Sheet carrying method for sheet finishing device

Abstract

A sheet finishing device includes: a housing unit which houses a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus; a carrying unit which carries the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus in a direction of the housing unit; a standby unit which is arranged on a carrying path of the carrying unit and temporarily holds the sheet; a finishing unit which is arranged on the carrying path of the carrying unit and performs finishing of the sheet; and a control unit which, when a carrying error in the carrying unit is a first error, controls the carrying unit to stop and responses the first error to the image forming apparatus, and when the carrying error is a second error, controls the carrying unit to continue driving and responses the second error to the image forming apparatus.

1 . A sheet finishing device comprising:
 a housing unit which houses a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus;   a carrying unit which carries the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus in a direction of the housing unit;   a standby unit which is arranged on a carrying path of the carrying unit and temporarily holds the sheet;   a finishing unit which is arranged on the carrying path of the carrying unit and performs finishing of the sheet; and   a control unit which, when a carrying error in the carrying unit is a first error, controls the carrying unit to stop and responses the first error to the image forming apparatus, and when the carrying error is a second error, controls the carrying unit to continue driving and responses the second error to the image forming apparatus.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first error is a sheet jam in which the sheet is jammed in the carrying path, and
 the second error is an operation delay generated on the carrying path.   
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein when the carrying error is the second error, the control unit requests a delay request to delay image formation that is to be newly started, to the image forming apparatus. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein when the carrying error is the second error, the control unit requests a stop request to stop image formation that is to be newly started, to the image forming apparatus. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein when the carrying unit is controlled to continue driving in the case where the operation delay is an operation delay in the finishing unit, the carrying unit continues carrying the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus up to the standby unit and stands by the sheet in the standby unit. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein when the operation delay is an operation delay in the finishing unit,
 the control unit requests a delay request to delay image formation that is to be newly started, to the image forming apparatus, and   the carrying unit continues carrying the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus by already started image formation up to the standby unit and stands by the sheet in the standby unit.   
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the finishing unit has a supporting unit which is arranged between the standby unit and the housing unit in the carrying path and supports the sheet that is carried directly from the image forming apparatus or carried via the standby unit, and an alignment unit which aligns the sheet on the supporting unit,
 the carrying unit has a paper discharge unit which discharges the sheet on the supporting unit to the housing unit, and   the carrying unit carries the sheet from the standby unit to the supporting unit when paper discharge operation by the paper discharge unit is completed.   
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein when the number of sheets standing by in the standby unit exceeds a prescribed number of sheets, an alignment operation by the alignment unit is increased. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the delay request delays the image formation that is to be newly started until the finishing unit completes a finishing operation, then resumes new image formation to the image forming apparatus. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein when the carrying unit is controlled to continue driving in the case where the operation delay is an operation delay in the standby unit,
 the control unit requests a stop request to stop image formation that is to be newly started, to the image forming apparatus, and   the carrying unit carries the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus by already started image formation, directly to the housing unit.   
     
     
         11 . A sheet carrying method for a sheet finishing device comprising:
 carrying a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus in a first direction, with or without a finishing operation;   stopping the carrying of the sheet in the first direction and notifying the image forming apparatus of the first error when a carrying error is a first error; and   continuing the carrying of the sheet in the first direction and notifying the image forming apparatus of the second error when the carrying error is a second error.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first error is a sheet jam in which the sheet is jammed while the sheet is carried in the first direction, and
 the second error is an operation delay generated at the time of carrying out the finishing operation of the sheet.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein when the carrying error is the second error, requesting a delay request to delay image formation that is to be newly started to the image forming apparatus. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein when the carrying error is the second error, requesting a stop request to stop image formation that is to be newly started to the image forming apparatus. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein when an operation delay occurs at the time of carrying out the finishing operation of the sheet, when the carrying of the sheet in the first direction is continued, continuing the carrying of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus in the first direction to a standby unit and standing by the sheet in the standby unit. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein when an operation delay occurs at the time of carrying out the finishing operation of the sheet, when the carrying of the sheet in the first direction is continued, requesting a delay request to delay image formation that is to be newly started to the image forming apparatus, and
 continuing the carrying of the sheet in the first direction discharged from the image forming apparatus by already started image formation to the standby unit and standing by the sheet in the standby unit.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein when the operation delay is a sheet discharge delay from a supporting unit downstream from the standby unit,
 carrying the sheet from the standby unit to the supporting unit when the discharge of the sheet from the paper discharge unit is completed.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein when the number of sheets standing by in the standby unit exceeds a prescribed number of sheets, increasing an operation to align the sheet on the supporting unit. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the delay request delays the image formation that is to be newly started until the finishing operation of the sheet is completed, then resumes new image formation to the image forming apparatus. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein when the operation delay is an operation delay in the standby unit,
 requesting a stop request to stop image formation that is to be newly started to the image forming apparatus, and   carrying the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus by already started image formation in the first direction and housing directly in a housing unit.