System for dispensing plastic fasteners

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6536648
  • Patent Number
    6,536,648
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, March 20, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 25, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A system for coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener includes a device for dispensing the plastic fastener and an anvil adapted to support the two or more items to be coupled by the plastic fastener. In one embodiment, the anvil comprises a support block and a plurality of tufts of filaments fixed to the support block. The support block is constructed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and includes a flat top surface. A plurality of holes are formed into the top surface, each hole being circular in lateral cross-section with a diameter of approximately 0.098 inches. Each hole formed in the top surface of the support block is adapted to receive a corresponding tuft of filaments. Each filament is constructed of nylon and is circular in lateral cross-section with a diameter of approximately 0.018 inches.
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 the ladder stock to couple buttons to fabric, merchandising tags to articles of commerce, or, in general, any two desired articles. In those instances where the dispensing device has dual needles, the attachments severed from the stock can be used like staples to secure objects and items.




Devices for dispensing plastic fasteners are well known in the art. Plastic fastener dispensing devices are commonly used to sever individual plastic fasteners from continuously connected ladder stock and to attach such individual plastic fasteners to items.




In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,816, which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed an apparatus for dispensing attachments from continuously connected ladder stock of the type comprising a pair of plastic side members coupled together by a plurality of plastic cross links. The apparatus includes a mount, a support movably mounted on the mount, and a pair of carrier blocks mounted on the support. A needle block is mounted on each carrier block and a hollow, slotted needle is mounted on each needle block. A feed mechanism including a pair of feed wheels, is mounted on said support for advancing the ladder stock into the hollow slotted needles and a pair feed tracks, one for each hollow slotted needle, are provided through which the ladder stock passes from the feed wheels into the pair of hollow slotted needles. A pair of knives are provided for severing an attachment from the ladder stock, and a pair of ejector rods are provided for ejecting the severed attachment through the hollow slotted needles. The carrier blocks are disposed parallel to each other and movable sideways relative to each other so that the spacing between the hollow slotted needles can be changed for different applications and the feed wheels are disposed parallel to each other and movable sideways relative to each other so that their spacing can be changed to accommodate different widths of ladder stock. In order to provide a path for the ladder stock form the feed wheels to the hollow slotted needles for different feed wheel spacings and/or needle spacings, each feed track assembly includes a pivotally mounted section.




The apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,816 is well known in the art and is commonly referred to simply as a variable needle system (VNS). As can be appreciated, the variable needle system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,816 suffers from a notable drawback. Specifically, in use, the user is required to manually urge the items to be coupled against the pair of needles in such a manner so that the pair of needles penetrates through the items. As a result, it has been found that the user is at risk of inadvertently contacting the sharpened end of the needles, which is highly undesirable.




In U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,366 to C. L. Deschenes, 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.




The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,366 includes a frame which includes a base, a neck, a housing, and an arm onto which a reactor plate is mounted. It should be noted that the reactor plate for the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,366 serves as a support surface, or anvil, on which the items to be coupled by a plastic fastener are placed. The reactor plate typically includes a top surface, a bottom surface and a pair of openings formed in the top surface. The openings are typically circular in lateral cross-section and are relatively small in size (approximately 0.25 inches in diameter).




In use, the items to be attached by a plastic fastener using the device described above are placed on the reactor plate. Activation of the crank arm drives each hollow slotted needle down through the items to be attached and into an associated opening formed in the top surface of the reactor plate. With each needle disposed through the items and into its associated opening in the reactor plate, further activation of the crank arm downwardly projects an ejector rod which is disposed inside the hollow needle. Downward projection of the ejector rod urges a cross-bar of the plastic fastener through the articles to be coupled, thereby securing the articles together.




Although devices of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,366 have performed reasonably well in dispensing plastic fasteners, it has been found that these types of devices often experience two notable drawbacks.




As a first drawback, it has been found that, on occasion, the reactor plate provides inadequate support during the process of coupling together the desired articles. Specifically, it has been found that, as each needle is attempting to pierce through the items during the coupling process, articles which are manufactured out of a thin material are often pushed down into its associated opening in the reactor plate by the needle. As a result, the needle is unable to pierce all the way through the items, thereby preventing the device from properly coupling the desired articles with a plastic fastener, which is highly undesirable.




As a second drawback, it has been found that, on occasion, each needle does not properly align itself down into its associated opening formed in the reactor plate. Specifically, as the needle is displaced downward through the items, the fabric, or weave, of the items often bends, or attenuates, the needle, thereby displacing the needle laterally. As a consequence, the needle is often misaligned and, accordingly, will abut against the top surface of the reactor plate rather than project down into the relatively small opening in the reactor plate, thereby preventing the device from properly coupling the desired articles with a plastic fastener, which is highly undesirable.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved system for coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener.




It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener which has a limited number of parts, which is easy to use and which is inexpensive to manufacture.




Accordingly, as one feature of the present invention, there is provided a system for coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener, said system comprising a device for dispensing the plastic fastener, said device comprising at least one hollowed needle, and an anvil adapted to support the two or more items to be coupled by the plastic fastener, said anvil comprising a plurality of filaments. brush anvil adapted to support two or more items to be coupled by a plastic fastener, said brush anvil comprising a plurality of filaments.




As another feature of the present invention, there is provided a system for coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener, said system comprising a device for dispensing the plastic fastener, said device comprising at least one hollowed needle, and an anvil adapted to support the two or more items to be coupled by the plastic fastener, said anvil comprising a first tuft of filaments and a second tuft of filaments.




As another feature of the present invention, there is provided a method of coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener, comprising the steps of providing an anvil comprising a plurality of filaments, disposing the two or more items on said anvil, and coupling the two or more items using a device for dispensing the plastic fastener, the device for dispensing the plastic fastener comprising at least one 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 top perspective view of a system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention for coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener;





FIG. 2

is a front plan view of the system shown in

FIG. 1

, the system being shown with the anvil supporting a pair of items to be coupled with a plastic fastener, the pair of items being shown in phantom;





FIG. 3

is an enlarged, fragmentary, front plan view of the device for dispensing plastic fasteners shown in

FIG. 1

, the device being shown with a continuous supply of plastic fasteners fed therethrough for dispensing;





FIG. 4

is a top perspective view of the anvil shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 5

is a top plan view of the support block shown in

FIG. 4

; and





FIG. 6

is an enlarged, fragmentary, top plan view of the anvil shown in

FIG. 4

is a rear plan view of the brush anvil shown in

FIG. 1

, the brush anvil being shown supporting a pair of items which are to be coupled by a device for dispensing plastic fasteners, the pair of items and the device for dispensing plastic fasteners being shown in phantom.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring now to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, there is shown a system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention for coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener, the system being identified generally as reference numeral


11


.




System


11


comprises a device


13


for dispensing the plastic fastener and an anvil


15


for supporting the two or items to be coupled by the plastic fastener.




Device


13


represents any well known device for dispensing plastic fasteners which includes one or more sharpened needles


17


. As an example, device


13


may be of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,816 to C. L. Deschenes , et al. As another example, device


13


may be of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,366 to C. L. Deschenes et al. As another example, device


13


may be a handheld tagger gun of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,017 to D. B. Russell.




Device


13


is preferably of the type which can be used to dispense fasteners


19


from continuously connected ladder stock


21


. Specifically, referring now to

FIG. 3

, ladder stock


21


is preferably made of plastic and comprises a pair of side members


23


and


25


interconnected by a plurality of cross links


27


. A fastener


19


which is obtained from ladder stock


21


comprises a pair of end bars


29


and


31


interconnected by a filament


33


with end bars


29


and


31


comprising sections of side members


23


and


25


, respectively, and filament


33


comprising a cross link


27


.




Referring now to

FIGS. 4-6

, anvil


15


comprises a support block


37


and a plurality of filaments


39


disposed into support block


37


.




Support block


37


comprises a substantially flat top surface


41


, a substantially flat bottom surface


43


and four sidewalls


45


. Support block


37


has a length L


1


of approximately 4.0 inches, a width W


1


of approximately 4.0 inches and a thickness T


1


of approximately 0.75 inches.




Support block


37


is preferably constructed out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). However, it is to be understood that support block


37


could be constructed out of alternative materials which have rigid and durable characteristics, such as different types of plastics, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.




Referring now to

FIG. 5

, a plurality of openings


47


are formed into top surface


41


of support block


37


and extend down a portion of the distance from top surface


41


towards bottom surface


43


. Each opening


47


is generally circular in lateral cross-section with a diameter of approximately 0.098 inches. As will be described further in detail below, a tuft of brush filaments


39


is disposed into each opening


47


to form anvil


15


.




Preferably, support block


37


is shaped to include eight hundred fifty-eight openings


47


which are configured into a plurality of parallel columns, as represented by reference numeral


49


, and a plurality of parallel rows, as represented by reference numeral


51


. Specifically, support block


37


is shaped to include twenty-five major columns


49


-


1


which alternate with twenty-four minor columns


49


-


2


, successive major columns


49


-


1


being spaced approximately 0.156 inches apart. In addition, support block


37


is shaped to include eighteen major rows


51


-


1


which alternate with seventeen minor rows


51


-


2


, successive major rows


51


-


1


being spaced approximately 0.221 inches apart.




It should be noted that support block


37


is not limited to the particular number and configuration of openings


47


described above. Rather, it is to be understood that support block


37


could include alternative numbers of openings


47


or could arrange openings


47


in alternative configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention.




A tuft


53


of filaments


39


is disposed into each opening


47


, as shown in FIG.


6


. Each tuft


53


represents a bundle, or cluster, of approximately eighteen filaments


39


. However, it is to be understood that each tuft


53


could comprise alternative numbers of filaments


39


without departing from the spirit of the present invention.




Each filament


39


is preferably constructed of nylon. However, it is to be understood that filaments


39


need not be limited to nylon. Rather, filaments


39


could be constructed of alternative materials, such as other types of plastics having a stiffness similar to nylon, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.




Each filament


39


is generally circular in lateral cross-section and has a diameter of approximately 0.018. It should be noted that the relatively thin diameter of filaments


39


enables needles


17


of device


13


to easily project down between filaments


39


, which is highly desirable.




Each tuft


53


of filaments


39


is retained within support block


37


by lining its associated opening


47


with an adhesive, such as epoxy. However, it is to be understood that anvil


15


is not limited to the use of an adhesive to retain each tuft


53


within its associated opening


47


. Rather, each tuft


53


could be retained within its associated opening


47


by alternative means, such as by fittingly disposing each tuft


53


of filaments


39


into its associated opening


47


, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.




Each filament


39


includes a free end


55


. Filaments


39


are disposed into support block


37


in such a manner that free end


55


of each filament


39


is spaced approximately 0.7 inches away from top surface


41


.




Accordingly, system


11


can be used in the following manner. Specifically, in use, two or more items


61


which are to be fastened together are disposed onto free end


55


of filaments


39


. With items


61


disposed as such, hollow needles


17


of device


13


are projected through items


61


and down between filaments


39


. With hollow needles


17


disposed through items


61


, device


13


ejects the pair of end bars


29


and


31


of an individual plastic fastener


19


out through hollow needles


17


, thereby fastening items


61


together.




It should be noted that the particular density of filaments


39


in anvil


15


(i.e., the type and size of individual filaments


39


, the number of filaments


39


per tuft


53


, and the spacing between tufts


53


) creates numerous advantages.




As a first advantage, the particular density of filaments


39


in anvil


15


is such that needles


17


of device


13


can easily penetrate between filaments


39


. Specifically, it should be noted that, if a needle


17


pierces through items


61


and projects down onto free end


55


of an individual filament


39


, the downward force of needle


17


will bend and laterally displace the individual filament


39


an adequate distance so that needle


17


can protrude down between filaments


39


. Due to the resiliency in their construction, filaments


39


return to their original position upon withdrawal of needles


17


from within anvil


15


, which is highly desirable.




As a second advantage, the particular density of filaments


39


in anvil


15


is such that anvil


15


acts as a support that is strong enough to hold items


61


when fastened together. Specifically, because filaments


39


are constructed out of a strong nylon material and are disposed in a high density configuration, anvil


15


provides a strong enough support for items


61


so as to allow hollow needles


17


to easily pierce through items


61


during the fastening process, which is highly desirable. In addition, because filaments


39


are disposed in a high density configuration, the material of items


61


will not be forced between filaments


39


, thereby precluding penetration of needles


17


through items


61


, which is highly desirable.




As a third advantage, the particular density of filaments


39


in anvil is such that end bars


29


and


31


of the dispensed fastener


19


will not toggle out within filaments


39


, thereby causing fastener


19


to attach itself to anvil


15


. Specifically, end bars


29


and


31


of the dispensed fastener


19


, upon ejection from device


13


, are disposed in a substantially vertical position between filaments


39


. Accordingly, it is important to note that the particular density of filaments


39


is such that end bars


29


and


31


will not toggle into a substantially horizontal position between filaments


39


, thereby disposing end bars


29


and


31


in a perpendicular relationship with the filaments. As can be appreciated, if end bars


29


and


31


toggle into a substantially horizontal position between filaments


39


, there is a risk of one of end bars


29


and


31


anchoring, or engaging, filaments


39


, which is highly undesirable. As a result, anvil


15


is constructed so that, as each needle


17


projects between filaments


39


, needle


17


serves to create an adequate space between filaments


39


so that end bars


29


and


31


of the ejected plastic fastener


19


will be able to protrude out from needle


17


and slide out from between filaments


39


without engaging any individual filament


39


.




It should also be noted that anvil


15


may be used in different capacities.




As one example, anvil


15


may be fixedly mounted onto a support surface, such as a table, by any conventional means. Specifically, anvil


15


may be screwed onto the support surface, clamped onto the support surface, or secured onto the support surface using an adhesive, such as glue.




As another example, anvil


15


may be fixedly mounted onto a component of fastener dispensing device


13


, such as a reactor plate, by any conventional means. Specifically, anvil


15


may be screwed onto a component of device


13


, clamped onto a component of device


13


, or secured onto a component of device


13


using an adhesive, such as glue.




As another example, anvil


15


may be secured onto the hand of a worker. Specifically, anvil


15


may be secured onto the hand of a worker using a strap.




It should further be noted that anvil


15


is not limited to the use of support block


37


to retain tufts


53


of filaments


39


in their desired configuration. Rather, it is to be understood that anvil


15


could be alternatively constructed without support block


37


without departing from the spirit of the present invention. As an example, rather than using support block


37


to hold tufts


53


of filaments


39


, one end of tufts


53


could be coupled together by an adhesive, such as glue, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. As another example, rather than using support block


37


to hold tufts


53


of filaments


39


, one end of tufts


53


could be coupled together by a string, or other similar device, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.




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 coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener, said system comprising:(a) a device for dispensing the plastic fastener, said device comprising at least one hollowed needle, and (a) an anvil adapted to support the two or more items to be coupled by the plastic fastener, said anvil comprising a plurality of filaments.
  • 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said anvil comprises a plurality of tufts of filaments.
  • 3. The system of claim 2 wherein said anvil comprises a block, said plurality of tufts of filaments being fixed to said block and extending upward substantially vertically from said block.
  • 4. The system of claim 3 wherein said block is shaped to include a plurality openings, each opening being sized and shaped to receive a tuft of said filaments.
  • 5. The system of claim 4 wherein each opening formed in said block is generally circular in lateral cross-section with a diameter of approximately 0.098 inches.
  • 6. The system of claim 2 wherein said anvil comprises a high density of said tufts of filaments.
  • 7. The system of claim 6 wherein each of said filaments in said tufts of filaments is constructed of nylon.
  • 8. The system of claim 7 wherein each of said filaments in said tufts of filaments is generally circular in lateral cross-section with a diameter of approximately 0.018 inches.
  • 9. A system for coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener, said system comprising:(a) a device for dispensing the plastic fastener, said device comprising at least one hollowed needle, and (a) an anvil adapted to support the two or more items to be coupled by the plastic fastener, said anvil comprising a first tuft of filaments and a second tuft of filaments.
  • 10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a block which is adapted to hold said first tuft of filaments and said second tuft of filaments.
  • 11. The system of claim 10 wherein said block is shaped to include a first opening sized and shaped to receive said first tuft of filaments and a second opening sized and shaped to receive said second tuft of filaments.
  • 12. The system of claim 11 wherein each of said first and second openings in said block is generally circular in lateral cross-section with a diameter of approximately 0.098 inches.
  • 13. The system of claim 9 wherein each of said first and second tufts of filaments comprises a high density of filaments.
  • 14. The system of claim 13 wherein each of said filaments is constructed of nylon.
  • 15. The system of claim 14 wherein each of said filaments is generally circular in lateral cross-section with a diameter of approximately 0.018 inches.
  • 16. The system of claim 15 wherein each of said first and second tufts comprises approximately eighteen filaments.
  • 17. A method of coupling two or more items with a plastic fastener, comprising the steps of:(a) providing an anvil comprising a plurality of filaments, (b) disposing the two or more items on said anvil, and (c) coupling the two or more items using a device for dispensing the plastic fastener, the device for dispensing the plastic fastener comprising at least one hollowed needle.
US Referenced Citations (12)
Number Name Date Kind
133966 Lightenhome Dec 1872 A
2303800 Swann Dec 1942 A
2326811 Wiggam et al. Aug 1943 A
3734375 Bone et al. May 1973 A
4039078 Bone Aug 1977 A
4288017 Russell Sep 1981 A
5092829 Gerber Mar 1992 A
5189936 Gerber et al. Mar 1993 A
5433366 Deschenes et al. Jul 1995 A
5615816 Deschenes et al. Apr 1997 A
5950901 Kubota Sep 1999 A
6244490 Flannery et al. Jun 2001 B1