JP2013119466A - Bound part flattening device and post-processing device, image forming apparatus, and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device which does not cause damage such as tear to a bound part of a bundle of paper bound by a deep draw binding method when unfastening the bundle of paper one by one.SOLUTION: The bound part flattening device has a plurality of roller pairs 302 and 303, and a pressing mechanism that applies pressure between the roller pairs 302 and 303 in an inside direction from the outside. The pressing mechanism flattens the deep-draw bound part of the bundle of paper 301 between the roller pairs 302 and 303, thereby reducing a fastening force of the deep-draw bound part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a binding unit flattening device that finishes paper discharged from a post-processing device of an image forming apparatus.

  An outline of the conventional technique for stacking sheets on a conveyance path will be described. FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining a conventional sheet post-processing apparatus.

  The sheet output from the image forming apparatus 1 enters the sheet post-processing apparatus 2 and is conveyed by the conveying roller 4 and the conveying roller 5. The switching claw 9 is rotated by the moving force of the sheet, and the conveying path secured thereby. , And is conveyed to the processing tray 18 in the direction of arrow A by the conveying roller 7 and the conveying roller 8. The transported paper falls by its own weight in the direction of arrow B, and the transport direction is aligned by the rear end fence 11. The trailing edge of the sheet is detected by the sensor S2 in advance, and the width direction is aligned by the alignment fence 10 after a time during which the sheet conveyance direction can be aligned.

  By repeating this operation, a large number of sheets are aligned one by one. When the final sheets are aligned, the aligned sheet bundle is bound by the stapler 12, the discharge belt 14 in the processing tray 18 rotates in the direction of arrow C, and the discharge claw 13 attached to the discharge belt 14 moves from the processing tray 18 in the direction of arrow D. Release the stack of paper. The sheet bundle is discharged and stacked on the tray 3 by the discharge roller 15 and the driven roller 16.

  The tray 3 has a mechanism that moves up and down according to the number of stacks. The driven roller 16 is attached to a conveyance guide plate 17 and is configured to be rotatable around a fulcrum 17a so that the same conveyance force can be obtained even if the thickness of a sheet bundle to be conveyed changes. The discharge roller 15 is pressurized by the weight of the conveyance guide plate 17.

  The above is the operation in the case of one copy. When the number of copies is two or more, the image forming apparatus 1 continuously sends copies to the sheet post-processing apparatus 2 with the same copy interval between the last sheet of the copy and the first sheet of the next copy as in other cases.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the processing operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus. The processing operation for the second and subsequent copies will be described with reference to FIGS. 22A to 22D. The transport roller rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 22A, and the first copy of the second copy is transported. When the sensor S2 detects the trailing edge and the alignment unit 18 is not in a state of accepting the paper, the transport rollers 6, 7, and 8 are reversed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. When the edge of the paper is detected by the sensor S2, it is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 22C, when the second sheet is conveyed by the conveying rollers 4 and 5, and the sensor S2 detects the leading edge, the conveying rollers 6, 7, and 8 are moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Rotates and transports two sheets stacked. At this time, when the rear end is detected by the sensor S2, if the processing tray 18 is in a state of receiving paper, it is discharged as it is. When the processing tray 18 is not in a state of receiving paper, the same operation as that for the first sheet is repeated. In addition, after repeating until the processing tray 18 is in a state of receiving paper, two or more sheets are discharged in a stacked state.

  With the above operation, post-processing can be efficiently performed without reducing productivity when stapling two or more copies.

  On the other hand, as a technique for simply closing a bundle of paper, Patent Document 1 has already known a deep-drawing binding method in which a bundle of paper is tightly fitted and pinched with an uneven tooth shape, and fibers are bound and bound.

  However, in the conventional deep-drawn binding, when the bound sheets are removed again one by one and passed as an original to an automatic document feeder (ADF) or the like, the bound portion is torn, so the ADF JAM is generated by being caught in the transport path. In addition, there is a problem that JAM is likely to occur for the same reason when the paper is fed again by a printer or the like using the back side of the unused paper.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to remove damage such as tearing at a bound portion when removing a deeply bound sheet bundle one by one. It is to provide a device that does not give.

  In order to achieve this object, the present invention has the following features.

  The binding unit flattening device according to the present invention includes a plurality of roller pairs and a pressing mechanism that applies pressure between the roller pairs from the outside to the inside, and the pressing mechanism includes a deep-drawn binding unit of a sheet bundle. The fastening force of the deep-drawn binding portion is reduced by flattening between the pair of rollers.

  According to the present invention, the pressing mechanism can reduce the fastening force of the deep-drawn binding portion by flattening the deep-drawing binding portion of the sheet bundle between the roller pairs. Since the fibers entangled between the sheets are detached, the sheets can be peeled off without being torn, so that the sheet-bound sheet bundle can be passed again as a document.

It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the detail of the branch nail | claw part which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the binding tool which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the binding operation | movement of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the binding operation | movement of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the binding operation | movement of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the binding operation | movement of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the binding operation | movement of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the binding operation | movement of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the binding operation | movement of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the binding operation | movement of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the binding operation | movement of the post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the figure which installed the binding part planarization apparatus which concerns on this embodiment in the upper part of a post-processing apparatus. It is a figure explaining the function of the binding part planarization apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state after a sheet bundle is passed between a pair of rollers. It is a figure explaining the inside of the binding part planarization apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the inside of the binding part planarization apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the binding part planarization apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the usage method of the binding part planarization apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the conventional paper post-processing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a processing operation of a sheet post-processing device.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of post-processing apparatuses according to the present embodiment. A post-processing apparatus 201 having a conveyance path binding mechanism that includes a configuration for superimposing and aligning sheets in the conveyance path and a binding tool that binds the overlapped sheets in the conveyance path is connected to the image forming apparatus 101 or It is an example of a structure at the time of incorporating.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the post-processing device 201 according to the present embodiment. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a front view. It is an example of a structure of the post-processing apparatus 201 which has a conveyance path binding mechanism. The names and functions of each part will be described below.

  The post-processing apparatus 201 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101. The image forming apparatus discharge roller 102 is installed in the image forming apparatus 101. The inlet sensor 202 detects the front and rear ends of the sheet carried into the post-processing apparatus 201 and the presence or absence of the sheet.

  The entrance roller 203 is located at the entrance of the post-processing apparatus 201 and has a function of carrying a sheet into the apparatus. Further, the entrance roller 203 has a drive source and control means capable of controlling stop, rotation, and conveyance amount. The control unit may be in the image forming apparatus 101 to be connected. Using this roller nip, sheet abutting skew correction is also possible.

  The branching claw 204 is a pivotable claw that switches a conveyance path provided to guide the rear end of the sheet to the branching path. Further, the branching claw 204 is configured to be able to press the sheet against the branch path conveyance surface, thereby fixing the sheet.

  The paper discharge roller 205 is located at the exit of the post-processing apparatus 201 and has a function of conveying, shifting, and discharging the sheet. Further, the paper discharge roller 205 includes a drive source and a control unit that can control the stop, rotation, and conveyance amount. The control unit may be in the image forming apparatus 101 to be connected.

  The shift link 206 is a portion that receives the shift moving force and is attached to the shaft end of the paper discharge roller 205. The shift cam 207 has a shift cam stud and is a rotating disk-shaped component. By rotating this component, the paper discharge roller 205 connected to the elongated hole portion of the shift link 206 is shifted via the shift cam stud.

  The shift cam stud 208 is interlocked with the elongated hole portion of the shift link 206 to change the rotational motion of the shift cam 207 to the linear motion of the paper discharge roller 205 in the axial direction. The shift home position sensor 209 detects the position of the shift link 206 and sets this position as the home position.

  The binding tool 210 is a tool for binding sheets. In the present embodiment, a binding tool that deforms the sheet by being sandwiched by a pair of teeth and entangles the fibers is used. The present embodiment is not limited to this binding tool, and may have a function of binding like a widely known binding tool.

  The sheet edge detection sensor 220 is a sensor that detects the side edge of the sheet, and aligns the sensor detection position with the reference when aligning the sheets. The binding tool home position sensor 221 is a sensor that detects the position of the binding tool 210 that is movable in the sheet width direction, and sets the position at which the binding tool 210 is located at a position that does not interfere with the conveyance of the maximum size sheet. This position is detected as a position.

  The binding tool movement guide rail 230 is a rail that guides the movement of the binding tool 210 so that the binding tool 210 can stably move in the sheet width direction. In this embodiment, the tooth mold 261 is a tooth mold having a shape in which a pair of concavities and convexities mesh with each other.

  The conveyance path 240 is a normal path for conveying and discharging the received sheet, as shown in FIG. The branch path 241 is a conveyance path that is provided to overlap and align the sheets, and is carried in from the rear end side of the sheet by the switchback of the sheet. The abutting surface 242 is a reference surface that abuts and aligns the rear end of the sheet.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating details of the branching claw portion. A branching claw 204 is rotatably provided for the purpose of switching between the transporting path 240 and the branching path 241, and the position where the paper received from the right side in the figure can be transported without resistance is the home position. Pressurized. The spring 251 is applied to the movable claw 204a movable lever portion, and the branch solenoid 250 is also connected to the lever via a link.

  Further, the branch path conveyance surface 241 and the branch claw 204 are configured to be able to pinch a sheet in the conveyance path. The conveyance path is switched by turning on the branch solenoid 250, whereby the branch claw 204 a rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3B, closes the conveyance path 240 and guides the paper to the branch path 241.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the binding tool 210. A configuration example of the binding tool 210 will be described. However, the configuration is not limited to this.

  The tooth mold 261 has a shape in which the upper and lower pairs are engaged with each other. The tooth mold 261 is installed at the end of a plurality of link groups, and is configured to contact and separate as the pressure lever 262 rotates.

  The pressure lever 262 is rotated by a rotating cam 266. The cam 266 is rotated by being applied with a driving force from the drive motor 265, and the position of the cam 266 is controlled by the detection information of the cam home position sensor 267. The detection state of the cam home position sensor 267 is the home position, and the tooth mold 261 is in an open state.

  When the sheets are bound, the sheet 261 is inserted in a state where the tooth mold 261 is opened, and the cam 266 is rotated in the arrow direction of FIG. 4B by the rotation of the drive motor 265. Due to the displacement of the cam surface, the pressure lever 262 rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The rotational force increases through the link group using the lever and is transmitted to the tooth mold 261 at the end.

  When the fixed amount cam 267 rotates, the tooth mold 261 holds the meshing paper. By this clamping, the paper is deformed and pressed, and the fibers of adjacent papers are entangled and bound. Thereafter, the cam 267 rotates in the reverse direction and stops at the detection information of the cam home position sensor 267. Further, the lever 262 has a spring property, and bends when an overload is applied, so that the overload is released.

  5 to 13 are diagrams illustrating the binding operation of the post-processing device 201. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when output is started from the image forming apparatus 101, each unit moves to the home position and completes the initial.

  As shown in FIG. 6, before the sheet output from the image forming apparatus 101 is carried into the post-processing apparatus 201, the mode information and the sheet information are received, and based on the information, an acceptance standby state is entered.

  In the straight mode acceptance standby state, the entrance roller 203 and the paper discharge roller 205 start to rotate in the transport direction. Each roller stops when it is sequentially conveyed and discharged and the final sheet is discharged. In the shift mode acceptance standby state, the entrance roller 203 and the paper discharge roller 205 start to rotate in the transport direction.

  In the shift paper discharge operation, the sheet is received and conveyed, and when the rear end passes through the entrance roller 203, the shift cam 207 rotates by a certain amount, and the paper discharge roller 205 moves in the axial direction. At this time, the sheet also moves together with the movement of the sheet discharge roller 205. When the sheet is discharged, the shift cam 207 rotates to return to the home position and prepares for the next sheet. The operation of the paper discharge roller 205 is repeated until the same sheet is discharged. When the next sheet is carried in, the shift cam 207 rotates in the reverse direction to the previous one, and the sheet moves to the opposite side and is discharged.

  In the binding mode acceptance standby state, the entrance roller 203 stops and the paper discharge roller 205 starts to rotate in the transport direction. Further, the binding tool 210 moves to a standby position that is retracted by a certain amount from the sheet width and stands by.

  After this, the operation in the binding mode will be described. When the sheet is carried into the post-processing device 201, the leading edge of the sheet is detected by the inlet sensor 202, and the inlet roller 203 rotates after being conveyed by a certain distance (a distance at which the leading edge of the sheet hits the inlet roller nip 203 to cause a certain amount of bending). Begin to. As a result, the skew of the sheet is corrected.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the conveyance amount is counted from the detection information of the inlet sensor 202 at the rear end of the sheet, and the position information is grasped. When the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the entrance roller nip 203, the entrance roller 203 stops for receiving the next sheet. At the same time, the shift cam 207 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 7A, and the sheet discharge roller 205 starts moving in the axial direction together with the sheet. Then, the sheet is conveyed while being skewed in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

  After that, when the sheet end detection sensor 220 installed or incorporated in the binding tool 210 detects the sheet, the shift cam 207 stops and rotates reversely, and the sheet end detection sensor 220 stops in a non-detection state. This operation is completed, and the sheet discharge roller 205 stops at a predetermined position where the trailing end of the sheet has passed the leading end of the branching claw 204.

  As shown in FIG. 8, after the switching claw 204 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 8B and the conveyance path is switched, the paper discharge roller 205 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the trailing edge of the sheet is carried into the branch path 241. The abutting surface 242 is abutted and aligned, and the paper discharge roller 205 is stopped. At this time, the paper discharge roller 205 is set to have a weak conveyance force so as to slip when the sheet hits.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the switching claw 204 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 9B, and the sheet trailing edge in the branch path 241 is strongly pressed and waited on the contact surface of the branch claw 204. When the next sheet is output from the image forming apparatus 101, the skew correction is performed by the entrance roller 203 as in the first sheet. At the same time when the entrance roller 203 starts to rotate, the paper discharge roller 205 also starts to rotate in the transport direction.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the operations of FIGS. 7 and 8 are performed for the second and subsequent sheets, and the aligned sheets are stacked in the conveyance path by sequentially moving the sheets to the target positions and superimposing them. .

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the operation is completed with the final sheet as an aligned bundle, the discharge roller 205 is rotated by a certain amount in the transport direction and stopped. With this operation, it is possible to eliminate the bending that occurs when the rear end of the sheet is abutted against the abutting surface 242. Thereafter, the switching claw 204 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 11B to switch, thereby releasing the pressing force applied to the sheet bundle.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in order to align the processing position in the transport direction, the discharge roller 205 is rotated, and the sheet bundle is transported by a distance that matches the position of the tooth mold 261 of the binding tool 210 and the processing position of the sheet, and stopped. To do. In order to match the processing position in the width direction, the binding tool 210 is moved to the arrow in FIG. 12A by the distance at which the position of the tooth mold 261 of the binding tool 210 matches the processing position of the sheet, and stopped. .

  At this time, the switching claw 204 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 12B and returns to the sheet receiving state. Thereafter, the binding tool driving motor 265 is turned on, the sheet bundle is pressed by the tooth mold 261, and the fibers are entangled by performing the squeezing, and the sheets are combined to bind.

  Although the present embodiment is the binding tool 210 that performs the drawing, the same effect can be obtained by using a binding tool that is half-punched, cut or bent, cut and bent, and passed through a hole.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the paper discharge roller 205 is rotated, and the bound bundle is discharged. After discharging the bound bundle, the shift cam 207 is rotated, and the shift cam 207 returns to the home position. The binding operation of the post-processing device 201 is completed by moving the binding tool 210 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 13A and returning the binding tool 210 to the home position.

  Next, the binding unit flattening device 300 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram in which the binding unit flattening device 300 according to the present embodiment is installed on the upper portion of the post-processing device 201.

  The binding unit flattening device 300 is installed by a method that cannot be easily removed, such as screw fastening. Further, the installation location of the binding unit flattening device 300 can also be installed in the upper part or the horizontal plane part of the image forming apparatus 101.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the function of the binding unit flattening device 300. In the sheet bundle 301, the paper at the portion A shown in the drawing is stretched by deep-drawn binding, and the fiber of the paper is entangled between the upper and lower papers to generate a fastening force. For this reason, if the paper is peeled off as it is, tearing easily occurs at this portion, and when the paper after peeling is passed by ADF or the like, the torn portion gets caught in the ADF transport path, and JAM occurs. It becomes easy.

  In order to cleanly remove the deeply-bound paper bundle 301 one by one, the deep-drawn binding portion is moved by passing the deep-drawn binding portion of the paper bundle 301 between the roller pairs 302 and 303 shown in the figure. Since the fibers can be flattened and the fibers entangled between the sheets can be removed, the fastening force between the sheets can be reduced and the sheets can be easily peeled one by one. Further, since the degree of fiber entanglement is reduced, tearing does not occur, and when the peeled paper is passed through the ADF or the like as a manuscript, there is no trouble in conveyance.

  FIG. 16 is a view showing a state after the sheet bundle 301 is passed between the roller pairs 302 and 303. The slope of the A portion of the deep-drawn binding portion is flattened, the paper fibers entangled between the papers come off, and the fastening force of the paper bundle is reduced. As the material of the roller pairs 302 and 303, a material having a relatively high hardness such as resin or metal can obtain an effect of flattening the deep-drawn binding portion of the sheet bundle 301.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the inside of the binding unit flattening device 300. The roller pairs 302 and 303 are rollers made of a hard material, and the deep-drawn binding portions are flattened by passing the deep-drawing binding portions through the roller pairs 302 and 303 and pressing them.

  The arm 306 and the arm 307 have roller pairs 302 and 303 mounted on shafts fixed to the arms 306 and 307. The arms 306 and 307 are connected by a link portion 305 and can be operated in the vertical direction (arrow direction A) in FIG.

  The spring 308 is a compression coil spring, and presses the arms 306 and 307 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 17A to apply pressure between the rollers 302 and 303, thereby pressing the deep-drawn binding portion of the sheet bundle 301 and flattening force. It has occurred.

  The roller separation member 304 having a triangular shape is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the arms 306 and 307 so that the compression coil spring of the spring 309 is in contact with the roller separation member 304 and pushes the roller separation member 304 upward. Has been placed.

  A protrusion 304a is formed on the upper part of the roller separation member 304. When the protrusion 304a is pushed by hand in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 17B, the arms 306 and 307 are spread along the triangular slope of the roller separation member 304. As shown in FIG. 18, the gap A extends to the gap B, and a gap is generated between the rollers 302 and 303. Since a gap is generated between the rollers 302 and 303, the sheet bundle 301 is easily set between the rollers 302 and 303.

  If the hand that has pushed the protrusion 304 a of the roller separation member 304 downward is removed, the roller separation member 304 is pushed up by the force of the spring 309, and pressure is again applied between the rollers 302 and 303 by the spring 308.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the binding unit flattening device 300. A slit opening is obliquely formed in the upper portion of the binding unit flattening device 300, and roller pairs 302 and 303 are arranged in the direction of the drawing in the slit opening. As shown in the drawing, the upper protrusion 304a of the roller separation member 304 protrudes from the upper portion of the binding portion flattening device 300 and can be operated from the outside.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a method of using the actual binding unit flattening device 300. As shown in FIG. 20A, by pressing the protrusion 304a on the upper part of the roller separation member 304 in the direction of the arrow, the roller pairs 302 and 303 are separated, and the sheet bundle 301 is set therebetween.

  After the paper is set, as shown in FIG. 20B, the pressing of the protrusion 304a on the upper part of the roller separation member 304 is stopped, and the roller pairs 302 and 303 come into pressure contact to apply pressure to the paper bundle 301. From this state, the sheet bundle 301 is pulled in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the deep-drawn binding portion is slid between the roller pairs 302 and 303 to flatten the deep-drawn binding portion.

  According to these embodiments, the binding portion is flattened by the binding portion flattening device, and there is an advantage that the paper can be peeled without tearing due to the fibers entangled between the papers coming off. In addition, since the binding portion flattening device can be manually operated, an electrical device is not required, and there is an inexpensive and energy saving effect. Moreover, since the binding unit flattening device is provided in the binding processing device, the binding unit flattening device is not lost, and the usability is improved.

  According to the present embodiment, the pressing mechanism includes a pair of arms in which a pair of rollers is rotatably provided, one end of which is connected by a link portion, a roller separation member that opens and closes the arm, and an inner side from the outside to the arm. And an elastic body that applies pressure in the direction.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the pressing mechanism may be characterized by separating the roller pair.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the pressing mechanism may be characterized in that the roller pair is manually separated.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, a post-processing device including a binding unit flattening device or an image forming apparatus including a binding unit flattening device, and an image forming system including the image forming device and the post-processing device may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Image forming apparatus 201 Post-processing apparatus 300 Binding unit flattening apparatus 301 Paper bundle 302 Roller 304 Roller separation member 304a Projection 306 Arm 308 Spring

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 36-013206

Claims (7)

Multiple roller pairs,
A pressing mechanism that applies pressure from the outside to the inside between the pair of rollers, and
The binding unit flattening device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism reduces a fastening force of the deep-drawn binding unit by flattening the deep-drawing binding unit of the sheet bundle between the pair of rollers. The pressing mechanism is a pair of arms in which the roller pair is rotatably installed and one end is connected by a link portion;
A roller separating member for opening and closing the arm;
The binding portion flattening device according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic body that applies pressure to the arm from the outside toward the inside.   The binding unit flattening device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism separates the roller pair.   The binding unit flattening device according to claim 3, wherein the pressing mechanism manually separates the roller pair.   The post-processing apparatus which comprises the binding part flattening apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4.   An image forming apparatus comprising the binding unit flattening device according to claim 1.   An image forming system having an image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus according to claim 5.

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