A tagging machine for tagging articles, comprising:
- a casing having a front portion at one end and a rear portion at its opposite end;
- an article receiving means at said casing one end for receiving an article to be tagged;
- a grip by which said machine is held, said grip being attached at said casing opposite end;
- a passageway into said casing from the direction of its said rear portion toward said article receiving means for transmitting a continuous strip of tags therealong;
- a lever for operating said machine;
- a pivot mount for said lever and said lever being pivotally mounted to its said pivot mount and being located in said casing;
- said lever extending through said casing rear portion and extending near said grip;
- said lever being movable between a first position and a second portion;
- biasing means for normally biasing said lever to said first position;
- feed means for engaging and feeding a continuous strip of tags along said passageway to said article receiving means;
- said feed means including pawl means located in and movable along said passageway and being movable toward and away from said article receiving means;
- said pawl means being engageable with the strip of tags upon movement of said pawl means toward said article receiving means and being disengageable from the strip of tags upon movement of said pawl means in the opposite direction;
- first link means linking said pawl means to said lever in a manner such that movement of said lever toward its said second position moves said pawl means away from said article receiving means and movement of said lever toward its said first position moves said pawl means toward said article receiving means;
- a platen located in said passageway and facing toward a printing means, said platen being provided for having a tag to be printed rest thereupon;
- printing means facing towards said platen for printing and inscription upon a tag in a strip of tags in said passageway, which tag is the one in the strip then located on said platen;
- second link means linking said printing means with said lever in a manner such that movement of said lever to its said second position moves said printing means against said platen to print the tag then on said platen and movement of said lever to its said first position moves said printing means off said platen;
- tag strip cutting means comprising a cutting blade for cutting the strip of tags;
- third link means linking said cutting means with said lever in a manner such that movement of said lever to its said second position moves said cutting blade across said passageway and movement of said lever to its said first position raises said cutting blade away from said passageway and away from the strip of tags;
- said cutting blade being so located and movable that it moves across said passageway at a location selected to be where neighboring tags in the strip thereof will be joined;
- tag attaching means located further along said passageway toward said casing front portion than said printing means and said cutting means;
- said tag attaching means being positioned at said article receiving means and being adapted to attach together an article to be tagged and a tag then at said article receiving means;
- fourth link means linking said lever and said tag attaching means in a manner such that upon movement of said lever to its said second position, said tag attaching means engages the article and the tag then at said article receiving means and attaches them together, and upon movement of said lever to its said first position, said tag attaching means is moved away from said article receiving means and the article and the tag therein;
- pressure return means engageable with said tag attaching means for forcing said tag attaching means away from said article receiving means;
- fifth link means linking said pressure return means with said lever such that said pressure return means engages said tag attaching means to force said tag attaching means away from said article receiving means upon said lever beginning to move to its said first position;
- positioning means for a strip of tags, including a stopper movable into and out of said passageway;
- said stopper being shaped and oriented to be received in a slit between two adjacent tags of a strip thereof located in said passageway;
- sixth link means linking said strip positioning means and said lever for moving said stopper into and out of said passageway in a sequence of operation of said stopper such that said stopper is in said passageway when said lever is in said first position and when said lever is moving to said second position, is out of said passageway when said lever has moved to said second position and returns to be in said passageway as said lever is returning from said second position to said first position.