Patent Publication Number: US-7217075-B2

Title: Tape feeder and method of controlling the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a binding device that binds papers ejected from a digital output device such as a printer and a copier by finishing them, and more particularly to a tape feeder and a method of controlling the same in which a binding tape can automatically and manually be fed to the binding device. 
   2. Discussion of the Related Art 
   An example of a conventional binding device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-301504. The conventional binding device will be described with reference to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4 . 
   The conventional binding device  1  includes a paper processing unit  5 , a paper carriage  2 , a tape feeder  6 , a tape heating unit  7 , and a receiving stacker  8 . The paper processing unit  5  is provided with a paper aligning unit  3  and a binding unit  4 . The paper carriage  2  includes an inlet  9   a  and an outlet  9   b . A plurality of rollers  10  are provided between the inlet  9   a  and the outlet  9   b . A flapper  13  is provided at the inlet  9   a  so that papers are flapped to a paper carriage path  14  when binding papers. The papers flapped to the paper carriage path  14  by the flapper  13  are conveyed to the paper aligning unit  3 . The paper aligning unit  3  includes a tray  16  receiving papers, an aligning paddle  18  aligning conveyed papers, a stop finger  19  putting the papers in a standby state, and a paper clamp  15  gripping the papers aligned in the stop finger  19  and moving them to the tape heating unit  7 . 
   The stop finger  19  and the paper clamp  16  are designed to grip the papers stacked on the tray  16  to move them to the tape heating unit  7 . Once the papers are moved to the tape heating unit  7 , the papers are subject to the binding process so that a tape fed from the tape feeder  6  is adhered to the sections and sides of the papers. The paper clamp  15  moves the bound papers to the binding carriage  4  and returns to the position where it first grips the papers. The bound papers are then stacked on the receiving stacker  8  by the binding carriage  4 . 
   In the aforementioned binding device, the tape feeder  6  and the tape heating unit  7  will be described in more detail. 
   The tape heating unit  7  includes a tape guide  26 , a center heater  27 , and a driving gear  30  driving the center heater  27 . The tape guide  26  is fed with the tape  32  from the tape feeder  6  before the papers aligned by the paper aligning unit  3  are moved to the tape heating unit  7 . 
   The tape feeder  6  includes a tape reel R 1 , a tape cutter  33 , and a tape moving means  34 . The tape wound in the tape reel R 1  is cut by the tape cutter  33  at a predetermined length and is moved to a carriage C by the tape moving means  34 . The tape  32  is fed to the tape guide  26  by the tape moving means  34 . 
   Afterwards, the center heater  27  is moved from the standby position (not shown) to the heating position by the driving gear  30 , and the tape  32  starts to be preheated. 
   Once the section of the papers aligned by the paper aligning unit  3  is carried to a contact position H of the center heater  27 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , the section and the side of the papers  35  are bound by the tape  32 . 
   Once the binding process is finished by adhering the section of the papers to the tape, the bound papers are passed from the contact position H of the center heater to the binding carriage  4  by the paper aligning unit  3  and then moved to the receiving stacker  8 . The tape guide  26  and the center heater  27  return to the original standby position by means of their respective driving gears  30  and  31 . Since the tape feeder  6  of the aforementioned conventional binding device is structured to have the tape  32  wound in the reel R 1 , the reel requires a large space (volume) and the complicated step such as fixing the tape to the reel R 1  is required. Also, there is convenience that the tape is reset by stopping the operation of the binding device to change the color of the tape. For example, supposing that ten volumes of papers are bound with ten colored tapes, the tape should be reset ten times to change the color. This could lead to deteriorate efficiency of the process. Further, when some characters are required to be printed on the tape as the case may be, the complicated printing process is required. If the characters should be printed on the tape while changing the color of the tape for each unit of binding papers, it is difficult to bind the papers with the conventional reel type tape. When the binding process is performed by setting the tape to be automatically fed to the binding device, there is a structural problem that it is difficult to bind the papers for each unit by adding another tape. 
   To solve such problems, in the present invention, automatic feeding tapes cut in advance are stacked on a stack cassette and are fed to the tape feeder one by one through a tape moving path. The tape moving path is provided with a manual feeding tape slot. The moving priority of the automatic feeding tape and the manual feeding tape is determined by a signal of a tape feeding sensor provided in the tape feeder. 
   To set the cut automatic feeding tapes to be stacked on the stack cassette, the method of feeding the automatic feeding tape one by one without any error should be preceded. As shown in  FIG. 3 , since a solid type additive  32   a  changed to liquid state when it is heated at a predetermined temperature of 100° C. to 200° C. is adhered to the tape  32  used for the binding device, the additive  32   a  causes friction among the stacked automatic feeding tapes. In this case, the automatic feeding tape is not likely to be slid and taken out from the stack cassette, thereby resulting in feeding error of the tape. 
   In the present invention, to avoid such error, once a dividing motor of the automatic feeding tape is operated, a first pinion roller and a second pinion roller are simultaneously rotated so that the pinion of the roller pushes the automatic feeding tape to move it to a frictional pad. The frictional pad includes a frictional surface that passes only one automatic feeding tape pushed by the pinion roller and a spring that pressurizes the frictional surface toward the automatic feeding tape. 
   The tape that had passed through the frictional pad is moved to the tape heating unit through the tape feeder, and the manual feeding tape is selectively fed to the tape heating unit. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to a tape feeder and a method of controlling the same that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. 
   An object of the present invention is to provide a tape feeder having a small volume by removing a reel type tape structure. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a tape feeder that feeds an automatic feeding tape and a manual tape to a tape heating unit by setting them to be easily exchanged with each other. 
   Other object of the present invention is to provide a method of controlling a tape feeder that can timely feed a tape to adapt to a binding period. 
   Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the scheme particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. 
   To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, in a binding device including a paper aligning unit aligning papers to be bound, a tape heating unit binding the papers aligned in the paper aligning unit, a tape feeder feeding tapes to the tape heating unit, and a binding carriage carrying the bound papers to stack them on a receiving stacker, the tape feeder includes a tape feeding portion structured to selectively feed manual feeding tapes and automatic feeding tapes to the tape heating unit, a stack cassette having the automatic feeding tapes therein, and a tape moving path moving the automatic feeding tapes in the stack cassette to the tape feeding portion, wherein the tape moving path is provided with a slot into which the manual feeding tapes are externally input. 
   The tape moving path includes an automatic feeding tape sensor and a tape feeding sensor, and the tape feeding portion includes a tape aligning position sensor sensing the position where the automatic feeding tape or the manual feeding tape has been fed to the tape heating unit. 
   In another aspect of the present invention, in a method of controlling a tape feeder comprising a tape feeding portion  80  structured to selectively feed manual feeding tapes and automatic feeding tapes to a tape heating unit, a stack cassette having the automatic feeding tapes therein, and a tape moving path moving the automatic feeding tapes in the stack cassette to the tape feeding portion, wherein the tape moving path includes a slot into which the manual feeding tapes are externally input, an automatic feeding tape sensor, and a tape feeding sensor, and the tape feeding portion includes a tape aligning position sensor sensing the position where the automatic feeding tape or the manual feeding tape has been fed to the tape heating unit, the method is characterized in that the manual feeding tape prior to the automatic feeding tape is moved to the tape feeding portion by a signal of the tape feeding sensor when the automatic feeding tape sensor and the tape feeding sensor respectively sense the automatic feeding tape and the manual feeding tape. 
   The tape moving path includes a tape thickness sensor that senses whether the manual feeding tape and the automatic feeding tape are overlapped with each other on the tape moving path, and movement of the tape is stopped if the tape thickness sensor senses the tapes overlapped with each other. 
   The stack cassette includes pinion rollers driven by a automatic feeding tape dividing motor and a carriage roller driven by the automatic feeding tape carriage motor, and the tape feeding portion includes a tape feeding roller driven by a tape feeding motor, the tape feeding roller moving the automatic feeding tape or the manual feeding tape to the tape moving path by the signal of the tape feeding sensor. 
   It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ATTACHED DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements wherein: 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a structure of a conventional binding device; 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a structure of a conventional reel type tape feeder; 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a general structure of a tape used for binding; 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a general structure of a sheet of bound papers; 
       FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  illustrate a structure of a tape feeder according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged view illustrating a frictional pad of a tape feeder according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a tape feeder according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of a tape feeding portion of a tape feeder according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 9  is a flow chart illustrating a method of controlling a tape feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIGS. 10 and 11  are flow charts illustrating a method of controlling a tape feeder according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
   A binding device  1  according to the present invention has the same structure as that of the conventional binding device in the paper carriage  2 , the paper aligning unit  3 , the binding carriage  4 , the tape heating unit  7 , and the receiving stacker  8 . The binding device  1  of the present invention has an improved structure in the tape feeder  6 . 
   The tape feeder  106  of the present invention includes a stack cassette  56  having automatic feeding tapes  132 ,  133 ,  134 , . . . cut at a predetermined size, first and second pinion rollers  51  and  52  dividing the automatic feeding tapes built in the stack cassette  56 , and a dividing motor  50  dividing the automatic feeding tapes and rotating the first and second pinion rollers simultaneously. 
   A frictional pad  53  is provided at the position corresponding to the second pinion roller  52 . An automatic feeding tape outlet  60  is provided between the frictional pad and the second pinion roller, and the automatic feeding tapes are ejected to a carriage roller  55  through the outlet  60 . The carriage roller  55  is driven by an automatic feeding tape carriage motor  65 . 
   Particularly, the frictional pad  53  includes a pressurizing spring  54  that serves to cause elasticity toward the second pinion roller  52 . The frictional pad  53  includes an arc shaped frictional surface  61  that serves to easily eject the end of the automatic feeding tape  133  following the automatic feeding tape  132  to the carriage roller. The frictional surface is provided with a separate rubber member to enhance friction of the frictional pad  53 . The frictional surface  61  provided in the automatic feeding tape outlet  60  serves to block movement of the automatic feeding tape  133  until the automatic feeding tape  132  is ejected to the carriage roller  55  in case that the automatic feeding tapes  132  and  133  are simultaneously input to the outlet  60 . 
   The first and second pinion rollers  51  and  52  driven by the dividing motor  50  are respectively provided with one-way bearing  62 . The carriage roller  55  and an automatic feeding tape sensor  59  are provided at the outside of the outlet  60 . The one-way bearing  62  serves to run the pinion rollers idle so that rotational load of the pinion rollers  51  and  52  does not prevent movement of the automatic feeding tape when the automatic feeding tape  132  is ejected to the carriage roller. 
   Once the automatic feeding tape  132  moves to the carriage roller  55 , the dividing motor  50  is stopped. The carriage roller driven by the carriage motor  65  moves the automatic feeding tape  132  so that the front end of the automatic feeding tape is disposed at the position of the automatic feeding tape sensor  59 . 
   Meanwhile, a manual feeding tape slot  88  is provided in the tape moving path  90  so that the manual feeding tape  232  can externally be input to the slot  88 . A tape feeding sensor  69  and a tape thickness sensor  79  are provided in the slot  88 . 
   The tape moving path  90  is connected with a tape feeding portion  80 . A tape aligning position sensor  89  provided in the tape feeder senses whether the automatic feeding tape and the manual feeding tape fed through the tape moving path have reached the exact position in the tape heating unit. The tape aligned in the exact position is fed to a tape guide  126  of a tape heating unit  107  by a tape feeding motor  75 . The tape feeding motor  75  is controlled by signals of the tape aligning position sensor  89  and the tape feeding sensor  69 . 
   In case that the automatic feeding tape not the manual feeding tape is fed to the tape feeder, the automatic feeding tape dividing motor  50  and the ejection motor  65  are stopped when the front end of the automatic feeding tape  132  is moved to the position of the automatic feeding tape sensor  59 . Once the sheet of papers to be bound are moved into the tape heating unit, the automatic feeding tape is fed to the tape heating unit by driving of the carriage motor  65  and the tape feeding motor  75 . At this time, once the rear end of the tape passes through the automatic tape feeding sensor  59 , the carriage motor  65  is stopped. The distance between the tape feeding roller  72  driven by the tape feeding motor  75  and the automatic tape sensor  59  is set so that the front end of the automatic feeding tape is hung in the tape feeding roller  72  when the rear end of the automatic feeding tape passes through the automatic feeding tape sensor  59 . 
   The tape thickness sensor  79  senses the thickness of the tape passing through the tape feeding roller  72  of  FIG. 2 , i.e., the gap occurring when the tape passes through the roller. Thus, the tape thickness sensor  79  generates a tape feeding error signal when two tapes are simultaneously moved or the manual feeding tape is also input in the step of moving the automatic feeding tape. 
   The method of controlling the aforementioned tape feeder will be described in more detail with reference to  FIG. 9  to  FIG. 11 . 
   First Embodiment 
   A central processing unit (not shown) that controls the tape feeder determines whether the automatic feeding tape moved from the stack cassette  56  has been sensed by the automatic feeding tape sensor  59  in step S 101 . If not, the central processing unit operates the automatic tape dividing motor  50  and the automatic tape carriage motor  65  in step S 102  so that the front end of the automatic feeding tape  132  stacked on the stack cassette moves to the position of the automatic tape sensor  59  provided in the tape moving path  90  in step S 103 . 
   Once the front end of the automatic feeding tape  132  is moved to the position of the automatic feeding tape sensor  59 , the sensor  59  senses the tape  132  to allow driving of the motors  50  and  65  to be stopped. 
   The tape feeding sensor  69  senses whether the manual feeding tape  132  has been input to the manual feeding tape slot  88  provided in the tape moving path in step S 104 . Once the manual feeding tape  232  has been input to the slot  88 , the sensor  69  holds movement of the automatic feeding tape  132  and moves the manual feeding tape  232  prior to the automatic feeding tape to the tape feeding portion  80  in a state that the dividing motor  50  and the carriage motor  65  are stopped in step S 108 . The manual feeding tape  232  moved to the tape feeding portion is moved to the position of the tape aligning position sensor  89  by driving of the tape feeding motor  75  and its position is aligned therein. 
   Then, the manual feeding tape  23  is fed to the tape guide  126  of the tape heating unit  107  in step S 109 . 
   Meanwhile, if the manual feeding tape is not input to the slot  88  provided in the tape moving path  90 , i.e., if the tape feeding sensor  69  does not sense the manual feeding tape, the automatic feeding tape carriage motor  65  is driven so that the automatic feeding tape  132  of which front end is set at the position of the automatic feeding tape sensor  59  is moved to the tape feeding portion  80  and the automatic feeding tape  133  stacked on the stack cassette is moved to the tape feeding portion  80  in step S 105 . 
   Once the front end of the automatic feeding tape  132  moved to the tape feeding portion  80  starts to be moved to the tape aligning position sensor  89  as it is hung in the tape feeding roller  72  driven by the tape feeding motor  75 , the rear end of the automatic feeding tape  132  is deviated from the sensing position of the automatic tape sensor  59 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 5   b , once the automatic tape sensor  59  senses the deviated rear end of the automatic feeding tape  132 , the dividing motor  50  is driven. 
   Subsequently, once the front end of the automatic feeding tape  132  is sensed by the automatic feeding tape sensor  59 , driving of the carriage motor  65  and the dividing motor  50  is stopped. 
   The automatic feeding tape  132  moved to the tape aligning position sensor  89  as it hung in the tape feeding roller  72  is aligned by the signal of the tape aligning sensor and is fed to the tape guide  126  of the tape heating unit  107  in step S 106 . 
   In steps S 109  and S 106 , when the manual feeding tape  232  or the rear end of the automatic feeding tape  132  passes through the tape feeding sensor  69 , it is determined that feeding of the tape is finished in step S 110  so that driving of the tape feeding motor  75  is stopped. 
   Once feeding of the tape is finished as above, the central processing unit determines whether the tape continues to be fed in step S 111 . If so, the step is moved to step S 101  and feeding cycle operation of the tape is repeated. If not, the operation is ended. 
   The tape thickness sensor  79  determines that the tape is fed in error when two or more tapes are simultaneously moved or the manual feeding tape is input in the step of moving the automatic feeding tape, thereby stopping driving of the tape feeder. 
   Second Embodiment 
   The method of controlling the tape feeder according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11 . 
   All the driving portions of the binding device are initiated in step S 201  and it is determined whether papers start to be fed to the paper aligning unit  3  in step S 202 . If papers start to be fed to the paper aligning unit  3 , the papers are conveyed onto the tray  16  of the paper aligning unit and then stacked thereon in step S 203 . 
   Once the papers start to be stacked on the tray, the tape feeding sensor  69  senses whether the manual feeding tape  232  has been input to the manual feeding tape slot  88  in step S 204 . If the manual feeding tape  232  has not been input to the manual feeding tape slot  88 , it is determined whether the automatic feeding tape stacked on the stack cassette  56  has been moved to the standby position of the automatic feeding tape in step S 205 . 
   The standby position of the automatic feeding tape means that the automatic feeding tape is stopped at the position where the front end of the automatic feeding tape is sensed by the automatic feeding tape sensor  59 . 
   If the automatic feeding tape is not in the standby position, the step S 206  is performed so that the automatic feeding tape is fed to the standby position. 
   The method of moving the automatic feeding tape to the standby position will described with reference to  FIG. 11 . 
   First, the automatic feeding tape dividing motor  50  is driven in step S 301 . The automatic feeding tape carriage motor  65  is then driven in step S 302  so that the automatic feeding tape stacked on the stack cassette is moved to the automatic feeding tape carriage roller  55 . 
   Once the automatic feeding tape stacked on the stack cassette starts to be moved as the automatic feeding tape dividing motor and the automatic feeding carriage motor are driven, the automatic feeding tape sensor  59  senses whether the front end of the automatic feeding tape has been moved in step S 303 . 
   Once the front end of the automatic feeding tape is sensed by the automatic feeding sensor  59 , the automatic feeding tape dividing motor  50  is stopped in step S 304 . 
   Subsequently the automatic feeding carriage motor  65  is stopped in step S 305  so that the front end of the automatic feeding tape is in standby state at the position of the automatic feeding sensor  59 . 
   Meanwhile, the papers stacked on the tray of the paper aligning unit are aligned in step S 207 , and it is determined whether the last sheet of the papers has been stacked on the tray in step S 208 . 
   If the sheet of papers is not completely moved, the step of stacking the papers is repeated until movement of the papers is finished. 
   Once the step of stacking the papers is finished, carriage of the papers is stopped in step S 209 . 
   The papers stacked on the tray of the paper aligning unit are moved to the tape heating unit  107  and at the same time the manual feeding tape or the automatic feeding tape in standby state is moved to the tape heating unit  107 , so that the binding process of the papers is performed in step S 210 . 
   The tape aligning position sensor  89  senses whether the tape fed into the tape heating unit has been exactly aligned. The manual feeding tape or the automatic feeding tape is moved in such a manner that the tape feeding motor  75  and the carriage motor  65  are driven at the time when the papers are moved to the tape heating unit so as to simultaneously rotate the tape feeding roller  72  and the carriage roller  55 . 
   If the tape feeding sensor  69  senses that the manual feeding tape has been input in the step of moving the automatic feeding tape, movement of the automatic feeding tape is stopped. Subsequently, the tape feeder is controlled in such a manner that the tape feeding roller  72  driven by the tape feeding motor  75  is only rotated to first feed the sensed manual feeding tape to the tape heating unit. 
   Finally, the sheet of papers of which tape binding process is finished is ejected to the outside by the binding carriage  4  in step S 211 . 
   As aforementioned, the tape feeder and the method of controlling the same according to the present invention have the following advantages. 
   The automatic feeding tape  132  and the manual feeding tape  232  are moved through one tape moving path  90 . When the automatic feeding tape sensor  59  and the tape feeding sensor  69  provided on the tape moving path  90  respectively sense the automatic feeding tape  132  and the manual feeding tape  232 , the manual feeding tape  232  is first moved by the signals of the tape aligning position sensor  89  and the tape feeding sensor  69 . Thus, the automatic feeding tape and the manual feeding tape can selectively be fed to the tape heating unit  107 . In addition, the small volume of the tape feeder can be obtained and the automatic feeding tape can easily be exchanged with the manual feeding tape and vice versa. 
   The foregoing embodiments are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. The description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.