Patent Publication Number: US-2006016848-A1

Title: Apparatus for evenly stapling stacks of paper at a desired angle

Description:
BACKGROUND  
      (1) Technical Field  
      The present invention relates to the field of staplers, and more particularly to an apparatus for aligning and positioning stacks of paper on a stapler.  
      (2) Discussion  
      Most staples that are used in offices today have no means of aligning and positioning stacks of paper so as to enable one to staple the papers evenly. Stacks of paper are usually stapled at the top left corner. The conventional stapler provides no guidance for where on the paper the staples can be placed. Therefore, staples are usually placed unevenly at different areas of the top left corner of a stack of paper. This not only leads to an uneven and unorganized appearance but also makes flipping through pages difficult as the pages that are flipped do not sit evenly to the top left of the stack so as to provide easy reading of the following pages. Therefore, staples usually have to be removed and the stack re-stapled or the reader has to struggle by pulling the flipped over paper upwards to read the next page.  
      A number of prior art paper guide mechanisms have addressed this problem. However, none has been as simple and as cost efficient to manufacture as the mechanisms of the present invention. The prior art paper guides are also more difficult to adjust.  
      Thus there is a need in the art for a stapler that has a simple and cost efficient mechanism for guiding a stack of paper for even stapling.  
     SUMMARY  
      A stapler for evenly stapling stacks of paper at a desired angle is presented. An arm having a cartridge for dispensing staples is movably connected to a base and a paper director is coupled with the base between the anvil and the back having a V-shaped raised opening the V having a 90° angle (right angle), facing away from the back of the base such that stapling a stack of paper evenly is achieved through placing the top left corner of a stack of paper on the base of the stapler aligned with the V-shaped raised opening and pressing the arm of the stapler down against the stack of paper.  
      The paper director can be movably connected with the base such that the paper director can slide back and forth on the base as to enable one to staple a stack of paper evenly in various desired places on the paper. Also the base can further include indentations parallel to the anvil and at various distances from the anvil and the paper director includes a stopper in the area that the paper director is connected to the base such that as the paper director is moved alongside the base the paper director can be secured at various distances from the anvil by allowing the stopper to lock into the indentations thereby preventing the paper director from freely sliding back and forth when a stack of paper is pressed against it.  
      In another embodiment of the present invention, the stapler includes a hollow box shaped paper director having an upper surface, an open back, a closed front, a V-shaped raised opening the V having a 90° angle (right angle) on the upper surface, an aperture on the upper surface between the V-shaped raised opening and the closed front such that stapling a stack of paper evenly is achieved through placing the hollow box shaped paper director on the front end of the base exposing the anvil through the aperture and placing the top left corner of a stack of paper on the base of the stapler aligned with the V-shaped raised opening and pressing the arm of the stapler down against the stack of paper.  
      In yet another embodiment, the stapler includes a paper director having a flat surface with two raised adjacent sides at a right angle and a corner between the raised adjacent sides and a hollow box shaped opening in the corner such that stapling a stack of paper is achieved through placing the hollow box shaped opening of the paper director on the front end of the base and placing a stack of paper on the flat surface of the paper director with the top left corner of the stack of paper aligned with the raised adjacent sides of the paper director and pressing the arm of the stapler down against the stack of paper.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:  
       FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of a stapler comprising a V-shaped opening according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a pictorial representation of a stapler comprising a paper director that can slide back and forth on the base according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a pictorial representation of a stapler comprising a paper director with a stopper that can be secured on the base at various intervals according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  is a pictorial representation of a stapler comprising a hollow box shaped paper director having a V-shaped raised opening on the upper surface according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 5  and  FIG. 7  is a pictorial representation of a stapler comprising a paper director having a flat surface with two raised adjacent sides at a right angle and a corner between the raised adjacent sides and a hollow box shaped opening in the corner according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      The present invention relates to the field of staplers, and more particularly to an apparatus for aligning and positioning stacks of paper on a stapler. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.  
      (1) Introduction  
      The present invention provides a stapler for evenly stapling stacks of paper at a desired angle is presented. An arm having a cartridge for dispensing staples is movably connected to a base and a paper director is coupled with the base between the anvil and the back having a V-shaped raised opening the V having a 90° angle (right angle), facing away from the back of the base such that stapling a stack of paper evenly is achieved through placing the top left corner of a stack of paper on the base of the stapler aligned with the V-shaped raised opening and pressing the arm of the stapler down against the stack of paper.  
      The paper director can be movably connected with the base such that the paper director can slide back and forth on the base as to enable one to staple a stack of paper evenly in various desired places on the paper. Also the base can further include indentations parallel to the anvil and at various distances from the anvil and the paper director includes a stopper in the area that the paper director is connected to the base such that as the paper director is moved alongside the base the paper director can be secured at various distances from the anvil by allowing the stopper to lock into the indentations thereby preventing the paper director from freely sliding back and forth when a stack of paper is pressed against it.  
      (2) Discussion  
       FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of a stapler comprising a V-shaped opening according to the present invention. This stapler  100  comprises an arm  105  having a cartridge  110  for dispensing staples. A base  115  is movably connected with the arm  105  having a top  120 , a back  125  and an anvil  130  such that the arm  105  is movably secured to the back  125  of the base  115 . A paper director  135  connected with the base  115  between the anvil  130  and the back  125  having a V-shaped raised opening  140  the V having a 90° angle (right angle), facing away from the back  125  of the base  115  such that stapling a stack of paper evenly is achieved through placing the top left corner of a stack of paper on the base  115  of the stapler  100  aligned with the V-shaped raised opening  140  and pressing the arm  105  of the stapler  100  down against the stack of paper.  
       FIG. 2  is a pictorial representation of another embodiment of the present invention wherein a stapler comprising a paper director that can slide back and forth on the base. This stapler  200  comprises an arm  205  having a cartridge  210  for dispensing staples. A base  215  is movably connected with the arm  205  having a top  220 , a back  225  and an anvil  230  such that the arm  205  is movably secured to the back  225  of the base  215 . A paper director  235  connected with the base  215  between the anvil  230  and the back  225  having a V-shaped raised opening  240  the V having a 90° angle (right angle), facing away from the back  225  of the base  215 . The paper director  235  is movably connected with the base  215  such that the paper director  235  can slide back and forth on the base  215  as to enable one to staple a stack of paper evenly in various desired places on the paper.  
       FIG. 3  is a pictorial representation of yet another embodiment of the present invention wherein a stapler comprising a paper director with a stopper that can be secured on the base at various intervals. The stapler  300  of this embodiment comprises an arm  305  having a cartridge  310  for dispensing staples. A base  315  is movably connected with the arm  305  having a top  320 , a back  325  and an anvil  330  such that the arm  305  is movably secured to the back  325  of the base  315 . A paper director  335  connected with the base  315  between the anvil  330  and the back  325  having a V-shaped raised opening  340  the V having a 90° angle (right angle), facing away from the back  325  of the base  315 . The paper director  335  is movably connected with the base  315  such that the paper director  335  can slide back and forth on the base  315  as to enable one to staple a stack of paper evenly in various desired places on the paper. The top of the base  315  further includes indentations  345  parallel to the anvil  330  and at various distances from the anvil  330  and the paper director  335  further includes a stopper  350  in the area that the paper director  335  is connected to the base  315  such that as the paper director  335  is moved alongside the base  315 , the paper director  335  can be secured at various distances from the anvil  330  by allowing the stopper  350  to lock into the indentations  345  thereby preventing the paper director  335  from freely sliding back and forth when a stack of paper is pressed against it.  
       FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  is a pictorial representation of a stapler comprising a hollow box shaped paper director having a V-shaped raised opening on the upper surface according to the present invention. The stapler  400 , 500  of this embodiment comprises an arm  405 , 505  having a cartridge  410 , 510  for dispensing staples. A base  415 , 515  movably connected with the arm  405 , 505  having a top  420 , 520 , a front end  425 , 525 , a back  430 , 530  and an anvil  435 , 535  such that the arm  405 , 505  is movably secured to the back  430 , 530  of the base  415 , 515  and a hollow box shaped paper director  440 , 540  having an upper surface  445 , 545 , an open back  450 , 550 , a closed front  455 , 555 , a V-shaped raised opening  460 , 560  the V having a 90° angle (right angle) on the upper surface  445 , 545 , an aperture  465 , 565  on the upper surface  445 , 545  between the V-shaped raised opening  460 , 560  and the closed front  455 , 555  such that stapling a stack of paper evenly is achieved through placing the hollow box shaped paper director  440 , 540  on the front end  425 , 525  of the base  415 , 515  exposing the anvil  435 , 535  through the aperture  465 ,  565  and placing the top left corner of a stack of paper on the base  415 , 515  of the stapler  400 , 500  aligned with the V-shaped raised opening  460 , 560  and pressing the arm  405 , 505  of the stapler  400 , 500  down against the stack of paper.  
       FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  is a pictorial representation of a stapler comprising a paper director having a flat surface with two raised adjacent sides at a right angle and a corner between the raised adjacent sides and a hollow box shaped opening in the corner according to the present invention. This stapler  600  comprises an arm  605  having a cartridge  610  for dispensing staples and a base  615  movably connected with the arm  605  having a top  620 , a front end  625 , a back  630  and an anvil  635  such that the arm  605  is movably secured to the back  630  of the base  615  and a paper director  640 , 740  having a flat surface  645 ,  745  with two raised adjacent sides  650 ,  750  at a right angle and a corner  655 , 755  between the raised adjacent sides  650 , 750  and a hollow box shaped opening  660 , 760  in the corner  655 , 755  such that stapling a stack of paper is achieved through placing the hollow box shaped opening  660 , 760  of the paper director  640 , 740  on the front end of the base  615  and placing a stack of paper on the flat surface  645 , 745  of the paper director  640 , 740  with the top left corner of the stack of paper aligned with the raised adjacent sides  650 , 750  of the paper director  640 , 740  and pressing the arm  605  of the stapler  600  down against the stack of paper.