Sheet processing device, image forming system, and sheet processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9555998-B2
Application number	US-201514609900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Feb 7, 2014
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A sheet processing device includes: a folder that forms a plurality of folds on a sheet such that a fold part and a part with no fold of the sheet overlap with each other; a conveyance unit that conveys the sheen on which the folds are formed by the folder; and a pressing part that presses the fold part of the conveyed sheet in which the fold part and the part with no fold overlap with each other, from a side on which the fold part is located.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet processing device, comprising:
a folder configured to form a plurality of folds on a sheet such that a fold part and a part with no fold of the sheet overlap with each other;
a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet on which the folds are formed by the folder;
a pressing part configured to press the fold part of the conveyed sheet in which the fold part and the part with no fold overlap with each other, from a side on which the fold part is located;
a rotation drive braking part configured to generate a driving force for rotating the pressing part and a braking force for stopping the rotation of the pressing part; and
a driving force blocking part configured to transmit only a driving force for rotating the pressing part in a specific rotational direction out of the driving force generated by the rotation drive braking part, to the pressing part, and configured to block a driving force for rotating the pressing part in a direction opposite to the specific rotational direction, from the pressing part,
wherein the pressing part is configured to rotate about an axis along a direction that is orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheet and parallel to a surface of the sheet to press the fold part on the sheet conveyed from the folder in a folded state.

2. The sheet processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the pressing part is configured to press the fold part of the sheet in which the fold part and the part with no fold overlap with each other between a front end and a rear end in a sheet conveying direction.

3. The sheet processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sheet supporting part configured to support the sheet from a direction opposite to a pressing force; and
a shock buffer that configured to be between the sheet and the pressing part and configured to buffer a shock caused by the pressing part pressing the fold part on the sheet in a state in which the folded sheet is supported by the sheet supporting part such that the pressing part presses the fold part of the sheet in which the fold part and the part with no fold overlap with each other, from the side on which the fold part is located.

4. The sheet processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a drive transmitting part for another driving unit configured to transmit the driving force blocked from the pressing part, to another driving unit.

5. The sheet processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the driving force blocking part is configured to transmit, to the pressing part, only a driving force for rotating the pressing part in a rotational direction of when the pressing part presses the fold part on the sheet, and configured to block a driving force for rotating the pressing part in a direction opposite to the rotational direction, from the pressing part.

6. The sheet processing device according to claim 5 , wherein the pressing part and a sheet supporting part are arranged such that the pressing part is located lower and the sheet supporting part is located higher with respect to a gravity direction.

7. The sheet processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the pressing part includes a plurality of pressing members arranged in a direction parallel to the axis and to have certain angle differences from each other in a rotational direction using the axis as a rotation axis, and configured to rotate about the axis serving as the rotation axis to press the fold part on the sheet against a sheet supporting part at different timings with the plurality of pressing members.

8. An image forming system comprising:
an image forming apparatus configured to perform image formation output on a sheet;
a folder configured to perform folding processing on the sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus to form a fold on the sheet; and
a sheet processing device according to claim 1 configured to press the fold part formed by the folder.

9. A sheet processing device, comprising:
a folder configured to form a plurality of folds on a sheet such that a fold part and a part with no fold of the sheet overlap with each other;
a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet on which the folds are formed by the folder; and
a pressing part configured to press the fold part of the conveyed sheet in which the fold part and the part with no fold overlap with each other, from a side on which the fold part is located,
wherein the pressing part includes a plurality of pressing members arranged in a direction parallel to the axis and to have certain angle differences from each other in a rotational direction using the axis as a rotation axis, and configured to rotate about the axis serving as the rotation axis to press the fold part on the sheet against a sheet supporting part at different timings with the plurality of pressing members.

10. The sheet processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the pressing part is configured to rotate about an axis along a direction that is orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheet and parallel to a surface of the sheet to press the fold part on the sheet conveyed from the folder in a folded state.

11. The sheet processing device according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a rotation drive braking part configured to generate a driving force for rotating the pressing part and a braking force for stopping the rotation of the pressing part; and
a driving force blocking part configured to transmit only a driving force for rotating the pressing part in a specific rotational direction out of the driving force generated by the rotation drive braking part, to the pressing part, and configured to block a driving force for rotating the pressing part in a direction opposite to the specific rotational direction, from the pressing part.

12. The sheet processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the pressing part is configured to press the fold part of the sheet in which the fold part and the part with no fold overlap with each other between a front end and a rear end in a sheet conveying direction.

13. The sheet processing device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a sheet supporting part configured to support the sheet from a direction opposite to a pressing force; and
a shock buffer configured to be between the sheet and the pressing part and configured to buffer a shock caused by the pressing part pressing the fold part on the sheet in a state in which the folded sheet is supported by the sheet supporting part such that the pressing part presses the fold part of the sheet in which the fold part and the part with no fold overlap with each other, from the side on which the fold part is located.

14. The sheet processing device according to claim 9 , further comprising a drive transmitting part for another driving unit configured to transmit the driving force blocked from the pressing part, to another driving unit.

15. The sheet processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the driving force blocking part is configured to transmit, to the pressing part, only a driving force for rotating the pressing part in a rotational direction of when the pressing part presses the fold part on the sheet, and configured to block a driving force for rotating the pressing part in a direction opposite to the rotational direction, from the pressing part.

16. The sheet processing device according to claim 15 , wherein the pressing part and a sheet supporting part are arranged such that the pressing part is located lower and the sheet supporting part is located higher with respect to a gravity direction.

Assignees

• Watanabe Takahiro
• Furuhashi Tomohiro
• Suzuki Michitaka
• Hoshino Tomomichi
• Kunieda Akira
• Suzuki Yuji
• Saito Satoshi
• Sakano Koki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Watanabe Takahiro
• Furuhashi Tomohiro
• Suzuki Michitaka
• Hoshino Tomomichi
• Kunieda Akira
• Suzuki Yuji
• Saito Satoshi
• Sakano Koki

Classifications

• B65H2220/02

  indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output · CPC title

• B65H2404/563

  Elastic, supple built-up surface · CPC title

• B65H2403/72

  Clutches, brakes, e.g. one-way clutch +F204 · CPC title

• B65H2557/242

  involving a particular data profile or curve · CPC title

• B65H2701/11232

  Z-folded · CPC title