Recording material fold enhancing device, recording material stitching device, and image forming system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016282791-A1
Application number	US-201514807368-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 23, 2015
Priority date	Mar 26, 2015
Publication date	Sep 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A recording material fold enhancing device includes a pressing unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, and that presses a fold of a recording material; a supporting unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, and that supports the fold of the recording material; and a driving unit that moves the pressing unit and the supporting unit along a direction in which the fold of the recording material is formed. A portion of the fold of the recording material is interposed between the one or more recessed portions of the pressing unit and the one or more protrusions of the supporting unit, and another portion of the fold of the recording material is interposed between the one or more protrusions of the pressing unit and the one or more recessed portions of the supporting unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A recording material fold enhancing device comprising:
a pressing unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, the pressing unit pressing a fold of a recording material on which a folding operation has been performed; a supporting unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, the supporting unit supporting the fold of the recording material with the fold of the recording material being interposed between the pressing unit and the supporting unit; and a driving unit that, with the fold of the recording material being interposed between the pressing unit and the supporting unit, moves the pressing unit and the supporting unit along a direction in which the fold of the recording material is formed, wherein a portion of the fold of the recording material is interposed between the one or more recessed portions of the pressing unit and the one or more protrusions of the supporting unit, and another portion of the fold of the recording material is interposed between the one or more protrusions of the pressing unit and the one or more recessed portions of the supporting unit.

2 . The recording material fold enhancing device according to claim 1 , wherein the pressing unit includes a first pressing roller that forms the one or more protrusions, and the one or more recessed portions are formed adjacent to the first pressing roller, and
wherein the supporting unit includes a first supporting roller that forms the one or more protrusions, and the one or more recessed portions are formed adjacent to the first supporting roller.

3 . The recording material fold enhancing device according to claim 2 , wherein the pressing unit further includes a second pressing roller that forms the one or more recessed portions, and
wherein the supporting unit further includes a second supporting roller that forms the one or more recessed portions.

4 . The recording material fold enhancing device according to claim 2 , wherein the pressing unit further includes a second pressing roller that forms the one or more recessed portions between the second pressing roller and the first pressing roller, and
wherein the supporting unit further includes a second supporting roller that forms the one or more recessed portions between the second supporting roller and the first supporting roller.

5 . The recording material fold enhancing device according to claim 2 , wherein the pressing unit further includes a second pressing roller and a third pressing roller that form the one or more recessed portions, and
wherein the supporting unit further includes a second supporting roller that forms the one or more protrusions, and the one or more recessed portions are formed between the first supporting roller and the second supporting roller.

6 . The recording material fold enhancing device according to claim 2 , wherein the pressing unit further includes a second pressing roller and a third pressing roller, the second pressing roller forming the one or more recessed portions between the second pressing roller and the first pressing roller, the third pressing roller forming the one or more recessed portions between the third pressing roller and the first pressing roller, and
wherein the supporting unit further includes a second supporting roller that forms the one or more protrusions, and the one or more recessed portions are formed between the first supporting roller and the second supporting roller.

7 . A recording material stitching device comprising:
a recording material stacking unit where recording materials are stacked; a stitching unit that performs saddle-stitching on a recording material sheaf formed by accumulation of the recording materials stacked at the recording material stacking unit; a folding unit that performs center-folding on a portion of the recording material sheaf where the saddle-stitching has been performed by the stitching unit, and forms a fold of the recording material sheaf; a pressing unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, the pressing unit pressing the fold of the recording material sheaf on which the center-folding has been performed by the folding unit; a supporting unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, the supporting unit supporting the fold of the recording material sheaf with the fold of the recording material sheaf being interposed between the pressing unit and the supporting unit; and a driving unit that, with the fold of the recording material sheaf being interposed between the pressing unit and the supporting unit, moves the pressing unit and the supporting unit along a direction in which the fold of the recording material sheaf is formed, wherein a portion of the fold of the recording material sheaf is interposed between the one or more recessed portions of the pressing unit and the one or more protrusions of the supporting unit, and another portion of the fold of the recording material sheaf is interposed between the one or more protrusions of the pressing unit and the one or more recessed portions of the supporting unit.

8 . An image forming system comprising:
an image forming apparatus that forms images on recording materials; a recording material stacking unit where the recording materials on which the images have been formed by the image forming apparatus are stacked; a stitching unit that performs saddle-stitching on a recording material sheaf formed by accumulation of the recording materials stacked at the recording material stacking unit; a folding unit that performs center-folding on a portion of the recording material sheaf where the saddle-stitching has been performed by the stitching unit, and forms a fold of the recording material sheaf; a pressing unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, the pressing unit pressing the fold of the recording material sheaf on which the center-folding has been performed by the folding unit; a supporting unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, the supporting unit supporting the fold of the recording material sheaf with the fold of the recording material sheaf being interposed between the pressing unit and the supporting unit; and a driving unit that, with the fold of the recording material sheaf being interposed between the pressing unit and the supporting unit, moves the pressing unit and the supporting unit along a direction in which the fold of the recording material sheaf is formed, wherein a portion of the fold of the recording material sheaf is interposed between the one or more recessed portions of the pressing unit and the one or more protrusions of the supporting unit, and another portion of the fold of the recording material sheaf is interposed between the one or more protrusions of the pressing unit and the one or more recessed portions of the supporting unit.

Assignees

• Fuji Xerox Co Ltd

Inventors

• Awano Hiroaki

Classifications

• B65H45/18

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

• B31F1/0006

  Bending or folding; Folding edges combined with joining; Reinforcing edges during the folding thereof; (creasing B31F1/08, crêping paper B31F1/12, corrugating B31F1/20; bending and joining B31F1/0045; reinforcing edges per se B31F5/08; making wound articles B31C, folding thin material per se B65H45/00) · CPC title

• B42B2/00

  Permanently attaching together sheets, quires or signatures by stitching with filamentary material, e.g. textile threads (discontinuously B42B4/00) · CPC title

• B65H2403/51

  Cam mechanisms · CPC title

• B65H2301/51232

  for flattening · CPC title