Sheet guide devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11602871-B2
Application number	US-202117395065-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2021
Priority date	Aug 5, 2021
Publication date	Mar 14, 2023
Grant date	Mar 14, 2023

Abstract

An example sheet guide devices comprises a housing and a guide member coupled to the housing. The housing is to receive a stack of sheets to staple. The guide member includes a cylinder shaft, a counterbalance component, and guide arm. The cylinder shaft is rotatable and disposed within the housing. The counterbalance component is disposed with the cylinder shaft to shift a center of gravity of the guide member in a first direction. The guide arm is disposed off-center from a central axis of the cylinder shaft in a second direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet guide device comprising:
a housing to receive a stack of sheets to staple, the housing including a platform portion and a base portion coupled to the platform portion; and
a guide member coupled to the housing, the guide member comprising:
a cylinder shaft that is rotatable and disposed within the housing;
a counterbalance component disposed with the cylinder shaft to shift a center of gravity of the guide member in a first direction; and
a guide arm disposed off-center from a central axis of the cylinder shaft in a second direction, wherein the base portion and the platform portion include supports to couple to the cylinder shaft to rotatably mount the guide member.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a planar surface to receive the stack of sheets and a slot aperture disposed proximal to the guide arm, the guide arm to retractably protrude through the slot aperture and a distance above the planar surface.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the guide member is in one of:
a first state in which the cylinder shaft is in a first rotated position and the guide arm retractably protrudes through the slot aperture, the guide arm including a guide surface disposed perpendicular to the planar surface of the housing to guide the stack of sheets; and
a second state in which the cylinder shaft is in a second rotated position and the guide arm, including the guide surface, is within the housing.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein the guide arm includes a ramped side surface disposed at an angle with respect to the platform portion, the ramped side surface protruding through the slot aperture to guide the stack of sheets over the guide member and to cause rotational movement of the cylinder shaft such that the guide arm is rotated toward and within the housing.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the ramped side surface of the guide arm forms a vertical wall when the guide member is in a first state in which the cylinder shaft is in a first rotated position and the guide arm retractably protrudes through the slot aperture.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the ramped side surface is to guide the stack of sheets over the guide member and to cause rotational movement of the cylinder shaft such that the guide member transitions from the first state to a second state in which the cylinder shaft is in a second rotated position and the guide arm is within the housing.

7. The device of claim 2 , wherein the guide arm includes a guide surface that retractably extends through the slot aperture and in a direction that is perpendicular to the planar surface of the platform portion.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the counterbalance component includes a counterweight disposed off-center from the central axis of the cylinder shaft in the first direction; and
the housing includes:
the supports to couple to a first end and a second end of the cylinder shaft and to allow rotational movement of the cylinder shaft; and
a protrusion disposed to prevent the rotational movement of the cylinder shaft past a threshold rotated position.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the counterbalance component includes a torsion spring disposed within the housing to provide a return force to the guide member in the first direction.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a protrusion disposed to prevent rotational movement of the cylinder shaft past a threshold rotated position.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the supports couple to a first end and a second end of the cylinder shaft.

12. A sheet guide device comprising:
a guide member comprising:
a cylinder shaft;
a counterweight disposed off-center from a central axis of the cylinder shaft in a first direction; and
a guide arm disposed off-center from the central axis of the cylinder shaft in a second direction;

a platform portion including a planar surface to receive a stack of sheets and a slot aperture, the guide arm to retractably protrude through the slot aperture; and
a base portion coupled to the platform portion, wherein the base portion and the platform portion include supports to couple to the cylinder shaft to rotatably mount the guide member.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein:
the counterweight provides a center of gravity of the guide member toward the first direction, and gravity is to cause rotational movement of the cylinder shaft in the first direction; and
the guide arm includes a guide surface extending through the slot aperture and in a direction perpendicular to the planar surface of the platform portion.

14. The device of claim 12 , wherein the guide arm includes a ramped side surface disposed at an angle with respect to the platform portion, the ramped side surface to guide the stack of sheets over and to cause rotational movement of the cylinder shaft such that the guide arm is rotated toward the base portion and beneath the planar surface of the platform portion and the counterweight is rotated toward the platform portion.

15. The device of claim 12 , wherein the base portion and platform portion form a housing, the device further including a stapler disposed with the platform portion to staple the stack of sheets together and a torsion spring disposed with the cylinder shaft to provide a return force to the guide member.

16. An apparatus comprising:
a stapler to staple a stack of sheets; and
a sheet guide device coupled to the stapler, the sheet guide device comprising:
a housing including a slot aperture disposed on a planar surface to receive the stack of sheets; and
a guide member coupled to the housing, the guide member comprising:
a cylinder shaft that is rotatable within the housing;
a counterbalance component disposed with the cylinder shaft to shift a center of gravity of the guide member in a first direction; and
a guide arm disposed off-center from a central axis of the cylinder shaft in a second direction, the guide arm to retractably protrude through the slot aperture.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the housing includes:
supports coupled to a first end and a second end of the cylinder shaft to allow rotational movement of the cylinder shaft; and
a protrusion disposed to prevent the rotational movement of the cylinder shaft past a threshold rotated position.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the guide member is in a first state in which the counterbalance component and gravity cause the cylinder shaft to be in a first rotated position and the guide arm protrudes through the slot aperture, the guide arm including a guide surface disposed perpendicular to the planar surface of the housing to guide the stack of sheets to the stapler;
the guide member is to transition to a second state in response to a force provided on a ramped side surface of the guide arm which causes the cylinder shaft to rotate to a second rotated position and the guide arm is disposed within the housing, the stack of sheets being uninterrupted by the guide member when the guide member is in the second state; and
the stapler is coupled to the sheet guide device to staple the stack of sheets using:
a corner staple when the sheet guide device is in the first state; and
an edge staple when the sheet guide device is in the second state.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the counterbalance component includes a counterweight, the apparatus further including:
a printing device coupled to the stapler, the printing device to generate content on the stack of sheets; and
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Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Larson David B

Classifications

• B65H2801/27

  Devices located downstream of office-type machines · CPC title

• B65H2404/742

  for guiding transversely · CPC title

• B65H2404/7414

  pivotable · CPC title

• B65H2404/7412

  retractable · CPC title

• B65H2404/74

  Guiding means · CPC title