Staple expelling device for staplers

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6662991
  • Patent Number
    6,662,991
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, May 21, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, December 16, 2003
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Smith; Scott A.
    Agents
    • Bacon & Thomas, PLLC
Abstract
A stapler includes a base with a document guide connected to a top thereof and an arm and a magazine casing are respectively pivotably connected to a connection frame on the base. The document guide includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion. At least one groove is defined in an outer periphery of the second protrusion. A rotatable member is rotatably mounted to the second protrusion and includes at least one rib which is disengagably engaged with the at least one groove. A support portion is connected to the rotatable member so that when the rotatable member is rotated, the support portion is switched below the magazine casing which is stopped by the support portion such that the jammed staple can be ejected by pushing the arm downward.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a stapler which includes a rotatable member connected on the document guide and can be pivoted an angle to be located on a center axis such that the magazine casing may be supported on the rotatable member so that the jammed staple can be expelled by pushing the arm.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




A conventional stapler


10


is disclosed in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, and generally a base


11


with an arm


14


pivotably connected to a connection frame


100


on the base


11


, and a magazine casing


13


is pivotably connected to the connection frame


100


and can be pivoted downward with the downward movement of the arm


14


. A push plate


15


is connected to an underside of the arm


14


so as to push the staples


20


received in the space


16


in magazine casing


13


. A document guide


12


is movably connected to the base


11


and includes a guide surface


121


such that a pile of document may be guided onto the guide surface


121


and the staples


20


pushed by the push plate


15


penetrate through the pile of the document. As shown in

FIG. 2

, the staple


20


could be jammed in the magazine casing


13


and cannot be pushed out from the magazine casing


13


by the push plate


15


. The user has to insert an object such as a pencil


30


between the base


11


and the magazine casing


13


to form a gap between the magazine casing


13


and the base


11


so that when pushing the push plate


15


, the jammed staple


20


can be forced to drop from the magazine casing


13


. Nevertheless, the pencil


30


is damaged by the downward force of the magazine casing


13


and this is not convenient at all.




The present invention intends to provide a jammed staples expelling device that is rotatably connected to the document guide and can be easily rotated to support the magazine casing to allow the jammed staple to be expelled by pushing the arm.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stapler which comprises a base with a document guide movably connected to a top thereof and an arm is pivotably connected to a connection frame on the base. A magazine casing located beneath the arm is pivotably connected to the connection frame and a push plate is connected to an underside of the arm and inserted in the magazine casing. The document guide includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion. A guide surface is defined in a side of each of the first protrusion and the second protrusion. At least one groove is defined in an outer periphery of the second protrusion. A rotatable member is rotatably mounted to the second protrusion and includes at least one rib which is disengagably engaged with the at least one groove. A support portion is connected to the rotatable member and switched below the magazine casing by rotating the rotatable member.











The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.




BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a side view of a conventional stapler;





FIG. 2

shows that a pencil is inserted between the magazine casing and the base of the conventional stapler o allow the jammed staple to be ejected;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view to show the stapler of the present invention;





FIG. 4

is an exploded view to show the document guide and the staple expelling device of the present invention;





FIG. 5A

shows the rotatable member is rotated beneath the magazine casing, and





FIG. 5B

shows that the jammed staple is ejected by the push plate.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring to

FIGS. 3 and 4

, the stapler of the present invention comprises a base


40


with a document guide


41


movably connected to a top of the base


40


. An arm


60


and a magazine casing


50


are pivotably connected to a connection frame


400


on the base


40


respectively, wherein the magazine casing


50


is located beneath the arm


60


. Staples are received in the magazine casing


50


and push plate


70


is connected to an underside of the arm


60


and inserted in the magazine casing


50


. The leading staple in the magazine casing


50


can be ejected by the push plate


70


when pushing the arm


60


.




A spring


42


is connected to the base


40


and supports the document guide


41


. The document guide


41


includes a first protrusion


412


and a second protrusion


413


. The magazine casing


50


can be lowered between the first protrusion


412


and the second protrusion


413


to staple the document guided on a guide surface


411


/


410


defined in a side of each of the first protrusion


412


and the second protrusion


413


. The second protrusion


413


is a column connected to a wall


417


which includes the guide surface


410


located in opposite to the second protrusion


413


. The guide surface


410


is in flush with the guide surface


411


of the first protrusion


412


. At least one groove


416


is defined in an outer periphery of an annular protrusion


415


on the second protrusion


413


.




A rotatable member


43


is rotatably mounted to the second protrusion


413


by extending a bolt through a passage


414


defined through the second protrusion


413


and is connected to the rotatable member


43


. The rotatable member


43


includes two walls


434


between which the second protrusion


413


is located. A rib


433


extends from one of the two walls


434


so that when the rotatable member


43


is position in a normal position as shown in

FIG. 3

, The rib


433


is disengagably engaged with the at least one groove


416


.




Further referring to

FIGS. 5A and 5B

, a support portion


432


is connected to the rotatable member


43


and is switched beneath the magazine casing


50


by rotating the rotatable member


43


when a jammed staple


80


is to be ejected out from the magazine casing


50


. The arm


60


and the magazine casing


50


are then pushed toward the base


40


, the magazine casing


50


is stopped by the support portion


432


while the push plate


70


is moving downward so that the jammed staple


80


is ejected from the magazine casing


50


. The rotatable member


43


is then rotated back to its normal position as shown in FIG.


3


.




While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. A stapler comprising:a base with a document guide movably connected to a top of the base, an arm pivotably connected to a connection frame on the base, a magazine casing pivotably connected to the connection frame and located beneath the arm, a push plate connected to an underside of the arm and inserted in the magazine casing, the document guide including a first protrusion and a second protrusion, a guide surface defined in a side of each of the first protrusion and the second protrusion, a groove defined in an outer periphery of the second protrusion, a rotatable member rotatably mounted to the second protrusion and including a rib which is disengagably engaged with the groove, a support portion connected to the rotatable member and being switched beneath the magazine casing by rotating the rotatable member.
  • 2. The stapler as claimed in claim 1, wherein a spring is connected to the base and supports the document guide.
  • 3. The stapler as claimed in claim 1, wherein a passage is defined through the second protrusion and a bolt extends through the passage and is connected to the rotatable member.
  • 4. The stapler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second protrusion is a column connected to a wall which includes a surface in flush with the guide surface of the first protrusion, the rotatable member including two walls between which the second protrusion is located, the rib extending from one of the two walls.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Number Name Date Kind
2073958 Crosby Mar 1937 A
2786203 Treciokas Mar 1957 A
2897500 Lang Apr 1959 A
3523634 Power et al. Aug 1970 A
5267682 Okouchi Dec 1993 A
5692667 Chi Dec 1997 A