Back to results
US 5,205,458 AGranted
Button attacher with variable needle spacing
OwnerSteven Kunreutherinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerSteven Kunreutherinventor
Estimating the term…
Double "T" bar fasteners are dispensed through spaced needles which extend from different portions of the attacher housing. To attach a button, the needles are inserted through the thread holes of the button as it is held adjacent to the material to which it is to be attached. The housing portions are resiliently connected so that the portions can be moved relative to each other to vary the needle spacing and thus accommodate buttons with different hole spacing. The portions are biased to return to the original position. The portions may be halves of the housing connected by a living hinge. Internal compartments within each housing half enclose portions of fastener feed mechanism. The compartments are accessible when the housing is open to permit insertion of the parts and close when the housing halves snap-fit together. Each feed mechanism portion includes a spring loaded pawl with a tooth which normally engages an index wheel. The pawls are manually caused to travel along a path defined by oval guide tracks in the housing wall to cause the index wheels to simultaneously rotate and feed the fasteners.
Apparatus for dispensing double "T" bar fasteners through spaced hollow needles, the apparatus comprising a housing from which the needles extend, means in said housing, effective when actuated, to push the "T" bar ends of a fastener through the needles, said housing comprising first and second portions, a different one of the needles extending from each of said housing portions, means for resiliently connecting said housing portions to permit relative movement of said housing portions from a remote position toward a proximate position to alter the spacing between the needles when external forces are applied to said housing portions and for biasing said housing portions toward said remote position to permit said housing portions to return to said remote position when said external forces are released, said push means comprising first and second spaced push rods, means for simultaneously moving said rods to push the "T" bar ends through the needles and means for mounting said rods to said moving means to permit the relative position of said rods to change, as said housing portions move between said remote and proximate positions, so as to accommodate the alterations in needle spacing.
Apparatus for dispensing double "T" bar fasteners through spaced hollow needles, the apparatus comprising a housing from which the needles extend, means in said housing, effective when actuated, to push the "T" bar ends of a fastener through the needles, said housing comprising first and second portions, a different one of the needles extending from each of said housing portions and means for resiliently connecting said housing portions to permit relative movement of said housing portions to alter the spacing between the needles, means in said housing for feeding fasteners one at a time into alignment with the needles, said feed means comprising first and second feed mechanism portions and means for substantially simultaneously actuating said first and second feed mechanism portions, said first and second feed mechanism portions being situated within said first and second housing portions, respectively, each of said housing portions comprising a compartment within which the feed mechanism portion associated with said housing portion is situated, each of said housing portions comprising a side wall, each of said compartments being defined, in part, by said side wall of said housing portion associated with said compartment and in part by an internal wall of said housing portion, and further comprising means extending from said side wall of said housing portion for releasably engaging said internal wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.