Combination system and combination method

Abstract

A combination system includes: a stacker in which a printed material output from a printing section based on print data corresponding to individual delivery data is stacked; a conveyor capable of conveying an enclosed material; and a hardware processor that controls the conveyor such that the enclosed material associated with the printed material in the individual delivery data is conveyed to the stacker and the printed material and the enclosed material are combined together.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The entire disclosure of Japanese patent Application No.2025 -020028, filed on February 10, 2025, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUNDTechnological Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a gripping device and a conveyance method.Description of Related Art

[0003] Since platemaking or printing plates are unnecessary in digital printing machines, small-lot printing is enabled in a short time. Therefore, it is possible to perform personalized printing in which printing is performed while the content and the quantity are individually changed for each destination, and thus the demand is increasing from the viewpoint of cost improvement and resource reduction. In a printing company, there is an increasing demand for production of a product in which a printed material of personalized printing and a delivery item (enclosed material) for an individual are combined, and in this situation, a mode of combination of the printed material and the enclosed material is diversified.

[0004] Therefore, a printing step and a step of combining work are complicated, and a mistake is likely to occur in manual work by a person. The combination work is work of combining a printed material and a bundled product corresponding to the printed material into a unique combination for each delivery destination. At present, the combining work is often performed manually by a person, and therefore, from the viewpoint of efficiency of the combining work and prevention of mistakes, automation of the combining work is required.

[0005] For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H7-291220 discloses an apparatus capable of sending a shipment bundle composed of a plurality of kinds of stacked materials such as magazines. The apparatus includes a plurality of stacking mechanisms that create sorted bundles for each shipping destination. In this apparatus, the respective magazines carried out from the respective stacking mechanisms are loaded into one shipping bundle via the conveyance conveyor. The stacked materials are manually placed on the stacking mechanisms.SUMMARY

[0006] However, the content of the printed material and the content of the enclosed material may be different for each delivery destination. Articles which can be delivered to delivery destinations in common are placed in each stack mechanism described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H7-291220, and therefore, in order to combine articles having different contents for each delivery destination, stack mechanisms corresponding to the combinations are required. Therefore, this may lead to an increase in size of the entire apparatus. In addition, since the stacked materials are manually placed on the stacking mechanism, it takes time and effort for an operator to check whether the printed material corresponds to each delivery destination. That is, the configuration described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H7-291220 has a certain limit as a configuration for achieving automation of the combination work.

[0007] Objectives of the present invention include providing a combination system and a combination method capable of efficiently and accurately combining printed material and an enclosed material together.

[0008] In order to realize at least one of the above-described objectives, a combination system reflecting an aspect of the present invention is

[0009] a stacker in which a printed material output from a printer based on print data corresponding to individual delivery data is stacked;

[0010] a conveyor capable of conveying an enclosed material to be enclosed with the printed material; and

[0011] a hardware processor that controls the conveyor such that the enclosed material associated with the printed material in the individual delivery data is conveyed to the stacker and the printed material and the enclosed material are combined together.

[0012] In order to realize at least one of the above-described objectives, a combination method reflecting one aspect of the present invention is

[0013] a combination method for combining a printed material output from a printer based on print data corresponding to individual delivery data with an enclosed material to be enclosed with the printed material, and includes:

[0014] conveying the enclosed material associated with the printed material in the individual delivery data to a stacker in which the printed material is stacked; and

[0015] performing control so as to combine the printed material and the enclosed material together.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] The advantages and features provided by one or more embodiments of the invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the appended drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention:

[0017] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a combination system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating the combination system according to the present embodiment;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the combination system according to the present embodiment;

[0020] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of individual delivery data in which the printed material and the enclosed material are associated with each other;

[0021] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of combination processing by the combination system;

[0022] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of combination processing by the combination system;

[0023] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a combination system according to a modification example; and

[0024] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of combination processing performed by the combination system.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG. 2, the combination system 1 is a system capable of conveying the printed material (enclosed materials T) to a predetermined arrangement location of the printed material P by using the robot device 50 and combining the printed material P into one.

[0028] The combination system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 10, a stacking apparatus 20, a post-processing device 30, a loading apparatus 40, a robot apparatus 50, and a control device 60. Note that in the present embodiment, description will be given using an orthogonal coordinate system (X, Y, Z). In the following description, it is assumed that an X direction is a conveyance direction of a sheet-shaped member of the image forming apparatus 10, a Y direction is a conveyance direction of a printed material from the stacking apparatus 20 to the post-processing device 30, and a Z direction is an up-down direction.

[0029] The image forming apparatus 10 is a printing machine capable of forming an image on a sheet-shaped member. The sheet feed section 11 is disposed on the - side in the X direction of the image forming apparatus 10, and the ejection section 12 is disposed on the + side in the X direction of the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 forms an image on a sheet-shaped member fed from the sheet feed section 11, and ejects the sheet-shaped member (printed material P) to the stacking apparatus 20 via the ejection section 12. The image forming apparatus 10 can communicate with the control device 60, and performs print processing based on a printing job received via the control device 60.

[0030] Note that the ejection section 12 is provided with a mechanism for delivering the ejected sheet-shaped member to the stacking apparatus 20, so that the sheet-shaped member subjected to print processing based on a printing job is delivered to the stacking apparatus 20 from the image forming apparatus 10.

[0031] The stacking apparatus 20 is an apparatus capable of conveyance of the printed material P ejected from the image forming apparatus 10 to the post-processing device 30. The stacking apparatus 20 includes an abutting section 21 and a conveyor section 22.

[0032] The abutting section 21 is a portion against which the sheet-shaped member ejected from the image forming apparatus 10 is abutted, and is provided at a downstream end portion (a + side end portion in the X direction) of the ejection section 12 of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0033] The leading end portion of the sheet-shaped member ejected from the image forming apparatus 10 is abutted against the abutting section 21, and the sheet-shaped member is disposed in a state where the leading end portion is in contact with the abutting section 21. In a case where another sheet-like member has already been placed at the position corresponding to the abutting portion 21, the sheet-like member is placed so as to be stacked on another sheet-like member. Therefore, when printing of a plurality of copies is performed, a bundle (printed material P) constituted by a plurality of sheet-shaped members is disposed at a position corresponding to the abutting section 21 in the ejection section 12. A portion of the stacking device 20 corresponding to the stopper 21 corresponds to the "stacker" according to the present invention.

[0034] The conveyor section 22 is a portion for conveyance of the printed material P disposed at the position of the abutting section 21 to the post-processing device 30, and for example, conveys the sheet-shaped member in a direction toward the + side of the Y direction orthogonal to the direction (the X direction) in which the sheet-shaped member is ejected.

[0035] The sheet-shaped member ejected from the image forming apparatus 10 is, for example, oriented such that the short sides are along the X direction (ejection direction) and the long sides are along the Y direction. The conveyor section 22 is disposed such that the sheet-shaped member can be conveyed toward the post-processing device 30 (the + side in the Y direction) while keeping the orientation in the state where the sheet-shaped member has been ejected.

[0036] The post-processing device 30 is a post-printing processing machine for performing post-processing on the printed material P or the like stacked in the stacking apparatus 20, and is, for example, a banding machine. Specifically, the post-processing device 30 performs a banding process on the printed material P constituted by one or more sheet-shaped members conveyed from the stacking apparatus 20 to bundle the printed material P, and ejects the printed material P to the outside of the apparatus. Thus, the printed material P can be taken out as a product and is ready for delivery. The post-processing device 30 corresponds to an "output section" according to the present invention.

[0037] The loading device 40 is a device (for example, a shelf or the like) on which predetermined enclosed materials T are loaded. The predetermined enclosed material T is to be enclosed with a printed material when the printed material output from the image forming apparatus 10 is a product. The predetermined enclosed material T is, for example, a printed material printed by a printing machine different from the image forming apparatus 10, or an item (booklet or the like) formed of one or more sheet-like members processed by another post-printing processing machine or the like. The loading apparatus 40 can load a plurality of copies of conveyed materials T, and has a handling mechanism (not illustrated) for taking out the conveyed materials T one copy at a time.

[0038] For example, in the loading device 40, from a portion on which a plurality of enclosed materials T are loaded, the enclosed materials T are placed one copy at a time in the take-out section 41 by the handling mechanism. The enclosed material T placed in the takeout portion 41 is conveyance to the collecting device 20 by the robot device 50.

[0039] Furthermore, the takeout section 41 has, for example, a configuration capable of supporting both width direction end portions of the conveyed material. In the configuration illustrated in FIGS. 1B and 2, the takeout section 41 is configured to support only both width direction (X direction) end portions of the enclosed material T.

[0040] The robot device 50 is a device that can convey the enclosed material T placed at the takeout portion 41 of the loading device 40 to a predetermined conveyance destination. The predetermined conveyance destination may be, for example, the abutting section 21 of the stacking apparatus 20. In this case, the robot device 50 is movable at least between the loading device 40 and the collecting device 20 as indicated by the solid line and the two dot chain line, and is able to conveyance the package T to the collecting device 20 and merge with the printed material P placed at the position of the abutting portion 21. The robot device 50 corresponds to a "conveyor" according to the present invention.

[0041] The robot apparatus 50 is, for example, a robot apparatus which imitates a human hand, and has a function to grip the enclosed material item T on the loading apparatus 40 and convey it to a predetermined conveyance destination. The robot apparatus 50 includes an arm section 51 and a hand section 52.

[0042] The arm section 51 is, for example, a robot arm such as a vertical articulated robot or a SCARA robot, and has a proximal end fixed to a stage or the like and a distal end connected to the hand section 52 capable of gripping a conveyed material. The arm section 51 is configured to be able to move the hand section 52 in all directions, such as up, down, left, right, front, and back.

[0043] The hand section 52 is a portion for gripping the enclosed material T. The hand section 52 is attached to the arm section 51, and is configured to be able to perform a gripping operation by a drive mechanism (not illustrated) to which torque is transmitted from an actuator or the like. Note that the hand section 52 may have any configuration as long as the configuration allows the hand section 52 to grip the enclosed material T.

[0044] The control apparatus 60 is a device (e.g., a Personal Computer (PC), a portable terminal, or the like) communicable with the combination system 1 including the image forming apparatus 10 and the robot apparatus 50. The control apparatus 60 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), and an input / output circuit, which are not illustrated. The control device 60 transmits control signals to the arm section 51 and the hand section 52 to control the operation of the arm section 51 and the hand section 52. Further, for example, the control device 60 executes a predetermined printing job by transmitting a control signal to the image forming apparatus 10 in parallel with the operations of the arm portion 51 and the hand section 52.

[0045] Specifically, the control device 60 controls the image forming apparatus 10 to output a predetermined printed material P to the stacking apparatus 20 based on the print data corresponding to the individual delivery data. Based on the individual delivery data, the control device 60 controls the robot device 50 to conveyance a predetermined enclosed material T associated with a predetermined printed material P to the stacking device 20 and combine the predetermined printed material P and the predetermined enclosed material T.

[0046] The individual delivery data is data related to combination information of the printed material P and the enclosed material T for each delivery destination registered in the control device 60. The information on the printed material P included in the combination information of the printed material P and the enclosed material T includes, for example, information on the content of the printed material P to be output from the image forming apparatus 10 to the stacking apparatus 20 and information on print data corresponding to the content. The content of the printed material P is set for each delivery destination registered in the control device 60.

[0047] The information of the enclosed material T included in the combination information of the printed material P and the enclosed material T is information of the enclosed material T associated with the printed material, and is set for each delivery destination registered in the control device 60. For example, when the loading apparatus 40 is configured to have a plurality of shelves, the enclosed materials T are loaded on any of the plurality of shelves for each delivery destination.

[0048] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a table in which individual delivery data in which information on a combination of a printed material P and an enclosed material T together is associated with each delivery destination is described.

[0049] First, the control device 60 controls the image forming apparatus 10 to output a predetermined printed material P to the stacking apparatus 20 on the basis of the print data corresponding to the individual delivery data. For example, when the delivery destination is A, the content of the printed material P is A1, and thus the control device 60 identifies print data corresponding to A1 and transmits a control signal for the print data corresponding to A1 to the image forming apparatus 10. The control signal of the print data corresponds to one copy of the predetermined printed material P.

[0050] As a result, the image forming apparatus 10 outputs a number of printed sheets corresponding to one copy of the predetermined printed material P based on the print data.

[0051] Next, the control device 60 controls the robot device 50 so as to combine the predetermined printed material P and the predetermined enclosed material T associated with the predetermined printed material P by the individual delivery data after the output of the number of printed sheets corresponding to one copy of the predetermined printed material P is completed.

[0052] More specifically, the control device 60 recognizes the information on the enclosed material associated with the input print data based on the individual delivery data when the printing of the predetermined printed material P is started. Then, the control device 60 starts the conveyance of the predetermined enclosed material T by the robot apparatus 50. Specifically, the control device 60 controls the arm section 51 of the robot apparatus 50 to move the hand section 52 to the place of the loading apparatus 40 based on the printing start from the image forming apparatus 10. Note that the robot apparatus 50 may be controlled during printing or after completion of printing.

[0053] The control device 60 identifies the predetermined enclosed material T associated with the predetermined printed material P from the loading device 40. When a plurality of types of enclosed materials are present in the loading device 40, the control device 60 identifies a predetermined enclosed material T from among the plurality of types of enclosed materials T.

[0054] The method for identifying the predetermined enclosed material T may be, for example, a method for identifying based on the position of the loading apparatus 40 on which the predetermined enclosed material T is loaded, or a method for identifying the shelf on which the predetermined enclosed material T is loaded among the plurality of shelves in the loading apparatus 40. Furthermore, the method of identifying the position or the shelf may be, for example, a method of identifying the position of the loading apparatus or the position of the shelf by a barcode reader or a camera provided in the hand section 52. Further, the method of identifying the predetermined enclosed material T may be a method of identifying the predetermined enclosed material T by designating in advance which shelf the predetermined enclosed material T is placed on. Furthermore, the method for identifying the predetermined enclosed material T may be an identification method in which information described on a cover part of the predetermined enclosed material T is identified by a barcode reader or a camera provided in the hand section 52.

[0055] Then, the control device 60 controls the hand portion 52 to grip the identified predetermined enclosed material T. For example, when the delivery destination is A, the booklet α associated with the printed material A1 is grasped by the hand portion 52 as a predetermined enclosed material.

[0056] The control device 60 controls the arm section 51 to convey a predetermined enclosed material T grasped by the hand portion 52 to a position corresponding to the collecting device 20. Then, the control device 60 controls the hand section 52 to release the gripping by the hand section 52 and place the predetermined enclosed material T on the predetermined printed material P placed on the stacking apparatus 20, thereby combining the predetermined printed material P and the predetermined enclosed material T together. At this time, when the output of the predetermined printed material P in the image forming apparatus 10 is not completed, the control device 60 waits for the execution of the operation of combining the predetermined enclosed material T with the predetermined printed material P until the output of the predetermined printed material P is completed.

[0057] Furthermore, in order to perform predetermined processing on the combination of the printed material P and the enclosed material T, the control device 60 controls the stacking apparatus 20 so as to output the combination to the post-processing device 30. Thus, the combined material is carried into the post-processing device 30, and the combined material subjected to the predetermined processing is output as a product.

[0058] Furthermore, when generating a plurality of copies of a combined material in which the printed material P and the enclosed material T are combined, the control device 60 performs control such that the operation of combining the above-described combined materials is repeatedly performed until a plurality of copies of the combined material are generated.

[0059] As described above, the product corresponding to the delivery destination can be generated.

[0060] Further, when a plurality of types of printed materials are included in the individual delivery information as in the case where the delivery destination is B, the combination operation with the enclosed material may be executed after the output of all of the plurality of types of printed materials B1 and B2 by the image forming apparatus 10 is completed.

[0061] Furthermore, if the individual delivery data includes a plurality of types of enclosed materials, as in the case where the delivery destination is C, for example, the conveyance and arrangement of the booklet α and the conveyance and arrangement of the booklet β by the robot device 50 may be performed sequentially.

[0062] Next, a flow of combination processing performed by the combination system 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of combination processing by the combination system 1. This control is appropriately executed when the control device 60 receives an execution instruction of the combination processing.

[0063] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the control device 60 starts printing of the predetermined printed material P by the image forming apparatus 10 based on the print data in the individual delivery date (step S101). After step S101, the control device 60 recognizes the predetermined enclosed material T associated with the print data of the predetermined printed material P based on the individual delivery date, and starts controlling the robot device 50 (step S102). Note that the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 and the operation of the robot apparatus 50 may be performed at the same time or may not be performed at the same time.

[0064] After step S102, the control device 60 controls the robot device 50 to grip a predetermined enclosed material T and convey it to the stacking device 20 (step S103). After step S103, the control device 60 determines whether or not the printing of the predetermined printed material P by the image forming apparatus 10 is completed (step S104).

[0065] As a result of the determination, when the printing of the predetermined printed material P is not completed (step S104, NO), the process of step S104 is repeated. On the other hand, when the printing of the predetermined printed material P is completed (step S104, YES), the control device 60 controls the robot device 50 to combine the predetermined printed material P and the predetermined enclosed material T (step S105).

[0066] After step S105, the control device 60 controls the stacking device 20 and the post-processing device 30 to convey the combined material to the post-processing device 30 and output a product (step S106).

[0067] After step S106, the control device 60 determines whether or not the generation of all the products is completed (step S107). As a result of the determination, when the generation of all the products is not completed (step S107, NO), the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, when the generation of all the products is completed (step S107, YES), the present control is ended.

[0068] According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the printed material P based on the print data corresponding to the individual delivery data and the enclosed material T associated with each other by the individual delivery data are conveyed to the stacking apparatus 20, and the printed material P and the enclosed material T are combined into one. Thus, since the printed material P having content corresponding to the individual delivery data and the enclosed material T associated with the printed material P are combined, items having different content for each delivery destination of a combined material can be easily combined. Further, since the enclosed material T is directly combined with the printed material P output from the image forming apparatus 10, a simple configuration can be achieved. Furthermore, since the print data corresponds to each delivery destination, an operator does not need to confirm the content of the printed material to be placed in the collecting section.

[0069] That is, in the present embodiment, it is possible to automate the work of combining the printed material and the enclosed material without increasing the work space and without increasing the time and effort of the operator. As a result, it is possible to efficiently and accurately perform the combining operation of the printed material P and the enclosed material T.

[0070] In addition, since the robot device 50 having the robot arm conveys the enclosed materials T, the work space can be significantly reduced as compared with a configuration in which a conveyance device such as a conveyor is provided for each loading device 40.

[0071] In addition, since the image forming apparatus 10 can output the printed material P to the stacking device 20, the printed material P can be automatically placed in the stacking device 20. As a result, it is possible to save the operator the trouble of placing the printed material P in the stacking apparatus 20.

[0072] Further, since the predetermined printed material P and the predetermined enclosed material T are combined after the output of the number of printed sheets corresponding to one copy of the predetermined printed material P is completed, it is possible to prevent the enclosed material T and the printed material P from being combined in the middle of the printing of the printed material P.

[0073] In addition, since the conveyance of the predetermined enclosed material T by the robot apparatus 50 is started based on the start of the printing of the predetermined printed material P, it is possible to prevent the robot apparatus 50 from being unnecessarily operated.

[0074] Furthermore, the controller 100 waits for the execution of the operation of combining the predetermined enclosed material T with the predetermined printed material P until the output of the predetermined printed material P is completed. Therefore, in a case where the robot device 50 transports the enclosed material T to the position of the stacking device 20 before the output of the printed material P is completed, it is possible to reliably prevent the enclosed material T from being combined with a predetermined printed material P during the printing of the printed material P.

[0075] When there are a plurality of types of enclosed materials T, the robot device 50 identifies a predetermined enclosed material T from among the plurality of types of enclosed materials T, and conveys the identified predetermined enclosed material T to the conveyance device 20. Thus, the printed material P and the enclosed material T can be accurately combined. In addition, in a case where a product for each of a plurality of delivery destinations is generated, it is possible to accurately identify the enclosed material T for each delivery destination and combine the enclosed material T with a predetermined printed material P. As a result, it is possible to accurately perform an operation of combining the printed material P and the enclosed material T.

[0076] Furthermore, when a plurality of combinations of the printed material P and the enclosed materials T are generated, the operation of combining the combinations is controlled to be repeatedly performed until a plurality of combinations are generated. As a result, it is possible to efficiently perform a combining operation of a plurality of copies of combined materials.

[0077] Further, the post-processing device 30 performs a predetermined process on the combination of the printed material P and the enclosed material T placed in the stacking apparatus 20, and outputs the combination subjected to the predetermined process as a product. As a result, it is possible to combine the printed material P and the enclosed material T on the line from the image forming apparatus 10 to the post-processing device 30, and thus it is possible to reduce the number of work processes for obtaining a combined product as a product.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, the enclosed material is recognized from the print data of the printed material output by the image forming apparatus 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the printed material to be output by the image forming apparatus10 may be recognized from the information of the enclosed material.

[0079] To be specific, the control device 60 recognizes the print data of the predetermined printed material associated with the predetermined enclosed material based on the individual delivery information, and controls the image forming apparatus 10 to output the predetermined printed material to the stacking apparatus 20 based on the recognized print data. Then, the control device 60 controls the robot device 50 to conveyance the predetermined enclosed material to the stacking device 20 and combine the predetermined printed material and the predetermined enclosed material.

[0080] Next, a flow of combination processing performed by the combination system 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of combination processing by the combination system 1. This control is appropriately executed when the control device 60 receives an execution instruction of the combination processing.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 60 recognizes information of a predetermined enclosed material based on the delivery destination of the individual delivery date (step S201). After step S201, the control device 60 recognizes the print data of the printed material associated with the predetermined enclosed material from the individual delivery date (step S202).

[0082] After step S202, the control device 60 starts printing of a predetermined printed material and control of the robot apparatus 50 (step S203). After step S203, the control device 60 controls the robot device 50 to grip a predetermined enclosed material T and convey it to the stacking device 20 (step S204). After step S204, the control device 60 determines whether or not the printing of the predetermined printed material P by the image forming apparatus 10 is completed (step S205).

[0083] As a result of the determination, when the printing of the predetermined printed material P is not completed (step S205, NO), the process of step S205 is repeated. On the other hand, when the printing of the predetermined printed material P is completed (step S205, YES), the control device 60 controls the robot device 50 to combine the predetermined printed material P and the predetermined enclosed material T (step S206).

[0084] After step S206, the control device 60 controls the stacking device 20 and the post-processing device 30 to convey the combined material to the post-processing device 30 and output a product (step S207).

[0085] After step S207, the control device 60 determines whether or not the generation of all the products is completed (step S208). As a result of the determination, when the generation of all the products has not been completed (step S208, NO), the process returns to step S203. On the other hand, when the generation of all the products is completed (step S208, YES), the present control is ended.

[0086] Also in such a case, the operation of combining the printed material and the enclosed material can be performed efficiently and accurately.

[0087] In the above-described embodiment, the enclosed materials loaded on the loading device 40 are conveyed to the stacking device 20, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, another printed material S output from another image forming apparatus 70 may be conveyed to the stacking device 20 as an enclosed material.

[0088] The other image forming apparatus 70 is a printing machine different from the image forming apparatus 10. For example, if the enclosed material of the individual delivery data is a printed material for which a specific printing machine is specified or a printed material based on print data different from print data registered in the image forming apparatus 10, the printed material S output from another image forming apparatus 70 may be conveyed as the enclosed material.

[0089] The control device 60 recognizes the other print data of the other image forming apparatus 70 in the individual delivery data, and controls the other image forming apparatus 70 to output the other printed material S based on the recognized other print data.

[0090] Next, a flow of combination processing performed by the combination system 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of combination processing by the combination system 1. This control is appropriately executed when the control device 60 receives an execution instruction of the combination processing.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 60 causes the image forming apparatus 10 to start printing of the predetermined printed material P, and causes the other image forming apparatus 70 to start printing of the other printed material S (step S301). The operation of the image forming apparatus 10 and the operation of the other image forming apparatus 70 may be performed at the same time or may not be performed at the same time.

[0092] After step S301, the control device 60 determines whether or not printing of another printed material S has been completed (step S302). As a result of the determination, when the printing of the other printed material S has not been completed (step S302, NO), the process of step S302 is repeated. On the other hand, when the printing of the other printed material S is completed (step S302, YES), the control device 60 controls the robot apparatus 50 to grip the other printed material S and convey the other printed material S to the stacking apparatus 20 (step S303).

[0093] After step S303, the control device 60 determines whether or not the printing of the predetermined printed material P is completed (step S304). As a result of the determination, when the printing of the predetermined printed material P is not completed (step S304, NO), the process of step S304 is repeated. On the other hand, when the printing of the predetermined printed material P is completed (step S304, YES), the control device 60 controls the robot apparatus 50 so as to combine the predetermined printed material P and the other printed material S (step S305).

[0094] After step S305, the control device 60 controls the stacking device 20 and the post-processing device 30 to convey the combined material to the post-processing device 30 and output a product (step S306).

[0095] After step S306, the control device 60 determines whether or not the generation of all the products is completed (step S307). As a result of the determination, when the generation of all the products is not completed (step S307, NO), the process returns to step S301. On the other hand, when the generation of all the products is completed (step S307, YES), the present control is ended.

[0096] Also in such a case, the operation of combining the printed material and the enclosed material can be performed efficiently and accurately.

[0097] In addition, since the printed materials output from the plurality of image forming apparatuses are combined, each printed material is based on the print data corresponding to the delivery destination. As a result, the combined material can be made more likely to correspond to the delivery destination.

[0098] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment is configured to include one stacking apparatus 40, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be configured to include a plurality of stacking apparatuses corresponding to a plurality of delivery destinations, respectively.

[0099] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the post-processing device 30 is a banding machine, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the post-processing device 30 may be any apparatus that can perform predetermined processing, such as boxing, bagging, and enclosing in an envelope.

[0100] In the above-described embodiment, the enclosed material is a printed material such as a booklet, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a predetermined article such as a ballpoint pen may be the enclosed material. In this case, the printed material output from the image forming apparatus 10 is subjected to, for example, a boxing process and is placed in the stacker, and the enclosed material is placed on the boxed printed material by the robot device 50.

[0101] Furthermore, although the robot device transports the enclosed material and combines the printed material and the enclosed material in the above-described embodiment, the robot device may further hold the combination and convey the combination to another place.

[0102] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the robot apparatus functions as the conveyor, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and an apparatus other than the robot apparatus may be the conveyor. Examples of the device other than the robot apparatus include a feed device such as a roller or a belt conveyor, and an automatic conveyance device which includes wheels and is configured to be movable.

[0103] In addition, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example for embodying the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted in a limited manner by these embodiments. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof.

[0104] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated in detail, the disclosed embodiments are made for purposes of illustration and example only and not limitation. The scope of the present invention should be interpreted by terms of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A combination system, comprising:a stacker in which a printed material output from a printer based on print data corresponding to individual delivery data is stacked;a conveyor capable of conveying an enclosed material to be enclosed with the printed material; anda hardware processor that controls the conveyor such that the enclosed material associated with the printed material in the individual delivery data is conveyed to the stacker and the printed material and the enclosed material are combined together.

2. The combination system according to claim 1, whereinthe conveyor is a robot apparatus having a robot arm capable of gripping and conveying the enclosed material.

3. The combination system according to claim 1, further comprising:a printer that outputs the printed material to the stacker, whereinthe hardware processor is configured to:control the printer to output a predetermined printed material to the stacker based on the print data, andcontrol the conveyor based on the individual delivery data such that a predetermined enclosed material associated with the predetermined printed material is conveyed to the stacker and the predetermined printed material and the predetermined enclosed material are combined together.

4. The combination system according to claim 3, whereinthe hardware processor combines the predetermined printed material and the predetermined enclosed material after completion of output of a number of printed sheets corresponding to one copy of the predetermined printed material.

5. The combination system according to claim 4, whereinthe hardware processor is configured to:start conveyance of the predetermined enclosed material by the conveyor based on a start of printing of the predetermined printed material, andwait to perform an operation of combining the predetermined enclosed material with the predetermined printed material until the output of the predetermined printed material is completed.

6. The combination system according to claim 3, whereinthe hardware processor identifies the predetermined enclosed material from among a plurality of types of enclosed materials, and controls the conveyor to convey the predetermined enclosed material identified to the stacker.

7. The combination system according to claim 6, whereinthe predetermined enclosed material is placed at a location different from the stacker.

8. The combination system according to claim 2, further comprising:a printer that outputs the printed material to the stacker, whereinthe hardware processor is configured to:identify print data of a predetermined printed material associated with a predetermined enclosed material based on the individual delivery data, and control the printer to output the predetermined printed material to the stacker based on the print data identified, andcontrol the conveyor so as to convey the predetermined enclosed material to the stacker and combine the predetermined printed material and the predetermined enclosed material together.

9. The combination system according to claim 2, whereinwhen generating a plurality of copies of a combined material in which the printed material and the enclosed material are combined together, the hardware processor performs control so as to repeatedly perform a combination operation of the combined material until the plurality of copies of the combined material are generated.

10. The combination system according to claim 2, whereinthe hardware processor controls the conveyor such that the enclosed material is placed on the printed material placed on the stacker.

11. The combination system according to claim 3, whereinthe enclosed material is another printed material output by another printer different from the printer.

12. The combination system according to claim 11, whereinthe hardware processor is configured to:identify other print data corresponding to the other printed material in the individual delivery data, andcontrol the other printer to output the other printed material based on the other print data identified.

13. The combination system according to claim 2, further comprising:an output section that performs predetermined processing on a combined material of the printed material and the enclosed material placed on the stacker and outputs, as a product, the combined material subjected to the predetermined processing.

14. The combination system according to claim 1, whereinthe individual delivery data is data in which combination information of the printed material and the enclosed material is associated with each delivery destination.

15. A combination method for combining a printed material output from a printer based on print data corresponding to individual delivery data with an enclosed material to be enclosed with the printed material, the combination method comprising:conveying the enclosed material associated with the printed material in the individual delivery data to a stacker in which the printed material is stacked; andperforming control so as to combine the printed material and the enclosed material together.

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