Image forming system

Abstract

To improve the work efficiency of a user in an image formation system in which sheet feeding means and a sheet processing device are arranged side by side in an image formation apparatus.SOLUTION: An image formation system 1000 comprises: an image formation apparatus A which forms an image on a sheet; an external sheet feeding device D and manual sheet feeding part 9 which are provided on one side and supply sheets to the image formation apparatus; and a sheet processing apparatus B and a sheet folding apparatus C which apply post-processing to the sheet on which an image is formed by the image formation apparatus. The sheet processing apparatus and the sheet folding apparatus are arranged on the same side as the sheet folding device and the like with respect to the image formation apparatus and the sheet on which the image is formed is conveyed thereto from the image formation apparatus through a relay conveyance path 19 provided above the sheet feeding device and the like.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming system in which a paper feeder and a post-processing device are provided in parallel with an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, an image forming system is known in which a paper feeder and a post-processing device are provided in parallel with an image forming device such as a copier or printer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The post-processing device performs post-processing such as punching, binding, and sorting on sheets conveyed from the image forming device (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Furthermore, a sheet folding device is also known as a post-processing device that folds sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming device, such as folding them in half or in thirds (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

[0003] The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 employs a so-called internal discharge type configuration, in which an image-formed sheet discharge section is provided in the space within the body formed between the image forming section and the image reading section disposed above it, making the entire apparatus compact. This type of image forming apparatus has an intermediary transport unit disposed within the space within the body, and supplies the image-formed sheet to a post-processing apparatus through an intermediary transport path within the unit.

[0004] The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is provided with a manual paper feed unit for manually feeding a relatively small number of sheets in addition to a built-in paper feed cassette, and also has an external paper feed device consisting of a large-capacity cassette for storing sheets of a size that is consumed in large quantities. The manual paper feed unit often has a manual feed tray that is provided on one side of the image forming apparatus and can be opened and closed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-130730 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-210536 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-189716 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In many conventional image forming systems, when viewed from the front, a paper feed unit such as a manual paper feed unit or an external paper feed unit is disposed on one side (for example, the right side) of the image forming device, and a post-processing device is disposed on the other side (for example, the left side). In such image forming systems, a user must move left and right across the image forming device to set sheets in the manual paper feed unit or the external paper feed unit and remove the sheets that have been image-formed and post-processed from the post-processing device, which results in a problem of poor work efficiency due to the long movement distance.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its object is to provide an image forming system that includes an image forming device, a paper feeding means, and a post-processing device, and that improves the user's work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The image forming system of the present invention comprises: Forming an image on a sheet Has an image forming unit an image forming apparatus; One of the image forming devices side Established in a stacking section for stacking a plurality of sheets; The image forming apparatus One by one supply Sheet Supply Deck and, The one of the image forming apparatuses side And the above Sheet Supply Deck a post-processing device that is provided on the opposite side of the image forming device with respect to the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming device and that performs post-processing on the sheet and discharges the sheet; On the one side of the image forming device The aforementioned than the sheet supply deck Located above ,before From the image forming apparatus to the post-processing apparatus Relay unit that relays sheet transport to and, a manual feed tray that is provided on the one side of the image forming apparatus between the sheet supply deck and the relay unit in a vertical direction and that is openable and closable, and on which sheets to be fed toward the image forming unit are placed when the manual feed tray is open; The present invention is characterized by the following features. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the post-processing device and the paper feeding means are arranged on the same side of the image forming device, so that the user can perform the tasks of replenishing new sheets in the paper feeding means and removing sheets that have been post-processed and ejected from the post-processing device on the same side of the image forming device, thereby improving work efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the main part of the sheet folding device of FIG. [Figure 3] 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing the folding process by the sheet folding device in the order of steps. [Figure 4] 3(d) to 3(f) are explanatory diagrams showing the folding process in the order of steps, following FIG. [Figure 5] 4(g) to 4(i) are explanatory diagrams showing the additional folding process in the order of steps. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front view of the image forming system in which the sheet folding device is left on the sheet processing device side and the mounting extension portion is extended from the mounting support portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of the image forming system in FIG. 6 in which the external paper feed device is separated from the image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a front view of the image forming system in which the transport path cover is attached to the extended mounting extension portion. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a front view of the imaging system of FIG. 8 with the mounting extension retracted. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front view of the image forming system in which the sheet folding device is left on the image forming apparatus side and the attachment extension portion is extended. [Figure 11]In the first embodiment of the manual paper feed unit, (a) is an oblique view of the loading plate in the paper feed position, (b) is an oblique view of the loading plate in the first pull-out position outside the paper feed opening, and (c) is an oblique view of the loading plate in the second pull-out position on the front side. [Figure 12] 10A is a perspective view of a manual paper feed unit according to a second embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a stacking plate in a paper feed position, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view of a stacking plate in a rotated position facing the front side. [Figure 13] In the third embodiment of the manual paper feed unit, FIG. 10A is a perspective view in which the front side regulating plate is in the set position, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view in which the front side regulating plate is in the rotated position at the back of the paper feed opening. [Figure 14] 10A is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the manual paper feed unit, in which FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a side regulating plate on the front side in a set position, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the side regulating plate folded down to the front side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

[0012] [Image formation system] 1 shows the entire configuration of an image forming system 1000 according to a first embodiment of the present invention from the front side. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the front refers to the side seen from a position facing the image forming system 1000 for operation by a user, as shown in FIG. 1. The left and right sides refer to the left and right sides when the image forming system 1000 is seen from the front.

[0013] The image forming system 1000 is composed of an image forming apparatus A, a sheet processing apparatus B as a post-processing apparatus for sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus, and a sheet folding apparatus C connected therebetween. The image forming system 1000 of this embodiment further includes an external sheet feeding apparatus D that supplies sheets to the image forming apparatus A. In the following description, the sheet conveying direction is defined as the direction in which a sheet is conveyed from the paper feed side to the paper discharge side in each of the image forming apparatus A, sheet processing apparatus B, and sheet folding apparatus C, and the direction in which a sheet is conveyed from the image forming apparatus A side to the sheet folding apparatus C and sheet processing apparatus B side, and when the terms "upstream side" and "downstream side" are simply used, they mean the upstream side and downstream side in the sheet conveying direction.

[0014] [Image forming device] The image forming apparatus A includes an image forming unit A1, an image reading unit A2, and a document feeding unit A3. The image forming unit A1 is of a type that forms an image on a sheet using a known electrostatic printing mechanism, and is equipped with a main body paper feeding section 2, an image forming section 3, a transport section 4, and a main body control section (not shown) within an apparatus housing 1. The image reading unit A2, which is made up of an image reading section 5, and the document feeding unit A3, which is made up of an automatic document feeder 6, are integrally provided above the image reading unit A2 on the top of the apparatus housing 1.

[0015] The image forming apparatus A of this embodiment is a so-called internal paper discharge type, and a large paper discharge space (internal space) that is open to the left side (sheet processing device B side) and the front side in the figure is defined between the image forming unit 3, conveying unit 4, and image reading unit 5, which are arranged in a U-shape in Fig. 1, and a first relay conveying unit A4 is disposed within this space. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus A is integrally equipped with a paper discharge unit A5 that has a relatively large main stacking tray 7. The main stacking tray 7 is rotatable around a pivot (not shown) provided on its base end from a use position shown by a solid line in Fig. 1 to a retracted position shown by a dashed line in the same figure.

[0016] 1, the image forming unit A1 has a mounting support part 200 fixed to one side (the left side in this embodiment) of the device housing 1, the mounting support part 200 extending outward (to the left in the drawing) and generally horizontally from near the upper end of the device housing 1. The paper discharge part A5 is fixedly supported on the mounting support part 200 so as to be located in the upper left corner of the device housing 1 in the drawing, immediately to the left of the image reading unit A2 and the document feeding unit A3.

[0017] The mounting support part 200 is provided with an extension support part 201 that extends further outward from its outer end (the left end in the figure). As will be described later, the extension support part 201 can be extended further outward than in Figure 1 and contracted toward the mounting support part 200. Although not shown, the extension support part 201 can be provided so that it can be stored within the mounting support part 200 when not in use.

[0018] The main body paper feed unit 2 has multiple stages (two stages in this embodiment) of paper feed cassettes 2a, 2b, each with a different sheet size, which are detachably mounted on the device housing 1. The main body paper feed unit 2 feeds sheets of a size specified by the main body control unit from the corresponding paper feed cassette to a paper feed path 8 and sends them to the image forming unit 3.

[0019] The image forming unit A1 is provided with a manual feed unit 9 in addition to a main body paper feed unit 2 built into the device housing 1. The manual feed unit 9 has a manual feed tray 10 provided on one side of the device housing 1. The manual feed tray 10 is rotatable around a pivot (not shown) near its bottom end when viewed from the front side between a paper feed position shown by solid lines in FIG. 1 and a closed position shown by dashed lines. In the paper feed position, the top surface 10a opens substantially horizontally to provide a loading surface for sheets to be manually fed into the image forming unit A1. This rotation of the manual feed tray 10 opens a manual feed slot (not shown) provided on one side of the device housing 1. When not in use, the manual feed tray 10 is returned to a closed position along the one side of the device housing 1, as shown by dashed lines in FIG. 1, and the manual feed slot is closed.

[0020] At the paper feed position, sheets loaded on the upper surface, i.e., the loading surface 10a, of the manual feed tray 10 are fed into the paper feed path 8 of the image forming unit A1 by a paper feed roller (not shown) provided near the manual feed opening of the device housing 1, and sent to the image forming section 3. A paper feed mechanism, which will be described later, can be provided integrally with the manual feed tray 10 so that a larger number of sheets can be stacked in an aligned state.

[0021] The sheet feeder D is externally and detachably connected to the same side surface of the device housing 1 as the manual sheet feeder 9. The sheet feeder D is configured with a large capacity capable of accommodating a larger number of sheets (for example, several hundred to several thousand sheets) than the sheet feed cassettes 2a and 2b of the main body sheet feeder 2. The sheets fed from the sheet feeder D are similarly sent to the image forming unit 3 via the sheet feed path 8.

[0022] Furthermore, the image forming unit A1 is provided with a reversing tray 11 for reversing a sheet with an image formed on one side by the image forming section 3 so that an image can be formed on the back side as well. The reversing tray 11 is disposed on the same side of the device housing 1 as the manual paper feed section 9, below the paper discharge section A5, so as to ensure a certain sheet support space between it and the paper discharge section.

[0023] The image forming unit 3 may be configured to form an image on a sheet fed from the main body paper feed unit 2, and various image forming mechanisms may be employed. In this embodiment, as described above, a known electrostatic printing mechanism including, for example, a rotating photosensitive drum, a light emitter that emits an optical beam, a developer, a cleaner, etc. is employed as the image forming unit 3. The image forming unit 3 is not limited to an electrostatic printing mechanism, and various other image forming mechanisms such as an inkjet image forming method, an offset printing method, or a silk printing method may also be employed.

[0024] The transport unit 4 has a known structure including a paper feed path 8 that transports sheets from the main body paper feed unit 2, manual paper feed unit 9, and paper feed device D to the image forming unit 3, a transport path 12 that transports sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming unit 3 to the discharge unit A5, stacking tray 11, sheet processing device B, and sheet folding device C, and a plurality of pairs of transport rollers appropriately arranged along the paper feed path and the transport path. The transport path 12 includes a first transport path 13 that transports the sheet from the image forming unit 3 to the reversing tray 11, a second transport path 14 that is arranged in parallel with the first transport path 13 so as to switch back from the reversing tray 11 and transport the sheet to the image forming unit 3, and a main transport path 15 that transports the sheet from the image forming unit 3 to the discharge unit A5.

[0025] The main transport path 15 is connected at its downstream end to a first relay transport path 16 provided inside the first relay transport unit A4. A plurality of transport roller pairs are arranged along the sheet transport direction on the first relay transport path 16, and its downstream end is connected to a paper feed opening 17 of the paper discharge section A5. The paper discharge section A5 is provided with a paper discharge transport path 18 for discharging sheets fed from the first relay transport unit A4 via the paper feed opening 17 onto the main stack tray 7. The paper discharge roller pair provided at the paper discharge opening on the paper discharge transport path 18 is movable in its axial direction, so that the position of the sheets discharged onto the stack tray 7 can be changed for sorting.

[0026] Furthermore, in the sheet discharge section A5, a second relay conveying path 19 branches off from the sheet feed port 17 and is provided in parallel with the sheet discharge conveying path 18. The downstream end of the second relay conveying path 19 is connected to a conveying path 101 of the sheet folding device C, which will be described later.

[0027] Furthermore, the paper discharge section A5 is configured so that a top cover 210 adjacent to the image reading unit A2 and the document feeding unit A3 can rotate upward around a pivot (not shown) on the image reading unit A2 side. By rotating the top cover 210 to the position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1, the top of the paper discharge section A5 is opened, and if a jam occurs inside the paper discharge transport path 18 or the like, it is possible to remove the sheet or perform other jamming clearance operations.

[0028] The image reading unit 5 reads the document image by irradiating light from a scanning optical system light source onto the document placed on the platen glass and inputting the reflected light into a CCD, or by automatically transporting the document placed on the document tray to the reading unit by an automatic document feeder 6. The read document image is converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to the image forming unit 3.

[0029] The main body control unit controls the paper feeding operations of the main body paper feed unit 2, manual paper feed unit 9, and paper feed device D, as well as the operations of the image forming unit 3, transport unit 4, and image reading unit 5. The main body control unit is composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and the CPU controls each of the above units by reading a program corresponding to the control procedure stored in the ROM. Working data and input data are stored in the RAM, and the CPU performs control by referring to the data stored in the RAM based on the program, etc.

[0030] [Sheet processing device] Sheet processing device B is disposed on the same side (left side in FIG. 1) as manual feed unit 9 and sheet feeder D with respect to image forming apparatus A; in other words, on the opposite side of image forming apparatus A across manual feed unit 9 and sheet feeder D. Sheet processing device B is also installed on the same installation surface as image forming apparatus A. The outer end (left end in FIG. 1) of extension support portion 201 extending outward from mounting support portion 200 of image forming apparatus A is connected to the side of device housing 21 of sheet processing device B facing image forming apparatus A (right side in FIG. 1), thereby connecting post-processing device B integrally with image forming apparatus A. Because extension support portion 201 is provided so as to be extendable and retractable with respect to mounting support portion 200 as described above, post-processing device B can be moved toward or away from image forming apparatus A while maintaining its connection with image forming apparatus A.

[0031] The device housing 21 has an inlet 22 on its right side for introducing sheets from the image forming device A. Inside the device housing 21, first to third processing sections B1 to B3 (not shown) are provided which perform different post-processing on the sheets introduced from the inlet 22. A sheet introduction path for transporting sheets from the inlet 22 is provided inside the device housing 21 and branches off towards the first to third processing sections B1 to B3.

[0032] For example, the first processing unit B1 is a binding processing unit that accumulates, collates, and binds multiple sheets introduced from the image forming apparatus A. The bound sheets are discharged to a stacking tray 23 provided on the side of the apparatus housing 21 opposite the image forming apparatus A. The second processing unit B2 is a folding processing unit that folds the multiple introduced sheets after binding them into a sheet bundle. The folded sheet bundle is discharged to a stacking tray 24 provided on the same side of the apparatus housing 21 as the stacking tray 23. The third processing unit B3 performs jog sorting, separating introduced sheets into groups that are accumulated by offsetting them by a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction (the sheet width direction) and groups that are accumulated without offsetting them. The jog-sorted sheets are discharged to a stacking tray 25 provided on the same side of the apparatus housing 21 as the stacking tray 23, and the offset sheet bundles and non-offset sheet bundles are stacked together.

[0033] [Sheet folding device] 1, the sheet folding device C is fixedly supported by an extension support part 201 extending from the mounting extension part 200, and is connected between the sheet discharge part A5 of the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing device B. The sheet folding device C is a device that receives the image-formed sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus A and performs a folding process. In order to perform the folding process, the sheet folding device C also has a control part made up of a control board including a CPU.

[0034] The sheet folding device C is arranged so that a paper feed opening 101a, which is the upstream end of a conveying path 101 provided therein, is continuous with a paper discharge opening 19a of a second relay conveying path 19 of the paper discharge unit A5. Furthermore, the sheet folding device C is arranged so that a discharge opening 101b, which is the downstream end of the conveying path 101, is continuous with an entrance 21 of the sheet processing device B. Therefore, a sheet conveyed from the paper discharge unit A5 of the image forming apparatus A to the sheet folding device C is conveyed to the sheet processing device B, passing through the sheet folding device C, with or without being folded by the sheet folding device C.

[0035] 2 schematically shows the internal configuration of the sheet folding device C. A conveying path 101 extending substantially horizontally inside the sheet folding device C is provided with one or more pairs of conveying rollers 102 and a folding mechanism 103, i.e., a folding processing section, disposed downstream of the pair of conveying rollers 102, and an additional folding unit 104 is provided at the end of the conveying path 101 downstream of the folding mechanism 103. As a result, the sheet folding device C can fold a sheet conveyed along the conveying path 101 using the folding mechanism 103, and then additionally fold the sheet using the additional folding unit 104, and deliver the folded and additionally folded sheet to the sheet processing device B.

[0036] Sensors 304a and 304b that detect the leading and trailing edges of the sheet being conveyed are provided on the conveying path 101. Sensor 304a is disposed between the image forming apparatus A and the conveying roller pair 102 on the upstream side of the conveying roller pair 102, and sensor 304b is disposed between the folding roller pair 105 and the additional folding unit 104 on the downstream side of the folding roller pair 105.

[0037] The conveying roller pair 102 is formed of rubber rollers and includes an upper conveying roller 102a disposed on the upper side and a lower conveying roller 102b disposed on the lower side opposite the upper conveying roller 102a. In this embodiment, the upper conveying roller 102a is connected to a conveying roller drive motor (not shown) and rotates with the rotation of the conveying roller drive motor, while the lower roller 102b is pressed against the upper conveying roller 102a by the biasing force of a spring (not shown) and rotates accordingly. However, the conveying roller pair 102 is not limited to the above configuration and can adopt any appropriate configuration as long as it can convey the sheet S.

[0038] The folding mechanism 103 is composed of a pair of folding rollers 105 and a pusher plate 107. The pair of folding rollers 105 is made of rubber and includes an upper folding roller 105a disposed on the upper side and a lower folding roller 105b disposed on the lower side opposite the upper folding roller 105a. The lower folding roller 105b is pressed against the upper folding roller 105a by the biasing force of a spring (not shown). The upper folding roller 105a and the lower folding roller 105b are connected to a common folding roller drive motor (not shown) and rotate in opposite directions as the folding roller drive motor rotates. The pusher plate 107 is disposed between the pair of conveying rollers 102 and the pair of folding rollers 105 and is connected to a pusher plate drive motor (not shown). As the pusher plate drive motor is driven, the pusher plate 107 moves linearly in the sheet conveyance direction, parallel to the conveyance path 101, upstream of the pair of folding rollers 105.

[0039] An upper conveying guide 108, a lower conveying guide 109, an upper folding guide 110, and a lower folding guide 111 are provided on the conveying path 101 between the pair of conveying rollers 102 and the pair of folding rollers 105.

[0040] The upper conveying guide 108 is formed from immediately behind the conveying roller pair 102 to above the abutting plate 107 so as to guide the leading edge of the sheet S from the conveying roller pair 102 to the abutting plate 107. The upper conveying guide 108 is intended to regulate the flow of the sheet S conveyed along the conveying path 101, and is disposed above the conveying path 101, with a shape that bends downward as it extends downstream. The upper folding guide 110 is disposed between the upper conveying guide 108 and the folding roller pair 105, and extends to immediately before the folding roller pair 105 so as to guide the leading edge of the sheet S and a folded portion of the sheet S, which will be described later, to the folding roller pair 105. The upper folding guide 110 is intended to regulate the flow of the sheet S in the folding processing mechanism 103, and is provided downstream of the upper conveying guide 108 and above the conveying path 101.

[0041] The lower conveying guide 109 regulates the flow of the sheet S conveyed along the conveying path 101, is disposed below the conveying path 101, and, like the upper conveying guide 108, has a shape that bends downward as it goes downstream. The lower conveying guide 109 ends just before the abutting plate 107, and an open loop-forming space 50 is formed downstream of the lower conveying guide 109. The lower folding guide 111 is disposed downstream of the abutting plate 107, and has a horizontal surface for guiding the leading edge of the conveyed sheet S and a folded portion of the sheet S, which will be described later, to the nip portion of the folding roller pair 105, and an inclined surface for guiding the leading edge to the horizontal surface.

[0042] The abutting plate 107 is adapted to be moved horizontally in the sheet conveying direction by a not-shown abutting plate drive device consisting of the abutting plate drive motor and the control unit. In addition, the abutting plate 107 is arranged so as to fill the loop forming space 50 between the lower conveying guide 109 and the lower folding guide 111 when the sheet S is conveyed along the conveying path 101 to the folding roller pair 105 by the conveying roller pair 102, and guides the leading edge of the conveyed sheet S to the lower folding guide 111.

[0043] In addition to the sheet position detection sensors 304a and 304b described above, a sensor 304c that detects the position of the abutting plate 107 is also connected to the control unit. The control unit is further connected to the conveying roller drive motor, the folding roller drive motor, the abutting plate drive motor, and the additional folding drive motor 128. Based on the detection results input from the sensors and various information received from image forming apparatus A, the control unit controls the driving of the drive motors and drives the conveying roller pair 102, the folding roller pair 105, the abutting plate 107, the slider 124, and the support member 112, respectively, to control and execute the sheet conveyance, folding process, and additional folding process in sheet folding device C.

[0044] When the control unit recognizes that the leading edge of the sheet S being conveyed has been nipped by the pair of folding rollers 105, it moves the abutting plate 107 horizontally to a retracted position below the lower conveying guide 109 to open the loop forming space 50 between the lower conveying guide 109 and the lower folding guide 111 in order to form a folded portion in the sheet S. Thereafter, when the sheet S is conveyed by the pair of conveying rollers 102 by a predetermined amount while the leading edge of the sheet S is nipped by the pair of folding rollers 105, the middle portion of the sheet S is bent downward from the conveying path 101 in the loop forming space 50 to form a loop portion.

[0045] In this state, the abutting plate 107 is moved horizontally from the retracted position toward the pair of folding rollers 105, forming a folded portion in the sheet S. After the abutting plate 107 reaches just before the pair of folding rollers 105, the pair of folding rollers 105 is driven to convey the sheet S. As a result, a first fold 132 is formed in the sheet S. Furthermore, after the abutting plate 107 is moved to the retracted position, the pair of folding rollers 105 conveys the sheet S and nip the loop portion. As a result, a second fold 133 is formed, and the Z-folded sheet S is conveyed downstream.

[0046] As shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1, the sheet folding device C has a top cover 142 provided above the conveying path 101 of the device housing 141, which is configured to be rotatable upward around a pivot (not shown) on the sheet processing device B side. At this time, by rotating the main stacking tray 7 of the sheet discharge unit A5 located above the sheet folding device C to the retracted position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1, interference with the top cover 142 can be avoided. By rotating the top cover 142 to the position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1, the top of the sheet folding device C is opened, so that when a jam occurs inside, work to clear the jam, such as removing the sheet, can be performed.

[0047] According to this embodiment, it is preferable that an opening (not shown) is provided in the device housing 141 of the sheet folding device C on the side facing the reversing tray 11. The opening is formed so that its position in the height direction is aligned with the leading edge of the reversing tray 11 and so that it opens directly into the loop forming space 50. Therefore, even if the size of the sheet on which images are to be formed on both sides is large in the sheet conveyance direction and its leading edge (outer edge) protrudes beyond the leading edge (outer edge) of the reversing tray 11, the leading edge portion of the protruding sheet passes through the opening and enters the loop forming space 50. Furthermore, the opening is set to a width dimension that fully corresponds to the width of the largest sheet size used in image formation in the image forming device A, and a height dimension that takes into consideration the degree to which the leading edge portion of the sheet protruding from the reversing tray 11 will sag.

[0048] As a result, even if a large-sized sheet pops out of the reversing tray 11, the leading edge of the sheet will not collide with or bend against the side of the device housing 141 of the sheet folding device C or the periphery of the opening, and the sheet can be smoothly reversed and conveyed to the image forming unit 3. Furthermore, between the sheet folding device C and the image forming device A, the loop forming space 50 in the sheet conveying direction can be made to overlap, or serve as, a space in which a sheet can pop out of the reversing tray 11, so the entire image forming system 1000 can be made more compact in the sheet conveying direction.

[0049] [Folding and additional folding] The folding process and additional folding process of the sheet folding device C will be specifically described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figures 3(a) to (c), Figures 4(d) to (f), and Figures 5(g) to (f) show the process in which the sheet folding device C receives a sheet from the image forming device A, transports the sheet, and performs the folding process and additional folding process in the order of steps.

[0050] First, if the abutting plate 107 is not in the home position, the control unit moves it to the home position (the position in FIG. 3(a)). Then, when the sensor 304a detects the leading edge of the sheet S conveyed from the image forming apparatus A while the pair of conveying rollers 102 is stopped rotating and a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit drives the conveying roller drive motor to rotate the pair of conveying rollers 102, which then receives the sheet and starts conveying it as shown in FIG. 3(a). The predetermined time is the time necessary and sufficient for the leading edge of the sheet to come into contact with the nip portion of the pair of conveying rollers 102 and align the leading edge positions.

[0051] The control unit rotates the pair of conveying rollers 102 to convey the sheet S along the conveying path 101 in a state where the abutting plate 107 is positioned between the pair of conveying rollers 102 and the pair of folding rollers 105 to close the loop forming space 50 (home position), and after the leading edge of the sheet S passes the leading edge of the abutting plate 107 (position 19 mm before the nip point of the pair of folding rollers 105) as shown in FIG. 3(b), rotates the pair of folding rollers 105 and drives the abutting plate drive motor to start moving the abutting plate 107 toward a retracted position (see FIG. 3(c)) located below the lower conveying guide 109.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 3C, when the leading edge of the sheet S passes the sensor 304b and is conveyed a predetermined distance (20 mm), the abutting plate 107 reaches the retracted position. The position of the leading edge of the sheet S is controlled by detecting the amount of drive of the pair of folding rollers 105 from the point when the leading edge of the sheet S is detected by the sensor 304b while the sheet S is nipped between the pair of folding rollers 105. When the abutting plate 107 moves to the retracted position, a loop space 50 opens below the conveying path 101. When the leading edge of the sheet S reaches a position 20 mm downstream of the sensor 304b, the control unit reverses the rotation of the pair of folding rollers 105 to switchback-convey the leading edge of the sheet S toward the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction. During this time, the conveying roller pair 102 continues to rotate to convey the sheet S in the sheet conveying direction. Therefore, the portion of the sheet S upstream of the pair of folding rollers 105 curves in a loop shape and hangs down from the conveying path 101 into the loop forming space 50, forming a fold loop FL for forming a fold in the sheet. After that, the loop FL continues to increase in accordance with the amount of the sheet S sent out by the conveying roller pair 102.

[0053] The control unit stops the switchback conveyance of the pair of folding rollers 105 when the leading edge of the sheet S is on the sensor 304b side of the nip point of the pair of folding rollers 105 (a state where the sheet S is moved back 33 mm from the state shown in FIG. 3(c) . The distance from the nip point of the pair of folding rollers 105 to the sensor 304b is 14 mm), and continues conveyance by the pair of conveying rollers 102 in the state shown in FIG. 4(d). At this time, a fold loop FL of a size suitable for forming a fold in the sheet S at a predetermined folding position is formed in the loop forming space 50 by the continuous sheet feeding by the pair of conveying rollers 102.

[0054] When a predetermined loop FL is formed in the sheet S, the control unit starts moving the abutting plate 107 from the retracted position toward the pair of folding rollers 105, and abuts the leading edge of the abutting plate 107 against the folded loop FL. The abutting plate 107 then pushes against a predetermined position on the sheet with its leading edge, and moves to just before the nip portion of the pair of folding rollers 105, as shown in FIG. 4(e) (a pushing position where the leading edge of the abutting plate 107 is positioned closer to the pair of folding rollers 105 than the home position. The distance from the leading edge of the abutting plate 107 to the nip point of the pair of folding rollers 105 is 3 mm). At this time, the leading edge of the sheet S pushed by the leading edge of the abutting plate 107 is pre-folded at a folding position that will become the first fold of the sheet S.

[0055] The control unit rotates the pair of folding rollers 105 when the abutting plate 107 reaches a position 4.5 mm before the nip point of the pair of folding rollers 105. When the abutting plate 107 reaches the abutting position described above in this state, the folding position where the first fold of the sheet S will occur is caught in the nip portion of the pair of folding rollers 105, and while being conveyed downstream, the sheet S is pressed and folded between the upper and lower folding rollers 105a and 105b. This pressurization forms the first fold 132 in the sheet S at a predetermined folding position, as shown in FIG. 4(f). The abutting plate 107 is moved to a retracted position below the lower conveying guide 109 so as not to prevent the sheet S from being caught in the nip portion of the pair of folding rollers 105. This reopens the loop formation space 50 below the conveying path 101.

[0056] The pair of folding rollers 105 continues to be rotationally driven even after the abutting plate 107 is retracted. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4(f), the sheet S is nipped by the pair of folding rollers 105 and conveyed downstream in a state where it is folded in three (Z-folded) with the leading edge in the sheet conveyance direction and the first fold 132 formed by the pair of folding rollers 105 facing forward.

[0057] When the trailing end of the sheet S in the sheet conveying direction passes through the discharge port of the image forming apparatus A, which is an upstream unit, and is completely conveyed into the sheet folding device C, the pair of folding rollers 105 and the pair of conveying rollers 102 are stopped when the first fold 132 passes the additional folding processing position and is sent downstream a predetermined conveyance distance, as shown in Figure 5(g). Here, the additional folding processing position is a position in the sheet conveying direction where the fold of the sheet S is positioned between the additional folding roller 114 and the additional fold receiving member 120 in order to perform the additional folding processing.

[0058] The predetermined conveyance amount, which is sent downstream in the sheet conveyance direction until the first fold 132 of the sheet S stops from the additional folding processing position, is determined by the sheet length of the sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction and can be changed depending on the length of the sheet. In this embodiment, as described above, the predetermined conveyance amount is determined depending on the length of the sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction so that the trailing edge of the sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction has passed through the upstream unit and been completely carried into the sheet folding device C when the folding roller pair 105 and the conveying roller pair 102 stop. The control unit can receive information about the length of the sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction from the main body control unit of the image forming apparatus A in advance, or can calculate the length information from the time difference between the leading edge and trailing edge of the sheet S being conveyed by the sheet position detection sensors 304a and 304b.

[0059] 5(h), with the conveying roller pair 102 stopped, the folding roller pair 105 is rotated in the reverse direction to move the sheet S upstream in the sheet conveying direction. When the first fold 132 of the sheet S is returned to the additional folding position, the folding roller pair 105 is stopped to position the first fold 132 at the additional folding position.

[0060] At this time, since the conveying roller pair 102 is stopped, slack is generated in the sheet S between the conveying roller pair 102 and the folding roller pair 105, causing the sheet S to hang down from the conveying path 101 into the loop forming space 50, forming a second loop FL2 above the previous loop FL. In this way, two loops FL, FL2 are formed in one loop forming space 50, so that the device does not become unnecessarily large, and it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the device.

[0061] In this state, the control unit drives the additional folding drive motor 128 to perform additional folding processing of the first fold 132 by the additional folding rollers 114 and the additional fold receiving member 120. When the additional folding processing is completed, the conveying roller pair 102 and the folding roller pair 105 are rotated to convey the sheet S downstream.

[0062] Here, when conveying the sheet S downstream, the pair of conveying rollers 102 and the pair of folding rollers 105 may be started with a time lag. Specifically, for example, the pair of folding rollers 105 may be started first, and then the pair of conveying rollers 102 may be started after a predetermined time has elapsed. By setting an appropriate time lag in the start of the actuation of the pair of conveying rollers 102 and the pair of folding rollers 105 in this manner, the second loop FL2 formed in the loop formation space 50 can be eliminated or reduced. Also, the second loop FL2 can be formed after the previous loop FL is wound around the pair of folding rollers 105. The time lag can also be set by replacing the rotation amount of the pair of conveying rollers 102 and the pair of folding rollers 105, the rotation amount of the motor that drives them, the sheet conveyance amount, etc.

[0063] As the sheet S is conveyed downstream, the fold loop FL in the loop forming space 50 gradually becomes smaller, and the sheet S is folded in half from top to bottom at a desired folding position where the second fold 133 is formed. The sheet S is conveyed in this bent state, and is pressurized and folded at the nip of the folding roller pair 105, and the second fold 133 is formed at the desired position.

[0064] In this embodiment, the rear end position of the sheet S in the sheet conveying direction is adjusted to a state where the sheet S has completely exited the image forming apparatus A when the first fold 132 passes the additional folding position and the sheet S is conveyed downstream to stop the pair of folding rollers 105 and the pair of conveying rollers 102. However, the rotation control of the pair of conveying rollers 102 related to the reverse rotation of the pair of folding rollers 105 and the additional folding process is not limited to this.

[0065] 5(g), the control unit can stop the pair of folding rollers 105, while continuing to rotate the pair of conveying rollers 102 thereafter to send the rear end side of the sheet S downstream in the sheet conveying direction. This conveyance of the rear end side of the sheet S by the pair of conveying rollers 102 can be performed during the entire period from when the pair of folding rollers 105 is stopped and then reverses, returns the first fold 132 to the additional folding position, and stops, until the additional folding process is performed and the next step is performed, or by selecting a part of these periods.

[0066] This makes it possible to adjust the position of the trailing end of sheet S along the sheet conveyance direction when additional folding of first fold 132 is completed and conveyance of sheet S toward the downstream side begins. For example, depending on the length of the trailing end of sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction, when folding roller pair 105 stops, it is possible that the trailing end of sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction has not yet been completely conveyed into sheet folding device C and is positioned within image forming apparatus A, an upstream unit. Even in this case, by controlling the rotation of conveying roller pair 102 as described above, it is possible to make the trailing end of sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction completely exit image forming apparatus A at the latest when additional folding of first fold 132 is completed. This makes it possible to maintain and improve productivity of the entire image forming system, including the folding process, as described above.

[0067] In another embodiment, when the control unit stops and reverses the folding roller pair 105 to convey the sheet S upstream in the sheet conveying direction, the control unit also stops and reverses the conveying roller pair 102, so that the rear end side of the sheet S can be conveyed upstream in the sheet conveying direction. In this case, the control unit controls the conveying roller pair and the folding roller pair so that the sheet conveyance amount due to the reverse rotation of the conveying roller pair 102 is smaller than the sheet conveyance amount due to the reverse rotation of the folding roller pair 105.

[0068] This makes it possible to eliminate or reduce the size of the second loop FL2 formed in the loop formation space 50. In this case, the trailing end of the sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction moves toward the image forming device A of the upstream unit, but even in this embodiment, it is preferable from the viewpoint of the productivity of the entire system described above that the trailing end of the sheet S completely exits the image forming device A at the latest when the additional folding process of the first fold 132 is completed.

[0069] Here, the sheet conveyance amount due to the reverse rotation of the conveying roller pair 102 and the folding roller pair 105 can be set based on the conveyance distance in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet S, the conveyance time, the rotation amount (rotation speed, rotation time) of the conveying roller pair and the folding roller pair, etc. Also, the conveying roller pair 102 and the folding roller pair 105 do not necessarily have to start and / or stop their reverse rotation simultaneously. For example, the conveying roller pair 102 can start reverse rotation later than the folding roller pair 105, or the conveying roller pair 102 can stop reverse rotation earlier than the folding roller pair 105.

[0070] 5(i), when the second fold of sheet S, i.e., second fold 133, reaches the additional folding position, folding roller pair 105 and conveying roller pair 102 are stopped, and second fold 133 is positioned at the additional folding position. In this state, additional folding drive motor 128 is driven, and additional folding processing of second fold 133 is performed by additional folding rollers 114 and additional fold receiving member 120. When additional folding processing is completed, folding roller pair 105 is rotated to convey sheet S downstream and output it to sheet processing device B on the downstream side.

[0071] This completes a series of folding and additional folding processes in the sheet folding device C. At this time, the rear end of the sheet S has completely exited the sheet folding device C, so the upstream image forming device A is ready to send the next sheet to the sheet folding device C, thereby maintaining and improving productivity of the entire system.

[0072] [Improved work efficiency] As described above, in addition to the main body paper feed section 2 provided inside the device housing 1, a manual paper feed section 9 and an external paper feeder D are provided on the one side of the image forming unit A1 as paper feed means for externally supplying sheets to the image forming device A. Furthermore, as post-processing devices for performing post-processing on sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming device A, a sheet processing device B and a sheet folding device C are also arranged on the one side of the image forming unit A1, on the opposite side of the image forming unit A1 from the manual paper feed section 9 and the paper feeder D, with a second relay transport path 19 sandwiched between them and the image forming unit A1.

[0073] With this arrangement, the user can supply sheets to the manual feed unit 9 and the sheet feeder D and remove post-processed sheets from the stacking trays 23-25 ​​of the sheet processing device B while remaining at the side of the image forming unit A1. Furthermore, the user can also perform troubleshooting and maintenance work, such as troubleshooting for sheet jams that occur in the manual feed unit 9, the sheet feeder D, the sheet processing device B and / or the sheet folding device C, from the side of the image forming unit A1. Therefore, the user can efficiently perform the various operations described above for the image forming processing system 1000.

[0074] Furthermore, in order to perform the above-described folding process, sheet folding device C needs to secure a sufficiently large loop-forming space 50 below conveying path 101, and therefore the portion of device housing 141 below conveying path 101 protrudes significantly downward. On the other hand, sheet folding device C is supported by an attachment extension part 201 extending from an attachment support part 200 to which sheet discharge part A5 is fixed, with conveying path 101 continuing to second relay conveying path 19 of sheet discharge part A5 which is disposed above open manual tray 10 of manual paper feed part 9 so as to overlap it in plan. This arrangement enables sheet folding device C to be positioned so as not to interfere with the range in which manual tray 10 is opened and closed (the range in the shape of a quarter circle indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 1).

[0075] 6 and 7 show the overall configuration of an image forming system 1001 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, the image forming system 1001 is configured such that an attachment extension portion 201 of an attachment support portion 200 extends further outward (toward the left in the figure) from the position shown in Fig. 1. At this time, in this embodiment, the sheet folding device C is supported on the sheet processing device B side of the attachment extension portion 201 in a state where it is integrally connected to the sheet processing device B. The attachment extension portion 201 can be retracted from the extended position shown in Fig. 6 to the original position shown in Fig. 1.

[0076] 1, the sheet processing device B is also moved outward (toward the left in the figure), which increases the space between the manual feed unit 9 and the sheet feed device D and the sheet processing device B, making it easier for the user to open the manual feed tray 10 of the manual feed unit 9 and place a sheet thereon.

[0077] Furthermore, in this state, as shown in Fig. 7, the paper feed device D can be disconnected from the one side of the image forming apparatus A and moved toward the sheet processing device B. As a result, the one side of the main body paper feed section 2 of the image forming unit A1 is opened from the paper feed device D, and a relatively large space is defined. As a result, the inner surface of the openable door 2c provided on the one side of the main body paper feed section 2 can be opened upward as shown in Fig. 7, and a working space can be secured for clearing jammed sheets sent from the main body paper feed section 2 to the paper feed path 8.

[0078] 8 and 9 show the configuration of an image forming system 1002 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the image forming system 1002 is configured such that, when the sheet folding device C is integrally connected to the sheet processing device B, the mounting extension portion 201 of the mounting support portion 200 can be extended outward from the position shown in FIG. 1 and can be retracted to the position shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, in the image forming system 1002, when the mounting extension portion 201 is extended and the sheet folding device C is spaced outward (toward the left in the figure) from the paper discharge unit A5, the second relay conveying path 19 is extended so as to be continuous with the conveying path 101 of the sheet folding device C, as shown in FIG. 8. This allows a sheet to be conveyed from the image forming device A to the sheet folding device C and the sheet processing device B through the extended second relay conveying path 19 with the mounting extension portion 201 extended.

[0079] The extension of the second relay conveying path 19 is realized, for example, by providing the second relay conveying path 19 itself so that it can be extended outward, i.e., downstream, from the sheet discharge unit A5, as shown in the figure. In the illustrated embodiment, a guide rail portion that guides the sheet and a pair of conveying rollers that send the sheet downstream are each composed of a portion that is always held within the second relay conveying path 19 (i.e., within the sheet discharge unit A5), and an expandable path portion 19a that can be extended outward (toward the sheet folding device C) from the second relay conveying path 19 (i.e., the sheet discharge unit A5). The expandable path portion 19a is normally housed within the second relay conveying path 19 (inside the sheet discharge unit A5) as shown in FIG. 9, and can be extended to the position shown in FIG. 8 as needed, and returned to the second relay conveying path 19 when it is no longer needed.

[0080] In the second and third embodiments, the sheet folding device C is configured to be integrally connected to the sheet processing device B. In an image forming system 1003 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, the sheet folding device C is integrally connected to the image forming device A, more specifically, to the paper discharge section A5. In this way, the sheet folding device C remains on the image forming device A side with the mounting extension section 201 extended, so that the user can move the sheet processing device B away from or towards the image forming device A in accordance with the extension and contraction of the mounting extension section 201 with less force than in the second and third embodiments.

[0081] Furthermore, in the image forming system of the present invention, the external paper feeder D is not an essential component. Therefore, in another embodiment, the paper feeder D can be omitted from the image forming systems 1000 to 1003 of the above-described embodiments. Even if the paper feeder D is omitted, the above-described features and effects of the present invention are not impaired.

[0082] Manual paper feed unit 9 can be provided with a paper feed structure on manual tray 10 so that a larger number of sheets can be placed on it and fed to image forming unit A1. Figures 11 to 14 show manual paper feed unit 9 equipped with such paper feed structures 401 to 404, respectively.

[0083] As shown in these figures, a paper feed opening 410 is provided on the side of the image forming unit A1 where the manual paper feed section 9 is provided. A paper feed unit 411 made up of a paper feed roller (not shown) is provided immediately inside and above the paper feed opening 410 in order to feed sheets S placed on the manual feed tray 10 in the open position into the image forming unit A1 one by one.

[0084] 11(a) to 11(c) includes an upper loading plate 412 that provides a sheet loading surface 10a, and a lower intermediate plate 413. A guide rail 414 that extends straight along the paper feed direction toward the paper feed slot 410 toward the right as viewed from the front is provided on the upper surface of the manual feed tray 10 on which the intermediate plate 413 is placed. The guide rail 414 projects from the upper surface of the manual feed tray 10, and extends straight along the paper feed direction toward the paper feed slot 410 toward the right as viewed from the front. The intermediate plate 413 can slide along the paper feed direction on the manual feed tray 10 by engaging a corresponding guide groove (not shown) formed on its lower surface with the guide rail 414. A guide rail 415 that extends straight in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction is provided on the upper surface of the intermediate plate 413 and projects from the upper surface of the intermediate plate 413. The loading plate 412 can slide back and forth as viewed from the front by engaging a corresponding guide groove (not shown) formed on its lower surface with the guide rail 415.

[0085] A pair of side regulating plates 416a, 416b are provided on the upper surface of the loading plate 412 to regulate, from both sides, the opposing side edges of the sheet S placed thereon in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. The side regulating plates 416a, 416b can be moved on the loading plate 412 in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction to match the size of the sheet to be placed. The side regulating plates 416a, 416b protruding from the upper surface of the loading plate 412 are accommodated in the paper feed opening 410 when the manual tray 10 is moved to the closed position.

[0086] When feeding a sheet from the manual feed tray 10 or when moving the manual feed tray 10 to the closed position, the loading plate 412 and the intermediate plate 413 are completely stacked one on top of the other, with their leading edges pushed into a predetermined paper feed position at the back of the paper feed opening 410, as shown in Fig. 11(a). When setting a sheet on the manual feed tray 10, the intermediate plate 413 is slid outward from the paper feed position and pulled out to a position where the loading plate 412 is completely removed from the paper feed opening 410, as shown in Fig. 11(b). Next, the loading plate 412 is slid forward on the intermediate plate 413 and pulled out to the sheet setting position as shown in Fig. 11(c).

[0087] The user can easily set a sheet as the loading plate 412 is pulled out toward the front. The sheet is placed on the loading plate 412, and the side regulation plates 416a and 416b are moved in the sheet width direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction to align both side edges of the sheet S. Next, the loading plate 412 is slid to the rear on the intermediate plate 413 and placed on top of the intermediate plate 413 as shown in FIG. 11(b). Finally, the intermediate plate 413 is slid together with the loading plate 412 in the paper feed direction and pushed into the paper feed position within the paper feed slot 410, thereby enabling paper to be fed.

[0088] 12(a) and 12(b) has a loading plate 421 on the manual feed tray 10, which provides a loading surface 10a for sheets. The loading plate 421 is provided on the manual feed tray 10 so as to be rotatable in its plane around a pin 422 that protrudes upward immediately outside the paper feed slot 410 and on the front side of the manual feed tray 10. As a result, the loading plate 421 can be pulled out from a paper feed position, in which the leading end (inner end) of the loading plate 421 is pushed deep into the paper feed slot 410, as shown in FIG. 12(a), by rotating the rear end (outer end) of the loading plate 421 toward the front side, to a sheet setting position, as shown in FIG. 12(b).

[0089] A pair of side regulating plates 416a, 416b are provided on the upper surface of the loading plate 421 to regulate opposing side edges of the sheet S loaded thereon in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. The side regulating plates 416a, 416b can be moved on the loading plate 421 in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction to match the size of the sheet loaded. The side regulating plates 416a, 416b protruding from the upper surface of the loading plate 421 are accommodated in the paper feed opening 410 when the manual tray 10 is returned to the closed position.

[0090] The user can easily set a sheet by rotating the placement plate 421 toward the front and pulling it out to the sheet setting position. The sheet is placed on the placement plate 421, and the side regulating plates 416a and 416b are moved in the sheet width direction to align both side edges of the sheet S. Next, the placement plate 421 is rotated in the opposite direction and its leading edge is pushed into the sheet feeding position at the back of the paper feed slot 410, thereby enabling the sheet to be fed.

[0091] 13(a) and 13(b), a sheet placement surface 10a is provided by the upper surface of a manual feed tray 10. A pair of side restriction plates 431a and 431b are provided on the upper surface of the manual feed tray 10 to restrict, from both sides, the side edges of a sheet S placed thereon that are opposed in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. The side restriction plates 431a and 431b can be moved on the placement surface 10a in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction to match the size of the sheet being placed.

[0092] Of the side regulating plates 431a and 431b, only the side regulating plate 431a on the front side can rotate in its in-plane direction around a pin 432 provided at the bottom end at the rearmost position. In the paper feed position shown in FIG. 13(a), the side regulating plates 431a and 431b are positioned outside the paper feed opening 410 to regulate both side edges of the sheet S. In the sheet setting position shown in FIG. 13(b), the side regulating plate 431a is rotated toward the rear of the paper feed opening 410 until its rear edge abuts against the top surface of the manual feed tray 10 and stops. This opens the top surface of the manual feed tray 10 widely, allowing the user to easily set a sheet. After setting the sheet, the side regulating plate 431a is rotated in the opposite direction to return to the paper feed position shown in FIG. 13(a).

[0093] 14(a) and 14(b), the sheet loading surface 10a is similarly provided by the upper surface of the manual feed tray 10. A pair of side regulation plates 441a and 441b are arranged on the upper surface of the manual feed tray 10 outside the paper feed opening 410 in order to regulate, from both sides, the side edges of the sheet S loaded thereon that are opposed in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. The side regulation plates 441a and 441b can be moved on the loading surface 10a in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction to match the size of the loaded sheet.

[0094] In this embodiment, only the side restriction plate 441a on the front side can be tilted toward the front side around a support shaft 442 along its lower edge until the entire surface is in contact with the top surface of the manual feed tray 10. As a result, in the sheet setting position of FIG. 14(b), the top surface of the manual feed tray 10 is opened widely toward the front side, allowing the user to easily set a sheet. After setting the sheet, the side restriction plate 441a is returned to the upright paper feed position of FIG. 14(a).

[0095] In another embodiment, an additional side regulating plate (not shown) can be provided on the front side of the upper surface of the manual feed tray 10. This additional side regulating plate can be configured to move inward of the side regulating plate 441a in the sheet feed direction and to move in conjunction with the side regulating plate 441a on the loading surface 10a in the sheet width direction to regulate the side edge of the sheet S on the front side. When loading the sheet S on the loading surface 10a, even if the side regulating plate 441a is tilted toward the front side as described above, the additional side regulating plate maintains an upright position on the loading surface 10a. Because this additional side regulating plate is provided inside the paper feed opening 410, it does not get in the way when loading the sheet S if it is retracted in the sheet width direction. Furthermore, only the side regulating plate 441a, which is located in the path of the sheet S when loading the sheet S, can be tilted toward the front side, making it easy to load the sheet S.

[0096] The present invention has been described above in relation to preferred embodiments, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be implemented with various changes or modifications within its technical scope. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] A Image forming device A1 Image forming unit A4 1st relay transport unit A5 paper output section B. Sheet processing device C sheet folding device D Paper feeder 1 Device housing 2 Main unit paper feed section 7 Main Load Tray 9 Manual feed unit 10 Manual feed tray 19 Second Relay Transport Route 19a Expandable path section 23~25 Loading tray 50 Loop-forming space 101 Transport Route 200 Mounting support 201 Extension support part 401~404 Paper feed structure 416a, 416b, 431a, 431b, 441a, 441b Side restriction plate 1000~1003 Image forming processing system

Claims

1. an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; a stacking section provided on one side of the image forming apparatus for stacking a plurality of sheets; and a sheet supply deck for supplying the sheets stacked on the stacking section to the image forming apparatus one by one; a post-processing device that is provided on the one side of the image forming device, on the opposite side of the image forming device with respect to the sheet supply deck, and that performs post-processing on sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming device and discharges the sheets; a relay unit provided on the one side of the image forming apparatus above the sheet supply deck, the relay unit relaying sheet conveyance from the image forming apparatus to the post-processing apparatus; a manual feed tray that is provided on the one side of the image forming apparatus between the sheet supply deck and the relay unit in a vertical direction and that is openable and closable, and on which sheets to be fed toward the image forming unit are placed when the manual feed tray is open; An image forming system comprising:

2. 2. The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising a second post-processing device provided midway along the relay unit so as not to interfere with the path of opening and closing operation of the manual feed tray.

3. the manual feed tray is configured to be movable between a setting position where a user sets a sheet and a paper feeding position where the sheet is fed toward the image forming unit, 2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the set position is set on the one side of the image forming apparatus, closer to the front than the paper feed position.

4. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second discharge means for discharging a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming device, above the relay unit in the vertical direction on the one side of the image forming device.

5. 5. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the relay unit is extendable in a sheet conveying direction.

Images