Abstract: A spring energized stapler includes a “high start” design wherein a striker has a rest position above the staple track. A handle is pressed to energize a power spring while the striker remains stationary. At a predetermined position of the handle, the striker is released to eject a staple. A subassembly of a cage and the power spring provides a preload to the power spring in the rest position. The subassembly is separately movable from the handle to allow a handle pressing end to move farther than the striker's distance of travel. The handle includes a movable pivot location to enable enhanced motion of the handle pressing end. Alternatively, an optional lever links the striker to the power spring to provide leverage upon the power spring. A release latch may be mounted in front of the striker to be engaged by the lever or the handle.

Abstract: A miniature spring-actuated stapler includes a tapered, flat power spring to store energy and eject staples. The power spring pivots at a rear of the stapler housing and includes three co-extensive arms terminating near the striker. As the L-shaped handle of the stapler is pressed, it acts on the center arm of the power spring to deflect it downward while the outer arms deflect upward. The arms are integral at a rear end and the outer arms are linked to the striker at the front. A tapered, flat reset spring disposed generally parallel to the power spring is used to reset the internal action. The housing includes open top and rear areas with the handle providing the enclosure thereof. A base assembly is slidably attached at a bottom of the stapler with an open position exposing a staple-loading chamber.

Abstract: A safety mechanism to prevent unintended ejection of a staple or fastener in a stapler or fastening tool. A low-start version of the stapler has a handle that when pressed pivots a lever which lifts a striker and energizes a power spring. At the release point, the striker is released and accelerated under spring bias into a staple, ejecting the staple by impact blow. A high-start version has the striker stationary in the upper position as the power spring is energized. In the safety mechanism, a movable hook or arm selectively prevents the striker, and linked components thereto, from completing an operational cycle.

Abstract: A heavy duty, large self-forming socket having a plurality of retractable gripping pins bundled in parallel and held in a frame within a housing is disclosed. The frame is positioned axially within the housing by radially extending, elongated hold elements that are positioned circumferentially around the housing. Slots in the housing exterior allow efficient inspection of the position of holes into which the hold elements are installed. A collar with shelf around the center pin protects the bias spring for the pin from over-compression. The gripping pins may be held to the frame by spring clips and/or a resilient O-ring. An adaptor is attached wherein a secondary operation is used to remove the adaptor from the square end of the socket. The self-forming socket is well suited for use with valves and controls for water, gas, sewage conduits and piping.

Abstract: A safety mechanism to prevent unintended ejection of a staple or fastener in a stapler or fastening tool. A low-start version of the stapler has a handle that when pressed pivots a lever which lifts a striker and energizes a power spring. At the release point, the striker is released and accelerated under spring bias into a staple, ejecting the staple by impact blow. A high-start version has the striker stationary in the upper position as the power spring is energized. In the safety mechanism, a movable hook or arm selectively prevents the striker, and linked components thereto, from completing an operational cycle. In one embodiment the safety mechanism includes a working surface sensing button bar operating in conjunction with the hook that latches the striker. The safety mechanism can also be a pivoting lock bar that engages the working surface, which surface pivots the lock bar into engaging the power spring, handle, and/or striker thereby preventing such components from reaching the release point.

Abstract: A desktop stapler includes an automatic opening staple track whereby when the stapler is opened by pivoting the body about the base, the track is de-latched by ribs of the base, and the track slides out from a chamber within the body. The stapler includes a track alignment system that holds the front of the body precisely over the anvil by use of forward and rear torque arm contact areas between the base and track. The stapler also features a striker bottom edge that is shaped to follow the curved shape of the anvil so that the striker may enter the anvil recess without impacting the anvil. A staple chamber in the stapler has staple exit ribs that allow only one staple at a time to be ejected from the staple chamber.

Abstract: A spring actuated stapler includes a lever releasably linked to a striker at a lever front end. An elongated power spring is linked to the striker so that raising the lever front end deflects the power spring. The lever and power spring pivot about a common fulcrum structure. The fulcrum structure includes a rear facing surface and the lever pivots about the rear facing surface when the lever is near a lever release point. This pivot location is adjacent to the power spring, at a bottom of the structure of the fulcrum. With the lowest possible pivot location the lever retracts and releases from the striker more quickly than if the lever pivots about a higher location at a fulcrum “axial center”. The release action is therefore more consistent, and less sensitive to manufacturing variations of the stapler.

Abstract: A desktop stapler having a feature for alignment of the anvil with the striker is disclosed. In one embodiment, a stapler body containing a striker is pivotably attached to a base. The pivoting rotation of the body causes a front-to-back motion of the striker over an anvil. A rib disposed at the back end of the body selectively pulls the back end of a linkage to the anvil backward as the body pivots downward to the stapling position. The anvil thus translates in relation to the body to maintain a close alignment of the striker over the anvil. The base assembly may include a cover plate slidable upon a base, wherein the cover plate includes the anvil. Another embodiment uses a tab that urges a staple track to be forcibly pulled open as the body is rotated away from the base.

Abstract: A stapler or like self-powered tool for dispensing and driving fasteners includes a safety mechanism to prevent unintended ejection of a staple or fastener. A movable hook normally obstructs the path of a staple so that the staple is intercepted and stopped as a spring-biased striker ejects the staple from the stapler. The striker preferably includes a notch and an end of the hook extends into the notch so that the safety mechanism can be compact. A button bar is linked to the hook and the button bar normally extends out from the stapler. When the stapler is placed against a working surface, the working surface presses the button bar vertically into the stapler, which causes the hook to rotate out from the striker slot and enables normal stapling operation.

Abstract: A desktop stapler includes an automatic opening staple track whereby when the stapler is opened by pivoting the body about the base, the track is de-latched by ribs of the base, and the track slides out from a chamber within the body. The stapler includes a track alignment system that holds the front of the body precisely over the anvil by use of forward and rear torque arm contact areas between the base and track. The stapler also features a striker bottom edge that is shaped to follow the curved shape of the anvil so that the striker may enter the anvil recess without impacting the anvil. A staple chamber in the stapler has staple exit ribs that allow only one staple at a time to be ejected from the staple chamber.

Abstract: A torque applying tool with a removable adaptor for actuating an underground valve of a fluid-carrying conduit, such as a water main, gas line, petroleum pipeline, etc. The adaptor has a hollow cylindrical sleeve for receiving an elongate rod of a T-bar tool, the rod and the sleeve being removably connected to each other by a bolt. The adaptor of the T-bar is configured to engage with a socket tool for application of torque to a valve, the adaptor including a nib shaped to closely fit within an opening in the socket tool. To prevent the socket from sliding off the adaptor during use, an optional spring loaded detent is provided on the adaptor to retain the socket in releasable connection with the T-bar.

Abstract: A heavy duty, large self-forming socket having a plurality of retractable gripping pins bundled in parallel and held in a frame within a housing is disclosed. The frame is positioned axially within the housing by radially extending, elongated hold elements that are positioned circumferentially around the housing. Slots in the housing exterior allow efficient inspection of the position of holes into which the hold elements are installed. A collar with shelf around the center pin protects the bias spring for the pin from over-compression. The gripping pins may be held to the frame by spring clips. An adaptor is attached wherein a secondary operation is used to remove the adaptor from the square end of the socket. The self-forming socket is well suited for use with valves and controls for water, gas, sewage conduits and piping.

Abstract: A tool assembly includes a multi-purpose tool, an adaptor and a socket wrench. The multi-purpose tool includes a body that contains implements such as knives, openers, scissors and other such devices. A fixed plier jaw extends from the body, and a movable plier jaw pivots about the body to a closed position against the fixed plier jaw. The closed plier jaws include an opening that surrounds and engages a driven section of the adaptor. The driven section includes an elongated cross-section to form a long torque arm within the closed jaw opening. A flange at each end of the driven section holds the adaptor in an axial direction. A universal socket may be attached to the driven end of the adaptor to provide a wrench suitable for many fastener shapes.

Abstract: A compact simplified staple gun mechanism is disclosed. The invention provides an improvement to conventional staple guns and particularly to a forward action type staple gun. A compact high efficiency reset spring applies force in selected directions depending on the position of an actuating lever in the reset cycle. The lever and power spring engage a plunger through multiple proximate openings in the plunger while retaining a strong compact configuration. The lever and power spring are partially nested in each other and pivot about a common post of the housing. The above combined features provide a high efficiency compact staple gun tool.

Abstract: A device to improve attaching wires to a substrateby with a staple gun is disclosed. An elongated nose piece extends down from the front of the tool body and locks in position to hold the tool bottom a preset distance away from the substrate. The nose piece includes a recess to provide clearance for the wire as the nose piece is pressed against the substrate. The wire guide improves the operation of stapling wires by preventing the staple from crushing the wire and by aligning the tool over the wire so that the staple points are inserted a safe distance to each side of the wire. The present invention is an improvement over the prior art staple gun wire guides since it is a permanent part of the tool. It is slidably fixed to a vertical track at the front end of the tool. It does not increase the bulk of the tool front end and cannot be misplaced. In one embodiment the wire guide is internal to the tool in sliding contact with the plunger.

Abstract: An adapter for adapting use of a universal socket tool or wrench to a tool bit is disclosed. The universal socket contains a plurality of spring biased pins closely packed in parallel to apply torque to bolts, nuts, and similar fasteners. To broaden the utility of such a universal socket, the adapter holds a hex shanked screwdriver bit into the socket so that the pins can apply torque to the screwdriver shank. The adapter further stabilizes the bit drive end so that the bit does not wobble. The adapter has a body with a hole at one end to receive a bit and a recess at the opposite end to receive the socket. The adapter is made of an elastomeric material so that the bit can easily be forced into the hole and the socket can be forced into the recess. The recess has a minimum inside width or diameter at its open end so that a lip of the recess contacts the socket exterior away from the socket end.

Abstract: A stepless ratchet one way clutch mechanism as applied to an improved screwdriver tool is disclosed. A wheel is rotationally fixed to a drive shaft. Two couplings are rotatably mounted about the drive shaft and extend away from the drive shaft. The wheel is between the couplings. A lever is pivotably attached to the couplings at a pivot pin between the couplings. The pivot pin is beyond the wheel outer diameter. When the lever is rotated in relation to the couplings an engaging edge of the lever presses the outer diameter surface of the wheel. The interface between the lever and wheel is of high friction. The interface has a "V" groove on one of the lever or wheel, and a "V" chamfer rib on the other of the lever or wheel. An elongated resilient spring biases the pivot pin either directly or through the lever or coupling to cause the lever to rotate in relation to the couplings. When the lever is held at a distal end while the pin is biased, the wheel is prevented from rotating in one or the other direction.

Abstract: A self-forming socket having a plurality of retractable pins bundled in parallel within a housing. The bundled pins may displace longitudinally and are biased by spring force away from a frame onto which the pins are slidably held. A spacer pin may be positioned at the center of the socket and is similarly biased away from the frame under spring force. When the socket is forced over a fastener, nut, or bolt head, groups of pins are pushed inward toward the frame and into the housing thereby conforming the pins to the contours of the fastener. Applying a torque to the socket transfers the torque through the bundled pins to the fastener. Each pin has a circular cross-section and an enlarged head and the interior walls of the housing containing the bundled pins has a hexagonal shape and may not contain any right angles. Grooves can be formed in the sides of the hexagonal shape to receive therein circular sides of adjacent ones of the enlarged heads. The pins are packed in a hexagonal arrangement.