The following specification particularly describes the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
STAPLER
Filed of the Invention
The invention relates to a stapler, which contains a back cover (cover member) for closing an opening in a rear end of the body of the stapler, for stapling a stack of paper by clinching a staple. More particularly, it relates to a stapler containing a back cover that includes a hinged portion along which the back cover is swung, an end of the back cover extending between a handle and a handle cover or extending between a handle and a handle cover to arrive in a position between a driver arm and the handle, the other end thereof being attached to the magazine, wherein the hinged portion is positioned lower than a level of the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine, thereby restraining the hinged portion from being moved (or opened) outwards so that the back cover can move to a minimum when a user manipulates the handle to rotate about the pivot that is positioned at a different position from a position of the shaft received by the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine and a second shaft-receiving portion of the driver arm and enabling the rear end of the body of the stapler to be covered without any clearance in the rear end of the body of the stapler, as compared with the conventional stapler.
State of the Art in the Field
A stapler has been often used for stapling a stack of paper by clinching a staple. The stapler contains a clincher arm, a magazine, a pusher, a driver arm, a driver, a handle, and the like. The pusher pushes a strip of staples loaded in the magazine to bias it onto a slot in the magazine, of which the driver drives a staple out.
When any force is applied to the clincher arm, the magazine, and the driver arm, which share the shaft with their

shaft-receiving portions, through the handle, the driver provided at a forward end of the driver arm drives a first staple of the strip of staples loaded in the magazine out of the slot in the magazine. A depression in a clincher, namely, an anvil, provided at a forward end of the clincher arm receives the staple thus driven out to clinch legs of the staple as to be folded flat or round. When such the operations are performed with the stack of paper being clipped by the magazine and the clincher, the staple can staple this stack of paper.
On such the stapler, a clincher arm cover is attached to the clincher arm and a handle cover is also attached to the handle. In such the stapler, an axial mechanism constituted of metal parts such as the clincher arm, the magazine, and the driver arm is generally seen from an opening in a rear of the body of the stapler.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-102850 has disclosed a handy stapler that can cover such the axial mechanism in which a closure member is provided for closing the opening in the rear of the handy stapler. In the closure member, a mechanism for multiplication of force achieved by a lever is used whereby the staple can be clinched by less force. A back cover made of any hard plastic materials that is elastically deformable in a thickness direction thereof is attached to the clincher arm (base frame). The back cover covers the mechanism for multiplication of force and the axial mechanism. This prevents any foreign matter from entering into the opening in the rear of the body of the stapler and enables its excellent exterior to be realized.
Problem of the invention
In the handy stapler disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-102850, the back cover has a hinged portion at a middle thereof, which covers the opening in the rear of the body of the stapler by using an elasticity of the back cover based on the hinged portion. In this stapler, however, the hinged portion is positioned at a level equal to

or higher than that of the shaft, namely, the shaft-receiving portion of the magazine. Any clearance may occur near the back cover at the rear of the body of the stapler when the driver arm rotates, which causes any foreign matter to enter into the body of the stapler through the clearance. It is to be noted that in the conventional stapler, when a user manipulates the stapler provided with the clincher arm cover and the handle cover, the clincher arm cover and the handle cover are approached to each other so that they can be interfered with each other. It is thus difficult to make small the opening at the rear of the body of the stapler.
Solution of the Problem
The invention solves the above problems and the principal object of this invention is to provide a stapler in which a rear end of a body of the stapler can be covered without any clearance while a driver arm is rotated.
Accordingly, the invention provides a stapler for stapling a stack of paper by clinching a staple, characterized in that the stapler includes a shaft, a magazine for loading a strip of staples therein, the magazine containing a slit of which the staple is pushed out at an end thereof and a first shaft-receiving portion at the other end thereof, the first shaft-receiving portion receiving the shaft, a pushing member that is included in the magazine, the pushing member pushing the strip of the staples loaded in the magazine toward the slit of the magazine, a driver arm that contains a driver at an end thereof and a second shaft-receiving portion at the other end thereof, the second shaft-receiving portion receiving the shaft together with the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine, the driver being reached onto a first staple of the strip of the staples pushed by the pushing member, a pivot that is positioned at a different position from a position of the shaft, a handling member for handling the driver arm to enable force to apply to the driver of the driver arm, the handling member containing a pivot-receiving portion that receives the pivot,

a handling-member cover that covers the handling member, and a cover member including a hinged portion along which the cover member is swung, an end of the cover member extending between the handling member and the handling-member cover to arrive in a position between the driver arm and the handling member, the other end thereof being attached to the magazine, wherein the hinged portion of the cover member is positioned lower than a level of the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine. There is provided a provided a stapler wherein the pivot-receiving portion of the handling member is positioned higher than a level of the second shaft-receiving portion of the driver arm, and a point of application for pushing the driver arm down is set on the way from the pivot-receiving portion of the handling member to the slit, in the magazine, of which the staple is pushed out.
There is also provided a stapler wherein the cover member has a forward end that is divided into two parts.
There is further provided a stapler wherein the cover member contains a base portion, the base portion including a projected latch, and a double-headed projection that is positioned away from the projected latch with a predetermined distance, wherein the magazine contains a bottom plate including a first opening, and a second opening that is formed away from the first opening with a predetermined distance, and wherein the projected latch of the cover member is inserted into the first opening of the bottom plate of the magazine and the double-headed projection of the cover member is also inserted into the second opening of the bottom plate of the magazine. In the embodiment of the stapler according to this invention, the hinged portion of the cover member, the end of which extends between the handling member and the handling-member cover to arrive in a position between the driver arm and the handling member and, the other end of which is attached to the magazine, is positioned lower than the level of the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine. This enables the hinged portion of the cover member to refrain from

moving outwardly so that the cover member can move to a minimum when a user manipulates the handle to rotate about the pivot that is positioned at a different position from a position of the shaft received by the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine and the second shaft-receiving portion of the driver arm. It is thus possible that the embodiment of the stapler according to this invention covers the shaft received by the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine and the second shaft-receiving portion of the driver arm, and the pivot received by the pivot-receiving portion of the handle without any clearance at rear end of the body of the stapler, as compared with the conventional stapler.
The invention also provides a stapler for stapling a stack of paper by clinching a stapler, characterized in that the stapler includes a driving shaft, a magazine for loading a strip of staples therein, the magazine containing a slit of which the staple is pushed out at an end thereof and a first shaft-receiving portion at the other end thereof, the first shaft-receiving portion receiving the shaft, a pushing member that is included in the magazine, the pushing member pushing the strip of the staples loaded in the magazine toward the slit of the magazine, a driver arm that contains a driver at an end thereof and a second shaft-receiving portion at the other end thereof, the second shaft-receiving portion receiving the shaft together with the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine, the driver being reached onto a first staple of the strip of the staples pushed by the pushing member, a pivot that is positioned at a different position from a position of the shaft, a handling member for handling the driver arm to enable force to apply to the driver of the driver arm, the handling member containing a pivot-receiving portion that receives the pivot, a handling-member cover that covers the handling member, and a cover member including a hinged portion along which the cover member is swung, an end of the cover member extending between the handling member and the handling-member cover, the other end thereof being attached to the magazine, wherein the hinged

portion of the cover member is positioned lower than a level of the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine.
In another embodiment of the stapler according to this invention, the hinged portion of the cover member, the end of which extends between the handling member and the handling-member cover and the other end of which is attached to the magazine, is positioned lower than the level of the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine. This enables the hinged portion of the cover member to refrain from moving outwardly so that the cover member can move to a minimum when a user manipulates the handle to rotate about the pivot that is positioned at a different position from a position of the shaft received by the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine and the second shaft-receiving portion of the driver arm. It is thus possible that this embodiment of the stapler according to this invention covers the shaft received by the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine and the second shaft-receiving portion of the driver arm, and the pivot received by the pivot-receiving portion of the handle without any clearance at rear end of the body of the stapler, as compared with the conventional stapler. Further, since the end of the cover member extends between the handling member and the handling-member cover, the cover member can free from receipt of force by the handle. This prevents the cover member from being deformed unnecessarily, thereby avoiding any loss in the force applied to the handle cover.
There is also provided a stapler substantially as herein above described in the specification with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The concluding portion of this specification particularly points out and directly claims the subject matter of the present invention. However, those skills in the art will best understand both the organization and method of operation of the invention, together with further advantages and objects thereof, by reading the remaining portions of the specification in view of the accompanying drawing (s) wherein like reference

characters refer to like elements.
Brief Description of drawings
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a stapler according to the invention for showing a configuration thereof;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a back cover for showing a configuration thereof;
FIG. 3 is a diagram for showing the configuration of the back cover, which is seen from a back thereof;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the back cover taken on line X-X of FIG. 3 for showing a movement of the back cover;
FIG. 5A is a diagram for showing the configuration of the back cover, which is seen from a side thereof, and FIG.5B is a top plan view of a magazine for showing a configuration thereof;
FIG. 6 A is a cross-sectional view of the back cover for showing an attached case (part one) of the back cover to the magazine, and FIG.6B is a top plan view of a magazine to which the back cover is attached;
FIG. 7 A is a cross-sectional view of the back cover for showing the attached case (part two) of the back cover to the magazine, and FIG.7B is the top plan view of a magazine to which the back cover is attached;
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the embodiment of the stapler according to the invention for showing an assembled case (part one) thereof;
FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the embodiment of the stapler according to the invention for showing the assembled case (part two) thereof;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the stapler according to the invention after the back cover has been attached to the stapler;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the stapler according to the invention for showing an operation example (part 1) thereof;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of

the stapler according to the invention for showing an operation example (part 2) thereof;
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the stapler according to the invention for showing an operation example (part 3) thereof;
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the stapler according to the invention for showing an operation example (part 4) thereof;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another back cover for showing the configuration thereof;
FIG. 16A is a side view of the back cover shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 16B is a front elevation view of the back cover seen from an arrow Ql shown in FIG. 16A, and FIG. 16C is a top plan view of the back cover seen from an arrow Q2 shown in FIG. 16B;
FIGS.17A and 17B are perspective views of the back cover shown in FIG. 15 that is attached to a magazine, for illustrating an operation (part one) of the back cover;
FIG. ISA is a bottom plan view of the magazine to which the back cover is attached, and FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view of the back cover and the magazine taken on line Y-Y of FIG. 18A for illustrating the operation (part two) of the back cover;
FIG. 19A is a side view of the back cover shown in FIG. 15 that is attached to the magazine and FIG. 19B is a cross-sectional view of the back cover and the magazine taken on line Z-Z of FIG. 19A for illustrating the operation (part three) of the back cover; and
FIGS. 20A and 20B are cross-sectional views of another embodiment of a stapler according to the invention for showing an operation example thereof.
Detailed Description of the Invention
The following will describe embodiments of a stapler according to the invention with reference to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a first embodiment of the

stapler 100 according to the invention, which equips a back cover 126 as a cover member for covering a rear of the stapler 100.
The stapler 100 of handy type shown in FIG. 1 staples a stack of paper by clinching a staple 130 with any force. The stapler 100 contains a clincher arm 101, which includes a base frame lOla having a set shape, and a clincher 101j, i.e., an anvil, which is provided at a forward end of the clincher arm 101, containing a depression lOlh for clinching the staple 130. The base frame lOla is made by folding both ends of a metallic plate upward to form the set shape so that the base frame lOla may constitute a base of the stapler 100. The clincher 101 j may be incorporated with the base frame lOla. The depression lOlh in the clincher lOlj is used for clinching the staple 130, which is pushed out, with any force in order to staple a stack of paper, so that legs of the staple 130 can be folded so as to be rounded or flatted.
It is to be noted that in this embodiment, the depression lOlh in the clincher lOlj is preferably used for clinching the staple 130 so that its legs can be folded as to be rounded.
A clincher arm cover 102 covers a bottom of the base frame lOla. The clincher arm cover 102 is formed by a frame made of plastic materials, to which any design is applied.
A magazine 104 is rotatably attached to the base frame lOla of the clincher arm 101 through a shaft 121. The magazine 104 contains a main frame 104a having a set shape. The magazine 104 has, at an end of the main frame 104a thereof, a slit 120 for allowing the staple 130 to be pushed out thereof. The magazine 104 also has, at the other end of the main frame 104a thereof, holes 104b, 104c for allowing a shaft 121 to be inserted therein to rotate the magazine 104. The shaft 121 acts as a fulcrum when the magazine 104 rotates. The magazine 104 loads a strip of the staples 130. The magazine 104 may load two strips of the staples 130, each strip including 50 staples.
The magazine 104 contains a pusher 106 as a pushing member therein so that the pusher 106 can be slid. The pusher 106 pushes

the strip(s) of staples loaded in the magazine 104, thereby enabling the strip (s) of the staples 130 to move toward the slit 120 of the magazine 104.
A coil spring 110 stands between a rear side of the magazine 104, i.e., the other end of its main frame 104a, and a rear side of the clincher arm 101, i.e., the end of its base frame Ida. The coil spring 110 biases the magazine 104 to urge the magazine 104 away from the clincher arm 101 so that there remains a clearance between the clincher lOlj and the end of the magazine 104, thereby enabling a stack of paper to enter into the clearance between the clincher lOlj and the end of the magazine 104.
A driver arm 108 is rotatably attached to the shaft 121. The driver arm 108 contains a main frame 108a. The main frame 108a is made by folding both sides of a metallic board downward to form a set shape with a top surface and both side surfaces. The driver arm 108 has a driver 109 at a (forward) end thereof and holes 108b, 108c, into which the shaft 121 is inserted, at the other end thereof. The driver 109 engages with a top part of a first staple 130 of the strip pushed by the pusher 106. The driver 109 then drives the top part of the first staple 130 of the strip when any force is attached downwards to the driver arm 108.
A staple cover 112 covers the magazine 104 inside the main frame 108a of the driver arm 108. The staple cover 112 pushes the strip (s) of staples 130 down, which are loaded in the magazine 104. The staple cover 112 is also rotatably attached to the shaft 121. In this embodiment, rear ends 112b, 112c of the staple cover 112 respectively have U-shaped configurations that receive the shaft 121, so that the staple cover 112 can be rotatably attached to the shaft 121.
A coil spring 114, which has a stronger elasticity than that of the coil spring 110, stands between the main frame 108a of the driver arm 108 and the staple cover 112 on the magazine 104. The coil spring 114 biases the driver arm 108 to urge it so that the driver 109 can withdraw from the magazine 104 to

wait for an opportunity of driving over the slit 120. This is a standby-state of the stapler 100.
A handle 116 is provided as a handling member over the driver arm 108. The handle 116 enables any force to be applied to the driver 109 of the driver arm 108. The handle 116 contains a main frame 116a, which is made by folding both ends of a metallic plate down to form a set shape.
A handle cover 118 is also provided as a handling-member cover over the handle 116. The handle cover 118 covers a surface of the main frame 116a of the handle 116. The handle cover 118 is formed of a frame made of plastic materials, to which any design is applied, similar to the clincher arm cover 102.
The handle 116 and the handle cover 118 pivot at their rear end portions on a pair of pivots 122, 122 as a second fulcrum, which are positioned at an upper position than that of the shaft 121. The pivots 122, 122 are constituted of, for instance, annular shaft portions lOld, lOle that are projected from each side of the clincher arm 101 and made by means of any barring process or the like, and U-shaped pivot-receiving portions 116d, 116e for receiving the pivots 122, 122 are provided at each side of the handle 116 (see FIG. 9) .
There is a point of application "q" for pushing the driver arm 108 down on the way from the pivots 122, 122 for the handle 116 and the handle cover 118 to a forward end of the stapler 100 along a direction toward the slit 120. A pin 124 for engaging with the handle 116 and the driver arm 108 as desired is prepared at the point of application xxq".
Thus, when the pivots 122, 122 are positioned at an upper position than that of the shaft 121 that is shared by the magazine 104 and the driver arm 108, the driver arm 108 is pushed down at the point of application "q" with the pivots 122, 122 acting as a fulcrum if force is applied to the forward end of each of the handle 116 and the handle cover 118, which is set as a point "p" where the force is to be applied. Thus, the stapler 100 can staple a stack of paper by a staple 130 with less force that is applied to the point "p" of the handle cover 118 (using a

mechanism for multiplication of force achieved by a lever-fulcrum relationship).
In this embodiment, a back cover 126 is provided as a cover member to cover a back of the stapler 100, which the shaft 121 received by the magazine 104, the driver arm 108, and the staple cover 112, the pivots 122, 122 received by the handle 116 and the handle cover 118, and the like constitute.
The back cover 126 contains a curved portion 126d. The back cover 126 is hinged along a hinged portion P-P at the curved portion 126d. A position of the hinged portion P-P is set lower than that of the shaft 121 received by the magazine 104. In this embodiment, the back cover 126 is assembled so that a forward end of the curved portion 126d extends between the handle 116 and the handle cover 118 as well as between the driver arm 108 and the handle 116. An end of the back cover 126 is attached to the magazine 104. This is the cover member.
In this embodiment, in the handle cover 118 at its rear and upper side, a storage room 128 is prepared for storing any spare strips of staples 130. For example, two spare strips of staples 130 can be stored in the storage room 128 with them being combined. A removable enclosure 132 is attached to the handle cover 118 over the storage room 128. The enclosure 132 covers the spare strips of staples 130 stored in the storage room 128 when the enclosure 132 is attached thereto.
Under the handle cover 118, there is a traveling path (region) "I" of the forward end of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126. The traveling path (region) "I" extends from a position between the handle 116 and the handle cover 118 to a position between the driver arm 108 and the handle 116 under the storage room 128 in the handle cover 118. Along the traveling path "I", the forward end of the curved portion 126d can travel relatively corresponding to any operations of the handle 116 and the handle cover 118. The handle 116 has, on its surface, a slot 116f with an enough space through which the forward end of the curved portion 126d can pass, so that the forward end of the curved portion 126d can travel freely along the traveling

path "I".
The back cover 126 has a width almost similar to each space between rear side ends of the handle cover 118 and between rear side ends of the clincher arm cover 102 so that no clearance occur in any of portions between the rear side ends of the handle cover 118 and sides of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 and between the rear side ends of the clincher arm cover 102 and the sides of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126.
This prevents any foreign matter from being entered into an opening formed of the rear side ends of the clincher arm cover 102 and the rear side ends of the handle cover 118. This stapler 100 has an excellent design on its appearance.
The following will describe the back cover 126. The back cover 126 shown in FIG. 2 has a seat portion 126a having a set shape, which constitutes a main body of the back cover 126. Relative to the seat portion 126a, a projected latch 126b for engaging, double-headed projection 126c each head having an inverted L-shaped profile for engaging, and the curved portion 126d for covering are provided in a series.
The seat portion 126a has a folded profiled shape that is folded at a set position thereof, which divides the seat portion 126a into a forward part and a rear part. The projected latch 126b for engaging is arranged on a surface of the forward part of the seat portion 126a. The projected latch 126b for engaging has a predetermined length LO and a predetermined width WO. The projected latch 126b for engaging has a gradually tapered surface toward the double-headed projection 126c and a vertical surface at an end of the seat portion 126a.
On the forward part of seat portion 126a, the double-headed projection 126c is also arranged away from the projected latch 126b for engaging by a predetermined distance. The double-headed projection 126c has a predetermined length L and two predetermined widths Wl, W2. Wl indicates a width of bottom of the double-headed projection 126c and W2 indicates a width of a top of the double-headed projection 126c. The widths

of the bottom and top of the double-headed projection 126c have a relationship of W2>W1 (see FIG. 3). Such the configuration is regulated by taking into consideration any solid lock of the back cover 126 to the magazine 104 after the back cover 126 has been attached to the bottom of the magazine 104.
The curved portion 126d is also arranged on a surface of the rear part of the seat portion 126a. The curved portion 126d is made of plastic materials, for example, according to any injection molding. The curved portion 126d is solid but it is elastically deformable in a thickness direction thereof. In this embodiment, the curved portion 126d is curved so that it can be raised vertically from its bottom with respect to a set surface of the rear part of the seat portion 126a, then folded at about 90 degrees, and at the forward end thereof, extend horizontally.
The seat portion 126a having the folded profiled shape also has ribs 126f, 126g for reinforcement, respectively, on a surface and/or a back of each of the forward and rear parts of the seat portion 126a. The rib 126f extends on the surface of the rear part of the seat portion 126a and inside the curved portion 126d when the curved portion 126d is attached to the seat portion 126a. The rib 126g extends downwards along the backs of the forward and rear parts of the seat portion 126a and inside the curved portion 126d when the curved portion 126d is attached to the seat portion 126a.
The rib 126g extends so as to fill a space between the clincher arm 101 and the back of the rear part of the seat portion 126a of the back cover 126 when the clincher arm 101 and the magazine 104, to which the back cover 126 is attached, are attached to each other. A lower end of the rib 126g is almost connected to the clincher arm 101 after the clincher arm 101 and the magazine 104, to which the back cover is attached, have been attached to each other. If any force is applied to the back cover 126 so that the hinged portion P-P of the curved portion 126d can be moved downwards, such the force can be counteracted by any reactive force that the rib 126g receives from the

clincher arm 101 (secure of the reactive force) . This enables the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 to keep its posture constant with respect to the seat portion 126a thereof.
The following will describe the forward end of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126. The back cover 126 shown in FIG. 3 has the forward end of the curved portion 126d, which is divided into two forward end parts 126e, 126e for sliding. In this embodiment, the forward end of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 has a configuration like M-shape. The two forward end parts 126e, 126e thereof thus become free ends. Corner of each of the two forward end parts 126e, 126e is diagonally cut away so that each of the two forward end parts 126e, 126e can be formed as a trapezoid. Each of such the forward end parts 126e, 126e is tapered toward a forward direction. Thus, dividing the forward end of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 into two forward end parts 126e, 126e enables any frictional resistance in the forward end of the curved portion 126d to be decreased when the back cover 126 slides between the driver arm 108 and the handle 116. Further, decrease in the frictional resistance in the forward end of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 allows the back cover 126 to travel smoothly along the traveling path "I" of the forward end of the back cover 126. In FIG. 3, WO indicates a width of the projected latch 126b for engaging on the seat portion 126a of the back cover 126 and Wl and W2 indicate widths of the double-headed projection 126c on the seat portion 126a of the back cover 126.
The following will describe movement of the back cover 126. According to the back cover 126 shown in FIG. 4, when the curved portion 126d rotates clockwise with keeping its curved posture so that it can be folded at about 90 degrees, the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 pivots on the hinged portion P-P with it keeping the same posture. In this embodiment, each curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 illustrated by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 4 indicates its posture when its rotation angle changes for every 10 degrees from 0 to 90 degrees.
This rotation of the curved portion 126d from 0 to 90

degrees has been fixed by supposing if the stapler 100 changes its posture from a standby posture to a posture where a strip of staplers is loaded. Such the deformation of the back cover 126 allows the back cover 126 to cover an opening in the rear of the stapler 100 constituted of rear sides of the clincher arm cover 102 and the handle cover 118 without any clearance, thereby preventing any foreign matter from entering into the opening.
The following will describe an attachment of the back cover 126 with reference to FIGS. 5A through 7B. FIG. 5A shows a configuration of the back cover 126 and FIG. 5B shows a configuration of the magazine 104.
First, the back cover 126 as shown in FIG. 5A is prepared. The back cover 126 is made by manufacturing a die that is constituted of a core and a cavity, in which the projected latch 126b for engaging, the two forward end parts 126e, 126e of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126, and the curved portion 126d are shaped and enclosing any plastic material in the die.
Further, the magazine 104 as shown in FIG. 5B is prepared in which a recess portion 104j is provided at a forward portion thereof and the other recess portion 104k is provided at a rear portion thereof. In this embodiment, an attaching region "II" for attaching the back cover 126 thereto is defined at a bottom of the main frame 104a of the magazine 104 at its rear portion (contrary to the slit 120 in the magazine 104) . In the attaching region "II", there is a rectangular hole 104h as a first opening, at a predetermined position thereof, having a width WOa and a length LOa. The width WOa of the rectangular hole 104h is wider than the width WO of the projected latch 126b for engaging. The length LOa of the rectangular hole 104h is longer than the length LO of the projected latch 126b for engaging.
There is also a T-shaped slit 1041 as a second opening in the attaching region "II" away from the rectangular hole 104h with a predetermined distance. The T-shaped slit 104i includes a narrower portion having a width Wla and a broader portion having a width W2a. The T-shaped slit 1041 is formed so that

the broader portion therein can face the rectangular hole 104h. The width Wla on the T-shaped slit 1041 is wider than the width Wl of the double-headed projection 126c. The width W2a on the T-shaped slit 1041 is wider than the width W2 of the double-headed projection 126c. A length La on the T-shaped slit 1041 is set as to have about twofold length of the length L of the double-headed projection 126c.
In this embodiment, after the magazine 104 and the back cover 126 as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B have been prepared, the back cover 126 is attached to the magazine 104. The double-headed projection 126c of the back cover 126 is first inserted into the T-shaped slit 1041 in the magazine 104, as shown in FIG. 6A with the double-headed projection 126c registering the broader portion in the T-shaped slit 1041. In this moment, the projected latch 126b for engaging is attached to a back surface of the magazine 104 with it being shifted while it has not yet engaged with the rectangular hole 104h in the magazine 104. In this case, a back surface of the back cover 126 is strongly pushed upwards toward a top surface of the magazine 104 along an arrow shown in FIG. 6A. The back cover 126 is then slid in the T-shaped slit 1041 along an arrow shown in FIG. 6B (i. e., from a left side of this paper to a right side thereof) with the back cover 126 being pushed along the arrow shown in FIG. 6A.
When the back cover 126 is completely slid in the T-shaped slit 1041 along the arrow shown in FIG. 6B, the vertical surface of the projected latch 126b for engaging is engaged into the rectangular hole 104h in the magazine 104, as shown in FIG. 7A. This enables the double-headed projection 126c to be also engaged and fixed with an edge of the magazine 104 along the T-shaped slit 1041 as shown in FIG. 7B. Such the engagement and fixation allows the rear end of the back cover 126 to be securely fixed to the magazine 104 at a set position thereof.
The following will describe an assembly of the stapler 100 with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. In this embodiment, FIG. 8 shows an assembly of the clincher arm 101, the magazine 104,

the back cover 126 and the like. FIG. 9 shows an assembly of the above-mentioned clincher arm 101, the clincher arm cover 102, the driver arm 108, the handle 116, and the handle cover 118. FIGS. 8 and 9 are used for illustrating the assembly of the embodiment of the stapler 100 according to the invention by dividing it into two parts thereof.
The magazine 104, the staple cover 112, and the back cover 126 are first assembled to the clincher arm 101 as shown in FIG. 8. The clincher arm 101 contains the base frame lOla having a set shape, the holes lOlb, lOlc for allowing the shaft 121 to be passed therethrough, the annular shaft portions lOld, lOle that are projected from each side of the clincher arm 101, the apertures lOlf, lOlg for allowing any lock member to be inserted thereinto, and the clincher lOlj including the depression lOlh for clinching the staple.
For example, the back cover 126 is first attached to the magazine 104, an attaching method of which has been already described in relation to FIGS 5 through 7, so that it will be omitted. Of course, it is not always necessary that the back cover 126 is previously assembled to the magazine 104. An assembling order is not limited to the above-mentioned one. Next, the pusher 106, the spring guide 106a, the spring 106b are attached into the magazine 104. The magazine 104 contains a main frame 104a with a set shape, which has the holes 104b, 104c for allowing the shaft 121 to be inserted thereinto, holes 104d, 104e for allowing a lock pin 134 to be inserter thereinto, the windows 104f, 104g for showing the strip (s) of staples, the slit 120 for allowing the staple to be pushed out, and the above-mentioned rectangular hole 104h and the T-shaped slit 104i, which are shown in FIG. 5B. The pusher 106 contains a branched main frame 106d having a plane engaging portion 106e having a projection and a guide hole 106f.
For example, the spring guide 106a is inserted into the guide hole 106f in the pusher 106 and is then inserted into the spring 106b, so that an assembly can be formed. This assembly is then installed between the recess portions 104 j, 104k in the

magazine 104 . The spring 106b stays between an end of the pusher 106, in which any strip of staples is not loaded, and the rear end of the magazine 104.
The staple cover 112 is then put on the magazine 104. the staple cover 112 a main body 112a with a set shape, which has rear ends 112b, 112c with U-shaped configurations that receive the shaft 121 and an opening 112d for allowing a pusher band 106c to be engaged. The staple cover 112 is engaged with the shaft 121 together with the driver arm 108.
The pusher band 106c is then installed between the pusher 106 and the staple cover 112. The pusher band 106c has a set length and is made of a thin plate that is constituted of an arrow-like tip 161, T-shaped end 162, and projections 163. For example, the tip 161 is attached to the engaging portion 106e of the pusher 106. The T-shaped end 162 and the projections 163 are installed into the opening 112d of the staple cover 112. The pusher band 106c is made of plastic materials.
In this moment, the lock pin 134 and a lock cap 140 for capping the lock pin 134 may be attached to the clincher arm 101 and the magazine 104. The magazine 104 contains the holes 104d, 104e for allowing the lock pin 134 to be inserted thereinto, which are provided in a lateral direction thereof.
The lock pin 134 contains a rod portion having a lock portion for locking the rod portion at an end thereof and an engaging portion at the other end thereof. The lock cap 140 constitutes a flange portion containing the fitting portion with a profiled step. The lock cap 140 has a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion.
The clincher arm 101 contains an aperture lOlf hollowed like double-loops with an upper loop having a smaller diameter than that of a lower loop, and an oval aperture lOlg. The upper loop has the diameter, which is equal to or slightly larger than an outer diameter of the rod portion 134a of the lock pin 134. The lower loop has the diameter, which is equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the small diameter portion 140a of the lock cap 140. The large diameter portion of the lock cap

140 has the diameter larger than that of the lower loop of the aperture lOlf.
The lock pin 134 is inserted into the oval aperture lOlg of the clincher arm 101 to the aperture lOlf hollowed like double-loops of the clincher arm 101 through the holes 104d, 104e of the magazine 104, so that the lock cap 140 can be attached to the lock pin 134. If the lock cap 140 and the aperture lOlf are thus configured, the lock pin 134 moves to the upper loop of the aperture lOlf when a user pulls the lock cap 140 toward him, so that the lock of the magazine 104 to the clincher arm 101 can be released.
Conversely, if the user pushes the lock cap 140 down, the lock pin 134 moves from the upper loop of the aperture lOlf to the lower loop thereof. When the user the pushes the lock cap away from him, the small diameter portion of the lock cap 140 is fitted into the lower loop of the aperture lOlf of the clincher arm 101, so that the magazine 104 can be locked with the clincher arm 101 (i.e., locking mechanism).
The clincher arm cover 102, the driver arm 108, the handle 116, the handle cover 118, the coil springs 110, 114, which are shown in FIG. 9, are respectively attached to an assembly containing the clincher arm 101, the magazine 104, the staple cover 112, and the back cover 126 shown in FIG. 8. It is to be noted that the driver 109 is previously attached to the driver arm 108.
In this embodiment, the assembly is performed as follows: the coil spring 110 is positioned between the clincher arm 101 and the magazine 104; the coil spring 114 is positioned between the driver arm 108 and the staple cover 112; and the shaft 121 is inserted from the hole lOlb of the base frame lOla of the clincher arm 101 to the hole lOlc of the base frame lOla thereof through the holes 108b, 108c of the driver arm 108 and the holes 104b, 104c of the magazine 104.
The pin 124 is then inserted from a hole 116b for the point of application "q" in the main frame 116a of the handle 116 to the hole 116c of the main frame 116a thereof through the holes

108d, 108e for the point of application "q" in the main frame 108a of the driver arm 108. The clincher arm cover 102 is then attached to the clincher arm 101. The handle cover 118 is attached to the handle 116 and the removable enclosure 132 is attached onto the handle cover 118. Finally, the back cover 126 covers the opening of the rear end of the stapler 100. Thus, the assembly of the stapler 100 shown in FIG. 10 is complete. The following will describe an aspect of the stapler 100 after the back cover 126 has been fitted to the stapler 100. In the stapler 100 shown in FIG. 10, the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 covers an opening 170 in the rear end of the stapler 100, which is constituted of the rear side ends of the clincher arm cover 102 and the rear side ends of the handle cover 118. This state keeps by applying pressure against the lower surface of the handle cover 118 under the rear end of the storage room 128 based on elasticity of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 along its thickness direction according to any function of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 shown in FIG. 10. Such the state-keeping enables the back cover 126 to cover the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100, which is constituted of the rear side ends of the clincher arm cover 102 and the rear side ends of the handle cover 118, without any clearance. This prevents any foreign matter from entering into the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100.
The following will describe operations of the stapler 100 with reference to FIGS. 11 through 14. In this embodiment, the operations of the stapler 100 will be describe according to four states thereof, namely, standby state, clinched state, semi-unfolded state, and full-unfolded state.
According to the standby state of the stapler 100 as shown in FIG. 11, if a standby angle constituted of the handle cover 118 and the clincher arm cover 102 is B 1 such as about 30 degrees, the stapler 100 keeps its posture. In this condition, the stapler 100 releases its lock mechanism and the magazine 104 extends almost horizontally in relation to the clincher arm

cover 102. The driver arm 108 is slightly inclined in relation to the horizontal. In this moment, the driver 109 stays on a position over the slit 120 of the magazine 104 as to be on standby without hindering any pushing operations of pusher 106 to a strip of the staples. In this standby state, the back cover 126 keeps covering the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100, which is constituted of the rear side ends of the clincher arm cover 102 and the rear side ends of the handle cover 118, by the curved portion 126d thereof.
According to the clinched state of the stapler 100 as shown in FIG. 12, which is moved from the standby state as shown in FIG. 11, if a user pushes the forward end of the handle cover 118 downwards toward the clincher arm cover 102, the handle cover 118 pivots on the pivots 122, 122 shown in FIG. 12, so that the handle cover 118 pushes the pin 124 and the driver arm 108 down through the handle 116.
The driver arm 108 rotates about the shaft 121 toward the clincher arm 101 by this user' s pushing. In this moment, because the coil spring 110 is set to have a smaller elasticity than that of the coil spring 114, the pushing force applied to the driver arm 108 compresses the coil spring 110.
This compression allows the magazine 104 to rotate about the shaft 121 toward the clincher arm 101 with the driver arm 108 and the staple cover 112 pushing the magazine 104. In this condition, a stack of paper 180 is held by the clincher lOlj of the clincher arm 101 and the magazine 104.
If the user further pushes the forward end of the handle cover 118 downwards toward the clincher arm 101, any force that is stronger than an elasticity of the coil spring 114 is applied to the driver arm 108 through the handle 116, so that the coil spring 114 is compressed, thereby allowing any pushing force accompanied by this compression to be transferred to the driver 109.
The driver 109 then drives a staple 130, which is a first staple of the strip of the staples loaded in the magazine 104, out of the slit 120 of the magazine 104. The staple 130 passes

through the stack of paper 180 held by the clincher lOlj of the clincher arm 101 and the magazine 104. The depression lOlh in the clincher 101j then receives legs of the staple 130. When the staple 130 is then pushed in the depression lOlh, the legs of the staple 130 are bent round inwardly to clinch the staple 130, thereby allowing a stapling operation of the stack of paper 180 to be completed.
During a series of the operations, the handle cover 118 pivots on the pivots 122, 122 when the user pushes the forward end of the handle cover 118 downwards toward the clincher arm cover 102. Based on this pushing (pivoting) operation, the pin 124 provided between the forward end of the handle cover 118 and any of the pivots 122, 122 functions as the point of application "q". In this embodiment, when any force is applied to the forward end "p" of the handle 116 or the handle cover 118, the pivots 122, 122 act as a fulcrum, so that the pin 124 pushes the driver arm 108 down doubly together with the forward end of the handle cover 118 using a principle of leverage. This enables the user to staple the stack of paper by the staple 130 by using any less pushing-down force (a mechanism for multiplication of force achieved by a lever-fulcrum relationship).
In a series of these operations, the back cover 126 keeps covering the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100 by the curved portion 126d thereof. The curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 keeps its posture as shown in FIG. 12 by pressure against the lower surface of the rear end of the handle cover 118 under the storage room 128 based on elasticity of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 along its thickness direction unless the two forward end parts 126e, 126e of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 are gotten out thereof. It is thus possible for the back cover 126 to cover the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100 in the clinched state of the stapler 100 without any clearance.
It is to be noted that if the user's pushing to the handle cover 118 is released, in the stapler 100, the magazine 104,

the driver arm 108, the driver 109, the handle cover 118 and the like are returned to their original positions by expansion of the coil springs 110, 114, so that the stapler 100 keeps its standby posture with 9 I being 30 degrees as shown in FIG. 11.
In the semi-unfolded state of the stapler 100 as shown in FIG. 13, which is moved from the standby state as shown in FIG. 11, the handle cover 118 pivots clockwise on the pivots 122, 122 in a case shown in Fig. 13. In this state, if an angle constituted of the handle cover 118 and the clincher arm cover 102 is 62, 92 is set to have about 90 degrees.
In this embodiment, the driver arm 108 is connected to the handle cover 118 through the handle 116 so that the driver arm 108 can also rotate about the shaft 121 upwards, thereby enabling an upper portion of the magazine 104, which has been returned to its original position, to be made open. This allows the stapler 100 to be ready to load a strip of the staples 130 easily therein. For example, the user loads a spare strip of the staples 130 in the magazine 104 after he has taken the spare strip of the staples 130 out of the storage room 128 in the handle cover 118.
When loading the spare strip of the staples 130, the two forward end parts 126e, 126e of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126, which has covered the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100 in the pivoting operation of the handle cover 118 on the pivots 122, 122, relatively travel on the traveling path (region) "I" accompanied with the pivoting operation of the handle cover 118. The two forward end parts 126e, 126e of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 then reach onto a top surface of the main frame 108a of the driver arm 108, which has pivoted upwards together with the handle cover 118, and relatively slid thereon. Even if such the traveling is performed, the back cover 126 can keep covering the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100 by its curved portion 126d thereof. As shown by a solid line in FIG. 13, the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 keeps its posture by pressure against the lower surface of the rear end of the handle

cover 118 under the storage room 128 based on the elasticity of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 along its thickness direction.
In this moment, a bottom of the rib 126g of the back cover 126 is connected to the clincher arm 101, so that the rib 126g can receive any counteraction by the clincher arm 101 to prevent the hinged portion P-P in the curved portion 126d from being moved downwards. This enables the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 to keep its posture constant against the seat portion 126a thereof, thereby allowing the back cover 126 to cover the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100 without any clearance while the handle cover 118 pivots clockwise if the user loads a strip of staples 130.
In the full-unfolded state of the stapler 100 as shown in FIG. 14, which is moved from the semi-unfolded state as shown in FIG. 13, the handle cover 118 further pivots clockwise on the pivots 122, 122. In this state, if an angle constituted of the handle cover 118 and the clincher arm cover 102 is 6 3, 9 3 is set to have about 160 degrees.
In this embodiment, following further pivoting of the handle cover 118, the driver arm 108 that is connected to the handle 116 further rotates about the shaft 121 together the handle cover 118 clockwise, so that the upper portion of the magazine 104, which is remained in its original position, can be further made open. This allows the stapler 100 to be further made available for loading a strip of the staples 130 in the magazine 104.
During the full-unfolded state of the handle cover 118, even in the further pivoting operation of the handle cover 118 on the pivots 122, 122, the two forward end parts 126e, 126e of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126, which has covered the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100, also travel relatively on the traveling path (region) "I" accompanied with the further pivoting operation of the handle cover 118. The two forward end parts 126e, 126e of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 then relatively slid on the

top surface of the main frame 108a of the driver arm 108 that rotates clockwise together with the handle cover 118 with the two forward end parts 126e, 126e of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 being connected to the top surface of the main frame 108a of the driver arm 108.
Even if such the traveling is performed, the back cover 126 also keeps covering the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100 by its curved portion 126d thereof. As shown by a solid line in FIG. 14, the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 keeps its posture by pressure against the lower surface of the rear end of the handle cover 118 under the storage room 128 based on elasticity of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 along its thickness direction and connection of the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 with the top surface of the main frame 108a of the driver arm 108. In this moment, similar to a case of the semi-unfolded state, the rib 126g also receive any counteraction by the clincher arm 101. This prevents the hinged portion P-P in the curved portion 126d from being moved downwards. It is thus possible for the back cover 126 to cover the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100 without any clearance even in the full-unfolded state of the handle cover 118. In this state, the hinged portion P-P is moved inside the opening 170 so that it can be not seen from outside.
It is to be noted that in the cases shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, relative to the pivots 122, 122, the U-shaped pivot-receiving portions 116d, 116e that are provided at each side of the handle 116 are come out of the annular shaft portions lOld, lOle of the base frame lOla in the clincher arm 101, so that the handle cover 118 rotates about the shaft 121. Such the configuration enables the handle cover 118 to be unfolded as
to have the open angle 6 3 of about 160 degrees in relation to the clincher arm 101.
The following will describe with reference to FIGS. 15 through 20B a configuration of a second embodiment of the stapler 200 according to the invention, which equips a back cover 226 as a cover member for covering a rear end of the stapler

200. It is to be noted that like reference characters used in the first embodiment of the stapler 100 refer to like elements of the second embodiment of the stapler 200, detailed explanation of which will be omitted.
FIG. 15 shows a configuration of the back cover 226 as the cover member, which contains a base 226a and a curved portion 226d having any flexibility. The back cover 226 is attached to the magazine 204 by attaching its base 226a to a bottom of the magazine 204 as shown in FIG. 17. A forward end 226e of the curved portion 226d that is continuously connected to the base 226a of the back cover 226 extends over the magazine 204 so that it can pass through a position between the handle 116 and the handle cover 118 when the back cover 226 is attached, thereby enabling the back cover 226 to cover a rear end of the stapler 200.
The base 226a contains a base body 226x, two projections 226b, 226b that are provided at right and left positions in a forward end of the base body 226x, and a hook 226c that is provided at a middle position in the rear of the base body 226x. The two projections 226b, 226b are respectively formed as to project outwardly toward right and left side ends of the base body 226x.
The base body 226x contains rectangular first and second protrusions 226h, 226f at a forward end and a middle of a top surface thereof. These protrusions 226h, 226f are inserted into recess portions, not shown, in the bottom of the magazine 204. This enables the base 226a to be attached to the magazine 204 without any wobbly behavior. The base body 226x also contains a rib 226g for reinforcement at a rear end thereof.
To the rear end of the base 226a, the curved portion 226d of the back cover 226 is continuously connected. The back cover 226 is hinged along a hinged portion P-P at the curved portion 226d. The back cover 226 is made of, for example, plastic materials according to any injection molding using a die and is solid. The curved portion 226d of the back cover 226 has elastic deformation in its thickness direction. In this embodiment, the curved portion 226d of the back cover 226 has

a profile step in thickness at the hinged portion P-P. If any force is applied to this curved portion 226d of the back cover 226, the curved portion 226d rotates clockwise or counterclockwise about the hinged portion P-P. A position of the hinged portion P-P is set lower than that of the shaft 121 that is assembled to the magazine 204.
The following will describe a configuration of the back cover 226 with reference to FIGS. 16A through 16C. The curved portion 226d of the back cover 226 shown in FIG. 16A curves at about 90 degrees so that it raises almost vertically from a bottom of the base 226a and curves at about 90 degrees on its middle to extend its forward end horizontally. Space between the top surface of the base body 226x and the hook 226c has an amount that is similar to that of a thickness of the bottom plate of the magazine 204. Each of the projections 226b, 226b has a profiled L-shape and any elasticity.
A forward end of each of the projections 226b, 226b having a profiled L-shape, as shown in FIG. 16B, which are provided at right and left on the base body 226x, projects outwards. In this embodiment, the forward ends of the projections 226b, 226b project toward the opposite directions with respect to the rib 226g for reinforcement. The forward ends of the right and left projections 226b, 226b shown in FIG. 16C project in front of the protrusion 226h and along the front surface of the base 226a. As shown in FIGS. 16B and 16C, the forward end of each of the projections 226b, 226b projects outwards in order to allow the back cover 226 to be easily attached to the magazine 204.
The following will describe an attachment of the back cover 226 with reference to FIGS. 17 through 19. FIG. 17A shows the back cover 226 that is attached to a rear end of the magazine 204, seen from obliquely above. FIG. 17B shows the back cover 226 that is attached to the rear end of the magazine 204, seen from obliquely below.
The magazine 204 as shown in FIG. 17A contains a crook portions 204r, 204r each extending from the bottom surface of the magazine 204 and a fitted portion, not shown, that is

positioned away from each of the crook portions 204r, 204r rearwards by a predetermined distance. When the back cover 226 is attached to the magazine 204, the hook 226c of the back cover 226 hooks the fitted portion of the magazine 204 so that the back cover 226 can be fitted to the magazine 204 . In this moment, the projections 226b, 226b of the back cover 226 are respectively engaged with the crook portions 204r, 204r of the magazine 204. This enables the back cover 226 to be easily attached to the magazine 204 on tight, as shown in FIG. 17B, without having any influence on inside of the magazine 204.
In this embodiment, each of the crook portions 204r, 204r has a recess for lock, not shown. These recesses in the crook portions 204r, 204r prevent the projections 226b, 226b from being come out from the magazine 204 rearwards. Thus, during a course of an assembly operation of the stapler 200, it is possible to prevent the back cover 226 from being easily come out from the magazine 204 even while the back cover 226 is attached to the magazine 204, thereby enabling the stapler 200 to be easily assembled.
FIG. 18A shows the back cover 226 that is attached to the rear end of the magazine 204, seen from a bottom of the back cover 226. FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view of the back cover 226 and the magazine 204 taken on line Y-Y of FIG. ISA. The hook 226c of the back cover 226 shown in FIG. 18B hooks the fitting portion 204s of the magazine 204 so that the back cover 226 can be fitted to the magazine 204. In this moment, the protrusions 226h, 226f of the back cover 226 are also fitted into recesses, not shown, in the bottom surface of the magazine 204.
FIG. 19A shows the back cover 226 that is attached to the rear end of the magazine 204, seen from a side of the back cover 226. FIG. 19B is a cross-sectional view of the back cover 226 and the magazine 204 taken on line Z-Z of FIG. 19A. The forward ends of the projections 226b, 226b of the back cover 226 engage and fit the crook portions 204r, 204r of the magazine 204, as shown in FIG. 18B. Thus, the back cover 226 is fitted to the magazine 204.

The following will describe operations of the stapler 200 with reference to FIGS. 20A and 20B. As shown in FIG. 20A, the coil spring 110 biases the back cover 226 of the stapler 200 to urge a bottom surface of the back cover 226 with the back cover 226 being attached to the rear end of the magazine 204, so that the back cover 226 can be fixed.
In this embodiment, the curved portion 226d of the back cover 226 curves so that it raises almost vertically from a bottom of the base 226a and curves at about 90 degrees on its middle to extend its forward end horizontally. The forward end 226e of the curved portion 226d of the back cover 226 extends so that it can pass through a position between the handle 116 and the handle cover 118 when the back cover 226 is assembled. The back cover 226 covers the rear end of the stapler 200.
A clinched state of the stapler 200 as shown in FIG. 20B is moved from the standby state as shown in FIG. 20A. If a user pushes the handle 116 through the handle cover 118 downwards in the standby state shown in FIG. 20A, the handle 116 pivots, so that the driver 109 drives a first staple 130 of the strip of the staples loaded in the magazine 204 and a clincher guide 220a of a clincher guide portion 220 is pushed down. This enables a stack of paper to be held by the clincher guide portion 220 and the magazine 204. It is to be noted that the clincher guide portion 220 is used for keeping any space briefly between the staple 130 driven out of the slit 120 in the magazine 204 and the clincher arm 101.
According to the clinched state of the stapler 200, the forward end 226e of the curved portion 226d of the back cover 226 travels slightly backwards following pivot of the handle 116 as compared by a state of the stapler 200 shown in FIG. 20A to extend between the handle 116 and the handle cover 118. However, the back cover 226 can keep covering the rear side of the stapler 200 by its curved portion 226d.
Relating to the back cover 126 in the first embodiment of the stapler 100, the forward end parts 126e, 126e of its curved portion 126d extend up to a position between the handle 116 and

the driver arm 108 so that its curved portion 126d may be pushed by the handle 116 as to be deformed. This may cause any loss in the force applied to the handle cover 118. On the other hands, according to the back cover 226 in the second embodiment of the stapler 200, the forward end 226e of the curved portion 226d extends between the handle 116 and the handle cover 118, not extends up to a position between the handle 116 and the driver arm 108. This enables the curved portion 226d to be free from the handle 116, thereby preventing the loss in the force applied to the handle cover 118.
Advantage of the Invention
Thus, according to the first embodiment of the stapler 100 of this invention, the cover member covers the opening 170 of the rear end of the stapler 100. The cover member contains the curved portion 126d made of plastic materials, which has an area that is capable of covering the opening 170. When the stapler 100 staples a stack of paper, this curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 can pass through a position between the handle 116 and the handle cover 118 to reach a position between the driver arm 108 and the handle 116. In the first embodiment, the curved portion 126d of the back cover 126 freely travels between the rear end of the handle cover 118 and the top surface of the main frame 108a of the driver arm 108 while the forward end of the curved portion 126d thereof deforms following operations of the handle cover 118.
Thus, the stapler 100 enables the hinged portion P-P of the back cover 126 to refrain from moving outwardly so that the cover member can move to a minimum when the handle cover 118 pivots on the pivots 122, 122 that are positioned at a different position from a position of the shaft 121 of the magazine 104 and the driver arm 108. It is thus possible for the stapler 100 according to the first embodiment of this invention to cover any mechanism constituted of the shaft 121 of the magazine 104 and the driver arm 108 as well as the pivots 122, 122 of the handle 116 and the handle cover 118 in the opening 170 without

any clearance at rear end of the body of the stapler 100, as compared with the conventional stapler. Further, it is possible to cover any cut surfaces of the clincher arm 101, the magazine 104, the driver arm 108, the handle 116 and the like by the back cover 126, thereby enabling the stapler 100 to realize its excellent appearance.
According to the second embodiment of the stapler 200 of this invention, the hinged portion P-P of the back cover 226, the end of which extends between the handle 116 and the handle cover 118 and, the other end of which is attached to the magazine 204, is positioned lower than a level of the shaft receiving portion of the magazine 204, namely, the level of the shaft 121 assembled to the magazine 204.
This enables the hinged portion P-P of the back cover 226 to refrain from moving outwardly so that the back cover 226 can move to a minimum when the user manipulates the handle 116 to rotate about the pivots 122, 122 that are positioned at a different position from a position of the shaft-receiving portions of the magazine 294 and the driver arm 108, namely, the shaft 121 assembled to the magazine 204 and the driver arm 108. It is thus possible for the back cover 226 according to this second embodiment of stapler 200 to cover the shaft 121 assembled to the magazine 204 and the driver arm 108 and the pivots 122, 122 of the handle 116 without any clearance at rear end of the stapler 200, as compared with the conventional stapler. Further, since the end of back cover 226 extends between the handle 116 and the handle cover 118, the curved portion 226d of the back cover 226 can be free from the handle 116. This prevents the curved portion 226d of the back cover 226 from being deformed, thereby avoiding the loss in the force applied to the handle cover 118.
The invention is applicable to a stapler or the like that staples a stack of desired paper by a staple. While the foregoing specification has described preferred embodiment(s) of the present invention, one skilled in the art may make many modifications to the preferred embodiment without departing
from the invention in its broader aspects. The appended claims therefore are intended to cover all such modifications as fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.

WE CLAIM:
1. A stapler for stapling a stack of paper by clinching a staple, the stapler
Including:
a shaft;
a magazine for loading a strip of staples therein, the magazine containing a slit of which the staple is pushed out at an end thereof and a first shaft-receiving portion at the other end thereof, the first shaft-receiving portion receiving the shaft;
a pushing member that is included in the magazine, the pushing member pushing the strip of the staples loaded in the magazine toward the slit of the magazine;
a driver arm that contains a driver at an end thereof and a second shaft-receiving portion at the other end thereof, the second shaft-receiving portion receiving the shaft together with the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine, the driver being reached onto a first staple of the strip of the staples pushed by the pushing member;
a pivot that is positioned at a different position from a position of the shaft;
a handling member for handling the driver arm to enable force to apply to the driver of the driver arm, the handling member containing a pivot-receiving portion that receives the pivot;
a handling-member cover that covers the handling member; and
a cover member including a hinged portion along which the cover member is swung, characterized in that:
an end of the cover member extends between the handling member and the handling-member cover, the other end thereof being attached to the magazine;
the hinged portion of the cover member is positioned lower than a level of the first shaft-receiving portion of the magazine.
2. A stapler according to claim 1, characterized in that the end of the cover member further extends between the handling member and the handling-member cover to arrive in a position between the driver arm and the handling member.
3. A stapler according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pivot-receiving portion of the handling member is positioned higher than a level of the second shaft-receiving portion of the driver arm; and
a point of application for pushing the driver arm down is set on the way from the pivot-receiving portion of the handling member to the slit, in the magazine, of which the staple is pushed out.
4. A stapler according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cover member has a forward end that is divided into two parts.
5. A stapler according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cover member contains a base portion, the base portion including:
a projected latch; and
a double-headed projection that is positioned away from the projected latch with a predetermined distance, and
that the magazine contains a bottom plate including a first opening, and a second opening that is formed away from the first opening with a predetermined distance.
wherein the projected latch of the cover member is inserted into the first opening of the bottom plate of the magazine and the double-headed projection of the cover member is also inserted into the second opening of the bottom plate of the magazine.
6. A stapler substantially as herein above described in the specification with
reference to the accompanying drawings.