# US 11,442,392 B2 · Post-processing device and image forming system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,442,392 B2 - Document ID: US11442392B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/930,787 - Filed: 2020-07-16 - Published: 2021-01-28 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-22 - Assignees: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc. - Applicants: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc. - Inventors: Takayuki Okumura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442392B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/6544: {Details about the binding means or procedure} - B65H 37/04: for securing together articles or webs, e.g. by adhesive, stitching or stapling (adhering replacement to expiring web during change of web roll B65H19/18) - G03G 15/5016: {User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console} - G03G 15/5029: {by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness} - G03G 15/5062: {by measuring the characteristics of an image on the copy material} - G03G 15/607: {for detecting size, presence or position of original} - G03G 15/6541: {Binding sets of sheets, e.g. by stapling, glueing} - G03G 15/6552: {Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays} - G03G 15/6573: {Feeding path after the fixing point and up to the discharge tray or the finisher, e.g. special treatment of copy material to compensate for effects from the fixing} - B65H 2511/11: Length - B65H 2511/12: Width - B65H 2511/23: Coordinates, e.g. three dimensional coordinates - B65H 2701/11312: large formats, i.e. above A3 - B65H 2801/27: Devices located downstream of office-type machines - G03G 2215/00421: Discharging tray, e.g. devices stabilising the quality of the copy medium, postfixing-treatment, inverting, sorting - G03G 2215/00734: of sheet size - G03G 2215/00827: Stapler - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES ## Abstract An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus and a post-processing device. The image forming apparatus includes a scanner reading image data from a sheet, an image forming part forming an image on the sheet, and a sheet ejecting part ejecting the sheet after forming the image. The post-processing device includes a post-processing conveying path, and a stapling part. The post-processing conveying path introduces the sheet from the sheet ejecting part and conveys the sheet. The stapling part collects sheets conveyed on the post-processing conveying path for each predetermined number of sheets and executes staple processing to the sheets. The image forming apparatus or the post-processing device includes a size deciding part deciding a sheet size based on the image data. The post-processing device includes a staple controlling part determining a binding position for the staple processing on the basis of the sheet size. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming system comprising: an image forming apparatus forming an image on a sheet; and a post-processing device executing post-processing to the sheet having the image formed by the image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus includes: a scanner obtaining image data by reading the sheet; an image forming part forming the image on the sheet; and a sheet ejecting part ejecting the sheet having the image formed by the image forming part, the post-processing device includes: a post-processing conveying path introducing the sheet ejected from the sheet ejecting part and conveying the sheet; and a stapling part collecting sheets conveyed on the post-processing conveying path for each predetermined number of sheets and executing staple processing to the sheets, the image forming apparatus or the post-processing device further includes a size deciding part deciding whether the sheet is a regular size or an irregular size, and, if the sheet is the irregular size, deciding a sheet size of the sheet on the basis of the image data obtained by the scanner, the post-processing device further includes a staple controlling part determining, if the sheet is the regular size, a binding position of the sheet directed to the staple processing by a previously determined binding position, and, on the other hand, determining, if the sheet is the irregular size, the binding position of the sheet directed to the staple processing on the basis of the sheet size decided by the size deciding part. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the staple controlling part decides, if the sheet is the irregular size, a length in a conveying direction of the sheet as the sheet size on the basis of the image data, and calculates the binding position in a length direction of the sheet directed to the staple processing on the basis of the length of the sheet and the previously determined number of binding or the number of binding set by an operation part receiving operation of a user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the staple controlling part decides, if the sheet is the irregular size, a width in a orthogonal direction to a conveying direction of the sheet as the sheet size on the basis of the image data, and calculates the binding position in a width direction of the sheet directed to the staple processing on the basis of the width of the sheet and the previously determined number of binding or the number of binding set by an operation part receiving operation of a user. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image forming system according to claim 3, wherein the staple controlling part, in a normal mode of the binding position in the width direction, calculates a binding position in the width direction by dividing the width of the sheet into equal portions of the number of binding plus 1, and in both ends fixing mode of the binding position in the width direction, sets binding positions at both end sides in the width direction to fixed positions, and calculates a remaining binding position in the width direction by dividing the width between the binding positions of both end sides of the sheet into equal portions of the number of binding minus 1. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The image forming system according to claim 3, wherein the staple controlling part, in a case where the number of binding is 1, allows the user to select the biding position in the width direction in accordance with operation of the user. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the staple controlling part creates image data indicating the sheet and the binding position and makes the image forming apparatus display a preview of this image data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The image forming system according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus further includes: a fixing part fixing the image formed by the image forming part on the sheet, the scanner is arranged between the fixing part and the sheet ejecting part to obtain the image data by reading the sheet conveyed from the fixing part to the sheet ejecting part. ### Claim 8 A post-processing device comprising: a post-processing conveying path conveying a sheet, on which an image is formed, from an image forming apparatus; a stapling part collecting sheets conveyed on the post-processing conveying path for each predetermined number of sheets and executing staple processing to the sheets; a scanner arranged at an upstream side from the stapling part in a conveying direction of the sheet and obtaining image data by reading the sheet conveyed on the post-processing conveying path; a size deciding part deciding whether the sheet is a regular size or an irregular size, and, if the sheet is the irregular size, deciding a sheet size of the sheet on the basis of the image data; and a staple controlling part determining, if the sheet is the regular size, a binding position of the sheet directed to the staple processing by a previously determined binding position, and, on the other hand, determining, if the sheet is the irregular size, the binding position of the sheet directed to the staple processing on the basis of the sheet size decided by the size deciding part. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The post-processing device according to claim 8, wherein the staple controlling part decides, if the sheet is the irregular size, a length in a conveying direction of the sheet as the sheet size on the basis of the image data, and calculates the binding position in a length direction of the sheet directed to the staple processing on the basis of the length of the sheet and the previously determined number of binding or the number of binding set by an operation part receiving operation of a user. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The post-processing device according to claim 8, wherein the staple controlling part decides, if the sheet is the irregular size, a width in a orthogonal direction to a conveying direction of the sheet as the sheet size on the basis of the image data, and calculates the binding position in a width direction of the sheet directed to the staple processing on the basis of the width of the sheet and the previously determined number of binding or the number of binding set by an operation part receiving operation of a user. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The post-processing device according to claim 10, wherein the staple controlling part, in a normal mode of the binding position in the width direction, calculates a binding position in the width direction by dividing the width of the sheet into equal portions of the number of binding plus 1, and in both ends fixing mode of the binding position in the width direction, sets binding positions at both end sides in the width direction to fixed positions, and calculates a remaining binding position in the width direction by dividing the width between the binding positions of both end sides of the sheet into equal portions of the number of binding minus 1. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The post-processing device according to claim 10, wherein the staple controlling part, in a case where the number of binding is 1, allows the user to select the biding position in the width direction in accordance with operation of the user. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The post-processing device according to claim 10, wherein the staple controlling part creates image data indicating the sheet and the binding position and makes the image forming apparatus display a preview of this image data.