The invention relates to a workstation for stationery . Particularly, the workstation is for use in a home or a small office .

Small businesses often choose to produce pamphlets or booklets in-house without having to employ professional printers . This is because professional printers tend to be expensive and they also stipulate that a minimum order has to be placed . Often, such businesses only need a small number of pamphlets at one time and, further, the information in the pamphlets may change on a weekly basis . For example , a church may produce a wedding or funeral service in a booklet .

It is important that any "homemade" pamphlet has the appearance of being made by a professional printer . This can be difficult to achieve using the commonly available stationery devices , for example, a ruler, stapler and hole-punch . This is because such items are reliant on the skill of the user to operate them.

A particular difficulty when making pamphlets , is aligning the staples down the spine of the pamphlet . This is because the distance to the spine is judged solely by the eye . Even staplers having an increased arm length still depend on the user' s judgement and skill in handling the paper . Often, such guesswork results in misaligned staples which ultimately make the pamphlet look clumsy and unprofessional .

Similarly, it is difficult to align punched holes in a sheet of paper so that the holes will be created down the spine of the pamphlet using the known stationery devices . The user is forced to constantly manipulate the paper in order to achieve holes which are placed in an approximate position to where he wants them to be .

It is an obj ect of the invention to provide a low cost workstation for use in a home or a small office which enables the user to manipulate a number of stationery devices with increased precision .

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a workstation for use with stationery comprising a body having a first wall, a second wall, a gate , the first wall and the second wall mounted substantially perpendicular to each other to form a right angle for receiving a corner of at least one piece of paper, wherein indication means are provided on the body at a distance from the second wall, the indicating means being adapted to indicate to a user a folding position on a piece of paper .

Preferably, the indication means is a channel on the body . Alternatively, the indication means is a notch on the body, preferably, on an edge of the body .

Preferably, the distance is between 2cm and 20cm, more preferably between 5cm and 15cm, and most preferably 10cm.

The arrangement enables a user of the workstation to fold a piece of paper, to a size which fits an envelope of standard measurements , with a degree of accuracy . For

example, an A4 piece of paper can be folded into three in order to fit a standard DL envelope .

Preferably, the arm is manufactured from a metal material . Such material, for example, stainless steel, ensures that the crease lines created in the paper are pronounced .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a workstation for use with stationery comprising a body having a first wall , a second wall, and an arm, the first wall and the second wall mounted substantially perpendicular to each other to form a right angle for receiving a corner of at least one piece of paper, wherein the arm is operable to indicate a position of at least one folding line on said at least one piece of paper received in said right angle .

Preferably, a space is provided between the body and the arm, said space adapted to receive the at least one piece of paper .

Preferably, the arm is moveable between an open and/or closed configuration . More preferably, the space is present only when the arm is in the open configuration

Preferably, the arm is pivotably attached to the body and is preferably operable to move to a first position in which said arm lies adjacent a portion of the body and parallel to the second wall .

In this arrangement a user is able to create fold-lines or crease-lines in one or a number of sheets of paper in a reproducible manner . In a preferred arrangement, two

equidistant crease-lines are created in A4 sized paper . The crease lines are spaced such that when the paper is folded along said lines , the folded paper is correctly sized to be able to fit into a standard DL-type envelope . The DL envelope may be plain or windowed. The arrangement may be used with paper of any desired size with any number of crease lines being created.

Preferably, the arm is attached to the body by a hinge assembly . Most preferably, the hinge assembly is fixed at a predetermined distance from the first wall and the second wall . Advantageously, this arrangement ensures that the fold lines created in the paper are in substantially the same position each time the workstation is used.

Further advantageously, a user is able to carry out the task of folding the paper quickly and easily without having to rely solely on their judgement . This is because the right angle created by the first wall and the second wall acts as a barrier to the paper . The corner of the paper fits into the right angle and the paper is kept in a correctly aligned orientation with the minimum of movement .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a workstation for use with stationery comprising a body having a first wall, a second wall, a gate , and a moveable arm, the first wall and the second wall mounted substantially perpendicular to each other to form a right angle for receiving a corner of at least one piece of paper, wherein the arm is operable to move from a first position in which the arm abuts against the second

wall and into a second position in which the arm abuts against the gate .

Advantageously, this arrangement allows a user to accurately create fold-lines in one or a number of sheets of paper . The user can carry out the task quickly and easily without having to rely solely on their judgement . This is because the right angle created by the first wall and the second wall acts as a barrier to the paper . The corner of the paper fits into the right angle and the paper is kept in a correctly aligned orientation with the minimum of movement . Furthermore, the positioning of the arm with respect to the second wall and the gate enables the user to crease the paper in a specific area . The creases or fold-lines are thus reproducible and the user is reassured that the next "batch" of pamphlets will have creases in identical positions to match the previous batch .

Preferably, the arm is mounted in a groove in the body . More preferably, the groove is parallel to the first wall . Most preferably, the groove extends a distance from the first wall towards an edge of the gate . Preferably, the arm is attached to the body by a hinge and the hinge may be mounted in the groove .

Advantageously, the arm is able to move along the groove, from the first wall to the gate . In this manner, the user is able to choose where he wants to position the arm to give the desired fold-line . The workstation is therefore not limited to providing fold-lines in a restricted number of positions on the paper . Further, because the arm is

attached to the body by a hinge , the arm is less likely to become detached from the workstation and lost .

Preferably, the groove has at least one flagging means thereon . More preferably, the flagging means is provided at a predetermined distance along the groove . The flagging means indicates to the user the distance the arm must reach in the groove to give a particular fold-line in the paper .

Preferably, the gate is located parallel to the second wall . Provision of the gate in this orientation allows the user to use the gate as a stopping edge for the paper . Therefore, the paper remains in a fixed position while the workstation is being used .

Preferably, the arm is rectangular in shape . Advantageously, the shape allows the arm to abut against an edge of the gate when the arm is moved down the groove . The gate acts as a supporting edge for carrying out the folding of the paper, similar to the second wall .

Preferably, at least one peg is located on the gate . Preferably, at least one hole is provided on the body . Preferably, a pair of pegs are provided, and preferably, a pair of holes . Most preferably, a number of pairs of pegs and pairs of holes are provided on the body .

The pegs are received by the holes and enable the user to adjust the position of the gate on the body. The user can choose the distance the gate is from the first wall and the second wall . This distance is dependent on the size

of the paper to be folded and the where the user wants to create the fold-lines .

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a workstation for use with stationery comprising a body having a wall, a guide, and at least one stapling means receiving section, the guide being mounted substantially perpendicular to the wall so as to form a right angle for receiving a corner of at least one piece of paper, wherein the stapling means receiving section is substantially perpendicular to the wall and parallel to the guide .

Preferably, the at least one stapling means receiving section is a recess .

Preferably, at least one stapling means is provided in the recess , and is adapted to move from a first position to a second position . Preferably, in the first position said stapling means delivers at least one staple to the paper .

In a most preferred embodiment, a distance between a mouth of the at least one stapling means and an edge of the wall is between 3cm and 50cm. The mouth will be understood to be the location on said stapling means from where staples exit .

For use with paper of size A3 , preferably, said distance is 20cm, most preferably 21cm.

For use with paper of a size A4 , preferably, said distance is 15cm, most preferably, 14.85cm.

For use with paper of size A5 , preferably, said distance is 10cm, most preferably 10.5cm.

For use with paper of size A6, preferably, said distance is 7 cm, most preferably 7.4cm.

Examples of products would include catalogues and forms , notepads , large tables , drawings , postcards , playing cards .

Due to the distance between the mouth of the at least one stapling means and the edge of the wall , the user is able to locate staples down the centre of a sheet of paper in a precise manner . The staples are located such that when the paper is folded, the staples are accurately positioned down the spine of the paper . The user does not have to estimate where to put the staples . This results in a pamphlet which has the appearance of being professionally made .

The relationship between the guide and the stapling means further enhances the accuracy of the positioning of staples down the spine of the paper .

Preferably, the stapler is slideably mounted in the recess . In this configuration, the stapling means can be freely moved to the desired location in said recess .

Preferably, a plurality of flags is provided on said recess , preferably, at a measured distance along said recess . Advantageously, the flags alert the user to a required setting to produce a desired position of stapler in the paper .

Preferably, the at least one recess extends a length of the workstation . Preferably, the length is 25cm . Preferably, two recesses are provided on the workstation . More preferably, the recesses are located parallel to each other and are preferably spaced from each other . More preferably, the recesses are perpendicular to the wall . Most preferably, stapling means are provided in - each of the two recesses .

Preferably, a plurality of slots is provided in the body, most preferably, the slots are provided as pairs of slots . Preferably, six pairs of slots are provided . Most preferably, each pair of slots is equidistant from the next pair of slots .

In a preferred embodiment, the guide has at least one peg, preferably at least two pegs mounted on a face thereof . Preferably, the pegs are shaped to be received by the slots . Alternatively, the guide can be freely mounted in a groove in the body of the workstation .

The slots serve as indicators to indicate to the user where he must position the guide in order to achieve the desired location of staples on the paper .

Preferably, the guide incorporates hole-punching means . Advantageously, this enables the user to punch holes in the paper without the need for an additional hole-punch to be used .

The position of the stapling means in relation to the edge of the wall is critical . Due to the relationship between

the stapling means and the edge of the wall, a user is able to position a staple into the paper precisely down the centre of the paper . Additionally, the relationship between the said means and the guide is important, for example, when the stapling means is located at a maximum distance from the wall , a large piece of paper can be used in the workstation . Conversely, when the stapling means is positioned at a minimum distance from the wall , a smaller sized piece of paper can be used .

In this arrangement , two stapling means can be operated simultaneously to provide two staples down the centre of the paper . The user does not need to turn the paper or further manipulate it in order to achieve a second staple . This further increases the precision of the workstation .

According to a fifth aspect, the invention provides a workstation for use with stationery comprising a body having a first wall , a second wall , and an arm, the first wall and the second wall mounted substantially- perpendicular to each other to form a first right angle for receiving a corner of at least one piece of paper, wherein the arm is operable to indicate a position of at least one folding line on said at least one piece of paper received in said right angle, the workstation further comprising a wall, a guide , and at least one stapling means receiving section, the guide being mounted substantially perpendicular to the wall so as to form a right angle for receiving a corner of at least one piece of paper, wherein the stapling means receiving section is substantially perpendicular to the wall and parallel to the guide .

According to a sixth aspect, the invention provides a workstation for use with stationery comprising a body having a first wall , a second wall , a gate, and a moveable arm, the first wall and the second wall mounted substantially perpendicular to each other to form a right angle for receiving a corner of at least one piece of paper, the arm is operable to move from a first position in which the arm abuts against the second wall and into a second position in which the arm abuts against the gate , the workstation further comprising a third wall , a guide, and at least one stapling means receiving section, the guide being mounted substantially perpendicular to the third wall so as to form a second right angle for receiving a corner of the at least one piece of paper, and the stapling means receiving section is substantially perpendicular to the third wall and parallel to the guide .

The arrangement provides a workstation which enables the user to more accurately position the fold-lines and the staples in, preferably, a number of sheets of paper, in order to produce a homemade pamphlet which has the appearance of being made professionally. Advantageously, the workstation is easy to use and gives consistent reproducible results . The workstation is primarily aimed at small businesses and households .

Preferably, a handle is provided on the workstation . Advantageously, the handle enables the user to more easily carry the workstation . More preferably, a pouch is located on the workstation . The pouch can be used for storing pamphlets as and when they are made .

Preferably, in any one of the above aspects , electronic means are provided which are operable to operate the at least one stapling means . In this manner, the stapling of paper may be performed automatically when said paper is detected by said stapling means .

Preferably, the workstation of any one of the above aspects may comprise a plurality of interlocking parts . In such an manner, the workstation may be linked or interlocked in a j igsaw-like way to allow a user to readily assembly and disassemble the workstation . Further, this type of arrangement enables a user to customise their own workstation by purchasing additional interlocking parts in order to "build" their preferred workstation .

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer incorporating a workstation for use with stationery comprising a body having a first wall, a second wall, a gate, and a moveable arm, the first wall and the second wall mounted substantially perpendicular to each other to form a right angle for receiving a corner of at least one piece of paper, the arm is operable to move from a first position in which the arm abuts against the second wall and into a second position in which the arm abuts against the gate, the workstation further comprising a third wall, a guide, and at least one stapling means receiving section, the gate being mounted substantially perpendicular to the wall so as to form a second right angle for receiving a corner of the at least one piece of paper, and the stapling means receiving section is substantially perpendicular to the wall and parallel to the guide .

All of the features described herein may be combined with any of the above aspects , in any combination .

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by ^¬ way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings , wherein :

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a workstation;

Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the workstation of figure 1 in a first position;

Figures 3a and 3b are a schematic plan view and a perspective view respectively, of a sheet of paper and a pamphlet ;

Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of another embodiment of a workstation; and

Figures 5a, 5b and 5c are a series of schematic plan views of a further alternative embodiment of a workstation; and

Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of a further embodiment of a workstation .

Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a workstation 2 , according to the present invention . The workstation 2 is rectangular in plan view and is provided with a handle 4 by which a user carries the workstation 2.

The workstation 2 comprises a body 6 having a handle 4. A folding mechanism 8 and a stapling mechanism 10 are

mounted on the body 6. The folding mechanism 8 comprises a first wall 12 , a second wall 14 , a gate 16 and an arm 18. The first wall 12 and the second wall 14 are mounted perpendicular to each other so that a right angle α is formed therebetween . The gate 16 is rectangular in plan view and is mounted in a direction which is parallel to the second wall 14 and a lower edge 19 of the workstation 2. A ruler 20 is provided at the lower edge 19. A groove 22 is located towards the centre of the workstation 2 and is parallel to the first wall 12. The groove 22 extends from the second wall 14 to the gate 16 and is dimensioned to receive a hinged portion (not shown) of the arm 18. The arm 18 is rectangular in cross section and is located in a first recess 24 in the body 6, adj acent an upper edge 26 of the body 6. The hinged portion of the arm 18 is dimensioned to fit into the groove 22 and is mounted in the groove 22 so that the arm 18 can be moved freely along the length of the groove 22 to a location required by a user .

The stapling mechanism 10 comprises a wall 30 , a guide 32 , a plurality of holes 34 and stapling means 35. The wall 30 is mounted parallel to a side 36 of the body 6 and is fixed thereto by permanent fixings , for example, nails or adhesive . The guide 32 is located perpendicular to the wall 30 such that a right angle α is formed between the wall 30 and the guide 32. The guide 32 has pegs (not shown) on a lower surface thereof which are dimensioned to fit into the holes 34.

The holes 34 are located in pairs as shown in figure 1. Six pairs of holes are shown but any suitable number may

be provided . Each pair of holes 40 , 42 , 44 , 46, 48 and 50 is positioned a specific distance from the lower edge 19.

The guide 32 can be moved to fit into any of the given pairs of holes 34.

Table 1 below shows the distance each pair of holes 34 is from the lower edge 19, and the size of paper used at that distance to give a staple/s or hole/s .

Table 1

The stapling means 35 is slidably mounted in a stapling recess 52 as shown in figure 2. The stapling recess 52 is offset from the centre of the body 6 so as to extend parallel to the lower edge 19. The stapling recess 52 is dimensioned to receive the stapling means 35 in a manner which enables the stapling means 35 to move freely along the length of said recess 52. Flags (not shown) may be provided along the length of the recess 52 to serve as indicators to the user of a particular setting of the stapling means 35.

A most important aspect of the invention is the distance between the stapling means 35 and the edge 31 of the wall 30. The distance is measured from the mouth of the stapling means 35 to the edge 31 of the wall 30 as indicated by the line X in figure 2. For example , to achieve staples along the spine of an A4 sheet as shown in figure 2 , the distance is 14.85cm. For A5 sized paper, this distance is 10.5cm.

Furthermore , the position of the stapling means 35 in relation to the guide 32 is important . The further away the stapling means 35 is from the guide 32 , the larger the piece of paper can be used . Similarly, the closer the stapling means 35 is to the guide 32 , the smaller the size of paper can be used .

A number of additional recesses are located on the workstation 2. The first additional recess 60 is located towards a corner of the workstation 2 and is shaped to receive a standard hole-punch 62. Table 1 shows the distance D from the centre of the mouth of the hole-punch 62 to the edge of the gate 32 for particular hole references . The second additional recess 64 is located towards the centre of the workstation 2 and is spaced between the first recess 24 and the stapling recess 52. The second additional recess 64 is shaped to be able to store a number of "spares" for example, staples or paper clips .

The operation of the workstation 2 will now be described with reference to figure 2. Figure 2 shows the stapling mechanism 10 of the workstation 2 in use , particularly for stapling an A4 sheet of paper 70. The guide 32 is slotted

into the holes 50. A sheet of paper 70 is placed on the workstation 2 so that a corner of the paper fits into the angle a. and a side 72 of the paper 70 abuts against the guide 32. The stapling means 35 is moved along the recess 52 so as to abut against an edge 53 of the stapling recess 52. In this arrangement, a staple 74 is applied to the paper 70 , directly along the centre 71 of the paper 70. The paper 70 is then rotated 180° and pushed again into the angle a and a further staple 74 is applied to the centre 71 of the paper 70. The precision of the positioning of the staples 74 on the paper 70 is shown in figure 3a . A number of sheets of paper can be manipulated together to produce a pamphlet 76 as shown in figure 3b .

It will be understood by the skilled reader that the term paper is to be interpreted to include any suitable material which can be manipulated in the workstation 2 , for example , card, glossy paper, newspaper etc .

The relationship between the guide 32 , the wall 30 and the stapling means 35 results in accurate positioning of staples 74 down the centre 71 of the paper 70. Further, the arrangement allows various different sizes of paper to be used .

The guide 32 may also include hole-punching means which enable a user to locate holes in the same position as the staples . Alternatively, a standard hole-punch 62 is used . For example , for achieving a standard two hole A4 hole- punch, the guide 32 is located in the holes 44 and a piece of A4 paper is aligned along an edge of the guide and upper part of the wall 30. In order to achieve a further two holes , the paper is flipped over and realigned along

the edge of the guide and wall 30. The gate remains in holes 44.

The guide 32 can also be used as a general working edge for positioning of the paper for corner stapling .

Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment 200 of the stapling mechanism 110. Two stapling recesses 152 are provided in the body 106. The stapling recesses 152 are mounted parallel to the lower edge 119 and are spaced equidistant from each other . In use, the user is able to apply two staples 174 simultaneously down the centre 171 of the paper 170. This avoids the need to rotate the paper 170 and therefore saves the user time . In this arrangement, a pouch 180 is located on the body 106. The pouch 180 can be used to store the sheets of paper or pamphlets . Alternatively, the pouch 180 can be used to store any desired item.

Although it is not shown in the figures, it will be appreciated that the stapling means 35, 135 may also be mounted outside of the recesses 152. In particular, the stapling means 35, 135 may be mounted on a hinge on the body 6, 106 of the workstation 2 , 200. In this arrangement, the stapling means 35, 135 can be^ simply pivoted about a hinge point, away from the paper .

The operation of the folding mechanism 8 will now be described with reference to figures 5a, 5b and 5c . The figures show the workstation 202 without the stapling mechanism 10, 110 but it will be appreciated that the stapling mechanism 10, 110 may be incorporated into the embodiment shown in the figures .

Figure 5a shows the folding mechanism 8 in a first position 203. In the first position 203 a sheet of paper 270 is placed on the body 206 so that a corner of the paper 270 fits into the right angle α . An upper edge 280 of the paper abuts against the second wall 214 which acts to prevent the paper 270 from moving or slipping . A lower edge 282 of the paper 270 abuts against the gate 216. A user moves the arm 218 out of the first recess 224 and the arm 218 is placed in the groove 222 such that the length of the arm 218 folds onto the paper 270 as shown in figure 5b . A corner 284 of the arm 218 fits into the right angle α . The paper 270 is then folded upwards and over the arm 218 to create a fold-line 300 in the paper 270. The arm 218 and paper 270 are then slid down the body 206 so that an edge 286 of the arm 218 abuts against the gate 216. The paper 270 is then folded towards the lower edge 219 of the body 206 as shown in figure 5c . The resultant paper 270 is accurately folded into three portions . In this configuration, the paper is precisely sized to fit into a standard envelope .

A pouch 380 is shown mounted on the body 206 of the workstation 202 in figure 5a . The pouch 380 may be used to store sheets of paper or finished pamphlets . Alternatively, the pouch 380 can be used to store any chosen item.

Figure 6 shows a further embodiment of the workstation 400. The folding mechanism 408 comprises an arm 418 which is connected to the body 406 by a hinge 407. The arm 418 is fixed to the body 406 and is dimensioned such that when a piece paper is placed in the folding mechanism 408 , so

as to abut against the first wall 412 and the second wall 414 , and the arm 418 is placed over the paper 470 and pressure is applied thereto, crease lines are created on said paper . As shown in Figure 6, two crease lines , as indicated at positions A and B, may be created . This is particularly advantageous when using A4 paper . The crease lines are equidistantly spaced apart and enable a user to fold the paper to a size which fits a standard DL size envelope . However, it is envisaged that any number of arms may be provided as required by the user . The arms may be located on the body to create the desired crease lines suitable for a particular sized envelope .

The workstation 2 , 200 , 202 , 400 can be manufactured from any suitable material , for example , wood or plastics .

However, it is envisaged that the workstation 2 , 200, 202 ,

400 will be made form a durable and flexible plastic .

This allows the manufacturing costs to be minimized . It is further envisaged that the arm 418 of workstation 400 may be manufactured from a suitable metal material .

When manufactured from plastics material , a user can simply fold the workstation in half and readily transport or store it . Further, by incorporating a number of stationery devices together, there is less likelihood of the user losing a given device .

Any one of the embodiments described can be incorporated or moulded into the body of a printer, scanner or similar item of equipment . In particular, the workstation 2 , 200 , 202 , 400 can be moulded into the lid of, for example, a printer . In so doing, a user is able to easily and

readily manipulate his printed material to receive a staple/s or fold the material quickly and accurately .

The workstation 2 , 200 , 202 , 400 is designed to enable the user to staple, fold and punch a piece of paper with a degree of accuracy . The workstation 2 , 200 , 202 , 400 provides the user with an easy to use , inexpensive and efficient method of producing quality documents , for example , brochures , leaflets , booklets and pamphlets , regardless of the size . As such, the workstation 2 , 200 , 202 , 400 is particularly suitable for home or small business use . The user does not have to rely on estimating the position of staples or holes in his paper .

The workstation 2 , 200 , 202 , 400 can be manufactured as a number of interlinking or interlocking parts , in a j igsaw- like manner . The parts or pieces may comprise the folding mechanism and the stapling mechanism. However, it will be understood by the skilled reader, that the workstation may comprise any number of interlocking pieces . Advantageously, in this way, the workstation can be easily transported or stored, and readily assembled for use .

The workstation 2 , 200 , 202 , 400 can further comprise electronic components which negate the need for manual operation of the stapling mechanism. In this manner, the stapling mechanism can operate automatically upon detection of paper in the vicinity thereof .

Advantageously, the workstation improves the production and handling of simple tasks , for example, letter folding .

The reader' s attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference .

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims , abstract and drawings ) , and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive .

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims , abstract and drawings ) , may be replaced by alternative features serving the same , equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise . Thus , unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features .

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment ( s ) . The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification ( including any accompanying claims , abstract and drawings ) , or to any novel one , or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed .