Patent ID: 7946462

Claim:
An electric stapler comprising: a base frame; a driver unit attached to the base frame so as to be vertically reversed from a regular posture to a vertically reversed posture that is 180° from the regular posture; a lock mechanism that locks the driver unit in the regular posture and the vertically reversed posture; a detection switch that is turned ON when the driver unit is positioned in the regular posture and turned OFF when the driver unit is positioned in any position other than the regular posture; and a fixation releasing handle provided on the driver unit, wherein the lock mechanism is disengaged and the driver unit rotates by pulling up the fixation releasing handle in both the regular posture and the vertically reversed posture, wherein the electric stapler is operable when the driver unit is in the regular posture and is inoperable when the driver unit is in any posture other than the regular posture, based on a state of the detection switch, wherein the driver unit includes a main frame, a slide frame, and a lever, the slide frame is horizontally slidable back and forth with respect to the main frame and is urged in a rear direction by a spring, both upper and lower portions of the lever are located on a rear side of a front surface of the slide frame, said fixation releasing handle is fixed to a center of a front portion of the lever, when the fixation releasing handle is rotated upward or downward, the lever is rotated to push the slide frame from rear to front to move the slide frame forward, and an engagement between the slide frame and said base frame by said lock mechanism is disengaged, and wherein the main frame, the slide frame, and the lever integrally rotate with the driver unit with respect to the base frame.