Button attacher with variable needle spacing

Abstract

Double "T" bar fasteners are dispensed through spaced needles which extend from different portions of the attacher housing. To attach a button, the needles are inserted through the thread holes of the button as it is held adjacent to the material to which it is to be attached. The housing portions are resiliently connected so that the portions can be moved relative to each other to vary the needle spacing and thus accommodate buttons with different hole spacing. The portions are biased to return to the original position. The portions may be halves of the housing connected by a living hinge. Internal compartments within each housing half enclose portions of fastener feed mechanism. The compartments are accessible when the housing is open to permit insertion of the parts and close when the housing halves snap-fit together. Each feed mechanism portion includes a spring loaded pawl with a tooth which normally engages an index wheel. The pawls are manually caused to travel along a path defined by oval guide tracks in the housing wall to cause the index wheels to simultaneously rotate and feed the fasteners.

I claim: 
     
       1. Apparatus for dispensing double "T" bar fasteners through spaced hollow needles, the apparatus comprising a housing from which the needles extend, means in said housing, effective when actuated, to push the "T" bar ends of a fastener through the needles, said housing comprising first and second portions, a different one of the needles extending from each of said housing portions, means for resiliently connecting said housing portions to permit relative movement of said housing portions from a remote position toward a proximate position to alter the spacing between the needles when external forces are applied to said housing portions and for biasing said housing portions toward said remote position to permit said housing portions to return to said remote position when said external forces are released, said push means comprising first and second spaced push rods, means for simultaneously moving said rods to push the "T" bar ends through the needles and means for mounting said rods to said moving means to permit the relative position of said rods to change, as said housing portions moe between said remote and proximate positions, so as to accommodate the alterations in needle spacing. 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said resilient connecting means comprises a living hinge. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means in said housing for feeding fasteners one at a time into alignment with the needles, said feed means comprising first and second feed mechanism portions and means for substantially simultaneously actuating said first and second feed mechanism portions. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first and second feed mechanism portions are situated within said first and second housing portions, respectively. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each of said housing portions comprises a compartment within which the feed mechanism portion associated with said housing portion is situated. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each of said housing portions comprises a side wall and each of said compartments is defined, in part, by said side wall of said housing portion associated with said compartment and in part of an internal wall of said housing portion. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising means extending from said side wall of said housing portion for releasably engaging said internal wall. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a third compartment at least a portion of which is situated between said feed mechanism compartments, said push means being at least partially situated within said third compartment. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said third compartment is at least partially defined by said internal walls of said first and second housing portions. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each of said feed mechanism portions comprises index wheel means situated to engage one end of a fastener and rotatable to move the "T" bar associated with said engaged end into alignment with one of said needles, pawl means in operative engagement with said wheel means and movable to rotate same, manually actuatable means, accessible from the exterior of said housing, for moving said pawl means and spring means situated between said pawl means and said housing. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said pawl means comprises protrusion means and said housing further comprises guide track means into which said protrusion means are received, said guide track means defining the path of travel of said pawl means. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for releasably connecting the edges of said housing portions. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said releasable connecting means comprises snap-fit means. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising trigger means movably mounted on said housing and track means situated in said housing, said push rods mounted for movement along said track means, and means for operably connecting said push rods and said trigger means. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising means for pivotally mounting said trigger means to said housing for movement between rest and actuate positions and means for urging said trigger means towards said rest position. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said track means comprises a substantially straight section substantially in the plane of said needles, said push rods being moveable along said straight section of said track means. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said track means has an arcuate section and wherein said means for connecting said push rods and said trigger means is movable along said arcuate section. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said track means comprises first and second tracks situated in said first and second housing portions, respectively and wherein said means for connecting said push rods and said trigger means comprises flexible means extending between said tracks and being movable along a path defined by said arcuate section as said trigger means is actuated. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a push rod block, and means for mounting said first and second push rods on said push rod block to permit relative movement of said push rods between a position wherein said push rods are substantially parallel to each other and a position wherein the push rods are inclined with respect to each other. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing portions each comprise half of the housing. 
     
     
       21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing is unitary. 
     
     
       22. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rod moving means comprises a block moveable in a direction toward the needles, a slot in said block extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to said direction and further comprising means on one of said rods which is moveably received in said slot for movement in said substantially perpendicular direction. 
     
     
       23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said one rod has a main portion extending in said direction and wherein said moveably received means comprise a portion which is bent relative to said main portion. 
     
     
       24. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rod moving means comprises a block moveable in a direction toward the needles, first and second slots in said block associated with said first and said second rods, respectively, extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to said direction and further comprising means on each of said rods which are moveably received in said respective slots for the movement in said substantially perpendicular direction. 
     
     
       25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein each of said rods has a main portion extending in said direction and wherein said moveable received means comprises a portion which is bent relative to said main portion. 
     
     
       26. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the needles may move from a substantially parallel position to a non-parallel position as said housing portions move from said remote position toward said proximate position and wherein the relative position of said rods changes from a substantially parallel position to non-parallel position as housing portions move. 
     
     
       27. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising first and second means mounted on said first and second housing portions, respectively, in accordance with the relative position of said housing portions. 
     
     
       28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said first and second rod positioning means comprise guide means. 
     
     
       29. Apparatus for dispensing double "T" bar fasteners through spaced hollow needles, the apparatus comprising a housing from which the needles extend, means in said housing effective when actuated, to push the "T" bar ends of a fastener through the needles, said housing comprising first and second portions, a different one of the needles extending from each of said housing portions and means for resiliently connecting said housing portions to permit relative movement of said housing portions to alter the spacing between the needles, means in said housing for feeding fasteners one at a time into alignment with the needles, said feed means comprising first and second feed mechanism portions and means for substantially simultaneously actuating said first and second feed mechanism portions, said first and second feed mechanism portions being situated within said first and second housing portions, respectively, each of said housing portions comprising a compartment within which the feed mechanism portion associated with said housing portion is situated, each of said housing portions comprising a side wall, each of said compartments being defined, in part, by said side wall of said housing portion associated with said compartment and in part by an internal wall of said housing portion, and further comprising means extending from said side wall of said housing portion for releasably engaging said internal wall.