Patent GB-1503719-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus and method of positioning sliders
IPC: A44B19/42
Filed: 1975-06-30
Abstract: 1503719 Fitting sliders on to sliding clasp fasteners TEXTRON INC 30 June 1975 [1 July 1974] 27550/75 Heading E2S An apparatus for positioning a slider in a slider assembly station, comprises support means 24 defining a work area guide means 34 forming a vertical slide path extending upward from the support means, an elongated member 106, means 110, 112 for longitudinally moving the elongated member from a lowered position to a raised position in the vertical slide path, said elongated member having means for receiving and supporting a slider on the upper end of the elongated member, and means 66, 52 for transferring a slider to the receiving and supporting means of the elongated member when the elongated member is in the lowered position, said elongated member in the raised position protruding substantially above the support means. As shown, the apparatus includes a table top 21 upon which is mounted a vibrating hopper 26 for feeding a number of slides 10 in single file, down a conveyor track section 28 to a spring-biased slider arrester 37 and to a section 38 which includes a pair of plates 40, 42 which define a slot 44 for receiving and guiding transversely arranged slides 10 with their pull tabs 46 extending downwards. A conveyor chain 48, located beneath the plates 40, 42 and driven by a friction clutch and motor 32, has pins 52 which engage the pull tabs 46 and strip the sliders one at a time, from the arrester 37 and advance each slider along the section 38 adjacent which is located a slider gating, and terminal-transfer mechanism. The latter comprises a stop member 56 which is pivoted at 58 to the plate 42, carries a stop projection 60 with a cam surface 68, and has a free end 64 engaged by a transfer member 66 when the latter is in its retracted position so that the projection 60 is held in its slider-obstruction position. Assuming that a slider-raising member 106, which is vertically reciprocable in a guide 96 by a pneumatic motor 110, is in its uppermost position and the slider 10 is removed from a recess 118 in the upper end of the member 106 after the elements 12, 14 on slider chains 16, 18 are threaded therethrough and bottom stops are applied to the assembled fastener chain by apparatus 36, a lever 126, pivoted at 128 in a cavity 124 in the member 106 and urged by a spring 130, rotates anticlockwise to actuate an air pulse valve 148 in a pneumatic control circuit, Fig. 8 not shown, so that the cylinder 110 is actuated to lower the member 106. In the lowermost position of the member 106 the conveyor pin 52 partially pushes a slider previously advanced by the conveyor pin 52 to a terminal portion 59 of the track section 38, into the recess 118 in the top of the member 106 until the pin 62 slips off the pull tab 46 allowing the chain 48 to advance. Simultaneously, a pneumatic motor 74 is energised to pivot an arm 72. Fig. 4, and advance the transfer member 66 so that an end of the latter engages the slider to complete its transfer into the recess 118 where a projection 140, at the top of the member 126, engages in an aperture 138 in the pull tab to force the latter downward and open a spring lock in the slider. When the transfer member is fully advanced the bottom surface of the transfer member 66 is disengaged from the end 64 of the stop member 56 to allow the force of the succeedine slider 120, urged by a pin 52, to lift the projection 60 and arm 56 so that this slider advances toward the terminal portion 59 and cooperates with a cam surface 91 at the trailing end of the transfer member 66 to pivot the latter back onto the conveyor track for controlling the transfer of the next slider at the cam surface 68. The member 106 is then raised again to present another slider in a raised position at the assembly station.