Staple Refill Casing With Notch-Guided Cover Attachment

Solution Overview

Problem

The existing staple-refill designs face challenges in efficiently attaching the cover member to the casing, leading to difficulties in production efficiency due to either excessive strength of lateral plates causing bending issues or reduced molding ability when made thin for ease of bending.

Innovation Solution

The staple-refill incorporates a casing with a notch portion and guide boss system, allowing for easy attachment of the cover member by engaging the guide boss with a guide portion and using a push lever to guide the cover member, ensuring secure closure without compromising structural integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the lateral plate of the casing is made with high strength to prevent breakage, then the structural integrity is improved, but the lateral plate becomes hard to bend making it difficult to attach the cover member

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestrength of lateral plateVSAvoidease of attaching cover member

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The lateral plate is divided into a first lateral plate and a second lateral plate that are separately formed and then joined together. This segmentation allows each plate to be optimized independently - the first plate can be made thinner and more flexible for easy cover member attachment, while the second plate can be made stronger for structural integrity. The separate formation and joining process enables this differentiation without compromising overall strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the casing are given different thicknesses and strengths according to their specific functional requirements. The lateral plates have different thicknesses (first lateral plate thinner than second), creating local variations in mechanical properties. This allows the cover member attachment area to be more flexible while maintaining overall structural strength where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If the lateral plate is made thin to be easily bent for cover member attachment, then the ease of attaching cover member is improved, but the molding ability is deteriorated and the casing is likely to be broken

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of bending lateral plateVSAvoidstrength of casing

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The lateral plate is divided into a first lateral plate and a second lateral plate that are separately formed and then joined together. This segmentation allows each plate to be optimized independently - the first plate can be made thinner and more flexible for easy cover member attachment, while the second plate can be made stronger for structural integrity. The separate formation and joining process enables this differentiation without compromising overall strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the casing are given different thicknesses and strengths according to their specific functional requirements. The lateral plates have different thicknesses (first lateral plate thinner than second), creating local variations in mechanical properties. This allows the cover member attachment area to be more flexible while maintaining overall structural strength where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If the cover member is securely attached to the casing by engaging guide boss with guide groove, then the reliability of attachment is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliability of cover member attachmentVSAvoidcomplexity of attachment mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of forming the guide groove in the lateral plate (which would require complex molding), the guide groove is formed in the cover member and the guide boss is formed on the lateral plate. This inversion of the traditional guide structure simplifies the molding process for the lateral plate while maintaining reliable engagement. The guide boss on the lateral plate engages with the guide groove in the cover member, achieving secure attachment with simpler manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS10906201B2Staple-refill

Publication Date: 2021.02.02 MAX CO LTD

AI summary

A staple-refill 11 is provided with: a casing 12 in which a plurality of sheet-type connected staples 10 are stacked; a staple inserting port 14; a staple discharge port 16; a cover member 15 which covers the sheet-type connected staples 10 in the casing 12 from a side of the staple inserting port 14; and a notch portion 18 formed in the casing 12 and extending from an edge of the staple inserting port 14 in an insertion direction.