US1879987A - Stapling machine or tacker - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 27, 1932. MAYNARD STAPLING MACHINE OR TACKER 2 Sheets-Sheet l I Filed Oct. 11, 1929 p 1932- A. H. MAYNARD 1,879,987

STAPLING MACHINE OR TACKER Filed Oct. 11, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 2], 1%32 aerate UNITE Farce ARTHUR H. MAYNARD, OF WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 BOSTON WIRE STITCHER COMPANY,:OF POBTI'LAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE STAPLING MACHINE 01R TACKER Application filed. 'October 11, 1929. Serial No. 399,021.

This invention relates to stapling-devices or tackers for feeding and driving staples, tacks, brads and other fasteners, and particularly to an appliance of the hammer type for use in attaching tags and labels to boxes, tacking up placards and posters, tacking matting or carpet to floors and other similar purposes.

One object of the invention is to provide an appliance of the typespecified which may be conveniently wielded in the hand to operate automatically to feed and drive the staples or other fasteners into place when a blow is struck against the object to whichthe article is to be attached.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type specified which is convenient to charge with the staples or fasteners and otherwise easy to operate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a deviceof the type specified having means for clearing it when a staple becomes clogged or stuck therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type specified which is simple in construction, compact in size, economical to manufacture, and strong and durable in use under rough treatment.

Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the following specification which describes a preferred form of construction of the device, by way of example, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved stapling-device or tacker showing its hammer-head in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the forepart of the device showing its operating parts in position under the impact of the blow which drives the staple into the work Fig. 3 is an end view of the hammer-head shown partly broken away to illustrate the stapling-mechanism in normal position;

Fig. 4 is a similar part-sectional view taken on line l-4 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the parts in position as the blow is struck to drive the staple into the work;

Fig. 5 is a similar sectional view showing the stapling-mechanism in position after the blow has been struck and the staple driven completely into the work;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional View on line 66 of Fig. 2, showing the staple-magazine in which the staples are carried and along which they are fed to the work;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 1 showing the method of mounting the staple-magazine between the sides of the handle of the device;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the forward end of the staple-magazine showing the automatically operated gateway through which the staples are inserted to charge the device and illustrating the manner in which the staples are held in position by sliding gates;

Fig. 9 is a similar view illustrating a stick of staples being inserted into the magazine' with the gates slid open to admit them;

Fig. 10 isa composite perspective view showing the arrangement of the slidinggates on the staple-guide at the end of the magazine and illustrating one of the gates as removed; i

Fig. 11 is a perspective View of the staplespreader showing the leg-spreading anvil carried thereby Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the spring whilch holds the staple-spreader in place; an

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing one I type of staple adapted for-use in the device.

The invention consists in general in providing a hammer-like stapling-device or tacker having a magazine for holding a supply of staples or other fasteners within its handle, means for automatically feeding the staples or fasteners into position beneath the hammer-head, and a driver operated automatically-when a blow is struck to drive the staples or fasteners into thework. The invention as herein illustrated and described is embodied in a device for feeding and drivt ing substantially U-shaped staples, but it may be modified in construction to carry and drive fastener of other types such as tacks, brads, nails or the like.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawt e handle 2 is a hammerhead 3 constructed as a substantially rectangular block of steel or other suitable metal V The sides of the block or head 3 are recessed at 4, see Figs. 4 and 5, to adapt it to fit within the hollow handle 2, the sides of which are extended in wings 6 which abut the recessed block 3 and are welded or otherwise suitably secured thereto to fasten the head in place at the end of the handle. At its rearward end the handle 2 has a full tubular-section at 7, see Fig. 1, but forwardly of this grip portion the bottom of the handle is cut away to provide a longitudinal slot or opening in which the staple-magazine 10 is received.

The magazine or staple-core 10 in which the staples are held to feed them to the setting-means is constructed in the form of a rectangular tube or raceway as illustratedin cross-section in Fig. 6. As here illustrated the staple-magazine 10 is constructed from a strip of sheet-metal shaped to form a flat top 11 having sides 12 bent downwardly therefrom and then folded inwardly and upwardly in the parallel channel-strips 13 which provide a rest or support for the staples 8, see also Figs. 8 and 9. It will thus be seen that the magazine 10 provides an enclosed core or track on which the staples s slide and are held from riding up or canting out of place by the tap of the enclosure. It is also to be noted that the staples s are supported on the relatively narrow edges of the upright channel-strips 13 whereby they have a minimum area of contact with the core so that they encounter less frictional resistance insliding therealong, this novel structure constituting one feature of improvement of the present invention.

The staple-magazine 10 is enclosed within the sides of the handle 2 with its rearward end swiveled on a cross-pin or stud 15, whereby its forward end may be swung upwardly toward the hammer-head when the blow is struck to drive the staple into the work, this action causing the operation of the stapledriver inthe manner as-later more fully explained.

Referring particularly to Fig. 7 of the drawings, the stud 15 on which the staple magazine 10 is pivoted extends between the sides of the handle 2 and is held in place in a novel manner to provide for its convenient removal when it is desired to disconnect the magazine. The sides of the handle 2 are provided with holes 16 through which are inserted the reduced ends of a air of hubs or bushings 17. The ends of the bushings 17 are spun or swaged over against washers 18 to hold them fixedly in place in the handle or' they may be brazed or otherwise suitably secured thereto. The stud 15 has areduced end 19 which fits within the bore of one of the bushin s 17, while its larger bodyortion exten s through holes in the sides 0 the staple-magazine 10 and through an enlarged bore in the other bushing. This end of the stud is reduced at 20 to adapt it to be received in an opening in the end of a latch 21 which is swiveled to the side of the handle 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the latch 21 is pivoted on a rivet 22 to adapt it to be swung into place to spring over the reduced end 20 of the stud 15 to lock the latter in place in the bushings 17. The latch 21 may be swung to one side to allow the removal of the stud 15 when it is necessary to detach the magazine 10 for repair or replacement.

Supported on the stud 15 between the channel-strips 13 of the magazine 10 is a rectangular block 23, in which is fastened the end of a rod 24 extending forwardly between the sides of the magazine. The rod 24 serves as the support for a helical spring 25 constructed of relatively small light wire. The spring 25 constitutes a compressionmeans for operating the staple-pusher which slides on the rod 24 and acts to urge the staples s outwardly along the magazine 10 to feed them to thestaple-setting means. The staple-pusher 30 consists of a sheetmetal slide of inverted trough shape, see Fig. 6, adapted to straddle and slide along the channel-strips 13 within the magazine 10. The top of the staple-pusher or slide 30 is cut away to form strips of metal 32 which are bent downwardly at either side of a block 33 which slides on the rod 24. The spring 25 acts through the block 33 to slide the staple-pusher 30 and the bottom of the block is preferably knurled or serrated at 34 to provide a finger-hold so that the staple-pusher may be conveniently slid back against the tension of its spring 25 when a supply-of staples is to be inserted within the magazine 10.

The staple-magazine 10 carries at its forward end a closure-member or staple-guide 35 having vertical grooves or guideways 37 through which the staple is driven by the staple-driver which slides therethrough. The end-closure or staple-guide 35 may be brazed or otherwise fixedly secured to the forward end of the magazine 10 and the end of the rod 24 is reduced in diameter and riv eteccll therethrough as shown at 26 in Figs. 2 an 3.

As illustrated most clearly in Fig. 10, the end-closure or staple-guide 35 is of channelshape with the vertical grooves or guideways 37 formed on the inside of its forwardly pro- Larges? jecting side-flanges. The rearward wall of the member 35 is formed with an inverted U-shaped opening, indicated at 38 in Fig. 10, which corresponds to the form of the staple to adapt the latter to slide therethroughend into the guideways 37. The side-flanges of the member 35 are cut away on the front in line with the end of the magazine 10 and the opening 36 formed thereby is provided at top and bottom with lateral grooves 39.

A pair of gates 40, constructed in the shape of relatively flatplates, are provided at top and bottom with gibs or splines 41 fitted to slide in the grooves 39. The gates are normally maintained in place in the staple guide 35 with their edges forming a continnation of the forward shoulders of the guiding-grooves 37 so that as the staple is fed through the opening 38 it will bring up against the gates to hold it in position to be driven down into the work. The gates 40 are held in this position by means of a pair of leaf-springs 42, see Figs. 8 and 9, whose rearward ends are held against the sides of the magazine 10 by means of a band or clip 44.

The springs 42 are inclined outwardly and then bent around the sides of the staple-guide 35 with their ends bearing against the outer edges of the gates 46. The gates 40 are thus adapted to slide apart against the pressure of the springs 42whereby to widen the opening between the forward flanges of the stapleguide 35 to admit the staples therethrough. It will be noted that the outer faces of the gates 40 are beveled off and rounded over at 43 so that when the end of the staple-stick or strip, represented at S in Fig. 9, is pushed against the gates, they will be slid apart to admit the strip into the interior of the magazine 10. After the staple-strip has been inserted into place the gates slide back into place again as shown in Fig. 8 under the action of the springs 42 with their inner edges fipsh with the forward edges of the grooves 3 The gates 40 are limited in their sliding movement by means of wires 45 which extend vertically across the front of the member 35. As shown most clearly in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, the wires 45 have portions driven into holes 46 in the front of the member 35 and clinched over on the back, the vertical portions of the wires being seated in grooves 47 and 48 at top and bottom of the opening 36 in which the gates 40 slide. The wires 45 pass through wider grooves 49 on the front of the gates 40 which provide for the sliding movement of the gates within prescribed limits.

Hinged to the sides of the staple-guide or end-member 35 is a U-shaped staple spreader 50, shown in perspective View in Fig. 11, which operates to bend or spread the legs of the staple apart as it is driven into the work. The opposite arms of the staplespreader 50 are provided with cars 51 overlapping the sides of the member 35 and pivoted on rivets 52 driven into holes therein. The bottom or stirrup-portion of the spreader 50 is provided with a projection or anvil 55 adapted to slide through a slot or opening 56 on the underside of the staple-guide or member 35. The anvil 55 is beveled off on its-sides at 57 and also on its forward edge at 58 for a purpose as later described, it being here noted that the grooves or guideways 37 in the member 35 are staked out or cut away at an angle corresponding to the beveled faces 57', see Figs. 4 and 5. The staplespreader 50 is yieldingly maintained in forward position as shown in .Fig. 1 of the drawings under the tension of a U-shaped spring 60, illustrated in perspective in Fig. 12, which straddles the sides of the staplemagazine 10. Thelegs of the spring 60 are bent to form tines 61 which are held between the sides of the magazine 10 and the surrounding clip or band 44, see Figs. 1 and2.

Referring again to Fig. 10, the upper portion of the flanges on the staple-guide or end-member 35 are inclined rearwardly at 62 to form overhanging, beveled shoulders 63 adapted to engage across the top of lateral ears 64 which project from the sides of a tongue-like member 65 extending downwardly at the front of the hammer-head 3, see Fig. 3. The tongue-member 65 is riveted to the inside of the wings 6 of the handle 2 which fold around the front of the head 3 and meet in a central seam. The tongue 65 is held in place by rivets 66 and 67 extending through the folded front portions of the wings 6.

As shown in Fig. 1, the shoulders 63 on the spreader 5O engage against the upper edges of the ears 64 on the tongue-member 65 to limit the downward swinging movement of the magazine 10, and it will be noted from this view that the lower inclined rearward face 69 of the tongue-member 65 alines with the grooves 37 in the closure-member 35 when the magazine is in this position. Abutting the inclined face 69 of the tongue 65 and slidably held in the grooves or guideways 37 is a staple-driver 70 which is constructed in the form of a relatively short flat plate or blade, as shown most clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. A rivet 71 projects from the front of the stapledriver 7 O with its forward end loosely held in an enlarged bore 72 near the bottom of the tongue-member 65 to provide a flexible connection between these parts.

The hammer-head 3 is formed nean its rearward side with a vertical bore 73 which serves as a pocket for a helical spring 75.

The lower end of the spring 75 encircles a h stud 76 riveted to the top of the band 44 at 77, the spring thus being arranged to act against the magazine 10 to hold it depressed beneath the hammer-head 3 as illustrated in Fig. 1. It will be understood that in driving the staples the device is wielded to strike the bottom of the end-member or staple-guide 35 against the work, whereby the impetus given to the weighted hammer-head 3 will cause the latter to slide down across the front of the staple-guide 35 into the position shown in Fig. 2. This action carries the stapledriver 7 0 down across the front of the magazine 10 to act against the foremost staple in the strip, which is held in the guideways 37, to drive it into the work in the manner as hereinafter more fully explained.

As the staple-driver 7 0 completes its stroke the staple-spreader 50 is swung back to retract its anvil 55 from beneath the head or cross-bar of the staple. This retraction is effected as the hammer-head 3 moves downwardly toward the staple-guide 35, a crosspin 80 extending between the sides of the handle 2 beneath the head 3 being adapted to strike against beveled cam-faces 59 at the upper ends of the arms of the staple-spreader 50. see Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In devices of the present type where the staple is driven automatically by the blow struck against the'work it sometimes occurs that a staple will stick in the guideways and clog the action of the mechanism. This may be caused by a bent or twisted staple or from lack of uniformity in the size of the staples. In the present improved device such a clogged condition of the device may be overcome by the operation of meanswhich act to carry the parts back to first position. For this purpose I provide a spring-operated plunger 85 which is slidable in a vertical bore 86 at the front of the hammer-head 3. The upper part of the plunger 85 projects above the head 3 while its body portion is reduced in diameter to adapt it to receive a helical spring 87 coiled therearound in the bore 86. The spring 87 normally tends to hold the plunger 85 raised with its bottom above the recess on the underside of the head 3. The side of the plunger 85 is slotted at 88 and a cross-pin 89 driven through the sides of the bore 86 in the head 3 engages the end of the slot to limit the upward movement of the plunger under the action of the spring 87. Should the device be clogged so that the staple-guide 35 sticks and is held in raised position with respect to the head 3 the implement is simply turned over and a blow struck against the end of the plunger 85 to force the latter through its bore 86. The end of the plunger 85 will thus be caused to strike against the end of the staple-guide 35 to force it into open position, the staple-driver being thus withdrawn through the guideways in the guide so that the clogged staple can clear itself. The method of operation of the device in use is as next explained:

The staples used in the present type of mathe staple-pusher 30 back against the pressure of its spring 25 and inserting the end of the staple-stick S through the gateway at the front of the staple-guide 35. The ates 40 slide back automatically as the en of the staple-stick S is pressed against their beveled or rounded edges 43. After the stick has been pushed clear into the staple-magazine 10, the gates are automatically closed again by the action of the leaf-springs 42. The staplepusher 30 is then released and its spring 25 will force it forwardly against the rearward staple in the stick whereby the pressure holds the foremost staple in the grooves or guideways 37, bearing against the rearward edges of the gates 40. In this way the staple-strip is urged forward to hold the foremost staple in position to be driven into the work and to feed a new staple into place after the completion of each driving operation.

The handle 2 of the device is grasped in the hand and when it is desired to drive a staple a sharp blow is struck against the work at the location where the staple is to be inserted. As the bottom of the staple-guide 35 impinges against the work the momentum of the head 3 will continue the movement of the latter in the same direction until the end of its front-plate or tongue-member 65 brings up against the surface in which the staple is being driven. During this movement of the head 3 with respect to the staple-guide 35 the staple-driver .As the bottom edge of the staple-driver 70 acts against the top of the staple s in the guideways 37 it drives it down into the work in the manner as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

'It has been noted that normallythe anvil 55 on the staple-spreader 50 projects through the opening 56 in the bottom of the stapleguide 35, and it has also been explained that the sides of this opening are beveled off and spaced away from the beveled edges 57 of the anvil. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, as the staple s is driven down in the guideways 37 the ends of its legs slide across the beveled sides 57 of the anvil 55 and are thereby bent outwardly as shown in Fig. 4. 'As the driving action continues the legs of the staple are forced apart by the anvil so that they will enter the material into which they are driven at an angle or, in other words, bowed outwardly as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5. In this way the staple is driven into the work to spread its legs whereby they take a better hold in soft material such as wood, fiber, or the like. Just as the driving operation is be- I down into position to engage the cross-pin 80 with the inclined cam-faces 59 on the staple spreader 50. At this juncture the pin acts against the cam-faces 59 to rock the stapespreader 50 to withdraw the anvil 58 from beneath the cross-bar of the staple s so that the latter is released to be driven completely into the work and to allow the stapling-device or tacker to be lifted away therefrom. As the force of the blow in driving the staple is spent the spring 75 acts to return the parts of the device to first position while also causing the hammer-head to rebound from the work. This reaction of the device thus makes for greater facility and speed in its manual operation.

The operation of the device may be continued in the manner as above explained as long as staples remain in the magazine and when these are exhausted the implement is quickly and conveniently recharged by inserting a new stick. The device therefore provides a particularly convenient and handy appliance for repeatedly applying staples or similar fasteners in attaching tags and labels to boxes, laying carpet or matting, attaching handbills or placards, and for various other purposes of similar nature.

Should a staple stick in the grooves of the staple-guide 35 to clog the operation of the setting-mechanism the appliance may be turned over and a blow struck to force the plunger 85 against the top of the guide to release the latter and allow the staple driver to slide back into the first position. In this way the mechanism is cleared so that at the next blow the clogged staple will be driven out of the machine and the operation of the latter can be continued to repeatedly drive the staples into the work.

It is to be particularly noted that the staples s are completely enclosed in the magazine or staple-core 10 so that they are protected from interference and rendered less liable to become misalined or disarranged. The closed top of the magazine prevents the staples from canting up or skewing out of place, and as another feature of improvement the arrangement for supporting the staples provides a minimum of frictional resistance to their sliding action in feeding them into driving position. Referring to Fig. 6 of the drawings, the staples are straddled across and rest on the relatively narrow upper edges of the channel-strips 13 and in this way do not contact clear across the top of the support as in previously used devices so that they slide more freely and are not hampered in their feeding action.

The complete device is most convenient to operate and particularly easy to load or charge with staples due to the provision of the automatically opened gates in the magazine, this construction eliminating manual manipulation and tending to economize in the time required for inserting the staples into the device. As another feature of improvement the anvil 55 on the staple-spreader 50 acts automaticallyto spread the legs of the staple apart as it is driven into the work, and means are provided for automatically retracting the anvil to avoid the chance of the staple being held in the device or the staple-driver striking against the anvil to injure it.

The present device further provides an implement of the type specified which is extremely simple in construction, economical to manufacture and proof against derangement or getting out of order under hard use.

While the invention is herein described and illustrated as embodied in a preferred form of construction it is to be understood that various modifications may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts of the device without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the type specified, the

combination of a magazine for holding a supply of staples or similar fasteners arranged in series, means for urging the staples forward to feed them into position to be successively applied to the work, means for driving the staples into the work, a gateway in the magazine through which the staples may be entered, gates slidable across the gateway to hold the staples in the magazine with the foremost one in driving position, and resilient means for holding the gates in closed position while adapting them to be automatically opened when the staples are forced thereagainst to enter them into the magazine.

2. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a magazine for holding a supply of staples to adapt them to slide therethrough, means for automatically sliding the staples in the magazine to successively feed them into position to be driven into the work, means for driving the staples as they are fed through the magazine, guideways at the end of the magazine through which the staples are driven, a gateway through which the staples may .be inserted into the magazine, gates movable in the gateway to cooperate with the guideways to hold the foremost staple in driving position therein, said gates being arranged in opposite spaced relation to form a reentrant opening and resilient means for operating the gates to normally maintain them in closed position while adapting them to be opened by forcing a stick-of staples against the gates.

3. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a magazine for holding a supply of staples or similar fasteners, a stapleguide at the end of the magazine having guide-ways in which the staples are held to be driven into the work, a staple-driver slidable in the guideways to drive the staples into MID the work, means for feeding the staples through the magazine and into the guideways, a gateway in the front of the stapleguide through which the staples may be entered into the magazine, gates slidable across the gateway to cooperate with the guideways to hold the staples therein, means to limit the sliding movement of the gates, and resilient means for maintaining the gates in closed position while adapting them to be forced open when a staple-stick is pressed thereagainst to enter it into the magazine.

4. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a staple-magazine for slidably supporting a plurality of staples arranged in series therealong, a staple-guide on the magazine having guideways in which the staples areheld in position to be driven into the work, means for sliding the staples in the magazine to successively feed them into the guideways, a gateway in the staple-guide through which the staples may be entered into the magazine, gates slidable across the gateway and cooperating with the guideways to hold the staples in driving position, means to limit the sliding movement of the gates, and resilient means for holding the gates in closed relationship while adapting them to be slid open by forcing a staple-stick through the gateway to enter it into the magazine.

5. In a stapling-machine, the combination of a magazine for containing a supply of staples, said magazine formed with a closed top and sides and an interior trackway across which the staples are straddled to be entirely enclosed in the magazine, a staple-pusher slidable within the magazine to feed the staples into position to be driven, a spring for sliding the staple-pusher, a gateway at the front of the magazine through which the staples may be entered to charge the magazine, resiliently-operated gates for closing the gateway to hold the staples in the magazine, said gates being adapted to be displaced to open the gateway whereby to permit the staples to be entered therethrough in charging the magazine, and means cooperating with the magazine for driving the staples as they are fed therefrom.

6. In a device of the type specified, the combination of means for driving staples into the work, and a movable anvil normally held in position beneath the staple being driven and having inclined faces adapted to act against the legs of the staple to spread them apart to cause them to be driven into the work in divergent relation to each other, said anvil being movable out of operative position as the staple driving operation is completed.

7. In a device of the type specified, the combination of means for holding and guiding staples, means for driving the staple through the guiding-means and into the work, a movable anvil normally positioned beneath the staple and having inclined faces adapted to act against the legs thereof to force them outwardly to cause the staple to be driven into the work with its legs spread apart in divergent relationship, and means to move the anvil out of operative position as the driving of the staple into the work is being completed.

8.. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a staple-guide having grooved guideways in which the staple is held in driv ing position, said guideways flared outwardly at the bottom, a staple-driver slidable in said guideways to drive the staples into the work,

and an anvil normally extending across the guideways and having beveled portions spaced from their flaring sides to adapt it to act against the legs of the staple to spread them apart as they are driven into the work.

9. In a device of the type specified, the combination of means for feeding staples, a staple-guide into which the staples are fed to be driven into the work, a driver reciprocable through the staple-guide to drive the staples into the work, and a staple-spreader pivoted to said staple-guide and having an anvil extending beneath the staples and formed with inclined sides which act on the legs of the staples to slide them apart as they are driven into the work.

10. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a handle, a hammer-head at the end of the handle, a staple-magazine pivoted to the handle'and adapted to carry a supply of staples, means to feed the staples successively into driving position beneath the hammer-head, a spring for holding the staple-magazine depressed below the hammerhead, a staple-guide at the end of the magazine into which the staples feed to be driven into the Work, a staple-driver reciprocable with respect to the staple-guide to drive the staples into the work when a blow is struck thereagainst, a staple-spreader pivoted to the staple-guide and having an anvil extending beneath the staple held therein, and means operative to swing the staple-spreader .out of the way of the staple when the staple-driver is reciprocated by the forceof the blow.

11. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a handle, a hammer-head at the end of the handle, a staple-magazine pivoted to the handle and extending beneath the hammer-head, a staple-guide at the forward end of the magazine having guideways through which-the staples are driven into the work, means for sliding the staples in the magazine to successively feed them into the guideways, a springvfor holding the staple-magazine depressed below the hammerhead, a staple-driver rockably mounted on the hammer-head to adapt it to slide through the guideways in the staple-guide when a blow is struck against the work, a staplespreader pivoted to the staple-guide and having an anvil extending beneath the staple held forcing the end of a stick of staples therein the gnideway, said staple-spreader being agamstwhereby to admit a fresh supply of formed with an inclined cam-face at its upper staples into the magazine.

end, and means in the hammer-head for acting on the cam-face to swing the staplespreader to retract its anvil from the guideways when a blow is struck and the head is carried down toward the staple-guide.

12. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a handle, a hammer-head at the end of the handle, a staple-guide supported to move relatively of the hammerhead when a blow is struck, means for feeding staples into the staple-guide, a stapledriver connected with the hammer-head and slidable with respect to the staple-guide to drive the staples therethrough and into the work, and aplunger independent of the staple-guide and slidable in the hammerhead to adapt it to strike against the staple-guide to drive the latter out from the head to clear the device when it becomes clogged.

13. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a. handle, a hammer-head at the end of the handle, a staple-guide having guideways in which the staples are held in,

position to be driven, means for feeding staples successively into the guideways, a stapledriver reciprocable in the guideways and adapted to be operated from the hammerhead when a blow is struck, a plunger slidable in the hammer-head and normally projecting from its top to adapt it to be struck to slide it to strike the staple-guide to drive it out from the head when the stapling mechanism becomes cl0gged,' and a spring on the plunger for normally holding it in position clear of the staple-guide.

14. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a handle, a hammerhead at the end of the handle, a staple-magazine pivoted to the handle to swing beneath the hammer-head, a staple-guide at the end of the magazine having guideways through which the staples are driven, means for sliding the staples in the magazine to successively feed them into the guideways, a spring in the hammer-head for holding the staple-guide depressed therebeneath, a staple-driver connected with the hammer-head to adapt it to slide in the guideways of the staple-guide, a plunger slidable inthe hammer-head above the staple-guide, a second spring acting on said plunger to normallyhold it in raised position, and means to limit the sliding movement of the plunger.

15. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a magazine for,ho1ding a supply of staples or similar fasteners, means v for drivingthe staples into the work, a gateway at the end of the magazine, and gates movable into position across the gateway to hold the staples in place in the magazine and adapted to be moved into open position by In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ARTHUR H. MAYNARD.

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