Very high speed duplicator with finishing function using dual copy set transports

• US 4,566,782 A
• Filed: 12/22/1983
• Issued: 01/28/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Britt, James E., Laskowski, Kenneth W., Sisson, Jeffrey L., Rinehart, Stephen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moses, R. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Romano, C.
• Application Number:
  US06/564,584
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 355/3 R, 355/3 SH, 355/14 SH, 355/23, 355/24, 355/26, 355/14 R, 355/14 C, 355/14 E, 271/303, 271/305, 271/287, 270/53, 414/43, 414/52-54
• US Class Current: 399/374
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6541 Binding sets of sheets, e.g. by stapling, glueing
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00822 Binder, e.g. glueing device
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00827 Stapler
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00831 Stitcher

Abstract

A document handling apparatus/copy sheet processor/finishing apparatus arranged as an integrated system to produce bound copy sheets at high speed but with minimum mechanical activity by double exposing each document sheet, producing successive copy sheets in accordance with the exposure, distributing the successive copy sheets alternately into receiving trays and utilizing a set transport for each of the trays to bring copy sets alternately to a single point binding device.

Claims

1. In a reproduction system having a copy sheet processor for reproducing information from document sheets onto copy sheets and means for producing the information in the form of an individual light image onto one or both sides of each copy sheet, the improvement including:

means for effecting the production of two successive light images of a side of each document sheet whereby the copy sheet processor produces an output of successive duplicate copy sheets,

a pair of sheet collecting trays arranged to receive copy sheets from the processor and to collate the same into sets of copies of different images,

means for transporting the copy sheet output of the processor and directing the same to said collecting trays alternately, and

a finishing apparatus adapted to receive the collated sets of copy sheets from said collecting trays alternately in timed sequence relative to the light images being reproduced and to bind the sets.

2. In a reproduction system having a document handling apparatus adapted to transport individual document sheets from a supply stack to an exposure platen of a reproduction processor and effecting exposure of each of the document sheets before returning a sheet to the supply stack, and a copy sheet processor adapted to produce copy sheets of the exposed document sheets, the combination of:

a pair of sheet collecting trays arranged to receive the copy sheet output from the processor and to collate the same,

means for directing the copy sheet output of the processor to said collecting trays alternately, and

a finishing apparatus adapted to receive collated sets of copy sheets of a set of document sheets from said trays alternately and to bind the same.

3. A reproduction system having a copy sheet processor for reproducing information on copy sheets and means for producing the information in the form of an individual light image onto one or both sides of each copy sheet, comprising:

means for producing a train of copy sheets with successive sheets being in groups of two having identical information thereon,

means for separating the copy sheets into two sets with one copy sheet from each group being directed into one set and the other copy sheet of each group into the other set, and

a finishing apparatus adapted to receive said sets of copy sheets alternately and to bind the sets.

4. In a reproduction system having means for presetting a reproduction run, a document handling apparatus adapted to transport individual document sheets from a supply stack to an exposure platen of a reproduction processor and effecting exposure of each of the document sheets before returning a sheet to the supply stack, and a copy sheet processor adapted to produce copy sheets of the exposed document sheets, the combination of:

a pair of sheet collecting trays arranged to receive the copy sheet output from the processor and to collate the same,

means for directing the copy sheet output of the processor to each of said collecting trays alternately,

a finishing mechanism adapted to receive collated sets of copy sheets of a set of document sheets from said trays alternately and to bind the same, and

means for transporting a copy set from each of said trays to said finishing mechanism alternately in repetitive operation until the reproduction run has been completed.

5. The reproduction system of claim 4 wherein said means for transporting includes a set transport associated with each of said trays and a drive means actuable on each set transport individually and alternately.

6. In a reproduction system having a copy sheet processor for reproducing information from document sheets onto copy sheets and means for producing the information in the form of an individual light image onto one or both sides of each copy sheet, the improvement including:

means for efffecting the production of multi-successive light images of a side of each document sheet whereby the copy sheet processor produces an output of successive duplicate copy sheets of each document sheet,

sheet collecting trays arranged to receive the processed copy sheets wherein each tray receives one of the duplicate sheets for each document sheet and to collate the same into sets of copies of different images, and

a finishing apparatus adapted to bind the collated sets of copy sheets from said collecting trays, said finishing apparatus including a set transport for each of said trays and a binding device arranged for cooperative action with both of said set transports.

7. In a reproduction system having a document handling apparatus adapted to transport individual document sheets from a supply stack to an exposure platen of a reproduction processor and effecting exposure of each of the document sheets before returning a sheet to the supply stack, and a copy sheet processor adapted to produce copy sheets of the exposed document sheets, the combination of:

sheet collecting trays arranged to receive the processed copy sheet output wherein each tray receives one of the copy sheets for each document sheet and to collate the same,

means for directing the copy sheet output of the processor to said collecting trays, and

a finishing apparatus adapted to receive collated sets of copy sheets of a set of document sheets from said tray and to bind the same, said finishing apparatus including a binding device and a set transport for each of said trays arranged for transporting collated copy sets successively from said trays to said binding device for binding thereby.

8. A reproduction system comprising:

a document handling apparatus adapted to transport individual documents sheets from a supply stack to an exposure platen and effecting two exposures of one side of each document sheet and returning the same to the stack,

a copy sheet processor having means for producing the information on said one side of each document sheet onto one side of two successive copy sheets,

collating means arranged to receive the copy sheets from the processor and to collate the same into two copy sets alternately, each set being a reproduction of the document sheets in the document stack, and

a finishing apparatus adapted to receive said copy sets alternately and to bind the sets.

9. The method of producing bound sets of double-sided copy sheets of a set of double-sided document sheets arranged in top to bottom numerical order in a stack, comprising the steps of:

(a) separating the bottom document sheet of the stack, and presenting the bottom side of the same to an exposure position for an electrostatographic printing system and exposing said bottom side two times;

(b) removing said bottom document sheet from said exposure position and transporting the same onto the top of the stack with the top side thereof facing downwardly;

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) for all of the remaining document sheets in the stack;

(d) processing copy sheets containing the information on the bottom side of the document sheets and collecting the same in groups of two;

(e) returning the bottom document sheet to the exposure position with the top side thereof at the exposure position and exposing the top side two times;

(f) removing the bottom document sheet from the exposure position and transporting the same onto the top of the stack with the bottom side thereof facing downwardly;

(g) repeating steps (e) and (f) for all of the remaining document sheets;

(h) processing the collected copy sheets containing information on the top side of the document sheets;

(i) collating the copy sheets into sets alternately into each of at least two collecting trays; and

(j) transporting the completed collated sets of copy sheets from said trays to a binding apparatus alternately to be bound thereby.

10. In a reproduction system having a copy sheet processor for reproducing information from a stack of document sheets onto copy sheets and means for producing the information in the form of an individual light image onto one or both sides of each copy sheet, the improvement including:

means for effecting the production of two successive light images of a first side of the document sheets in a first handling thereof and then effecting the production of two successive light images of the second side of the document sheets in a second handling thereof,

means associated with the copy processor for effecting the processing of copy sheets in accordance with the light image of the first side of the document sheets during said first handling thereof, collecting the copy sheets until said first handling is completed and effecting the processing of the copy sheets in accordance with the light images of the second side of the document sheets during said second handling thereof,

a pair of sheet collecting trays arranged to collate the copy sheets into copy sets as reproduction of the stack of document sheets,

means for transporting the copy sheet output of the processor and directing the same to said collecting trays alternately, and

a finishing apparatus adapted to receive the collated sets of copy sheets from said collecting trays alternately in timed sequence relative to the light images being reproduced and to bind the sets.

11. The method of producing bound sets of copy sheets of a set of document sheets in simplex to simplex mode of copying, comprising the steps of:

plurally circulating the document sheets from a document stack to an exposure station of an electrostatographic printing system for exposure thereof and returning the sheets to the stack in a predetermined number of set-copying circulations determined by a preset reproduction run,

exposing the document sheets in said circulations when at said exposure station,

processing through the printing system the resultant copy sheets containing the information on the document sheets, and

collating the copy sheets into sets and binding the same at a rate wherein said predetermined number of set-copying circulations is equal to one-half of the number of bound copy sets produced.

12. In a reproduction system having means for presetting a reproduction run, a document handling apparatus adapted to transport individual document sheets from a supply stack to an exposure platen of a reproduction processor and effecting exposure of each of the document sheets before returning a sheet to the supply stack, and a copy sheet processor adapted to produce copy sheets of the exposed document sheets, the combination of:

a pair of sheet collecting trays arranged to receive the copy sheet output from the processor and to collate the same,

means for directing the copy sheet output of the processor to each of said collecting trays alternately,

a finishing mechanism adapted to receive collated sets of copy sheets of a set of document sheets from said trays alternately and to bind the same, and

means for transporting a copy set from each of said trays to said finishing mechanism alternately in repetitive operation until the reproduction run has been completed, said means for transporting includes a set transport associated with each of said trays and a drive means actuable on each set transport individually and alternately.