Staple magazines

Claim 1

A STAPLE MAGAZINE FOR A STAPLING MACHINE OF THE HEREIN DESCRIBED TYPE HAVING AN END PLATE AND A STAPLE DRIVING BLADE, AND CARRYING AND FEEDING ALTERNATELY CLIPS OF WIDE CROWN OR NARROW CROWN STAPLES, WHICH COMPRISES A GENERALLY FLAT BASE; AN OUTER PAIR OF PARALLEL WALLS AND AN INNER PAIR OF PARALLEL WALLS PERPENDICULARLY UPSTANDING FROM SAID BASE; SAID OUTER PAIR OF WALLS AND INNER PAIR OF WALLS DEFINING A STRAIGHT FEED PATH FOR STAPLES CARRIED SLIDABLY AS CLIPS IN SAID FEED PATH, SAID FEED PATH HAVING A STAPLE DISCHARGE END ADJACENT SAID BASE; SAID PAIR OF INNER WALLS BEING A SUPPORT FOR A CLIP OF STAPLES MOUNTED TO STRADDLE SAID INNER WALLS; WIDE STAPLES BEING GUIDED BY AND LATERALLY CONFINED BETWEEN THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID OUTER PAIR OF WALLS, AND NARROW STAPLES BEING GUIDED BY AND LATERALLY RESTRAINED ASTRIDE THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID INNER PAIR OF WALLS; SAID INNER PAIR OF WALLS AND SAID BASE AT SAID STAPLE DISCHARGE END OF SAID FEED PATH TERMINATING SHORT OF SAID OUTER PAIR OF WALLS BY A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE THICKNESS OF A STAPLE TO PARTLY DEFINE A STAPLE DRIVING PLANE; DEFLECTABLE GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID PAIR OF INNER WALLS AT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID FEED PATH, SAID GUIDE MEANS HAVING AN ANGLED PART WHICH ENTERS SAID STAPLE DRIVING PLANE AT AN ACUTE ANGLE THERETO WHEN SAID GUIDE MEANS IS UNDEFLECTED, SAID ANGLED PART HAVING A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH BETWEEN THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID PAIR OF INNER WALLS; SAID GUIDE MEANS BEING MOUNTED TO DEFLECT FROM SAID STAPLE DRIVING PLANE TO A POSITION AT WHICH SIDE EDGES OF SAID ANGLED PART ARE SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID PAIR OF INNER WALLS; SAID GUIDE MEANS RESTRAINING LATERAL MOVEMENT OF A NARROW STAPLE WHEN A NARROW STAPLE IS LOCATED IN SAID STAPLE DRIVING PLANE AND DEFLECTING TO PERMIT SAID NARROW STAPLE TO BE DRIVEN DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID PLANE WHILST MAINTIANING SAID LATERAL RESTRAINT, AND SAID GUIDE MEANS DEFLECTING TO PERMIT DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF A WIDE STAPLE LOCATED IN SAID STAPLE DRIVING PLANE, SAID WIDE STAPLE BEING RESTRAINED FROM LATERAL MOVEMENT BY THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID OUTER PAIR OF WALLS.