CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese patent application No. 2018-207723, filed on Nov. 2, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present invention relate to a stapler configured to bind a sheet bundle of a plurality of sheets by a staple.

BACKGROUND ART

A stapler is configured to cause a pair of staple legs of a staple to penetrate a sheet bundle and to bind the sheet bundle by bending the pair of staple legs having penetrated the sheet bundle with a clincher part (for example, refer to JP-A-2018-69636). The clincher part includes a pair of clinchers configured to move along a surface direction of the sheet bundle so as to approach each other. When the clinchers are moved from an outer side of the staple legs, as described above, the staple legs are bent inwardly along a surface (also referred to as “sheet surface”) of the sheet bundle.

Since the staple legs bent by the pair of clinchers are linearly bent along the sheet surface, when the clinching (the bending of the staple legs) is not sufficiently performed upon the binding of the sheet bundle, the staple legs, particularly, the staple leg tips are likely to separate and float from the sheet surface.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention provides a stapler capable of making it difficult for a tip of a staple leg having bound a sheet bundle to separate and float from a sheet surface.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a stapler including: a striking part configured to cause a pair of staple legs to penetrate a sheet bundle; a bending part configured to bend the staple legs at a first position such that tips of the staple legs having penetrated the sheet bundle by the striking part are directed inwardly; and a clincher part configured to bend the staple legs at a second position located closer to the sheet bundle than the first position such that the staple legs of which the tips are bent inwardly at the first position by the bending part are entirely directed inwardly, wherein the bending part includes: a first part disposed on an inner side of the pair of staple legs and having a first tip portion facing the staple legs and located at the first position; a second part disposed on an outer side of the pair of staple legs and having a second tip portion facing the staple legs and located on a non-sheet bundle side spaced from the sheet bundle further than the first position; and a moving part configured to move at least one of the first part and the second part toward the staple legs.

The first part is disposed on the inner side of the pair of staple legs, and the first tip portion facing the staple legs is located at the first position of the staple legs. Also, the second part is disposed on the outer side of the pair of staple legs, and the second tip portion facing the staple legs is located on the non-sheet bundle side further than the first position. Therefore, when at least one of the first part and the second part is moved toward the staple legs by the moving part, the staple leg tips are bent inwardly about the first position as a support point by the first part and the second part. Then, when the entire staple legs of which the tips are bent inwardly about the first position as a support point are bent with the clincher part, the tips are directed toward the sheet bundle from the first position of the staple legs having bound the sheet bundle. For this reason, even when the staple legs are floated from the sheet surface, the staple leg tips are directed toward the sheet bundle.

According to the above stapler, the tip of the staple leg having bound the sheet bundle is difficult to separate and float from the sheet surface.

