U.S. patent application number 10/414828 was filed with the patent office on 2004-10-21 for fastener assembly and method of making the same.
Invention is credited to Cooper, William J., Earley, John, Shilale, Thomas.
Application Number | 20040205939 10/414828 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33158781 |
Filed Date | 2004-10-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040205939 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cooper, William J. ; et
al. |
October 21, 2004 |
Fastener assembly and method of making the same
Abstract
A fastener assembly includes, in one embodiment, a fastener and
a label secured to the fastener. The fastener is an elongated
unitary plastic member having a first end shaped to define a
cross-bar, a second end shaped to define a paddle, and a thin
flexible filament which interconnects the cross-bar and the paddle.
The label, which is provided with a product identifier such as a
company or product name, is secured to the paddle of the fastener
using a pressure-sensitive adhesive. An in-line system for
manufacturing a continuous clip of the fastener assemblies includes
an apparatus for molding a continuous strip of fasteners, a
stretching device for stretching selected portions of each
fastener, a pressure-sensitive labeling device for applying a label
onto the paddle of each fastener, and an apparatus for winding the
clip into a roll suitable for packaging.
Inventors: |
Cooper, William J.;
(Woonsocket, RI) ; Shilale, Thomas; (Douglas,
MA) ; Earley, John; (Northboro, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KRIEGSMAN & KRIEGSMAN
665 Franklin Street
Framingham
MA
01702
US
|
Family ID: |
33158781 |
Appl. No.: |
10/414828 |
Filed: |
April 16, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/16PB |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09F 3/14 20130101; Y10T
24/1498 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
024/016.0PB |
International
Class: |
B65D 063/00 |
Claims
1. A fastener assembly comprising: (a) a label, and (b) a fastener
insert molded around at least a portion of adapted to display said
label, said fastener comprising, (i) a filament, (ii) a paddle at
one end of said filament, and (iii) a cross-bar at the other end of
said filament.
2. (Canceled).
3. The fastener assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said label
includes an image layer which displays a marking.
4-5. (Canceled).
6. The fastener assembly as claimed in claim 18 wherein said label
is secured to the paddle of said fastener using a
pressure-sensitive adhesive.
7. The fastener assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the paddle
of said fastener is insert molded around at least a portion of said
label.
8. The fastener assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the paddle
of said fastener is insert molded entirely around said label.
9. A method of manufacturing one or more fastener assemblies, each
fastener assembly comprising a label and a fastener adapted to
display said label, each fastener comprising a filament, a paddle
at one end of said filament, and a cross-bar at the other end of
said filament, said method comprising the steps of: (a) molding one
or more of said fasteners, and (b) applying a label onto the paddle
of each of said one or more of said fasteners.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said molding step is performed
using a continuous molding process.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein said applying step is performed
using a pressure-sensitive labeling device.
12. A method of manufacturing one or more fastener assemblies, each
fastener assembly comprising a label and a fastener adapted to
display said label, each fastener comprising a filament, a paddle
at one end of said filament, and a cross-bar at the other end of
said filament, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing
one or more labels, and (b) molding the paddle of a fastener at
least partially around each of said one or more labels.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said molding step is performed
using an insert molding process.
14. A system for manufacturing one or more fastener assemblies,
each fastener assembly comprising a label and a fastener adapted to
display said label, each fastener comprising a filament, a paddle
at one end of said filament, and a cross-bar at the other end of
said filament, said system comprising: (a) a molding apparatus for
molding one or more of said fasteners, and (b) a labeling device
for applying a label onto each of said one or more of said
fasteners.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein said system is a continuous
in-line system.
16. The system of claim 14 wherein said labeling device is a
pressure-sensitive labeling device.
17. A molding apparatus for manufacturing one or more fastener
assemblies, each fastener assembly comprising a label and a
fastener adapted to display said label, each fastener comprising a
filament, a paddle at one end of said filament, and a cross-bar at
the other end of said filament, said molding apparatus comprising:
(a) a rotatable molding wheel having cavities in a peripheral
surface thereof, (b) a label depositing device for inserting a
label into selective cavities in said rotatable molding wheel, (c)
a manifold for applying molten plastic material into the cavities
in said rotatable molding wheel such that a layer of controlled
film overlies said cavities, and (d) a knife for skiving the layer
of controlled film overlying said cavities.
18. A fastener assembly comprising: (a) a fastener, said fastener
comprising, (i) a filament, (ii) a paddle at one end of said
filament, said paddle comprising a substantially flat top surface,
and (iii) a cross-bar at the other end of said filament, and (b) a
label secured to the substantially flat top surface of the paddle
of said fastener using an adhesive.
19. The fastener assembly as claimed in claim 18 wherein said label
includes an image layer which displays a marking.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to plastic fasteners
of the type used to attach merchandise tags to pieces of
fabric.
[0002] Plastic fasteners of the type used to attach tags to pieces
of fabric, such as articles of clothing, product labels, and the
like, are well known in the art and widely used in the retail
industry. Typically, such fasteners comprise an elongated plastic
member having a first end shaped to define a cross-bar (also
commonly referred to as a "T-bar"), a second end shaped to define a
paddle, and a thin filament portion interconnecting the cross-bar
and the paddle. As will be described further below, the cross-bar
is adapted to be inserted first through a tag and then into a
desired piece of fabric; the paddle is appropriately sized and
shaped to keep the tag from being pulled off the second end of the
filament portion.
[0003] Plastic fasteners of the type described above are typically
mass-produced in either one of two different forms known as
fastener stock. A first type of fastener stock is a clip-type
assembly, said clip comprising a plurality of fasteners, each such
fastener comprising a flexible filament having a cross-bar at one
end thereof and a paddle at the opposite end thereof. The fasteners
are arranged in a spaced, side-by-side orientation, with the
respective cross-bars parallel to one another and the respective
paddles parallel to one another, each of the cross-bars being
joined to a common, orthogonally-disposed runner bar by a severable
connector. Adjacent paddles also may be interconnected by severable
connectors extending therebetween.
[0004] The aforementioned fastener clip is typically made through
the process of injection molding. Several commercial embodiments of
the above-described fastener clip have been sold by the present
assignee, Avery Dennison Corporation, as DENNISON.RTM.
SWIFTACH.RTM. fastener clips.
[0005] A second type of fastener stock, which is shown in U.S. Pat.
No. 4,955,475, inventors McCarthy et al., issued Sep. 11, 1990
(which patent is incorporated herein by reference), comprises a
plurality of fasteners arranged in an end-to-end alignment, the
paddles and T-bars of successive fasteners being joined together by
severable connectors so as to form a continuously connected
fastener stock.
[0006] The second type of fastener stock is commonly manufactured
through a process which is referred to as continuous molding. An
example of continuously connected fastener stock which is
manufactured using a process of continuous molding is disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,784, inventor Russell, issued Jul. 31, 1984
(which patent is incorporated herein by reference). In said patent,
the continuously connected fastener stock is made by a rotary
extrusion process that involves the use of a rotating molding wheel
whose periphery is provided with molding cavities that are
complementary in shape to the molded fastener stock. To form the
fastener stock, molten plastic is extruded into the cavities of the
molding wheel with a layer of controlled film overlying the
peripheral impression. The molten plastic is then allowed to
solidify. A knife in substantially elliptical contact with the
peripheral impression is then used to skive excess plastic from the
rotating molding wheel (i.e., the layer of controlled film),
leaving plastic only in the molding cavities. After the skiving
process, the continuously connected fastener stock is removed,
in-line, from the cavities in the molding wheel. Transfer rolls
advance the fastener stock typically to a stretching station where
selected portions of the fastener stock are selectively distended
(e.g., using diverging sprocket wheels). After the stretching
process, the fastener stock is collected onto a windup roll for
packaging.
[0007] Typically, the practice of at least partially separating an
individual plastic fastener from a supply of fastener stock and, in
turn, inserting the individual plastic fastener through a tag and
into a piece of fabric is achieved using a hand-held apparatus
commonly referred to as a tagger gun. Examples of tagger guns are
disclosed in the following U.S. patents, both of which are
incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,475,
inventors McCarthy et al., which issued Sep. 11, 1990; and U.S.
Pat. No. 4,288,017, inventor Russell, which issued Sep. 8,
1981.
[0008] Tagger guns typically comprise a hollow needle, the needle
typically including a stem portion. The stem portion typically is
generally cylindrical in shape and has a longitudinally-extending,
cylindrically-shaped bore adapted to receive the cross-bar of a
fastener. In addition, said stem portion also typically has a
longitudinally-extending slot adapted to permit the filament
portion of a fastener to extend therethrough while the cross-bar of
the fastener is disposed in the longitudinal bore of the stem
portion. The stem portion also typically has a sharpened tip
adapted for insertion into a desired article of commerce. The
needle may also include a base portion, said base portion being
attached to the rear of the stem portion and being adapted to be
removably received in the tool. The stem portion and the base
portion may be a unitary structure or, as is more often the case,
the base portion is insert-molded onto the rear end of the stem
portion.
[0009] Such tools also typically comprise an ejector rod for
ejecting the cross-bar through the needle and into the article of
commerce, a knife or similar severing means for cutting the
severable connector between the cross-bar being dispensed and its
adjacent cross-bar and feeding means for advancing the assembly of
fasteners in the tool so as to align the forwardmost cross-bar with
the bore of the hollow needle.
[0010] The practice of using a tagger gun to secure a tag to a
piece of fabric is typically accomplished in the following manner.
The supply of fastener stock is loaded into the tagger gun. The
sharpened tip of the needle of the tagger gun is then disposed
through the desired tag and into the piece of fabric. The ejector
rod is then activated, such as through the compression of a
trigger, which, in turn, ejects the cross-bar first through the tag
and then through the desired piece of fabric, thereby disposing the
cross-bar and the paddle on opposite sides of the desired piece of
fabric with the tag slidably disposed onto the filament of the
fastener. As noted above, the paddle is appropriately sized and
shaped to keep the tag from being pulled off the filament portion
of the fastener.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is an object of the present invention to provide a new
and improved fastener assembly of the type used to attach a tag to
a product.
[0012] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
fastener assembly of the type described above which preferably can
be mass-produced into a continuously connected supply of fastener
stock and which preferably can be dispensed using conventional
tagger guns.
[0013] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a fastener assembly as described above which has a limited number
of parts, which is inexpensive to manufacture and which is easy to
use.
[0014] Therefore, according to one feature of the present
invention, there is provided a fastener assembly comprising a
label, and a fastener adapted to display said label, said fastener
comprising, a filament, a paddle at one end of said filament, and a
cross-bar at the other end of said filament.
[0015] According to another feature of the present invention, there
is provided a method of manufacturing one or more fastener
assemblies, each fastener assembly comprising a label and a
fastener adapted to display said label, each fastener comprising a
filament, a paddle at one end of said filament, and a cross-bar at
the other end of said filament, said method comprising the steps of
molding one or more of said fasteners, and applying a label onto
the paddle of each of said one or more of said fasteners.
[0016] According to another feature of the present invention, there
is provided a method of manufacturing one or more fastener
assemblies, each fastener assembly comprising a label and a
fastener adapted to display said label, each fastener comprising a
filament, a paddle at one end of said filament, and a cross-bar at
the other end of said filament, said method comprising the steps of
providing one or more labels, and molding the paddle of a fastener
at least partially around each of said one or more labels.
[0017] According to another feature of the present invention, there
is provided a system for manufacturing one or more fastener
assemblies, each fastener assembly comprising a label and a
fastener adapted to display said label, each fastener comprising a
filament, a paddle at one end of said filament, and a cross-bar at
the other end of said filament, said system comprising a molding
apparatus for molding one or more of said fasteners, and a labeling
device for applying a label onto each of said one or more of said
fasteners.
[0018] According to another feature of the present invention, there
is provided a molding apparatus for manufacturing one or more
fastener assemblies, each fastener assembly comprising a label and
a fastener adapted to display said label, each fastener comprising
a filament, a paddle at one end of said filament, and a cross-bar
at the other end of said filament, said molding apparatus
comprising a rotatable molding wheel having cavities in a
peripheral surface thereof, a label depositing device for inserting
a label into selected cavities in said rotatable molding wheel, a
manifold for applying molten plastic material into the cavities in
said rotatable molding wheel such that a layer of controlled film
overlies said cavities, and a knife for skiving the layer of
controlled film overlying said cavities.
[0019] Various other features and advantages will appear from the
description to follow. In the description, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which is
shown by way of illustration, various embodiments for practicing
the invention. The embodiments will be described in sufficient
detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the
invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be
utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing
from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description
is therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of
the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent
like parts:
[0021] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of
a fastener assembly constructed according to the teachings of the
present invention;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the fastener assembly shown
in FIG. 1;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section view of the fastener
assembly shown in FIG. 2, taken along lines 3-3;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of a plurality of the
fastener assemblies shown in FIG. 1, said fastener assemblies being
interconnected to form a quantity of continuously connected
fastener stock constructed according to the teachings of the
present invention;
[0025] FIG. 5 is schematic representation, broken away in part, of
a system for constructing the quantity of continuously connected
fastener stock shown in FIG. 4, said system being constructed
according to the teachings of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section view of a second embodiment
of a fastener assembly constructed according to the teachings of
the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a system for
constructing the fastener assembly shown in FIG. 6; and
[0028] FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section view of a third embodiment
of a fastener assembly constructed according to the teachings of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a first
embodiment of a fastener assembly constructed according to the
teachings of the present invention and identified generally by
reference numeral 11. As will be described further below, fastener
assembly 11 can be used to attach a tag to a piece of fabric.
[0030] Fastener assembly 11 comprises a fastener 13 and a label 15
secured to fastener 13.
[0031] Fastener 13 is an elongated unitary plastic member having a
first end which is shaped to define a cross-bar 17, a second end
which is shaped to define a paddle 19, and a thin filament 21 which
interconnects cross-bar 17 and paddle 19.
[0032] Cross-bar 17 has a generally D-shaped lateral cross-section,
as can be seen most clearly in FIG. 1, cross-bar 17 comprising a
flat bottom surface 23 and a rounded top surface 25. As such,
cross-bar 17 is appropriately sized and shaped to be inserted
through a tag and into a piece of fabric, preferably through the
hollow slotted needle of a conventional tagging gun.
[0033] Paddle 19 is in the form of a thin rectangular member which
is appropriately sized and shaped to prevent a tag which is
slidably mounted on filament 21 from being removed thereover. As
seen most clearly in FIG. 3, paddle 19 includes a substantially
flat top surface 27 and a substantially flat bottom surface 29.
[0034] Label 15 is conventional in construction and includes a
substrate layer 31 which is preferably in the form of a thin,
rectangular piece of paper, or other suitable material, substrate
layer 31 comprising a substantially flat bottom surface 33 and a
substantially flat top surface 35. An image layer 37 is preferably
printed onto top surface 35 of substrate layer 31, for example,
using a color ink jet printer. Image layer 37 preferably displays a
particular product identifier, or marking, 39. Identifier 39 is
represented in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 as being in the form of the word
"MARK". However, it is to be understood that identifier 39 is not
limited to the word "MARK". Rather, identifier 39 is meant to
represent any conceivable marking which identifies a particular
product or source thereof without departing from the spirit of the
present invention. Examples of some potential product identifiers
39 include, inter alia, a company name, a product name, a logo
and/or a product barcode.
[0035] A pressure-sensitive adhesive 41 is preferably formed onto
bottom surface 33 of substrate layer 31 and serves to secure label
15 onto top surface 27 of paddle 19. It should be noted that an
individual label 15 may be adhered onto an associated paddle 19
using a pressure-sensitive label applicator, as will be described
further in detail below.
[0036] The visibility of label 15 on fastener 13 provides fastener
assembly 11 with a couple notable advantages over conventional
fasteners which do not include a label.
[0037] As a first advantage, displaying label 15 on fastener 13 can
be used to further authenticate the source of the article to which
fastener assembly 11 is attached, which is highly desirable.
[0038] As a second advantage, displaying label 15 on fastener 13
can be used to increase the recognition of the manufacturer name,
product name, and/or product logo present on image layer 37, which
is highly desirable.
[0039] As can be readily appreciated, fastener assembly 11 may be
molded as part of a quantity of either continuously connected
fastener stock or fastener stock of the type having an orthogonally
disposed runner bar.
[0040] Fastener assembly 11 is preferably molded as part of a
quantity of continuously connected fastener stock 43 which is shown
in detail in FIG. 4. Specifically, fastener stock 43 comprises a
plurality of individual fastener assemblies 11 which are arranged
in an end-to-end alignment. Paddles 19 of successive fastener
assemblies 11 are joined together by a pair of spaced apart
severable connectors 45. Similarly, T-bars 17 of successive
fastener assemblies 11 are joined together by a severable connector
47. In this manner, the plurality of fastener assemblies 11 are
joined together to form the continuously connected fastener stock
43.
[0041] Fastener stock 43 further includes a molding strip 49, the
paddle 19 of each fastener assembly 11 being connected to molding
strip 49 by a severable connector 51. It should be noted that
molding strip 49 is preferably separated from the remainder of
fastener stock 43 after fabrication and prior to use.
[0042] Referring now to FIG. 5, fastener stock 43 is preferably
manufactured using a system 53 constructed according to the
teachings of the present invention. System 53 is a continuous
in-line system which includes an apparatus 55 for molding a
continuous strip of fasteners 13, a device 57 for stretching the
continuous strip of fasteners 13 produced by apparatus 47, a
pressure-sensitive labeling device 59 for applying an individual
label 15 onto the paddle 19 of each fastener 13 in the continuous
strip so as to yield fastener stock 43, and an apparatus 61 for
winding fastener stock 43 into a roll suitable for storage and
transport.
[0043] Apparatus 55 is conventional in construction and is
preferably of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,738 to D.
B. Russell, which patent is incorporated herein by reference.
Specifically, apparatus 55 includes an extruder 63, a manifold
assembly 65, a manifold mount 67, a rotatable molding wheel 69, a
skiving knife and hold-down assembly 71, a take-off roll 73 and
transfer rolls 75. It should be noted that the outer periphery of
rotatable molding wheel 69 is provided with interconnected molding
cavities 77 that are complementary in shape to a molded clip of
fasteners 13.
[0044] In use, apparatus 55 functions in the following manner to
produce a continuous strip of fasteners 13. Specifically, as wheel
69 rotates in the direction represented by arrow 79 in FIG. 5,
extruder 63 extrudes molten plastic into cavities 77 with a layer
of controlled film overlying the peripheral impression of wheel 69.
The molten plastic deposited into cavities 77 is then allowed to
solidify. Once the molten plastic solidifies, skiving knife and
hold-down assembly 71, which is in substantially elliptical contact
with the peripheral surface of wheel 69, is then used to skive
excess plastic from rotating wheel 69, thereby leaving plastic only
within cavities 77. After the skiving process, take-off roll 73
removes the continuously connected clip of fasteners 13 from within
cavities 77 of rotating wheel 69. Transfer rolls 75, in turn,
advance in-line the continuously connected clip of fasteners 13 to
device 57.
[0045] Device 57 is preferably in the form of a pair of diverging
sprocket wheels and serves to distend selective portions of the
continuously connected clip of fasteners 13. For example, the
filament 21 of each fastener 13 is preferably stretched to increase
its strength and flexibility.
[0046] After completion of the stretching process, the continuously
connected clip of fasteners 13 is transported in-line from device
57 to labeling device 59. Labeling device 59 is preferably a model
Q60 high speed in-line label applicator of the type manufactured by
Quadrel, Inc. of Mentor, Ohio. Labeling device 59 is provided with
a stock supply of labels 15, the stock supply of labels 15
preferably being in the form of a continuous backing strip with
labels 15 disposed thereon in a side-by-side relationship.
[0047] Labeling device 59 receives in-line the continuously
connected clip of fasteners 13 from stretching device 57,
orientates said clip and applies an individual label 15 from the
stock supply onto top surface 27 of each paddle 19. As can be
appreciated, the pressure created by device 59 in applying each
label 15 onto its associated paddle 19 causes pressure-sensitive
adhesive 41 to adhere bottom surface 33 of substrate layer 31 onto
top surface 27 of its corresponding paddle 19. In this manner,
continuously connected clip 43 of fastener assemblies 11 is
created.
[0048] Continuously connected clip 43 is fed in-line from labeling
device 59 to apparatus 61. Apparatus 61 is preferably in the form
of a windup roll which continuously rotates in the direction
represented by arrow 81 in FIG. 5 so as to wrap a length of clip 43
into a roll suitable for packaging.
[0049] Although fastener assembly 11 is represented herein as
comprising a label 15 secured onto top surface 27 of paddle 19 of a
corresponding fastener 13 using a pressure-sensitive adhesive 41,
it is to be understood that fastener assembly 11 is not limited to
label 15 being secured to top surface 27 of a corresponding
fastener 13 using a pressure-sensitive adhesive 41. Rather, it is
to be understood that label 15 may be secured to any portion of an
individual fastener 13 by any means without departing from the
spirit of the present invention.
[0050] As an example, referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a
second embodiment of a fastener assembly constructed according to
the teachings of the present invention and identified generally by
reference numeral 111. Fastener assembly 111 is similar to fastener
assembly 11 in that fastener assembly 111 comprises a fastener 113
and a label 115 secured to fastener 113. Fastener assembly 111
differs from fastener assembly 11 in that fastener 113 is insert
molded, or in-molded, around at least a portion of label 115,
whereas label 15 is secured onto a surface of fastener 13 using a
pressure-sensitive adhesive 41.
[0051] Specifically, label 115 comprises a substrate layer 131
which includes a substantially flat bottom surface 133 and a
substantially flat top surface 135. An image layer 137 is
preferably printed onto top surface 135 of substrate layer 131.
During the manufacture of fastener assembly 111, which will be
described further in detail below, paddle 119 is insert molded
partially around label 115 in such a manner that image layer 137
lies substantially flush with top surface 127 of paddle 119, as
seen clearly in FIG. 6. As can be appreciated, the solidification
of the molten plastic used to form fastener 113 serves to
permanently retain label 115 on paddle 119.
[0052] Referring now to FIG. 7, a clip of interconnected fastener
assemblies 111 is preferably manufactured using a system 153
constructed according to the teachings of the present invention.
System 153 is similar in construction to system 53 in that system
153 is a continuous in-line system which includes a molding
apparatus 155, a stretching device 57 and a winding apparatus 61.
In one respect, system 153 differs from system 53 in that system
153 does not include a pressure-sensitive labeling device.
[0053] Molding apparatus 155 is similar in construction to
apparatus 55 in that apparatus 155 comprises an extruder 63, a
manifold assembly 65, a manifold mount 67, a rotatable molding
wheel 69, a skiving knife and hold-down assembly 71, a take-off
roll 73 and transfer rolls 75. Molding apparatus 155 differs from
apparatus 55 in that molding apparatus 155 comprises a label
depositing device 176 disposed along the peripheral surface of
wheel 69 between take-off roll 73 and manifold mount 67. As will be
described further below, device 176 can be used to deposit labels
115 into cavities 77 of wheel 69 and is preferably in the form of a
movable robot arm.
[0054] Molding apparatus 155 operates in the following manner to
create a clip of continuously connected fastener assemblies 111.
Specifically, as wheel 69 rotates in the direction of arrow 79,
label depositing device 176 inserts a label 115 into each cavity 77
which is disposed directly therebeneath. With labels 115 positioned
within associated cavities 77, extruder 63 then extrudes molten
plastic into cavities 77 with a layer of controlled film overlying
the peripheral impression of wheel 69. The molten plastic deposited
into cavities 77 is then allowed to solidify. It should be noted
that once the molten plastic solidifies, each label 115 is at least
partially retained within a corresponding paddle 119. Skiving knife
and hold-down assembly 71, which is in substantially elliptical
contact with the peripheral surface of wheel 69, is then used to
skive excess plastic from rotating wheel 69, thereby leaving
plastic only within cavities 77. After the skiving process,
take-off roll 73 removes the continuously connected clip, or
fastener stock, of fastener assemblies 111 from within cavities 77
of rotating wheel 69. Transfer rolls 75 advance in-line the
continuously connected clip of fastener assemblies 111 to device 57
where said clip is stretched. After completion of the stretching
process, the stretched clip is transported in-line to apparatus 61
where said clip is wound-up into a roll suitable for packaging.
[0055] It should be noted that an insert molding process can be
used to manufacture modifications of fastener assembly 111. For
example, referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown a third embodiment
of a fastener assembly constructed according to the teachings of
the present invention and identified generally by reference numeral
211. Fastener assembly 211 is similar to fastener assembly 111 in
that fastener assembly 211 comprises a label 115 around which is
molded a paddle 219 of a fastener 213.
[0056] Fastener assembly 211 differs from fastener assembly 111 in
that paddle 219 of fastener 213 is molded entirely around label 115
with image layer 137 being spaced in from top surface 227 of paddle
219 and substrate layer 115 being spaced in from bottom surface 229
of paddle 219. As can be appreciated, fastener 213 is preferably
manufactured out of a clear plastic material to enable image layer
137 to be readily viewable through paddle 219.
[0057] The embodiments shown in the present invention are intended
to be merely exemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able
to make numerous variations and modifications to it without
departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such
variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of
the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *