US973370A - Stapling-machine. - Google Patents

Description

B. H. MICHENER. STAPLING MAGHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 31,1910.

Patented Oct. 18,1910.

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E. H. MI'GHENER. STAPLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1910. 973,370 Patented Oct. 18,1910.

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E. H. MIGHENER. STAPLING MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

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E. H. MIGHENER. STAPLIN G MACHINE.

973,37Q. APPLICATION FILED MAYV31, 1910. Patented Oct. 18

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E'LWOOD HARRIS IvIIUHENER, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ACME STAPLE COMPANY, LIMITED, A LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA.

erased Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

Original application filed March 31, 1910, Serial No. 552,539. Divided and this application filed May 31, 1910. Serial No. 564,037.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELwooD H. MIOHENER, citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Camden, State of New J ersey,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in stapling-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to wire stapling machines for binding or uniting sheets of paper or other analogous stock, and specifically to that class of such machines, comprising a magazine with which sticks of loaded staples are inserted and the staples fed therefrom automatically to the staple-inserting mechanism.

My invention in that class of machines has for its objects to double its staple-inserting capacity, whereby two staples may be simultaneously but independently fed to and acted on by the inserting and clenching mechanism; whereby also it may be made capable of binding stock of considerable and variable thickness; and finally to widen its scope of application so that, for example, tape-feeding mechanism may be operatively employed and combined therewith to supply tags or tickets to be attached to stock by a pair of staples simultaneously inserted by the stapling mechanism; and my invention to effect these objects comprises a combined and ori ganized mechanism, including duplex staplefeeding and staple-inserting mechanism, with stapleclenching devices, adapted to perform, in a certain cycle of movements, the several functions stated, said elements being brought into action, in unison of time, by means of co-acting connecting mechanism actuated as an entirety.

To these ends my invention consists of an organized machine, comprising in combination with a suitable supporting frame and connected actuating mechanism to impart movement to the several elements, in a certain cycle of movements, of a plurality, preferably of staple-supplying and feeding devices mounted on opposite sides of a central staple-supporting and guiding block having duplex grooves into which a pair of staples, one for each of said feeding devices, is simultaneously delivered, reciprocating staple-blades actuated by a staple-driving mechanism, govern such duplex staple delivery, and adapted on reverse movement to insert both such staples so delivered to the guide block, at same time, in underlying stock, and a vertically-movable stapleclenching anvil adapted to co-actwith said staple-inserting mechanism; the distinctive novel features in the mechanism as a whole and in sub-combinations of its elements being as hereinafter more particularly set forth and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention :Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, including part of the standard of the framework broken away. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the machine. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the parts directly concerned in performing the staple-delivering and driving operations, and adjuncts. concerned in performing the staple-deliver- Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views of parts shown in Fig. l, showing said parts in different positions occupied during their operation. Fig. 8 is a section on line 88 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 9 is a lateral section on line 99 of Fig. l.

Referring now to said drawings, the sup porting frame of the machine comprises, in addition to a vertical standard 2 with its base portion 6 wherein is mounted a springcontrolled actuating treadle hereinafter described, a frame proper indicated at 7 wherein the series of co-acting levers and links to actuate the several moving elements in proper order, are mounted, and wherein the vertically-movable anvil 25 is guidingly supported and actuated. The frame 7 is suitably recessed to receive a detachable staple guide-block 23 provided with duplex staple-grooves 24 whereinto staples are fed successively from the staple-supplying and feeding devices, and wherein also a pair of staple- plungers 26, 26, are guidingly reciprocated, to govern successively the admission of staples and the ejection of the same by the return movement of the staple plungers and their insertion into underlying stock. The frame is also suitably recessed to receive and guide a pair of rods 28 which carry and actuate the aforesaid staple-plungers 26. The frame is further provided with two oppositely-disposed extensions 8, on either side of its central portion, and suitably grooved as at 13 to form magazines for the loaded sticks of staples; and within each of these magazine recesses is arranged a bar or rib 14 to support a train of staples; the parts being so correlated and organized as to discharge the staples successively into the duplex grooves 24 on each side of the guide-block. The upper ends of the pair of rods 28 are secured to an actuating bar 29 hereinafter referred to, whereby the pair of plungers 26 may be operated as a unit. These stapling plungers 26 and their carrying rods 28 being mounted, as aforesaid, in suitable guide-openings in the frame 7 each of the plungers in turn carries 011 its lower end or is extended to form a thin and narrow fiat plate 27 adapted to slidingly fill one of the staple grooves 24 in the guide block, and is the actual staple driver which directly governs its adjacent staple feed on upward movement and drives the staple through underlying stock on the down movement; its two positions being shown in Figs. 6 and 7 respectively.

I prefer to make the guide-block 23 readily accessible for the purpose of removing defectively-fed staples or for cleaning, hence it is shown made in a separate piece and removable from its seating socket in the frame 7 the said block having a hori- Zontal opening 81 formed therein; the upper wall of which has a vertical bore into which extends a pin 82 screwed into and projecting downwardly from the frame. The lower end of said pin 82 extends into opening 81 and is circularly grooved, as at 83. Embracing pin 82 and extending into groove 83 therein is the bifurcated end of a spring plate 84 extending in part over the outer face of the guide block 23; said plate 84 engages pin 82 and holds block 23 in proper operative position; while to release and remove same it is only necessary that the plate 84 be drawn outwardly from pin 82, when the anvil 25 is in the down position hereinafter described, whereupon block 23 may be lowered from its socket in frame 7 care being taken however, to first release springs 20 from actuating hold on the staple-supporting devices so as to prevent them, temporarily, from feeding staples into the socket in the frame normally occupied by the guide-block.

Each of the two automatic staplesupplying and feeding devices is much the same as usual in this class of machines and comprises a follower 16 of sheet metal of a form adapted to embrace the bar or rib 14 in the magazine recess. The follower has an arm 17 with an ear 18 engaged by an eye 19 on one end of a coiled spring 20 which latter extends toward the central portion of the frame 7, through an opening therein, over a roller 21 and thence to a projection 22 (see Fig. 3), hence the tendency of the spring is to cause the follower 16 to automatically push the staples, one by one, into each of the grooves 24 of the duplex guide block 23 on, and because of, each upward movement of the reciprocating stapleinserting plungers 26 which, in normal or down position, occupy such grooves and re strain the operation of the feeding devices. Arranged in the frame, below and in vertical alinement with the aforesaid guideblock 23 is a stock-supporting and stapleclenching anvil 25, having two of the usual clenching recesses therein adapted to aline with the staple grooves 24 of the superposed guide-block 23. Said anvil 25 is mounted to slide vertically within a suitable guide opening in the frame 7 and hence is movable toward and from the lower end of the superposed guide block. During the staple-inserting operation of the machine the anvil 25 is first given an upward movement from the lowered position shown in Fig. 4 to the raised position shown in Fig. 5; while the stapling plungers 26 are, at the same time, given a downward movement from the raised position shown in Fig. 4 to the lowered position shown in Fig. 6; following which said elements are caused to return to their original positions shown in Fig. 4.

I will now describe the initial power-supplying means shown to operate the machine as a whole, and also the connect-ing actuating devices between the several elements to actuate them in appropriate relation as an organized mechanism.

At the lower portion of the standard 2 of the frame is a footlever 3O pivoted by one end at 31, the other end extending through an opening in standard 2. It is held normally in raised, or inoperative position, shown in full lines in Fig. 1, by a spring 32, located within standard 2, and having its lower end connected to foot-lever 30 and its upper end connected to said standard. After the foot-lever is depressed by the operator to actuate the machine, it will, on its release from pressure, return automatically to raised or normal position. A bar 33, arranged within the standard, is pivotally connected by its lower end to said foot-lever, said bar having its upper end pivoted to one end of a lever 34 which extends outwardly through an opening in standard 2 and is pivotally connected, at such outer end, with the lower end of the movable anvil 25 beneath the frame. Also pivotally connected to said lever 34, as at 35, is the lower end of a bar 36, the upper end of which is connected pivotally, as at 37, to another lever 38. One end of this lever 38 is connected pivotally, as at 39, to the frame 7, and the other end connected pivotally, as at 40, to the cross-bar 29 carrying the rods 28 with their stapling plungers 26. Vhen the machine is in normal posit-ion, stated, with the anvil lowered and the stapling plungers raised, the driver blades have uncovered the openings in the guide-block and permitted the feeding devices to force a staple into each of the duplex grooves thereof. Further up ward movement of the staple plungers 26 is prevented by engagement of cross-bar 29 with an adjustable head 41 screwed to upper end of a rod 42 which is fixed to and extends upwardly from frame 7 and through said bar 29. In this position of these e ements, further downward movement of anvil 25 is prevented by a pin 43, secured to frame 7, which extends through a slot 44. in the anvil. The foot lever spring 32 holds the parts last above mentioned, in the respective normal positions stated, by its upward pressure on bar 33, causing lever 34 to fulcrum on pivot 35, which has the double effect of holding the anvil against said pin 43, and of causing lever 38 to hold plungeractuating bar 29 against the head 41 by the upward pressure against bar 36 and lever 38.

Other connecting actuating means to cause said staple-inserting and sta1: le-clenching elements to operate in unison are provided as follows: An arm 45 is arranged in a vertical opening in frame 7, with its lower end pivoted, as at 46, to the frame. Its upper end is provided with two cam faces 47 and 48 which are adapted to engage a pin or point 49 of the lever 38. Said arm 45 normally engages the pin 49 by action of a suitable spring 50 mounted in an opening in frame 7; one end of the spring engaging said pin 49 and the other engaging the frame. The function of this arm 45 is to prevent downward movement of lever 38 and plungers 26 during the upward movement of anvil 25, and also to prevent upward movement of lever 38 and plungers 26 during downward movement of anvil 25, for the purpose to be presently explained.

During the operation of the machine, in inserting and clenching a pair of staples, the stock being placed on the anvil, and the foot lever 30 then depressed by the operator, the result of the initial downward movement of lever 30, acting on bar 33, is to draw the inner end of lever downwardly, thereby raising outer end of said lever and moving anvil 25 and the stock thereon upwardly against the lower end of guide-block 23, as shown in Fig. 5; while the lever 34 fulcrums on pivot 35. During this upward movement of the anvil, any downward movement of the bar 36, lever 38 and plungers 26, by the downward pressure of pivot pin 35, is prevented by engagement of cam face 47 on arm 45,- with the pin 49 of lever 38. lVhen the anvil is brought to rest, on its upward movement, and the stock clamped between it and its under face of guide-block engaging both, said parts then being in position for insertion of the staples into the stock, and which is the first result of depressing the foot lever, then full depression of the latter causes continued downward movement of lever 34, acting on bar 36 to draw lever 38 downwardly, causing pin 49 to ride over cam face of arm 45 and forcing it back against the action of spring 50,. Such movement of lever 38 acting on cross-bar 29 carries the stapling plungers 26 downwardly, to position shown in Fig. 6, its driving blades contacting with the crowns of the staples in the guide-block, forcing their legs through the underlying stock, which are clenched by contact with the recesses in the anvil. Nlien, in the completion of this function, the plungers 26 reach their lowermost position, the cam face 48 of arm 45 engages pin 49 of lever 38 and holds it and its connected stapling plungers 26, by the action of spring 50, in the position shown in Fig. 6. After the staple-inserting and clenching function has been performed, as stated, and the operator removes actuating pressure from foot-lever 30, the parts return automatically from the position shown by dot and dash lines in Fig. 1 to the position shown by the full lines therein; and the first result of the upward or released movement of the foot lever, on bar 33 is to raise the inner end of lever 34 thereby lowering its outer end and moving the anvil 25 downwardly from position shown in Fig. 6 to position shown in Fig. 7, while lever 34 fulcrums on pivot-pin During this downward movement of anvil 25, any upward movement of bar 36, lever 38 and plungers 26, through pressure of pivot-pin 35, is prevented by engagement of cam face 48 of arm 45 with pin 49 of the lever 38. When the anvil, in its downward movement, is brought to rest by engagement with pin 43 as before described, the final result of the upward or release movement of foot-lever 30, acting on lever 34, causes bar '36 to'disengage pin 49 from cam-face 48 of arm 45, raising lever 38 and therewith the pair of stapling plungers, to the position shown in Fig. 4, the plungeroperating bar 29 coming to rest against head 41 and limiti'ng further upward movement of foot-lever 30; its said upward or release movement, and the resultant described upward movement of the stapling-plungers and their driver blades, finally effected thereby, uncovering the duplex staple grooves in the guide-block to the feeding mechanism permitting the latter to automatically charge each of the same with a staple, ready to be driven into underlying stock, by each alternate reverse movement of the elements as 125 described.

The machine, by reason of its construction of frame. actuating devices, movable anvil, and duplex stapling mechanism, is

especially well adapted to be operatively 130 combined with tag-supplying and attaching mechanism, for feeding forward short lengths of tape, and cutting off the same over the movable anvil to form marking tags to be stapled thereby and by the stapleinserting devices to underlying stock supported on the anvil; and such a use of it in combination with novel tag-forming mech anism, is described and claimed in a former and pending application for patent, heretofore filed by me, same being Serial No. 552,539, filed March 31, 1910, and of which the present application is a division.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a stapling machine, the combination with a suitable frame, a duplex grooved guide-block, a duplex stapling plunger having driver blades reciprocating in the grooves of said guide-block; means, governed by said blades, to automatically feed a staple to each of the grooves of the guideblock, a vertically-movable clenching anvil mounted in said frame, a pivoted lever actuating the stapling plunger, another pivoted lever actuating the movable anvil, and a vertically-disposed bar pivotally connecting said actuating levers, with means to impart operative movement to said connected levers as a unitary actuating mechanism.

2. In a stapling machine, the combination with a suitable frame, a duplex grooved guide-block, means to mount it detachably on said frame, said means comprising a spring-plate and a circularlygrooved threaded pin engaging a horizontal opening in said guide-block, a duplex stapling plunger having driver blades, means governed by said blades to automatically feed staples successively to each of the grooves of the guide-block, a pivoted lever actuating said plunger, a movable anvil, a pivoted lever actuating said anvil, a bar connecting said levers, and devices to impart operative movement to said connected actuating elements.

3. I11 a stapling machine the combination with a suitable frame, a grooved guide block, a stapling plunger, devices governed thereby to feed staples to the groove of the guide block, a movable anvil, a pair of horizontally-disposed pivoted levers each independently actuating the plunger and anvil respectively, connecting actuating means between said levers, means comprising a spring-controlled cam normally engaging the plunger-actuating lever during the initial movement of the anvil-actuating lever to raise the anvil and during the reverse movement of said lever to lower the anvil.

&. In a stapling machine the combination with a suitable frame, a grooved stapleguide, a. stapling plunger, a staple-feed governed thereby, an anvil vertically slidable in a recess in said frame, means to limit its downward movement therein, a lever actuating it in both directions, a pivoted lever actuating the stapling plunger, a connecting bar between said levers, and means co-acting with the plunger-actuating lever to restrain the movement of the latter during the initial movement of the anvil-actuating lever.

5. In a stapling machine the combination with a suitable frame, a grooved staple guide, a stapling plunger, a staple-feed governed thereby, an anvil vertically slidable in a guiding recess in said frame, a pivoted lever adapted to impart positive motion thereto in both directions, a pivoted lever actuating the stapling plunger, a connecting bar adapted to impart movement to the stapling plunger from the anvil-actuating lever, and means to restrain downward movement of the stapling plunger during the downward movement of the anvil after completion of the staple-inserting and clenching movements.

6. In a stapling machine the combination with a suitable frame, a grooved stapleguide, a stapling plunger, staple-feeding devices governed thereby, a movable anvil, an operating part for said plunger and anvil, and means operated by said part for moving said anvil into operative position while the plunger remains at rest and subsequently moving said plunger, to eflect the stapling operation when said operating part is moved in one direction, and for moving said anvil into inoperative position while the plunger is at rest, and subsequently moving said plunger into inoperative position to govern the staple-feed when said operating part is moved in the reverse direction.

7 In a stapling machine the combination with a suitable frame, a duplex grooved guide-block, a duplex stapling plunger, a cross-bar carrying the plunger, a rod passing through said cross-bar and an adjustinghead for said bar, a duplex staple-feed governed by the reciprocatory movements of the plunger, a vertically-movable anvil, a pair of pivoted levers mounted to reciprocate said plunger and anvil toward and from each other, connecting actuating mechanism between said levers, and means to impart operative movement thereto by and through said anvil-actuating lever.

8. In a stapling machine the combination with a suitable frame, a duplex grooved staple-guide, a duplex stapling plunger, a duplex staple-feed governed thereby, a movable anvil, a lever connected to said anvil, a lever pivoted on the frame and connected to said plunger, a bar operatively connecting said levers to actuate the plunger and anvil relatively to each other and to the staple guide to effect the stapling operation, and

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means to restrain movement of the plunger while the anvil is being raised into operative position.

9. In a stapling machine the combination with a suitable frame, a duplex staple-guide, a duplex stapling plunger, a duplex staplefeeding device governed thereby, a movable anvil, a lever connected to said anvil, a lever pivoted to the frame and connected to said plunger, a bar connecting said levers; said levers and said bar being arranged to operate the anvil and plunger to effect the stapling operation when the first named lever is operated, and a spring-pressed arm provided with a surface engaging a part of the second named lever and restraining movement of the plunger while the anvil is being moved into operative position.

10. In a stapling machine the combination with a suitable frame, a duplex staple guide, a duplex stapling plunger, a duplex staplefeeding device governed thereby, a movable anvil, a lever connected to said anvil, a lever pivoted to the frame and connected to said plunger, a bar connecting said levers; said levers and said bars being arranged to operate the anvil and plunger to effect the stapling operation when the first named lever is operated; and a spring-pressed arm provided with two surfaces adapted to engage a 1 part of the second named lever, one surface preventing movement of the plunger while the anvil is being moved into operative position and the other surface preventing movement of the plunger while the anvil is being moved into inoperative position.

11. In a stapling machine the combination with a supporting standard and a suitable frame mounted thereon, a grooved staple guide, a stapling plunger, a staple-feed governed thereby, an anvil vertically slidable in a recess in said frame, a lever pivotally connected at one end to said anvil, another lever pivoted on the frame and connected to said plunger, a bar pivotally connecting said levers, a vertically-disposed bar mounted in said standard and pivotally connectedat its upper end to the free end of said anvil-actuating lever, a treadle mounted in said standard and adapted to be depressed to actuate said last mentioned bar, and a spring operating to keep said treadle in normal elevated position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature this 23rd day of May A. D. 1910.

ELWOOD HARRIS MIOHENER.

WVitnesses J OHN G. MAcxY, A. M. BIDDLE.

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