EP0555035B1

EP0555035B1 - Single piece body for stapler or hole punch

Info

Publication number: EP0555035B1
Application number: EP93300709A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Edward Mark Harris
Original assignee: Acco Rexel Group Services Ltd
Current assignee: Acco Rexel Group Services Ltd
Priority date: 1992-02-03
Filing date: 1993-02-01
Publication date: 1995-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 2013-02-01
Also published as: DE69300983D1; GB9202227D0; EP0555035A1; DE69300983T2; ES2080587T3; ATE131429T1

Abstract

An item of office equipment adapted to operate on sheets of paper comprises an integrally formed main body (1), a first component (5) mounted upon a first portion (2) of the main body and a second component (17) mounted upon a second portion (3) of the main body. The main body (1) forms a hinged connection (4) between the first and second components such that these components are normally held in opposed, spaced apart relationship but are movable towards each other so as to cooperate with each other when the item of equipment is being used. <IMAGE>

Description

THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to an item of office equipment and more particularly to such an item having a pair of opposed components which cooperate with each other in use of the item and which are movable towards and away from one another. Thus, this invention relates to items such as staplers, hole punches and the like, cf. GB-A-2 149 338 corresponding to the preamble of claim 1.
The present invention seeks to provide a simplified construction for an item of office equipment of the type discussed above which enables the items to be manufactured relatively inexpensively.
According to the present invention there is provided an item of office equipment adapted to operate on one or more sheets of paper, the item of equipment comprising an integrally formed main body, a first component mounted upon a first portion of the main body and a second component mounted upon a second portion of the main body, the main body forming a hinged connection between the first and second components such that the first and second components are normally held in opposed, spaced apart relationship but are movable towards each other so as to cooperate with each other when the item of equipment is being used characterised in that each of the first and second portions of the main body are formed with means designed slidingly to receive one of the first and second components.
It will be understood that staplers and hole punches constitute examples of items of office equipment which are adapted to operate on one or more sheets of paper. Thus a stapler serves to interconnect several sheets of paper with a staple whilst a hole punch serves to form a hole through one or more sheets of paper.
Preferably the main body comprises an integrally moulded plastics component having an inherent degree of resilience which serves to bias the first and second components to positions in which they are held in said opposed, spaced apart relationship.
Conveniently the main body comprises a generally U-shaped element, the arms of the U-shaped element constituting said first and second portions of the main body.
Advantageously the arms of the U-shaped element are of similar form, each arm being substantially a mirror image of the other.
Preferably each arm of the U-shaped main body is provided with means for releasably retaining one of the first and second components thereon.
Conveniently each arm of the main body defines a channel designed slidingly to receive one of the first and second components.
Advantageously the channel has a base formed with an upstanding projection which serves to locate the first or second component axially within the channel.
Preferably the upstanding projection is formed on the free end of a resilient finger defined in the base of the channel and is dimensioned to be releasably snap-fitted into a bore formed in the first or second component in order to locate the component axially within the channel.
Conveniently the channel in each arm is provided with a stop to limit insertion of the first or second component into the channel.
The item of office equipment may comprise a stapler or a hole punch.
When the item of equipment comprises a stapler, the first portion of the main body constitutes a base carrying an anvil and the second portion of the main body constitutes a cover carrying the remaining components of the stapler.
If, alternatively the item of equipment comprises a hole punch, the first portion of the main body constitutes a base which carries a die and the second portion of the main body constitutes a cover which carries a punch or an element adapted to engage a punch.
In order that the present invention may be more readily understood and so that further features thereof may be appreciated the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view illustrating the components of an item of office equipment in accordance with this invention;
FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of a second item of office equipment in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of an alternative design for the second item of office equipment in accordance with this invention;
FIGURE 4 is an exploded view of an alternative design for the item of the office equipment of Figure 1; and
FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view through the item of Figure 4 when assembled.

Referring initially to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings there is shown an item of office equipment in the form of a stapler comprising a main body 1 which is an integrally moulded, inherently resilient, generally U-shaped element having a lower arm 2 and an upper arm 3 which are interconnected by an arcuate section 4 adjacent one end. The lower arm 2 forms a base adapted to carry an anvil 5 whilst the upper arm 3 forms a cover adapted to carry the "upper components" of the stapler. The main body 1 therefore serves to provide a hinged or pivotal connection between the upper and lower components of the stapler.
The upper and lower arms 2, 3 of the main body are of similar form each comprising a substantially planar portion 6 carrying a pair of opposed upstanding side walls 7 which extend over approximately half the length of each arm from the interconnected ends of the arms. The opposed side walls 7 which extend downwardly from the upper arm 3 are spaced apart at a lesser distance than the upstanding walls 7 formed on the lower arms so that when the upper and lower arms of the main body are moved towards one another the opposed walls of the upper arm will be received within the upstanding walls formed on the lower arm. The planar portion 6 of the upper and lower arms is formed with a U-shaped cut out which serves to define a resilient finger 8 carrying an inwardly directed boss or projection 9 at its free end. On the inwardly directed surface of the planar portion 6 of the upper arm and the lower arm there is formed a channel or recess 10. The base of the channel or recess 10 carries an inwardly directed upstanding projection 11 located centrally within the base of the channel at a position between the walls 7. A pair of inwardly directed tabs 12 extends towards one another from the sides of the channel 10 at positions spaced above the base of the channel and in alignment, longitudinally of the channel, with the arms of the U-shaped cut out which defines the resilient finger 8 on each of the upper and lower arms 2, 3.
It is to be appreciated that in the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings the left hand end of the main body 1 will constitute the front end of the stapler whilst the right hand end of the main body will constitute the rear of the stapler and references to the front and rear are to be construed accordingly.
The anvil 5 has a front portion defining a conventional recess 13 which is designed to receive and clinch the lower ends of staples ejected from an upper component of the stapler when the stapler is used. The front end of the anvil is provided with a downturned lip 14. The rear end of the anvil comprises a planar portion which is designed to permit mounting of the anvil within the lower arm 2 of the main body 1. Thus, the rear end of the anvil 5 is designed to be slidingly received within the channel 10 beneath the inwardly projecting, opposed tabs 12. The planar rear portion of the anvil is formed with a recess 15 extending into the anvil from the rearmost edge thereof, this recess serving to receive the projection 11 formed in the lower arm 2 of the main body 1 when the anvil is fully inserted into the lower arm. In addition the planar rear portion of the anvil defines a through bore 16 into which the upwardly projecting boss 9 formed on the end of the resilient finger 8 in the lower arm of the main body is designed to be snap-fitted.
The upper components of the stapler comprise a single, integrally moulded, elongate plastics element 17 which constitutes a staple carrier, a staple steady and an ejector blade support all in one. The element 17 may be considered as having a bottom portion 18 which forms the magazine carrier and a top portion 19 which is hinged thereto at one end and which forms the staple steady and which is integrally formed with an ejector blade support 20. The top portion may be raised and lowered relative to the bottom portion about the hinge connection at one end of the element.
The staple carrier 18 is in the form of an open top, elongate rectangular box having a base and opposed upstanding side walls 21 and end walls 22. The upper edge of the front end wall 22 defines a small circular recess 23 having a narrowed or restricted entrance so that the recess may be considered to be of generally keyhole-shaped configuration. The staple carrier is designed to accommodate a "strip" of staples and thus the spacing between the opposed side walls 21 is approximately equal to or only slightly greater than the width of the staples which are to be used with the stapler. Immediately behind the front end wall 22 the base of the staple carrier 18 defines a staple ejection slot dimensioned to permit the passage of one staple therethrough. The ejection slot is aligned above the recess 13 defined by the anvil 5 when the element 17 is mounted upon the underside of the upper arm 3 of the main body 1 in the manner as will be described hereinafter.
The staple steady 19 is substantially planar and is formed on its underside with a pair of longitudinally extending strips 24 which are snugly received within the opposed side walls 21 of the staple carrier when the staple steady is lowered so as to close the open top of the staple carrier. When the staple steady is in the fully lowered positioned the longitudinally extending strips 24 lie on top of a strip of staples received in the carrier and serve to hold the staples in place. At its front end the staple steady is formed with a circular section projection which is designed to be received as a snap-fitting in the recess 23 formed in the upper edge of the front end wall 22 of the staple carrier when the staple steady is in the lowered position. The cooperating recess 23 and projection 25 therefore serve to releasably hold the staple steady in the lowered or "closed" position.
Adjacent its front end the staple steady 19 is formed with a generally U-shaped cut out which serves to define a notch or tab 26 to which one end of a spring 27 is connected. The spring 27 extends beneath the staple steady to be connected at its other end to a staple pusher 28 which is retained within the staple carrier 18 and which is slidably movable axially of the staple carrier.
The staple pusher 28 is of generally parallelepipedal form having a width slightly less than the distance between the opposed side walls 21 of the staple carrier. The pusher is formed with a lug 29 on its rearwardly directed face to which one end of the spring 27 is connected. The base of the staple carrier 18 is formed with a T-shaped cut out with the head of the T positioned adjacent the rear end of the base and the stem of the T extending centrally along the base to terminate at a position spaced from the front end of the staple carrier. The pusher 28 is slidably mounted on the base of the staple carrier by means of a pair of laterally projecting wings 30 which are disposed at a position below the level of the underside of the main body of the pusher. The wings 30 are designed to pass through the head of the T-shaped cut out in the base of the staple carrier whereupon the pusher may be moved axially of the carrier so that the wings 30 are then held captive beneath the base thereof. The wings 30 do not project laterally beyond the overall width of the main body of the pusher 28 and thus the main body is formed with cut away regions disposed above the wings 30. Adjacent the head of the T-shaped cut out formed in its base the staple carrier is formed with an upstanding projection past which the pusher 28 must be moved before it will slide freely along the length of the carrier. This projection serves to prevent the pusher from moving back to a position in which the wings 30 are aligned with the head of the T-shaped cut out so that once the pusher has been mounted on the base it can no longer readily be removed.
The spring 27 serves, when the staple steady 19 is in the lowered or closed position, to bias the pusher 28 along the staple carrier 18 towards the front end thereof, thereby biassing staples within the staple carrier towards the ejection slot formed at the front end of the base of the carrier.
The top portion of the integrally formed element 17 may be considered as bifurcated since the upper surface of the staple steady is formed with an upwardly and forwardly extending "upper" platform which overlies the staple steady over the majority of its length but terminates short of the free end of the staple steady. This upper platform constitutes the support 20 for a staple ejector blade 31. The ejector blade 31 is generally L-shaped, having a first limb 32 which constitutes the blade proper and a second limb 33 forming means for mounting the blade on the free end of the upper platform 20. The limb 33 of the ejector blade defines a generally keyhole-shaped open mouthed recess 34 which is designed to receive, as a snap fitting, a circular projection 35 provided adjacent the free end of the upper platform 20 so as to locate the blade on the end of the platform. It will be observed that the limb 33 of the ejector blade is of planar form and the outermost side edges of the limb serve in mounting the upper components of the stapler on the underside of the upper arm 3 of the main body 1 as will be described below.
The limb 32 which forms the blade proper defines a vertically extending slot 36 which receives the projection 25 formed on the front end of the staple steady when the blade is mounted on the upper platform 20, with the blade passing between the front end wall 22 of the staple carrier and the free end of the staple steady. Due to the inherent resilience of the plastics material from which the element 17 is formed, the upper platform 20 may be considered to act on the blade 31 in the manner of a biassing spring. Thus, the upper platform normally holds the blade in a raised position or will serve to bias the blade to this position, in which the blade is located above the endmost staple in a strip of staples received in the staple carrier 18, this endmost staple being disposed immediately above the staple ejection slot defined in the base of the carrier.
The upper components of the stapler, comprising the integrally formed element 17, the spring 27, the pusher 28 and the blade 31 are, when assembled, mounted on the underside of the upper arm 3 of the main body 1 by sliding the assembly into the channel 10 defined in the underside of the upper arm 3, whereupon the outermost edges of the limb 33 of the ejector blade are captively retained by the opposed tabs 12 and the downwardly directed boss 9 formed on the underside of the resilient finger 8 is pressed into a cut out or recess 37 formed in the upper surface of the platform 20. An inwardly directed pin 4A is provided on the internal surface of the arcuate portion 4 of the main body 1 and when the upper components of the stapler are mounted on the upper arm 3 of this pin extends into a bore provided in the rear end wall 22 of the staple carrier 18.
It is to be appreciated that the anvil 5 and the upper components of the stapler are releasably held in the lower and upper arms of the main body 1 respectively so that, if necessary, they can be removed by moving the resilient fingers 8 so as to cause the bosses 9 carried thereon to be released from the anvil or the platform 20 respectively, whereupon the anvil and the upper assembly can be slidingly removed from the main body 1.
The stapler is used in a conventional manner by positioning a number of sheets of paper or the like which are to be stapled together between the anvil 5 and the staple carrier 18. The upper and lower arms of the main body 1 are then pushed together which causes the staple carrier 18 and the anvil to come together and grip the sheets of paper or the like. Further pressure forcing the arms 2, 3 of the main body together causes the upper platform 20 and the ejector blade 31 carried thereon to be moved downwardly towards the staple steady 19 whereupon the blade 31 ejects a staple through the staple ejection slot with the staple then passing through the sheets of paper or the like so that its ends are clinched in the recess 13 in the anvil. When the force urging the arms 2, 3 of the main body 1 towards each other is removed the arms will naturally tend to spring apart due to the inherent resilience of the plastics material from which the main body 1 is formed, thereby separating the staple carrier and the anvil so that the stapled sheets of paper can be removed from the stapler. The pusher 28 biasses the staples in the staple carrier towards the ejection slot so that the stapler is now ready for use again with the next staple in the strip of staples positioned above the ejection slot.
When it is necessary to refill the staple carrier 18 with a new supply of staples the upper components of the stapler can be slidingly removed from the underside of the upper arm 3 of the main body 1 in the manner described above. The staple steady 19 is then pulled upwardly so that the projection 25 is withdrawn from the recess 23 and the staple steady is moved to the upper or open position as shown in outline in Figure 1 of the drawings. This hinging of the staple steady relative to the staple carrier 18 automatically causes the staple pusher 28 to be drawn towards the rear of the staple carrier thereby enabling a fresh "strip" of staples to be introduced into the staple carrier. The staple steady is then again moved to the lowered or closed position and the upper assembly is once again mounted on the underside of the upper arm 3 of the main body. The stapler is then ready for use again. It is envisaged that the design could be modified to provide for loading of staples without the need to remove the upper assembly from the main body and one such arrangement is illustrated in and described with reference to Figures 4 and 5.
Figure 2 of the drawings illustrates an item of office equipment in the form of a single hole punch. The punch has a main body 40 which is of identical form to the main body 1 of the stapler of Figure 1 and will therefore not be described in detail again. For ease of description the same reference numerals will be used for elements of the main body 40 as were used for the elements of the main body 1 described above.
The punch of Figure 2 is of a very simple construction and comprises an integrally formed metal die 41 and punch guide 42 which is mounted on the lower arm 2 of the main body 40, a metal punch 43 carried on a base plate 44 which is mounted on the upper arm 3 of the main body and a return spring 45 which surrounds the punch 43 and extends between the underside of the base plate 44 and the upper surface of the punch guide 42.
As can be seen from Figure 2 of the drawings the die 41 and the punch guide 42 are integrally formed as a generally U-shaped component with the die and the guide each constituting one of the arms of the U and being of generally planar form. The die 41 is of greater width than the guide 42. The die 41 defines two bores 46, 47 positioned centrally with respect to the width of the die 41. The free end of the punch guide 42 also defines a bore 48 which is aligned vertically above the bore 47 and is surrounded by a small, annular rim 49 which projects upwardly from the upper surface of the guide and serves to locate one end of the spring 45 on the upper surface of the guide.
The die 41 and guide 42 are slidingly received within the lower arm 2 of the main body 40 by inserting the die 41 into the channel 10 defined in the planar portion of the lower arm 2. The rearmost portion of the die 41 defines a recess 50 which receives the projection 11 in the base of the channel 10 and limits the extent to which the die 41 can be inserted into the channel. When the die is fully inserted into the channel the edges of the die are retained beneath the inwardly projecting tabs 12 and the bore 46 is located immediately above the boss 9 on the resilient finger 8 so that the boss may be pushed into the bore 46 as a press-fit in order to retain the die and guide in position on the lower arm.
The punch 43 is a conventional, circular section metal punch dimensioned to pass through the vertically aligned bores 47, 48. The punch is mounted on the base plate 44 which is of planar form and which defines a bore 51 at a central position across its width and behind the punch 43. The rearmost edge of the base plate 44 defines a recess 52, the bore 51 and the recess 52 serving to locate the punch and base plate on the underside of the upper arm 3 of the main body 40. Thus, the base plate may be slidingly introduced into the channel 10 defined by the upper arm 3 until the projection 11 formed on the upper arm is received within the recess 52 and prevents further insertion of the base plate into the channel. The inwardly directed tabs 12 serve to retain the base plate 44 in position on the underside of the upper arm 3 and when the base plate is fully inserted into the channel 10 the bore 51 is disposed immediately beneath the boss 9 formed on the end of the resilient finger 8 defined by the upper arm and the boss 9 can be forced into the bore 51 in order to secure the base plate in position axially with respect to the upper arm 3.
It is to be appreciated that the spring 45 will be positioned over the punch 43 before the punch and base plate 44 are mounted on the upper arm 3. When the hole punch has been fully assembled the spring 45 will be compressed slightly and the lower end of the punch 43 will just pass through the bore 48. Thus, when mounting the punch and base plate on the upper arm 3 the upper and lower arms of the main body will be moved apart about the hinge defined by the arcuate connection 4 between the ends of the upper and lower arms in order to permit the introduction of the base plate 44 into the channel 10. When the base plate has been introduced into the channel the inherent resilience of the material from the which the main body 40 is formed will cause the arms 2, 3 to move towards one another again and the lowermost end of the spring 45 will come to engage the upper surface of the guide 42 surrounding the annular rim 49 which serves to hold the lower end of the spring in position. The lowermost end of the punch 43 will then just pass through the bore 48.
When using the hole punch or more sheets of paper or the like through which a hole is to be punched are positioned upon the upper surface of the die 41 between the free end of the punch 43 and the bore 47. The upper and lower arms of the main body 40 are then pressed together causing the punch 43 to move downwardly through the bore 48, through the paper or the like and ultimately through the bore 47, compressing the spring 45 as it goes. When the pressure on the arms 2, 3 of the main body is released the arms will automatically move apart and return to the "neutral" or relaxed condition, assisted by the force exerted by the spring 45 which will serve to bias the arms 2, 3 apart.
Figure 3 of the drawings illustrates an alternative design for a single hole punch. The punch has a main body 60 which is of identical form to the main 40 of the punch of Figure 2 and thus to the main body 1 used for the stapler of Figure 1. Thus, the main body need not be described again in detail. As with the Figure 2 arrangement, the same reference numerals will be used for elements of the main body 60 as we used for the elements of the main body 1 of the stapler of Figure 1.
The punch of Figure 3 comprises an integrally formed plastics punch and die guide 61 which may be considered as generally U-shaped. The guide 61 has a lower limb 62 defining a bore 63 which is designed to receive a metal punch die insert 64 via its underside. The guide 61 has an upper limb 65 which defines a through-bore 66 which is aligned with a bore 67 formed in the die insert when the insert is mounted in the bore 63. The guide 61 is designed to be slidingly mounted on the lower arm 2 of the main body 60 in similar manner to the way in which the integrally formed die 41 and guide 42 of Figure 2 is mounted on the arm 2.
The punch of Figure 3 additionally comprises a metal striker plate 68 which is identical in form to the anvil 5 for the stapler of Figure 1 except it does not possess the indentations which serve to clinch the ends of a staple. Thus, no detailed description of the striker plate 68 need be given, and it will be appreciated that the striker plate 68 is mounted on the underside of the upper arm 3 of the main body 60 in the same way as the anvil 5 is mounted on the lower arm 2 of the main body 1 of the stapler of Figure 1.
The punch of Figure 3 further comprises a metal punch 69 having an enlarged head 70 formed at its upper end and a punch return spring 71 which is designed to surround the main body of the punch 69 and extend between the underside of the enlarged head 70 and the upper surface of the upper limb 65 of the guide 61 in a slightly compressed condition. The lower end of the spring 71 surrounds the bore 66 and is retained in place by a small upstanding annular rim formed around the upper end of the bore 66. The spring 71 thus retains the punch 69 in position when the hole punch has been assembled.
The hole punch of Figure 3 is used in very much the same way as that of Figure 2 with one or more sheets of paper or the like being positioned on the upper surface of the lower limb 62 of the guide 61 beneath the lower end of the bore 66. The upper and lower arms of the main body 60 are then pressed together causing the striker plate 68 to engage the enlarged head 70 of the punch 69 and drive the punch in a downwards direction through the bore 66, through the paper or the like and ultimately through the bore 67 formed in the die insert 64. When pressure on the arms 2, 3 of the main body is released the arms will automatically move apart and return to the initial condition, assisted by the force exerted by the spring 71.
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a modified version of the stapler of Figure 1, the modified version having a main body 80 and an anvil 81 which are both identical to the main body 1 and the anvil 5 of the Figure 1 embodiment and will therefore not be described in detail. For ease of description the elements of the main body and the anvil will be referred to using the reference numerals taken from Figure 1. It is therefore only the "upper components" of the stapler which vary from those shown in Figure 1 of the drawings and described above. These components have been modified in order to provide a stapler which can be reloaded without the need to remove the "upper components" from the main body 80.
The upper components comprise a staple carrier 82 which is formed as a plastics moulding, a spring metal element 83 which is mountable upon the staple carrier 82 and serves as a cover or staple steady as well as forming the staple ejector blade. In addition the upper components include a staple pusher 84 which is designed to be received within the staple carrier 82 and a spring 85 which extends between the base of the staple carrier and the staple pusher in order to bias the pusher into engagement with staples in the staple carrier and thereby bias the staples to a staple ejection slot formed in the base of the carrier.
The stapler carrier itself is again in the form of an open top, elongate rectangular box having a base 86, opposed upstanding side walls 87 and a front end wall 88. The staple carrier does not have a rear end wall. Immediately behind the front end wall 88 the base 86 of the staple carrier defines a staple ejection slot 89 (see Figure 5). A transverse bar 90 extends perpendicularly between the upper edges of the opposed upstanding walls 87 of the staple carrier and acts as a guide for the staple ejector blade in so much as it defines a slot or opening 91 immediately behind the rear wall 88 disposed directly above the staple ejection slot 89.
Just behind the staple ejection slot 89 the base 86 of the staple carrier defines an upstanding, hook-like projection 92 at a position centrally across the width of the base, this hook-like projection serving to hold one end of the spring 85 in position relative to the base of the staple carrier as will be referred to again in more detail hereinafter.
The spring metal element 83 which constitutes the cover or staple steady to be received upon the staple carrier 82 and the staple ejector blade comprises a planar strip of spring metal which is bent into a generally U-shaped form with the end of one arm of the U-shaped form being bent over so as to form a staple ejector blade 93. The arm of the element 83 which carries the staple ejector blade 93 is formed with a bore 94 and a pair of laterally projecting wings 95 by way of which the element is mounted on the underside of the upper arm 3 of the main body 80 with the wings 95 being held in place by the tabs 12 and with the boss 9 being inserted into the bore 94. The other arm of the element 83 constitutes the cover or staple steady designed to be mounted upon the open top of the staple carrier 82 and is identified by reference numeral 96. The staple steady defines an axially extending, centrally positioned elongate slot 97 which serves as a guide for the staple pusher 84. The staple steady is mounted upon the open top of the staple carrier 82 by slidingly introducing its opposed edges into undercut grooves formed on the inwardly directed surfaces of the opposed side walls 87 of the staple carrier adjacent the upper edges thereof. The staple steady 96 is introduced into the undercut channels from the rear of the staple steady as illustrated in Figure 4.
The staple pusher 84 is of substantially parallelepipedal form, with the underside of the pusher defining a semi-circular channel 98 extending from the front to the rear of the pusher, this channel serving to accommodate the spring 85. The rear face of the pusher defines a downwardly directed leg 99 (see Figure 5) to which one end of the spring 85 is connected. On its upper surface the pusher 84 is formed with a centrally located upstanding wall 100 which extends axially of the pusher and is designed to be received within and guided by the elongate slot 97 formed in the staple steady 96.
The "upper components" of the stapler of Figure 4 are assembled by connecting one end of the spring 85 to the upstanding projection 92 formed in the base of the staple carrier and connecting the other end of the spring to the downwardly extending leg 99 formed at the rear of the staple pusher 84. The staple pusher is inserted into the staple carrier 82 so that the spring is received beneath the pusher within the channel 98. The staple pusher 84 is then drawn towards the rear of the staple carrier 82 where it can be seen from Figure 4 of the drawings that the side walls 87 are of slightly reduced height. With the staple pusher aligned with the reduced height portions of the side walls 87 the staple steady 96 is positioned over the staple pusher 84 so that the upstanding wall 100 is received within the elongate slot 97. The staple steady 96 is then slidingly introduced into the undercut channels formed adjacent the upper edges of the side walls 97 and is pushed towards the front of the staple carrier. As the staple steady and thus the staple ejector blade 93 move towards the front of the staple carrier 82 it is necessary to raise the blade 92 slightly so that it passes over the transverse bar 90. When the staple steady 96 has been fully inserted the blade 93 can be allowed to move downwardly again whereupon it will be aligned with and received within the opening 91 as can be seen from Figure 5 of the drawings. The "upper components" of the stapler are now assembled and can be slidingly introduced into the underside of the upper arm 3 of the main body 80, as described above.
The stapler of Figures 4 and 5 is loaded with staples by pulling the staple carrier 82 out of the front of the main body. The staple steady 96, is, of course, held in position relative to the main body and thus the inside of the staple carrier 82 is exposed as the staple carrier is drawn out of the main body. As "strip" of staples can then simply be dropped into the staple carrier 82 which can then be allowed to move back into the main body 80 under the action of the spring 85 which will naturally tend to draw the staple carrier 82 back under the staple steady 96 in view of the engagement of the upstanding wall 100 within the elongate slot 97 formed in the staple steady.
The stapler of Figures 4 and 5 is used in the same way as that described in Figure 1. Pressing the arms 2, 3 of the main body together causes the blade 93 to be moved downwardly in order to force a staple out through the staple ejection slot 89. When the pressure forcing the arms 2, 3 together is released the arms naturally tend to spring apart.
It will be appreciated from the description given above that the components of the hole punch are releasably mounted on the arms of the main body 40. It will also be noted that a single design of body can be used for various items of office equipment. Clearly the use of a single plastics moulding as the main body for various items of office equipment helps to keep production costs down.
It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

An item of office equipment adapted to operate on one or more sheets of paper, the item of equipment comprising an integrally formed main body (1;40;60;80), a first component (17;44;68;82) mounted upon a first portion (3) of the main body and a second component (5;41;61;81) mounted upon a second portion (2) of the main body, the main body forming a hinged connection (4) between the first and second components such that the first and second components are normally held in opposed, spaced apart relationship but are movable towards each other so as to cooperate with each other when the item of equipment is being used characterised in that each of the first and second portions (2,3) of the main body are formed with means (6,8,9,10,11,12) designed slidingly to receive and hold one of the first and second components.
An item of office equipment according to Claim 1 wherein the main body (1;40;60;80) comprises an integrally moulded plastics component having an inherent degree of resilience which serves to bias the first and second components to positions in which they are held in said opposed, spaced apart relationship.
An item of office equipment according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the main body (1;40;60;80) comprises a generally U-shaped element, the arms (2,3) of the U-shaped element constituting said first and second portions of the main body.
An item of office equipment according to Claim 3 wherein the arms (2,3) of the U-shaped element are of similar form, each arm being substantially a mirror image of the other.
An item of office equipment according to Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein each arm (2,3) of the U-shaped main body is provided with means (6,8,9,10,11,12) for releasably retaining one of the first and second components thereon.
An item of office equipment according to Claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein each arm (2,3) of the main body defines a channel (10) designed slidingly to receive one of the first and second components.
An item of office equipment according to Claim 6 wherein the channel (10) has a base formed with an upstanding projection (9) which serves to locate the first or second component axially within the channel.
An item of office equipment according to Claim 7 wherein the upstanding projection (9) is formed on the free end of a resilient finger (8) defined in the base of the channel and is dimensioned to be releasably snap-fitted into a bore formed in the first or second component in order to locate the component axially within the channel.
An item of office equipment according to any one of Claims 6 to 8 wherein the channel (10) in each arm is provided with a stop (11) to limit insertion of the first or second component into the channel.
An item of office equipment according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the item of equipment comprises a stapler or a hole punch.