Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6726078
-
Patent Number
6,726,078
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, July 3, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 27, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Rada; Rinaldi I.
- Tran; Louis
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 227 67
- 227 76
- 227 114
- 227 71
- 227 152
- 227 154
- 029 8112
- 112 80
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A system for dispensing a fastener from a reel of fastener stock so as to couple together two or more objects includes a frame, a needle, a feed mechanism for advancing the fastener into the needle, a severing mechanism for severing the fastener from the fastener stock, an ejection mechanism for ejecting the fastener through the needle, and a needle guard assembly mounted onto the frame. The needle guard assembly includes a guide plate having a front surface and a bracket assembly affixed to the guide plate. The bracket assembly is slidably mounted onto the frame to enable the guide plate to be slidably disposed between a protected position in which the tip of the needle is positioned behind the front surface of the guide plate and a fully retracted position in which the tip of the needle is positioned in front of the front surface of the guide plate.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to plastic fasteners and more particularly to devices used in the dispensing of plastic fasteners.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,078 to A. R. Bone, which is incorporated herein by reference, there are disclosed several different types of plastic fasteners, or attachments, which are fabricated as part of continuously connected ladder stock. In each instance, the fastener has an H-shape, and the ladder stock is formed from two elongated and continuous plastic side members coupled together by a plurality of plastic cross links, the cross links preferably being equidistantly spaced. The stock may be produced from flexible plastics material including nylon, polypropylene and other similar materials by molding or by stamping.
Either manually or with the aid of specifically designed devices, individual fasteners may be dispensed from a supply of ladder stock to couple buttons to fabric, merchandising tags to articles of commerce, or, in general, any two desired articles.
Specifically designed devices for dispensing plastic fasteners are well known in the art. In use, plastic fastener dispensing devices sever individual plastic fasteners from continuously connected ladder stock and attach the severed individual plastic fasteners to the items to be coupled.
For example, in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,366, which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a device for dispensing plastic attachments of the type which are formed as part of a roll of continuously connected ladder stock. In one embodiment, the device includes a pair of hollow slotted needles each having a tip, a rear end and a longitudinal axis. A feed wheel, placed proximate to the rear ends of the pair of needles, is used to feed individual attachments of a roll of ladder stock into the pair of needles through their respective rear ends at angles relative to the longitudinal axes thereof. Once inserted into the needles, an attachment is severed from the remainder of the ladder stock by a knife and is then expelled from the needles by a pair of ejector rods movable along the longitudinal axes of the pair of needles. Because attachments are fed into the pair of needles at angles relative to their longitudinal axes, no shuttling of the needles between an attachment feeding position and an attachment ejecting position is required. The pair of needles, the feed wheel, the knife, and the pair of ejector rods are all mounted on a vertically movable head member. An electric motor assembly is used to move the head member between an attachment dispensing position and a withdrawal position. The vertical movement of the head member drives the operation of the feed wheel, the knife and the ejector rods.
In one type of plastic fastener dispensing device which is well known in the art, the plastic fastener dispensing device is mounted directly onto a flat work surface, such as a table, and the operator is required to manually urge the items to be coupled together against the sharpened tip of each hollow slotted needle until each needle penetrates through the items. Once each needle has penetrated through the items, the device is activated. Activation of the device dispenses a plastic fastener through each needle so as to secure the items together. As can be appreciated, such plastic fastener dispensing devices are commonly used in the art to couple together two or more items, such as socks, gloves, towels or the like. Furthermore, it should be noted that, when used to secure together two or more items for sale, plastic fasteners are commonly referred to as elastic staples in the art.
It should be noted that the use of a plastic fastener dispensing device of the type described above to tightly secure together two or more items for sale using one or more elastic staples provides numerous advantages.
As a first advantage, plastic fastener dispensing devices of the type described above are capable of continuously dispensing elastic staples from a roll of fastener stock. As a result, the continuous feed of elastic staples into the plastic fastener dispensing device increases the productivity in which an operator is able to secure together products for sale, which is highly desirable. It is for this reason that plastic fastener dispensing devices of the type described above are commonly used on assembly lines for packaging products.
As a second advantage, the use of elastic staples to secure together two or more items for sale creates aesthetic benefits, which is highly desirable. Specifically, the use of elastic staples enables the products for sale to be neatly and securely fastener together in an ideal packaging to enable a potential customer to see, feel and manipulate the product at the point of purchase. Furthermore, it has been found that the elastic staple is barely visible when securing together two or more products for sale.
As a third advantage, the elasticity of the staple allows for the fastener to be used in a wide range of applications and in conjunction with a variety of differently sized products, which is highly desirable.
As a fourth advantage, the elasticity of the staple allows for the fastener to conform tightly against the products for sale, thereby creating a strong and durable attachment of the products, which is highly desirable. As a result, the products remain securely fastened together until after purchase.
Although well known and widely used in the art for securing together products for sale, plastic fastener dispensing devices which require an operator to urge the products against the one or more hollowed needles suffer from a couple notable drawbacks.
As a first drawback, plastic fastener dispensing devices which require an operator to urge the products against one or more hollowed needles fail to adequately protect the operator from inadvertently contacting the sharpened tip of each needle, which is highly undesirable.
As a second drawback, plastic fastener dispensing devices which require an operator to urge the products against one or more hollowed needles fail to adequately support, or stiffen, each needle. As a result, each needle is susceptible to bending and breaking when inserted through the items to be coupled, which is highly undesirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved system for dispensing a plastic fastener from a reel of fastener stock to couple together two or more items.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system as described above which includes a hollowed needle having a sharpened tip, the needle enabling the plastic fastener to pass through the items to be coupled together.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a system as described above which protects the operator from inadvertently contacting the sharpened tip of the hollowed needle.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a system as described above which adequately supports, or stiffens, the hollowed needle.
It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide a system as described above which has a limited number of parts, which is easy to use and which is inexpensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, there is provided a system for dispensing a plastic fastener from a reel of fastener stock to couple together two or more objects, said system comprising a frame, a hollowed needle having a sharpened tip, a feed mechanism for advancing the fastener stock into said hollowed needle, a severing mechanism for severing the fastener to be dispensed through said hollowed needle from the fastener stock, an ejection mechanism for ejecting the severed fastener through said hollowed needle, and a needle guard slidably mounted onto said frame over said hollowed needle.
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, a specific embodiment for practicing the invention. This embodiment 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
In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:
FIG. 1
is a right side perspective view of a system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention for dispensing plastic fasteners, the system being shown with a supply of continuously connected ladder stock fed therein;
FIG. 2
is a left side, fragmentary, perspective view of the system shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a left side, fragmentary, perspective view of the system shown in
FIG. 1
, the system shown with the guide plate disposed in its protected position;
FIG. 4
is a left side, fragmentary, perspective view of the system shown in
FIG. 1
, the system shown with the guide plate disposed in its fully retracted position;
FIG. 5
is a left side, fragmentary, perspective view of the system shown in
FIG. 1
, the system shown securing together a pair of products;
FIG. 6
is a fragmentary, perspective view of the pair of products shown in
FIG. 5
being secured together by a plastic fastener;
FIG. 7
is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of the supply of the continuously connected ladder stock shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 8
is a fragmentary, exploded perspective view of the system shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 9
is a fragmentary, exploded perspective view of the system shown in
FIG. 1
, the system being shown with the needle removed therefrom;
FIG. 10
is a right side, fragmentary, perspective view of the system shown in
FIG. 1
, the system being shown with a supply of continuously connected ladder stock fed therein;
FIG. 11
is a right side, fragmentary, exploded, perspective view of the system shown in
FIG. 1
, the system being shown with the needle removed therefrom;
FIG. 12
is a perspective view of selected components of the system shown in
FIG. 1
; and
FIG. 13
is a fragmentary, top plan view of selected components of the system shown in FIG.
1
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to
FIGS. 1-4
, there is shown a single needle system (SNS) constructed according to the teachings of the present invention, the system being identified generally by reference numeral
10
. As will be described further in detail below, system
10
is designed for use in dispensing plastic fasteners from a supply of continuously connected ladder stock
11
.
As such, system
10
can be used in an automated packaging line. Specifically, system
10
may be used, for example, to secure together two or more products P, such as socks, gloves, towels or other similar items, using one or more plastic fasteners.
Continuous Supply of Ladder Stock
11
Continuous supply of connected ladder stock
11
represents any well known continuous supply of plastic fasteners. For example, ladder stock
11
may be of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,816 to Charles L. Deschenes et al. Specifically,
FIG. 7
shows a prior art length of continuously connected ladder stock
11
with which the system of this invention may be used. Ladder stock
11
is preferably made of plastic and comprises a pair of side members
13
and
15
interconnected by a plurality of cross links
17
. A fastener
18
which is obtained from ladder stock
11
is commonly referred to as an elastic staple in the art. Fastener
18
comprises a pair of end bars
19
and
21
which are interconnected by a filament
23
, end bars
19
and
21
comprising sections of side members
13
and
15
, respectively, and filament
23
comprising a cross link
17
.
Although system
10
is shown with ladder stock
11
, it is to be understood that system
10
could be used with alternative types of ladder stock without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
It should be noted that ladder stock
11
is preferably wound onto a reel
27
, reel
27
being sized and shaped to hold a supply of ladder stock
11
which includes approximately 10,000 fasteners
18
. As such, the high volume reel
27
of fasteners
18
enables for continuous operation of system
10
.
System
10
for Dispensing Plastic Fasteners
18
System
10
comprises a frame
29
, a hollowed needle
31
, a feed mechanism
33
for advancing individual plastic fasteners
18
into hollowed needle
31
, a severing mechanism
35
for severing an individual fastener
18
to be dispensed through needle
31
from the remainder of supply of fastener stock
11
, an ejection mechanism
37
for ejecting the individual fastener
18
through needle
31
, a needle guard assembly
39
mounted onto frame
29
over hollowed needle
31
, a reel holder
41
affixed to frame
29
for supporting reel
27
of fastener stock
11
, and an eye shield assembly
43
affixed to frame
29
for protecting the eyes of the operator during use of system
10
. It should be noted that portions of system
10
not pertinent to this invention are neither shown nor described in detail herein.
Frame
29
for System
10
Frame
29
comprises a base plate
45
which is constructed of a rigid and durable material and which serves as the support, or foundation, for frame
29
. A first side panel
47
constructed of a rigid and durable material is affixed to base plate
45
, such as by screws. Similarly, a second side panel
49
constructed of a rigid and durable material is affixed to base plate
45
, such as by screws. It should be noted that first and second side panels
47
and
49
are spaced apart in a parallel relationship. A top panel
51
constructed of a rigid and durable material is affixed to and extends perpendicularly between first and second side panels
47
and
49
, top panel
51
being spaced apart from base plate
45
. Together, base plate
45
, first side panel
47
, second side panel
49
and top panel
51
define an internal cavity
53
.
Frame
29
also preferably comprises a plurality of feet
55
which are mounted onto base plate
45
. As can be appreciated, feet
55
enable system
10
to be mounted directly on top of a working surface, such as a table. It should be noted that each foot
55
may be in the form of a suction cup so as to securely retain system
10
in a fixed position on the working surface.
Needle
31
for System
10
Needle
31
for system
10
serves as a conduit through which an individual fastener
18
is able to penetrate through the products P to be coupled, as will be described further below. It should be noted that although system
10
is shown comprising a single needle
31
, system
10
could alternatively comprise a pair of needles
31
for product stapling applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
System
10
comprises a frame
59
which is disposed within internal cavity
53
between first and second side panels
47
and
49
, frame
59
being capable of being pivoted towards and away from base plate
45
, as represented by arrow A in FIG.
1
.
First and second spaced apart support plates
61
-
1
and
61
-
2
are affixed onto frame
59
with screws
63
. A pair of needle blocks
65
-
1
and
65
-
2
are mounted on a shaft
67
which extends laterally between first and second support plates
61
-
1
and
61
-
2
. A manually rotatable needle adjustment knob
69
is fixedly mounted onto one end of shaft
67
. As can be appreciated, rotation of knob
69
laterally displaces needle block
65
-
1
. A needle holder
71
is fixedly mounted onto needle block
65
-
2
by screws
73
.
Hollow needle
31
is mounted onto needle holder
71
. Needle
31
represents a conventional hollow slotted fastener dispensing needle and includes a first end
77
, a second end
79
, an elongated channel
81
and an elongated slot
83
in communication with elongated channel
81
. First end
77
of needle
31
is sized and shaped to be fittingly disposed within a needle receptacle
78
formed in needle holder
71
, thereby enabling needle
31
to project perpendicularly out from needle holder
71
. Second end
79
of needle
31
is in the form of a spoon-shaped sharpened tip through which an end bar of fastener
18
may pass during the dispensing process.
Ejection Mechanism
37
for System
10
As noted above, system
10
also comprises an ejection mechanism
37
for dispensing a fastener
18
out through needle
31
. As shown in
FIG. 13
, ejection mechanism
37
includes an ejector rod slide
85
which is adapted to slide vertically along frame
59
, ejector rod slide
85
comprising a pair of spaced apart sidewalls
87
, a top wall
89
affixed to sidewalls
87
, a plate
91
affixed to top wall
89
, a bottom wall
93
affixed to sidewalls
87
and a ramp
95
formed onto bottom wall
93
. Ejector rod slide
85
is powered for vertical displacement by an pneumatic system
96
which operates on 80 psi. Application of air pressure from pneumatic system
96
is achieved through the depression of a spoon-shaped actuation lever
97
mounted on second side panel
49
.
Ejection mechanism
37
also includes an ejector rod
99
which is disposed within a slot
101
formed into top wall
89
and are retained therein through the mounting of plate
91
onto top wall
89
. Ejector rod
99
is positioned to extend down through needle block
65
-
2
. Accordingly, as ejector rod slide
85
travels downward, ejector rod
99
projects into channel
81
of needle
75
so as to dispense fastener
18
out from system
10
.
As can be appreciated, ejector rod slide
85
is adapted to slide vertically along frame
59
. As such, slide
85
is capable of a downward stroke in which ejector rod
99
projects into channel
81
of needle
31
and an upward stroke in which ejector rod
99
retracts from needle
31
.
It should be noted that the construction and functionality of ejection mechanism
37
does not serve as a principal feature of the present invention. As a result, it is to be understood that ejection mechanism
37
could be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,366 to Charles L. Deschenes et al. without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Feed Mechanism
33
for System
10
As noted above, system
10
further comprises a feed mechanism
33
for continuously advancing fastener stock
11
therethrough. As shown in
FIG. 11
, feed mechanism
33
comprises a pair of spaced apart, sprocket feed wheels
105
which are fixedly mounted onto a shaft
107
. Feed wheels
105
are adapted to engage the filaments
23
of fasteners
18
to advance the supply of fastener stock
11
through system
10
. A feed knob
109
is fixedly mounted onto shaft
107
to allow for manual advancement of fastener stock
11
through system
10
, which is highly desirable.
A ratchet wheel
111
is fixedly mounted onto shaft
107
and a pivotable feed pawl
113
is adapted to selectively engage ratchet wheel
111
. As such, the pivoting of feed pawl
113
serves to rotate ratchet wheel
111
which, in turn, drives feed wheels
105
, thereby disposing the lowermost fastener
18
in fastener stock
11
into position at the rear end of hollowed needle
31
for subsequent ejection.
Feed pawl
113
is, in turn, connected to a pivotable feed lever
115
and a movable feed link
117
by a bolt
118
. As can be appreciated, as ejector rod slide
85
completes its upward stroke, a bolt
119
engages feed link
117
and pulls feed link
117
upwards. The upward displacement of feed link
117
, in turn, causes feed pawl
113
to pivot about a pivot point
120
on feed lever
115
, thereby advancing fastener stock
11
through system
10
.
It should be noted that the construction and functionality of feed mechanism
33
does not serve as a principal feature of the present invention. As a result, it is to be understood that feed mechanism
103
could be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,366 to Charles L. Deschenes et al. without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Severing Mechanism
35
for System
10
As noted above, system
10
additionally comprises a severing mechanism
35
for severing the lowermost fastener
18
from fastener stock
11
prior to ejection through needle
31
. As shown in
FIG. 9
, severing mechanism
35
comprises a knife blade
123
which is pivotably disposed between needle block
65
-
2
and needle holder
71
.
Severing mechanism
35
also comprises a knife lever
125
connected to knife blade
123
, a spring-biased knife pivot
127
connected to knife lever
125
and a knife roller
129
connected to knife pivot
127
. As can be appreciated, knife roller
129
is biased downward so as to continuously contact frame
59
. Accordingly, as ejector rod slide
85
begins its downward stroke, knife roller
129
travels up and over ramp
95
. As knife roller
129
travels up and over ramp
95
, knife roller
129
pivots knife pivot
127
which, in turn, pulls knife lever
125
. Resultingly, the pulling of knife lever
125
inwardly pivots knife blade
123
, thereby severing the lowermost fastener
18
from fastener stock
11
. It should be noted that spring-biased knife pivot
127
is designed only to pull knife lever
125
when ejector rod slide
85
begins its downward stroke and not when ejector rod slide
85
completes its upward stroke.
It should be noted that the construction and functionality of severing mechanism
35
does not serve as a principal feature of the present invention. As a result, it is to be understood that severing mechanism
35
could be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,366 to Charles L. Deschenes et al. without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Needle Guard Assembly
39
for System
10
System
10
further comprises needle guard assembly
39
mounted onto frame
29
for stiffening and selectively protecting hollowed needle
31
, as will be described further in detail below. As can be appreciated, the particular construction and functionality of needle guard assembly
39
serves as a principal feature of the present invention.
As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4
, needle guard assembly
39
comprises a guide plate
131
disposed over second end
79
of needle
31
and a bracket assembly
133
affixed to guide plate
131
. As will be described further below, bracket assembly
133
is slidably mounted onto second side panel
49
so as to enable guide plate
131
to be slidably disposed between a protected position, as shown in
FIG. 3
, in which second end
79
of needle
31
is positioned behind front surface
132
of guide plate
131
and fully retracted position, as shown in
FIG. 4
, in which second end
79
of needle
31
is positioned in front of front surface
132
of guide plate
131
.
Guide plate
131
is constructed of a rigid and durable metal plate which is generally rectangular in shape. Guide plate
131
comprises a flat front surface
132
and a lateral slot
135
. It should be noted that lateral slot
135
is sized and shaped to enable second end
79
of needle
31
to selectively project therethrough. Specifically, with guide plate
131
disposed in its fully retracted position, second end
79
of needle
31
projects through lateral slot
135
and, with guide plate
131
disposed in its protected position, second end
79
of needle
31
is disposed behind front surface
132
of plate
131
.
Guide plate
131
also comprises an alignment indicator
137
for identifying the lateral position of second end
79
of needle
31
behind guide plate
131
when guide plate
131
is disposed in its protected position. Alignment indicator
137
is shown as being in the form of a V-shaped notch. However, it is to be understood that alignment indicator
137
is not limited to a V-shaped notch. Rather, alignment indicator
137
represents any means for identifying the lateral position of second end
79
of needle
31
behind guide plate
131
, such as a line or arrow etched into front surface
132
of guide plate
131
, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Guide plate
131
further comprises a rectangular tab
138
which extends generally orthogonally from front surface
132
.
Bracket assembly
133
comprises a bracket
139
fixedly mounted onto second side panel
49
, a first arm
141
slidably mounted onto bracket
139
, a second arm
143
mounted onto first arm
141
, a compression spring
145
connected to second arm
143
and a block
146
fixedly mounted onto support plate
61
-
2
.
Bracket
139
is generally U-shaped in lateral construction and is fixedly mounted onto second side panel
49
proximate needle
31
by any conventional means, such using one or more nuts and bolts. Bracket
139
comprises a first end
147
and a second end
149
. A stop
151
is formed onto bracket
139
at second end
149
.
First arm
141
is an elongated rectangular member and comprises a first end
153
affixed onto tab
138
by any conventional means, such as using one or more nuts and bolts, and a second end
155
. First arm
141
is preferably slidably mounted onto bracket
139
using one or more ball bearings.
Second arm
143
is similarly an elongated rectangular member and comprises a first end
157
affixed onto second end
155
of first arm
141
by any conventional means, such as using one or more nuts and bolts, and a second end
159
. A stop
161
is formed onto second arm
143
at second end
159
. It should be noted that stop
161
is sized and shaped to abut against stop
151
on bracket
139
when guide plate
131
is in its protected position so as to limit the forward displacement of guide plate
131
relative to needle
31
.
Compression spring
145
is conventional in construction and includes a first end
163
affixed onto first end
157
of second arm
143
and a second end
165
affixed onto block
146
. As such, compression spring
145
serves to resiliently urge second arm
143
forward, thereby disposing guide plate
131
into its protected position.
As will be described further in detail below, needle guard assembly
39
functions within system
10
in the following manner. In the absence of any application of force upon front surface
132
of guide plate
131
, compression spring
145
resiliently urges guide plate
131
into its protective position so that second end
79
of needle
31
is positioned behind front surface
132
of guide plate
131
, as shown in FIG.
3
.
In order for needle
31
to penetrate through two or more products P to be coupled together, the operator is required to position the products P against front surface
132
of guide plate
131
. With the products P positioned against front surface
132
, the operator is required to urge guide plate
131
inward from its protected position to its fully retracted position, as shown in FIG.
5
. As such, the rearward displacement of guide plate
131
exposes second end
79
of needle
31
such that second end
79
penetrates through products P. With needle
31
penetrated through products P, the operator can depress actuation lever
97
to dispense fasteners
18
, thereby coupling products P together.
As can be appreciated, needle guard assembly
39
provides four principal advantages.
As a first advantage, needle guard assembly
39
serves as a safety device. Specifically, needle guard assembly
39
prevents the operator inadvertently contacting the sharpened point of hollowed needle
31
when system
10
is not in use, which is highly desirable.
As a second advantage, needle guard assembly
39
serves as a stiffening, or support, device for needle
31
. Specifically, needle guard assembly
39
supports needle
31
as needle
31
is inserted through products P to be coupled, thereby preventing needle
31
from bending and/or breaking, which highly desirable.
As a third advantage, needle guard assembly
39
serves as an alignment device for identifying the lateral position of second end
79
of needle
31
behind guide plate
131
when guide plate
131
is disposed in its protected position. Specifically, with products P to be coupled together disposed against front surface
132
of guide plate
131
, alignment indicator
137
enables the operator to determine the lateral position of needle
31
behind products P and guide plate
131
, which is highly desirable.
As a fourth advantage, needle guard assembly
39
serves as an anvil, or support, for products P during use. Specifically, needle guard assembly
39
serves as a movable support surface for products P as products P are urged against second end
79
of needle
31
, which is highly desirable.
Reel Holder
41
for System
10
Reel holder
41
is affixed onto frame
29
and serves to support reel
27
of fastener stock
11
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, reel holder
41
is in the form of a thin metal post and comprises a first end
167
and a second end
169
.
First end
167
of reel holder
41
is sized and shaped to extend horizontally through a central opening
28
formed in reel
27
, thereby enabling reel holder
41
to support reel
27
of fastener stock
11
. A pair of posts
168
are fixedly mounted onto first end
167
of reel holder
41
on opposite sides of reel
27
so as to secure reel
27
onto first end
167
of reel holder
41
but enabling reel
27
to rotate on reel holder
41
without interference.
Second end
169
is fixedly mounted onto first side panel
47
by a pair of screws
170
.
Eye Shield Assembly
43
for System
10
Eye shield assembly
43
is affixed onto frame
29
and serves to protect the eyes of the operator during use of system
10
.
Eye shield assembly
43
comprises a first linkage
171
mounted onto frame
29
, a second linkage
173
mounted onto first linkage
171
, a support bar
175
mounted onto second linkage
173
and an eye shield
177
mounted onto support bar
175
.
First linkage
171
is an elongated rectangular member and comprises a first end
179
pivotally mounted onto first side panel
47
by a pin
180
and a second end
181
.
Second linkage
173
is an elongated rectangular member and comprises a first end
183
pivotally mounted onto second end
181
of first linkage
171
and a second end
185
.
Support bar
175
is a generally L-shaped member which includes a first end
187
pivotally mounted onto second end
185
of second linkage
173
and a second end
189
.
Eye shield
177
is in the form of a rectangular plate of transparent material, such as plexiglass, and is fixedly secured onto support bar
175
. Accordingly, the position of eye shield
177
can be adjusted according to the particular need of the operator, which is highly desirable.
Operation of System
10
In use, system
10
is preferably mounted onto a flat work surface, such as a table, and can be used to affix together two or more products P using one or more plastic fasteners
18
from fastener stock
11
in the following manner. Using alignment indicator
137
as a guide, the operator positions products P against front surface
132
of guide plate
131
. With products P properly aligned against front surface
132
, the operator urges products P against guide plate
131
so as to dispose guide plate
131
from its protected position to its fully retracted position. As guide plate
131
is disposed into its fully retracted position, second end
79
of needle
31
extends through slot
135
and into and through products P. Once second end
79
of needle
31
has penetrated entirely through products P, the operator depresses actuation lever
97
which, in turn, causes a single fastener
18
to eject out through needle
31
. The ejection of single fastener
18
disposes end bars
19
and
21
on opposite sides of products P, thereby coupling products P together, as shown in FIG.
6
.
The process can be repeated as necessary, wherein a subsequent depression of actuation lever
97
ejects another fastener
18
out through needle
31
. Accordingly, because a continuous supply of fastener stock
11
can be loaded into system
10
, it is to be understood that system
10
can be used to continuously apply fasteners
18
without reloading.
The embodiment shown in the present invention is 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.
Claims
- 1. A system for dispensing a plastic fastener from a reel of fastener stock to couple together two or more objects, said system comprising:(a) a frame, (b) a hollowed needle having a sharpened tip, said hollowed needle being held fixedly in place, (c) a feed mechanism for advancing the fastener stock into said hollowed needle, (d) a severing mechanism for severing the fastener to be dispensed through said hollowed needle from the fastener stock, (e) an ejection mechanism for ejecting the severed fastener through said hollowed needle, and (f) a needle guard assembly for protecting said hollowed needle, said needle guard assembly comprising, (i) a guide plate having a front surface, (ii) a bracket assembly for displacing said guide plate between a first position in which the tip of said needle is positioned behind the front surface of said guide plate and a second position in which the tip of said needle is positioned in front of the front surface of said guide plate, said bracket assembly resiliently displacing said guide plate to its first position in the absence of an outside force on said guide plate, said bracket assembly comprising, (A) a bracket fixedly mounted onto said frame, (B) a first arm slidably mounted onto said bracket, said first arm being coupled to said guide plate, (C) a second arm coupled to said first arm, and (D) a spring for resiliently displacing said guide plate to its first position in the absence of an outside force on said guide plate.
- 2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bracket has a stop and said second arm has a stop, the stop on said second arm being sized and shaped to abut against the stop on said bracket when said guide plate is in its first position so as to limit further forward displacement of said guide plate relative to said needle.
- 3. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said guide plate includes an opening which is sized and shaped to enable said hollowed needle to selectively project therethrough.
- 4. The system as claimed in claim 3 wherein, with said guide plate disposed in its second position, said hollowed needle extends through the opening formed in said guide plate.
- 5. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the opening in said guide plate is in the form of an elongated horizontal slot.
- 6. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein an alignment indicator is formed into said guide plate for identifying the lateral position of the sharpened tip of said hollowed needle relative to said guide plate, said alignment indicator being spaced apart from the opening formed in said guide plate.
- 7. A system for dispensing a plastic fastener from a reel of fastener stock to couple together two or more objects, said system comprising:(a) a frame, (b) a hollowed needle having a sharpened tip, (c) a feed mechanism for advancing the fastener stock into said hollowed needle, (d) a severing mechanism for severing the fastener to be dispensed through said hollowed needle from the fastener stock, (e) an ejection mechanism for ejecting the severed fastener through said hollowed needle, and (f) a needle guard assembly mounted onto said frame over said hollowed needle, said needle guard assembly comprising, (i) a guide plate having a front surface, and (ii) a bracket assembly affixed to said guide plate, said bracket assembly being slidably mounted onto said frame so as to enable said guide plate to be slidably disposed between a protected position in which the tip of said needle is positioned behind the front surface of said guide plate and a fully retracted position in which the tip of said needle is positioned in front of the front surface of said guide plate, said bracket assembly comprising, (A) a bracket fixedly mounted onto said frame, said bracket having a rear stop, (B) a first arm slidably mounted onto said bracket, said first arm comprising a first end affixed to said guide plate and a second end, (C) a second arm having a first end affixed to the second end of said first arm and a second end having a stop, wherein the stop formed on the second end of said second arm is sized and shaped to abut against the rear stop formed on said bracket when said bracket assembly is in its protected position so as to limit forward displacement of said guide plate relative to said needle, and (D) a compression spring for resiliently urging said second arm forward, said compression spring including a first end affixed onto the first end of said second arm and a second end affixed onto said frame.
- 8. A system for dispensing a plastic fastener from a reel of fastener stock to couple together two or more objects, said system comprising:(a) a frame, (b) a hollowed needle having a sharpened tip, (c) a feed mechanism for advancing the fastener stock into said hollowed needle, (d) a severing mechanism for severing the fastener to be dispensed through said hollowed needle from the fastener stock, (e) an ejection mechanism for ejecting the severed fastener through said hollowed needle, and (f) a needle guard assembly mounted onto said frame over said hollowed needle, said needle guard assembly comprising, (i) a guide plate having a front surface, and (ii) a bracket assembly affixed to said guide plate, said bracket assembly enabling said guide plate to be slidably disposed between a protected position in which the tip of said needle is positioned behind the front surface of said guide plate and a fully retracted position in which the tip of said needle is positioned in front of the front surface of said guide plate, said bracket assembly comprising, (A) a bracket fixedly mounted onto said frame, said bracket having a rear stop, (B) a first arm slidably mounted onto said bracket, said first arm comprising a first end affixed to said guide plate and a second end, (C) a second arm having a first end affixed to the second end of said first arm and a second end having a stop, wherein the stop formed on the second end of said second arm is sized and shaped to abut against the rear stop formed on said bracket when said bracket assembly is in its protected position so as to limit forward displacement of said guide plate relative to said needle, and (D) a compression spring for resiliently urging said second arm forward, said compression spring including a first end affixed onto the first end of said second arm and a second end affixed onto said frame.
US Referenced Citations (15)