Booklet manufacturing apparatus, booklet manufacturing system, control method, and medium

A booklet manufacturing apparatus configured to manufacture a booklet by thermocompression bonding a sheet stack including a plurality of sheets each having a bonding-toner image formed at a predetermined portion, the booklet manufacturing apparatus comprising:

• a thermocompression bonding head including a heater, the thermocompression bonding head being configured to heat the predetermined portion;
• an elastic pressing pad disposed opposite the thermocompression bonding head such that the sheet stack is pressable between the thermocompression bonding head and the elastic pressing pad;
• a sheet transport mechanism including at least one transport member configured to transport at least one sheet for forming the sheet stack to a bonding position at which the sheet stack is pressable between the thermocompression bonding head and the elastic pressing pad;
• a movable alignment reference plate movable in a longitudinal direction of the elastic pressing pad and configured to determine a longitudinal position of an end of the sheet stack for a thermocompression bonding operation;
• and
• a controller configured to, when a sheet size of a booklet to be manufactured is smaller than a maximum sheet size supported by the booklet manufacturing apparatus, change a position of the movable alignment reference plate between different thermocompression bonding operations or between different booklets, thereby changing a position of a region where no sheet is present between the thermocompression bonding head and the elastic pressing pad during the thermocompression bonding operation.

A booklet manufacturing apparatus configured to manufacture a booklet by thermocompression bonding a sheet stack including a plurality of sheets each having a bonding-toner image formed at a predetermined portion, the booklet manufacturing apparatus comprising:

• a thermocompression bonding head including a heater, the thermocompression bonding head being configured to heat the predetermined portion;
• an elastic pressing pad disposed opposite the thermocompression bonding head such that the sheet stack is pressable between the thermocompression bonding head and the elastic pressing pad;
• a sheet transport mechanism including at least one transport member configured to transport at least one sheet for forming the sheet stack to a bonding position at which the sheet stack is pressable between the thermocompression bonding head and the elastic pressing pad;
• a movable alignment reference plate movable in a longitudinal direction of the elastic pressing pad and configured to determine a longitudinal position of an end of the sheet stack for a thermocompression bonding operation;
• a sheet-like substitute member provided on the movable alignment reference plate on a side opposite a side against which the sheet stack is aligned;
• and
• a controller configured to, when a sheet size of a booklet to be manufactured is smaller than a maximum sheet size supported by the booklet manufacturing apparatus, position the movable alignment reference plate such that, during the thermocompression bonding operation, the sheet-like substitute member is interposed between the thermocompression bonding head and a portion of the elastic pressing pad where no sheet is present.

A control method for a booklet manufacturing apparatus configured to manufacture a booklet by thermocompression bonding a sheet stack including a plurality of sheets each having a bonding-toner image formed at a predetermined portion, the control method comprising:

• determining whether a temperature of an elastic pressing pad, before at least one sheet enters a bonding position at which the sheet stack is pressable between a thermocompression bonding head and an elastic pressing pad, is lower than a threshold;
• when the temperature is lower than the threshold, performing a preliminary heating operation by bringing the thermocompression bonding head and the elastic pressing pad into contact with each other before the at least one sheet enters the bonding position, thereafter separating the thermocompression bonding head and the elastic pressing pad from each other, and then transporting the at least one sheet to the bonding position;
• performing a thermocompression bonding operation by pressing the sheet stack between the thermocompression bonding head and the elastic pressing pad and heating the predetermined portion using a heater of the thermocompression bonding head;
• and
• when the temperature is higher than the threshold, performing the thermocompression bonding operation without performing the preliminary heating operation.