U.S. patent number 3,650,452 [Application Number 05/076,842] was granted by the patent office on 1972-03-21 for tag attacher.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Monarch Marking System Company. Invention is credited to Eugene W. Finke.
United States Patent |
3,650,452 |
Finke |
March 21, 1972 |
TAG ATTACHER
Abstract
There is disclosed apparatus for attaching tags to a variety of
articles by means of fasteners. A typical fastener useable in
connection with the apparatus has a bar section at one end, a head
or button section at the other end, and these sections are joined
by a filament section. The fasteners can be interconnected to
provide a unitary fastener assembly. The tag attaching apparatus is
illustrated as including a body in which a tubular member such as a
needle is mounted. The needle has an elongated bore, a side opening
or slot communicating with the bore, a sharp piercing end at one
end, a cutting edge at its other end and another slot through which
a bar section can enter the bore. The needle has a rack which
meshes with a segment of a pinion by which the needle can be driven
into or out of the body. The body mounts operating and drive
levers, and a one-piece ratchet wheel and feed wheel. A push rod in
alignment with the bore is guided for reciprocatable movement in
the body and is connected to the drive lever by a pin-and-slot
connection. A pawl cooperates with the ratchet wheel and a slide
interconnects the pawl with the drive lever. There is a
pin-and-slot connection between the drive lever and the slide and
there is a pin-and-slot, lost-motion, connection between the slide
and the pawl. The slide and the pawl are guided for reciprocatable
movement relative to each other and relative to the feed wheel. A
spring is used to return the push rod and the levers to their
initial positions and to cause the ratchet wheel to be driven to
advance the fasteners when the operating handle is released.
Inventors: |
Finke; Eugene W. (Miamisburg,
OH) |
Assignee: |
The Monarch Marking System
Company (Dayton, OH)
|
Family
ID: |
22134519 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/076,842 |
Filed: |
September 30, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
227/67; 227/76;
227/95 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65C
7/005 (20130101); A01K 11/002 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01K
11/00 (20060101); B65C 7/00 (20060101); B65c
005/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;227/67,68,93,95,96
;112/104 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Custer, Jr.; Granville Y.
Claims
I claim:
1. Apparatus for attaching tags using fasteners, each fastener
including a bar section and a button section joined by a filament
section, with a connector joined to each bar section, and means
interconnecting said connectors to provide a unitary fastener
assembly; said apparatus comprising a body, a needle having a
piercing end extending outwardly of said body and having an
enlarged portion, a bore extending lengthwise of said needle, an
elongated first slot in the side of said needle communicating with
said bore, said needle having a cutting edge at the end of its
enlarged portion, a second slot in the side of the enlarged portion
of said needle communicating with said bore, means for removably
mounting said enlarged portion of said needle in said body so that
a worn needle can be replaced with a new needle having a sharp
piercing end and a sharp cutting edge, means for advancing the
fastener assembly, a guideway in said body for said fastener
assembly and disposed so that when said advancing means is operated
a bar section of a fastener is brought to a position within said
bore through said second slot and its associated connector is
advanced to a position next adjacent said cutting edge, and a push
rod engageable with said bar section to effect severing of the bar
section from its respective connector by said cutting edge and for
thereafter driving the bar section through said bore while the
filament section of the fastener extends through said first
slot.
2. Apparatus for attaching tags using fasteners, each fastener
indicating a bar section and a button section joined by a filament
section, said apparatus comprising a body, a tubular guide member
extending outwardly of said body, a bore extending lengthwise of
said guide member and an elongated slot in said guide member
communicating with said bore, means for advancing one fastener at a
time into alignment with said bore, a push rod engageable with the
bar section of the fastener through the bore while its filament
section extends through said slot, means guiding said push rod for
reciprocatable movement including a guide track, a pivotally
mounted drive lever having an elongated slot, and a guided member
mounted for guided movement by said guide track and having a pin
received in said elongated slot, said push rod being connected to
said pin.
3. Apparatus for attaching tags as defined in claim 2, wherein said
push rod has a bent portion received by said pin.
4. Apparatus for attaching tags as defined in claim 2, said body
including a pair of body sections, said guiding means further
including grooves formed in both of said body sections for
guidingly receiving said push rod.
5. Apparatus for attaching tags using fasteners, each fastener
including a bar section and a button section joined by a filament
section, said apparatus comprising a body, a manually engageable
operating lever pivotally mounted by said body, a drive lever
driven directly by said operating lever, a tubular guide member
extending outwardly of said body, a bore extending lengthwise of
said guide member and an elongated slot in the side of said guide
member communicating with said bore, a push rod connected to and
driven by said drive lever for pushing a bar section of the
fastener through said bore while its filament section extends
through said slot, means for advancing one fastener at a time until
its bar section is in alignment with said bore, said fastener
advancing means having a one-piece feed wheel and ratchet wheel, a
pawl cooperable with said ratchet wheel, and a member connecting
said drive lever directly to said pawl and providing a lost-motion
connection between said drive lever and said pawl, and a spring for
returning said operating lever, said drive lever and said push rod
to their initial positions and for causing said ratchet wheel, said
pawl and said connecting member to advance said fasteners by means
of said feed wheel.
6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, including a pin-and-slot
connection between said drive lever and said connecting member.
7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 including a pin-and-slot
connection between said connecting member and said pawl.
8. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 including a pin-and-slot
connection between said drive lever and said push rod.
9. Apparatus for attaching tags using fasteners, each fastener
including a bar section and a button section joined by a filament
section, said apparatus comprising a body, a tubular guide member
mounted by said body, a bore extending lengthwise of said guide
member and an elongated slot in the side of said guide member
communicating with said bore, means for advancing one fastener at a
time into alignment with said bore including a toothed member, a
pawl cooperable with said toothed member, a slide, guide means
mounting said pawl and said slide for reciprocatable movement
relative to each other and relative to said toothed member, and a
pin-and-slot connection between said slide and said pawl; a
pivotally mounted drive lever, a pin-and-slot drive connection
between said drive lever and said slide, a rigid push rod
engageable with the bar section of the fastener for driving the bar
section through the bore while its filament section extends through
the slot, means guiding said push rod for reciprocatable movement,
and means for drivingly connecting said drive lever and said push
rod.
10. Apparatus for attaching tags as defined in claim 9, wherein
said means for drivingly connecting said drive lever and said push
rod includes a pin-and-slot connection.
11. Apparatus for attaching tags using fasteners, each fastener
including a bar section and a button section joined by a filament
section, said apparatus comprising a body, a tubular guide member
extending outwardly of said body, a bore extending lengthwise of
said tubular member and an elongated slot in the side of said
tubular member communicating with said bore, a push rod engageable
with the bar section of the fastener for driving the bar section
through the bore while its filament section extends through the
slot; means for advancing one fastener at a time until its bar
section is in alignment with said bore including a toothed member a
pawl cooperable with said toothed member, a slide, and means
mounting said pawl and said slide for reciprocal movement relative
to each other and to said toothed member, one of said pawl and said
slide having an elongated slot and the other having a pin engaged
in said slot; and means for driving said push rod and said slide,
said pin and said slot being dimensioned so that when said driving
means moves in one direction said pin engages one end of said slot
to move said pawl over a tooth of said toothed member and said push
rod pushes the bar section through the bore and so that when said
driving means moves in the opposite direction said pin engages the
other end of said slot to cause said pawl to drive the toothed
member by engagement with said tooth and said push rod is
retracted.
12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said fastener
advancing means includes a one-piece toothed ratchet wheel and feed
wheel, and a one-piece spring device for cooperating with both of
said pawl and one of said wheels.
13. Apparatus for attaching tags as defined in claim 2, wherein the
body comprises body sections, at least one of said body sections
comprising a side wall and an integral end wall, means for
interconnecting said end wall and the other body section, and means
spaced apart from said end wall and interconnecting said side wall
with said other body section, thereby providing a rigid unitized
construction.
14. Apparatus for attaching tags as defined in claim 2, wherein the
body comprises body sections, and means formed partly by one body
section and partly by the other body section providing a snap fit
connection therebetween.
15. Apparatus for attaching tags as defined in claim 2, said body
comprising body sections, said body sections being constructed of
molded plastic material, and a mounting post for the drive lever
interconnecting said body sections, said post being formed in part
by means formed integrally with one body section and in part by
mating means formed integrally with the other body section.
16. Apparatus for attaching tags as defined in claim 9, wherein the
body comprises a pair of body sections, and a post formed
integrally with the one body section for pivotally mounting the
drive lever, and a pin formed integrally with the other body
section and snugly received by said post.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of applying fasteners, and
specifically to apparatus for attaching tags to articles by means
of fasteners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The U.S. Pat. to C. A. Flood, No. 2,069,878, is typical of patents
showing a tag attaching apparatus wherein a tag is applied to an
article by means of a fastener having a bar and a string. A hollow
needle with a longitudinal slot is used, but only one fastener and
tag at a time can be loaded and applied. The U.S. Pat. to M.
Epstein, No. 2,952,851 discloses the loading of a multiplicity of
fasteners into the tag attaching apparatus so that a multiplicity
of tags can be applied without reloading the apparatus. A
spring-urged slide is used to advance the fasteners. In U.S. Pat.
to A. R. Bone, No. 3,103,666, plastic fasteners interconnected to
provide a unitary fastener assembly, and a tag attaching apparatus
are disclosed. A feed or gear wheel is used to advance the
fasteners instead of a spring-urged slide and a pivotally mounted
knife is operable in sequence to sever the fasteners from the
remainder of the fastener assembly. In addition to operating the
knife, a handle operates the pushing or driving rod and the gear
wheel. In U.S. Pat. to A. R. Bone, No. 3,470,834, the needle has a
cutting edge to sever the fasteners from the remainder of the
fastener assembly. French Patent No. 668,545 patented July 15, 1929
discloses an apparatus for attaching tags which uses a fastener
assembly, a gear or feed wheel for advancing the fastener assembly,
a pawl for advancing the fasteners one at a time, and a plunger or
punch operable to sever a fastener from the remainder of the
assembly and to apply the fastener, and operating and drive levers
for operating the plunger and the pawl. The U.S. Pat. to Flood, No.
2,729,177, applies tags to articles by means of fasteners and
string. The U.S. Pat. to Rieger et al. No. 3,185,367 discloses tag
attaching apparatus by which a plurality of fasteners can be loaded
and successively applied. The bar section which forms part of each
fastener has a pointed end. The apparatus includes indexing wheels,
a knife wheel, and a push or drive rod operated by means of a
knob.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The apparatus of the invention has relatively few parts and is
economical to manufacture. The apparatus includes a body of
utilized construction having one body section with a side wall and
an end wall and another body section connected to the one body
section at the end wall and at points spaced apart from the end
wall. A tubular guide member, specifically a needle, is mounted in
the body. The guide member has an elongated opening in its side
communicating with a bore that extends lengthwise of the member.
The guide member has another opening in its side through which a
portion of a bar section of a fastener can enter the bore. A
multiplicity of fasteners joined together by connectors are
received in a guideway. The guideway is disposed relative to the
cutting edge so that the fasteners are guided one at a time into
position next adjacent the cutting edge. When a push rod is
operated the cutting edge severs the bar section of the fastener
from its associated connector and pushes the bar section through
the bore while the filament section of the fastener extends through
the elongated slot. The fasteners are advanced by a feed wheel
which is illustrated as being driven by a pawl and a slide. The
pawl and slide are mounted for reciprocatable movement relative to
each other and relative to the feed wheel. The slide and the pawl
are connected by a lost-motion, pin-and-slot, connection. A
manually engageable lever drives a drive lever having a pair of
elongated slots. The end of the push rod is received in one of the
slots in the drive lever to provide a pin-and-slot connection, and
a pin of the slide is received in the other slot in the drive lever
to provide another pin-and-slot connection. A tension spring
connected to one of the levers and the body urges the levers and
the push rod to their initial positions. The ratchet wheel and feed
wheel are molded integrally with each other, and the body is
constructed of two molded plastic body sections. The operating and
drive levers are of one-piece molded plastic construction. A
unitary spring device has one spring finger that serves as a detent
and another spring finger that maintains the pawl in engagement
with the ratchet wheel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a tag attached to a garment by
a fastener;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a tag attaching apparatus
according to the invention;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a portion of the tag attaching
apparatus, with one body section removed for clarity;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the manner in which a
fastener assembly is guided through a guide slot in the body of the
tag attaching apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view showing a fragmentary portion of
one of the body sections;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7, showing
the needle in its normal locked position in the body;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 8, but showing the
needle being removed from the body;
FIG. 10 is a side elevational view showing a fragmentary part of
the tag attaching apparatus similar to FIG. 3 but showing the
needle as having been pushed through the tag and the garment and
the push rod as having pushed the bar section of the fastener
through the needle;
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 10 but showing
the feed wheel, the ratchet wheel, and the pawl completing the
advance of the fastener assembly;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken generally along line 12--12 of
FIG. 10;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken generally along line 13--13 of
FIG. 11;
FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13 but showing the bar section of
the fastener being pushed out of the needle by the push rod;
FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the manner in which
the pinion is mounted on and secured to its respective shaft;
FIG. 16 is a sectional view along lines 16--16 of FIG. 15; and
FIG. 17 is a sectional view showing the manner in which one end of
the push rod is guided for reciprocatable movement.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, there is shown an apparatus 20 for
attaching tags. The apparatus 20 uses fasteners generally indicated
at 21 which are interconnected to provide a fastener assembly 22. A
typical use of a fastener 21 is illustrated in FIG. 1, wherein a
tag 23 is shown attached to a garment 24. Each fastener 21 of the
assembly 22 includes a bar section 25 and a button or head section
26 joined by a filament or string section 27.
The fastener assembly 22 is preferably constructed of a plastic
material such as nylon or the like and can be molded into a unitary
construction such that each of the fasteners 21 is integrally
connected to a rod or holder 22' by a connector 28 (FIGS. 2, 11 and
12).
With particular reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 the tag attaching
apparatus 20 is shown to include a body constructed of body
sections or side plates 29 and 30. The body section 29 has posts or
pivots 31, 32 and 33 molded integrally therewith. The body section
29 has a handle portion 34 which is adapted to fit against the palm
of the user's hand. An operating member or lever 35 pivotally
mounted by the pivot 31 is engageable by the user's fingers. When
squeezed, the lever 35 is pivoted counterclockwise (FIG. 3) and an
associated drive lever 36 is also pivoted counterclockwise. The
lever 35 is of one-piece molded construction having a pair of
spaced apart wall portions 37 and 38 joined by a transverse or end
portion 39. A transverse web 40 which interconnects the wall
portions 37 and 38 is shown to be in engagement with the lever 36.
A tension spring 41 connected at one end to a post 29' molded
integrally with the body section and at its other end through a
hole 42 in the lever 36. The tension spring 41 urges the lever 36
clockwise (FIG. 3) to its home or initial position and because of
its engagement with the web 40 of the lever 35 urges the lever 35
clockwise to its home or initial position. Projections 43 of the
wall portions 37 and 38 engage the body section 29 at a stop face
44 to limit the clockwise movements of the levers 35 and 36,
thereby defining their home or initial positions.
The body section 29 includes a side wall 45 and an end wall 46.
Formed integrally with the side wall 45 are a pair of parallel
spaced apart stepped guides 47 and 48. In addition to performing a
guiding function the guides 47 and 48 because of their flangelike
construction serve to strengthen the body section 29. A slide or
guided member 49 is shown to be confined for movement in either of
two directions in the guide 47. Stepped portions 50 and 51 engage
corresponding stepped portions of the guide 47. The slide 49 also
includes a reduced diameter portion 52. The portions 50, 51 and 52
are coaxial and a central bore 53 extends through the sections 50,
51 and 52 of the slide 49. The portion 52 is received in an
elongated slot 54 at end of the lever 36. A push or drive rod 55 is
constructed of rigid material such as steel and has a bent portion
or pin 56 which extends into the bore 53 as best shown in FIG. 17.
The drive rod 55 is guided in part by a groove 57 in a guide 58
formed integrally with the wall 45 and is guided in remainder in a
groove 59 in a guide 60 formed integrally with the side plate 30.
In addition to performing the guiding function, the bar-shaped
guide 60 serves to strengthen the side plate 30. A cutout in the
guide provides a land 61 which abuts the end of the guide 58.
Accordingly, the drive rod 55 is confined for reciprocating
movement in the grooves 57 and 59 in the respective guides 58 and
60.
The guide 48 is shown to receive an elongated slide 62 having a
wide portion 63 and a narrow portion 64. The slide 62 has an
integrally formed pin or projection 65 received in an elongated
slot 66 in the lever 36. The post 32 and the elongated slots 54 and
66 are shown to be in alignment with each other.
The slide 62 is shown to have an elongated slot 67 which extends
throughout a substantial portion of its length and in a direction
parallel to the direction of the guide 48. A pawl 68 has a tooth 69
shown to be in engagement with a ratchet wheel 70. A portion of the
pawl 68 is shown to be disposed in a portion of the guide 48
between the slide 62 and the side wall 45. The pawl 68 is urged
against one side of the guide 48 and against the ratchet wheel 70
by a spring finger 71. The pawl 68 is fitted in the guide 48 with
clearance so that the pawl 68 and the ratchet wheel 70 can
cooperate when the pawl 68 is reciprocated relative to the ratchet
wheel 70. The pawl 68 has an elongated pin or boss 72 which is
received in the elongated slot 67.
The ratchet wheel 70, a fastener feed wheel 73 and an
interconnecting hub or spacer 74 are molded to provide a one-piece
unitary construction. Accordingly, there is no relative movement
between the ratchet wheel 70 and the feed wheel 73. The ratchet
wheel 70 and feed wheel 73 are coaxial, there being a central hole
75 which rotatably receives the pivot 33.
As shown in FIGS. 3, 8, 13 and 14, for example, a tubular member,
specifically a needle, generally indicated at 76 is mounted at the
front end of the body section 29. The needle 76 terminates at a
pointed piercing end 77 and has a through bore 78. The needle 76
has a marginal portion 79 with a relatively small outside diameter
and an integral hub or enlarged portion 80. The bore 78 terminates
at one end in the region of the piercing end 77 and at its other
end at a sharp cutting edge 81. The inside diameter of the bore 78
is large enough to pass the bar portion 25 of the fastener 21
through it. An elongated slot 82 in the side of the needle 76,
which communicates with the bore 78 as best shown in FIG. 7 is wide
enough to allow the string section 27 adjacent the bar section 25
to pass along the slot 82 while the bar section 25 is passing
through the bore 78. The enlarged portion 80 has a land 83 which
extends in a plane generally parallel to the plane through the slot
82. A slot 84 in the enlarged portion 80 communicates with the bore
78. The slot 84 is as wide as the diameter of the bore 78. The slot
84 is open at its one end adjacent the cutting edge 81 and is
closed at its other end 85. The land 83 adjacent the slot 84 is
slightly radiused as indicated at 86 to allow easy entry of the bar
portion 25 through the slot 84 into the bore 78.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 the body section 29 is provided with a
generally cross-shaped slot 87 in which the fastener assembly is
received. The slot can be considered to comprise adjoining zones
which accommodate the assembly 22, namely, the zone 88 receives the
rod 22' and the connectors 28, a zone 90 receives about one half of
each of the bar sections 25, a zone 91 receives the remaining
halves of the bar sections 25, and the string or filament sections
27 extend through and beyond a zone 92.
Each time the manually engageable lever 35 is fully squeezed and
released, the feed wheel 73, which meshes with the connectors 28 as
best shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, feeds the fastener assembly 22 a
linear distance equal to the distance between the center line of
one bar section 25 to the center line of the next adjacent bar
section 25.
As the cutting edge 81 of the needle 76 is disposed at the end of
the bore 78 at the end of enlarged portion 80 the particular bar
section 25 which is in alignment with the bore 78 is severed and
the connector 28 remains attached to the rod 22' as illustrated in
FIGS. 2, 10, 11 and 12.
The pitch of the teeth on the feed wheel is equal to the pitch of
the connectors 28 so that there is smooth meshing engagement to
assure that the feed wheel 73 will advance the assembly 22 through
the linear distance mentioned above. A spring finger 93 (FIG. 3,
shown broken away in FIGS. 10 and 11 for clarity) engages the teeth
of the feed wheel 73 to provide a detent or anti-back up device for
this purpose. The spring fingers 71 and 93 are formed integrally
with a mounting portion 94, the ends of which are held in place by
undercuts 95 and 96, the mounting portion 94 and the spring fingers
71 and 93 are stamped out of one piece of flexible resilient
material.
With particular reference to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the enlarged portion
80 is shown to be provided with a stop face 97 which is adapted to
abut a shoulder 98 formed in the hole 99 in which the hub portion
80 is received. This limits the distance which the needle 76 can be
inserted into the hole 99. A toothed rack 100 is formed at the
enlarged portion 80 opposite the land 83. In FIG. 8 the enlarged
portion 80 is shown to be fully inserted into the hole 99 and the
teeth of a segment of a gear or pinion 101 are shown to be in
meshing engagement with the teeth of the rack 100. The pinion 101
has a hex-shaped center hole which is received by a hex-shaped
portion 102 of a shaft generally indicated at 103. Circular
portions 104 and 105 of the shaft 103 are shown to be rotatably
received respectively in the body sections 29 and 30. An annular
groove 106 is formed in the circular portion 105 immediately
adjacent the pinion 101 as best shown in FIG. 15. The end of the
pinion 101 is provided with three equally spaced apart projections
107 which resiliently snap into the groove 106 thereby locking the
pinion 101 against axial movement relative to the shaft 103, and
the pinion 101 is prevented from rotating relative to the shaft 103
by the hex-shaped portion 102 which is received in the hex-shaped
hole in the pinion 101. A compression spring 106' received about
the circular section 104, bears against the body section 29 and the
pinion 101, thereby urging a locking projection 107' of a knob 108
into a recess 109 in the body section 29. In order to remove the
needle 76, the user pushes on the shaft section 105, thereby
compressing the spring 106' until the locking projection 107' is
out of the recess 109; in this position, the knob or handle 108 can
be rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 8,
thereby driving the needle 76 out of the hole 99. In this manner,
the needle 76 can be readily replaced. While the knob 108 is in the
position shown in FIG. 9 the locking projection 107' bears against
the outside of the body section 29. When a new needle with a sharp
piercing end 77 and a sharp cutting edge is ready to be inserted
into the hole 99 it is inserted into the hole 99 until its rack 100
meshes with the pinion 101; thereupon by rotating the knob 108 from
the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 8, the
new needle 76 is driven into the hole 99 to the position shown in
FIG. 8. The pinion 101 is shown to have five teeth distributed over
substantially less than 360.degree.. In the position shown in FIG.
8 one endmost tooth 101' engages one side of an abutment 110 and in
the position shown in FIG. 9 the other endmost tooth 101" engages
the other side of the abutment 110, thereby limiting the rotational
movement of the pinion 101.
The side plate 30 has a retainer 111 formed integrally therewith.
The retainer 111 terminates at a pair of spaced apart lands 112.
When the side panel 30 is assembled onto the body section 29 the
lands 112 engage the slide 62 on each side of the slot 67. The
space between the lands 112 provides clearance for the elongated
pin 72.
Integrally formed with the side plate 30 are pins 113 snugly and
matingly received in respective recesses 113', 31' and 32'. The
pins 113 cooperate with the posts 29', 31' and 32' to provide
strong, rigid mounting means for the spring 41, the lever 35 and
the lever 36, respectively. The plastic material of which the side
plate 30 is constructed enables its projections 114 to provide a
snap fit connection with matching projections 115 formed integrally
with the body section 29.
Except for the springs 41 and 106', the piece which includes spring
fingers or leaves 71 and 93, the needle 76 and the drive rod 55,
the apparatus 20 is constructed entirely of moldable plastic
material. Moreover, the apparatus 20 is constructed using a minimum
of parts and accordingly can be manufactured on a quantity basis at
reasonable cost.
In operation, let it be assumed that a tag 23 is to be applied to
some pierceable material 24 such as fabric or the like. The needle
is passed through the tag 23 at the desired location and thereupon
the needle is pushed through the fabric 24. Squeezing the lever 35
will cause the lever 36 which it operates to be pivoted
counterclockwise (FIG. 3) against the force of the tension spring
41. As the lever 36 pivots counterclockwise the push rod 55 is
driven to the left as shown in FIG. 3. When the push rod 55 pushes
on the end of the bar section 25 of the fastener 21, the cutting
edge 81 of the needle 76 severs the bar section 25 from the
associated connector 28. Upon continued pivoting of the lever 36
counterclockwise (FIG. 3), the drive rod 55 will push the bar
section 25 through the needle bore 78 and out of the enlarged
opening near the end of the bore 78 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 14.
While the bar section 25 was being moved through the bore 78, its
filament section 27 adjacent the bar section 25 passed along the
slot 82 until the fastener 21 assumed the position shown in FIG.
10. In this position the lever 36 has moved the slide 62 to a
position in which elongated pin 72 has engaged the end of the slot
67 (FIG. 10) thereby driving the pawl 68 to the left over the next
adjacent tooth of the ratchet wheel 70. When the user releases the
lever 35 the spring 41 returns the levers 36 and 35 to their
initial positions (FIG. 3) and causing the drive rod 55 to be
returned to its initial position. Just before the lever 36 returns
to the position shown in FIG. 3, the elongated pin 72 will engage
the other end of the elongated slot 67 as shown in FIG. 11, thereby
causing the ratchet wheel 70 and its associated feed wheel 73 to be
rotated counterclockwise, thereby advancing the fastener assembly
22 a distance equal to the pitch of the teeth on the feed wheel
which is equal to the distance between the center line of one bar
section 25 and the center line of the next adjacent bar section 25.
As the fastener assembly 22 is being advanced, the part of the next
successive bar section 25 in the zone 90 passes through the slot 84
in the needle 76 to a position within the bore 78.
Other embodiments and modifications of this invention will suggest
themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as
come within the spirit of this invention are included within its
scope as best defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *