Tag feeding device

Claim 1

A TAG FEEDER FOR SINGLY SUPPLYING A FLEXIBLE TAG, COMPRISING: (A) A FLAT BOUNDARY MEANS AGAINST WHICH THE FORWARD SIDE OF A STACK OF FLEXIBLE TAGS IS ALIGNED, (B) A CURVED DISCHARGE MEANS, WHOSE LINEAR ELEMENTS ARE PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF THE BOUNDARY MEANS, THAT IS RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAID FLAT BOUNDARY MEANS, (C) A PAIR OF TAG SUPPORTS THAT RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAID FLAT BOUNDARY MEANS, NEAR TO SAID CURVED DISCHARGE MEANS BUT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE TO THE DIRECTION OF CURVATURE OF THE CURVED DISCHARGED MEANS, SAID TAG SUPPORTS BEING MUTUALLY SEPARATED BY A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF A TAG AND EACH TAG SUPPORT HAVING A FLAT SURFACE IN A COMMON TAG DISCHARGE PLANE THAT IS IN RIGHT-ANGLED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID FALT BOUNDARY MEANS AND SLIGHTLY BEYOND THE BEGINNING OF CURVATURE OF SAID CURVED DISCHARGE MEANS, WHEREBY THE ENDS OF THE STACK OF TAGS RESTS UPON THE FLAT SURFACES, (D) PRESSURE-APPLYING MEANS FOR COMPRESSING THE STACK OF TAGS AGAINST SAID FLAT SURFACES OF THE TAG SUPPORTS, SAID PRESSURE-APPLYING MEANS BEING RIGIDLY PARALLEL TO THE TAG DISCHARGE PLANE, (E) ROLL SUPPORT MEANS THAT ARE ATTACHED TO SAID TAG SUPPORTS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF FROM SAID FLAT SURFACES, (F) A TWO-STAGE TAG SELECTION MEANS, COMPRISING: (1) A DISCHARGE ROLL HAVING A PERIPHERAL SURFACE WHICH IS FORMED OF TWO DISTINCT SECTORIAL STEPS OF DIFFERING RADII, THAT IS ROTATABLY ATTACHED TO SAID ROLL SUPPORT MEANS AND SO MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID TAG SUPPORTS: (A) AS TO PERMIT ONLY THE STEP HAVING THE LARGER RADIUS TO PROTRUDE BEYOND THE FLAT SURFACES OF THE TAG SUPPORTS, (B) THAT ROTATION OF THE ROLL CAUSES THE PROTRUDING SECTORIAL STEP TO MOVE TOWARD SAID CURVED DISCHARGE MEANS, AND (C) ADDITIONAL ROTATION OF THE DISCHARGE ROLL BRINGS THE PROTRUDING SECTORIAL STEP INTO CIRCULAR CONVERGENCE WITH THE CURVED DISCHARGE MEANS WHILE MAINTAINING A SPACED-APART RELATIONSHIP THAT DEFINES A DISCHARGE SLOT THEREBETWEEN, AND (2) A COMPRESSION ROLL, HAVING A PERIHPERAL SURFACE WHICH IS FORMED OF TWO DISTINCT SECTORIAL STEPS OF DIFFERING RADII, THAT IS ROTATABLY ATTACHED TO SAID ROLL SUPPORT MEANS AT A GREATER DISTANCE FROM SAID CURVED DISCHARGE MEANS THAN SAID DISCHARGE ROLL AND SO MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID TAG SUPPORTS SO AS TO PERMIT ONLY THE STEP HAVING THE LARGER RADIUS TO PROTRUDE BEYOND SAID FLAT SURFACES OF THE TAG SUPPORTS, WHEREBY THE COMPRESSION ROLL INITIALLY COMPRESSES THE STACK OF TAGS ON THE REARWARD SIDE THEREOF, THUS LOOSENING THE STACK OF TAGS ON THE FORWARD SIDE THEREOF AND THE DISCHARGE ROLL SECONDARILY COMMPRESSES THE STACK OF TAGS ON THE FORWARD SIDE THEREOF AT THE SAME TIME AS, OR SLIGHTLY AFTER, THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE TAG ADJACENT TO THE TAG DISCHARGE PLANE STRIKES THE CURVED DISCHARGE MEANS, (G) DRIVE MEANS THAT ARE ATTACHED TO SAID ROLL SUPPORT MEANS, (H) GEAR MEANS THAT ARE CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE MEANS AND TO THE DISCHARGE ROLL ND THE COMPRESSION ROLL, WHEREBY ALL OF THE ROLLS ROTATE SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND AT THE SAME ROTATIONAL SPEED.