System for dispensing plastic fasteners

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6726078
  • Patent Number
    6,726,078
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, July 3, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 27, 2004
    20 years ago
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.
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5471727 Kubota Dec 1995 A
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