The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 21, 1997
Filed:
Dec. 08, 1995
Clark L Grendol, Sturbridge, MA (US);
Avery Dennison Corporation, Pasadena, CA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for use in tying together a pair of opposing shoelace eyelets of a shoe upper with a plastic fastener of the type comprising a flexible filament having a cross-bar disposed at one end thereof and a paddle comprising an opening disposed at the opposite end thereof. The apparatus includes a hollow slotted needle insertable through the pair of opposing shoelace eyelets and the opening in the paddle, a paddle positioning assembly for aligning the opening in the paddle with the pair of opposing shoelace eyelets, a cross-bar feeding assembly for loading the cross-bar into the needle, and a cross-bar ejecting assembly for ejecting the cross-bar from the needle. Where the plastic fastener is formed as part of a web of continuously connected fastener stock, the apparatus preferably further includes a web advancement assembly for advancing the web so that the paddle and the cross-bar of a plastic fastener are brought into register with the paddle positioning assembly and the cross-bar ejecting assembly, respectively.