Staple Refill Sidewall Geometry to Prevent Sheet Blocking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refills for electric staplers experience blocking issues where staple sheets adhere to each other, leading to failed feeding.
Innovation Solution
The refill design includes inclined walls on either side of the staple sheets, angled in the axial direction, to prevent adhesion by guiding the sheets apart and ensuring smooth discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If staple sheets are stacked closely together in the refill, then space utilization is improved, but adhesion between staple sheets occurs causing blocking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by forming inclined walls (first and second inclined walls) on the side walls of the refill. These inclined surfaces create a curved/angled path for the staple sheets, preventing them from adhering to each other while maintaining close stacking. The curved/angled geometry redirects the staple sheets away from direct contact, solving the adhesion problem while preserving space efficiency.
2Device complexity
If staple sheets are discharged through a narrow opening, then the refill structure is compact, but feeding reliability decreases due to adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined walls create a curved discharge path that guides staple sheets smoothly through the opening. This curved geometry prevents adhesion during discharge while maintaining a compact refill structure, as the inclined surfaces are integrated into the existing wall structure rather than adding external components.
3Reliability
If staple sheets are discharged through a wide opening, then feeding reliability is improved, but the refill structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls of the refill are segmented into different functional portions: upright wall portions for structural support and inclined wall portions for guiding staple sheets. This segmentation allows the refill to achieve both compactness and feeding reliability by assigning specific functions to different segments of the wall structure.
4Device complexity
If upright side walls are used, then the refill structure is simple, but staple sheets adhere to each other causing blocking
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls are divided into upright portions (for structural simplicity and support) and inclined portions (for preventing adhesion). This segmentation allows the refill to maintain overall structural simplicity while incorporating adhesion-preventing inclined surfaces in specific functional zones, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A refill includes: a bottom wall; a first side wall; a second side wall; and a front wall in which a discharge opening is formed. The first side wall includes, in a part thereof in a stacking direction, a first inclined wall extending in a coupling direction of staples and inclined in an axial direction. The second side wall includes, in a part thereof in the stacking direction, a second inclined wall extending in the coupling direction of the staples and inclined in the axial direction. The first inclined wall and the second inclined wall are inclined in the same direction, and at least a part of the first inclined wall and at least a part of the second inclined wall are formed at the same height from a bottom surface of the bottom wall in the stacking direction.