Improvements in Means for Forming, Inserting, and Clinching Staples.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th July, 1896-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Forming, Inserting, and Clinching
Staples.
I, HERMAN FREDERIC LEE of No. 107 Liberty Street, in the City, County
and State of New York, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates generally to stapling devices, that is to say, to a device or
implement by which a staple may be formed preparatory to being employed for
stapling purposes and by which the staple is forced through the material to be
stapled and its legs clinched against underside of the material.
The present improvements have for their object to provide a simple, compact
hand implement adapted among other things to serve the two-fold function of
forming the staple and of forcing such staple through the material and clinching
its legs; and with these and other ends in view the invention consists in the
novel implement and in the construction and arrangements of parts hereinafter
fully set forth.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a practical embodiment of the
invention in its preferred form:
Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the improved implement, the handles
or grasping pieces being only partially shown.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, showing the implement at its natural
size.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation looking at the side opposite that shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation, the implement about to cut and form a staple.
Fig. 5 is a like view with the staple formed.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing the clamping of the material preparatory to
forcing the staple therethrough.
Fig. 7 is an end view of the same.
Fig. 8 is a like view the staple having been forced through the material, showing
the ends of its legs in the act of being bent to clinch the material.
Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the implement, the stapling operation having been
completed; and
Fig. 10 is an end view of the same.
The improved implement is adapted in its most complete form to support a
short straight length of wire, cut the same to the proper length, and bend or shape
it into the form of a staple of U shape; to serve as a support and clamp for the
material to be stapled preparatory to and while it is being stapled; force the.
formed staple through the material, and complete the stapling operation by
bending or clinching its legs down against the surface of the material.
To adapt the improvements for hand use and to be manipulated readily with one
hand the devices are formed by and mounted on a pair of tongs A of any usual
construction pivoted at e, having the handles or grasping pieces a, and the opposed
and co-operating jaws b, c; a spring d serving to normally hold the jaws yieldingly
apart, as indicated in Fig. 1.
The lower jaw c provides a staple-forming anvil 2, situated in a central position;
and this anvil is preferably formed across its top surface with a groove or shallow
recess 3 serving as a seat for the wire both before and while being bent into staple

page_text: form. On either side of the anvil 2, and arranged at a suitable distance from its
vertical sides extend flanges 4 one or both of which may have a perforation 5 to
receive and support the end or ends of the wire during the cutting operation while
its central portion rests in the anvil recess 3.
On the inner side of the anvil 2 and flanges 4 and level therewith the top surface
of the jaw serves as a support for the material to be stapled; and adjacent the
anvil the jaw has formed in its surface the leg bending or clinching recess 6.
The upper jaw b carries a pair of fingers 7, which in the present instance and
preferably although not necessarily, form a four-fold function, first to co-operate
with the flanges 4 of the lower jaw to cut off the wire to the proper length;
second, to co-operate with the anvil 2 to form the wire into a staple; third, to
carry the staple and support it during the stapling operation; and fourth,
to co-operate with the lower jaw and form one part of a clamp to grasp the
material while being stapled.
These fingers 7 are formed integral with a carrier 8 mounted to move with
the jaw band also to yield or have movement irrespective thereof. The carrier 8
is of U form arranged to straddle the jaw b and is slotted at 9 to embrace the
pivot, a suitable spring 10 acting against a projection on the carrier being
provided to yieldingly hold the carrier against the jaw and it may be to hold the
carrier with its fingers in its rearmost position with respect to the end of the jaw
and in position so that the fingers, if the tongs now be rocked together or so that
the jaws approach one another, will meet the surface of the jaw e which in such
case will act with said jaw in forming a clamp for the material to be stapled. The
jaw proper is interposed between the fingers 7 of the carrier 8 and co-operates
with the jaw c and its recess 6 in forming a means of driving the staple through the
material and of clinching its legs upon the material.
b
The carrier with the fingers 7 'is arranged at a certain time to slide bodily
outward with respect to the jaw b so that the fingers 7 align with the anvil and
in rocking the tongs to bring the jaws together will straddle said anvil and pass
between the anvil and the flanges 4. As the fingers in moving the jaws together
pass upon opposite sides of the anvil 2 their. ends meet the outer portions of the
piece of wire which is supported by said anvil and by a continued movement
bends said wire over the anvil into U or staple shape, the crown of the staple
resting on the anvil or in its recess 3 and its legs extending upon opposite sides
of the anvil between its walls and that of the fingers 7. The ends of the
fingers 7 are formed with a wide face 11 to more or less nearly fit the space
between the anvil and the flanges 4 and the outer edge of one or both of this
widened face co-operates with the contiguous face of the flange or flanges 4 to
sever the piece of wire to the proper length.
In practice the spring of the newly formed staple i will be such that its legs will
bear with sufficient pressure against the inner side of the fingers 7 so that on the
outward movement of the fingers away from co-operation with the anvil the staple
will be carried by said fingers away from the anvil ready in position to be projected
through the material when the jaws or one jaw and the fingers are moved together.
As a means of governing the position of fingers 7 with respect to the anvil 2 there
is provided a movable pawl 12 which in the present instance is seated in a recess in
the lower jaw c with its outer end arranged in position to meet the wire when in
place on the anvil 2. The inner end of the pawl has a pin 13 projecting into a
slot 14, formed in duplicate in this embodiment in the carrier 8. When a piece of
wire is in place on the anvil 2, the movement of the jaws together brings the
end of the pawl against the wire in a measure clamping the same immovable in
the recess 3 preparatory to the staple forming operation and at the same time
fixing the pin 13 in a rigid position so that in the rocking of the tongs together the.
finger-carrier 8 will be moved outwardly by reason of the slot or slots 14 to
bring the fingers 7 in position to straddle and co-operate with the anvil 2 to form
the staple. As the carrier is thus automatically moved outwardly its end underlies
a pin or projection 15 on the jaw b so that the carrier is moved rigidly with the

page_text: jaw and does not yield with respect thereto. When the jaws b, c, are now further
rocked together the ends of the fingers 7 first bear against the length of wire,
Fig. 4 and then by co-action with the flanges 4 cut the wire off flush with the
inner surfaces of the flanges, allowing the cut off end or ends or pieces of the wire
to drop from the perforation or perforations 5. A continued downward movement
of the jaw 6 with the fingers 7 now bends the wire over the anvil 2 into U or staple
form i, as in Fig. 5, completing its formation. The tongs are then released and
the spring d forces the jaws b, c, apart and returns the parts to the position shown
in Fig. 6, the spring 10, Fig. 3, sliding the carrier 8 with its fingers backwardly so
that the fingers rest over and in alignment with the flat top surface of the lower
jaw o. The inner sides of the fingers 7 each have a shallow recess 16 in which the
legs of the staple may rest and allow the fingers to lie more closely to the sides of
the anvil in forming the staple. The spring of the newly formed staple i is
sufficient to enable it to cling to the fingers 7 so that when they rise with the
jaw b into position shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the staple will be carried with them.
This action brings the staple above the jaw c ready to be forced into the material.
The material m to be stapled may now be placed on the jaw c and the jaw with the
carrier 8 rocked downward to bring the ends of the fingers 7 down upon the
material thus clamping it in place. "A further movement of the jaw will now
bring its under surface or notch 17 against the head of staple moving the staple
downward, its legs guided by the inner sides of the fingers 7, the downward force
of the jaw b being sufficient to drive or force the legs of the staple through the
material as in Fig. 8, with its ends entering the clinching or bending recess 6.
A still further movement of the jaw & downward will complete the beading of the
staple, as in Fig. 10, which shows the material m stapled. This downward move-
ment of the jaw b while the fingers 7 of the carrier are clamping the material has
been had against the force of the spring 10; and the slot 14 is moving over
the pin 13 of the pawl 12 idly moving the pawl rearward without effecting any
result.
When the piece of wire or common pin 2, say, is first placed in position on the
anvil 2, the upper end of the pawl 12 bears against the wire as in Fig. 2, and
prevents the pawl from moving rearwardly, and this has the effect of holding the
pin 13 in a fixed position with respect to the carrier 8, so that when the jaw b with
the carrier is rocked downward the slot 14 (being properly shaped for the purpose)
causes the carrier to be moved outwardly on the jaw b to bring a shoulder on the
carrier beneath the projection 15 of the jaw 6 which, then meeting the carrier, causes
the carrier to move rigidly with the jaw in the act of forming the staple. When
the jaw and carrier return to their normal up position again, the carrier moving
backward rearwardly under the force of its spring 10 the fingers 7 with the newly
formed staple is brought in position ready to staple the material on the succeeding
rocking movement of the jaw b. So long as no pin or piece of wire it is in place on
the anvil so as to hold the pawl rigid, the carrier will remain in its normal rearward
position on the jaw b and hence when the jaw is rocked the ends of the fingers will
be brought onto the top surface of the jaw c; and when a piece of wire is in
position the carrier by reason of the then rigid condition of the pawl will move
forward so that the fingers will pass on opposite sides of the anvil to form the
wire.
It should be understood that while we have shown the novel features of the
device in connection with a hand implement it is obvious that some of its features
may be utilized in larger structures adapted, say, for automatic action without
material change.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination in a stapling device of an anvil adapted to support the wire
to be bent, a pair of fingers co-operating with the anvil to bend the wire and a

page_text: forward and rearwardly movable carrier for said fingers to carry the formed staple
into stapling position, as set forth.
2. The combination in a stapling device of an anvil, a pair of bending fingers for
co-operation with the anvil, a pawl for contact with the wire to be bent, and a
connection between the pawl and the fingers to control the position of the fingers
with respect to the anvil, as set forth.
3. In a stapling implement, the combination with the tongs, of a staple forming
anvil and staple clinching base formed by one jaw of the tongs, a pair of bending
fingers carried by the opposed jaw and means for moving the fingers along the jaw
to and from staple forming position, as set forth.
4. In a stapling implement, the combination, of a fixed anvil and a staple
clinching recess in rear of and in substantially the same horizontal plane as the
anvil, with a pair of movable bending fingers co-operating with the anvil to form
the staple and to carry the formed staple rearwardly from the anvil into alignment
with the clinching recess, as set forth.
5. The combination with the two opposed jaws, of an anvil formed by one jaw
and a staple clinching recess formed in said jaw, a pair of bending fingers carried
by the other jaw and means for moving the fingers into and from coincidence with
the anvil, as set forth.
6. The combination with the two opposed jaws, of an anvil formed by one jaw
and a staple clinching recess formed in said jaw, a pair of bending fingers carried
by the other jaw, a pawl and a connection between it and the fingers for determining
the position of the latter, as set forth.
7. The combination with the two opposed jaws, of an anvil and a staple clinching
recess carried by one jaw, a pair of fingers carried by the other jaw, a spring for
holding the fingers in one position to co-operate with one jaw to clamp the
material to be stapled and means for moving the fingers to co-operate with the
anvil to form a staple, as set forth.
8. The combination with the two opposed jaws, of an anvil formed by one jaw,
a pair of bending fingers carried by the other jaw, a projection on said latter
jaw, a pawl for controlling the position of the fingers on the jaw and for moving
them beneath the projection to connect the fingers rigidly with the jaw, as set
forth.
9. The combination with the lower jaw having an anvil, of the upper jaw, a
movable pair of bending fingers supported by the upper jaw and having a cam slot,
and a controlling pawl having a pin engaging said slot, as set forth.
10. The combination with the lower jaw having an anvil and a cutting flange, of
the upper jaw and a pair of fingers co-operating independently with the flange to
sever the wire and with the anvil to bend the wire, as set forth.
11. The combination with the lower jaw, of the upper jaw, a pair of staple
carrying fingers, a carrier for the fingers supported on said upper jaw, and means
for longitudinally moving the carrier and fingers, as set forth.
12. The combination of the lower jaw, the upper jaw, a carrier supported by the
upper jaw and embracing the pivot of the jaws, and a pair of wire cutting and
bending fingers on said carrier, as set forth."
Dated this 30th day of June 1896.
Per W. H. Beck,
;”עם .
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.