Elongated-member-driving apparatus – With means to move or guide member into driving position – With positionable driver
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-09
2001-05-01
Smith, Scott A. (Department: 3721)
Elongated-member-driving apparatus
With means to move or guide member into driving position
With positionable driver
C227S131000, C227S155000, C270S058080
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223965
ABSTRACT:
This invention is based on applications No.10-258300 filed in Japan, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a stapler device and more particularly, to a stapler device for stapling sheets outputted from copiers or printers.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of finishers have generally been provided which operate to sort image-copied sheets outputted from the copier or printer into a desired number of sheet sets or perform a stapling operation. Of the prior-art stapler devices, the conventional type has an arrangement wherein a head section for driving a staple and an anvil section for receiving and bending the staple are fixed to a given position, thus binding a stack of sheets only at one place. More recently, however, with automation and diversification of the sheet finishing operation, the performance of the stapling operation is also diversified. Thus, a demand exists for an ability to selectively bind a stack of sheets at any one or more than one of binding positions such as a leading edge, a trailing edge and a center of the sheet stack.
For binding sheets at plural positions, a stapler unit (the head section and anvil section) must be moved in a sheet-width direction. A coupling member generally unifies the head section and the anvil section so as to ensure the alignment thereof. Because of the existence of the coupling member, however, the sheet stack can be transported into or out of a stapling section only after the coupling member is retreated. This results in an increased processing time, which lowers the productivity of copies.
Besides, a long coupling member is required for driving the staple into the center of the sheet stack. This results in low accuracy of positioning and an increased size of the stapler device.
In this connection, the present inventors have proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.9-255220 a stapler device wherein the head section and the anvil section are independent from each other thereby to dispense with the coupling member. In this device, the head section and the anvil section are guided by a support shaft, respectively. Unfortunately, at the occurrence of trouble such as caused by staple clogging in the head section or the anvil section, the head section or the anvil section along with the support shaft must be removed from the sorter for maintenance work which is quite cumbersome.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY
It is therefore, an object of the invention to provide an improved stapler device which solves the aforementioned problems associated with the prior-art stapler devices.
It is a particular object of the invention to provide a stapler device featuring easy maintenance work for elimination of the staple clogging or the like despite that the head section and the anvil section are independent from each other.
For achieving the foregoing and other objects of the invention, the stapler device according to the invention comprises a head section and an anvil section which are independent from each other, and a head-section support shaft and an anvil-section support shaft for moving these sections in a sheet-width direction, wherein the head section includes a staple-driving holder guided by the head-section support shaft and a staple-driving unit detachable from the holder and wherein the anvil section includes a staple-receiving holder guided by the anvil-section support shaft and a staple-receiving unit detachable from the holder.
According to the invention, since the head section and anvil section are independent from each other and movable in a sheet-width direction, it is possible to staple plural places of the sheet stack and also to drive the staple into the center of the sheet stack (so called doublespread binding for weekly magazines). Furthermore, the head section is designed to permit the staple-driving unit to be detached from the staple-driving holder guided by the head-section support shaft or the anvil section is designed to permit the staple-receiving unit to be detached from the holder guided by the anvil-section support shaft. Hence, at the occurrence of trouble such as staple clogging or the like, only the staple-driving unit or/and the staple-receiving unit may be removed for carrying out required operation or maintenance work. Such an operation is quite simple because it does not require the whole body of the head section or anvil section together with the support shaft to be removed from the frame.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5029831 (1991-07-01), Green
patent: 5100119 (1992-03-01), Komada et al.
patent: 5181643 (1993-01-01), Radtke
patent: 5279494 (1994-01-01), Kitajima et al.
patent: 5290020 (1994-03-01), Matsui et al.
patent: 5584471 (1996-12-01), Muck et al.
patent: 5772197 (1998-06-01), Aoki et al.
patent: 5806750 (1998-09-01), Yamanushi et al.
patent: 6050471 (2000-04-01), Yagi
McDermott & Will & Emery
Minolta Co. , Ltd.
Smith Scott A.
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