CA1070203A - Ear piercing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT
An ear piercing gun is arranged for simultaneously piercing an ear and driving a decaratively headed wire stud into a spring clip retaining nut to form an "ear-ring", Relatively movable first and second jaws releasably hold said nut and stud respectively in registration with an ear lobe there-between and a plunger and the second jaw is movable under spring bias, re-leased by a trigger, to drive the stud through the ear lobe into said nut as said jaws move together.

Description

~J C37~ )3 This invention relates to apparatus for piercing ears and, more particularly, to apparatus for automaticall~ piercing ears and positioning ornaments in a single operation.
Ear piercing~devices ha~e long been known. The early ear piercers generally comprised two cros~ed members coupled at a pivot point similarl~
to a pair of pliers. A problem with the early ear piercers was that too much ~-time and pain was involved in the piercing operation The ear ~irst had to -~ be pierced and then an object, such as a surgical suture, passed through the freshly made can~l to keep it from closing as it healed. In time, tha sur_ gical suture method of preventing closure of the canal came ~o be replaced the utili~ation of a two piece ornamental device. One portion of the device~
called a wire3 included a narrow wire or rod generally pointed on one end and affixed to an enlarged area or a small stone or gem on the opposite end The - mating portion, called a nut, was releasably clamped to the pointed end. Dif_ feren~ methods ~ clamping were used. Sometimes the nut and wire were thread-ed or an annular groove near the pointed end of the wire sometimes cooperated with a resilient member in the nut.
When the use of a two-piece wire ornament became a popular method - of preventing closure of the canal, ear piercers were devised in which the wire fitted directly into one of the piercing jaws and the wire itself creat-ed the canal. These devices provided a substantial time saving. A wire was fitted into the jaw and passed through the ear lobe and then, frollowing sep_ aration of the piercing apparatus and the wire, a nut was applied to the wire.
Sometimes it is deæired to pierce the ears o~ se~eral persons in a single session Inasn~lch~as any repetitive job can become physicall~ fatig_ uing~ automated ear piercing devices to ease the job of the person doing the piercing were devised. ~or example, the energy storedjin a previously stres-sed spring was used to perform the piercing operation more quickly and effort-lessly ~han can a person utili~ing one of the prior pliers type apparatus Furthe~more, there is less likely to be pain for the patient, However, a pro-. ., :, :
''' ~
~ .
.

~7(~03 :

blem with the early automatic ear piercing devices was that the designers ~
were greatl~ influenced by the pre-existing plicrs type piercers. Rather ~;
- than providing completely new apparatus, the automatic ear piercers designed were modifications of the pre-existing apparatus. For example, see United States Patent No 3,187,751 Observation of the referenced paten~ makes e~i-dent the result of this fidelty to the prior artt For example, observation of Figure 1 will show the complex system required to convert the squeezing of two handles in an arcuate manner to linear mo~ion between two jaws. Such complex equipment gave rise to a substantial degree of friction. Conse~uently, devices such as that depicted in the referenced United States Patent were difficult to opera~e repeatedl~ and operator fatigue remained a problem.
; An object of this in~ention, therefore, is to provide a non-complex~
reliable ear piercing apparatus that can be repeatedly operated without caus-ing operator fatigue Another object of the invention is to provide a sterile mount for an ear ornament which is especially adapted for mounting the ornaments on an ear piercing device without manual handling of the ornament componentsO
This invention is characteri~ed by an apparatus ~or automatically piercing ears and applying two-piece ornaments in ~he canals created A first jaw includes a wire retaining bore for retaining a wire portion of a two-piece ear ornamen~. A second jaw includes a nut retaining system for retaining a nut of a two-piece ear ornament. me nut retaining s~stem includes a posi-tioning slot that mates with shaped portions of the nut to precisely position and hold the nut during the piercing operation, The jaws are mo~able with respect to each other in only one dimension and an actuator spring urges the ~-~
first jaw toward the second jaw. A trigger is utilized to selectively over-come the force of the actuator and retain the jaws;in a separated position When the apparatus is cocked, as explained below, proper actuation of the trigger releases the flrst jaw which then snaps toward the second jaw under the influencc of the ac~uator spring.

~,:

-1~)70203 The operation o~` piercing ears and placing ln the newly created canal a two-piece ornam~nt is greatly facilitated b~ the subject apparatus.
That is because the positioning system in the second jaw holds the nut in precisely the right position to receiv~ the wire as the canal in the ear lobe is formed. Preferably, thie ornament used is of the configuration wherein spring loaded members in the nut cooperate with an annular ~roove near the pointed end of the wire. Consequently, the operation of piercing the ear and placing an ornam~nt therein~-is rapidly completed. The actuator spring drives the wire through the ear lobe and into the nut, As will be explained more fully below~ the ornamient is easily released from the apparatus and exerts little pulling on the ears Restricting the relative jaw motion to one dim- F
ension greatly facilitates the rapid ear piercing operation by contributing to the precision juxtaposition in which the wire and the nut must be held if they are to meet and mate properly following the forcing of the wire through the ear lobe. Thi9 iS particularly important in this application due to the small si~e of human ear ornaments.
The apparatus i9 preferably of a pistol shaped configuration. The pistol shape is con~ortable to hold and thus facilitates repeated operation~
Furthermor0, as will be explained below, a cocking operation is part of the ear piercing sequence. The pistol grip configuration provides a firm, secure one-handed grip so that the operator can easily cock the mstrwment with his remaing hand. Cocking the prior apparatus was~;~ less convenient. ~or exam-; ple, re~er to the above referenced United States Patent, To cock the instr-ument shown there, the handles must be drawn together to provide a sècure hold~ and then the handles must be separated prior to the piercing operation, A feature of the invention is the inclusion of a closure system responsive to an auxiliary trigger for selectively drawing the second jaw nearer to the first jaw independently of the actuator system The motion of . .
`` the second jaw is, of course, in the one dimension that is permitted to the first jaw so that proper alignment of the jawsi~;is preserved. A bias spring ~, 3 _ 10~02(~3 ~:

j in the closure system urge9 the jaws apart and the auxiliar~ trigger is util-ized to selectively overcome the force of the bias spring and draw the ja~s together The closure system results in a more accur~te location of the can-al in the ear lobe because after the insertion of the ear lobe between the two jaws, the jaws are drawn together and, being closer to the ear lobe~ can be located more precisely with respect thereto prior ~o piercing.
Another ~eature of the invention is the inclusion of ear position-ing plates between the jaws At least one plate is resilient. The position-ing plates include openings to permit the wire to pass therethrough Fur~her-more, at least one of the plates responds to the auxiliary trigger and, whenthe closure syste~ is activated, the positioning plates gently squee~e the ;~ ear lobe. Consequently, yet more accurate location of the canal is possible.
This is so because the ear lobe is lightl~ squee~ed b~ the p]ates ~o that the surface thereof expands as if it were being slightly stretched, Furthermore, - the plates ho~d the ear lobe in a fi~ed relationship wlth the jaws during the piercing operation.
Yet another feature of the invention i9 a block adapted to hold the ear ornaments prior to use thereof and permit the ornaments to be placed dir-ectly into the piercing instrwment without intermediate handling, mus, the , ornaments and the block can be sterili~ed prior to supply and, inasmuch as the ornaments need not be touched to be placed in the instrwment, continued sterilit~ is facilitated These and other features and objects of the present in~ention will become more apparent upon a perusal of the following description of a part-`~1 icular embodîment of the in~ention, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is an elevation view of a preferred ear piercing instru-ment;
: ' "' ' Figure 2 is an elevation sectional view of the ins~rwment shown in Figure 1 taken along the line 2~2 therein; ~-., ~ .

~ 4 - ~ ;
.' ' ~ .

Figure 3 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure l;
Figure 4 is an elevation sectional view of the apparatus depicted in Figures 1-3;
Figures 4, 5 and 6 show di~er.ent detail views of a trigger connect-ing rod and actuator combination that is used in the pre~erred ear piercing instrwment; ~:
Figure 8 is an exploded isometric view of a nut retaining apparatus and two pressure plates utilized in the preferred ear piercing apparatus, Figure 9 is an isometric view of a two-piece ear ornament;
Figure 10 is an elevation sectional view of the nut retaining appa_ ratus with the nut therein;
-~ Figure 11 is a plan view of the nut retaining apparatus and nut as ~:
shown in Figure 10;
Figure 12 is a detail view of a portion of the preferred ear pier_ ~; cing apparatus with an ornament inserted therein and an ear lobe in position : for piercing;
Figure 13 is an upper isom~tric view of a resilient block retaining .' two two-piece ornaments;
., Figure 14 is a lower isometric view of the block depicted in Figure 13;
Figure lS is a detailed partially sectioned view show m g the method o~ removing the nut from the block WLth the nut retaining apparatus; and Figure 16 i3 a detailed elevation view illustrating the method of placing the wires in the wire retaining apparatus from the block.
; The ear piercing instrument 21 will be described generally with res-pect to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, The instrument 21 is pistol shaped and includes a body portion 22 affixed to an elongated handle 23 b~ two rivets 24 and 25 ~ ~.
~` passing through tabs 26 and 27 in the handle 23 and the section of the body 22 therebe~een. A bore 28 in the bod~ 22 retains a plunger 29 wi~h a handle 31 scr~wed to one end thereof. A n~rrowed portion 32 of the plunger 29 is sur- .

':
~ 5 ~ ~`

.

~c~7~Z~3 ::
rounded by an actuator spring 33 that urges the plunger 29 toward the right as viewed in Figu~e 4 An annular groove 34 is defined by the plunger 29.
Furthermore, the end of the plunger 29 toward the right as viewed in Figure 4 is a first jaw and defines a wire retaining bore 35.
A generall~ rectangular opening 36 in the body 22 retains a trigger connecting rod 37. The rod is cylindrical and is held in place b~ one portion of the opening 36 that is curved. Detailed views of the rod 37 are found in ~igures 5~ 6 and 7 At each end of the rod 37 is a slot 38 and the central portion of the rod is notched. Thus the appearance of the rod 37 in Figure 4 will be appreciated. Affixed to the notched portion of the rod 37 is a con ~ -necting bar 39 with an actuator foot 41. The connecting bar 39 and the not~
ched portion of the rod 37 are narrow because it is p.~eferable that as much of the rod contained within the opening 36 as possible be cylindrical in shape to insure that the-rod is properl~ held in place However, the actuator foot 41 i9 preferably nearl~ as wide as the bod~ 22. An L_shaped latch member 4a is retained in another slot in the body 22 and the latch is biased in an up-ward direction by a ~lat spring 43. It will be appreciated that-part of the i~ L-shaped latch member 42 contacts the actuator 41 and thus, as ~iewed in Fig_ ure 4, the spring 43 also urges the trigger connecting rod 37 in a clockwise directlon When the handle 31 is drawn to the left taS viewed in Figure 4) ; the annular groove 3~ will become aligned with the latch member 42 At that time, the spring 43 will drive the latch member 42 into the groove 34 and rotate the connecting rod 37 in a clockwise direction. Thus, the plunger 29 will be held in a cocked position with the actuator spring 33 compressed ~eferring now to Figure 3 there are shown dual triggers 44 that are strips o~ metal twisted 180 degrees for rigidity and are received b~ the slots 38 in the rod 37 Small pins 45 passing through the rod 37 and the triggers 44 are preferabl~ included to securel~ affix the triggers to the rod. A stop 46 passes through the body 22 and is positioned to be just below the triggers 44 when ~he plunger 29 is in the uncocked position as shown in Figure 4 When .

.:

7~)Z~3 the rod 37 is rotated clockwise due to cocking the plunger 29, the ends o~ the triggers 44 separate from the stop 46. Depressing either trigger 44 toward the stop 46 will withdraw the latch member 42 from the annular slot 34 and per_ mit the actuator spring 33 to drive the plunger 29 to the righ~.
As viewed in Figures 1, 3 and 4, a first positioning plate 47 is dis_ , posed to the right of the wire retainl-ng bore 35. It will be appreciated that '~ the plate 47 is affixed to the body 22, To the right of the first positioning plate 47 is a second position plate 48, that is preferably composed of resil-ient material such as spring steel. To the right of the'second positioning plate 48 is a second jaw 49 with a nut retaining mechanism 51, A mo~ting bar 52 ~upports the second positioning plate 48 and the ; ~;
1~ second jaw 49 and i9 coupled to an auxiliar~ closure trigger 53. A bias spring 54 surrounding a rod 55 projecting from the end of the bar 52 urges the bar `' and thus the auxiliary trigger 53 to the right. Drawing the auxiliary trigger 53 to the left (as viewed in Figure 4) linearly draws the second positioning plate 48 and the second jaw 49 toward the first positioning plate 4? and the wire retaining bore 35. The bar 52 is held in place by a U-shaped channel 50 affixed to the body 22 with rivets 60. An opening in the channel accommodates ,~
i., ~ . .
; the auxiliary trigger 53 and permits it to mo~e.
~,, 20 Referring now to Figure 8 there i~ shown an exploded view of the ~' first positioning plate 47, the second positioning plate 48 and the second jaw 49. The first positioning plate 47 defines a large opening S6 that is prefer_ ably wider ~han the diameter o~ the wire re~aining bore 35. The second jaw 49 is composed of a first metal plate 57 and a second metal plate 58 that are lam-inated during construction. The second positioning plate'48 and the first ~ metal plate 57 retain slots 59 and 61 respectivel~, the function of which will ,1 bG explained below~ A slot 62 is cut in the second metal plate 58 and a lar_ `~
~I ger slot 63 is cut in one portion thereof, A corner of the plate'57 has been broken away to more clearly show the plate 58. ~ ' Re~erring now to Figure 9 there is shown a ~o-piece ear ornament 64 ,~

~. .

;, ~

of the type that i9 used with the apparatus 21 A wire 65 includes a wire portion 66 and a larger head portion 67. A shoulder stop 68 is de~ined by a wire 66 as is an annular groove 69. A pointed end 71 is opposite the head 67 A nut 72 includes a generally disc shaped body 73 with two resilient spring tabs 74 and 75. An opening 76 is de~ined by the disc 73. When the ear orna-ment 64 is a~sembled the pointed end 71 passes through the opening 76 and the wire portion 66 is moved through the opening 76 until the shoulder stop 68 contacts the disc 73. Thus~ the nut 72 i~ prevented from sliding too far ko-ward the head 67. Just prior to the diæc 73 contacting the s~face 68~ the tabs 74 and 75 are received by the annular groove 69 and thus the two-piece ornament 64 is releasably locked together. The two pieces are separated mer-ely b~ grasping and pulling them apart Referrîng now to Figures 10 and 11 there is shown the nut 72 in the nut retaining apparatus 51. It will be abserved that the disc portion 73 fits in the large opening 63 between the first plate 57 and the second plate 58, Furthermore, precise alignment both vertically and horizontally is provided by the cooperation of the spring tabs 74 and 75 and the narrow slot 62. mus, the positioning of ~he opening 76 is precisely determined with respect to the instrument 21 It will be appreciated that the opening 76 is accessible through the slot 61 in the first plate 57 Referring now toi:~igure 12 there is shown the front portion of the apparatus 21 with the plunger 29 drawn back into the cocked position with the latch member 42 in the annular groove 34 ~Figure 4), Furthermore, the aux-iliary trigger 53 has been drawn back toward the elongated handle 23 thus drawing the second positioning plate 48 and the second jaw 49 toward the first positioning plate 47. Conse~uently, the resilienc~ of the second positioning plate 48 provides a gentle squeezing effect on an ear lobe 81 placed between the positioning plates. The squeezing slightly expands the sur~ace of the lobe 81 in the area that the canal is to be made. Thus greater accuracy in posi*ioning the canal can be achieved Furthermore, the lobe 81 is gentl~ ~
~ , - 8 _ ~t7~ 3 held in position with respect to the apparatus 21, further ~nhancing the accurate positioning of the canal. The position shown in Figure 12 is with the auxiliary trigger 53 fully drawn~ me positioning plates 47 and 48 are po3itioned so that ear lobes will not be excessively squeezed b~ the actua_ tion of the auxiliary trigger S3. Utili~ing the resilient second position-ing plate 48 insures comfort for the patient.
; Either o~ the triggers 44 (Figure 3) is now actuated9 withdrawqng the latching ~ember 42 from the annular groove 34. The spring 33 snaps the plunger 29 toward the nut 72. During actuation, the wire portion 66 is rap-idly driven through the ear lobe 81 in a quick and painless piercing oper-ation. The plunger 29 stops prior to contact between the lobe 81 and the head 67 of the wire 650 Thus the lobe 81 is n~t squee~ed ~ the head 6 However, prior to the end of plunger motion the pointed end ~1 o~ the wire 65 enters the opening 76 in the nut 72 and the wire 65 is latched to the nut.
Following piercing the auxiliary trigger 53 is released, thus sep-~; arating the positioni~g plates 47 and 48 and releasing the now pierced ear lobe 81, It will be recalled that the opening 56 in the first positioning plate 47 (Figure 8) is larger than the diameter of the bore 35. mus, a slight motion of the pierced ear toward the right with respect to the instru_ ment 21 (as viewed in ~igure 12) will remove the head 67 from the wire re-taining bore in the plunger 29 Inasmuch as the openings in the second pO9-itioning plate 48 and the second jaw 49 are all slots, simpl~ mo~ing the ear lobe 81 ~erticall~ with respect to the apparatus 21 releases the pierced ear lobe and the two_piece ornament 64 thereon from the apparatus 21 The orna~
ment is left in place until the canal heals, Referring now to Figures 13 and 14 there is shown a resilient hold-ing block 82 for holding the two-piece ear ornaments 64 prior to use. Two slots 83 that intersect three surfaces o~ a narrow end of the block 82 retain the wires 65. Another dlagonal slot 843 shown as passing entirel~ through a thicker portion of the block 8Z, retains two nuts 72. The block 82 and the , ' .

' -.~

107()Z03 ~ ~
two ornaments 64 are sterilized prior to packaging and packaged so as to re_ main sterile during subsequent deliver~. For example, the block 82 with the o~naments therein can be sterilized and sealed in a plastic bag.
Re~erring now to Figure 15 there is shown a sectional view of the block 82 and a portion of the ear piercing apparatus 21, It will be appre-ciated that the section through the block 82 is taken diagonall~ so as to be parallel to the slot 84. Thus~ the position of the nuts 72 retained in the slot 84 is clearly shown. When the apparatus 21 is placed in the juxtapos-ition with respect to the block 82 shown, the end of the jaw 49 slightly depresses a portion of the resilient block 82 and a scooping motion with the -apparatus 21 will place one of the nuts 72 in the nut retaining apparatus 51 without the necessity of r~moving the nut 72 from the block 82 prior ko pla~
cing it in the nut retaining apparatus. Thus the nuts 72 need not be sepa~
rately handled.
Referring now to Figure 16 there is illustrated the method o~ in-serting the wires 65 into the wire retaining bore 35 in the plunger 29~ The apparatus 21 i9 cocked and the block 82 is placed in the position shown, The head 67 of a wire 65 is then mo~ed into the bore 35 and drawqng ~he block ~`~ 82 in an upward direction, as indicated b~ the arrow in Figure 16, permits the-wire portion 66 to slide through the slot 83 (Figures 13 and 14) and be retained by the plunger 29, Thus the sterilized wires 65 need not be hand~
led during the insertion operation, In summAry, the ear-piercing operation comprises the following st~ps. The-portion of the apparatus 21 near the two jaws and positioning plates bhat will contac~ the body of the patient is sterili~ed with, for example, alcohol. The apparatus 21 i9 then grasped in a manner similar to the way one hoads a pistol. With the ~ree hand, the handle 31 (Figure 4) is ., , drawn back to cock the apparatus, A sterilized nut 72 is transferred dir--i ectly from the block 82 to the nut rec~iving apparatus 51 by the method de-1 30 picted in Figure lS, Inasmuch as the nut 72 is not touched, it remains - 10 _ ,, .
, ~, ~L~763~;~ at3 sterile. Next, a sterilized wire 65 is inserted in the bore 35 according to the manner depicted in Figure 16. Inasmuc~ as the wire 65 is not touched, it too, remains sterile. An ear lobe 81 i9 then positioned as shown in Figure 12 and the index finger of the operator draws the auxiliary trigger 53 back to slightly squeeze th0 lobe between the pressure plates 47 and 48, The thumb of the operator then actuates either of the triggers 44 and the plunger 29 snaps toward the second jaw 49, thus driving the wire 65 through the ear lobe 81 and into the nut 72. The operator actuates the trigger 44 nearest his thumb, which is determined b~ whether he is holding the instrwnent with his right or his left hand. Pressure on the auxiliary trigger 53 is then rele~ased and the pier-ced ear lobe and two-piece ornament 64 are separated from the apparatus 21 in an upward and outward motion.
Ob~iously, many modifications and variations of the present inven-tion are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, although the plate 47 is shown as having a slot that extends upwardly through its top por_ tion, the upper portion of this slot could be closed off without changing the operation of the device, since the headed stud passes completely through the , plate 47. Further, i~ the barrel 29 is retracted su~ficiently into the hou sing of the device, plate 47 may be dispensed with, its ~unc-tion being ~ul-filled by the nut face of the housing. In this case the barrel should not extend beyond this surface in order to avoid injury to the ear. Other modi_ fications that will occur to those skilled in the art included placing the plate 48 in the housing containing ~he barrel 29. It is to be understood, ; therefore, that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specificall~
described.

' .
- , , : :
~., . :

Claims (23)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. Apparatus for simultaneously piercing an ear and engaging therein a two-piece ear ornament comprising a headed wire and a nut for engaging said wire, said apparatus comprising, first jaw means for releasably holding said nut therein, second jaw means apertured to provide passage of said headed wire therethrough and mounted for movement relative to said first jaw means to secure an ear therebetween prior to piercing, plunger means actuable independently of said first and second jaws and adapted to hold a headed wire in alignment with said nut and the aperture in said second jaw, and triggered motive means for driving said plunger means toward said first jaw means to thereby drive said wire through said ear and into said nut when said jaw means are moved toward each other.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 which includes a body mounting said first and second jaw means for slideable straightline motion relative to each other.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 which includes a spring normally urging said first jaw means outwardly of said body and compressible to allow closure of said jaws for engagement with an ear.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 which includes a trigger on said first jaw means providing a surface for engagement by an operator to move said jaws together.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 which includes means on said body for limiting the minimum distance between said jaw means when said jaw means are moved together.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 which includes a resilient wall con-nected to one of said jaw means and bendable toward said jaw means under a force applied thereto by said ear when said jaw means are moved together to secure said ear therebetween, said wall applying an increasing force to said ear as said jaw means move together.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said first jaw means in-cludes means defining a slot for securing said nut therein and providing re-lease of said nut by movement in the direction of said slot.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said triggered motive means comprises a spring which is compressible by an operator to store energy there-in, cocking means for holding said spring in a compressed condition, and a trigger actuable to release said cocking means to thereby drive said plunger means toward said first jaw means

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 in which said trigger includes first and second trigger arms mounted on opposite sides of said plunger means to facilitate operation thereof from either side of said plunger means.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 which includes an elongated handle for normal vertical disposition in a single hand of an operator, and a body connected to said handle and extending generally orthogonal thereto, said body mounting said first and second jaw means thereon for straight-line motion relative to each other.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 in which said body includes means defining a track for slideable motion of said first jaw means therein.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11 which includes a spring normally urging said first jaw means outwardly of said track and compressible to ac-comodate movement of said jaw means toward each other to secure an ear there-in.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 which includes a trigger connected to said first jaw means for engagement by the operator to move said jaw means together.

14. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said first jaw means in-cludes means defining a slot securing said nut and wire therein against with-drawal in the direction of motion of said plunger and facilitating withdrawal in a direction transverse thereto.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14 in which said plunger is mounted to extend a forward end thereof to a position closely adjacent said second wall, but not extending beyond said wall through said aperture, when said plunger is driven toward said first jaw means.

16. Apparatus for simultaneously piercing an ear and engaging therein a two-piece ear ornament comprising a wire having an enlarged head thereon and a nut for lockably engaging said wire, said apparatus comprising first jaw means for releasably holding said nut therein, second jaw means mounted for movement toward and away from said first jaw means to secure an ear there-between prior to piercing, and having slideably connected thereto a plunger actuable independently of said first and second jaw means and releasably hold-ing said wire in alignment with said nut, said plunger lockably driving said wire into said nut when actuated, and having means forming an aperture there-in aligned with said plunger and of a side sufficient to provide an unobst-ructed path for passage of said head therethrough, whereby said jaw means may be retracted from each other after engagement of said wire with said nut with-out interference with said head.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which said first jaw means in-cludes means forming a slot therein extending inwardly from an edge of said jaw means for releasably holding said nut therein against movement in the direction of motion of said plunger.

18 Apparatus according to claim 17 which further includes a yieldable plate mounted on said first jaw means and between said first and second jaw means for applying an increasing force to an ear placed between said jaw means as said jaw means are moved together, said plate having therein means forming a slot therethrough aligned with the slot on said first jaw for passage of said wire therethrough.

19. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which said second jaw means com-prises a barrel in which said plunger is slideably mounted, and an apertured plate fixedly connected to said barrel and positioned intermediate said bar-rel and said first jaw means for contact with an ear when said jaw means are moved together.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19 which further includes a spring within said barrel and positioned to drive said plunger toward said first jaw means.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20 which further includes cocking means on said second jaw means for retaining said spring in a compressed position and trigger means for releasing said cocking means to thereby drive said plunger toward said first jaw means.

22. Apparatus according to claim 21 which further includes a handle connected to said second jaw means and extending transversely therefrom to provide a grip for the user of said apparatus.

23. Apparatus according to claim 16 which further includes spring means normally urging said jaw means apart and yieldable when said jaw means are moved together.