Patent Publication Number: US-8984998-B2

Title: Automatic electric punching apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an automatic electric punching apparatus, and more particularly, to an automatic electric punching apparatus that can automatically and conveniently perform a punching operation on a plurality of documents or paper sheets by providing the punching apparatus with a specific structure by means of a small-sized motor and a screw punch blade. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In general, a standard binder or a file is used to collect a plurality of documents or paper sheets for a long time, in which case in order to file the documents or paper sheets by using the binder or file, a pair of holes are punched at a predetermined interval at predetermined locations of the documents or paper sheets by using a punching apparatus. 
     Then, an electric punching apparatus according to the related art generally employs a heavy motor, and accordingly, has a complex structure and consumes high manufacturing costs. Further, since most electric punching apparatuses are of one hole type and operated in a compulsory press manner or a pipe type punch blade rotation manner, a punching operation cannot be easily performed. 
     In addition, although a punching apparatus for punching a hole in various documents or paper sheets generally has a push handle at an outside of a body thereof so that a user can push down the handle with his or her hands to manually lower a punching unit, it is very troublesome to use the punching apparatus. Although automatic punching apparatuses are used as an alternative, most of them are suitable for industrial mass punching and cannot be used for the purposes of offices or homes. 
     Patent Document—Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1997-0020351 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic electric punching apparatus that can automatically punch documents or paper sheets by lowering a screw punch blade by means of a screw while being rotated in conjunction with driving of a motor due to switching. 
     In order to accomplish this object, there is provided an automatic electric punching apparatus including: a body including a plate-shaped base member provided with a pair of punch pads at a rear side of an upper surface thereof, a lower block having a rectangular parallelepiped shape and in which a pair of bushing nuts are vertically buried, the lower block defining a paper insertion opening having a predetermined interval at a rear side of an upper surface of the base member, an upper block installed at an upper side of the lower block to be moved upward and downward and in which a pair of bearings are buried, and a cover covering the upper block and the lower block; a driving unit including a motor positioned on and fixed to a upper surface of the upper block while a rotary shaft thereof passes through the upper block, a driving gear mounted to the rotary shaft of the motor and installed on a lower surface of the upper block, and a pair of driven gears engaged with the driving gear to be rotated; a punching unit including a pair of screw punches provided for punching at lower ends thereof, having a tubular shape having a screw thread on an outer peripheral surface thereof, mounted to bearings of the upper block while an upper end thereof passing through the driven gears, and having central portions coupled to the bushing nuts buried in the lower block to be moved upward and downward; and a control unit including a switch unit installed on a front surface of the cover, a sensing unit for restricting an upward and downward movement distance of the upper block by means of the screw punches and the bushing nuts, and a printed circuit board for controlling driving of the motor according to signal inputs from the switch unit and the sensing unit. 
     Preferably, a balance rod is fixedly installed downward at a predetermined point of a lower surface of the upper block and a cylinder hole is formed in the lower block corresponding to the balance rod so that the upper block is prevented from being arbitrarily moved through a guide operation of the balance rod and the cylinder hole when the upper block is moved upward and downward. 
     Preferably, the sensing unit includes: a pair of photo sensors vertically arranged on one surface of the lower block to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval; and a detection bar having a bar shape of a predetermined length and fixedly installed on one surface of the upper block toward the photo sensor to act as a shield. 
     Further, expansion parts having predetermined spaces are formed at lower sides of the pair of punching pads of the base member so that punch chips are collected by the expansion parts, and caps for opening the expansion parts are provided on a bottom surface of the base member. 
     Preferably, guide pipes communicating with upper ends of the pair of screw punches are provided on an upper surface of the upper block, and the guide pipes are connected to a collection box provided at a rear side of the base member by means of pipes. 
     As described above, according to the present invention, since a screw punch blade having a specific structure is automatically rotated and lowered to automatically punch documents or paper sheets as a motor is driven according to manipulation of a switch on a front side of a body, a user can very conveniently perform a punching operation without using a separate push handle. 
     In addition, as the punching apparatus has a very simplified electric structure, manufacturing costs can be reduced by simplifying components and an assembly process thereof. Further, an outer design is so appealing that it can meet a satisfaction of a user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features of the invention believed to be novel and the elements characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The figures are for illustration purposes only and are not drawn to scale. The invention itself, however, both as to organization and method of operation, may best be understood by reference to the detailed description which follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view illustrating the configuration of the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view illustrating the configuration of the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are sectional views illustrating an operation of the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
     In describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, reference will be made herein to  FIGS. 1-4B  of the drawings in which like numerals refer to like features of the invention. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a side view illustrating the configuration of the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention.  FIG. 3  is a plan view illustrating the configuration of the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  are sectional views illustrating an operation of the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention. 
     First, in the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention, a pair of screw punches  50  are automatically rotated through driving of a motor  40  and is lowered by means of a screw thread as a user manipulates a switch unit  60  provided on a front surface of a cover  1  of the punching apparatus, so that documents or paper sheets  80  can be automatically punched. 
     To this end, the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention includes an apparatus body including a base member  10 , an upper block  30 , a lower block  20 , and a cover  10 , and a driving unit, a punching unit, and a control unit having specific structures are installed in the body. 
     First, the body of the automatic electric punching apparatus has a substantially tetragonal plate shape. A known scale  15  for adjusting a punching point of the documents or paper sheets  80 , which are to be punched, and a scale support member  14  are provided at one side of the body. The base member having a pair of punch pads  12  is provided at a rear side of an upper surface of the body. The lower block  20  having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is installed at a rear side of the base member  10 . The lower block  20  is integrally formed with the base member  10  while a paper insertion opening  19  is formed at a predetermined point of an upper surface of the base member  10  with a pair of bushing nuts  22  being vertically installed in the interior of the lower block  20 . 
     The upper block  30  is installed at an upper side of the lower block  20  to be moved upward and downward by a predetermined height by means of a pair of screw punches  50 , and a pair of bearings  32  are installed in the interior of the upper block  30 . 
     Then, a balance rod  34  having a predetermined length is fixedly installed downward at a predetermined point of a lower surface of the upper block  30  and a cylinder hole  24  is formed on an upper surface of the lower block  20  corresponding to the balance rod  34  so that the upper block  30  can be prevented from being arbitrarily moved through a guide operation of the balance rod  34  and the cylinder hole  24  when the upper block  30  is moved upward and downward. 
     Expansion parts  16  are formed at lower portions of the pair of punch pads  12  provided in the base member  10  to be expanded to predetermined spaces so that punch chips due to a punch operation can be collected in the expansion parts  16 , and caps  18  for opening the expansion parts  16  are formed on a bottom surface of the base member  10  corresponding to the expansion parts  16  to be opened and closed. 
     A cover  1  having various designs covers outer surfaces of the upper block  30  and the lower block  20  to protect the product and make the product appealing. 
     A motor  40  positioned on and fixed to an upper surface of the upper block  30  to provide power is provided in the driving unit such that a rotary shaft  42  of the motor  40  faces downward while passing through the upper block  30 , a driving gear  44  is mounted to the rotary shaft  42  of the motor  40  to be installed on a lower surface of the upper block  30 , and a pair of driven gears  46  rotated in conjunction with the driving gear  44  are provided at opposite sides of the driving gear  44  while being installed on a lower surface of the upper block. 
     The punching unit  50  is operated by means of the driving unit, and includes a pair of screw punches  50  for applying an external force to paper sheets and documents  80  inserted into the paper insertion opening  19  facing the base member  10  to perform a punching operation. A punch  52  for punching is provided at a lower end of each of the screw punches  50 , and a tube shape having a screw thread is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the screw punch  50 . The screw punches  50  are mounted to the bearings  32  of the upper block  30  while upper ends thereof pass through the driven gears  46  and central portions of the screw punches  50  are engaged with the bushing nuts  22  installed in the lower block  20  so that the screw punches are moved upward and downward by means of the bushing nuts  22  while being moved in conjunction with rotation of the driven gears  46 . 
     In a configuration of the control unit for performing a punching operation on a large number of paper sheets or documents  80  by means of the screw punches  50  by controlling the driving unit, the switch unit  60  for manipulation of a user is provided on a front surface of the cover  1 , a sensing unit for generating a predetermined signal by detecting an upward and downward movement distance of the upper block  30  by means of the screw punches  50  and the bushing nuts  22  is provided at one side of the body, and a printed circuit board  66  for controlling driving of the motor  40  according to signal inputs from the switch unit  60  and the sensing unit is embedded in the base member  10 . 
     The sensing unit provided to restrict a movement distance of the upper block  30  preferably includes a pair of photo sensors  62  vertically arranged on one surface of the lower block  20  to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval, and a detection bar  64  having a bar shape of a predetermined length and fixedly installed toward the photo sensor  62  to act as a shield. 
     Meanwhile, guide pipes  70  communicating with upper ends of the pair of screw punches  50  to remove punch chips discharged from the screw punches  50  having a tubular shape are formed on an upper surface of the upper block  30 , and the guide pipes  70  are connected to a collection box  74  provided at a rear side of the base member  10  by means of pipes  72  to be opened and closed so that a large amount of punch chips can be collected and removed. 
     An exchangeable battery (not shown) for providing electric power for an operation of the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention is embedded on a bottom surface of the base member  10 . 
     Next, an operation of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 
     In order to perform a punching operation at a predetermined point of a large number of paper sheets or documents by using the automatic electric punching apparatus according to the present invention, first, after the scale  16  provided at one side of the base member  10  is adjusted to a punching location of the paper sheets or documents  80 , a bundle of paper sheets or documents  80  to be punched is inserted through the paper insertion opening  19  formed between the base member  10  and the lower block  20 . 
     Thereafter, as a user manipulates the switch unit  60  provided on a front surface of the cover  1  of the automatic electric punching apparatus, electric power from the power supply unit is applied to the motor  40  to drive the motor  40  under the control of the printed circuit board  66 . Accordingly, the driving gear  44  mounted to the rotary shaft  42  is rotated in one direction and the pair of driven gears  46  engaged with the driving gear  44  are rotated. 
     Accordingly, the pair of screw punches  50  installed at central shafts of the pair of driven gears  46  to be rotated in conjunction with the driven gears  46  are lowered together with the upper block  30  according to operations of the bushing nuts  22  embedded in the lower block  20 , and thus the punches  52  provided at lower ends of the screw punches  50  perform a punching operation on corresponding points of a number of paper sheets or documents  80  located in the paper insertion opening  19 . 
     Then, during a punching operation through the punches  52  at lower ends of the screw punches  50 , the lower ends of the punches  52  contact the punch pads  12  of the base member  10  and the detection bar  64  constituting the sensing unit is located around the photo sensor  62   b  of the pair of photo sensors  62  provided in the lower block  20 , which is located on a lower side, so that the photo sensor  62   b  transmits a detection signal to the printed circuit board  66 . Accordingly, the printed circuit board  66  performs a control to rotate the rotary shaft  42  of the motor  40  reversely so that the upper block  30  and the screw punches  50  lowered by a predetermined height is moved upward. 
     As the upper block  30  is raised, a lower end of the detection bar  64  reaches the photo sensor  62   a  of the pair of photo sensors  62  located on an upper side, and the printed circuit board  66  having received a detection signal performs a control to stop driving of the motor  40  to complete a series of punching operations due to manipulation of the switch unit  60  by a user. 
     It is apparent that the series of punching operations can be repeatedly performed as a user manipulates the switch unit  60 . 
     Most punch chips generated according to the punching operation on the large number of paper sheets and documents  80  may pass through interiors of the screw punches  50  having a tubular shape, and may be collected in the collection box  74  provided at a rear side of the base member  10  through the guide pipes  70  on an upper surface of the upper block  30  and the pipes  72  to be easily discharged to the outside, and the residual punch chips having passed through the holes of the punch pads  12  and having dropped during a punching operation are collected by the expansion parts  16  provided at lower sides of the punch pads  12  of the base member  10  to be conveniently discharged to the outside by means of the cap  18 . 
     Meanwhile, it is apparent that even if modified embodiments different from the contents of the present invention are conceived of, they should not be individually construed from the technical spirit or prospect of the present invention and fall with the scope of the present invention claimed in the claims. 
     While the present invention has been particularly described, in conjunction with a specific preferred embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will embrace any such alternatives, modifications and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.