Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Including valve means in flow line
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-28
2003-07-15
Fridie, Jr., Willmon (Department: 3722)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Including valve means in flow line
C412S037000, C412S008000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06592056
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a gluing device that applies a glue in a strap shape on an edge portion of a sheet that has been subjected to image forming processing and has been ejected out of an image forming apparatus while the sheet is being conveyed, a glue supply method to supply glue in a glue container to a glue discharging means, a glue supply device, a bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and an image forming apparatus with a bookbinding apparatus.
In recent years, there has been offered a bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device wherein glue is applied for bookbinding at a prescribed position on a sheet on which an image has been recorded by a main body of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer and a hybrid machine including the copying machine and printer.
A bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device that is presently used includes (1) a device to discharge glue on a sheet by the use of a glue discharging nozzle, (2) a device wherein a glue wheel is provided on a glue-containing box and glue is stuck to an outer circumferential surface of the rotating glue wheel so that the outer circumferential surface of the glue wheel may be brought into contact with a sheet for contact-transfer and (3) a hot melt coating device wherein a mixture of a hot melt agent (thermo-fusion agent) and heated and compressed air is discharged from a nozzle.
In a bookbinding apparatus disclosed in TOKUHYOSHOO No. 59-500907, with regard to a sheet conveyed in the first conveyance direction, the conveyance direction therefor is changed to the second conveyance direction that is perpendicular to the first conveyance direction, and then, glue is coated on an edge of the running sheet linearly so that sheets are pressurized and bound after being stacked and trued up.
In the gluing method and gluing device disclosed in TOKKAIHEI No. 7-80377, glue discharged from a glue-discharging nozzle is subjected to spraying of high pressure air to turn into a thin film.
A conventional supply device that is used presently and supplies glue to a glue-discharging means having a glue-discharging nozzle includes (1) a supply device wherein glue contained in a glue container is force-fed by compressed air and (2) a supply device wherein glue contained in a glue container is force-fed by a micro-gear pump.
The glue supply device and the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device both described above have the following problems.
(A) When external pressures are applied on a glue container in the course of storage of the glue container, glue in the glue container leaks out of an ejection opening.
(B) In the course of replacement of the glue container, glue in the glue container leaks out of an ejection opening.
(C) In the course of replacement of the glue container, air enters through an ejection opening to generate glue discharge failure caused by glue supply failure.
A first object of the invention is to solve the problems stated above, to improve a glue supply device of a bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and to attain easy maintenance work, low noise and down-sizing all for a glue supply device, and thereby to provide a gluing device attaining automation of the glue supply device, the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and an image forming apparatus equipped with the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device.
Further, the glue supply device in the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device stated above has the following problems.
(D) In the course of replacement of the glue container, when the glue ejection opening of the glue container is connected with a connection means connected to a supply tube that is connected to the glue discharging means, glue in the glue container leaks out of the connection means.
(E) The structure of the connection means that prevents leakage of glue in the course of replacement of the glue container turns out to be complicated. Further, operations for replacement of the glue container becomes complicated, resulting in occurrence of glue leakage and glue supply failure caused by erroneous operations.
A second object of the invention is to solve the problems stated above, to improve a glue supply device of a bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and to attain prevention of glue leakage in the course of replacement of the glue container of the glue supply device, easy operations for replacement of the glue container, simplification of the structure of the connection means and stabilization of glue supply, and thereby to provide a glue supply device attaining automation thereof, the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and an image forming apparatus equipped with the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
(1) The problems (A), (B) and (C) stated above can be solved by a gluing device described in either one of the following Structures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the invention.
Structure 1: A gluing device having therein a pressuring means which presses a glue container containing liquid glue to eject contained glue from an ejection opening, a supply tube through which the ejected glue is transported from the glue container, a connecting means on the glue container side which connects the supply tube to the glue container, a connecting means on the supply tube side which detachably connects the connecting means on the glue container side to the supply tube, and a glue discharging means which receives the glue transported through the supply tube and delivers them from a nozzle opening, wherein there is provided a valve member provided inside the connecting means on the glue container side that makes the ejection opening to be opened and closed, and a protrusion is provided inside the connecting means on the supply tube side so that the protrusion presses the valve member to open the ejection opening when the connecting means on the supply tube side is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side.
Structure 2: A gluing device having therein a pressuring means which presses a glue container containing liquid glue to eject contained glue from an ejection opening, a supply tube through which the ejected glue is transported from the glue container, a connecting means on the glue container side which is connected to the glue container, a connecting means on the supply tube side which is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side detachably and is connected to the supply tube, and a glue discharging means which receives the glue transported through the supply tube and discharges them from a nozzle opening, wherein there is provided a valve member which is moved by gravity on an inclined face formed on an inner wall of the connecting means on the glue container side to close the ejection opening, and inside the connecting means on the supply tube side, there is provided a protrusion which presses the valve member to open the ejection opening when the connecting means on the supply tube side is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side.
Structure 3: A gluing device having therein a pressuring means which presses a glue container containing liquid glue to eject contained glue from an ejection opening, a supply tube through which the ejected glue is transported from the glue container, a connecting means on the glue container side which is connected to the glue container, a connecting means on the supply tube side which is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side detachably and is connected to a receiving portion of the supply tube, and a glue discharging means which receives the glue transported through the supply tube and discharges them from a nozzle opening, wherein the connecting means on the glue container side is provided with a first connection member that is connected to the ejection opening of the glue container, a valve member that is arranged inside the first connection member and has, on its tip portion, a cone portion, a second connection member that closes a glue flowing path with a cone surface which e
Matsumoto Toshitaka
Shida Toshio
Takahashi Katsunori
Tamura Hitoshi
Tamura Makoto
Fridie Jr. Willmon
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Konica Corporation
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