stapler

Abstract

To provide a stapler which can suppress floating of a tip of a staple leg binding a paper sheet from the paper sheet.SOLUTION: When a clincher guide 32 is moved to a standby position and a position of a guide surface 31a of a clincher 31 is positioned at a lower end position farthest from a holding section 32a of the clincher guide 32 positioned at the standby position along the direction of an arrow A1 in a stapler, a length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the holding section 32a of the clincher guide 32 is 29% or more and 62% or less of a length of a staple leg 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a stapler that staples paper sheets together with staples. [Background technology]

[0002] A stapler that staples sheets by penetrating the paper with the foot of a U-shaped staple called a staple and bending it on the back side of the paper is configured with a magazine that stores the staples, a handle section equipped with a driver that shoots the staples stored in the magazine toward the paper, and a clincher section equipped with a clincher that bends the foot of the staple that has been shot out of the magazine and penetrated the paper, all of which are rotatably supported at their rear ends.

[0003] There is known a stapler that binds sheets of paper in a form called a flat clinch, in which the staple feet are bent so as to fit closely along the back surface of the paper after the staple feet have penetrated the paper. A stapler that binds sheets of paper in the flat clinch form includes a clincher guide that supports the paper in an upper position relative to the clincher until the staple feet penetrate the paper, and a sliding member that switches the operation of the clincher guide on and off, and in which a force that bends the pair of staple feet that have penetrated the paper inward is applied to the pair of staple feet that have penetrated the paper by relative movement of the clincher guide and the clincher, so that the staple feet can be bent from the base portions of the staple feet that have penetrated the paper (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] In such a conventional stapler called a flat clinch, a transmission member such as a link extends from the handle portion to the clincher portion between the position where the clincher is provided and the rear end portion where the handle portion and the clincher portion are connected. For this reason, it is not possible to insert paper beyond the link toward the rear end portion, making it unsuitable for use in a stapler of a type called a saddle stitching.

[0005] In response to this, a stapler has been proposed that rotates around an axis as a fulcrum and pushes an L-shaped main body, which functions as a slider, through the paper (see, for example, Patent Document 2). With such a stapler, flat clinching can be achieved in the form of saddle stitching. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-230482 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5065411 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the case of staples used to bind sheets of paper, the "glasses clinch" style is a style in which the staple foot bends from the base where it penetrates the paper, and the tip curves toward the paper. When sheets of paper are stapled using the "glasses clinch" style, the height at which the staple foot protrudes from the paper after penetrating the paper increases, so when a stack of stapled sheets is stacked, the stack height increases. Furthermore, staplers that achieve saddle stitching have been proposed that bind sheets of paper using this "glasses clinch" style. In the saddle stitch style, the staple is stapled at the fold, but when the fold is stapled using the "glasses clinch" style, the height at which the staple foot protrudes from the paper after penetrating the paper increases, which reduces the appearance of the booklet.

[0008] In contrast, when sheets are bound using a flat clinch, the height at which the staples penetrate the sheets is kept low, preventing stack height increases even when stapled sheets are stacked. However, the tips of the staples tend to float above the sheets. Therefore, if the tips of the staples float when the fold is bound using a flat clinch, the appearance of the booklet is degraded.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has an object to provide a stapler that can prevent the tips of the staple legs that have bound the sheets of paper from lifting up from the sheets of paper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a clincher guide that includes a needle launching unit that launches needles each having a pair of needle feet and a needle shoulder portion connecting the ends of the pair of needle feet, a needle foot bending unit that bends the needle feet of the needles launched by the needle launching unit, and a connecting portion that connects the needle launching unit and the needle foot bending unit so that they can move toward and away from each other, the clincher guide having a guide surface that bends the needle feet, a clamping portion that clamps paper between the needle launching unit and the clincher, and an opening that exposes the guide surface to the clamping portion, the clincher guide being supported so as to be movable in a first direction along the direction in which the needle launching unit and the needle foot bending unit move toward and away from each other, and the clincher guide being configured to change the distance between the guide surface and the clamping portion by moving in the first direction, the guide surface having an inwardly sloping portion at a portion where the tip of the needle foot comes into contact, and the clincher guides a clincher guide that is configured so that the needles launched by the needle launching unit penetrate the paper held by the clamping portion, and the tip of the needle foot after penetration moves toward and away from the paper. and when the guide surface is in contact with the surface, the guide surface is located at the lowest position farthest from the clamping unit in the first direction, and the lowest position is the position where the tip of the staple foot is in contact with the guide surface and a gap is formed between the top surface of the paper clamped by the clamping unit and the needle shoulder of the needle. The clincher guide is configured so that the staple is further driven out and the pair of needle feet of the needle are bent inward, and the needle shoulder comes into contact with the paper and is pushed in the first direction together with the paper, thereby moving the clamping unit in a direction approaching the guide surface, and when the guide surface is at the lowest position relative to the clamping unit, the distance between the guide surface and the clamping unit is 29% to 62% of the length of the needle foot, and the needle foot that has penetrated the paper bends from the base where it penetrates the paper, and a bent portion is formed from the base to the tip, and the needle foot that has penetrated the paper follows the paper from the base to the bent portion, and the part of the needle foot from the bent portion to the tip side faces the paper, thereby binding the papers.

[0011] In the present invention, when the clincher guide moves in a first direction, the needle feet of the needles that have penetrated the paper are pressed against the guide surface of the clincher, and a force is applied to bend the tip ends of the pair of needle feet toward each other inward.

[0012] When the needle foot is inserted into the paper until the needle shoulder touches the top surface of the paper, the bent portion is exposed between the base and tip of the needle foot that protrudes from the bottom surface of the paper. The pair of needle feet pressed against the guide surface of the clincher are bent inward toward each other, with the base protruding from the bottom surface of the paper as a fulcrum, and the curved portions of the needle feet are crushed. As a result, the needle feet that have penetrated the paper are in close contact with the back surface of the paper from the base protruding from the bottom surface to the bent portion, and the sheets are bound with the tip side of the bent portion facing the bottom surface of the paper. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, the staple feet that penetrate the paper are stapled with the tip side from the bent portion facing the underside of the paper, which prevents the tip of the staple feet from floating above the paper compared to the flat clinch configuration. Also, the staple feet that penetrate the paper are in close contact with the backside of the paper from the base portion that protrudes from the underside of the paper to the bent portion, which prevents the protrusion height of the staple feet that penetrate the paper from the paper compared to the double clinch configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1A] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part showing an example of a stapler according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B] 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of a stapler according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 1C] 1 is an overall side view showing an example of a stapler according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 1D] 1 is an overall top view showing an example of a stapler according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 1E] 1 is an overall bottom view showing an example of a stapler according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 1F] 1 is an overall perspective view showing an example of a stapler according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a staple used in the stapler of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3A] 10A and 10B are side cross-sectional views of essential parts showing an example of the operation of the stapler of the present embodiment. [Figure 3B] 10A and 10B are side cross-sectional views of essential parts showing an example of the operation of the stapler of the present embodiment. [Figure 3C] 10A and 10B are side cross-sectional views of essential parts showing an example of the operation of the stapler of the present embodiment. [Figure 4A] 10A and 10B are front views of essential parts illustrating an example of the operation of the stapler according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4B] 10A and 10B are front views of essential parts illustrating an example of the operation of the stapler according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4C] 10A and 10B are front views of essential parts illustrating an example of the operation of the stapler according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4D] 10A and 10B are front views of essential parts illustrating an example of the operation of the stapler according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4E] 10A and 10B are front views of essential parts illustrating an example of the operation of the stapler according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 10 is a front view of the main part of the stapler showing a modified example of the clincher. [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 is a front view of the main part of the stapler showing a modified example of the clincher. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a stapler according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] <Configuration example of stapler according to this embodiment> Fig. 1A is a side cross-sectional view of a main portion showing an example of a stapler according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 1B is a side cross-sectional view of the entire example of the stapler according to the present embodiment. Fig. 1C is a side view of the entire example of the stapler according to the present embodiment, Fig. 1D is a top view of the entire example of the stapler according to the present embodiment, Fig. 1E is a bottom view of the entire example of the stapler according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 1F is a perspective view of the entire example of the stapler according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is an explanatory view showing an example of a needle used in the stapler according to the present embodiment.

[0017] A known staple 10, as shown in FIG. 2, has a foot 11 length L1 (external dimension) of 4.8 mm, a shoulder 12 length L2 (external dimension) of 9.48 mm or less, and a foot 11 and shoulder 12 thickness L3 of 0.30 mm or more. A needle 10 with these dimensions corresponds to a No. 10 needle specified by JIS. Another known staple 10 has a foot 11 length L1 (external dimension) of 6.0 mm, a shoulder 12 length L2 (external dimension) of 12.97 mm or less, and a foot 11 and shoulder 12 thickness L3 of 0.45 mm or more. A needle 10 with these dimensions corresponds to a No. 3 needle specified by JIS. Furthermore, needles 10 are known that have a length L1 (external dimension) of the needle foot 11 of 6.0 mm, a length L2 (external dimension) of the needle shoulder 12 of 11.49 mm or less, and a thickness L3 of the needle foot 11 and needle shoulder 12 of 0.30 mm or more.

[0018] The stapler 1 comprises a needle firing section 2 that fires out such needles 10, a needle foot bending section 3 that bends a pair of needle feet 11 of the needles 10 fired by the needle firing section 2, and a connecting section 4 that connects the needle firing section 2 and the needle foot bending section 3 so that they can move relatively toward and away from each other.

[0019] In stapler 1, the direction in which staple driving unit 2 and staple foot bending unit 3 move closer to each other through relative movement is referred to as a first direction, and the direction intersecting with the first direction is referred to as a second direction.

[0020] The needle firing unit 2 includes a magazine 20 that stores the needles 10, a driver 21 that fires the needles 10 stored in the magazine 20, and a handle unit 22 that operates the driver 21. In the needle firing unit 2, the magazine 20 and the handle unit 22 are rotatably connected with each other around a shaft 23 as a fulcrum.

[0021] The magazine 20 is configured to be able to store a needle assembly (not shown) to which a predetermined number of needles 10 are connected, and is provided with a needle ejection opening 20a, through which the needles 10 separated from the needle assembly pass, at the front end opposite the side where the shaft 23 is provided. The magazine 20 also has a spring 20c that presses the needle assembly against the magazine front wall 20b via a pusher 20d.

[0022] The driver 21 is attached to a handle portion 22, and as the handle portion 22 rotates around an axis 23 as a fulcrum, the driver 21 moves along the magazine front wall 20b, separating one needle 10 from the needle connecting body and ejecting it from the needle ejection port 20a.

[0023] The staple foot bending unit 3 includes a clincher 31 having a guide surface 31a that bends the staple foot 11. The staple foot bending unit 3 also includes a clamping portion 32a that clamps the paper between itself and the magazine 20 of the staple driving unit 2, and a clincher guide 32 that has an opening 32b that exposes the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 in the clamping portion 32a. The staple foot bending unit 3 also includes a slider 33 that is movable between a first position that restricts movement of the clincher guide 32 in a first direction and a second position that releases the restriction on movement of the clincher guide in the first direction, and a clincher switch 34 that moves the slider 33 to the second position.

[0024] The clincher 31 is attached to the base 30 of the needle foot bending section 3 with a guide surface 31a having a groove shaped to guide the pair of needle feet 11 of the needle 10 in a direction to bend them inward, facing upward, which is one direction facing the needle firing section 2.

[0025] The clincher guide 32 has a clamping portion 32a provided opposite the magazine 20 of the needle-pulling unit 2, and an opening 32b provided in the clamping portion 32a opposite the needle-pulling opening 20a of the magazine 20.

[0026] The clincher guide 32 is supported on the base 30 of the needle foot bending section 3 so that it can move by rotational or linear motion in the first direction, the direction of arrow A1, and in the direction of arrow A2, which is opposite to arrow A1, and is configured so that by moving in the first direction, the distance between the clamping section 32a and the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 changes.

[0027] The slider 33 is an example of a clincher guide operating member, and is supported so as to be movable in a linear motion relative to the base 30 of the needle foot bending section 3 in the direction of arrow B1, which is a second direction intersecting the first direction, and in the direction of arrow B2, which is opposite to arrow B1.

[0028] The clincher switch 34 is provided on the opposite side of the connecting portion 4 across the clincher 31, and is supported so as to be movable linearly relative to the base 30 of the needle foot bending portion 3 in the direction of arrow A1 (first direction) and the direction of arrow A2.

[0029] The clincher switch 34 protrudes from the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 in the direction of the staple driving portion 2 and includes a pressed portion 34a that is pressed through the paper, and an acting portion 34b that presses the slider 33 in the direction of arrow B1 (second direction) when the clincher switch 34 moves in the direction of arrow A1. The acting portion 34b is configured as a slope that is inclined such that the upper side indicated by arrow A2 is closer to the slider 33 and the lower side indicated by arrow A1 is inclined away from the slider 33, relative to the movement direction of the clincher switch 34 indicated by arrows A1 and A2.

[0030] The slider 33 has an acted upon portion 33a that is pressed by the acting portion 34b of the clincher switch 34, and an engaging portion 33b that moves along the directions of arrows B1 and B2 as the slider 33 moves in the directions of arrows B1 and B2.

[0031] The slider 33 has an acted-on portion 33a at one end along the movement direction indicated by arrows B1 and B2, which is provided opposite the acting portion 34b of the clincher switch 34. The slider 33 also has a locking portion 33b on the surface facing the clincher guide 32, which is shaped so that the clincher protrudes in the direction of arrow A2 toward the guide 32.

[0032] The clincher guide 32 includes a locked portion 32c that is locked with the locking portion 33b of the slider 33, and a retracted portion 32d into which the locking portion 33b of the slider 33 is inserted.

[0033] The clincher guide 32 has, on its surface facing the slider 33, an engaged portion 32c that protrudes in the direction of arrow A1 toward the slider 33. The clincher guide 32 also has, on its surface facing the slider 33, a retracted portion 32d that is recessed in the direction of arrow A2, which is opposite to the direction of arrow A1 in which the engaged portion 32c protrudes, and is provided adjacent to the engaged portion 32c along the direction of arrow B1.

[0034] The clincher guide 32 is biased by a spring 32e in the direction of arrow A2, in which the clamping portion 32a approaches the needle firing portion 2. The slider 33 is biased by a spring 33c in the direction of arrow B2, in which the acted-on portion 33a approaches the acting portion 34b of the clincher switch 34. The clincher switch 34 is biased by a spring 34c in the direction of arrow A2, in which the pressed portion 34a protrudes from the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 in the direction of the needle firing portion 2.

[0035] The clincher guide 32 is biased by a spring 32e in the direction of arrow A2, in which the clamping portion 32a approaches the needle driving portion 2, and the state in which the locked portion 32c is locked to the locking portion 33b of the slider 33 is referred to as the standby position of the clincher guide 32. When the clincher 31 is configured to be fixed in a predetermined position, when the clincher guide 32 is in the standby position, the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 is in a position retracted in the direction of arrow A1 relative to the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32. The predetermined position at which the clincher 31 is fixed is referred to as the bottom end position. When the clincher 31 is configured to move, the clincher 31 is biased in the direction of arrow A2 by a spring (not shown), and when the clincher guide 32 is in the standby position, the guide surface 31a is exposed on approximately the same plane as the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32, and is configured to be pushed by the needle foot 11 of the needle 10 and move in the direction of arrow A1. When the clincher 31 is configured to move, the clincher 31 is configured to be movable in the direction of arrow A1 up to a lower end position.

[0036] The slider 33 is biased by a spring 33c in the direction of arrow B2, in which the acted-on portion 33a approaches the acting portion 34b of the clincher switch 34, and the engaging portion 33b moves to a position opposite the engaged portion 32c of the clincher guide 32, so that the engaging portion 33b engages with the engaged portion 32c, and the first position that restricts the movement of the clincher guide 32 in the first direction is called the standby position of the slider 33.

[0037] The clincher switch 34 is biased by spring 34c in the direction of arrow A2, in which the pressed portion 34a protrudes from the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 toward the needle firing portion 2, and the acting portion 34b is not pressing the acted upon portion 33a of the slider 33, in this example, the state in which the acting portion 34b is separated from the acted upon portion 33a, is called the standby position of the clincher switch 34.

[0038] The needle driving unit 2 has a pressing unit 24 that activates a clincher switch 34. The pressing unit 24 has a shape that protrudes in the direction of the needle foot bending unit 3, and is provided on the handle unit 22 opposite the pressed portion 34a of the clincher switch 34.

[0039] In stapler 1, staple launching unit 2 and connecting unit 4 are connected by connecting member 25, and staple foot bending unit 3 and connecting unit 4 are connected by connecting member 35. In this example, stapler 1 moves staple launching unit 2 and staple foot bending unit 3 in directions that move relatively closer to and farther apart as connecting member 25 flexes. In stapler 1, distance L between clincher 31, which is the binding position for the sheets of paper, and connecting unit 4 is set so that clincher 31 faces near the center between one end and the other end of the sheets of paper placed between staple launching unit 2 and staple foot bending unit 3, so that stapler 1 can staple sheets in a so-called saddle stitch manner. Furthermore, in stapler 1, no member that passes between clincher 31 and connecting unit 4 to transmit movement passes between staple launching unit 2 and staple foot bending unit 3.

[0040] The stapler 1 includes an insertion position regulating unit 5 that regulates the insertion position of the paper sheets. The insertion position regulating unit 5 is supported so as to be movable along a connecting member 35 in directions approaching and moving away from the position (binding position) of the clincher 31 shown in Figures 1A and 1B. By inserting the paper sheets to a position where they abut against the insertion position regulating unit 5, it is possible to regulate the distance from the edge of the paper sheets to the binding position.

[0041] The insertion position restricting portion 5 includes a dial 50 that fixes its position relative to the connecting member 35. The dial 50 is provided coaxially with a screw (not shown), connects the left and right sides of the insertion position restricting portion 5 on the underside of the connecting member 35, and an action member 51 that acts on one side and the other side of the connecting member 35 is moved by fastening the screw, thereby sandwiching the connecting member 35 from both the left and right sides of the insertion position restricting portion 5. In this way, by operating one dial 50, the insertion position restricting portion 5 can be fixed to or released from the connecting member 35.

[0042] The stapler 1 is provided with an alignment mark 6a in the staple firing unit 2 that indicates the target stapling position, and an alignment mark 6b in the staple foot bending unit 3. The alignment mark 6a is configured by providing a three-dimensional marking with projections and depressions, a two-dimensional marking by printing, or the like on the upper surface of the handle unit 22 in accordance with the position of the clincher 31 shown in Figures 1A and 1B. The alignment marks 6b are configured by providing a three-dimensional marking with projections and depressions, a two-dimensional marking by printing, or the like on the upper surface of the base 30 on both the left and right sides of the clincher guide 32 in accordance with the position of the clincher 31 shown in Figures 1A and 1B.

[0043] <Example of operation of the stapler according to this embodiment> 3A to 3C are cross-sectional side views of the essential part showing an example of the operation of the stapler of this embodiment, and FIGS. 4A to 4E are front views of the essential part showing an example of the operation of the stapler of this embodiment.

[0044] In stapler 1, when paper P is placed in clamping section 32a and handle section 22 is pushed in the direction of arrow A1, staple driving section 2 moves in a direction approaching staple foot bending section 3, and magazine 20 comes into contact with paper P. When handle section 22 is further pushed in the direction of arrow A1 while magazine 20 is in contact with paper P, handle section 22 rotates relative to magazine 20 around shaft 23 as a fulcrum, and staples 10 stored in magazine 20 are driven out of staple driving opening 20a by driver 21. When staples 10 are driven out of staple driving opening 20a while magazine 20 is in contact with paper P, staple feet 11 penetrate paper P. Then, staple feet 11 that have penetrated paper P enter opening 32b of clincher guide 32.

[0045] The clincher 31 is positioned at the lowest position, farthest from the clamping portion 32a in the direction of arrow A1, when the needle feet 11 of the needles 10 driven out by the needle driving unit 2 penetrate the paper sheet P held by the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 and the tip of the needle foot 11 after penetration contacts the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31. This lowest position is the position where the tip of the needle foot 11 contacts the guide surface 31a and a gap L12 is formed between the top surface of the paper sheet P held by the clamping portion 32a and the needle shoulders 12 of the needles 10. As the needles 10 are further driven out of the clincher guide 32, the pair of needle feet 11 of the needles 10 are bent inward, and the needle shoulders 12 come into contact with the paper sheet P and are pushed in the direction of arrow A1 together with the paper sheet P, causing the clamping portion 32a to move closer to the guide surface 31a.

[0046] The above operation will be described in detail below. When the slider 33 is in the standby position and the locking portion 33b of the slider 33 is locked to the locked portion 32c of the clincher guide 32, the movement of which is restricted by the slider 33, and the position at which the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 is furthest from the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 in the direction of arrow A1 is referred to as the lower end position of the clincher 31.

[0047] When the clincher 31 is configured to be fixed at the lower end position, when the distance between the driver 21 and the guide surface 31a becomes the same as the length L1 of the needle foot 11, the tip of the needle foot 11 comes into contact with the guide surface 31a as shown in Fig. 4A. The guide surface 31a has an inwardly sloping portion 31b formed at the portion where the tip of the needle foot 11 comes into contact, and the tips of the pair of needle feet 11 are guided inward toward each other.

[0048] When the clincher 31 is configured to be pushed by the needle foot 11 of the needle 10 and move in the direction of arrow A1, the clincher 31 moves to the lower end position as shown in Figure 4A with the tip of the needle foot 11 in contact with the guide surface 31a.

[0049] When the clincher 31 is at the lower end position and the tips of the needle feet 11 are in contact with the guide surface 31a, and the needle driving unit 2 moves further in the direction approaching the needle foot bending unit 3, the distance between the driver 21 and the guide surface 31a becomes shorter than the length of the needle feet 11. When the distance between the driver 21 and the guide surface 31a becomes shorter than the length of the needle feet 11, the tips of the needle feet 11 are pressed against the guide surface 31a, and a force is applied that bends the pair of needle feet 11 inward.

[0050] When the clincher guide 32 is in a standby position and before it starts moving in the direction of arrow A1, at the time when the needle feet 11 start to bend their tips, when a force is applied to bend the pair of needle feet 11 inward, the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 is less than the length of the needle feet 11.

[0051] At the above timing, the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 is preferably 29% or more and 62% or less of the length L1 of the needle foot 11.

[0052] Specifically, when the length of the needle foot 11 is 4.8 mm, the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the timing is preferably 1.2 mm or more and 2.4 mm or less, and more preferably 1.4 mm or more and 2.4 mm or less. Also, when the length of the needle foot 11 is 6.0 mm, the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the timing is preferably 1.6 mm or more and 3.7 mm or less, and more preferably 1.8 mm or more and 3.7 mm or less.

[0053] In addition, in a configuration in which the clincher 31 is fixed at the lower end position, the clincher guide 32 and the slider 33 are in the standby position, and when the engaging portion 33b of the slider 33 is engaged with the engaged portion 32c of the clincher guide 32, the position of the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 is at the farthest position in the direction of arrow A1 from the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32, and the length L10 between the inclined portion 31b that crushes the needle of the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 satisfies the above value.

[0054] In a configuration in which the clincher 31 is fixed at the lower end position, when the tip of the needle foot 11 that has penetrated the paper P reaches the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31, a gap L12 is formed between the top surface of the paper P clamped by the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 and the needle shoulder portion 12 of the needle 10, even when stapling the maximum allowable number of sheets of paper P.

[0055] Furthermore, when the clincher 31 is configured to be pushed by the needle foot 11 of the needle 10 and move in the direction of arrow A1, when the clincher guide 32 and slider 33 are in the standby position and the engaging portion 33b of the slider 33 is engaged with the engaged portion 32c of the clincher guide 32, when the clincher 31 is pushed in the direction of arrow A1 by the needle foot 11 of the needle 10 and moves to the lower end position, the position of the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 is at the farthest position along the direction of arrow A1 relative to the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32, and the length L10 between the inclined portion 31b that crushes the needle of the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 satisfies the above value. Furthermore, at the above timing, a gap L12 is formed between the top surface of the paper P clamped by the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 and the needle shoulder portion 12 of the needle 10 even when stapling the maximum allowable number of sheets of paper P.

[0056] When the handle portion 22 is further pressed in the direction of arrow A1 and the staple driving portion 2 moves in a direction approaching the staple foot bending portion 3, the staple feet 11 are pressed against the guide surface 31a and the pair of staple feet 11 are bent inward as shown in Figures 4B and 4C. During this tip bending process of bending the staple feet 11, the clincher guide 32 is in a standby position with its movement restricted by the slider 33, so the gap L12 formed between the top surface of the paper sheet P clamped by the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 and the needle shoulder portion 12 of the staple 10 decreases.

[0057] Furthermore, when the handle portion 22 of the stapler 1 is further pressed in the direction of the arrow A1 while the magazine 20 is in contact with the paper P, the pressing portion 24 comes into contact with the paper P and presses the pressed portion 34a of the clincher switch 34 in the direction of the arrow A1 via the paper P.

[0058] When pressed by the pressing portion 24 via the paper P, the clincher switch 34 moves in the direction of arrow A1 while compressing the spring 34c. When the clincher switch 34 moves in the direction of arrow A1, the acting portion 34b comes into contact with the acted-on portion 33a of the slider 33. Because the acting portion 34b is configured as a slope that is inclined in a predetermined direction, when the clincher switch 34 moves in the direction of arrow A1 with the acting portion 34b in contact with the acted-on portion 33a of the slider 33, a force is generated that presses the acted-on portion 33a in the direction of arrow B1, and as shown in FIG. 3A, the slider 33 moves in the direction of arrow B1 while compressing the spring 33c.

[0059] When the slider 33 moves in the direction of arrow B1, the locking portion 33b moves from a position facing the locked portion 32c of the clincher guide 32 to a position facing the retracted portion 32d. When the locking portion 33b of the slider 33 moves to a position facing the retracted portion 32d of the clincher guide 32, the clincher guide 32 becomes movable in the direction of arrow A1. The movement of the slider 33 is linked to the movement of the needle driving unit 2 in the direction approaching the needle foot bending unit 3. As the needle launching section 2 moves in the direction approaching the needle foot bending section 3, until the top surface of the paper P clamped by the clamping section 32a comes into contact with the needle shoulder section 12 of the needle 10, in this example, as shown in Figure 4D, when the top surface of the paper P clamped by the clamping section 32a comes into contact with the needle shoulder section 12 of the needle 10, the engaging section 33b of the slider 33 moves to a position opposite the retraction section 32d of the clincher guide 32.

[0060] As a result, when the handle portion 22 of the stapler 1 is further pushed in the direction of arrow A1 while the magazine 20 is in contact with the paper P, as shown in Figure 3C, the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 is pushed through the paper P, and the clincher guide 32 moves in the direction of arrow A1 while compressing the spring 32e.

[0061] When the clincher guide 32 moves in the direction of arrow A1, the paper sheet P and the staples 10 whose staple legs 11 have penetrated the paper sheet P move in the direction of arrow A1 together with the clincher guide 32. As a result, the staple legs 11 that have penetrated the paper sheet P and whose tip ends are bent inward as described above are pressed against the guide surface 31a of the clincher guide 32 and are crushed, and are bent inward with their bases protruding from the underside of the paper sheet P as fulcrums.

[0062] As a result, as shown in Figure 4E, the staple foot 11 that penetrates the paper P is configured to follow the back surface of the paper P from the base portion protruding from the underside of the paper P to the bent portion 11a, and the paper P is bound in a manner such that the tip side from the bent portion 11a faces the underside of the paper P.

[0063] The relationship between staple length and binding style is shown in Tables 1 and 2 below.

[0064] [Table 1]

[0065] [Table 2]

[0066] When the length of the staple foot 11 is 4.8 mm, as shown in Table 1, if the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 1.4 mm, the sheets of paper P are stapled in a form called a bent clinch for the number of sheets to be stapled of 2 to 22. Also, if the length L10 is 2.2 mm, the sheets of paper P are stapled in a bent clinch for the number of sheets to be stapled of 2 to 14. The sheets of paper P are PPC paper 64 g / m2 (55 kg).

[0067] The tip-bent clinch is a configuration in which the staple foot 11 is bent from the base portion where it penetrates the sheets of paper P, and there is a substantially linear section in which the staple foot 11 follows the sheets of paper P, and a substantially linear section in which the staple foot 11 faces the sheets of paper P. Specifically, in the staple foot 11 that penetrates the sheets of paper P, a bent portion 11a is formed between the base portion protruding from the underside of the sheets of paper P to the tip, and the staple foot 11 that penetrates the sheets of paper P is in close contact with the back surface of the sheets of paper P from the base portion protruding from the underside of the sheets of paper P to the bent portion 11a, and the sheets of paper P are bound in a configuration in which the tip side of the bent portion 11a faces the underside of the sheets of paper P.

[0068] As a result, when the length of the staple foot 11 is 4.8 mm, and the maximum number of sheets of paper P that can be bound is approximately 14, if the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 1.4 mm or more and 2.2 mm or less, the paper P is bound in the form of a bent-tip clinch.

[0069] On the other hand, when the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 1.2 mm, if the number of sheets P to be bound is large within the range of the maximum number of sheets allowed, the sheets P are stapled in the form of the tip bent clinch described above. On the other hand, when the number of sheets to be stapled is small, the sheets P tend to be stapled in a form called a "double clinch," and in this example, when the number of sheets P to be stapled is four or less, the sheets P are stapled in the form of a double clinch. A double clinch is a form in which the staple foot 11 bends from the base where it penetrates the sheets P, and the tip curves toward the sheets P.

[0070] Furthermore, when the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing was less than 1.2 mm, the sheets P were bound in the form of a double clinch even if the number of sheets P bound was within the range of the maximum number of sheets allowed. Furthermore, when the number of sheets P bound was four or less, a problem occurred in which the tip of the staple foot 11 bent on the underside of the sheets P penetrated to the upper side of the sheets P.

[0071] From the above, it was found that when the length of the staple foot 11 is 4.8 mm, in order to be able to bind the paper P in the form of a tip-bent clinch from the minimum number of sheets to be bound (2 sheets), it is preferable that the lower limit value of the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 1.2 mm, and it is more preferable that the lower limit value of the length L10 is 1.4 mm.

[0072] On the other hand, when the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing exceeds 2.2 mm, the number of sheets P stapled in the bent clinch form tends to decrease. When the length L10 is 2.4 mm, the sheets P are stapled in the bent clinch form when the number of sheets is from 2 to 12, and when the number of sheets is more than 12, the sheets P are stapled in a form called a flat clinch. The flat clinch is a form in which the staple foot 11 bends from the base where it penetrates the sheets P and forms a straight line along the sheets P toward the tip. When the length L10 is 3.4 mm, the sheets P are stapled in the bent clinch form when the number of sheets is two, but when the number of sheets is more than two, the sheets P are stapled in a form called a flat clinch.

[0073] From the above, when the length of the staple foot 11 is 4.8 mm, in order to be able to bind the sheets P in the form of a bent-end clinch, if the maximum permissible number of sheets to be bound is 12, it is preferable that the upper limit value of the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 2.4 mm. Also, if the maximum permissible number of sheets to be bound is 14, it is preferable that the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 2.2 mm, and in consideration of increasing the maximum permissible number of sheets to be bound, it is more preferable that the upper limit value of the length L10 is 2.2 mm.

[0074] When the length of the staple foot 11 is 6.0 mm, as shown in Table 2, if the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 1.8 mm, the sheets of paper P are stapled in the form of a bent clinch when the number of sheets to be stapled is 2 to 29. Also, if the length L10 is 2.7 mm, the sheets of paper P are stapled in the form of a bent clinch when the number of sheets to be stapled is 2 to 20.

[0075] As a result, when the length of the staple foot 11 is 6.0 mm, and the maximum number of sheets of paper P that can be bound is approximately 20, if the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 1.8 mm or more and 2.7 mm or less, the paper P is bound in the form of a bent-tip clinch.

[0076] In contrast, when the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 1.6 mm, if the number of sheets P to be bound is large within the range of the maximum number of sheets allowed, the sheets P are bound in the form of the tip bent clinch. In contrast, when the number of sheets to be bound is small, the sheets P tend to be bound in the form of the double clinch, and in this example, when the number of sheets P to be bound is four or less, the sheets P are bound in the form of the double clinch.

[0077] Furthermore, when the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing was less than 1.6 mm, the sheets P were bound in the form of a double clinch even if the number of sheets P bound was within the range of the maximum number of sheets allowed. Furthermore, when the number of sheets P bound was four or less, a problem occurred in which the tip of the staple foot 11 bent on the underside of the sheets P penetrated to the upper side of the sheets P.

[0078] From the above, it was found that when the length of the staple foot 11 is 6.0 mm, in order to be able to bind the paper P in the form of a tip-bent clinch from the minimum number of sheets to be bound (2 sheets), it is preferable that the lower limit value of the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 1.6 mm, and it is more preferable that the lower limit value of the length L10 is 1.8 mm.

[0079] On the other hand, when the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing exceeds 2.7 mm, the number of sheets of paper P stapled in the form of bent clinch tends to decrease, and when the length L10 is 3.0 mm, the sheets of paper P are stapled in the form of bent clinch when the number of stapled sheets is 2 to 17, and when the number of stapled sheets exceeds 17, the sheets of paper P are stapled in the form called flat clinch. Also, when the length L10 is 3.7 mm, the sheets of paper P are stapled in the form of bent clinch when the number of stapled sheets is 2 to 9, and when the number of stapled sheets exceeds 9, the sheets of paper P are stapled in the form called flat clinch. When the length L10 is 4.4 mm, if the number of sheets to be bound is two, the sheets P are bound in a form of bent clinch, but if the number of sheets to be bound exceeds two, the sheets P are bound in a form called flat clinch.

[0080] From the above, it has been found that when the length of the staple foot 11 is 6.0 mm, in order to be able to bind the sheets P in the form of a bent-end clinch, if the maximum permissible number of sheets to be bound is 9, the upper limit value of the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is preferably 3.7 mm. Also, if the maximum permissible number of sheets to be bound is 17, the length L10 between the guide surface 31a of the clincher 31 and the clamping portion 32a of the clincher guide 32 at the above timing is 3.0 mm, and if the maximum permissible number of sheets to be bound is 20, the length L10 is 2.7 mm. Considering an increase in the maximum permissible number of sheets to be bound, it has been found that the upper limit value of the length L10 is more preferably 2.7 mm.

[0081] There is no member between the clincher 31 and the connecting portion 4 that passes between the staple launching portion 2 and the staple foot bending portion 3 to transmit movement. This makes it possible to set the distance L between the connecting portion 4 and the clincher 31, which is the binding position for the sheets of paper, so that the clincher 31 faces near the center between one end and the other end of the sheets of paper placed between the staple launching portion 2 and the staple foot bending portion 3. Therefore, the sheets of paper P can be bound using a tip-bent clinch in a so-called saddle stitch format.

[0082] 5A and 5B are front views of the main part of the stapler showing modified examples of the clincher. As shown in Fig. 5A, clincher 31 may have a recess 31c recessed in the direction away from needle firing unit 2 shown in Fig. 1A, etc., near the center of guide surface 31a along the direction in which staple foot 11 is guided, or may have a protrusion 31d protruding toward needle firing unit 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1 stapler, 2 staple firing section, 20 magazine, 20a staple firing port, 20b magazine front wall, 20c spring, 21 driver, 22 handle section, 23 shaft, 24 pressing section, 3 staple foot bending section, 30 base, 31 clincher, 31a guide surface, 32 clincher guide, 32a clamping section, 32 b···Opening, 32c···Latched portion, 32d···Retracted portion, 32e···Spring, 33···Slider (clincher guide operating member), 33a···Acted portion, 33b···Latching portion, 33c···Spring, 34···Clincher switch, 34a···Pressed portion, 34b···Acting portion, 34c···Spring, 4···Connecting portion, 10···Needle, 11···Needle foot, 11a···Bending portion

Claims

1. a needle launching unit that launches a needle having a pair of needle legs and a needle shoulder portion that connects the ends of the pair of needle legs together; a needle foot bending unit that bends the needle foot of the needle shot out by the needle shooting unit; a connecting portion that connects the needle driving portion and the needle foot bending portion so that they can move relatively toward and away from each other; The needle foot bending portion is a clincher having a guide surface for bending the needle foot; a clamping section that clamps the paper between itself and the staple driving section; and a clincher guide that has an opening that exposes the guide surface in the clamping section, is supported so as to be movable in a first direction along a direction in which the staple driving section and the staple foot bending section move toward and away from each other, and is configured so that the distance between the guide surface and the clamping section changes when the clincher guide moves in the first direction; The guide surface has an inwardly inclined portion at a portion where the tip of the needle foot comes into contact, The clincher is configured such that the needles driven out by the needle driving unit penetrate the paper clamped by the clamping unit, and the tips of the needle feet after penetration are in contact with the guide surface, and the guide surface is positioned at a lower end position farthest from the clamping unit along the first direction, The lower end position is a position where the tip of the staple foot contacts the guide surface and a gap is formed between the top surface of the paper clamped by the clamping section and the needle shoulder of the staple, The clincher guide further moves the clamping portion in a direction approaching the guide surface as the staple is further driven out, bending the pair of staple legs inward, and causing the staple shoulder portion to come into contact with the paper and be pushed in the first direction together with the paper. When the guide surface is at the lower end position with respect to the clamping portion, the distance between the guide surface and the clamping portion is 29% or more and 62% or less of the length of the needle foot, The staple foot that penetrates the paper bends from the root where it penetrates the paper, forming a bent portion between the root and the tip. The staple foot that penetrates the paper follows the paper from the root to the bent portion, and the tip side of the bent portion faces the paper, and the paper is bound in this state. Stapler.

2. The clincher is fixed to the needle foot bending portion at the lower end position.

2. The stapler of claim 1.

3. The clincher is supported by the needle foot bending portion so as to be movable along the first direction to the lower end position.

2. The stapler of claim 1.

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