WO1985000313A1

WO1985000313A1 - Stapling machine

Info

Publication number: WO1985000313A1
Application number: PCT/AU1984/000133
Authority: WO
Inventors: Romuald Kiu-Sang Yip
Original assignee: Yip Romuald Kiu Sang
Priority date: 1983-07-13
Filing date: 1984-07-12
Publication date: 1985-01-31
Also published as: AU1681183A

Abstract

The main object of the stapling machine is to allow the cartridge (30) which carries the staples to be rotated at the user's will at any angle about a fixed axis (7) which goes through the upper limb (25) of the stapler perpendicularly. Staples can then be aligned to any angle on the plane of the material to be bound provided that the anvil (35) on the inner side of the bottom limb (29) is arranged to clinch the legs of the staple when they go through the material. Therefore the machine is more versatile and has less limitations than any conventional stapler in many situations.

Description

STAPLING MACHINE

This invention is referable to stapling machines of the common kind, almost standard equipment in office work, primarily used for fastening sheets of paper together. A stapling machine of this common kind is diagramatically portrayed (in side elevation and plan respectively) in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings herewith.

Referring to those two figures, the prior machine consists of a base 9, a staple handling unit consisting of a staple carrier lever 10 and a staple driver lever 11 cσ-fulcrumed, with the carrier lever, on the base at 12. A staple clinching anvil 13 is mounted on the base and has a clinching groove 14. The two levers 10 and 11 are able to move, one towards the other, about fulcrum 12; but they are constrained, at least when in ordinary staple-clinching use, against spreading apart angularly beyond the position shown in Fig. 1; also, they are spring-loaded to influence them to remain in that position.

The lever 10 carries a closely packed straight row of un-clinched staples with their legs pointing downwardly, and has spring loading means urging the stack towards the lever's unhinged (staple delivery) end 15. Lever 11 carries a staple driver plate (not shown) able to sweep across end 15, remove a staple from the stack and press it onto anvil 13 so that its legs are clinched under guidance from groove 14.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings; these two figures are included more for comparison purposes, relative to Figs. 1 and 2, than as illustrations of the present invention. However, they may be regarded as incomplete representations of an example of the invention. Fig. 3 is a plan, and Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

Considering Figs. 1 to 4, it will be seen that in the prior machine the maximum distance at which a staple may be applied, or easily applied, from an edge of a piece of paper

(16) or the like, is the distance from the edge 17 of the paper indicated by span 18. It, follows, that if a staple 19

(Fig. 3} is to be inserted in a piece of paper 16A with its shank parallel with edge 17A of the paper (Fig. 3) at a distance from that edge as indicated by span 20, the task would be well beyond the capacity of the prior machine. A machine according to this invention is equal to the task in question by reason of its work acceptance ambit (such as that indicated at 18 in Fig. 2) not being limited the relatively short length of the free space between its staple handling unit and its base, as it is in the conventional arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Thus, the main object of the present invention is to provide a stapling machine which avoids the limitation just stated, by its ability to present staples to the work station constituted by said anvil plate, along an approach path which is angularly disposed relative to the longitudinal axis of the staple handling unit.

The angle between the approach path and the longitudinal axis of the handling unit is not critical, but for practical usefulness it is much to be preferred that this angle be

90º

Thus, to summarise, the invention provides a stapling machine comprising: a base having a work station thereon, constituted by an anvil plate located on the longitudinal axis of. said base, a staple handling unit mounted on said base and operable to subtract staples one-at-a-time from one end of a closely packed row thereof which extends longitudinally of said unit; and, presentation of a staple so subtracted to said anvil, characterised in that said unit has at least one orientation relative to said base such that said row is angularly disposed relative to said axis, and in that said row and said axis intersect in said work station.

It follows from the foregoing, that the arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4 could have its base 22 and its staple handling unit (10A/11A) fixedly joined together at (for example) the 90 angular spacing shown in those figures. However, in preferred expressions of the invention, the staple handling unit is pivot mounted, as at 23, on the base 22 so that the staple handling unit may be selectively presented to the work station conventionally or angularly as described above.

Thus, still referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the carrier lever 10A and its driver lever 11A are pivoted together, as before and as indicated at 12A, but instead of the handling unit constituted by these two levers being pivoted to the base about the same axis (12 in Figs. 1 and 2 ) the unit is pivoted on one limb 21 of a U-shaped base 22 about an axis 23 which is normal to that limb. The other limb 24 of base 22 has the anvil 13A mounted on it as before. The base itself preferably consists of two lever-like parts pivoted together about one end and spring-loaded to assume the required non-working disposition; alternatively however (and depending upon the nature of the stapling unit employed) the base may be made as a one-piece, U-shaped leaf spring as shown in Fig. 4.

It will be seen that when the machine according hereto has its staple handling unit (levers 10A and 11A) lying between the limbs 21 and 24 the capacity of the stapling machine is the same as it. was in relation to the prior art machine. However, when additional capacity is required it is only necessary to swing the base 22 through 90 relative to unit 10A/11A, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, for the capacity to be extended by whatever amount the bight of base 22 will allow; moreover the orientation of the staple 19 relative to the handling unit 10A/llA. remains what it was, and there is no limit to the extent of span 20. Thus the machine subject hereof is particularly useful in the stapling of the leaves of centre-fold, book-like magazines, pamphlets and the like, in which double-width pages are centre-folded and are then stapled together along the fold-line with the length of the staples being coincident with and extending along that fold-line. Fig. 3 may be regarded as an instance of a centre-fold magazine in which span 20 is the page width and line 4-4 is the centre-fold line.

In its preferred forms the invention provides a stapling machine of the kind comprising: a base , a staple handling unit pivot mounted on said base and consisting of a staple carrier lever and a staple driving lever each fulcrum-joined one to the other by one end, so that the carrier lever closely underlies the driving lever, spring means whereby said levers are influenced to remain slightly angularly spaced apart, said carrier lever having a staple delivery end opposite its fulcrum end and said driving lever having a staple driver plate mounted thereon and able to slide across said delivery end and remove a staple from one end of a supply thereof on said carrier lever, and an anvil plate mounted on said base below said delivery end so that a staple removed from said supply is brought by said driver plate to bear upon said anvil plate; characterised in that:

(a) said base has two limbs each movable towards the other, and having inner surfaces each facing towards the other, (b) said unit is pivot-mounted on one of said inner faces about an axis normal to that inner face and adjacent said delivery end,

(c) spring loading means are associated with said unit whereby it is influenced to remain in touch with that inner face to which it is pivoted, and

(d) said anvil plate is on the other of said inner faces and is able to receive and clinch staples removed from said delivery end in either one of at least two different orientations of said unit relative to said base.

Practical examples of the invention are shown in Figs. 5 to 8.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a stapling machine with its staple handling unit infolded for use on the conventional basis of a limited work acceptance ambit.

Fig. 6 is a plan projected from Fig. 5 and including an alternative orientation of its handling unit for use of the machine on the basis of a greater work acceptance ambit. Fig. 7 is a sectional end elevation taken on line 7-7 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 repeats a left hand portion of Fig. 6 except for showing a slightly modified form of anvil plate.

Referring to Figs. 5 to 7, the base consists of limbs 25 and 26 can be moved towards each other about spring-loaded pivot 27, and have inner faces 23 and 29 each facing the other. A staple handling unit consists of carrier lever 30 and driving lever 31 fulcrum joined at 32. This unit is pivot mounted on the base, about an axis sufficiently indicated by line 7-7, by way of pivot pin 33. This pin has a compression spring 34 sleeved on it to influence the unit to bear against inner face 28.

Anvil plate 35 has a cruciform clinching groove 36 formed in it and is mounted on the inner face 29 of the base. When the machine is to be used on extra capacity (as discussed above) the handling unit 30/31 is swung through 90º to the position shown at 37 (Fig. 6). Groove 36 is cruciform because its pivot axis (line 7-7) bisects the shank of a staple about to be driven. If the staple about to be driven is spaced from the mentioned pivot axis it is necessary to provide the anvil plate 35A (Fig. 8) with two separate clinching grooves 38 respectively to accommodate the two orientations of the handling unit.

It will be appreciated that stapling may.be effected with the handling unit in many orientations other than the two shown, provided the anvil is formed to accommodate the selected orientation or is rotatably mounted on the inner face 29. For most practical purposes however, it will be found that two orientations, ninety degrees apart (as shown) are sufficient. It is therefore desirable to provide means which will operate readily to define the two orientations. These means may consist of two pairs of buttress-shaped, latch-like lugs, 39 and 40, fixed or formed on inner face 23. The resilience of spring 34 permits the unit 30/31 to ride over that one of the lugs it is approaching and then cause it to home between the pair of lugs corresponding to the selected orientation.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A stapling machine comprising: a base having a work station thereon, constituted by an anvil plate located on the longitudinal axis of said base, a staple handling unit mounted on said base and operable to subtract staples one-at-a-time from one end of a closely packed row thereof which extends longitudinally of said unit; and, presentation of a staple so subtracted to said anvil, characterised in that said unit has at least one orientation relative to said base such that said row is angularly disposed relative to said axis, and in that said row and said axis intersect in said work station.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said row is disposed at right angles to said axis.

3. A stapling machine of the kind comprising: a base, a staple handling unit pivot mounted on said base and consisting of a staple carrier lever and a staple driving lever each fulcrum-joined one to the other by one end, so that the carrier lever closely underlies the driving lever, spring means whereby said levers are influenced to remain slightly angularly spaced apart, said carrier lever having a staple delivery end opposite its fulcrum end and said driving lever having a staple driver plate mounted thereon and able to slide across said delivery end and remove a staple from one end of a supply thereof on said carrier lever, and an anvil plate mounted on said base below said delivery end so that a staple removed from said supply is brought by said driver plate to bear upon said anvil plate; characterised in that: (a) said base has two limbs each movable towards the other, and having inner surfaces each facing towards the other,

(b) said unit is pivot-mounted on one of said inner faces about an axis normal to that inner face and adjacent said delivery and,

4. A machine according to claim 3 wherein said base is in two parts hinged together at their ends remote from said anvil plate.

5. A machine according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein that limb of said base whereon said unit is pivot-mounted is furnished with two pairs of buttress-shaped latch-like lugs between each pair of which said unit is resiliently retainable in either of two positions, one of said positions being one wherein said unit is disposed between said limbs, and the other of said positions being at right angles to said one position.

6. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the axis about which said unit pivots relative to said base intersects the shank of a staple located in said delivery end, and said anvil is provided with a clinching groove which is cruciform.

7. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the axis about which said unit pivots relative to said base is spaced from the shank of a staple located in said delivery end, and said anvil is provided with two clinching grooves angularly spaced apart by 90 .

8. A machine according to any one of claims 3 to 7 wherein said unit is pivot-mounted on said base by way of a headed pin, and said spring loading means consist of a compression spring sleeved on said pin.

9. A stapling machine substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 3 to 7 or Fig. 8 of the drawings herewith.