Binding machine and auxiliary member for binding machine

1. A binding machine comprising:

a curl guide which guides a wire in a loop shape around a binding target as the wire is fed in a wire feeding direction,

a twisting part which binds the binding target by twisting the wire guided in the loop shape around the binding target, and

a protrusion which is separate from the curl guide and which is detachably connected to the curl guide or a binding machine main body which supports the curl guide,

wherein at least a portion of the protrusion is downstream from the curl guide with respect to the wire feeding direction,

wherein the protrusion comprises a protection part configured to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the curl guide from an outside of the curl guide, and

wherein the protection part has an outer periphery protection surface extending along a periphery of the protrusion with respect to the wire feeding direction and which covers the at least part of the outer surface of the curl guide.

2. The binding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion has a guide part provided on an outer periphery-side of the protrusion and arranged substantially perpendicularly to an extension line of a shaft of the twisting part.

3. The binding machine according to claim 2 , wherein the guide part includes a planar surface.

4. The binding machine according to claim 2 , wherein the guide part includes a convex portion or a concave portion.

5. The binding machine according to claim 2 , wherein

the protrusion has a pointed tip end, and

the protrusion includes an inclined guide part configured to guide the binding target.

6. The binding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is mounted to be displaceable relative to the curl guide.

7. The binding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the protection part has a side surface protection surface configured to cover at least one side surface of the outer surface of the curl guide, and the side surface protection surface extends from the outer periphery protection surface.

8. The binding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the curl guide includes an outer peripheral surface and two side surfaces on opposite sides of the outer peripheral surface and wherein the protection part has a U-shaped section formed by the outer periphery protection surface and a pair of side surface protection surfaces on opposite sides of the outer periphery protection surface, and wherein:

the outer periphery protection surface of the protrusion covers the outer peripheral surface of the curl guide; and

the pair of side surface protection surfaces of the protrusion cover the two side surfaces of the curl guide.

9. The binding machine according to claim 1 , wherein

the protrusion has a width which gradually decreases toward a tip end-side of the protrusion.

10. The binding machine according to claim 9 , wherein

the protrusion has a pair of side surfaces, and

the width which gradually decreases has a shape tapered toward one of the side surfaces.

11. The binding machine according to claim 1 , wherein

the protrusion has a side surface, and

the side surface has a shape tapered toward a tip end-side of the protrusion.

12. The binding machine according to one of claim 1 , wherein the protrusion has a mark indicative of a position, through which the wire is to pass, on an outer periphery-side or inner periphery-side surface.

13. The binding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is provided on at least one side surface of an outer surface of the curl guide.

14. The binding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion includes two side portions spaced from each other in a direction orthogonal to the wire feeding direction, and wherein the outer periphery protection surface extends between the two side portions.

15. An auxiliary member for a binding machine wherein the auxiliary member is mounted to a curl guide or to a binding machine main body which supports the curl guide, and the curl guide guides a wire in a loop shape as the wire is fed in a wire feeding direction, wherein

the auxiliary member has a tapered protrusion that is positioned at an end of the curl guide when it is mounted to the curl guide or the binding machine main body, and at least a portion of the auxiliary member extends downstream from the curl guide with respect to the wire feeding direction,

wherein the auxiliary member includes a protection part configured to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the curl guide, the protection part including an outer periphery protection surface configured to cover the outer surface of the curl guide, and the outer periphery protection surface extends along a periphery of auxiliary member;

the auxiliary member including first and second sides spaced from each other in a direction orthogonal to the wire feeding direction when the auxiliary member is mounted on the curl guide or the binding machine main body, and the outer periphery protection surface extends between the first and second sides;

the tapered protrusion is at a downstream side of outer periphery protection surface with respect to the wire feeding direction; and

the auxiliary member is detachably mountable on the curl guide or the binding machine main body.

16. The auxiliary member for a binding machine according to claim 15 , wherein the protrusion has a guide part at an outer periphery-side, which is arranged substantially perpendicularly to an extension line of a shaft of a twisting part configured to bind the binding target by twisting the wire guided in the loop shape around the binding target.

17. A binding machine comprising:

a curl guide which guides a wire in a loop shape around a binding target as the wire is fed in a wire feeding direction, the curl guide being one of an upper curl guide or a lower curl guide of the binding machine,

a twisting part which binds the binding target by twisting the wire guided in the loop shape around the binding target, and

a protrusion which is separate from the curl guide and which is detachably connected to the curl guide or a binding machine main body which supports the curl guide,

wherein at least a portion of the protrusion is downstream from the curl guide with respect to the wire feeding direction where the curl guide is an upper curl guide or at least a portion of the protrusion is upstream from the curl guide with respect to the wire feeding direction where the curl guide is a lower curl guide,

wherein the protrusion comprises a protection part configured to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the curl guide from an outside of the curl guide, and

wherein the protection part has an outer periphery protection surface extending along a periphery of the protrusion with respect to the wire feeding direction and which covers the at least part of the outer surface of the curl guide.

18. The binding machine according to claim 17 , wherein the protrusion includes two side portions spaced from each other in a direction orthogonal to the wire feeding direction, and the outer periphery protection surface extends between the two side portions; and

wherein, with respect to the wire feeding direction, a width of the outer periphery protection surface narrows toward a downstream side of the protrusion where the curl guide is an upper curl guide or narrows toward an upstream side of the protrusion where the curl guide is a lower curl guide.