Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02606354 2007-10-09
HAND-HELD STAPLE GUN HAVING A SAFETY DEVICE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to staple guns having a safety device
and, more particularly, to a hand-held staple gun having a safe actuation
mechanism.
2. Description of Related Art
Staple guns are powerful hand-held machine used to drive metal
staples into, for instance, solid wood. Aside from the staple guns driven by
electricity or compressed air, the staple guns of hand-powered (muscle
power) models always have a spring means for storing mechanical energy
and delivering it as a sharp powerful blow. As such, providing auxiliary
devices attached to the staple guns for better accomplishing work, and
particularly for safety, becomes important and necessary. - Among others,
examples may be given to U.S. Patent No. 6, 729,525, issued to Chou, for a
staple gun having an improved structure for a two-dimensional positioning
purpose; and U.S. Patent No. 6,082,604, issued to Dennis, for a staple. gun
having an alignment device that prevents the staple gun from firing unless it
is properly aligned with respect to an object to be fastened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a
hand-held staple gun having a safety device, so that unintentional firing of
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the staple gun may be prevented and a safe use of the staple gun maintained.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hand-held
staple gun having a safety device, wherein the safety device relates to a safe
actuation mechanism including, among others, an actuation control rod
which allows a driver of the staple gun to fire staples only when a user
attempts to use the staple gun and thus presses on the actuation control rod
intentionally.
According to the present invention, the hand-held staple gun
comprises a housing, a driver, a spring means, a handle, and a safe actuation
mechanism. The safe actuation mechanism includes a swing means, a link,
and an actuation control rod. The swing means is pivotally secured to the
housing and the link is pivotally connected with the swing means. When
the staple gun is not in use, the link cannot engage the driver even if the
handle is pressed downward, and when the staple gun is in use, the actuation
control rod is pressed upward into the housing, so that the actuation control
rod pushes the swing means, making the link engage the driver, where the
driver, being biased by the spring means, is moved upward when the handle
is pressed down, and when the handle is pressed down continuously, the
link releases abruptly from the driver, making the driver rushes downward
so as to drive the staples out of the staple gun, through the help of the
elasticity force of the spring means.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
descriptions when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG 1 is a perspective view of a staple gun according to a first
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG 2 is an exploded view of the staple gun according to the first
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the staple gun according to the first
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the first embodiment showing moving
upward of an actuation control rod into a housing;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the first embodiment showing pressing
down of a handle and moving upward of a driver urged by a link;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the first embodiment showing pressing
down continuously of the handle and rushing downward of the driver after
releasing from the link;
FIG 7 is a sectional view of the staple gun according to a second
embodiment of the preseint invention;
FIG 8 is a sectional view of the second embodiment showing
moving upward of an actuation control rod into a housing;
Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the second embodiment showing
pressing down of a handle and moving upward of a driver urged by a link;
Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the second embodiment showing
pressing down continuously of the handle and rushing downward of the
driver after releasing from the link;
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Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the staple gun according to a third
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the third embodiment showing moving
upward of an actuation control rod into a housing;
Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the third embodiment showing
pressing down of a handle and moving upward of a driver urged by a link;
Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the third embodiment showing
pressing down continuously of the handle and rushing downward of the
driver after releasing from the link;
Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a staple gun according to a fourth
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 16 is an exploded view of the staple gun according to the fourth
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the staple gun according to the fourth
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 18 is a sectional view of the fourth embodiment showing
moving upward of an actuation control rod into a housing;
Fig. 19 is sectional view of the fourth embodiment showing
pressing down of a handle and moving upward of a driver urged by a hook;
Fig. 20 is a sectional view of the fourth embodiment showing
pressing down continuously of the handle and rushing downward of the
driver after releasing from the hook;
Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a staple gun according to a fifth
embodiment of the present invention;
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Fig. 22 is an exploded view of the staple gun according. to the fifth
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 23 is a sectional view of the staple gun according to the fifth
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 24 is a sectional view of the fifth embodiment showing moving
upward of an actuation control rod into a housing; and
Fig. 25 is sectional view of the fifth embodiment showing pressing
down of a handle and moving upward of a driver urged by a hook.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the hand-held staple gun according to
the first embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing 10, a
driver 20, a spring means 30, a handle 40, and a safe actuation mechanism
A.
The housing 10 includes a left side 101, a right side 102, and a front
side 103. The housing 10 defines an internal space 11, where the internal
space 11 includes an accommodation chamber 111. The spring means 30,
being a compression spring, is positioned, in a compressed state, in the
accommodation chamber 111, whereas the driver 20 and the safe actuation
mechanism A are received in the internal space 11.
The driver 20 is formed with an opening 21 and a support 24 on
which the spring means 30 is seated, and an impact portion 23 formed at the
lower part of the driver 20. The spring means 30 provides the driver 20 a
driving force so as to fire staples (not shown) at the impact portion 23. To
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reduce the shock and noise produced when firing of the staples, a plate 112,
to which a buffer pad 113 is adhered, is firmly secured to the housing 10 in
the accommodation chamber 111. The handle 40 is, at its front end,
pivotally secured to the housing 10 with a pin 403.
The safe actuation mechanism A includes a swing means 42, a link
70, and an actuation control rod 50. The swing means 42 is pivotally
secured to the housing 10 via a pin 423, and the link 70 is pivotally
connected with a second end 422 of the swing means 42 with a pin 73, with
a torsion spring 74 provided around the pin 73 where one end of the torsion
spring 74 biases against the.link 70 and another end of the torsion spring 74
against the swing means 42. The link 70 has a first end 71 positioning
besides the opening 21 of the driver 20, and has a second end 72 mounted
with a roller 721 so as to facilitate interaction of the handle 40 and the
link
70 when the underside of the handle 40 presses against the second end 72 of
the link 70. The actuation control rod 50 stretches, at a first end 51, out of
the bottom of the housing 10, whereas a second end 52 of the actuation
control rod 50 touches a first end 421 of the swing means 42.
When the staple gun according to the first embodiment of the
present invention is in use, the first end 71 of the link 70 cannot engage the
driver 20 at the opening 21 even if the handle 40 is pressed down. As shown
in FIG 4, when the user intends to operate the staple gun, the first end 51 of
the actuation control rod 50 is pressed and moves upward into the housing
10, so that the second end 52 of the actuation control rod 50 pushes the first
end 421 of the swing means 42, making the first end 71 of the link 70 move
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.x,
rightward and thus engages the driver 20 at the opening 21.
As shown in FIG 5, when the user presses down the handle 40 so as
to move upward the driver 20 and that the support 24 of the driver 20
presses against the spring means 30. When the handle 40 is pressed down
continuously, the first end 71 of the link 70 releases abruptly from the
opening 21 of the driver 20, making the driver 20 rushes downward so as to
drive staples out of the staple gun, through the help of the elasticity force
of
the spring means 30.
Referring to FIGs. 7 to 10, the second embodiment of the present
invention, where a safe actuation mechanism B is similar to the safe
actuation mechanism A of the first embodiment in structure and function,
except for a different spring means 30, to be exact a torsion spring. The
spring means 30 has a first end 31 pressing against the support 24 of the
driver 20. A bottom plate 112 is firmly secured to the housing 10 and is
provided underneath the support 24 of the driver 20, where a buffer pad 113
is interposed between the bottom plate 112 and the support 24.
Further referring to FIGs. 11 to 14, the third embodiment of the
present invention, where a safe actuation mechanism C is similar to the safe
actuation mechanism A of the first embodiment in structure and function,
except for a different spring means 30, a leaf spring. The spring means 30
has a first end 32 affixed on the driver 20 and a second end 33 secured to the
housing 10. Also, for the purpose of reducing the shock and noise produced,
a bottom plate 112 is firmly secured to the housing 10 and is provided
underneath the spring means 30, where a buffer pad 113 is interposed
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between the bottom plate 112 and the spring means 30.
A fourth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGs. 15
to 17, discloses a hand-held staple gun having a similar inventive concept
and function.with those of the embodiments above mentioned, though there
are differences in terms of structure.
The hand-held staple gun according to the fourth embodiment of the
present invention comprises a housing 10, a driver 20, a spring means 30, a
handle 40, and a safe actuation mechanism D. The housing 10 includes a
left side 101, a right side 102, a first chute 12 having an outlet 121, and a
second chute 14 having an outlet 141, where the left side 101 and the right
side 102 define an internal space 11. The driver 20 is formed with an
opening 21, an engaging hole 22, and an impact portion 23 at the lower part
of the driver 20. The driver 20 is movably received in the first chute 12,
with the impact portion 23 extending outward from the outlet 121. The
spring means 30 has a first end 31 and a second end 32, where the first end
31 is received and fixed in a recess 13 of the housing 10 and the second end
32 is received in the engaging hole 22 of the driver 20.
The safe actuation mechanism D includes a swing means 42, a hook
41, and an actuation control rod 50. The actuation control rod 50 is
movably disposed in the second chute 14. The swing means 42 is pivotally
secured to the housing 10 via a pin.15, and has a first end 421 and a second
end 422, with a torsion spring 43 coaxially fixed, on the housing 10, with
the swing means 42 and provided around the pin 15, where one end of the
torsion spring 43 biases against the housing 10 and another end against the
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handle 40. The handle 40 is pivotally secured to the swing means 42 via a
pin 45 at the second end 422. The hook 41 is fixed to the handle 40 via a pin
44 and has a front end adjacent to the opening 21 of the driver 20. The
actuation control rod 50 stretches downward, at a first end 51, and out of the
outlet 141 of the second chute 141, whereas a second end 52 of the actuation
control rod 50 touches the first end 421 of the swing means 42. The first
end 51 of the actuation control rod 50 is sleeved with a cap 53.
As shown in FIGs. 18 to 20, when the first end 51 of the actuation
control rod 50 is pressed and retracts into the second chute 14, the second
end 52 of the actuation control rod 50 pushes upward the first end 421 of the
swing means 42, so that the second end 422 of the swing means 42 rotates
and pulls the handle 40 to advance a small distance, making the hook 41
engage the driver 20 at the opening 21. When the handle 40 is pressed
down so as to move upward the driver 20 and that the support 24 of the
driver 20 presses against the spring means 30. When the handle 40 is
pressed down continuously, the handle 40, through the hook 41 into the
opening 21 of the driver 20, raises the driver 20, and deforms the spring
means 30, and then releases from the opening 21 abruptly, making the
driver 20 rushes downward so as to drive staples out of the staple gun, with
the help of the elastic force of the spring means 30.
Further, as shown in FIGs. 21 to 23, a hand-held staple gun having a
similar inventive concept and function with those of the fourth embodiment
shown in FIGs. 15 to 20 (but without the swing means 42), according to the
fifth embodiment of the present invention, is also disclosed. A handle 40 is
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pivotally secured to a housing 10 via a pin 15 fixed on the hotising 10, with
a torsion spring 42 coaxially fixed, on the housing 10, with the handle 40
and sleeved on the pin 15, where one end of the torsion spring 42 presses on
the housing 10 and another end on the handle 40. An actuation control rod
50 of a safe actuation mechanism E is formed of an L shape, including a
vertical end 51, sleeved with a cap 53, movably disposed in and stretching
downward out of an outlet 141 of a second chute 14 of the housing 10, and a
horizontal end 52 abutting on a rear end of a hook 41, where the hook 41 is
pivotally secured to the handle 40 via a pin 44. When the horizontal end 52
of the actuation control rod 50 pushes the rear end of and rotate the hook 41
making the front end of the hook 41 move into an opening 21 of a driver 20
(see FIG 24), where the driver 20 is movably received in a first chute 12 of
the housing 10. By pressing down of the handle 40, the driver 20 is raised
(FIG 25), and a spring means 30 biasing on the driver 20 is deformed. The
spring means 30 has a first end 31 received and fixed in a recess 13 of the
housing 10 and a second end 32 received in an engaging hole 22 of the
driver 20. Then the front end of the hook 41 releases abruptly from the
opening 21 of the driver 20 and makes the driver 20 rushing downward,
with an impact portion 23 at the lower part of the driver 20 driving staples
out of the staple gun by the elastic force of the spring means 30 (not shown).
Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its
preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that many other possible
modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope
of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
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