US2409854A - Stapling machine - Google Patents

Description

QCL'ZZ, 1946. 5 s, HELLER 2,409,854

STAPLING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1942 2 Sheets Sheec 2 lNVENTOR mm s. mum

ATToRNEYs Patented Oct. 22, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STAPLING MACHINE Harold s. Heller, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application June 25, 1942, Serial No. 448,359

7 Claims.

This invention relates to stapling machines, and more particularly to the small portable type known as oilce staplers. Such devices not only should be small, of light weight, inexpensive and yet sturdy and strong, but also should be free of unnecessarily complicated mechanism, require minimum care and attention, and present an ornamental and pleasing appearance in so far as that is possible.

One object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an improved stapler which is sturdy and strong though of relatively light weight; which is of simple construction including a minimum number of moving or operating parts so arranged as not likely to get out of order in service; which houses or encloses practically all of the smaller working parts within other operating parts, thereby not only protecting the mechanism from dirt, wear and tear, but also presenting a neat and pleasing more or less streamlined effect; and which stapler is arranged to utilize or operate upon a standard staple gang readily obtainable in the open market.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stapler of this kind which is capable of use in two or more diiferent ways, such as by pressing down on the staple driving lever while the stapler, with the work in it, rests upon a table or other support, or by squeezing together like jaws, the base and the staple driving lever, while the device is held in the hand and in that way applied to the work, or by moving the base out of the way to enable the staple carrying beam and the staple driving lever, together, to be applied directly to the work, where no staple clinching is required,

A further object of the invention is to simplify and improve the staple guiding mechanism, and more particularly its core and shell members, not only in such manner as to provide and permanently maintain the necessary relationship between said members, but also to enable them to be assembled with and within the staple carrying beam, for their protection against dirt and wear.

Another object is to utilizeparts of the same pieces which form the magazine for other purposes, such as to provide pivot lugs or ears, or a plunger guide, or for the attachment of still other parts, such as the staple feeder retainer.

Still another object is to provide an improved form of operating lever for the driving plunger, enabling such lever to serve as a housing for other parts, thereby simplifying the construction, reducing its weight and cost, and improving its general appearance.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, which, for purposes of illustration and in no sense of limitation, represent one suitable embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is an end elevationfrom the right in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a similar view fromthe left in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on the line 4-4, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional elevation on the line 5-5, Fig. 1;.Fig. 6 is a detail sectional plan View on the line 6-45, Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a bottom plan View; Fig. 8 is a side elevation conventionally illustrating one manner of use of the stapler; Fig. 9 is a detail sectionalelevation on the line 9-9, Fig. 6; and Fig. 10 is a detail view illustrating the staple feeder.

The stapler shown in the drawings, generally speaking, may be said to consist of four distinct parts which, assembled together, constitute a complete device. They are respectively a base I', a. stapl carrying beam 2, an operating member in the form of a lever 3 and a staple feeder 4. These will be described separately in the order named, along with recitation of the manner of their cooperation.

The base I includes a body portion 5 made of sheet metal, somewhat elongated in plan view with its opposite end portions 6, l widened to more or less circular form, the edges of the body, all the way around, being bent or turned inwardly underneath, as at 8, so as to present outwardly a smooth round edge with an appearance of substantial thickness and strength. The base is provided, on its lower surface, with suitable feet adapted to rest upon the table or other support, and which, consequently, should be so formed as not to mar or injure it. As shown, these feet, marked 9, are alike in form, each consisting of an annulus made of suitable material, such as a synthetic plastic, hard or medium hard rubber, or the like. Each annular foot 9 is provided with an outwardly extending flange l0 around its top entering and thereby confined in the channel of flange 8, so that it will not escape therefrom, as shown in Fig. 5. In practice, before assembly, each annulus is cut or slotted radially, as at H, to form a gap, the edges of which are squeezed together when the flange 8 is formed around the annulus, which therefore springs outwardly and is frictionally held in its seat, against rotation, although this is not essential.

One of the end portions of the base, such as that marked 6, supports the usual anvil 12, being pressed downwardly to provide a recess in the base for that purpose, a portion of the anvil protruding above the base, as shown in Fig. 4. The anvil is usually a plain rectangular piece of hardened steel suitably attached to the base, as by the rivet I3, and having any necessary forming recess or die cavity (not shown) in its upper surface.

At its opposite end 1, the base has attached to its upper surface means for supporting the remaining operating parts of the stapler, The supporting means is a channel shaped member E5, the web of which is riveted to the base, as at it, and the side flanges or arms of which extend upwardly and are rounded at their upper ends to form ears I! pierced to provide openings E8 to receive a pivot pin l9. Around said openings, the metal may be specially formed, as by pressing or swaging, to hold and permanently retain in place hardened bearing rings 28 (see Fig. for the pin l9, which is likewise hardened and is removably held in place by caps I902. Both the body portion 5 of the base and the web of the channel l5 are provided with registering openings 2| to receive an upwardly extending bent portion 22 of a leaf spring 23 riveted or otherwise secured, at 24, to the base member, the upwardly extending portion 22' of said spring serving to yieldingly support the staple carrying beam (later to be referred to) in its upper position prior to theintroduction of work between the stapling jaws, aswill be readily understood.

"-I'he second member or part of the device is the staple carrying beam or magazine 2. This consists of an outer casing member 25, made of sheet metal in channel form with one end open and the other end closed by a cross wall 25, as shown in Fig. '6. It serves not only as a. support but also as an enclosure for'other parts. These other parts: include the magazine in which the staples to be operated upon are contained. Said magazine: consists of two members, to-wit, an outer shell: '21: and an, inner core 23 supported in nesting relation. Both, generally speaking, are of channel form, the flanges of both channels extending upwardly and the web of the core being superposed upon that of the shell, as shown in Fig. 5,v with all three channels 25, 2? and 28 being rigidly secured together with the legs of the two channels 21., 28' spaced apart to provide vertically extending recesses 29 to receive the legs of the staples contained in the machine. These staples, shown at 35, Fig. 6, are supplied in a common strip or gang form, a plurality of staples, lying side by side, being secured together by an adhesive so that many of them can be handled together as a gang or unit. A gang thereof is inserted into the stapler by pushing it into the magazine through its open end, at the left in Fig. 1, with the legs of the staples lying in the recesses 29 and the bridges thereof resting upon the upper edges of the flanges of the core channel 28. To confine the staples in that position, while permitting their longitudinal advance, the upper edges of the shell 27 are. bent inwardly to form confining flanges 3 I.

At the open end of the beam (at the left in Fig. l) the side walls of the shell Z'l are extended upwardly to provide ears 32 having openings 35, the edge portions of which are flanged inwardly to provide bearing, members 34 riding on the pivot pin.

At the closed end of the beam the side walls of the shell 21 are again bent upwardly to provide ears 35, Figs. 4, 6 and 9, somewhat similar to ears 32 but rectangular in shape, and which form supports on which the plunger and driving tool are supported. As shown, the driving tool 36 (Fig. 9) is a rectangular hard metal sheet of thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the wire 1 45, the flanges of which are secured to the ears 55 as by rivets 4|; Plunger 3'1 is biased upwardly by a compression spring 35a. One of the walls of the plunger, such as its front wall, is slotted vertically, as at 42, to receive an inwardly bent small tongue 4'5 of the channel 39. Engagement of said tongue with the ends of the slot limits the vertical motion of the plunger in both directions. Its upper end has the metal bent into arch or semi-cylindrical form, as at 45, to receive the impact of the operator and reduce friction, as will more fully later appear. Of course, the lower wall of the casing member 25, opposite the lower end of the driving tool, is cut away, as at 45 (Fig. 9), to permit the staple to be ejected by the driver,

with its legs pushed. through the papers or other.

sheets to be fastened and against the forming parts of the anvil, if that is used, as will be readily understood.

The third part of the instrument is the operating member'3. 'This-i's shown in the form of a hollow sheet metal lever member of generally channel form with its side walls or flanges d5 lying outside of or embracing the corresponding walls of the casing 25, as in Fig. 5. At one end it is pierced and provided with bearing portions 4? to receive the pivot pin l9 upon which it also swings. At its opposite end, as shown in Fig. 4, it is closed by a front cross wall 48 and is provided with a raised portion 49 which extends over and houses the plunger 51, the inner surface 50 of the horizontal wall of the raised portion engaging the arch 44 of said plunger for operating it. Operating lever 3' may be provided with a knob 5!, shown as partly spherical and conveniently fitting the palm of the hand, and may be made of a suitable synthetic plastic material. It also may be ornamented by a layer 52 of similar material which may be integral with knob 5|, the unit 5!, 52 being attached by screws or rivets 53.

The staple feeder 4, shown in Fig. 10, is specially formedas a self-contained device removable as a unit from other parts. It comprises a head 54 of suitable form, provided with a depending hook 55v and a long noncircular, such as square, rod 55 on which a follower 51 is advanced by a long open light spiral compression spring 53 abutting the head 54 at one end and at the other end one of two pierced ears 59 which travel on the rod. Rod 55 is slightly enlarged or headed at its free end, at 50, to prevent escape of the follower, and the follower is'of inverted channel form in cross section.

After a gang of staples 30 has been pushed endwise into. the magazine and advanced along its supporting core 28 until the leading staple is at the operating point, the follower is pushed into the same raceway behind the staple gang. The head 54 is then pushed in until the hook '55 can be dropped into the recess in a keeper 6| fastened in the bottom of the channel core 28. This places spring 58' under compression to supply the necessary pressure to advance the staple gang O as staples areremoved successively from its leading end. l i

Fig. 4 shows the parts in their usual positions ready for operation. The bent portion 22 of leaf spring 23 engages the lower surface of the beam 2 andsupports it, as well as the feeder within it and the member 3 above it, in an elevated position so that the jaws of the device are open ready to receiveasheaf of papers or the like to be stapled together. The plunger spring 31a also holds plunger 31, its attached driving tool 36, and also the member 3 elevated. But all the smaller working parts are fully enclosed in the housing formed by beam casing 25 and member 3, with the housingopen only at that end adjacent pivotpin 19 for insertion of staple gangs and insertion or removal of the staple feeding device.

Having laid in place over anvil 12 the papers to be secured, the user strikes r presses downwardly upon knob 5i. Considering the leverage with which said pressure is applied, with relation to the position of the bend of spring 23, the resistance of said spring is less than that of the strong plunger spring 31a. Consequently the first effect of the downward pressure or blow is to move downwardly, together or as a unit, the member 3, the staple carrying beam 2, and of course all parts carried by them, including the staple feeder. All of these parts swing together, as a unit, about pivot pin l9 until the lower surface of the beam 2, where it is cut away at 45, engages the work above the anvil. This stops downward movement of the beam 2, but the member 3 continues to swing downwardly, carrying with it the plunger 31 and compressing its retracting spring 31a. Plunger motion downwardly pushes the driving tool 36 down against the bridge of the leading staple, shearing it off from the gang and pushing its legs down through the work into engagement with the forming surfaces of the anvil, which bend the staple legs toward or away from each other according to the contour of the forming surfaces and clinch the staple, as is usual. When the hand is taken away, all parts return to their former positions, ready for another operation, as the result of the stored energy of the several springs 23, 37a, and 58, as will be readily understood.

Of course, the instrument may be picked up and held in the hand and so operated, after the manner of a pair of tweezers or tongs. Papers to be fastened are inserted into place and the jaws are squeezed together, with like efiects as before.

Again the staple carrying beam and all parts attached to it, including the driving lever 3 and staple feeder 4, may be swung through approximately 180 to the position shown in Fig. 8. So arranged, the lower surface of the beam at opening 45 may be applied directly to a work surface HI, such as a display or notice board. Then by pressing on or striking the operator knob 5| a staple may be driven through a sheet of paper and into the board for attaching the two without staple clinching, as will be readily understood.

Other ways of using the apparatus will occur to those skilled in the art.

The device described is of simple form, involving few operating parts, and is not likely to get out of order in service. The shells of the working levers or beams serve as a housing and enable the machine to be built with a modern streamline effect which is attractive and pleasing to the eye. Working parts have been reduced in number and those used are mounted firmly or rigidly and are maintained in proper operating alinement.- The instrument as a whole has a smooth rounded contour with no corners or angles and is not likely to mar or injure furniture or to be the cause of accident.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent to makers and operators of this class of instrument.

What I claim is:

1. Stapling apparatus, comprising a channel shaped magazine member having two nesting channel shaped members nested therein and secured thereto and forming guiding means for a staple gang, one of the channel members of the guiding means having its flanges provided near one end with pivot ears and near the other end with supporting plates, a hollow guide supported upon and between said plates, a driving plunger slidable, in said guide, and a channel shaped operating member pivoted to said pivot ears and. with the magazine member forming a housing enclosing said guiding means, said operating member engaging the plunger to operate the same.

2. stapling apparatus, comprising a channel shaped magazine member having two nesting channel shaped members nested therein and secured thereto and forming guiding means for a staple gang, one of the channel members of the guiding means having its flanges provided near one end with pivot ears and near the other end with supporting plates, a hollow guide supported upon and between said plates, a driving plunger slidable in said guide, said plunger and guide being of noncircular form in cross section, the plunger being hollow and containing a retracting spring, and a channel shaped operating member pivoted to said pivot ears and with the magazine member forming a housing enclosing said guiding means, said operating member engaging the plunger to operate th same.

3. stapling apparatus, including a channel shaped magazine member having two nesting channel shaped members nested therein and secured thereto with the three channel members all opening in the same direction, the two inner channel members forming guiding means for a staple gang, the outer one of the two inner channel members having its flanges provided near one end with pivot ear and near the other end with supporting plates, a hollow guide supported upon and between said plates, and a driving plunger slidable in said guide.

4. stapling apparatus, including a. channel shaped magazine member having two nesting channel shaped members nested therein and secured thereto with the three channel members all opening in the same direction, the two inner channel members forming guiding means for a staple gang, the outer one of the two inner channel members having its flanges provided near one end with pivot ears and near the other end with supporting plates, a hollow guide supported upon and between said plates, a driving plunger slidable in said guide, said plunger and guide being of non-circular form in cross section, the plunger being hollow, and a plunger retracting spring housed within the plunger.

5. Stapling apparatus, including a channel shaped magazine member having two nesting channel shaped members nested therein and secured thereto with the three channel members all opening in the same direction, the two inner channel members forming guiding means for a staple gang, the outer one of the two inner chan- 7 nel members having its flanges provided near one end with pivot ears and near the other end with supporting plates, a hollow guide supported upon and between said plates, a driving plunger slidable in said guide, said plunger and guidebeing of non-circular form in cross section,ythe plunger being hollow, aplunger'retracting spring housed within th plunger, said magazine member near one end having an opening through its web, and. a driving tool attached to the plunger and working through said opening.

6. in a stapling apparatus, an elongated magazine member of generally hollow form, an elongated staple supporting member longitudinally mounted therein, a pair of staple guides mounted within said magazine member on opposite sides of and spaced from said staple supporting member, said guides being provided near the rear end of said magazine member with pivot ears and being provided adjacent the front end of said mag- 8 azine member with means providing a plunger cavity, a staple driving plunger slidable in said cavity, and an operating member for said plunger pivoted to the ears of said staple guides.

'7.- In a stapling apparatus, a magazine structure comprising inner and outer channel-members in nesting relation and opening in the same direction, a staple supporting member mounted in said inner channel member in spaced relation to the side walls thereof, the side Walls of said inner channel member having portions overlying but spaced from said staple supporting member throughout a substantial portion of its length and also having other portions providing pivot ears at the rear of the magazine structure, a staple driving plunger at the front end of said magazine structure, and an operating member for said plunger overlying said magazine structure and pivotally secured to said pivot ears.

HAROLD S. HELLER.

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