Patent ID: 7721635

Claim:
A punch apparatus for punching holes through a paper stack, comprising: a punch base with an attached mounting plate; plural punch pins mounted to the mounting plate for punching through the paper stack; a lever handle having a handle end, a contact end, and a rotation axis between the handle end and the contact end, the lever handle being rotationally attached at the rotation axis to said mounting plate; a main shaft rotatably mounted on said punch base; and a lever arm and a plurality of pressure plates attached to the main shaft, the lever arm engaging the contact end of the lever handle and the pressure plates respectively engaging the punch pins; whereby, when a force in the direction of the punch base is applied to the handle end of the lever handle, the lever handle rotates about the rotation axis, the contact end of the lever handle exerts a force on the lever arm, in the direction opposite to the punch base and at a location spaced from the rotation axis, which rotates the main shaft and the attached pressure plates, and the pressure plates exert a punching force in the direction of the punch base respectively on the punch pins thereby causing the punch pins to punch through the paper stack.