# US 2014/0153992 A1 · Image forming apparatus and post-processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153992 A1 - Document ID: US20140153992A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/087,556 - Filed: 2013-11-22 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Masahiro Serizawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153992A1 ## CPC - G03G 15/6544: {Details about the binding means or procedure} - B31F 1/07: Embossing {, i.e. producing impressions formed by locally deep-drawing, e.g. using rolls provided with complementary profiles}({B31F1/128 takes precedence;} corrugating B31F1/20; embossing in combination with printing B41F19/02, B41M1/24; typewriters for embossing B41J3/38; stamping in combination with deforming B41K3/36) - B31F 5/02: by crimping or slotting {or perforating} - B42F 3/003: {Perforated or punched sheets} - G03G 15/6582: {Special processing for irreversibly adding or changing the sheet copy material characteristics or its appearance, e.g. stamping, annotation printing, punching} - B31F 2201/00: Mechanical deformation of paper or cardboard without removing material - B65H 2301/51616: involving simultaneous deformation of parts of the material to be bound - G03G 2215/00852: Temporary binding - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - B31F: MECHANICAL WORKING OR DEFORMATION OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER (making layered products not composed wholly of paper or cardboard B32B) - B42F: SHEETS TEMPORARILY ATTACHED TOGETHER; FILING APPLIANCES; FILE CARDS; INDEXING (reading desks A47B19/00; book rests A47B23/00) - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES ## Abstract Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of executing a plurality of kinds of binding process in one job. A printer control section (304) transmits, to a finisher (500), a job for equal to or larger than a total number of copies being a sum of a first number of copies for performing the binding process by using a staple and a second number of copies for performing the binding process without use of the staple. On the finisher side (500), in accordance with the job, a finisher control section (952) causes a stapler to perform a stapling process for the first number of copies and an eco-stapler to perform an eco-stapling process for the second number of copies. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming section configured to form an image on a sheet based on an image forming job; a conveying mechanism configured to convey the sheet to a post-processing apparatus configured to perform a binding process for the sheet on which the image is formed; an operation section configured to receive an input of information on a number of copies to be processed in a case where image formation for a plurality of copies are performed in one image forming job, the information serving to identify a first number of copies being a number of the sheet bundles to be subjected to a first binding process by using a binding fastener in the post-processing apparatus and a second number of copies being a number of the sheet bundles to be subjected to a second binding process different from the first binding process without use of the binding fastener; and a control section configured to cause the post-processing apparatus to perform the first binding process for the first number of copies and the second binding process for the second number of copies based on the information on the number of copies to be processed which is received by the operation section. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation section receives an input of each of the first number of copies and the second number of copies. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the operation section receives inputs of: one of the first number of copies and the second number of copies; and a total number of copies to be printed within the one image forming job; and the control section determines another one of the first number of copies and the second number of copies based on the total number of copies to be printed within the one image forming job and the one of the first number of copies and the second number of copies. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation section receives an input relating to a ratio between the first number of copies and the second number of copies and an input of a total number of copies to be printed within the one image forming job. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the operation section receives an input of a third number of copies being a number of stacks of the sheets to be subjected to a no-binding process, by which neither the first binding process nor the second binding process are executed; and the control section causes the post-processing apparatus to perform the first binding process for the first number of copies, the second binding process for the second number of copies, and the no-binding process for the third number of copies based on the information on the number of copies to be processed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation section receives an input of any one of: a pair of the first number of copies and the second number of copies; a pair of one number of copies selected from the group consisting of the first number of copies and the second number of copies, and a coefficient for deriving another number of copies from the one number of copies; a pair of a total number of copies of the sheets to be subjected to the binding process and one of the first number of copies and the second number of copies; and a pair of the total number of copies and a coefficient for deriving the first number of copies and the second number of copies from the total number of copies, as the information on the number of copies to be processed, to thereby identify the first number of copies and the second number of copies comprised in the one image forming job. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the operation section receives an input of two numbers of copies selected from the group consisting of: the first number of copies, the second number of copies, and a third number of copies being a number of stacks of the sheets to be subjected a no-binding process, by which neither the first binding process nor the second binding process are executed, and an input of a total number of copies to be printed within the one image forming job; and the control section determines the first number of copies, the second number of copies, and the third number of copies based on the respective numbers of copies that are received. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the first binding process comprises the binding process performed by using a staple; and the second binding process comprises the binding process performed by nipping and pressurizing a plurality of sheets of the sheets between upper teeth and lower teeth, which are engaged with each other, without use of the staple. ### Claim 9 A post-processing apparatus, comprising: a first binding section configured to perform a first binding process for sheets by using a binding fastener; a second binding section configured to perform a second binding process different from the first binding process for the sheets without use of the binding fastener; an acquisition section configured to obtain a job involving execution of post-processes for a first number of copies being a number of stacks of the sheets to be subjected to the first binding process and a second number of copies being a number of stacks of the sheets to be subjected to the second binding process from an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a sheet; and a control section configured to cause, in accordance with the obtained job, the first binding section to perform the first binding process for the first number of copies and the second binding section to perform the second binding process for the second number of copies. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A post-processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control section permits the first binding process when a number of sheets of a sheet stack is within an allowable range of the first binding process, and on the other hand, permits the second binding process when the number of sheets of the sheet stack is within the allowable range of the second binding process. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) A post-processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: the acquisition section obtains, from the image forming apparatus, a job involving the execution of the post-processes for the first number of copies, the second number of copies, and a third number of copies being a number of stacks of the sheets to be subjected to a no-binding process, by which neither the first binding process nor the second binding process are executed; and the control section causes the no-binding process for the third number of copies to be performed in accordance with the obtained job. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) A post-processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: the first binding process comprises a binding process performed by using a staple; and the second binding process comprises the binding process performed by nipping and pressurizing a plurality of sheets of the sheets between upper teeth and lower teeth, which are engaged with each other, without use of the staple. ### Claim 13 An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming section configured to form an image on a sheet based on an image forming job; a first binding section configured to perform a first binding process for the sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming section by using a binding fastener; a second binding section configured to perform a second binding process different from the first binding process for the sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming section without use of the binding fastener; an operation section configured to receive an input of information on a number of copies to be processed in a case where image formation for a plurality of copies are performed in one image forming job, the information serving to identify a first number of copies being a number of stacks of the sheets to be subjected to the first binding process by using the binding fastener in a post-processing apparatus and a second number of copies being a number of stacks of the sheets to be subjected to the second binding process different from the first binding process without use of the binding fastener; and a control section configured to cause the first binding section to perform the first binding process for the first number of copies and the second binding section to perform the second binding process for the second number of copies based on the information on the number of copies to be processed which is received by the operation section.