Device for locking a catch in a stapler

A device which is arranged in a stapler for locking a member displaceable along a bar with a forward end and a rearward end in an optional displacement position, wherein said member is provided with a catch for an object to be stapled, said device comprising:

• locking means connected to the displaceable member, said locking means having a through hole through which the bar extends, said through hole having a larger diameter than the bar, said locking means being tiltable along the bar between a pinch position in which the bar is pinched within the through hole, and a free position in which the bar is not so pinched, the locking means being spring-biased towards the pinch position;
• and
• an operating handle mounted on the displaceable member and operable from outside the stapler, said operating handle being displaceable substantially parallel to the bar relative to the displaceable member between a forward position and a rearward position,
• wherein exerting a forward force on said operating handle while in the forward position causes the locking means to tilt toward the free position relative to the bar such that the displaceable member can move forward along the bar, and removing said forward force causes the locking means to return to the pinch position, and
• wherein exerting a rearward force on said operating handle while in the forward position causes the operating handle to move to the rearward position, thereby tilting the locking means toward the free position such that further rearward force exerted on the operating handle moves the displaceable member rearward along the bar, and removing rearward force from said operating handle causes the operating handle to return to the forward position and the locking means to return to the pinch position.