WO2009029042A1

WO2009029042A1 - Feed member for a staple magazine of a stapler in order to prevent jamming

Info

Publication number: WO2009029042A1
Application number: PCT/SE2008/051166
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marcus BÖRJESSON
Original assignee: Isaberg Rapid Ab
Priority date: 2007-08-24
Filing date: 2008-10-15
Publication date: 2009-03-05
Also published as: SE530377C2; SE0701907L

Abstract

Feed member comprised in a staple magazine, where the staple magazine is adapted to be mounted in a stapler and to contain an elongated staple strip formed by elongated staple blanks connected to one another, where the feed member comprises at least two engagement members and where the feed member extends along one of the flat sides of the staple strip, where the engagement members are adapted to actively engage with the staple strip during a forward movement of the staple strip during a reciprocating feed movement in a direction which substantially corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the staple strip, and where the engagement members are independently movable in a direction transverse to the fed movement direction. The advantage of the feed member arrangement is that the reliability of the staple action is improved.

Description

Feed member for a staple magazine of a stapler in order to prevent jamming

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a feed member comprised in a staple magazine.

5 BACKGROUND ART

Feed members comprised in staple magazines for the use in a stapler are already known, one being described in the applicant's own patent SE 523 848. In this previously known feed member, the engagement members are arranged rigidly on the feed member. When one or more of the

10 engagement members move in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the staple strip, another engagement member is also caused to move in the same direction. During this movement, both engagement members may loose their active engagement with the staple strip, which may cause the staple strip to either stop completely or to be insufficiently

15 fed forward. If the staple strip stops, i.e. there is no forward feed of the staple strip, the stapler will execute what is referred to as an idle stroke, which means that the stapler carries out a stapling operation without any staple being driven into the bundle of papers to be stapled. If the staple strip is insufficiently fed forward, i.e. only part of a staple is brought in

20 position for a staple operation, the stapler may malfunction or cease to operate entirely, due to e.g. jamming or clogging.

There is thus room for an improved feed member.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

An object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved feed 25 member comprised in a staple magazine, where the feed member comprises independently movable engagement members. The solution to the problem according to the invention is described in the characterizing part of claim 1. Claims 2 to 5 contain advantageous embodiments of the feed member.

With a feed member comprised in a staple magazine, where the staple magazine is adapted to be mounted in a stapler and to contain an elongated staple strip formed by elongated staple blanks connected to one another, where the feed member comprises at least two engagement members and where the feed member extends along one of the flat sides of the staple strip, where the engagement members are adapted to actively engage with the staple strip during a forward movement of the staple strip during a reciprocating feed movement in a direction which substantially corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the staple strip, the object of the invention is achieved in that the engagement members are independently movable in a direction transverse to the fed movement direction.

By this first embodiment of the feed member, a feed member that improves the reliability of the feeding of the staple strip is obtained. By allowing for the engagement members to be individually suspended and thus independently movable, the forward feed movement of the staple strip will take place even if one of the engagement members fails to engage the staple strip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in greater detail in the following, with reference to the embodiments that are shown in the attached drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a stapler including a staple magazine with a feed member according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a staple magazine, Fig. 3 is a front view of a staple magazine,

Fig. 4 is a view of a staple magazine in which parts essential to the invention are shown in an exploded view,

Fig. 5 shows a staple strip reel provided with a feed member according to the invention,

Fig. 6 is a detailed view of the feed member and a part essential to the invention,

Fig. 7 is an oblique front view of the feed member and a staple blank,

Fig. 8 is a bottom view corresponding to Figure 7 comprising a staple strip, and

Fig. 9 is a top view corresponding to Figure 8.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention with further developments described in the following are to be regarded only as examples and are in no way to limit the scope of the protection provided by the patent claims.

Figure 1 shows a schematic stapler 1 comprising a base part 2 and a stapler head 3 connected to the base part 2 by means of a pivot 4. The stapler head 3 includes a staple magazine 5 comprising a container 6 and a drive arrangement 7. The container houses a staple strip reel 8. The drive arrangement and the stapler head are driven in a reciprocating movement indicated by the double arrow P by drive arms 9, the drive arms being driven by a drive link 10 in association with a drive motor 11. An anvil 12 on which the work piece 13 to be stapled is placed is arranged on the base part 2. A feed means 14 feeding the staple strip reel in a reciprocating feed movement F is also shown in diagrammatic form in the drawing.

The container 6 which houses the staple strip reel 8 consisting of elongated staple blanks 15 connected together e.g. by means of an adhesive tape 16 or by glue, in this example via their longitudinal sides, in order to form a staple strip which in this application is partly rolled up to form a reel will be clear with reference to Figures 2 - 6. The drawings also show the feed member 17 extending transversely in relation to the longitudinal direction L of the staple strip along the entire width B of the staple strip and along one of the flat sides 18 of the staple strip. The feed member comprises a base part 19 extending over the entire width of the staple strip. The feed member is furthermore provided with first and second ribs 20 and 21 respectively, each provided with a guide surface 22 and 23 respectively.

The drawings also show a forming block plate 24 comprising a forming block 25 over which the staple blanks are bent into a staple shape. However, as this bending operation is not of significance to this invention, it is not discussed in more detail here. The forming block plate is provided with a central platform 26 provided with a first side edge 27 and a second side edge 28. The forming block plate is furthermore provided with snap-in members 29 and 30. The feed member is placed in such a manner in relation to the forming block plate that the guide surfaces 22 and 23 come into sliding contact with the side edges 27 and 28 respectively, after which the forming block plate is mounted on the container 6 in that the snap-in members 29 and 30 are snapped on to the rims 31 , 32 respectively arranged on the container 6. When these parts are placed on the container in the manner shown in Figures 2 and 3, the feed member can be moved backwards and forwards in a known manner in the longitudinal direction L of the staple strip by the feed means 14, this not being shown in the drawings, but being obvious to the person skilled in the art. It will be clear with reference to Figures 6 - 9 that the feed member is provided in its base part 19 with engagement members 33 and 34 which come into engagement with the flat side 18 of the staple strip and, upon the feed of the staple strip, the engagement members 33, 34 thus engage in the staple strip between two adjacent staple blanks. For this purpose, the top of an engagement member is provided with a sharp pointed edge in order to obtain a reliable engagement with the staple strip. The feed member is advanced by the feed means, as a result of which the staple strip is fed forwards. It will also be clear from the drawings that the engagement members are arranged on ribs 35 and 36 and that these ribs are formed in that grooves 37, 38 are produced in the feed member. Each engagement member is thus independently suspended in the feed member, and each engagement members can move individually in the direction T transverse to the direction F of the feed movement without affecting the other engagement member. As a result of the fact that each engagement member is arranged in such a manner that it can be moved at least over a distance corresponding to the height H of the staple strip without influencing the other engagement member, the feed movement of a stapler in which the feed member is used is improved. In the drawings, the feed member is shown with two engagement members, but it is obvious to the person skilled in the art that it is possible to use more than two engagement members.

The invention is not to be regarded as being limited to the embodiments described above, a number of additional variants and modifications being possible within the scope of the subsequent patent claims.

Claims

1. Feed member (17) comprised in a staple magazine (5), where the staple magazine is adapted to be mounted in a stapler (1 ) and to contain an elongated staple strip formed by elongated staple blanks

(15) connected to one another, where the feed member comprises at least two engagement members (33, 34) and where the feed member extends along one of the flat sides (18) of the staple strip, where the engagement members are adapted to actively engage with the staple strip during a forward movement of the staple strip during a reciprocating feed movement (F) in a direction which substantially corresponds to the longitudinal direction (L) of the staple strip, CHARACTERISED IN THAT the engagement members (33, 34) are independently movable in a direction transverse (T) to the fed movement direction (F).

2. Feed member (17) according to claim 1 , CHARACTERISED IN THAT each engagement member (33, 34) is arranged on an elongated rib (35, 36) connected to the feed member (17).

3. Feed member (17) according to claim 2, CHARACTERISED IN THAT the said elongated ribs are formed by grooves (37, 38) in the feed member (17).

4. Feed member (17) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, CHARACTERISED IN THAT the feed movement is effected by feed means (14) comprised in the stapler.

5. Feed member (17) according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

CHARACTERISED IN THAT each engagement member (33, 34) can move in the transverse direction (T) over a distance at least equal to the height (H) of the staple strip.