400,748. Stringing labels ; stapling. MILLIE PATENT HOLDING CO., Inc., 288, Southern Boulevard, New York, U.S.A. Aug. 19, 1932, No. 23357. Convention date, Aug. 29, 1931. [Class 89 (iii).] A machine for securing labelling tags to string comprises means for feeding to the machine a continuous tape imprinted at intervals with labelling indicia and a continuous string, means for punching out successive tags from the tape, means for forming a staple from continuous wire and driving it through the tag with its legs clinched over the string, means for reeling up the string with attached labels, and means for reeling up the waste portion of the tape. The machine, shown in plan in Fig. 1, comprises a frame, a table 2 with lateral extension 3, and a main driving shaft 4. A continuous tape 7, on which indicia have been impressed at intervals, is fed over a punch anvil 20 by a dog 17 which engages perforations 7<1> in the tape and is oscillated from the shaft 4 by linkage 8, 10 and a crank 12. Tags are punched from the tape by a sliding punch 24, which is reciprocated from the shaft 4 through a rod 25 and eccentric 26. The punch makes its operative stroke during the idle stroke of the dog 17. Stapling mechanism.-This is mounted on the side of the anvil 20 remote from the punch 24, and comprises a sliding head 28, Fig. 9, operated by a cam plate 31 which is pivoted to it at 32, is actuated from the shaft 4 through links 35, 33 and a rod 37, and is constrained to oscillate about the pivot 32 by a cam track 30 and a fixed roll 29. Movement of the head 28 up to the punch 24 actuates rolls 40, 41 which feed a staple length of wire from a reel 43, the rolls engaging the wire through slots in a guide tube 44. The wire enters a groove 46, Fig. 6, in the head 28 to lie across an inside former 52 carried by a pivoted, spring- pressed lever. A cam track 51 in the plate 31 then moves outside formers 48 to cut off and shape the staple, and a track 59 moves a driver 56 to drive the staple through a punchedout tag held on the punch 24, a cam on the outside formers at this time moving the inside former out of the way. A continuous string 67, Fig. 12, has at this time been fed across a groove 68 in head 28, so that the staple secures the tag 63 to this string. The staple legs are clinched by an anvil adjustably mounted in the punch 24. Reeling-up mechanism for string and tags.- The string with attached tags is wound up on an elongated reel 125 which is carried by a tubular spindle 70 mounted on a fixed rod. The spindle is rotated intermittently, at intervals corresponding to the feed movements of the tag tape, by mutilated gears 74, 76, Fig. 1, driven from the shaft 4 by a shaft 82. Axial movement is imparted to the reel 125 by means of a feed screw 87, which is rotated from the gear 74 through planetary gearing 89, 91, Fig. 19. The screw 87 drives a head 93, Fig. 20, which engages the reel 125, the head comprising members 94 which slide on the spindle 70 to prevent retation of the head, and pivoted nut sections 96 which are held in engagement with the screw by a spring 97. The nut sections can be separated by extensions 98, to allow adjustment of the head along the screw. Reeling-up mechanism for waste tape.-The tape from which tags have been punched is wound upon a reel 21. This is rotated intermittently from the shaft 4 through a ratchet wheel 104 and pawl 106 and linkage 110, 112, 113. The reel is frictionally connected to the ratchet wheel by means of a spring band 119, which embraces the hub of the reel and is anchored to the hub of the wheel. This arrangement allows slip of the reel as it becomes full. Backlash of the reel is prevented by a pawl 116.