Inspection device and processing device

Abstract

To provide a device that can determine whether or not a cut piece is suitable even when multiple cut pieces are attached to a single sheet.SOLUTION: The inspection device includes: a conveying unit that conveys a sheet; a cutting unit that cuts the sheet in a predetermined direction to generate a plurality of the cut pieces; a reading unit that reads display information displayed on each of a set of cut pieces attached to a single sheet after cutting by the cutting unit; and a control unit that controls the cutting pieces to determine whether or not they are appropriate based on the read information read by the reading unit. The control unit includes: a first determination unit that compares the read information with first management information arranged in the same order as management information for managing the cut pieces and determines whether or not the cut pieces are appropriate; and a second determination unit that, when the first judgment unit determines that the cut pieces are not appropriate, compares the read information with second management information arranged by changing the order of the management information corresponding to the set of cut pieces and determines whether or not the cut pieces are suitable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 23

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus and a processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known devices that inspect whether mail is proper or not. The following Patent Document 1 discloses a mail sorting device that inspects whether mail is proper or not and has a function of checking for misreading. This sorting device has a determination means that determines whether the mail has been properly created based on read information obtained by reading information written on the mail.

[0003] Also, there is known an apparatus in which pieces of paper for producing a plurality of postcards are imposed on one sheet and the pieces are separated using a cutting blade. The following Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for forming a plurality of pressure-bonded postcards from one single sheet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-323298 [Patent Document 2] JP 2001-213070 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When serial numbers are displayed on postcard slips and the reading unit reads them to manage whether they are valid postcards, if multiple slips are imposed on a single sheet, the slips may be conveyed to the reading unit in the reverse order of the serial numbers depending on the imposition order. In this case, it is not possible to verify the serial numbers.

[0006] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a device that can determine whether or not cutting pieces are appropriate, even when multiple cutting pieces are imposed on a single sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the inspection device according to the present invention includes a conveying unit that conveys a sheet. The cutting device includes a cutting unit that cuts the sheet in a predetermined direction to generate a plurality of the cut pieces, a reading unit that reads display information displayed on each of a set of cut pieces attached to one sheet after cutting by the cutting unit, and a control unit that controls the reading unit to determine whether the cut pieces are appropriate based on the read information read, and the control unit includes a first judgment unit that compares the read information with first management information arranged in the same order as management information for managing the cut pieces and determines whether the cut pieces are appropriate, and a second judgment unit that, when the first judgment unit determines that the cut pieces are not appropriate, compares the read information with second management information arranged by changing the order of the management information corresponding to the set of cut pieces and determines whether the cut pieces are appropriate.

[0008] In the above configuration, the inspection device includes an output section that outputs a result of the control section's determination as to whether the cut piece is appropriate.

[0009] In the above configuration, in the second management information, the order of the management information corresponding to the set of cut pieces is reversed to that of the first management information.

[0010] In the above-mentioned configuration, the management information is configured by serial numbers, and the first management information is arranged in ascending or descending order of the serial numbers.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the conveying unit includes a first conveying unit that conveys the sheet in a first direction and a second conveying unit that conveys the sheet in a second direction different from the first direction, the cutting unit includes a cutting blade that cuts the sheet conveyed in the first direction along the first direction to generate a plurality of the cut pieces, and the second judgment unit judges the suitability of the set of cut pieces attached to a single sheet so that they can be conveyed adjacent to each other at the same position in the first direction by the first conveying unit after cutting by the cutting unit.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the control unit is provided with a prediction unit that predicts the information to be displayed on the subsequent cutting piece based on the reading information of the preceding cutting piece, and a prediction judgment unit that compares the reading information with the predicted information of the prediction unit and determines whether they match.

[0013] Furthermore, the control unit is provided with an initial setting judgment unit that sets the reading information of the cut piece read first as initial information after the reading process of the reading unit begins, and judges the suitability of the reading information of the cut pieces read second or subsequent times based on the initial information.

[0014] Furthermore, the control unit includes a setting unit in which a user sets the management information, a memory unit in which the setting information set by the setting unit is stored, and a pre-setting judgment unit in which the appropriateness of the cutting piece is judged based on the setting information.

[0015] The processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an inspection device having the above-described configurations, and a pressing section that presses the sheet or the cut piece.

[0016] Further, a folding section for folding the sheet or the cut piece is provided.

[0017] Furthermore, when the control unit is unable to obtain the read information of a certain cut piece, the control unit controls the reading unit to read the next cut piece of the certain cut piece.

[0018] In addition, in the above configuration, the control unit includes an imposition information acquisition unit that acquires an imposition number, which is the number of cut pieces imposed on one of the sheets, and a third judgment unit that judges that an error has occurred with the sheet when the number of the cut pieces for which the reading information could not be obtained consecutively is equal to or greater than the imposition number acquired by the imposition information acquisition unit. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the inspection device of the present invention, the control unit is equipped with a first judgment unit that compares the read information with first management information arranged in the same order as management information for managing the cut pieces to judge whether the cut pieces are appropriate, and a second judgment unit that, when the first judgment unit judges that the cut pieces are not appropriate, compares the read information with second management information arranged by changing the order of the management information corresponding to the set of cut pieces to judge whether the cut pieces are appropriate.Therefore, even when multiple cut pieces are imposed on a single sheet, it is possible to determine whether the cut pieces are appropriate.

[0020] Furthermore, since the control unit includes an output unit that outputs the result of the determination as to whether the cut pieces are appropriate, the result of the determination can be notified to an operator or an externally connected device.

[0021] Furthermore, in the second management information, when the order of the management information corresponding to the set of cut pieces is arranged in the opposite order to that of the first management information, the cut pieces imposed on a single sheet can be inspected even if they are transported to the reading unit by the transport unit in the opposite direction to the imposition direction.

[0022] When the management information is composed of consecutive numbers and the first management information is arranged in ascending or descending order of the consecutive numbers, the cut pieces managed by consecutive side numbers can be properly inspected.

[0023] Furthermore, the conveying unit includes a first conveying unit that conveys the sheet in a first direction and a second conveying unit that conveys the sheet in a second direction different from the first direction, the cutting unit includes a cutting blade that cuts the sheet conveyed in the first direction along the first direction to generate a plurality of the cut pieces, and the second judgment unit is capable of inspection even when the conveying direction by the conveying unit is changed midway when judging the suitability of the set of cut pieces attached to a single sheet so that they are conveyed adjacent to each other at the same position in the first direction by the first conveying unit after cutting by the cutting unit.

[0024] Furthermore, when the control unit is equipped with a prediction unit that predicts the information to be displayed on the subsequent cut piece based on the read information of the preceding cut piece, and a prediction judgment unit that compares the read information with the predicted information of the prediction unit and determines whether they match, proper inspection can be performed using the read information of the preceding cut piece.

[0025] Furthermore, if the control unit is equipped with an initial setting judgment unit that sets the reading information of the first cut piece read after the reading process of the reading unit begins as initial information and judges the suitability of the reading information of the second or subsequent cut pieces based on the initial information, the initial information can be automatically set without the user having to set the initial information each time an inspection begins.

[0026] Furthermore, if the control unit is equipped with a setting unit in which a user sets the management information, a memory unit in which the setting information set by the setting unit is stored, and a pre-setting judgment unit in which the appropriateness of the cutting piece is judged based on the setting information, inspection can be performed based on the management information created by the user.

[0027] A processing apparatus including an inspection device having the above-described configurations and a pressing unit that presses the sheet or the cut pieces can press the sheet or the cut pieces with the pressing unit.

[0028] Furthermore, when a folding portion for folding the sheet or the cut piece is provided, the sheet or the cut piece can be folded by the folding portion.

[0029] Furthermore, when the control unit is unable to obtain read information for a certain cut piece, it is possible to continue processing by controlling the reading unit to read the next cut piece of the certain cut piece.

[0030] In the above configuration, when the control unit is equipped with an imposition information acquisition unit that acquires an imposition number, which is the number of cut pieces to be imposed on one sheet, and a third judgment unit that judges that there is an error with the sheet when the number of cut pieces for which the reading information could not be obtained consecutively is equal to or greater than the imposition number acquired by the imposition information acquisition unit, operation can be continued when the number of cut pieces for which the reading information could not be obtained consecutively is less than the number of cut pieces to be imposed on one sheet. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the processing apparatus without a top cover. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a folding device of the processing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a bonding device of the processing apparatus. [Diagram 5] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of the inspection device. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus; [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing still another example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus; [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus; [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus; [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus; [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus; [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus; [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus; [Figure 21] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a sheet to be processed by the processing apparatus; [Figure 22] FIG. [Figure 23] 4 is a control flow of the inspection device. [Figure 24] 4 is a control flow of the inspection device. [Diagram 25] 4 is a control flow of the inspection device. [Figure 26] 4 is a control flow of the inspection device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, an inspection device 99 and a processing device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this first embodiment, a reading unit 9 constituting an inspection device 99 according to the present invention is installed in a paper receiving unit 17 of the processing device 100. 1 is a perspective view of the entire processing device 100. The processing device 100 is formed by combining a folding device 10 and a bonding device 20 in an L-shape. The folding device 10 is provided with a sheet feeder 11 that stacks a sheet stack B consisting of a plurality of unprocessed sheets U and feeds the sheets one by one from the top sheet U downstream, and the bonding device 20 is provided with a paper receiver 17 that sequentially stacks cut pieces P obtained by processing.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the processing device 100 of FIG. 1 with the top cover removed. The sheet U is conveyed by the conveying section. The conveying section includes a first conveying section 1 and a second conveying section 2. The sheet U placed on the paper feed section 11 is conveyed one by one in the first direction D1 by the first conveying section 1, and folded into two or three pieces at the folding section 14 of the folding device 10. The folded sheet U is cut along the first direction D1 by the cutting section 3, and a plurality of cut pieces P are generated. Thereafter, the cut pieces P are changed in conveying direction to the second direction D2, conveyed by the second conveying section 2, pressed by the pressing section 24 of the bonding device 20, the display information displayed on the cut pieces P is read by the reading section 9, and discharged onto the paper receiving table 98 of the paper receiving section 17. An adhesive is placed at an appropriate position on the sheet U, and the sheet U is bonded by the adhesive on the overlapping surfaces of the cut pieces P after pressing.

[0034] The folding device 10 includes a first conveying section 1 that conveys the sheet U in a first direction D1. The bonding device 20 includes a second conveying section 2 that conveys the sheet U in a second direction D2 that intersects with the first direction D1. In the first embodiment, the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are perpendicular to each other.

[0035] 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the folding device 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the folding device 10 includes a paper feed unit 11, a folding unit 14, a cutting unit 3, a paper discharge unit 18, a guide unit 27, and a storage unit 37.

[0036] The paper feed unit 11 includes a paper feed tray 19, a paper feed roller 12, a separation plate 13, a detection unit 180, and double feed detection rollers 34 and 35.

[0037] The paper feed roller 12 contacts the sheets U placed on the paper feed tray 19 and sends the sheets U downstream one by one from the top. The separation plate 13 prevents the sheets U from being fed by the paper feed roller 12 in a overlapping state. The detection unit 180 detects the passage of the sheets U. The double feed detection rollers 34, 35 detect the thickness of the sheets U passing between the double feed detection rollers 34, 35. Instead of the double feed detection rollers 34, 35, an optical sensor may be used that detects the amount of light transmitted through the sheets U to detect double feed.

[0038] The folding unit 14 folds the sheet U conveyed by the first conveying unit 1 so that a fold line q is formed in the sheet U in a direction intersecting the first direction D1. The folding unit 14 includes folding rollers 40-45 arranged alternately above and below the conveying path 5 of the sheet U, two folding trays 62, 63 arranged below the folding rollers 40-45, folding stoppers 64, 65 installed so as to be freely movable in the longitudinal direction of the folding trays 62, 63, and a detection unit 182 that detects the passage of the sheet U.

[0039] The cutting section 3 cuts the sheet U conveyed in the first direction D1 along the first direction D1 to generate a plurality of cut pieces P. The cutting section 3 includes a cutting unit 32. Fig. 2 shows a case where a pair of cutting units 32 are set on the left and right sides at a predetermined distance in the second direction D2.

[0040] The cutting blade 66 is installed inside the case 67. The cutting blade 66 cuts a predetermined position of the sheet U conveyed by the first conveying unit 1 along a first direction D1. The cutting blades 66 are arranged opposite each other above and below via the conveying surface of the sheet U. The cutting blades 66 are rotated by driving a motor (not shown).

[0041] The cutting unit 32 is configured to be movable by a moving section 69 to an appropriate position in a second direction D2, which is the width direction W of the sheet U perpendicular to the first direction D1. The moving section 69 includes a support shaft 72, a locking section 73, and a drive section (not shown). The support shaft 72 extends along a second direction D2 perpendicular to the first direction D1. The locking section 73 locks the cutting blade 66 housed in a case 67 to the support shaft 72. When the support shaft 72 is rotated by the drive of the motor, the case 67 locked to the locking section 73 is moved in the second direction D2, and the cutting blade 66 is positioned at a predetermined position.

[0042] When the number of cutting units 32 is greater than the number of cutting lines K set for one sheet U, the control unit 80 controls the movement unit 69 to retract the cutting units 32 to the left or right of the conveyance path 5 for the sheet U. In this manner, the movement and positioning of the cutting blade 66 in the width direction W of the sheet U is controlled by the CPU serving as the control unit 80. The motor for the cutting blade 66 is a drive source for rotationally driving the cutting blade 66 when cutting along the conveyance direction D1.

[0043] The sheet discharge section 18 includes a detection section 184 that detects the passage of the sheet U, and a pair of front and rear sheet discharge rollers 91 to 94 that discharge the folded sheet U from the folding device 10.

[0044] The guide section 27 is for removing unnecessary cutting waste M from among the cut pieces P generated by cutting in the cutting section 3 into a storage section 37 below the conveying path 5 of the sheet U.

[0045] The feed roller 12, the double feed detection rollers 34, 35, the folding rollers 40-45, and the discharge rollers 91-94 constitute a first conveying section 1. The first conveying section 1 conveys the sheet U in a first direction D1. The rollers 34, 35, 40-45, 91-94 of the first conveying section 1 are driven by a motor 39 via a power transmission mechanism (not shown).

[0046] 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the bonding device 20. The bonding device 20 includes a cross conveyor unit 22, a pressing unit 24, a paper receiving unit 17, and a reading unit 9.

[0047] 2, the cross conveyor unit 22 is adjacent to the conveyance end portion of the first conveyor unit 1, i.e., the conveyance downstream end portion in the first direction D1. The cross conveyor unit 22 is installed at the conveyance start end portion of the second conveyor unit 2, i.e., the conveyance upstream end portion in the second direction D2. The cross conveyor unit 22 includes a conveyor belt device 16, a guide member 15, a pressing ball 152, conveyor rollers 111-114, and a detection unit 186. The detection unit 186 detects the passage of a sheet U.

[0048] The pressing unit 24 presses the folded cut pieces P transported by the second transport unit 2, and bonds the entire surface or the peripheral edge of the cut pieces P with adhesive that has been applied in advance to predetermined locations of the cut pieces P to form a bonded body E. The pressing unit 24 includes a pair of pressing rollers 117, 118. The pressing rollers 117, 118 are driven by a driving unit (not shown).

[0049] The paper receiving section 17 includes a discharge conveyor 170 for transporting the folded and adhered adhesive body E, a discharge guide plate 171 for supporting the sheet U transported by the discharge conveyor 170, and a plurality of pressing rollers 172 for pressing the upper surface of the discharged adhesive body E.

[0050] The reading unit 9 reads the display information displayed on each of the multiple cut pieces P transported in the second direction D2. The reading unit 9 can be configured with a camera, a barcode reader, an RFID reader, a scanner, etc. The read information read by the reading unit 9 is transmitted to the control unit 80 and stored in the memory unit 79.

[0051] An operation panel 59 incorporating a control unit 80 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 7 of the bonding device 20. The operation panel 59 also functions as an input unit 60 and a display unit 61. A user operates the keys on the operation panel 59 to input and display various control settings, operation start and stop, etc., for the work of processing the sheet U to manufacture a processed product such as a postcard. Instead of the operation panel 59, a keyboard or monitor of an external personal computer (not shown), or an operation terminal such as a smartphone may be configured as the input unit 60 and the display unit 61. The control unit 80 is connected by wire or wirelessly. The operation panel 59 constitutes the input unit 60 for the user of the processing device 100 to previously set management information to be displayed on the cut pieces P included in the sheet U to be processed.

[0052] The cross conveyor 22, the pressure rollers 117 and 118, and the discharge conveyor 170 constitute the second conveyor 2. The second conveyor 2 conveys the sheet U in the second direction D2. The conveyor belt device 16, the conveyor rollers 111-114, and the discharge conveyor 170 of the second conveyor 2 are driven by a plurality of motors (not shown) via a power transmission mechanism (not shown). The second conveyor 2 may be driven by a single motor. The second conveyor 2 sequentially conveys a set of cut pieces P, which are conveyed adjacent to each other at the same position in the first direction D1 by the first conveyor 1 after cutting by the cutting unit 3, back and forth in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1.

[0053] The control unit 80 controls the operation of the entire processing device 100. The control unit 80 receives information transmitted from various sensors and the reading unit 9, and drives the driving unit based on the information. The control unit 80 also includes a memory unit 79. The control unit 80 controls the cutting piece P to determine whether it is appropriate or not based on the read information read by the reading unit 9. The control unit 80 includes a setting unit 78, a first determination unit 81, a second determination unit 82, a prediction unit 83, a prediction determination unit 84, an initial setting unit 88, an initial setting determination unit 85, a management setting unit 86, and a pre-setting determination unit 87.

[0054] The setting unit 78 sets various information related to the processing. The first judgment unit 81 compares the read information with the first management information arranged in the same order as the management information for managing the cutting pieces, and judges whether the cutting pieces P are appropriate. When the first judgment unit 81 judges that the cutting pieces P are not appropriate, the second judgment unit 82 compares the read information with the second management information arranged by changing the order of the management information corresponding to the set of cutting pieces P imposed on one sheet U, and judges whether the cutting pieces P are appropriate. The second management information can be configured so that the order of the management information corresponding to the set of cutting pieces P imposed on one sheet U is arranged in the reverse order to the first management information. Also, the management information can be configured so that the management information is composed of consecutive numbers, and the first management information can be configured so that the consecutive numbers are arranged in ascending or descending order.

[0055] Further, the second judgment unit 82 can judge the suitability of the set of cut pieces imposed on one sheet so that they are transported adjacent to each other at the same position in the first direction D1 by the first transport unit 1 during cutting by the cutting unit 3. The prediction unit 83 predicts display information to be displayed on the subsequent cut piece P based on the read information of the preceding cut piece P. The prediction judgment unit 84 compares the read information with the predicted information of the prediction unit and judges whether they match. The initial setting unit 88 sets the read information of the first cut piece P read after the reading process of the reading unit 9 starts as initial information. The initial setting judgment unit 85 judges the suitability of the read information of the cut piece P read second or later based on the initial information set by the initial setting unit 88.

[0056] A user sets the predetermined management information in the management setting unit 86. The setting information set in the setting unit is stored in the memory unit 79. A presetting judgment unit 87 judges whether the cutting piece P is appropriate or not based on the setting information stored in the memory unit 79.

[0057] The reading unit 9 , the control unit 80 , the input unit 60 and the display unit 61 constitute an inspection device 99 .

[0058] [Adhesive manufacturing work] A method for processing a sheet U using the processing apparatus 100 will now be described. 6-12 show examples of sheets U to be processed by the processing device 100 according to the first embodiment. Each sheet U is set in various ways, such as size, the number of cut pieces P to be allocated, the number of cutting lines K, the presence or absence of cutting waste M, the folding method at the folding unit 14, and the contents of management information. Fig. 6 shows the back surface of the first sheet U1. The first sheet U1 is divided into first, second and third folded pieces F1, F2 and F3 by two parallel fold lines q, a first fold line q1 and a second fold line q2. Furthermore, a cutting line K1 is set along a first direction D1, which is a direction perpendicular to the fold lines q1 and q2, at a position about two-thirds of the way from the left end of the sheet U in Fig. 6 in a second direction D2.

[0059] The first sheet U1 is folded into a Z-shaped tri-fold at the first fold line q1 and the second fold line q2. The folded first sheet U1 is cut at the cutting line K1 and separated into two cut pieces P. The two cut pieces P are composed of the first cut piece P1 and cutting scraps M. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the folded first cut piece P1. The first sheet U1 shown in FIG. 6 is placed face down on the paper feed tray 19 with the back side facing down. When the first sheet U1 is folded at the folding section 14, the back side of the first fold piece F1 on which the addressee and management information are displayed is positioned on the upper side.

[0060] The first cut pieces P1 are transported along the transport path 5 to the downstream gluing device 20. The cutting scraps M are guided downward by the guide section 27 and removed from the transport path 5. The first cut pieces P1 pass through the cross conveyor section 22 and reach the pressing section 24. The overlapping surfaces of the first cut pieces P1 are pressed by the pressing section 24 and glued together to form stacked postcards.

[0061] FIG. 8 shows the front side of the second sheet U2. The second sheet U2 is the same A4 size as the first sheet U1 shown in FIG. 6, but is placed in a different direction in the paper feed section 11, with the longitudinal direction of the second sheet U2 being placed along the second direction D2. In addition, no cutting waste M is set for the second sheet U2. The second sheet U2 is a two-sided sheet in which two cutting pieces P to be formed into postcards are allocated to one sheet U. The second sheet U2 is folded into a V shape at the third fold line q3.

[0062] A second cutting line K2 is set at the center of the second sheet U2 in the second direction D2. When the second sheet U2 is cut along the second cutting line K2, the second sheet U2 is generated into two cut pieces P, that is, a second cut piece P2 and a third cut piece P3.

[0063] Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second sheet U2 shown in Fig. 8 is folded in half into a V shape and separated into a second cut piece P2 and a third cut piece P3 by the cutting blade 66. The second cut piece P2 and the third cut piece P3 correspond to a set of cut pieces P that are transported adjacent to each other at the same position in the first direction D1 by the first transport unit 1 after cutting by the cutting unit 3.

[0064] The second cutting piece P2 and the third cutting piece P3 as a set of cutting pieces P are transported successively in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1 by the second transport section 2. In the example shown in Fig. 9, the third cutting piece P3 is transported in a forward position ahead of the second cutting piece P2 in the second direction D2 among the set of cutting pieces P. The second cutting piece P2 is transported in a rearward position behind the third cutting piece P3.

[0065] FIG. 10 shows the third sheet U3. The size of the third sheet U3 is A4 size, the same as the first sheet U1 and the second sheet U2. The third sheet U3 is placed in the paper feed section 11 so that the longitudinal direction of the sheet U is oriented along the first direction D1, like the first sheet U1. The third sheet U3 also has no cutting waste M, like the second sheet U2. The third sheet U3 is also two-sided, like the second sheet U2, with a cutting piece P that will become two stacked postcards allocated to one sheet U. The third sheet U3 is folded into a V shape at the fourth fold line q4 along the second direction D2.

[0066] A third cutting line K3 is set at the center of the third sheet U3 in the second direction D2. When the third sheet U3 is cut along the third cutting line K3, two cut pieces P, a fourth cut piece P4, and a fifth cut piece P5 are generated from the third sheet U3.

[0067] Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the third sheet U3 shown in Fig. 10 is folded in half into a V shape and separated into a fourth cut piece P4 and a fifth cut piece P5 by the cutting blade 66. The fourth cut piece P4 and the fifth cut piece P5 correspond to a set of cut pieces P in the third sheet U3 that are transported adjacent to each other at the same position in the first direction D1 by the first transport unit 1 after cutting by the cutting unit 3. The fourth cut piece P4 and the fifth cut piece P5 as a set of cut pieces P are transported successively by the second transport unit 2 in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1.

[0068] In the example shown in Fig. 11, the fifth cut piece P5 is transported in the second direction D2 in a front position ahead of the fourth cut piece P4 of the set of cut pieces P. The fourth cut piece P4 is transported in a rear position behind the fifth cut piece P5. The overlapping surfaces of the cut pieces P are pressed by the pressing section 24 and bonded together. In this way, two stacked postcards are formed from one sheet U.

[0069] FIG. 12 shows the fourth sheet U4. The size of the fourth sheet U4 is A3 size, different from the first sheet U1 to the third sheet U3. The fourth sheet U4 is placed in the paper feed section 11 so that the longitudinal direction of the fourth sheet U4 is oriented along the first direction D1. The fourth sheet U4 also has no cutting waste M. The fourth sheet U4 includes three cutting pieces P in the front and back along the second direction D2 in one sheet U. The fourth sheet U4 is folded at the fifth fold line q5 and the sixth fold line q6 along the second direction D2 to form a Z shape.

[0070] The fourth cutting line K4 and the fifth cutting line K5 are set so as to divide the side of the fourth sheet U4 along the second direction D2 into three equal parts. When the fourth sheet U4 is cut along the fourth cutting line K4 and the fifth cutting line K5, three cut pieces P, namely, the sixth cut piece P6, the seventh cut piece P7, and the eighth cut piece P8, are generated from the fourth sheet U4. The fourth sheet U4 is a three-imposed sheet in which the three cut pieces P6, P7, and P8 are allocated and imposed on one sheet U. The sixth cut piece P6, the seventh cut piece P7, and the eighth cut piece P8 are located at the same position in the first direction D1 and are considered to be a group.

[0071] 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the fourth sheet U4 is folded outward in three in a Z shape and separated into a sixth cut piece P6, a seventh cut piece P7, and an eighth cut piece P8 by the cutting blade 66. The sixth cut piece P6, the seventh cut piece P7, and the eighth cut piece P8 correspond to a set of cut pieces P in the fourth sheet U4 that are conveyed adjacent to each other at the same position in the first direction D1 by the first conveying unit 1 after cutting by the cutting unit 3. The sixth cut piece P6, the seventh cut piece P7, and the eighth cut piece P8 as a set of cut pieces P are conveyed successively by the second conveying unit 2 in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1.

[0072] In the example shown in FIG. 13, the eighth cutting piece P8 is transported in the second direction D2 at the frontmost position of the set of cutting pieces P, preceding the seventh cutting piece P7 and the sixth cutting piece P6. The seventh cutting piece P7 is transported between the eighth cutting piece P8 and the sixth cutting piece P6. The sixth cutting piece P6 is transported in the second direction D2 at the rearmost position of the set of cutting pieces P, relative to the eighth cutting piece P8 and the seventh cutting piece P7. The overlapping surfaces of the cutting pieces P are pressed by the pressing section 24 to be bonded together. As a result, three postcards are formed from one sheet U.

[0073] Adhesive is applied in advance to the entire front and back surfaces of each sheet U. Note that instead of applying adhesive G to the entire front and back surfaces of the sheet U in this manner, the adhesive application area may be the peripheral edge of the overlapping surfaces of the sheet U when the sheet U is folded.

[0074] The adhesive G has low adhesion and is used for pressure-sealed postcards and the like, and when pressed with a pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the adhesive G applied to each of the overlapping surfaces of the sheets U adheres the sheets U. Therefore, when the sheets U are stacked on the paper feed tray 19, the upper and lower sheets U are not adhered to each other by the adhesive G. On the other hand, when the sheets U are pressed with a pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined value by the pressing unit 24, they are folded and the overlapping surfaces are adhered.

[0075] FIG. 21 shows the fifth sheet U5. The size of the fifth sheet U5 is the same A3 size as the fourth sheet U4. The fifth sheet U5 is placed in the paper feed section 11 so that the longitudinal direction of the fifth sheet U5 is oriented along the first direction D1. As with the fourth sheet U4, the fifth sheet U5 does not have cutting waste M set therein. The fifth sheet U5 includes three cutting pieces P in front and behind along the second direction D2 in one sheet U. The fifth sheet U5 is folded at the seventh fold line q7 and the eighth fold line q8 along the second direction D2 to form a Z shape.

[0076] The sixth cutting line K6 and the seventh cutting line K7 are set so as to divide the side of the fifth sheet U5 along the second direction D2 into three equal parts. When the fifth sheet U5 is cut along the sixth cutting line K6 and the seventh cutting line K7, three cut pieces P, namely, the ninth cut piece P9, the tenth cut piece P10, and the eleventh cut piece P11, are generated from the fifth sheet U5. The fifth sheet U5 is a three-imposed sheet in which the three cut pieces P9, P10, and P11 are allocated and imposed on one sheet U. The ninth cut piece P9, the tenth cut piece P10, and the eleventh cut piece P11 are located at the same position in the first direction D1 and are considered to be a group.

[0077] Of the three cut pieces in the fifth sheet U5, only the ninth cut piece P9 has management information printed on it, and the tenth cut piece P10 and the eleventh cut piece P11 do not have management information printed on them. The ninth cut piece P9, the tenth cut piece P10 and the eleventh cut piece P11 as a set of cut pieces P are transported sequentially by the second transport section 2 in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1.

[0078] Management information to be read by the reading unit 9 is displayed on the cut piece P. The management information is displayed at a position that will be the top surface of the cut piece P when the cut piece P is pressed by the pressing unit 24 and reaches the reading unit 9. The reading unit 9 is installed above the transport path 5, and the cut piece P is read by the reading unit 9 when it reaches a position opposite the reading unit 9. In addition to the management information, the side of the cut piece P facing the reading unit 9 displays information about the postcard's destination, such as the postal code, address, and name.

[0079] The management information is associated with the delivery address of this postcard and is printed on the sheet U together with this information. Each cut piece P is managed by the management information. The management information displayed on each cut piece P can include information unique to each cut piece P. The unique information can include identification information assigned to each cut piece P. For example, the management information can include numbers, letters, symbols, patterns, designs, etc. The management information can be information having continuity. The management information can be, for example, a consecutive number or a combination of a consecutive number with letters and symbols.

[0080] The management information includes first management information and second management information. The first management information is arranged in the same order as the conveyance of the cut pieces P conveyed sequentially by the second conveying unit 2. The first management information can be information regarding the continuity of the cut pieces P conveyed sequentially back and forth in the second direction D2. The first management information can also be information in which non-sequential numbers, letters, symbols, or combinations of these extracted by the user are sequentially arranged and listed. For example, the first management information can be information in which a set of customer numbers appropriately extracted by the user from customer numbers included in a customer list are sequentially arranged and listed.

[0081] The second management information is arranged in the reverse order to that of the first management information. The second management information can be information arranged in the reverse order to that of information regarding the continuity of the cutting pieces P transported sequentially back and forth in the second direction D2. Furthermore, when the first management information is information in which non-sequential numbers, letters, symbols, or combinations thereof extracted by a user are sequentially arranged and listed, the second management information can be information in which the order is arranged in reverse. For example, when the first management information is information in which a set of customer numbers appropriately extracted by a user from customer numbers included in a customer list is sequentially arranged and listed, the second management information can be information in which the set is arranged in reverse order.

[0082] 6 shows an example in which information consisting of numbers and symbols, "123456789#," is displayed on the first cutting piece P1. Of this information, the number portion is management information for managing multiple first cutting pieces P1. The symbol "#" is an example of a marker for reading the management information with the reading unit 9. The first cutting piece P1 shown in FIG. 6 is managed by the management information 123456789.

[0083] The numbers and symbols of the management information are displayed on the back side of the first fold piece F1, which becomes the upper surface of the cut piece P on the transport path 5 when the first cut piece P1 is pressed by the pressing unit 24 and reaches the reading unit 9. In addition to the numbers and symbols, the back side of the first fold piece F1 also displays information related to the postcard's destination, such as the postal code, address, and name. The management information is associated with the destination of the postcard and is printed together with this information.

[0084] FIG. 8 shows a case where a single-digit number is displayed on the second sheet U2 as management information for managing the cutting pieces P. This single-digit number shows another example of management information. A # symbol is displayed adjacent to the management information as a guide when reading with the reading unit 9. Of the two cutting pieces shown in FIG. 8, "1#" is displayed on the second cutting piece P2 on the left. This means that the management information for the second cutting piece P2 on the left is "1". The information "2#" is displayed on the third cutting piece P3 shown on the right side of FIG. 8. This means that the management information for the third cutting piece P3 is "2".

[0085] The third sheet U3 shown in FIG. 10 displays a three-digit number in a square. The three-digit number is management information, and the square shape surrounding the number is a mark for reading the management information. The fourth cut piece P4 shown on the left side of FIG. 10 displays the number in a square as "001." This means that the management information of the fourth cut piece P4 is 001. The fifth cut piece P5 shown on the right side of FIG. 10 displays the number in a square as "002." This means that the management information of the fifth cut piece P5 is 002.

[0086] In the fourth sheet U4 shown in FIG. 12, a two- or three-digit number is displayed following the letters of the management number on the sixth cutting piece P6, the seventh cutting piece P7, and the eighth cutting piece P8. The two- or three-digit number is management information, and the letters of the management number are a mark for reading the displayed information. Instead of the letters of the management number, an underline or the like may be used as a mark for reading the displayed information. The displayed information of the sixth cutting piece P6 shown on the left in FIG. 12 is 100. The displayed information of the seventh cutting piece P7 shown in the center is 99. The displayed information of the eighth cutting piece P8 is 98.

[0087] When the display information is a consecutive number, the consecutive numbers are displayed in ascending or descending order on each sheet U, and the sheets are stacked. A plurality of sheets U with consecutive numbers displayed thereon can be placed in the sheet feed section 11 as one sheet stack B. The sheet stack B placed in the sheet feed section 11 is processed by the processing device 100 in sequence, starting with the topmost sheet U. The sheets are then inspected by the inspection device 99 for suitability.

[0088] For example, when a single sheet U contains a cutting piece P that will become a postcard, such as the first sheet U1 shown in Figure 6, the cutting piece P of the topmost sheet U will display information "1" in the paper feed section 11, the cutting piece P of the second sheet U from the top will display information "2", and the cutting piece P of the third sheet U from the top will display information "3", and so on. Multiple sheets U with their consecutive numbers displayed in ascending order will be stacked and placed in the paper feed section 11 as a single sheet stack B.

[0089] Also, for example, when a single sheet U includes multiple cut pieces P, such as the second sheet U2 to the fourth sheet U4 shown in FIG. 6-13, the display information of the cut pieces P included in one sheet stack B placed on the paper feed unit 11 can be consecutive numbers. Consecutive numbers can be displayed on adjacent cut pieces P on a single sheet U, and consecutive numbers can be displayed in a rule-based order on multiple cut pieces P included in sheets U stacked vertically. It is previously selected by the user whether the consecutive numbers of the cut pieces P allocated to a single sheet U are displayed in ascending order from left to right, or conversely, in ascending order from right to left. It is also selected by the user whether the consecutive numbers are loaded in ascending order or descending order on the paper feed unit 11.

[0090] For example, to obtain 2,000 postcards through processing, consecutive numbers from 1 to 2,000 can be displayed on the cutting pieces P, and the sheets can be bundled in ascending or descending order into a predetermined number of sheets, such as 100 sheets or 200 sheets, to form a single sheet stack B, which can then be placed in the paper feed section 11.

[0091] In this case, when using two-sided sheets U, a total of 1000 sheets U are prepared. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, display information that is a multiple of 2 may be displayed on the second cutting piece P2 on the left side, and a number that is 1 smaller than the display information on the second cutting piece P2 may be displayed on the third cutting piece P3 on the right side of the same sheet U, as shown in Fig. 8, or instead, display information consisting of a number 1 larger.

[0092] The upper and lower sheets U can be stacked in order so that the second cut piece P2 and the third cut piece P3 of the lower sheet U each display information that is two larger than the second cut piece P2 and the third cut piece P3 of the upper sheet U. That is, for example, from right to left in FIG. 8, the display information of all the cut pieces P can be stacked in ascending order so that the display information has successively larger numbers from top to bottom on the sheet feed table 19.

[0093] For example, the display information can be "1," "2," "3," "4," "5," "6," "7," and "8" for the third cutting piece P3 on the right side of the first sheet, the second cutting piece P2 on the left side of the first sheet, the third cutting piece P3 on the right side of the second sheet, the second cutting piece P2 on the left side of the second sheet, the third cutting piece P3 on the right side of the third sheet, the second cutting piece P2 on the left side of the third sheet, the third cutting piece P3 on the right side of the fourth sheet, and the second cutting piece P2 on the left side of the fourth sheet, and multiple sheets U can be stacked in the same manner so that the display information is in ascending order.

[0094] On the other hand, in the third sheet U3 shown in Fig. 10, the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right displays display information that is a multiple of 2. The fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side of the third sheet U3 in Fig. 10 displays a number that is 1 less than the display information of the fifth cutting piece P5 adjacent to it on the right. In this case, the left-right arrangement is reversed from the second sheet U2 in Fig. 8, the number is larger on the right-side cutting piece P5 than on the left-side fourth cutting piece P4, and consecutive numbers are assigned in ascending order from left to right.

[0095] The upper and lower third sheets U3 can be stacked in sequence on the paper feed tray 19 so that the fourth cut piece P4 and the fifth cut piece P5 of the lower third sheet U3 each display information that is larger than the fourth cut piece P4 and the fifth cut piece P5 of the upper third sheet U3 by 2. That is, for example, from left to right in Fig. 10, the display information of all the cut pieces P can be stacked in ascending order from top to bottom on the paper feed tray 19 so that the display information has successively larger numbers.

[0096] For example, the display information for the fourth cut piece P4 on the left side of the first sheet, the fifth cut piece P5 on the right side of the first sheet, the fourth cut piece P4 on the left side of the second sheet, the fifth cut piece P5 on the right side of the second sheet, the fourth cut piece P4 on the left side of the third sheet, the fifth cut piece P5 on the right side of the third sheet, the fourth cut piece P4 on the left side of the fourth sheet, and the fifth cut piece P5 on the right side of the fourth sheet, will be "001", "002", "003", "004", "005", "006", "007", and "008", and multiple sheets U can be stacked in ascending order in the same manner.

[0097] 10, when the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right side is conveyed in the second direction D2 by the second conveying section 2 before the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side, the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right side reaches the reading section 9 before the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side. In this case, the reading section 9 reads the display information in the order that the fifth cutting piece P5 arrives before the fourth cutting piece P4. The reading section 9 reads the information "002" on the fifth cutting piece P5, and then reads the information "001" on the fourth cutting piece P4.

[0098] When the sheets are processed in order starting from the third sheet U3 at the top of the paper feed tray 19, the fifth cut piece P5 on the right reaches the reading unit 9 before the fourth cut piece P4 on the left. The information read by the reading unit 9 is as follows: "002", "001", "004", "003", "006", "005", "008", "007". The numbers in the read information are reversed between adjacent cut pieces P on the same sheet U, with larger and smaller values ​​swapped.

[0099] Even if the third sheet U3 shown in Figure 10 is placed on the paper feed tray 19, and all the cut pieces P that make up the sheet stack B are assigned consecutive numbers and placed in the paper feed section 11 in ascending order, the numbers in the read information obtained by the reading section 9 will be in reverse order between the fourth cut piece P4 and the fifth cut piece P5, which are a set of cut pieces P imposed on one third sheet U3.

[0100] When the display information is a consecutive number and is placed in descending order, the ascending order is reversed, and a smaller number than that of the upper sheet U is displayed on the cutting piece P of the lower sheet U. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, if the display information of the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left side of the three-sided fourth sheet U4 is "100", the display information of the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center is "99", and the display information of the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right side is "98", and the sheet is placed on the top of the sheet stack B, the display information of "97", "96", and "95" can be displayed on the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left side, the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center, and the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right side of the second sheet U from the top of the sheet stack B, respectively. Similarly, the sheets U can be placed so that the display information of each cutting piece P is in descending order.

[0101] The topmost sheet U among the multiple sheets U placed in the paper feed unit 11 is conveyed in a first direction D1 by the paper feed rollers 12. The sheet U sent from the paper feed unit 11 to the folding unit 14 is folded along a fold line q perpendicular to the first direction D1 by the folding rollers 40-45 and the folding trays 62, 63. At this time, the positions of the folding stoppers 64, 65 are appropriately adjusted depending on the type of folding of the sheet U, such as Z-type, V-type, C-type, etc.

[0102] The folded sheet U is transported to the cutting unit 3. In the cutting unit 3, the sheet U is cut by a cutting blade 66 positioned on the conveying path 5 at a position corresponding to the cutting line K of the sheet U by a moving unit 69, and separated into a plurality of cut pieces P. Each cut piece P is transported downstream.

[0103] 6, the first sheets U1 are loaded on the sheet feed tray 19 with the reverse side, which is the printed side of the first sheets U1, facing downward. The first sheets U1 are sequentially transported downstream by the first transport section 1 and folded into a Z shape at the folding section 14, and then separated into two cut pieces P by cutting at the cutting section 3. Cutting waste M generated by cutting is guided downward by the guide section 27 and collected in the storage section 37.

[0104] On the other hand, the first cut piece P1 obtained by cutting the first sheet U1 is not removed from the conveying path 5 by the guide section 27, but is conveyed downstream on the conveying path 5 along the first direction D1. The second sheet U2 and the third sheet U3 shown in Figs. 8 and 10 are folded in half into a V shape at the folding section 14. The fourth sheet U4 shown in Fig. 12 is folded in three outwardly into a Z shape. The second sheet U2, the third sheet U3, and the fourth sheet U4 that reach the cutting section 3 are cut along the second cutting line K2, the third cutting line K3, the fourth cutting line K4, and the fifth cutting line K5, respectively. The cut piece P generated by cutting, like the first cut piece P1, is not removed from the conveying path 5 when passing through the guide section 27, but is conveyed downstream on the conveying path 5 along the first direction D1.

[0105] When the cut pieces P reach the cross conveyor section 22, the conveying direction is changed from the first direction D1 to the second direction D2. The cut pieces P are conveyed to the pressing section 24 by the second conveying section 2. In the pressing section 24, the cut pieces P are pressed by the pressing rollers 117 and 118, and are adhered to the entire surfaces of the cut pieces P by the adhesive that has been applied in advance.

[0106] When the cut piece P reaches the installation position of the reading unit 9, the display information displayed on the upper surface of the cut piece P transported in the second direction D2 is read by the reading unit 9. The read information obtained by the reading unit 9 is transmitted to the control unit 80 and stored in the memory unit 79. The control unit 80 controls the reading unit 9 to determine whether the cut piece P is appropriate or not based on the read information obtained by reading it. The control unit 80 outputs the read information to the display unit 61. The control unit 80 monitors the read management information and the number of mail pieces that have passed through, and if there is an abnormality in the read management information, for example, if the order of the management information is incorrect due to poor printing, data errors, or the inclusion of blank paper, or if there is no management information, the control unit 80 stops the device and displays the situation on the display unit 61.

[0107] If there is no abnormality in the read management information, the management information is erased from the management data after verification, i.e., the management data is erased. This makes it possible to check the management data after the work is completed and know whether all the required mail pieces have passed under the reading unit 9.

[0108] A first judgment unit 81 of the control unit 80 compares the read information with first management information arranged in the same order as management information for managing the cut pieces P, and judges whether the cut pieces P are suitable. The management information is composed of serial numbers, and the first management information can be information regarding the continuity of the cut pieces P transported sequentially back and forth in the second direction D2. When the first judgment unit 81 judges that the read information does not match the first management information, a second judgment unit 82 of the control unit 80 judges whether the read information of a set of cut pieces P matches second management information arranged in the reverse order to the arrangement of the first management information.

[0109] In the first embodiment, information input in advance by the user using the input unit 60 is set in the setting unit 78. The setting information set in the setting unit 78 is stored in the storage unit 79. The presetting determination unit 87 of the control unit 80 determines whether the cutting piece P is appropriate based on the setting information in the setting unit 78.

[0110] That is, a user of the processing device 100 inputs various information related to the processing of the sheet U, including display information to be displayed in advance on each cutting piece P, through an input unit 60 such as an operation panel 59 or an operation terminal such as a personal computer or smartphone (not shown) connected wirelessly or by wire to the processing device 100. The various information input from the input unit 60 is set by a setting unit 78 and stored in a storage unit 79. In this way, the user registers the processing contents of the sheet U in advance.

[0111] Examples of processing contents that are input, set, and stored in advance include the total number of cutting pieces P obtained by the processing that are allocated and imposed on a sheet U, the number of cutting pieces P allocated to one sheet U, display information displayed on each cutting piece P, initial information which is display information displayed on the cutting piece P that is processed first after the processing starts and whose display information is read by the reading unit 9, whether or not imposition inversion is set, etc.

[0112] The imposition reversal setting means that when a set of cutting pieces P imposed on a single sheet U are transported sequentially to the reading unit 9 by the second transport unit 2, the cutting pieces P are compared with first management information arranged in the same order as the management information for managing the cutting pieces P, and the first judgment unit 81 judges whether the cutting pieces P are appropriate, and when the first judgment unit 81 judges that the cutting pieces P are not appropriate, the management information corresponding to the set of cutting pieces is changed in order to compare it with second management information arranged in such a way that the second judgment unit 82 judges whether the cutting pieces P are appropriate.

[0113] In the imposition reversal setting, when a sheet U is placed on the paper supply unit 11 and multiple cut pieces P are imposed along the second direction D2, for a set of cut pieces P that are imposed adjacent to the sheet U and located at the same position in the first direction D1, the arrangement of the management information of the cut pieces P that are sequentially transported back and forth in the second direction D2 by the second transport unit 2 after cutting is set in the reverse order to the expected order.

[0114] For example, in the case of the first sheet U1 shown in Fig. 6, imposition reversal is set to no. Since only one cutting piece P is set for one sheet U, the cutting pieces P are transported to the reading unit 9 in the order in which they are stacked on the paper feed tray 19. When the cutting pieces P are placed on the paper feed tray 19 so that their management information is in ascending order, the read information of the reading unit 9 is also in ascending order. Conversely, when the sheet U is placed on the paper feed tray 19 so that their management information is in descending order, the read information is also in descending order. In this case, the read information is not swapped with the order of the management information. Therefore, imposition reversal is set to no.

[0115] When the second sheet U2 shown in FIG. 8 is stacked on the top of the sheet stack B in the orientation shown in FIG. 8, and the sheets U are stacked so that the management information of the cutting pieces P included in the sheet stack B is in ascending order, the imposition inversion setting is not performed. In this case, the top second sheet U2 of the sheet stack B on the sheet feed tray 19 has the management information of the third cutting piece P3 allocated to the right side as "1", and the management information of the second cutting piece P2 allocated to the left side of the second second sheet U2 as "2". The second second sheet U2 of the sheet stack B has the management information of the third cutting piece P3 allocated to the right side as "3", and the management information of the second cutting piece P2 allocated to the left side of the second second sheet U2 as "4". The management information of the third cutting piece P3 allocated to the right side of the third second sheet U2 of the sheet stack B as "5", and the management information of the second cutting piece P2 allocated to the left side of the third second sheet U2 as "6".

[0116] The top sheet U of the sheet stack B is folded and cut as shown in Fig. 9, and then transported in the second direction D2. At this time, the third cut piece P3 shown on the right side of Fig. 9 is transported prior to the second cut piece P2 shown on the left side. The reading unit 9 reads the display information of the third cut piece P3 before the second cut piece P2. The read information obtained by reading the display information of the third cut piece P3 of the top second sheet U2, the second cut piece P2 of the top second sheet U2, the third cut piece P3 of the second second sheet U2 of the sheet stack B, and the second cut piece P2 of the second second sheet U2, in that order, is arranged as "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", and "6".

[0117] The read information is arranged in ascending order, and the serial numbers are not interchanged. The first management information is arranged in the same order as the management information for managing the cut pieces, like the serial numbers. In this case, the imposition reversal setting is not performed.

[0118] The second sheet U2 shown in Fig. 8 is loaded in the orientation shown in Fig. 8, but is loaded so that the display information of the sheets U is in descending order, and when the second sheet U2, whose display information is "1" for the third cutting piece P3 on the right side and "2" for the second cutting piece P2 on the left side as shown in Fig. 8, is loaded at the bottom of the sheet stack B, the imposition is set to be inverted. This is because the read information of the cutting piece P transported in the second direction D2 is arranged in ascending order of "1" and "2", so that when the display information of the sheet stack B placed on the paper feed unit 11 is loaded in descending order, the read information is arranged in the reverse order of the first management information.

[0119] In contrast, when the third sheet U3 shown in Fig. 10 is placed at the top of the sheet stack B and each cutting piece P is stacked in the paper feed unit 11 in ascending order, imposition reversal is set to ON. In the third sheet U3 shown in Fig. 10, the display information of the fifth cutting piece P5 shown on the right side is greater than the display information of the fourth cutting piece P4 shown on the left side, and compared to the second sheet U2 in Fig. 8, the imposition position of the cutting piece P with the larger display information value is reversed left to right.

[0120] The display information of the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right side of the third sheet U3 shown in FIG. 10 is "002", and the display information of the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side is "001". When the third sheet U3 shown in FIG. 10 is placed at the top of the sheet stack B, and the sheet stack B is stacked in the paper feed unit 11 so that the display information of each cutting piece P is in ascending order, the display information of the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right side of the second third sheet U3 is "004", and the display information of the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side is "003". The display information of the cutting piece P5 on the right side of the third third sheet U3 is "006", and the display information of the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side is "005". The display information of the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right side of the fourth third sheet U3 is "008", and the display information of the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side is "007". Similarly, between the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right side of the third sheet U3 and between the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side of the third sheet U3 stacked vertically, the three-digit number on the lower side of the display information is 2 greater than the number on the upper side. Between one sheet U, the consecutive numbers are displayed in ascending order so that the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right side has a value 1 greater than the fourth cutting piece P on the left side.

[0121] When the third sheet U3 is cut and transported in the second direction D2 by the second transport unit 2 toward the reading unit 9, the fifth cut piece P5 on the right side in Fig. 10 is transported prior to the fourth cut piece P4 on the left side. When the top, second, third and fourth third sheets U3 stacked in the paper feed unit 11 are processed in order and read by the reading unit 9, the resulting arrangement of read information is "002", "001", "004", "003", "006", "005", "008", "007", in that order.

[0122] The read information is not arranged in ascending order, but the consecutive numbers are swapped. The order is reversed between a set of cut pieces P imposed on one sheet U, in descending order. In this way, when the display information between a set of cut pieces P imposed on one sheet U is in the reverse order to the arrangement in the first management information, the user sets the imposition to be reversed. As a result, when the first judgment unit 81 judges that the read information does not match the first management information that is arranged in the same order as the management information for managing the cut pieces, the second judgment unit 82 can inspect the suitability of the cut pieces P by judging whether the read information matches the second management information.

[0123] The third sheet U3 shown in FIG. 10 is loaded in the orientation shown in FIG. 10, but is loaded in the paper feed unit 11 so that the display information is in descending order, and when the third sheet U3, in which the display information of the sheet U shown in FIG. 10 is "002" for the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right and "001" for the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left, is loaded at the bottom of the sheet stack B, the imposition is set to not be reversed. Since the read information of the cutting piece P conveyed in the second direction D2 is arranged in descending order of "002" and "001", when the display information of the sheet stack B placed on the paper feed unit 11 is stacked in descending order, the arrangement is the same as the management information for managing the cutting pieces. Therefore, since the read information can be collated with the first management information arranged in the same order as the management information for managing the cutting pieces P, the imposition is not set to be reversed.

[0124] When the fourth sheet U4 shown in FIG. 12 is placed at the top of the sheet stack B and the cutting pieces P are stacked in the paper feed unit 11 in descending order, imposition inversion setting is performed. The display information of the fourth sheet U4 shown in FIG. 12 is arranged in ascending order from right to left. The display information of the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right, the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center, and the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left of each of the top, second, third, and fourth fourth sheets U4 of the sheet stack B is "98", "99", "100", "95", "96", "97", "92", "93", and "94", respectively. The read information is arranged in this order.

[0125] In this case, the arrangement of the read information is not consecutive numbers, but swapped. Comparing the display information values ​​of the eighth cut piece P8 on the right side of the topmost fourth sheet U4, which is the first to be processed after processing begins, and the eighth cut piece P8 on the right side of the second fourth sheet U4, the second subsequent sheet has a value that is 3 smaller than the preceding topmost fourth sheet U4. The eighth cut pieces P8 on the same right side of the fourth sheet U4, which are stacked vertically, each have a value that is 3 smaller. Between a set of cut pieces P assigned to one sheet U with 3 impositions, the display information is arranged in ascending consecutive numbers.

[0126] In this way, the user sets the imposition reversal because the display information between a set of cutting pieces P imposed on one sheet U is in the reverse order to the arrangement of the management information for managing the cutting pieces. As a result, if the first judgment unit 81 judges that the read information does not match the first management information that is arranged in the same order as the management information for managing the cutting pieces, the second judgment unit 82 can inspect the suitability of the cutting pieces P by judging whether it matches the second management information.

[0127] 12 is placed at the bottom of the sheet stack B, and the cutting pieces P are stacked in the paper feed unit 11 in ascending order, the imposition reversal setting is not performed. Since the read information of the cutting pieces P transported in the second direction D2 is arranged in ascending order of "98," "99," and "100," when the sheet stack B is placed in the paper feed unit 11 in ascending order, the arrangement is the same as the management information for managing the cutting pieces. Therefore, since the read information is arranged in the same order as the management information for managing the cutting pieces, the imposition reversal setting is not performed.

[0128] FIG. 23 shows a control flow of the inspection process according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the user uses the setting unit 78 to set in advance various information related to the processing process, including display information to be displayed on the cutting pieces P included in the sheet U to be processed. For example, the total number of cutting pieces P obtained by the processing process is set to 100, and the number of impositions of the cutting pieces P allocated to one sheet U is set to 1, 2, or 3. That is, the number of impositions of the cutting pieces P is set to 1 for the first sheet U1 shown in FIG. 6. The number of impositions is set to 2 for the second sheet U2 and the third sheet U3 shown in FIGS. 8 and 10. The number of impositions is set to 3 for the fourth sheet U4 shown in FIG. 12.

[0129] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the user inputs through the input unit 60 that consecutive numbers from 1 to 100 are to be displayed on each cutting piece P, and this is set in the setting unit 78 and stored in the memory unit 79. When the display information of the sheet stack B placed on the paper feed unit 11 is arranged in ascending order, the initial information, which is the first read information to be read after the reading process of the reading unit 9 starts, is set to 1. Conversely, when the display information of the sheet stack B placed on the paper feed unit 11 is arranged in descending order, the initial information, which is the first read information to be read after the reading process starts, is set to 100.

[0130] In addition, the order in which the sheets U are processed, whether in ascending or descending order of the serial numbers of the display information, is input by the user through the input unit 60, set by the setting unit 78, and stored in the memory unit 79.

[0131] Regarding the imposition inversion setting, as described above, the imposition inversion setting is not performed for the first sheet U1 shown in Fig. 6. When the second sheet U2, in which the display information shown in Fig. 8 is "1" for the third cutting piece P3 on the right side and "2" for the second cutting piece P2 on the left side, is stacked at the top of the sheet stack B with the orientation shown in Fig. 8, and the second sheet U2 is stacked in the sheet feed unit 11 so that the display information of the cutting pieces P included in the sheet stack B is in ascending order, the imposition inversion is set to "no". Conversely, when the display information shown in Fig. 8 is "1" for the third cutting piece P3 on the right side and "2" for the second cutting piece P2 on the left side, the second sheet U2 is stacked with the orientation shown in Fig. 8, but is stacked at the bottom of the sheet stack B, and the display information is stacked in descending order, the imposition inversion is set to "yes".

[0132] When the display information shown in Fig. 10 is "002" for the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right and "001" for the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left, and the third sheet U3 is placed at the top of the sheet stack B in the orientation shown in Fig. 10, and the cutting pieces P are stacked in ascending order in the paper feed unit 11, the imposition is set to be inverted. When the display information shown in Fig. 10 is "002" for the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right and "001" for the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left, and the third sheet U3 is placed at the bottom of the sheet stack B in the orientation shown in Fig. 10, and the management information is stacked in descending order in the paper feed unit 11, the imposition is set to be inverted.

[0133] 12, the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right is "98", the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center is "99", and the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left is "100", when the fourth sheet U4 is placed at the top of the sheet stack B and the cutting pieces P are stacked in descending order in the paper feed unit 11, the imposition reversal setting is performed. When the fourth sheet U4, whose display information shown in FIG. 12 is "98" for the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right, "99" for the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center, and "100" for the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left, is placed at the bottom of the sheet stack B and the cutting pieces P are stacked in ascending order in the paper feed unit 11, the imposition reversal setting is not performed.

[0134] A case where the first sheet U1 shown in Fig. 6 is processed according to the flow shown in Fig. 23 will be described. In step 1 of Fig. 23, it is determined whether or not imposition inversion is set. When processing the first sheet U1, the user sets the imposition inversion setting to not be set. Therefore, step 1 is satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 4.

[0135] In step 4, the read information is collated and inspected in the same order as the management information for managing the cutting pieces P. In the first sheet U1 shown in Fig. 6, only one cutting piece P is imposed on one sheet U. In this case, the display information displayed on the cutting pieces P of the sheets U stacked vertically in the paper feed unit 11 is an ascending consecutive number. The first cutting piece P1 is transported to the reading unit 9 in the same order as the arrangement of the management information, which is the displayed ascending consecutive number, and is read by the reading unit 9.

[0136] When the display information of the topmost sheet U among the display information displayed on the multiple sheets U placed on the paper feed unit 11 is "1", the initial information becomes "1". When 100 first sheets U1 are stacked in ascending order in the paper feed unit 11, the control unit 80 collates the read information obtained from the reading unit 9 according to the serial numbers in ascending order starting from 1.

[0137] Conversely, when the display information of the top sheet U of the sheet stack B is "100", the initial information is "100", and the first sheet U1 is loaded in the paper feed section 11 so that the display information is in descending order, the control section 80 checks the sequential numbers in descending order starting from 100.

[0138] If the comparison result shows that the first management information arranged by serial numbers does not match the read information from the reading unit 9, the control unit 80 determines that the mismatched cutting piece P is inappropriate. The control unit 80 notifies the user of the management information and position in the paper receiver 17 of the cutting piece P that is determined to be inappropriate, and displays an error on the display unit 61. The process ends when all of the first sheets U1 on the paper feed unit 11 have been processed and inspected.

[0139] Next, the inspection process will be described with reference to the flow in Fig. 6 when the second sheet U2, whose display information shown in Fig. 8 is "1" for the third cutting piece P3 on the right and "2" for the second cutting piece P2 on the left, is stacked on top of the sheet stack B in the orientation shown in Fig. 8 and the second sheet U2 is stacked in the sheet feeder 11 so that the display information of the cutting pieces P included in the sheet stack B is in ascending order. No imposition reversal is set.

[0140] In step 1, it is determined whether imposition reversal is set. As described above, the user does not set the imposition judgment. Therefore, step 1 is not satisfied and the process proceeds to step 4. In step 4, the first judgment unit 81 collates the read information according to the arrangement of the first management information, which is management information for managing the cut pieces, and judges whether the cut piece P is appropriate. That is, the initial information is set to "1", and management information in which the serial numbers are arranged in ascending order from 1 to 100 is used, and the reading unit 9 reads the display information displayed on the cut piece P transported in the second direction D2 and collates it with the read information obtained. If the result of the collation shows that the read information does not match the first management information, the control unit 80 notifies the user and displays a warning on the display unit 61. The process ends when all 100 cut pieces P have been processed and inspected.

[0141] A case will be described below in which the second sheet U2, whose display information is "1" on the third cutting piece P3 on the right and "2" on the second cutting piece P2 on the left, is stacked at the bottom of the sheet stack B with the orientation as shown in Fig. 8, and the display information is stacked in descending order in the paper feed section 11 with the initial information set to "100." In this case, since the imposition is set to be inverted, step 1 in Fig. 23 is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 2.

[0142] In step 2, it is determined whether the second sheet U2 is 3-imposed. The second sheet U2 shown in FIG. 8 is 2-imposed, so it is not 3-imposed. Therefore, step 2 is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 3. In step 3, it is determined whether the sheet U is 2-imposed. The second sheet U2 is 2-imposed, so step 3 is satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 5.

[0143] In step 5, it is determined whether the management information of the cut pieces P of the sheet stack B loaded in the sheet feed unit 11 is arranged in ascending order. In this case, the user inputs through the input unit 60 that the management information is arranged in descending order, which is set in the setting unit 78 and stored in the memory unit 79. Therefore, the control unit 80 determines that the display information of the sheet stack B placed in the sheet feed unit 11 is arranged in descending order.

[0144] In step 5, it is determined whether the display information is arranged in ascending order. Since the setting unit 78 has set that the display information is arranged in descending order, step 5 is not met and the process proceeds to step 6. In step 6, the initial information is set to 100, and the management information, which is the serial number of a set of cut pieces P imposed on one sheet U, is switched from descending order to ascending order, and for cut pieces P imposed on sheets U stacked one above the other, the earlier management information is compared with the management information arranged in descending order so that the earlier management information has a larger value than the later management information.

[0145] 23, the control unit 80 checks the read information against the management information arranged in the order of "99," "100," "97," and "98." Similarly, for the third sheet and onwards, the two pieces of management information displayed on the two cut pieces P included in one sheet U are sequential numbers in ascending order, but between cut pieces P imposed on different sheets U, the read information is checked according to the management information arranged to have a value three less than the previous management information.

[0146] Next, a case will be described where the third sheet U3, whose display information shown in Fig. 10 is "002" on the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right and "001" on the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left, is placed on top of the sheet stack B in the orientation shown in Fig. 10, and each cutting piece P is stacked in ascending order in the paper feed section 11. In this case, since imposition reversal is set to yes, the no reversal setting in step 1 of Fig. 23 is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 2.

[0147] In step 2, it is determined whether the third sheet U3 is 3-imposed. The third sheet U3 shown in FIG. 10 is 2-imposed, so it is not 3-imposed. Therefore, step 2 is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 3. In step 3, it is determined whether the sheet U is 2-imposed. The third sheet U3 is 2-imposed, so step 3 is satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 5.

[0148] In step 5, it is determined whether the management information of the cut pieces P of the sheet stack B loaded in the sheet feed unit 11 is arranged in ascending order. In this case, the user inputs in advance through the input unit 60 that the management information is arranged in ascending order, and the information is set in the setting unit 78.

[0149] In step 5, it is determined whether the display information is arranged in ascending order. Since the setting unit 78 has set the display information to be in ascending order, step 5 is satisfied and the process proceeds to step 7. In step 7, the initial information is set to "1", and the management information, which is the serial number of a set of cut pieces P imposed on one sheet U, is changed from ascending order to descending order, and for the cut pieces P imposed on sheets U stacked one above the other, the earlier management information is compared with the management information arranged in ascending order so that the earlier management information has a smaller value than the later management information.

[0150] That is, as shown in step 7 of Fig. 23, the control unit 80 checks the read information against the management information arranged in the order of "002," "001," "004," and "003." Similarly, for the third and subsequent sheets, the two pieces of display information respectively displayed on the fifth cutting piece P5 and the fourth cutting piece P4 included in one third sheet U3 are consecutive numbers in descending order, but between the cutting pieces P that are stacked vertically and imposed on the placed sheet U, the read information is checked according to the management information arranged to have a value three greater than the immediately preceding management information.

[0151] A case will be described in which the third sheet U3, whose display information shown in Fig. 10 is "002" on the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right and "001" on the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left, is stacked at the bottom of the sheet stack B with the orientation shown in Fig. 10, and the display information is stacked in descending order in the paper feed unit 11. In this case, the imposition is set to not be inverted.

[0152] In step 1, it is determined whether or not imposition reversal is set. As described above, the user does not set the imposition judgment. Therefore, step 1 is not satisfied and the process proceeds to step 4. In step 4, the first judgment unit 81 collates the read information according to the arrangement of the first management information, which is management information for managing the cutting pieces P, and judges whether the cutting pieces P are appropriate. That is, the initial information is set to "100", and management information in which the serial numbers are arranged in descending order from 100 to 1 is used, and the reading unit 9 reads the display information displayed on the cutting pieces P transported in the second direction D2 and compares it with the read information obtained. If the result of the collation shows that the read information does not match the first management information, the control unit 80 notifies the user and displays a warning on the display unit 61. The process ends when all 100 cutting pieces P have been processed and inspected.

[0153] A case will be described in which the fourth sheet U4, whose display information shown in Fig. 12 is "98" for the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right, "99" for the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center, and "100" for the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left, is placed on top of the sheet stack B, and each cutting piece P is stacked in descending order in the paper feed unit 11. In this case, imposition reversal setting is performed. Since imposition reversal is set to yes, the no reversal setting in step 1 of Fig. 23 is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 2.

[0154] In step 2, it is determined whether the fourth sheet U4 is 3-imposed. The fourth sheet U4 shown in FIG. 12 is 3-imposed, so step 2 is satisfied. The process proceeds to step 8, and it is determined whether the management information of the cutting pieces P of the sheet stack B loaded in the paper feed unit 11 is set in ascending order. The user has previously input through the input unit 60 that the serial numbers of the display information are in descending order, and this is set in the setting unit 78.

[0155] In step 8, it is determined whether the management information is arranged in ascending order. In this case, since the setting unit 78 has set that the display information is arranged in descending order, step 5 is not satisfied and the process proceeds to step 9. In step 9, the initial information is set to "100", and the management information, which is the serial number of a set of cut pieces P imposed on one sheet U, is changed from descending order to ascending order, and for the cut pieces P imposed on the sheets U stacked one above the other, the earlier management information is compared with the first management information arranged in descending order so that the earlier management information has a larger value than the later management information.

[0156] That is, as shown in step 9 of Fig. 23, the control unit 80 collates the read information with the management information arranged in the order of "98," "99," "100," "95," "96," and "97." Similarly, for the third and subsequent sheets, the three pieces of display information displayed on the eighth cutting piece P8, the seventh cutting piece P7, and the sixth cutting piece P6 included in one third sheet U3 are sequential numbers in ascending order, but between the cutting pieces P that are stacked vertically and imposed on the placed sheet U, the read information is collated according to the management information arranged to have a value 5 greater than the immediately preceding management information.

[0157] 12, the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right side is "98", the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center is "99", and the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left side is "100". The fourth sheet U4 is placed at the bottom of the sheet stack B, and the cutting pieces P are stacked in ascending order in the paper feed unit 11. In this case, the imposition reversal setting is not performed.

[0158] In step 1, it is determined whether or not imposition reversal is set. As described above, the user does not set the imposition judgment. Therefore, step 1 is not satisfied and the process proceeds to step 4. In step 4, the first judgment unit 81 collates the read information according to the arrangement of the first management information, which is management information for managing the cutting pieces P, and judges whether the cutting pieces P are appropriate. That is, the initial information is set to "1", and management information in which the serial numbers are arranged in ascending order from 1 to 100 is used, and the reading unit 9 reads the display information displayed on the cutting pieces P transported in the second direction D2 and compares it with the read information obtained. If the result of the collation shows that the read information does not match the first management information, the control unit 80 notifies the user and displays a warning on the display unit 61. The process ends when all 100 cutting pieces P have been processed and inspected.

[0159] Second Embodiment The second embodiment will be described below. In the first embodiment, the user sets the inversion setting by the setting unit 78, but in the second embodiment, the user does not need to set the inversion. After processing starts, the reading unit 9 infers management information for the second and subsequent sheets based on the read information read first, and performs inspection. In the second embodiment, the sheet U is processed using a processing device 100 and an inspection device 99 having the same mechanical configuration as in the first embodiment.

[0160] In the control unit 80 according to the second embodiment, the prediction unit 83 predicts management information to be displayed on the subsequent cutting piece based on the read information of the preceding cutting piece P. The prediction judgment unit 84 judges whether the read information matches the predicted information of the prediction unit. In the second embodiment, the user sets the initial information by the management setting unit 86. For example, the user inputs and sets the initial information as "1" and stores it in the memory unit 79. Then, multiple sheets U are placed on the paper feed unit 11 so that the display information is displayed in ascending consecutive numbers. As a condition for processing by the processing device 100, the number of cutting pieces P imposed on the sheet U is assumed to be 1, 2, or 3.

[0161] FIG. 24 shows a control flow of the inspection process according to the second embodiment. A case where the first sheet U1 shown in FIG. 6 is processed according to the flow shown in FIG. 24 will be described. In step 21 of FIG. 24, it is determined whether the read information read by the reading unit 9 is "3". The sheet stack B, in which the display information of the first cutting piece P1 of the uppermost first sheet U1 is displayed as "1", is placed in ascending order in the paper feed unit 11. The display information of the cutting piece P that is first transported to the reading unit 9 by the second transport unit 2 is "1". Therefore, when the correct first cutting piece P1 is transported to the reading unit 9, the read information is "1", so step 21 is not satisfied and the process proceeds to step 22.

[0162] In step 22, it is determined whether the first read information is "2". Since the read information of the first correct first cutting piece P1 is "1", step 22 is not met and the process proceeds to step 23. In step 23, the inspection is performed in order. The control unit 80 compares the read information with management information in which initial information is "1" and consecutive numbers are arranged in ascending order, and determines whether the read information is appropriate. If the read information does not match the management information for managing the cutting pieces, the user is notified and an error is displayed on the display unit 61.

[0163] Next, as shown in FIG. 8, a case will be described in which the second sheet U2, which has the display information "1" on the third cutting piece P3 on the right side and "2" on the second cutting piece P2 on the left side, is stacked on the top of the sheet stack B in the orientation shown in FIG. 8, and the second sheet U2 is stacked on the paper feed unit 11 so that the display information of the cutting pieces P included in the sheet stack B is in ascending order. In step 21 of the control flow in FIG. 24, it is determined whether the read information obtained from the reading unit 9 is "3". On the second sheet U2 placed on the top of the paper feed tray 19, the display information "1" is displayed on the third cutting piece P3 on the downstream side in the second direction D2 that is transported ahead of the reading unit 9. In this case, the first read information is "1". Since the read information is "1", step 21 is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 22.

[0164] In step 22, it is determined whether the read information is "2". Since the first read information in Fig. 8 is "1", step 22 is not satisfied and the process proceeds to step 23. In step 23, the checks are performed in order.

[0165] That is, since the sheet stack B is stacked on the sheet feed tray 19 in ascending order with "1" as the initial information, the display information of the third cutting piece P3 allocated to the right side of the top second sheet U2 of the sheet stack B is "1", and the display information of the second cutting piece P2 allocated to the left side of the second second sheet U2 is "2". The second second sheet U2 of the sheet stack B has the display information of the third cutting piece P3 allocated to the right side of the second second sheet U2, and the display information of the second cutting piece P2 allocated to the left side of the second second sheet U2 is "4". The display information of the third cutting piece P3 allocated to the right side of the third second sheet U2 of the sheet stack B is "5", and the display information of the second cutting piece P2 allocated to the left side of the third second sheet U2 is "6".

[0166] When the cutting pieces P are transported to the reading unit 9 in the appropriate order, the read information is arranged as "1," "2," "3," "4," "5," and "6." In step 23, the read information is compared with the sequential numbers in ascending order, starting with "1," which is the initial information in the expected order, to determine whether the cutting pieces P are appropriate. Since the display information displayed on the third cutting piece P3 on the right side of the second sheet U2 is smaller than the display information displayed on the second cutting piece P2 on the left side, the display information is arranged in sequential numbers, and therefore the appropriateness of the cutting pieces P can be determined by comparing them in order.

[0167] A case will be described in which the third sheet U3, whose display information shown in FIG. 10 is "002" on the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right and "001" on the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left, is placed on the top of the sheet stack B in the orientation shown in FIG. 10, and each cutting piece P is stacked in ascending order in the paper feed unit 11. In step 21 of FIG. 24, it is determined whether the read information obtained from the reading unit 9 is "3". On the third sheet U3 placed on the top of the paper feed tray 19, the display information "002" is displayed on the fifth cutting piece P5 downstream in the second direction D2. In this case, the read information is "002". Since the read information is "002", step 21 is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 22.

[0168] In step 22, it is determined whether the read information is "2". The display information of the fifth cut piece P5 in FIG. 10 is "002". The display information is displayed in three digits, but compared to the single digit "2", it has the same meaning in that it is the second consecutive number. In this case, the control unit 80 determines that step 22 is satisfied. Proceeding to step 24, the initial information is set to "1", and the management information, which is the consecutive number of a set of cut pieces P imposed on one sheet U, is changed from ascending to descending order, and if the cut pieces P included in the vertically stacked sheets U are consecutive, the earlier management information is compared with the first management information arranged in ascending order so that the earlier management information has a larger value than the later management information.

[0169] That is, the control unit 80 checks the read information against the management information arranged in the order of "002," "001," "004," and "003." Similarly, for the third and subsequent sheets, the two pieces of display information displayed on the fifth cutting piece P5 and the fourth cutting piece P4 included in one third sheet U3 are consecutive numbers in descending order, but between the cutting pieces P that are stacked one above the other and imposed on the placed sheet U, the read information is checked according to the management information arranged to have a value three greater than the immediately preceding management information.

[0170] We will explain the case where a sheet with the same size and number of impositions as the fourth sheet U4 shown in Figure 12 is placed at the top of the sheet stack B, with the serial numbers arranged in ascending order from right to left, with display information "1" displayed on the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right, "2" displayed on the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center, and "3" displayed on the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left, and the sheet is placed at the top of the sheet stack B, with the display information of each cutting piece P arranged in ascending order and stacked in the paper feed section 11.

[0171] In step 21 of Fig. 24, it is determined whether the read information obtained from the reading unit 9 is "3". The display information displayed on the eighth cutting piece P8 is "1", and since this eighth cutting piece P8 is transported in the second direction D2 prior to the seventh cutting piece P7 and the sixth cutting piece P6 and reaches the reading unit 9, the first read information is "1". Since the read information is "1", step 21 is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 22.

[0172] In step 22, it is determined whether the read information is "2". As the first read information is "1", step 22 is not met and the process proceeds to step 23. In step 23, the read information is collated in the expected order. In step 23, the order is inspected. The control unit 80 collates the read information with management information in which the initial information is "1" and the consecutive numbers are arranged in ascending order, and determines whether it is appropriate. If the read information does not match the management information with consecutive numbers starting from 1, the user is notified and an error is displayed on the display unit 61.

[0173] 12, but in the case where the serial numbers are in descending order from right to left, the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right side will display "3", the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center will display "2", and the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left side will display "1". A case will be described where such a fourth sheet U4 is placed at the top of the sheet stack B, and the display information of each cutting piece P is arranged in ascending order and stacked in the paper feed unit 11.

[0174] In step 21 of Fig. 24, it is determined whether the read information obtained from the reading unit 9 is "3". The display information displayed on the eighth cutting piece P8 is "3", and since this eighth cutting piece P8 is transported in the second direction D2 prior to the seventh cutting piece P7 and the sixth cutting piece P6 and reaches the reading unit 9, the first read information is "3". Since the read information is "3", step 21 is satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 25.

[0175] In step 25, the initial information is set to "1", the management information, which is the consecutive number of a set of cut pieces P imposed on the fourth sheet U4, is changed from descending to ascending order, and for the cut pieces P imposed on sheets U stacked one above the other, the earlier management information is compared with the management information arranged in ascending order so that the earlier management information has a smaller value than the later management information.

[0176] That is, the control unit 80 checks the read information against the management information arranged in the order of "3," "2," "1," "6," "5," and "4." Similarly, for the third and subsequent sheets, the three pieces of management information displayed on the eighth cut piece P8, the seventh cut piece P7, and the sixth cut piece P6 included in the single fourth sheet U4 are sequentially numbered in descending order, and between the cut pieces P that are stacked vertically and imposed on the placed sheet U, the read information is checked according to the management information arranged to have a value 5 greater than the immediately preceding management information.

[0177] In step 25, the second judgment unit judges whether the read information of the set of three cutting pieces P matches the second management information arranged in the reverse order of the arrangement of the first management information. Here, the second management information is in descending order. That is, three cutting pieces P are grouped into a set, and the first is arranged with the value of the imposition number, such as 3, 2, 1, 6, 5, 4, 9, 8, 7, etc. In addition, the value of the multiple of the imposition number 3 is arranged in the position of the value that is one greater than the multiple of the imposition number 3, such as the fourth, seventh, and ninth. Furthermore, the numbers are arranged in descending order between the sets of cutting pieces P when three sheets are grouped into a set. The control unit 80 collates the read information with the management information stored in the memory unit 79 according to this rule.

[0178] In the second embodiment, the initial information is set to "1" and the management information is arranged in ascending order of consecutive numbers. Instead, when the management information is arranged in descending order of consecutive numbers, if the initial information is set in the same way as when the management information is arranged in ascending order of consecutive numbers, the management information of the second and subsequent sheets can be estimated and inspected based on the read information read first by the reading unit 9 after the start of processing, without the user having to manually set the inversion. For example, when 300 cutting pieces P with descending consecutive numbers are obtained by processing, the initial information is set to "300" by the user. Assume that the number of cutting pieces P to be imposed on the sheet S is 1, 2, or 3.

[0179] When the initial information is set to "300" and one cutting piece P is imposed on one sheet U as in the first sheet U1 shown in FIG. 6, the first read information is "300". When the number of cutting pieces P to be imposed on the sheet S is not preset to be 1, 2, or 3 and is unknown, the control unit 80 first assumes that the sheets U are imposed in three in descending order from the initial information "300". When the sheets U1 are imposed in three in descending order from "300", the management information of one set of cutting pieces P included in the first sheet U1 is "300", "299", and "298". To confirm whether the first sheet U1 is imposed in three, the control unit 80 judges whether the read information first obtained by the reading unit 9 is "298", which is 2 less than the set initial information "300".

[0180] The information that is first read by the reading unit 9 from the first sheet U1 shown in FIG. 14 is "300", not "298". The control unit 80 determines that the assumption that the first sheet U1 is 3-imposed was incorrect. Next, the control unit 80 assumes that the first sheet U1 is 2-imposed. When 2-imposed in descending order from "300", the management information of a set of cutting pieces P included in the first sheet U1 becomes "300" and "299". To confirm whether the first sheet U1 is 2-imposed, the control unit 80 determines whether the read information first obtained by the reading unit 9 is "299", which is one less than the set initial information "300".

[0181] The information that is first read by the reading unit 9 from the first sheet U1 shown in Fig. 14 is "300." This is not "299" as assumed by the control unit 80. The control unit 80 determines that the assumption that the first sheet U1 is two-imposed was incorrect. In this case, the control unit 80 determines that the first sheet U1 is imposed in 1-imposition. The control unit 80 inspects the first sheet U1 in descending order starting from the initial information "300". The control unit 80 compares the read information with management information in which the initial information is "300" and sequential numbers are arranged in descending order, and determines whether the information is appropriate.

[0182] When the initial information is set to "300" and two cut pieces P are imposed on one sheet U, such as the second sheet U2 or the third sheet U3 shown in Figures 15 to 18, the first read information will be either "300" or "299". The control unit 80 determines whether the read information first obtained by the reading unit 9 is a value that is 2 or more smaller than the initial information "300". The initial information is "300", and the value that is 2 smaller than the initial information is "298". When the first read information is "300", the control unit 80 determines whether the read information second obtained is a value that is 1 smaller than the initial information.

[0183] The initial information is "300", and the value one less than the initial information is "299". When the read information that the reading unit 9 first obtains is "300" as shown in Fig. 15 or 17, the reading unit 9 checks the information in order. The control unit 80 checks the read information against management information in which the initial information is "300" and sequential numbers are arranged in descending order, and determines whether the read information is appropriate.

[0184] As shown in Fig. 16 or 18, when the first read information is "299", when the control unit 80 determines whether the read information first obtained by the reading unit 9 is a value that is 2 or more smaller than the initial information "300", it does not match the value that is 2 or more smaller than the initial information. In this case, the control unit 80 determines whether the read information first obtained by the reading unit 9 is a value that is 1 smaller than the initial information. Since the value that is 1 smaller than the initial information is "299", it matches the first read information.

[0185] In this case, the management information, which is the consecutive number of a set of cutting pieces P imposed on one sheet U, is changed from descending to ascending order, and if the cutting pieces P contained in sheets U stacked one on top of the other are consecutive, the earlier management information is compared with the first management information arranged in descending order so that it has a smaller value than the later management information.

[0186] That is, the control unit 80 checks the read information against the management information arranged in the following order: "299," "300," "297," "298," "295," "296," "293," and "294." Similarly, for the fifth sheet and onwards, the two management information displayed on each of a set of cut pieces P included in one third sheet U3 are consecutive numbers in ascending order, but between cut pieces P that are stacked one above the other and imposed on the placed sheet U, the read information is checked according to the management information arranged to have a value three smaller than the previous management information.

[0187] When the initial information is set to "300", and three cut pieces P are imposed on one sheet U as in the fourth sheet U4 shown in Fig. 19 or 20, and the direction of the consecutive numbers is from right to left in descending order as in Fig. 19, the management information displayed is "300" in the eighth cut piece P8 on the right, "299" in the seventh cut piece P7 in the center, and "298" in the sixth cut piece P6 on the left. In contrast, when the direction of the consecutive numbers is from right to left in ascending order as in Fig. 20, the display information displayed is "298" in the eighth cut piece P8 on the right, "299" in the seventh cut piece P7 in the center, and "300" in the sixth cut piece P6 on the left. After the processing starts, the first read information will be either "300" or "298".

[0188] The control unit 80 determines whether the read information first obtained by the reading unit 9 is a value 2 less than the initial information "300". The initial information is "300", and the value 2 less than the initial information is "298". When the first read information is "300", the control unit 80 determines whether the second read information obtained is a value 1 less than the initial information.

[0189] The initial information is "300", and the value one less than the initial information is "299", so the inspection is performed in order. The control unit 80 collates the read information with the management information, in which the initial information is "300" and sequential numbers are arranged in descending order, and determines whether the information is appropriate.

[0190] When the first read information is "298", the control unit 80 judges whether the read information first obtained by the reading unit 9 is a value 2 less than the initial information "300", and finds that it matches "298", which is a value 2 less than the initial information. In this case, the control unit 80 changes the management information, which is the consecutive numbers of a set of cut pieces P imposed on one sheet U, from descending order, which is the stacking order of the sheet stack B in the paper feed unit 11, to ascending order, and, if the cut pieces P included in the vertically stacked sheets U are consecutive, compares them with the first management information arranged so that the earlier management information has a smaller value than the later management information.

[0191] That is, the control unit 80 checks the read information against the management information arranged in the following order: "298," "299," "300," "295," "296," "297," "292," "293," and "294." Similarly, for the fourth sheet and onwards, the three management information displayed on a set of cut pieces P included in one sheet U are sequentially numbered in ascending order, but between cut pieces P imposed on sheets U that are stacked one above the other and placed on top of each other, the read information is checked according to the management information arranged to have a value 5 less than the previous management information.

[0192] In step 25, the second judgment unit judges whether the read information of the set of three cut pieces P matches the second management information arranged in the reverse order of the arrangement of the first management information. Here, the second management information is in descending order. That is, in the management information arranged at positions where the value is one greater than a multiple of the imposition number 3, such as 3, 2, 1, 6, 5, 4, 9, 8, 7, etc., with three cut pieces P as a set, the values ​​are multiples of the imposition number 3, such as the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th. Furthermore, the numbers are arranged in descending order among the cut pieces P when three sheets are grouped into a set. The control unit 80 collates the management information according to this rule with the read information.

[0193] Also, when the management information is non-sequential numbers, symbols, or characters extracted by the user instead of consecutive numbers, it can be inspected in the same manner. The user inputs a list of management information that needs to be confirmed by inspection from the input unit 60, sets it by the management setting unit 86, and stores the setting information set by the management setting unit 86 in the storage unit 79. On the sheet U on which the cutting pieces P are imposed, the management information is displayed in the order determined by the list set by the user.

[0194] Here, when the number of impositions of sheet U is two or three, the arrangement of the set list may differ from the arrangement of the display information displayed on each cut piece P when sheet U is cut and transported in the second direction D2 by the second transport section 2, and the order may be reversed.

[0195] In this way, even if the cutting pieces P are not transported to the reading unit 9 in the same order as the arrangement of the list set and stored in the memory unit 79, and the order of adjacent cutting pieces P on a single sheet U is changed to the reverse order of the arrangement of the list, the management information of a set of cutting pieces P imposed on a single sheet U can be compared with second information in which the order has been changed to the reverse order.

[0196] The second judgment unit 82 can judge whether a set of cut pieces P, which are conveyed adjacent to each other at the same position in the first direction D1, matches the second management information arranged in the reverse order to the arrangement of the first management information. The order of the management information of a set of cut pieces P imposed on one sheet U is changed to the reverse order, and the cut pieces P included in the sheets U stacked one above the other are compared with the second management information arranged according to the arrangement in the list.

[0197] In the second embodiment, even if the user does not set the inversion, when the first judgment unit 81 judges that the read information does not match the first management information because there are cutting pieces P that do not match the predetermined first management information arranged in the same order as the conveyance of the cutting pieces P sequentially conveyed by the second conveying unit 2, it is possible to judge whether the read information of a set of cutting pieces P matches the second management information arranged in the reverse order to the arrangement of the first management information. This is highly convenient for the user of the processing device 100.

[0198] (Third embodiment) The third embodiment will be described below. In this third embodiment, after the initial setting unit 88 starts processing the sheet U, the first read information obtained by the reading unit 9 is automatically set as the initial information. FIG. 25 shows a control flow of the inspection process according to this third embodiment. In step 41 of FIG. 25, processing of one job is started. A job is a process of processing a plurality of sheets U that have common features such as the size of the sheet U, the number of cut pieces P to be allocated, the number of cutting lines K, the presence or absence of cutting waste M, and the method of folding at the folding unit 14, which are input and set by the user and stored in the memory unit 79. The user can operate the operation panel 59, input using the input unit 60, set in the setting unit 78, and call up the required job stored in the memory unit 79 to execute the specified processing.

[0199] In step 42, the control information is collated using either the initial information set in the setting unit 78 or the first read information obtained by the reading unit 9 after the start of a job. If the initial information has been input in advance by the user from the input unit 60 and set in the setting unit 78, the control unit 80 uses the set initial information to determine whether the first cutting piece P is appropriate. Then, similar to the methods described in the first and second embodiments, the control unit 80 can use the control information arranged by consecutive numbers to collate the read information with the control information arranged by consecutive numbers in ascending or descending order from the value of the initial information, to determine whether the cutting piece P is appropriate.

[0200] In this case, for example, when the first read information is different from the initial information set by the setting unit 78, the control unit 80 reverses the order of the arrangement of management information, which is the consecutive numbers of a set of cutting pieces P imposed on a single sheet U, and for the cutting pieces P contained in sheets U stacked one on top of the other, it can compare the read information with second management information arranged in descending order so that earlier management information has a smaller value than later management information, or arranged in ascending order so that earlier management information has a larger value than later management information.

[0201] Furthermore, the control unit 80 can verify the management information in the same order as the order in which it was registered in the list. Also, when the first read information is different from the initial information, the control unit 80 can reverse the order in which the management information of a set of cutting pieces P imposed on one sheet U was registered in the list and then determine whether it is appropriate. In this case, the display information displayed on the cutting pieces P included in different sheets U stacked one above the other can be arranged in the same order as the order in which it was registered in the list, and the earlier management information can be verified without being replaced with the later management information.

[0202] When the reading unit 9 compares the management information using the first read information obtained after the start of the first job, the read information can be compared with the ascending or descending serial number of the first read information obtained. At this time, the imposition orientation may or may not be set, and either direction can be processed. Also, the read information can be compared using the management information arranged immediately before or after the first read information obtained in the list set and registered by the management setting unit 86.

[0203] In step 43, the first job is completed. Or, before the first process is completed, the process is temporarily terminated due to some reason such as a paper jam or the paper receiver 17 being full. When the first job is completed, the process of the next job is started in step 44. If the process of the first job was temporarily stopped, the process of the first job is resumed in step 44.

[0204] In step 45, the control unit 80 determines whether or not to reset the initial information. If the user has preset the initial information to be reset when processing ends, step 45 is satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 47. Instead of the user setting the initial information in advance, the control unit 80 may display a message on the display unit 61 asking the user whether or not to reset the initial information. If the user selects to reset the initial information, step 45 is satisfied, and the process proceeds to step 47. In step 47, the first read information read after processing is resumed is set as the initial information. Subsequent inspection processing is performed by checking using this initial information.

[0205] If in step 45 the user selects not to reset the initial information, step 45 is not satisfied and the process proceeds to step 46. In step 46, before starting processing of the next job in step 44, a comparison is performed using the management information compared in the first job. When all sheets U registered in the next job have been processed, the process proceeds to step 48, the next job is ended, and the process proceeds to step 49.

[0206] In step 49, the control unit 80 judges whether or not to end the inspection process. If there is another job and the inspection is not to be ended, the process returns to step 44. For the other job, processing is carried out according to steps 44 to 48. When the inspection in step 49 ends, the process ends.

[0207] In the third embodiment, the read information at the start of processing is set as initial information and collation is performed based on this, so when multiple sheet bundles B are processed sequentially by the processing device 100, if the display information of the last cut piece P of the previous sheet bundle B and the display information of the first cut piece P of the next sheet bundle B are not consecutive numbers, the initial setting unit 88 automatically sets the read information of the first cut piece P read as the initial information after the reading process of the reading unit 9 of the next sheet bundle B begins. Therefore, when processing of the subsequent sheet bundle B begins, the process can be continued without the user having to manually input initial information, which is very convenient.

[0208] That is, for example, suppose that the management information of the cut pieces P to be processed is a consecutive number from 1 to 1000. When forming a sheet stack B for every 100 cut pieces P and processing them as different jobs, first, the cut pieces P with display information from 1 to 100 are processed as the first job and the inspection is terminated. After that, the second job is supposed to process the cut pieces P with display information from 101 to 200, but the user mistakenly or intentionally performs the third job with display information from 201 to 300 before the second job.

[0209] In this case, at the start of the third job, the control unit 80 inquires of the user through the display unit 61 whether or not to reset the first read information "201" to new initial information. If the user agrees to reset "201" to the initial information, the control unit 80 sets 201 as the initial information and collates the read information according to the third job, which is displayed in ascending order of serial numbers from 201 to 300.

[0210] In this way, when there are multiple sheet stacks B to be processed by the processing device 100, processing can be continued even if the last management information of the sheet stack B of the immediately preceding first job is "100" and the first management information of the sheet stack B of the subsequent third job is "201", and the consecutive numbers of both are not in ascending order.

[0211] In this case, the first job to the tenth job, which display information from 1 to 1000 is displayed, may be managed as one inspection result. In this way, by managing a plurality of jobs as one inspection result, convenience is improved. The control unit 80 can control the display unit 61 to display a list of the inspection results in which a plurality of jobs are combined. The user can easily grasp the processed sheets U and the unprocessed sheets U by the display unit 61. The user can easily grasp that the second job is unprocessed because the third job was processed after the first job. When there are a large number of postcards to be processed and sent, it is easy to manage them to prevent missed shipments and mistakes in sending such as duplications. Data can be easily organized.

[0212] Furthermore, by managing multiple jobs as a single piece of data and consolidating them into a file, errors can be detected even if multiple postcards with duplicate destinations are mixed into different sheet stacks B. For example, if the first sheet stack B contains a cutting piece P with display information from 1 to 101, and the second sheet stack B contains a cutting piece P with display information from 101 to 200, by managing the first and second sheet stacks B in a single file, it is easy to know that the cutting piece P with management information of 101 has been processed duplicately.

[0213] Furthermore, if the sheet U is not properly processed in the folding section 14, the cutting section 3 or the pressing section 24, and an inappropriate sheet U or cut piece P is generated, the inappropriate sheet U or cut piece P can be removed from the conveying path 5, the next arranged management information is set to the initial information, and processing can be continued after resumption.

[0214] (Fourth embodiment) The fourth embodiment will be described below. The fifth sheet U5 of this fourth embodiment is shown in FIG. 21. As shown in FIG. 21, the fifth sheet U5 has three cut pieces imposed. However, of the three cut pieces, two cut pieces do not display display information. The ninth cut piece P9 has display information "100" printed on it. In this fourth embodiment, it is assumed that the management information "100" is the last management number in the collation process.

[0215] An inspection process (collation process) is performed on the read information obtained by reading the cutting pieces P9 to P11 cut from the fifth sheet U5 by the reading unit 9. FIG. 26 shows a control flow diagram in the fourth embodiment. In step 50, job processing is started. A job is a process for processing a plurality of sheets U that have common features such as the size of the sheets U, the number of cutting pieces P to be allocated, the number of cutting lines K, the presence or absence of cutting waste M, and the method of folding at the folding unit 14, which are input and set by the user and stored in the memory unit 79. The user can operate the operation panel 59 to input the contents using the input unit 60, set the contents in the setting unit 78, and call up the required job stored in the memory unit 79 to execute the specified processing. The user sets, by the setting unit 78, the total number of cut pieces P obtained by the processing to 100, and the number of impositions of the cut pieces P to be allocated to one fifth sheet U5 to 3.

[0216] In the fifth sheet U5 of the fourth embodiment, the cut pieces P9, P10, and P11 are arranged as shown in FIG. 21. The cut pieces P9, P10, and P11 cut at the cutting lines K6 and K7 are folded at the seventh fold line q7 and the eighth fold line q8, and then conveyed to the reading unit 9 in the order of the cut pieces P11, P10, and P9. When the total number of cut pieces P obtained by the processing is 100, and the imposition number of the cut pieces P allocated to one fifth sheet U5 is 3, the display information of 97, 98, and 99 is displayed on the 33rd fifth sheet U5. The 34th fifth sheet U5 shown in FIG. 21 displays the display information of 100 on the 100th cut piece P9. The 34th fifth sheet U5 is blank because there is no information to be managed by the cut pieces P10 and P11.

[0217] After starting job processing in step 50, the control unit 80 judges in step 51 whether or not a matching error has occurred in the acquired matching result. Assume that the 34th 5th sheet U5, which includes two blank 10th cutting piece P10 and 11th cutting piece P11 shown in FIG. 21, is to be inspected. If no matching error has occurred in reading the 9th cutting piece P9 of the 33rd 5th sheet U5, which was just before that, the result in step 51 is No. The control unit 80 proceeds to step 52 and judges whether or not the inspection has been completed. At the stage of inspecting the 34th 5th sheet U5, the inspection has not yet been completed, so step 52 is not satisfied (No in step 52), and the control unit 80 proceeds to step 53.

[0218] In step 53, the eleventh cutting piece P11 on the right side of the 34th fifth sheet U5 in FIG. 21 is read. In the subsequent step 54 (first step 54), the eleventh cutting piece P11 is read and it is determined whether there is a read value. In the case of the fourth embodiment, the eleventh cutting piece P11 is blank and no display information is displayed, so it is determined that there is no read value (i.e., the read information is blank) (Yes in step 54). Then, the control unit 80 increments the continuous blank count by 1 in step 55 and compares the continuous blank count with the imposition count in step 56. In this case, the continuous blank count is "1" and the imposition count set by the setting unit 78 is "3", so the comparison formula in step 56 does not hold (No in step 56), and the process returns to step 51.

[0219] Then, after going through step 51 for the second time and step 52 for the second time, the display information of the tenth cutting piece P10 is read in step 53 for the second time. Since no display information is displayed on the tenth cutting piece P10 and it is blank, it is determined that there is "no read value (i.e., the read information is blank)" (Yes in step 54). Then, the control unit 80 increments the continuous blank count by 1 in step 55, and compares the continuous blank count with the imposition count in step 56. In this case, since the continuous blank count is "2" and the imposition count set by the setting unit 78 is "3", the comparison formula in step 56 is not satisfied (No in step 56), and the process returns to step 51.

[0220] Then, after going through step 51 for the third time and step 52 for the third time, the display information of the ninth cut piece P9 is read for the third time in step 53. Since the management information "100" is printed on the ninth cut piece P9, the control unit 80 obtains the read information "100" (step 53) and determines that "a read value is present (i.e., the read information is not blank)" (No in step 54).

[0221] Since step 54 is No, the process proceeds to step 59. The control unit 80 sets the number of consecutive blank spaces to "0 (zero)" and performs a matching process on the read information "100" obtained in step 53 for the third time (step 59) to obtain the matching result. The process returns from step 59 to step 51. In step 51 for the fourth time, it is determined "whether or not a matching error occurred in the obtained matching result" (step 51), and if no matching error occurred (No in step 51), it is determined "whether or not the inspection has ended" in step 52 for the fourth time. In this fourth embodiment, since "100" is the last management information, it is determined in step 52 for the fourth time that the inspection has ended (Yes in step 52), and the process ends (step 60).

[0222] On the other hand, if there is a problem such as "an unprinted sheet U or cutting piece P has been mixed in" or "the reading unit 9 was unable to read the display information printed on the cutting piece P due to a printing error," then in step 54 it is determined that "no reading value was found." Proceeding to step 55, the control unit 80 increments the number of continuous blank spaces by 1. In step 56, the number of continuous blank spaces is compared with the number of impositions. If the number of continuous blanks is smaller than the number of impositions set by the setting unit 78, the comparison formula in step 56 is not satisfied (No in step 56), so the process returns to step 51.

[0223] If the number of consecutive cut pieces P determined to have "no read value" is equal to or greater than the number of impositions, i.e., if the number of consecutive blank spaces is equal to or greater than the number of impositions, then the answer in step 56 becomes Yes. In this case, the process proceeds to step 57. In step 57, the control unit 80 outputs an error (step 57) and ends the inspection process (step 60). Here, output means, for example, displaying on the display unit 61 that a reading error has occurred. It also includes outputting a signal to an external device to notify that a reading error has occurred.

[0224] Furthermore, if the control unit 80 detects the occurrence of a matching mismatch in step 51 (Yes in step 51), it proceeds to step 58, outputs a matching mismatch error (step 58), and ends the inspection process (step 60). Here, outputting means, for example, displaying the occurrence of a matching mismatch on the display unit 61. It also includes outputting a signal to an external device to notify the occurrence of a matching mismatch.

[0225] By performing the above-mentioned control, even if the reading unit 9 reads a cutting piece P on which no display information is printed at all or is printed improperly, the comparison inspection can be continued without immediately terminating the comparison inspection process and stopping the operation of the processing device 100. Then, when the number of cutting pieces P determined to have no read value is equal to or greater than the number of imposed sheets, an error is finally output and the comparison inspection process is terminated. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which, when multiple cutting pieces P are imposed on a sheet U and blank cutting pieces P are included among the cutting pieces P due to fractional parts of the management number or the like, the processing device 100 is immediately stopped just because a cutting piece P with no read value was included, thereby reducing work efficiency, even though the correct processing and inspection processes have actually been performed.

[0226] Even if blank cutting pieces P are included, the inspection process is not interrupted due to a reading error, so inspection can be performed without problems even when managing a fractional number of cutting pieces when multiple cutting pieces P are imposed on one sheet U. When imposing the cutting pieces P on the sheet U, the degree of freedom in arranging the cutting pieces P on the sheet U increases, and the fractional cutting pieces P can be placed in any position on the sheet U.

[0227] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, and combinations of the modifications are also included in the present invention. Modifications of the above embodiment are described below. In the above embodiment, the sheet U is folded in three on the outside in a Z shape or folded in two in a V shape to form a standard postcard, but other folding methods, such as folding in three on the inside in a C shape or folding in four, may be used. In this way, when changing to another folding method, the positions of the abutment members of the first and second folding trays are adjusted, or the trays are replaced with other trays having different sheet insertion space lengths. Then, the position of the guide member in the second conveying direction is adjusted to an appropriate position according to the folding method and size of the sheet.

[0228] In addition, in the processing device 100, the folding device 10 and the gluing device 20 are connected in an L-shape, but the folding device and the gluing device may be set in a straight line. In that case, instead of providing the first conveying unit 1 and the second conveying unit 2, the conveying unit can omit the first conveying unit. When the first conveying unit is omitted, the conveying direction is not changed midway, and the sheet is conveyed along a straight conveying path along the conveying direction of the second conveying unit from the paper feed unit to the paper receiving unit. The cutting unit cuts the sheet in a direction intersecting the straight conveying direction of the sheet. The cutting unit separates the sheet into the downstream side and the upstream side in the conveying direction. In addition, other conveying units may be provided so that the sheet is conveyed in three or more directions.

[0229] In addition, the second management information shows a case where the order of the management information corresponding to a set of cutting pieces P is arranged in the reverse order to the first management information, but is not limited to this. The order may be the same as that of the first management information, but the number of digits of the management information may be different, or other information such as other letters or numbers may be added, or the second information may be arranged according to a rule different from that of the first information. In addition, the management information is composed of consecutive numbers, but may be in alphabetical order, in the order of hiragana, katakana, or Iroha, or may be numbers, letters, patterns, etc., with one or two numbers skipped, or may be random information. In addition, the control unit 80 includes a prediction unit 83, a prediction determination unit 84, an initial setting unit 88, an initial setting determination unit 85, a management setting unit 86, and a pre-setting determination unit 87, but may not include all or any of the prediction unit 83, the prediction determination unit 84, the initial setting unit 88, the initial setting determination unit 85, the management setting unit 86, and the pre-setting determination unit 87.

[0230] In the above embodiment, when inspecting the serial numbers, the user presets whether the serial numbers are processed in ascending order or descending order. Alternatively, it may be determined automatically whether the serial numbers are processed in ascending order or descending order. In this case, for example, the second sheet U2 shown in FIG. 8 is placed on the multiple paper feed unit 11, and the uppermost second sheet U2 has the display information "1" on the third cutting piece P3 on the right side and the display information "2" on the second cutting piece P2 on the left side. Processing is started, and the uppermost second sheet U2 on the paper feed unit 11 is transported, processed, and read by the reading unit 9. The read information is "1" and "2" because the third cutting piece P3 on the right side and the second cutting piece P2 on the left side are arranged in that order. When the management information contained in sheet stack B is a consecutive number ranging from 1 to 100, the first read information read by the reading unit 9 is "1" and the second is "2", so the control unit 80 can determine that the consecutive numbers are processed in ascending order and that the initial information is 1.

[0231] 10 is placed on the multiple sheet feeder 11, and the top sheet U has display information "002" on the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right side and display information "001" on the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side. Processing is started, and the top third sheet U3 on the sheet feeder 11 is transported, processed, and read by the reading unit 9. The read information is "002" and "001" because the fifth cutting piece P5 on the right side and the fourth cutting piece P4 on the left side are arranged in that order. The control unit 80 can determine that the display information of the sheet stack B placed on the sheet feeder 11 is stacked in ascending order because the management information included in the sheet stack B is a consecutive number from 1 to 100 and the read information first read by the reading unit 9 is "002" and "001".

[0232] 12 is placed on the multiple paper feed unit 11. The topmost sheet U has the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right displaying information "98", the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center displaying information "99", and the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left displaying information "100". Processing starts, and the topmost fourth sheet U4 on the paper feed unit 11 is transported, processed, and read by the reading unit 9. The read information is "98", "99", and "100" because the eighth cutting piece P8 on the right, the seventh cutting piece P7 in the center, and the sixth cutting piece P6 on the left are arranged in that order.

[0233] The control unit 80 can determine that the display information of the sheet stack B placed in the paper feed unit 11 is stacked in descending order because the display information contained in the sheet stack B is a consecutive number from 1 to 100 and the first read information read by the reading unit 9 is "98," "99," and "100."

[0234] Furthermore, when the management information is read by the reading unit 9, the symbol "#", a rectangular figure surrounding a number, and the letters "management number" are used as markers, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the range of the cut piece to be read by the reading unit may be specified in advance, and any information within the specified range may be read by the reading unit. The reading unit 9 is installed above the transport path, and reads information on the top surface of the cut piece P that has reached the reading unit 9, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the reading unit may be installed below the transport path, or may be installed to the side of the transport path or in close contact with the top or bottom of the cut piece, as long as it is in a position where the information on the cut piece can be read.

[0235] The cutting section 3 may cut both edges or the center of the sheet along the first conveying direction. The cutting section 3 may also include two or more slitter units. In this case, it is possible to divide the sheet into three equal parts in the width direction.

[0236] In addition, in the processing apparatus 100, the conveying directions of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit are substantially perpendicular to each other, but a layout in which the conveying direction of the first conveying unit and the conveying direction of the second conveying unit intersect at an angle other than 90 degrees is also possible. The conveying surfaces of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit are not limited to being horizontal or vertical, and may be inclined.

[0237] The locations of the detectors 180, 182, 184, and 186 are not limited to the locations in the above embodiment, and various layouts are possible depending on the conveying speed or processing mechanism of each conveying section. The fullness detector 185 is located downstream in the first direction D1 near the opening 75 formed in the center of the width direction W of the lower part of the inclined guide 48, but is not limited to this and may be located above the storage section.

[0238] Although the processing device 100 includes a folding unit that folds a sheet, the processing device according to the present invention may be connected to a separately installed folding device.

[0239] Furthermore, the cutting blade 66 is installed in the case 67 and moved automatically by the moving part 69, but the user may also move the cutting blade manually. Furthermore, the cutting units equipped with the cutting blade are arranged in a pair on the left and right with a predetermined distance in the second direction D2, but the cutting unit 32 may be provided as only one piece, or may be provided as three or more pieces. [Explanation of symbols]

[0240] U sheet, 14 folding unit, 24 pressing unit, 80 control unit, 66 cutting blade, 99 inspection device, 100 processing device.

Claims

1. A conveying unit that conveys a sheet; a cutting unit that cuts the sheet in a predetermined direction to generate a plurality of the cut pieces; a reading unit that reads display information displayed on a set of cut pieces that are imposed on one of the sheets after cutting by the cutting unit; a control unit that controls the reading unit to determine whether the cut piece is appropriate based on read information obtained by reading the display information, The control unit compares the read information with first management information arranged in the same order as management information for managing the cut pieces, and determines whether the cut pieces are appropriate; and An inspection device equipped with a second judgment unit that, when the first judgment unit determines that the cut pieces are inappropriate, compares the read information with second management information arranged by rearranging the order of the management information corresponding to the set of cut pieces, and determines whether the cut pieces are appropriate.

2. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising an output section for outputting a result of the control section's judgment as to whether the cut pieces are suitable or not.

3. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein in the second management information, the order of the management information corresponding to the set of cut pieces is reversed to that of the first management information.

4. The management information is composed of a sequence number, 4. The inspection device according to claim 3, wherein the first management information is arranged such that the serial numbers are arranged in ascending or descending order.

5. the conveying unit includes a first conveying unit that conveys the sheet in a first direction and a second conveying unit that conveys the sheet in a second direction different from the first direction, the cutting section includes a cutting blade configured to cut the sheet conveyed in the first direction along the first direction to generate a plurality of the cut pieces; The inspection device described in claim 1 or claim 3, wherein the second judgment unit judges whether or not the set of cut pieces attached to a single sheet are suitable to be transported adjacent to each other at the same position in the first direction by the first transport unit during cutting in the cutting unit.

6. The control unit includes a prediction unit that predicts the display information of the subsequent cutting piece based on the read information of the preceding cutting piece; 4. The inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a prediction determination unit which compares the read information with prediction information from the prediction unit and determines whether or not they match.

7. The control unit of the inspection device described in any one of claims 1 to 3 is provided with an initial setting unit that sets the reading information of the first cut piece read after the reading process of the reading unit begins to initial information, and an initial setting judgment unit that judges the suitability of the reading information of the second or subsequent cut pieces read based on the initial information set by the initial setting unit.

8. The control unit includes a management setting unit for allowing a user to set predetermined management information; a storage unit that stores the setting information set by the management setting unit; 4. The inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a presetting determination unit that determines whether the cut piece is appropriate based on the setting information.

9. 4. A processing device comprising: the inspection device according to claim 1; and a pressing unit that presses the sheet or the cut piece.

10. The processing device according to claim 8 , further comprising a folding unit for folding the sheet or the cut piece.

11. When the control unit is unable to obtain the read information of a certain cut piece, the control unit controls the reading unit to read the next cut piece of the certain cut piece.

3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

12. The control unit includes an imposition information acquisition unit that acquires an imposition number, which is the number of cut pieces to be imposed on one of the sheets; a third determination unit that determines that an error has occurred in the sheet when the number of the cut pieces for which the read information has not been obtained is equal to or greater than the imposition number acquired by the imposition information acquisition unit; The inspection device according to claim 11, further comprising:

Images