Automatic brand applier

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING ELASTOMERIC IDENTIFICATION BRANDS TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF ELASTOMERIC HOSE IN PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATIONSHIP, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A BRAND DISPENSER CHAMBER MOUNTED ON SAID APPARATUS, A BRAND CARTRIDGE RESILIENTLY AND REMOVABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID CHAMBER, A BRAND MOVING PISTON SLIDEABLY CONTAINED WITHIN SAID CARTRIDGE, A PISTON ROD MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT WITHIN SAID CHAMBER AND FOR CONTACT WITH SAID PISTON, A CONVEYOR TO MOVE SAID HOSE IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LENGTH PAST A WORK PERFORMING STATION OF SAID APPARATUS, A ROTATABLE SHAFT SLIDEABLY MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT IN A VERTICAL DIRECTION ON SAID APPARATUS, A PLURALITY OF ARMS MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT PERPENDICULARYLY THERETO, A VACUUM BRAND GRIPPING HEAD MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID ARMS, INTERMITTENT GEAR MEANS TO ROTATE SAID GRIPPING HEADS SEQUENTIALLY TO A POSITION ADJACENT SAID BRAND CARTRIDGE AND TO SAID WORK STATION, CAM MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID ARMS TO MOVE EACH OF SAID GRIPPING HEADS IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID VERTICAL DIRECTION TO AND FROM BRAND GRIPPING CONTACT WITH SAID CARTRIDGE WHEN ADJACENT THERETO AND DOWNWARDLY AND AWAY FROM SAID CONVEYOR WHEN AT SAID WORK STATION, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID BRAND GRIPPING CONTACT TO URGE SAID PISTON ROD AGAINST SAID PISTON, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID DOWNWARD MOVEMENT TOWARD SAID CONVEYOR TO RELEASE A BRAND GRIPPED BY SAID VACUUM HEAD AT SAID WORK STATION TO APPLY SUCH RELEASED BRAND TO THE TOP OF THE HOSE, AND MEANS MOUNTED IN THE PATH OF SAID MOVING HOSE URGING SAID BRAND SO RELEASED INTO INTIMATE CONTACT WITH SAID HOSE.