EP0408485A1

EP0408485A1 - Cramp pliers with interchange able heads

Info

Publication number: EP0408485A1
Application number: EP90500067A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antonio Lucas Huerta
Original assignee: Simes Senco SA
Current assignee: Simes Senco SA
Priority date: 1989-07-14
Filing date: 1990-07-13
Publication date: 1991-01-16

Abstract

Pliers which involve a staple slide (15) with a staple slide support (12), a support part (33) for the two claws (2) connected with the two hand-grips (1), the said two claws (2) and a staple-stop front part (3), in which the support part (12) of the staple slide (15) together with the slide (15) itself are interchangeable for other assemblies with staples of different sizes through the turning or pivoting point (4) of the claws (2). The claws (2) have pairs of recesses (28),(29) of different sizes to hold the different staples and the slide-holder assemblies (12) can be made to slide downwards to use any kind of staples, preferably conventional ones.

Description

The patent deals with staple-stitching pliers, stapling pliers, plier staplers or cramp pliers of the type composed of a staple loader slide backed up to a support which pushes a first staple towards a stop-part, at the same time as two claws connected to hand-grips pick up and place the staple on the items to be secured and closes the staple by bending it. One example of units of this type is described in Spanish User's Model N° 263,128, for example.
In known stapling pliers or staple-stitching pliers of this kind, each tool is capable of operating with one single size of staples and therefore of attending to the closure or fastening of a series of items, which is limited.
One aim of the patent is to obtain stapling pliers which are capable of fastening staples of different sizes with the same tool.
Another aim of the patent is stapling pliers which allows the parts assembly, the slide and the staple loader together with its support part, to be interchangeable with others of different dimensions which include staples of a different size.
In certain applications with tools of this kind, in accordance with the patent, it has been observed that the use of conventional staples does not allow suitable closure of the staple over the object, since the arms of the staple did not totally surround it. Therefore, and for these applications, the use of other, more special types of staples, is required.
Another aim of the patent rests on the fact that a tool of the type described, which can use staples of different sizes by interchanging the loader, is also capable of using, in all cases, perfectly conventional staples which are in universal use.
To carry out the patent, a stop-part or front-part is proposed, against which the first staple coming from the loader makes contact; a set of claws, connected to hand-grips, behind the stop-part; a part that holds the claws, behind the above, and another rear part which supports the slide, the staples and the loader, with this last part being the one which can be replaced by another one together with the loader and the staples.
The feature most to be emphasized of the patent rests on the fact that each of the claws has pairs of facing recesses in them, in which each pair of recesses correspond to each other in dimensions and are situated at different distances with respect to the turning or pivoting point of the claws, in such a way that the pairs of recesses receive staples of different sizes. The number of pairs of recesses is a minimum of two, with which at least two staples of different sizes can be used with the same tool.
As has been stated, the staple slide and the loader itself are joined to a vertical part or slide support, which can be replaced by another different one which holds another type of staple. To do this, a basic assembly has been formed which is made up of the following parts:
- A pair of claws connected to hand-grips, which rotate or pivot around a common axis.
- A stop-part for the staples which is situated at the same height or level as the claws and the loader, whose purpose is to block the exit of the first staple coming from the loader so that it can be picked up by the claws. This stop part is secured to the same axis or shaft that joins together the claws and on which they pivot. This shaft has a front screw-threaded projection, on the same side as the stop-part, on which a washer is placed which rests on the said stop-part and an outer locking thread. The other end of the shaft is also equipped with a threaded section and a prominent circular projection.
In the assembly position, the stop-part, the two claws and the support part for the claws are arranged between the washer and the locking nut, on one side, and the circular projection on the other. The threaded end attached to this circular projection remains free for the later arrangement of the different staple slide-holder parts.
In the way known, the claws and arms are connected by means of drag-links, which are joined together by a shaft, over a vertical slot cut in the claw support part, below the hole that the shaft previously mentioned passes through. The drag-link shaft is taken in at the front by a normal washer and another lock washer, going through the hole cut in the claw support part. This shaft protrudes out behind this part to a certain degree.
It can therefore be observed from what has been described so far that from the rear side or face of the claw support part protrudes the threaded end of the shaft on which the claws pivot together with the attached circular projection in the upper area and the end of the shaft onto which the drag-links are connected in the lower area.
In its turn, each slide support part is equipped with a circular hole and another vertical slanting hole below it. The diameter of the circular hole is of the same size as that of the projection attached to the threaded end of the claw shaft, so that the said projection fits perfectly into the said hole.
The vertical slanting hole is slightly wider than the diameter of the end of the shaft that connects the drag-links, so that when the plier hand-grips are operated, this shaft moves upwards or downwards along the slots in this slide-holder part and in the claw holder.
Once that the slide-holder part has been backed up against the claw holder, the two parts are fixed together by means of using a special nut with an elongated neck and with a threaded blind axial hole and a prominent head for its handling when opening and closing. The thickness of the circular projection of the claw shaft coincides with the thickness of the slide-holder part, and the front of the special nut is of a greater diameter than the diameter of the circular projection, so that when it is screwed onto the threaded end of the claw shaft, it is possible to proceed with fixing the slide-holder part, obviously with the slide, loader and staples, the first of which appears through the space between the claws towards the stop-part.
The pliers are provided with more than one slide-holder part, each of them with different staples and in general all of them with different dimensions, except for for the diameter of the hole through which the circular projection of the claw shaft passes and for the width of the vertical slot to receive the drag-link shaft, which are the same for all slide-holder parts.
The slot in the claw-holder part is longer than the rest of each of the slots of the slide-holder parts so that the said slot can allow ample travel of the drag-links and of the claws sufficient to attend the movements ot the claw-holder shaft in the slots of the different slide-holder parts.
The height of the different slide-holder parts differs starting from the circular central point in which the circular hole is cut, both upwards in the direction of the staple slide and downwards towards the slot through which the drag-link shaft passes.
On the other hand, the pairs of recesses in the claws might be two, three or more, according to the number of different slide-holders that are placed.
The operations of changing some slide-holders for others is most simple, as it is only necessary to loosen the nut, extract the part and place another one in its place and then tighten the nut again.
The distance from the claw shaft to each of the pairs of facing recesses in the claws corresponds to the distance from the centre of the circular hole of each slide holder to the side of each staple protruding from the slide.
In accordance with the other aspect of the patent, it is claimed that the loader which includes the staple slide and the batch of staples performs a downwards movement when closure of the staple is carried out over the object by means of the claws of the arms. With this movement, it means that the object can penetrate further into the opening between the claws and thus be perfectly taken in by conventional staples.
Once that the stapling operation has been carried out, the staple slide returns to its initial position, which means that it rises again, in order to place the staple at the exact height of the notches in the claws that correspond to it.
To carry out these operations, it is obvious that the different slide-holders which the tool can use must be made in such a way that they descend and rise during stapling and after stapling recpectively.
In this case, the stapler pliers are also provided with a front staple stop fastened to the shaft on which the arms of the tool turn and which also passes through its support. This shaft also passes through a vertical slot cut in the body of the slide-holder. This slot is elongated and will allow upwards and downwards movement of each one of the slide-holder parts.
Below this slot, each slide-holder is provided with a circular hole which receives the drag-link shaft, which also passes through the support part. On operating the band-grips of the tool, the drag-links make the drag-link shaft move along the lower slot in the support. As this shaft is prolonged towards the rear part, it also passes through the lower circular hole in the slide-holder, so that the slide-holder moves down when the arms are closed and rises when the said arms open, all of which is due to the action of the recovery or return spring of the arms of the tool.
The drag-link shaft has a circular rear end head of a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the lower circular hole in the slide-holder, and the front end of the said shaft is provided with a circular slot which incorporates a lock washer which controls and limits the position of the drag-links.
The upper parts of the slide-holder parts are finished with sets of small feet which extend rearwards and onto which the staple slides, loaders, staples, etc. that are needed in each case, are fitted.
The arm spring which is arranged between the arms of the tool is at times insufficient to raise the slide-holder part to its initial position and, therefore, the position of a rear cover on the tool, fixed to the pivoting shaft of the arms and logically behind the slide-holder, is claimed. The pivoting shaft passes through this rear cover and protrudes from it with a screw-threaded section, to which a manually operated nut is fitted and can be removed when wishing to change the slide-holder.
The outer face of the slide-holder is provided both at the top and at the side with two vertical projections in correspondence with the position of the small feet of the slide-holder. These projections are hollow and in their interior are housed springs which surround the cylindrical body of some projecting parts. These parts have a rounded, head-like, upper end, on which the springs housed inside the projecting parts act.
The housing of the projections is stepped, based on an upper diameter which is greater and a lower diameter which is smaller. The spring becomes housed on the upper one, which is of the same diameter as the head of the projection or protuberance, while at the lower end the base of the protuberance juts out, with the end of this base being flattened to prevent either it or the spring from coming out.
The ends of the protuberances jut out towards the small feet of the slide-holder and make contact with them, putting pressure on them. When the arms of the tool are closed and the slide-holder descends, these protuberances are compressed by the action of the small feet, and when the arms of the tool are opened, their action against the small feet helps the slide-holder to return to its normal upwards position.
The body of the cover is occupied by several holes to allow the pivoting shaft to pass through, with these being cut at different levels in order to situate the different slide-holders according to the staple which is to be used.
Given the dimensions of the claws of the arms, the staple stop-part is placed over the support part by means of a shaft or pin with its ends screw-threaded, jutting out at both the front and the rear. So that the rear end does not hinder the movements of the slide-holder, an upper vertical opening through which the said end moves has been made in this part. In the same way, the cover is equipped with a vertical slot or hollow in which the said end is seated.
The pivoting shaft of the tool has an extensive circular projection in its central area which becomes positioned over the rear face of the support part. The side of the projection that rests on the said face is provided with a projection which is housed in a small hole in the support by means of which the pivoting shaft is fixed to improve stability.
The adjoining sheets of drawings show one solution for some pliers.
Thus,

figure 1 shows an elevation of some pliers seen from the front.
Figures 2 and 3 represent an elevation and left view of a slide-holder part with the staple slide and loader,
Figures 4 and 5 represent two views of another slide-holder part.
Figures 6 and 7 represent two views of another, third slide-holder.
Figure 8 is an elevation of the claw-arm used in the pliers.
Figure 9 is an enlarged detail of the claw area itself.
Figure 10 is a perpendicular view from the left of figure 9.
Figure 11 is a view of figure 1 seen from the left,
Figures 12 and 13 are two views of the claw-holder part.
Figure 14 is a view of the shaft that connects the claws with the claw-support part and with the slide-holder part or parts.
Figure 15 is a front elevation of the tool, according to the second aspect of the patent.
Figure 16 is a right view of the previous figure.
Figures 17 and 18 correspond to an elevation and side view of the support-part.
Figure 19 is a side cross-section elevation of a slide-holder part to be connected to the tool.
Figure 20 is a left view of the above.
Figure 21 is a view of figure 19 seen from above.
Figure 22 is a side cross-section elevation of another slide-holder part.
Figure 23 is a left view of the above.
Figure 24 is a view of figure 22 seen from above.
Figure 25 corresponds to the pivoting shaft for the arms.
Figure 26 is an elevation of the cover seen from its rear face.
Figure 27 corresponds to the cross-section I-I shown in figure 26.
Figure 28 is the cross-section II-II shown in figure 26.
Figure 29 is an elevation of each one of the parts housed in the cover.
Figure 30 is an elevation of the drag-link shaft of the tool.

In accordance with figure 1, the claws or jaws (2) can be seen connected with the arms and hand-grips (1)-(1), which pivot or turn around the point (4) where a shaft has been arranged for this purpose. This shaft in its turn takes in the part (3) which provides a stop for the staples that come from the staple loader.
On the arms (1) and by means of their rivets (6) are situated the drag-links (5) which are taken in by the shaft (17), so that with the alternating movements of the hand-grips (1), the said shaft (7) travels along the slot (8 in the claw support part (10) and in its turn closes or opens the claws (2) to receive and pick up the staples that come from the loader and which is to be found behind the claws (2) and the staple stop (3). A spring (9) automatically compensates the stresses carried out in the sense of bringing together the claws.
In accordance with figures 2 and 3, there is at least one auxiliary part (12) which takes in and incorporates a slide (15) for the staples, together with a shaft (17) and a spring (16) which are connected to a loader, which in a known way goes on supplying staples towards the right side area according to figure 3 and in which the staples come up against the stop-part (3) and are bent or folded by means of the claws (2) over the point to be stapled.
This arrangement is conventional, in accordance with what has been pointed out as regards figures 1, 2 and 3. Thus, the claws or jaws (2), connected with the arms/hand-grips, pick up the staples which are controlled by the stop-part (3), and according to the shape of the recesses in the claws (2), they perform a certain closure over the part or parts to be stapled. In these movements, the shaft (7) which takes in the drag-links (5) travels up and down along the slot (8) in the part (10), while the claws (2) pick up the first staple from the loader and the slide (15).
Figures 2 to 7 show three slide-holder parts (12), (19) and (24), which in general are quite similar in shape. Thus, the slide-holder part (12) is provided with one circular hole (13) and another more oval vertical hole (14), with and raised open section (11) to which the first of the staples from the staple slide (15) has access, with the shaft (17) and the impeller spring (17) (fig. 3).
In identical conditions and as can be seen graphically, the parts (19) and (24) are also provided with the same general characteristics, with the differences of distance and external measurements. However, in all these three parts, the diameters of the holes (13), (20) and (25) remain constant, a feature which would still exist if more than three parts are considered for the same tool, for example. In identical conditions, the width of the slots (14), (21) and (26) .... and others, are kept constant in any kind of slide-holder part which is placed on the pliers or tool in question.
As regards figures 8, 9 and 10, we can appreciate the details of the claws or jaws (2), the right one in this case with a hole (30) for the pivoting shaft to pass through, the hole (31) for the drag-link to be positioned and the hole (32) for the hand-grip to be fitted; the strengthening rib (8) can also be appreciated. In the upper section we can see two recesses (28) and (29) to receive a staple coming from the slide. This staple will be picked up by the recesses (28) or (29) according to its own size and depending on the slide-holder part which is being used.
With regard to figure 11, we can also observe the two claws (2) and the upper pivoting shaft for the claws finished towards the right with the nut (4) over the staple-stop part. At the top, the slide (15), the shaft (17) and the spring (16) of the loader can be seen. The nut (42) is the one which is actuated to extract all the slide-holder part (12) and replace it with another. In this same figure the lower shaft (7) which takes in the drag-links (5) can also be observed, although the latter have not been illustrated in this figure so as to make the drawing clearer. This shaft passes through the body (33) of the claw-holder part and in the area (43) it becomes housed in the vertical slot in the said part (12), passing through the vertical slot in the claw-holder part.
Figures 12 and 13 show two views of the claw-holder (10), which is made up of a body (33) with the hole (34) for the pivoting shaft for the claws and the slot (35) for the drag-like shaft, together with another upper hole (36) for a rivet which connects this part (10) to the stop-part (3).
In figure 14, the pivoting shaft (37) for the claws (2) is shown, with the left end (38) screw-threaded for entry into the nut (42); we can also observe the circular projection (39) which is housed in the holes (13), (20) and (25) in figures 2, 4 and 6; the area (40) for the part (10), claws (2) and stop-part (3); a screw-threaded end (41) so that the washer and corresponding nut (4) can be fitted.
According to figure 15, we can see the tool with its two arms (44) and the recovery or return spring (52) for opening, as well as the pivoting shaft (47) for the arms, from where the claws (45) start and extend upwards. The support-part (53) receives the drag-link shaft (50), with the said drag-links (48) being secured for turning at points (49) of the areas (54) of the arms (44), while the drag-link shaft travels along the slot (51) cut in the support part (53). Over the claws is placed the stop-part (46) fixed to the pivoting shaft (47) and also to an upper shaft (55).
In figure 16 we can observe the arms (44)-(54) and the upper claws (45), as well as the stop-part (46) with the shafts (55), (47) and (50). Behind the arms can be seen the support-part (53) which the three aforementioned shafts pass through. Behind the support (53) is situated a slide-holder (56) represented in the downwards position resting on the protuberance jutting out from the cover (57). The pivoting shaft (47) reaches up to the cover (57), the drag-link shaft (50) is cut off at the said slide-holder part (56) and the shaft (55) of the staple-stop (46) passes through to the cover (57) in the way that will be explained later.
The arrow (A) which appears in this figure 16 indicates the direction in which the staples from the loader, not illustrated, reach the area between the claws of the tool.
The support-part (53) shown in figures 17 and 18 makes it possible to observe the holes (58) for the shaft (55) of the stop-part (46), the hole (59) for the pivoting shaft (47) to pass through and the elongated slot (60) for the drag-link shaft, Between the holes (58) and (59) there is another hole indicated with the position (87) which is used for fixing the pivoting shaft (47) as will be appreciated on reference to figure 25.
Figures 19, 20 and 21 show the shape of one of the possible slide-holders to be incorporated into the tool with a staple loader and staples of a certain size. This slide-holder (56) is made up of the upper small feet (61) to operate on the protuberances of the cover and to receive, on their top part, the loader.
The vertical section of the slide-holder (56) is provided with the slot (62) through which the shaft (55) of the stop-part (46) moves, The slot gets wider in the area (63) and in the lower part the circular hole (64) is pointed out. The slot (63) receives a projecting section of the pivoting shaft (47) and the hole (64) allows the also projecting end of the drag-link shaft (50) to be seated.
Figures 22, 23 and 24 show another slide-holder part (56) of different dimensions from the previous one to receive another loader and other staples of a different size. In this part we can observe the slot (66) for the shaft (55), the slot (67) for the projection of the pivoting shaft (47) and the hole (68) to receive the projecting end of the drag-link shaft (50).
The arrangement or positioning of the different slide-holder parts allows staples of different sizes to be able to reach the area between the claws. Given that the claws are provided, as has been stated, with pairs of recesses to receive and close staples, these staples will arrive at the said claws at the recesses that correspond to them according to their size and depending on the appropriate slide-holder.
The pivoting shaft (47) is shown in figure 25. This shaft is provided with a rear screw-threaded extension (83) which juts out from the rear face of the cover (57) and receives a manually operated nut. The central circular projection (82) is housed in the slots (63) or (67) of the slide-holder (56), having the same or a slightly smaller diameter than that of the said slots. The protuberance jutting out from this projection (82) is received in the hole (87) of the support (53). The cylindrical area (81) passes through the arms (54) and the stop-part (46) and the front screw-threaded end (80) receives a lock washer.
The rear cover of the assembly, position (57) in figures 26, 27 and 28 is the part that fastens the assembly of all the parts of the tool. In this cover we point out the upper lateral projections (70) inside which there are the stepped hollows (73) and (74) that receive the protuberances that make contact with the small feet of the slide-holder. There are, for instance, two holes (71) and (72) cut through the body of this part, through which passes the extension (83) of the pivoting shaft (47), which becomes secured by a nut, not illustrated. The use of one or other of the holes (71) and (72) will depend on the size of the slide-holder part in question and on the size of the staple.
The cover (57) is also provided with a front slot (69) which allows the rear projection of the shaft (55) to be freed from the stop-part (46).
The part (75) is the one which becomes housed inside the projections in the cover. The upper section or head (77) finishes at the top in the rounded area (76) that makes contact with the small feet of the slide-holder and moreover acts as a stop for the spring (79) housed in the cavity (73). The section (79) of the part (75) remains clamped by the said spring and juts out to the exterior through the hole (74) in the projecting part (70) of the cover. To prevent this part (75) from coming out into the exterior, the end of the section (78).
Once it is housed together with the spring. The drag-link shaft (50) which is represented in figure 30, allows the central area (85) on which the drag-links are situated and the couple support (60) to be appreciated, together with the rear circular projection (86) which becomes housed in the holes (64) and (68) of the slide-holder (56) and the front slot (84) for the front lock washer to be fitted.
The operation of the tool with this incorporation is started by arranging or fitting the appropriate slide-holder which is required and which holds the staples that are needed for the item to be stapled. The cover is then placed with its manual nut. On starting the movement of the arms, the first staple in the batch makes contact with the stop-part (46), with the staple remaining between the required recesses or notches of the claws (45), which pick up the staple. As the closing of the claws continues, the drag-link shaft (50) is forced downwards by the action of the drag-links, which in its turn causes the downwards movement of the slide-holder (56), which makes all the loader, batch of staples, etc, move down, thus leaving sufficient free space for the item to be stapled to become perfectly housed between the claws and to be stapled by the staple that is situated between the claws.
Given that in this operation the small feet of the slide-holder have put pressure on the protuberances (76) on the cover, once that stapling has taken place, the slide-holder is pushed upwards and moves back to occupy its initial position, prepared for another operation with the staples at the appropriate height for the first of them to be picked up by the claws, thus repeating the cycle.
To change the slide-holder and logically the staples, it is necessary to loosen the nut which holds the cover (57) to the pivoting shaft (47), take out the slide-holder, fit another one in its place and then replace the rear cover.

Claims

1st.- PLIER STAPLERS WITH INTERCHANGEABLE HEADS of the type of those that are made up of a front part (3) which acts as a stop for the staples, two claws (2) which pick up the staples, a part (33) which supports the said claws and a support (12-15) for a store of staples which project towards the mentioned stop-part, in that all of these are connected by means of a shaft (4) equipped with end nuts and in that the parts, staple-slide support and claw support, have vertically slotted holes for a shaft to pass through, which is then connected at the front to a pair of drag-links (5) fastened to the bodies of the claws, which is essentially characterized because the shaft (37) which takes in the parts, staple-stop (3), claws (2) claw support (33) and staple slide support (12) is provided at its rear end with a screw-threaded section (38) and an attached circular projection (39), with this projection being housed in a circular hole (13) in the slide-holder, with the screw-threaded end receiving a manually operated nut (42), whose fron on the side of the side of the pliers makes contact with the said attached circular projection and with the body of the slide-holder, in that the rear end of the drag-link shaft (7) moves freely in the vertical slots in the slide-holder parts, all of this to extract the staple-slide support part and the said slide itself from the rest of the elements, in that the claw support part (33) has a vertical slotted hole larger in size than the slotted holes in the different staple-slide support parts, and in that the claws are provided with pairs of recesses or notches at different heihgts, and situated opposite each other so as to pick up the different staples according to their size.

2nd.- PLIER STAPLERS WITH INTERCHANGEABLE HEADS in accordance with the previous claim, characterized because each claw (2) has, at least, two pairs of recesses (28-29) to receive staples of different sizes and because at least two staple guide support parts and their corresponding staple guides can be fitted.

3rd.- PLIER STAPLERS WITH INTERCHANGEABLE HEADS in accordance with the 1st. claim, characterized because the distance from the centre of each pair of corresponding recesses from the claws to their pivoting point, is equal to the distance that exists, in each staple-slide support part, between the centre through which the pivoting shaft of the pliers passes and its free upper end.

4th.- PLIER STAPLERS WITH INTERCHANGEABLE HEADS in accordance with the 1st.claim, characterized because there are slide-holders (56), equipped with pairs of rear small feet (61) at rigth angles to their vertical area, in that this latter area is provided with a lower circular hole (21) in which a circular projection of the drag-link shaft (50) of the assembly is housed and finishes, and a wide, vertically-placed, slotted hole (63) through which the pivoting shaft (47) of the tool passes by means of its own circular projection (82), with the said shaft being secured, by a circular hole, to a rear cover (57) equipped with some upwardly projecting lateral protuberances which, forced by springs, act on the rear small feet of the slide-holder.

5th.- PLIER STAPLERS WITH INTERCHANGEABLE HEADS, in accordance with the 4th. claim, characterized because the rear cover (57) is provided with two circular holes (28-29) at different heights, in one of which the pivoting shaft (47) of the tool which is locked by a nut, is housed, depending on the different slide-holders and according to the size of the staples to be used.

6th.- PLIERS STAPLERS WITH INTERCHANGEABLE HEADS, in accordance with the 4th. and 5th. claims, characterized because the rear side of the cover (57) is provided with two vertical lateral projections (70) situated in its upper part, in that the projections are hollow and house springs (79) which clamp protuberances with a lower section of a smaller diameter surrounded by springs and an upper section of greater diameter which makes contact with the small feet of the slide-holders, in that the vertical projections have a perforation or hole in their base to allow the areas of smaller diameter of the protuberances to pass through.