Electric stapler

Details Electric stapler Electric stapler

2001-08-02

2004-01-27

Rada, Rinaldi I. (Department: 3721)

Elongated-member-driving apparatus

With means to form member prior to penetration of work

C227S120000, C227S155000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06681975

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric stapler, and more particularly, to an electric stapler in which a clincher and a driver are separated from each other and arranged in a vertical direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4
shows an electric stapler adapted to be incorporated mainly in a copying machine. A clincher unit
1
and a driver unit
2
are vertically separated from each other in order to bind a document at its center portion. The clincher unit
1
is fixed to an upper base plate
3
, and the driver unit
2
is fixed to a lower base plate
4
which is arranged in parallel to the upper base plate
3
spaced therefrom.
Into a clincher guide
5
formed in a vertical direction in a front part (a left side in the drawing) of the clincher unit
1
, a clincher sleeve
6
and a clincher
7
are inserted. The clincher sleeve
6
and the clincher
7
are driven to move up and down by means of a motor
8
, a reduction gear train
9
, cam levers
10
at left and right sides (in a direction of Z axis in the drawing), and a central cam lever
11
.
When the motor
8
is energized, the cam levers
10
at the left and right sides, which are engaged with an eccentric roller
12
attached to a final reduction gear
9
a
, move upward and downward about a shaft
13
as a pivotal axis. The clincher sleeve
6
and the clincher
7
, which are engaged in elongated holes in front parts of the cam levers
10
, perform one cycle of a reciprocating motion in which they move upward to return to the standby position after they have moved downward from a standby position. On this occasion, after the clincher sleeve
6
has come into contact with sheets of paper to discontinue the downward movement, the central cam lever
11
further pushes down the clincher
7
, and the clincher
7
bends legs of the staple which has entered in the clincher sleeve
6
, into a flat shape.
The driver unit
2
is so designed that its front part freely moves up and down within a determined range about a shaft
14
in its rear part as a pivotal axis, and is urged to an elevated position by means of a compression spring
15
. Into a driver guide
16
in the front part of the driver unit
2
, a driver plate
17
and a forming plate
18
are inserted in an overlapped manner. A lower end of the driver plate
17
is in contact with a stopper
19
provided on a frame of the stapler. Numeral
20
designates a staple cartridge. A staple sheet S to which a number of straight staples are bonded in parallel is loaded in the staple cartridge
20
.
FIG. 5
shows the electric stapler in operation. When the clincher sleeve
6
and the clincher
7
move downward to push down the front part of the driver unit
2
, other parts than the driver plate
17
and the forming plate
18
which are in contact with the stopper
19
rotate downward. With this rotation, the driver plate
17
is projected upward from the driver unit
2
. A staple in a foremost row inside the driver guide
16
is pushed upward and clamped by means of the clincher sleeve
6
and the clincher
7
to pass through the document (not shown), and both left and right legs of the staple are bent inwardly by means of the clincher
7
. At the same time, a staple in the next row of the ejected staple is formed by the forming plate
18
into a bent shape like a gate.
As described above, the conventional electric stapler has such a structure that the clincher sleeve
6
slides downward rectilinearly to push the driver unit
2
, and the driver unit
2
rotates downwardly about the shaft
14
as the pivotal axis. Accordingly, when the document has been clamped between the clincher sleeve
6
and the driver unit
2
, an angle of the driver plate
17
and an ejection angle of the staple may change according to thickness of the document. For this reason, the clincher sleeve
6
must be accurately aligned with the driver plate
17
so as to follow a change of the angle of the driver plate
17
. Even a minor error in the alignment may result in distortion or clogging of the staples, and there has been a problem that high accuracy is required with respect to precision of the components and assembling work, and assembling adjustment is also difficult.
Therefore, there has arisen a technical problem to be solved for stabilizing the stapling that the clincher and the driver plate must be arranged so as to face with each other at a constant angle regardless of thickness of the document to be bound. An object of the present invention is to solve the above described problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been made in order to attain the above described object and to provide a electric stapler for binding a document inserted between a driver unit and a clincher unit, the electric stapler comprising the driver unit including a driver plate adapted to eject staples and a staple cartridge, and the clincher unit including a clincher adapted to bend legs of each of the staples which have been ejected and a clincher driving mechanism, wherein the driver unit and the clincher unit are separated from each other and arranged in a vertical direction. The electric stapler is characterized in that the driver unit is composed of a cartridge holder fixed to a frame of the electric stapler, said staple cartridge mounted to the cartridge holder so as to freely slide up and down, a spring for urging the staple cartridge toward the clincher unit opposed thereto, and the driver plate incorporated in the cartridge holder, the clincher of the clincher unit being so constructed as to push the staple cartridge to slide, whereby the staples in the staple cartridge are ejected by means of a driver in the cartridge holder.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5009355 (1991-04-01), Akizawa et al.
patent: 5141143 (1992-08-01), Ebner et al.
patent: 5269451 (1993-12-01), Udagawa et al.
patent: 5454503 (1995-10-01), Udagawa et al.
patent: 5460314 (1995-10-01), Udagawa
patent: 5806750 (1998-09-01), Yamanushi et al.
patent: 5975396 (1999-11-01), Manabe
patent: 0 612 594 (1994-08-01), None

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Electric stapler does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Electric stapler, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electric stapler will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3262488