Knotter mechanism bill hook

Abstract

The stationary, lower jaw of the rotary bill hook has a transversely bulbous toe at its forward end that protrudes laterally outwardly in opposite directions from the longitudinal axis of the jaw. A laterally constricted neck immediately behind the toe retains strands looped around the hook during knot tying, and although the toe is bulbous, the jaw is so contoured that its circumference from the neck to the forwardmost edge of the toe does not exceed the circumference at the neck. As a result, a small, tight knot can be made without accidentally enlarging and loosening the same as it is stripped from the bill hook. The forwardly converging relationship of the upper and lower surfaces of the stationary jaw, together with an oblique relationship of the bulbous toe to the longitudinal axis of the jaw, provide the desired circumferential relationship. A ledge is presented by the protrusion on the trailing side of the jaw to support the pigtail ends of the strands as the knot is stripped from the bill hook, and the leading side of the jaw is longitudinally concave from the leading protrusion rearwardly to the neck so as to urge the strands rearwardly to the neck during the tying operation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.