Sheet folding device and sheet post-processing apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11459204-B2
Application number	US-202117476141-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2021
Priority date	Sep 18, 2020
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

A sheet folding device includes a folding rollers pair, a folding blade, a movable guide, and a driving mechanism. The folding rollers pair includes a first roller and a second roller, and causes a sheet conveyed in a first conveyance direction to pass through a first nip area between the rollers. The folding blade is selectively disposed in a folding position and in a retracting position. The movable guide can reciprocate between a covering position covering the second roller disposed downstream of the first roller in the first conveyance direction and the first nip area and a non-covering position exposing the second roller and the first nip area. The drive mechanism disposes the folding blade in the folding position while disposing the movable guide in the non-covering position, and disposes the folding blade in the retracting position while disposing the movable guide in the covering position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet folding device comprising:
a folding rollers pair including a first roller and a second roller brought into pressure contact with the first roller, the folding rollers pair configured to cause a sheet conveyed along a sheet conveyance path extending in a first conveyance direction to pass through a first nip area between the first roller and the second roller to fold the sheet in two and to convey the sheet in a first direction crossing to the first conveyance direction;
a folding blade that extends in an axial direction of the folding rollers pair, is disposed facing the folding rollers pair, and is selectivity disposed in a folding position where the folding blade pushes a folded portion into the first nip area to perform a folding processing and in a retracting position where the folding blade is retracted from the folding position;
a movable guide that extends in the axial direction on an upstream side of the folding rollers pair in the first direction, and can reciprocate between a covering position covering an outer circumferential surface of the second roller disposed on a downstream side of the first roller in the first conveyance direction and the first nip area and a non-covering position exposing the outer circumferential surface of the second roller and the first nip area; and
a drive mechanism which shifts the folding blade in the folding position and in the retracting position, wherein
the drive mechanism includes;
a drive source which drives the folding blade; and
a link member coupling the folding blade with the movable guide, wherein
the drive mechanism disposes the folding blade in the folding position while disposing the movable guide in the non-covering position via the link member, and disposes the folding blade in the retracting position while disposing the movable guide in the covering position via the link member.

2. The sheet folding device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the folding blade includes a blade portion which is pivotable around a pivot shaft between the folding position and the retracting position,
the drive mechanism includes:
a drive input gear mounted on the pivot shaft of the folding blade and transmitting a drive force from the drive source to the pivot shaft; and
a first gear rotating together with the pivot shaft;
the link member includes:
a base part, a rotational shaft formed in one end portion of the base part, an engagement boss formed in a position separated radially from the rotational shaft in the base part and engaged with the movable guide, and a second gear rotating together with the rotational shaft and engaged with the first gear; and
the drive mechanism rotates the drive input gear in a forward direction to rotate the pivot shaft in the forward direction, thereby disposing the blade portion in the folding position, rotates the engagement boss in the forward direction to dispose the movable guide in the non-covering position, and rotates the drive input gear in a reverse direction to rotate the pivot shaft in the reverse direction, thereby disposing the blade portion in the retracting position and turning the engagement boss in the reverse direction to dispose the movable guide in the covering position.

3. The sheet folding device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first conveyance rollers pair including the first roller and a third roller brought into pressure contact with the first roller and conveying the sheet in the first conveyance direction; and
a switching guide disposed on an upstream side of the first conveyance rollers pair in the first conveyance direction and configured to guide the sheet to a second nip area between the first roller and the third roller, wherein
the sheet is guided to the second nip by the switching guide, whereby the first conveyance rollers pair serves as a folding rollers pair forming a first fold line when the sheet is folded in three.

4. The sheet folding device according to claim 3 , wherein,
the sheet which passes through the second nip area and is to be folded by the folding rollers pair stops at a position facing the folding rollers pair, and the pivot shaft is disposed on the same side as the folding roller pair with respect to the sheet.

5. The sheet folding device according to claim 3 , wherein,
when the folding blade is disposed in the retracting position and the movable guide is disposed in the covering position, a retreating path for temporarily retreating the sheet passed through the second nip area is formed between the blade portion and the movable guide.

6. The sheet folding device according to claim 3 , further comprising a second conveyance rollers pair including the third roller and a fourth roller brought into pressure contact with the third roller, and the second conveyance rollers pair conveying the sheet not subjected to the folding processing, wherein
the fourth roller has divided roller parts which are divided in an axial direction, and the switching guide is disposed between the roller parts.

7. The sheet folding device according to claim 6 , wherein,
the first roller, the second roller and the third roller rotate in only one direction.

8. A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising:
a carry-in port into which a sheet is carried;
the sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1 , configured to perform the folding processing on the sheet conveyed from the carry-in port;
a discharge port through which the sheet is discharged; and
a discharge tray configured to receive the sheet discharged through the discharge port.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Murata Koji
• Kishimoto Tadahisa

Classifications

• B65H45/16

  Rotary folders · CPC title

• B65H2801/24

  Post -processing devices · CPC title

• B65H45/30 Primary

  Folding in combination with creasing, smoothing or application of adhesive (folding or adhesive application in article or web delivering B65H37/00) · CPC title

• B65H7/20

  Controlling associated apparatus · CPC title

• B65H45/18 Primary

  Oscillating or reciprocating blade folders (carried on rotary members B65H45/16) · CPC title