Stapling device

• US 5,996,876 A
• Filed: 11/19/1998
• Issued: 12/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Dickhoff, Andreas, Domes, Helmut, Weltz, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US09/195,907
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 227/85, 227/88, 227/87, 227/131, 227/132, 227/152, 227/153, 227/82, 227/89
• US Class Current: 227/85
• CPC Class Codes: B27F 7/23 with rotary drive
• CPC Class Codes: B27F 7/28 with means for forming the staples in the machine

Abstract

A stapling device has a holddown element, a staple forming member, and a staple driving means, which are guided linearly and are movable perpendicular to the upper side of a sheet stack to be stapled.

A first pressure spring with a lower spring force is associated with the holddown element. A second pressure spring whose spring force is greater than that of the first pressure spring, is associated with the staple forming member. A third pressure spring is associated with the staple driving means, its spring force being greater than that of the second pressure spring. The pressure springs are arranged with identical working directions perpendicular to the upper side of the sheet stack.

The first pressure spring is arranged in preloaded fashion between the holddown element and the staple forming member. The second pressure spring is arranged in preloaded fashion between the staple forming member and the staple driving means. The third pressure spring is arranged in preloaded fashion between the staple driving means and a drive head on which engages an eccentric drive which moves the stapling device in the direction of the arrow onto sheet stack, and thereby controls a force-controlled drive mechanism of the stapling device in an operationally correct sequence.

Claims

1. Stapling device for stapling a stack of sheets by means of staples, in which the staples are formed from wire in the stapling device and are subsequently driven into the sheet stack, characterized in that the stapling device has a holddown element, a staple forming member, and a staple driving means, which are guided linearly and are movable perpendicular to the upper side of the stack;

a first, a second, and a third pressure spring, with identical working directions but with different spring forces in each case, are arranged perpendicular to the upper side of the stack;

the first pressure spring engages on the holddown element associated with the upper side of the stack and has a low spring force;

the second pressure spring is associated with the staple forming member and has a spring force which is greater than that of the first pressure spring;

the third pressure spring is associated with the staple driving means and has a spring force which is greater than that of the second pressure spring;

the pressure springs can be acted upon by a common drive mechanism of the stapling device which is movable in the working direction of the pressure springs;

the drive mechanism is associated with the one end of the pressure spring arrangement; and

the other end of the pressure spring arrangement faces toward the sheet stack (10) to be stapled.

2. Stapling device as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the first pressure spring is arranged in preloaded fashion between the holddown element and the staple forming member;

the second pressure spring is arranged in preloaded fashion between the staple forming member and the staple driving means; and

the third pressure spring is arranged in preloaded fashion between the staple driving means and a counterbearing that is movable by the drive mechanism.