Lock member attachment device and lock member used therefor

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a lock member attachment device and a lock member used for it, and more particularly to a lock member attachment device and a lock member used for it, which are suited to be used for densely attaching labels to a cloth product.

2. Related Art

In general, for sticking a tag indicating price, quality, etc. to a fabric product such as clothes, a string has been used. Recently, a tag locking tool called “tag pin”, which is made of plastics, was used for the same purpose.

However, the conventional manner for sticking a tag to a fabric product using a string or a tag locking tool has such an inconvenience that the tag is swung in a suspended fashion and liable to come off easily. Moreover, because a denim and a jeans as a weaved cotton cloth are dense in mesh, a needle used for attaching a string and a tag pin is difficult to be inserted into such a dense cloth.

For this reason, it is an ordinary practice that a tag is stuck to an object, particularly, a denim and a jeans by a metal needle (staple). However, this metal needle is not suited to be used for a soft cloth. Moreover, this metal needle is not well accepted from a view point of recently prevailing social demands such as prevention of injury and difficulty in disposal after use. Thus, use of other materials than the metal needle are demanded.

In order to meet with this demand, an attachment device and a lock member are developed in which the lock member is formed in an H-shaped configuration and a tag is stuck to an object by a central filament and coming-off preventive portions formed on opposite ends thereof. However, this conventional attachment device is an installed type and complicated in mechanism. And a supporting frame (runner) is indispensable for the lock members in order to keep shape and for reinforcement in an assembled state of the individual lock members.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished in view of the abovementioned situation and problems inherent in the conventional device. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a lock member attachment device which is handy and simple in mechanism and in which any desired material can be used as a raw material. It is also another object of the present invention to provide a lock member in which there is no need of a provision of a supporting frame and the advantage of its raw material can be effectively utilized.

To achieve the above objects, there is essentially provided a lock member attachment device comprising a main body containing a continuous assembly of lock members each having a filament, the filament being provided on each end thereof with a coming-off preventive portion, the main body including means for pushing the assembly forward and a pair of guide needles disposed at a front portion of the main body, the coming-off preventive portions of the lock member located at a foremost end of the assembly being inserted into the pair of guide needles, an upper lid pivotally supported at a rear end thereof above the main body, the upper lid including a piston member adapted to push out the lock member, which is inserted into the pair of guide needles, forward through return means, and a receiving base pivotally supported at a rear end thereof under the main body and adapted to support an object, the upper lid being provided at a part thereof with a roll or link member for allowing the upper lid and the main body to move in unison at an early stage of movement but releasing the unisonous movement when a lower end of the roll or link member contacts the receiving base. The lock member attachment device may further comprises a projecting cover disposed at a front and an upper part of the receiving table and adapted to protect a finger tip and the object from foremost ends of the guide needles and restrain a pulling up motion of the object when the guide needles are returned. Preferably, the piston member is formed in a downwardly facing U-shaped configuration and an upper part of the piston member is supported by a holder such that an angle thereof can be changed. It is also preferred that the holder is formed in an arcuate configuration from where the piston member is hung. The guide needles may be different in length. Preferably, a groove formed in each of the guide needles and adapted to allow the passage of the filament of the lock member is twisted.

From another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lock member continuous assembly comprising a plurality of runner-less lock members each having a filament and coming-off preventive portions connected to opposite ends of the filament, the lock members being integrally injection molded from a comparatively soft material such as plastics and rubber in such a manner that every adjacent lock members are connected with each other at a spot so that the lock members can easily be separated individually only with a small pressure. Preferably, the filament is in a straight form so that stretching properties of its raw material by pressure can be utilized. It is also accepted that the filament is somewhat loosened. The raw material is preferably a biodegradable material. It is also preferred that the raw material can be torn off by finger tips.

From a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lock member attachment device comprising a base plate having a flange at a lower edge thereof, a movable plate pivotally supported on the base plate and integrally provided with a lever portion, a part of the movable plate being tensile biased by biasing means disposed between the base plate and the movable plate, a receiving member supported on a front lower part of the base plate such that a part thereof is faced with the base plate, a lever member operatively connected to the movable plate and pivotally supported at a lower end thereof, a link member whose rear end is pin-connected to a front end of the link member through an elongated hole, a piston member being moved up and down by a front end of the link member, a pair of hollow needles for allowing the piston member to be inserted therein, and a lock member feed mechanism pivotally supported and operated by the front end of the link member. Preferably, a lock member carrier path formed in the base plate and extending to the hollow needles is formed with a guide flange on which a lock member pushing and feeding piece is disposed. It is also preferred that a space for allowing the object to be pushed therein is formed the lower edge of the base plate and an upper surface of the receiving member, and a stopper member to be abutted with a front end of the inserted object is positionally displaceably disposed in a part of the space. It is preferred that the base plate is provided at a lower end thereof with an auxiliary member for withdrawing the pair of hollow needles from the object, the auxiliary member being provided with a window opening for allowing the needles to be inserted therein. Preferably, a curved surface portion formed on the front end of the lever portion is engaged with a protruded/bent piece formed on the receiving member, and the receiving member is raised by the lever portion so that the object is sandwiched and pressurized between the receiving member and the lower edge of the base plate. The lock member attachment device may further comprise a claw member disposed at a terminal end of the lock member carrier path near the hollow needles, the claw member being biased by a spring member for preventing the lock member from returning. It is preferred that the lock member feed mechanism pivotally moves a pivotally supported exterior body having a lateral U-shaped configuration in section by slidingly pressing a curved plate spring fitted to the exterior body with a tip portion of the link member when the link member is returned, so that a feed claw formed on a lower end of the exterior body feeds the lock member by a predetermined pitch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is a side view showing a lock member attachment device incorporated with the present invention;

FIG. 2

is a side view showing another example;

FIG. 3

is a front view thereof;

FIG. 4

is a front view of a piston member,

FIG. 5

is a front view showing a guide needle;

FIG. 6

is a rear view thereof;

FIG. 7

is a perspective view showing a second example of the guide needle;

FIG. 8

is an explanatory view showing the function of a roll member

FIG. 9

is a sectional view showing the roll member,

FIG. 10

is a side view showing a pressing mechanism of a lock member assembly;

FIG. 11

is a front view thereof;

FIG. 12

is a perspective view showing the assembly of the lock members;

FIG. 13

is a perspective view showing a first example of the lock member;

FIG. 14

is a plan view thereof;

FIG. 15

is a side view showing a continuous state;

FIG. 16

is a sectional view showing a state of use;

FIG. 17

is a perspective view showing a second example of the lock member;

FIG. 18

is a sectional view showing a state of use thereof;

FIG. 19

is a view showing a mechanism of an attachment device of a lock member incorporated with the present invention

FIG. 20

is a front view showing a claw member mechanism adapted to prevent return;

FIG. 21

is a side view thereof;

FIG. 22

is a perspective view showing an auxiliary member for withdrawing a hollow needle;

FIG. 23

is a front view showing a mounting state of a press feeding piece of the lock member;

FIG. 24

a front view of the attachment device in which a continuous assembly of the lock members is loaded; and

FIG. 25

is a view showing a state of use of the lock member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Some preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1

is a side view showing a lock member attachment device incorporated with the present invention,

FIG. 2

is a side view showing another example,

FIG. 3

is a front view thereof,

FIG. 4

is a front view of a piston member,

FIG. 5

is a front view showing a guide needle,

FIG. 6

is a rear view thereof,

FIG. 7

is a perspective view showing a second example of the guide needle,

FIG. 8

is an explanatory view showing the function of a roll member,

FIG. 9

is a sectional view showing the roll member,

FIG. 10

is a side view showing a pressing mechanism of a lock member assembly,

FIG. 11

is a front view thereof,

FIG. 12

is a perspective view showing the assembly of the lock members,

FIG. 13

is a perspective view showing a first example of the lock member,

FIG. 14

is a plan view thereof,

FIG. 15

is a side view showing a continuous state,

FIG. 16

is a sectional view showing a state of use,

FIG. 17

is a perspective view showing a second example of the lock member,

FIG. 18

is a sectional view showing a state of use thereof,

FIG. 19

is a view showing a mechanism of an attachment device of a lock member incorporated with the present invention,

FIG. 20

is a front view showing a claw member mechanism adapted to prevent return,

FIG. 21

is a side view thereof,

FIG. 22

is a perspective view showing an auxiliary member for withdrawing a hollow needle,

FIG. 23

is a front view showing a mounting state of a press feeding piece of the lock member,

FIG. 24

a front view of the attachment device in which a continuous assembly of the lock members is loaded, and

FIG. 25

is a view showing a state of use of the lock member.

In those Figures, reference numeral

1

denotes a main body. This main body

1

is in the form of a box case having a U-shaped configuration in section whose upper surface is open. In other words, the main body

1

has an open top. A continuous assembly of lock members (hereinafter referred to as the “lock member continuous assembly” or “assembly” where appropriate) as later described is received in the U-shaped main body

1

. The lock member continuous assembly thus received in the main body

1

is normally biased forward of the main body

1

by a press means

2

which is set to the main body

1

from a rear end thereof. A shaft

3

is disposed, in a suspending fashion, between a front end portion

2

a

and a rear end portion

2

b

of the press means

2

. A coiled spring

4

is wound around the shaft

3

such that a rear end of the coiled spring

4

is fixed to the rear end portion

2

b.

A pressing plate

5

is fixed to a front end of the coiled spring

4

. This pressing plate

5

has a through-hole through which the shaft

3

extends. The pressing plate

5

is abutted with a rear end face of the lock member continuous assembly and caused to push the continuous assembly forward under the effect of the coiled spring

4

.

One pair of guide needles

6

are exchangeably and removably disposed in parallel relation at a front portion of the main body

1

. This guide needle pair

6

is attached to the main body

1

by fixedly pressing the pair to main body

1

from its front side using a rotary screw type fastening tool

7

.

Lower ends of the guide needles

6

are bent inward. Each guide needle

6

has a hollow interior and it has a guide groove

6

a

formed in an inner side thereof. This guide groove is adapted to guide the downward movement of a filament of a lock member as later described. Head portions of the guide needles

6

have a window portion

8

each. This window portion

8

allows a coming-off preventive portion, which is formed on each end of the filament, to be fitted therein. At an inner side of the window portion

8

, a slit

9

for allowing the passage of the filament is formed.

The guide needles

6

forming one pair may be different in length. By forming the guide needles

6

different in length, they can more easily be inserted into a hard and dense object such as denim and jeans. The reason is as follows. By inserting the longer guide needle

6

first, force can be concentrated and more smooth and easy insertion can be obtained with less load than in the case where two guide needles are inserted simultaneously.

It is also accepted that the guide groove

6

a

in each guide needle

6

is twisted about 90 degrees. By doing so, when the coming-off preventive portion of the lock member passes through the hollow interior of the guide needle, the filament is deformed in such a manner as to be slightly swollen along the twist of the guide groove

6

a.

This makes it possible that when the coming-off preventive portion passes through the object, resistance generated by the thickness of the object can be absorbed.

On the other hand, reference numeral

10

denotes an upper lid disposed at an upper part of the main body

1

and pivotally supported at a rear end thereof. The lid

10

is provided with a return means such as a coiled spring

11

or a plate spring

12

capable of returning the upper lid

10

to its original position after its pivotal movement.

At a front portion of the upper lid

10

, there is a provision of a piston member

13

. This piston member

13

is adapted to press down the lock member, which is fittingly inserted into the guide needles

6

, so as to be moved downward. Since the piston member

13

is formed in a downwardly facing U-shaped configuration, a cross bar

13

a

disposed at its upper end is held by a piston holder

14

.

The piston holder

14

has an upwardly facing arcuate configuration from where the piston member

13

is swingably hung down. That is to say, when the upper lid

10

is pressed so as to be pivotally moved, an angular displacement formed between the piston member

13

and the needle guides

6

is can be properly adjusted.

A roll member

15

is turnably supported in an eccentric manner by a pin

15

a

at an intermediate location of the upper lid

10

. An automatic returning coiled spring

15

b

is attached to the roll member

15

. This coiled spring

15

b

is adapted to support the upper lid

10

so that the main body

1

and the upper lid

10

is operatively connected to each other until the guide needles

6

inserted into the object arrive at a receiving base, as later described, during operation.

That is to say, this roll member

15

forms a linear portion between a contact point D of the roll member

15

with respect to the upper lid

10

and a contact point E of the roll member

15

with respect to the main body

1

. This linear portion makes it possible that the roll member

15

serves as a spacer and a positional relation between the upper lid

10

and the main body

1

is fixedly established. Only excepting this linear portion, the outer periphery of the roll member

15

consists of an arcuate line. When the upper lid

10

is kept pressed and a lower end C formed by the arcuate line of the roll member

15

is abutted with a receiving base as later described, the roll member

15

begins to make a circular motion along the arcuate line and the fixedly established positional relation between the upper lid

10

and the main body

1

is released. As a result, the upper lid

10

automatically presses down the piston member

13

into the needle guides

6

to lock the lock member to the object. It is accepted that instead of the roll member

15

, a link member or the like may be employed.

In the drawings, reference numeral

16

denotes a receiving base pivotally supported at its rear end on the main body

1

. Although an automatically returning spring

17

is interposed in the illustrated example, a provision of this spring

17

is not absolutely necessary. This receiving base

16

is adapted to support the object at its lower side when the needle guides

6

are inserted into the object.

Likewise, reference numeral

18

denotes a cover for the guide needles

6

. This cover

18

is formed on the receiving base

16

either integrally therewith or separately therefrom. A window opening for allowing the insertion of the guide needles

6

is formed in the cover

18

. This window opening is adapted to protect the finger tip and the object from the foremost ends of the guide needles

6

. It is preferred that the cover is provided with a spring characteristic. By doing so, the cover can move following the motion of the device and automatically return to the original position. Therefore, the object can be prevented from being lifted upward when the cover is returned to the original position.

Since the lock member attachment device according to this embodiment is constructed in the manner as mentioned above, the entire device can be held in one hand and used as a handy stapler type device by depressing the upper lid

10

with a thumb. It is also an interesting alternative that a lever grip

19

is pivotally supported at an intermediate portion thereof on one side face of the receiving base

16

and a projecting pin

20

is formed on one side face of the upper lid

10

so that a tip of the lever grip

19

is hooked on the pin

20

.

The lock member

21

used for the lock member attachment device thus constructed includes a filament

22

each end of which is connected to a generally central area of a coming-off preventive portion

23

. Thus, the filament

22

with the coming-off preventive portions

23

integrally connected to opposite ends thereof exhibits an H-shaped configuration. The lock member

21

loaded on the main body

1

is in the form of a continuous assembly of the lock members

12

each having the coming-off preventive portions

23

. The coming-off preventive portions

23

connected to the opposite ends of each lock member are spot-welded to the corresponding coming-off preventive portions

23

of the adjacent lock member

21

and integrally formed by injection molding such that they can easily be pushed off by a piston member

13

in the back and forth direction. The coming-off preventive portions

23

may take any suitable form like a circle and a semicircle in addition to a bar.

The lock member

21

is made from such a molding material as plastics, rubber and biodegradable material. Owing to the property of the molding material, the lock member

21

thus obtained is comparatively soft. The degree of softness may be properly selected depending on the configuration of the lock member

21

.

In the case where a material having a high degree of softness is employed, the filament

22

is formed into a linear configuration as shown in

FIGS. 13

to

16

. At the time for attaching the lock member

21

to an object J, it is attached to the object J in the form of an arch utilizing the elongation of its material.

In the case where a material having a semi-hard property, it is also accepted that a loosening is preliminarily formed on the filament

22

by calculating the thickness portion of the object J and the filament

22

becomes linear at the time of attachment. The filament

22

itself is not limited to a single linear configuration but it may also take any other desired configuration.

The filament

22

may be preliminarily subjected to stretching treatment in order to enhance the strength of the filament

22

. It is also accepted that the filament

22

is subjected to treatment such that a non-stretched portion remains. By doing so, the filament

22

can be stretched by resistance of the object J.

In the case where the lock member

21

has such a degree of strength that it can be torn off when pulled with finger tips, it can be used for the purpose of preliminary fixture. This means that the lock member

21

can be used for preliminarily fixing a button, for attaching a light-weighted toy, cookies, etc. to a mount, and for sticking a label to a clothes.

In the case where a punch is employed instead of the guide needle, the lock member attachment device according to this embodiment can be used as a handy boring tool. Alternatively, in the case where one each of the guide needle

6

and piston member

13

are employed, the device of this embodiment can be used as a binding tool owing to a provision of the lock member. In the latter case, if only one coming-off preventive portion

23

is connected or locked to an object, the other coming-off preventive portion

23

can be used for suspending a label or a tag.

Reference numeral

100

denotes a base plate. This base plate

100

has an arcuate cutout portion

200

formed in a front and upper part thereof and a flange

300

formed on a lower edge thereof.

FIG. 19

shows a mechanism of a lock member attachment device of the present invention. As shown in

FIG. 24

, in the finished article, the mechanism is concealed from outside with a cover

100

a

forming one pair together with the base plate

100

and a cover

400

a

forming one pair together with a movable plate

400

as later described.

The movable plate

400

is pivotally superimposed upon a generally central area at a lower part of the base plate

100

by a pin

500

. A lever portion

600

is integrally formed on a rear and lower part of the movable plate

400

. The lever portion

600

projects downward and outward of the base plate

100

. The movable plate

400

has a tensile biasing coiled spring

900

which is disposed between a screw

700

attached to an upper part of the base plate

100

and a screw

800

attached to the movable plate

400

at a location near an upper part thereof. The movable plate

400

is normally biased to and held in a standby position as indicated by an imaginary line of

FIG. 19

by the coiled spring

900

. That is to say,

FIG. 19

shows a working state in which the lever portion

600

is held in hand.

A carrier path

101

for the lock member continuous assembly A is formed on a front end side of the movable plate

400

such that the carrier path

101

is curved with its deep end left parallel to the flange

300

. A guide flange

110

is formed along the carrier path

101

in order to prevent the assembly A from coming off.

A sliding guide portion

130

for the gate-type piston member

120

is disposed in the vicinity of the carrier path

101

of the movable plate

400

along a vertical (up and down) direction. The piston member

120

is attached to one pair of parallel operating holders

140

.

At a lower part of the sliding guide portion

130

provided with the operating holders

140

, one pair of hollow needles

150

into which the piston member

120

can be inserted are replaceably removably disposed through an attachment member

160

. A receiving groove is formed in an upper part of a front face of each hollow needle

150

. This receiving groove is adapted to allow the insertion of coming-off preventive rod B disposed at each of the opposite ends of the assembly A.

Moreover, an inlet portion

101

a

of the assembly A in the carrier path

101

is extensively protruded outward in such a manner as to correspond to the cutout portion

200

of the base plate

100

. In addition, this inlet portion

101

a

including the guide flange

110

is cut out in order to facilitate the loading and inserting operation of the assembly A.

After the assembly A is loaded on the carrier path

101

, a pushing and feeding piece

170

including grooves

170

a

for sandwichingly holding the guide flanges

110

and having a cross-like configuration as a whole can be manually pushed and inserted into the inlet portion

101

a

until the front end of the assembly A reaches the hollow needles

150

. The assembly A can also be withdrawn through the inlet portion

101

a.

In addition, since the pushing and feeding piece

170

is located between the movable plate

400

and the cover

400

a,

it also serves as a spacer for keeping an interval formed by and between the movable plate

400

and the cover

400

a.

On the other hand, a box

180

is set at a terminal end of the carrier path

101

near the hollow needles

150

. A claw

201

for preventing the assembly A, whose one end is biased and protruded upward by a coiled spring

190

, from returning is disposed at the box

180

. The claw

201

has a taper-cut upper surface and exhibits a generally L-shaped configuration. The other end of the claw

201

is projected from a through-hole

180

a

formed in a front face of the box

180

so that the return-prevented state can be released by properly operating the claw

201

when a jamming state has somehow happened. Owing to this arrangement, two each of the lock members are restrained at a time so that the lock member can also be fed into the hollow needles

150

smoothly. The taper-cut upper surface

201

a

helps to feed the lock members smoothly. Guide grooves

180

b

are formed in the upper surface of the box

180

. The guide grooves

180

b

are adapted to allow the passage of the coming-off preventive bars B for the assembly A.

A feed mechanism

210

for the assembly A is disposed between the carrier path

101

for the assembly A and a sliding guide portion

130

of the piston member

120

. This feed mechanism

210

includes an exterior body having a lateral U-shaped configuration in section and curved into an arcuate shape as a whole. The feed mechanism

210

is pivotally supported on the exterior body through a flange

210

a

projecting backward of the exterior body.

A curved plate spring

220

is held in the exterior body of the feed mechanism

210

. A front end of a link mechanism as later described slidingly contacts the plate spring

220

at the time of returning, thereby pivotally moving the exterior body. A feed claw member

230

prepared as a separate member and capable of coping with an accidental jamming state is attached to a lower end of the feed mechanism

210

. By the pivotal movement of the exterior body, the feed mechanism

210

feeds the assembly A a predetermined pitch in the direction of the hollow needles

150

.

In the drawing, reference numeral

240

denotes a lever member. This lever member

240

is superimposed upon an outer surface side of turning plate

400

. A rear end of the lever member

240

is pivotally supported on a rear end portion of the base plate

100

. A generally triangular force point piece

260

at least a front surface of which has a projecting arcuate shape is integrally suspended from a lower edge of a generally central area of the lever member

240

.

Vertical wall portions

270

a,

270

b

formed on an upper part of the lever portion

600

are slidingly abutted with front and rear surfaces of the force point piece

260

. That is to say, in the standby state, the vertical portion

270

is contacted with the rear surface of the force point piece

260

. By grasping the lever portion

100

in hand, this vertical wall portion

270

b

pushes the force point piece

260

so as to be turned about a pin

250

. At the time of turning, the force point piece

260

is contacted at its front surface with the vertical wall portion

270

a

and receives a backward operating force.

A through-hole

280

having a deformed shape is formed in a generally central area of the lever member

240

. A pin

290

projecting from the movable plate

400

is loosely fitted to this through-hole

280

. Due to stress at the force point piece

260

, an inner peripheral surface of the through-hole

280

is slidingly contacted with an outer peripheral surface of the pin

290

and conducts a camming action. By doing so, the front end serving as a point of application of the lever member

240

is more powerfully raised upward. This action causes a time lag in actuating a link member

310

as later described due to the pin

290

loosely fitted in the through-hole

280

and after the hollow needles

150

are inserted into the object, the piston member

120

can be press moved along the inside of the hollow needles

150

. Thus, the lever member

240

is returned to the initial state smoothly.

An elongated hole

301

whose forward part is slightly enlarged in diameter is formed in a front end of the lever member

240

. A pin

320

disposed at a location near a rear end of a link member

310

having a boomerang-like configuration is hooked in this elongated hole

301

. Since the front end of the lever member

240

, i.e., the elongated hole

301

portion is raised, the pine

320

is further raised in synchronism but with a small time lag along the elongated hole

301

.

The link member

310

is pivotally supported at a generally central area thereof by a pin

330

. A forward end of the link member

310

is inserted between operating holders

140

of the piston member

120

. In accordance with the movement of this link member

310

, not only the operating holders

140

,

140

but also the piston member

120

are slidingly moved. A projecting end of the link member

310

inserted between the operating holders

140

and projected further slides the plate spring

220

upward at the time of returning, thereby actuating the feed mechanism

210

.

In the illustration, reference numeral

340

denotes a receiving member. This receiving member

340

is superimposed at a rear half portion thereof upon a back side of the movable plate

400

and its rear end is supported on the base plate

100

through the pin

250

which pivotally supports the lever member

240

. Moreover, at the back surface of the movable plate

400

, the receiving member

340

is supported on the base plate

100

through the pin

350

.

A front end of this receiving member

340

serves as a receiving portion

360

for the object projected forward along a lower edge of the base plate

100

. A gap

370

in which the object is held is formed between the receiving portion

360

and the lower edge of the base plate

100

. Reference numeral

380

denotes an inserting stopper of the object which is positioned with respect to the flange

300

and an attaching position of which is variable. This inserting stopper

380

is formed in a generally lateral U-shaped configuration. The stopper

380

is inserted into the gap

370

from the front side along a groove

401

which is formed along the flange

300

and turned along a turning guide

410

formed at a rear part of the receiving portion

360

so as to be set. For removal, the stopper

380

is slidingly moved forward along the groove

401

and twisted along a side taper

401

a

disposed at a front part of the groove

401

. By doing so, the stopper

380

can easily be removed.

In the illustration, reference numeral

390

denotes a withdrawing and returning auxiliary member of the hollow needles

150

whose lower surface is located in the gap

370

. This auxiliary member

390

is formed from a thin plate. For the attachment of the auxiliary member

390

, recesses

390

b

formed in the vertical pieces

390

a

are hooked on a boss disposed at the flange

300

. At a front part, an extending piece

390

e

having a curved part along the movable plate

400

is disposed. It is located between the movable plate

400

and the cover

400

a

and serves as a spacer. A forward end and a rear end of the extension piece

390

e

are curved generally in parallel relation and reinforced.

A window opening

390

d

into which the pair of hollow needles

150

are inserted is formed in a bottom plate

390

c

(abutment plate with the object) of the auxiliary member

390

. Reference numeral

360

a

denotes a receiving hole formed in the receiving portion

360

. This receiving hole

360

a

is adapted to receive the hollow needles

150

pierced through the object. The auxiliary member

390

, as well as the stopper

380

, etc., can be attached without using a screw or the like and can easily be detached at the time of repairing. In the case where the lower surface of the flange

300

can serve as auxiliary means for withdrawing the hollow needles

150

, the auxiliary member

390

becomes unnecessary. In the alternative, the auxiliary member

390

may be formed as a rigid member integrally fixed to the flange

300

.

The lock member attachment device according to this embodiment is constructed in the manner as mentioned above. Use and operation will now be described. First, the assembly A is supplied to the carrier path

101

through the inlet portion

101

a.

The assembly is flexible as a whole due to runner-less. For this reason, the assembly A is deformed along the carrier path

101

and fallen or dropped by its dead weight. However, in order to more surely bring the inserting front end of the assembly A to the hollow needles

150

, the pushing and feeding piece

170

is employed.

When the lever portion

600

in a standby position as indicated by an imaginary line of

FIG. 19

is grasped in hand, the vertical wall portion

270

b

pushes the rear surface of the force point piece

260

of the lever member

240

. Owing to camming action by the deformed through-hole

280

and the pin

290

and restraining the front surface of the force point piece

260

by the vertical wall portion

270

a,

the front end of the lever member

240

is raised upward. In accordance with this upward rising movement of the lever member

240

, the rear end of the link member

310

is raised upward with a time lag as previously mentioned and the front end of the link member

310

is lowered. By this lowering movement of the link member

310

, the piston member

120

pushes the coming-off preventive bars B for the assembly A guided in the hollow needles

150

and cut off the unit lock member from the assembly A. The unit lock member thus cut off is then pushed further into the hollow needles

150

. Because of time lag, at first, the hollow needles

150

are pierced through the object W and the label L and then, the piston member

120

is operated.

At the same time, the movable plate

400

integral with the lever member

600

is turned about the pin

500

so that the hollow needles

150

are pierced through the object held in the gap

370

, the coming-off preventive bars B are pushed and fed to the back surface of the object and the label L, etc. are fixed by the filament portion and the coming-off preventive rods B of the lock member. At that time, a bent and extended portion

600

a

extending from the lever portion

600

pushes up a vertical wall-like bent support portion

340

a

formed on the receiving member

340

, raises the receiving portion

360

upward by resiliency and conducts a fastening operation at the basal end of the receiving portion

360

. By doing so, the receiving portion

360

is stabilized.

Then, the lever portion

600

is released to return the mechanism to the original condition. At that time, although frictional resistance occurs at the time of withdrawing the hollow needles

150

pierced through the object, the hollow needles

150

can smoothly be returned by the auxiliary member

390

which is abutted with the upper surface of the object presses the same. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the projected end of the link member

310

slides the bent plate spring

220

upward to pivotally move the feed mechanism

210

so that the assembly A is fed into the hollow needles

150

by one pitch portion at a time. In the illustration, W denotes an object and L denotes a label.

A lock member attachment device and a lock member used therefor according to the present invention are constructed in the manner as hereinbefore described. Accordingly, the lock members,which are not made of metal, formed into a continuous assembly without a need of a provision of any supporting frame can be used with respect to any object. The attachment device is of a handy type and compact, which is simple in mechanism and easy to use. By using the attachment device in combination with auxiliary attachments, it can be used in a wide range of technical field.

Number	Date	Country	Kind
2000-176578	Jun 2000	JP
2001-066243	Mar 2001	JP

Number	Name	Date	Kind
1983397	Polzer	Dec 1934	A
2574988	Vogel	Nov 1951	A
2707783	Sullivan	May 1955	A
3172122	Clay	Mar 1965	A
3735908	Kinney et al.	May 1973	A
4533076	Bourque	Aug 1985	A
5364000	Fealey	Nov 1994	A

Lock member attachment device and lock member used therefor

Information

Patent Number

Date Filed

Date Issued

Inventors

Original Assignees

Examiners

Agents

CPC

US Classifications

Field of Search

US

International Classifications

Abstract

Description

Claims

Priority Claims (2)

US Referenced Citations (7)