Device for dispensing plastic fasteners
First Claim
1. A device for dispensing an individual fastener from a supply of fastener stock, the fastener stock being shaped to include a continuous side rail to which are coupled a plurality of equidistantly spaced cross links, the individual fastener including a filament coupled at one end to a cross-bar, the device comprising:
- (a) a hollowed needle shaped to define a longitudinal bore,(b) a feed mechanism for advancing the continuous side rail of the fastener stock into direct axial alignment behind the longitudinal bore of the hollowed needle, the feed mechanism comprising,(i) a rotatably mounted feed shaft,(ii) a feed wheel fixedly mounted on the feed shaft, the feed wheel comprising a plurality of sprockets which are sized and shaped to engage the supply of fastener stock, and(iii) first and second clutch wheels which are releasably matingly engageable with one another, the first clutch wheel being fixedly mounted on the feed shaft and the second clutch wheel being rotatably mounted on the feed shaft, each of the first and second clutch wheels including a plurality of ratchets,(iv) wherein the number of ratchets on each of the first and second clutch wheels is at most equal to the number of sprockets on the feed wheel,(c) a severing mechanism adapted to cut the continuous side rail of the supply of ladder stock to yield the individual fastener, and(d) an ejection mechanism for ejecting the cross-bar of the individual fastener axially through the longitudinal bore defined by the hollowed needle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device for dispensing an individual plastic fastener from a supply of fastener stock to couple together two or more objects. The supply of fastener stock includes a plurality of equidistantly spaced cross links which are coupled at one end to a continuous side rail. The fastener dispensing device includes a hollowed sharpened needle shaped to define a longitudinal bore and a feed mechanism for advancing the continuous side rail of the fastener stock into direct axial alignment behind the longitudinal bore of the hollowed needle. The feed mechanism includes a rotatably mounted feed shaft, a pair of feed wheels fixedly mounted on the feed shaft, each feed wheel comprising a plurality of sprockets which are sized and shaped to engage the supply of fastener stock, and first and second clutch wheels which are releasably matingly engageable with one another, the first clutch wheel being fixedly mounted on the feed shaft and the second clutch wheel being rotatably mounted on the feed shaft, each of the first and second clutch wheels including a plurality of ratchets. As a feature of the invention, the number of ratchets on each clutch wheel is at most equal to the number of sprockets on each feed wheel.
1243 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A device for dispensing an individual fastener from a supply of fastener stock, the fastener stock being shaped to include a continuous side rail to which are coupled a plurality of equidistantly spaced cross links, the individual fastener including a filament coupled at one end to a cross-bar, the device comprising:
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(a) a hollowed needle shaped to define a longitudinal bore, (b) a feed mechanism for advancing the continuous side rail of the fastener stock into direct axial alignment behind the longitudinal bore of the hollowed needle, the feed mechanism comprising, (i) a rotatably mounted feed shaft, (ii) a feed wheel fixedly mounted on the feed shaft, the feed wheel comprising a plurality of sprockets which are sized and shaped to engage the supply of fastener stock, and (iii) first and second clutch wheels which are releasably matingly engageable with one another, the first clutch wheel being fixedly mounted on the feed shaft and the second clutch wheel being rotatably mounted on the feed shaft, each of the first and second clutch wheels including a plurality of ratchets, (iv) wherein the number of ratchets on each of the first and second clutch wheels is at most equal to the number of sprockets on the feed wheel, (c) a severing mechanism adapted to cut the continuous side rail of the supply of ladder stock to yield the individual fastener, and (d) an ejection mechanism for ejecting the cross-bar of the individual fastener axially through the longitudinal bore defined by the hollowed needle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A feed mechanism for advancing a supply of fastener stock within a fastener dispensing device, the feed mechanism comprising,
(i) a rotatably mounted feed shaft, (ii) a feed wheel fixedly mounted on the feed shaft, the feed wheel comprising a plurality of sprockets which are sized and shaped to engage the supply of fastener stock, and (iii) first and second clutch wheels which are releasably matingly engageable with one another, the first clutch wheel being fixedly mounted on the feed shaft and the second clutch wheel being rotatably mounted on the feed shaft, each of the first and second clutch wheels including a plurality of ratchets, (iv) wherein the number of ratchets on each of the first and second clutch wheels is at most equal to the number of sprockets on the feed wheel.
Specification