Sheet punching device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10131070-B2
Application number	US-201213664937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2012
Priority date	Nov 9, 2011
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A sheet punching device including: a die which has a die hole and is configured to be driven to rotate; a punch configured to move in and out of the die hole to punch a hole in a sheet; and a punch operating unit configured to reciprocate the punch with respect to the die hole in a state in which the punch is opposed to the die hole of the die, to move the punch in and out of the die hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet punching device, comprising:
a die which has a die hole and is configured to be driven to rotate;
a punch configured to punch a hole in a sheet;
a punch holding portion configured to hold the punch, the punch holding portion being configured to rotate in a first direction around a rotation axis of the die in synchronization with the die from a predetermined area, and then to return in a second direction different from the first direction to the predetermined area, the punch holding portion having:
a first portion having a length extending in a direction parallel to the rotation axis, wherein the first portion has a first end and a second end, and the punch is held by the first portion adjacent to the second end, and
a second portion extending from the first end of the first portion and surrounding the the rotation axis; and
a punch moving portion configured to move the punch in and out of the die hole, the punch moving portion being configured to move the punch into, and then out of, the die hole while the punch holding portion rotates in the first direction around the rotation axis in synchronization with the die from the predetermined area and causes the punch to rotate around the rotation axis in the first direction,
wherein the punch holding portion holds the punch such that the punch does not make a revolution around the rotation axis as the punch holding portion is rotated from the predetermined area to punch a hole in a sheet by the punch and then returned to the predetermined area.

2. A sheet punching device according to claim 1 , wherein the punch moving portion comprises:
an engaging and disengaging portion configured to engage the punch holding portion with the die during a period in which the die rotates within a predetermined rotation range, and to release an engagement of the punch holding portion and the die when the die rotates beyond the predetermined rotation range; and
an elastic member configured to accumulate an elastic force during the period, and to rotate the punch holding portion to return to the predetermined area by the accumulated elastic force when the engagement is released.

3. A sheet punching device according to claim 1 , wherein the punch moving portion comprises a fixed cam portion configured to move the punch in a direction of moving in and out of the die hole when the punch holding portion is rotated in synchronization with the die,
wherein the fixed cam portion comprises a groove cam with which the punch is engaged, and
wherein the groove cam is formed into an endless shape by connecting a first groove, which is configured to move the punch in a direction of moving in and out of the die hole, and a second groove, which is configured to locate the punch at the position separated from the die hole.

4. A sheet punching device according to claim 1 , wherein the punch moving portion comprises a punch guide portion configured to guide the punch so that the punch moves in and out of the die hole, and
wherein the punch guide portion serves as a sheet stripper configured to separate a sheet from the punch by receiving the sheet when the sheet in which the hole is punched by the punch is moved together with the punch in a direction of separating from the die hole.

5. A sheet punching device according to claim 1 , wherein the punch is configured to be opposed to the die hole during a period in which the die rotates within a predetermined rotation range, and to punch the hole in the sheet, which is continuously conveyed.

6. A sheet punching device according to claim 1 , wherein the die hole is formed in a flat part formed on an outer circumferential surface of the die.

7. A sheet punching device according to claim 1 , wherein the die hole is formed in an arc part formed on an outer periphery of the die, the arc part having a curvature radius larger than a radius of the outer circumferential surface of the die.

8. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; and
a sheet punching device according to claim 1 , configured to punch a hole in the sheet.

9. A sheet punching device according to claim 1 , wherein the punch moving portion is configured to locate the punch at a position separate from the die hole while the punch holding portion returns in the second direction to the predetermined area.

10. A sheet punching device according to claim 1 , wherein the punch holding portion rotates in a reciprocating manner around the rotation axis.

11. A sheet punching device according to claim 1 , wherein a rotation center of the punch holding portion is the rotation axis.

Assignees

• Canon Finetech Nisca Inc

Inventors

• Nonaka Masato
• Itagaki Isao

Classifications

• G03G2215/00818

  Punch device · CPC title

• Y10T83/8843

  Cam or eccentric revolving about fixed axis · CPC title

• B26F1/06 Primary

  with punching tools moving with the work · CPC title

• G03G15/6582

  Special processing for irreversibly adding or changing the sheet copy material characteristics or its appearance, e.g. stamping, annotation printing, punching · CPC title

• Y10T83/9425

  Tool pair · CPC title