MXPA98001444A - Engrapadora with warehouse for gra - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stapler comprising: a relatively rigid base that includes a tail portion and a lower portion, an elastic skate pivotally connected to the base, the skate includes a cover portion and a loop portion that is extends therefrom, and the skate cover portion and the lower portion of the base jointly define a storage chamber adapted to store the replacement fasteners, the cover portion and the loop portion of the skate together define between them a aperture through which the tail portion of the base is slidably positioned, the loop portion is positioned around the tail portion so that the cover portion is pivotally movable about an external pivot axis between i) a closed position in which the skate deck portion connects reparably with the portion with the lower portion of the base, and ii) a position open in which the skate deck portion is pivotally separated from the lower portion of the base, and a stabilizing means and limit for i) which stabilizes the pivot connection between the skate and the base as the skate is moved to its open position, and ii) limiting the maximum pivotal displacement of the cover portion from its closed position, the stabilizing means and limit being formed jointly and integrally in the base and the

Description

"ENGRAPADORA WITH STORE FOR STAPLES" This is a continuation in part of the North American application Number 08 / 517,994 filed on August 22, 1995. The present invention relates generally to staplers and, more particularly, to staplers having internal storage chambers adapted to store spare fasteners. , such as staples.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has been proposed to store the staples in a stapler (US Patent Number 1,663,242) and enclosed bottom-type skate-type units have been proposed in order to provide a separable cover for the storage of the paper clips in a clipboard applicator (US Pat. Number 3, 665,580).

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION Broadly, the present invention comprises a stapler with staple or clip storage where the storage chamber has a separable door and when in place, is placed in a frame in the chamber. A particularity of the door is that it can be made of a resilient material so that the door engages the frame by resilience and / or friction. In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stapler comprising a base and a skate pivotally connected to the base. The skate and base jointly define a storage chamber adapted to store spare fasteners such as staples. The skate is pivotally movable around the base between i) a closed position in which the skate connects to the base and covers the storage chamber and ii) an open position in which the skate is pivotally separated from the base and exposes the storage chamber. The stapler further includes stabilization means and limit for i) stabilizing the pivot connection between the skid and the base, when the skid moves to pivot to or to its open position, and ii) to limit the maximum pivot travel of the skid. cover portion from its closed position to its open position. The aforementioned arrangement of the stapler provides an economical pivot connection between the skid and the base for convenient access to the storage chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of the stapler of the present invention; Figure 2 is a bottom view of the stapler including the separable door of the staple store; Figure 3 is a bottom view with the storage door separated and a staple rod stored; Figure 4 is a bottom view with a storage compartment and the door support frame therein; Figure 4a is a sectional view on line 4a-4a of Figure 4; Figure 5 is a plan view of the interior surface of the door; Figure 5a is a sectional view on line 5a-5a of Figure 5; Figure 6 is a bottom side view of the door support frame with a door being partially detached from the frame; Figure 7 is a rear elevational view of the stapler with an end opening in the stapler base to assist in the separation of the door; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the stapler of the present invention; Figure 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the stapler taken along line 9-9 of Figure 8. Figure 10 is a reduced isolated side elevational view of the base shown in Figures 8 and 9. Figure 11 is a top plan view of the base taken on line 11-11 of Figure 10. Figure 12 is an end elevation view of the base taken along line 12-12 of Figure 10. Figure 13 is a bottom plan view of the base taken along line 13-13 of Figure 10. Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of the base taken along line 14-14 of Figure 13. Figure 15 is an enlarged isolated top plan view of the anvil shown in Figures 8 and 9.

Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view of the anvil taken along line 16--16 of Figure 15. Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view of the anvil taken along line 17--17 of Figure 15. Figure 18 is a reduced top plan view of the skate shown in Figures 8 and 9. Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view of the skate taken on line 19--19 of Figure 18. Figure 20 is a view in cross section of the skate taken on line 20-20 of Figure 18. Figure 21 is a partial cross-sectional view of the pad portion of the skate taken on line 21-21 of Figure 18 Figure 22 is a reduced isolated bottom plan view of the skate taken along line 22-22 of Figure 9. Figure 23 is another perspective view of the stapler of Figures 8 and 9, but showing the skate. in its open position pivoted from the lower portion of the base. Figure 24 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 24-24 of Figure 23.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY Figures 1 to 7 illustrate a first embodiment of the stapler of the present invention. In Figures 1 to 7, the stapler 10 includes a base 11 that includes a lower base, having a lower part 11b, an upper part llf and an upper base llu and the pivot head 12. The base 11 has an opening 13 of doorway in its lower part llb which is defined by a lower edge 16. The door opening opening 13 in the lower base portion 11b provides access to a staple storage chamber 17 with the upper interior surface 17f where one or more staple rods 18 can be stored (Figure 3). The door opening opening 13 is capable of being closed by placing a rubber door or other resilient door or sled 15 therein. The door 15 includes a panel portion 15a, a perimeter rib portion 15b and a pull tab portion 15c. The perimeter rib portion has a width and has a surface 16i of internal perimeter and a surface 16o of external perimeter (see Figure 5a). Inside the chamber 17 there is an inner door engageable with the partially rectangular frame 19 raised to engage in an extensible and frictional manner the portion 15b of the perimeter rib of the door 15. Likewise, in the chamber 17, a frame section 21a adjacent the frame 19 having side pieces 22a, 22b and end pieces 21b, 23. The end piece 21b of the frame forms part of the frame 19 and couples the rib 15b of the perimeter door on its outer surface 16o (Figure 5a). The section 21a of the frame and the edge 16 are parallel to the end piece 23 of the frame and the side parts 22a, 22b of the frame 19 and are separated therefrom so that the rib portion 15b is placed in a compressible manner already friction between them to help hold the door 15 in place. In this way, additional resistance is achieved to hold the door 15 in place, by coupling the rib 15b between the outer surface 24 of the frame side pieces 22a, 22b of the frame 19 and between the frame 21a of the frame the end piece 23 of the frame (see Figure 4a). The adjacent frame section 21a is separated from the end piece 23 of the frame by a distance WW. Returning to Figure 6, the door 15 is shown as detaching from the frame 19 and moving away from the section 21a of the adjacent frame. Finally, in Figure 7, a finger notch area 26 in the lower part llb of the frame is shown which helps to hold the wing 15c of the door.

Figures 8 to 24 illustrate a second embodiment of the stapler of the present invention. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the stapler 102 includes a longitudinal axis 103, a base assembly 104, and a head assembly 106 pivotally connected to the base assembly 104. The base assembly 104 includes a base 110, a skate or door 112 pivotally connected to the base 110, a retaining means 114 for pivotally retaining the skate 112 on the base 110, a magnetic means 116 for magnetically securing the stapler 111 to other objects, a stabilizing means 118 and limit for stabilizing the pivot connection between the skate 112 and the base 110 when the skate 112 moves toward or is in its open position and to limit the maximum pivot displacement of the skate 112 away from the base 110, and an anvil 120 The head assembly 106 includes an impeller 122, an extension spring 124, a pusher 126, a reservoir 128 and a cap or cover 130. As shown in Figures 9 to 13, the base 110 includes a pair of pins 131. of pivot that extend laterally, separated. Each pin 131 couples a respective complementary blind bore defined in each of the opposite side walls 133 of the lid 130. The base 110 is preferably formed of a non-brittle, relatively rigid plastic such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (A.B.S.). This material advantageously minimizes the weight and cost of the stapler 102. As shown in Figures 10 to 14, the base 110 includes a body 132 having an integrally formed lower portion 134 and an integrally formed tapered tail portion 136. It works as an integrated staple remover. The skate 112 is preferably formed of a resilient elastomeric material. For example, the material may be a thermoplastic elastomer such as a styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (T.P.E.) or a thermoplastic olefin elastomer such as a rubber-reinforced polypropylene with a cross-linked rubber (T.P.O.). The material and the shape of the skate advantageously provide comfort when the stapler 102 is held in the hand. As shown in Figures 18 to 22, the skate 112 includes an integrally formed cover portion 142 and an integrally formed strip or loop portion 144, extending from the back of the cover portion 142. As shown in Figures 9 and 23, the cover portion 142 of the skate 112 cooperates with the lower portion 134 of the base 110 in order to jointly define a storage chamber 145. The storage chamber 145 is adapted to store replacement fasteners 146 such as staples and / or paper clips. Referring again to Figures 18 to 22, an opening or holes 147 is defined between the cover portion 142 and the loop portion 144 of the skate 112. The means of the retention device 114 is provided to i) pivotally selectively retain the loop portion 144 of the skate 112 in the tail portion 136 of the base 110, when the cover portion 142 pivots between its open and closed positions, and ii) release the loop portion 144 from the portion 136 of glue in order to completely separate the skate 112 from the base 110. Preferably the retaining means 114 includes at least one relatively rigid protuberance 148 integrally formed in the tail portion 136 of the base 110. In the embodiment shown, the portion 136 of tail includes a pair of separate protrusions 148 extending laterally, extending in opposite directions. Referring to Figures 23 and 24 during the assembly of the skate 112 on the base 110, the resilient loop portion 144 of the skate 112 elastically elongates above and slides past both relatively rigid protuberances 148. After elongating above and clearing the protuberances 148, the resilient loop portion 144 and opening 147 elastically contract to their normal size. Consequently, the loop portion 144 is retained about the tail portion 136 in a restricted location between the protuberances 148 and the body 132 of the base 110. Normally, the loop portion 144 remains within this site when the portion 142 of Skate deck 112 is pivoted between its closed and open positions. Nevertheless, with the intentional application of a sufficient separation force, the elastic loop portion 144 may extend above the relatively rigid protuberances 148, to completely separate the skate 112 from the base 110. As shown in Figures 23 and 24, the stabilizing means and device 118 is provided to stabilize the pivotal connection between the skate 112 and the base 110, when the skate 112 is in or pivots to its open position relative to the base 110. The means 118 of stabilization and limit is also provided to limit the angular displacement or maximum pivot of the cover portion 142 remote from contact with the lower portion 134 of the base 110. This arrangement helps to ensure that the skate 112 does not accidentally separate in a manner complete from the base 110, when the storage container 145 is opened. In the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 23, the stabilizing and boundary means 118 includes three first guide members 149, integrally formed with the base 110 as shown in Figure 13, and two second guide members 150 integrally formed with the second guide member 150. skate 112 as shown in Figure 18. As shown in Figure 14, the first guide members 149 have opposite guide surfaces 138 are mutually spaced in parallel relation with respect to each other. Also, as shown in Figures 18 and 22, the second guide members 150 have opposite guide surfaces 140 that separate mutually in parallel relation with respect to each other. In the embodiment shown, each of the guide surfaces 138, 140 are planar. As shown in Figures 14 and 23, the first guide members 149 are placed on an end portion of the lower portion 134 of the base 110. As shown in Figures 20 and 23, the second guide members 150 are placed in an opposite oriented end portion of the skate 112. During the assembly of the base 100 and the skate 112, each second guide member 150 is slidably positioned within the respective space or slot 151 defined between the first adjacent guide members 149. The first and second resultant interlaced guide members 149, 150 placed within the opening 147 are generally centered along the longitudinal axis 103 and the stapler 102.

In the assembled but open condition of the stapler 102 shown in FIG. 23, the guide surface 140 (FIG. 22) of the second guide members 150 are placed parallel to the guide surface 138 (FIG. 14) of the first guide members. 149 guide members. By this arrangement, each second guide member 150 of the skate 112 is laterally supported advantageously and is thus stabilized by means of the opposing guide surfaces 138 of the respective first adjacent guide members 149 of the base 110. As shown in FIG. shown in Figures 10 and 24, each first guide member 149 includes a shoulder 152. As shown in Figures 20 and 24, each second guide member 50 includes a pillow portion 153. In the fully open portion position 142 of cover shown in Figures 23 and 24, each pad portion 153 selectively abuts against a respective shoulder 152 of the first guide member 149. In Figure 24, the location of this stop is indicated by the reference number 155. At the same time, the inner edges of the loop portion 144 bump against the tail portion 136 at sites 157, 159. Consequently, the displacement The pivot portion of the cover portion 142 is constrained such that the loop portion 144 of the skate 112 does not slip unintentionally over the protuberances 148 and thus completely separates from the tail portion 136 of the tail portion 136. base 110. The magnetic means or device 116 is provided to selectively selectively secure stapler 102 with metal objects such as refrigerators and other appliances, furniture or office equipment surfaces, room walls and the like. The magnetic means 116 facilitates convenient storage and high visibility of the stapler 102 so that it can be easily located and retrieved for use. In the embodiment shown in Figures 9 and 22, the magnetic means 116 includes a magnet 154 that is connected to the cover portion 142 of the skate 112. The magnet 154 is preferably formed of a magnetized encapsulated material. This advantageously minimizes the weight of the stapler 102 and also contributes to the flexibility of the resilient pad 102 as it is selectively disengaged from or coupled with the base 110 to open or close the storage chamber 145. The magnet 154 is fixedly fixed by an adhesive or the like in a blind recess 156 of the cover portion 142 of the skate 112. The anvil 120 is preferably formed of a hard, impact-resistant material such as annealed stainless steel. As shown in Figures 9 and 15 to 17, the anvil 120 includes a body portion 158, which defines a pair of staple fold recesses 160, and a pair of separate leg portions 162 extending from the portion 158 of body. The body portion 158 of the anvil 120 is placed in a complementary blind recess 164 (Figures 10 and 11) formed in the base 110. In the embodiment shown, the body portion 158 and the recess 164 are rectangular in shape. Preferably, the leg portions 162 of the anvil 120 are placed almost perpendicular to the body portion 158 and are parallel to one another. The recess 164 of the base 110 includes a pair of separate slots 166. Each slot 166 has a shape that is complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the respective leg portion 162. The surrounding wall of each slot 166 receives and frictionally retains, by an interference fit, the respective leg portion 162 of the anvil 120. As shown in Figure 9, the base 110 and the skate 112 together define the reinforcement means 168 to hold the anvil 120 and accommodate the impact load transmitted between the reservoir 128 and the anvil 120 during the operation of the stapler 102. The reinforcement means 168 includes a relatively rigid post or column 170 received within a wall 172 of the complementary plug. relatively elastic The post 170 is formed integrally in the base 110 and extends behind the lower part of the recess 164 for the anvil 120. The wall 172 of the plug on the other hand is formed in the skate 112 and defines a complementary blind perforation 174 that slidably receives. the post 170 during the assembly of the stapler 112 in the base 110. Alternatively, the locations of the post 170 and the plug 172 can be reversed so that the post 170 connects to the skate 112, and the wall 172 of the plug is connected to the base 110. In the embodiment shown, the post 170 has an area in rectangular cross-section having about or about the same length as the body portion 158 of the anvil 120, in order to maximize the support under the anvil. The post 170 is detachably connected to the wall 172 of the plug by a slight interference fit. Therefore, the post 170 and the wall 172 of the plug serve for multiple functions not only to hold the anvil 120 and accommodate the impact load but also to frictionally engage the cover portion 142 of the skate 112 to the lower portion 134 of the base 110. In order to increase the engaging power of the reinforcing means 168, the front portion of the lower portion 174 of the base 110 may optionally include a pair of integrally formed spaced pins 180 extending therefrom. In that case, the skate 112 includes a pair of integrally formed landmarks 182 extending therefrom where each land 182 defines a blind hole 184. Referring to Figures 22 and 23, during the assembly of the base 110 and the skate 112 the tail portion 136 of the base 110 is slidably positioned through the opening 147 of the skate 112. As a result the loop portion 144 of the skate 112 is placed outside around tail portion 136 of base 110 and establishes a pivotal axis 178 of relative movement between skate 112 and base 110. Pivot pin 178 is positioned outside of base 110. In the embodiment shown, the pivotal connection between the loop portion 144 and the tail portion 136 is loose so that the pivot shaft 178 floats or is able to move slightly during relative movement between the skate 112 and the base 110. Alternatively, each pivot connection can be made relatively tight in order to more narrowly restrict or fix the position of the pivot shaft 178. In addition, the second guide members 150 are made to coincide with the first guide members 149 at a site spaced apart from the external pivot shaft 178. By this arrangement, the cover portion 142 of the skate 112 is pivotally movable about the external pivot axis 178 between i) a closed position in which the cover portion 142 connects detachably with the lower portion 134 of the base 110, and ii) an open position in which the cover portion 142 is angularly separated from the lower portion 134. The loop portion 144 formed integrally of the skate 112 and its external attachment to the tail portion 136 of the base 110, advantageously eliminates the need for one or more additional link pins and complementary perforations between the skate 112 and the base 110. The absence of these additional articulation pins and perforations helps to minimize the manufacturing cost of the stapler 102, for example, in terms of material and assembly costs. The first and second guide members 149, 150 maintain a pivotal alignment between the skate 112 and the base 110, for selective engagement and decoupling thereof. In the closed position of the skate 112, each relatively rigid pin 180 frictionally couples the relatively elastic wall of a blind bore 184, while the relatively rigid post 170 of the base 110 frictionally couples the relatively elastic blind bore 174 of the plug 172. of the skate 112. As shown in Figures 9 and 23, the storage chamber 145 of the stapler 102 can selectively obtain access in order to obtain the replacement fasteners 146, by initially pulling or pushing a leading edge 186 of the skate 112 so as to of separating it away from the lower portion 134 of the base 110. As the cover portion 142 of the skate 112 slides away from the lower portion 134 of the base 110., the pins 180 are removed from their respective blind perforations 184 and the post 170 is removed from its blind perforation 174. The first and second guide members 149, 150 cooperate with one another to stabilize the pivotal connection between the skate 112 and the base 110, when the skate 112 moves toward or is in its open position. The stabilization of the pivot connection helps to prevent the skate 112 from accidentally separating completely from the base 110, when the storage chamber 145 is opened. Other aspects, objects and advantages of this invention can be obtained from a study of the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims.

Claims (14)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N E S:

1. A stapler comprising: a relatively rigid base including a tail portion and a lower portion; an elastic skate pivotally connected to the base, the skate includes a cover portion and a loop portion extending therefrom, and the skate deck portion and the bottom portion of the base jointly define an adapted storage chamber for storing the spare fasteners, the cover portion and the loop portion of the shoe jointly define therebetween an opening through which the tail portion of the base is slidably placed, the loop portion is placed around the tail portion so that the cover portion is pivotally movable about an external pivot axis between i) a closed position in which the skid cover portion connects detachably with the lower portion of the base, and ii) an open position in which the skate deck portion is pivotally separated from the lower portion of the base; and a stabilization means and limit for i) which stabilizes the pivot connection between the skate and the base as the skate is moved to its open position, and ii) limit the maximum pivot displacement of the cover portion from its closed position, the stabilization and limit means being formed jointly and integrally in the base and the skate.

The stapler of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing and boundary means includes a plurality of first guide members connected to one of the base and the skid, at least one second guide member connected to the other of the base and the skate, the first guide members have guide surfaces placed parallel to each other and mutually separated, the second guide member has guide surfaces placed parallel to the guide surfaces of the first guide members and slidably placed between the guide members. a respective pair of adjacent guide surfaces of the first guide members, and first and second guide members that are spaced apart from the external pivot shaft.

The stapler of claim 2, wherein each first guide member includes a shoulder and each second guide member includes a pad portion adapted to selectively bump against a respective shoulder of the first guide members in the fully open position of the guide member. the cover portion, and in this way limit the maximum pivotal displacement of the cover portion.

The stapler of claim 3, wherein the first guide members are formed integrally in the lower portion of the base and the second guide members are integrally formed in an opposite oriented end portion of the skid, the first and second members of guide are placed within the opening defined partially by the loop portion.

The stapler of claim 1, further including a retaining means for selectively retaining the loop portion in the tail portion, when the cover portion is pivoted between its open and closed positions.

The stapler of claim 5, wherein the retaining means includes a plurality of spaced protuberances integrally formed in the tail portion of the base, the loop portion of the shoe being elastically stretchable to slide over and slide past the legs. protuberances during the assembly of the skate in the base.

The stapler of claim 1, wherein the skate includes a magnetic means for magnetically securing the stapler to a metal object.

8. The stapler of claim 7, wherein the magnetic means includes a magnet connected to the skate cover portion.

9. The stapler of claim 1, further including an anvil placed in the base, the base and the skate together define a reinforcement means for supporting the anvil.

10. The stapler of claim 9, wherein the reinforcing means includes a post, formed in one of the base and the skate, and a plug wall formed in the other of the base and the skate, the post being detachably positioned in the wall of the plug to selectively engage the skate and the base together.

The stapler of claim 10, wherein the post is formed in the base and extends behind the anvil, the plug wall is formed in the skid and defines a blind bore that slidably receives the post.

The stapler of claim 9, wherein the anvil includes a body portion and at least one leg portion extending therefrom, the base defining a recess that receives the body portion and at least one groove which ret friction a respective leg portion of the anvil.

A stapler comprising: a base including a tail portion and a bottom portion, the bottom portion defining a storage chamber adapted to store the replacement fasteners; a skate including a cover portion and a resilient loop portion extending therefrom, the loop portion defining an opening through which the tail portion is slidably positioned so that the cover portion is movable to pivoting around the tail portion between i) a closed position in which the cover portion of the stapler detachably connects with the lower portion of the base and ii) an open position in which the cover portion of the skate is separated to pivot from the lower portion of the base; and a magnet connected to the skate deck portion.

14. The stapler of claim 13, wherein the skate cover portion defines a recess oriented away from the base, the magnet is formed of a magnetized, jacketed material and is fixedly positioned in the recess of the cover portion.