US2375942A - Staple puller - Google Patents

Description

May 15, 1945. H. w. PALMER STAPLE FULLER Filed Oct. 26, 1944 6 I ATTORNEYS Patented May 15, 1945 NlD STATES PATENT OFFICE STAPLE FULLER Harry W. Palmer, Springfield, Mass. Application October 26, 1944, Serial No. 560,417

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in staple pullers of the type designed for withdrawing the relatively small wire staples commonly used in business olfices to hold a number of sheets of paper together.

One object of the invention is to provide a staple puller of simple construction, which is economical to manufacture and which operates with a minimum of manipulation on thepart of the user.

Another object is to provide a staple puller of the character described which operates with a minimum tendency to tear the paper in the withdrawing operation. Other and further objects will be apparent from the following specification and claims.

The staple puller of the present invention is of the type in which the wedging action which draws the staple from the paper is applied from one side of the staple as distinguished from the type in which jaws engage the staple from opposite sides. The type to which the present invention belongs has certain advantages in simplicity of construction but, as later pointed out have a tendency to tear the paper. Efforts have been made to overcome this difficulty without practical results, and such improvement as has been achieved has been secured by increasing the complexity of the devices themselves or their manipulation or both. By the present invention the desired results of quick clean removal of the staple is achieved with an exceedingly simple structure which is operated with a minimum of manipulative skill on the part of the user.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a staple puller embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are similar sectional views diagrammatically illustrating steps in the operation of the device;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view indicating the final step; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views showing modified structures.

Referring to the drawing ll! designates a handle member from which extends a. blade H preferably formed of flexible material. For simplicity of manufacture the handle and blade may be made unitary from a single piece of flexible material such as metal or suitable plastic.

The blade is preferably of substantial length and tapers both in width and thickness to a blunt end l2. The blade at and adjacent the end l2 is of less width than the span of the staple to be removed and widens gradually from the end H! to a portion M intermediate the end l2 and handle H3 when the width of the blade approxi-- mates closely the span of the staple. The portion Hi carrie a pair of spaced wedge members l5 inclined forwardly toward the end of the blade. At their rear ends the wedges l5 have a vertical thickness approximating the length of the staple prongs. The rear end of each wedge member I5 is provided with a vertical projection IS. The lower outside longitudinal edges of the wedges are rounded as indicated'at H. The upper outside edges l8 are slightly rounded, that is, just enough to minimize the friction between the wedges and the staple. v

In operation, the thin forward end I2 is inserted beneath the staple to be removed, the blade being pressed firmly and flatly against the paper by flexing of the blade. The blade is advanced beneath the staple without substantial distortion of the latter until the forward end of the wedges is reached. At this point the blade has widened to nearly the full span of the staple, the degree of transverse taper within the portion [4 being preferably relatively slight. As the wedges are reached and the forward movement of the blade is continued the horizontal bar portion 20 of the staple rides up the wedges, the latter exerting an upward pull on the prongs 2|. The relatively narrow upper surf-aces of the wedges engage the bar of the staple at its outer ends adjacent the prongs 2|. By reason of the spacing 22 of the Wedges and the narrowness of the upper surface of the wedges the friction exerted on the bar portion 20 of the staple is made relatively small and the tendency of the staple to be carried forward with the blade is materially reduced so that the main pull on the staple is upward. The rounded edges l'l cause the prongs 2| to be easily and gradually but rapidly straightened under the upward pull exerted by the increasing height of the wedges until the bar of the staple is engaged by the projection 16 at which time the prongs 2| have been released from the paper and continued forward movement of the blade draws the staple cleanly from the paper as indicated in Fig. 5.

In order to decrease the friction of the forwardly moving wedges. it is not, of course, necessary that the wedges be structurally completely separated; for example, a relatively shallow groove such as shown at 25 in Fig. 6 formed between relatively narrow wedge surfaces 26 will Work equally well. Also, as shown in the latter figure, the means for carrying the substantially released staple forward with the wedges need not be formed on the wedges themselves but may be positioned between the wedges as indicated at 28.

It will be understood that the tool may be formed in various ways as by molding, casting or stamping. In the latter case the wedges may be formed by bending up properly shaped edge portions of a metal strip as indicated at 30 in Fig. 7, the radius of curvature at the line of bending providing the desired rounded outer lower edges of the wedges as shown at 3| in Fig. 7.

Preferably as best shown in Fig. 1 the blade extends a substantial distance beyond the ends of the wedges. This not only permits the flexing of the blade to apply pressure to the paper to hold the sheets firmly during the removal of the staple, but has the further advantage that the extended portion of the blade may be used as a paper cutter for opening envelopes and similar purposes. 1

What I claim is:

1. A tool for removing wire staples which comprises a handle, a thin flat blade extending therefrom and insertable beneath the bar portion of the staple to be removed, a pair of spaced narrow wedge members positioned one at each edge of the blade intermediate the free end of the blade and the handle, said wedges having a vertical height at one end approximating the length of the prongs of the staple to be removed and slop-- ing gradually downward to the plane of the blade in the direction of the free end of the blade, said 2. A tool for removing wire staples which com-- prises a handle, a thin flat blade extending therefrom and insertable beneath the bar portion of the staple to be removed, a pair of spaced narrow wedge members positioned one at each edge of the blade intermediate the free end of the blade and the handle, said wedges having a vertical height at one end approximating the length of the prongs of the staple to be removed and sloping gradually downward to the plane of the blade in the direction of the free end of the blade, said wedges engaging the lower side of the bar of the staple adjacent the staple prongs as the blade is advanced, the intermediate portion of the bar of the staple being free of contact with the wedges, and means at the high end of the wedges for engaging the rear side of the bar of the staple to cause the latter to move forwardly with the wedges.

3. A tool for removing Wire staples which comprises a handle, a thin flat flexible blade extending therefrom and insertable beneath the bar portion of the staple to be removed, a pair of spaced narrow Wedge members positioned one at each edge ofthe blade intermediate the free end of theblade and the handle, said wedges having a. vertical height at one end approximating the length of the prongs of the staple to be removed and sloping gradually downward to the plane-of the blade in the direction of the free end of the blade, the blade at the high end of the Wedges having a width approximating the span of the staple, said wedges engaging the lower side of the bar of the staple adjacent the staple prongs as the blade is'advanced. the intermediate portion of the staple being free of contact with the wedges, the lower outer edges of the wedges and the adjacent edge portions of the blade being rounded to cause a gradual straightening of the staple prong as the bar of the staple rides up the wedgesfand means at the high ends of the wedges for engaging the rear side of the bar of the staple to cause the latter to move forwardly with the wedges.

' HARRY W. PALMER.

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