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Title: Apparatus and method of applying staple-like bottom stops to slide fasteners and the like
Claims: What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus for applying bottom stops having upper wing portions and downward extending prongs to a slide fastener comprising a support, a split carrier having carrier halves and a central vertical opening formed between the carrier halves, shaft means mounting the split carrier on the support for allowing sliding movement of the carrier upward and downward, spring means biasing the carrier to a raised position, a gravity chute having channel means for feeding the bottom stops sequentially to the carrier at the raised position, said carrier halves having respective extending portions projecting horizontally to an outlet of the chute with upper surfaces of the extending portions aligned with the channel means, said carrier having downward converging camming surfaces at the top edges of the opening at the upper surfaces of the extending portions in the respective carrier halves for seating the respective upper wing portions of a bottom stop, means biasing the carrier halves together with a force greater than outward forces generated by the wing portions of a bottom stop on the camming surfaces of the carrier halves resulting from the upward bias of the carrier, a ram aligned with the central opening in the carrier, an anvil mounted on the support beneath the carrier and the ram and having means for crimping the prongs of the bottom stop, means mounting the ram on the support for moving the ram upward and downward such that during downward movement the ram engages the top of the bottom stop, moves the bottom stop and the carrier simultaneously down to a slide fastener positioned on the anvil, pushes the bottom stop between the carrier halves, and forces the prongs of the bottom stop through the slide fastener and against the crimping means of the anvil to crimp the prongs and secure the bottom stop to the slide fastener, and said carrier halves have respective inner vertical surfaces extending downward from the camming surfaces for guiding the bottom stops until engagement with slide fasteners and have respective inner diverging surfaces extending downward from the vertical surfaces. 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the feeding means includes dispensing means having a hopper and a barrel member enclosing one side of the hopper, a rotatable shaft upon which the barrel member is mounted, a gear member also mounted on the shaft, a pawl pivotally mounted on the ram moving means for moving upward and downward therewith, means for biasing the pawl against the gear, means mounted on the support for engaging the pawl to force the pawl out of engagement with the gear during an end portion of the movement of the ram moving means whereby the gear and barrel member are spun, the spinning continuing after the movement of the ram has stopped, and said dispensing means including channel means responsive to rotation of the barrel member for receiving the bottom stops and directing them to the chute. 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the barrel member has an inside frustro-conical surface opening toward the channel means, and has a plurality of radial grooves in the inside surface for moving the bottom steps by centrifugal force into the channel means. 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the grooves are arranged in pairs for receiving the prongs of the bottom stops. 5. A method of applying a bottom stop with upper wing portions and downward extending prongs to a slide fastener comprising the steps of biasing a split carrier upward by means of a spring, feeding a bottom stop to the upwardly biased split carrier so that the wing portions of the bottom stop are seated against downwardly converging camming surfaces formed on inner edges of respective carrier halves of the split carrier, moving a ram downward into engagement with the top of the bottom stop, biasing the carrier halves together with a force greater than the outward camming force generated by the wing portions of the bottom stop on the camming surfaces of the carrier halves resulting from the upward bias of the split carrier, continuing downward movement of the ram to move both the bottom stop and the split carrier downward against the upward bias of the split carrier to just above the slide fastener, stopping the movement of the split carrier at the slide fastener. further continuing downward movement of the ram to move the bottom stop downward forcing the carrier halves apart, guiding the bottom stop during said further continuing downward movement of the ram between inner vertical surfaces of the respective carrier halves after passing the camming surfaces and until engagement of the prongs with the slide fastener, crimping the prongs by anvil means during said further continuing downward movement between downwardly diverging relieved inner surfaces of the respective carrier halves permitting free bending of the bottom stop without engagement with the carrier halves, raising the ram to disengage the bottom stop, and returning the split carrier to its raised position by means of the upward spring bias. 6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the feeding step includes the steps of engaging a pawl with a gear mounted on a rotatable barrel, moving the pawl rapidly to rotate the barrel, disengaging the pawl from the gear during the moving of the pawl to permit continued free rotation of the barrel, and directing the bottom stops from the barrel to chute means leading downward to the carrier. 7. A method as clamed in claim 6 wherein the directing step including centrifugally discharging the bottom stops from an inner outwardly flared frusto-conical surface of the barrel into channel means directed to the chute means. Other info: Inventors: Scagnelli, George J. (Meadville, PA, US) Application Number: 827699 Filing Date: 1977-08-25 Publication_date: 1979-02-06 Assignee: Textron, Inc. (Providence, RI) Primary Class(es): 29/408 29/33.2, 29/767, 29/768 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: DiPalma, Victor A. Assistant Examiner: Attorney: O'Brien and Marks |
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