The present disclosure relates to a staple cartridge accommodating a staple belt in which a plurality of staples are rolled into a roller-shape, the stable cartridge detachably arranged in a body of a stapler.
A published Japanese translation of PCT international publication for patent application (the Japanese translation No. JP-T-2003-517938) disclose a stapler in which a cassette (referred to as a cartridge) for accommodating belt-shaped staples (referred to as a roll-shaped staple belt) in which rod-shaped staples, which have not been formed yet, are connected to each other and rolled into a roller-shape so that the plurality of staples can be continuously driven out from the stapler.
The cassette has a shaper and driver which are arranged so that they can be reciprocated. In the above stapler, after the staples have been successively formed into a C-shape, that is, after a pair of leg portions haven been formed in each staple, the staples are driven out by a driver.
In some related-art cartridges, only the roll-shaped staple belt is replaced with another one in the cartridge body.
In JP-T-2003-517938, both the shaper and the driver are arranged in the cassette. Therefore, the constitution is complicated and expensive. Further, when the cassette is replaced with a new one, the shaper and the driver are also discarded together with the cassette, which is waste of resources.
Further, in JP-T-2003-517938, the stapler does not include a face plate which is a member used for removing a nail which a driver failed in driving. That is, it is impossible for a user to touch a cassette, which has once charged into Stapler, with the hands. Accordingly, in JP-T-2003-517938, even when a plurality of nails remain in the cassette at the time of failing in driving a nail, the user can not do anything without replacing the cassette with a new one, that is, the staple cartridge is not handy.
In the type in which only the roll-shaped staple belt is charged into the cartridge body, a joint is necessarily formed between a new and an old staple belt at the time of replacing the roll-shaped staple belt. Therefore, double feeding occurs in which the staples are put on each other when they are fed. In order to prevent the occurrence of this double feeding, it is necessary to enhance the accuracy of the height of the staple feeding passage in the staple guide unit. Alternatively, it is necessary to enhance the accuracy of the height of the feeding pawl for feeding the staple. In this connection, this feeding pawl is arranged in the cartridge. Further, it is necessary to enhance an amount of feeding. Furthermore, it is necessary to execute the inspection of accuracy.
Concerning the material of this cartridge, in general, the cartridge body is formed out of synthetic resin such as plastics. On the other hand, the cartridge includes a metallic member such as a staple guide which functions as a guide when it comes into contact with staples made of metal.
In the case where the staples accommodated in the cartridge have been used up and the cartridge is discarded, in order to facilitate the reuse of usable resources, it is necessary to classify members into the members made of synthetic resin and the members made of metal and do away with the classified members. An unexamined patent publication application No. JP-A-2003-62766 discloses the technique in which a thin thickness groove is provided in a cartridge body and the cartridge body is divided into two with respect to this thin thickness groove so that metallic members such as a spring can be classified.
In JP-A-2003-62766, the cartridge body is divided into two by the hands. Therefore, in order to divide the cartridge body, it is necessary for an operator to give a considerably strong force to the cartridge body.
Illustrative aspects of the present invention provide a simple, inexpensive and handy staple cartridge in stapler.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a staple cartridge, detachably arranged in a body of a stapler, is provided with a cartridge body for accommodating a staple belt in which a plurality of rod-shaped staples are connected to each other and rolled into a roller-shape and a guide member for guiding the staples at a time of forming leg portions of the staples or after forming the leg portions.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the staple cartridge may be further comprising a face plate arranged so that a driving passage for driving out a staple is opened.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the cartridge body may be made of synthetic resin and the guide member may be made of metal, and the guide member may be assembled to the cartridge body so that the staples, which the leg portions have not been formed yet, serve as a stopper of the guide member.
In this case, the guide member is a staple guide which functions as a receiving table at the time of bending a rod-shaped staple into a C-shape, that is, at the time of forming a leg portion of the staple. Alternatively, the guide member is a pusher for pushing the leg portions of the staple so that the leg portions can be on the same line as that of the driver.
Referring to
Further, the stapler is composed so that the staple cartridge can be attached to and detached from the stapler. In this connection,
As shown in
The magazine 40 is attached with a staple cartridge 80. The magazine 40 is held through a spring (not shown) being separate from the driver link 20 by a threshold distance. The magazine 40 and the driver link 20 are elevated by the motor 12. Concerning this matter, refer to the two-dotted chain line in
The table 30 is always pushed onto the magazine 40 side through a spring not shown. As shown by the two-dotted chain line in
A staple sensor not shown is arranged in the stapler 10. When the staple sensor is turned on, CPU not shown judges that the number of the remaining staples S is small, that is, CPU judges that all staples S have been substantially used up. Therefore, CPU forcibly stops the stapling operation and gives a warning to an operator so as to replace the staple cartridge 80.
As shown in
As shown in
The cover 86 is formed into a plate-shape for covering the leading portion 84. At the substantial center of the cover 86, the pressing piece 87 is integrally formed. As shown in
A plane shape of the face plate 90 is formed into a C-shape as shown in
In the case where a nail, which the driver 21 failed to drive, or a nail, which the clincher 31 failed to clinch, remains in the driving passage, by rotating the face plate 90 as shown in
The face plate 90 may be made of metal. Even in this case, when the protrusion is disengaged from the groove 81B, the face plate 90 can be easily disengaged from the cartridge body 81. Only a portion of the face plate 90 may be made of metal. Specifically, a portion of the face plate 90 composing the driving passage may be made of metal. Even in this case, when the metallic portion is of the fitting type, the face plate 90 can be easily removed.
As shown in
The staple guide 92 made of metal is formed into a substantial flat-plate-shape as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Action of the Present Embodiment is explained hereafter.
As shown in
On the other hand, in the case where the nail described before, which the driver 21 failed to drive, remains in the driving passage, as shown in
When a warning that the staples S have been used up is given, the staple cartridge 80 is replaced with a new one and the old staple cartridge 80 is scraped, that is, the old staple cartridge 80 is disposed. First, as shown in
According the embodiment, in the staple cartridge 80, no feeding mechanism including the feeding needle 71 is arranged other than the forming plate 22 and the driver 21. Accordingly, the constitution of the staple cartridge 80 can be made simple and the manufacturing cost is inexpensive. Further, when the staple cartridge 80 is scrapped, the number of the scrapped parts can be reduced, that is, the members to be scrapped, which can be used as resources, can be reduced.
In the embodiment, the staple cartridge 80 for accommodating a roller-shaped staple belt is arranged in the body of Stapler 11 so that it can be replaced. Therefore, double feeding of the staples can be avoided. That is, the high accuracy is not required for the height of the feeding passage or the feeding pawl. For example, it is possible to eliminate the staple guide unit or reduce an amount of feed of nails. Further, it is unnecessary to execute the accuracy inspection. Accordingly, the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional staple cartridge.
Therefore, according to the embodiment, the constitution of the staple cartridge 80, the number of parts of which is necessarily minimized, can be made simple. Accordingly, the staple cartridge 80 can be of the disposable type, the manufacturing cost of which is inexpensive.
Further, a way of which the staple guide 92 and the pusher 94 are classified from the staple body 81 and scrapped is explained hereinafter. First, as shown in
Successively, as shown in
In this case, in order to clearly illustrate the detachment of the staple guide 92 and the pusher 94, the cover 86 and the face plate 90 are omitted in the illustrations of
Next, when the staples S are taken out, that is, when no obstacles exist, as shown in
Finally, since no staples S and staple guide 92 exist, that is, since no obstacles exist, as shown in
The staple guide 92 and the pusher 94 are engaged with and assembled to the cartridge body 81 so that the staple S can be a stopper. Therefore, without using any tools or without dividing the cartridge body 81 into pieces, that is, specifically, without giving a force to divide the cartridge body 81 into pieces, it is possible to simply classify the cartridge body 81, the staple guide 92 and the pusher 94.
According to the present embodiment, it is possible to classify the cartridge body 81 made of synthetic resin, the staple guide 92 made of metal and the pusher 94 made of metal and the thus classified components can be scrapped or collected. Therefore, it is possible to save resources and prevent the environmental pollution. As described before, it is possible to take the staple cartridge 80 apart into pieces after it has been used up. Therefore, it is possible to prevent recharging the staples. Further, it is possible to prevent the reuse of the staple cartridge 80.
In the embodiment, the staple cartridge of the electrically operated stapler is taken up as an example. However, it is possible to apply the present invention to a staple cartridge of a manually operated stapler. The present embodiment is an example in which the face plate 90 is arranged in the staple cartridge 80. However, in the present invention, the face plate may be arranged on the stapler body side. In this case, at the time of jam processing, after the staple cartridge has been removed, the jammed nails remaining on the face plate are taken out from the stapler body side.
In the embodiment, a staple cartridge is used in which staples rolled into a roller-shape are accommodated. However, it is possible to apply the present invention to a staple cartridge for accommodating a plurality of sheet-shaped staples which are laminated.
While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2008-115364 | Apr 2008 | JP | national |
2008-115368 | Apr 2008 | JP | national |