US2569221A - Magazine and feed means for stapling machines - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 25, 1951 A. J. BATTEN 2,569,221

MAGAZINE AND FEED MEANS FOR STAPLING MACHINES Filed Jan. 11, 1949 Patented Sept. 25,1951

MAGAZINE AND FEED MEANS FOR STAPLING MACHINES Alfred John Batten, Brentford, England, assignor t Gerrard Industries Limited, Brentford, England Application January 11, 1949,v Serial No. 70,290 In Great Britain May 27, 1948 This invention relates to stapling machines of the type having a magazine channel incommunication with a driver slot and for the reception of lengths of wire or strip metal staples to be driven by the machine.

I It is usual in machines of the foregoing type for the staples, which are in the form of a strip of partially severed or rejoined staples, to 'be fed through the magazine channel to the driver slot by a light spring; and the magazine channel is usually provided with a closure member. Consequently, for reloading it is necessary to remove the closure member, and sometimes the spring as well, before a fresh strip of staples can be fed into the magazine.

Itis the principal object of the present invention to obviate the necessity for removal of a closure member and/or the feed spring from the magazine of such machines for reloading.

According to the invention, the staple feeding compression spring is arranged around 'a guide rod which extends along the length of "the magazine channel but out of the path of the staple strip to be fed, and a staple strip contacting member is slidably and rotatably mounted on the rod in front of the compression spring. The contacting member has a handle which extends through a longitudinal slot opening through the casing for manual engagement. The open slot has a notch at its rear end to permit swingingof the handle to retain the spring in the compressed state and to swing the contacting member from the path of the staple strip.

With this arrangement the rear or inlet end of the magazine channel may be left permanently open, operation of the handle of the contacting member enabling fresh strips of stables to be fed freely into the magazine and then to be urged forward to the operative position before a return swing of the handle into the open slot.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with partioularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side View in elevation and partially in section of an automatic stapler embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line lI--II of Fig. 1; and

3 Claims.

Fig. 3 is a side view in elevation of the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 1.

Iv As best shown in Fig. l, a stapler in accordance with the present invention may comprise a typical construction including a body I terminating in a driver head 2!] which contains a driver 2| slidable in a driver slot 22. A handle 23 is pivotally mounted on the body and operatively connected with the driver 2 I, and the body I has a magazine slot which opens into the driver slot 22 and is adapted to contain a supply of staples S to be fed respectively to the driver slot 22 for ejection by the driver 2| in the usual manner. The foregoing structure may be considered as typical of any and'all types of stapling machines.

V The present invention is particularly concerned with an improved staple magazine and staple feeding mechanism that facilitates, more particularly, construction of the apparatus and loading the magazine. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the magazine slot comprises a magazine channel 2 and a channel slot 3 extending longitudinally with an opening through one wall of the magazine channel 2. Preferably, the magazine channel 2 opens' through the bottom of the body I and the channel slot 3 opens through the top of the magazine channel 2. By this arrangement, the magazine slot may be readily machined or otherwise formed in the body I, and the bottom of the magazine channel 2 may be closed by a slidable cover plate 5 which has inwardly inclined side flanges that lock over complementary surfaces on the sides of the body I.

I The magazine channel 2 is of a size to snugly. but freely receive the staples S transversely therein with the staple cross bars adjacent the top of the magazine channel and across the opening of the channel slot 3. The magazine channel 2 opens at one end into the driver slot 22 and at the other end it opens through the rear of the body I so that a fresh supply of staples may be readily inserted therein.

The channel slot 3 is narrower than the magazine channel 2 to provide shoulders 4 for retaining the staples S in the magazine channel 2. The channel slot 3 is closed at both ends and, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, an open slot 8 opens from one wall of the channel slot 3 through the outside of the body I, preferably from one side wall of the channel slot through the side of the body. A rod 6 is mounted longitudinally in the channel slot 3 in alignment with the open slot 8.

A staple feeding element In is pivotally and slidably mounted on the rod 6 and a light compression spring 1, which can extend the whole length of the channel slot 3, surrounds the rod 6 and is interposed between the element I and the rear end wall, at the end remote from the driver slot 22, of the channel slot 3. The element I0 includes a staple engaging portion that normally depends into the magazine channel 3 to engage and, under the influence of spring I, press against the rear staple S.

The element Ill also has a handle 9 extending through and slidable in the open slot '8, and said slot terminates at its rear end, remote from the driver slot 22, on one side in a notch II and on the other side in a recess 4. The open slot 8 is intentionally made shorter than the channel slot 3 so that a few staples always remain in the magazine channel 2. any tendency for the last usable staple to slew and jam in the driving mechanism. The actual strip engaging portion preferably extends substantially at right angles to the handle 9.

The operation of loading the magazine is carried out as follows: The handle 9 of the staple engaging element I0 i drawn back to its full extent and turned into the notch I I in the guide or open slot 8, the actual staple engaging portion of the element I0 is thus turned through the recess 4 and the magazine channel 2 is cleared for the insertion of a fresh strip of staples S. When the staple strip is in place, the handle 9 is swung from the notch I I, turning down the staple engaging portion which engages the rear end of the strip, urging it forward under the pressure of the compression spring I. When the last usable staple has been driven, the operation is repeated.

The rear or inlet end of the magazine channel 2 is unobscured at all times, so that a staple strip may be fed in whenever the strip contacting member is in its turned position. In the unlikely event of a staple strip jamming in the magazine slot, the bottom cover plate can be slid back to expose the whole slot.

Although a certain specific embodimentof the invention has been shown and described, it. is obvious that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in so far as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a stapling machine of the type including a body having a staple receiving driver slot and a staple magazine channel opening at one end into said slot, the improvement which comprises the extension of the other end of said magazine channel to open through said body to define a staple loading opening, said magazine channel being of a size to snugly but freely receive staples This is found to prevent transversely therein, a channel slot in said body longitudinally of and opening through one wall of said magazine channel and being closed at its ends, an open slot longitudinally of said channel slot and opening on one side into said channel slot and on the opposite side through said body, a rod fixed at its ends in said body and mounted in said channel slot substantially in alignment with said open slot, a staple feeding element slidably and pivotally mounted on said rod and including a staple engaging portion normally extending beyond said channel slot into said magazine channel and a handle on said staple feeding element and normally extending through said open slot for manual engagement beyond said body, a spring biasing said element to feed staples to said driver slot, and a notch in the end of said open slot that is spaced from said driver slot to permit the swinging of said handle to pivot said element on said rod and swing said staple engaging portion from said magazine channel to permit the loading of the latter.

2. A stapling machine according to claim 1 in which the channel slot opens through the top of said magazine channel and is of less width than the magazine channel to form shoulders to locate the strips of staples.

3. In a stapling machine of the type including a body having a staple receiving driver slot and a staple magazine opening at one end into the slot and at the other end through said body, the improvement which comprises a channel shaped opening extending longitudinally in the bottom of said body and forming said staple magazine, the bottom of the sides of said body being inwardly inclined longitudinally of the body, and a channel shaped cover plate having inwardly inclined side flanges for engagement with said inclined body sides and removably slidable longitudinally on said body to close the bottom of said staple magazine.

ALFRED JOHN BATTEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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