Finisher, non-transitory computer-readable recording medium and method for controlling transportation of media sheets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11097918-B2
Application number	US-201916433002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2019
Priority date	Jun 13, 2018
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

Provided are a finisher, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium and a method for controlling transportation of media sheets. The finisher includes a sheet transporter, a sheet cutter for dividing each printed media sheet into multiple cut media sheets by cutting, a sheet inserter that inserts insertion sheets into the sheet path, a sheet stacker for stacking the cut media sheets and the insertion sheets transported by the sheet transporter, a sheet buffer disposed on a branch line branching off from the sheet path, and a controller. The controller sets a sheet insertion mode to a pre-sheet insertion mode or a post-sheet insertion mode, and causes the sheet transporter to transport a part of cut media sheets or an insertion sheet into the sheet buffer and change the order of the sheets in the sheet path so that the insertion sheet is positioned between the cut media sheets.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A finisher comprising:
a sheet transporter that transports media sheets along a sheet path;
a sheet cutter that is disposed on the sheet path and that receives printed media sheets that were subjected to print processing by a print engine and divides each of the printed media sheets into two or more cut media sheets that lie in the sheet path, by cutting each of the printed media sheets in a direction crossing the sheet path;
a sheet inserter that inserts insertion sheets not to be subjected to print processing, into the sheet path;
a sheet stacker that stacks the cut media sheets and the insertion sheets transported by the sheet transporter thereon;
a sheet buffer that is disposed on a branch line branching off from the sheet path at a branch position on the sheet path between the sheet cutter and the sheet stacker; and
a controller that controls transportation of media sheets with the sheet transporter,
wherein the controller performs operations, including:
setting a sheet insertion mode to one of a pre-sheet insertion mode and a post-sheet insertion mode, where the sheet insertion mode is a mode for use in inserting an insertion sheet to be put between cut media sheets given by a division of one of the printed media sheets, into the sheet path by the sheet inserter, the pre-sheet insertion mode is a mode in which the insertion sheet is inserted into the sheet path so that the insertion sheet passes through the sheet cutter before the sheet cutter divides the one of the printed media sheets, and the post-sheet insertion mode is a mode in which the insertion sheet is inserted into the sheet path so that the insertion sheet passes through the sheet cutter after the sheet cutter divides the one of the printed media sheets, and
according to the sheet insertion mode, controlling transportation of cut media sheets given by a division of one of the printed media sheets with the sheet cutter and an insertion sheet inserted into the sheet path by the sheet inserter, by causing the sheet transporter to transport either of a part of the cut media sheets and the insertion sheet into the sheet buffer and change an order of the cut media sheets and the insertion sheet being transported along the sheet path so that the insertion sheet is positioned between the cut media sheets.

2. The finisher of claim 1 ,
wherein the controlling includes, under a condition that the sheet insertion mode is set to the pre-sheet insertion mode, causing the sheet transporter to transport the insertion sheet into the sheet buffer and transpose one or more leading cut media sheets among the cut media sheets and the insertion sheet being transported along the sheet path so that the insertion sheet is positioned between the cut media sheets.

3. The finisher of claim 2 ,
wherein the controlling includes causing the sheet transporter to perform operations including:
first transporting the insertion sheet along the sheet path into the sheet buffer,
second transporting the one or more leading cut media sheets along the sheet path, after the first transporting,
returning the insertion sheet in the sheet buffer into the sheet path and third transporting the insertion sheet along the sheet path, after the one or more leading cut media sheets pass through the branch position on the sheet path in the second transporting, and
fourth transporting one or more succeeding cut media sheets following the one or more leading cut media sheets among the cut media sheets, along the sheet path, after the third transporting.

4. The finisher of claim 1 ,
wherein the controlling includes, under a condition that the sheet insertion mode is set to the post-sheet insertion mode, causing the sheet transporter to transport one or more end cut media sheets among the cut media sheets into the sheet buffer and transpose the one or more end cut media sheets and the insertion sheet being transported along the sheet path so that the insertion sheet is positioned between the cut media sheets.

5. The finisher of claim 4 ,
wherein the controlling includes causing the sheet transporter to perform operations including:
first transporting one or more leading cut media sheets leading the one or more end cut media sheets among the cut media sheets, along the sheet path,
second transporting the one or more end cut media sheets along the sheet path into the sheet buffer, after the first transporting,
third transporting the insertion sheet along the sheet path, after the second transporting, and
returning the one or more end cut media sheets in the sheet buffer into the sheet path and fourth transporting the one or more end cut media sheets along the sheet path, after the insertion sheet passes through the branch position on the sheet path in the third transporting.

6. The finisher of claim 1 ,
wherein the operations further include:
calculating an interval at which the sheet transporter feeds the printed media sheets to the sheet cutter, and
causing the sheet transporter to feed the printed media sheets to the sheet cutter at the interval.

7. The finisher of claim 6 ,
wherein the calculating includes calculating the interval by using:
a time period necessary for the sheet cutter to cut one of the printed media sheets,
a time period necessary for the sheet transporter to transport either of an insertion sheet inserted into the sheet path by the sheet inserter and one or more end cut media sheets among cut media sheets given by a division of one of the printed media sheets with the sheet cutter, along the sheet path into the sheet buffer,
a time period necessary for the sheet transporter to return the either of the insertion sheet and the one or more end cut media sheets from the sheet buffer into the sheet path, and
an interval at which the sheet transporter transports the cut media sheets.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for controlling transportation of media sheets, to be executed in a finisher, the finisher including: (i) a sheet transporter that transports media sheets along a sheet path; (ii) a sheet cutter that is disposed on the sheet path and that receives printed media sheets that were subjected to print processing by a print engine and divides each of the printed media sheets into two or more cut media sheets that line lie in the sheet path, by cutting each of the printed media sheets in a direction crossing the sheet path; (iii) a sheet inserter that inserts insertion sheets not to be subjected to print processing, into the sheet path; (iv) a sheet stacker that stacks the cut media sheets and the insertion sheets transported by the sheet transporter thereon; (v) a sheet buffer that is disposed on a branch line branching off from the sheet path at a branch position on the sheet path between the sheet cutter and the sheet stacker; and (vi) a controller that controls transportation of media sheets with the sheet transporter, the program comprising instructions that are executable by the controller to cause the controller to perform operations comprising:
setting a sheet insertion mode to one of a pre-sheet insertion mode and a post-sheet insertion mode, where the sheet insertion mode is a mode for use in inserting an insertion sheet to be put between cut media sheets given by a division of one of the printed media sheets, into the sheet path by the sheet inserter, the pre-sheet insertion mode is a mode in which the insertion sheet is inserted into the sheet path so that the insertion sheet passes through the sheet cutter before the sheet cutter divides the one of the printed media sheets, and the post-sheet insertion mode is a mode in which the insertion sheet is inserted into the sheet path so that the insertion sheet passes thr

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Kiriyama Tomohiro

Classifications

• B65H35/0086 Primary

  using movable cutting elements · CPC title

• B65H2801/27

  Devices located downstream of office-type machines · CPC title

• B65H2701/19

  Specific article or web · CPC title

• B65H5/00

  Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines ({B65H9/00 takes precedence; } identical mechanisms or parts for delivering or advancing articles from machines B65H29/00; recirculating articles B65H85/00 {, G03B27/6257}) · CPC title

• B65H39/02 Primary

  Associating,collating or gathering articles from several sources · CPC title