Tagging apparatus

Claim 2

In a tagging apparatus for securing tags by filamentary fasteners to an article, said apparatus including a tag supply hopper, a fastener dispensing device having a hollow needle-like member upon which tags are adapted to be impaled and through which fasteners are dispensed, and a suction-head member adapted to grasp a tag at said hopper and to impale said tag upon said needle-like member, the improvement comprising: mounting means mounting said suction-head member for movement along a sinuous path of travel having an initial arcuate section extending downwardly and forwardly from said hopper means and a terminal approximately linear section extending generally parallel to said needle-like member.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said needle-like member is substantially vertical, and said path of travel further includes a generally horizontally extending section intermediate said initial and terminal sections.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said mounting means includes a cam track and a cam follower.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said mounting means includes a toggle linkage.

Claim 6

In a tagging apparatus for securing tags by filamentary fasteners to an article, said apparatus including a tag supply hopper, a fastener dispensing device having a hollow needle-like member upon which tags are adapted to be impaled and through which fasteners are dispensed, and a suction-head member adapted to grasp a tag at said hopper and to impale said tag upon said needle-like member, the improvement comprising: mounting means mounting said suction-head member for movement along a sinuous path of travel having an initial arcuate section extending downwardly and forwardly from said hopper means and a terminal approximately linear section extending generally parallel to said needle-like member, said mounting means including a cam track and a cam follower and a toggle linkage.

Claim 7

In a tagging apparatus for securing tags by filamentary fasteners to an article, said apparatus including a tag supply hopper, a fastener dispensing device having a hollow needle-like member upon which tags are adapted to be impaled and through which fasteners are dispensed, and a suction-head member adapted to grasp a tag at said hopper and to impale said tag upon said needle-like member, the improvement comprising: mounting means mounting said suction-head member for movement along a sinuous path of travel having an initial arcuate section extending downwardly and forwardly from said hopper means and a terminal approximately linear section extending generally parallel to said needle-like member, said mounting means including a cam track and a cam follower and a toggle linkage.

Claim 8

Modular tagging apparatus for securing tags of differing configurations to an article by filamentary fasteners, comprising: at least one support unit; fastener dispension means carried by said support unit, said dispensing means having a hollow needle-like member upon which tags and articles are adapted to be impaled and through which the fasteners are adapted to be dispensed; first and second tag supplying units, each of said tag supplying units including hopper means for storing a plurality of tags, and tag conveying means for conveying tags from said hopper means to an onto said needle-like member of said fastener dispensing means; first and second mounting means adjustably mounting respective ones of said first and second tag suplying units upon said support unit for rapid universal adjustive movement, by an operator of the apparatus and in whichever ones a plurality of different directions as compensates for tag-configuration variation, parallel to a supporting surface of said support unit; said adjustive movement of each of said tag supplying units effecting movemlent of the therewith associated ones of said hopper means and said tag conveying means in unison with each other relative to said needle-like member of said dispensing means and relative to the other of said tag supplying units; said mounting means also mounting each of said tag supplying units for rapid removal from said support unit when desired; said tag conveying means of each of said units including suction-head means adapted to engage and grasp successive tags at said hopper means of said unit, and suction-head mounting means mounting said suction-head means for bidirectional movement along a sinuous path of travel having a first arcuate section extending forwardly and downwardly from a tag pick-up location adjacent said hopper means of said unit, a second section extending gernerally parallel to said needle, and a generally horizontally extending third section intermediate said first and second sections; said suction-head mounting means of each of said units including a shaft mounted for oscillatory movement about its central axis, drive means for imparting said movement at desired times to said shaft, a toggle assembly connected to said shaft, and cam means operatively associated with said toggle assembly.

Claim 9

Modular tagging apparatus for securing tags of differing configurations to an article by filamentary fasteners, comprising: at least one support unit; fastener dispension means carried by said support unit, said dispensing means having a hollow needle-like member upon which tags and articles are adapted to be impaled and through which the fasteners are adapted to be dispensed; first and second tag supplying units, each of said tag supplying units including hopper means for storing a plurality of tags, and tag conveying means for conveying tags from said hopper means to an onto said needle-like member of said fastener dispensing means; first and second mounting means adjustably mounting respective ones of said first and second tag suplying units upon said support unit for rapid universal adjustive movement, by an operator of the apparatus and in whichever ones a plurality of different directions as compensates for tag-configuration variation, parallel to a supporting surface of said support unit; said adjustive movement of each of said tag supplying units effecting movemlent of the therewith associated ones of said hopper means and said tag conveying means in unison with each other relative to said needle-like member of said dispensing means and relative to the other of said tag supplying units; said mounting means also mounting each of said tag supplying units for rapid removal from said support unit when desired; said tag conveying means of each of said units including suction-head means adapted to engage and grasp successive tags at said hopper means of said unit, and suction-head mounting means mounting said suction-head means for bidirectional movement along a sinuous path of travel having a first arcuate section extending forwardly and downwardly from a tag pick-up location adjacent said hopper means of said unit, a second section extending gernerally parallel to said needle, and a generally horizontally extending third section intermediate said first and second sections; said suction-head mounting means of each of said units including a shaft mounted for oscillatory movement about its central axis, drive means for imparting said movement at desired times to said shaft, a toggle assembly connected to said shaft, and cam means operatively associated with said toggle assembly.

Claim 10

Apparatus as in claim 6, wherein each said toggle assembly includes a pair of toggle links and an interconnecting pin member, and each said suction-head mounting means further includes a suction-head support arm connected adjacent one end to said pin member and connectd adjacent its opposite end to said suction head of the associated one of said units.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein each said cam means includes a cam follower connecting to and extending from one of said toggle links of said toggle assembly of the associated one of said units.

Claim 12

Apparatus as in claim 8, wherein each said cam means further includes a sinuous cam track cooperable with said cam follower of the associated one of said units.

Claim 13

Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein each said drive means includes a pneumatic linear actuator connected to said shaft of the associated one of said units.

Claim 14

Modular tagging apparatus for securing tags of differing configurations to an article by filamentary fasteners, comprising: at least one support unit; fastener dispensing means carried by said support unit, said dispensing means having a hollow needle-like member upon which tags and articles are adapted to be impaled and through which the fasteners are adapted to be dispensed; at least one tag supplying unit, said tag supplying unit including hopper means for storing a supply of tags, and tag conveying means for conveying tags from said hopper means to and onto said needle-like member of said fastener dispensing means; and means adjustably mounting said tag supplying unit upon said support unit for rapid adjustive movement, by an operator of the apparatus and in whichever ones of a plurality of different directions as compensates for tag-configuration variation, of said hopper means and said tag conveying means in unison with each other relative to said needle-like member of said dispensing means.

Claim 15

Modular tagging apparatus for securing tags of differing configurations to an article by filamentary fasteners, comprising: at least one support unit; fastener dispensing means carried by said support unit, said dispensing means having a hollow needle-like member upon which tags and articles are adapted to be impaled and through which the fasteners are adapted to be dispensed; at least one tag supplying unit, said tag supplying unit including hopper means for storing a supply of tags, and tag conveying means for conveying tags from said hopper means to and onto said needle-like member of said fastener dispensing means; and means adjustably mounting said tag supplying unit upon said support unit for rapid adjustive movement, by an operator of the apparatus and in whichever ones of a plurality of different directions as compensates for tag-configuration variation, of said hopper means and said tag conveying means in unison with each other relative to said needle-like member of said dispensing means.

Claim 16

Apparatus as in claim 11, wherein said mounting means includes rapidly engageable and disengageable clamping means for in a partially engaged condition permitting universal adjustive movement of said tag supplying unit parallel to a supporting surface of said support unit, and for in a fully disengaged condition permitting rapid removal of said tag supplying unit from said support unit.

Claim 17

Apparatus as in claim 12, and further including a second tag supplying unit, and second mounting means mounting said second unit upon said support unit for multidirectional adjustive movement of the tag hopper means and the tag conveying means of said second unit in unison with each other relative to said needle of said fastener dispensing means and relative to said first-mentioned tag supplying unit.

Claim 18

Apparatus as in claim 13, wherein said tag conveying means of each of said units includes suction-head means adapted to engage and grasp successive tags at said hopper means, and mounting means mounting said suction-head means for bidirectional movement along a sinuous path of travel having a first arcuate section extending forwardly and downwardly from a tag pick-up location adjacent said hopper means, and a second section extending generally parallel to said needle.

Claim 19

Apparatus as in claim 14, wherein said path of travel includes a generally horizontally extending third section intermediate said first and second sections.

Claim 20

Apparatus as in claim 15, wherein said means mounting said suction-head means includes a shaft mounted for oscillatory movement about its central axis, drive means for imparting said movement at desired times to said shaft, a toggle assembly connected to said shaft, and cam means operatively associated with said toggle assembly.

Claim 21

Apparatus as in claim 16, wherein said toggle assembly includes a pair of toggle links and an interconnecting pin member, and further including a suction-head support arm connected adjacent one end to said pin member and connected adjacent its opposite end to said suction head.

Claim 22

Apparatus as in claim 17, wherein said cam means includes one of said cam follower connecting to and extending from a toggle links of said toggle assembly.

Claim 23

Apparatus as in claim 18, wherein said cam means further includes a sinuous cam track cooperable with said cam follower.

Claim 24

Apparatus as in claim 19, wherein said drive means includes a pneumatic linear actuator connected to said shaft.