Copier with on-line and convenience staplers with shared power supply

Abstract

A copier or printer providing regular automatic on-line stapling of the output sets of copies, yet also providing a separate, easily manually accessible, convenience stapler, driven by the same power supply but on a controlled power sharing basis, saving the cost of a separate, or higher power, stapler drive power supply. This is accomplished without any interference with, or delay in, the operation of the on-line output stapling, without overloading of the shared power supply, and without operator-perceptible interference with the operation of the separate convenience stapler. The operation of the internal copy set stapler is prioritized to avoid throughput loss and only briefly, e.g., for one second or less, is coincident driver power for the convenience stapler inhibited, i.e., only for a time period sufficient for the power pulse to the finisher stapler to be generated and provided, and only if overlap in power usage would otherwise occur.