Staple and anviless stapling apparatus therefor

A staple adapted for use in conjunction with an anviless stapling apparatus, said apparatus including a nosepiece including an elongated drive track of fixed configuration formed integrally therein and extending therethrough, said drive track having an outwardly open lower end disposed adjacent a workpiece into which the staple is driven, said drive track including an elongated crown receiving portion and a pair of elongated leg receiving grooves contiguous with said crown receiving portion and extending therefrom, the width of said leg receiving grooves, in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the drive track, being greater than the width of the crown receiving portion adjacent said leg receiving grooves, the lower portions of said leg receiving grooves being disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said drive track, and a driver element slidably mounted for reciprocal movement in the crown receiving portion of said drive track, said staple comprising:

• a generally U-shaped, plan form configuration including a crown unitary with two depending legs extending perpendicular thereto, said crown portion having a cross section perpendicular to the legs substantially corresponding to the configuration of the cross section of the crown receiving portion of the anviless stapling apparatus, each staple leg including at least one V-shaped bend, said V-shaped bend projecting out of the plane of the U-shaped plan form of the staple in an orthogonal direction so as to give each leg an effective width greater than the width of each end of the crown portion adjacent to said leg portion, the cross-sectional area of said crown portion being substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the unbent portions of each said leg, said legs being slidably receivable within the leg receiving grooves in said anviless stapling apparatus such that upon downward actuation, said driver element bears upon the crown of the staple thereby causing the staple to move through the drive track towards the workpiece and simultaneously causing the legs of the staple to be guided into the angularly disposed portions of said leg receiving grooves to achieve clinching of the staple legs for binding the workpiece.