Compact paper punch

Abstract

A hand-held paper punch comprises a housing having a plunger reciprocally mounted thereon to engage a pair of pivotally mounted levers adapted to depress a pair of spring-biased punch dies for paper punching purposes. A receptacle is releasably mounted on a bottom of the housing to receive paper scrap and further defines an elongated opening for inserting one or more sheets of paper beneath the punch dies.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional paper punches normally comprise a base having a pair of upwardly biased punched dies reciprocally mounted thereon. A hand lever is normally pivotally mounted on the base to engage the punch dies to reciprocate them simultaneously for paper punching purposes. A receptacle is normally defined on the bottom of the base and enclosed by a removable bottom cover to collect paper scraps accumulated pursuant to such punching. Such conventional paper punches are unwieldy to handle, expensive to manufacture and oftentimes tend to bind, thus requiring complete dismantling thereof for servicing purposes.

SUMMARY OF THIS INVENTION

An object of this invention is to provide a compact and economical paper punch adapted for efficient operation and expeditious servicing should the need arise. The paper punch comprises an elongated housing, a pair of longitudinally spaced and parallel punch dies reciprocally mounted in the housing, actuating means movably mounted in the housing to selectively engage and reciprocate the punch dies and plunger means movably mounted on the housing for selectively engaging the actuating means to thus reciprocate the punch dies.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the housing is formed in three parts, namely; a base portion having the punch dies reciprocally mounted thereon, a cover portion for substantially covering the base portion and a tray portion detachably mounted to the base portion to fully enclose the same and to function as a receptacle for receiving paper scraps resulting from the punching operation. Another novel feature of this invention is to constitute the actuating means by a pair of levers disposed in longitudinal disposition along the longitudinal axis of the paper punch to further increase the compactness thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a paper punch embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the elements constituting the paper punch;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the paper punch, taken in the direction of arrows III--III in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross sectional view through the paper punch taken in the direction of arrows IV--IV in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a paper punch 10 having a housing comprising a metallic base portion 11, a plastic cover portion 12 and a plastic bottom or receptacle portion 13. The base portion may be releasably attached to the receptacle portion by a screw 14 whereas the cover portion may be snapped into locked engagement with the base portion, to form an elongated housing along with the receptacle portion, by means of a pair of resilient lugs 15 (FIG. 3) formed internally thereon to each engage under a lower edge of a respective end plate 16 formed integrally on the base portion. Thus, the paper punch is adapted for expeditious assembly as well as for expeditious servicing, should the inner workings thereof require such attention.

At best shown in FIG. 2, the base portion comprises a pair of stamped members suitably welded together to form a back plate 17 having end plates 16 secured on either end thereof. In addition, the base portion comprises a pair of vertically spaced and horizontally disposed lower plates 18 and 19. A pair of horizontally disposed plate portions 20 are cantilevered on back plate 17.

Punching means include a pair of longitudinally spaced and parallel cylindrical plunger-type punches or male dies 21, each reciprocally mounted on a respective upper plate 20 and biased upwardly by spring means. Such spring means preferably comprises a coil spring 22 mounted on the punch in compressed relationship between plate 18 and a washer 23 secured in place on the punch. The punch projects through plate 18 and a female die 24 is defined by a like-shaped aperture formed through plate 19 (shown in FIG. 3) to underlie and reciprocally receive the punch for paper punching purposes. The punching means further includes actuating means, preferably in the form of a pair of levers 25, disposed in aligned relationship along a longitudinal axis of the paper punch and mounted in the housing for selectively engaging and reciprocating the punches simultaneously.

Each lever comprises a pair of offset and at least generally parallel first and second end portions 26 and 27 respectively, and an intermediate portion 28. A first lug 29 is formed on the end portion 26 to engage under a second lug 30 formed on end wall 16 of the base portion to provide pivot means to pivot the lever thereat. A convex bearing button 31 is formed out of end portion 26 of the lever to engage the head of punch 21 in anti-friction bearing contact therewith, i.e., line contact.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the punching means further includes a rectangularly shaped plunger means 32 reciprocally mounted in a like-shaped aperture 33 formed through an upper wall of cover portion 12 of the housing. The plunger comprises a plastic cup-shaped body 34 and a generally U-shaped stamped insert 35 having a pair of legs 36 each slip-fitted within a like-shaped slot 37 defined within an open, lower end of the body. Thus, it can be seen that manual depression of plunger 32 will function to move convex bearing portions 38, formed integrally on insert 35, into bearing contact with the levers to pivot them about their pivoted ends 26 to simultaneously reciprocate punches 21.

It should be noted that opening 33 is preferably slightly larger than the perimeter of body 34 of the plunger to provide a slight manufacturing tolerance therebetween, thereby the plunger does not have to be precisely reciprocated vertically during the punching operation. End portions 27 of the levers preferably normally diverge upwardly towards each other, as shown in FIG. 3. Such divergence aids in precisely maintaining the operative positions and bearing contacts of bearing portions of the plunger on the levers during the punching operation.

As further illustratex in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, a downwardly extending leg 39 is formed integrally at each corner of body 34 of the plunger. The legs straddle end portions 27 of the levers and are guided during reciprocation of the plunger by guide means comprising a pair of downwardly extending partitions 40 and 41 formed integrally on cover 12 to have a pair of the legs straddle the ends of each partition. The plunger is thus prevented from moving longitudinally and laterally by the partitions during all phases of the punching operation.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, plates 18 and 19 of base portion 11 and opposed edges of the cover and receptacle portions are spaced vertically to define an elongated and horizontally disposed slot 42, the full length and substantially the full width of the paper punch, which cooperates with a co-extensive lip 43 formed on receptacle portion 13 to receive paper therein. A trap door 44 is connected on a bottom wall of the receptacle portion, at a hinge line 45, to facilitate emptying thereof. A free end of the trap door has a latch 46 integrally formed thereon to engage lip 47 formed on such bottom wall to snap the trap door in a normally closed position.

In use, one or more sheets of paper may be suitably positioned in slot 42 of the hand-held paper punch. A centrally disposed indicia 48 (FIG. 1) is formed integrally on a front wall of the cover portion to provide a center guide for precisely punching holes in paper. Depression of plunger means 32 will function to pivot levers 25 to reciprocate punches 21 through the paper and into female dies 24.

The paper scraps collect in the closed chamber of receptacle portion 13 and may be removed via trap door 44, shown in its open position in FIG. 3. Springs 22 will function to automatically raise the punches, levers and plunger means to their normal, FIG. 3 position upon release of the plunger means by the operator. In the event that servicing of the paper punch may be required, it can be dismantled expeditiously by merely unsnapping lugs 15 and by removing single set screw 14, if necessary.

Claims

I claim:

1. A paper punch disposed on a longitudinal axis thereof and comprising

a pair of longitudinally spaced and parallel male dies reciprocally mounted therein for movement transverse to said axis,

actuating means movably mounted in said paper punch for selectively engaging and reciprocating each of said male dies and

plunger means reciprocally mounted on said paper punch for selectively engaging and moving said actuating means to reciprocate said male dies simultaneously, said actuating means comprising a pair of levers pivotally mounted on a base portion of said paper punch and wherein each of said levers has a pair of offset and at least generally parallel first and second end portions, each said first end portion pivotally mounted on a respective end wall of said base portion and engaging an upper end of a respective male die and said plunger means engaging said second end portions.

2. The paper punch of claim 1 further comprising a spring means operatively connected between each of said male dies and said base portion for biasing said male dies, said actuating means and said plunger means upwardly.

3. The paper punch of claim 1 wherein said levers are disposed in parallel relationship relative to the longitudinal axis of said paper punch.

4. The paper punch of claim 1 further comprising a bearing button formed on each of said first end portions and engaging the upper end of a respective male die in bearing contact therewith.

5. The paper punch of claim 1 further comprising a receptacle portion attached to a bottom of said paper punch and defining a closed chamber adapted to receive punched paper scraps therein.

6. The paper punch of claim 5 further comprising a normally closed trap door movably mounted on a bottom wall of said receptacle portion to be opened for removing said paper scraps from said chamber.

7. The paper punch of claim 1 wherein said paper punch has an upper wall and said plunger means is reciprocally mounted in an aperture formed through the upper wall of said paper punch.

8. The paper punch of claim 7 wherein said plunger means comprises a cup-shaped body having its open, lower end disposed in said aperture and a generally U-shaped insert having a pair of legs thereof slip-fitted within said body.

9. The paper punch of claim 8 wherein a pair of convex bearing portions is formed on said insert, each of said bearing portions engaging said actuating means in bearing contact therewith.

10. The paper punch of claim 7 further comprising cooperating guide means formed on said plunger means and extending downwardly from said upper wall for guiding reciprocal movements of said plunger means.

11. The paper punch of claim 10 wherein said guide means comprises a downwardly extending leg formed integrally at each corner of said plunger means and a pair of partitions secured to said upper wall, a pair of said legs straddling ends of a respective one of said partitions.

12. The paper punch of claim 1 further comprising means forming a pair of longitudinally spaced apertures, each defining a female die, each underlying a respective male die to receive the same upon reciprocation thereof by said actuating means.

13. The paper punch of claim 12 comprising separable cover, base and receptacle portions releasably connected together, said cover and receptacle portions forming a housing enclosing said base portion, said receptacle portion defining a closed chamber therein adapted to receive paper scraps and said male dies reciprocally mounted on said base portion.

14. The paper punch of claim 13 wherein said base portion comprises a back plate having a pair of longitudinally spaced and horizontally disposed plate portions secured thereon, one of said male dies reciprocally mounted in each of said plate portions.

15. The paper punch of claim 13 wherein said base portion comprises a pair of vertically spaced and horizontally disposed lower plates, a lower one of said lower plates having said female die defining apertures formed therethrough.

16. The paper punch of claim 15 wherein said plates and opposed edges of said cover and receptacle portions are spaced vertically to define an elongated and horizontally disposed slot the full length and substantially the full width of said paper punch.

17. The paper punch of claim 13 wherein said cover portion is releasably connected to said base portion and said receptacle portion is releasably connected to said base portion.

18. The paper punch of claim 17 wherein said cover portion is releasably connected to said base portion by a plurality of resilient lugs each normally locked into engagement with said base portion.

19. The paper punch of claim 17 wherein said receptacle portion is releasably connected to said base portion by releasable fastening means extending through a plate of said base portion and threadably attached to said receptacle portion.