Patent Publication Number: US-6210092-B1

Title: Punch/binding machine

Description:
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/598,682, filed Feb. 8, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,034. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a punch and binding machine for punching a stack of sheets and binding the sheets to known plastic ring-type paper binders. 
     Current paper binders have a longitudinal dorsal part, or spine, with fingers which are spaced along one side of the dorsal part protruding perpendicular from the longitudinal axis of the binder. Each of these fingers forms a loop, which can be inserted through the sheets to be bound. The fingers and the dorsal part are made from one piece of plastic. The fingers reach close enough to, or overlap, the other side of the dorsal part so that sheets cannot slide out. Such known paper binders are, e.g., the GBC presentation bindings for use with the GBC plastic binding system. The binders may also be of the type described in applicant&#39;s copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/342,048 filed on Nov. 17, 1994, incorporated herein by reference. 
     For binding documents, the loops are spread by a binding mechanism so the fingers can be inserted through holes in the sheets to be bound. 
     Current punch/binding machines consist of a punching mechanism and of an attached binding mechanism. For punching, a number of sheets is inserted into a groove in the punching mechanism, then a lever is being pulled and its rotation is converted into a linear movement of the punching dies, which punch the sheets. 
     For spreading the fingers, the plastic binder is inserted into a row of bolts protruding from the binding mechanism with these bolts reaching into the spaces between the fingers and thereby holding the binder parallel to its longitudinal axis. 
     Binding mechanisms on conventional punch/binding machines have a second spreading device with a row of hooks. By pushing the lever, through which also the punching is done, the hooks are being moved along the direction of the longitudinal axis of the binder and then perpendicular to it, so they open the fingers of the binder. Then the sheets can be put onto the fingers and the binder can be closed again. 
     Conventional punch/binding machines are relatively heavy and expensive since they need a mechanism that translates the rotational movement of the binding lever into a linear movement of the hooks, first in parallel to the axis of the binder and then perpendicular to it. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a solution to the task by designing a punch/binding machine that is light weight, that consists of few parts, that is economical to manufacture and that is easy to use. Furthermore the binding mechanism may be attached to the punching mechanism in an easy way or the binding mechanism may be a separate unit. 
     With a punch/binding machine according to this invention no complex transmission mechanisms are necessary, since opening the binder is achieved through a simple rotation of a spreading device. Hereby, the number of parts of the punch/binding machine can be kept low, which makes the machine light weight and economical to produce. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is subsequently described through an example with reference to the accompanying drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a punch/binding machine according to the invention with the punching mechanism in an open position and the binding mechanism in a closed position; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of the punch/binding machine according to FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a frontal view of the punch/binding machine according to FIG. 1 with the punching mechanism in a closed position and the binding mechanism in a closed position; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the punch/binding machine according to FIG. 1 with a binder engaged into the binding mechanism in a closed position; 
     FIG. 5 is a cutout view of FIG. 4 with the binding mechanism in an open position; 
     FIG. 6 is a frontal view of another variant of the punch/binding machine according to the invention with the binding mechanism in a closed position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The punch/binding machine  1  pictured in side view in FIG. 1 is used for punching and binding a stack of sheets. The punch/binding machine comprises a punching mechanism  2  and a binding mechanism  4 . 
     The punching mechanism  2  has a rectangular console  6  and a U-shaped punching lever  8 . The punching lever  8  consists of a left punching lever beam  10  and of a parallel right punching lever beam  12 . Both have the length “a”. The cross member  14  is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the console  6  and connects the punching lever beams  10  and  12  as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     Three square pillars  16  reach up from the console and are spaced along the longitudinal direction of the console holding the punching axis  18 . The ends of the punching axis  18  are connected to the punching beams  10  and  12 , so the punching handle  8  can be rotated around the pillars  16  as shown in FIG.  1  and FIG.  2 . 
     For punching operation the rotation of the punching handle  8  has to be converted into a linear movement of the plural punching dies  20 . This is done through the linear guide  22 . The linear guide  22  consists of a roller  24 , which is connected to the punching beams  10  and  12  and can rotate freely around its mounts. The axis of the roller  24  is parallel to the punching axis  18  and spaced from it by the distance “b”. The linear guide consists furthermore of the outer guiding frame  26 , which guides the roller  24 . The outer guiding frames  26  are being formed by two U-shaped rails  28  connected to a square tube  30 , which is parallel to the roller  24 . The flanges of the U-shaped rails  28  are flush with the vertical walls of the square tube  30  and overlap them. Between the cross members  32  of the U-shaped rails  28  and the upper wall of the square tubing  30 , two chambers are being formed which are open in the longitudinal direction of the square tubing  30  and form the guiding frame  26  of the linear guide  22 . The rollers  24  protrude into these chambers, so they can roll in the guiding frame  26 . Thereby, the guiding frame  26  is engaged with the roller  24 , which is connected to the punching handle  8  through the punching lever beams  10  and  12 . 
     The punching dies  20  are guided in vertical grooves  36 . The grooves  36  are machined into the vertical wall of a second square tubing  40  and spaced along its longitudinal direction. The guiding grooves are as deep as the thickness of the punching dies. A third square tubing  42 , which is connected flush with the vertical wall  38  of the second square tubing  40  holds the punching dies  20  in their guiding slots  36 , but allows them to slide freely in a vertical direction. 
     The third square tubing  42  is mounted to the console  6  on top of a strip  44 , which is not as wide as the bottom side of the square tubing  42 . This creates a groove  46  between the surface of the console and bottom side of the second square tubing  40  and part of the bottom side of the third square tubing  42 . The upper ends  48  of the punching dies  20  reach through a longitudinal slot  50  in the bottom side of the first square tubing  30  into the interior of the first square tubing  30  and close to the interior upper wall of the square tubing  30 . The movement of the first square tubing  30  is guided on its backside by the vertical surfaces of the pillars  16  and on its front side by the vertical guides  51 . 
     For punching, a stack of sheets is inserted into the groove  46  and the punching handle  8  is pressed down. Thereby, the rollers  24  connected to the punching levers  10  and  12  are being moved downwards on a circular track around the punching axis  18 . The rollers  24  roll in the guiding frames  26  in a horizontal direction pressing down on the upper wall  34  of the first square tubing  30 , which moves downward together with the rollers  24 . The interior of the upper wall  34  of the first square tubing  30  gets in contact with the upper ends  48  of the punching dies  20  pressing them downwards with their lower ends protruding from the guiding slots  36 , punching through the stack of sheets. This depressed position of the punch/binding machine is shown in FIG.  4 . 
     The punching dies  20  have a rectangular cross section and their lower ends  54  have a concave cutting edge as shown in FIG.  3 . Through their concave cutting edge the dies penetrate the stack of sheets easier since the cut is done gradually. 
     In order not to have to use excessive force when punching thick documents an advantageous leverage has to be employed. Therefore, the distance “b” between the rollers  24  and the punching axis  18  is small in comparison with the length “a” of the punching levers  10  and  12  as shown in FIG.  1 . In order to further reduce the force necessary for punching thick documents the total length of the punching dies  20  between their lower ends  52  and their upper ends  48  is varied from punching die to punching die so that only one third of the punching dies is actually punching at one moment in time. The distance between the lower ends  52  of the punching dies and the retrieval pins  58  is constant. The length variation of the punching dies  20  is done between their upper ends  48  and their retrieval pins  58 . 
     In order to make sure that the punching handle  8  returns into its start position, several springs  56  are being used which press against the inner side of the upper wall  34  of the first square tubing  30  with one end and against the outer upper walls of the second and third square tubing  40  and  42 . The springs are preloaded in the open position of the punching mechanism shown in FIG.  1 . The springs reach through holes in the bottom side of the first square tubing  30 . 
     In order to be able to pull the punching dies  20  out of a stack of sheets after punching, retrieval pins  58  reach through the wider side of the punching dies  20 . These retrieval pins  58  are longer than the width of the slot  50  in the bottom of the first square tubing  30 , so they can hold against the bottom wall of the first square tubing  30  from the inside. 
     After punching, when letting go of the punching lever  8 , the first square tubing  30  is pressed upwards through the vertical expansion of the springs  56 . The retrieval pins  58  are pulled up by the interior bottom side of the first square tubing  30  thereby pulling the punching dies  20  upwards out of the stack of sheets. An elevation limiter  59  is attached to the pillars  16  limiting the upward movement of the first square tubing  30 . 
     The binding mechanism  4 , which is attached to the punching mechanism  2  (but may be a separate unit) consists of an L-shaped binding handle  60 , with its binding lever  62  protruding above the punch lever  10  on the left side of the machine. The free end of the binding lever carries a button  64  for easier handling. The other end  66  of the binding handle  60  is held in a bearing  68  in the binding handle mount  70 . The rotation axis of the binding handle  60  is parallel to the punching axis  18 . The binding handle mount  70  is connected with the punch lever between the cross member  14  and the punch axis  18  protruding downward from the punch lever as shown in FIG.  1  and in FIG.  3 . Thereby, the binding handle  60  is connected to the punch handle  8  so it can be rotated. 
     The other free end  66  of the binding handle  62  reaches into a bore  72  of a first square rod  74  and is connected to it as shown in FIG.  2  and FIG.  3 . Hereby and through another bearing attached to the binding lever  12 , which is not shown in FIG. 2, the first square rod  74  can be rotated in reference to the punch handle  8  in between the two punch levers  10  and  12  with the axis of the first square rod  74  being parallel to the punch axis  18 . 
     On the surface of the first square rod  74 , which points towards the cross member  14 , a plate  76  is mounted, reaching upwards between the punch levers  10  and  12 . At the upper end of the plate  76 , a first spreading device  78  is connected in a perpendicular manner pointing towards the cross member  14  of the punch handle  8 . Hereby, the binding handle  60  is connected with the first square rod  74  and with the plate  76  and hereby with the first spreading device  78 . The first spreading or opening device  78  has a row of hooks  80  spaced along its longitudinal extension as shown in FIG.  2 . The plane of these first hooks  80  is in parallel with the plane of the punch handle  8  when the binding mechanism is closed as shown in FIG.  1  and has a second perpendicular extension  80   a  parallel with the axis of rotation of the first square rod  74 . 
     A second square rod  82  is connected with the punch handle in between the first square rod  74  and the cross member  14 , in parallel to the first square rod  74 . 
     From this second square rod  74  a second spreading device  84  protrudes upwards. The second spreading device  84  has a second row of hooks or extensions  86 , which are in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the punch handle  8 . As shown in FIG. 1, the plane of the first hooks  80  is perpendicular to the plane of the second hooks  86  when the binding mechanism is closed. The first hooks  80   a  of the first spreading device  78  and the second hooks  86  of the second spreading device  84  point into the same direction and are perpendicular to each other. 
     For opening a binder, the fingers  88  of a binder  90  (such as a conventional binder or the binder disclosed in the above-referenced copending patent application) are being simultaneously engaged into the first hooks  80  ( 80   a ) of the first spreading device  78  and into the second hooks  86  of the second spreading device  84  as shown in FIG.  4 . The first hooks  80   a  and the second hooks  86  are apart from each other by a smaller distance than the diameter of the binder, so the curled fingers  88  of the binder  90  slip over the hooks  80   a  and  86 . 
     In order to make sure the elastic fingers  88  of the binder  90  do not slip off the hooks  80 ,  86  when being spread, the ends of the first hooks may be tilted inwards by about 2 degrees in the direction of the spreading force, i.e. towards the direction of opening as shown in FIG. 2 where the angle “a” is approximately 88 degrees. The second hooks are also tilted by 2 degrees in the direction of the spreading force perpendicular to their plane, i.e. where the angle “b” may be approximately 2 degrees. 
     For spreading the fingers  88  of a binder  90 , the binding handle  60  is taken by its button  64  and rotated so that the first spreading device  78  is rotated away from the second spreading device  84  and the curled fingers  88  of the binder  90  are being opened as shown in FIG.  5 . Hereby the fingers  88 , which are curled when the binder is closed, are being partially straightened, so that the sheets which have been punched before can be pushed onto the ends of the fingers  88 . 
     In order to be able to keep the spread fingers  88  open without having to hold the binding handle  60 , a friction lock  92  is being employed, which can be used to arrest the binding handle  60  in any angular position in reference to the punch handle  8 . Therefore, the binding handle mount  70  has a slot  94 , which reaches from the bearing bore to the free end of the binding handle carrier dividing the binding handle carrier in two binding handle carrier flanges  96  and  98 . A tightening bolt  100  reaches through the slot between the two binding handle mount flanges  96  and  98 . The tightening bolt  100  reaches through a smooth bore in the flange  96  and is threaded in the other flange  98 . By tightening the bolt  100 , the two binding handle mount flanges  96  and  98  are pressed together and the binding handle  60  is locked tight in its bearing and thereby locked into position. 
     After inserting the sheets into the binder, the friction lock bolt  100  is loosened and the binding handle  60  is returned into its closed position. The fingers  88  of the binder  90  curl through their elasticity into a closed loop and thereby bind the sheets. 
     Instead of the hooks  86 , the second spreading device  84  can also have retaining bolts (upright extensions)  102 , as shown in FIG. 6, which protrude vertically upwards and overlap with the extensions  80   a  of the first hooks  80  of the first spreading device  78 . For opening, the binder  90  is inserted into the binding mechanism  4 , so the retaining bolts  102  reach in between the fingers  88  holding against the dorsal part of the binder  90 . 
     With the binding mechanism  4 , according to this invention binders  90  of various diameters can be opened and closed again.