JP2000094362A - Stitching member removing device and automatic document conveying device using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stitching member removing device capable of easily and reliably removing a stitching member from a paper bundle by one inserting member without damaging the paper bundle. SOLUTION: An inserting member 411 to be inserted between a document bundle D and a staple S for stitching the document bundle D is provided, and this inserting member 411 is provided with a plurality of extending parts 412 extending along the inserting direction and formed into a comb shape. The extending parts 412 of the inserting member 411 are so formed that the thickness in the document bundle thickness direction may be thinner toward the tip.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a binding member removing device for removing a binding member such as staples from a sheet bundle and an automatic document feeder using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a sheet bundle is bound by a staple as a binding member, both ends of the staple needle bent in a U-shape are passed through the sheet bundle,
The sheet bundle is bound by bending both the front ends inward. In this case, it is customary to use staples of different sizes according to the number of sheets in the sheet bundle.

[0003] The binding member removing device removes the staples from the sheet bundle bound by the staples as described above. The staples are often made of metal.In order to remove the staples from the sheet bundle, generally, an insertion member is inserted between the sheet bundle and a staple for binding the sheet bundle. Then, remove the staples from the sheet bundle.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional binding member removing apparatus, in order to easily and surely remove the staples from the sheet bundle, it is necessary to remove the binding member provided with an insertion member matching the size of the staples. If the device must be used and an insertion member that does not match the size of the staples is forcibly used, there is a problem that not only is it difficult to remove the staples but also there is a risk of damaging the sheet bundle. Was.

In the case where the size of the binding member is not limited, for example, when a manual type is used, a plurality of binding member removing devices corresponding to staples of various sizes must be prepared at hand. However, there was a problem that the cost was high.

Further, in a device for automatically removing a binding member, such as when the binding member removing device is provided in an automatic document feeder (ADF), a plurality of insertion members are connected to the binding member removing device. Since it is necessary to house the apparatus inside, there is a problem that the apparatus itself becomes large in addition to the cost.

On the other hand, if the insertion member of the binding member removing device is not inserted and smoothly moved after being securely inserted between the sheet bundle and the staples for binding the sheet bundle, there is a problem that the sheet bundle is likely to be damaged. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet bundle that can be easily and reliably provided by a single insertion member without damaging the sheet bundle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a binding member removing device capable of removing a binding member from a sheet.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an insertion member inserted between a sheet bundle and a binding member for binding the sheet bundle. Is a binding member removing device having a plurality of extension portions formed in a comb shape extending in the insertion direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the binding member removing apparatus according to the first aspect, the extension portion of the insertion member has a thickness in the sheet bundle thickness direction that becomes thinner toward the front end. It is characterized by being formed as follows.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the binding member removing device according to the first aspect, the drive for moving the insertion member toward between a sheet bundle and a binding member for binding the sheet bundle. It is characterized by having means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the binding member removing apparatus according to the third aspect, the driving means is an electric actuator.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the binding member removing device according to the third aspect, the driving means has a spring member.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the binding member removing apparatus according to the third aspect, a rack is formed at a rear end side of the insertion member, and a pinion that meshes with the rack is provided. It is characterized by.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the binding member removing device according to the third aspect, an arm portion is provided so as to be connected to the insertion member, and the insertion portion is moved by swinging the arm portion. The member is moved.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic document feeder provided with the binding member removing device according to the third aspect.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic document feeder according to the eighth aspect, the binding member removing device is provided near a document setting surface of a tray on which a bundle of documents is placed. It is characterized by being.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) In Embodiment 1, an automatic document feeder equipped with a binding member removing device to which the present invention is applied is provided in a copying machine.

<< Copier >> First, the schematic configuration and operation of the copier will be described.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a copying machine having an automatic document feeder.

The copying machine shown in FIG. 1 has an automatic document feeder (ADF) 20 on the top of the copying machine body 10. ADF
Numeral 20 conveys originals one by one from the placed original bundle onto a platen glass at the top of the main body of the copying machine. Copying machine body 10
Is to read the original conveyed by the ADF 20 by an image reader (not shown) in the main body of the multi-function device, temporarily store the read image in a memory, perform various image editing processes as needed, and then execute a known electrophotographic method. A so-called digital copier is used to form an image on a sheet. The configuration of the copier body (digital copier) itself is well known, and a description thereof will be omitted.

<< Automatic Document Feeder >> FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the automatic document feeder (ADF).

As shown in FIG. 2, the ADF 20 includes a tray 30 on which a document bundle as a sheet bundle is placed, a separation roller 201 for pulling out the documents one by one, and a resist for conveying the separated documents. The image forming apparatus includes a roller pair 205 and a transport belt 206, a reversing roller 207 for reversing the front and back surfaces of the document, and a discharge roller pair 208 for discharging a sheet. The document discharged by the discharge roller pair 208 is discharged to a discharge tray 209 (see FIG. 1). Further, the transport belt 206 is stretched endlessly between the driving roller 212 and the driven roller 213 so as to cover the entire surface of the platen glass of the copying machine main body. A large number of backup rollers 21 are provided inside the transport belt 206 to press the transport belt 206 against the platen glass.
4 is installed rotatably.

The ADF 20 has a tray 30
A stapling member removing device 300 for removing the staples from the original bundle with the original bundle bound by the staples placed thereon is provided. The binding member removing apparatus 300 generally includes a removing unit 400 for removing staples, which are binding members, from a bundle of originals, and a collecting unit 500 for removing the removed staples from the vicinity of the original.
And are provided. The binding member removing device 300 is provided in the vicinity of the document setting surface of the tray 30 on which the document bundle is placed, for example, in the vicinity of the downstream end in the document transport direction. Therefore, the ADF as a whole has a compact configuration, and maintenance is easy.

<< Removing Means >> FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the removing means of the binding member removing device, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the removal of the staples. FIG. (B) shows the state after the removal.

As shown in FIG. 3, the removing means 400 includes a removing unit 410 having an insertion member 411 inserted between a document bundle and a staple for binding the document bundle, and the removing unit 410 is internally provided. A support member 430 slidably supporting the removing unit 410;
There is provided a removing unit moving means 440 for moving in a direction perpendicular to the document conveying direction within 0, that is, a document width direction, and a supporting member moving means 450 for moving the entire supporting member 430 in the document conveying direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the removal unit 410
Has a drive unit for moving the insert member 411 toward between the original bundle D and the staple S for binding the original bundle. As a driving unit, for example, an electric actuator, specifically, an electric motor 415 is used from the viewpoint of compactness.

At the distal end of the insertion member 411 of the removal unit 410, a plurality of comb-shaped extensions 412 extending in the insertion direction are formed. These distractions 4
Reference numeral 12 is formed in a slope shape so that the thickness in the thickness direction of the document bundle becomes thinner toward the leading end. Further, the slope shape of the extension portion 412 may be an inclined plane,
As shown in the drawing, the lower surface of the extension portion 412 is formed as a flat surface, and the upper surface is formed as a concave arc surface, so that the insertion member 411 can be more reliably inserted between the original bundle D and the staple S. It is more preferable from the viewpoint that the staple S is inserted and smoothly moved.

The insertion member 411 is formed of, for example, an aluminum alloy. It is to be noted that the material is not limited to this, and it is also possible to use a resin or a ceramic material in addition to various metal materials. Further, the surface may be coated with an anti-friction material such as a fluororesin to reduce frictional resistance.

The width of the plurality of extension portions 412 of the insertion member 411 and the distance between adjacent extension portions 412 are set to, for example, about 1 mm, but can be changed as appropriate. However, it is a matter of course that each extension portion 412 has a predetermined strength, but it is preferable to set a material, a width dimension, and the like so as to have more appropriate elasticity. With this configuration, when the insertion member 411 is inserted between the original bundle D and the staple S, the extension 412 is moved to the leg S of the staple S.
Even when the extension portions 412 are in contact with the staples S, the legs Sa and Sb of the staple S can be moved away.

The overall width of the insertion member 411 is determined according to the type of the staple S to be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, in both the case of the largest size having the legs Sa and Sb and the case of the largest size having the legs Sa and Sc (indicated by broken lines in the figure), The entire width of the insertion member 411 is set so that the insertion member 411 can be inserted between the document bundle D and the staple S in a good condition.

On the other hand, a rack 413 is formed on the rear end side of the insertion member 411, and a pinion 416 is provided on the rack 413.
Are engaged. Note that in FIG.
And the pinion 416 are drawn separately. The pinion 416 is fixed to the main shaft 417 of the electric motor 415 described above. Therefore, the rotation drive of the electric motor 415 is performed via the pinion 416 and the rack 413.
This is converted into forward / backward movement of the insertion member 411, so that a simple and compact configuration can be achieved. The driving means for moving the insertion member 411 is not limited to the electric motor 415. For example, the driving means for driving the insertion member 411 by using a resilient force of a spring member may be simply configured. Good. In this case, it is possible to control so that the elastic force of the spring member is gradually released.

As shown in FIG. 3, the removing unit 410 is provided with a detecting member 470 for detecting a staple S for binding the original bundle D. This detection member 47
Reference numeral 0 denotes a magnetic sensor that detects, for example, a staple S made of metal. With this, the presence or absence or the position of the staple S can be grasped from above the document bundle D without contact. Note that the detection member 470 is not limited to a magnetic sensor, and may be a member that optically captures an image to perform image processing, or that performs detection using a contact pressure sensor.

The support member 430 is formed of an elongated box having a predetermined portion opened downward, and the removal unit 410 is accommodated therein. Near the lower end of the support member 430, four wheels 431 are rotatably mounted, and are movable in a document conveying direction on a rail 432 provided on the main body side of the ADF 20.

The removing unit moving means 440 has a feed screw shaft 441 screwed to a nut (not shown) provided on the removing unit 410, and a female screw is formed in the nut. By the rotation of the feed screw shaft 441,
The removal unit 410 is configured to be able to move in the document width direction within the support member 430. The removal unit 41
For example, a guide rod (not shown) is arranged in parallel with the feed screw shaft 441 so that 0 can move smoothly along the longitudinal direction in the support member 430. A gear 442 is fixed to one end of the feed screw shaft 441, and the rotational driving force from the gear 444 fixed to the main shaft of the electric motor 445 is transmitted to the feed screw shaft 441 via the idler gear 443. It is configured as follows.

The support member moving means 450 includes a support member 43.
0, a driving belt 451 fixed to a connecting portion 431a connected to one end, pulleys 452 and 452 around which the driving belt 451 is wound, and one end of a shaft on which one pulley 452 is fixed to one end. A gear 453 to be fixed, an idler gear 454 meshing with the gear 453, a driving gear 455 meshing with the idler gear 454, and a driving gear 45
Electric motor 4 for connecting the main shaft to 5 and rotating the main shaft
56. Therefore, the electric motor 456
Is rotated forward and backward, so that the support member 430 can be moved by a predetermined distance in the document conveying direction.

<Recovery Unit> As shown in FIG. 2, the collection unit 500 covers the entire original in the document width direction above the original at the downstream end in the transport direction of the original when the original is placed inside the ADF 20. The staple S removed by the removing means 400 is moved from the surface of the document and removed from the vicinity of the document bundle D.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view for explaining the collecting means of the binding member removing device. The collection unit 500 includes a support case 501 and a moving belt 502 that is disposed along the document width direction and moves the removed staples S.
, A rotatable support roller 503 supporting the moving belt 502, and a driving roller 504 connected to driving means such as an electric motor (not shown) for moving the moving belt 502.
Staple S carried by the moving belt 502
And a blade 506 for removing the staples S from the moving belt 502 and dropping the staples S into the collection box 505.

A not-shown drive means for vertically moving the collection means 500 itself is provided, and the position near the tray 30 where the lower surface of the moving belt 502 substantially contacts the original bundle D, and the staples S are removed. After being removed by the means 400, the staple S is moved to an upper position for moving.

Here, the moving belt 502 itself is a magnetic body, for example, a magnetic belt formed by coating a surface of a rubber belt with a magnetic body. Note that the collection unit 500 is not limited to such a configuration,
For example, the moving belt itself is not a magnetic body, and a permanent magnet may be provided inside the moving belt instead.

Next, the operation will be described.

When the original bundle D that has been stapled by the staples is placed on the tray 30 of the ADF 20,
First, the staples S are removed from the original bundle D by the removing unit 400. The removal of the staple S is performed as follows.

That is, when a sensor (not shown) detects that the original bundle D is present on the tray 30, the removing unit moving means 440 and the supporting member moving means 450
The removal unit 410 is moved within a predetermined range, and the detection of the staple S by the detection member 470 is performed. Here, when the original bundle D is placed on the tray 30, the side bound by the staples S is limited to be located on the upstream side in the original conveyance direction. The detection of the staple S is performed in a predetermined area near the leading end of the document bundle D in the transport direction.

If the side of the bundle of documents D bound by the staples S is limited to either the leading end on the upstream side in the document conveying direction or one end in the document width direction, the staple The detection of the staple S is performed in a predetermined L-shaped region near the upstream end in the document conveyance direction and near the end in the document width direction. In this case, the insertion member 411
Is preferably arranged so that the tip thereof is inclined to the left by approximately 45 ° toward the downstream side in the transport direction in FIG. 3 (note that such an arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 4). In this way, it is possible to ensure a good insertion operation of the insertion member 411 without depending on the direction of the staples S after binding the original bundle D. Of course, although the structure is slightly complicated, a configuration in which the direction of the insertion member 411 can be changed is also possible.

When the staple S is detected by the detecting member 470, the position is stored and the insertion member 411 is stored.
The removal unit 410 is moved so that the leading end of the removal unit 410 faces the staple S.

Next, the electric motor 415 is rotationally driven to move the insertion member 411 toward the staple S. Then, since the extension portion 412 of the insertion member 411 is formed such that the thickness in the thickness direction of the document bundle decreases toward the leading end, the insertion member 411 is located between the document bundle D and the staple S. Easy to insert. Further, the staples S gradually move along with the insertion of the insertion member 411.
, The staples S can be removed smoothly, and damage to the document can be prevented. At this time, the vicinity of the leading end of the document bundle D is raised to a predetermined height by an elevating member (not shown), and the positioning of the insertion member 411 and the staple S in the height direction is performed. Alternatively, the insertion member 411 may be lowered by a predetermined distance.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, since a plurality of comb-shaped extension portions 412 are formed in the insertion member 411, a predetermined number of extension portions can be provided for any size of staples. The portion 412 is inserted between both legs of the staple and can be securely held.
According to 1, staples of various sizes can be removed. Further, the insertion member 41 for the staple S
Even if there is some deviation at the position of No. 1, the required number of the extension portions 412 of the plurality of extension portions 412 are inserted between the two legs of the staple needle, so that the staple needle can be securely and easily inserted. Removal can be performed.

Then, the staples S removed as shown in FIG. 4B are removed from the vicinity of the original by the collecting means 500 and collected. Thereafter, when the copy start key of the copying machine body is pressed, the originals are separated one by one from the original bundle and conveyed onto the platen glass. In this way, the original bundle D can be set on the tray 30 while being bound by the staples S, and can be conveyed after the binding member is automatically removed. Thereafter, the original image is read by the copying machine main body, and a copy output is performed.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views for explaining the removal of the staples by another example of the removing means of the binding member removing device, wherein FIG. 6A shows the state before the removal and FIG. 6B shows the state after the removal.

This removing means is different from the above embodiment in that guide members 414 and 414 for guiding the insertion member 411 to move forward and backward are provided. However, since it is the same in other respects, the same reference numerals are given to members common to the above embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this example, the guide members 414, 4
14 are provided in parallel so as to contact both side surfaces of the insertion member 411. By doing so, the accuracy of the advance / retreat operation of the insertion member 411 can be improved, and the staple can be more reliably removed.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views for explaining removal of a staple according to still another example of the removing means of the binding member removing device, wherein FIG. 7A shows the state before the removal and FIG. 7B shows the state after the removal.
FIG. 8 is a side view of the staple removing operation shown in FIG.

This removing means has an arm 418 connected to the insertion member 411, and the insertion member 411 is moved between the original bundle D and the staple S by swinging of the arm 418. This is different from the above-described embodiment in that it is configured. However, since it is the same in other respects,
The same reference numerals are given to members common to the above-described embodiments, and description thereof will be omitted.

In this example, the arm 418 is configured to be able to swing around a rotation axis (not shown) near the upper end of the arm 418, for example. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the insertion member 4 connected to the lower end of the arm portion 418 is connected.
Numeral 11 can move substantially horizontally near the staple S to be removed. Note that it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the arm portion is formed integrally with the insertion member.

According to this example, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Further, when removing the staples by the insertion member 411, there is no need to lift the document bundle D for height alignment, and the arm portion 418 swings toward the document bundle D of the insertion member 411. Since all the lowering operations can be performed at the same time, the structure can be simplified. In this case, the arm 4
By making the member 18 expandable and contractable by a spring member or the like, it is possible to absorb variations in the thickness of the document bundle D.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a manual binding member removing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The binding member removing device 300a according to the second embodiment includes a knob 481 connected to the insertion member 411 and the knob 481.
And a handle portion 482 continuously provided to the operator so that the staple S can be directly removed from the document bundle D by the operator holding it in his / her hand. However, members having the same functions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

According to the binding member removing device 300a,
It is not necessary to keep a plurality of staples of various sizes at hand, and the staples can be easily and reliably removed. Further, since the distal end shapes of the plurality of comb-shaped extension portions 412 formed on the insertion member 411 are rounded, the insertion member 411 can be more easily inserted between the two legs of the staple. I can do it. The distal end of the extension 412 may be chamfered instead of being rounded. Further, the distal end shape of the extension portion 412 can be applied to the insertion member of the first embodiment.

Although the embodiments to which the present invention is applied have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and it goes without saying that those skilled in the art can make various modifications within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Nor.

For example, in the first embodiment, the insertion member 4
The configuration in which the insertion member 411 is moved forward and backward toward the downstream side in the document conveyance direction to insert the space between the document bundle and the staples by moving it forward and backward. It can also be. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when placing the document bundle D on the tray,
Although the case where the side of the bundle of documents D bound by the staple S is positioned downstream in the document transport direction has been described,
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the insertion member 411 is moved forward and backward in the document width direction by limiting the side to the end portion side in the document width direction.

In the first embodiment, the insertion member 411 can be formed to have a large width covering the entire width direction of the document. In this case, the insertion member 411 has a plurality of comb-shaped extension portions 4 over the entire document width direction.
12 will be formed. Accordingly, when the document bundle D is placed on the tray and the side bound by the staples S is limited to be located on the downstream side in the document transport direction, a detection member 470 that detects the staples S is provided.
The removal unit moving unit 440 and the supporting member moving unit 450 may be omitted, and the insertion member 411 may be moved to expose the entire surface of a predetermined area near the downstream end of the document bundle D in the transport direction. Become. The original bundle D
The insertion member 411 having a predetermined width is moved in the width direction of the original so as to expose the entire surface in a predetermined area near the edge of the original in the original width direction. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the insertion member 411 having a predetermined width is moved so as to remove the gap.

[0062]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the insertion member has a plurality of extension portions formed in a comb shape extending along the insertion direction, the binding member is provided. Regardless of the size, a predetermined number of extension portions can be reliably inserted and held between the sheet bundle and the binding member, and a single insertion member can remove binding members of various sizes. . Further, even if the position of the insertion member with respect to the binding member is slightly shifted, the removal of the binding member can be performed reliably and easily.

According to the invention described in claim 2, according to claim 1
In addition to the effects of the invention described in the above, since the extension of the insertion member is formed so that the thickness in the sheet bundle thickness direction becomes thinner toward the leading end, the insertion member is placed between the sheet bundle and the binding member. It can be easily inserted. Moreover, since the binding member is gradually separated from the sheet bundle with the insertion of the insertion member, the binding member can be removed smoothly, and damage to the sheet can be prevented.

According to the invention described in claim 3, according to claim 1
In addition to the effects of the invention described in (1), since there is a drive unit for moving the insertion member between the sheet bundle and the binding member for binding the sheet bundle, the binding member can be automatically removed from the sheet bundle.

According to the invention described in claim 4, according to claim 3,
In addition to the effects of the invention described in (1), a compact configuration can be achieved.

According to the invention set forth in claim 5, according to claim 3,
In addition to the effects of the invention described in (1), a simple configuration can be achieved.

According to the invention described in claim 6, according to claim 3,
In addition to the effects of the invention described in (1), since the insertion member is moved by the rack and the pinion that meshes with the rack, a simple and compact configuration can be achieved.

According to the invention described in claim 7, according to claim 3,
In addition to the effects of the invention described in the above, the insertion member is moved by the swing of the arm portion connected to the insertion member, so that the lowering operation of the insertion member toward the sheet bundle by the swing of the arm portion. Can be performed at the same time, and the structure can be simplified.

According to the invention of claim 8, according to claim 3,
In addition to the effects of the invention described in (1), the document bundle can be set in the automatic document feeder with the binding member bound, and the document can be automatically transported after the binding member is removed.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, an eighth aspect is provided.
In addition to the effects of the invention described in (1), the entire automatic document feeder can be made compact and the maintenance becomes easy without hindering the layout of the document feed mechanism and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a copying machine including an automatic document feeder.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an internal structure of the automatic document feeder.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a removing unit of the binding member removing device.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views for explaining removal of a staple, in which FIG. 4A shows a state before removal and FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a collecting unit of the binding member removing device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining removal of a staple according to another example, wherein (A) shows a state before removal and (B) shows a state after removal.

7A and 7B are perspective views for explaining removal of a staple according to still another example, in which FIG. 7A shows a state before removal and FIG. 7B shows a state after removal.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the staple removing operation shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a manual binding member removing device to which the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Copy machine main body, 20 ... ADF (automatic document feeder), 30 ... Tray, 300, 300a ... Binding member removal device, 400 ... Removal means, 411 ... Insertion member, 412 ... Extension part, 413 ... Rack, 415 ... Electric motor (drive means, electric actuator), 416: pinion, 418: arm section, 500: collection means, D: original bundle (paper bundle), S: staple staple (binding member).

Claims (9)

[Claims] An insertion member inserted between a sheet bundle and a binding member for binding the sheet bundle, wherein the insertion member has a plurality of comb teeth-shaped distractions extending in the insertion direction. A binding member removing device having a portion. 2. The binding member removing device according to claim 1, wherein the extension portion of the insertion member is formed such that the thickness in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle decreases toward the leading end. 3. The binding member removing device according to claim 1, further comprising a driving unit that moves the insertion member between a sheet bundle and a binding member that binds the sheet bundle. 4. The binding member removing device according to claim 3, wherein said driving means is an electric actuator. 5. The binding member removing device according to claim 3, wherein said driving means has a spring member. 6. The binding member removing device according to claim 3, wherein a rack is formed on a rear end side of the insertion member, and a pinion that meshes with the rack is provided. 7. The binding member removing device according to claim 3, further comprising an arm connected to the insertion member, wherein the insertion member is moved by swinging of the arm. 8. An automatic document feeder provided with the binding member removing device according to claim 3. 9. The automatic document feeder according to claim 8, wherein said binding member removing device is provided near a document setting surface of a tray on which a bundle of documents is placed.