Saddle stitch processing mechanism and image forming device equipped with saddle stitch processing mechanism

Abstract

To provide a saddle stitch processing mechanism capable of gluing and adhering a booklet even with a small number of sheets, and an image forming device equipped with the saddle stitch processing mechanism.SOLUTION: A bookbinding unit 3 provided with a saddle stitch processing mechanism of an image forming device 1 includes a center folding part 4 that double-folds a sheet 21 to form a crest part 22. The bookbinding unit 3 includes a conveying part 7. The conveying part 7 has a support member 72 that supports the crest part 22 from below and conveys the same. The saddle stitch processing mechanism includes a gluing part 8 that applies a glue 23 to the crest part 22 of the sheet 21 being conveyed, and a saddle stitch part 5 that overlaps and saddle stitches a plurality of conveyed sheets 21. The saddle stitch part 5 has a lift member 51 that lifts the crest part 22 from below and matches the crest parts 22 of the respective sheets 21. The saddle stitch part 5 has a pressing member 52 that presses the crest part 22 between itself and the lift member 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a saddle stitching mechanism and an image forming apparatus equipped with the saddle stitching mechanism. [Background technology]

[0002] A saddle stitching mechanism that binds sheets printed by an image forming apparatus has been known in the past. The saddle stitching mechanism has a center folding mechanism that folds the sheets in half with a pair of rollers after image formation, and a saddle stitching mechanism that binds the piles of folded sheets together to form a booklet (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6089675 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4277937 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, when a saddle-stitched booklet is bound with staples at the top, the staples must be removed before it can be shredded. Care must be taken to prevent the loose staples and contents from scattering. Saddle-stitched booklets are often used for public leaflets and school handouts, which are often distributed in small booklets, but this poses a problem as the contents tend to easily become scattered.

[0005] For this reason, there is a demand for bookbinding that uses glue without using staples. However, current glue-based perfect binding (case binding) devices cannot glue small numbers of sheets (for example, less than 10 sheets). In addition, perfect binding requires a cover to enclose the stacked sheets. Furthermore, the number of sheets and the bookbinding shape are limited in the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, and further improvements are required to improve bookbinding efficiency. Instead of the current saddle stitching mechanism with a replaceable glue mechanism that inserts staples into the magazine at the top, it is possible to consider a device that uses a clincher mechanism that bends the staples at the bottom as a support for gluing and pressing. However, this requires the gluing and pressing process for each sheet, which poses the issue of lower productivity than conventional technology.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and has an object to provide a saddle stitching mechanism that can glue even a small number of booklets, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the saddle stitching mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above-mentioned problems of the present invention can be solved by the following configuration. (1) A saddle stitching mechanism of an image forming device includes a folding unit that folds a medium in half to form a ridge, and a transport unit having a support member that supports the ridge from below and transports the medium. The saddle stitching mechanism includes a gluing unit that applies glue to the ridge of the medium being transported, and a saddle stitching unit that stacks and stitches multiple sheets of the transported paper. The saddle stitching unit has a lift member that lifts the ridge from below to align the ridges of the media, and a pressing member that presses the ridge between the lift member and the saddle stitching unit.

[0008] (2) The gluing unit includes a gluing roller having grooves formed on its outer surface that engage with the ridges of the medium, and a glue supply unit that supplies glue to the grooves. The gluing roller applies glue to the ridges supported by the support member while rotating.

[0009] (3) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (2), wherein the gluing unit has a heating device that melts the glue adhered to the gluing roller. (4) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (2), wherein the gluing unit has a supply scraper that adjusts the glue supplied to the gluing roller so that the glue adheres evenly to the ridges.

[0010] (5) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (2), wherein the gluing unit has a scraper that scrapes off glue remaining on the gluing roller. (6) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (5), wherein the gluing unit has a collection box for collecting the glue scraped off by the scraper.

[0011] (7) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (1), wherein the lift member has a height adjustment portion that can change the distance between the lift member and the support member. (8) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (1), wherein the pressing member is provided with a stapler mechanism that projects staples that hold multiple media in place when stacked.

[0012] (9) A saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (1), comprising a fore-edge cutting unit having a cutter that cuts the fore edges of a plurality of the media stacked together. (10) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (1), wherein the center folding section can fold the medium unevenly in half.

[0013] (11) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (1), wherein the transport unit transports a cover medium having a one-sided gate leaf or a cover medium having a double-sided gate leaf onto the pile of the stacked media. The saddle stitching unit presses the stacked cover medium together with the media to bind them. (12) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (1), wherein the medium has pre-punched holes.

[0014] (13) A saddle stitching processing mechanism according to any one of (1) or (11) to (12), wherein the medium has a slit that has been pre-slit or a perforation that has been pre-perforated. (14) The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to (1), wherein the glue is pellet glue, adhesive glue, liquid glue, paper bond, glue for general paper, or a mixed glue of these.

[0015] (15) An image forming device having an image forming unit that prints on the medium and has a saddle stitching processing mechanism described in any one of (1) to (12) or (14), which folds the medium printed by the image forming unit in half at the center folding unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, there are provided a saddle stitching mechanism capable of gluing even a small number of booklets, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the saddle stitching mechanism. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, illustrating the configuration of the saddle stitching mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the adhesive application portion of the embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a side view taken along the arrow IV in FIG. 3, illustrating the configuration of a main part of the adhesive applying section. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a side view illustrating how glue supplied to a gluing roller is applied to a medium in the gluing unit. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5, illustrating how glue supplied to a gluing roller is applied to a medium in the gluing unit. [Figure 7] 10 is a side view illustrating a state in which a medium glued in a gluing unit of the saddle stitching processing mechanism is sent to the saddle stitching unit. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a side view showing the state in which the glued medium is sent to the saddle stitching unit together with the support member. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lift member is raised by the height adjustment unit to a position spaced apart from the medium. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which the medium is stacked on top of the preceding medium due to the retraction movement of the support member. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are side views illustrating how the saddle stitching unit stacks and binds a plurality of sheets of paper. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. 12, illustrating how a plurality of sheets are bound together. [Figure 14] 10 is a side view showing how the glue remaining on the glue application roller in the glue application section is scraped off with a scraper. FIG. [Figure 15] 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV in FIG. 14, illustrating how the glue remaining on the glue application roller in the glue application section is scraped off by a scraper. [Figure 16] 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing the configuration of a supply scraper provided in the adhesive applying section. FIG. [Figure 17] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a collection box provided in the adhesive application section. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a magazine that serves as a pressing member. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the magazine and showing a state in which the needles are protruded. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating how the piles of the booklet are stapled together. [Figure 21] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a book with a cover medium having a half-cover gate. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a book with a cover medium having a double gate. [Figure 23] 10 is a side view illustrating a state in which the edge of a book bound with a gate-shaped cover is cut off. FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating how the edge of a book bound in a double gate-shaped binding is cut off. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating a state in which the edge of a book with a half-cover door is not properly trimmed. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating a state in which the edge of a book with a double Kannon motif is not properly cut. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a folded cover medium having perforations at uneven positions. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a folded cover medium with perforations extending vertically. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a folded cover medium having multiple perforations extending lengthwise and widthwise; [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of media are bound together. [Figure 31] This is a perspective view of a book bound with a half-cover door, forming perforations. [Figure 32] This is a perspective view of a book bound with a double gate-shaped cover, forming perforations. [Figure 33] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a calendar made by folding a mount having punched holes at the edge. [Figure 34] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a calendar made by folding a backing sheet having punched holes and perforations. [Figure 35] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a calendar made by folding a backing sheet having punched holes in the mountain portions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. For ease of explanation, the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 200 of the paper 21 will be referred to as the width direction.

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 shows an image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is connected, from the upstream side along a conveyance direction 200 of the printed material, to an image forming section 2 that prints on paper 21 as a medium, a bookbinding unit 3 that is provided with a saddle stitching mechanism, and a paper discharge unit 6.

[0020] The image forming unit 2 uses an intermediate transfer method that utilizes electrophotographic process technology. That is, the image forming unit 2 primarily transfers toner images of each color (Yellow, M, C, and K) formed on a photosensitive drum (not shown) onto an intermediate transfer belt that contains the toner images. Then, an image formed by superimposing the four color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt is secondarily transferred onto at least one of the front and back sides of the paper 21 delivered from the paper feed tray, thereby printing the image.

[0021] The bookbinding unit 3 of the embodiment includes a center folding unit 4 and a center stitching unit 5 in separate housings. The folding unit 4 folds the paper 21 printed in the image forming unit 2 in half by sandwiching it between a support unit 41 and a fold pressing member 43. For this reason, the folding unit 4 is provided with a support unit 41 below the conveyance path. The support unit 41 forms a protrusion 42 that protrudes upward along the conveyance direction 200. The widthwise middle portion of the paper 21 conveyed from the image forming unit 2 is brought into contact with the protrusion 42 to support it from below.

[0022] Furthermore, a fold pressing member 43 is provided above the conveying path in the center folding section 4. The fold pressing member 43 faces the protrusion 42 and forms a groove-like valley 44. Then, the fold pressing member 43 moves downward and presses the sheet 21 against the protrusions 42 at the valleys 44. This forms a fold in the sheet 21 along the conveyance direction 200. The sheet 21 is folded in half widthwise to the left and right at the fold, forming a peak 22 in the middle of the sheet 21 widthwise.

[0023] The bookbinding unit 3 also includes a conveying section 7 and a gluing section 8. The transport section 7 has a plurality of transport rollers 71 that mainly transport the paper 21 from the image forming section 2 to the folding section 4. The transport section 7 also has a rod-shaped support member 72 that transports the paper 21 from the folding section 4 to the saddle stitching section 5 via the gluing section 8 of the binding unit 3. The support member 72 supports the peaks 22 of the folded paper 21 from below and slides, thereby transporting the paper 21 in the transport direction 200.

[0024] The saddle stitching unit 5 shown in FIG. 2 includes a lifting member 51, a pressing member 52, and a saddle hook portion 58. Of these, the lift member 51 has a clincher 55 and a height adjustment portion 57. The clincher 55 can be moved up and down by the control of a height adjustment unit 57 provided inside a saddle-hanging portion 58 having a V-shaped cross section provided below the conveying path.

[0025] The clincher 55 has a tip 56 that appears and disappears through a slit-shaped opening 54 formed in the upper part of the saddle-hanging portion 58 by driving the height adjustment portion 57 . At this time, the height adjustment unit 57 is capable of changing the distance α (see FIG. 9) between the support member 72 that has slid into the saddle stitching unit 5 and the tip end 56 of the clincher 55.

[0026] Furthermore, when the support member 72 is retracted into the center-folding portion 4, the clincher 55 can lift the peak portion 22 of the folded paper-sheet 21 from below. For example, when multiple sheets of paper 21 are placed across the saddle-hanging portion 58, the peaks 22 of each sheet are aligned and stacked. Therefore, the clincher 55 can stably lift multiple sheets of paper 21 simultaneously by engaging the tip 56 with the recessed portion on the underside of the peak 22.

[0027] When clincher 55 is in the uppermost position, it pinches and presses piles 22 of multiple stacked sheets of paper 21 between itself and pressing surface 53 formed at the lower end of pressing member 52. The shape of the butt of tip 56 and pressing surface 53 can be changed to suit the shape of the piles of book 24.

[0028] The conveying section 7 conveys the book 24 that has been cut and bound by the binding unit 3 to the paper discharge unit 6. The paper discharge unit 6 connected in the conveying direction 200 is configured to discharge the book 24, such as a booklet, from the image forming apparatus 1.

[0029] 3 shows the configuration of the gluing unit 8 of this embodiment. The gluing unit 8 is disposed between the center-folding unit 4 and the saddle-stitching unit 5. The gluing unit 8 of this embodiment is housed in the same housing in which the saddle-stitching unit 5 is provided.

[0030] The gluing unit 8 shown in FIG. 3 mainly includes a gluing roller 81, a glue supply unit 82, and a heating device 85. The gluing roller 81 has a groove 83 formed on its outer circumferential surface to engage with the ridge 22 of the paper 21 folded in half.

[0031] The glue supply unit 82 also supplies glue 23 to the groove 83. To this end, the glue supply unit 82 is provided with a tank 90 that holds the glue 23. The tank 90 has a case 91 made of, for example, a metal material with good thermal conductivity. The interior of the case 91 is vertically divided into a glue storage section 92 and a glue mixing section 93.

[0032] An adjustment unit 96 is provided below the glue mixing unit 93 of the tank unit 90 and is connected to the case 91. The adjustment unit 96 has a supply port 97 that opens downward. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the glue supply unit 82 is integrally provided with a rotation shaft 84 for the glue application roller 81, and supports the glue application roller 81 so that it can rotate freely.

[0033] When the glue 23 stored in the glue storage section 92 moves to the glue mixing section 93, it is stirred with the solvent liquid supplied by the solvent roller 95 provided in the glue mixing section 93 and becomes liquid. As shown in FIG. 5, the adjusting unit 96 can cause a desired amount of glue 23 to flow down from the supply port 97.

[0034] The gluing unit 8 of this embodiment is provided with a heating device 85 in the tank unit 90. The heating device 85 has a heater that generates heat when electricity is applied. The heat generated by the heating device 85 heats the entire tank unit 90. The glue 23 that is heated and melted inside the tank unit 90 has improved fluidity and easily flows down from the supply port 97.

[0035] This allows a desired amount of glue 23 to flow down from the supply port 97 of the adjustment unit 96 toward the groove 83 of the gluing roller 81. The gluing roller 81 rotates around a rotation axis 84. As shown in Figure 6, the gluing roller 81 can apply glue 23 in the grooves 83 to the ridges 22 of the paper 21 supported by the support member 72 while rotating.

[0036] The heat generated by the heater 85 in the tank 90 is transmitted to the adhesive roller 81 via the rotary shaft 84 of the adjustment unit 96 . The gluing unit 8 of this embodiment has a scraper 94 that scrapes off the glue 23 (see FIG. 14) remaining on the gluing roller 81. The glue 23 remaining on the gluing roller 81 is melted by heat transmitted from the heating device 85. Therefore, the scraper 94 can easily remove the melted glue 23.

[0037] Next, the effects of the saddle stitching mechanism of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment will be described. In the image forming apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1, the sheet 21 printed in the image forming unit 2 is conveyed to the folding unit 4 by the conveying rollers 71 of the conveying unit 7. In the folding unit 4, the sheet 21 is sandwiched between the support unit 41 and the fold pressing member 43 and folded in half.

[0038] The folded sheet 21 has a ridge 22 formed in the widthwise middle thereof, the ridge 42 and the valley 44 forming a crease along the conveying direction 200 . The support members 72 of the conveying section 7 engage with and support the recessed portions on the lower surfaces of the ridges 22, and convey the paper 21 in the direction of the saddle stitching section 5.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 7, the bookbinding unit 3 applies glue 23 to the upper surfaces of the ridges 22 when the paper 21 passes through the gluing unit 8 while being transported in the transport direction 200 . At this time, the ridges 22 of the paper 21 are supported from below by the support member 72. Therefore, the height position of the ridges 22 to which the glue 23 is applied is stable over the entire length of the support member 72. Therefore, even if the paper 21 is moving, the glue 23 can be evenly applied to the top surface of the ridges 22.

[0040] Therefore, there is no need to stop the paper 21 for gluing. Therefore, the gluing unit 8 can glue the ridges 22 of the paper 21, which have a narrow width, in a short time by sliding the support member 72.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 8, after gluing by the gluing unit 8 is completed and the sheets 21 supported by the support member 72 advance to the saddle stitching unit 5, the right alignment guide 73 pushes the sheets 21 in the conveying direction 200 against the left alignment guide 74. This positions the sheets 21 accurately at the position where saddle stitching is performed, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0042] In the saddle stitching unit 5, the tip 56 of the clincher 55 provided on the lift member 51 is moved until it is spaced a distance α from the support member 72. The tip 56 stops in a state where it protrudes upward from the opening 54. 10, the conveying unit 7 retracts the support member 72 toward the center-folded portion 4. The support member 72 is pulled out from the underside of the peak portion 22 of the paper-sheet 21. The paper-sheet 21 is then lowered onto the clincher 55.

[0043] 11, the tip 56 of the clincher 55 abuts against the recess on the underside of the peak 22 of the folded paper-sheet 21. The clincher 55 can then stably support the paper-sheet 21 from below. The retracted support member 72 then transports the sheet 21 that has been center-folded at the center-folding section 4 above the previously transported sheet 21, and then retracts toward the center-folding section 4 and is pulled out.

[0044] As a result, the next sheet 21 is lowered and stacked on top of the sheet 21 on the clincher 55 that was previously lowered. At this time, the height adjustment unit 57 of the lift member 51 moves the clincher 55 downward. The lift member 51 is configured so that the distance between it and the support member 72 can be changed under the control of a control unit (not shown).

[0045] The height adjustment unit 57 widens the gap α between the tip 56 of the clincher 55 and the support member 72 to a predetermined size. This prevents the glue 23 of the paper 21 stacked on top from coming into contact with the support member 72. At this time, the clincher 55 may be temporarily moved downward to a position where the paper sheets 21 contact the saddle-hanging portion 58, thereby arranging the stacked paper sheets 21.

[0046] In the bookbinding unit 3, these operations of folding in half, conveying, gluing, and stacking by the saddle stitching unit 5 are repeated until a predetermined number of sheets 21 are stacked. Finally, the cover sheet 26 serving as the cover medium is conveyed by the conveying unit 7 to the saddle stitching unit 5. At this time, the gluing unit 8 stops supplying glue 23 from the glue supply unit 82. As a result, glue 23 is not applied to the ridge 22 of the uppermost cover sheet 26.

[0047] Furthermore, the height adjustment unit 57 widens the gap α between the tip 56 of the clincher 55 and the support member 72 to a predetermined dimension each time a sheet of paper 21 is stacked. Therefore, the binding unit 3 can bind a book 24 in which multiple sheets of paper 21 are stacked and the vertical dimension increases.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 12, the saddle stitching unit 5 controls the height adjustment unit 57 of the lift member 51 to move the clincher 55 upward. As a result, as shown in Figure 13, the piles 22 of multiple sheets of paper 21 stacked vertically are sandwiched between the tip 56 of the clincher 55 and the pressing surface 53 formed at the lower end of the pressing member 52 and pressed against each other.

[0049] Then, the ridges 22 of the sheets 21 are adhered to each other with glue 23 between the sheets 21. The adhering is completed once for one book 24. This allows the binding unit 3 to bind the sheets in a short time. The book 24, such as a booklet, that has been cut and bound by the binding unit 3 is then discharged from the paper discharge unit 6 as shown in FIG.

[0050] In the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment configured as described above, the gluing unit 8 of the saddle stitching mechanism provided in the bookbinding unit 3 glues the ridges 22 of the paper 21 during transport. The mountain portion 22 of the paper-sheet 21 folded in half at the center-folding portion 4 is supported from below by a support member 72 of the conveying section 7.

[0051] Therefore, the glue 23 is applied to the ridges 22 of the sheets 21 while moving in a stable state. Therefore, even sheets 21 folded in half that make up a booklet of a small number of sheets can be glued together. Furthermore, multiple sheets of paper 21 are stacked on top of each other when transported to the saddle stitching unit 5. The multiple sheets of paper 21 are then sandwiched between the tip 56 of the clincher 55 and the pressing surface 53 formed at the lower end of the pressing member 52, and are pressed against each other.

[0052] The shape of the tip 56 and the pressing surface 53 of the saddle stitching unit 5 of the embodiment can be changed. This allows the binding unit 3 to bind various shapes, from booklets to perfect binding with glue of a desired thickness, such as case binding. Then, the glue 23 between the sheets 21 adheres the ridges 22 of the sheets 21 together by pressing them together with the saddle stitching unit 5. The adhesion is completed in one saddle stitching process for one book 24. This allows the saddle stitching process to be completed in a short time, thereby reducing the time required for bookbinding.

[0053] 6, in the gluing unit 8 of this embodiment, a drive mechanism rotates a rotary shaft 84 in accordance with the movement of the paper sheet 21. While rotating, the gluing roller 81 applies glue 23 in the grooves 83 to the ridges 22 of the paper sheet 21 supported by the rod-shaped support member 72. An appropriate amount of liquid glue 23, melted by heat generated by heating the tank 90 using a heater 85, is supplied to the grooves 83 from the glue supply unit 82. As a result, the same amount of glue 23 is applied to both sides of the peaks of the ridges 22 from the engaging concave grooves 83. Therefore, in the short time it takes for the ridges 22 to pass through the gluing roller 81, the ridges 22 are evenly glued in the conveyance direction 200 and in the width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction 200.

[0054] Furthermore, the gluing roller 81 synchronizes the rotational drive speed of the rotary shaft 84 with the speed of the sliding movement of the support member 72. This allows for even more uniform gluing. Furthermore, the gluing unit 8 of this embodiment has a scraper 94 that scrapes off the glue 23 remaining on the gluing roller 81, as shown in Fig. 14. The glue 23 remaining on the gluing roller 81 is melted by the heat transmitted from the heating device 85. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 15, the scraper 94 can easily remove the melted glue 23.

[0055] 16 shows a supply scraper 98 that is applied to the gluing unit 8 of this embodiment. The supply scraper 98 provided in the gluing unit 8 is configured so that the distance between the supply scraper 98 and the gluing roller 81 can be adjusted as needed. Therefore, the gluing unit 8 that includes the supply scraper 98 can adjust the amount of glue 23 supplied to the gluing roller 81 so that it adheres evenly to the ridges 22.

[0056] 17 shows a collection box 99 that is applied to the gluing unit 8 of this embodiment. The collection box 99 collects the glue 23 scraped off by the gluing roller 81. This allows the collected glue 23 to be reused.

[0057] FIG. 18 shows a stapler mechanism 100 used as the pressing member 52 in the saddle stitching unit 5 of the embodiment. The stapler mechanism 100 projects staples 101 for fastening the multiple sheets of paper 21 in a stacked state, as shown in FIG.

[0058] Therefore, by using the stapler mechanism 100 as the pressing member 52, the ridges 22 of the booklet 25 are firmly fastened by the staples 101 together with the glue 23 of the adhesive as shown in FIG. Moreover, the center-folding portion 4 of the embodiment is capable of folding the paper 21 unequally in half.

[0059] FIG. 21 shows a book 24 in which a cover sheet 26 that has been unevenly folded in half is used in a folding manner to form a half-folded gate cover 27. Furthermore, FIG. 22 shows a book 24 in which a cover sheet 26 folded in half is used in a double gate-shaped cover 29 fold.

[0060] In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment is capable of folding the paper 21 in half unevenly or evenly by the center folding section 4. That is, the conveying section 7 of the image forming apparatus 1 conveys the cover sheet 26 having the one-sided gate cover 27 or the cover sheet 26 having the double-sided gate cover 29 onto the pile 22 of the stacked sheets 21. Then, the saddle stitching section 5 presses and binds the stacked cover sheets 26 together with the sheets 21.

[0061] This allows various types of books 24 to be bound. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 may further include a fore-edge cutting unit 61 having a cutter 62. The cutter 62 cuts the edges of multiple sheets of paper 21 stacked together by driving the fore-edge cutting unit 61.

[0062] FIG. 23 shows a case where the fore edge 28 of a book 24 in which cover sheets 26 that have been unevenly folded in half are bound into a one-sided gate cover 27 is to be cut. Furthermore, FIG. 24 shows a case where the fore edge 28 of the book 24, which has a cover sheet 26 folded in half and bound with a double gate-shaped cover 29, is cut off.

[0063] 23 and 24, the ridges 22 are accurately adhered by the bookbinding unit 3. Therefore, the edges 28 can be cut and aligned at desired positions. In contrast, in the comparative example shown in Figure 25, when a book is folded in half incorrectly or glued without being properly aligned, it is bound with a portion 271 of the cover overlapping the fore edge 28. Therefore, when the fore edge 28 of the book 24 is cut, the portion 271 of the cover is separated. Similarly, in the comparative example shown in Figure 26, if the book is folded in half incorrectly or glued without being aligned, the book will be bound with a portion 291 of the cover overlapping the fore edge 28. Therefore, in book 24, when fore edge 28 is cut, portion 291 of the cover will be separated. The saddle stitching mechanism of this invention can fold in half and glue accurately as shown in Figures 23 and 24. This eliminates cutting errors in the post-binding process and enables more books to be bound in a shorter time.

[0064] In the following, a paper sheet 21 will be exemplified as a medium used in the image forming apparatus 1 equipped with the bookbinding unit 3 of the present invention. The cover paper 26 in Figure 27 has perforations 201 that have been made in advance using a trimmer device (not shown) and are provided at unequal positions away from the ridge 22. Pieces of paper 202 can be separated from the cover paper 26 at the perforations 201. When the cover paper 26 is folded at the ridge 22, it is positioned in the half-gate section of the book. The pieces of paper 202 are used for tickets, application forms, etc.

[0065] The perforations 201 may be replaced by slits that have been pre-processed. 28 has perforations 201 arranged vertically. When cover sheet 26 is folded at peak 22, pieces of paper 202 can be separated from cover sheet 26 along perforations 201 so as to be separated into left and right sections at the center.

[0066] 29 has many perforations 201 arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions. The paper 203 can be cut vertically and horizontally along the perforations 201 to form multiple pieces of paper 202. Any of the perforations 201 can be used as a ridge 22. This allows the paper 203 to be bound together even if it has a large number of pieces of paper 202, such as N sheets.

[0067] Moreover, the booklet 205 shown in FIG. 30 is made up of a plurality of sheets 21 bound together. This allows one booklet 205 to contain many different types of stubs. The book 24 shown in Fig. 31 has perforations 201 formed in the cover paper 26 bound in a one-sided gate-shaped cover. Furthermore, the book 24 shown in Fig. 32 has two perforations 201 formed in the cover paper 26 bound in a double-sided gate-shaped cover.

[0068] The bookbinding unit 3 of the present invention can glue at accurate positions between the ridges 22. Therefore, even when providing stubs on the sheets 21 of various books 24, the positions and number of perforations 201 can be freely set. 33 has punched holes 204 formed in advance in the mount 241. Also, the calendar 242 shown in FIG.

[0069] The bookbinding unit 3 of the present invention glues the mount 241 to the ridge 22 of the lower sheet 21 on which the mount 241 is placed. Therefore, the positions and number of the perforations 201 can be freely set. 35 shows a calendar 242 in which punched holes 204 are formed in the ridges 22 of a backing sheet 241. The bookbinding unit 3 of the present invention has accurate positioning accuracy for gluing the ridges 22 of the sheets 21 below the backing sheet 241. Therefore, even if the punched holes 204 are close to the ridges 22, there is no risk of the glue 23 spilling out of the punched holes 204.

[0070] Other configurations and effects conform to those of the above-described image forming apparatus 1. The bookbinding unit 3 of the image forming apparatus 1 configured in this manner provides a saddle stitching processing mechanism capable of gluing even a small number of booklets, and an image forming apparatus equipped with a saddle stitching processing mechanism. Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments and modifications are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take on various other embodiments, and various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. These embodiments and modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention described in this specification, etc., and are included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0071] For example, the gluing unit 8 of the saddle stitching processing mechanism in the embodiment is housed in the housing of the saddle stitching unit 5. However, this is not a limitation, and the gluing unit 8 may be housed in an independently formed housing. Furthermore, the gluing unit 8 may be housed in the housing of the center folding unit 4. In other words, the gluing unit 8 may be located between the center folding unit 4 and the center stitching unit 5.

[0072] The glue 23 may be pellet glue, adhesive glue, liquid glue, paper bond, regular paper glue, or a mixture of these. In other words, any shape, quantity, or combination of multiple glues may be used as long as it can be applied to the ridges 22 of the medium being transported. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1. Image forming device 2 Image forming unit 3 Binding Unit 4 Center fold section 5 Middle binding section 7. Conveyor 8 Gluing section 41 Support part 51 Lifting member 52 Pressing member 72 Support member 21 Paper 22 Yamabe

Claims

1. a center-folded portion formed by folding the medium in half to form a mountain portion; a transport unit having a support member that supports and transports the peaks of the medium from below; a gluing unit that applies glue to the peaks of the medium during transport; a saddle stitching unit that stacks and stitches the plurality of conveyed media, The saddle stitching unit is a saddle stitching processing mechanism having a lift member that lifts the ridges from below to align the ridges of each medium, and a pressing member that presses the ridges between the lift member and the saddle stitching unit.

2. The gluing unit includes a gluing roller having grooves formed on an outer surface thereof that engage with the ridges of the medium; a glue supply unit that supplies glue to the groove, 2. The saddle stitching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the glue application roller applies glue from the grooves to the ridges supported by the support member while rotating.

3. 3. The saddle stitching mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the gluing unit has a heating device for melting the glue stuck to the gluing roller.

4. 3. The saddle stitching mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the gluing unit has a supply scraper for adjusting the glue supplied to the gluing roller so that the glue is evenly applied to the ridges.

5. 3. The saddle stitching mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the gluing unit has a scraper for scraping off glue remaining on the gluing roller.

6. 6. The saddle stitching mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the gluing section has a collection box for collecting the glue scraped off by the scraper.

7. 2. The saddle stitching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the lift member has a height adjustment portion that can change the distance between the lift member and the support member.

8. 2. The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is provided with a stapler mechanism that projects staples to hold a plurality of media in a stacked state.

9. a fore-edge cutting unit having a cutter that cuts the fore edges of a plurality of the media in a stacked state; 2. The saddle stitching mechanism according to claim 1.

10. The saddle stitching mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the center folding section is capable of folding the medium unevenly in half.

11. 2. The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the transport section transports a cover medium having a single-sided Kannon cover or a cover medium having a double-sided Kannon cover onto the pile of the stacked media, and the saddle stitching section presses the cover medium stacked together with the media to bind them.

12. 2. The saddle stitching mechanism of claim 1, wherein the media has pre-punched holes.

13. 13. The saddle stitching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the medium has a pre-slit or a pre-perforated perforation.

14. 2. The saddle stitching processing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the glue is a pellet glue, a sticky glue, a liquid glue, a paper bond, a glue for general paper, or a mixed glue of these.

15. An image forming apparatus having a saddle stitching processing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and 14, which is provided with an image forming unit that prints on the medium and folds the medium printed by the image forming unit in half at the center folding section.

Images