Hybrid output duplex copying system

Claim 1

A post-collation copying system for making collated sets of duplex copies from documents presented for copying by a document presentation system (20), wherein plural identical copies can be made at one time in immediate sequence from a presented document, and wherein copies are collated by being fed into separate bins of a multiple bin sorter (46); said copying system including a buffer system (55,38) for presenting the opposite sides of copy sheets to receive images after the first sides have received images; said document presentation system including means for presenting said documents for copying in a non-directly-sequential and interleaved page order; said document presentation system, said buffer system and said sorter being coordinated to make partial copy sets of at least two copy sheets each by: copying at least two document pages onto the first sides of at least two copy sheets and feeding those copy sheets through said buffer system; copying onto the opposite sides of those copy sheets from proper sequential opposite side document pages to complete said partial sets of duplex copy sheets; feeding those duplex copy sheets to selected sorter bins, then sequentially presenting and copying further (different) document pages onto different copy sheets and placing these additional copy sheets in said sorter bins together with said previous copy sheets, until all pages of the documents have been copied; said sorter being operated to load said partial copy sets into said bins in non-­directly-sequential bin order, co-ordinated with said presenting and copying of document pages in a non-directly-sequential page order, to provide properly collated sets in said bins.

Claim 5

A system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein said documents are physical documents, and wherein documents are presented for copying by a document feeder having a document bypass path for providing said interleaved non-­directly-sequential document page order presentation.

Claim 6

A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the number of copy sheets in a partial copy set corresponds to the copy sheet pitch length of the buffer system.

Claim 7

A method of post-collation for making collated sets of duplex copies from a set of documents, including the steps of: presenting documents for copying in a non-directly-sequential and interleaved page order; copying at least two document pages onto the first sides of at least two copy sheets; placing those copy sheets in a buffer system to present the other sides of the sheets to receive images; copying proper sequential opposite side document pages onto those other sides to form duplex copies, and feeding those duplex copies to selected bins of a sorter; and copying further (different) document pages onto different copy sheets and feeding those copies to selected bins of said sorter; the method further including the step of feeding copies into the sorter bins in non-directly-sequential bin order, co-ordinated with the order of presentation of documents for copying, to provide properly collated sets in the bins.

Claim 8

A method of post-collation for making collated sets of duplex copies from a set of documents, including the steps of: presenting documents for copying in a non-directly-sequential and interleaved page order; copying at least two document pages onto the first sides of at least two copy sheets; placing those copy sheets in a buffer system to present the other sides of the sheets to receive images; copying proper sequential opposite side document pages onto those other sides to form duplex copies, and feeding those duplex copies to selected bins of a sorter; and copying further (different) document pages onto different copy sheets and feeding those copies to selected bins of said sorter; the method further including the step of feeding copies into the sorter bins in non-directly-sequential bin order, co-ordinated with the order of presentation of documents for copying, to provide properly collated sets in the bins.