Patent Publication Number: US-6662991-B1

Title: Staple expelling device for staplers

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.