阅读说明：本技术 订书机 (Stapling machine ) 是由 王景立 于 2019-11-12 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种订书机,包括：一本体,包括一内部空间及一击钉口；一击发机构,设于该内部空间,包括一供撞击一钉针的撞击件及一可带动该撞击件相对该击钉口移动的驱动件；一收针机构,设于该本体,包括一相对该击钉口的针沟孔、至少一可活动于该针沟孔内的顶推件及一可由该驱动件带动的蓄力组件,该蓄力组件包括一卡掣部及一与该卡掣部可释放地相卡挡的蓄力件,该蓄力件可朝该针沟孔撞击该至少一顶推件；其中,当该驱动件带动该撞击件朝该击钉口移动时,该驱动件带动该蓄力件变形蓄力；当该蓄力件蓄力变形至脱离该卡掣部时,该蓄力件瞬击该至少一顶推件朝该击钉口的方向移动以供与该撞击件抵压该钉针。本发明可确实压平钉针的针脚,平针装订的效果更佳。(A stapler, comprising: a body, including an inner space and a nail striking opening; the striking mechanism is arranged in the inner space and comprises a striking piece for striking a nail pin and a driving piece capable of driving the striking piece to move relative to the nail striking opening; the retracting mechanism is arranged on the body and comprises a needle groove hole corresponding to the nail striking opening, at least one pushing piece which can be movably arranged in the needle groove hole and a force accumulating component which can be driven by the driving piece, the force accumulating component comprises a clamping part and a force accumulating piece which is releasably blocked with the clamping part, and the force accumulating piece can impact the at least one pushing piece towards the needle groove hole; when the driving piece drives the impact piece to move towards the nail striking opening, the driving piece drives the force storage piece to deform and store force; when the power storage part deforms to be separated from the clamping part, the power storage part instantaneously hits the at least one pushing part and moves towards the nail hitting opening so as to enable the impacting part to abut against the nail. The invention can press the stitch of the nail needle firmly, and the effect of flat binding is better.)

1. A stapler, comprising:

a body, including an inner space and a nail striking opening;

the striking mechanism is arranged in the inner space and comprises a striking piece for striking a nail pin and a driving piece capable of driving the striking piece to move relative to the nail striking opening;

the retracting mechanism is arranged on the body and comprises a needle groove hole corresponding to the nail striking opening, at least one pushing piece which can be movably arranged in the needle groove hole and a force accumulating component which can be driven by the driving piece, the force accumulating component comprises a clamping part and a force accumulating piece which is releasably blocked with the clamping part, and the force accumulating piece can impact the at least one pushing piece towards the needle groove hole;

when the driving piece drives the impact piece to move towards the nail striking opening, the driving piece drives the force storage piece to deform and store force; when the power storage part deforms to be separated from the clamping part, the power storage part instantaneously hits the at least one pushing part and moves towards the nail hitting opening so as to enable the impacting part to abut against the nail.

2. The stapler of claim 1, wherein the power accumulating assembly further comprises a stopper pivotally disposed on the body and a position-limiting portion engageable with the stopper, the stopper having the engaging portion, and when the position-limiting portion is engaged with the stopper, a predetermined distance is maintained between the engaging portion and the at least one pushing member.

3. The stapler of claim 2, wherein the stopper further extends to form a stop arm opposite to the engaging portion, and the power accumulating assembly further includes an elastic member elastically abutting between the stop arm and the body, so that the stopper is normally in contact with the position-limiting portion.

4. The stapler of claim 1, wherein the body is recessed with a evasion portion partially receiving at least one of the energy storage member and the detent portion, the energy storage member moves toward the evasion portion to evade the detent portion when the driving member moves the energy storage member away from the at least one pushing member, and the detent portion is at least partially received in the evasion portion to allow the energy storage member to pass over the detent portion.

5. The stapler of claim 1, wherein the retracting mechanism further comprises at least one securing member disposed between the staple striking opening and the power accumulating member, the at least one urging member being pivotally mounted to the at least one securing member.

6. The stapler of claim 5, wherein a side of the at least one securing member facing the power accumulating member is recessed with a guide opening extending toward the at least one urging member, the power accumulating member including a striker portion facing the at least one urging member, the striker portion being movable along the guide opening toward the at least one urging member.

7. The stapler of claim 1, further comprising a linkage mechanism disposed in the interior space, wherein the driving member and the power accumulating assembly are coupled to the linkage mechanism, respectively, the linkage mechanism including a first link pivotally coupled to the driving member and a second link pivotally coupled to the body at a pivot and having a first end pivotally coupled to the first link and a second end coupled to the power accumulating assembly on opposite sides of the pivot.

8. The stapler of claim 7, wherein the power member is disposed on the second link and extends out of the second link toward the second end, the second end of the second link extending to provide a stop shoulder that stops the power member in a direction of impact of the power member.

9. The stapler of any one of claims 1-8, wherein each of the pushing members includes a pushing surface facing the staple driving opening and adapted to press the staple, the pushing surface being a flat surface, a concave surface or a concave curved surface.

10. The stapler of claim 6, wherein the power accumulating assembly further comprises a stopper pivotally disposed on the body and a position-limiting portion capable of engaging with the stopper, the stopper is provided with the engaging portion, and when the position-limiting portion engages with the stopper, a predetermined distance is maintained between the engaging portion and the at least one pushing member; the stopper is further extended with a resisting arm which is opposite to the clamping part, and the force storage component further comprises an elastic component which elastically resists between the resisting arm and the body, so that the stopper is normally connected with the limiting part in a blocking way; the body is concavely provided with a dodging part which can partially accommodate at least one of the force accumulating part and the clamping part; the evasion part comprises a first groove adjacent to the force accumulating part and a second groove adjacent to the clamping part, and the depth of the first groove is smaller than that of the second groove; the first groove is communicated with the second groove; when the driving piece drives the power accumulating piece to move away from the at least one pushing piece, the power accumulating piece pushes the clamping part towards the evasion part, and the clamping part is at least partially accommodated in the second groove to allow the power accumulating piece to cross the clamping part and at least partially accommodated in the first groove; the at least one pushing piece is provided with a first limiting part, the at least one fixing piece is provided with a second limiting part which can interfere with the first limiting part in a pivoting direction of the at least one pushing piece, and when the first limiting part is abutted against the second limiting part, the at least one pushing piece is pivoted to be flush or protrude out of the needle groove hole; the retracting mechanism comprises two fixing pieces which are arranged at intervals and enclose the needle groove hole and two pushing pieces which are pivoted between the two fixing pieces, and the two pushing pieces are oppositely arranged and can respectively support and press a pin of the nail needle; the narrowing mechanism also comprises a plurality of connecting pieces connected with the two fixing pieces, a flange is arranged around each connecting piece, and the two fixing pieces are respectively arranged at two opposite sides of the flange of each connecting piece; each pushing piece is pivoted between the two fixing pieces through one connecting piece; the first limiting part is a lug extending integrally to each pushing piece, and the second limiting part is a connecting piece capable of being blocked with the lug; each pushing piece comprises a pushing surface which faces the nail striking opening and can be used for pushing the nail needle, and the pushing surface is a plane; the stapler also comprises a link mechanism arranged in the inner space, and the driving piece and the force storage component are respectively connected with the link mechanism to form a linkage relation; the link mechanism comprises a first link and a second link which are pivoted on the driving piece, the second link is pivoted on the body by a pivot and is provided with a first end and a second end which are positioned at two opposite sides of the pivot, the first end is pivoted on the first link, and the second end is connected with the force accumulating component; each first connecting rod and each second connecting rod comprise two swing arms extending in parallel and a connecting part connected between the two swing arms; the force accumulation piece is arranged on the second connecting rod and extends towards the second end to protrude out of the second connecting rod, the second end of the second connecting rod extends to be provided with a retaining shoulder, and the retaining shoulder can retain the force accumulation piece in an impact direction of the force accumulation piece; the force storage piece is a spring piece, a clamping tongue capable of being abutted against the clamping part is arranged on the spring piece in a turning and extending mode towards the clamping part, and the impact part is located between the clamping tongue and the blocking shoulder.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a stapler.

Background

Generally, a stapler is provided with a nail anvil corresponding to a nail striking opening, and the nail anvil is concavely provided with two concave parts for supporting and pressing two pins of a nail so as to bend the two pins to achieve the binding effect. However, since the two pins are bent inward and oppositely along the structure of the two recesses, the binding effect is affected if the operating force is not proper, and the two pins cannot be completely attached to a surface of a bound object, so that the thickness of the part provided with the staple is large, the appearance is not good, and the document arrangement is not facilitated, thereby developing a stapler with a staple arranging function.

A conventional flat-stitch stapler, such as that disclosed in taiwan patent No. M496540, includes a main body, a sliding table movably disposed on the main body, and a movable table disposed above the sliding table in a manner of being capable of lifting and swinging. The movable table is provided with a pin groove hole corresponding to the nail striking opening, a pin groove sheet capable of supporting the nail is arranged in the pin groove hole, and an elastic piece is arranged between the pin groove sheet and the body, so that the pin groove sheet has the tendency of moving towards the nail striking opening. When the stapler is not operated, the movable table is blocked with the sliding table and cannot swing downwards; when a pressing handle of the stapler is pressed to trigger the staple and the staple passes through the object to be bound, the sliding table slides backwards, the movable table is separated from the sliding table and can swing downwards, so that the staple groove sheet can be pressed against the two pins after the two pins are bent, and the effect of flat staple binding is achieved. However, if the operation force is insufficient, the two stitches cannot be flattened, resulting in poor needle flattening effect.

Therefore, there is a need for a new and improved stapler to solve the above problems.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention mainly aims to provide a stapler which can ensure that the stitch of a staple can be pressed flat and the effect of flat staple binding is better.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a stapler including: a body, a striking mechanism and a narrowing mechanism. The body comprises an inner space and a nail hitting port. The percussion mechanism is arranged in the inner space and comprises a percussion piece for percussion a nail pin and a driving piece which can drive the percussion piece to move relative to the nail striking opening. The retracting mechanism is arranged on the body and comprises a needle groove hole corresponding to the nail striking opening, at least one pushing piece which can be movably arranged in the needle groove hole and a force storage component which can be driven by the driving piece. The power accumulating component comprises a clamping part and a power accumulating piece which is releasably blocked with the clamping part, and the power accumulating piece can impact the at least one pushing piece towards the needle groove hole. When the driving piece drives the impact piece to move towards the nail striking opening, the driving piece drives the force storage piece to deform and store force; when the power storage part deforms to be separated from the clamping part, the power storage part instantaneously hits the at least one pushing part and moves towards the nail hitting opening so as to enable the impacting part to abut against the nail.

Preferably, the force storage component further comprises a stopper pivoted to the body and a limiting portion capable of being engaged with the stopper, the stopper is provided with the engaging portion, and when the limiting portion is engaged with the stopper, a predetermined distance is maintained between the engaging portion and the at least one pushing member.

Preferably, the stopper further extends to form a resisting arm opposite to the locking portion, and the force accumulating assembly further includes an elastic member elastically resisting between the resisting arm and the body, so that the stopper is normally connected to the limiting portion.

Preferably, the body is concavely provided with a dodging part which can partially accommodate at least one of the power storage part and the clamping part, when the driving part drives the power storage part to move away from the at least one pushing part, the power storage part pushes the clamping part back towards the dodging part, and the clamping part is at least partially accommodated in the dodging part to allow the power storage part to cross the clamping part.

Preferably, the retracting mechanism further comprises at least one fixing member located between the nail striking opening and the power accumulating member, and the at least one pushing member is pivotally arranged on the at least one fixing member.

Preferably, a guiding opening extending towards the at least one pushing member is concavely arranged on one side of the at least one fixing member facing the power accumulating member, the power accumulating member comprises an impact portion facing the at least one pushing member, and the impact portion can move towards the at least one pushing member along the guiding opening.

Preferably, the power storage device further includes a link mechanism disposed in the interior space, wherein the driving member and the power storage assembly are respectively connected to the link mechanism to form a linkage relationship, the link mechanism includes a first link and a second link pivotally connected to the driving member, the second link is pivotally connected to the body at a pivot and has a first end and a second end located at opposite sides of the pivot, the first end is pivotally connected to the first link, and the second end is connected to the power storage assembly.

Preferably, the power storage member is disposed on the second connecting rod and extends to protrude from the second connecting rod toward the second end, and the second end of the second connecting rod extends to be provided with a retaining shoulder capable of retaining the power storage member in an impact direction of the power storage member.

Preferably, each pushing member includes a pushing surface facing the nail striking opening and capable of pushing the nail pin, and the pushing surface is a plane, a concave plane or a concave arc surface.

Preferably, the force storage component further comprises a stopper pivoted to the body and a limiting part capable of being clamped against the stopper, the stopper is provided with the clamping part, and when the limiting part is clamped against the stopper, a preset distance is kept between the clamping part and the at least one pushing part; the stopper is further extended with a resisting arm which is opposite to the clamping part, and the force storage component further comprises an elastic component which elastically resists between the resisting arm and the body, so that the stopper is normally connected with the limiting part in a blocking way; the body is concavely provided with a dodging part which can partially accommodate at least one of the force accumulating part and the clamping part; the evasion part comprises a first groove adjacent to the force accumulating part and a second groove adjacent to the clamping part, and the depth of the first groove is smaller than that of the second groove; the first groove is communicated with the second groove; when the driving piece drives the power accumulating piece to move away from the at least one pushing piece, the power accumulating piece pushes the clamping part towards the evasion part, and the clamping part is at least partially accommodated in the second groove to allow the power accumulating piece to cross the clamping part and at least partially accommodated in the first groove; the at least one pushing piece is provided with a first limiting part, the at least one fixing piece is provided with a second limiting part which can interfere with the first limiting part in a pivoting direction of the at least one pushing piece, and when the first limiting part is abutted against the second limiting part, the at least one pushing piece is pivoted to be flush or protrude out of the needle groove hole; the retracting mechanism comprises two fixing pieces which are arranged at intervals and enclose the needle groove hole and two pushing pieces which are pivoted between the two fixing pieces, and the two pushing pieces are oppositely arranged and can respectively support and press a pin of the nail needle; the narrowing mechanism also comprises a plurality of connecting pieces connected with the two fixing pieces, a flange is arranged around each connecting piece, and the two fixing pieces are respectively arranged at two opposite sides of the flange of each connecting piece; each pushing piece is pivoted between the two fixing pieces through one connecting piece; the first limiting part is a lug extending integrally to each pushing piece, and the second limiting part is a connecting piece capable of being blocked with the lug; each pushing piece comprises a pushing surface which faces the nail striking opening and can be used for pushing the nail needle, and the pushing surface is a plane; the stapler also comprises a link mechanism arranged in the inner space, and the driving piece and the force storage component are respectively connected with the link mechanism to form a linkage relation; the link mechanism comprises a first link and a second link which are pivoted on the driving piece, the second link is pivoted on the body by a pivot and is provided with a first end and a second end which are positioned at two opposite sides of the pivot, the first end is pivoted on the first link, and the second end is connected with the force accumulating component; each first connecting rod and each second connecting rod comprise two swing arms extending in parallel and a connecting part connected between the two swing arms; the force accumulation piece is arranged on the second connecting rod and extends towards the second end to protrude out of the second connecting rod, the second end of the second connecting rod extends to be provided with a retaining shoulder, and the retaining shoulder can retain the force accumulation piece in an impact direction of the force accumulation piece; the force storage piece is a spring piece, a clamping tongue capable of being abutted against the clamping part is arranged on the spring piece in a turning and extending mode towards the clamping part, and the impact part is located between the clamping tongue and the blocking shoulder.

The invention has the advantages that:

the stapler provided by the invention can truly flatten the stitch of the staple, and the effect of flat staple binding is better.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 and 3 are partially exploded views of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a partially exploded view of a flat needle mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 to 7 are schematic operation views of the flat needle mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 to 11 are operation sectional views of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description is given by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Referring to fig. 1-10, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, in which a stapler 1 includes a body 10, a firing mechanism 20 and a retracting mechanism 30.

The body 10 includes an inner space 11 and a nail striking opening 12; the firing mechanism 20 is disposed in the inner space 11 and includes a striking member 21 for striking a nail 2 and a driving member 22 for driving the striking member 21 to move relative to the nail striking opening 12; the narrowing mechanism 30 is disposed in the body 10 and includes a needle groove hole 31 corresponding to the nail striking opening 12, at least one pushing member 32 movable in the needle groove hole 31, and a power accumulating member 33 driven by the driving member 22, the power accumulating member 33 includes a locking portion 332 and a power accumulating member 331 releasably engaged with the locking portion 332, the power accumulating member 331 can impact the at least one pushing member 32 toward the needle groove hole; wherein, when the driving member 22 drives the striking member 21 to move toward the nail striking opening 12, the driving member 22 drives the power storage member 331 to deform for storing power, as shown in fig. 8 and 9; when the power storage element 331 deforms to disengage from the detent portion 332, the power storage element 331 instantaneously strikes the at least one pushing element 32 to move towards the nail striking opening 12 for the striking element 21 to press the nail 2, as shown in fig. 10. Therefore, no matter the operating force is large or small, the at least one pushing piece 32 can firmly flatten the nail 2, and the effect of flat binding is good.

The force accumulating component 33 further includes a stopper 333 pivotally disposed on the body 10 and a limiting portion 334 capable of being engaged with the stopper 333, the stopper 333 is provided with the engaging portion 332, when the limiting portion 334 is engaged with the stopper 333, a predetermined distance is maintained between the engaging portion 332 and the at least one pushing member 32, so that the engaging portion 332 can engage with the force accumulating member 331 at a proper position, and the force accumulating effect is better. Preferably, the blocking member 333 further extends to form a resisting arm 335 opposite to the latching portion 332, and the power storage assembly 33 further includes a resilient member 336 resiliently resisting between the resisting arm 335 and the body 10, so that the blocking member 333 is normally in contact with the limiting portion 334. Preferably, the body 10 is concavely provided with a dodging portion 13 capable of partially accommodating at least one of the power accumulating member 331 and the locking portion 332, when the driving member 22 drives the power accumulating member 331 to move away from the at least one pushing member 32, the power accumulating member 331 pushes the locking portion 332 towards the dodging portion 13, the locking portion 332 is at least partially accommodated in the dodging portion 13 to allow the power accumulating member 331 to pass over the locking portion 332, and the power accumulating member 331 can be reset to the initial position without deformation. In this embodiment, the evasion portion 13 includes a first recess 131 adjacent to the power storage member 331 and a second recess 132 adjacent to the engaging portion 332, the depth of the first recess 131 is smaller than the depth of the second recess 132, the first recess 131 is communicated with the second recess 132, so that the power storage member 331 and the engaging portion 332 can move into and out of the evasion portion 13 smoothly, and each component can be arranged more closely. After the power accumulating part 331 impacts the at least one pushing part 32, the driving part 22 can drive the power accumulating part 331 to move away from the at least one pushing part 32, the power accumulating part 331 pushes back the stopping part 333 towards the evasion part 13 to compress the elastic part 336, so that the stopping part 333 is pivoted to the latching part 332 and at least partially accommodated in the second groove 132, and further the power accumulating part 331 can pass the latching part 332 without being deformed and at least partially accommodated in the first groove 131 to return to an initial position (as shown in fig. 11); when the power storage member 331 passes over the engaging portion 332, the elastic member 336 immediately pushes the stopper 333 to engage with the limiting portion 334, so as to retain the power storage member 331 again. In other embodiments, the depth of the first and second grooves may be the same; the clamping part can also be fixedly arranged on the body, the force accumulating piece can deform through the clamping part, and the force accumulating piece can also move back and forth to pass through the clamping part to be bounced or reset to an initial position.

The narrowing mechanism 30 further includes at least one fixing member 34 located between the nail striking opening 12 and the power accumulating member 331, and the at least one pushing member 32 is pivotally disposed on the at least one fixing member 34 and can swing relatively toward the nail striking opening 12. The side of the at least one fixing member 34 facing the power storage member 331 is recessed with a guiding opening 341 extending toward the at least one pushing member 32, the power storage member 331 includes an impacting portion 337 facing the at least one pushing member 32, the impacting portion 337 can move along the guiding opening 341 toward the at least one pushing member 32, so as to ensure that the power storage member 331 can reliably impact the at least one pushing member 32. Preferably, the at least one pushing member 32 is provided with a first limiting portion 321, the at least one fixing member 34 is provided with a second limiting portion 342 capable of interfering with the first limiting portion 321 in a pivoting direction of the at least one pushing member 32, and when the first limiting portion 321 abuts against the second limiting portion 342, the at least one pushing member 32 pivots to be flush with or protrude out of the needle slot hole 31, so as to avoid excessive pivoting or insufficient pivoting of the at least one pushing member 32. In this embodiment, the retracting mechanism 30 includes two fixing members 34 disposed at intervals and enclosing the needle groove hole 31 and two pushing members 32 pivotally disposed between the two fixing members 34, and the two pushing members 32 are disposed oppositely and can be respectively pressed against a stitch of the nail 2. In other embodiments, the needle groove hole may be formed by surrounding the fixing member and the body, or the body directly penetrates through the needle groove hole, and the two pushing members are pivotally disposed on the body and located in the needle groove hole, which can achieve the same effect.

The narrowing mechanism 30 further comprises a plurality of connecting members 35 connected to the two fixing members 34, each connecting member 35 is provided with a flange 351 at the periphery thereof, the two fixing members 34 are respectively arranged at two opposite sides of the flange 351 of each connecting member 35, so that the spacing can be kept and the assembly is convenient; each pushing member 32 is pivotally arranged between the two fixing members 34 through a connecting member 35; the first limiting portion 321 is a protrusion extending integrally from each of the pushing members 32, and the second limiting portion 342 is a connecting member 35 capable of engaging with the protrusion, which is simple in structure and easy to process and assemble. In other embodiments, the first limiting portion may be additionally connected to each of the pushing members; the second limiting part can also be integrally extended and convexly arranged on the fixing part; the first limiting portion and the second limiting portion may also be a guiding protrusion and a guiding recess that can be clamped and connected slidably relative to each other. In detail, each of the pushing members 32 includes a pushing surface 322 facing the nail striking opening 12 and capable of pushing the nail 2, and the pushing surface 322 is a plane, a concave plane or a concave arc surface, in this embodiment, the pushing surface 322 is a plane, and can effectively flatten the two pins toward the nail striking opening 12.

The stapler 1 further includes a linkage mechanism 40 disposed in the interior space, wherein the driving member 22 and the energy storage member 33 are respectively connected to the linkage mechanism 40 in an interlocking relationship. In detail, the link mechanism 40 includes a first link 41 and a second link 42 pivotally connected to the driving member 22, the second link 42 is pivotally connected to the body 10 by a pivot 421 and has a first end 422 and a second end 423 located at opposite sides of the pivot 421, the first end 422 is pivotally connected to the first link 41, and the second end 423 is connected to the power accumulating component 33. When the first link 41 pushes the first end 422 downwards, the second end 423 swings upwards to make the power storage member 331 abut against the engaging portion 332 to deform the power storage. In this embodiment, the energy storage member 331 is disposed on the second connecting rod 42 and extends and protrudes out of the second connecting rod 42 toward the second end 423, the second end 423 of the second connecting rod 42 extends and is provided with a shoulder 424, and the shoulder 424 can stop the energy storage member 331 in an impact direction of the energy storage member 331, so as to prevent the energy storage member 331 from excessively impacting the two pushing members 32 to reduce component loss; the force accumulating part 331 is a spring piece, the spring piece is bent and extended toward the locking part 332 to form a locking tongue 338 capable of abutting against the locking part 332, and the striking part 337 is located between the locking tongue 338 and the shoulder 424, so that the spring piece is easy to deform and accumulate force and has a good force accumulating effect. Furthermore, each of the first link 41 and the second link 42 includes two swing arms 411,425 extending parallel to each other and a connecting portion 412,426 connected between the two swing arms 411,425, so that the hinge can be stably swung without lateral deviation and the structural strength is better. In other embodiments, the link mechanism may also be configured with a plurality of links as required; the force storage part can also be arranged on the body or other positions according to the configuration requirement; the power storage member may be other elastic members.

The above description is of the preferred embodiment of the present invention and the technical principles applied thereto, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any changes and modifications based on the equivalent changes and simple substitutions of the technical solution of the present invention are within the protection scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.