Sheet Binder Shielding Mechanism for Quiet Manual Binding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing post-processing apparatuses in image forming systems face issues with mechanical sounds leaking from the apparatus through an opening during sheet binding operations, and there is a need for a mechanism that can perform both automatic and manual binding operations efficiently while minimizing noise leakage.
Innovation Solution
A post-processing apparatus with a movable shielding member that opens and closes an opening in response to the movement of a sheet binder, integrated with a driver mechanism to perform binding operations, reducing sound leakage and allowing both automatic and manual binding modes without increasing size or cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a shielding member is added to close the opening during binding operations, then mechanical sound leakage is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the shielding member with the sheet bundle inserter structure, making the shielding member an integral part of the inserter housing. This merging approach allows the shielding function to be achieved without adding a separate, independent shielding device, thereby reducing overall device complexity while still effectively closing the opening during binding operations to prevent mechanical sound leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding member is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both a structural component of the sheet bundle inserter and a sound-blocking barrier during binding operations. By making the shielding member movable between opened and closed positions, it universally serves both as an access opening for manual insertion and as a noise barrier, eliminating the need for separate components for each function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the shield is made movable between opened and closed positions, then both manual insertion and noise reduction are achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding member is designed to be automatically positioned by the user's own actions. When the user inserts or removes a sheet bundle from the inserter, the shielding member naturally moves to the appropriate position (open for insertion, closed for binding) due to the mechanical interaction with the insertion/removal process. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for separate motors or actuators to control the shield, maintaining adaptability while minimizing added complexity.
3Extent of automation
If the shield is driven by a motor, then automatic opening and closing is achieved, but cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves automation without motors by utilizing the natural mechanical interactions during sheet bundle insertion and removal. The shielding member's position is automatically adjusted through the physical act of user interaction with the inserter, eliminating the need for motor-driven mechanisms while maintaining the automated effect of having the shield in the correct position during different operational phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the sheet bundle itself as an intermediary to control the shielding member's position. The presence or absence of the sheet bundle in the inserter automatically triggers the shielding member to move to the appropriate position, using the bundle as a mediator between the user's action and the shield's positioning, thereby achieving automation without direct motor control.
Data Source
AI summary
A post-processing apparatus includes a manual processing device, a sheet binder, a driver, and a shield. The manual processing device has an opening to receive a sheet bundle of multiple sheets inserted into the opening. The sheet binder performs a binding operation on the sheet bundle in the manual processing device at a binding position in the opening. The driver moves the sheet binder in a first direction. The shield is movable, in a second direction intersecting the first direction, between a closed position at which the shield closes the opening and an open position at which the shield opens the opening, in response to a movement of the sheet binder in the first direction.