US3709420A

US3709420A - Easy-access pinning machine

Info

Publication number: US3709420A
Application number: US00102686A
Authority: US
Inventors: H Grushon
Original assignee: Monarch Marking Systems Inc
Current assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC
Priority date: 1970-12-30
Filing date: 1970-12-30
Publication date: 1973-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 1990-01-09

Abstract

There is disclosed an easy-access pinning machine for pinning tickets to merchandise. The machine is sufficiently open to enable merchandise to be inserted into the machine to the desired depth. The machine has a die and an anvil or plunger between which one ticket at a time is fed by a ticket feeder mechanism. The ticket feeder mechanism, disposed in cantilevered relationship over a side access opening of a machine, is adjustable to feed different size tickets. A pin magazine and a mechanism for feeding a pin strip to the pin magazine are disposed on the side of the machine which is opposite the side opening. The anvil is adjustable relative to the die without adversely affecting the drive connection between a driver and the anvil.

Description

United States Patent 1 Grushon [4 1 Jan. 9, 1973 [73] Assignee: Monarch Marking System, Inc.,

Dayton, Ohio [22] Filed: Dec. 30, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 102,686

Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. Attorney-Joseph .1. Grass [57] ABSTRACT There is disclosed an easy-access pinning machine for pinning tickets to merchandise. The machine is sufficiently open to enable merchandise to be inserted into the machine to the desired depth. The machine has a die and an anvil or plunger between which one ticket at a time is fed by a ticket feeder mechanism. The ticket feeder mechanism, disposed in cantilevered relationship over a side access opening of a machine, is adjustable to feed different size tickets. A pin magazine and a mechanism for feeding a pin strip to the pin magazine are disposed on the side of the machine which is opposite the side opening. The anvil is adjustable relative to the die without adversely affecting the drive connection between a driver and the anvil.

27 Claims, 37 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDJAH 9197s 3. 709 420 SHEET 01 0F 1 1 FIG-2 luvs/war? HAROLD N. GRUSHON A TTORNE Y PATENTEDJAN 9191a 3.709.420 sum 02 0F 11 FIG-3 53 r54 4/) vllluh l 48 I) I I W FIG-5 W Y PATENTEDJAN 9197a 3.709.420

SHEET DBUF 11 PATENTEDJAN 9191s 3.709420 SHEET 070! 11 FIG'ZI 2 2 0 2Q 20] PATENTED JAN 9 I975 SHEET UBUF 11 PATENTEUJM 9 ma SHEET 09 0F 11 PATENTEDJAH QIBYS 3.709.420

SHEET IUUF 11 EASY-ACCESS PINNING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the art of pinning tickets and the like to merchandise.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art Prior art pinning machines have been constructed so that when merchandise has been inserted between a stationary die and a reciprocable anvil disposed at the front of the machine, a pinning cycle is ready to be initiated. A cycle is typically initiated by tripping a mechanical lever, although other means such as a footoperated switch can be used. During the early part of the machine cycle a ticket is fed to overlying relationship with respect to the merchandise. Thereafter, when the anvil or plunger is raised into cooperation with the die, a pin is driven through the ticket and the merchandise. As the major components of the typical pinning machine are disposed behind the anvil the front access opening is short so that the merchandise can only be inserted into the machine a short distance. Consequently, the ticket can only be applied to the merchandise near an edge of the merchandise. The location on the merchandise at which a ticket can be applied is thus restricted. Also, it is sometimes difficult to apply the ticket to the merchandise in such a position so that readable data on the ticket can be read without turning the merchandise. Known pinning machines have a guide which mounts the anvil for reciprocable movement, without provision for making any adjustment of the anvil with respect to the die. Representative U.S. patents disclosing pinning machines are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,326,806; 1,667,810; 1,971,963; 2,125,626 and 2,813,021.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is directed primarily to the novel arrangement of components ofa pinning machine so as to facilitate pinning tickets on merchandise at the desired location. To accomplish this an access opening is provided at the side of the machine. The access opening extends behind the die and the anvil so that merchandise to be pinned may be inserted into the machine to the desired depth. While it is preferred that the access opening extend through the machine from the front through the rear and that the access opening be at the right side of the machine, it is within the scope of the invention to have the side opening extend less than the entire distance from the front to the rear of the machine, 1 although the same universality is not achievednln a specific embodiment of the invention, the die and anvil are at the front of the machine and the entire right side of the machine is open. A pin magazine is disposed to the left of the die. A ticket feeding mechanism is cantilever mounted above the side access opening and feeds one ticket in between the dieand the anvil during each pinning operation. Mechanism is provided to feed a strip of pins to the pin magazine. A camshaft is disposed above the level of the access opening. The camshaft carries a plurality of cams which drive the ticket feeding mechanism, the pin strip feed mechanism, the pin magazine, and a pin clincher. An electric drive motor disposed on one side of the access opening drives the camshaft.

Additional features of the invention include means for accurately aligning the anvil and the die, an improved pin magazine, an improved ticket feeding mechanism, and an improved mounting device for the pin strip gripper. The novel drive train includes plate cams rather than the more expensive closed cams which have cam grooves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an easy-access pinning machine in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the pinning machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a right side elevational view of the pinning machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a fragmentary portion of merchandise to which a ticket has been pinned using the pinning machine of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the pinning machine with the housing removed;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the pinning machine taken generally along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a right side elevational view of the pinning machine taken generally along line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken generally along line 88 of FIG. 5;

FIGS. 9, l0 and 11 are elevational views similar to FIG. 8, but on a reduced scale and showing components in different positions from the positions shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken generally along line 12-12 of FIG. 5 showing a clincher cam with its follower being in a dwell position;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken generally along line 13-13 of FIG. 10 but, showing the clincher cam as having rotated the follower clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIGS. 12 and 13, but showing the cam completing the return of the follower to the dwell position;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the clincher taken generally along line 15-15 of FIG. 7 showing the clincher in an inactive position;

FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 but showing the clincher in its active or clinching position;

FIG. 17 is a right side elevational view of the anvil and its guide and the drive connection for the anvil;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary top plan view taken generally along line 18-18 of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged front elevational view of a pin magazine shown in relationship to a die and the clincher;

FIG. 20 is a front elevational view similar to FIG. 19, but showing operative parts of the magazine in a different position;

FIG. 21 is a front elevational view similar to FIGS. 19 and 20, but showing operative parts of the magazine in a position in which a pin is driven through a ticket and merchandise between the cooperating die and anvil and the end of the pin being clinched by the clincher;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the mechanism by which a pin strip is fed and the manner in which the pinstrip feeding mechanism is removably mounted in the pinning machine;

FIG. 23 is a sectional view through the pin strip feeding mechanism with the parts of the mechanism being in one position;

FIG. 24 is a view similar to FIG. 23 but showing the parts of the mechanism in a different position;

FIG. 25 is a sectional view taken generally along line 25-25 of FIG. with the parts being shown in one position;

FIG. 26 is a view similar to FIG. but showing the parts in a different position;

FIG. 27 is a fragmentary view showing parts in a different position from the positions shown in FIGS. 25 and 26;

FIG. 28 is a sectional view taken generally along lines 2828 of FIG. 25;

FIG. 29 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 28, taken generally along line 29-29 of FIG. 26 but showing parts in a different position;

FIG. 30 is a sectional view similar to FIGS. 28 and 29, but showing the actuator as moving toward the pinning position;

FIG. 31 is a sectional view taken generally along line 3232 of FIG. 20;

FIG. 32 is a sectional view taken generally along line 3232 of FIG. 20;

FIG. 33 is a sectional view taken generally along line 33-33 of FIG. 20;

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the pin magazine;

FIG. 35 is a sectional view taken along line 3535 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 36 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the ticket feeder mechanism; and

FIG. 37 is a timing chart.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, there is shown an easy-access pinning machine generally indicated at 40 which is useful in pinning a ticket T to merchandise M by means of a pin P having a head h at one end and a point p at the opposite end. The pinning machine 40 has a base plate 41 which forms part of the machine frame. The outer shell or housing of the pinning machine 40 can be comprised of sheet metal or plastic sections which enclose the working components of the machine. A portion of the housing includes a work table generally indicated at 42 disposed on the base plate 41. The work table 42 is shown to include a front table section 43 and a side table section 44. The front table section 43 is shown to have a pair of

ramps

45 and 46 which slope toward an anvil 47. The side table section 44 has a pair of

ramps

48 and 49 which slope toward the anvil 47. The ramp 45 extends to a front wall 50 which is disposed rearwardly and to one side of the anvil 47. The ramp 49 extends'to a wall 51 (FIG. 2) which is shown to be to the left of the anvil 47. The upper part of the pinning machine 40 has a housing section 52 which is shown to extend to the front and to the side beyond

walls

50 and 51 and in overlying relationship above the

table sections

43 and 44. The housing section 52 is shown to include a hinged panel or section 53 which can be pivoted about hinge 54 when it is desired to load pin strips or tickets into the machine 40. The space between the housing section 52 and associated hinged section 53 and the table section 43 is considered to be a front access opening 55 (FIG. 3) and the space between the housing section 52 and associated hinge section 53 and the table section 44 is considered to be a side access opening 56 (FIG. 2). It is apparent that the side access opening 56 enables the merchandise to be readily inserted to the desired depth into the machine so that a ticket T can be pinned to the merchandise M at any convenient position. The hinged section 53 has an exit opening 53' through which the paper strip from which the pins P have been removed can pass.

With reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the pinning machine 40 is shown to include a ticket feeding mechanism generally indicated at 57, a pin strip feeding mechanism 58 and a pin magazine 59. The ticket feeding mechanism 57 is located above the side table section 44 and above a part of the front table section 43 and is cantilever mounted to a frame member 60. The mechanism 57 feeds a ticket T to a position between the anvil 47 and cooperating die 47 (FIG. 6). The pin magazine 59 removes a pin P from pin strip PS and drives a pin P through the ticket and the merchandise between the die 47' and the cooperating anvil 47 (see FIG. 21).

Power to drive the various components of the pinning machine 40 through their respective cycles is derived from a continuously operating electric motor 61 which drives a single-revolution clutch 62 through a speed reducer 63. When the electric motor 61 is turned off, it is possible to transmit torque to the speed reducer 63 by turning a hand wheel 64 which is secured to an extension of the motor shaft 65. The output of the single-revolution clutch 62 drives a sprocket 66 which in turn drives a roller chain 67. The roller chain 67 passes around an idler sprocket 68 rotatably mounted to the base plate 41 and the roller chain 67 also passes around a sprocket 69 secured to a camshaft 70. Each time the single-revolution clutch 62 is operated the camshaft 70 is driven through one complete revolution.

Adjustably mounted on the camshaft 70 is a clincher cam 71 which drives

follower rollers

242 and 245. A feed wheel cam 74 is secured to the camshaft 70. A cam segment 75, forming part of the cam 74, is adjustable by means of a screw 76. The cam 74 drives a follower roller 77 carried by arm 78 pivotally mounted to a fixed pivot 79. Ticket feeder drive cam 80 is adjustably secured to the camshaft 70 and drives a roller follower 81. The roller follower 81 is carried by an arm 82 which is pivotally mounted by the fixed pivot 79. A cam 83 adjustably secured to the camshaft 70 drives a follower roller 84 carried by follower member 85. A cam 86 adjustably secured to the camshaft 70 drives a follower roller 87 carried by the follower member pivotal on fixed pivot 85'.

Another cam or driver 88 connected to the output side of the single-revolution clutch 62 carries an eccentrically located roller 89 which travels into the path of a lateral extension 90 of the anvil actuator or cam follower 91. The actuator 91 is pivotally mounted by a fixed pivot 92, and a bracket 93 which carries the pivot 92 is mounted to the base plate 41. The anvil 47 is mounted for reciprocable upward and downward movement in an upstanding guide 94. A forked end 95 of the actuator 91 engages a pin 96 attached to the lower end of the anvil 47. When the actuator 91 is driven clockwise (FIG. 7) as the roller 89 engages the extension 90, the actuator 91 raises the anvil 47 from the position in FIG. 7 to the position shown by solid lines in FIG. 17. An adjustable collar 47a secured to the anvil 47 is shown in FIG. 7 to be resting on resilient stop 47b. FIG. 17 also shows by phantom lines the positions to which the actuator 91 and the anvil 47 return after roller 89 loses contact with lateral extension 90. A tension spring 97 connected to the actuator 91 urges the actuator 91 to its counterclockwise position shown by solid lines in FIG. 7 and phantom lines in FIG. 17. As is evident from the drawings, the roller 89 is only in contact with the actuator 91 for a short period of time so accordingly there is a considerable amount of lost motion of the roller 89 with respect to the actuator 91 both before and after the roller 89 is in engagement with the actuator 91. The adjustments of the drive connections between roller 89 and actuator 91, between linkage 113 and actuator 104 and between actuator 104 and clutch component 11] are not critical as would be the case if a conventional captive cam (not shown) were used, so the bracket 93 can be readily adjusted without adversely affecting timing or functioning of the machine.

With reference to FIG. 18, the bracket 93 is shown to have a pair of

enlarged apertures

98 and 99.

Screws

100 and 101 extend through

respective apertures

98 and 99 and are threadably received in the base plate 41. Washers 102 and 103 (FIGS. 6 and 17) underlie the heads of

respective screws

100 and 101 and serve to releasably secure the bracket 93 to the base plate 41. If desired, the anvil 47 and its guide 94 can be adjusted relative to the die 47' in a direction either to the left or to the right as viewed from the front of the machine 40; this can be accomplished by loosening the screw 100 and pivoting the bracket 93 and the components which it carries about the screw 101. This can be done even though the screw 101 has been tightened, provided it does not clamp the bracket 93 to the base plate 41 too tightly. Also, the anvil 47 and its guide 94 can be adjusted relative to the die 47' in a direction either to the left or to the right as viewed from the right side of the machine 40; this can be accomplished by loosening the screw 101 and pivoting the bracket 93 and the components which it carries about the screw 100. This can be accomplished even though the screw 100 has been tightened, provided it does not clamp the bracket 93 to the base plate 41 too tightly. The bracket 93 could also be adjusted by loosening both

screws

100 and 101, thereafter shifting the bracket 93 and the anvil 47 and the guide 94 which it carries on the surface of the base plate 41 until the axis of the anvil 47 is in perfect alignment with the die 47' and thereupon tightening the

screws

100 and 101 to clamp bracket 93 to the base plate 41.

Also pivotally mounted on the pivot 92 is a movable member or actuator 104. The actuator 104 includes an arm 105 which can be positioned in a right hand position as shown for example in FIGS. 2 and 18 so that it can be engaged by the users right hand. The arm 105 is connected to a lever 106 by a screw 107 and a nut 108. There is enough friction between the arm 105 and the lever 106 to hold the arm 105 in the right hand position. The arm 105 can be moved to a left hand position shown by phantom lines PLl (FIG. 6) so that it can be engaged by the users left hand to trip the machine for one cycle of operation. The arm can also be moved to an upstanding position as shown by phantom lines PL2 (FIG. 6) so that the machine 40 can be tripped by contacting the arm 105 with merchandise. It is a feature of the invention to provide an arm 105, the position of which can be shifted so that it can be operated manually or by the merchandise, as desired, and the in vention is not limited to any particular way of shifting or otherwise changing the effective position of the arm 105. The actuator 104 can operate a pivotally mounted link 109 which in turn operates another pivotally mounted link 110. The link 110 operates a component 111 of the single-revolution clutch 62. Accordingly, each time the arm 105 is moved to the right (FIG. 18) by engagement of either the users hand or the merchandise with the arm 105, the singlerevolution clutch 62 is operated, thereby initiating a pinning cycle. The single-revolution clutch 62 can also be initiated remotely, as by a foot pedal (not shown), which can be connected to a solenoid 112 which can pivot the actuator 104 clockwise (FIG. 7) via linkage 113 each time the solenoid 112 is energized.

With reference to FIGS. 81l, the ticket feeder mechanism 57 is shown in various positions during a cycle of operation. With particular reference to FIG. 8, the roller follower 81 is resting on the low dwell portion of the cam 80. A bell crank 113, which carries a pin 114 received in elongated slot 115 in follower arm 82, is shown to be in its full counterclockwise position. The bell crank 113 is mounted on a fixed pivot 116 which is anchored to spaced apart

plates

117 and 118. The

plates

117 and 118 form a part of the frame 60. An elongated slot 119 in the plate 117 allows the pin 114 to project through the plate 117. A pin 120 carried by the bell crank 113 can move in a slot 121' in member 121. The member 121 provides a drive connection between the bell crank 113 and a rigid driver 122. The driver 122 drives feed fingers 123 and 124 (FIG. 36). The member 121 also has a projection 125 with an elongated face l 26cooperable with a roller 127 carried by a plate 128. The plate 128 is secured to'a picker finger 129. The picker finger 129' has a shoulder 130 which is high enough to engage one and only one ticket T2 at the bottom of a stack of tickets T. The picker finger 129 is slidably supported on a fixed guide plate 131. Irrespective of the height of the stack of tickets T, the lowermost ticket is reliably urged downwardly by a weight 132 which is guided in a vertical slot 133. A gate 134 providing an opening or passageway 135 through which one and only one ticket can pass is mounted to the plate 117 by a bracket 136. The gate 134 is adjustable by means of an adjusting screw 137 which is threadably received by the bracket 136. By adjusting the screw 137 the height of the gate opening or passageway 135 can be adjusted. A cooperating pair of feed rollers or rolls 138 and 139 are disposed just beyond the passageway 135. The idler roll 138 is shown in FIG. 8 to be spaced apart from the drive roll 139 so that irrespective of whether or not the roller 139 rotates during the cycle of machine operation, the pair of

rolls

138 and 139 is incapable of imparting any feeding motion to the ticket T2. The sole purpose of the picker finger 129 is to feed the lowermost ticket T2 into the gate opening 135 to the position shown in FIG. between the

rollers

138 and 139.

As the cam 80 is rotated by the camshaft 70, the bell crank 113 starts driving the member 121 to the left as viewed in FIG. 8. The driving projection 125 of the member 121 and the roller 127 are initially spacedapart so there is a lost-motion connection between the drive face 126 of projection 125 and the roller 127. Accordingly, when the member 121 starts moving, the roller 127 and the associated picking finger 129 remain stationary; however, as the

feed fingers

123 and 124 are connected to the driver 122, the

feed fingers

123 and 124 start moving to the left (FIG. 8) as a unit. Assuming that there is a ticket T1 in the position shown in FIG. 8, in which the trailing edge of the ticket T1 is spaced apart from the drive ends 123' and 124 of the

respective feed fingers

123 and 124, there is a certain amount of lost motion before the ticket T1 is moved. It is only when the drive ends 123' and 124' engage the trailing edge of the ticket T1 that the ticket Tl starts moving to the left from the position shown in FIG. 8, through the position shown in FIG. 9, to the position shown in FIG. 10. When the projection 125 has moved to the position shown in FIG. 10 only part of the ticket T2 has moved through the gate opening 135, and the ticket T2 is disposed between feed rolls 138 and 139.

A rack 140 is secured to the driver 122 by means ofa bracket 141. When the rack 140 moves to the left, a pinion 142, engaged with a rack 140, rotates in the direction shown by arrow 143 (FIG. 9). When the driver 122 moves to the right, the pinion 142 rotates in the direction of the arrow 144 (FIG. 11). Accordingly, as a picker finger 129 moves from the position shown in FIG. 8 into the position shown in FIG. 10, the feed roll 139 which is directly driven by the pinion 143 through a shaft 145 rotates clockwise (FIG. 9). The feed rolls 138 and 139 have no affect on the ticket T2 in that they are spaced apart as shown in FIG. 9. When the ticket T2 has reached the position shown in FIG. 10 the roller 77 starts rolling on the low dwell of the cam 74, thereby causing the idler roll 138 to move into cooperation with the feed roll 139.

While the ticket T1 is in the position shown in FIG. 10, the anvil 47 is raised so that the ticket T1 and the merchandise M is clamped between the die 47' and the anvil 47; during the time the anvil 47 is in this position the pin magazine 59 operates to drive a pin through the ticket T1 and the merchandise M. After the clinching operation, the roller 81 starts moving from the high point to the low point of the cam 80 thereby causing the bell crank 113 to pivot counterclockwise (FIG. 11) to effect return of the

feed fingers

123 and 124 and the picker finger 129 to their initial positions shown in FIG. 8 and to feed the ticket T2 into the same position as occupied by the ticket T1 in FIG. 8. Return of the picker finger 129 is caused by engagement of the end 123" of finger 123 with a roller 127' carried by the plate 128.

Feeding of the ticket T2 by the feed rolls 138 and 139 can only be accomplished if the idler feed roll 138 is moved toward the drive roll 139 and the roll 139 is rotating in the counterclockwise direction (FIG. 1 l In this position as depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11, the follower arm 78 has moved to its clockwise position and a bell crank 146 (which carries the roll 138) which is connected to the follower 78 by a rod 147 is pivoted clockwise. The bell crank 146 (FIG. 8) is pivotally mounted about a fixed pivot 148 and is normally urged clockwise by a tension spring 146'. When the bell crank 146 is pivoted clockwise, the ticket T2 is fed by the feed rolls 138 and 139 which are now in cooperating relationship with respect to each other. Shortly after the feed roll 138 moves into cooperating relationship with respect to the feed roll 139, the driver 122 and the rack 140 start moving to the right (FIG. 11) thereby causing the pinion 142 and the feed roll 139 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. This causes the ticket T2 to be fed beneath a flexible resilient holddown leaf spring 149 to the position shown in FIG. 8. An anti-backup device 150 prevents the ticket T2 from being accidentally moved backwards, during return movement of the feed fingers 123 and 124 (to the right as viewed in FIG. 11). When the camshaft 70 has completed one complete revolution, the operative components of the ticket feeder mechanism have returned to their initial or home positions as shown in FIG. 8.

With particular reference to FIGS. 35 and 36, there is disclosed apparatus by which the feed finger 124 is adjustable toward and away from the feed finger 123. The driver 122 is shown to be movable relative to a plate 153 which is secured to the frame 60. A pair of spaced apart guides 154 and 155 are securely mounted to the plate 153. A pair of

guide rollers

156 and 157 mounted to the underside of the driver 122 are received between the

guides

154 and 155 to guide the driver 122 in the direction of arrows 158. While the feed finger 123 is rigidly secured to the driver 122, the feed finger 124 is movable toward and away from the feed finger 123 in a direction transverse to the direction of ticket feed. A guide 159 is connected to the machine frame between

plates

160 and 161 by means of a clamping device 162. The guide 159 has a flange 163. A bracket 164 having a pair of U-shaped portions 165 is shown to be secured to the feed finger 124 by a screw 166 and by a pivot screw 167. A roller 168 is received by the pivot screw 167 and the roller 168 is in turn received in a transversely extending elongated slot 169 in the driver 122. The U-shaped portions 165 engagethe flange 163 of the guide 159. A light, curved, leaf spring 170 is shown to be secured to the side of the guide 159 and the feed finger 124 is shown to be positioned against the spring 170. When the feed finger 124 is in the retracted position (FIG. 8) the upper edge of the spring 170 supports one side edge of the ticket T1. As the feed finger 124 moves forward into the protracted position (FIG. 10), the feed finger 124 moves the spring 170 to a position against the side of the guide 159. In this position the spring 170 (FIGS. 35 and 36) is no longer able to support the ticket T1 but the support has been assumed by a plate 171 which supports the underside of the ticket T1. The plate 171 is secured to frame plate 172. The guide 159 also carries a side guide 173 which can be moved into contact with one side of the stack of tickets T. By loosening the clamp 162, the assembly which includes the guide 159, the spring 170, the feed finger 124, the side guide 173, the bracket 164, and the roller 168 can be moved toward or away from the feed finger 123. When the position of these components is adjusted according to the width of the tickets T in the stack, the clamp 162 can be tightened so that the ticket feeder mechanism 57 is now ready to feed tickets T. It is apparent that the ticket feeder mechanism 57 can be quickly adjusted for a wide variety of ticket widths.

The frame plate 172 has an elongated guide slot 174 which receives rollers 175 carried by the rack 140. The slot 169 is actually formed in a transverse arm or universal bar 176 of the driver 122. The bracket 141 which secures the arm 176 to the rack 140 extends through the slot 174. The shaft 145 which is mounted in a fixed bearing (not shown) in the frame is, however, free to be rotated by the pinion 142 as the rack 140 moves. The shaft 145 overlies the frame plate 172 and extends through a groove 178 in the guide 159.

In feeding the pin strip PS to the magazine 59 reference may be made to FIGS. 22-27. Initially with reference to FIG. 25, as the camshaft 70 starts rotating the cam 83 which engages the roller follower 84 drives the follower member 85 counterclockwise, thereby driving an actuator 177 to the right. The actuator 177 is guided for reciprocable movement by guides 178 fixed to the frame 60 and which extend through elongated slots 179 in the actuator 177. The actuator 177 carries a cam 180 which is engageable with a follower 181 which is secured to a pivot 182. The pivot 182 is rotatably mounted by a side plate 183 and a side plate 184 of the gripper mechanism 58. A transverse plate 185 to which the

plates

183 and 184 are secured hold the

plates

183 and 184 in parallel spaced apart relationship. The follower 181 is secured to an arm 186 by a screw 187. Accordingly, the arm 186 is prevented from rotating relative to the pivot 182, and follower 181 and the arm 186 rotate as a unit. A screw 188 is threadably received by the arm 186. The screw 188 is shown to be in engagement with a tab 189 formed integrally with a mounting member 190. The mounting member 190 has an open-ended slot 191 in which a pin 192 anchored to the

plates

183 and 184 is received. A gripper 193 is pivotally mounted to the mounting member 190 by a pin 194. A spring 195 connected to the gripper 193 and to the post 192 urges the gripper 193 to the left (FIG. 23). As the arm 186 is pivoted clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 23 to the position shown in FIG. 24, the mounting member 190 and the gripper 193 which it mounts are moved in a forward direction (to the right as viewed in FIG. 24), extending the spring 195, and causing the pin strip PS to be fed toward the pin magazine 59 through a distance equal to the pin-to-pin spacing of adjacent pins in the pin strip PS. When the cam 180 loses contact with the roller 181' of the follower 181, the spring 195 causes the mounting member 190 and the gripper 193 to return from the position shown in FIG. 24 to the position shown in FIG. 23 and causes the arm 186 and the follower 181 to return to their initial positions shown in FIG. 23. In order to insure proper feeding, hold-down fingers 196 (FIG. 23) and 197 (FIG. 22) continuously engage the pins P of the pin strip PS to hold them down against the plate 57' as best shown in FIG. 25. The hold-down

fingers

196 and 197 are individually urged against the pin strip PS by transversely spaced apart

individual springs

198 and 199. The

springs

198 and 199 abut against the under side of the transverse plate 185.

With reference to FIG. 22, the gripper mechanism 58 is shown to be movably mounted with respect to the frame plate 118. The plate 184 is shown to have a manually .engageable tab 184a by which the entire gripper mechanism 58 can be moved to an upward position in the machine, assuming the section 53 is pivoted to its open position. The plate 184 has an upwardly extending vertical slot 184b. A stop 184a is disposed adjacent the slot 184b. A short stud 1180 is mounted to the plate 118 and extends into the slot 184b. A lever 184d is pivotally mounted to the plate 184 by a pivot pin 184s. The lever IBM has a manually engageable tab 184f by which the lever 184d can be pivoted. The lever 184d has a short stud 184g which can engage the lower side of the stud 118a in an overcenter position as shown in FIG. 22. In this position the

springs

198 and 199 are somewhat compressed and maintain lever 184d in its position against stop 1840, wherein the stud 1843 is locked below the stud 118a. When the lever 184d is pivoted counterclockwise (FIG. 22) so that the stud 184g clears the stud 118a, the gripper mechanism 58 can be moved upwardly. Washers 118b spaced from the plate 118 provide a guide for the plate 184. When the gripper mechanism 58 is moved upwardly, the lever 184d can be pivoted clockwise so that it abuts stop 1840 and the stud 1843 is then in an overcenter position with respect to stud 118a against the upper side of the stud 118a so that gravity alone holds the gripper mechanism 58 in a raised position; in this position the stud 184g is immediately above the position in which the stud 184g is shown in FIG. 22. In the raised position, a new pin strip PS can be easily loaded and fed to the pin magazine 59. Thereafter the gripper mechanismSS can be returned to the lowered position. Be removing the screws which mount the washers 118b, the entire gripper mechanism 58 can be removed.

With reference initially to FIGS. 19 through 21 and 31 through 34, the pin magazine 59 is slidably mounted in a subframe 200 which is fixed to the machine frame. The subframe 200 is comprised of a side plate 200 and guide

plates

201 and 202 disposed on one side of the magazine 59 and a side plate 200" and guide

plates

203 and 204 disposed on the other side of the magazine 59. Plates 201 through 204 guide the magazine 59 for reciprocable movement. A bracket 205 carrying a pin 206 is secured to the plate 200'. A reciprocable block 207 is movable from left to right and vice versa in the machine 40. Rigidly mounted to the block 207 is a pin driver 208 having a guide groove 209 in its upper surface. Drive end 210 of the driver 208 is slightly concave to accommodate the head it of a pin P. An adjustable rigid, guide member 211 forms part of a guideway 212 for the pin P. The guide member 211 has a guide groove 213 at its marginal discharge end. The member 211 is pivotally mounted on a fixed pivot 214. The size of the guideway and particularly the opening at its discharge end can be adjusted by means of an adjustable stop screw 215. The guideway 212 is also formed in part by a hold-down plate 216 which is pivotally mounted by a fixed pivot 217 and urged counterclockwise (FIG. 34) by a spring 218. The fixed pivots 214 and 217 are carriedby a mounting plate 219 which is secured to the plate 202. The guideway 212 is also formed in part by

plates

219 and 220. A pin extractor and positioner 221 is used to extract a pin P from the pin strip PS and to position the pin P with its head h supported by

ledges

222 and 223 of

respective guides

224 and 225; while so supported, the shank of the pin P lies between the

ledges

222 and 223 in a narrow slot 226 and the head h is supported at the upper end of the guide groove 209. In withdrawing the pin P from the pin strip PS, hook portion 227 of the extractor and positioner 221 engages the head h of the pin P and withdraws it from the pin strip PS as the magazine 59 with its extractor and positioner 221 moves to the left as viewed from the front of the machine. In the subsequent cycle of machine operation, the magazine 59 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 19 to the extreme left position as shown in FIG. 20, and as the head h moves beyond the ends of the

ledges

222 and 223 the entire pin P is supported in the groove 209. As the magazine starts moving to the right, another pin P in front of the drive end 210 of the driver 208 moves through the guideway 212 and to a position in between the die 47' and the anvil 47; during this movement, the positioner portion 227 of the extractor and positioner 221 pushes the next successive pin into the guideway 212. The hold-down plate 216 pivots slightly clockwise against the urging of the spring 218 to accommodate the next successive pin. As the magazine 59 and its driver 208 retract another pin P is extracted by extractor and positioner 221 and as the driver 208 returns to the position shown in FIG. 19, the pin in the guideway 212 falls in front of the drive end 210 of the driver 208.

The extraction of a pin P from the pin strip PS is facilitated by a hold-down device generally indicated at 228. The device includes a head 229 pivotally mounted about a pivot pin 230. The head 229 includes a springurged member 231 which exerts a hold-down force on the pin P after it is withdrawn from the pin strip PS. In addition, the hold-down member helps the pin P from becoming unhooked from the extractor and positioner 221 when the magazine 59 moves to the position shown in FIG. 19.

As the magazine 59 is driven to the right to the position shown in FIG. 21, the head 228 is raised so that its spring-urged member 231 does not interfere with the pin P which is to be extracted from the pin strip PS. An arm 232 pivotally mounted by the pivot 230 and secured to the head 228, earns the head counterclockwise (FIG. 21) when the arm 232 contacts pin 206. After the head 228 starts moving to the left clear of the pin strip PS, the arm 232 looses contact with the pin 206 and the spring-urged member 231 starts exerting hold-down force on the withdrawn pin P.

The magazine 59 is driven by bell crank type actuator 233, a ball end 234 of which is received in a bore 235 of the block 207. The actuator 233 is pivotal about a pivot 236 carried by plate 57'. The actuator 233 and the driver 177 are connected by means ofa pin and slot connection 237. As the camshaft 70 starts rotating, the cam 83 drives the follower 85 counterclockwise, thereby driving the driver 177 to the right. As the driver 177 is driven to the right the actuator 233 is pivoted clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 28 to the position shown in FIG. 29. The magazine 59 is shown in the same relative position in FIGS. 19 and 28, in FIGS. 20 and 29, and in FIGS. 21 and 30. The function of the cam 83 is to actuate the gripper mechanism 58 and to shift the magazine 59 from the position shown in FIG. 28 to the position shown in FIG. 29. The

function of the cam 86 is to shift the driver 177 to the right as viewed in FIGS. 25-30, thereby pivoting the actuator 233 counterclockwise (FIG. 30) to drive a pin P to the position shown in FIG. 21, and thereafter to return the gripper 58 and the magazine to the initial position shown in FIG. 28.

Immediately following movement of the pin magazine 59 to the position shown in FIG. 21, the cam 71 drives clincher shaft 240 clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 12 to the position shown in FIG. 13. A clincher 243 secured to the clincher shaft 240 is in the position shown in FIG. 15 when the roller follower 242 and the shaft 240 to which it is secured are in the position shown in FIG. 12. The clincher 243 rotates with the shaft 240 to the position shown in FIG. 16 when high point 241 of the cam 71 earns the roller 242 to the position shown in FIG. 13. The shaft 240 remains in the position shown in FIG. 13 for only a short interval of time as is evident from FIG. 37. When a high point 244 of the cam 71 engages a follower roller 245, the roller follower 245 and the shaft 240 are cammed counterclockwise to the position shown in FIG. 14 and the clincher 243 returns to the position shown in FIG. 15.

With respect to the operation of the pinning machine 40, merchandise to which a ticket is to be pinned is inserted into the machine 40 to the desired depth between die 47' and anvil 47. The user operates the arm 105, thereby engaging the single-revolution clutch 62. Engagement of the clutch 62 causes the roller chain 67 to drive the camshaft 70 through one complete revolution. The operation of the machine 40 should be considered with respect to FIG. 37 which indicates the overall timing of the machine 40. As the camshaft 70 starts rotating, the cam starts driving the driver 122 to the left (FIG. 9) and when the drive face 126 engages the roller 127, picker finger 129 starts pushing the lowermost ticket T2 in between the

feed rollers

138 and 139. Continued movement of the driver 122 causes the

feed fingers

123 and 124 to move the ticket T1 from the position shown in FIG. 8 to the position shown in FIG. 10 and during such movement the picker finger 129 moves the ticket T2 to the position in FIG. 10. As soon as the camshaft starts rotating, the cam 83 starts driving the gripper 58 from the position shown in FIG. 23 to the position shown in FIG. 24, and during such movement the actuator 233 and the magazine 59 are shifted from the position shown in FIG. 19 to the position shown in FIG. 20. Thereafter, the drive member 89 engages the actuator 91 as shown by the solid line position shown in FIG. 17, thereby raising the anvil 47. While the anvil 47 is in the raised position, the cam 86 (FIG. 27) drives the magazine 59 toward the extreme right hand position as viewed from the front of the machine 40 until the pin driver 208 has driven the pin P into the position shown in FIG. 21.

While the anvil 47 was being raised the spring 146' brought the feed roll 138 into feeding cooperation with the feed roll and during retracting movement of the driver 122 the ticket T2 is fed from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 10. Following the pinning of the ticket T1 to the merchandise, clincher cam 71 drives the clincher 243 from the position shown in FIGS. 15 and 20 to the position shown in FIGS. 16 and 21 and then back to the positions shown in FIGS. 15 and 20. This causes the point p of the pin P to become burried into the ticket Tl. Continued rotation of the camshaft 70 causes the magazine 59, the picker finger 129, the feed roll 138, the gripper mechanism 58, and the associated components to be returned to their initial positions.

Other embodiments and modifications of this invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as come within the spirit of this invention are included within its scope as best defined by the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. An easy-access pinning machine, comprising: a die, an anvil cooperable with said die, means for feeding a ticket in between said die and said anvil, and means for driving a pin through merchandise and the ticket between said die and said anvil, said machine having an opening at the front and having an opening at the side to a location behind said die and said anvil, thereby enabling the merchandise to be inserted into the machine to any desired depth behind said die and said anvil.

2. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said openings form an L-shaped configuration.

3. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said side opening is at the right side of the machine, said pin driving means being disposed above the front opening to the left of said die, and a clincher for clinching the end of the pin following pinning disposed above the front opening to the right of said die.

4. An easy-access pinning machine, comprising: a die, an anvil cooperable with said die and disposed at the front of said machine, means for feeding a ticket in between said die and said anvil, and means for driving a pin through merchandise and the ticket between said die and said anvil, there being a side opening extending from the front to the rear of the machine which enables merchandise to be inserted into the machine to any desired depth.

5. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 4, wherein said side opening is at the right side of the machine, said pin driving means being disposed to the left of said die, and a clincher disposed to the right of said die for clinching the end of the pin following pinning.

6. An easy-access pinning machine, comprising: a die and an anvil cooperable with said die and disposed at the front of said machine, means for feeding ticket material to the front of said machine to a position between said die and said anvil, means for driving a pin through merchandise and the ticket between said die and said anvil transversely to the direction of ticket feed, means for feeding pins to said pin driving means, and means for driving said pin driving means, said pin feeding means, and said ticket feeding means; and an access opening extending straight back from said die and anvil and providing access from one side of the machine to enable the ticket to be pinned to the merchandise at the desired location; said pin driving means, said pin feeding means, and said ticket feeding means being disposed around said access opening.

7. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 6, wherein said access opening extends entirely through said machine from the front through the rear.

8. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 6, including a merchandise supporting table providing the bottom of said access opening.

. 9. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, including a camshaft carrying a plurality of cams disposed above the level of said openings, and drive connections between said cams and said ticket feeding means, said pin feeding means, and said pin magazine.

10. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, including an electric drive motor disposed to one side of said side opening, a camshaft carrying a plurality of cams located above the level of said openings, a drive connection between said electric motor and said camshaft, and drive connections between said cams and said ticket feeding means, said pin means, and said pin magazine.

11. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, including an electric drive motor disposed on one side of said side opening, a single-revolution clutch driven by said electric motor, a drive connection between said clutch and said anvil disposed mainly below the level of said openings, and means drivingly connecting said single-revolution clutch and said ticket feeding means, said pin feeding means, and said pin magazine.

12. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said side opening extends entirely through said machine at one side of said machine.

13. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said pin magazine is disposed at the front of said machine to the left of said die and said side opening extends along the right side of said machine.

14. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for initiating one cycle of pinning operation of said machine including an actuator disposed behind said anvil, said actuator being movable by the merchandise which is inserted into the pinning zone in that said actuator can be positioned above the level of the anvil, or alternatively it can be positioned at a lower level so that the merchandise can 7 be fed further into the access opening.

15. A pinning machine, comprising: a die, an anvil cooperable with said die, means for feeding a ticket in between said die and said anvil, and means for driving a pin through merchandise and the ticket between said die and said anvil, said ticket feeding means including a gate providing a passageway for one and only one ticket from the bottom of a ticket stack, first ticket feeder means for feeding a first ticket partially through the passageway from a first position to a second position, second feeder means disposed beyond said gate for feeding the first ticket from the second position to a third position located beyond said gate, third feeder means for feeding a second ticket from the third position to fourth position in between said die and said anvil, and means for operating said first and third feeder means to feed the first ticket from the first position to a second position and to feed the second ticket from the third position to the fourth position and for thereafter operating said second feeder means to feed the first ticket from the second position to the third position.

16. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein said third feeder means includes at least one feed finger engageable with the trailing edge of a ticket for feeding the ticket from the third position to the fourth position,

and means for adjusting the location of said feed finger transversely with respect to the direction of ticket feed so that tickets having a variety of widths can be fed.

17. A pinning machine, comprising: a die, an anvil cooperable with said die, at least one feed finger engageable with a trailing edge of a ticket during forward movement of said feed finger, means for driving said feed finger for feeding the ticket to a position between said die and said anvil including means for adjusting the location of the feed finger transversely with respect to the direction of ticket feed so that tickets having a variety of widths can be fed, means for driving a pin through merchandise and the ticket between said die and said anvil, means for feeding a ticket to said feed fingers, and means drivingly connecting said driving means and said ticket feed means for operating said ticket feed means during return movement of said feed finger.

18. A pinning machine as defined in claim 17, said adjusting means including a universal bar, said feed finger being drivingly connected to said universal bar at a selected position.

19. A pinning machine, comprising: a die, an anvil movable between a lower position and an upper position in cooperation with said die, means for feeding a ticket in between said die and said anvil, means for driving a pin through merchandise and the ticket between said die and said anvil when said anvil is in said upper position, and means for initiating the operation of said pinning machine including a movable member disposed behind said anvil, said movable member being positionable in the path of the merchandise which is inserted into the machine beyond said anvil to enable operation of the movable member by the merchandise, said movable member being positionable out of the path of the merchandise which is inserted into the machine beyond said anvil to enable the merchandise to be inserted deeper into the machine.

20. A pinning machine, comprising: a die, an anvil cooperable with said die, means for feeding a ticket in between said die and said anvil, means for driving a pin through merchandise and the ticket between said die and said anvil, means for feeding a pin strip to said pin driving means including a gripper engageable with said pin strip and means for actuating said gripper, and means for releasably latching said gripper in one position adjacent said pin strip and in another position away from said pin strip.

21. A pinning machine, comprising: a die, an anvil cooperable with said die, means for feeding a ticket in between said die and said anvil, means for driving a pin through merchandise and the ticket including a pin magazine, said pin magazine having means for withdrawing a pin from a pin strip, an adjustable discharge guideway for a pin, a driver for driving a pin through said guideway and thereafter through the ticket and the merchandise between said die and said anvil, said adjustable guideway including a rigid movable member, and means for adjusting said rigid movable member so as to adjust said guideway.

22. A pinning machine as defined in claim 21, said adjustable guideway further including a rigid springurged member engageable with the pin.

23. A pinning machine as defined in claim 21 including means for piv otably mounting said movable member, said ad usting means including an ad ustable stop.

24. Apparatus for feeding tickets from a stack, comprising: a gate providing a passageway for one and only one ticket from the bottom of the ticket stack, first feeding means for feeding a first ticket partially through the passageway from a first position to a second position, second feeding means disposed beyond said gate for feeding the first ticket from the second position to a third position located beyond said gate, third feeding means for feeding a second ticket from the third position to a fourth position, and means for operating said first and third feeding means to feed the first ticket from the first position to a second position and to feed the second ticket from the third position to the fourth position and for thereafter operating said second feeding means to feed the first ticket from the second position to the third position.

25. Apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein said third feeding means includes at least one feed finger engageable with the trailing edge of a ticket for feeding the ticket from the third position to the fourth position, and means for adjusting the location of said feed finger transversely with respect to the direction of ticket feed so that tickets having a variety of widths can be fed.

26. Apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein said second feeding means comprises a pair of feed rolls operable to feed the ticket from the second position to the third position.

27. A pinning machine, comprising: a frame, a die, an anvil, a guide mounted by said frame for guiding said anvil for reciprocable movement, means for driving said anvil into and out of cooperation with said die, means for feeding tickets to a position between said die and said anvil, the merchandise to which the ticket is to be pinned being positioned between the ticket and said anvil, means for driving a pin through the merchandise and the ticket between said die and said anvil, means for selectively adjusting the position of said guide and its anvil in relation to said frame to position the axis of the anvil precisely with respect to the die and the pin driving means, said adjusting means including means for releasably securing said guide to said frame in the adjusted position, wherein said adjusting means includes a first fastener and a second fastener for securing said guide to said frame at spaced apart locations, said guide being pivotal about said first fastener when said second fastener is loosened to adjust the guide and the associated anvil in one direction, and said guide being pivotal about said second fastener when said first fastener is loosened to adjust the guide and the associated anvil in another and different direction.

i i i i

Claims

9. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, including a camshaft carrying a plurality of cams disposed above the level of said openings, and drive connections between said cams and said ticket feeding means, said pin feeding means, and said pin magazine.

14. An easy-access pinning machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for initiating one cycle of pinning operation of said machine including an actuator disposed behind said anvil, said actuator being movable by the merchandise which is inserted into the pinning zone in that said actuator can be positioned above the level of the anvil, or alternatively it can be positioned at a lower level so that the merchandise can be fed further into the access opening.

16. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein said third feeder means includes at least one feed finger engageable with the trailing edge of a ticket for feeding the ticket from the third position to the fourth position, and means for adjusting the location of said feed finger transversely with respect to the direction of ticket feed so that tickets having a variety of widths can be fed.

22. A pinning machine as defined in claim 21, said adjustable guideway further including a rigid spring-urged member engageable with the pin.

23. A pinning machine as defined in cLaim 21 including means for pivotably mounting said movable member, said adjusting means including an adjustable stop.