Tagging apparatus

Abstract

 A tagging apparatus for inserting labelling tags into gar- nents has a conventional manual tagging gun 65 mounted on carrier 62 forvertical movement by a pneumatic ram 64 such hat the tagging needle may be projected through or withdrawn from an aperture 61 in a work table 60. A bracket 67,68 erves to operate the gun trigger to effect tagging as the gun is advanced to project the needle.
A shield bar 72 is disposed over the work table 60, there being a recess 73 to receive the projecting tagging needle. The ar 72 is movable vertically by means of a double-acting pneumatic ram 70 so that bulky items may be placed on the vork table, compressed by the bar and then tagged by the gun.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to apparatus for inserting labelling tags of the kind used to affix labels to various fabric goods, such as garments.

[0002] It is a common practice to affix a temporary label - such as price ticket - to a garment by means of a flexible plastics labelling tag which is inserted through the fabric of the garment and the label itself. Such plastics tags have a relatively thin diameter shaft carrying at one end a cross-bar of a slightly greater diameter tha'n that of the shaft, and carrying at the other end a considerably larger paddle-shaped head. Such tags conventionally are supplied in the form of a plurality of tags each joined to a carrier bar by a frangible neck, all the tags of such a strip being moulded integrally with the carrier bar, and being broken off the bar one at a time as each tag is to be used.

[0003] The usual method of inserting labelling tags such as have been described above is by means of a tagging gun, comprising a hand-held and hand-operated device including a hollow tagging needle having a slot extending therealong, feed means to supply the tags of a strip one at a time to the base end of the tagging needle with the cross-bar of the next tag to be delivered aligned with the bore of the needle, and ejection means to drive the cross-bar of an aligned tag along the length of the needle and hence through a garment, the shaft of a tag passing along the slot in the needle during the ejection step. Such a tagging gun is used by the operator holding the gun in one hand, placing a label over the needle of the gun and then pushing the needle through the fabric of a garment supported by the other hand; the gun is then operated to eject a tag which hence passes through both the label and the garment. Such a manual tagging operation, though very widely practised, is relatively slow and labour intensive. Moreover, it is somewhat hazardous for an operator, in that the insertion of the needle through the fabric requires the garment to be supported by the fingers of the other hand in the immediate region of the insertion site - and quite frequently an operator accidentally pierces the skin of his fingers. A further disadvantage of the manual tagging operation is that the operation of the gun to eject a tag requires a considerable manual effort, leading to operator fatigue.

[0004] In an attempt to increase productivity, there have been designed fully automatic tagging mechanisms, including garment and label feed arrangements, and tag strip feed and insertion mechanisms, all of these mechanisms being operated automatically in the appropriate sequence. However, such apparatus inevitably involves considerable capital expenditure, is expensive to install and operate, and hence is not appropriate for use by relatively small garment manufacturing concerns.

[0005] It is a principal object of this invention to provide a labelling tag inserting apparatus which is of relatively simple construction, and hence reasonably cheap to install and operate, and which also has favourable operating characteristics, enhancing operator safety.

[0006] Accordingly, this invention provides apparatus for inserting labelling tags which apparatus comprises a tagging mechanism including a hollow tagging needle and ejection means to drive a tag along the needle for insertion through a fabric, the apparatus being characterised by the provision of a housing within which is mounted the tagging mechanism, drive means to effect the operation of the tagging mechanism, a table defined by the housing and on which a fabric to be tagged may be positioned, the table having an opening through which the tagging needle projects on operation of the tagging mechanism, and a shield overlying but spaced from the table in the region of the opening therein, the shield having a recess in which the tagging needle is received when the tagging needle projects through the opening in the table.

[0007] In the apparatus of this invention, the tagging mechanism may be of simple construction, operable as and when required by an operator for example by means of a foot or hand switch. Each label and garment or other fabric good to be tagged is individually loaded by hand into the apparatus, between the table and the shield, and then the drive means is activated to effect the operation of the tagging mechanism - but in view of the presence of the shield over the opening through which the needle projects, operator safety is assured even if the operator holds both the garment and a label in the immediate vicinity of the site of insertion of a tag.

[0008] It is preferred for the drive means which effects the operation of the tagging mechanism to comprise a pneumatic ram, arranged to perform the combined actions of projecting the needle through the opening in the table and of ejecting a tag through the needle. However, other types of drive means may be provided, as required; the pneumatic ram could be replaced for example by a hydraulic ram, or by an electrical actuator, either of these arrangements still performing both functions of projecting the needle and ejecting a tag. An alternative would be to provide two separate drive arrangements, respectively for projecting the needle through the opening in the table and for ejecting a tag, but such an arrangement is likely to increase the overall cost of the tagging apparatus.

[0009] In the tag inserting apparatus of this invention, it is most convenient for the tagging mechanism to include a conventional tagging gun for the purpose of inserting the tags. For example, the tagging mechanism may be provided with a carrier which is slidably mounted and adapted to support a conventional tagging gun with the needle thereof parallel to the line of sliding movement of the carrier, the tagging gun when so supported having its needle aligned with the opening in the table of the housing, whereby sliding movement of the carrier causes the needle to be projected through or withdrawn from the opening in the table. By providing a fixed bar at an appropriate position within the housing in the line of movement of the operating trigger of the conventional tagging gun supported by the carrier, a single actuator - for instance pneumatic ram - may serve to effect reciprocating movement of the carrier for a complete tagging cycle, the initial part of the movement projecting the needle through the opening and hence through a supported garment, further movement of the carrier operating the trigger to eject a tag and the subsequent movement of the carrier back to its initial position withdrawing the needle from a garment, back into the housing.

[0010] Though the above-described preferred form of the apparatus of this invention has particular advantages from the point of view of the manufacturing cost and the simplicity of its design, in that it may use a well tried and proven form of tagging gun, the apparatus may instead employ a purpose-designed tagging mechanism to perform a similar function. This may reduce the overall size of the apparatus, and of the housing in particular, but it does however lack the advantage obtained by using a conventional tagging gun, in that the gun may be removed from the apparatus for manual use should it be required to tag such fabric articles as cannot be tagged by the apparatus, or should there be for example a power failure resulting in the inability to operate the apparatus.

[0011] It is preferred for the shield which overlies the table to be in the form of a bar having a V or U-shaped recess formed in one end face thereof, the bar being mounted on the table so as to be spaced from the table by typically 2 to 5 mm, with the recess being disposed directly over the opening through which the needle projects, whereby the projecting needle is received in the recess. An operator may thus conveniently hold a garment and a label with fingers positioned on each side of the bar whilst a tagging operation is being performed.

[0012] In an alternative arrangement, the shield is slidably mounted for vertical movement and is provided with drive means therefor, whereby a garment may be placed on the table over the needle opening therein and then the shield is operated to move towards the table so as to compress the garment between the shield and the table, prior to the insertion of a tag. Such an arrangement is particularly suited to the tagging of relatively bulky articles, such as pairs of socks. In this alternative form of the apparatus, it is preferred for there to be a double acting pneumatic ram arranged to effect movement of the shield and a control arrangement which is adapted to disable actuation of the tagging mechanism whenever the shield is other than in its position nearest the table with the recess overlying the opening in the table. Conveniently, an operator is provided with two separate controls, one for the shield and the other for the tagging mechanism. The former may be a foot-switch, which when actuated disables operation of the tagging mechanism, and the latter may be a hand switch, so positioned that an operator has to take his hand away from the tagging site in order to effect operation of that switch.

[0013] It is envisaged that the apparatus of this invention ordinarily will be used with the hollow tagging needle moving generally vertically, the table of the housing being disposed generally horizontally. For certain tagging operations, it may however be advantageous for the tagging apparatus to be oriented differently - for instance, with the tagging needle moving generally horizontally, and the table disposed generally vertically.

[0014] By way of example only, two specific embodiments of this invention and a modification of the first embodiment will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the first embodiment of tagging apparatus arranged in accordance with this invention and employing a conventional tagging gun;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of Figure 1, taken on line II-II marked on that Figure;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of part of a strip of labelling tags;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view through a purpose-designed tagging head for use in apparatus similar to that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the tagging head shown in Figure 4;

Figures 6 and 7 are sketch views of an operating mechanism for the tagging head of Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view through the second embodiment of tagging apparatus of this invention, also employing a conventional tagging gun;

Figure 9 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is a pneumatic circuit diagram of the control arrangement for the apparatus of Figures 8 and 9.

[0015] Referring initially to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown tagging apparatus constructed and arranged in accordance with this invention, configured to insert labelling tags into garments, to affix labels thereto. This apparatus 10 employs a conventional manually- operated tagging gun 11 and a single-acting pneumatic ram 12 to effect the operation of the entire apparatus.

[0016] The apparatus 10 comprises a box-like housing 13 the upper surface of which defines a table 14 having an elongate slot-like opening 15 adjacent the front edge thereof. Mounted on the table 14 is a bar 16 the front portion of which is formed as a shield 17 extending over but spaced from the table 14 in the vicinity of the opening 15. The gap between the shield 17 and the top surface of the table 14 is typically within the range of 2 to 5 mm. The front portion of the shield 17 is cut away in the manner illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, so as to define a recess 18 into which the needle (described below) of the conventional tagging gun 11 may extend.

[0017] Attached to the base of the housing 13 is the single-acting pneumatic ram 12 the piston rod 19 of which extends generally vertically, a carrier 20 being affixed to the free end of the piston rod 19. This carrier is generally in the form of a cradle in which the tagging gun 11 is a light press fit; clamping members such as screw-threaded fasteners or adjusters (not shown) may be provided to engage the tagging gun 11, thereby securely to hold the gun in the cradle 20. Also attached to the base of the housing 13 is a pair of arms 21 extending upwardly, one to each side of the carrier 20, which arms serve to locate and guide the carrier 20, when raised and lowered by the ram 12. A bolt 22 extends between the free ends of the arms 21, at a pre-determined height above the base of the housing 13, depending upon the precise configuration of the tagging apparatus and the tagging gun itself, such that the bolt will be engaged by the trigger of the gun as the carrier is raised fully.

[0018] An air regulator and control valve assembly 23 is mounted within the housing, the control valve of which is operable by means of a lever 24 projecting forwardly from the assembly 23, through an aperture 25 in the front wall of the housing 10, the lever 24 being fitted with a control knob 26 at its free end. Air is fed into the assembly 23 through a pipe 27, and the controlled and regulated air supply is fed to the ram 12 through a further pipe 28. Though not shown, a spring may be fitted either within the ram 12 or externally to act on the carrier 20, so as to return the carrier 20 to a position adjacent the lower wall of the housing 13, when no air under pressure is supplied to the ram 12.

[0019] The tagging gun 11 is entirely conventional in its construction, and thus includes a hollow tagging needle 30 having a slot 31 extending therealong, to permit the ejection of tags from a strip thereof such as is illustrated in Figure 3. Each tag comprises a shaft 32, a cross-bar portion 33 at one end of the shaft 32 and a paddle portion 34 at the other end of the shaft 32. Each tag is moulded integrally with a carrier bar 35, the tag being joined to that bar by means of a frangible neck 36. The gun 11 includes a feed means for a strip of tags to deliver the tags one at a time to the lower end of the tagging needle 30, with the cross-bar 33 aligned with the bore of the needle, and an ejection rod 37 which breaks an aligned tag from the bar 35 and drives the cross-bar 33 thereof along the length of the needle with the shaft 32 running along the slot 31 of the needle, until the tag is completely free of the needle. The tagging gun also has a trigger 38 which, when pulled towards a handle portion 39, firstly causes a tag strip to be advanced to present the next tag ready for ejection and subsequently operates the rod 37 so as to effect a tagging operation.

[0020] The apparatus described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 is used in the following manner. The tagging gun 11 is initially loaded with a strip of tags, and then a garment or other fabric article to be tagged is fed into the gap between the table 14 and the shield 17. A label - such as a price ticket - is then also placed in the gap, whereafter the lever 24 is operated by means of the knob 26 to cause the ram 12 to expand. This lifts the carrier 20, first driving the needle 30 upwardly through the opening 15, the garment and the label, to enter the recess 18; further upward movement of the carrier 20 engages the trigger 38 with the bolt 22 so moving the trigger. By the time the needle 30 has fully entered the recess 18, the tagging mechanism within the tagging gun has operated, to cause the ejection of a plastics tag. Release of the knob 26 allows the carrier 20 to return to its initial position (as shown in Figure 2) whereupon the tagged garment may be removed from the table 14.

[0021] If required, a label or price ticket holder 40 may be mounted on the table 14, to facilitate use of the apparatus. As will be appreciated, the risk of injury to an operator is minimized by virtue of the shield 17, and at the same time the apparatus is particularly simple and fast to use.

[0022] Referring now to Figures 4 to 7, there is illustrated a modification to the tagging apparatus of this invention. In this modified embodiment, the conventional tagging gun 11 is replaced by a tagging head assembly 41, and the ram 12 is replaced by a cam shaft 42; in other respects the apparatus is similar to that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and those parts of the apparatus will not therefore be described and illustrated again.

[0023] Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the head assembly 41 comprises a head block 43 which supports a hollow tagging needle 44 similar to the needle 30 of the conventional tagging gun illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The head block 43 has a slot 45 formed therein, which slot is appropriately profiled in order to accommodate a strip of labelling tags such as is illustrated in Figure 3. This slot 45 terminates adjacent the base of the tagging needle 44, but is in register with a further slot 46 able to accommodate the carrier strip and neck portions 35 and 36 of a strip from which the tags have been removed. Opposed to but in alignment with the bore of the needle 44 is slidably mounted an ejection rod 47, to break tags from their carrier and to drive the tags along the needle 44. A toothed wheel 48 is rotatably mounted in the head block, which wheel engages with a strip of tags and which is rotatable by means of a plunger 49 having a pawl 50.

[0024] The above-described tagging mechanism may be operated by means of the cam shaft 42 including three separate cams 51 to 53, respectively to reciprocate the head block 43, the drive rod 47 and the plunger 49. Suitable means (not shown) must be provided slidably to support these components beneath the table 14, as well as power drive means intermittently operable to rotate the cam shaft 42. By appropriate profiling of the cams on the cam shaft, the required sequence of operation of advancing the tag strip, raising the head block to thrust the needle 44 through a garment and then ejecting a tag may be obtained.

[0025] Figures 8 and 9 show a second embodiment of tagging apparatus of this invention which is generaly similar to the first embodiment described above, but differs principally in that a movable compresser bar is provided, to compress bulky garments prior to the insertion of a tag.

[0026] The apparatus comprises a housing 59 defining a table 60 with a needle opening 61 therein, a carrier 62 being affixed to the piston rod 63 of a single acting pneumatic ram 64 attached to the housing for movement perpendicular to the plane of the table 60. A conventional needle gun 65 is clamped to the carrier by suitable fasteners 66 such that the needle projects parallel to the line of movement of the carrier 62, and so may project through the opening 61 when the ram is expanded. An arm 67 upstands from the base of the housing and has a flange 68 which co-operates with the trigger 69 of the gun 65 whereby the gun is actuated as the ram 64 is expanded, in a manner generally similar to that of the first embodiment.

[0027] A double acting ram 70 is also mounted on the base of the housing 59, with its piston rod 71 extending parallel to that of ram 64 to project through the table 60. Affixed to the upper end of the rod 71 is the compresser bar 72, which bar has at its free end a V-shaped recess 73 overlying the opening 61 to receive the needle, when projecting through the table. A bolt 74 passes through the bar 72 and is threaded into a block 75 affixed to the table, to restrain swinging movement of the bar.

[0028] As illustrated in Figure 8, a cam 76 is secured to the piston rod 71 and co-operates with a pneumatic valve 77, the valve being held open by the cam but closing automatically whenever rod 71 is turned away from the illustrated position. Mounted on the table is a manually-operable valve 78 (Figure 9) which serves to initiate a tagging cycle. The table may be in two parts connected by a hinge 79, whereby access may be gained to the interior of the housing (for instance to remove the gun 65) by removing bolt 74, swinging the bar 72 sideways so closing switch 77 and then raising the front section of the table.

[0029] Figure 10 shows the pneumatic circuit diagram for use with the apparatus of Figures 8 and 9. Air under pressure is supplied both to a foot switch 80 and a regulator/pressure gauge 81, the outputs of both of which are fed to a spool valve 82 having needle adjusters 83. Output 84 of the spool valve 82 is connected to ram 70 such that when air under pressure is fed to the ram 70, that ram expands. Output 85 of the valve 82 also is connected to ram 70, but to cause that ram to contract when air under pressure is fed thereto, the output 85 further being connected to manually operable valve 78. This valve is normally closed, but on being depressed, the valve opens. The output of valve 78 is connected through the cam-operated valve 77 and a further needle adjuster 86 to the carrier ram 64.

[0030] When air under pressure is supplied to the foot switch 80 and to the regulator/pressure gauge 81, but both the foot switch 80 and the valve 78 are released, air is fed under pressure out of output 85 of valve 82 to maintain ram 70 contracted and to feed air under pressure to the input to valve 78. Depression of valve 78 supplies air to ram 64, so raising the needle gun 65 and commencing a tagging cycle. If however the bar 72 is swung aside, valve 77 is closed so inhibiting operation. The bar 72 is raised by pressing the foot switch 80, so shifting spool valve 82 to feed air from output 84 to ram 70, to expand that ram. At the same time, the supply of air to output 85 is cut off, to prevent operation of the ram 64.

[0031] The apparatus is used to tag for instance a pair of socks by depressing foot switch 80 to raise the bar 72, and then placing beneath the bar the socks to be tagged and a suitable label. The foot switch 80 is then released, and the bar 72 is driven down to compress the socks. Thereafter, valve 78 may be depressed to raise the needle gun 65, so as thereby to complete a tagging cycle. It will be appreciated that greater operator safety is obtained by this arrangement in that the needle may project above the table 60 only when the bar, defining the shield recess 73, is lowered, and an operator must move one hand away from the tagging area whenever a tagging operation is to be performed, in order to depress valve 78.

Claims

1. Apparatus for inserting labelling tags (as hereinbefore described) which apparatus comprises a tagging mechanism including a hollow tagging needle and ejection means to drive a tag along the needle for insertion through a fabric, the apparatus being characterised by the provision of a housing (13) within which is mounted the tagging mechanism (11), drive means (12) to effect the operation of the tagging mechanism, a table (14) defined by the housing and on which a fabric to be tagged may be positioned, the table (14) having an opening (15) through which the tagging needle (30) projects on operation of the tagging mechanism, and a shield (17) overlying but spaced from the table (14) in the region of the opening (15) therein, the shield (17) having a recess (18) in which the tagging needle (30) is received when the tagging needle projects through the opening in the table.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the drive means (12) which effects the operation of the tagging mechanism comprises a single-acting pneumatic ram arranged to perform the combined actions of projecting the needle (30) through the opening (15) in the table (14) and of ejecting a tag through the needle.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the drive means (12) comprises two separate drive mechanisms, one arranged to project the needle (30) through the opening (15) in the table (14) and the other arranged to eject a tag along the needle.

4. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the tagging mechanism comprises a slidably mounted carrier (20) which is adapted to support a conventional manual tagging gun (11) with the needle (30) thereof parallel to the line of sliding movement of the carrier (20) the tagging gun (11) when so supported having its needle aligned with the opening (15) in the table (14) of the housing, whereby sliding movement of the carrier (20) causes the needle (30) to be projected through or withdrawn from the opening in the table.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, further characterised in that there is a fixed abutment (22) provided at an appropriate position within the housing (13) in the line of movement of the operating trigger (38) of the conventional tagging gun (11) supported by the carrier (20), whereby the initial part of the movement effected by the drive means (28) projects the needle (30) through the table opening and hence through a supported garment, and further movement of the carrier operates the trigger (38) to eject a tag.

6. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the shield (17) which overlies the table is in the form of a bar having a V or U-shaped recess (18) formed in one end face thereof, the bar being mounted on the table (14) with the recess (18) disposed directly over the opening (15) through which the needle projects so that the needle when projecting is received in the recess, the bar being spaced from the table by a distance sufficient to permit the insertion of a garment therebetween.

7. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the shield (72, Figure 8) is slidably mounted for vertical movement and is provided with a drive arrangement (70) therefor, whereby a garment may be placed on the table (60) over the needle opening (61) therein and then the drive arrangement (70) for the shield is operated to move the shield towards the table so as to compress the garment between the shield and the table.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, further characterised in that there is a double acting pneumatic ram (70) arranged to effect movement of the shield (72) and there is a control arrangement (Figure 10) which is adapted to disable actuation of the tagging mechanism (64,65) whenever the shield is other than in its position nearest the table with the recess overlying the opening in the table.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 or claim 8, characterised in that there are provided two separate controls, one (80) for the drive arrangement of the shield and the other (78) for the drive means (64) of the tagging mechanism.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, further characterised in that a foot-switch (80) is provided for the drive arrangement (70) of the shield and a manually operable switch (78) is provided for operation of the tagging mechanism.

Drawing