Patent ID: 6213456
Filing Date: 2001-04-10
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
A finisher connected to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on papers such as recording medium, and performing various additional works on papers with an image formed face outputted from the image forming apparatus, the finisher comprising:a binding device, which produces a bound booklet by inserting papers outputted from the image forming apparatus into a cover with an adhesive layer coated on an inner surface near a spine interconnecting a front board and a back board of the cover, and pasting the cover and the papers, the binding device including a cover storage unit, which stores a plurality of the covers as stacked in a spread state and said cover storage unit is provided with a riffling mechanism which mutually separates the covers stored in said cover storage unit as mutually stuck by the adhesive layer, said riffling mechanism is provided with at least one pair of riffling devices, which have inclined pressing surfaces coming in contact with terminal surfaces of the covers in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the covers and disposed at a position opposite to the covers in a stacked state, and enabled to cause said riffling devices alternately to come in contact with the terminal surfaces of the covers, a cover conveying unit, which extracts one cover from said cover storage unit and conveys the cover, a paper insertion unit, which holds the cover conveyed from said cover conveying unit in an opened state capable of accepting papers, a paper conveying unit, which inserts the papers from the image forming apparatus into the cover held in position in said paper insertion unit, a heating unit, which gives thermal processing to the adhesive layer of the cover with inserted papers, and a discharging unit, which discharges a bound booklet completed by the thermal processing, outside and stores the bound booklet.