1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for the application of holding clips on edges and borders of objects, in particular paper stacks or documents, by the application of clamping forces. Moreover the invention relates to a device and a system and components of such system for the application of holding clips. The invention also concerns holding clips, in particular holding clips for documents as such, and structure for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Commonly known are holding clips, designated as paper clips, designed as a bent wire piece and in a known manner manually attachable on the edge of a document stack. In order to attach a paper clip on a paper stack or an object the paper clip is usually taken out of a storage unit by hand and under elastic deformation pushed on the edge of the paper stack or the object in such a manner that a first portion of the paper clip is positioned on the upper side of the paper stack or the object, and a second portion of the paper clip is positioned on the underside of the paper stack or object. The paper stack or the object is pinched between the two portions.
The application of the known paper clips by hand proves to be time consuming. Moreover the clipping effect obtained with such paper clips often proves to be insufficient. The object of the patent publications referred to below is to provide technical devices facilitating the application of wire clips.
A device for the application of wire clips is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,835,027, which comprises a magazine for receiving several wire clips and a punching device by means of which wire clips may be pushed out of the magazine and be expanded.
Another device for the application of wire clips is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,954, which comprises a magazine for receiving loose wire clips and a dispensing mechanism for sending the wire clips out of the magazine and pushing the same on a paper stack. The wire clips are designed in such a manner that the respective clip portions provided to rest on the upper side of the paper stack and on the underside of the paper stack are substantially congruent. Such clip concept is considered disadvantageous because, in particular with thinner paper stacks, the wire clip considerably increases the thickness of the paper stack locally.
A device for the application of wire clips is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,842 B2 which as such is integrated into a copier allowing documents to be wire-clipped.
A device for the application of wire clips is known from WO 02/028217 A2. Just like in the devices described above the clips are first placed into a receiving mouth and from there successively pushed off by a punching device. The wire clips may be pre-assembled in a sleeve and be placed together with such sleeve into the receiving mouth.
Accordingly, a need has developed in the art to provide solutions that provide advantages as against the known clip concepts with regard to the application of holding clips on objects, in particular paper stacks, with regard to the obtained holding effect, or in particular with regard to a space saving storage of the holding clips.