Patent ID: 7216791

Claim:
A stapler including a housing, a striker vertically movable within the housing, a power spring linked to the striker, and a lever releasably linked to the striker wherein: the lever pivots upon a lever fulcrum from an initial rest position toward a release point of the striker and lever, a release end of the lever engaging a slot of the striker as the lever pivots toward the release point whereby the striker is raised to the release point; the release end of the lever including an arcing motion about the fulcrum as the lever pivots upon the fulcrum, the release end retracting out of the slot as the lever and striker approach the release point; the fulcrum includes a curved surface having an axial center and a rearward facing flat surface with respect to the lever release end extending to be adjacent to the power spring, and at the lever release point the lever having a notch corner apex that pivots on the rearward facing flat surface adjacent to the power spring, at a bottom of the fulcrum below the axial center.