Elongated-member-driving apparatus – With means to move or guide member into driving position – Including supply magazine for constantly urged members
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-28
2001-04-17
Smith, Scott A. (Department: 3721)
Elongated-member-driving apparatus
With means to move or guide member into driving position
Including supply magazine for constantly urged members
C227S120000, C227S136000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216936
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover and a cover mechanism for use in a cartridge for an electric stapler, in which a cover body is mounted over the cartridge to be removably mounted into the electric stapler and the cover body cannot be opened before sheet-like staples stored in the cartridge are all consumed up.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a cartridge for an electric stapler, there is formed a storage portion capable of receiving and storing therein a refill (a component formed in such a shape as shown in FIG. 1 of JP-A-7-148674, which is also referred to as an inner cartridge) in which sheet-like staples each composed of a plurality of linear-shaped staples connected together in a sheet manner are piled up on top of another and are packed simply. In the upper portion (or lower portion) of the storage portion, there is formed an opening and thus the refill can be inserted into the storage portion of the cartridge through this opening. When the cartridge is mounted into the main body of the electric stapler with the present opening facing upwardly (or downwardly), the sheet-like staples are supplied sequentially in order starting at the nearest one to the opening from the storage portion to a drive portion of the cartridge, where the staples can be driven into a member to be stitched.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, in case where an operator removes a cartridge when one or more sheet-like staples
21
still remain within a storage portion
20
and, under an illusion that no sheet-like staple
21
remains within a refill
22
, the operator opens a cover
23
to try to pull out the refill
22
from an opening formed in the cartridge in order to replace the refill
22
with a new one, since the refill
22
is structured such that it can be removed from the cartridge only after the sheet-like staples
21
are all consumed up, if the operator tries to pull out the refill
22
forcibly, then the refill
22
itself can be damaged or the sheet-like staples
21
may be broken. In this state, even if the operator gives up removing the refill
22
, inserts it again into the main body of an electric stapler, and tries to drive the staples, because the refill or sheet-like staples are damaged and deformed, there is a fear that a feedmechanism fails to operate properly, which results in the poor feeding of the sheet-like staples.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at solving the abovementioned problems. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a cover mechanism for use in a cartridge for an electric stapler, in which a cover body is mounted over an opening formed in the cartridge and is structured such that it can be opened only after sheet-like staples are all consumed up, thereby being able to prevent the wrong replacement timing of a refill.
In attaining the above object, according to the invention, there is provided a cover mechanism for use in a cartridge for an electric stapler including a storage portion capable of storing therein piled-up sheet-like staples each including linear-shaped staples connected together in a sheet shape. At least a portion of the upper side walls of the storage portion is formed as movable walls capable of swinging inwardly and outwardly. A cover body is disposed over an opening formed at the upper end of the storage portion for insertion of the sheet-like staples, and covering portions for covering the outside portions of the movable walls are respectively formed on the two sides of the cover body. Further, there are disposed securing mechanism for securing together the covering portions of the cover body and the movable walls. The secured state between the covering portions of the cover body and the movable walls can be removed only when the movable walls are fallen down inwardly of the storage portion because any of the sheet-like staples does not remain within the storage portion.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4573625 (1986-03-01), Olesen et al.
patent: 5474222 (1995-12-01), Kanai et al.
patent: 5560529 (1996-10-01), Udagawa et al.
patent: 5676299 (1997-10-01), Yoshie et al.
patent: 5823415 (1998-10-01), Udagawa et al.
patent: 6039230 (2000-03-01), Yagi et al.
patent: 7-148674 (1995-06-01), None
Max Co. Ltd.
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Smith Scott A.
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