# US 5,702,047 A · Electric stapler > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,702,047 A - Document ID: US5702047A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/607,367 - Filed: 1996-02-27 - Granted: 1997-12-30 - Earliest claimed: 1995-02-28 - Assignees: Max Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Toru Yoshie - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5702047A ## CPC - B27F 7/38: Staple feeding devices - B27F 7/36: operated by electric power - B27F: DOVETAILED WORK; TENONS; SLOTTING MACHINES FOR WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; NAILING OR STAPLING MACHINES (hand-held nailing or stapling tools B25C; manufacture of cases, trunks or boxes from wood B27M3/34; connections for building structures in general, e.g. dowels for use in building constructions E04B1/38; jointing elements in general, e.g. dowels in general, F16B {; manufacture of long strips or planks by bonding together pieces of wood, e.g. by glueing, B27M3/0013}) ## Abstract An electric stapler is provided which comprises a driving plate (7) for driving out a staple from a driving position while reciprocating, a delivering mechanism for delivering a sheet-staple (11) to the driving position interrelatedly with a reciprocating motion of the driving plate, a working piece (24) which is rotated by a push given by a staple occupying the front row of the sheet-staple (11) when the front staple reaches the driving position, and a sensor (25) for detecting the rotation of the working piece (24). The driving plate (7) returns to its initial position in accordance with a detection signal output by the sensor (25). ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric stapler comprising: a driving plate for driving out a staple from a driving position while reciprocating; delivering means for delivering an array of staples to the driving position interrelatedly with a reciprocating motion of said driving plate; and detecting means for detecting that a staple occupying a front row of the array of the staples has reached the driving position; wherein said driving plate returns to an initial position in accordance with a detection signal output by said detecting means. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An electric stapler according to claim 1, further comprising a forming plate placed upon said driving plate; wherein the array of the staples is a sheet of staples arranged like a sheet of paper, and the front staple thereof is movable to a place under said driving plate only after the front staple has been formed into a definite shape by means of said forming plate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An electric stapler according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprises a working piece and a sensor for detecting rotation of said working piece, said working piece being rotated by a push given by the front staple when the front staple reaches the driving position. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) An electric stapler according to claim 3, wherein one end of said working piece is provided with a contact segment with which the front staple comes into contact, and said sensor detects a position of the other end of said working piece. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) An electric stapler according to claim 4, wherein said working piece is rotatable on a shaft, and a distance between said shaft and said one end of said working piece is set to be shorter than a distance between said shaft and said other end of said working piece. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An electric stapler according to claim 1, further comprising a forming plate placed upon said driving plate; wherein the array of the staples is a sheet of staples arranged like a sheet of paper, and the front staple thereof is movable to a place under said driving plate only after the front staple has been formed into a definite shape by means of said forming plate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) An electric stapler according to claim 6, wherein said detecting means comprises a working piece and a sensor for detecting rotation of said working piece, said working piece being rotated by a push given by the front staple when the front staple reaches the driving position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An electric stapler according to claim 7, wherein one end of said working piece is provided with a contact segment with which the front staple comes into contact, and said sensor detects a position of the other end of said working piece. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) An electric stapler according to claim 8, wherein said working piece is rotatable on a shaft, and a distance between said shaft and said one end of said working piece is set to be shorter than a distance between said shaft and said other end of said working piece. ### Claim 10 An electric stapler comprising: a driving plate for driving out a staple from a driving position while reciprocating; delivering means for delivering an array of staples to the driving position interrelatedly with a reciprocating motion of said driving plate; detecting means for detecting that a staple occupying a front row of the array of the staples has reached the driving position; and control means for, when said detecting means detects that the front staple has reached the driving position, returning said driving plate to an initial position so as to prevent a wasteful blank shot or a wasteful driving operation. ### Claim 11 An electric stapler comprising: a driving plate for driving out a staple from a driving position while reciprocating; delivering means for delivering an array of staples to the driving position interrelatedly with a reciprocating motion of said driving plate; detecting means for detecting that a staple occupying a front row of the array of the staples has reached the driving position; and control means for, when said detecting means detects that the front staple has reached the driving position, returning said driving plate to an initial position; wherein said detecting means comprises a working piece and a sensor for detecting a position of a rear end of said working piece, said working piece being rotated on a shaft when the front staple reaches the driving position; a front end of said working piece is provided with a contact segment with which the front staple comes into contact; and a distance between said shaft and said front end of said working piece is set to be shorter than a distance between said shaft and said rear end of said working piece, so that a displacement of said working piece is accurately detected. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) An electric stapler according to claim 11, further comprising a forming plate placed upon said driving plate; wherein the array of the staples is a sheet of staples arranged like a sheet of paper, and the front staple thereof is movable to a place under said driving plate only after the front staple has been formed into a definite shape by means of said forming plate.