Patent ID: 8657172

Claim:
A device for dispensing an individual plastic fastener from a supply of fastener stock, the supply of fastener stock being shaped to include a pair of continuous side rails to which are coupled a plurality of equidistantly spaced cross-links, the individual fastener comprising a pair of shortened cross-bars that are interconnected by at least one flexible filament, the device comprising: (a) a head assembly adapted to receive the supply of fastener stock, sever an individual fastener from the supply of fastener stock and eject the individual fastener during a single stroke of its actuation cycle wherein the head assembly includes a pair of hollowed needles, each needle being retained by a corresponding needle block assembly each needle being shaped to define a longitudinal bore and wherein the needle block assembly includes a bowing plate coupled to the cover plate, the bowing plate being adapted to prevent forward distortion of the one or more cross-links, and (b) a motor for driving the head assembly through its actuation cycle, (c) wherein the head assembly is adapted to limit distortion of one or more cross-links for the supply of fastener stock fed thereinto within a single plane.