device according to paragraph 4, the printed matters stored in the storage section can be transported one by one by the transport section to the collecting section, where they can be stacked and collected into a single pile. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1. Printing system 2...Printing device 3...Cutting device 4. Aggregation device 41…Printed material receiving section 411…Inner roller 412...Outer roller 413...Shaft member 414...Belt 415…Motor 42…Storage section 421...Bottom member 422...Frame member 423...Pressing member 4231...One plate-shaped member 4232 ... other plate-shaped member 424...Support member 425...Printed material transport section 4251...Rail 4252...Solenoid 42521...Main unit 42522...Columnar member 4253...Motor 4254...Disc parts 4255...Printed material extrusion parts 42551…First extrusion piece 42552…Second extrusion piece 4261, 4262…Groove 43…Consolidation section 431...Bottom member 432...Vertical movement mechanism 4321...Disc parts 4322...First support part 4323…Second support part 4324...Motor 433…Rear component 434…Horizontal movement mechanism 4341...Shaft member 4342...Belt 4343…Motor 435...Regulatory components 4361...First side wall member 4362...Second side wall member 44...Binding part 441...Transportation route 442…binding mechanism 443…Binding tape storage section 444…Receiving section 445...Stopper member 446…Pressed parts 5. Control section 71, 72, 74…Printed material 73…Aggregated printed matter 731…Bundling printed material 82…Storage section 821...Printed material transport section 8211...Bar material

Claims

1. A device for aggregating printed materials discharged from the discharge unit of a cutting device, the cutting device comprising a cutting unit for cutting a single printed sheet into a plurality of sheets, and a discharge unit for discharging the plurality of printed materials produced by being cut by the cutting unit one by one in a predetermined number of two or more in one direction and discharging them in a direction different from the one direction, the device comprising: a storage unit for storing the predetermined number of printed materials discharged in a row from the discharge unit of the cutting device; an aggregation unit provided adjacent to the storage unit in a predetermined direction different from the direction in which the printed materials are discharged from the discharge unit; a transport mechanism for transporting a plurality of printed materials stored in the storage unit as a single aggregated stack to the aggregation unit each time the printed materials are stored in the storage unit in a predetermined number; A printed material aggregating device, characterized by comprising the above.

2. The printed material is rectangular. The predetermined direction is a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the printed materials are discharged from the discharge unit. The printed material aggregating device according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The transport mechanism is: a support mechanism in the storage unit for supporting the printed materials discharged in a row from the discharge unit at different heights; a transport unit for moving the printed materials supported at different heights below or above one of the printed materials and stacking them in a single stack and transporting them to the aggregation unit; The printed material aggregating device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising the above.

4. The transport mechanism is: a transport unit for transporting the printed materials stored in the storage unit one by one in order from the printed materials located closer to the aggregation unit to the aggregation unit; The printed material aggregating device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising the above.

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