Improvements in Devices for Inserting and Clinching Metallic Staples.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 15th Oct.. 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Devices for Inserting and Clinching Metallic
Staples.
I, WILLIAM JOHN BROWN, residing at No. 120 Wistar Street, Germantown,
in the City of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Machinist, 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 :-
My invention relates to devices for fastening and binding together papers,
letters, documents and the like by means of metallic staples driven through the
papers to be bound and clinched or bent upwards on the under side thereof.
For these purposes it consists of two parts or elements, one of which receives
and holds the papers, guides the staple driving tool to its proper position, and
co-operates with the staple driving tool in clinching or bending up the legs of
the staples against the under side of the papers to be fastened.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a staple driving tool.
Figure 2 a vertical sectional view thereof.
Figure 3 an elevation of the staple driving tool with the plunger blade shown
withdrawn from the staple case and plunger guide.
Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the guiding and clinching device.
Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4 and
Figure 6 a vertical sectional view of a modification of the same device; and,
Figure 7 a perspective view thereof.
Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view of another modification of the same tool.
Figure 9 is a perspective view thereof; and
Figure 10 is an elevation thereof showing how the tool is operated and showing
the inner guides and spring in dotted lines."
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
My invention, it will be observed, is applicable more particularly to hand
tools of easy and cheap construction for desk and office purposes, adapted to
inserting small metallic staples in paper documents and other like articles requiring
to be fastened together, and belongs to that class of such tools in which the driver
is detached or detachable from the clinching tool. In all such devices the metallic
staples are inserted singly in the open end of the staple case of the driver and forced
through the papers by means of a blow on the impact head of the driver, the
legs of the staples being simultaneously bent up or clinched on the under side
of the papers by contact with the curved sides of a recess in the clinching tool.
The object of the first part of my invention is to simplify, as well as make more
perfect in operation, the construction of the driver which consists of two elements
viz. the external staple case and plunger guide, and its contained plunger blade;
and to that end my invention consists broadly in constructing the plunger blade of
a small strip or bar of suitable metal preferably of flat or flattened oval form, and
dividing or splitting the lower end of the same longitudinally transversely to the
crown of the staple so as to give a spring like character to the split sides, which
will not only enable it to be retained within the staple case by frictional contact
with the interior thereof without any fastening, but when made flat or of flattened
oval form will dispense with specific guiding devices either on the plunger blade or
in the staple case in small hand tools constructed on this principle.
My invention also consists in combining with a plunger blade so constructed, and
an impact knob on the upper end thereof, a staple case and plunger guide consisting

page_text: of a simple tube, of general interior conformation such as flat or flattened oval,
adapted to the form of the plunger blade.
The other element of my paper fastening device constituting part of my
invention, is the staple driver guiding the staple clinching device shown in the
several figures of the drawing in the form of a small hand tool of novel con-
struction appropriate for desk use, and which may be made of such form that it
will be useful as a paper weight and paper clip, and be capable of containing
more than one staple driver guiding recess to adapt it to the reception of
different sizes and styles of staple drivers and to the clinching of different
sizes and forms of metallic staples. The essential underlying principle of con-
struction in each form shown of this device, which marks its novelty, is the
combination with a stationary base plate provided with one or more clinching
recesses thereon of an overhanging plate having staple driver guiding recesses
therein, with vertically sliding sleeve like mechanism whereby the guide plate may
be reciprocated with relation to the clinching base in a perpendicular plane and
with spring mechanism to reciprocate said overhanging plate in one direction and
with guiding devices to prevent rotation of said overhanging plate whereby its
recesses may be always kept in register with the clinching recesses in the base
plate; and my invention consists broadly in the combination of such elements in
such a tool.
Finally my invention, which, as before stated, relates to desk tool devices for
inserting and clinching metallic staples, consists in the combination of these two
detached or separable tools or devices intended to be used together, one for inserting
the staple in the underlying papers, and the other for clinching the same, but each
capable of being used separately in the performance of its specific function, with
some other appropriate tool to perform the other of said functions respectively.
By reference to the drawings, it will be seen that the driver is constructed as
follows: The plunger blade A consists of a short bar of suitable metal, preferably
of flattened oval form longitudinally split for nearly its entire length perpen-
dicularly from the base upwards, transversely to the crown of the staple and
provided at its top end with an impact head or hand knob d. In the practical con-
struction of the device I prefer, instead of actually splitting the blade for a part of
its length, to split or divide it the entire length and re-unite the top ends in a
clamping or combing head or end d, first giving the lower divided ends a slight
curving bend outwards to make the spring like action stronger or more defined.
As my invention consists broadly in splitting or dividing the blade to enable
the lower ends to be given an outwardly pressing spring like action, it is obvious
that I do not wish to be confined to the precise form shown as the blade may be
made somewhat like a two-pronged fork or may be actually divided into two
separate parts and mechanical means used to produce the spring tension.
B represents a combined staple case and plunger guide which is merely a plain
tube of interior conformation such as flattened oval to adapt it to receive the
plunger blade A.
In the operation of the device it may be useful to observe that the parts necessary
or essential in such a tool are that the plunger blade shall always press on the two
corners of the crown of the staple immediately over the vertical legs thereof. The
parts are preferably so proportioned that the plunger blade will protrude slightly
below the base of the staple case B and the plunger is made preferably concave at
its base with a groove therein to embrace the crown of the staple so that the outer
edges of the concave will at all times bear upon the staple over the staple legs
to drive the staple evenly, and by these means wear of the blade at these points
18 also thus provided for. Sometimes staples are provided with side suspension
ring projections, and to adapt the driving tool to insert such staples, an opening c
is provided on one of the flat sides of the staple case B at the base thereof.
In the operation of the device, an ordinary metallic staple is inserted, crown
upwards, in the lower open end of the staple case B, the plunger A having heen
previously raised to admit thereof. The driver being then placed upon the papers

page_text: or other article to be stapled (the operator's hand holding the instrument by the
casing B) the impact head d of the plunger is then given a sharp blow with the
other hand and the staple is thus driven through the underlying papers. Both
the staple and the plunger blade are thus guided by the staple case B owing to the
corners produced by the flat or flattened oval form thereof, and thereby I am
enabled to dispense entirely with all guide ways in the staple case and with all the
usual projections, ribs or guiding devices on the plunger blade, owing to the spring
like character of its divided ends which thus fill that part of the staple case holding
the legs of the staples and whereby sufficient frictional contact is obtained to hold
the two parts of the driver together without any other fastening.
The staple
however, being driven through the papers, or other material, may have its legs bent
up by hand or bent up and clinched on an iron mandrel, but I prefer to use it in
connection with the staple clinching tool herein described and which is a part of the
whole device which operates to clinch the legs of the staple simultaneously with its
being driven by the driving tool described.
The other part of the device constituting a part of my present invention is as
shown in several figures of the drawings, the staple driver guiding and staple
clinching tool which is shown in the form of a paper weight and paper clip. It
consists of the base plate A' which is intended to rest solidly upon the desk or
other flat surface, and which may be made comparatively heavy to serve as a paper
weight and be of annular form for the purpose of ornamentation, as shown in the
perspective views Figures 7 and 9, but may be in the form of a central body with
arms proceeding therefrom as shown in Figure 5. Said base plate is provided with
clinching recesses C¹ of any well known form. Above this base plate is provided
an overhanging guide plate B¹ of peripheral conformation to cover the clinching
recesses in the face of the base plate A', and preferably to cover the whole of the
face of the base plate. Said overhanging plate B₁ is provided with slots or
openings d and immediately over the clinching recesses in the base plate A.
For ordinary purposes these slots or recesses may be made in the form of an
ordinary slot as at d, Fig. 5 or to adapt them to suspension ring staples they may
be in the form shown at d³, Figures 5 and 7. Rising from the center of the base
plate A is a vertical pillar or shaft T, see Fig. 4 vertically grooved on its
exterior, at a, see Fig. 5. The overhanging guide plate BI is provided with a
central hollow sleeve D' adapted to slide vertically upon the pillar or shaft T of
the base plate A, and said sleeve is provided with splines or feathers a' (see
Fig. 5) moving in the vertical grooves a² to prevent rotation of the sleeve D upon
the shaft T. But the same result may be obtained by making the sliding sleeve
and shaft square or polygonal in form, or by making the sliding sleeve in skeleton
form as shown in Fig. 6. A knob K is screwed down or otherwise fitted to the
hollow shaft D. A. rod R is inserted through a vertical recess in the shaft T and
is fastened to the sleeve D by passing upwards into the knob K. A spiral spring L
is placed upon the rod R between the lower end of the recess in the shaft T and
the nut m on the end of said rod as shown in Figs. 4 and 6.
By this construction it will be observed that on lifting the guide plate B by
means of the knob K its hollow sleeve will slide in a perpendicular plane upon the
upright shaft T and by means of the guiding devices a¹ a² the guide plate will be
prevented from rotating and the driver guiding recesses d will always be kept in
register with the clinching recesses C. In both of these forms of the device
shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the spring placed within the base plate which requires
the latter to be held down by the hand while the other hand is used to raise the
overhanging guide plate. In Fig. 8 however, I enclose the spring within the
overhanging guide plate whereby when the latter is grasped as shown in Fig. 10
but one hand is necessary to raise it from the base plate.
The details of construction of this modified form are as follows: The base A¹
with its clinching recesses C¹, and the overhanging guide plate B' with its driver
guiding recesses d', are as in the other figures, as is also the post T³ fitting into
recesses S like the same parts in Fig. 6 but in order to raise the guide plate B¹

page_text: without grasping the base plate A' to hold it down against the force of the spring L,
I enclose said spring around the upright rod R and bearing against a rim or ledge n
in said guide plate, so that the latter may be grasped and raised by pressure of the
thumb and fingers on the said rod and guide plate respectively as shown in Fig. 10.
The spring operates on the same principle in all these figures viz. :-To bring the
guide plate to its normal position when the driver is to be inserted and a staple
to be driven thereby.
In Fig. 6 the equivalent of the hollow sleeve D of Fig. 4 is supplied by the
annular series of vertical recesses S and which are thus practically a skeleton
sleeve; while the upright shaft T is supplied by the annular series of vertical
pieces Ts adapted to fit these recesses S, said pieces being the equivalent of the post
or shaft T, and being practically a skeleton shaft T. The advantage of making
this shaft in skeleton form and the sliding sleeve in skeleton form as described, is
that the grooves and splines a¹ a² may be dispensed with as they are then combined
in the one element.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :-
•
(1) The combination with a containing staple-case and plunger-guide, of a
movable plunger or driver blade adapted thereto in form, longitudinally split or
divided at its lower extremity transversely to the crown of the staple, forming two
spring members, to enable it to operate with an outwardly-pressing spring-like
action within the containing case; substantially as described.
(2) The combination with a containing staple-case and plunger-guide of flat or
flattened oval form interiorly, of a plunger of similar exterior conformation
provided with an impact head on its upper end and longitudinally split or divided
at its lower end transversely to the crown of the staple forming two spring members
from its base upwards, to enable it to operate with a spring-like action within the
containing case; substantially as described.
(3) A staple driver-guiding and staple clinching device consisting of the com-
bination with a stationary base plate provided with one or more clinching recess.
an overhanging guide-plate suitably recessed to register with said clinching recessco
and receive and guide the open end of the staple driver, vertically sliding sleeve-
like mechanism between said base and guide-plate whereby the latter may be
reciprocated with relation to the clinching base in a perpendicular plane, and a
spring operating to automatically bring said parts into normal position when the
staple is to be driven substantially as described.
(4) A staple driver guiding and staple clinching device consisting of the com-
bination with a stationary base plate provided with one or more clinching recesses,
an overhanging guide plate suitably recessed to register with said clinching recesses
and receive and guide the open end of the staple driver, vertically sliding sleeve-
like mechanism between said base and guide plate whereby the latter may be
reciprocated with relation to the clinching base in a perpendicular plane, and
guiding devices to prevent rotation of said guide plate during its reciprocation ;
substantially as described.
(5) In a tool for inserting and clinching metallic staples the combination with a
recessed clinching base an overhanging recessed guide-plate, mechanism between
said clinching base and guide plate adapted to reciprocate the latter with relation
to the clinching base in a perpendicular plane and without rotation, and a staple
driver adapted to operate through the recesses in said guide plate and against the
clinching recesses of the base plate; substantially as described.
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.