JP2013119454A - Envelope preparing system - Google Patents

Abstract

When an overload occurs in a device when folding the content paper, the overload is judged at an early stage and the content paper to be folded is discharged as an abnormal material, thereby causing a conveyance failure or damage to the device. Provide a sealed letter creation system that prevents the occurrence of
An envelope creation system includes a content formation unit 55 that folds a printed content sheet to form the content, and an envelope formation that folds the printed envelope paper to form an envelope while enclosing the content. Unit 85. The content forming unit 55 is based on the thickness detection unit 60 that detects the thickness of the content paper, the abutting member 69 that switches between folding and discharging the content paper P1, and the detection result detected by the thickness detection unit 60. And a drive control unit for controlling the operation of the abutting member 69.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealed letter creation system for creating a sealed letter containing a printed material.

  In recent years, with the expansion of the use of sealed letters such as direct mail, various developments have been made on sealed letter creation systems. As an example, a conventional general sealed letter creating apparatus constituting the sealed letter creating system will be briefly described as follows.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a general envelope creation apparatus is provided with a content forming unit that folds a content sheet to form the content and an envelope formation unit that folds the envelope sheet to form an envelope in the apparatus casing. . A content transport unit is provided on the inlet side of the envelope forming unit, and the content transport unit is preliminarily configured so that the content fed from the content forming unit is sealed in the envelope paper being folded. It sends out to the envelope formation part side at the set fixed sending timing. Furthermore, a sealing part is provided on the outlet side of the envelope forming part, and this sealing part seals the envelope sent out from the envelope forming part in a state where the contents are enclosed.

  In such a general sealed letter creating apparatus, the contents are formed by the contents forming section and sent out to the contents conveying section. In addition, after the envelope sheet is aligned in the left-right direction of the envelope sheet (the sheet width direction orthogonal to the transport direction), the envelope sheet is bent by the envelope forming unit to form the envelope, and the envelope sheet is sent to the sealed unit side. During the folding of the envelope paper by the envelope forming unit, the contents are sent to the envelope forming unit side by a predetermined delivery timing by the content conveying unit, so that the envelope is moved to the sealing unit side with the contents sealed. Send it out. Further, by sealing the envelope with the sealing portion, the preparation of the sealed letter is completed, and the sealed matter is discharged from the discharge port side and put into the accommodating portion.

  By the way, in the conventional general sealed letter making apparatus, when folding the content sheets, the load generated in the folding mechanism greatly fluctuates due to the combination of the number and thickness of the content sheets, and the folding mechanism is overloaded. It is possible that a malfunction will occur.

  As a countermeasure for this, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the load current value flowing through the folding mechanism exceeds a predetermined value, the number of folding operations by the folding roller is increased, and the booklet looks good, Alternatively, it is disclosed that bookbinding can be made.

JP 2005-89063 A

  However, Patent Document 1 aims to improve the finish of a sheet bundle by reliably folding even if an overload occurs. A conveyance failure (such as a paper jam) or a device caused by the occurrence of an overload is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Damage is not considered. It is important to prevent such failures and damages from occurring due to overload.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when an overload occurs in the apparatus when folding the content sheet, the overload is judged at an early stage and the content sheet to be folded is changed to an abnormal object. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sealed letter preparation system that prevents the occurrence of a conveyance failure or damage to the apparatus by being discharged.

  In order to achieve the above object, the first feature of the envelope creation system according to the present invention is that content forming means for forming a content by folding the printed content paper, and folding the printed envelope paper. An envelope forming means for forming a sealed letter while enclosing the contents, wherein the contents forming means comprises a thickness detecting means for detecting the thickness of the contents paper, and the contents Switching means for switching whether the sheet is conveyed to a folding portion or whether the content sheet is discharged to a predetermined discharge portion, and control for controlling the switching portion based on a detection result detected by the thickness detection portion Means.

  A second feature of the sealed letter preparation system according to the present invention is that the control means bends the content sheet when the thickness does not exceed a threshold value, and discharges the content sheet when the thickness exceeds the threshold value. It is to control the switching means.

  According to a third feature of the sealed letter preparation system according to the present invention, the content forming unit includes a nip roller pair as a nip unit before folding that nips the content sheet before folding, and the thickness detecting unit includes It is to measure the amount of movement of the rollers constituting the nip roller pair, or to detect the thickness of the content sheet based on the driving state of a driving mechanism that rotationally drives the nip roller pair.

  A fourth feature of the sealed letter preparation system according to the present invention is that the thickness detected by the thickness detecting means continuously exceeds a threshold value a predetermined number of times, and contains content sheets of the same size. When the paper feeding from other paper feeding cassettes is impossible, the control means controls to stop the creation of the sealed letter.

  According to the first feature of the sealed letter creation system according to the present invention, switching between whether the content sheet is conveyed to the bent portion or discharged to the predetermined discharge portion is performed based on the detection result detected by the thickness detecting means. Therefore, if an overload occurs in the device when folding the content paper, the overload is judged at an early stage, and the content paper to be folded is discharged as an abnormal object. It can be set as the sealed letter preparation system which prevented that damage arises.

  According to the second feature of the sealed letter creation system according to the present invention, the switching of the switching means is controlled depending on whether or not the thickness detected by the thickness detecting means exceeds a threshold value, so that the apparatus configuration is simple. .

  According to the third feature of the sealed letter creation system according to the present invention, to detect the thickness of the content sheet, the amount of movement of the roller is measured, or the detection is based on the driving state of the driving mechanism, Therefore, it is not necessary to install a new measuring instrument, which contributes to downsizing of the apparatus.

  According to the fourth feature of the sealed letter creating system according to the present invention, if an accidental failure occurs, the content sheet that caused the accident can be discharged and the sealed letter can be continuously created. The number of times to stop making the sealed letter can be greatly reduced.

It is a typical front view explaining that the contents paper is sealed with envelope paper in the sealed letter making system according to the first embodiment. It is a block diagram of the sealed letter preparation system which concerns on 1st, 2nd embodiment. It is a typical side view which shows the content formation part of the sealed letter preparation system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a side view explaining discharging the contents paper judged to be abnormal in the contents forming part of the sealed letter creation system according to the first and second embodiments. It is a flowchart figure explaining operation | movement of the sealed letter production system which concerns on 1st Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the following description, any size paper can be applied. In the following embodiments, printing is performed by, for example, stencil printing or inkjet, but printing may be performed by other methods, and the printing format is not particularly limited in the present invention. Further, the number of types of printed materials to be sealed (number of printed materials) is not particularly limited.

  In addition, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and the dimensional ratios and the like are different from actual ones. Therefore, specific dimensional ratios and the like should be determined in consideration of the following description. Of course, the drawings include portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios.

  The following embodiments are exemplifications for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention are described below in terms of the material, shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of the components. It is not something specific. The embodiments of the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

[First Embodiment]
First, the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view for explaining that a content sheet is sealed with an envelope sheet in the sealed letter creation system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the sealed letter creation system according to the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the main components in explaining the present embodiment, and the other components are omitted. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the content forming unit of the sealed letter creating apparatus of the sealed letter creating system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining that the contents forming unit of the sealed letter creating apparatus of the sealed letter creating system according to the present embodiment discharges the contents paper determined to be abnormal.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a sealed letter creating system 1 according to the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 3 and a sealed letter creating apparatus 5. The image forming apparatus 3 performs printing on the content paper P1 and the envelope paper P2, and forms the content B and the envelope E from the plurality of printed content paper P1 and envelope paper P2, respectively. This is a system for producing a sealed letter M by forming an envelope in an enclosed state. In other words, the envelope creation system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 3 that performs printing on the contents sheet P1 and the envelope sheet P2, and an envelope creation apparatus (sealed letter preparation apparatus) 5 provided at a position adjacent to the image formation apparatus 3. It consists of a combination. Here, the envelope creation device 5 forms the contents B and the envelope from the plurality of printed content sheets P1 and the envelope sheet P2, respectively, and puts the contents B in the envelope, thereby making the envelope M is produced.

(Image forming device)
The image forming apparatus 3 includes an image forming apparatus casing 7 (hereinafter referred to as an apparatus casing 7 as appropriate), and image data (content image data and envelope image data) is stored in the apparatus casing 7. Is provided with an ink jet printing section 9 for printing on the contents paper P1 and the envelope paper P2. The printing unit 9 includes a plurality of line-type ink heads 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D that discharge black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks. In the apparatus housing 7, a loop-shaped print conveyance path 13 for conveying the content paper P <b> 1 and the envelope paper P <b> 2 is provided so as to surround the printing unit 9.

  Below the printing unit 9 in the apparatus housing 7, a plurality of content sheet feeding units 15 that sequentially feed the content sheet P1 to the printing unit 9 side (printing conveyance path 13 side) are arranged in the vertical direction. It is provided in the shape. Each content paper feed unit 15 includes a paper feed tray 17 on which the content paper P1 is stacked.

  In addition, a paper feed transport path 21 for transporting the content paper P1 to the printing unit 9 side is provided in the left portion of the apparatus housing 7 in the figure. The paper feed transport path 21 has a plurality of branches. It has a portion 21a. Further, the end of each branch portion 21a of the paper feed transport path 21 is connected to the corresponding content paper feed section 15, and the end of the paper feed transport path 21 on the downstream side in the transport direction is the print transport path. 13 is connected.

  An envelope paper feeding unit 23 for feeding the envelope paper P2 to the printing unit 9 side (printing conveyance path 13 side) is provided on the left side of the apparatus housing 7 in the figure. A paper feed tray 25 for loading envelope paper P2 is provided. In addition, a paper feed transport path 29 for transporting the envelope paper P2 to the printing section 9 side is provided in the left part of the apparatus housing 7 in the figure, and the paper feed transport path 29 on the upstream side in the transport direction. The end is connected to the envelope paper feed unit 23, and the end of the paper feed conveyance path 29 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction is connected to the print conveyance path 13.

  In the upper left portion of the print conveyance path 13 in the figure, a cassette 31 is provided for temporarily storing the content paper P1 and the envelope paper P2. In addition, a switchback conveyance path 33 is provided for reversing the contents sheet P1 and the envelope sheet P2 from the left side of the apparatus housing 7 to the inside of the cassette 31 and conveying them to the printing unit 9 side. The entrance / exit of the switchback transport path 33 can be connected to and disconnected from the print transport path 13 by the operation of a switchback flapper (not shown).

  Further, the image forming apparatus 3 is provided with a communication conveyance path 35 for conveying the content paper P1 and the envelope paper P2 sent out from the printing conveyance path 13 to the sealed letter creating apparatus 5 side. The upstream end of the transport direction 35 can be connected to and disconnected from the print transport path 13 by the operation of a communication flapper (not shown).

  An image forming controller 37 is provided at an appropriate position in the apparatus housing 7, and this image forming controller 37 performs operations of the printing unit 9, the content paper feeding unit 15, the envelope paper feeding unit 23, and the like. It is something to control. The image forming controller 37 includes a memory that stores a control program related to image formation and a CPU that executes a control program related to image formation. Further, an operation panel 39 is provided on the upper portion of the apparatus housing 7. The PC screen 40 of the PC on which the operation panel 39 and the printer driver are installed (see FIG. 2, the screen of a personal computer connected to the outside) is the information regarding the contents B, and the dimensions of the contents and a plurality of contents sheets to be folded. A threshold value of the thickness of P1 and the like can be input, and a form pattern as information on the envelope E can be input, and is electrically connected to the image forming controller 37 and the envelope creation controller 119. In the envelope creation system 1, information related to the contents B and the envelope E can be input through the PC screen 40, and information related to the contents B and the envelope E can be input from the operation panel 39.

(Sealed letter making device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the sealed letter creating apparatus 5 in the sealed letter creating system 1 includes a sealed letter creating apparatus casing 41 (hereinafter, referred to as an apparatus casing 41 as appropriate). An upper portion of the apparatus housing 41 is provided with a storage portion (paper discharge portion) 42 in which a sealed letter M discharged from an envelope conveyance path 49 described later is stored. In the upper part of the device housing 41, a part of the device housing 41 is recessed, and the enclosure 42 is formed by a fence 42f standing at this portion.

  Further, an introduction conveyance path 43 for conveying the printed content sheet P1 and envelope sheet P2 sent from the communication conveyance path 35 (image forming apparatus 3) in the right direction of the drawing is provided in the apparatus casing 41. The end of the introduction transport path 43 on the upstream side in the transport direction is connected to the downstream end (front end) of the communication transport path 35.

  A content paper transport path 45 for transporting printed content paper P1 and the like (including content B) is provided in the apparatus housing 41, and an upstream end of the content paper transport path 45 The portion (base end portion) can be connected to and disconnected from the downstream end of the introduction conveyance path 43 in the conveyance direction by the operation of the sealing flapper.

(Bending content paper)
An alignment unit 51 is provided in the middle of the content sheet conveyance path 45, and the alignment unit 51 accumulates and aligns a plurality of printed content sheets P1 sent out from the introduction conveyance path 43. Is. The alignment unit 51 includes an alignment gate (standby gate) 53 that waits for a plurality of printed content sheets P1. The alignment gate 53 opens and closes the content sheet conveyance path 45. Can be switched to.

  A content forming unit 55 is provided on the exit side (downstream side) of the alignment unit 51 in the content sheet conveyance path 45, and the content formation unit 55 includes a plurality of aligned units sent out from the alignment unit 51. A sheet of content paper P1 (hereinafter referred to as content paper or content paper P1 as appropriate) is folded to form a folded content B. And the specific structure of the content formation part 55 is as follows.

  A main folding roller 57 is provided as a driving roller on the exit side of the aligning unit 51, and an introduction roller 59 that introduces the content paper P <b> 1 from the content paper conveyance path 45 at a position adjacent to the main folding roller 57. Is provided as a driven roller. Further, a guide plate 61 that guides the content sheet P <b> 1 introduced by the main folding roller 57 and the introduction roller 59 is provided on the downstream side of the main folding roller 57 in the transport direction. Further, an abutting member 63 is provided which hits the leading edge of the content paper P1 and gives a slack near the folding line P1a of the content paper P1. The abutting member 63 is provided so that its position can be adjusted along the guide plate 61.

  The content forming portion 55 is provided with an intermediate roller 65 as a driven roller adjacent to the main folding roller 57, and the intermediate roller 65 is slackened in the vicinity of the folding line P1a of the content paper P1. The first folding of the content paper P1 is performed by folding the content paper P1 from the folding line P1a in cooperation with the main folding roller 57.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the sealed letter creating device 5 includes a drive control unit 124 that adjusts the position of the abutting member 63. That is, the content forming unit 55 includes a bump member driving unit 86a (see FIG. 2) that adjusts the position of the bump member 63, and the drive control unit 124 controls the bump member driving unit 86a. .

  Further, the sealed letter creating device 5 detects the thickness of the nip of the content paper P1 when the content paper P1 is nipped by the main folding roller 57 and the introduction roller 59 (FIGS. 3 and 4). Reference) is provided. In the present embodiment, the thickness detection unit 60 detects the thickness of the content sheet P1 by measuring the moving length of the introduction roller 59.

  Further, the content forming portion 55 is provided with a guide plate 67 for guiding the content paper P1 folded by the main folding roller 57 and the intermediate roller 65. Further, the guide plate 67 is provided with an abutting member 69 that abuts against the leading end of the content paper P1 to give a slack near the folding line P1b of the content paper P1. The abutting member 69 can be adjusted in position along the guide plate 67 and can be rotated around a rotation axis 64 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) parallel to the width direction of the guide plate 67. The rotation position of the abutting member 69 can be switched between an abutting position where the contents sheet P1 abuts and an open position where the contents sheet P1 does not abut. That is, the content forming unit 55 includes a bump member driving unit 86b (see FIG. 2) that adjusts the position of the bump member 69, and the drive control unit 124 controls the bump member driving unit 86b. .

  More specifically, when it is determined that the content sheet P1 is abnormal, the drive control unit 124 rotates the abutting member 69 to the open position by the abutting member driving unit 86b. The paper P1 is bent only once by the content forming unit 55 and is carried out to the abnormal product discharge unit 62 in the apparatus. When it is determined that the content sheet P1 is normal, the drive control unit 124 rotates the abutting member 69 to the abutting position (normal position) by the abutting member driving unit 86b, and as a result, the contents The second folding of the paper P1 is performed. The abnormal product discharge unit 62 includes a storage tray 62t that stores the content paper P1 carried out from the guide plate 67, and the storage tray 62t can be inserted into and removed from the sealed letter creating apparatus.

  A derivation roller 71 is provided as a driven roller adjacent to the intermediate roller 65. The derivation roller 71 cooperates with the intermediate roller 65 in a state where the vicinity of the folding line P1b of the content paper P1 is slackened. The contents sheet P1 is led out to the contents sheet conveyance path 45 side while being bent from the folding line P1b.

  It should be noted that the path conveyance member 66 that guides the content sheet P1 introduced into the content formation unit 55 to be led out as it is can be switched between the arrangement and non-arrangement on the conveyance path in the content formation unit 55. It may be provided. In this case, the switching of the disposition / non-arrangement of the path transport member 66 is controlled by the drive control unit 124. With this configuration, when the path transport member 66 is arranged on the transport path, the content sheet P1 is prevented from being transported to the guide plate 67, and is nipped from the leading end to the intermediate roller 65 and the discharge roller 71, That is, it is nipped so as not to be bent, and is sent out from the content forming unit 55. If the path transport member 66 is not disposed on the transport path, as described above, the content sheet P1 is guided to the guide plate 67 and the leading end of the content sheet P1 hits the abutting member 69. As a result, the contents The material sheet P1 is nipped so as to be bent by the intermediate roller 65 and the lead-out roller 71, and is sent out from the content forming unit 55.

(Bend envelope paper)
An envelope paper transport path 47 for transporting the printed envelope paper P2 is provided on the upper side of the content paper transport path 45 in the apparatus housing 41, and the upstream side of the envelope paper transport path 47 in the transport direction. This end can be connected to and shut off from the downstream end of the introduction conveyance path 43 by the operation of the above-described sealing and sealing flapper.

  The downstream end side of the content paper transport path 45 and the downstream end side of the envelope paper transport path 47 merge. On the downstream side (exit side) of the junction between the content paper transport path 45 and the envelope paper transport path 47, an envelope transport path 49 is provided for transporting the sealed letter M in the middle of or after the content B is sealed. It has been. The envelope conveyance path 49 extends to the upper part of the apparatus housing 41.

  A front folding portion 73 is provided in the middle of the envelope paper conveyance path 47. The front folding portion 73 performs a front folding of the printed envelope paper P2 sent out from the communication conveyance path 35 (hereinafter referred to as an envelope paper or an envelope paper P2 as appropriate) when the four-fold form is adopted. Thus, the envelope paper P2 is first folded before the contents are included.

The front folding unit 73 is provided with a main folding roller 75 as a driving roller. At a position adjacent to the main folding roller 75, the envelope paper P2 is fed from the envelope paper transport path 47 in cooperation with the main folding roller 75. An introduction roller 77 to be introduced is provided as a driven roller. The front folding portion 73 is provided with a guide plate 79 for guiding the envelope paper P2 introduced by the main folding roller 75 and the introduction roller 77. Further, an abutting member 81 is provided which abuts against the leading edge of the envelope paper P2 and gives a slack near the folding line P2a of the envelope paper P2. The abutting member 81 is provided along the guide plate 79 so as to be adjustable in position. It has been. That is, the content forming unit 55 includes a bump member driving unit 86c (see FIG. 2) that adjusts the position of the bump member 81, and the drive control unit 124 controls the bump member driving unit 86c. . Further, a derivation roller 83 is provided as a driven roller at a position adjacent to the main fold roller 75. The derivation roller 83 is in contact with the main fold roller 75 in a state where the vicinity of the fold line P2a of the envelope paper P2 is slackened. In cooperation with each other, the envelope paper P2 is led out to the envelope paper conveyance path 47 side while being bent from the fold line P2a.
At the junction between the content sheet conveyance path 45 and the envelope sheet conveyance path 47, an envelope formation pre-stage part 85p is provided. The envelope formation part 85p bends the envelope sheet P2 sent out from the front folding part 73. The first half of the process of forming the envelope E is performed. And the specific structure of the envelope formation part 85 is as follows.

  The envelope forming unit 85 includes an envelope forming pre-stage portion 85p and an envelope forming post-stage portion 85q disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction.

  The pre-envelope forming step 85p is disposed immediately on the exit side of the envelope paper conveyance path 47, and a main folding roller 87p is provided as a driving roller. The main folding roller 87p cooperates with the main folding roller 87p at a position adjacent to the main folding roller 87p. An introduction roller 89p for introducing the envelope paper P2 from the envelope paper transport path 47 is provided as a driven roller. In addition, a guide plate 91 for guiding the envelope paper P2 introduced by the main folding roller 87p and the introduction roller 89p is provided in the envelope forming pre-stage portion 85p. Further, an abutting member 93 that abuts against the leading edge of the envelope paper P2 and gives a slack near the folding line P2b of the envelope paper P2 is provided. Similar to the abutting member 69, the abutting member 93 can be adjusted in position along the guide plate 91 and can be rotated around a rotation axis 94 (see FIG. 1) parallel to the width direction of the guide plate 91. It is possible to switch between an abutting position where the envelope paper P2 abuts and an open position where it does not abut.

  A leading roller 95p is provided at the envelope forming pre-stage 85p, and the leading roller 95p cooperates with the main folding roller 87p in a state where the vicinity of the folding line P2b of the envelope paper P2 is slackened. Is bent from the folding line P2b.

  Here, the envelope forming pre-stage portion 85p has a bump member driving portion 86d (see FIG. 2) for adjusting the position of the bump member 93, and the drive control portion 124 controls the bump member driving portion 86d. . More specifically, when the abutting member 63 is rotated to the open position by the abutting member driving unit 86a, the drive control unit 124 rotates the abutting member 93 to the open position by the abutting member driving unit 86d. Move it. As a result, the envelope paper P2 is carried out to the abnormal product discharge unit 92 in the apparatus without being bent at the envelope forming pre-stage portion 85p. When the abutting member 63 is rotated to the abutting position (normal position) by the abutting member driving unit 86a, the drive control unit 124 causes the abutting member driving unit 86d to abut the abutting member 93. Rotate to (normal position). As a result, the first folding of the envelope paper P2 is performed so as to enclose the contents B. The abnormal product discharge unit 92 includes a storage tray 92t that stores the envelope paper P2 unloaded from the guide plate 61, and the storage tray 92t can be taken in and out of the sealed letter creating apparatus.

  An envelope paper sensor 97 such as a reflective photoelectric sensor is provided in the vicinity of the guide plate 91. The envelope paper sensor 97 indicates that the envelope paper P2 has come close to the abutting member 93, in other words, an envelope. The start timing of the folding of the envelope paper P2 (by the cooperation of the main folding roller 87p and the derivation roller 95p) by the pre-formation stage 85p is detected.

  An envelope formation post-stage portion 85q is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the envelope formation pre-stage portion 85p. A main folding roller 87q is provided as a drive roller in the envelope forming post-stage portion 85q, and the envelope paper P2 is introduced from the envelope conveying path 49 in a position adjacent to the main folding roller 87q in cooperation with the main folding roller 87q. An introduction roller 89q is provided as a driven roller. Further, a guide plate 99 for guiding the envelope paper P2 folded by the main folding roller 87q and the introduction roller 89q is provided in the envelope forming post-stage portion 85q. Further, an abutting member 101 that abuts against the leading edge of the envelope paper P2 and gives a slack in the vicinity of the folding line P2c of the envelope paper P2 is provided. The position can be adjusted. That is, the envelope forming post-stage portion 85q includes a bump member driving portion 86e (see FIG. 2) for adjusting the position of the bump member 101, and the drive control unit 124 controls the bump member driving portion 86e. . Further, a guide roller 95q is rotatably provided at a position adjacent to the main folding roller 87q. The guide roller 95q is in contact with the main folding roller 87q in a state where the vicinity of the folding line P2c of the envelope paper P2 is slackened. In cooperation, the envelope paper P2 is led out to the downstream side in the transport direction while being folded from the folding line P2c.

  A content transport unit 105 is provided on the entrance side (upstream side in the transport direction) of the envelope forming pre-stage portion 85p in the middle of the content paper transport path 45. The content transport unit 105 is configured as a content forming unit 55. The content B sent out from the printer is sent out from the folding line P2b to the envelope forming front stage 85p side so as to be enclosed in the envelope paper P2 being folded. In addition, the content transport unit 105 includes a delivery roller pair 107 that delivers the content B to the envelope formation front stage 85p, and the delivery roller pair 107 can be rotated by driving an appropriate delivery motor (not shown). is there. Further, a content sensor 111 such as a reflective photoelectric sensor is provided in the vicinity of the delivery roller pair 107, and the content sensor 111 is that the tip of the content B has approached the envelope forming front stage 85p. Is detected.

  In addition, the envelope creation apparatus 5 includes a water paste application unit 88 (see FIG. 2) that applies water paste to the envelope paper P2 when the envelope paper P2 is folded so as to contain the contents. Instead of water glue, it is also possible to use a pressure-sensitive adhesive that generates an adhesive force when they are pressure-bonded to each other.

  A sealing part 113 is provided in the middle of the envelope conveyance path 49, and this sealing part 113 seals the envelope E sent out from the post-envelope forming part 85q. The sealing section 113 includes a sealing roller pair 115 that sandwiches and presses the envelope E, and the sealing roller pair 115 can be rotated by driving an appropriate sealing motor (not shown). Here, the envelope E is sealed and pressed by the sealing roller pair 115, and is sealed by the adhesive action of the glue applied in advance to the envelope paper P2. Further, on the outlet side (downstream end side) of the envelope conveyance path 49 in the upper part of the apparatus housing 41, a seal discharge unit 117 that discharges the sealed letter M sent out from the envelope conveyance path 49 is provided.

(Sealed letter creation controller)
As shown in FIG. 2, a sealed letter creation controller 119 is provided at an appropriate position in the apparatus housing 41 as a control unit of the sealed letter creating apparatus 5. The sealed letter creation controller 119 includes an alignment unit 51, content formation. The operation of the unit 55, the front folding unit 73, the envelope forming unit 85, the water paste applying unit 88, the content conveying unit 105, the sealing unit 113, and the like is controlled. The envelope creation controller 119 includes a memory that stores a control program and the like related to sealing and sealing, and a CPU that executes a control program related to sealing and sealing. The seal creation controller 119 includes an image forming controller 37, envelope paper, and the like. The sensor 97 and the content sensor 111 are electrically connected.

  Further, the memory of the sealed letter creation controller 119 has a function as the thickness table storage unit 120 of the content sheet P1, and the CPU of the sealed letter creation controller 119 functions as the drive control unit 124 and the function as the sending control unit 127. have.

  The thickness table storage unit 120 has a table of thicknesses of various content sheets that can be selected by input from the PC screen 40. For example, it has a table that up to 2 sheets can be stacked for thick paper and up to 6 sheets for thin paper. Further, the thickness table storage unit 120 receives the data of the type of the content sheet P1 input on the PC screen 40 from the image forming controller 37 and stores it.

  As described above, the drive control unit 124 drives the abutting member driving units 86a to 86e (for example, motors thereof) to adjust the positions of the abutting members 63, 69, 81, 93, and 101.

  The delivery control unit 127 uses the input of the detection signal from the envelope paper sensor 97 as a trigger (reference), and sends the content B to the envelope forming unit 85 side in accordance with a preset delivery timing. The delivery motor 105 is controlled. In addition, when the detection signal from the content sensor 111 is input to the sealed letter creation controller 119, the delivery control unit 127 performs control so as to stop driving the delivery motor of the content transport unit 105.

(Operation, action, effect)
Next, the operation of the sealed letter creating system 1 will be described including the effects and effects of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the sealed letter creating system 1 of the present embodiment. In the description using the flowchart, the content sheet P1 is also simply referred to as “set”.

  When printing is started with the content sheet P 1, the printed content sheet P 1 is sent to the sealed letter creation device 5. When the content paper P1 that has reached the content forming unit 55 is nipped by the main folding roller 57 and the introduction roller 59, the thickness detection unit 60 detects the thickness of the content paper P1. The detection result is transmitted to the sealed letter creating controller 119, and the sealed letter creating controller 119 determines whether or not the content sheet P1 is abnormal (step S1). In this determination, when the thickness of the content sheet P1 exceeds the threshold value (in the case of Yes), it is determined to be abnormal, and when it does not exceed the threshold value (in the case of No), it is determined to be normal. .

  If it is determined that the thickness of the content sheet P1 is normal, a normal sealing process is performed (step S2). Then, it is determined whether or not this sealing is the final set (the final content sheet P1 to be sealed) (step S3). If it is not the final set (in the case of No), the process returns to step S1 and the next set is processed.

  If it is determined that the thickness of the content sheet P1 is abnormal, the sealed letter creation controller 119 issues a command to open the abutting members 69 and 91 (step S4). As a result, the abnormal set is discharged, that is, the content paper P1 is discharged to the abnormal product discharge unit 62 and the envelope paper P2 is discharged to the abnormal product discharge unit 92 (step S5). Thereafter, the next set (content sheet P1) is received by the content forming unit 55 (step S6). Then, similarly to step S1, it is determined whether or not the content sheet P1 is abnormal (step S7).

  If it is determined that the thickness of the content sheet P1 is normal (not abnormal), step S2, that is, a normal sealing process is performed.

  If it is determined that the thickness of the content sheet P1 is abnormal, the sealed letter creation controller 119 determines whether or not the content sheet P1 has been generated a predetermined number of times (step S8). Here, the specified number of times (n times) can be input from the PC screen 40 or the like, and is stored in the image forming controller 37 and the sealed letter creating controller 119. In many cases, the prescribed number of times is two from the viewpoint of the user of the sealed letter preparation system 1.

  When the specified number of times has not been reached (in the case of No), the abutting members 69 and 93 are opened (step S9), and the contents sheet and the envelope sheet are sent to the abnormal article discharge unit, as in steps S4 and S5. It is discharged (step S10). Then, the process returns to step S6.

  If the specified number of times has been reached, the envelope creation controller 119 issues a command to open the abutting members 69 and 93 (step S11), and the abnormal set (content sheet and envelope sheet) is discharged (step S11). S12). Then, the image forming controller 37 determines whether or not there is another sheet feeding cassette containing the same size content sheet P1 (step S13).

  When there is another paper feed cassette containing the same size content paper P1 (in the case of Yes), the operation is stopped (step S14), and the paper feed cassette to be used is switched (step S15). Then, printing is resumed using the content paper P1 of the switched paper cassette (step S16), and the process returns to step S1.

  When there is no other paper feed cassette containing the same size of content paper P1, or when such other paper feed cassette is not contained but containing the content paper P1 (in the case of No) The operation is stopped (step S17), and a message prompting confirmation of the thickness of the content sheet P1 is displayed (step S18). Then, it is determined whether or not a measure such as a setting change of the content sheet P1 has been performed (step S19).

  When it is determined that the treatment has been completed (in the case of Yes), step S16, that is, printing is resumed, and the process returns to step S1. If it is determined that the treatment has not been completed (No), the process returns to step S18.

  In step S3, it is determined whether or not it is the final set. If it is not the final set, the process returns to step S1, but if it is determined that it is the final set, the operation is stopped (step S20). Then, it is determined whether or not an abnormal set has occurred in a series of processes (step S21).

If an abnormal set has occurred (in the case of Yes), the set is discharged as an abnormal product without being sealed, so a command to reprint the set is issued (step S22), and the process returns to step S1. . If no abnormal set has occurred (in the case of No), the processing is completed (step S23).
As described above, according to the present embodiment, before the content B is folded by the content forming unit 55, it is determined that the content paper P1 is abnormal when the thickness of the content paper P1 exceeds the threshold value. The content sheet P1 is discharged to the abnormal product discharge unit 62. That is, when an overload occurs in the content forming unit 55 when the content sheet P1 is folded, the overload is determined at an early stage, and the content sheet P1 to be folded is discharged as an abnormal product. Therefore, operation in an overload state is prevented, the occurrence rate of device damage and conveyance trouble (such as paper jams) can be greatly reduced, and the wear amount of the main folding roller 57 and the introduction roller 59 is greatly reduced. Durability is greatly improved. And the apparatus configuration is simple. In addition, since the thickness is detected before the content sheet P1 is folded, it is possible to accurately detect an abnormality in thickness at a stage where the load factor on the content forming unit 55 is small, and it is possible to detect in advance that an overload is applied at the time of folding. Can be prevented. Further, when the content sheet P1 is discharged as an abnormal product, the position of the abutting member 69 may be switched to the open position, so the configuration of the switching mechanism is simple.

  Further, when detecting the abnormality and discharging the content sheet P1, it can be easily discharged by opening the abutting member 69. At that time, the abutting member 93 is also opened in conjunction with it, so that the envelope paper P2 sent can also be discharged.

  Further, the thickness detection unit 60 detects the thickness of the content sheet P1 by measuring the moving length of the introduction roller 59 in the thickness direction. Therefore, the configuration of the thickness detector 60 can be simplified.

  Further, when the thickness detected by the thickness detection unit 60 exceeds the threshold value continuously for a specified number of times, paper is fed from another paper feed cassette containing the same size content paper P1. If it is not possible, the sealed letter creation controller 119 stops the sealed letter creation and displays a message prompting confirmation of the sheet thickness. As a result, if an accidental failure (such as double feeding) occurs, the content sheet P1 that caused the accident can be discharged and the sealed letter can be continuously created. Can be reduced. In addition, the rate at which the creation of the sealed letter is stopped and the above message is displayed can be limited to a fundamental defect (such as a mistake in the type of the content paper P1) rather than a one-time defect.

  Further, even if the thickness detected by the thickness detection unit 60 exceeds the threshold value continuously for a specified number of times, paper is fed from another paper feed cassette containing the same size content paper P1. If possible, the contents sheet P1 of the sheet cassette is used. As a result, the number of times that the sealed letter creation is stopped can be further reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the thickness of the content sheet P1 to be folded is described based on the movement length of the introduction roller 59 in the thickness direction. You may make it calculate thickness based on the fluctuation | variation (increase) of the load which arises, and the fluctuation | variation (decrease) of a rotational speed. In this case, a thickness calculator 131 (see FIG. 2) is provided in the sealed letter creation controller 119, and it is determined whether or not the content paper P1 is abnormal based on the calculated content paper thickness (steps S1 and S7). In this determination, a determination is made based on whether or not the generated load is an overload. And when displaying a message by step S18, you may make it the structure which displays the message of being in an overload state.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the example in which the content sheet P1 is discharged by opening the abutting member 69 has been described, but the ejection position of the content sheet P1 is adjusted to replace the abutting member 69 and the abutting member 63 is replaced. You may make it the form which opens. Thereby, the content paper P1 can be discharged without being bent.

  Further, a second thickness detector 140 (see FIG. 3) for measuring the moving length of the intermediate roller 65 is further provided to detect the thickness when the first folding is performed on the content sheet P1, and this thickness is a threshold value. If it exceeds the limit, the sealed letter preparation controller 119 may determine that the content sheet P1 is abnormal. Thereby, the driving | running | working prevention in an overload state is performed more reliably.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the threshold value of the thickness of the content paper P <b> 1 has been described as being input from the PC screen 40, but may be input from the operation panel 39.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The sealed letter creating system according to the present embodiment compares a thickness before folding detected by the thickness detector 60 with a thickness after first folding detected by the second thickness detector 140 (see FIG. 2). ).

  In this embodiment, based on the data of the comparison result in the thickness comparison unit 271, the CPU of the sealed letter creation controller determines whether or not the state after the first folding of the content paper P1 is abnormal.

  As a result, even if the abnormality is not judged based only on the detection result of the thickness detection unit 60, an abnormal bending (for example, bending twice or more) occurs in the first folding, or the content sheet P1. Can be bent, and when it becomes an abnormal thickness after being bent, this can be detected and a sealed letter creation system can be formed.

1 Seal Making System 55 Contents Forming Section 57 Main Folding Roller (Nip Roller Pair)
59 Introduction roller (nip roller pair)
60 Thickness detector (thickness detector)
69 Abutting member (switching means)
86a-e Abutting member driving part (switching means)
124 Drive control unit (control means)
P1 Contents paper P2 Envelope paper

Claims (4)

Contents forming means for forming contents by folding printed contents paper, and envelope forming means for forming envelopes by folding the printed envelope paper and enclosing the contents Because
The content forming means includes a thickness detecting means for detecting the thickness of the content paper,
Switching means for switching whether the content sheet is conveyed to a folding unit or whether the content sheet is discharged to a predetermined discharge unit;
Control means for controlling the switching means based on the detection result detected by the thickness detecting means;
A sealed letter creation system characterized by comprising:   The control means controls the switching means to bend the contents sheet when the thickness does not exceed a threshold value, and to discharge the contents sheet when the thickness exceeds the threshold value. Seal creation system. The content forming means includes a nip roller pair as a pre-bending nip means for niping the content paper before folding.
The thickness detecting means measures a moving amount of a roller constituting the nip roller pair, or detects a thickness of the content sheet based on a driving state of a driving mechanism that rotationally drives the nip roller pair. The sealed letter making system according to claim 1.   The thickness detected by the thickness detecting means exceeds the threshold value continuously for a specified number of times, and it is impossible to feed paper from other paper cassettes containing content sheets of the same size. The sealed letter creating system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means controls the sealed letter creation to be stopped in some cases.

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