CA1163848A - Apparatus for connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material - Google Patents
Apparatus for connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible materialInfo
- Publication number
- CA1163848A CA1163848A CA000346606A CA346606A CA1163848A CA 1163848 A CA1163848 A CA 1163848A CA 000346606 A CA000346606 A CA 000346606A CA 346606 A CA346606 A CA 346606A CA 1163848 A CA1163848 A CA 1163848A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- punch
- webs
- anvil
- web
- opening
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31F—MECHANICAL WORKING OR DEFORMATION OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31F5/00—Attaching together sheets, strips or webs; Reinforcing edges
- B31F5/02—Attaching together sheets, strips or webs; Reinforcing edges by crimping or slotting or perforating
- B31F5/027—Attaching together sheets, strips or webs; Reinforcing edges by crimping or slotting or perforating by perforating, e.g. by folding over the partially cut part
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
- B42F—SHEETS TEMPORARILY ATTACHED TOGETHER; FILING APPLIANCES; FILE CARDS; INDEXING
- B42F3/00—Sheets temporarily attached together involving perforations; Means therefor; Sheet details therefor
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Perforating, Stamping-Out Or Severing By Means Other Than Cutting (AREA)
Abstract
An apparatus for connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material comprises a base (1) having an anvil (2) with a sharp edged opening (3) therein. The opening (3) comprises a shank region (16) and an enlarged head region (17). A punching head (6) movable towards and away from the base (1) carries a punch (7) having a sharp edge and also comprising a shank region (20) and elongate head region (19) which are capable of fitting closely within the corresponding regions (16, 17) of the anvil opening. Either or both of the punch (7) and anvil opening (3) are devoid of a sharp edge adjacent that end of the respective shank region (20, 16) which is remote from the respective enlarged head region (19, 17). When two or more webs, (21,22) are placed between the punch head (6) and the anvil (2), and the punch (7) is moved into the anvil opening (3), the sharp edges of the punch (7) and the opening (3) punch a portion of material having a shank and an enlarged head from each web (21, 22) and said portion remains joined at the base of said shank to the associated web. The apparatus may be manufactured in a hand-operated version as substitute for a stapling machine or in an industrial version possibly power operated and useful for example in attaching packets to display cards. In other embodiments the invention may be used for attaching together the ends of strapping extending around loads and for connecting together sets of sheets of paper formed from continuous runs of such paper.
Description
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This lnventiOn relates to apparatus for connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material.
There are many areas where webs of flexible material need to be connected together, some of these being the securing together of a number of sheets of paper, for example in office use, the securing of packets to display cards, the securing together of parts of fol~ed blanks to form cartons and otner containers and the fastening together of two ends of a length of strapping for packaging applications.
~ here are nany weil-known methods of securing ;
together webs of flexible material. Perhaps stapling machlnes are the most common example, but these have drawbacks in that the staples can be difficult to remove from the stapled sheets, the machines require constant reloadlng and staples are not complete?y ~nterchangeable from one machlne to another.¦
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--: Attempts have therefore been made to fasten two or more webs of flexible material together without the 20 USB of auxiliary fastening slsments such as staplss. U.K.
Patent Spscification No. 50~.663 tHahn) dsscribs~ and illustrates an apparatus in which a V-shapsd tongue is punched out of a cornsr of~one web and is thsn automatically
ll63s4a, ' . - ' ', I
This lnventiOn relates to apparatus for connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material.
There are many areas where webs of flexible material need to be connected together, some of these being the securing together of a number of sheets of paper, for example in office use, the securing of packets to display cards, the securing together of parts of fol~ed blanks to form cartons and otner containers and the fastening together of two ends of a length of strapping for packaging applications.
~ here are nany weil-known methods of securing ;
together webs of flexible material. Perhaps stapling machlnes are the most common example, but these have drawbacks in that the staples can be difficult to remove from the stapled sheets, the machines require constant reloadlng and staples are not complete?y ~nterchangeable from one machlne to another.¦
, .. _. _ ., _ . __ _ . . . . .. . . .
--: Attempts have therefore been made to fasten two or more webs of flexible material together without the 20 USB of auxiliary fastening slsments such as staplss. U.K.
Patent Spscification No. 50~.663 tHahn) dsscribs~ and illustrates an apparatus in which a V-shapsd tongue is punched out of a cornsr of~one web and is thsn automatically
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C ll63s4a threaded into a slit automatically cut into the other web. Another device working on this same principle is disclosed in U.S. Patent Specification No. 1,065,904 (~umps). Devices of this type are relatively complicated in construction, they have many points of potsntial failure because they use a large number of working parts, and they are therefore relatively expensive and bulky:
as a result, although they have been known for many years, they have so far failed to dsvslop any permanent place on the market.
U.K. Patent Specification No. 792,8~2 lJewell) attempts to improve upon this slit-and-tongue type of fastener, and descr~bes and illustrates ar..arrangement : in which a basically circular tongue is punched through the folded~oorner region of ths webs which are to be ~oined together. The apparatus described and illustrated in this Specification No. 792,852 is undoubtedly far.less ..
complicated than apparatus of the 508,683 kind~ but it has the drawback that the connected webs are relatively easily - 20 separated.from.one another because the basically circular locking tab which is punched out of the webs a~ows the two webs to be all too easily rotated relative to one another 80 that the punched tab slides out of register with its co-operating circular slot.
Again, therefore, although the 792,852 device has been.known for over twenty years, it has not - as far as
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... _, _ .. _ _ . ., . .. _ _ _ . , . : . . _ .. . . _ . .. , . . . .. _ .
C ll63s4a threaded into a slit automatically cut into the other web. Another device working on this same principle is disclosed in U.S. Patent Specification No. 1,065,904 (~umps). Devices of this type are relatively complicated in construction, they have many points of potsntial failure because they use a large number of working parts, and they are therefore relatively expensive and bulky:
as a result, although they have been known for many years, they have so far failed to dsvslop any permanent place on the market.
U.K. Patent Specification No. 792,8~2 lJewell) attempts to improve upon this slit-and-tongue type of fastener, and descr~bes and illustrates ar..arrangement : in which a basically circular tongue is punched through the folded~oorner region of ths webs which are to be ~oined together. The apparatus described and illustrated in this Specification No. 792,852 is undoubtedly far.less ..
complicated than apparatus of the 508,683 kind~ but it has the drawback that the connected webs are relatively easily - 20 separated.from.one another because the basically circular locking tab which is punched out of the webs a~ows the two webs to be all too easily rotated relative to one another 80 that the punched tab slides out of register with its co-operating circular slot.
Again, therefore, although the 792,852 device has been.known for over twenty years, it has not - as far as
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I am aware - made any impact on the market. In general, despite its admitted drawbacks, the basic stapling machine continues to dominate the commercial market.
According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material, comprising a base, an anvil incorporated in the base having an opening, at ~east part of which is defined by a first sharp edge, a punching head mounted for movement towards and away from the anvil, the puncbing head incorporating a punch at least part of which is delineated by a second sharp edge, characterised in that the apparatus further comprises means to fold the webs and to position the folded bac~ parts and part of the remainder of the webs between the anvil opening and the punch and in that the first sharp edye of the opening on the anvil and the second sharp edge of the punch comprise a shank region and an elongated head region the second sharp edge of the punch fitting closely within the first sharp edge of the anvil and at least one of the punch and the anvil opening àre devoid of a sharp edge adjacent the end of the respective shank region which is remote from the respective enlarged head region, so that when the webs and the folded back part of the web are placed between the punching head and the anvil and the punch is moved into the anvil opening, Z5 the first and second sharp edges punch a portion of material having a shank and an enlarged head from each web and folded over part of web, the portion of material remaining joined at the base of the shank to the associated web so that when the folded over piece o~ web is folded back to its original position the enlarged heads of the punched material are received in the narrow shanks of tne openlngs left b~ other punched portions to lock the we~s together.
According to another aspect o~ this invention there is provided a method of connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material comprising folding
I am aware - made any impact on the market. In general, despite its admitted drawbacks, the basic stapling machine continues to dominate the commercial market.
According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material, comprising a base, an anvil incorporated in the base having an opening, at ~east part of which is defined by a first sharp edge, a punching head mounted for movement towards and away from the anvil, the puncbing head incorporating a punch at least part of which is delineated by a second sharp edge, characterised in that the apparatus further comprises means to fold the webs and to position the folded bac~ parts and part of the remainder of the webs between the anvil opening and the punch and in that the first sharp edye of the opening on the anvil and the second sharp edge of the punch comprise a shank region and an elongated head region the second sharp edge of the punch fitting closely within the first sharp edge of the anvil and at least one of the punch and the anvil opening àre devoid of a sharp edge adjacent the end of the respective shank region which is remote from the respective enlarged head region, so that when the webs and the folded back part of the web are placed between the punching head and the anvil and the punch is moved into the anvil opening, Z5 the first and second sharp edges punch a portion of material having a shank and an enlarged head from each web and folded over part of web, the portion of material remaining joined at the base of the shank to the associated web so that when the folded over piece o~ web is folded back to its original position the enlarged heads of the punched material are received in the narrow shanks of tne openlngs left b~ other punched portions to lock the we~s together.
According to another aspect o~ this invention there is provided a method of connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material comprising folding
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ll63s4a the plurality of webs, punching a hole through the plurality of folded webs so that the hole passes through the folded part of the web and the remaining part of the web, each hole defining a punched portion and a remaining opening including an enlarged head and narrow shank and having a base at which the punched portion remains connected to the associated web, and then unfolding the punched web so that the enlarged heads of some of the punched portions are received within the narrow shanks of the openings left by other punched portions to lock the webs together.
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C 1 l63s4a To illustrate use of the apparatus if two sheets of paper are placed one on top of another, folded over at one corner to form four thicknesses and those four thicknesses are placed between the anvil opening and the
ll63s4a the plurality of webs, punching a hole through the plurality of folded webs so that the hole passes through the folded part of the web and the remaining part of the web, each hole defining a punched portion and a remaining opening including an enlarged head and narrow shank and having a base at which the punched portion remains connected to the associated web, and then unfolding the punched web so that the enlarged heads of some of the punched portions are received within the narrow shanks of the openings left by other punched portions to lock the webs together.
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C 1 l63s4a To illustrate use of the apparatus if two sheets of paper are placed one on top of another, folded over at one corner to form four thicknesses and those four thicknesses are placed between the anvil opening and the
5 punch and are then punched, it will be found that when the punched sheets are withdrawn from the apparatus they will be attached to one another. If the fold2d corner is smoothed back after punching the sheets will still remain attached to one another by virtue of the engagement of 1o the enlarged heads of the punched portion engaging in the shank openings. The method is equally applicable to two sheets of flexible material other than paper~ and also to more than two sheets of flexible material. If a substantial number of sheets are to be connected then lt 1s found that it w~ll suffice to fold over the corner of, say, the two uppermost and two lowermost sheets and to punch through the folded parts and the remainder of the sheets simultaneously. The same connecting effect as , with two sheets is then obtained.
~20 In-all these cases the sheets can easily be separated from one another because only the punched portion holds them together. Furthermore, no materials other than the webs themselves are needed to maintain the c-onnectiOn, the use of separate fasteners such as staples being _ . . . . . ................................... ...
avoided. Th~ apparatus avoids ths complexity of devicss of the kind shown in U.K. Patent Spscification No. 50~,663 -- , . ll63s4a whilst giving an altogether more positively-locked and less readily separated fastening than the apparatus of U.K. Patent Specification No. 792,85~. -Apparatus in accordance with the present invention may have uses other than simply connectingtogether superimposed pieces of paper or other material.
, - For instance, the apparatus may be used for securing together the two ends of a length of strapping extending around a load. If the ends are brought together so that they are under tension around the load, pieces punched out using the apparatus of the invention and then the tension released, the ends of the strapping will move relatively apart and the enlarged head portion from one end will engage in ~he shank portion of the other end so that the strapping holds together in a secure condition. The use of apparatus in accordance with the invention in this way avoids the need for separate metal bands to surround the superimposed ends of the strapping and for crimping to be applied to these metal bands.
Apparatu~ in accoraance with the present invention may also be used for securing packets to a display card,/packets containing, for instance, peanuts,or other good#. ~he packets are laid ovér the , 25 display card and then the apparatus used to punch 'out pieces from both the packets and the display card.' The packets remain attached to the display card because of the engagement of the enlarged head portion to the punched out pleces of one o the packet and the display'c,ard with the shank porti~ns of the other o the packet and the display card.
Apparatus in accordance with the present invention may also be used to join together two o~
more pieces of paper without the necessity for folding .
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over the corners of the pieces of paper. For example aPParatus in accordance with the Present invention may be used to join together a plurality of sheets of paper, each sheet of paper being in the form of so-called continuous paper having transverse perforations extending across the width of the paper at spaced-apart intervals therealong. Such paper is, for instance, widely used on printers used in many businesses, for instance, pri~ters forming part of a computer. Such sheets of paper often having holes extending along one or both margins thereof at intervals of, say, about ~ to %"~ These holes are for engagement with peripherally spaced-apart lugs on one or more rollers-of the printer.
It may be desired to form from two or more lengths of such paper, sets o~ two or more individual sheets.
For instance, it may be desired to form sets o~
upwards of two sheets, being a top sheet and copy sheets. In order to do this the continuous lengths have to be overlaid and the overlaid lengths then have to be separated transversely, either along their perforations or, if no perforations are provided, the overlaid sheets have to be cut at appropriate spaced-apart positions. However, the result would then be that the sheets of each set of sheets are not connected to the remaining members o~ the set.
However, apparatus in accordance with the present invention allows the sheets to be connected together in a simple way, the connection together being, if desired, incorporated in a continuous process for bringing together the long lengths of paper and dividing them at a subsequent station or stations.
When the continuous lengths of paper are brought together correct superimposition is ensured by ..
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feeding them in such a way that the closely spaced-apart marginal holes engage with the pins or lugs on the feed rollers. Normally each sheet will be precisely superimposed so that, when perforations are provided, these exactly overlie each other. However, with the present invention, the apparatus is such that either the bottom or the top sheet is displaced relative to the other sheet or sheets. This ; ' displacement may be by one marginal hole. After the , 10 continuous sheets have come together in this way, apparatus in accordance with the present invention is used to punch out a,hole'at a position between ' each adjacent pair of perforations (in the case ,where the sheets have perforations or between each adjacent position whére,the sheets are to be cut where there are no perforations); This hole i9 punched through each superimposed sheet of paper at a pos~tion which may be, for instance, close to one or ' more of the afore-mentioned marginal holes;' As 20 before, the pieces of papér which are punched out ' ' , remain attached to the correspondlng sheets of paper ' at the bottom of the shank portions thereof.
S,ubs,equéntiy the superimposed continuous sheets , of paper are fed to a further roiler where thëse - ' , ;25, continuous sheets of paper aré loaded onto the pins ' of the further roll,er in,such a way that the previously ''''~' ''' displaced piece of paper is brought into exact ',, , alignment with thë other sheet or 'sheets of paper.
,' Thus the displaced sheet moves relatively to the ' 3'~ other sheet or sheet~ a~d,,in so doing'the same sort of engagément between the head portion of the punched , out piece from one sheet takés place with the shank ; portion of'the othér or other sheets. As a result, ' the continuous sheéts of paper are connected to'gether .
,, . . . ' - , -ll63s4a at positions along their lengths. Subsequent division of thçse continuous sheets of paper along transverse perforations or by cutting result in sets of sheets of paper,each set having the members thereof connected together.
The apparatus may further comprise guide means operative, as part of said webs advance into said apparatus, to fold said advancing parts back over the remainder of saia webs and to position said folded- ¦
back parts and part of the remainder of said webs over said anvil opening.
In one form of the apparatus the mounting means comprises a pivotal connection between said base and said punching head located remote from said anvil opening and punch. In an alternative form the mounting means comprises guiding means for guiding said punching head along a reciprocal path towards and away from said base. In either case bias means may be provided for biasing the punching head away from the base so that the punching action takes place against the biasing force. The apparatus may be con8tructed in various forms ranging from light-weight hand-held devices designated for office use to power operated multi-anvil devices for industrial use.
In anothér form of apparatus in accordance with the present invention, the apparatus comprises a base, a punching head slidable relative to the base, a handle mounted on the base for pivotal movement relative thereto and a f~lding mechanism mounted on the base for pivotal movement thereto, the handle, punching head and folding mechanism being operably connected together so that movement of the handle causes both the folding mechanism and the punching head to effect their pivotal movements.
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The form of the defined part of the anvil opening and the delineated part of the punch is not critical as long as each has a respective shank region and enlarged head region. These combined regions could alternatively be described as a generally T-shaped slot and the punch shape includes all forms from a true T-shape t'hrough a key-hole shape to a triangular shape ~f which the narrow part can be considered a stem and the broader part an elarged head.
The invention will be better understood from the followinq description of certain specific embodiments thereof, given, by way of example only, in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first form of apparatus according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 shows, in views A to E plan views of five different anvils that may ~e used in the practice of the invention;
Figures 4 and 5 show respectively partial longitudinal cross-sections through alternative punch and anvil forms;
Figure 6 illustrates in partial schematlc plan view use of an alternative form of apparatus according to the invention in attaching packets to displaY
cards;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectlon on the line VII-VII
of Figure 6;
Figures 8 and 9 are side elevations of another embodiment in accordance with the present invention in a different position;
Figure 10 is a cross-section on the line TT of Figure 8;
Figure 11 shows the anvil member of the embodiment C
of Figure 8;
Figure 12 is a plan view of the folder of the embodiment of Figure 8.
Figure 13 is a front elevation of part of the handle of the embodiment of Figure 8 with the folder in its up position.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, these show a form of the apparatus designed for light office use. The apparatus consists of a metal base, which may be rubber-faced on its underside to give a non-slip standing surface. The top side 10 of the base incorprates a hard steel anvil section 2 having a T-shaped slot 3 formed therein. The slot may be of limited depth or may extend completely through the base. The anvil section may be an integral---------------------------------f~,.~
part of the base or may be a separate insert into the naterial of the base and secured thereto by adhesive, screws or any other suitable means.
An elongate arm 4 is pivotally mounted at one end to the base about pivot pins such as 5. The arm has a punching head section 6 which may be integral with the arm or a separate part secured to the arm. The punching head section has incorporated therein a punch 7 which is again substantially T-shaped. A leaf spring 8 is secured to the base 1 by rivets 9 and is bent so that its free end engages the underside of the elongate arm ~ in order to bias that arm away from the base.
Two subtantially U-shaped resilient wire guides 10 and 11 project upwardly from the base and are located one 1~ to each side of the anvil opening 3. Each guide has a lower part 12, 13 respectively which is located in a groove in the upper surface or the base 1 and held within the groove by, for exam?1e, a suitable adhesive. The blght 14, 15 respectiyely of each wire guide is located beyond the end 16 of the anvil opening 3. The free ends of the upper parts of the wire guides lie ahead of the opposite end 17 of the anvil opening. A further rectangular wire guide 18 projects forwardly from the base and in front of the guides 10 and 11, the ends of the guide 18 again being received in recesses within the base 1 and being secured thereto by a suitable adhesive or other means.
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The~form of the anvil opening`3 and the punch 7 is clearly s~een from Figure 1. The whole of the opening is defin,ed by a first sharp edge and comprises a shank region terminatinq at the end 16 and an enlarged head region terminating at the end 17, the whole being of substantially T-shape. The anvil opening and the punch are of substantially the same shape and the punch projects a g,iven distance from . , . .
. .
~ the punching head and terminates in a web-contacting surface 19. A first part of the web-contacting surface 10 is delineated by a second sharp edge and comprises the , enlarged head region and that part of the shank region which is closest to the enlarged head region. A secona ' part 20 of the web-contacting surface forms an extension from the shank region and tapers away from the first part of that'surface towards the punching head. The tapered ' part of the surface blends smoothly into the remainder ' 'of the sh,ank and the junction betwenn the two 1s not sharp. ' The whole of the punch 7 is capable of fitting closely within the anvil opening 3.
To use the apparatus to connect together two sheets of paper the sheets 21, 22 are placed one on top of the other and one corner of the combined sheets is thén fed into the opening in the guide 18 from below the^guide and into and aro,und the guides lO and 11 so that the corner will automatically be folded back on itself to the position shown in the drawings. Eventually the shape .
, 'c-' 63s4a of the guide 18 will prevent the sheets of paper from being fed any further forwara into the apparatusi The - punchlng head can then be brought down onto the anvil against the action of the leaf spring 8. Four thicknesses of paper will be punched from the two folded over sheets and the punched T-shaped portions will be pushed through the sheets but will not be separated from them. Thus, the shank of each punched portion remains joined to the associated sheet due to the presence of the tapered section 20 of the punch and the fact that this does not include a sharp cutting edge transversely of the shank.
When the sheets are subsequently withdrawn from the apparatus, they will be found to be secured together at the folded corner. If the fold ls opened out, the two sheets will stay secured to one another, with the enlarged head portlons engaging behind the cut-out shank portions of the sheets.
Flgure 3 shows a series of anvils having different shaped openlngs, each of which may ~e used with a correspondingly shaped punch in apparatus of the invention.
The anvll A has a T-shaped openlng which corresponds substantially to the opening shown ln the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2. Anvil B has an openlng which tends more towards a key-hole shape and also has a shank region and an enlarged head region. Anvil C has a triangular opening, which can be considered as having a stem comprising the .. .. .. . ... ...
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63s4a narrower part 23 of the triangle and an enlarged head comprising the broader part 24 of the triangle. Anvil D has two openings 25 and 26 arranged side by side each of miniature key-hole form. Anvil E has a larger opening comprising a shank 27 and an enlarged square head 28.
This latter anvil may be particularly useful in apparatus for sec~ring together tne two ends of a length of strapping extending around a load. If the ends are brought together and are p~nched on the anvil E with a punch head of the same shape, the shank of the punch tapering into the punch head as already described,then squar~ of the s~rapping material each secured to the material by a shank will be punched from the material. If tension in the strapping i8 then released the ends of the strapping will move relatlvely and the square heads wlll engage behind the slots so holding the strapping in a secure condition.
The apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 ensures that the punched portions of material remain attached to the main body of the material by tapering the punch head as at 20 so that the shank of material is not cut through.
This result may be achieved alternatively by adopting either of the constructions shown in Figures 4 and 5. Each of these Figures shows a base 29 lncluding an anvil ope~ing 30 of substantially T-shape. A punching head 31 is positioned Z5 above the base and carries a substantially T-shaped punch 32. The whole of the punch is delineated by a sharp edqe.
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ll6~s~a In each case the anvil opening includes an extension 33 of the shank region beyond the end 34 of the shank region of the punch so that as that end enters the anvil opening there is no cuttlng effect on material laid between the punch and the anvil. The arrangement shown in Figures 4 and S differ only in tha~ ln the Figure 4 arrangement the extension 33 of the shank section tapers upwardly to meet the upper surface of the base, while in the Figure 5 embodiment no such taper is included.
Figures 6 and 7 show schemat~cally a form of apparatus that ~ay be used for securing packets to a display card. The apparatus comprises a base 35 in which are incorporated a plurality of anvils each hav~ng an anvil opening 36 of generally key-hole form. Four guide plllars 37 extend upwardly from the base and guide thereon a punch carrler 38 supported above the base. Compression sprlngs 39 may surround each of the pillars 37 to bias the carriers away from the base. The carrier 38 oarries a punching head 40 which on its lower surface has a plurality ,~, , . , ., , :, . .. . .. . . . .. . .. . . . . .. . . . . ................. .
O -- - ,. -- .. .... . . _ .. _.. _., of key-hole shaped punches 41, each arranged to engage wlthin a respective one of the anvil openings 36. Each punch 41 has an enlarged head and a shank, both delineated by a sharp edge, and a shank extension 41a which~tapers smoothly to meet the ~nching head, so that as the punch engages the anvil opening a key-hole-shaped piece of material is punched out but is left attached to the ... ~
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remainder of the material as already described. A display card 42 with its front side uppermost is fed into the apparatus and packets such as 43 are provided to be secured to the card. The drawing shows two packets to be attached to the card side by side in a series of rows but it will of course be appreciated that by proper choice of anvil and punches a greater number of packets can be attached. Each packet is laid on the card with , its front side downwards and with its uFper edge'folded over as at 44 to give a double thickness, a strip of card 45 being folded around the folded edge of the packet , as best seen fro~n Figure 7. With the packets and card, strlp arranged as shown ln this Figure, the punch carrier is lowered towards the base elther manually or under power and the punches punch through t,he two thicknesses of strip 45, two thlcknesses of packet 44 and single thlckness of dlsplay card 42. The card may then be advanced ln the dlrectlon of the arrow shown in Figure 6 and a further two packets placed on the card in the, positions outllned by the broken llnes 46, whereupon the punchlng operation may be completed. When the required number of packets have been punched to the card in this way the ca,rd is taken from the apparatus and can be used for display wlth the edge 47 of the card uppermost, the l ll6384a packets falling and unfolding to lie adjacent the card with the strip 45 uppermost. The packets may then be pulled individually from the card as required.
It will be understood that, rather than attach packets to the card ~ne row at a time as described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 a larger form of the apparatus may be constructed designed to punch a plurality of packets in each of a pluralit~ of rows to the card simultaneously.
Referring to Figures 8 to 13, another embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the present invention~, particularly light apparatus for office type use, includes a base 51 within which a punch 55 is mounted for slidable longitudinal movement within guiae 53.
The front end ~ of punch 55 carries key-hole shaped punch members (not shown), each punch member having an enlarged head and shank, both delineated by a sharp edge and a shank` extension which, as is the case with the previously described embodiment, tapers smoothly to meet at the punch head 57.
An anvil S9, in the form of a die plate, is located forwardly of the punch and fixed to the base or to an extension of guide 53 by rivets or the like through fixing holes 61. As will be described below,punch 55 can be slidably moved from a first position shown in Figure 8 to a second position, shown in Figure 9, in which the punch members on the ` head 57 of the punch 55 pass through anvil openings 63. Each anvil opening 63 has a shank and an enlarged head portion matching the shape of the above-mentioned punch members.
Attached by means of rivets (not shown) to base 51 are upwardly extending side plates 67. Extending through side plates 67 at a forward upper position ., ,, ~ .
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, thereof is a pin 69 on which is mounted for pivotal . movement thereon a handle 71. As can best be seen in Figure 8, handle 71 extends ~rearwardly from pin 69 terminating at a position above the rear end of base 51. Handle 71 is shown in its rest position in Figure 8 but downward pressure applied to the rear end of handle 71 will cause it to move from the position shown in Figure 8 to ~he position shown in Figure 9.
Connecting levers ,73 and 75 are each mounted at ~ .
. , 10 one end thereof for p~votai movement on a pin 77.
Pin 77 is fixed at ,each end to handle 71. Connecting , levers 73 and 75 terminate at their other end at a pin .79 on which they are pivotally mounted. .Also ,pivotally mounted on pin 79 and located inwardly.of connecting levers 73 and 75 are operating levers '80 and 81. These operating levers extend,upwardly from pin 79 to a further pin 82 on which they are also pivotally mounted. Pin 82 is fixed at each end to ' side plates 67. Operating levers 80 and 81 extend 20 downwardly from pin 79 to the rear end of punch 55 ' on which thby are again pivotally mounted~
Pin 79 also passes,through a slot ~3 of folder ' control plate 8?. As can be seen in Figure 10, folder control pIate 87 is'located centrally between the pair of operating levers 80 and 81 and, outwardlY
of the latter, the pair of connecting levers 73 and 75. The shape of folder control plate 87 can best be seen in Figures 8 and 9. It is roughly . rectangular in shape with, at its front end, neck portion 89 and head portion 91. At its rear end it is mounted for pivotal movement on pin 93, the latter being fixed at each end to side plates 67.
Surrounding a substantial area of the front portion of each side plate 67 is a channel section ~ ............... . .
.... . . . .
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bracket 95. The central bight section 97 of bracket 95 extends transversely across the fr~nt of the side plate 67 there being a small gap 99 between bight section 97 and the front edges of side plate-67.
S Mounted for sliding movement within this gap is folder 101. Folder 101 is substantially rectangular ~n shape but has a lower central cut out portion 103 and an upper substantially square shaped hole S ~
t~rough which extends the head portion 91 of folder control plate 87.
A tension spring 104 is fastened at one end to the rear of punch 55 and at its other end to the back of guide 53 within base 51.
In order to connect together two or more pieces of paper using the above-described device, the superimposed pieces of paper 105 are fed over the front of base 51 and below the bottom forward end of handle 71 and folder 101 to the position shown in ' Figure 8 where the corners of the superimposed pieces of paper 105 abut against the side plates 67. Handle 71 is then depressed. Handle 71 is linked to pin 79 by way of connecting levers 73 and 75 and as a result of the downward movement of handle 71 pin 79 is caused to move in a substantially horizontal forward direction.
As a result of this movement and of the location of pin 79 within siot 83 of folder control plate 87.
the latter is caused initially to pivot upwardly about pin 93. This is because of the downward travel of the first upwardly extending arm of inverted V-shaped slot 83 during the forwarfl movement of pin 79. After pin 79 has reached the apex of the V-shaped slot 83, further forward movement of pin 79 causes the folder control plate to reverse the direction of its pivotal movement about pin 93 and move upwardly.
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Accordingly depression of handle 71 from the position shown in Figure 8 to the position shown in Figure 9 causes movement of folder 101 first downwardly and then upwardly as a result of the engagement of head portion 91 within square shaped slot 105 of folder ' 101.
In an alternative embodiment the forward downwardly extending portion of slot 83 may be replaced by a forwardhorizontaIly extenaing portion. In this case the movement of the folder, as a result of depression of the handle, is only in a downwards direction. This downward movement continues until the pin reaches the centre of the slot and then further downward movement of handle 71 does not result in any change of position of the folder. It has, however, been found that neater, more effective results are obtained when the folder returns to its up position after effecting folding of the sheets of paper.
During its downward movement, the bottom edges of folder 101 engage papers 105 to fold them at the corners thereof to the approximate confirmation shown in Figure 9! although Figure 9 shows the sltuation after the folder has returned to its up position and the papers have been engaged by punch 55.
The above-mentioned forward movement of the pin 79 also effects forward movement of operating levers 80 and 81 about pin 82. Because operating levers 80 and 81 are connected at their lower e~ds to punch 55 this effects in turn forward movement of punch 55.
This forward movement continues during the whole o the downward movement of handle 71 and the head 57 of punch 55 engages the folded papers 105 just as the folder 101 is beginning its return upward movement.
Subsequent forward movement of punch 55 results in !
~, ' ' , .
,.. . , .. ., ._ _; . ._ .... , ., __._.. ... __.. ,.. _. _ .. ___... _._.. _ . ,_.~_ ___ ~__,, ,_ __ _, ,__,_ _ punch members pressinS the folder papers against anvil plate S9 and then passing through the layers of papers and through the anvil openings 63. The punched o~t pieces of paper remain attached to the sheets 105 at the bottom of the shank portions of the punched out pieces because of the rearward tapering of the shank - extensions of the punch members. ' The punched out pieces are otherwise pushed through the anvil openings to a forwar,d position thereof.
Release of the downward pressure on handle 71 allows the tension spring.104 to return to its or.iginal position thereby returning punch 55, operating levers 80 and 81, folder control plate 87 (carrying with it folder 101), connecting levers 73 and 75 and handle lS 71 back to their original positions. The sheets of .
paper 105 can then be remo.ved. On un.folding them, they are found to be secured together because of the engagement of the enlarged head portions from the piece,s cut out nearest to the corners of the sheets of paper 105 with the shank portions of the pieces cut out from positions further from said,corners. In ~05 effect the sheets of paper ~3~ are '!stitched" together by the punched out pieces when said sheets are unfolded.
, . ... .. _ . . .. . .
~20 In-all these cases the sheets can easily be separated from one another because only the punched portion holds them together. Furthermore, no materials other than the webs themselves are needed to maintain the c-onnectiOn, the use of separate fasteners such as staples being _ . . . . . ................................... ...
avoided. Th~ apparatus avoids ths complexity of devicss of the kind shown in U.K. Patent Spscification No. 50~,663 -- , . ll63s4a whilst giving an altogether more positively-locked and less readily separated fastening than the apparatus of U.K. Patent Specification No. 792,85~. -Apparatus in accordance with the present invention may have uses other than simply connectingtogether superimposed pieces of paper or other material.
, - For instance, the apparatus may be used for securing together the two ends of a length of strapping extending around a load. If the ends are brought together so that they are under tension around the load, pieces punched out using the apparatus of the invention and then the tension released, the ends of the strapping will move relatively apart and the enlarged head portion from one end will engage in ~he shank portion of the other end so that the strapping holds together in a secure condition. The use of apparatus in accordance with the invention in this way avoids the need for separate metal bands to surround the superimposed ends of the strapping and for crimping to be applied to these metal bands.
Apparatu~ in accoraance with the present invention may also be used for securing packets to a display card,/packets containing, for instance, peanuts,or other good#. ~he packets are laid ovér the , 25 display card and then the apparatus used to punch 'out pieces from both the packets and the display card.' The packets remain attached to the display card because of the engagement of the enlarged head portion to the punched out pleces of one o the packet and the display'c,ard with the shank porti~ns of the other o the packet and the display card.
Apparatus in accordance with the present invention may also be used to join together two o~
more pieces of paper without the necessity for folding .
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over the corners of the pieces of paper. For example aPParatus in accordance with the Present invention may be used to join together a plurality of sheets of paper, each sheet of paper being in the form of so-called continuous paper having transverse perforations extending across the width of the paper at spaced-apart intervals therealong. Such paper is, for instance, widely used on printers used in many businesses, for instance, pri~ters forming part of a computer. Such sheets of paper often having holes extending along one or both margins thereof at intervals of, say, about ~ to %"~ These holes are for engagement with peripherally spaced-apart lugs on one or more rollers-of the printer.
It may be desired to form from two or more lengths of such paper, sets o~ two or more individual sheets.
For instance, it may be desired to form sets o~
upwards of two sheets, being a top sheet and copy sheets. In order to do this the continuous lengths have to be overlaid and the overlaid lengths then have to be separated transversely, either along their perforations or, if no perforations are provided, the overlaid sheets have to be cut at appropriate spaced-apart positions. However, the result would then be that the sheets of each set of sheets are not connected to the remaining members o~ the set.
However, apparatus in accordance with the present invention allows the sheets to be connected together in a simple way, the connection together being, if desired, incorporated in a continuous process for bringing together the long lengths of paper and dividing them at a subsequent station or stations.
When the continuous lengths of paper are brought together correct superimposition is ensured by ..
: -, ~~
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feeding them in such a way that the closely spaced-apart marginal holes engage with the pins or lugs on the feed rollers. Normally each sheet will be precisely superimposed so that, when perforations are provided, these exactly overlie each other. However, with the present invention, the apparatus is such that either the bottom or the top sheet is displaced relative to the other sheet or sheets. This ; ' displacement may be by one marginal hole. After the , 10 continuous sheets have come together in this way, apparatus in accordance with the present invention is used to punch out a,hole'at a position between ' each adjacent pair of perforations (in the case ,where the sheets have perforations or between each adjacent position whére,the sheets are to be cut where there are no perforations); This hole i9 punched through each superimposed sheet of paper at a pos~tion which may be, for instance, close to one or ' more of the afore-mentioned marginal holes;' As 20 before, the pieces of papér which are punched out ' ' , remain attached to the correspondlng sheets of paper ' at the bottom of the shank portions thereof.
S,ubs,equéntiy the superimposed continuous sheets , of paper are fed to a further roiler where thëse - ' , ;25, continuous sheets of paper aré loaded onto the pins ' of the further roll,er in,such a way that the previously ''''~' ''' displaced piece of paper is brought into exact ',, , alignment with thë other sheet or 'sheets of paper.
,' Thus the displaced sheet moves relatively to the ' 3'~ other sheet or sheet~ a~d,,in so doing'the same sort of engagément between the head portion of the punched , out piece from one sheet takés place with the shank ; portion of'the othér or other sheets. As a result, ' the continuous sheéts of paper are connected to'gether .
,, . . . ' - , -ll63s4a at positions along their lengths. Subsequent division of thçse continuous sheets of paper along transverse perforations or by cutting result in sets of sheets of paper,each set having the members thereof connected together.
The apparatus may further comprise guide means operative, as part of said webs advance into said apparatus, to fold said advancing parts back over the remainder of saia webs and to position said folded- ¦
back parts and part of the remainder of said webs over said anvil opening.
In one form of the apparatus the mounting means comprises a pivotal connection between said base and said punching head located remote from said anvil opening and punch. In an alternative form the mounting means comprises guiding means for guiding said punching head along a reciprocal path towards and away from said base. In either case bias means may be provided for biasing the punching head away from the base so that the punching action takes place against the biasing force. The apparatus may be con8tructed in various forms ranging from light-weight hand-held devices designated for office use to power operated multi-anvil devices for industrial use.
In anothér form of apparatus in accordance with the present invention, the apparatus comprises a base, a punching head slidable relative to the base, a handle mounted on the base for pivotal movement relative thereto and a f~lding mechanism mounted on the base for pivotal movement thereto, the handle, punching head and folding mechanism being operably connected together so that movement of the handle causes both the folding mechanism and the punching head to effect their pivotal movements.
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. _ . . . .. _ . .. _ ., _ .. .. _ _ . .. . .
The form of the defined part of the anvil opening and the delineated part of the punch is not critical as long as each has a respective shank region and enlarged head region. These combined regions could alternatively be described as a generally T-shaped slot and the punch shape includes all forms from a true T-shape t'hrough a key-hole shape to a triangular shape ~f which the narrow part can be considered a stem and the broader part an elarged head.
The invention will be better understood from the followinq description of certain specific embodiments thereof, given, by way of example only, in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first form of apparatus according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 shows, in views A to E plan views of five different anvils that may ~e used in the practice of the invention;
Figures 4 and 5 show respectively partial longitudinal cross-sections through alternative punch and anvil forms;
Figure 6 illustrates in partial schematlc plan view use of an alternative form of apparatus according to the invention in attaching packets to displaY
cards;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectlon on the line VII-VII
of Figure 6;
Figures 8 and 9 are side elevations of another embodiment in accordance with the present invention in a different position;
Figure 10 is a cross-section on the line TT of Figure 8;
Figure 11 shows the anvil member of the embodiment C
of Figure 8;
Figure 12 is a plan view of the folder of the embodiment of Figure 8.
Figure 13 is a front elevation of part of the handle of the embodiment of Figure 8 with the folder in its up position.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, these show a form of the apparatus designed for light office use. The apparatus consists of a metal base, which may be rubber-faced on its underside to give a non-slip standing surface. The top side 10 of the base incorprates a hard steel anvil section 2 having a T-shaped slot 3 formed therein. The slot may be of limited depth or may extend completely through the base. The anvil section may be an integral---------------------------------f~,.~
part of the base or may be a separate insert into the naterial of the base and secured thereto by adhesive, screws or any other suitable means.
An elongate arm 4 is pivotally mounted at one end to the base about pivot pins such as 5. The arm has a punching head section 6 which may be integral with the arm or a separate part secured to the arm. The punching head section has incorporated therein a punch 7 which is again substantially T-shaped. A leaf spring 8 is secured to the base 1 by rivets 9 and is bent so that its free end engages the underside of the elongate arm ~ in order to bias that arm away from the base.
Two subtantially U-shaped resilient wire guides 10 and 11 project upwardly from the base and are located one 1~ to each side of the anvil opening 3. Each guide has a lower part 12, 13 respectively which is located in a groove in the upper surface or the base 1 and held within the groove by, for exam?1e, a suitable adhesive. The blght 14, 15 respectiyely of each wire guide is located beyond the end 16 of the anvil opening 3. The free ends of the upper parts of the wire guides lie ahead of the opposite end 17 of the anvil opening. A further rectangular wire guide 18 projects forwardly from the base and in front of the guides 10 and 11, the ends of the guide 18 again being received in recesses within the base 1 and being secured thereto by a suitable adhesive or other means.
.. , ,, _ _ . . . . _ . . .
.
c ~
l l63s4a .
The~form of the anvil opening`3 and the punch 7 is clearly s~een from Figure 1. The whole of the opening is defin,ed by a first sharp edge and comprises a shank region terminatinq at the end 16 and an enlarged head region terminating at the end 17, the whole being of substantially T-shape. The anvil opening and the punch are of substantially the same shape and the punch projects a g,iven distance from . , . .
. .
~ the punching head and terminates in a web-contacting surface 19. A first part of the web-contacting surface 10 is delineated by a second sharp edge and comprises the , enlarged head region and that part of the shank region which is closest to the enlarged head region. A secona ' part 20 of the web-contacting surface forms an extension from the shank region and tapers away from the first part of that'surface towards the punching head. The tapered ' part of the surface blends smoothly into the remainder ' 'of the sh,ank and the junction betwenn the two 1s not sharp. ' The whole of the punch 7 is capable of fitting closely within the anvil opening 3.
To use the apparatus to connect together two sheets of paper the sheets 21, 22 are placed one on top of the other and one corner of the combined sheets is thén fed into the opening in the guide 18 from below the^guide and into and aro,und the guides lO and 11 so that the corner will automatically be folded back on itself to the position shown in the drawings. Eventually the shape .
, 'c-' 63s4a of the guide 18 will prevent the sheets of paper from being fed any further forwara into the apparatusi The - punchlng head can then be brought down onto the anvil against the action of the leaf spring 8. Four thicknesses of paper will be punched from the two folded over sheets and the punched T-shaped portions will be pushed through the sheets but will not be separated from them. Thus, the shank of each punched portion remains joined to the associated sheet due to the presence of the tapered section 20 of the punch and the fact that this does not include a sharp cutting edge transversely of the shank.
When the sheets are subsequently withdrawn from the apparatus, they will be found to be secured together at the folded corner. If the fold ls opened out, the two sheets will stay secured to one another, with the enlarged head portlons engaging behind the cut-out shank portions of the sheets.
Flgure 3 shows a series of anvils having different shaped openlngs, each of which may ~e used with a correspondingly shaped punch in apparatus of the invention.
The anvll A has a T-shaped openlng which corresponds substantially to the opening shown ln the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2. Anvil B has an openlng which tends more towards a key-hole shape and also has a shank region and an enlarged head region. Anvil C has a triangular opening, which can be considered as having a stem comprising the .. .. .. . ... ...
.
63s4a narrower part 23 of the triangle and an enlarged head comprising the broader part 24 of the triangle. Anvil D has two openings 25 and 26 arranged side by side each of miniature key-hole form. Anvil E has a larger opening comprising a shank 27 and an enlarged square head 28.
This latter anvil may be particularly useful in apparatus for sec~ring together tne two ends of a length of strapping extending around a load. If the ends are brought together and are p~nched on the anvil E with a punch head of the same shape, the shank of the punch tapering into the punch head as already described,then squar~ of the s~rapping material each secured to the material by a shank will be punched from the material. If tension in the strapping i8 then released the ends of the strapping will move relatlvely and the square heads wlll engage behind the slots so holding the strapping in a secure condition.
The apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 ensures that the punched portions of material remain attached to the main body of the material by tapering the punch head as at 20 so that the shank of material is not cut through.
This result may be achieved alternatively by adopting either of the constructions shown in Figures 4 and 5. Each of these Figures shows a base 29 lncluding an anvil ope~ing 30 of substantially T-shape. A punching head 31 is positioned Z5 above the base and carries a substantially T-shaped punch 32. The whole of the punch is delineated by a sharp edqe.
.
ll6~s~a In each case the anvil opening includes an extension 33 of the shank region beyond the end 34 of the shank region of the punch so that as that end enters the anvil opening there is no cuttlng effect on material laid between the punch and the anvil. The arrangement shown in Figures 4 and S differ only in tha~ ln the Figure 4 arrangement the extension 33 of the shank section tapers upwardly to meet the upper surface of the base, while in the Figure 5 embodiment no such taper is included.
Figures 6 and 7 show schemat~cally a form of apparatus that ~ay be used for securing packets to a display card. The apparatus comprises a base 35 in which are incorporated a plurality of anvils each hav~ng an anvil opening 36 of generally key-hole form. Four guide plllars 37 extend upwardly from the base and guide thereon a punch carrler 38 supported above the base. Compression sprlngs 39 may surround each of the pillars 37 to bias the carriers away from the base. The carrier 38 oarries a punching head 40 which on its lower surface has a plurality ,~, , . , ., , :, . .. . .. . . . .. . .. . . . . .. . . . . ................. .
O -- - ,. -- .. .... . . _ .. _.. _., of key-hole shaped punches 41, each arranged to engage wlthin a respective one of the anvil openings 36. Each punch 41 has an enlarged head and a shank, both delineated by a sharp edge, and a shank extension 41a which~tapers smoothly to meet the ~nching head, so that as the punch engages the anvil opening a key-hole-shaped piece of material is punched out but is left attached to the ... ~
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remainder of the material as already described. A display card 42 with its front side uppermost is fed into the apparatus and packets such as 43 are provided to be secured to the card. The drawing shows two packets to be attached to the card side by side in a series of rows but it will of course be appreciated that by proper choice of anvil and punches a greater number of packets can be attached. Each packet is laid on the card with , its front side downwards and with its uFper edge'folded over as at 44 to give a double thickness, a strip of card 45 being folded around the folded edge of the packet , as best seen fro~n Figure 7. With the packets and card, strlp arranged as shown ln this Figure, the punch carrier is lowered towards the base elther manually or under power and the punches punch through t,he two thicknesses of strip 45, two thlcknesses of packet 44 and single thlckness of dlsplay card 42. The card may then be advanced ln the dlrectlon of the arrow shown in Figure 6 and a further two packets placed on the card in the, positions outllned by the broken llnes 46, whereupon the punchlng operation may be completed. When the required number of packets have been punched to the card in this way the ca,rd is taken from the apparatus and can be used for display wlth the edge 47 of the card uppermost, the l ll6384a packets falling and unfolding to lie adjacent the card with the strip 45 uppermost. The packets may then be pulled individually from the card as required.
It will be understood that, rather than attach packets to the card ~ne row at a time as described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 a larger form of the apparatus may be constructed designed to punch a plurality of packets in each of a pluralit~ of rows to the card simultaneously.
Referring to Figures 8 to 13, another embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the present invention~, particularly light apparatus for office type use, includes a base 51 within which a punch 55 is mounted for slidable longitudinal movement within guiae 53.
The front end ~ of punch 55 carries key-hole shaped punch members (not shown), each punch member having an enlarged head and shank, both delineated by a sharp edge and a shank` extension which, as is the case with the previously described embodiment, tapers smoothly to meet at the punch head 57.
An anvil S9, in the form of a die plate, is located forwardly of the punch and fixed to the base or to an extension of guide 53 by rivets or the like through fixing holes 61. As will be described below,punch 55 can be slidably moved from a first position shown in Figure 8 to a second position, shown in Figure 9, in which the punch members on the ` head 57 of the punch 55 pass through anvil openings 63. Each anvil opening 63 has a shank and an enlarged head portion matching the shape of the above-mentioned punch members.
Attached by means of rivets (not shown) to base 51 are upwardly extending side plates 67. Extending through side plates 67 at a forward upper position ., ,, ~ .
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, thereof is a pin 69 on which is mounted for pivotal . movement thereon a handle 71. As can best be seen in Figure 8, handle 71 extends ~rearwardly from pin 69 terminating at a position above the rear end of base 51. Handle 71 is shown in its rest position in Figure 8 but downward pressure applied to the rear end of handle 71 will cause it to move from the position shown in Figure 8 to ~he position shown in Figure 9.
Connecting levers ,73 and 75 are each mounted at ~ .
. , 10 one end thereof for p~votai movement on a pin 77.
Pin 77 is fixed at ,each end to handle 71. Connecting , levers 73 and 75 terminate at their other end at a pin .79 on which they are pivotally mounted. .Also ,pivotally mounted on pin 79 and located inwardly.of connecting levers 73 and 75 are operating levers '80 and 81. These operating levers extend,upwardly from pin 79 to a further pin 82 on which they are also pivotally mounted. Pin 82 is fixed at each end to ' side plates 67. Operating levers 80 and 81 extend 20 downwardly from pin 79 to the rear end of punch 55 ' on which thby are again pivotally mounted~
Pin 79 also passes,through a slot ~3 of folder ' control plate 8?. As can be seen in Figure 10, folder control pIate 87 is'located centrally between the pair of operating levers 80 and 81 and, outwardlY
of the latter, the pair of connecting levers 73 and 75. The shape of folder control plate 87 can best be seen in Figures 8 and 9. It is roughly . rectangular in shape with, at its front end, neck portion 89 and head portion 91. At its rear end it is mounted for pivotal movement on pin 93, the latter being fixed at each end to side plates 67.
Surrounding a substantial area of the front portion of each side plate 67 is a channel section ~ ............... . .
.... . . . .
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bracket 95. The central bight section 97 of bracket 95 extends transversely across the fr~nt of the side plate 67 there being a small gap 99 between bight section 97 and the front edges of side plate-67.
S Mounted for sliding movement within this gap is folder 101. Folder 101 is substantially rectangular ~n shape but has a lower central cut out portion 103 and an upper substantially square shaped hole S ~
t~rough which extends the head portion 91 of folder control plate 87.
A tension spring 104 is fastened at one end to the rear of punch 55 and at its other end to the back of guide 53 within base 51.
In order to connect together two or more pieces of paper using the above-described device, the superimposed pieces of paper 105 are fed over the front of base 51 and below the bottom forward end of handle 71 and folder 101 to the position shown in ' Figure 8 where the corners of the superimposed pieces of paper 105 abut against the side plates 67. Handle 71 is then depressed. Handle 71 is linked to pin 79 by way of connecting levers 73 and 75 and as a result of the downward movement of handle 71 pin 79 is caused to move in a substantially horizontal forward direction.
As a result of this movement and of the location of pin 79 within siot 83 of folder control plate 87.
the latter is caused initially to pivot upwardly about pin 93. This is because of the downward travel of the first upwardly extending arm of inverted V-shaped slot 83 during the forwarfl movement of pin 79. After pin 79 has reached the apex of the V-shaped slot 83, further forward movement of pin 79 causes the folder control plate to reverse the direction of its pivotal movement about pin 93 and move upwardly.
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Accordingly depression of handle 71 from the position shown in Figure 8 to the position shown in Figure 9 causes movement of folder 101 first downwardly and then upwardly as a result of the engagement of head portion 91 within square shaped slot 105 of folder ' 101.
In an alternative embodiment the forward downwardly extending portion of slot 83 may be replaced by a forwardhorizontaIly extenaing portion. In this case the movement of the folder, as a result of depression of the handle, is only in a downwards direction. This downward movement continues until the pin reaches the centre of the slot and then further downward movement of handle 71 does not result in any change of position of the folder. It has, however, been found that neater, more effective results are obtained when the folder returns to its up position after effecting folding of the sheets of paper.
During its downward movement, the bottom edges of folder 101 engage papers 105 to fold them at the corners thereof to the approximate confirmation shown in Figure 9! although Figure 9 shows the sltuation after the folder has returned to its up position and the papers have been engaged by punch 55.
The above-mentioned forward movement of the pin 79 also effects forward movement of operating levers 80 and 81 about pin 82. Because operating levers 80 and 81 are connected at their lower e~ds to punch 55 this effects in turn forward movement of punch 55.
This forward movement continues during the whole o the downward movement of handle 71 and the head 57 of punch 55 engages the folded papers 105 just as the folder 101 is beginning its return upward movement.
Subsequent forward movement of punch 55 results in !
~, ' ' , .
,.. . , .. ., ._ _; . ._ .... , ., __._.. ... __.. ,.. _. _ .. ___... _._.. _ . ,_.~_ ___ ~__,, ,_ __ _, ,__,_ _ punch members pressinS the folder papers against anvil plate S9 and then passing through the layers of papers and through the anvil openings 63. The punched o~t pieces of paper remain attached to the sheets 105 at the bottom of the shank portions of the punched out pieces because of the rearward tapering of the shank - extensions of the punch members. ' The punched out pieces are otherwise pushed through the anvil openings to a forwar,d position thereof.
Release of the downward pressure on handle 71 allows the tension spring.104 to return to its or.iginal position thereby returning punch 55, operating levers 80 and 81, folder control plate 87 (carrying with it folder 101), connecting levers 73 and 75 and handle lS 71 back to their original positions. The sheets of .
paper 105 can then be remo.ved. On un.folding them, they are found to be secured together because of the engagement of the enlarged head portions from the piece,s cut out nearest to the corners of the sheets of paper 105 with the shank portions of the pieces cut out from positions further from said,corners. In ~05 effect the sheets of paper ~3~ are '!stitched" together by the punched out pieces when said sheets are unfolded.
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Claims (15)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Apparatus for connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material, comprising a base, an anvil incorporated in the base having an opening, at least part of which is defined by a first sharp edge, a punching head mounted for movement towards and away from the anvil, the punching head incorporating a punch at least part of which is delineated by a second sharp edge, characterised in that the apparatus further comprises means to fold the webs and to position the folded back parts and part of the remainder of the webs between the anvil opening and the punch and in that the first sharp edge of the opening on the anvil and the second sharp edge of the punch comprise a shank region and an elongated head region the second sharp edge of the punch fitting closely within the first sharp edge of the anvil and at least one of the punch and the anvil opening are devoid of a sharp edge adjacent the end of the respective shank region which is remote from the respective enlarged head region, so that when the webs and the folded back part of the web are placed between the punching head and the anvil and the punch is moved into the anvil opening, the first and second sharp edges punch a portion of material having a shank and an enlarged head from each web and folded over part of web, the portion of material remaining joined at the base of the shank to the associated web so that when the folded over piece of web is folded back to its original position the enlarged heads of the punched material are received in the narrow shanks of the openings left by other punched portions to lock the webs together.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the means to fold the webs comprises guide means arranged so that, as part of the plurality of webs are advanced into the apparatus, the advancing parts are folded back over the remainder of the webs.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the anvil opening and the punch are of substantially the same shape, the punch projects a given distance from the punching head and terminates in a web contacting surface, a first part of the web contacting surface is delineated by the second sharp edge to comprise the shank region and the enlarged head region and a second part of the web contacting surface forms an extension from the shank region and tapers away from the first part towards the punching head the first and second part having a junction which is not sharp.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the anvil has an upper surface, the opening is formed through the surface and comprises a first part defined by the first sharp edge and a second part forming an extension of the shank region remote from the enlarged head region, the second part having a lower wall which tapers upwardly to join the upper surface.
5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the punch is wholly delineated by the second sharp edge and the anvil opening comprises a first part defined by the first sharp edge and the second part forming an extension of the shank region remote from the enlarged head region.
6. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that a plurality of similar openings are incorporated in the anvil and a plurality of similar punches are incorporated in the punching head, each one of the punches having a delineated part capable of fitting closely within a defined part of the respective opening.
7. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the base is pivotally connected to the punching head, the pivotal connection being located remote from the anvil opening and the punch.
8. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the apparatus including a base, a punching head slidable relative to the base, a handle mounted on the base for pivotal movement relative thereto and a folding mechanism mounted on the base for pivotal movement thereto, the handle, the punching head and folding mechanism being operably connected together so that movement of the handle causes both the folding mechanism and the punching head to effect their pivotal movements.
9. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said mounting means comprises guiding means for guiding said punching head along a reciprocal path towards and away from said base.
10. A method of connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material comprising folding the plurality of webs, punching a hole through the plurality of folded webs so that the hole passes through the folded part of the web and the remaining part of the web, each hole defining a punched portion and a remaining opening including an enlarged head and narrow shank and having a base at which the punched portion remains connected to the associated web, and then unfolding the punched web so that the enlarged heads of some of the punched portions are received within the narrow shanks of the openings left by other punched portions to lock the webs together.
11. A method according to claim 10, in which the plurality of webs are folded, punched, and unfolded at the corner.
12. A method according to claim 11, in which each of the plurality of webs is folded.
13. A method according to claim 11, in which the uppermost and lowermost webs are folded leaving at least one unfolded web between and then punching through the folded and unfolded webs as well as unfolding the folded webs after the punching.
14. A method according to claim 10, in which the punched web portions and remaining openings have a T-shape.
15. A method according to claim 10, in which the punched web portions and remaining openings have a key-hole shape.
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7907009 | 1979-02-28 | ||
| GB7907009 | 1979-02-28 | ||
| US6565379A | 1979-08-10 | 1979-08-10 | |
| US065,653 | 1979-08-10 | ||
| GB7933556 | 1979-09-27 | ||
| GB7933556 | 1979-09-27 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1163848A true CA1163848A (en) | 1984-03-20 |
Family
ID=27260681
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000346606A Expired CA1163848A (en) | 1979-02-28 | 1980-02-28 | Apparatus for connecting together a plurality of webs of flexible material |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0015717B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS56500248A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1163848A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3072163D1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1980001778A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2559949Y2 (en) * | 1993-09-13 | 1998-01-19 | サンスター文具株式会社 | Document binding device |
| BE1015874A3 (en) * | 2004-01-29 | 2005-10-04 | Penne Stefan | METHOD FOR BINDING A booklet AND DEVICE USED THEREBY. |
| JP5807152B2 (en) * | 2011-04-04 | 2015-11-10 | コクヨ株式会社 | Booklet and binding machine |
Family Cites Families (13)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US1065904A (en) * | 1910-07-16 | 1913-06-24 | George P Bump | Means for fastening paper sheets. |
| US1980154A (en) * | 1932-09-28 | 1934-11-06 | American Brass Co | Means for connecting strips of sheet metal |
| US2083538A (en) * | 1934-05-14 | 1937-06-15 | Harry F Affelder | Bottle collar |
| GB508663A (en) * | 1938-02-26 | 1939-07-04 | Hugo Hahn | Improvements in paper fastening apparatus |
| FR906424A (en) * | 1942-07-09 | 1946-01-07 | Device for assembling sheets of paper or the like placed one above the other | |
| GB792852A (en) * | 1956-04-03 | 1958-04-02 | Howard J Jewell | Paper fastening device |
| GB1049223A (en) * | 1964-04-13 | 1966-11-23 | Gutherie William Gifford | Continuous stationery assemblies |
| DE1436082A1 (en) * | 1964-09-23 | 1968-10-24 | Goebel Gmbh Maschf | Device for making detachable connections between the individual lines of endless carbonless copies |
| JPS495960B1 (en) * | 1968-03-29 | 1974-02-09 | ||
| DE1910500A1 (en) * | 1969-03-01 | 1970-09-17 | Gocbel Gmbh Maschf | Tool for joining paper webs, especially form webs |
| US3741079A (en) * | 1969-10-16 | 1973-06-26 | Masson Scott Thrissell Eng Ltd | Web splicing methods |
| FR2144140A5 (en) * | 1971-07-01 | 1973-02-09 | Cibie Projecteurs | |
| JPS51148515A (en) * | 1975-06-12 | 1976-12-20 | Kishida Hisao | Sheet binding device |
-
1980
- 1980-02-28 CA CA000346606A patent/CA1163848A/en not_active Expired
- 1980-02-28 DE DE8080300596T patent/DE3072163D1/en not_active Expired
- 1980-02-28 JP JP50050980A patent/JPS56500248A/ja active Pending
- 1980-02-28 WO PCT/GB1980/000033 patent/WO1980001778A1/en unknown
- 1980-02-28 EP EP80300596A patent/EP0015717B1/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0015717B1 (en) | 1989-07-26 |
| JPS56500248A (en) | 1981-03-05 |
| WO1980001778A1 (en) | 1980-09-04 |
| DE3072163D1 (en) | 1989-08-31 |
| EP0015717A1 (en) | 1980-09-17 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |