Patent ID: 8109497

Claim:
A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising: a carry-in entrance disposed in one side face of an apparatus frame to receive a sheet fed from an image formation apparatus; end binding means for gathering sheets received from the carry-in entrance in a bunch form and performing binding processing in an end portion of a bunch of sheets; saddle-stitching means for gathering sheets received from the carry-in entrance in a bunch form and performing binding processing in a center portion of a bunch of sheets; center-folding means for performing center-folding processing on the bound bunch of sheets; a cutting device for cutting a fore edge of the bunch of sheets subjected to the center-folding processing; a first discharge outlet disposed in the other side face of the apparatus frame to discharge the bunch of sheets subjected to the end binding processing; a second discharge outlet disposed below the first discharge outlet to discharge the bunch of sheets subjected to the center-folding processing in the center-folding means, a buffer path for piling a predetermined number of sheets received from the carry-in entrance; and buffer carrying means for carrying the predetermined number of sheets piled in the buffer path to the end binding means, after a predetermined time delayed; wherein the saddle-stitching means and the center-folding means are disposed below the carry-in entrance on the side of the one side face of the apparatus frame, the end binding means is disposed, above the saddle-stitching means and the center-folding means, between the carry-in entrance and the first discharge outlet, the cutting device is disposed within a space, below the end binding means, surrounded by the center-folding means and the second discharge outlet, and the buffer path is disposed between the carry-in entrance and the end binding means, and downwardly extending in a vertical direction toward between the center-folding means and the cutting device.