Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9329555-B2
Application number	US-89241810-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2010
Priority date	Oct 2, 2009
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

There are provided a sheet processing apparatus which can perform a punching process while suppressing decrease in productivity, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet processing apparatus. In a third carry-in route R 3 branching from a first carry-in route, a discharge roller and a buffer roller convey a sheet for which the punching process has been performed by a punching unit, so that an upstream end in a sheet conveyance direction of the sheet for which the punching process has been performed precedes an upstream end in the sheet conveyance direction of a succeeding sheet following the sheet for which the punching process has been performed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet processing apparatus which performs a punching process for a sheet, comprising:
a sheet conveyance route in which a sheet is conveyed;
a branched conveyance route which branches from the sheet conveyance route at a branch point;
a loading unit in which a sheet conveyed from the sheet conveyance route is loaded, the loading unit being arranged downstream of the branch point in a conveyance direction;
a sheet conveyance section which is able to convey a sheet in the conveyance direction and in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction, the sheet conveyance section conveying a sheet which has passed through the branch point, in the opposite direction, and carrying the sheet into the branched conveyance route;
a punching apparatus which performs a punching process for a sheet which has been carried into the branched conveyance route; and
a processing section which performs a binding process on a sheet which has been carried into the branched conveyance route.

2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a control section which controls the sheet conveyance section and the punching apparatus,
wherein, after the control section causes the punching apparatus to perform the punching process for a sheet, when the control section causes the sheet conveyance section to convey the sheet for which the punching process has been performed, in the conveyance direction, the sheet for which the punching process has been performed is conveyed in a state where the sheet for which the punching process has been performed partially overlaps a succeeding sheet following the sheet for which the punching process has been performed.

3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a control section which controls the sheet conveyance section and the punching apparatus; and
an upstream sheet conveyance section which is provided on an upstream side in the conveyance direction of the branch point, and conveys the sheet toward the branch point,

wherein the control section controls the upstream sheet conveyance section, and
after the control section causes the punching apparatus to perform the punching process for a sheet, the control section accelerates a conveyance speed at which the control section causes the sheet conveyance section to convey the sheet for which the punching process has been performed, in the conveyance direction, higher than a conveyance speed at which the control section causes the upstream sheet conveyance section to convey a succeeding sheet following the sheet for which the punching process has been performed.

4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensing section which senses a side end position in a width direction, which is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, of a sheet; and
a moving section which moves the punching apparatus in the width direction, depending on the side end position of a sheet which has been sensed by the sensing section, before the sheet reaches the punching apparatus.

5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the sensing section is provided further upstream in the conveyance direction than the branch point, in the sheet conveyance route.

6. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the sensing section and the punching apparatus are moved in the width direction by the same driving source.

7. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a control section which controls the sheet conveyance section and the punching apparatus,
wherein if the control section causes the sheet conveyance section to simultaneously carry a sheet for which the punching process has been performed by the punching apparatus, and a succeeding sheet following the sheet for which the punching process has been performed, into the branched conveyance route, the sheet for which the punching process has been performed and the succeeding sheet are shifted from each other and carried into the branched conveyance route so that the punching process is not performed for the sheet for which the punching process has been performed.

8. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the branched conveyance route comprises a stopper which locks a sheet that has been carried in, and
at a time of the punching process, a position of a sheet which has been carried into the branched conveyance route is regulated by the stopper to a position where the punching process is performed by the punching apparatus.

9. An image forming apparatus, comprising an image forming section which forms an image on a sheet, and a sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 which processes the sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming section.

10. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a binding section which performs a binding process for a sheet which has been loaded in the loading unit.

11. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing section folds a sheet which has been carried into the branched conveyance route.

Assignees

• Motoi Norio
• Toppada Kenji
• Hommochi Hiroki
• Kitahara Yoshihiko
• Canon Finetech Inc

Inventors

• Motoi Norio
• Toppada Kenji
• Hommochi Hiroki
• Kitahara Yoshihiko

Classifications

• G03G15/6582 Primary

  Special processing for irreversibly adding or changing the sheet copy material characteristics or its appearance, e.g. stamping, annotation printing, punching · CPC title

• B65H2301/33312

  forward reverse rollers pairs · CPC title

• B65H2801/27

  Devices located downstream of office-type machines · CPC title

• G03G2215/00818

  Punch device · CPC title

• B65H35/04

  from or with transverse cutters or perforators · CPC title