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EP-4516456-B1 - STAPLE REMOVING DEVICE

EP4516456B1EP 4516456 B1EP4516456 B1EP 4516456B1EP-4516456-B1

Inventors

  • NAGATA, TOMOKAZU
  • HAKOZAKI, KATSUYA

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240828

Claims (13)

  1. A staple removing device (1A) comprising: a placement portion (2) having a placement surface (20) on which a paper bundle bound by a staple (10) including a crown portion (11) and a leg portion is to be placed; a rotating shaft (4) extending from below the placement surface toward the placement surface (20); and a removal unit (5) attached to the rotating shaft (4) and rotating along a surface intersecting an axial direction of the rotating shaft (4), wherein the removal unit (5) includes a tip portion (50) to be inserted between a lower surface of the paper bundle placed on the placement surface (20) and the crown portion (11), a middle portion (51) connected to the tip portion (50) and having an action surface to be in contact with the crown portion (11), and a base portion (52) connected to the middle portion (51) and supported by the rotating shaft (4), an upper surface of the base portion (52) is located on the same plane as the placement surface (20) or below the placement surface, and the tip portion (50) is located above the upper surface of the base portion (52), characterized in that an outer peripheral side edge (51a) of the middle portion (51) extending along a rotation trajectory of the removal unit (5) in a circumferential direction of the axial direction is formed by a convex arc shape when seen from the axial direction, and an inner peripheral side edge (51b) of the middle portion (51) extending along the rotation trajectory of the removal unit (5) is formed by a concave arc shape when seen from the axial direction.
  2. A staple removing device (1A) comprising: a placement portion (2) having a placement surface (20) on which a paper bundle bound by a staple (10) including a crown portion (11) and a leg portion is to be placed; a rotating shaft (4) extending from below the placement surface toward the placement surface (20); and a removal unit (5) attached to the rotating shaft (4) and rotating along a surface intersecting with an axial direction of the rotating shaft (4), characterized in that the axial direction of the rotating shaft (4) is inclined with respect to a direction orthogonal to the placement surface (20), and the removal unit (5) includes a base portion (52) attached to the rotating shaft (4) such that an upper surface (52c) of the base portion (52) is located on the same plane as the placement surface (20) or below the placement surface in the inclined axial direction, a middle portion (51) connected to the base portion (52), and a tip portion (50) connected to the middle portion (51), located above the upper surface (52c) of the base portion in the axial direction, and configured to be inserted between a lower surface of the paper bundle placed on the placement surface (20) and the crown portion (11).
  3. The staple removing device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating (4) shaft is inclined with respect to a direction orthogonal to the placement surface (20).
  4. The staple removing device according to claim 2, wherein the middle portion (51) has an action surface (53) configured to be in contact with the crown portion (11), and the action surface (53) is inclined in a direction such that a length between the action surface (53) and the lower surface of the paper bundle increases from the tip portion (50) toward the base portion (52).
  5. The staple removing device according to claim 3, wherein a distance from a center line (O1) of the removal unit (5) passing through a center along a radial direction of the rotation trajectory to the outer peripheral side edge (51a) is equal to a distance from the center line (O1) to the inner peripheral side edge (51b).
  6. The staple removing device according to claim 5, wherein the tip portion (50) protrudes upward from the placement surface (20) by a rotation operation of the removal unit (5).
  7. The staple removing device according to claim 6, wherein the tip portion (50), the action surface (53), and the upper surface (52c) of the base portion (52) are inclined in the radial direction with respect to the axial direction of the rotating shaft (4), and are parallel to the placement surface (20).
  8. The staple removing device according to claim 7, wherein in the removal unit (5), the tip portion (50), the middle portion (51), and the base portion (52) are exposed to the placement surface (20) in order by a rotation operation of the rotating shaft (4).
  9. The staple removing device according to claim 8, further comprising: a light source (91) that emits light to the base portion (52) exposed to the placement surface (20).
  10. The staple removing device according to claim 1 or 4, further comprising: a staple pressing member (6) located on a rotation trajectory along which the removal unit (5) rotates around the rotating shaft (4) and configured to be in contact with the crown portion (11).
  11. The staple removing device according to claim 10, wherein the staple pressing member (6) is supported to be displaceable in a direction toward or away from the placement surface (20), and the action surface (53) includes a guide unit (53a) configured to guide the staple pressing member (6).
  12. The staple removing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the removal unit (5) includes a narrow portion (54) between the middle portion (51) and the base portion (52), the narrow portion (54) having a width along a radial direction of the rotation trajectory along which the removal unit (5) rotates around the rotating shaft (4) equal to or less than an interval between the pair of leg portions of the staple.
  13. The staple removing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the removal unit (5) includes a narrow portion (54) between the middle portion (51) and the base portion (52), the narrow portion (54) having a width along a radial direction of the rotation trajectory along which the removal unit (5) rotates around the rotating shaft (4) equal to or less than a length of the crown portion (11) in an extending direction of the crown portion (11).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a staple removing device for removing a staple from a paper bundle. BACKGROUND ART In the related art, a staple removing device that removes a staple from a paper bundle has been proposed (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1). The staple removing device described in Patent Literature 1 includes: a placement table on which a paper bundle bound by a staple is placed; a removal unit located below the placement table and configured to remove the staple from the paper bundle placed on the placement table, the removal unit including a tip portion that can be inserted between the paper bundle and the staple, the tip portion being movable along the placement table between a first position and a second position; removal unit in which the tip portion is inserted between the paper bundle and the staple when the tip portion moves to the second position; and a motor configured to move the removal unit. In the staple removing device described in Patent Literature 1, since the removal unit is configured to reciprocate linearly, the tip portion can move between the first position and the second position along the placement table. As in the staple removing device described in Patent Literature 1, when the removal unit is configured to reciprocate linearly, it is necessary to secure, along a direction of the reciprocating movement of the removal unit, a space required for the movement of the removal unit, and the device is increased in size. On the other hand, a staple removing device has been proposed that removes a staple from a vertically lower position by rotating a removal claw holder having a claw by driving a motor (for example, refer to Patent Literature 2). In the staple removing device described in Patent Literature 2, the removal claw holder rotates around a support shaft as a fulcrum, and thus a trajectory along which the claw moves is an arc. Accordingly, the space required for the movement of the removal claw can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which the removal unit reciprocates linearly as in Patent Literature 1. On the other hand, in the staple removing device described in Patent Literature 2, the support shaft is parallel to the placement table. Accordingly, when the removal claw holder rotates around the support shaft as a fulcrum, the claw moves in a direction toward or away from the placement table. For this reason, the staple removing device described in Patent Literature 2 is configured such that an apex of the arc-shaped trajectory of the claw matches an opening portion of the placement table. However, when the paper bundle is set on the placement table, if a position of the staple binding the paper bundle deviates from a position of the apex of the arc-shaped trajectory of the claw, the claw cannot be inserted between the paper bundle and the staple, and a removal range of the staple is narrowed. Further, a staple remover provided on an upper wall of an image forming apparatus has been proposed as a staple remover that removes a staple stopped on a sheet by rotation of a remover body (for example, refer to Patent Literature 3). The staple remover described in Patent Literature 3 includes: a remover body including a strip portion and disposed above the upper wall of the image forming apparatus; a rotating plate fixed to an upper portion of the remover body; an operation plate disposed above the rotating plate to be rotatable relative to the rotating plate; a rotating shaft extending from the rotating plate and supported to be movable in a vertical direction with respect to the upper wall; a motor configured to rotate the rotating shaft; and a paper pressing portion fixed to a lower portion of the rotating plate. In the staple remover described in Patent Literature 3, when the operation plate is pressed downward, the operation plate, the rotating plate, and the remover body move in a direction toward the upper wall, and a paper is sandwiched between the upper wall and the paper pressing portion. In the staple remover described in Patent Literature 3, when the rotating shaft is rotated by the motor, the strip portion enters between the staple and the paper, and the staple is removed from the paper. In the staple remover described in Patent Literature 3, the rotating shaft is orthogonal to the upper wall. Accordingly, when the rotating shaft is rotated by the motor, the remover body rotates along the upper wall. As a result, a removal range of the staple becomes wider as compared with Patent Literature 2. Further, in the staple removing device, a mechanism for pressing a paper bundle so that the paper bundle placed on the placement table does not move in an inactive manner during the removal of the staple is mounted. For example, the staple removing device described in Patent Literature 2 includes a pressing plate which is raised and lowered by driving of the motor, and when the sheet bundle is set at a predetermined position, the moto