Automatic tag attaching apparatus

A conventional fastener attacher is vertically mounted to a support in a fixed position relative thereto in a manner which permits pneumatic actuation thereof. A carriage, which is movable along an upstanding guide mounted on the support, has mounted thereon a pneumatically actuated tag feed mechanism. When actuated, the mechanism feeds a tag from a position out of alignment with the axis of the needle of the attacher to a position in alignment with the axis of the needle. Thereafter, the carriage is moved toward the attacher, in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the needle, to place the fed tag on the needle. In one embodiment, a second carriage, movable along a second upstanding guide, carries a hook feed mechanism which, when actuated, feeds a hook to a position spaced from, but in alignment with the needle. The article to which the tag and hook are to be attached is held between the needle and the hook. The second carriage is actuated to place the hook and, thus, the article on the needle and the attacher is then actuated to dispense a fastener to attach the tag and hook to opposite sides of the article. In a second embodiment, the second carriage has a second tag feeder mounted thereon instead of the hook feeder. The second tag is positioned on the needle prior to actuation of the attacher, such that multiple tags may be attached to the article in a single automatic operation.

The present invention relates to tag attaching apparatus and, more 
particularly, to an automatic tag attaching apparatus wherein the attacher 
is held in a stationary position and tags and/or hooks are positioned on 
the needle and wherein multiple tags may be attached to an article in a 
single operation. 
Various industries require that tags and/or hooks be attached to 
merchandise prior to sale. For instance, in the retail wearing apparel 
industry, millions of garments are routinely provided with tags which 
contain information concerning pricing, inventory control and the like. 
Because of the great quantity of articles which must be tagged in this 
fashion, it is necessary that the tagging operation be performed as 
inexpensively as possible. Further, the tag must be affixed to the article 
in such a manner that theft through tag switching is reduced. 
The most widely used tag attaching system includes a hand-held tag attacher 
or gun, into which a clip of plastic tag attachments or fasteners is 
mounted. Each of the fasteners includes a T-bar and an enlarged paddle 
connected by a relatively thin plastic filament. Actuation of the attacher 
causes the T-bar portion of the fastener to be pushed through a hollow 
needle. Thus, when the needle is inserted through an opening in the 
article and through a hole in a tag, and the attacher is thereafter 
actuated, the T-bar end of the fastener will travel through the needle 
and, thereafter, be situated on one side of the garment, with the paddle 
end being situated on the other. This system permits a low-cost tag 
attaching operation, because a minimum of unskilled labor is required and 
the cost of the plastic fasteners and the gun-type attacher is relatively 
small. Futher, the tagging operation is accomplished within a few seconds. 
Security is assured with this type of fastener because the fastener is 
made of strong plastic which prevents the tag from being removed, except 
by destruction of the article or tag, or by cutting the filament of the 
fastener. 
Fasteners and attachers of this type are commercially available from 
Dennison Manufacturing Company of Framingham, Massachusetts and other 
suppliers, and are widely used throughout this country and many other 
countries of the world. The attachers are basically of gun-shape and may 
either be of the pistol grip type or the scissor grip type. Needles for 
the fasteners come in a variety of different configurations for use with 
articles of different characteristics, from fine lingerie to leather 
shoes. 
Attachers of this type are primarily designed for hand-held use and the 
great majority of attachers utilized today are used in this manner. The 
very large number of tag attaching operations which take place on a daily 
basis would indicate the desirability for automating the tag attaching 
operation. However, while there have been a limited number of attempts to 
fashion equipment which could be used in conjunction with conventional 
attachers of the type described in order to automate the tag attaching 
operation, none of the tag attaching equipment presently available has 
proven commercially acceptable on any large scale. 
There are various reasons for the commercial unacceptability of available 
automatic tag attaching equipment. One reason relates to the fact that 
this equipment is designed in a way which does not permit the operator to 
accurately position the tag and article with respect to the attacher 
needle to insure that the fastener will penetrate the article in the 
desired location. A second reason relates to the fact that available 
equipment is designed to attach only a single tag to the article and, 
therefore, is useless in applications which require multiple tags or a tag 
and a hook to be affixed to an article with the same fastener. 
Most of the existing automatic tag attaching equipment utilize a carriage, 
upon which the attaching gun is mounted, which is movable with respect to 
a stationary support surface. An automatic tag feeding mechanism is 
provided on the support surface which feeds a tag to a position spaced 
from the needle but in alignment with the axis thereof. The article to be 
tagged is then placed, by the operator, between the needle and the tag. 
The carriage moving mechanism is then actuated to move the attacher 
towards a stationary support surface, such that the needle penetrates the 
tag and article. Once the needle has at least partially penetrated the tag 
and the article, the attacher is actuated to dispense a fastener and the 
direction of carriage movement is reversed to withdraw the needle. 
Examples of this type of automatic tag attaching machine are disclosed in 
Mato U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,713 and Cotton U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,025. 
One of the problems with this type of automatic tag attaching equipment, 
which employs a tag attacher which is moved relative to the tag and 
article, is that the operator cannot position the article with sufficient 
accuracy to assure that the fastener will penetrate the article at the 
precise location on the article which is desired. This is due to the fact 
that when the article is positioned for the attaching operation, the 
needle of the attacher is remote therefrom and, in some apparatus, hidden 
thereby. Therefore, the operator has to approximate the exact location on 
the article where the needle will penetrate. This is a significant 
drawback where the fastener must be located along a particular seam or 
through a pre-existing opening in the article, which is often the case if 
damage to the article is to be avoided. 
Moreover, machines of this type are designed only to feed a single tag per 
tag attaching operation. However, in certain instances, it is necessary 
that multiple tags or a tag and a hook be attached in a single operation. 
In such instances, the commercially available automatic tag attaching 
equipment either cannot be used or must be used repeatedly, with the same 
article, to place multiple tags thereon with multiple fasteners in 
multiple separate operations. 
Another drawback of this type of equipment relates to the danger involved 
in having an attacher with a sharp needle which is abruptly moved 
automatically with respect to a support surface. The attacher moving 
mechanism might be actuated at a time when the operator has his hand in 
the path of movement of the needle. Since the needle is quite sharp, the 
accidental placement of the operator's hand in the wrong position during 
the tagging operation would result in an injury. Further, the combination 
of a fast moving needle and a moving fastener often creates an enlarged 
hole in the material of the article as same is tagged and may, therefore, 
be destructive to the article. This is particularly true if the attacher 
is actuated prior to full penetration of the needle in the article because 
of the simultaneous movement of the needle and the fastener. 
A further drawback relates to the lack of versatility of the apparatus. The 
tag feeders, designed for use in the commercially available automatic tag 
attaching equipment, are designed to accommodate tags of a single size and 
thickness. If tags of different sizes and thicknesses are to be 
accommodated, significant structural modifications must be performed on 
the apparatus. Such modifications contribute substantially to the cost of 
the tagging operation because of the machine downtime required to modify 
the apparatus to accept tags of different sizes and thicknesses. 
Another disadvantage of the commercially available automatic tag attaching 
equipment relates to the fact that the holes in the tags, through which 
the needle must pass, are often not precisely positioned in the same 
location for each tag when the tags are manufactured. Thus, when the tags 
are fed to a position in the path of movement of the needle, the hole 
therein may not exactly align with the axis of the needle due to 
variations in the tag manufacturing process. However, the position to 
which the tag is fed in these machines cannot be varied and, thus, 
variations in the position of the hole in tags of the same size or the use 
of tags of different sizes with the hole in a different location, results 
in an interruption in the operation of the equipment. 
It is, therefore, a prime object of the present invention to provide 
automatic tag attaching apparatus wherein the operator can accurately 
determine the precise location on the article of fastener penetration. 
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an automatic tag 
attaching apparatus wherein multiple tags, or a tag and a hook, may be 
attached to an article in a single operation. 
It is a third object of the present invention to provide an automatic tag 
attaching apparatus wherein the use of a stationary attacher reduces the 
possibility of creating an enlarged opening in the material of the 
article. 
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide an automatic tag 
attaching apparatus wherein the use of a stationary attacher reduces the 
danger of injury to the operator. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic tag 
attaching apparatus which can accommodate tags of varying sizes without 
requiring significant modification of the structure of the apparatus. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic tag 
attaching apparatus wherein positive pressure is provided to position the 
tag on the needle, such that the tag will be positioned on the needle, 
even absent a hole or if the hole therein is not in its proper location. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an automatic 
tag feeding apparatus designed to operate in conjunction with commercially 
available tag attachers of the trigger-grip and scissor-grip types. 
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an 
automatic tag attaching apparatus comprising reliably functioning parts, 
which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain and which is 
economical to operate. 
In accordance with the present invention, automatic tag attaching apparatus 
is provided for use in conjunction with a fastener attacher of the type 
having a hollow needle, through which a fastener is dispensed when the 
attacher is actuated. The apparatus comprises a support, a means for 
mounting the attacher to the support in a fixed position relative thereto, 
means for actuating the attacher, and means for positioning a first 
member, such as a tag, on the needle. The positioning means comprises a 
carriage and a means for moving the carriage relative to the support. The 
carriage comprises means for feeding a member from a first position, out 
of alignment with the needle, to a second position, in alignment with the 
needle, and means for actuating the member feeding means. 
The carriage moving means moves the carriage along an upstanding guide in a 
direction substantially parallel to the axis of the needle. The member 
feeding means moves the member in a direction substantially perpendicular 
to the axis of the needle. The combination of these two movements permits 
the tag to be first fed to a position which is in alignment with the axis 
of the needle, but spaced therefrom. Subsequent movement of the carriage 
in a direction towards the attacher positively positions the tag on the 
needle by forcing same over the needle. 
Carriage movement, actuation of the tag feed mechanism, and attacher 
actuation are all preferably achieved by conventional pneumatic cylinders, 
fed from a source of compressed air. Application of the compressed air to 
the cylinders, respectively, is controlled by a plurality of electrically 
actuated solenoid valves which are responsive to a control means 
comprising footpedal actuated relay circuitry. 
The control means causes the tag to be fed and positioned over the needle 
prior to the actuation of the attacher. The carriage to which the tag feed 
mechanism is mounted is first caused to move in a direction parallel to 
the axis of the needle to a position which is relatively remote from the 
attacher. The control means then actuates the tag feed mechanism to feed a 
tag to a position in alignment with the needle and the carriage is caused 
to move downwardly towards the attacher, such that the fed tag is 
positioned on the needle. 
The attacher further preferably comprises means for positioning a second 
member, in the form of a tag or hook, over the needle. The second member 
positioning means includes a second carriage and means for moving the 
second carriage relative to the support. The second carriage has mounted 
thereon means for feeding a second member from a first position, out of 
alignment with the needle, to a second position, in alignment with the 
needle, and means for actuating the second member feeding means. 
When the second member is in the form of a hook, the second carriage also 
includes a member extending from the second carriage and having a 
substantially planar surface with a recess therein. The recess is aligned 
with and adapted to receive therein at least a part of the attacher 
needle. The second carriage is movable by means of a pneumatic cylinder 
between a first position, wherein the abutting surface is remote from the 
needle, and a second position, wherein the needle is at least partially 
received within the recess. The second member feeding means is designed to 
feed the second member adjacent to the surface, such that it is located 
between the surface and the needle. In this position, the hole (if 
present) situated within the second member is aligned with the recess. 
After the second member feeding means has been actuated by a pneumatic 
cylinder, controlled by the control circuitry, and the article to which 
the members are to be attached is inserted between the needle and the 
second member, the air cylinder controlling the movement of the second 
carriage is actuated to move the second carriage downwardly towards the 
attacher. As this takes place, the article and the second member are 
positioned on the needle, with the needle at least partially received in 
the recess. The control circuitry then energizes the pneumatic cylinder 
which actuates the attacher and a fastener is fed from the clip of 
fasteners, such that the T-bar end thereof passes through the hollow 
needle to attach the first and second members to the article. If the 
second member is in the form of a hook, the second carriage is moved 
upwardly away from the needle and the article is then removed from the 
needle by the operator. 
The second member may be in the form of a tag or a plastic hook. In the 
first embodiment of the present invention, the second carriage has mounted 
thereon a hook feeding mechanism. In the second preferred embodiment of 
the present invention, the second carriage has mounted thereon a tag 
feeding mechanism. In the first embodiment, the tag and hook are placed on 
opposite sides of the article. In the second perferred embodiment, the two 
tags may be placed on the same side or opposite sides of the article, as 
is desired, by modifying the sequence of operations. 
The present invention should be construed to include an apparatus without 
the second carriage portion of the apparatus, as well as an apparatus with 
this feature. When used without the second carriage portion of the 
apparatus, the invention has three major advantages over the prior art. 
First, the tag is positively forced down on the needle, thus premitting 
the tag to be placed on the needle even if the tag has no hole therein or 
if the hole is misaligned with the needle. This is because the tag is 
firmly held between a portion of the tag feed mechanism and a portion of 
the first carriage at a position adjacent the axis of the needle. Thus, 
when the first carriage is moved down, the tag is forced on the needle, 
whether or not the hole (if present) is properly aligned with the needle. 
Second, the position of the tag on the needle is visible to the operator 
before the article to be tagged is positioned to obscure same. Thus, if 
for some reason the tag is not properly positioned on the needle, the 
operator is aware of this defect before the fastener is positioned. Thus, 
the operator may manually adjust the tag position or put a new tag on the 
needle before actuating the attacher. 
Third, the operator can see exactly where the needle has penetrated the 
article prior to actuation of the attacher. Thus, if the location of 
penetration is unsuitable, the article is simply lifted and again put on 
the needle. 
When the present invention is used with the second carriage portion of the 
apparatus, with or without the second member feeding means, the invention 
has the above stated advantages and the following additional advantage of 
permitting the operator to have his hands at a position remote from the 
needle when the second carriage downward movement is initiated. This is 
because a portion of the second carriage will abut the top side of the 
article and push same on the needle automatically, if same has not been 
placed on the needle by the operator. This is a significant safety 
feature, obviously not required when no second carriage is present.

FIG. 1 illustrates a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the first preferred embodiment of the present 
invention comprises a means, generally designated A, for fixedly mounting 
a fastener attacher, generally designated B, to a support in a manner 
which prevents relative movement therebetween. Attacher B is of the 
commercially available type which has a hollow needle adapted to be 
inserted through an article and through which a fastener is dispensed when 
the attacher is actuated. Means, generally designated C, are provided for 
actuating the actuator when energized. 
Alongside attacher mounting means A is located a means, generally 
designated D, for positioning a member (a tag or the like) on the needle 
of attacher B. The positioning means comprises a carriage, generally 
designated E, and a means, generally designated F, for moving the carriage 
relative to the support in a direction generally parallel to the axis of 
the needle of attacher B. Carriage E comprises means, generally designated 
G, for feeding a tag in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of 
the needle of attacher B from a first position, out of alignment with the 
needle, to a second position, in alignment with the needle. Means, 
generally designated H, are provided on carriage E for actuating the tag 
feeding means G. 
Located along the other side of actuator mounting means A, is a second 
member (hook) positioning means, generally designated I. Hook positioning 
means I comprises a second carriage, generally designated J. Means, 
generally designated K, are provided for moving the second carriage 
relative to the support in a direction parallel to the axis of the needle 
of attacher B. Carriage J comprises means, generally designated L, for 
feeding a hook in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of 
the needle from a first position, out of alignment with the needle, to a 
second position, in alignment with the needle. Means, generally designated 
M, are provided for actuating the hook feed means L. The attacher mounting 
means A, the tag positioning means D, and the hook positioning means I, 
are each mounted on a substantially planar support 10. 
FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate one embodiment of the attacher support means A 
adapted for use with a trigger-type fastener dispensing attacher 12. 
Attacher 12 has a handle portion 14 and a trigger portion 16. Trigger 
portion 16 may be moved partially into a recess (not shown) in handle 
portion 14 so as to actuate the attacher to dispense a fastener 19 (FIG. 
6) through hollow needle 18. Attacher 12 is a commercially available 
pistol grip type attacher such as is sold by Ben Clements & Sons under the 
trademark TACH-IT, or any similar piston grip type attacher. 
Handle 14 is firmly secured to a bracket 20 by means of screws 22 or the 
like. Bracket 20 is mounted on an upstanding support 24 which extends from 
a base 26 which, in turn, is secured to the upper surface of support 10 by 
means of screws or the like. A rearwardly extending member 28 is attached 
to the rear surface of support 24 and the upper surface of the rear 
portion of base 26, so as to impart additional rigidity to the attacher 
mounting structure. As can be readily appreciated, the attacher mounting 
means A is designed to fixedly mount an attacher B on support 10 in a 
manner which prevents the relative movement therebetween, such that 
attacher B and needle 18 extending therefrom are always in a stationary 
position with respect to support 10. 
Extending from the forward surface of support 24, in a direction 
substantially parallel to base 26, is a cylinder mounting bracket 30 to 
which a cylinder 32 is fixedly mounted. Cylinder 32 has an extendible 
piston rod 34 which passes through an opening in bracket 30 and is movable 
in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of support 24. At the 
end of piston rod 34 is mounted a trigger engaging structure comprising a 
lower horizontal member 36, a pair of vertically extending members 38, 40 
and a generally cylindrical upper member 42. Vertically extending members 
38 and 40 are situated in recesses on the opposite sides of bracket 20 to 
permit movement of same without interference from the bracket. 
The handle engaging structure comprising members 36, 38, 40 and 42 is 
normally in a position spaced a maximum distance from cylinder support 
bracket 30 and is, thus, in the position shown in solid in FIG. 5. 
However, when pneumatic cylinder 32 is actuated by connecting same to a 
source of compressed air, rod 34 and, thus, the handle engaging structure, 
are moved downwardly, towards the top surface of cylinder mounting bracket 
30 as is shown partially in phantom in FIG. 5. When this occurs, trigger 
16 is moved downwardly into handle 14 of attacher B to actuate attacher B 
to dispense a fastener through needle 18. After attacher B has been 
actuated, the trigger 16, which is spring loaded towards the normal 
position (shown in FIG. 5), returns to that position. The spring loading 
of trigger 16 also causes the trigger engaging structure, rod 34 and the 
cylinder within piston 32 to return to its normal position. The spring 
which accomplishes this return movement is located within handle 14 and 
not shown. 
The actuator mounting means may also be designed for use with a 
scissor-type fastener attacher B', as is illustrated in FIGS. 11, 12 and 
13. Such an attacher is commercially available from the Dennison 
Manufacturing Company and is sold under the trademark SWIFTACHER. In this 
instance, attacher B' is actuated with a scissor-like motion wherein part 
50 and part 52 are brought together to actuate the attacher to dispense a 
fastener through hollow needle 54. 
In this instance, the attacher mounting means, designated A', comprises a 
bracket 56 to which member 50 of attacher B' is fixedly mounted. Bracket 
56 is situated on a horizontal support member 58 and affixed thereto by 
means of screws 60. Horizontal support member 58 is connected to a 
vertical support member 62 which, in turn, is situated on a base member 
64. Base member 64 is situated on the top surface of support 10 and 
connected thereto by means of screws and the like. A forwardly extending 
member 66 is connected between the upper surface of base 64, the forward 
surface of member 62 and the bottom surface of member 58 to impart 
additional rigidity to the structure. 
Extending rearwardly from the rear surface of bracket 56 is a pneumatic 
cylinder 68 having an extendible piston rod 70 connected thereto. At the 
end of rod 70 is an abutting member 72 which is situated adjcent to the 
lower portion of member 52 of attacher B'. The energization of cylinder 68 
causes rod 70 to be extended such that abutting member 72 moves member 52 
towards member 50 so as to actuate attacher B' in a scissor-like fashion. 
When cylinder 68 is de-energized by disconnecting it from a source of air 
under pressure, a spring (not shown) which is part of attacher B' will 
cause members 52 and 50 to separate such that rod 70 and the piston (not 
shown) connected thereto move backwardly such that the mechanism returns 
to the position illustrated. 
The details of the first member (tag) positioning means D can best be 
understood from FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The tag positioning means D comprises an 
upstanding support 80 mounted on a horizontal base 82 which, in turn, is 
mounted to the upper surface of support 10. Upstanding support 80 has a 
generally U-shaped configuration such that forwardly extending walls 84, 
86 define a vertically extending recess 88. Each of the walls 84, 86 is 
provided with a vertically extending guide groove 90, 92, respectively, 
into which a carriage support member 94 is movably received. In this 
manner, carriage support member 94 may move vertically with respect to 
support 80 along recess 88. 
Located below walls 84 and 86, adjacent to the front surface of support 80, 
is a pneumatic cylinder 96. The bottom of cylinder 96 rests on a pedestal 
98 which, in turn, is supported by base 82. Brackets 100 and 102 serve to 
mount cylinder 96 to upstanding support 80. An extendible piston rod (not 
shown) extends from the top of cylinder 96. The end of this extendible 
piston rod is mounted on the underside of carriage support bracket 94. 
Cylinder 96 serves to move carriage mounting bracket 94 and, thus, carriage 
E, vertically with respect to upstanding support 80 between a first 
position, as shown in solid in FIG. 2, and a second position, as shown in 
phantom in FIG. 2. In this manner, carriage E may be moved with respect to 
needle 18 of attacher B in a direction substantially parallel to the axis 
of the needle. 
Carriage E comprises a tag storage magazine 104, a tag dispenser 106, and a 
tag dispenser actuator 108. The tag storage magazine 104 comprises an 
enclosure 110 having a bottom surface 112, a front surface 114, a rear 
surface 116 and a pair of side surfaces 118, 120. Enclosure 110 is fixedly 
mounted to carriage support member 94 such that the carriage E and 
enclosure 110 are vertically movable along with carriage support member 
94. 
Extending inwardly from surfaces 116, 118 and 120 are position adjustable 
guide members 121, 122, 124, respectively. Tags 126 are stacked between 
guides 121, 122 and 124, the position of which may be adjusted in 
accordance with the size of the tags. The stack of tags rests on a surface 
128 which, in turn, is connected to an extendible piston rod 134 of a 
pneumatic cylinder 132 which is mounted to the underside of member 112 
which forms the bottom of enclosure 110. Pneumatic cylinder 132 is 
continuously connected to a source of compressed air, such that it exerts 
an upwardly directed force on the bottom of the stack of tags 126 in a 
manner similar to a spring. However, the use of a pneumatic cylinder has 
the advantage that the pressure exerted on the bottom of the stack of tags 
can easily be adjusted to suit the characteristics of the particular tags 
utilized. 
The tag dispensing mechanism 106 is located immediately above the stack of 
tags 126 and comprises a slide 130 which is movable along a slide frame 
132 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of needle 18. 
Slide 130 includes an adjustable element 111, including a thread shaft 113 
and nuts 115, 117, the rotation of which serve to adjust the throw of 
slide 130. This permits tags with holes in different positions, or tags of 
different sizes, to be accommodated. Slide 130 is moved along frame 132 by 
means of pneumatic cylinder 108 which has an extendible piston rod 134. 
Cylinder 108 is mounted on frame 132 by means of a bracket 136. When 
cylinder 108 is energized towards the feed position by connecting same to 
a source of compressed air, rod 134 is caused to move towards the right, 
as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, thereby causing slide 130 to slide along frame 
132 in the same direction. The movement of slide 130 will cause the top 
tag from the stack to move to a position overhanging a horizontally 
extending tag support 138, such that same is aligned with the axis of 
needle 18. In this position, the tag is clamped between the forward 
portion of the slide and support 138 so as to prevent the tag from flexing 
upwardly as same is placed on the needle. The movement of tag 126 is 
caused by a recess 140 which forms a part of the forward portion of slide 
130. Thus, the actuation of cylinder 108 towards the "feed" position will 
cause the top tag 126 on the stack to move from a position aligned with 
the stack to a position overhanging guide 138 and clamped thereto. When 
cylinder 108 is energized towards the "reload" position, slide 130 is 
moved back to its original position. The next tag 126 on the top of the 
stack will then be caused, by the force exerted by cylinder 132, to align 
with slide 130 such that on the next actuation of the slide towards the 
"feed" position, the tag which is on the top of the stack will be moved to 
overhang support 138 and be clamped thereto. 
As will be described in detail below, the operation of cylinders 96 and 108 
may be controlled so as to position a tag 126 on needle 18. For 
illustrative purposes, the sequence may be considered to begin with the 
rod of cylinder 96 fully extended such that carriage E is in its uppermost 
position with respect to upstanding support 80, as is shown in phantom in 
FIG. 2. At this point, pneumatic cylinder 108 is actuated to move slide 
130 along slide frame 132 towards the right (as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4), 
such that the forward portion of the slide moves the top tag 126 from the 
stack to a position overhanging support 138 with the tag spaced from the 
needle but aligned with the axis thereof. Cylinder 96 is then actuated to 
move carriage E downwardly with respect to upstanding guide 80 such that 
overhanging tag 126, which is in alignment with the axis of needle 18, is 
forced on the needle (as is shown in phantom in FIG. 2). Pneumatic 
cylinder 108 is then actuated to withdraw the slide 130 to its original 
(reload) position leaving the tag 126 over needle 18 and, thereafter, 
pneumatic cylinder 96 is again actuated to move carriage E to its 
uppermost position. This sequence of operations may be repeated, prior to 
the actuation of attacher B, until several tags are positioned on needle 
18, if desired. 
FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate the second member (hook) positioning means I. 
In the first preferred embodiment, the second member positioning means I 
takes the form of a hook feeder. The hook feeder dispenses, one at a time, 
a substantially planar hook made of plastic or thin metal which has an 
aperture hunched therein. Hook positioning mechanism I comprises an 
upstanding support 150 which is mounted on a horizontal base 152 which, in 
turn, is affixed to support 10. A portion of upstanding support 150 has a 
U-shaped configuration, when viewed from the top, as in FIG. 10. A recess 
154 is defined between a pair of forwardly extending walls 156, 158, each 
of which is provided with a guide groove 160, 162, respectively. Within 
recess 154 is situated a hook feeder support bracket 164 which is received 
within and freely movable along guide grooves 160 and 162. Mounted to hook 
feed support bracket 164 is the hook feed mechanism J. The bottom of hook 
feed mechanism J is supported by an extendible piston rod 166 which 
extends from the piston of a pneumatic cylinder 168 fixedly mounted to 
upstanding support 150 by brackets 170, 172. The energization of pneumatic 
cylinder 168 will cause the hook feed mechanism J to move vertically along 
upstanding support 150 between a first position, as shown in solid in FIG. 
1, and a second position, partially shown in phantom in FIG. 1. 
Hook feed mechanism J comprises a base 174 mounted on hook mechanism 
support member 164 for movement therewith and a hopper defined between a 
pair of upstanding members 176, 178 which form a recess into which a stack 
of hooks is placed. At the bottom of the hopper is a horizontally movable 
slide 180, movable along a slide guide 182. The rear of slide 180 is 
connected to an extendible piston rod 184 which extends from pneumatic 
cylinder 186 which, in turn, is mounted to member 174 by means of a 
bracket 188. Energization of pneumatic cylinder 186 causes slide 180 to 
move horizontally between a first (reload) position, as shown in solid in 
FIG. 10, immediately below the stack of hooks to a second (feed) position, 
as shown in partial phantom in FIG. 10, wherein the bottom hook from the 
hopper has been moved to a position such that the hole therein is aligned 
with the axis of needle 18 of attacher B. When the actuation of pneumatic 
cylinder 186 is reversed, slide 180 returns to its original (reload) 
position wherein it engages the next hook on the bottom of the stack. 
Thus, the actuation of pneumatic cylinder 186 will cause slide 180 to 
dispense a single hook at a time. It should be noted that a member 190 is 
placed in the hopper on top of the stack of hooks so as to provide 
sufficient weight such that the bottom hook from the stack is urged 
towards the slide 180. In this manner, one hook at a time is positioned in 
alignment with, but remote from, needle 18. 
Extending from support 174 is a triangular shaped (when viewed as in FIG. 
8) member 192 having an abutting undersurface 194 with a cylindrical 
recess 196 therein. Recess 196 is located along abutting surface 194 such 
that it is in alignment with the axis of needle 18. The purpose of member 
192 is to impart sufficient rigidity to a hook situated therebelow such 
that when the hook feed mechanism J is moved downwardly towards needle 18, 
the article to be tagged, which is placed therebetween, will be forced on 
needle 18 prior to the positioning of the hook on the needle. 
The operation of the hook positioning mechanism I is controlled by the 
energization of pneumatic cylinders 168 and 186. Pneumatic cylinder 168 is 
actuated to move the hook feeding mechanism J to its uppermost position 
with respect to vertical support 150, this position being shown in solid 
in FIG. 1. Pneumatic cylinder 186 is then actuated to move slide 180 along 
slide frame 182 so as to displace the hook on the bottom of the stack in 
the hopper to a position in alignment with the under abutting surface 194 
of member 192 with the opening in the hook in alignment with recess 196. 
After the article is placed between needle 18 and member 192 by the 
operator, pneumatic cylinder 168 is actuated in the reverse direction to 
move carriage J to its downwardmost position, as partially shown in 
phantom in FIG. 1, such that the article and the hook are positioned on 
needle 18 and needle 18 is at least partially received within recess 196. 
Once the tag, article and hook are correctly positioned over the needle, 
the attacher actuating means C is energized such that the fastener is 
dispensed through the needle. 
FIG. 14 shows a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. The 
second preferred embodiment of the present invention is identical in 
structure and operation with the first preferred embodiment as described 
above, except that in the second preferred embodiment, the second member 
positioning means I is in the form of a second tag positioning means 
instead of a hook positioning means. The structure and operation of the 
second tag feeding means is identical to the tag feeding means described 
above. For this reason, the structure of same is not described in detail. 
The parts thereof are numbered with the same numbers and letters as the 
previously described, but with primes to distinguish same. The second 
preferred embodiment is utilized when multiple tags are required to be 
affixed to an article in a single attaching operation. The tags may be 
placed both on one side of the article or on opposite sides of the 
article, as is desired, by simply altering the sequence of actuation of 
the appropriate pneumatic cylinders. 
The sequence of operation of the first preferred embodiment of the present 
invention is schematically illustrated in stepwise fashion in FIGS. 15A 
through 15F. In FIGS. 15A-15C, an attacher B having a hollow needle 18 and 
a clip of fasteners 19, such as those commercially available from the 
Dennison Manufacturing Company under the trademark SUPER SWIFTACH, is 
illustrated. Attacher B is held stationary with respect to the support 
structure of the mechanism. 
FIG. 15A illustrates the initial position of slide 130 (reload), tag 126 
(on needle), slide 180 (feed), hook 197 (aligned with needle), and article 
199 to be tagged with respect to stationary attacher B having a needle 18. 
The sequence of operations begins with tag 126 already on needle 18 and 
hook 197, in the "feed" position (aligned with the needle) but spaced 
therefrom. The article 199 is placed by the operator between hook 197 and 
needle 18. 
Actuation of a foot pedal (or other appropriate switch mechanism such as 
one which requires both of the operator's hands for actuation) control 
causes carriage J, slide 180 and hook 197 to move downwardly toward the 
needle such that article 199 is forced on the needle, as is hook 197. 
Attacher B is then actuated such that the T-bar end 19a of fastener 19 is 
dispensed through hollow needle 18. Simultaneously, the tag feeder slide 
180 is moved to the "reload" position. This is illustrated in FIG. 15B. 
Once out of the needle, T-bar 19a moves to a horizontal position. Carriage 
J and member 192 then move upwardly such that the tag 126, article 199, 
hook 197 and fastener 19 may then be removed from the needle and will 
appear as in FIGS. 15C and 15D. The T-bar end 19a of fastener 19 is 
situated on one side of hook 197, the paddle end 19b of the fastener is 
located on the other side of tag 126 and article 199 is situated 
therebetween. At this point in the sequence, a time delay is built in, 
such that the tagged and hooked article can be removed from the needle 
prior to subsequent movement of carriage E to its "down" position. 
Carriage J is now in the "up" position and carriage E is in the "down" 
position. Slide 130 is in the "reload" position and slide 180 is still in 
the "reload" position. As carriage E is moved to its "up" position, the 
tag feed mechanism (slide 130) is caused to feed a new tag 126 (FIG. 15E). 
Carriage E is then moved to the "down" position, to place the already fed 
tag 126 on the needle. Slide 180 is moved to the "feed" position as slide 
130 is moved to the "reload" position (FIG. 15F). The cycle is then ready 
to begin again. 
FIGS. 16 and 17 are, respectively, a schematic diagram of the electrical 
system and a schematic diagram of the pneumatic system which control the 
sequence of operations of the first preferred embodiment of the present 
invention. Assume that prior to beginning operation, the components are as 
illustrated in FIG. 15A, with carriage J, upon which the hook feed 
mechanism is mounted, in the "up" position spaced from the needle, hook 
feed mechanism L is in the "feed" position with a hook aligned with the 
axis of the needle, carriage E, upon which the tag feed mechanism is 
mounted, is in the "down" position such that a tag is on the needle and 
tag feed mechanism G is in the "reload" position. 
Referring to FIG. 16, the parallel circuits are designated by the line (1 
through 20) upon which same appears. Numeral 200 refers to a double pole, 
double throw footpedal switch having contacts on lines 1 and 8, such as 
Model AW14 available from the Square "D" Company. Seven relays, R, 
R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4, R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 are provided 
operably connected to contacts correspondingly labelled. The relay 
contacts control three double solenoid valves, labelled 202, 204 and 206. 
Each solenoid comprises two valves labelled a and b, respectively, one of 
which has pneumatic connections which are reversed with respect to the 
other in the pair, so as to move the piston therein in one of two selected 
directions. 
As seen in FIG. 17, each of the solenoids 202, 204 and 206 is connected to 
a source of air under pressure (not shown) by means of an input conduit 
208. The air from the source passes through a cut-off valve 210, a filter 
212, a pressure regulator 214 and a lubricator 216, all of conventional 
design, prior to entering the solenoid air inputs. Each valve has two 
ports, an input port which is connected to conduit 208 and an exit port 
vented to the atmosphere. 
Depression of ON-OFF switch 218 serves to energize the circuit of FIG. 16. 
The operator places the article between the needle, which already has a 
tag thereon (slide 130 being in the "reload" position and carriage E in 
the "down" position), and member 192 (slide 180) being in the "feed" 
position, a hook is already positioned in alignment with the needle, and 
then depresses the foot pedal 200. This energizes relay R (the contacts on 
lines 2 and 8 are closed when the pedal 200 is depressed), closing 
contacts R on lines 3 and 5, opening contacts R on lines 11 and 13, and 
energizing relay R1. Energizing relay R1 causes contacts R1 on line 15 to 
actuate valve 202a to cause cylinder 168 to move carriage J downwardly to 
force the article and a previously fed hook on the needle. This also 
closes normally opened limit switch LS1, located at the downward end of 
the path of movement of carriage J. 
After LS1 is closed, indicating carriage J is in the "down" position, relay 
R2 is energized. This closes contacts R2 on line 16, actuating valve 204a 
to actuate cylinders 32 and 186. Actuation of cylinder 32 causes attacher 
B to be actuated to dispense a fastener. Actuation of cylinder 186 causes 
slide 180 to move to the "reload" position (left, as seen in FIG. 1) such 
that the next hook on the bottom of the stack is positioned on slide 180. 
When slide 180 reaches the "reload" position, a limit switch LS2 located 
along the path of the slide is closed causing relay R3 to be energized. 
This closes contacts R3 on line 17, actuating valve 202b and, thus, 
cylinder 168 to move carriage J to the "up" position. This permits the 
operator to remove from the needle the article to which the tag and hook 
have been affixed. The operator then releases the footpedal 200. 
Releasing footpedal 200 disconnects the contacts on lines 2 and 8 and 
connects the contacts on lines 1 and 9 and, thus, de-energizes relay R, 
closing normally closed contacts R on lines 11 and 13 and energizes time 
delay relay TD to begin the timing period. Since LS3, which is located 
along the path of slide 130, is closed because slide 130 is in the 
"reload" position, relay R5 is energized closing contacts R5 on line 19, 
actuating valve 20a and, thus, cylinder 96 to move carriage E to the "up" 
position and cylinder 108 to move slide 130 to the "feed" position. 
Limit switch LS4 is positioned at the same location as LS3 and the contacts 
thereof are, therefore, also closed. When carriage E reaches the "up" 
position, normally closed limit switch LS5, located along the path of 
carriage E, the contacts of which are on line 14, is closed permitting 
relay R6 to be energized. LS5 prevents actuation of R6 unless carriage E 
is in the "up" position. This causes contacts R6 on line 20 to be closed 
actuavalve 204b and, thus, cylinders 108 and 186. Actuation of cylinder 
108 causes slide 130 to move to the "reload" position so as to position a 
new tag on slide 130. Actuation of cylinder 186 causes slide 180 to move 
to the "feed" position. 
It should be appreciated that the operator must remove the tagged article 
before carriage E again moves downwardly to place a new tag on the needle. 
Time relay TD permits the operator sufficient time to do this before the 
downward movement of carriage E can begin. 
When the foot pedal 200 is released, time relay TD is energized and, after 
a preset time, closes switch contacts 210 on line 9. This energizes relay 
R4 closing contacts R4 on line 18 and actuating valve 206b and, thus, 
cylinder 96 to move carriage E down to place the tag on the needle. The 
process then repeats itself when the operator again presses the foot 
pedal. 
While only two preferred embodiments of the present invention have been 
disclosed herein for purposes of illustration, it is obvious that many 
modifications and variations could be made thereto. It is intended to 
cover all of these variations and modifications which fall within the 
scope of the present invention, as defined by the following claims: