Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6374061
-
Patent Number
6,374,061
-
Date Filed
Friday, October 27, 200023 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 16, 200222 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 399 1
- 399 407
- 399 410
- 254 28
- 227 63
- 270 101
- 270 5801
- 270 5808
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International Classifications
-
Abstract
A powered staple remover including an elongate member for holding between a thumb and fingers of a user's hand. The elongate member has walls defining a cavity, a first end, a second end, and an opening into the cavity through the second end. The powered staple remover also includes first and second staple crown grippers mounted within the cavity towards the second end, at least one gripper of the first and second staple crown grippers is moveable towards the other. The powered staple remover further includes a powered device connected to the at least one gripper for moving the at least one gripper from an open to a closed position, and from and towards the second end, thereby effortlessly and effectively removing a clinched staple from a stapled set of sheets without damage to the set of sheets. The powered staple remover includes an attaching device for attaching the elongate member to an electrostatographic reproduction machine.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to electrostatographic copying machines, and, in particular, to such a machine including a powered staple remover for removing and retaining staples from a staple set of document sheets.
Copying or reproduction machines include but are not limited to electrostatographic process machines. Generally, however, the process of electrostatographic copying or reproduction machines, such as light lens or scanner type machines, includes uniformly charging an image frame of a moving photoconductive member, or photoreceptor, to a substantially uniform potential, and imagewise discharging it or imagewise exposing it to light reflected from an original image being copied or reproduced. The result is an electrostatically formed latent image on the image frame of the photoconductive member. For multiple original images, several such frames are similarly imaged. The latent image so formed on each frame is developed by bringing a charged developer material into contact therewith. Two-component and singlecomponent developer materials are commonly used. A typical two-component developer material comprises magnetic carrier particles, also known as “carrier beads,” having fusable charged toner particles adhering triboelectrically thereto. A single component developer material typically comprises charged toner particles only.
In either case, the fusable charged toner particles when brought into contact with each latent image, are attracted to such image, thus forming a toner image on the photoconductive member. The toner image is subsequently transferred at a transfer station to an image receiver or copy sheet. The copy sheet is then passed through a fuser apparatus where the toner image is heated and permanently fused to the copy sheet forming a hard copy of the original image.
Original documents to be copied one by one at such a copying machine frequently come in the form of a stapled set, fastened together at least in one spot, by a staple. As is well known, the fastening staple has a crown portion and leg portions that pierce through the set of document sheets from a first side, and are then clinched or bent against the second or opposite side of the set of document sheets. A copying machine operator usually has to remove the staple or staples from the set of document sheets before copying each such document sheet, usually one by one.
For removing such staples, hand held staple removers of the type disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,945, usually are used. Typically, an area of the top panel of the copying machine, occasionally including a shallow dip or surface recess, is used as a working surface for removing such staples using the hand-held staple remover. Ordinarily, there is a problem with removed and loose staples when they are carelessly left in this area on the machine, even in the shallow surface recess. Such loose staples can cause even more problems if they drop into the machine operating area.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,220 attempts to solve the above problems have included, for example, a passive fixed position finger that has a sharp tip projecting over a tray in a recess, as well as, projecting upwardly above the surrounding surface for removing staples from stapled sets. Such upward projection of the sharp tip of the finger is obviously not very safe. To remove a staple using the finger, an operator must manually position, and then push a stapled set of sheets over the tip of the finger so that the sharp tip engages and horizontally prys the staple from the set. The finger tip is towards its end in order to cause the staple, if properly engaged, to be pried free or removed from the stapled set.
Unfortunately, however, this finger staple remover will tend to leave the removed staple still clinging onto the finger, as is commonly the experience with hand-held staple removers of the sort. This finger also utilizes unopposed horizontal shearing forces for prying the staple. The shearing forces understandably will tend to cause the staple to rip or tear the sheets, particularly since the force to be provided is by the push of an operator with no guidance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a powered staple remover associated with a frame of a reproduction machine for effectively and safely removing clinched staples from a stapled set of document sheets. The powered staple remover includes an elongate member for holding between a thumb and fingers of a user's hand. The elongate member has walls defining a cavity, a first end, a second end, and an opening into the cavity through the second end. The powered staple remover also includes first and second staple crown grippers mounted within the cavity towards the second end, at least one gripper of the first and second staple crown grippers is moveable towards the other. The powered staple remover further includes a powered device connected to the at least one gripper for moving the at least one gripper from an open to a closed position, and from and towards the second end, thereby effortlessly and effectively removing a clinched staple from a stapled set of sheets without damage to the set of sheets. The powered staple remover includes an attaching device for attaching the elongate member to an electrostatographic reproduction machine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the detailed description of the invention presented below, reference is made to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is an external view of a copying machine including the powered staple remover of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a vertical schematic view of the internal process components and stations of the copying machine of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a sectional illustration of the powered staple remover of the present invention showing its first and second jaws in their open position; and
FIG. 4
is a sectional illustration of the powered staple remover of the present invention showing its first and second jaws in their closed and retracting position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While the present invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Referring first to
FIG. 1
, the copying machine
8
is illustrated externally to show an exemplary location of the powered staple remover of the present invention. Externally, the copying machine
8
includes a frame shown generally as
80
including a top horizontal frame panel
82
. The top horizontal panel
82
includes a platen cover
84
, and could instead include an automatic document handler (not shown), as well as an output tray
49
. Copies of original documents reproduced by the process of the machine
8
can be collected as described above in a bin sorter apparatus
50
having individual bins
52
. The frame
82
also includes a front vertical panel
86
that has openings for copy sheet supply trays
90
,
92
, for example, and that forms a corner
88
with the top horizontal panel
82
. As illustrated, the powered staple remover is preferably located at the comer
88
.
Referring next to
FIG. 2
, the machine
8
has conventional imaging processing stations associated therewith, including a charging station AA, an imaging/exposing station BB, a development station CC, a transfer station DD, a fusing station EE, and a cleaning station FF. Importantly, the machine
8
includes a convenience active staple removing station of the present invention (to be described in detail below),
As shown, the machine
8
has a photoconductive belt
10
with a photoconductive layer
12
which is supported by a drive roller
14
and a tension roller
15
. The drive roller
14
functions to drive the belt in the direction indicated by arrow
18
. The drive roller
14
is itself driven by a motor (not shown) by suitable means, such as a belt drive.
The operation of the machine
8
can be briefly described as follows. Initially, the photoconductive belt
10
is charged at the charging station AA by a corona generating device
20
. The charged portion of the belt is then transported by action of the drive roller
14
to the imaging/exposing station BB where a latent image is formed on the belt
10
corresponding to the image on a document positioned on a platen
24
via the light lens imaging system
28
of the imaging/exposing station BB. It will also be understood that the light lens imaging system can easily be changed to an input/output scanning terminal or an output scanning terminal driven by a data input signal to likewise image the belt
10
. As is also well known, the document on the platen
24
can be placed there manually, or it could be fed there automatically by an automatic document handler device (not shown).
The portion of the belt
10
bearing the latent image is then transported to the development station CC where the latent image is developed by electrically charged toner material from a magnetic developer roller
30
of the developer station CC. The developed image on the belt is then transported to the transfer station DD where the toner image is transferred to a copy sheet fed from a sheet cassette tray, for example, sheet cassette tray assemblies
70
,
72
. As shown, the sheets are fed, for example, by a copy sheet handling system
31
that each includes a feed roller
33
.
At the transfer station DD, a corona generating device
32
is provided for charging the copy sheet so as to attract the charged toner image from the photoconductive belt
10
to the copy sheet. The copy sheet with the transferred image thereon is then directed to the fuser station EE. The fuser apparatus at station EE includes a heated fuser roll
34
and backup pressure roll
36
. The heated fuser roll
34
and pressure roll
36
rotatably cooperate to fuse and fix the toner image onto the copy sheet. The copy sheet then, as is well known, may be selectively transported to the finishing area, or to a duplex tray
40
along a selectable duplex path
42
for duplexing.
The portion of the belt
10
from which the developed image was transferred is then advanced to the cleaning station FF where residual toner and charge on the belt are removed by a cleaning device such as a blade
44
, and a discharge lamp (not shown) in order to prepare the portion for a subsequent imaging cycle.
When not doing duplex imaging, or at the end of such duplex imaging, the copy sheets upon finally leaving the fusing rolls
34
,
36
, are passed to rolls
46
and
48
for input to the finishing area. From the input rolls
46
,
48
, the copy sheets are fed, for example, individually to an output tray
49
, or to a bin sorter apparatus
50
where the sheets can be arranged in a collated unstapled set within the tray or within each bin
52
of the bin sorter apparatus
50
.
Referring now to
FIGS. 1-4
, the powered staple remover of the present invention can for example be an electrically operated device for removing clinched staples from sets of document sheets in a manner that requires minimal physical effort from the operator, and that produces minimal damage to original documents sheets in the stapled set.
Conventional staple removers, such as the commonly used simple caliper type hand held manual staple remover, are difficult to use, can require a lot of physical effort if the set of document sheets is thick. Unfortunately, damage usually occurs to sheets of such a set during such a staple removal process. It is often the case that an operator arrives at a copier with a stapled document with no device available for assisting in staple removal prior to copying.
In accordance with the present invention, document processing machines such as copiers, and fax machines would be fitted with the powered staple remover
100
that is attached thereto with a simple, non-removable device
102
, thereby enabling, prior to copying/faxing, effortless and effective removing of a clinched staple from a stapled set of sheets without damage to the set of sheets.
The powered staple remover would of course be connected to a source of power such as an electrical power source (not labeled), which in the case of an electric motor, would be supplied by the machine via a coiled telephone type cable
102
(serving also as the attaching device) for example. Battery operated versions could also be produced if required. The source of power can equally be compressed air in the case of a pneumatic drive device. The powered staple remover would be held in the hand similar to a pen during operation. As shown, a holder such as a clamp
104
or magnetic pad, is provided on the machine for holding the powered staple remover
100
when not in use. A magnetic cup or recess
106
can be provided on the copier machine frame
86
for holding removed staples.
Referring now to
FIGS. 3-4
, the powered staple remover
100
as shown includes an elongate member
110
for holding between a thumb
112
and fingers of a user's hand. The elongate member
110
that is cylindrical and includes walls
114
defining a cavity
116
, a first end
118
, a second end
120
, and an opening
122
into the cavity
116
, through the second end
120
. The powered staple remover
100
also includes first and second staple crown grippers
124
,
126
, that as shown are mounted within the cavity
116
at the second end
120
, and at least one of the grippers is moveable. The powered staple remover
100
further includes powered means, such as an electric motor
130
and a drive shaft
132
, that are mounted within the cavity
116
and connected to the at least one gripper for moving the at least one gripper from an open position (
FIG. 3
) to a closed position (FIG.
4
), and from and towards the second end
120
. The powered electrical motor
130
and drive shaft
132
thereto are coupled to the first and second staple crown grippers. Such movements advantageously enable effortless and effective removing of a clinched staple from a stapled set of sheets, without damage to the set of sheets.
As further illustrated, the powered staple remover
100
includes user control means such as a button
134
and an electric connector
136
for starting and stopping the powered means or motor
130
. The walls
114
include a flat portion
138
at the second end for forming an anvil to hold back and protect document sheets from which a clinched staple is being removed. The first and second staple crown grippers
124
,
126
comprise first and second staple crown gripping jaws that are moveable towards and away from each other. As pointed out above, the powered staple remover
100
includes means
102
for attaching the elongate member
110
to a frame of a document reproduction machine such that the elongate member
110
is manually maneuverable.
As also shown, the at least one gripper
124
,
126
is, and preferably both are, mounted within the cavity
116
such that they project outwardly of the cavity
116
beyond the flat portion
138
when idle and about to be operated. The drive shaft
132
is threaded preferably, and is engaged with a threaded portion (internal surface of a collar portion
140
) of the at least one gripper
124
,
126
. The electrical motor
130
is a D.C. motor, and is reversibly rotatable, along with drive shaft
132
to move the at least one gripper
124
,
126
away from and back to the second end
120
. The powered staple remover further includes a first limit switch for stopping a driving action of the electrical motor and the drive shaft
132
when driving and moving the at least one gripper
124
,
126
away from the second end
120
. The at least one staple crown gripper
124
,
126
is, and preferably both are, pivotably moveable toward another.
To operate, an operator hooks at least one of the jaws or gripper
124
,
126
onto a clinched staple to be removed from a set of document sheets. Pressing the button
134
then causes the motor
130
to rotate in the extract direction. The jaws or gripper
124
,
126
meanwhile clamp together as they retract past chamfered edges
142
in the walls
114
, The jaws or gripper
124
,
126
, complete with a clamped staple, are thus retracted into the cavity
1
16
. The electric connector
136
is such that the motor
130
will continue to drive and retract until the button
134
is released or until a limit switch
144
is activated. The retraction distance is long enough to extract largest staple sizes. On releasing the button, the motor reverses, moving the jaw assembly and staple out of the body until another limit switch is activated to stop the motor. At such point, gripping pressure is removed from the jaws, thus releasing the removed staple.
As can be seen, there has been provided a powered staple remover including an elongate member for holding between a thumb and fingers of a user's hand. The elongate member has walls defining a cavity, a first end, a second end, and an opening into the cavity through the second end. The powered staple remover also includes first and second staple crown grippers mounted within the cavity towards the second end, at least one gripper of the first and second staple crown grippers is moveable towards the other. The powered staple remover further includes a powered device connected to the at least one gripper for moving the at least one gripper from an open to a closed position, and from and towards the second end, thereby effortlessly and effectively removing a clinched staple from a stapled set of sheets without damage to the set of sheets. The powered staple remover includes an attaching device for attaching the elongate member to an electrostatographic reproduction machine.
While this invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A powered staple remover comprising:a. an elongate member for holding between a thumb and fingers of a user's hand, said elongate member including walls defining a cavity, a first end, a second end, and an opening into said cavity, through said second end; b. first and second staple crown grippers mounted within said cavity at said second end, at least one gripper of said pair of staple crown grippers being moveable; and c. powered means mounted within said cavity and connected to said at least one gripper for moving said at least one gripper from an open position to a closed position, and from and towards said second end, thereby effortlessly and effectively removing a clinched staple from a stapled set of sheets without damage to the set of sheets.
- 2. The powered staple remover of claim 1, including user control means for positioning said at least one gripper to a crown of a staple to be removed, and for starting and stopping said powered means.
- 3. The powered staple remover of claim 1, wherein said powered means comprises an electrical motor assembly.
- 4. The powered staple remover of claim 3, wherein said electrical motor assembly includes a powered motor and a drive shaft thereto coupled to said pair of staple crown grippers.
- 5. The powered staple remover of claim 4, wherein said drive shaft is threaded and is engaged with a threaded portion of said at least one gripper.
- 6. The powered staple remover of claim 4, wherein said powered motor is a D.C. motor.
- 7. The powered staple remover of claim 4, wherein said powered motor and said drive shaft are reversibly rotatable to move said at least one gripper away from and back to said second end.
- 8. The powered staple remover of claim 7, wherein including a limit switch for stopping a driving action of said powered motor and said drive shaft when driving and moving said at least one gripper away from said second end.
- 9. The powered staple remover of claim 7, wherein at least one staple crown gripping portion of said staple crown gripping portions is pivotably moveable toward one another.
- 10. The powered staple remover of claim 9, wherein said at least one staple crown gripping portion and a portion of one of said walls adjacent thereto are manually pivotable towards one another.
- 11. The powered staple remover of claim 1, wherein said elongate member is cylindrical.
- 12. The powered staple remover of claim 1, wherein said walls include a flat portion at said second end forming an anvil for holding back and protecting document sheets from which a clinched staple is being removed.
- 13. The powered staple remover of claim 12, wherein said at least one gripper is mounted within said cavity such that it project outwardly of said cavity beyond said flat portion.
- 14. The powered staple remover of claim 1, wherein said first and second staple crown grippers comprise first and second staple crown gripping jaws, said staple crown gripping jaws being moveable towards and away from each other.
- 15. The powered staple remover of claim 1, wherein staple crown gripping portions of said pair of staple crown grippers have an open position apart, and a staple crown gripping position towards one another.
- 16. The powered staple remover of claim 1, including means for attaching said elongate member to a document reproduction machine such that said elongate member is manually maneuverable.
- 17. A reproduction machine for producing sheet copies of sheet original documents, the reproduction machine comprising:(a) a machine frame; (b) means supported within said machine frame including an image bearing member, for forming a toner image of an original image of a sheet document; (c) means for transferring said toner image onto a copy sheet; (d) means including a platen for holding and exposing an original image of a sheet original document onto said image bearing member; and (e) powered staple remover attached to said frame of the machine and including: (i) an elongate member for holding between a thumb and fingers of a user's hand, said elongate member including walls defining a cavity, a first end, a second end, and an opening into said cavity, through said second end; (ii) first and second staple crown grippers mounted within said cavity at said second end, at least one gripper of said pair of staple crown grippers being moveable; and (iii) powered means mounted within said cavity and connected to said at least one gripper for moving said at least one gripper from an open position to a closed position, and from and towards said second end, thereby effortlessly and effectively removing a clinched staple from a stapled set of sheets without damage to the set of sheets.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
06-186809 |
Jul 1994 |
JP |
08-155858 |
Jun 1996 |
JP |
08-208111 |
Aug 1996 |
JP |
09-197749 |
Jul 1997 |
JP |
2000-159449 |
Jun 2000 |
JP |