Medium Processing With Movable Alignment for Crimp Binding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medium processing apparatuses face challenges in efficiently binding sheet-shaped media without metal binding needles, which can be resource-intensive and environmentally harmful.

Innovation Solution

A medium processing apparatus with a conveyor, receptacle, conveyance-direction aligner, and crimp binder, where the aligner and crimp binder are movable in the main scanning direction to avoid overlapping with the binding position, allowing for crimp binding of media.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the conveyance-direction aligner is positioned to align media in the conveyance direction, then alignment precision is improved, but the aligner may overlap with the binding position, preventing proper binding

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealignment precisionVSAvoidbinding position availability

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The conveyance-direction aligner is made movable in the main scanning direction, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position. The controller moves the aligner to a first position for alignment during conveyance, then to a second position that does not overlap with the binding position during the binding operation, resolving the conflict between alignment precision and binding position availability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The aligner performs its alignment function at a specific timing before the binding operation. The controller moves the aligner to the appropriate position in advance of the binding operation, ensuring alignment is completed before the aligner needs to be moved away to allow binding

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Strength

If metal binding needles are used for binding sheet bundles, then binding strength is improved, but resource consumption and environmental impact increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebinding strengthVSAvoidenvironmental impact

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the traditional metal binding needle mechanical system with a crimp binding system. The crimp binder applies mechanical pressure to deform and bind sheets without penetrating them with metal needles, eliminating the need for metal consumption and associated environmental harm while maintaining binding functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The binding method changes from penetration-based (metal needles) to compression-based (crimp binding). By changing the fundamental binding parameter from mechanical penetration to mechanical compression/deformation, the system achieves binding without consuming metal materials, reducing environmental impact while maintaining adequate binding strength

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12404141B2Medium processing apparatus, image forming system, medium processing method, and non-transitory recording medium

Publication Date: 2025.09.02 RICOH CO LTD

AI summary

A medium processing apparatus includes a conveyor, a receptacle, an aligner, a crimp binder, and circuitry. The conveyor conveys a medium. The receptacle holds the medium. The aligner contacts a downstream end of the medium and aligns a position of the medium in a conveyance direction of the medium. The crimp binder faces the downstream end of the medium to press and deform a binding position on media of which the position is aligned, to bind the media. The aligner and the crimp binder are movable in a main scanning direction orthogonal to each of the conveyance direction and a thickness direction of the medium. When determining that the aligner overlaps the binding position when the receptacle is viewed in the thickness direction, the circuitry moves the aligner in the main scanning direction away from the binding position and causes the crimp binder to crimp and bind the media.