Package binding apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR BINDING A PACKAGE WITH FLEXIBLE TAPE FED FROM A SUPPLY, MEANS FOR GRIPPING A FIRST PORTION OF THE TAPE, MOVABLE GUIDE MEANS FOR POSITIONING A SECOND PORTION OF THE TAPE EXTENDING TO SAID SUPPLY IN ADJACENT COEXTENDING RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST PORTION THEREOF AND FOR GUIDING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE TAPE ABOUT THE PACKAGE, A CLIP APPLYING MECHANISM INCLUDING A PAIR OF JAWS MOUNTED FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN A NORMAL OPEN POSITION FOR ACCOMMODATING AN OPEN CLIP AND A CLOSED POSITION FOR CLOSING THE CLIP, A JAW-ENGAGING CAM ELEMENT MOVABLE IN ONE DIRECTION BETWEEN SAID JAWS TO EFFECT MOVEMENT OF SAID JAWS TO THEIR CLOSED POSITION, MEANS FOR EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF SAID JAWS TOWARD THEIR OPEN POSITION WHEN SAID CAM ELEMENT IS MOVED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, AN IMPACT MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID CAM ELEMENT FOR LIMITED RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO BETWEEN SAID JAWS, WHEREBY SAID IMPACT MEMBER MAY BE DRIVEN IN ONE DIRECTION BY SAID CAM AND MAY BE WITHDRAWN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION BY SAID CAM, POWER MEANS FOR EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF SAID CAM ELEMENT TO CLOSE SAID JAWS AND FOR SUBSEQUENTLY EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF SAID IMPACT MEMBER TOWARD IMPACT ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID JAWS, WHEREBY THE CLIP MAY BE FIRST CLOSED AND THEN TIGHTLY COMPRESSED BETWEEN SAID JAWS AND SAID IMPACT MEMBER, MEANS FOR EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF SAID MECHANISM FROM A NORMAL RETRACTED POSITION REMOTE FROM THE PATH OF SAID MOVABLE GUIDE MEANS TO A CLIPPING POSITION IN WHICH THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF THE TAPE ARE DISPOSED BETWEEN THE JAWS OF SAID MECHANISM, WHEREBY THE CLIP IN SAID MECHANISM MAY BE CLOSED ABOUT AND TIGHTLY COMPRESSED ON THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF THE TAPE TO SECURELY FASTEN THEM TOGETHER, AND MEANS SEVERING THE SECOND PORTION OF THE TAPE INTERMEDIATE THE CLIPPED JOINT AND THE SUPPLY.