JP3573505B2 - Staple remover and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to a staple remover and an image forming apparatus using the staple remover.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When using an original feeder that automatically conveys an original in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile, it is necessary to remove staples from an original that has been stapled in advance. A staple remover is provided as a device for removing staples stopped on a document.
[0003]
JP-A-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 staples, the leading end of the strip portion is inserted between the sheet and the staple, and the sheet is moved. Then, the staples are removed from the sheet. Here, since the staple remover is provided in the copying machine in this state, it is not necessary for an operator using the copying machine to carry the staple remover, and the staple remover can be prevented from being lost.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the staple remover disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-50455, since the end of the strip portion protrudes upward from the upper wall of the copying machine, clothes of an operator may be caught on the end of the strip portion during copying. Possible and dangerous.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to enhance safety of a staple remover provided in an image forming apparatus.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A staple remover according to one aspect of the present invention is provided on an upper wall of an image forming apparatus and is for removing staples fixed to a sheet, and includes a remover main body and an operation mechanism. The remover body has a strip portion and is disposed above the upper wall. The operating mechanism includes a rotating plate fixed to the upper part of the remover body, an operating plate arranged to be relatively rotatable above the rotating plate, and a movable plate extending from the rotating plate and movable vertically with respect to the upper wall. A rotatable shaft rotatably supported, a driving unit for rotating the rotatable shaft, a first elastic member connecting the rotatable plate and the upper wall, a sheet pressing unit fixed to a lower portion of the rotatable plate, The control unit includes a first sensor that detects that the pressing unit presses the sheet, and a control unit that activates the driving unit when the first sensor detects that the sheet is pressed .
[0007]
It is preferable that the sheet pressing portion includes a receiving portion, a ball rotatably supported by the receiving portion, and a second elastic member disposed between the receiving portion and the rotating plate.
[0008]
The remover body has a pair of left and right strip portions, and further includes a second sensor for detecting which one of the pair of left and right strip portions has one end of the sheet on which the staple is stopped, and a control unit. Preferably, the drive unit is controlled such that the remover body rotates toward the side where one end of the seat is disposed, based on the detection result of the second sensor.
[0009]
It is preferable to further include a pair of collection boxes provided on the upper wall in the circumferential direction outside the pair of strip portions.
[0010]
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, and reads and processes an image of a document. The staple remover includes a remover main body having a strip portion and disposed above the upper wall, and an operation mechanism for operating the remover main body, and is for removing staples fixed to a sheet. The operating mechanism includes a rotating plate fixed to the upper part of the remover body, an operating plate arranged to be relatively rotatable above the rotating plate, and a movable plate extending from the rotating plate and movable vertically with respect to the upper wall. A rotatable shaft supported so as to be able to rotate the rotatable shaft, a coil spring connecting the rotatable plate and the upper wall, a sheet presser fixed to a lower portion of the rotatable plate, and a sheet presser. The control device includes a first sensor that detects that the sheet is pressed, and a control unit that operates the driving unit when the first sensor detects that the sheet is pressed .
[0011]
[Action]
In the present invention, when the staple remover is not used, the strip portion of the remover body is covered at the upper portion by the rotating plate, so that the operator is not injured by the strip portion.
[0012]
When using the staple remover, the portion of the sheet where the staples are stopped is inserted between the remover body and the upper wall, and is arranged at the leading end side of the strip portion. Subsequently, the operator presses the operation plate to press the rotating plate and the remover body against the sheet. When the sheet pressing unit presses the sheet, the first sensor detects the fact, and the control unit activates the driving unit based on the detection result. Then, the rotating shaft is rotated by the driving unit, and the rotating plate and the remover main body are rotated in a predetermined direction. This causes the strip to enter between the staple and the sheet, removing the staple from the sheet.
[0013]
When the sheet pressing portion has the receiving portion, the ball, and the second elastic member, the sheet is reliably pressed, and the rotation of the rotating plate becomes smooth.
[0014]
In the case where the second sensor is further provided, the second sensor detects on which side of the pair of strip portions the one end of the stapled sheet is located. Then, based on the detection result, the control unit controls the drive unit such that the remover body rotates toward the side where one end of the seat is disposed. As a result, the staple is automatically removed from the sheet regardless of whether the operator places one end of the sheet on the left or right side of the strip portion.
[0015]
When a pair of collection boxes is further provided, the staples removed by the strip unit are collected in the collection box. As a result, the removed staples are not scattered around the staple remover, and the beauty around the staple remover is maintained.
[0016]
【Example】
FIG. 1 shows a copying machine in which one embodiment of the present invention is adopted. This copying machine mainly has a copying machine main body 1 and a sorter 2 arranged on the side of the copying machine main body 1.
[0017]
The copier main body 1 includes therein an image forming section, a document scanning section disposed 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. Device. The image forming section includes a photosensitive drum disposed in the center and a charging device, a developing device, a transfer device, a sheet separating device, and a cleaning device disposed around the photosensitive drum. The document scanning unit has an optical system disposed above the image forming unit, a document table disposed above the optical system, and a document cover 3 disposed on the document table. The document cover 3 is provided on the copier 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.
[0018]
An operation panel 5 for operating the copying machine main body 1 is provided at a front side of the upper surface of the copying machine main body 1. On the operation panel 5, a liquid crystal display for displaying an operation mode and the like, ten keys for inputting numerical values such as the number of copies, and a print button for instructing the start of a copy operation are arranged.
[0019]
A staple remover 6 is mounted on an upper wall 7 of the document cover 3. The staple remover 6 mainly includes a remover main body 11 and an operation mechanism 9. As is apparent from FIG. 2, the remover body 11 has a pair of left and right strip portions 11a and 11b. The strip portion 11a has a flat lower surface and a tapered upper surface.
[0020]
The operating mechanism 9 is a mechanism for performing a staple removing operation by operating the remover main body 11 and mainly includes a rotating plate 12, an operating plate 13, a coil spring 14, a driving mechanism 15, and a paper pressing mechanism 18. I have.
[0021]
The rotating plate 12 is a disk member fixed to an upper portion of the remover main body 11. The rotating plate 12 has a transparent window 12 a made of acrylic resin at a portion corresponding to the remover body 11. Further, indices 12b for positioning staples are formed in the transparent window 12a on the outer side in the circumferential direction of the strip portion 11a.
[0022]
The operation plate 13 is a transparent disk member made entirely of an acrylic resin, and is rotatably disposed above the rotating plate 12. The operation plate 13 has a cylindrical portion that covers the outer peripheral portion of the rotating plate 12.
[0023]
The coil springs 14 are arranged between the center of the lower surface of the rotary plate 12 and the upper wall 7, and both ends are fixed to each member. By the coil spring 14, the rotating plate 12, the operation plate 13 and the remover main body 11 are arranged above the upper wall 7 by a predetermined distance.
[0024]
The drive mechanism 15 is a mechanism for rotating the rotary plate 12, and includes a rotary shaft 16 and a motor 17. The upper end of the rotating shaft 16 is fixed to the center of the lower surface of the rotating plate 12, and extends through the coil spring 14 into the upper wall 7. The rotating shaft 16 is supported by the upper wall 7 so as to be relatively movable vertically and circumferentially. The rotating shaft 16 is configured to be rotated by a motor 17.
[0025]
The paper holding mechanisms 18 are arranged on the rotating plate 12 on the outer side in the rotation direction of the strip portion 11a. Each paper holding mechanism 18 is provided on the pedestal 21, a ball 22 rotatably supported by the pedestal 21, a small coil spring 23 connecting the upper part of the pedestal 21 and the rotary plate 12, and the rotary plate 12. A limit switch 24 having a predetermined distance from the cradle 21 is provided.
[0026]
The upper wall 7 has a raised portion 7a which is smoothly raised around the remover body 11. Further, a first collection box 26 and a second collection box 27 are formed on the upper wall 7 on the outer side in the circumferential direction of the pair of strip portions 11a.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 9, the staple remover 6 is controlled by the control unit 31 of the copying machine main body 1. The control unit 31 is connected to an input / output unit on the copying machine side, a limit switch 24, a proximity sensor 32, a motor 17, and the like. The proximity sensor 32 is provided on the rotating plate 12 and detects whether the staple is located on the left or right side of the strip portion 11a.
[0028]
When the staple remover 6 is not used, the remover body 11 of the staple remover 6 is disposed below the rotating plate 12 and the operation plate 13 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the operator is not injured by the strip portion 11a.
[0029]
When the staple remover 6 is used, one end of the paper P where the staple S is stopped in the state shown in FIG. 3 is disposed between the rotating plate 12 and the upper wall 7 with the back portion of the staple S facing upward. . At this time, by aligning the staple S with the index 12b marked on the rotating plate 12, the staple S can be reliably arranged at the tip of the strip portion 11a. The positioning of the staple S can be easily confirmed by the transparent window 12a. Whether to place the staple S on the left or right side of the strip portion 11a is selected on the side where the staple S is easily removed depending on the position and orientation of the staple S stopped on the paper P (FIGS. 5 and 6).
[0030]
Subsequently, the operator pushes the operation plate 13 downward to hold the paper P between the upper wall 7 and the paper pressing portion 18. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the sphere 22 of the one paper pressing portion 18 presses the paper P on the leading end side of the staple S between the raised portion 7 a of the upper wall 7. At this time, the paper P is reliably held down by the elastic force of the small coil spring 23. Further, the tip of the paper P is directed upward by the raised portion 7a, so that the tip of the strip portion 11a easily enters between the staple S and the paper P.
[0031]
When the cradle 21 presses the limit switch 24, the limit switch 24 is turned on, and the signal is sent to the control unit 31. In addition, the proximity sensor 32 detects whether the staple S is disposed on the left or right side of the strip portion 11 a by the proximity sensor 32, and the signal is sent to the control unit 31. As a result, the control unit 31 rotates the drive motor 17 to the side where the staples S are arranged. As a result, the rotating plate 12 and the remover main body 11 rotate in a predetermined direction. Then, the strip portion 11a enters between the staple S and the paper P, and removes the staple S from the paper P. The removed staples S are collected in a collection box (the first collection box 26 in FIG. 8). As a result, the beautiful appearance around the staple remover 6 is maintained without scattering the staples S.
[0032]
When the operator releases his / her hand from the operation plate 12 after the above operation, the operation plate 12 and the remover main body 11 move upward while rotating by the restoring force of the coil spring 14.
[0033]
In the staple removing operation described above, the staples are automatically removed only by the operator arranging the paper and pressing down the operation plate 12, so that the working efficiency is high.
[0034]
Since the paper pressing mechanism 18 has the receiving table 21, the ball 22, and the small coil spring 23, the paper P is reliably pressed, and the rotation of the rotary plate 12 becomes smooth.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
In the present invention, when the staple remover is not used, the strip portion of the remover body is covered at the upper portion by the rotating plate, so that the operator is not injured by the strip portion.
[0036]
When the sheet pressing portion has the receiving portion, the ball, and the second elastic member, the sheet is reliably pressed, and the rotation of the rotating plate becomes smooth.
[0037]
In the case where the controller further includes the second sensor, the second sensor detects which one end of the staple-stopped sheet is disposed on which side of the pair of strip portions, and the control unit causes the control unit to detect the sheet based on the detection result. The drive unit is operated such that the remover body rotates to the side where one end of the remover is disposed. As a result, the staple is automatically removed from the sheet regardless of whether the operator places one end of the sheet on the left or right side of the strip portion.
[0038]
When a pair of collection boxes is further provided, the staples removed by the strip unit are collected in the collection box. As a result, the removed staples are not scattered around the staple remover, and the beauty around the staple remover is maintained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a copier employing one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the staple remover.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the staple remover.
FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing one operation state of a staple remover;
FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing one operation state of the staple remover;
FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing one operation state of the staple remover;
FIG. 7 is a side view showing one operation state of the staple remover.
FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7, showing one operation state of the staple remover;
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of a staple remover.
[Explanation of symbols]
6 Staple remover 11 Remover body 11a Strip section 12 Rotating plate 13 Operation plate 14 Coil spring 15 Drive mechanism 24 Limit switch 31 Control unit

Claims (8)

A staple remover provided on an upper wall of the image forming apparatus for removing staples fixed to a sheet,
A remover body having a strip portion and disposed above the upper wall;
A rotating plate fixed to an upper portion of the remover main body, an operation plate relatively rotatably disposed above the rotating plate, and a movable plate extending from the rotating plate and capable of moving vertically with respect to the upper wall and rotating A rotatable shaft rotatably supported, a driving unit for rotating the rotatable shaft, a first elastic member connecting the rotatable plate and the upper wall, and a sheet pressing unit fixed to a lower portion of the rotatable plate An operation mechanism including: a first sensor that detects that the sheet presser presses a sheet; and a controller that operates the drive unit when the first sensor detects that the sheet is pressed. When,
Staple remover with. 2. The sheet holding portion according to claim 1, wherein the sheet holding portion has a receiving portion, a ball rotatably supported by the receiving portion, and a second elastic member disposed between the receiving portion and the rotating plate. 3. Staple remover. The remover body has a pair of left and right strip portions,
A second sensor that detects whether one end of the staple-stopped sheet is disposed on which of the pair of left and right strip portions the strip portion is,
The control unit controls the driving unit such that the remover body rotates toward the side where one end of the seat is disposed, based on a detection result of the second sensor.
The staple remover according to claim 1. The staple remover according to claim 3, further comprising a pair of collection boxes provided on the upper wall in a circumferential direction of the pair of strip portions. An image forming apparatus main body having an upper wall for reading and processing an image of a document;
A remover body having a strip portion and disposed above the upper wall, including an operation mechanism for operating the remover body, comprising a staple remover for removing staples fixed to a sheet,
The operating mechanism includes a rotating plate fixed to an upper portion of the remover main body, an operating plate arranged to be relatively rotatable above the rotating plate, and a vertically extending direction extending from the rotating plate to the upper wall. A rotatable shaft rotatably and rotatably supported, a drive unit for rotating the rotatable shaft, a coil spring connecting the rotatable plate and the upper wall, and fixed to a lower portion of the rotatable plate A sheet presser, a first sensor that detects that the sheet presser has pressed the sheet, and a controller that activates the drive unit when the first sensor detects that the sheet is pressed. Have,
Image forming device. The said sheet press part has a receiving part, the ball | bowl rotatably supported by the said receiving part, and the 2nd elastic member arrange | positioned between the said receiving part and the said rotating plate, The said sheet | seat holding part. Image forming apparatus. The remover body has a pair of left and right strip portions,
The staple remover further includes a second sensor that detects whether one end of the sheet on which staples are stopped is located on which side of the pair of left and right strips.
The control unit controls the driving unit such that the remover body rotates toward the side where one end of the seat is disposed, based on a detection result of the second sensor.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the staple remover further includes a pair of collection boxes provided on the upper wall in a circumferential direction of the pair of strip portions.

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