# US 2014/0151950 A1 · Sheet material binding apparatus 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 2014/0151950 A1 - Document ID: US20140151950A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/077,716 - Filed: 2013-11-12 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yousuke Hata; Kazumi Sato; Toshifumi Kakutani; Takeyuki Suda; Yoshitaka Yamazaki; Hirohisa Kato; Shinya Suzuki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151950A1 ## CPC - 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) - B65H 43/00: Use of control, checking, or safety devices, e.g. automatic devices comprising an element for sensing a variable - G03G 15/6541: {Binding sets of sheets, e.g. by stapling, glueing} - B65H 2801/27: Devices located downstream of office-type machines - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract Provided is a sheet material binding apparatus capable of shortening a user's waiting time required to bind sheets through a manual operation with a movable stapler. A CPU (162) of a sheet material binding apparatus (50) monitors whether or not an image forming apparatus (1) can execute image formation processing. When the image forming apparatus (1) can execute the image formation processing, the movable stapler is arranged at a standby position close to the image forming apparatus (1). When the image forming apparatus (1) cannot execute the image formation processing, on the other hand, the movable stapler is arranged at a position for performing the manual operation, to thereby bind the sheets through the manual operation immediately. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sheet material binding apparatus, comprising: a binding mechanism configured to bind a sheet material bundle formed of a plurality of sheet materials; a shifting mechanism configured to shift a position of the binding mechanism between: a first position, at which the binding mechanism stands by to bind the sheet material bundle fed from an external apparatus connected to the sheet material binding apparatus; and a second position, at which the binding mechanism stands by to bind the sheet material bundle manually supplied from other than the external apparatus; and a control section configured to control, when the external apparatus is in a state of being incapable of feeding the sheet material to the binding mechanism, the shifting mechanism so as to arrange the binding mechanism at the second position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A sheet material binding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section is configured to: when the external apparatus is in the state of being incapable of feeding the sheet material, acquire a first time period required until the external apparatus becomes capable of feeding the sheet material, and a second time period required for movement of the binding mechanism between the first position and the second position; when the first time period is shorter than the second time period, control the shifting mechanism so as to arrange the binding mechanism at the first position; and when the first time period is longer than the second time period, control the shifting mechanism so as to arrange the binding mechanism at the second position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A sheet material binding apparatus according to claim 2, when the first time period is equal to the second time period, control the shifting mechanism so as to arrange the binding mechanism at the second position. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A sheet material binding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external apparatus comprises an image forming apparatus configured to feed the plurality of sheet materials through image formation processing, and wherein, when the image forming apparatus is in a state of being incapable of executing the image formation processing, the control section is configured to control the shifting mechanism so as to arrange the binding mechanism at the second position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A sheet material binding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, when an amount of a remaining developer used for the image formation processing is less than a predefined value, the control section is configured to control the shifting mechanism so as to move the binding mechanism to the second position. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A sheet material binding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when a power saving mode is executed for saving standby power of the image forming apparatus at a time at which the image forming apparatus does not execute the image formation processing, the control section is configured to control the shifting mechanism so as to arrange the binding mechanism at the second position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A sheet material binding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the external apparatus is in a state of being capable of feeding the sheet material, the control section is configured to control the shifting mechanism so as to arrange the binding mechanism at the first position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) A sheet material binding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, when the image forming apparatus is in the state of being incapable of executing the image formation processing, and when an estimated time period required until the image forming apparatus is brought into a state of being capable of executing the image formation processing is shorter than a predetermined time period, the control section is configured to control the shifting mechanism so as to arrange the binding mechanism at the first position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) A sheet material binding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, when the image forming apparatus is in the state of being incapable of executing the image formation processing, and when an estimated time period required until the image forming apparatus is brought into a state of being capable of executing the image formation processing is longer than a predetermined time period, the control section is configured to control the shifting mechanism so as to arrange the binding mechanism at the second position. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A sheet material binding apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the binding mechanism is located at the first position, when the image forming apparatus is in the state of being incapable of executing the image formation processing, and when the estimated time period required until the image forming apparatus is brought into the state of being capable of executing the image formation processing is shorter than the predetermined time period, the control section is configured to prohibit the binding mechanism from moving to the second position. ### Claim 11 An image forming system, comprising: an image forming section for forming an image on a sheet material; a binding mechanism for binding a sheet material bundle formed of a plurality of the sheet materials fed from the image forming section; a shifting mechanism for shifting a position of the binding mechanism between: a first position, at which the binding mechanism stands by to bind the sheet material bundle fed from the image forming section; and a second position, at which the binding mechanism stands by to bind the sheet material bundle manually supplied from other than the image forming section; and a control section for controlling, when the image forming section is in a state of being incapable of feeding the sheet material to the binding mechanism, the shifting mechanism so as to shift the binding mechanism to the second position. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) An image forming system according to claim 11, wherein, when the image forming section is in the state of being incapable of feeding the sheet material to the binding mechanism, and when an estimated time period required until the image forming section is brought into a state of being capable of feeding the sheet material is shorter than a predetermined time period, the control section is configured to control the shifting mechanism so as to shift the binding mechanism to the first position.