Avery Dennison Corporation

American Optical Corporation

Paul A Davignon

Charles L Deschenes

Richard M Bastien

William J Cooper

Steven E Flannery

Douglas Cooke

James C Benoit

Jeffrey A Raymond

William G Hartman

Hugh Smith

Hidekatsu Kinbara

Paul D Newcomb

Clark L Grendol

Terrence Keith Jones

Daniel M Gilbertson

John R Franks

Ethan C Hopkins

Harold M Miller

Philip G Backholm

Francis L Cormier, Jr

Michael G Duclos

F Thomas Bilek

According to one embodiment, the plastic fastener comprises a flexible filament having a length of about 4.3 mm and a tensile strength of about 2 pounds, a first transverse bar located at one end of the flexible filament, and a second transverse bar located at the opposite end of the flexible filament. The fastener clip, which preferably does not contain a runner bar, comprises a plurality of identical fasteners of the aforementioned type, each of the fasteners being arranged in a parallel, side-by-side, spaced relationship. A connector post connects the first transverse bars of adjacent fasteners, and a connector post connects the second transverse bars of adjacent fasteners. An extra transverse bar is connected by a connector post to the first transverse bar of the last fastener, and another extra transverse bar is connected by a connector post to the second transverse bar of the last fastener, the extra transverse bars not being interconnected by a flexible filament.

Plastic fastener, fastener clip, fastener dispensing tool and method of fastening objects

An individual plastic fastener for coupling together two or more items includes a shortened, cylindrical connector having a first end and a second end, a first disk-shaped cross-member integrally formed onto the first end of the connector and a second disk-shaped cross-member integrally formed onto the second end of the connector. Each of the first and second disk-shaped cross-members include a flat inner surface, a flat outer surface and a rounded side surface. A flat needle is designed for use in dispensing the individual plastic fastener. The needle terminates in a flattened tip and is shaped to define a longitudinally-extending rectangular bore which is dimensioned to receive one of the cross-members of the fastener and a longitudinally-extending slot which is dimensioned to permit the connector to extend therethrough while the cross-member is disposed within the bore.

Individual plastic fastener and needle for dispensing the same

A system for dispensing a fastener from a reel of fastener stock so as to secure a product onto a display card includes a module for dispensing the fastener, a counterbalance for supporting the module, a mounting stand for supporting the counterbalance, a reel holder for supporting the reel of fastener stock and an anvil for supporting the product and display card. The module includes a hollowed needle, a retractable needle guard assembly disposed over the needle, a feed mechanism for advancing the fastener into the needle, a severing mechanism for severing the fastener from the fastener stock, and an ejection mechanism for ejecting the fastener through the needle. The retractable needle guard assembly is capable of being disposed between a protective position and a retracted position and includes a fixedly mounted needle guard and a movable needle guard which is slidably mounted on the fixedly mounted needle guard.

System for dispensing plastic fasteners

A device for dispensing a plastic staple from fastener stock includes a housing, an ejection mechanism for dispensing the staple, a severing mechanism for separating the staple from the fastener stock and an indexing mechanism for advancing the fastener stock into the housing. The ejection mechanism includes a pair of needles, a pair of movable slides, a pair of ejector rods and an actuator pin extending perpendicularly between the slides. The severing mechanism includes a pivotally mounted cam having a non-linear slot which receives the actuator pin and a knife blade coupled to the cam. The indexing mechanism includes a feed slide and a rotatable feed dog for displacing the feed slide. The feed slide includes a pair of inwardly compressible spring arms which sequentially engage the fastener stock. During the ejection process, the actuator pin travels horizontally within the housing and selectively pivots the cam and the feed dog.

Device for dispensing plastic fasteners

A rivet tie for coupling together two or more objects. In one embodiment, the tie includes a cable tie shank and a pawl nut which are integrally connected together by a break-away attachment member of reduced strength. The cable tie shank includes a tail having a first end, a second end, a top surface, a plurality of ratchet teeth formed on the top surface and an enlarged button end integrally formed onto the second end. The pawl nut can be separated from the cable tie shank and includes a top surface, a bottom surface, an elongated central opening and a flexible pawl disposed to project into the elongated central opening. In use, two or more objects are disposed on the tail of the cable tie shank. The pawl nut is then slidably mounted onto the tail so as to effectively sandwich the objects between the enlarged button end and the pawl nut, the pawl sequentially engaging the plurality of ratchet teeth on the strap to secure the coupling of the objects together. In another embodiment, the tie further includes a shroud formed onto the top surface of the pawl nut over the elongated central opening, the shroud serving to prevent tampering of the flexible pawl when the tail is inserted into and through the pawl nut.

Rivet tie for coupling together two or more objects

A cable tie is used in conjunction with a cable tie installation tool to bundle a plurality of objects, such as wires or cables. The cable tie includes a head and a tail, the head having a pair of outwardly projecting wings. The tail is capable of insertion through the head so that the cable tie takes the shape of a loop with the tail engaging and being locked in position by a pawl inside the head, the tail being incapable of removal once it is inserted in the head. The cable tie installation tool includes a housing which is adapted to receive an individually loaded cable tie and which protects internal components of the tool. A transport assembly, which includes a motor driven belt, advances the tail of the cable tie around the plurality of objects to be bundled. A jaw assembly, which includes an upper jaw and a lower jaw that are driven by a motor into open, closed and overdosed positions, guides the tail through the head to form the cable tie into a closed loop around the desired bundle. A cinch assembly, which includes a pair of spaced apart, motor driven cinch knurls, further advances the tail through the head so as to reduce the size of the closed loop around the desired bundle. A tension monitoring device establishes and monitors a maximum tension level for the closed loop around the bundle, the device terminating activation of the cinch assembly upon detecting the maximum tension level. A cut assembly, which includes a knife blade coupled to a solenoid, severs the excess portion of the tail fed through the head once the tension monitoring device terminates activation of the cinch assembly.

Cable tie installation tool

Plastic fastener, fastener clip, fastener dispensing tool and method of fastening objects. According to one embodiment, the plastic fastener comprises a flexible filament having a length of about 4.3 mm and a tensile strength of about 2 pounds, a first transverse bar located at one end of the flexible filament, and a second transverse bar located at the opposite end of the flexible filament. The fastener clip, which preferably does not contain a runner bar, comprises a plurality of identical fasteners of the aforementioned type, each of the fasteners being arranged in a parallel, side-by-side, spaced relationship. A connector post connects the first transverse bars of adjacent fasteners, and a connector post connects the second transverse bars of adjacent fasteners. An extra transverse bar is connected by a connector post to the first transverse bar of the last fastener, and another extra transverse bar is connected by a connector post to the second transverse bar of the last fastener, the extra transverse bars not being interconnected by a flexible filament. The tool, according to one aspect, is a hand-held tool adapted for use with the above fastener and comprises (a) a casing, the casing being provided with a needle opening; (b) a hollow, slotted needle, the hollow, slotted needle being slidably movable back and forth between a retracted position disposed entirely within the casing and an extended position extending through the needle opening, the hollow, slotted needle being adapted to receive a transverse bar of the fastener; (c) an ejector rod, the ejector rod being slidably movable back and forth through the hollow, slotted needle to eject the enlargement disposed therein; and (d) an anvil coupled to the casing and extending in front of the needle opening, the anvil being positioned so that the hollow, slotted needle, when in said extended position, does not extend therebeyond.

A button attaching device for attaching a button having four holes to a layer of material includes a holder having a front end and a rear end, four rodless fastener dispensing needles projecting out from the front end of the holder and two fasteners, each having a foot at each end of an elongated filament. Each foot is removably mounted on one of the rodless fastener dispensing needles. A cover is removably mounted on the front end of the holder and includes an anvil. In use, the cover is removed from the holder and the layer of material placed on the cover over the anvil. The button is then placed over the layer of material. The holder is then pushed in the direction of the cover so that the needles and fastener feet extend through the holes in the button and through the layer of material, with the tips of the needles striking the anvil. The tension on the filaments of the fasteners causes the feet to pop out from the needles. The needles are then withdrawn leaving the button secured to the layer of material by the fasteners.

Button attaching device

A capillary feed marker assembly for use with substantially non-porous marking substrates. In one embodiment, the capillary feed marker assembly comprises a capillary feed ink marker, the capillary feed ink marker comprising an elongated, hollow, cylindrical body having a front end and a rear end and being adapted to define a reservoir for holding a quantity of ink for making erasable markings on substantially non-porous substrates. In addition, the assembly comprises a cap assembly, the cap assembly being removably mounted on the capillary feed marker and comprising (i) an elongated cylindrical body having an open first end and an open second end, and (ii) a dry eraser mounted within the open first end of the cylindrical body and projecting out therefrom.

Capillary feed ink marker assembly adapted for making erasable markings

A self-contained button attachment assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the assembly comprises a fastener dispensing tool. The tool includes a hollow, open-ended, unitary housing having a top portion and a bottom portion. The top portion and the bottom portion are generally cylindrical in shape, the top portion having a substantially greater cross-sectional diameter than the bottom portion. Four hollow, slotted needles are fixedly mounted in the housing and extend out through the bottom thereof. Four ejector rods are slidably mounted within the four needles, the four ejector rods being fixedly mounted at their respective top ends on a plate that is slidably mounted within the top portion of the housing and is accessible through the open top end thereof. The assembly also comprises a conventional garment button of the type having four transverse openings. The button is positioned within the bottom portion of the housing so that the four needles extend partially through its four transverse openings, the button being releasably retained within the housing by a circumferential lip formed on the inside of the housing. The assembly further comprises a pair of fasteners, each fastener comprising a U-shaped flexible filament and a pair of transverse feet, the transverse feet being disposed at opposite ends of the filament and extending perpendicularly to the plane of the filament. Each transverse foot is loaded into one of the hollow slotted needles and is positioned over the button.

Self-contained button attachment assembly

A one piece cable tie for forming a plurality of objects such as cables into a bundle. The cable tie includes an elongated flexible strap having a first end, a second end, a top planar surface, a bottom planar surface, a first recessed portion formed in the top planar surface, a second recessed portion formed in the bottom planar surface, a first set of ratchet-shaped teeth formed within the first recessed portion and a second set of ratchet-shaped teeth formed within the second recessed portion. The cable tie further includes a locking head integrally formed to the first end of the strap. The locking head includes a top surface and a bottom surface. The locking head also includes an inner channel wall, an outer channel wall and a pair of sidewalls which together define a strap accepting channel therebetween, the strap accepting channel having a first open end formed in the top surface of the locking head and a second open end formed in the bottom surface of the locking head. A locking pawl is pivotally connected to the inner channel wall of the locking head and a projection is fixedly connected to the outer channel wall of the locking head. The locking pawl and the projection lockably engage the teeth on opposite sides of the strap to prevent withdrawal of the strap from the locking head when the second end of the strap is inserted into the strap accepting channel through the first open end or when the second end of the strap is inserted into the strap accepting channel through the second open end.

Cable tie

A one piece cable tie for forming a plurality of objects such as cables into a bundle includes an elongated flexible strap having a top planar surface, a bottom planar surface, a first end and a second end. The strap further includes a plurality of transverse raised cross-members projecting up from the top planar surface, said raised cross-members being spaced along the length of the strap and defining therebetween a plurality of openings. A locking head is integrally formed to the first end of the strap. The locking head includes an outer end wall, an inner end wall and a pair of sidewalls which together define a generally rectangularly shaped strap accepting channel therebetween. A holding tab is disposed within the locking head and projects out from the inner end wall and into the strap accepting channel. The outer end wall is shaped to include an angled locking face. In use, after the second end of the strap has been inserted through the strap accepting channel and drawn tight around a bundle and the insertion force is thereafter relaxed, the stored pressure of the bundle by virtue of its configuration pivots said strap causing the rear surface of one of the raised ratchet teeth to abut against the angled locking face to lock the strap in place. At the same time, the holding tab engages with one of the openings in the strap to oppose deliberate release of the raised ratchet tooth from the locking face.

A button attaching device for attaching a button to a layer of material includes a C-frame having a top portion, an intermediate portion and a bottom portion. A plurality of needle block assemblies are disposed inside the top portion of the C-frame in a stack. A manually operable plunger is slidably mounted on the top portion of the C-frame for up and down movement and positioned to receive and move downward the lowermost needle block assembly in the stack. Each needle block assembly includes a block of elastomeric material, a pair of rodless fastener dispensing needles and a fastener of the type having a foot at each end of a filament. Each foot is removably mounted on one of the pair of rodless fastener dispensing needles. In use, a button and a layer of material to which the button is to be attached are positioned on top of an anvil formed on the bottom portion of the C-frame. The lowermost needle block assembly is pushed down by the plunger so that the needles extend through a pair of holes in the button and through the layer of material. The plunger is then retracted leaving the button secured to the layer of material by the fastener.

A button attaching device includes a top member and a bottom member which are hingedly connected together, the bottom member including an anvil. The button attaching device further includes a needle block assembly mounted on the top member. The needle block assembly includes a block of material, a pair of rodless fastener dispensing needles and a fastener. The fastener is shaped to include a foot formed at each end of a filament which can be removably mounted on one of the pair of rodless fastener dispensing needles. In one embodiment of the present invention, the needle block assembly is removably mounted on the top member and is sized and shaped so as to fit within a needle block assembly storage compartment formed in the bottom member. In another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of needle block assemblies are interconnected to form a needle block carousel which is rotably mounted within a hollowed portion formed in the top member. The carousel comprises a mounting block rotably mounted on the top member, each of the plurality of needle block assemblies being spring mounted on the mounting block.

Growing community of inventors

Uxbridge, MA, United States of America

Paul A Davignon