Patent ID: 8458874

Claim:
An apparatus for placing a tag having an elastic band onto an object, the apparatus having a downstream end and an upstream end and comprising: an infeed assembly at the downstream end of the apparatus for supplying a web having a multitude of tags detachably defined therein; a conveyor assembly upstream of the infeed assembly configured to receive the web and convey the web in a generally upstream direction, the conveyor assembly comprising an endless belt carrying spaced bars configured to receive and convey the web; a placing assembly adjacent an upstream end of the conveyor assembly, the placement assembly being configured to capture the elastic bands of tags as the tags move along the conveyor assembly; a selector assembly at an upstream end of the conveyor assembly, the selector assembly being configured to detach tags from the web when their elastic bands have been captured by the placing assembly; the placing assembly carrying the detached tags toward objects to receive the tags, expanding the elastic bands of the tags, placing the elastic bands over the objects, and releasing the elastic bands to attach the tags to the objects.