JP2006193223A - Image forming apparatus system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus system calculating the number of paper sheets to be output from a set job, and selecting a delivery tray depending on the calculated number of sheet papers, in an image forming apparatus system having a plurality of delivery trays. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus system has an image forming apparatus provided with an operation display means for setting jobs, and the plurality of delivery trays. The image forming apparatus system further has a control means for calculating the number of paper sheets to be delivered based on the set job and selecting a delivery tray depending on the calculated number of paper sheets. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine having a plurality of paper discharge trays.

  An image forming apparatus system in which a plurality of post-processing devices are connected to a high-speed image forming apparatus is generally used in order to cope with speeding up and multi-functionality of image forming work.

  In such a system, the sheet formed and output by the image forming apparatus is sent to a predetermined post-processing apparatus that performs processing corresponding to a preset job, and is subjected to post-processing and predetermined discharge. The paper tray is sequentially loaded.

  When a job that does not perform post-processing is executed in the image forming apparatus system as described above, the sheet that is image-formed and output by the image forming apparatus is usually the most image among a plurality of connected post-processing apparatuses. The paper is discharged and stacked on a large-capacity paper discharge tray (main tray) provided in the post-processing device located away from the forming device. Therefore, even when a small amount of paper is ejected, the user needs to take out the paper output from the paper ejection tray located farthest from the image forming apparatus. In order to eliminate such inconvenience, a method is known in which a paper discharge tray for discharging output paper is set in advance using an operation display unit of the image forming apparatus and discharged to the set paper discharge tray. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

However, it is troublesome for the user to always specify a paper discharge tray for discharging paper when setting a job, and the setting for specifying is often forgotten.
JP-A-7-206253 (2nd page)

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it is an image forming apparatus system including a plurality of paper discharge trays, and calculates the number of sheets to be output from a set job. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus system that selects a paper discharge tray according to the calculated number of sheets.

The above object can be achieved by realizing an image forming apparatus system described in the following claims.
(Claim 1)
An image forming apparatus system comprising an image forming apparatus having an operation display means for setting a job and a plurality of paper discharge trays or a post-processing apparatus having a plurality of paper discharge trays,
Calculate the number of paper ejected from the set job,
An image forming apparatus system comprising control means for selecting the paper discharge tray according to the calculated number of sheets.
(Claim 2)
The image forming apparatus includes:
A paper discharge sensor provided in the paper conveyance path upstream of the paper discharge port, and an automatic document feeder,
The control means includes
When the paper discharge sensor detects the leading edge of the first sheet,
If the automatic document feeder has not finished transporting all documents,
2. The image forming apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein a discharge tray having a maximum capacity is selected from the plurality of discharge trays.
(Claim 3)
The image forming apparatus includes:
Has a memory copy function,
The control means includes
The image forming apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein when the reading of all the originals is completed, the paper discharge tray is selected according to the calculated number of sheets.
(Claim 4)
A display unit is provided for each of the plurality of paper discharge trays,
The control means includes
The image forming apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein a display indicating the selected paper discharge tray is output at least to the operation display unit or the display unit.
(Claim 5)
The control means includes
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when information specifying a paper discharge tray is input by the operation display unit, the paper is discharged to the designated paper discharge tray. 6. Image forming apparatus system.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus system provided with a plurality of paper discharge trays, the setting work performed by the user to select the paper discharge tray for discharging the paper after the image formation is omitted. The

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the number of documents placed on the automatic document feeder is large, the copy operation is performed by selecting the maximum capacity discharge tray without waiting for the determination of the number of discharged sheets. Therefore, the possibility of overflow of the paper in the paper discharge tray is minimized, and a delay in the copying operation is prevented.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus having a memory copy function capable of reading all original images in advance, storing the read images in a memory, and sequentially outputting the stored images is output. By calculating the number of sheets, it is possible to select an optimal sheet discharge tray corresponding to the calculated number.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the user can easily recognize the selected paper discharge tray.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the user can arbitrarily select a paper discharge tray for discharging the output paper.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an image forming apparatus system in which a plurality of post-processing apparatuses are connected to an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus system shown in the figure includes an image forming apparatus G, a first post-processing apparatus A1, a second post-processing apparatus A2, and a third post-processing apparatus A3.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the image forming apparatus G.

  The image forming apparatus G has an automatic document feeder F at the top of the main body. The main body includes an image reading unit 1, an image writing unit 2, an image forming unit 3, an operation display unit 4, a paper feeding unit 5, a paper discharge re-feeding unit. The sheet feeding unit 6, the fixing unit 7, the control unit C1, and the like are included.

  The automatic document feeder F feeds the documents placed on the document table 11 to the document conveying means 13 one by one by the document separating means 12, and the document conveying means 13 conveys the sent documents to the document discharging means 14. Then, the document discharge means 14 discharges the sent document to the document discharge table 15. The document image is read by a slit 21 provided in the document conveyance path, which is a document image reading position of the image reading unit 1.

  When reading images on both sides of the document, the document which has been read on the first surface is reversed by the document reversing means 16 having a pair of rollers, and is sent again to the document conveying means 13 to re-feed the second surface. Reading is done. The document that has been read is discharged to the document discharge table 15.

  The image reading means 1 is a means for reading a document image to obtain image data. The document image irradiated with light by the lamp 231 at the position of the slit 21 is a first mirror unit 23 and a second mirror unit 24. And an imaging lens 25 to form an image on the image sensor 26 which is a linear CCD. The signal output from the image pickup device 26 is A / D converted by the image processing unit of the control means C1, subjected to processing such as shading correction and image compression, and stored as image data in the memory M1.

  The image writing means 2 is an image carrier 31 that is rotated by being uniformly charged by a charging means 32 by a laser beam and a polygon mirror based on image data that has been called from the memory M1 and subjected to predetermined image processing. The electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original image is formed on the surface of the image carrier 31 by scanning the surface.

  The electrostatic latent image is reversely developed by the developing unit 34 of the image forming unit 3, and a toner image is formed on the image carrier 31.

  Corresponding to the timing of toner image formation, the paper P is fed from the manual paper feeding means 55 or the paper feeding means 5 having a cassette or tray for accommodating the paper P as a transfer material, and is fed by the transport roller 56. The image is conveyed and synchronized with the toner image formed on the image carrier by the timing roller 39, and sent out to the transfer area.

  In the transfer area, the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier 31 is transferred to the paper P charged to the opposite polarity by the transfer means 35.

  The sheet P carrying the toner image is separated from the surface of the image carrier 31 by the action of the separation / elimination means 36 and sent to the fixing means 7.

  In the fixing unit 7, the paper P carrying the toner image is conveyed while being heated and pressurized by the heating roller 71 and the pressure roller 72, the toner image is fixed on the paper P, and the first roller is discharged by the discharge roller 63. It is sent to the post-processing apparatus A1.

  When the paper P is turned upside down and sent to the first post-processing apparatus A1, the switching guide 62 guides the paper P to the paper discharge / refeed means 6, and the paper P is switched back to the discharge roller. Send to 63.

  Further, when forming an image on both sides of the paper P, the paper P that has been fixed on the first side is guided to the paper discharge refeed means 6 by the switching guide 62 and reversed by the reversing unit 65. Then, the sheet is fed to a conveyance path 66 for paper feeding and used for image formation on the second surface.

  On the other hand, the surface of the image carrier 31 after the transfer of the toner image onto the paper P is prepared for the next image formation after the residual toner is removed by the cleaning means 37.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control relationship of the image forming apparatus system. The control means C1 is a computer system including a CPU (CPU1), a memory M1, and an arithmetic unit, an I / O port, a communication interface, etc. (not shown in the figure), and circuits for driving each means. Have. Each means is controlled by executing a program corresponding to the job stored in the memory M1.

  The control means C2 of the automatic document feeder 1, the control means C3 of the first post-processing apparatus A1, the control means C4 of the second post-processing apparatus A2, and the control means C5 of the third post-processing apparatus A3 are also controlled by the control means C1. Although the scale is smaller than that of the system, the system configuration is similar to that of the CPU. Information exchange between the control means C1 and other control means is performed via communication means in this example.

  The control unit C1 is connected to a LAN or a public line via the communication unit T1, and can exchange data with other information devices.

  In addition, about the block which is not directly related to description of embodiment of this invention, description in a figure is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of first to third post-processing devices A1, A2, and A3 connected to the image forming apparatus G.

  The first post-processing apparatus A1 is a post-processing apparatus provided with a punching means 110 and a center folding means 120, and is constituted by a known technique. The sheet P sent from the image forming apparatus G enters the first post-processing apparatus A1 from the direction of the arrow a, and the job P Three courses indicated by b, c and d in the middle are selected.

  The path b is a path that guides the paper P to the paper discharge tray H1 without performing post-processing.

  In the path c, when punching means 110 makes a hole at the end of the paper P and sends it to the second post-processing apparatus A2, or without performing post-processing on the paper P, the paper is sent to the second post-processing apparatus A2 as it is. The course of the case.

  The path d is a path in which the sheet P sent from the image forming apparatus G is subjected to the center folding process by the center folding unit 120 one by one or a plurality of sheets, and the sheet P subjected to the center folding process passes through the path e. Then, it is sent to the second post-processing apparatus A2.

  The second post-processing apparatus A2 is a post-processing apparatus provided with a stapler 210 and a center folding means 220, and is constituted by a known technique. For the paper P sent from the first post-processing apparatus A1, three paths indicated by f, g, and h in the figure are selected in advance by a job set by the user on the operation display means 4 of the image forming apparatus G. The

  The path f is a path that guides the paper P to the paper discharge tray H2 without performing post-processing by the second post-processing apparatus A2.

  The course g is a course that guides the paper P to the third post-processing apparatus A3 without performing the post-processing by the second post-processing apparatus A2.

  The path h is a path that guides the paper P to the stapler 210. The stapler 210 accumulates a plurality of papers P to form a paper bundle, and performs a binding process with a binding needle on an end portion or a center line of the paper bundle. The sheet bundle that has been subjected to the binding process on the center line proceeds in the path indicated by the arrow r, is subjected to the center folding process by the center folding means 220, and is discharged to the sheet discharge tray H20. The sheet bundle that has been subjected to the binding process at the end is sent to the path indicated by the arrow t, and proceeds to the third post-processing apparatus A3.

  The third post-processing device A3 is a post-processing device that includes a bookbinding unit 310 that performs a binding process using glue and a large-capacity paper discharge tray HM, and includes a known technique.

  For the paper P sent from the second post-processing apparatus A2, three paths indicated by u, v, and w in the drawing are selected in advance by a job set by the user on the operation display means 4 of the image forming apparatus G. The

  The path u is a path that guides the paper P to the paper discharge tray H3 without performing post-processing by the third post-processing apparatus A3.

  The path v is a path that guides the paper P to the paper discharge tray HM without performing post-processing by the third post-processing apparatus A3.

  The course w is a course for performing the bookbinding process on the paper P. The bookbinding means 310 shown in the present embodiment applies hot-melt type glue to the end of the paper P by the application means 311 and stacks a predetermined number of these paper P on the mounting table 312. A binding process is performed by pressurizing and heating the end portion. It should be noted that a technique other than that shown in this example can be appropriately selected as the technique employed as the bookbinding means.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for selecting a paper discharge tray for discharging the paper P that is not subjected to post-processing in the image forming apparatus system as described above.

  First, the user uses the operation display means 4 to select whether or not to use the automatic discharge tray selection function (step S1). If it is selected that the automatic discharge tray selection function is not used (step S1: N) and a job is set (step S2), a predetermined discharge corresponding to the job to be set is performed. A tray is selected (step S3) and the routine is exited.

  If the user selects to use the automatic discharge tray selection function (step S1: Y) and sets a job (step S4), the set job uses the automatic document feeder F. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the operation is to place a document on the platen of the image forming apparatus and perform copying (referred to as platen copying). The determination method is performed by detecting whether or not a document is placed on the document placing table 11 of the automatic document feeder F, and is a known technique.

  If it is a platen copy (step S5: Y), it is determined whether or not a memory copy function for starting a copy operation after all the originals are read and stored in the memory in advance (step S7). . If the memory copy function is not set (step S6: N), the number N of discharged sheets is determined from the number of copies set in the operation display means 4 (step S12), and the memory copy function is set. If it is found (step S6: Y), after all the originals are read and stored in the memory (step S7: Y), the number N of discharged sheets is calculated (step S12).

  If the document is read by the automatic document feeder F (step S5: N), it is determined whether or not the memory copy function is set (step S8), and if it is set (step S8). (S8: Y), all the originals are read and stored in the memory (step S11: Y), and the number N of discharged sheets is calculated from the read number of originals and the number of copies set by the operation display means 4 (step S12). ). When the memory copy function is not set, when the leading edge of the first sheet P is detected by the sheet discharge sensor S provided in the vicinity of the sheet discharge port of the image forming apparatus G (step S9: Y). If all the originals have been read (step S10: Y), the number N of discharged sheets is calculated from the number of read originals and the number of copies set by the operation display means 4 (step S12). If reading of all the originals has not been completed (step S10: N), since the number of all originals cannot be known at that time, the number of discharged sheets cannot be calculated. In this case, as a safety measure, the discharge tray HM having the largest capacity is selected (step S14).

  When the number of discharged sheets N is calculated (step S12), a comparison with a preset number of sheets NN is performed (step S13). If the calculated discharge number N is larger than the set number NN, the discharge tray HM having the maximum capacity is selected as the discharge tray for the paper P (step S14), and is equal to or less than the set number NN. Is selected from the paper discharge tray H1 of the first post-processing apparatus A1 located closest to the image forming apparatus G (step S16).

  When the selection of the discharge tray is completed, the operation display unit 4 of the image forming apparatus G and the display units of the operation display units 41, 42, and 43 of the post-processing apparatus having the selected discharge tray are selected. A display indicating the tray is output (step S15), and the routine is exited. Thereby, the user can easily know the paper discharge tray from which the paper is discharged.

  By the control as described above, either the discharge tray H1 closest to the image forming apparatus G or the discharge tray HM having the largest capacity is selected according to the number of sheets P to be discharged, and the user selects the selected discharge tray. You can know the paper tray. The

1 is a conceptual diagram of an image forming apparatus system. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an image forming apparatus. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship of the image forming apparatus system. FIG. It is a conceptual diagram of the 1st-3rd post-processing apparatus A1, A2, A3. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for selecting a paper discharge tray.

Explanation of symbols

4 Operation display means (image forming apparatus)
41-43 Operation display means (post-processing device)
A1 to 3 Post-processing apparatus C1 Control means (image forming apparatus)
C2 control means (automatic document feeder)
C3-5 control means (post-processing device)
F automatic document feeder G image forming apparatus H1 to 3 discharge tray H20 discharge tray HM discharge tray M1 memory P paper S discharge sensor

Claims (5)

An image forming apparatus system comprising an image forming apparatus having an operation display means for setting a job and a plurality of paper discharge trays or a post-processing apparatus having a plurality of paper discharge trays,
Calculate the number of paper ejected from the set job,
An image forming apparatus system comprising control means for selecting the paper discharge tray according to the calculated number of sheets. The image forming apparatus includes:
A paper discharge sensor provided in the paper conveyance path upstream of the paper discharge port, and an automatic document feeder,
The control means includes
When the paper discharge sensor detects the leading edge of the first sheet,
If the automatic document feeder has not finished transporting all documents,
2. The image forming apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein a discharge tray having a maximum capacity is selected from the plurality of discharge trays. The image forming apparatus includes:
Has a memory copy function,
The control means includes
The image forming apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein when the reading of all the originals is completed, the paper discharge tray is selected according to the calculated number of sheets. A display unit is provided for each of the plurality of paper discharge trays,
The control means includes
The image forming apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein a display indicating the selected paper discharge tray is output at least to the operation display unit or the display unit. The control means includes
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when information specifying a paper discharge tray is input by the operation display unit, the paper is discharged to the specified paper discharge tray. 6. Image forming apparatus system.

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