Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus is provided including an image forming unit configured to form an image on a print medium, and a printed medium post-processing unit configured to receive and post-process printed media on which an image forming process is completed from the image forming unit. The printed medium post-processing unit selectively comprises one of a first stacker module in which a first amount of post-processed printed media is able to be loaded, and a second stacker module in which a second amount of post-processed printed media is able to be loaded. Therefore, it may be possible to flexibly respond to a loading amount of the printed media necessary for the printed medium post-processing unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to, and claims the priority benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0096736, filed on Aug. 14, 2013 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments relate to an image forming apparatus including a printed medium post-processing unit configured to receive and post-process printed media on which an image forming process is completed.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, image forming apparatuses are apparatuses for forming an image on a print medium, and correspond to a printer, a copy machine, a facsimile machine, a multi-function machine implemented by integrating at least two of these functions, or the like.

Some image forming apparatuses include a printed medium post-processing unit configured to receive, and then post-process, printed media on which an image forming process is completed.

The printed medium post-processing unit receives and aligns the printed media on which the image forming process is completed, and then performs a stapling process using a stapler and a bookbinding process in which the printed media are bound in a book form.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment an image forming apparatus is provided including a printed medium post-processing unit which may selectively change a loading amount of printed media.

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a printed medium post-processing unit that may perform post-processing on printed media to respond to an image forming apparatus having various printing speeds.

Additional aspects are forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a print medium, and a printed medium post-processing unit configured to receive and post-process printed media on which an image forming process is completed from the image forming unit, wherein the printed medium post-processing unit selectively comprises one of a first stacker module in which a first amount of post-processed printed media is able to be loaded, and a second stacker module in which a second amount of post-processed printed media is able to be loaded.

The first stacker module may include a first tray in which the post-processed printed media are loaded, and a first support part configured to support the first tray.

The second stacker module may include a second tray in which the post-processed printed media are loaded, and a second support part configured to support the second tray to be movable up and down.

The printed medium post-processing unit may be disposed at an upper side of the image forming unit, and the second support part may extend up and down so that an upper portion of the second support part is disposed at one side of the post-processing module and a lower portion of the second support part is disposed at one side of the image forming unit.

The printed medium post-processing unit may selectively include one of a buffer module in which the plurality of printed media, on which the image forming process is completed in the image forming unit, temporarily stay, and a transfer module which transfers the printed media, on which the image forming process is completed in the image forming unit, to the post-processing module.

The buffer module may include a first buffer passage in which a first printed medium, on which the image forming process is completed, temporarily stays, a second buffer passage in which a second printed medium, on which the image forming process is completed, temporarily stays, and one transfer passage connected with the first and second buffer passages to transfer the printed medium transferred from the first and second buffer passages to the post-processing module.

The image forming unit may include a first paper discharging passage connected with the first buffer passage to guide discharging of the first printed medium, and a second paper discharging passage connected with the second buffer passage to guide discharging of the second printed medium.

The image forming unit may include a duplex passage for double-sided printing, the first paper discharging passage may be a passage through which the printed medium, on which the image forming process is completed, is discharged, and the second paper discharging passage may be a passage in which part of the printed medium, which the image forming process is completed on one surface thereof, is temporarily discharged, such that the printed medium, which the image forming process is completed on one surface thereof, is able to enter the duplex passage.

In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a print medium, and a printed medium post-processing unit configured to receive and post-process printed media on which an image forming process is completed from the image forming unit, wherein the printed medium post-processing unit selectively comprises one of a buffer module in which the printed media, on which the image forming process is completed in the image forming unit, temporarily stay, and a transfer module which transfers the printed media, on which the image forming process is completed in the image forming unit, to the printed medium post-processing unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

As illustrated inFIG. 1, an image forming apparatus1according to an embodiment includes an image forming unit10configured to form an image on a print medium, an image scanning unit30disposed at an upper side of the image forming unit10to scan a document, an automatic document feeding unit40disposed at an upper side of the image scanning unit30to automatically feed the document to be scanned by the image scanning unit30, and a printed medium post-processing unit20configured to receive and post-process printed media on which an image forming process is completed from the image forming unit10.

The image forming unit10includes a paper feeding part11disposed at a lower portion thereof to feed the print medium on which an image will be formed, an image forming part12disposed at an upper side of the paper feeding part11to form the image on the print medium fed from the paper feeding part11, and a paper discharging part13disposed at an upper portion of one side of the image forming part12to discharge the printed medium on which the image forming process is completed.

The paper discharging part13includes a first paper discharging passage13a, a second paper discharging passage13band a duplex passage13cthat are provided to discharge the printed medium on which the image forming process is completed. The first paper discharging passage13ais a passage for discharging the printed medium on which the image forming process is completed, and the second paper discharging passage13bis a passage for temporarily discharging part of the printed medium which the image forming process is completed on one surface thereof, such that the printed medium may enter the duplex passage13cupon a double-sided printing process.

The printed medium post-processing unit20may be disposed at the upper side of the image forming part12to be parallel with the paper feeding part11. According to an embodiment, the printed medium post-processing unit20receives and aligns the printed media discharged from the image forming unit10and performs a stapling, for example, in which one sides of the printed media are stapled.

The printed medium post-processing unit20includes a post-processing module21in which a post-processing process of the printed media, e.g., the aligning and stapling process of the printed media is performed, and a stacker module in which the printed media post-processed in the post-processing module21are loaded.

According to an embodiment, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 5, one of a first stacker module22A in which a first amount of the printed media is loaded, and a second stacker module22B in which a second amount of the printed media, which may different in amount than the first amount, for example, larger than the first amount, is loaded, may be selectively employed, and included in the printed medium post-processing unit20.

The first stacker module22A includes a first tray22A-1in which the printed media, which have been treated through the post-processing process, are loaded, and a first support part22A-2that fixes and supports the first tray22A-1. As illustrated inFIG. 5, the second stacker module22B includes a second tray22B-1in which the printed media, which have been treated through the post-processing process are loaded, and a second support part22B-2which supports the second tray22B-1to be movable, for example, in an up and down direction.

The second stacker module22B extends, for example, in a vertical direction, to guide, for example, an up and down movement of the second tray22B-1. An upper portion of the second stacker module22B may be disposed at one side of the post-processing module, and a lower portion thereof may be disposed at one side of the image forming unit10.

Therefore, the printed medium post-processing unit20includes one of the first stacker module22A and the second stacker module22B, and thus it may be possible to flexibly respond to a loading amount of the printed media necessary for the image forming apparatus1. That is, in a case in which only a small loading amount is sufficient, the image forming apparatus1includes the printed medium post-processing unit20to which the first stacker module22A is applied, and in a case in which a large loading amount is required, the image forming apparatus1includes the printed medium post-processing unit20to which the second stacker module22B is applied. Therefore, the loading amount of the printed media necessary for the printed medium post-processing unit20may be selectively changed.

The printed medium post-processing unit20selectively includes one of a buffer module23A in which a plurality of printed media transferred from the image forming unit10temporarily stay, and a transfer module23B to directly transfer the printed media transferred from the image forming unit10to the post-processing module21.

The buffer module23A may be applied to the image forming apparatus1which performs a printing process at a high speed, such that the image forming process in the image forming unit10may be continuously performed even while the post-processing module21performs the post-processing process of the printed media. The buffer module23A allows a plurality of printed media discharged from the image forming unit10to stay while the post-processing process of the printed media is performed in the post-processing module21, and to transfer the plurality of printed media to the post-processing module21after the post-processing process of the printed media in the post-processing module21is completed. That is, the buffer module23A assures a period of time for post-processing the plurality of printed media in the post-processing module21is available.

According to an embodiment, the buffer module23A includes a first buffer passage23A-1that may be connected with the first paper discharging passage13ato receive a first printed medium P1discharged through the first paper discharging passage13aand thus to allow the first printed medium P1to temporarily stay in the buffer module23A, a second buffer passage23A-2that is connected with the second paper discharging passage13bto receive a second printed medium P2discharged through the second paper discharging passage13band to allow the second printed medium P2to temporarily stay in the buffer module23A, and a transfer passage23A-3that is connected with the first buffer passage23A-1and the second buffer passage23A-2to collect and transfer the first printed medium P1transferred through the first buffer passage23A-1and the second printed medium P2to the post-processing module21.

Therefore, while the post-processing process is performed in the post-processing module21, the image forming unit10discharges the first printed medium P1through the first paper discharging passage13a. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the buffer module23A receives the first printed medium P1through the first buffer passage23A-1and allows the first printed medium P1to stay in the first buffer passage23A-1.

The image forming unit10discharges the second printed medium P2through the second paper discharging passage13b. As illustrated inFIG. 3, the buffer module23A receives the second printed medium P2through the second buffer passage23A-2and allows the second printed medium P2to stay in the first buffer passage23A-1. Therefore, a period of time for the post-processing process corresponding to a period of time when the images are formed on the first printed medium P1and the second printed medium P2may be assured.

When the post-processing process is completed in the post-processing module21, as illustrated inFIG. 4, the buffer module23A collects the first printed medium P1and the second printed medium P2through the transfer passage23A-3and transfers both the first printed medium P1and the second printed medium P2to the post-processing module21. Therefore, the image forming process in the image forming unit10may be continuously performed by the buffer module23A.

The transfer module23B illustrated inFIG. 5may be applied to a image forming apparatus1that performs the printing process at a low speed. In a case of the image forming apparatus1that performs the printing process at the low speed, the post-processing process of the printed media in the post-processing module21may be completed within a period of time when the image is formed on a print medium and then the printed medium is discharged. Therefore, the buffer module23A may not be required, and thus the printed medium transferred from the image forming unit10may be directly transferred to the post-processing module21. According to an embodiment, the transfer module23B includes a transfer passage23B-1configured to directly transfer the printed medium discharged from the first paper discharging passage13ato the post-processing module21.

Since the printed medium post-processing unit20may selectively include one of the buffer module23A and the transfer module23B according to the printing speed of the image forming apparatus, the printed medium post-processing unit20may perform the post-processing process according to the printing speed of the image forming apparatus1.

Since the printed medium post-processing unit may selectively include one of the first stacker module and the second stacker module, it may be possible to flexibly respond to a loading amount of the printed media necessary in the printed medium post-processing unit.

Further, since the printed medium post-processing unit may selectively include one of the buffer module and the transfer module, the printed medium post-processing unit may perform the post-processing process in response to the printing speed of the image forming apparatus.