JP3529865B2 - Staple remover and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a staple remover,
And an image forming apparatus using a staple remover.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a document feeder for automatically conveying a document is used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile, it is necessary to remove the staple from the document previously stapled. 2. Description of the Related Art A staple remover is provided as a device for removing staples stuck on a document.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-50455 discloses a staple remover provided on the upper surface of a copying machine. The staple remover is mounted in a recess formed in the upper wall of the copying machine, and the tip of the strip portion projects further upward from the upper wall of the copying machine. When removing the staples, the tip of the strip portion is inserted between the sheet and the staples, and the sheet is moved in this state. Then, the staples are removed from the sheet. Here, since the copying machine is provided with the staple remover, the operator who uses the copying machine does not need to carry the staple remover, and the loss of the staple remover can be prevented.

[0004]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention JP-A-59-5045
In the staple remover disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5 publication, since the tip of the strip portion projects upward from the upper wall of the copying machine, there is a possibility that the clothing of the worker may be caught on the tip of the strip blade during the copying operation. It is a danger.

An object of the present invention is to enhance the safety of the staple remover provided in the image forming apparatus.

[0006]

A staple remover according to one aspect of the present invention is provided in a concave portion of an upper wall of an image forming apparatus and is for removing staples fixed to a sheet. And a cover part.
The remover body has a strip portion arranged above the upper wall and is mounted in the recess. The cover part can take a first position that forms a plane with the strip part and a second position below the first position.

It is preferable that the cover portion has an abutting portion that abuts against the strip portion from below. Further, the staple remover preferably further includes an elastic member that holds the cover portion in the first position. It is preferable to further include a recovery box provided in the recess below the strip portion.

It is preferable that the remover main body, the cover portion, the elastic member and the recovery box are integrally detachably mounted in the recess. An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus main body and a staple remover. The image forming apparatus main body has an upper wall in which a concave portion is formed, and is for reading and processing an image of a document by an optical system. The staple remover includes a remover main body that is provided in a recess and has a strip portion that is disposed above the upper wall of the image forming apparatus main body, a first position that forms a flat surface with the strip portion, and a second position that is below the first position.
And a cover that can be positioned.

[0009]

In the present invention, when the staple remover is not used, the cover portion is arranged at the first position forming a flat surface together with the strip portion, so that the operator is not injured by the strip portion. When using the staple remover, the stapled portion of the sheet is placed in the strip portion, and the sheet is moved while moving the cover portion to the second position. Then, the strip portion enters between the sheet and the staple, and removes the staple from the sheet.

When the cover portion has the contact portion and further includes the elastic member, the cover portion returns to the first position after the staple is removed. When the recovery box provided in the recess is further provided, the staples removed from the sheet are recovered in the recovery box. As a result, the beauty around the staple remover is maintained without the staples being scattered.

When the members of the staple remover can be integrally removed from the recess, the remover body can be easily attached and removed.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a copying machine in which an embodiment of the present invention is adopted. This copying machine is mainly composed of the copying machine main body 1
And a sorter 2 disposed on the side of the copying machine body 1. Inside the copying machine main body 1, an image forming section, a document scanning section arranged above the image forming section, and a sheet transport for supplying a sheet to the image forming section and discharging a sheet from the image forming section. And a device. The image forming unit has a photosensitive drum arranged in the center and a charging device, a developing device, a transfer device, a paper separating device and a cleaning device arranged around the photosensitive drum. The document scanning section has an optical system arranged above the image forming section, a document table arranged above the optical system, and a document cover 3 arranged on the document table. The document cover 3 is provided on the copying machine main body 1 so as to be openable and closable, and has a shape that covers the upper surface of the document table. An automatic document feeder 4 is provided on the upper surface of the document table 3.

An operation panel 5 for operating the copying machine main body 1 is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the copying machine main body 1. The operation panel 5 is provided with a liquid crystal display for displaying operation modes, a ten-key pad for inputting numerical values such as the number of copies, and a print button for instructing the start of copy operation. A recess 7a is formed on the upper wall 7 of the document cover 3, and the staple remover 6 is mounted in the recess 7a. Staple remover 6
2 to 4, as shown in detail in FIG.
And housing 12, cover 14 and coil spring 15
It is mainly composed of and.

The remover body 11 has a strip portion 11a extending parallel to the upper wall 7. Strip section 11
As is clear from FIG. 2, a is formed in an anchor shape when viewed from above. That is, the width gradually increases from the tip, and a narrow portion having a constant width continues from the middle. The upper surface of the strip portion 11a is flat and the lower surface is a tapered surface. The remover body 11 is held by a magnet 16 embedded in the recess 7a.

The housing 12 is shaped to cover the entire recess 7a and has an upper surface that forms a flat surface with the strip portion 11a. The strip portion 11a of the housing 12
The right part is a recovery box 17 which is not formed with an upper surface and is recessed downward. The left part of the housing 12 is fixed to the remover main body 11 by bolts 19. The housing 12 further has an engaging portion 18 on the side opposite to the magnet 16, and the engaging portion 18 is detachably engaged with the notch 7b formed in the upper wall 7. The cover 14 is a transparent plate-shaped member made of acrylic resin, and has one end supported by the housing 12 by a hinge 14a. The cover 14 forms a flat surface on the upper surface of the housing 12 above the recovery box 17. A recess 14b is formed in the portion of the cover 14 corresponding to the strip portion 11a. The concave portion 14b is in contact with the strip portion 11a from below. In this way, the cover 14 forms a substantially flat surface together with the upper surfaces of the strip portion 11a and the housing 12.

The coil spring 15 is arranged between the cover 14 and the recovery box 17 and biases the cover 14 upward. In this embodiment, when the staple remover 6 is not used, the cover 14, the strip portion 11a,
The housing 12 and the like form a substantially flat surface. That is, since the strip portion 11a and the like do not project upward, the operator is not injured by the strip portion 11a.

When using the staple remover 6,
As shown in FIG. 5, the portion of the paper P where the staple S is stopped is arranged at the tip of the strip portion 11a. At this time, the staple S is arranged so that the back portion of the staple S is at the bottom. From the state shown in FIG. 5, the paper P is moved to the left side in the figure while pushing down the cover 14. Then, the strip portion 11a enters between the staple S and the paper P. The bent portion of the staple S is raised by the strip portion 11a. As a result, the staple S moves away from the paper P and the strip portion 11a.
Left in. Coil spring 1 after removing staples
5, the cover 14 moves upward. When such an operation is repeated, the staples left in the strip portion 11a gradually move to the left in the figure, and drop when they come to the narrowed portion. The staples S that have fallen are collected in the collection box 17. As a result, the beauty around the staple remover 6 is maintained without the staples S being scattered.

Since the cover 14 is transparent,
The state of accumulation of the staples S in the collection box can be easily confirmed. When a large amount of staples S accumulate in the collection box 17, the staple remover 6 is removed and the staples S inside are removed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, one end of the housing 12 is raised so as to be separated from the magnet 16, and then the engagement portion 18 and the notch 7b are disengaged.
Then, the cover 14 of the removed staple remover 6 is pushed down to take out the staple S from the recovery box 17. When the staple remover 6 is attached, the operation opposite to the above removal is performed. As described above, each member forming the staple remover 6 is integrally formed,
Moreover, since it is detachably attached to the concave portion 7a of the upper wall 7 as a whole, the staple remover 6 can be easily attached and detached. Further, the disposal process of the staple S becomes easy.

The recess 7a after removing the staple remover 6 can also be used as a clip stopper by utilizing the remaining magnet 16. Further, the staple remover 6 may be sold as an option.

[0020]

According to the present invention, when the staple remover is not used, the operator is not injured by the strip portion because the cover portion is arranged at the first position forming a plane with the strip portion. When the cover portion has the contact portion and further includes the elastic member, the cover portion returns to the first position after removing the staples.

When the recovery box provided in the recess is further provided, the staples removed from the sheet are recovered in the recovery box. As a result, the beauty around the staple remover is maintained without the staples being scattered. When the members of the staple remover are integrated and can be removed in the recess, the remover body can be easily attached and removed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a copying machine to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a staple remover.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG.

4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a staple removing operation.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing attachment and detachment of a staple remover.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Copier body 6 Staple remover 11 remover body 11a strip section 14 cover 15 coil spring 17 Collection Box

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A staple remover provided in a concave portion of an upper wall of an image forming apparatus for removing staples fixed to a sheet, the staple remover having a strip portion arranged above the upper wall, A staple remover, comprising: a remover main body mounted in a recess; and a cover part that can take a first position that forms a plane with the strip part and a second position below the first position. 2. The cover section has an abutting section that abuts the strip section from below, and further comprises an elastic member for holding the cover section in the first position. Staple remover as described. 3. The staple remover according to claim 1, further comprising a recovery box provided in the recess below the strip portion. 4. The staple remover according to claim 3, wherein the remover body, the cover portion, the elastic member, and the recovery box are integrally detachably mounted in the recess. 5. An image forming apparatus main body having an upper wall having a recess formed therein, which reads and processes an image of a document, and a strip section arranged above the upper wall of the image forming apparatus main body. A remover body provided in the recess,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a staple remover including a first position that forms a plane together with the strip section and a cover section that can take a second position below the first position. 6. The cover portion has an abutting portion that abuts the strip portion from below, and the staple remover further includes an elastic member that holds the cover portion at a first position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the staple remover further includes a recovery box provided in the recess below the strip section. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the remover body, the cover portion, the elastic member, and the recovery box are integrally detachably mounted in the recess.