JP2010173004A - Booklet cutting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a booklet cutting device in a simple structure provided with a pressing means for positioning and pressing not to remain wrinkles and sagging on the booklet before cutting the end part of the booklet. <P>SOLUTION: The booklet cutting device cuts the end part of the booklet composed by a plurality of sheet material and having a saddle-stitched center fold part with a fixed blade disposed orthogonally crossing a conveyance direction of the booklet, and a movable blade engaged with the fixed blade, and includes a booklet conveying means loading and conveying the booklet, a booklet positioning means to which the center fold part of the conveyed booklet abuts for positioning, a booklet pressing mechanism provided with a center fold part pressing means pressing the vicinity of the center fold part of the positioned booklet, a booklet face pressing means pressing the booklet face on the non-placing side of the booklet, and an end part pressing means pressing the vicinity of the end part. The booklet to be conveyed is positioned, the vicinity of the center fold part is pressed, the booklet face is pressed, and then the vicinity of the end part is pressed before cutting. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is mounted on a post-processing apparatus used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a bookbinding apparatus, and the like, and mainly cuts a small edge portion of a folded booklet having a folded portion made of a plurality of sheet materials. The present invention relates to a booklet cutting apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a plurality of image-formed sheet materials are stacked and subjected to a saddle stitching process and a center folding process to form a center folded booklet. An image forming apparatus system including a post-processing device that cuts a free end portion (hereinafter referred to as a fore edge portion) and binds to a booklet has increased. Further, in a bookbinding apparatus or the like, there is also a bookbinding system that transports the folded booklet bound as described above and cuts the fore edge portion, and then superimposes and aligns the packages. In such a half-fold booklet post-processing device or bookbinding device, it is important to position and hold the half-fold booklet without any wrinkles before trimming the front edge.

  As a means for positioning and holding the center folded booklet before cutting the fore edge, a means for positioning and pressing the center folded booklet that has been conveyed is often applied. For example, the pressing means proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-198613 (Patent Document 1) is a state in which the fore edges are aligned before being cut by pressing the vicinity of the fore end after pressing the vicinity of the center folded part of the half-folded booklet. Is preferable, and the fore edge after cutting is made uniform.

JP 2000-198613 A

  As shown in FIG. 2, the saddle-stitched booklet 8 (hereinafter referred to as booklet 8) has a bulging portion 8c due to the elasticity of a plurality of sheet materials in the vicinity of the center-folding portion 8a. In the vicinity of the outside of the fore edge 8b, each sheet material forming the booklet 8 has an irregular state in which the sheet material is obliquely displaced from the inside to the outside of the booklet 8. In cutting the small edge portion 8b of the booklet 8 having such an external shape, by cutting the booklet 8 after pressing the booklet 8 and closely contacting each sheet material, the cut cutting surface can be made smooth and uniform, The cut ends of each sheet material can be made uniform.

  However, for example, when the pressing means proposed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is applied and the small folding portion 8b is pressed and cut after the middle folding portion 8a of the booklet 8 is pressed, In some cases, the cutting edge of the sheet material is uneven, or the booklet surface is folded or cut. In particular, the above-mentioned cutting defects related to the booklet surface on the non-mounting side of the booklet 8 that does not come into contact with the conveying means and the sheet material that becomes the booklet surface were remarkable.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a booklet cutting apparatus having a simple structure provided with a pressing means that can be positioned and pressed so as not to leave wrinkles or slack in the booklet before cutting the fore edge of the booklet in view of the above-mentioned problems. It is to be.

  The present inventor examined the cause of unevenness of the fore edge after cutting in the center folded booklet, and when pressing the fore edge after pressing the center folded part of the booklet, it remains on the booklet surface before pressing the fore edge. The present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by pressing and removing the wrinkles and sagging to arrive at the present invention.

  That is, the present invention relates to a booklet cutting apparatus that cuts a small edge portion of a booklet having a center folded portion made of a plurality of sheet materials by a fixed blade that is arranged orthogonal to the conveying direction of the booklet and a movable blade that meshes with the fixed blade. The booklet cutting apparatus includes: a booklet transport unit that places and transports the booklet; a booklet positioning unit that contacts and positions a folded portion of the booklet that is transported; and the middle of the booklet that has been positioned. A booklet pressing mechanism including a middle folding portion pressing means for pressing the vicinity of the folding portion, a booklet surface pressing means for pressing the booklet surface on the non-mounting side of the booklet, and a fore edge pressing means for pressing the vicinity of the fore edge portion. And a booklet cutting device that presses the booklet surface next to the vicinity of the center folding portion and presses the vicinity of the fore edge before cutting after positioning the booklet to be conveyed.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the booklet surface pressing means sequentially presses the booklet surface toward the fore edge side.

  In the present invention, the fore edge pressing means can start the pressing operation by the cutting operation of the movable blade and press the vicinity of the fore edge before cutting.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is desirable for the said edge part press means to press within 2 mm from the position corresponding to the cutting end of the said edge part.

  Further, in the present invention, the center folding part pressing means and the booklet surface pressing means sandwich and press the booklet with the booklet transporting means, and the fore edge pressing means clamps the booklet with the fixed blade. And can be pressed.

  The booklet cutting apparatus of the present invention can make the cut surface of the fore edge portion uniform without causing the booklet surface to be folded in the cutting of the fore edge portion of the booklet folded in the saddle stitching. This is an important technique because it can contribute to improving the performance of, for example, a post-processing apparatus disposed in the rear stage of a copying machine equipped with the booklet cutting apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a main configuration of an example of a booklet cutting apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of an unbound booklet that has been saddle-stitched and folded. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example for pressing the vicinity of the fore edge of the booklet. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a post-processing apparatus equipped with the booklet cutting apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration relating to a portion corresponding to the booklet cutting apparatus in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a series of operation processes by the post-processing apparatus shown in FIG.

  An important feature of the present invention is that, in pressing and holding the positioned booklet for cutting, the booklet surface on the non-mounting side of the booklet is pressed next to the vicinity of the center folded portion of the booklet, This is the adoption of a booklet pressing mechanism that presses the vicinity of the part. Specifically, the middle folded portion pressing means for pressing the vicinity of the center folded portion of the booklet positioned, the booklet surface pressing means for pressing the booklet surface on the non-mounting side of the booklet, and the vicinity of the small edge portion are pressed. It is a booklet pressing mechanism provided with a fore edge pressing means. With this booklet pressing mechanism, the booklet is pressed sequentially in the vicinity of the booklet surface and in the vicinity of the fore edge in the vicinity of the middle folded portion, so even if wrinkles or slack remain in the middle folded portion or the booklet surface, it is ensured before cutting. Can be removed. Therefore, after cutting the fore edge portion of an unbound booklet, it is possible to obtain a saddle-stitched booklet that is bound in a good state with the fore edge portions being evenly aligned and having no folding or the like on the booklet surface.

  The booklet cutting apparatus according to the present invention includes, as a basic configuration, a fixed blade arranged orthogonal to the booklet conveying direction, a movable blade meshing with the fixed blade, a booklet conveying means for loading and conveying the booklet, and a booklet being conveyed. It has a booklet positioning means for abutting and positioning the folded portion, and the booklet pressing mechanism for pressing the positioned booklet. And the said fixed blade and the said movable blade can use the cutter member which has a substantially linear blade edge | tip. For example, the movable blade may be a so-called guillotine-like blade member. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, it is desirable that the movable blade 6 is provided with a cutting waste removing member 6b on a side surface 6a that does not mesh with the fixed blade 7, thereby pushing the cutting waste toward the fixed blade 6 arrangement side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem that cutting scraps stick to the flank 6c of the movable blade 6 due to static electricity or the like.

  In the present invention, the booklet transport means has a placement member on which one side of the booklet folded in the saddle stitching can be placed, and the booklet can be transported by driving the placement member with a driving device. If it is. For example, like a conveyor, means for placing and transporting a booklet on a rubber belt, fiber belt, metal mesh belt or the like as the placement member, or means for carrying a booklet by applying a flat plate to the placement member Etc. can be adopted.

  Further, in the present invention, the booklet positioning means causes the booklet that has been folded and saddle-stitched to abut against a contact member such as a stopper to bring the conveyed booklet within a predetermined accuracy with respect to the conveyance direction. Any means can be used as long as it can be positioned in a substantially orthogonal state. The half-folded portion of the booklet that has been saddle-stitched and folded is substantially straight compared to the fact that the fore edge is a free end and tends to be uneven. Therefore, the booklet is prevented from being bent and positioned by making the middle folded portion of the booklet contact the contact member, so that the booklet can be positioned with high accuracy.

  The booklet pressing mechanism described above is the most important mechanism in the present invention, and each pressing means included in the mechanism has a booklet surface on the non-mounting side in the vicinity of the center folded portion of the booklet positioned for cutting. The booklet has a function of holding the booklet so that it does not shift during cutting by abutting and sequentially pressing in the vicinity of the small edge part. Then, when pressing the booklet, first press the vicinity of the middle folded portion of the booklet by the middle folded portion pressing means, then press the booklet surface by the booklet surface pressing means, and finally press the booklet surface near the small edge portion of the booklet. By pressing, even if wrinkles or slack remain in the middle fold or on the booklet surface, the remaining wrinkles or slack will remain in the booklet near the middle fold or on the booklet surface before cutting. It can be removed by moving sequentially.

An example of the appearance of a booklet applicable to the booklet cutting apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to an example, and a series of processes before the booklet pressing mechanism in the present invention operates will be described.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the booklet 8 that is saddle-stitched and folded as described above. The booklet 8 is, for example, a half-folded portion that is folded in the middle after a plurality of sheet materials are saddle-stitched by the staple 9 by a saddle stitching and folding device that is arranged in a subsequent stage such as a copying machine and is placed in the preceding stage of the booklet cutting apparatus. It is formed as an unbound booklet having 8a, a fore edge portion 8b, and a bulging portion 8c. As described above, the booklet 8 that is not bound is in an irregular state in the vicinity of the outer side of the fore edge 8b.

  The unbound booklet 8 is sent to the booklet cutting apparatus after the saddle stitching and folding process, and is conveyed to the booklet positioning means by a booklet conveying means having a conveying belt like a conveyor, for example. Then, the conveyed booklet 8 is adjusted in posture by the middle folding portion 8a coming into contact with a contact member such as a stopper provided in the booklet positioning means. After that, the booklet 8 is positioned so as to be in a state substantially orthogonal to the transport direction.

Next, a booklet pressing operation to which the booklet pressing mechanism according to the present invention is applied will be described with reference to a specific example.
The booklet 8 positioned as described above is then pressed and held so as not to move during cutting by a booklet pressing cutting unit having a booklet pressing mechanism, for example, having a main configuration as shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing an example of a booklet pressing and cutting unit for explaining a series of operation processes for positioning the booklet 8 at a cutting position, pressing and holding it, and cutting the fore edge portion 8b. is there. Further, in FIG. 1, the booklet 8 is clarified by hatching the substance.

  The booklet pressing cutting unit shown in FIG. 1 includes a pressing member 1 corresponding to a half-folded portion pressing unit, a pressing member 2 corresponding to a booklet surface pressing unit, and a pressing member 3 corresponding to a fore edge pressing unit. The press member 1 can press the vicinity of the middle folded portion 8 a of the booklet 8, the press member 2 can press the non-mounting-side booklet surface having the bulging portion 8 c of the booklet 8, and the press member 3 The vicinity of the fore edge 8b of the booklet 8 can be pressed. Further, the booklet pressing / cutting unit includes a booklet transport unit having a transport member 4 for placing and transporting the booklet 8, a booklet positioning unit having a booklet contact member 5 for positioning the booklet 8, A movable blade 6 and a fixed blade 7 for cutting the fore edge 8b are provided.

Using the booklet pressing cutting unit including the pressing members 1 to 3 described above, the booklet pressing operation according to the present invention can be performed by the following procedure, for example.
In this booklet press cutting unit, as shown in FIG. 1A, the booklet 8 sent from the direction indicated by the arrow 13 has been moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 11 in advance to position the booklet 8. The booklet abutting member 5 is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow 12 until the center folding portion 8a on the front side in the conveying direction comes into contact with the booklet abutting member 5 and is positioned at the cutting position.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the booklet 8 that has been conveyed and positioned contacts the booklet surface on the non-mounting side of the booklet 8 by the pressing member 1 that has moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 14. The vicinity of the middle folded portion 8a is pressed first. By this first pressing operation, the inside of the booklet 8 in the vicinity of the center folding portion 8a can be made substantially free of voids, and the inside of the booklet 8 in the vicinity of the bulging portion 8c is slightly crushed. Can do. Then, the booklet 8 pressed in this way tends to be in a state where the bulging portion 8c that it had before pressing is shifted to the fore edge portion 8b and has a new bulging portion 8c '. At this time, even if wrinkles and slack remain before pressing in the vicinity of the middle folded portion 8a or the swollen portion 8c of the booklet 8, these wrinkles and slack can also move to the fore edge 8b side. For example, it remains in the vicinity of the new bulge 8c ′ or is removed from the booklet 8.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1C, the booklet 8 in which the vicinity of the center folding portion 8 a is pressed is moved to the direction indicated by the arrows 15 a and 15 b, and the booklet surface on the non-mounting side of the booklet 8. The booklet surface having the bulging portion 8c ′ is pressed next to the vicinity of the center folding portion 8a. By this pressing operation, the inside of the booklet 8 in the vicinity of the bulging portion 8 c ′ of the booklet 8 can be made substantially free of voids. At this time, even if wrinkles and slack remain in the booklet 8 after the press in the vicinity of the first center folded portion 8a, these wrinkles and slack can be transferred to the small edge portion 8b side by the pressing by the pressing member 2, so that the booklet 8 Can remove wrinkles and sagging.

  Further, after that, the booklet 8 that has no wrinkles or slack on the booklet surface by the pressing operation by the pressing member 1 and the pressing member 2 is indicated by an arrow 16 as shown in FIG. The pressing member 3 moved in the direction abuts against the booklet surface of the booklet 8 on the non-mounting side, and the booklet surface is pressed from the vicinity of the center folding portion 8a of the booklet 8, and finally the vicinity of the small edge portion 8b is pressed. By a series of pressing operations sequentially from the vicinity of the center folding portion 8a to the booklet surface and the vicinity of the fore edge portion 8b, the booklet surface does not have wrinkles or slack, and the booklet 8 has substantially no gap. Thus, the booklet 8 can be pressed and held.

  The booklet 8 pressed and held by the series of pressing operations described above is, as shown in FIG. 1 (d), the small edge portion 8b while being pressed and held by the movable blade 6 moved from the direction indicated by the arrow 17. In the end, the movable blade 6 is completely meshed with the fixed blade 7 so that the fore edge 8b is completely cut, resulting in the fore edge 8b ′ in which the cut ends are evenly aligned.

  After that, the booklet 8 ′ bound with the fore edge portion 8b ′ has moved the movable blade 6, the pressing members 1 to 3, and the booklet contact member 5 for the pressing operation and the cutting operation. By sequentially moving in directions opposite to the directions indicated by arrows 17, 16, 15a and 15b, 14, and 11, respectively, the pressed and released state is released. Then, by driving the transport member 4 again, the bound booklet 8 ′ is transported in the direction indicated by the arrow 18 and discharged to the subsequent stage of the booklet press cutting unit.

Next, a preferable configuration in the present invention will be described.
In the present invention, the booklet surface pressing means is, for example, a pressing means corresponding to the pressing member 2 shown in FIG. 1, but may be a booklet surface pressing means capable of sequentially pressing the booklet surface toward the small edge side. desirable. For example, in the pressing operation of the booklet 8 by the pressing member 2 shown in FIG. 1, the pressing operation having a time difference is performed so that the pressing operation indicated by the arrow 15b is performed after the pressing operation indicated by the arrow 15a. By sequentially pressing from the folded portion 8a side toward the small edge portion 8b side, even if wrinkles and slack remain before pressing, these wrinkles and slack can be more reliably transferred to the small edge portion 8b side. Thus, wrinkles and sagging can be more reliably removed from the booklet 8.

  Further, the booklet surface pressing means, for example, will be described with reference to FIG. 1C. When pressing, the side indicated by the arrow 15a of the pressing member 2 freely moves in the pressing direction and the separating direction with respect to the booklet 8 within a predetermined range. It is desirable to be able to do so, and even if there is a difference in the thickness or swelling of the booklet 8, it can be dealt with suitably. On the other hand, it is desirable to provide a pressing roller or the like that can be supported on the side indicated by the arrow 15b of the pressing member 2 as if the booklet surface having the bulging portion 8c is clamped in cooperation with the conveying member. Even if there is a difference in the external shape of the booklet 8, the booklet 8 can be suitably handled, and the booklet 8 can be transported more reliably. In addition, the configuration relating to the placement and transport of the booklet 8 can be further simplified.

  Further, for example, the booklet on the non-placement side of the booklet 8 is placed when the booklet 8 is placed and transported by narrowing the gap between the pressing member 2 and the transport member 4 by a predetermined amount from the thickness of the bulging portion 8c of the booklet 8. The surface is rubbed as if it is stroked from the middle folded portion 8a side toward the fore edge portion 8b side, and even if wrinkles or slack remain on the booklet surface, it can be more reliably removed. .

  Further, it is desirable that the booklet abutting member that comes into contact with the booklet included in the booklet surface pressing means is made of a material having elasticity and flexibility within a predetermined range. Appropriately adapting to the external shape such as thickness and bulge can be dealt with, so that wrinkles and slack on the booklet surface can be removed more reliably.

  In the present invention, the press near the fore edge of the booklet may be immediately before cutting. In the case of such a configuration, the fore edge pressing means in the present invention is a pressing means corresponding to the pressing member 3 shown in FIG. 1, for example, but the cutting operation of the movable blade can be a trigger for the pressing operation. For example, the fore edge pressing means that is driven before the movable blade starts cutting the fore edge by starting the pressing operation by the fore edge pressing means using a control signal for starting the cutting operation for the movable edge, etc. Thus, the vicinity of the fore edge can be pressed.

  Further, in pressing the vicinity of the small edge portion of the booklet, it is important that the booklet can be pressed and held so that the booklet does not move during cutting of the small edge portion. Therefore, in the present invention, it is desirable that the fore edge pressing means presses within 2 mm from the position corresponding to the cut end of the fore edge where the movable blade contacts and cuts. As a configuration for this purpose, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a hemming curved plate 10 formed by a bending process or the like generally called hemming bending is applied to a booklet abutting member that abuts against a booklet included in the fore edge pressing means. Can be put to practical use. Further, by applying a booklet contact member whose contact portion that actually contacts the booklet has a shape like the hemming curved plate 10, it is possible to press the vicinity of the cutting edge in a state close to surface contact or line contact. Therefore, it is possible to increase the pressing force on the booklet with a simple configuration, which is effective for preventing the booklet from shifting during cutting. The above-described range corresponding to within 2 mm corresponds to the range indicated by the dimension 19 in FIG. Further, a more desirable pressing portion in the vicinity of the fore edge is within 1.0 mm, and further, pressing a portion very close to the cutting edge, such as within 0.5 mm.

  Further, in the present invention, the half-folded portion pressing means and the booklet surface pressing means can press the booklet by holding it with the booklet conveying means, and the small edge pressing means presses the booklet with the fixed blade. can do. As described above, for example, by having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 as the configuration related to the placement and conveyance of the booklet and the press-holding, the booklet cutting apparatus can be realized with a simple configuration.

Hereinafter, a post-processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a trimmer apparatus) equipped with the booklet cutting apparatus of the present invention will be described as a specific example with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 4 shows a saddle stitching / folding apparatus, which is one of post-processing apparatuses disposed in a subsequent stage such as a copying machine, which is another post-processing apparatus for performing a saddle stitching process and a folding process on a plurality of sheet materials. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the trimmer apparatus 20 which is arrange | positioned and used in the back | latter stage (not shown) and mounts the booklet cutting apparatus of this invention. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of the transport positioning press device 40 and the cutting device 50 corresponding to the booklet cutting device of the present invention in the trimmer device 20 shown in FIG. However, in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the illustration of the booklet is omitted to clarify the device configuration. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a series of operation processes related to the booklet cutting process using the trimmer device 20 shown in FIG.

  The trimmer device 20 mentioned as a specific example has, as a main configuration, a supply for supplying a saddle-stitched and folded booklet (not shown) conveyed from the saddle stitching and folding device to the inside of the device. An apparatus 30, a conveyance positioning and pressing apparatus 40 for conveying the booklet, positioning it at a cutting position, pressing and holding it, and a cutting apparatus 50 for cutting a small edge of the booklet positioned at the cutting position. In addition, an aligning device 60 is provided for storing and storing booklets that have been bound and cut out from the conveyance positioning and pressing device 40 by cutting the edge portion.

Further, the booklet processed by the trimmer device 20 has the same form as the saddle-stitched and folded booklet 8 shown in FIG. 2, and has a folded portion 8a, a fore edge portion 8b, and a bulge made of a plurality of sheet materials. A booklet having part 8c was used. Therefore, as for the booklet 8, the names and corresponding numbers shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are used in the following description unless otherwise specified.
Hereinafter, a specific operation of the trimmer device 20 will be described along a series of operation processes shown in FIG.

Operation (1): Positioning of movable stopper As a first operation, the trimmer device 20 performs an operation of moving the movable stopper 41 provided in the conveyance positioning pressing device 40 to position it at a predetermined position. This operation is an operation performed before the unbound booklet 8 (not shown) is conveyed to the supply device 30 based on the dimension information of the booklet obtained in advance. At this time, as a predetermined position for positioning the movable stopper 41, a position where the small edge portion 8b of the booklet 8 can be cut to a predetermined size when the center folding portion 8a abuts and the conveyance of the booklet 8 is stopped is set. . The movable stopper 41 serves as a booklet abutting member that abuts the middle folded portion 8a of the booklet 8 and positions the booklet 8 at the cutting position. The movable stopper 41 has two claw portions, and the claw portions are provided on both sides of the central folding portion 8a. Can abut.

Operation (2): Conveying and Supplying Booklet Next, as a second operation, the trimmer device 20 removes the booklet 8 that has been conveyed from the preceding saddle stitching and folding device to the supply port 31 with the middle folding portion 8a at the front side. Then, the feeding device 30 performs the operation of drawing into the trimmer device 20 and further carrying it into the carrying positioning pressing device 40. This operation is performed by driving the transport unit 32 and pulling the booklet 8 from the supply port 31 onto the placement surface 32 a, and then the transport unit included in the transport positioning and pressing device 40 based on the detection information that the booklet 8 has reached the sensor 33. 42 is a series of operations for driving the booklet 8 and transporting the booklet 8 on the transport belt 42a. At this time, the booklet 8 passes through the cutting device 50 in which the fore edge presser 51 and the movable blade 52 are stopped at the standby position so as not to interfere with the booklet 8, and the transport belt 42 a and the presser roller 43 in the transport positioning press device 40. Was transferred to the space formed by the opposite.

  Further, the movement information of the transport unit 32 and the transport unit 42 is collected from the time when the detection information from the sensor 33 is obtained, and the booklet 8 can be transported into the transport positioning and pressing device 40 set in advance. Immediately after the amount of movement reached, a control command was given to the transport unit 32 and the transport unit 42 to control the deceleration and stop later. After the operations of the transport unit 32 and the transport unit 42 were stopped, the booklet 8 was supported so as to be sandwiched between the transport belt 42 a and the pressing roller 43.

Operation (3): Positioning of Booklet After the booklet 8 is supported as described above, an operation of positioning the booklet 8 at the cutting position is performed as a third operation. In this operation, the transport unit 42 is driven again, the booklet 8 is moved toward the movable stopper 41, the center folding portion 8a of the booklet 8 is brought into contact with the movable stopper 41, and the booklet 8 is positioned and stopped at the cutting position. This is the action to be performed. The booklet 8 placed on the transport belt 42 may be slightly bent without being orthogonal to the transport direction before contacting the movable stopper 41. In such a case, the movement information of the transport unit 42 is collected based on the detection information that the booklet 8 has reached the sensor 44 disposed in front of the movable stopper 41, and the collected movement information has reached a predetermined amount. The posture of the booklet 8 can be corrected by giving a control command to the transport unit 42 and controlling it to decelerate and stop later.

Operation (4): Pressing and holding the folded portion and the booklet surface Next, as a fourth operation, the booklet 8 positioned at the cutting position by the movable stopper 41 is kept from leaving wrinkles and slack in the booklet 8, and The most important operation for pressing the booklet 8 with a suitable pressing force to bring the sheet materials into close contact with each other is performed so that the booklet 8 does not move during cutting. This operation is an operation of pressing the booklet 8 stopped at the movable stopper 41 in the transport positioning and pressing device 40 from the booklet surface side which is the non-loading side with respect to the transport belt 42a, and is on the side of the center folding portion 8a. In this operation, the booklet 8 is held by sequentially pressing from the side toward the fore edge 8b.

  As an actual operation, first, the middle folding part presser 45 is moved and brought into contact with the booklet surface, and the middle folding part presser 45 is further moved as it is, so that the vicinity of the middle folding part 8a corresponds to the form of the booklet 8. Pressing with an appropriate amount of pressing force. At this time, the bulging portion 8c of the booklet 8 shifted to the small edge portion 8b side, and a bulging portion 8c 'in a state in which the sheet material on the outermost surface side slightly sagged was formed. The driving source of the folded portion presser 45 and the movable stopper 41 is configured to use the same motor (not shown), and a control means using the amount of movement from the origin return position is applied. In order to perform the fourth operation after performing one operation, the middle fold presser 45 is moved by further rotating the motor in the same direction from the current position.

Then, following the pressing in the vicinity of the center folding portion 8a, the booklet surface retainer 46 is moved and brought into contact with the bulging portion 8c ′, and the booklet surface retainer 46 is further moved to crush the bulging portion 8c ′. The booklet surface was pressed. At this time, the booklet surface presser 46 is moved so that the side of the folded portion 8a precedes, and thereby the increase in the pressing force applied to the booklet surface by the booklet surface retainer 46 is substantially increased on the side of the folded portion 8a. I did it. Further, a pressing force is gradually applied toward the small opening 8b side while applying a pressing force in the vicinity of the center folding portion 8a. Finally, the booklet is substantially made with an appropriate amount of pressing force according to the form of the booklet 8. The entire surface was pressed.
In this way, by pressing the booklet surface next to the center folding portion 8a, the respective sheet materials forming the booklet 8 can be brought into close contact with each other, and the inside of the booklet 8 can be brought into a state having almost no gap. .

Operation (5): Pressing and cutting of the small edge portion Next, as a fifth operation, the booklet 8 in a state of pressing the center folding portion 8a and the booklet surface is pressed and held near the small edge portion 8b before cutting. After that, the movable blade 52 is driven and engaged with the fixed blade 53 to cut the fore edge 8b. In the operation of pressing the vicinity of the fore edge 8b, it is preferable to press as close as possible to the position corresponding to the cutting point where the cutting edge of the movable blade 52 actually contacts (hereinafter referred to as cutting line). On the other hand, by moving the fore edge presser 51 provided in the cutting device 50 so as to abut in the state close to the line contact and press the very vicinity of the cutting line, it is approximately 0.3 to 0.8 mm apart from the cutting line. The vicinity of the fore edge 8b was pressed so that the fore edge presser 51 was in contact with the range. By this pressing operation, it was possible to make the respective sheet materials substantially completely in close contact with each other even in the vicinity of the fore edge portion 8b and the cutting line so that there is no gap inside the booklet 8.

  Then, following the pressing operation in the vicinity of the edge portion 8b, that is, in the vicinity of the cutting line, the movable blade 52 having a cutting edge line like a guillotine blade provided in the cutting device 50 is driven, and the center folding portion 8a, the booklet surface, and the edge portion are driven. The operation of cutting the fore edge 8b of the booklet 8 with the 8b being pressed and held was performed. The cutting edge of the movable blade 52 moved for cutting comes into contact with one end side of the fore edge portion 8b to start cutting the fore edge portion 8b, and in the process of sequentially cutting the fore edge portion 8b toward the other end side. The movable blade 52 and the fixed blade 53 are completely engaged with each other, and the small edge portion 8b can be cut with a cutting line. By this cutting operation, the uneven fore edge 8b could be formed into the fore edge 8b 'in a uniform state.

Operation (6): Booklet Transport and Discharge Thereafter, as a sixth operation, the booklet 8 'cut and bound by the edge portion 8b is moved again through the transport unit 42 and discharged to the alignment device 60, and the booklet 8' is aligned. The operation of storing on the device 60 is performed. In this operation, the cutting blade 50 moves the movable blade 52 to return to the standby position, and the conveyance positioning pressing device 40 moves the half-fold portion presser 45, the booklet surface presser 46, and the movable stopper 41, respectively, to the standby position. After securing the conveyance space of the booklet 8 ′ by returning to the above, the conveyance unit 42 is driven to convey the booklet 8 ′ placed on the conveyance belt 42a and discharged from the discharge port 48 to the alignment device 60. This is an operation of storing the discharged booklet 8 ′ on the aligning device 60. In addition, when a plurality of booklets are bound continuously, an operation of aligning and storing the plurality of booklets discharged on the aligning device 60 while continuously storing them is performed.

  At this time, in the above-described transporting and discharging operation of the booklet 8 ′, the transporting unit 61 is driven in advance based on the detection information that the booklet 8 ′ has reached the sensor 47, and the booklet 8 ′ transported and discharged by the transporting unit 42. Was controlled so as to be placed on the placement surface 61 a of the transport unit 61. Also, the transport unit 61 is continuously moved while collecting the movement information of the transport unit 61 based on the detection information from the sensor 47, and immediately after reaching a predetermined movement amount set in advance, the transport unit 61 stops. A command was given to control movement to stop.

  Further, the booklet 8 ′ discharged from the discharge port 48 may be in a state in which the fore edge portion 8 b ′ is open depending on the manner of saddle stitching and folding. In such a case, the predetermined movement amount in the transport unit 61 is set so that the booklet presser lever 62 contacts the booklet surface of the booklet 8 ′ while contacting the vicinity of the small edge portion 8b ′, whereby the small edge portion 8b ′ is substantially closed. It is desirable to set so that the booklet 8 'can be stopped at a position where it can be brought into a state. Therefore, the predetermined amount of movement is also set in the trimmer device 20 as described above. As a result, the booklet stored first is not in the state where the fore edge is open, and even if the next booklet is stored following the previous booklet, the next booklet is stored so as to overlap the previous booklet, There was no alignment problem at the time of storing such that the folded portion of the next booklet entered the small edge of the previous booklet.

  As described above, by using the trimmer device 20 on which the conveyance positioning press device 40 and the cutting device 50 corresponding to the booklet cutting device of the present invention are mounted, a plurality of sheet materials are saddle-stitched and folded. The booklet 8 having the middle folded portion could be positioned and held without leaving any wrinkles or slack before cutting the small edge portion 8b. Then, it was confirmed that the booklet 8 can be cut without moving in the subsequent cutting of the fore edge portion 8b. As a result, it was possible to obtain a booklet that was bound in a good state in which defects such as folding and irregular cutting edges were not recognized.

1-3. 3. pressing member; 4. conveying member, 5. Booklet contact member, Movable blade, 6a. Side, 6b. Cutting waste removing member, 6c. Flank, 7 Fixed blade, 8, 8 '. Booklet, 8a. Middle folded part, 8b, 8b '. Fore edge, 8c, 8c '. 8. bulge, Staple, 10. Hemming curved plate, 11-14, 15a, 15b, 16-18. Arrow, 19. Dimensions, 20. Trimmer device, 30. Feeding device, 31. Supply port, 32. Transport unit, 32a. Placement surface, 33. Sensor, 40. Conveying positioning pressing device, 41. Movable stopper, 42. Transport unit, 42a. Placement surface, 43. Presser roller, 44. Sensor, 45. Middle fold part presser, 46. Booklet presser, 47. Sensor, 48. Outlet, 50. Cutting apparatus 51. Small foot presser, 52. Movable blade, 53. Fixed blade, 60. Alignment device 61. Transport unit, 61a. Placement surface, 62. Booklet presser lever

Claims (5)

  A booklet cutting apparatus that cuts a small edge portion of a booklet having a center folded portion made of a plurality of sheet materials by a fixed blade arranged orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the booklet and a movable blade meshing with the fixed blade, The booklet cutting device includes a booklet conveying unit that places and conveys the booklet, a booklet positioning unit that contacts and positions the folded portion of the booklet that is conveyed, and presses the vicinity of the folded portion of the positioned booklet. And a booklet pressing mechanism including a booklet pressing mechanism that presses the booklet surface on the non-mounting side of the booklet, and a small edge pressing means that presses the vicinity of the small edge. After the booklet is positioned, the booklet surface is pressed next to the vicinity of the center folded portion, and the vicinity of the fore edge is pressed before cutting.   The booklet cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the booklet surface pressing unit sequentially presses the booklet surface toward the fore edge.   The booklet cutting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fore edge pressing means starts a pressing operation by a cutting operation of the movable blade and presses the vicinity of the fore edge before cutting.   The booklet cutting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fore edge pressing means presses within 2 mm from a position corresponding to the cutting end of the fore edge.   The center folding part pressing means and the booklet surface pressing means sandwich and press the booklet with the booklet conveying means, and the fore edge pressing means sandwiches and presses the booklet with the fixed blade. The booklet cutting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.