Device for marking articles

Claim 1

AN ARTICLE MARKING DEVICE COMPRISING: MOUNTING MEANS; A PAIR OF LEVERS SUPPORTED INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS ON SAID MOUNTING MEANS FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL FIRST AXIS AND HAVING A PAIR OF JAWS ON ONE END OF THE LEVERS FOR CLAMPING THE ARTICLE THEREBETWEEN; MEANS ON THE LOWER ONE OF SAID JAWS FOR MARKING THE ARTICLE; MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE ARTICLE IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION BETWEEN SAID JAWS; A PAIR OF TOGGLE LINKS INTERCONNECTING THE OTHER ENDS OF SAID LEVERS; A FLUID-OPERATED ACTUATOR SUPPORTED AT ONE END THEREOF ON SAID MOUNTING MEANS FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A SECOND AXIS PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST AXIS AND HAVING A RECIPROCATORY PISTON ROD CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID TOGGLE LINKS FOR ACTUATING SAID LEVERS, SAID ACTUATOR IN ITS UNOPERATED CONDITION BEING BIASED BY ITS WEIGHT FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS TO AN OBLIQUE POSITION TO EFFECT THE MOVEMENT OF THE JAWS TO PREDETERMINED POSITIONS WITH THE UPPER ONE OF SAID JAWS CLOSER TO SAID ARTICLE, SO THAT IN RESPONSE TO THE OPERATION OF THE ACTUATOR THE LEVERS ARE ACTUATED TO EFFECT THE SEQUENTIAL ENGAGEMENT OF THE JAWS WITH THE ARTICLE; AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID ACTUATOR IN SAID OBLIQUE POSITON.