EP1454717A1 - Stapling apparatus with a safety device for staplers to prevent staples from popping out of a stapler - Google Patents

Stapling apparatus with a safety device for staplers to prevent staples from popping out of a stapler Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1454717A1
EP1454717A1 EP03004046A EP03004046A EP1454717A1 EP 1454717 A1 EP1454717 A1 EP 1454717A1 EP 03004046 A EP03004046 A EP 03004046A EP 03004046 A EP03004046 A EP 03004046A EP 1454717 A1 EP1454717 A1 EP 1454717A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
housing
stapler
staples
front cover
safety device
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP03004046A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP1454717B1 (en
Inventor
Jui-Yuan Lin
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to AT03004046T priority Critical patent/ATE294673T1/en
Priority to EP03004046A priority patent/EP1454717B1/en
Priority to DE60300615T priority patent/DE60300615T2/en
Publication of EP1454717A1 publication Critical patent/EP1454717A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1454717B1 publication Critical patent/EP1454717B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25C—HAND-HELD NAILING OR STAPLING TOOLS; MANUALLY OPERATED PORTABLE STAPLING TOOLS
    • B25C5/00—Manually operated portable stapling tools; Hand-held power-operated stapling tools; Staple feeding devices therefor
    • B25C5/16—Staple-feeding devices, e.g. with feeding means, supports for staples or accessories concerning feeding devices
    • B25C5/1665—Staple-feeding devices, e.g. with feeding means, supports for staples or accessories concerning feeding devices with means for preventing jamming or aiding unjamming within the drive channel
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25C—HAND-HELD NAILING OR STAPLING TOOLS; MANUALLY OPERATED PORTABLE STAPLING TOOLS
    • B25C5/00—Manually operated portable stapling tools; Hand-held power-operated stapling tools; Staple feeding devices therefor
    • B25C5/02—Manually operated portable stapling tools; Hand-held power-operated stapling tools; Staple feeding devices therefor with provision for bending the ends of the staples on to the work
    • B25C5/0285—Hand-held stapling tools, e.g. manually operated, i.e. not resting on a working surface during operation

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a stapling apparatus with a safety device, and more particularly to a stapling apparatus with a safety device for a stapler that prevents staples in a stapler from popping out of the stapler.
  • a stapler is a device to connect pieces of paper by means of a staple.
  • a conventional stapler (20) comprises a first lever (21), a second lever (22), a stapling apparatus (23) in accordance with prior art and a sliding front cover (24).
  • the two levers (21, 22) are pivotally connected by a pivot pin (not numbered).
  • the first lever (21) has a front end (not shown) opposite the pivot pin.
  • the stapling apparatus (23) is mounted around the front end of the first lever (21) and is pivotally attached to the pivot pin.
  • the stapling apparatus (23) comprises a stapling assembly (not shown), a track (232) and a pushing device (233).
  • the pushing device (233) has a compressed spring (234) that creates a resilient force.
  • a set of staples (50) is slidably mounted on the track (232).
  • the set of staples (50) is held on the track (232) in the stapler (20) by the resilient force of the compressed spring (234) pushing the set of staples (50) into a position where one staple in the set of staples (50) will be pressed by the stapling assembly to connect pieces of paper together.
  • the sliding front cover (24) is movably attached to the stapling apparatus (23) at the front of the first lever (21). The sliding front cover (24) can be pushed upward to conveniently troubleshoot the stapler (20) when the stapler (20) has a problem.
  • one of the staples in the set of staples (50) in the stapler (20) will jam or may not be fed smoothly while stapling.
  • a state is caused by one of the stapes in the set staples (50) being bent or otherwise jammed in the stapling assembly (23) to keep the stapler (20) from functioning.
  • One way to solve the problem is to remove the staple lodged in the stapling apparatus (23) of the stapler (20) or clear the jammed staple of the set of staples (50). Pushing the sliding front cover (24) upward will provide access to quickly find and easily remove the staple lodged in the stapling apparatus (23).
  • the conventional stapling apparatus of the stapler (20) does not have any safety device to prevent the set of staples (50) in the stapler (20) from popping out of the stapler (20).
  • the conventional stapler (20) is potentially hazardous for a user when the user has to remove a staple lodged in the stapler (20).
  • the ejected staples (50) may injure the user, especially the eyes or somebody near the user.
  • the present invention provides a stapling apparatus with a safety device for a stapler to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.
  • the main objective of the invention is to provide a stapling apparatus with a safety device for a stapler that prevents staples in the stapler from suddenly popping out of the stapler when a user tries to remove a lodged staple that keeps the stapler from functioning.
  • a stapling apparatus (23) with a safety device for a stapler (20) prevents a set of staples (50) in the stapler (20) from suddenly popping out of the stapler (20) when a user (not shown) tries to troubleshoot the stapler (20).
  • the stapler (20) comprises a first lever (21) and a second lever (22) that are pivotally connected by a pivot pin (not numbered) and has the stapling apparatus (23) with a safety device in accordance with the present invention.
  • Each of the first lever (2 1 ) and the second lever (22) has a front end (not shown).
  • the stapling apparatus (23) is pivotally attached to pivot pin at the front end of the first lever (21) and has a housing (231), a track (232), a pushing device (233), a stapling assembly (not shown) and a safety device (not numbered).
  • the housing (231) has a front (not numbered), a rear (numbered), a bottom (not numbered) and two opposite sides (not numbered).
  • the housing (231) is pivotally attached to the pivot pin and is mounted around the front end of the first lever (21).
  • the track (232) is mounted in the housing (231) and has an enlarged end (not numbered) extending out of the rear of the housing (231).
  • the stapling assembly is conventional, is mounted in the housing (231) above the track (232) at the front end of the first lever (21) and is adapted to staple one of the set of staples (50) to fasten paper.
  • the set of staples (50) is adapted to be slidably mounted on the track (232) and has a top (not numbered).
  • the track (232) allows the set of staples (50) to slidably move toward the front of the housing (231) where one staple (50) is pressed to fasten pieces of paper together by the stapling assembly.
  • the pushing device (233) is attached to the track (232) between the set of staples (50) and the enlarged end of the track (232).
  • the pushing device (233) has a compressed spring (234) that provides a resilient force to push the set of staples (50) toward the front of the housing (231).
  • the housing (231) When the two levers (21, 22) are squeezed toward each other, the housing (231) is firstly pivoted by the first lever (21) until it abuts the second lever (22). By continuously squeezing the two levers (21, 22) together, the front end of the first lever (21) will pivotally drive the stapling assembly to press one staple in the set of staples (50) and staple the paper.
  • the sliding front cover (24) has a bottom (not numbered) and two opposite sides (not numbered).
  • the sliding front cover (24) is movably attached to the front of the housing (231) to allow convenient access to the stapler (20) to clear a staple (not shown) lodged in the housing (231) that keeps the stapler (20) from functioning properly.
  • the safety device is formed on the housing (231) and the sliding front cover (24) and comprises a positive stop (11) and a stop lip (12).
  • the positive stop (11) is formed on and protrudes from one side of the housing (231) adjacent to the sliding front cover (24).
  • the stop lip (12) protrudes from the sliding front cover (24) at one side below the positive stop (11) and corresponds to the positive stop (11).
  • removing a bent staple (51) or jammed staples (not shown) from the stapler (20) requires that the sliding front cover (24) be pushed upward to quickly remove the bent staple (51) lodged in the stapler (20).
  • the stop lip (12) will abut the positive stop (11) and will keep the sliding front cover (24) from moving up any further.
  • the stop lip (12) abutting the positive stop (11) the bottom of the sliding front cover (24) is lower that the top of the set of staples (50). Thereafter, the lodged bent staple (51) can be easily found and removed or jammed staples are easily to be rearranged.
  • the set of staples (50) are still held on the track (232) in the housing (231) by the sliding front cover (24), and the stapler (20) is immediately used to connect or fasten pieces of paper together after the lodged bent staple (51) is removed.
  • the safety device prevents any possibility of the set of staples (50) on the track (232) from popping out of the housing (231) as the sliding front cover (24) is pushed upward. Without the safety device, the stapler (20) is quite a dangerous piece of office equipment for a user who perhaps uses it everyday.
  • the safety device for the stapler (20) enhances the safety of the stapler (20) as described in the foregoing description. The stapler (20) with the safety device operates safely and prevents the user away from being injured.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Portable Nailing Machines And Staplers (AREA)
  • Harvester Elements (AREA)
  • Threshing Machine Elements (AREA)
  • Dovetailed Work, And Nailing Machines And Stapling Machines For Wood (AREA)

Abstract

A stapling apparatus (23) with a safety device for a stapler prevents staples from popping out of the stapler (20) when a user troubleshoots the stapler. The stapling apparatus (23) is pivotally attached to a stapler (20) and has a housing (231), a sliding front cover (24) slidably mounted on the housing (231) and a safety device having a positive stop (11) formed on the housing (231) and a stop lip (12) formed on the sliding front cover (24). The sliding front cover (24) is pushed upward to remove lodged staples, the stop lip (12) abuts the positive stop (11) to limit movement of the sliding front cover (24). Therefore, the staples are still held in the housing (231) by the sliding front cover (24).

Description

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stapling apparatus with a safety device, and more particularly to a stapling apparatus with a safety device for a stapler that prevents staples in a stapler from popping out of the stapler.
2. Description of Related Art
A stapler is a device to connect pieces of paper by means of a staple. With reference to Fig. 4, a conventional stapler (20) comprises a first lever (21), a second lever (22), a stapling apparatus (23) in accordance with prior art and a sliding front cover (24). The two levers (21, 22) are pivotally connected by a pivot pin (not numbered). The first lever (21) has a front end (not shown) opposite the pivot pin. The stapling apparatus (23) is mounted around the front end of the first lever (21) and is pivotally attached to the pivot pin. The stapling apparatus (23) comprises a stapling assembly (not shown), a track (232) and a pushing device (233). The pushing device (233) has a compressed spring (234) that creates a resilient force. A set of staples (50) is slidably mounted on the track (232). The set of staples (50) is held on the track (232) in the stapler (20) by the resilient force of the compressed spring (234) pushing the set of staples (50) into a position where one staple in the set of staples (50) will be pressed by the stapling assembly to connect pieces of paper together. The sliding front cover (24) is movably attached to the stapling apparatus (23) at the front of the first lever (21). The sliding front cover (24) can be pushed upward to conveniently troubleshoot the stapler (20) when the stapler (20) has a problem.
Occasionally, one of the staples in the set of staples (50) in the stapler (20) will jam or may not be fed smoothly while stapling. Generally, such a state is caused by one of the stapes in the set staples (50) being bent or otherwise jammed in the stapling assembly (23) to keep the stapler (20) from functioning. One way to solve the problem is to remove the staple lodged in the stapling apparatus (23) of the stapler (20) or clear the jammed staple of the set of staples (50). Pushing the sliding front cover (24) upward will provide access to quickly find and easily remove the staple lodged in the stapling apparatus (23). However, when the staple lodged in stapler (20) is removed, the remaining set of staples (50) will be released and pop out of the stapling apparatus (23) because of the resilient force of the pushing device (233). The conventional stapling apparatus of the stapler (20) does not have any safety device to prevent the set of staples (50) in the stapler (20) from popping out of the stapler (20). The conventional stapler (20) is potentially hazardous for a user when the user has to remove a staple lodged in the stapler (20). The ejected staples (50) may injure the user, especially the eyes or somebody near the user.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a stapling apparatus with a safety device for a stapler to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.
The main objective of the invention is to provide a stapling apparatus with a safety device for a stapler that prevents staples in the stapler from suddenly popping out of the stapler when a user tries to remove a lodged staple that keeps the stapler from functioning.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
IN THE DRAWINGS
  • Fig. 1 is an operational perspective view of a stapler having a stapling apparatus with a safety device in accordance with the present invention;
  • Fig. 2 is a partial exploded perspective view of the stapler in Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 3a is an enlarged perspective view of the stapler in Fig. 1 with a bent staple that causes the stapler to breakdown;
  • Fig. 3b is an enlarged perspective view of the stapler in Fig. 1 when a sliding front cover is pushed upward and the staples can be seen to perform troubleshooting; and
  • Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a conventional stapler in accordance with the prior art with the staples is popping out of the stapler when the sliding front cover is pushed up.
    • With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, a stapling apparatus (23) with a safety device for a stapler (20) prevents a set of staples (50) in the stapler (20) from suddenly popping out of the stapler (20) when a user (not shown) tries to troubleshoot the stapler (20). The stapler (20) comprises a first lever (21) and a second lever (22) that are pivotally connected by a pivot pin (not numbered) and has the stapling apparatus (23) with a safety device in accordance with the present invention. Each of the first lever (2 1 ) and the second lever (22) has a front end (not shown).
    The stapling apparatus (23) is pivotally attached to pivot pin at the front end of the first lever (21) and has a housing (231), a track (232), a pushing device (233), a stapling assembly (not shown) and a safety device (not numbered). The housing (231) has a front (not numbered), a rear (numbered), a bottom (not numbered) and two opposite sides (not numbered). The housing (231) is pivotally attached to the pivot pin and is mounted around the front end of the first lever (21). The track (232) is mounted in the housing (231) and has an enlarged end (not numbered) extending out of the rear of the housing (231). The stapling assembly, is conventional, is mounted in the housing (231) above the track (232) at the front end of the first lever (21) and is adapted to staple one of the set of staples (50) to fasten paper.
    The set of staples (50) is adapted to be slidably mounted on the track (232) and has a top (not numbered). The track (232) allows the set of staples (50) to slidably move toward the front of the housing (231) where one staple (50) is pressed to fasten pieces of paper together by the stapling assembly. To push the set of staples (50) toward the front of the housing (231), the pushing device (233) is attached to the track (232) between the set of staples (50) and the enlarged end of the track (232). The pushing device (233) has a compressed spring (234) that provides a resilient force to push the set of staples (50) toward the front of the housing (231).
    When the two levers (21, 22) are squeezed toward each other, the housing (231) is firstly pivoted by the first lever (21) until it abuts the second lever (22). By continuously squeezing the two levers (21, 22) together, the front end of the first lever (21) will pivotally drive the stapling assembly to press one staple in the set of staples (50) and staple the paper.
    The sliding front cover (24) has a bottom (not numbered) and two opposite sides (not numbered). The sliding front cover (24) is movably attached to the front of the housing (231) to allow convenient access to the stapler (20) to clear a staple (not shown) lodged in the housing (231) that keeps the stapler (20) from functioning properly.
    The safety device is formed on the housing (231) and the sliding front cover (24) and comprises a positive stop (11) and a stop lip (12). The positive stop (11) is formed on and protrudes from one side of the housing (231) adjacent to the sliding front cover (24). The stop lip (12) protrudes from the sliding front cover (24) at one side below the positive stop (11) and corresponds to the positive stop (11).
    With reference to Figs. 3a and 3b, removing a bent staple (51) or jammed staples (not shown) from the stapler (20) requires that the sliding front cover (24) be pushed upward to quickly remove the bent staple (51) lodged in the stapler (20). When the sliding front cover (24) is pushed upward, the stop lip (12) will abut the positive stop (11) and will keep the sliding front cover (24) from moving up any further. With the stop lip (12) abutting the positive stop (11), the bottom of the sliding front cover (24) is lower that the top of the set of staples (50). Thereafter, the lodged bent staple (51) can be easily found and removed or jammed staples are easily to be rearranged. In any case, the set of staples (50) are still held on the track (232) in the housing (231) by the sliding front cover (24), and the stapler (20) is immediately used to connect or fasten pieces of paper together after the lodged bent staple (51) is removed.
    The safety device prevents any possibility of the set of staples (50) on the track (232) from popping out of the housing (231) as the sliding front cover (24) is pushed upward. Without the safety device, the stapler (20) is quite a dangerous piece of office equipment for a user who perhaps uses it everyday. The safety device for the stapler (20) enhances the safety of the stapler (20) as described in the foregoing description. The stapler (20) with the safety device operates safely and prevents the user away from being injured.
    Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

    Claims (2)

    1. A stapling apparatus (23) with a safety device for a stapler (20) having a first lever (21) with a front end and a second lever (22) pivotally connected together by a pivot pin, the stapling apparatus (23) comprising
      a housing (231) adapted to be pivotally attached to the pivot pin and mounted around the front end of the first lever (21) and having a front, a bottom and two opposite side;
      a track (232) mounted in the housing (231) and adapted to position a set of staples (50) with a top toward the front of the housing (231);
      a pushing device (233) attached to the track (232) and having a compressed spring (234) that provides a resilient force to push the set of staples (50) toward the front of the housing (231);
      a stapling assembly mounted in the housing (231) above the track (232) at the front end of the first lever (21) and adapted to staple one of the set of staples (50) to fasten paper together;
      a sliding front cover (24) having a bottom and two opposite sides slidably mounted on the front of the housing (231) to conveniently remove staples that are jammed; and
      a safety device attached between the housing (231) and the front slide cover (24) and the safety device comprising
      a positive stop (11) formed on the housing (231) adjacent to the sliding front cover (24); and
      a stop lip (12) formed on the sliding front cover (24) and corresponding to the positive stop (11), where the positive stop (11) abuts the stop lip (12) to limit movement of the sliding front cover (24) such that the bottom of the sliding front cover (24) is lower than the top of the set of staples (50) whereby the set of staples (50) are held on the track (232) in the housing (231) by the sliding front cover (24) when the sliding front cover (24) is pushed upward when troubleshooting the stapler (20).
    2. The stapling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein
      the positive stop (11) is formed at one side of the housing (213) adjacent to the sliding front cover (24); and
      the stop lip (12) is formed at one side of the sliding front cover (24) and corresponds to the positive stop (11).
    EP03004046A 2003-02-25 2003-02-25 Stapling apparatus with a safety device for staplers to prevent staples from popping out of a stapler Expired - Lifetime EP1454717B1 (en)

    Priority Applications (3)

    Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
    AT03004046T ATE294673T1 (en) 2003-02-25 2003-02-25 CLAP REPLACEMENT DEVICE WITH SAFETY DEVICE TO PREVENT CLIPS FROM JUMPING OUT OF THE DEVICE
    EP03004046A EP1454717B1 (en) 2003-02-25 2003-02-25 Stapling apparatus with a safety device for staplers to prevent staples from popping out of a stapler
    DE60300615T DE60300615T2 (en) 2003-02-25 2003-02-25 Stapling device with safety device to avoid the jump out of the device

    Applications Claiming Priority (1)

    Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
    EP03004046A EP1454717B1 (en) 2003-02-25 2003-02-25 Stapling apparatus with a safety device for staplers to prevent staples from popping out of a stapler

    Publications (2)

    Publication Number Publication Date
    EP1454717A1 true EP1454717A1 (en) 2004-09-08
    EP1454717B1 EP1454717B1 (en) 2005-05-04

    Family

    ID=32798743

    Family Applications (1)

    Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
    EP03004046A Expired - Lifetime EP1454717B1 (en) 2003-02-25 2003-02-25 Stapling apparatus with a safety device for staplers to prevent staples from popping out of a stapler

    Country Status (3)

    Country Link
    EP (1) EP1454717B1 (en)
    AT (1) ATE294673T1 (en)
    DE (1) DE60300615T2 (en)

    Citations (5)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    US2283873A (en) * 1940-05-02 1942-05-19 Neva Clog Products Inc Stapling device
    GB2149338A (en) * 1983-11-10 1985-06-12 Olave Solozabal Y Cia S A Stapler
    JPS60194483U (en) * 1984-06-05 1985-12-25 エルム工業株式会社 stapler
    JPS6192575U (en) * 1984-11-24 1986-06-16
    EP1016501A1 (en) * 1997-03-07 2000-07-05 Nagai Works Co., Ltd. Stapler

    Patent Citations (5)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    US2283873A (en) * 1940-05-02 1942-05-19 Neva Clog Products Inc Stapling device
    GB2149338A (en) * 1983-11-10 1985-06-12 Olave Solozabal Y Cia S A Stapler
    JPS60194483U (en) * 1984-06-05 1985-12-25 エルム工業株式会社 stapler
    JPS6192575U (en) * 1984-11-24 1986-06-16
    EP1016501A1 (en) * 1997-03-07 2000-07-05 Nagai Works Co., Ltd. Stapler

    Also Published As

    Publication number Publication date
    DE60300615D1 (en) 2005-06-09
    ATE294673T1 (en) 2005-05-15
    EP1454717B1 (en) 2005-05-04
    DE60300615T2 (en) 2006-02-23

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