阅读说明：本技术 电动订书机 (Electric stapler ) 是由 岛村昌志 见城达弥 于 2020-11-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种电动订书机,能够对纸张束的卷曲进行补正而将纸张束的端部对齐。电动订书机(1A)具备：将由冠部和腿部构成的订书钉打出而装订纸张束的装订部(2)；及将纸张束向装订部(2)引导的第一引导部(3)和与第一引导部(3)相对的第二引导部(4),第一引导部(3)与第二引导部(4)空出间隔地相对,该间隔被设为通过订书钉能够装订的最大装订张数的纸张重叠而成的纸张束的厚度以上,所述第二引导部(4)的从沿着与从装订部(2)打出的冠部的长度方向正交的方向远离装订部(2)的一侧的端部(40)至装订部(2)的长度为15mm以上。(The invention provides an electric stapler, which can correct the curl of a paper bundle and align the end parts of the paper bundle. An electric stapler (1A) is provided with: a binding part (2) for binding the paper bundle by driving out the staple composed of the crown part and the leg part; and a first guide section (3) that guides the sheet bundle to the binding section (2), and a second guide section (4) that faces the first guide section (3), wherein the first guide section (3) and the second guide section (4) face each other with a space that is equal to or greater than the thickness of the sheet bundle in which the maximum number of sheets that can be bound by a staple is stacked, and the length from an end (40) of the second guide section (4) on the side away from the binding section (2) in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion that is struck from the binding section (2) to the binding section (2) is equal to or greater than 15 mm.)

1. An electric stapler is provided with:

a binding section for binding the sheet bundle by driving out a staple including a crown portion and a leg portion; and

a first guide portion that guides the sheet bundle to the binding portion and a second guide portion that is opposite to the first guide portion,

the first guide section and the second guide section are opposed to each other with a space provided therebetween, the space being equal to or larger than a thickness of a sheet bundle in which a maximum number of sheets to be bound can be bound by a staple,

between the first guide section and the second guide section, both sides in a longitudinal direction of a crown portion of a staple struck by the binding section and a side away from the binding section in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion are connected to be opened,

the length of the first guide portion and the second guide portion from an end portion on a side away from the binding portion in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion to the binding portion is 15mm or more.

2. The electric stapler of claim 1,

the second guide portion includes a guide surface between an end portion on a side away from the binding portion in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the crown portion and the binding portion.

3. The electric stapler according to claim 1 or 2,

at least one of the first guide portion and the second guide portion includes a restriction portion that restricts the number of sheets that have entered between the first guide portion and the second guide portion.

4. The electric stapler of claim 3, wherein,

at least one of the first guide section and the second guide section includes a first escape section that is recessed in a size equal to or larger than a thickness of a staple with respect to the regulating section and through which the staple bound with the sheet bundle passes.

5. The electric stapler of claim 4, wherein,

at least one of the first guide section and the second guide section includes a second escape section through which a staple bound with a sheet bundle passes, on both sides or one side in the longitudinal direction of the crown section.

6. The electric stapler according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

at least one of the first guide and the second guide includes an inductive portion on a distal end side of an end portion on a side away from the binding portion in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the crown portion, and the inductive portion is inclined in a direction in which a gap between the first guide and the second guide is widened.

7. The electric stapler according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the electric stapler includes a cover constituting the second guide portion, and the cover is made of a transparent material allowing an inside of the cover to be viewed.

8. The electric stapler of claim 7, wherein,

the cover is provided with a light source inside, and the light source irradiates light for illuminating the inside of the cover.

9. The electric stapler according to claim 7 or 8,

the front surface of the cover is provided with an inclined surface which protrudes forward on a side close to the second guide portion than on a side far from the second guide portion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electric stapler that staples a bundle of paper sheets.

Background

In an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic technique, an electrostatic latent image formed based on image information is generally developed on an image carrier such as a photoreceptor with a developer, a toner image obtained by the development is transferred onto a sheet of paper directly or via an intermediate transfer member, and the sheet of paper is passed between a fixing heating roller and a pressure roller or a belt (a pressure contact section) to fix the toner image onto the sheet of paper, thereby forming an image. Further, a phenomenon that the paper after the fixing is warped and deformed to the front side or the back side, that is, so-called curl may occur.

Therefore, in an image forming apparatus, there has been proposed a technique for correcting curl so that curled paper becomes substantially flat according to a mode of a post-processing apparatus capable of loading a large number of papers such as a stacker (for example, see patent document 1).

An electric stapler that staples a bundle of sheets of paper may be mounted on the post-processing apparatus. On the other hand, there is also an electric stapler of a system independent from the image forming apparatus (for example, see patent document 2). There are also the following operation modes: by providing such an electric stapler of a type independent from the post-processing apparatus on the post-processing apparatus such as a stacker, the sheet bundle arranged on the stacker is taken out and bound by the electric stapler.

[ Prior Art document ]

[ patent document ]

[ patent document 1 ] Japanese laid-open No. 2005-096892

[ patent document 2 ] Japanese patent No. 4277417 publication

When the electric stapler is mounted on the post-processing apparatus, the image forming apparatus can correct the curl in accordance with the electric stapler. In contrast, when the electric stapler and the post-processing apparatus are independent, the sheet bundle whose curl is corrected by the image forming apparatus corresponding to the stacker may not be suitable for the stapling process by the electric stapler.

In general, the end portions of the respective sheets of the curled sheet bundle easily become misaligned. In the electric stapler, when an end portion of a sheet bundle inserted between a pair of upper and lower guide portions is detected by a sensor, control is performed to start a stapling process. However, since the binding action is started even if the end portions of the sheet bundle are misaligned, binding with a staple may be performed in a state where the end portions of the sheet bundle are still misaligned. The case where the sheet bundle is stapled by the staple in the state where the ends of the sheet bundle are not aligned is referred to as bundle slip.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, an electric stapler capable of correcting the curl of the sheet bundle and aligning the end portions of the sheet bundle even when the curled sheet bundle is inserted between the guide portions is provided.

In order to solve the above problem, an electric stapler of the present disclosure includes: a binding section for binding the sheet bundle by driving out a staple including a crown portion and a leg portion; and a first guide section that guides the sheet bundle to the binding section, and a second guide section that faces the first guide section, wherein the first guide section and the second guide section face each other with a space that is equal to or larger than a thickness of the sheet bundle in which a maximum number of sheets to be bound can be bound by the staple, and wherein both sides in a longitudinal direction of a crown portion of the staple struck by the binding section and a side away from the binding section in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion are connected and open between the first guide section and the second guide section, and a length from an end portion of the side away from the binding section in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion to the binding section of the first guide section and the second guide section is 15mm or more.

Effects of the invention

According to the above-described electric stapler, by setting the length from the end portion of the first guide portion and the second guide portion on the side away from the binding portion in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion to the binding portion to 15mm or more, even in the case where the sheet bundle is curled, the curl is corrected by the first guide portion and the second guide portion in the process of inserting the sheet bundle into the binding portion from the end portion between the first guide portion and the second guide portion. Therefore, the sheet ends can be aligned at the stage of binding the sheet bundle, and the sheet bundle bound by the staple can be suppressed from being in a bundle slip state.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 1B is a front view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 1C is a plan view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 1D is a perspective view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 2A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an operation of stapling a sheet bundle with staples.

Fig. 2B is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an operation of stapling the sheet bundle with staples.

Fig. 2C is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an operation of stapling the sheet bundle with staples.

Fig. 3A is a plan view of the sheet bundle after binding with staples.

Fig. 3B is a front view of the sheet bundle after binding with a staple.

Fig. 3C is a side view of the sheet bundle after binding with the staple.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing an example of the cover as viewed from below.

Fig. 4B is a bottom view showing an example of the cover.

Fig. 4C is a perspective view showing an example of the cover as viewed from above.

Fig. 5A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the operation of stapling the sheet bundle by the electric stapler.

Fig. 5B is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the operation of stapling the sheet bundle by the electric stapler.

Fig. 5C is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the operation of stapling the sheet bundle by the electric stapler.

Fig. 5D is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an operation of binding a sheet bundle by an electric stapler according to the related art.

Fig. 5E is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of stapling the sheet bundle by the electric stapler.

Fig. 6A is a front view of the electric stapler showing a state after closing the sheet bundle of the maximum thickness.

Fig. 6B is a side view of the electric stapler showing a state after the sheet bundle of the maximum thickness is closed.

Fig. 7A is a plan view of the electric stapler illustrating an example of an operation of stapling a plurality of portions of a sheet bundle with staples.

Fig. 7B is a plan view of the electric stapler illustrating an example of an operation of stapling a plurality of portions of the sheet bundle with staples.

Fig. 7C is a plan view of the electric stapler illustrating an example of an operation of stapling a plurality of portions of the sheet bundle with staples.

Fig. 8A is a front view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 8B is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 9A is a front view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 9B is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 10A is a perspective view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 10B is a front view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 10C is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 11A is a perspective view showing an example of an electric stapler according to a fifth embodiment.

Fig. 11B is a perspective view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the fifth embodiment.

Fig. 11C is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the fifth embodiment.

Fig. 11D is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the fifth embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

1A. electric stapler 2. binding part 20. driver mechanism part 3. end part 31. guide surface 4. second guide part 40. end part 41. guide surface 42. cover 43. restriction part 44. first guide part 45. second avoidance part (avoidance part) 46. third avoidance part (avoidance part) 48. fourth guide part (avoidance part) 49. light source 6. base unit 60. handle unit 100. handle mechanism part 3. terminal part 4. handle unit 100. handle unit is provided with a handle.

Detailed Description

< example of configuration of electric stapler according to first embodiment >

Fig. 1A is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the first embodiment, fig. 1B is a front view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the first embodiment, fig. 1C is a plan view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the first embodiment, and fig. 1D is a perspective view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 2A to 2C are explanatory views showing an example of the operation of binding the sheet bundle with a staple, fig. 3A is a plan view of the sheet bundle after binding with a staple, fig. 3B is a front view of the sheet bundle after binding with a staple, fig. 3C is a side view of the sheet bundle after binding with a staple, and first, the operation of binding the sheet bundle P with a staple 100 is explained. One staple 100 is separated from a staple sheet in which linear staples are connected in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and as shown in fig. 5A, both ends of the linear staple 100 are bent in one direction to form leg portions 103 at both ends of the crown portion 102.

As shown in fig. 2B, the staple 100 penetrates the leg portion 103 into the sheet bundle P to a position where the crown portion 102 is in contact with the sheet bundle P. The staple 100 having the leg portion 103 penetrating the sheet bundle P bends the leg portion 103 as shown in fig. 2C, and binds the sheet bundle P with the staple 100 as shown in fig. 3A to 3C.

Next, an electric stapler 1A according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 1A to 1D, the electric stapler 1A includes: a binding section 2 that ejects the staple 100 and binds the sheet bundle P; and a first guide portion 3 as a pair of guides for guiding the sheet bundle P to the binding portion 2, and a second guide portion 4 opposed to the first guide portion 3.

The binding section 2 is provided with a driver 20 for driving out the staple 100 on the second guide section 4 side, and a clincher 21 for bending the leg portion 103 of the staple 100 penetrating the sheet bundle P on the first guide section 3 side opposite to the driver 20. The electric stapler 1A includes a mechanism for driving the driver 20 by a motor, a mechanism for driving the clincher 21, a mechanism for nipping the paper bundle P, and the like.

The first guide portion 3 is formed of a substantially horizontal portion facing upward in a mode in which the electric stapler 1A is mounted and used, and serves as a mounting surface on which the sheet bundle P is mounted. The second guide portion 4 is configured with a portion facing downward in a mode in which the electric stapler 1A is placed and used, and is a top surface facing the first guide portion 3.

The first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4 face each other at a predetermined interval Lt1 equal to or larger than the maximum thickness t of the sheet bundle P in the vicinity of the binding section 2 on one side in the longitudinal direction of the crown section 102 and one side in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown section 102 of the staple 100 driven by the binding section 2. The maximum thickness t of the sheet bundle P is, for example, the thickness of the sheet bundle P in which the maximum number of sheets to be bound that can be bound by the staple 100 is stacked. A direction along the longitudinal direction of the crown 102 is indicated by an arrow a1, and a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown 102 is indicated by an arrow a 2.

The distance Lt1 between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4 is preferably a value obtained by adding a length twice the thickness of the staple 100 to the maximum thickness t of the sheet bundle P. This is because, as shown in fig. 3A to 3C, when the sheet bundle P is bound with the staple 100, the crown portion 102 is exposed to one surface of the sheet bundle P, and the leg portion 103 is exposed to the other surface.

Between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4, both sides in the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by an arrow a1 are continuous with and open to a side away from the binding portion 2 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by an arrow a 2. The first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4 open therebetween in three directions in this example.

The length L1 of the second guide portion 4 from the end 40 of the second guide portion 4 on the side away from the binding portion 2 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102, indicated by the arrow a2, to the binding portion 2 is 15mm or more. The first guide portion 3 is configured such that the length of the paper bundle P in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102, which is indicated by the arrow a2, is longer than the length of the second guide portion 4 in the same direction. Accordingly, the length of the first guide 3 from the end 30 of the first guide 3 on the side away from the binding section 2 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by the arrow a2 to the binding section 2 is 15mm or more.

The first guide portion 3 includes a guide surface 31 that contacts the sheet bundle P between the end 30 on the side away from the binding portion 2 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by the arrow a2 and the binding portion 2.

The electric stapler 1A includes a cover 42 constituting the second guide portion 4. Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing an example of the cover as viewed from below, fig. 4B is a bottom view showing an example of the cover, and fig. 4C is a perspective view showing an example of the cover as viewed from above.

As shown in fig. 1A to 1D, the cover 42 is configured to cover the driver 20, a mechanism for driving the driver 20, and the like, and is attached to face the first guide portion 3.

The second guide portion 4 includes a guide surface 41 that contacts the sheet bundle P between the end 40 on the side away from the binding portion 2 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by the arrow a2 and the binding portion 2. The guide surface 41 is formed by a portion of the cover 42 facing the guide surface 31 of the first guide portion 3, and covers a portion from the end 40 of the second guide portion 4 to the vicinity of the binding portion 2.

The second guide portion 4 includes a restriction portion 43 that restricts the number of sheets that have entered between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4. The restricting portion 43 is configured by providing convex portions protruding from the second guide portion 4 in the direction of the first guide portion 3 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by an arrow a1 in the end portion 40 of the second guide portion 4. The restricting portion 43 may be provided not in the second guide portion 4 but in the first guide portion 3, or may be provided in each of the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4.

The first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4 face each other at a position where the regulating portion 43 is provided, with a predetermined interval Lt2 equal to the maximum thickness t of the sheet bundle P.

The second guide section 4 includes a first escape portion 44 through which the staple 100 bound with the sheet bundle P can pass between the pair of restriction portions 43. The first escape portion 44 is an example of an escape portion, and is recessed from the regulating portion 43 by a size equal to or larger than the thickness of the staple 100.

The second guide section 4 includes second escape portions 45 through which the staple 100 bound with the sheet bundle P can pass, on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by an arrow a 1. The second escape portion 45 is an example of an escape portion, and is recessed from the regulating portion 43 by a dimension equal to or larger than the thickness of the staple 100. The second escape portion 45 may be provided not on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 but only on one side.

The second guide 4 includes a guide portion 46 inclined in a direction in which the distance between the first guide 3 and the second guide 4 is increased on the tip side of the end portion 40.

The electric stapler 1A includes a sloped surface 49 on the front surface of the cover 42. The inclined surface 49 is formed by an inclined surface inclined in a direction protruding forward from a side close to the inductive portion 46 than a side far from the inductive portion 46. In the present embodiment, the end 40 is an end on the opening side of the regulating portion 43.

< operation example of the electric stapler according to the first embodiment >

Fig. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5E are explanatory views showing an example of an operation of binding the sheet bundle by the electric stapler, and next, an operation of binding the sheet bundle P by the electric stapler 1A will be described with reference to the respective views. Fig. 5D is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation of binding a sheet bundle by an electric stapler according to the related art.

In the operation of inserting the sheet bundle P before being bound by the staple 100 between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4, the sheet bundle P enters between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4 from the end portion 40 of the second guide section 4 toward the binding section 2 by 15mm or more.

As shown in fig. 5A, when the sheet bundle P before being bound by the staple 100 after the sheets on which the images are formed by the image forming apparatus are overlapped is curled, if the sheet bundle P enters between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4, the curled portion of the sheet bundle P is in contact with the second guide portion 4. The sheet bundle P first contacts the regulating portion 43 and then contacts the guide surface 41.

When the electric stapler 1A is installed in a place where the height of the floor surface is about 1m at equal intervals on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus, not shown, the user inserts the sheet bundle P between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4 from obliquely above. In such a manner of use, a situation is observed in which the sheet bundle P contacts the front surface of the hood 42 and the sheet bundle P enters from the guide portion 46 between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4. Therefore, by providing the inclined surface 49 inclined in a direction protruding forward on the front surface of the cover 42 along the side closer to the guiding portion 46 than the side farther from the guiding portion 46, the sheet bundle P contacting the front surface of the cover 42 can be guided toward the guiding portion 46.

The allowable curl amount H in the image forming apparatus is about 10mm to 15mm at maximum in the thickness direction (curl height) of the paper surface. In this way, if the curled sheet bundle P is inserted between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4, the sheet bundle P enters between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4 along the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4 from the end portion 40 of the guide portion 4 by 15mm or more as shown in fig. 5B.

Here, for example, as shown in fig. 5C, in the configuration without the guide surface 41, a curled portion of the sheet bundle P enters a space without the guide surface 41, and there is a possibility that the sheet bundle P cannot be bound. In particular, as shown in fig. 5E described later, when the sheet bundle P is stapled so as to be expressed as corner stapling, in the configuration without the guide surface 41, the corner portion of the sheet bundle P is likely to enter the space without the guide surface 41, and the corner portion of the sheet bundle P may be stapled in a folded state.

On the other hand, by providing the guide surface 41 that contacts the sheet bundle P between the end portion 40 of the second guide portion 4 and the binding portion 2, even if the sheet bundle P curls, the sheet bundle P contacts the guide surface 41 and advances along the guide surface 41. Therefore, the curl of the sheet bundle P can be corrected regardless of the orientation of the inserted sheet bundle P, and the ends of the sheet bundle P can be aligned by correcting the curl of the sheet bundle P.

Therefore, even when the end of the sheet bundle P inserted between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4 is detected by a sensor (not shown) and the control to start the binding process is performed (for example, when the end of the sheet bundle P is detected to have reached the binding position), the sheet bundle P can be bound by the staple 100 in a state where the curl of the sheet bundle P is corrected and the end of the sheet bundle P is aligned. This can prevent the sheet bundle P bound by the staple 100 from being shifted. That is, in the present embodiment, the guide surface 41 is not essential, but a configuration in which the guide surface 41 is present is preferable.

The first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4 face each other at a position where the regulating portion 43 is provided, with a predetermined interval Lt2 equal to the maximum thickness t of the sheet bundle P.

This can suppress the sheet bundle P having the number of sheets exceeding the maximum bindable number from being inserted between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4 beyond the restriction section 43, and can suppress the occurrence of binding failure due to the staple 100.

Further, when the length L1 between the end 40 of the second guide portion 4 and the binding portion 2 is short (for example, less than 15mm), as shown in fig. 5D, in the case of binding the sheet bundle P so as to express corner binding, even if the restriction portion 43 is provided, the corner portion of the sheet bundle P may reach the detection position (for example, binding position) of the sensor (not shown) before the sheet bundle P reaches the restriction portion 43, and the binding process may be executed. In this case, since the sheet bundle P is not defined by the restriction portion 43, there is a possibility that a stapling failure occurs by executing an operation of stapling the sheet bundle P exceeding the maximum number of sheets that can be stapled.

On the other hand, by setting the length L1 between the end 40 of the second guide portion 4 and the binding portion 2 to 15mm or more and providing the restriction portions 43 on both sides of the end 40 of the second guide portion 4 in the longitudinal direction along the crown portion 102 indicated by the arrow a1, the sheet bundle P can be restricted by the restriction portions 43 even when the sheet bundle P is bound so as to be expressed as angle binding as shown in fig. 5E. Therefore, when the number of sheets exceeds the maximum bindable number, the sheet bundle P is brought into contact with the regulating portion 43 before the corner of the sheet bundle P reaches the detection position of the sensor, not shown, and insertion of the sheet bundle P is suppressed. This can suppress the operation of stapling the sheet bundle P exceeding the maximum number of sheets that can be stapled, regardless of the orientation of the sheet bundle P inserted between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4. By setting the length L1 between the end 40 of the second guide portion 4 and the binding portion 2 to 15mm or more, when a foreign matter other than the sheet bundle P is inserted between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4 from the end 40 side, the foreign matter can be prevented from reaching the binding portion 2.

Further, by providing the guide portion 46, which widens the distance between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4 toward the end of the opening between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4, on the tip side of the end portion 40 of the second guide portion 4, even a curled sheet bundle P can be easily inserted between the first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4.

Fig. 6A is a front view of the electric stapler showing a state after closing the sheet bundle having the maximum thickness, and fig. 6B is a side view of the electric stapler showing a state after closing the sheet bundle having the maximum thickness.

When the sheet bundle P is bound with the staple 100, the crown portion 102 is exposed to the surface of the sheet bundle P facing the second guide portion 4, and the leg portion 103 is exposed to the surface of the sheet bundle P facing the first guide portion 3.

The first guide portion 3 and the second guide portion 4 face each other in the vicinity of the binding portion 2 with a predetermined interval Lt1 equal to or larger than the maximum thickness t of the sheet bundle P. This allows the sheet bundle P having the maximum thickness t to be inserted between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4 to be bound with the staple 100.

However, in the case where the sheet bundle P bound with the staple 100 is pulled out from between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4, if the restriction section 43 exists in the path through which the staple 100 passes, the staple 100 comes into contact with the restriction section 43, and the sheet bundle P may not be pulled out.

Therefore, the second guide portion 4 includes the first escape portion 44 between the pair of restricting portions 43. The first escape portion 44 is provided at a position indicated by an arrow a2 along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 with respect to the binding portion 2.

Thus, when the sheet bundle P is moved in the front-rear direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 as indicated by the arrow a2, the restriction portion 43 does not exist in the path through which the staple 100 passes, and the crown portion 102 can pass through the first escape portion 44. Therefore, even when the sheet bundle P having the maximum thickness t is bound by the staple 100, the sheet bundle P can be pulled out from between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4 by moving the sheet bundle P in the front-rear direction.

The second guide portion 4 includes second escape portions 45 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by an arrow a 1. The second escape portion 45 is provided at a position along the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by an arrow a1 with respect to the binding portion 2.

Thus, when the sheet bundle P is moved in the left-right direction along the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by the arrow a1, the regulating portion 43 does not exist in the path through which the staple 100 passes.

Fig. 7A to 7C are plan views of the electric stapler illustrating an example of an operation of stapling a plurality of portions of a sheet bundle with staples.

First, as shown in fig. 7A, a first portion of the sheet bundle P is bound with the staple 100. Next, as shown in fig. 7B, the sheet bundle P is moved in the left-right direction indicated by an arrow a1 along the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102. As described above, by providing the second escape portion 45, the crown portion 102 can pass through the second escape portion 45 in the movement of moving the sheet bundle P in the left-right direction.

Therefore, even when the sheet bundle P having the maximum thickness t is bound with the staple 100, the staple 100 binding the first part of the sheet bundle P can be discharged from the position facing the binding unit 2 in the operation of moving the sheet bundle P in the left-right direction, and the second part of the sheet bundle P can be moved to the position where the binding with the staple 100 is possible as shown in fig. 7C.

The results of verifying the relationship between the length L1 from the end 40 of the second guide portion 4 to the binding portion 2 and the curl amount H of the sheet bundle P are shown in table 1. In the following description, the length L1 from the end 40 of the second guide portion 4 to the binding portion 2 is referred to as the length L1 of the second guide portion 4.

[ TABLE 1 ]

Evaluation results are good: no bundle dislocation Δ: a few bundle of dislocation x: severe bundle dislocation

In a paper bundle P formed by overlapping paper sheets on which images are formed by an image forming apparatus, the maximum curl amount H is about 10mm to 15 mm. In this case, if the length L1 of the second guide portion 4 is 10mm, a slight bundle shift is observed in the case where the curl amount H is 15 mm. When the length L1 of the second guide portion 4 is less than 10mm, a serious bundle dislocation is found even if the curl amount H is 10 mm.

In contrast, when the length L1 of the second guide portion 4 is 15mm or more, the beam dislocation is not observed when the curl amount H is 15 mm. In the case where the curl amount H is 20mm beyond the assumed value, a slight bundle dislocation is observed when the length L1 of the second guide portion 4 is 15mm, but if the curl amount H is within the assumed value, the bundle dislocation can be suppressed.

It is understood that if the length L of the second guide portion 4 is 15mm or more, the effect of suppressing the bundle slip of the sheet bundle P can be obtained.

< example of configuration of electric stapler according to second embodiment >

Fig. 8A is a front view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the second embodiment, and fig. 8B is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the second embodiment. The electric stapler 1B according to the second embodiment is configured such that escape portions are provided in both the second guide portion 4 and the first guide portion 3. In the electric stapler 1B of the second embodiment, the same components as those of the electric stapler 1A of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

The electric stapler 1B includes a third escape portion 47 in the first guide portion 3. The third escape portion 47 is an example of an escape portion, and is provided opposite the first escape portion 44 at a position along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102, which is indicated by an arrow a2, with respect to the binding portion 2.

The electric stapler 1B further includes a fourth escape portion 48 in the first guide portion 3. The fourth escape portion 48 is an example of an escape portion, and is provided opposite the second escape portion 45 at positions on both sides of the binding portion 2 in the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by an arrow a 1.

Even when the first guide portion 3 includes the third escape portion 47 and the fourth escape portion 48, the leg portion 103 can pass through the third escape portion 47 when the sheet bundle P is moved in the front-rear direction indicated by the arrow a2, which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102. Therefore, even when the sheet bundle P having the maximum thickness t is bound by the staple 100, the sheet bundle P can be pulled out from between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4 by moving the sheet bundle P in the front-rear direction.

Further, when the sheet bundle P is moved in the left-right direction along the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by the arrow a1, the leg portion 103 can pass through the fourth escape portion 48. Therefore, even when the sheet bundle P having the maximum thickness t is bound with the staple 100, the sheet bundle P can be moved in the left-right direction and a plurality of portions of the sheet bundle P can be bound with the staple 100.

< example of configuration of electric stapler according to third embodiment >

Fig. 9A is a front view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the third embodiment, and fig. 9B is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the third embodiment. The electric stapler 1C according to the third embodiment is configured such that the escape portion is provided not in the second guide portion 4 but in the first guide portion 3. In the electric stapler 1C of the third embodiment, the same configurations as those of the electric stapler 1A of the first embodiment and the electric stapler 1B of the second embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

The electric stapler 1C includes the third escape portion 47 in the first guide portion 3. The third escape portion 47 is provided at a position indicated by an arrow a2 along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 with respect to the binding portion 2.

The electric stapler 1B further includes a fourth escape portion 48 in the first guide portion 3. The fourth escape portion 48 is provided at a position on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by an arrow a1 with respect to the binding portion 2.

By providing the third escape portion 47 and the fourth escape portion 48 in the first guide portion 3, even when the second guide portion 4 does not have an escape portion, the leg portion 103 can pass through the third escape portion 47 when the sheet bundle P is moved in the front-rear direction indicated by the arrow a2, which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102. Therefore, even when the sheet bundle P having the maximum thickness t is bound by the staple 100, the sheet bundle P can be pulled out from between the first guide section 3 and the second guide section 4 by moving the sheet bundle P in the front-rear direction.

Further, when the sheet bundle P is moved in the left-right direction along the longitudinal direction of the crown portion 102 indicated by the arrow a1, the leg portion 103 can pass through the fourth escape portion 48. Therefore, even when the sheet bundle P having the maximum thickness t is bound with the staple 100, the sheet bundle P can be moved in the left-right direction and a plurality of portions of the sheet bundle P can be bound with the staple 100.

< example of configuration of electric stapler according to fourth embodiment >

Fig. 10A is a perspective view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the fourth embodiment, fig. 10B is a front view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the fourth embodiment, and fig. 10C is a side view showing an example of the electric stapler according to the fourth embodiment. In the electric stapler 1D of the fourth embodiment, the same components as those of the electric stapler 1A of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

The cover 42D of the electric stapler 1D constituting the second guide section 4 is made of a transparent resin material which allows light to pass therethrough to the extent that the inside of the cover 42D can be observed. The cover 42D is transparent on the front surface, both side surfaces, and a surface facing the first guide portion 3, and thereby allows the vicinity of the binding position of the binding portion 2 to be visually recognized.

The electric stapler 1D further includes a light source 50 inside the cover 42D. The light source 50 is formed of, for example, an LED, and irradiates the first guide portion 3 from above the driver mechanism portion 22 as indicated by the arrows of the alternate long and short dash line in fig. 10B and 10C. This allows the vicinity of the binding position of the binding section 2 to be illuminated and easily viewed. Further, the state of the electric stapler 1D can be notified by a combination of lighting, turning off, blinking, colors, and the like of the light source 50.

< example of configuration of electric stapler according to fifth embodiment >

Fig. 11A and 11B are perspective views showing an example of an electric stapler according to a fifth embodiment, and fig. 11C and 11D are side views showing an example of an electric stapler according to the fifth embodiment. In the electric stapler 1E of the fifth embodiment, the same components as those of the electric stapler 1A of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

The electric stapler 1E includes a base unit 6 provided at an installation site, and a mechanism unit 7 including a driver mechanism 22 and the like constituting the binding portion 2. The electric stapler 1E is configured such that the cartridge 200 in which the staples 100 are accommodated is detachable, and the mechanism unit 7 in which the cartridge 200 is detachable with respect to the base unit 6 is reversible by a rotating operation with the shaft 60 as a fulcrum.

The electric stapler 1E includes an operation handle 70 that receives an operation of rotating the mechanism unit 7. In the electric stapler 1E, fig. 11A and 11C show a state in which the mechanism portion unit 7 is in the operable position. The operation handle 70 is provided at a rear end portion of the mechanism unit 7 on the opposite side of the side where the first guide portion 3 and the fourth guide portion 4 are provided, in a state where the mechanism unit 7 is in the operable position. The operation handle 70 protrudes rearward from the rear end side of the mechanism unit 7 and is inclined upward from the mechanism unit 7 side.

In the electric stapler 1E, the detachable handle 201 of the cartridge 200 is housed in the base unit 6 in a state where the mechanism unit 7 is in the operable position. This improves the appearance of the electric stapler 1E and suppresses the accidental attachment and detachment of the cartridge 200. Further, since the operation handle 70 is inclined upward from the mechanism unit 7 side and protrudes rearward from the rear end side of the mechanism unit 7, it is easy to visually recognize and to handle the operation handle.

In the electric stapler 1E, fig. 11B and 11D show a state in which the mechanism unit 7 is in the detachable position of the cartridge 200. When a force such as rotation of the mechanism unit 7 about the shaft 60 is transmitted to the mechanism unit 7 via the operating handle 70 by holding the operating handle 70, the mechanism unit 7 is vertically reversed from the operable position by the rotation operation about the shaft 60, and moves to the detachable position of the cartridge 200.

In the electric stapler 1E, in a state where the mechanism unit 7 is at the detachable position of the cartridge 200, the cartridge 200 and the detachable handle 201 are exposed to the outside from the base unit 6 and the mechanism unit 7. This enables the cartridge 200 to be attached and detached by holding the attachment/detachment handle 201.