Article identification device

An identification device including a device body, a drive unit housed in the device body, a sliding dovetail shaped armature with a horizontal slot, a needle bar which is inserted into the armature and is secured by means of a spring loaded ball and screw. The armature moves in a vertical direction by means of its connection with a circular rotor attached to the drive unit. The rotor has at its rear end an offset pin which engages the horizontal slot located at the upper front portion of the armature, wherein the rotational movement of the circular rotor is translated into vertical motion of the sliding dovetail armature which assures that therre will be no horizontal displacement of the needle bar and thus achieving precise columnation of the needle bar and therefore precise application of the identification ink.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to an identification machine for 
identification of articles and for the identification of the skin of 
animals or humans and more specifically to a surgical instrument with a 
reciprocating needle for penetrating the surface of an article to apply 
ink or the like for identification or cosmetic surgery purposes. 
In the past the needle bar of identification machines were attached to the 
armature of the device by rubber bands or other precarious methods. The 
needle bars were hard to align and to keep secured. Also, there was no 
assurance against horizontal movement of the needle bar. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is the object of the invention to provide a machine for applying 
indelible ink to the skin in a precise fashion for medical, veterinary and 
cosmetic purposes. In the medical area it can be used for marking the 
effected area of throat cancer while treatment is being done, this thereby 
indicating the location of the infection and also serving as a indication 
of the growth of the infection. The machine can also be used by dental 
surgeons for marking the gums of patients for future surgery. In the 
cosmetic field it can be used for applying permanent eye liner, permanent 
lip color or simply skin ornamentation. The veterinary field uses skin 
markings so as to mark animals for permanent identification to aid in 
research and animal management. 
It is an object of the invention to provide precise application of 
indelible ink or the like to the skin of a human, animal, or article. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a lightweight easy and 
safe means for applying identifying markings for their various purposes. 
The machine, in accordance with the invention, with its attachments weighs 
only 4.6 ounces, has exceptionally good balance, and can be operated with 
or without a footswitch from a power box or directly from a six volt 
battery. The machine in accordance with the invention also has a jack plug 
which is located in the front for connection with a lightweight power 
supply cord. 
It is an object of the invention to provide a needle bar and tube which is 
easily detachable and secured into place by a locking means preferably 
including a spring loaded ball and a wing nut, respectively. Also, it is 
another object of the invention to provide an easily sterilizable needle 
bar and tube, preferably including a stainless steel needle bar and 
stainless steel needle tube. 
It is still another object of the invention to provide a means to apply 
identifying markings to objects without horizontal displacement so that 
better columnation of the needle bar and more precise application of the 
identification ink is achieved. Accordingly, it is the object of the 
invention to provide means to achieve this. This is accomplished by the 
design of the sliding dovetail shaped needle support member or armature 
and its attachment to the circular rotor and drive unit. This design 
assures that the needle support member and its attached needle bar will 
move only vertically and there will be no horizontal displacement thus 
achieving precise columnation of the needle bar and more precise 
application of identification ink. 
A further object of the invention is to provide an identification device 
which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to 
manufacture. 
For a better understanding of the invention and its operating advantages, 
reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in 
which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The device according to the invention as seen in FIG. 1 includes a housing, 
preferably made of DELRIN for lightness and durability, generally 
designated 10, including a needle guide portion 12 a bottom side portion 
14, both of which can be seen in FIG. 8, a front side portion 16, as seen 
in FIG. 6, a rear portion 18, seen in FIG. 4, and a top portion 20, seen 
in FIG. 7. Top portion 20 preferably includes fin like members 21 which 
are adapted to transfer heat to the exterior of the housing. Situated 
within the housing there is advantageously arranged a motor 22 as seen in 
FIG. 1 which preferably can run for 300 hours non-stop. 
A needle support member 26 is mounted within the housing for upward and 
downward reciprocating movement, FIG. 9. The support member or armature 
26, preferably includes an engagement member or dovetail portion 24 which 
is adapted to engage the slotted portion 28 of the housing 10 as best seen 
in FIGS. 13 and 14. 
The needle support member 26 advantageously includes a needle receiving 
bore 30 for receiving needle bar 32, FIG. 2. The bore 30 is connected to 
locking means, generally designated 34. Locking means 34 includes a bore 
36 having a threaded screw 38 engaging the threaded portion of the bore at 
the rear face of the needle support member 26. A spring 40 is 
advantageously placed within the bore 36 and presses at one side against 
the screw 38. A ball 40, or the like, presses against the spring so as to 
be biased into the needle receiving portion. 
The needle bar 32 preferably includes a notch or bore 46 which is adapted 
to be engaged by the ball 42 of the locking means. The screw 38 may be 
adjusted in the threaded bore 36 portion as to increase or decrease the 
spring force which is applied via the ball 34 on the needle bar 32. When 
the needle bar 32 is inserted within the needle receiving portion 30 the 
ball 42 presses against the upper most side of the needle bar 32. As the 
bore 46 of the needle bar 32 comes into alignment with the bore 36 having 
the spring 40 and the ball 42 the ball 42 engages the bore 36 of the 
needle bar 32 so as to lock the needle bar 32 into position. The needle 
bar 32 may be removed preferably by lessening the spring force by 
adjusting the screw 38. 
A cylindrical shaped tube surrounds the needle bar 32 to act as protection 
for the needle bar 32 and also as a stationary grip by which to hold the 
device when applying ink to an article. The tube 62 fitting into the 
circular needle guide portion 12 of the housing 10, as seen in FIG. 8. The 
tube secured into place or removed by means of tightening or loosening of 
a wing nut 66, preferably made of nylon, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6. 
A drive transmission means or rotor 50 is rotatively mounted within the 
housing 10 by a bore 52. A connecting shaft 54, connects the motor 22 and 
the rotor 50 as seen in FIG. 10. 
A pin 60 is mounted on the rearward side of the rotor 50 and is offset from 
the central axis of rotor 50. The pin 60 engages with the needle support 
member 26 through the slot in the needle support member 54 of FIG. 10. The 
slot member or horizontal slot membr 54 is advantageously constructed so 
that upon rotation of the rotor 50 the pin 60 offset from the central axis 
forces the needle support member 26 to reciprocate as the pin 60 follows a 
circular motion about and spaced apart from the central axis of the rotor 
50. The horizontal slot 54 in the needle support member 26 allows a 
transmission of the rotational motion into the reciprocating motion of the 
needle support member 26. Additionally, the advantageous dovetail 
connection in the slots 28 of the housing 10 allows the dovetail shaped 
armature or needle support member 26 to slide in the housing 10 as it 
reciprocates up and down. FIGS. 11 through 13 show the various positions 
of rotor 50 and needle support member 26 as it reciprocates back and 
forth. 
The housing 10 also accommodates a motor shaft knob 61 of FIG. 5 for 
adjustment of the needle bar 32 when replacing the tube 62 in which the 
needle bar 32 is housed. A jack plug 64 is positioned below the motor 
shaft knob 61 on the rear portion of the housing 16 as seen in FIG. 5. A 
variable speed control 65 is built into the bottom of the machine housing. 
A speed control knob 67, preferably made of aluminum so as to also act as 
a heat sink, is located on the right side of the housing 10 as shown in 
FIG. 3. A press fit cap 68 for sealing the motor 22 is located on the rear 
portion of the housing 16 as shown in FIG. 6. Lastly, a slotted hole 70 is 
located on the bottom side portion of the housing 14 for adjustment of the 
housing 10 to accommodate varying numbers of needles. 
As described above, the identification device of this invention makes it 
possible to use indelible ink either by dipping the needle in ink, having 
an automatic feed supply ink to the needle, or by a reservoir of ink in 
the tip of the needle to permanently mark objects or the skin of animals 
and humans with precision and ease. The identification device according to 
this invention has no horizontal displacement of the needle bar, all 
moving parts are self lubricating, and it weighs preferably less than 4.6 
ounces with all its attachments. 
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described 
in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the 
invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied 
otherwise without departing from such principles.