Elongated-member-driving apparatus – With means to move or guide member into driving position – Including supply magazine for constantly urged members
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-15
2001-06-12
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
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244491
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This present invention relates to a device for joining together sheets of paper by stapling. More particularly, this device is a hand held stapling apparatus for efficiently joining together different quantities of paper sheets.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Staplers are an indispensable part of office appliances for fastening papers or documents. Conventionally, depending on the thickness of a set of paper sheets, an operator chooses different commercially available stapling machines and/or sizes of staples to accommodate the need. For example, a heavy duty stapler with long leg staples is used for attaching a relatively large number of sheets of paper, and a hand held desk stapler equipped with short leg staples is utilized for a relatively small number of sheets of paper. Hence, the operator must purchase and maintain at least two kinds of staplers in his office for these different uses. This is neither convenient, nor economical, particularly for a company that has a large number of personnel.
In an attempt to remedy this problem, the prior art provides a single stapler loaded with standard size staples having relatively long legs in order to try to join sets of paper sheets having different thicknesses. Although this compromise may prove to be economically successful, it does not produce the desired stapling quality. When such a stapler is used to produce a set containing only two or three sheets of paper, the staple re-penetrates through the paper sheets during the stapling operation. Because of the relatively long legs of the staples, the staple legs protrude outwardly from the top sheet of the set. The stapling operation not only yields a very unsightly stapled set, but the exposed legs can puncture the operator's fingers when stapled documents are handled. On the other hand, when a set of a large number of sheets of paper are to be stapled, the staple can collapse at its bridge portion to form a “M” shape during the stapling operation due to the increased resistance generated from the thicker set of paper sheets.
In the prior art, U.S. Pat. 4,315,589 issued to Soong discloses a stapling apparatus which improves stapling capability in handling thin sets of sheets, say on the order of two or three sheets, as well as thick sets, on the order of 20 or more sheets. To achieve its objective, the stapling apparatus uses an anvil to bend the staples during the driving operation by the driver member. The anvil is formed with a depression or opening between the staple clinching grooves and is of a size which includes the adjacent ends of the grooves. The clinching grooves have their longitudinal axes parallel but at an angle relative to the bridge portion of the staple to prevent the legs of the staple from interfering with each other during the stapling operation. The depression or opening between the clinching grooves assists in controlling operation to prevent re-entry or re-penetration of the legs through the top sheet when a stack of sheets is being stapled.
Although the stapling apparatus of this patent can improve the stapling quality for a thin set of paper sheets, it is still unable to be used as a hand held device for stapling a thick set of paper sheets, such as, e.g., 50-60 sheets. This is because the device does not provide sufficient leverage for proper penetration of the sheets. Also, the staple can collapse during stapling of a thick set of sheets.
Moreover, there is no commercially available hand held heavy duty stapler which is capable of stapling a set of paper from 2 to 60 sheets. In the prior art, a table top heavy duty stapler is used to staple a thick set of paper sheets. An operator uses one hand to grasp a driving arm to press it down and effect the stapling operation. In other words, prior art heavy duty staplers are not hand held and are not operated unless the stapler is placed on a table or other flat support surface so that the used can apply sufficient leverage to the handle to penetrate the sheets with the staple. Otherwise, it is difficult, if not impossible, for a user to grasp the stapler and operate it like a personal stapler adapted for joining thin sets of paper sheets.
Thus, there remains a need for a single device that can successfully staple various sets of paper sheets ranging from only a few sheets to as many as 50 or 60. Furthermore, it would be advantageous for such a device to be operable as a convenient, hand held device. The present invention provides one such device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a hand-held stapler that includes a base, a magazine, and a stapling arm which are pivoted to each other at a pivot position. The base and the stapling arm have forward ends which are positioned at lengths from the pivot position, but are substantially longer than the length from the pivot position to a stapled dispensing passage area of the magazine. The difference in lengths substantially increases the leverage for driving the staples during stapling. However, the lever is coupled to a pivoted portion of the stapling arm such that the lever also pivots directly about the pivoted position. Also, preferably the lever and base are mounted at an angle less than about 20° and sufficiently close to each other to enable the stapler to be operated while hand-held by an operator adjacent the forward ends of the base and lever. This arrangement facilitates the stapling of stacks of many papers, preferably of about 60 sheets.
To accomplish these objectives, the present invention relates to a hand held heavy duty stapler that includes a base having forward and rearward ends and a staple leg clinching anvil positioned thereon; a magazine comprising an elongated channel for containing therein a band of staples each having a pair of legs connected by a bridge portion, the channel having a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls, a front vertical wall, and a passageway in the bottom wall adjacent the front vertical wall to allow dispensing of the staples, and a stapling arm pivotally mounted about the pivot position at the rearward end of the base for driving the magazine toward the base during the stapling operation. The magazine is pivotally mounted about a pivot position at the rearward end of the base so that the magazine and base can move toward each other during a stapling operation, and the stapling arm includes a driver blade for sequentially dispensing individual staples through the passageway from the band of staples contained in the magazine.
One embodiment of the invention relates to a support spring positioned in the channel of the magazine and having a top surface underlying the band of staples prior to dispensing, and a front surface operatively associated with the front vertical wall of the magazine for supporting the bridge portion of each staple as it is being dispensed from the magazine. This support spring permits the staple to be dispensed toward and against the anvil while preventing the collapse of the staple bridge during the stapling operation.
The front member of the support spring may be sloped and may be in resilient spring contact the front vertical wall of the magazine. Then, the front member of the support spring can be moved away from the front vertical wall of the magazine by movement of the driver blade and the staple bridge downwardly toward the passageway. Also, the top surface of the support spring can be spaced from the front vertical wall of the magazine by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of an individual staple to be dispensed through said staple dispensing passageway. Advantageously, the support spring further comprises a rear member extending away from the upper member for mounting on the bottom wall of the magazine.
The stapler can include a spacer attached to the bottom wall of the magazine adjacent to and at a location below the staple dispensing passageway to compensate for some of the angular movement of the magazine relative to the base as the magazine is moved toward the base and to assist in supporting the staple as it exits the passageway. The
Berry Stephen D.
Kandasamy Balaji
Kapur Sumir
Kouri Scott
ACCO Brands Inc.
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Smith Scott A.
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