Fastener, a fastener assembly and a fastener attaching device

Abstract

A fastener and a fastener assembly for fastening a plurality of layered goods or for attaching a tag to a good has at least one bulged massive portion provided at one end of a filament portion instead of a conventional T-bar end. A fastener attaching device shoots the fastener of the present invention through the goods to attach the fasteners.

1 . A fastener which is to be attached to at least one material sheet, said fastener comprising a filament portion and at least one bulged massive end portion on a selected end portion of said filament portion, said bulged massive end portion having a maximum length in at least two directions perpendicular to an axis direction of said filament portion separated by an angle large enough that the outer surface of the end portion measured between the two directions is larger than the diameter of said filament portion, and further wherein said bulged massive end portion can be engaged with one surface of the material sheet, said surface of the material sheet being opposite an opposing surface thereof through which said filament portion is inserted.  
   
   
       2 . A fastener according to  claim 1 , wherein said bulged massive portions are provided on both end portions of said filament, respectively.  
   
   
       3 . A fastener according to  claim 1 , wherein a tag holding portion is provided at another end of said filament portion opposite to said end to which said bulged massive portion is connected.  
   
   
       4 . A fastener according to  claim 1 , wherein said bulged massive portion has a configuration selected from a group consisting a spherical configuration, a semi-spherical configuration, a cone like configuration, a pyramid type configuration, a truncated cone, a polygonal sphere, a polygonal semi-sphere, and an ellipsoid configuration.  
   
   
       5 . A fastener according to  claim 4 , wherein said bulged massive portion has a part opposed to said surface of said material sheet to which said bulged massive portion would be engaged and on which at least one frictional element against said surface of said material sheet, is provided.  
   
   
       6 . A fastener according to  claim 5 , wherein said frictional element is selected from a group consisting a groove, a concaved portion, a convexed portion, a projecting member projected from said surface of said bulged massive portion, a flat like portion, and a blade like portion.  
   
   
       7 . A fastener according to  claim 1 , wherein said filament portion has a length suitable for attachment to an applied good.  
   
   
       8 . A fastener according to  claim 1  wherein said bulged massive end portion is compressible.  
   
   
       9 . A fastener assembly in which a plurality of said fasteners as defined by  claim 1 , are arranged adjacent to each other, so that each one of said filament portions of said individual fasteners are arranged in parallel to each other.  
   
   
       10 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 9 , wherein at least one of said bulged massive portions of each one of said fasteners are simultaneously connected to a rail.  
   
   
       11 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 10 , wherein said bulged massive portions are provided on both end portions of said filament, and both of said bulged massive portions provided at both end portions of said filament portion of said respective fasteners are simultaneously connected to first and second rails, respectively, said first and second rails being arranged parallel to each other.  
   
   
       12 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 9 , wherein a tag holding portion is provided at another end of said filament portion opposite to said end to which said bulged massive portion is connected, and each one of said bulged massive portions provided on one end portion of said respective filament portions of a plurality of fasteners is simultaneously connected to a first rail, while each one of said tag holding portions provided on another end portion of said respective filament portions of a plurality of fasteners is simultaneously connected to a second rail.  
   
   
       13 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 12 , wherein either one of said bulged massive portions or said tag holding portions are connected to said respecting connecting bar via a connecting portion provided on said rail.  
   
   
       14 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein said connecting portions have a configuration in that a diameter thereof is gradually reduced from a bottom portion thereof directly connected to said connecting bar to a contacting area formed on either one of a surface of said bulged massive portion or said tag holding portion.  
   
   
       15 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 14 , wherein said connecting portion is connected to a surface of either one of said bulged massive portion or said tag holding portion through a point contacting portion.  
   
   
       16 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of said rails is provided with an indexing system.  
   
   
       17 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 16 , wherein said indexing system is selected from a group consisting a concaved portion, a projected portion and a hole portion each being formed on a surface of said rails.  
   
   
       18 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 9 , wherein at least one of said rails is formed on a surface formed by said plurality of filament portions of said fasteners.  
   
   
       19 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 9 , wherein at least one of said rails is formed over a surface formed by said plurality of filament portions of said fasteners, with a certain distance.  
   
   
       20 . A fastener assembly according to  claim 9 , wherein all portions of said fastener assembly are integrally formed into one body with the same material.  
   
   
       21 . A fastener attaching device for shooting unit fasteners one by one utilizing a fastener assembly in which a plurality of unit fasteners each having a filament portion and at least one bulged massive portion provided on at least one end portion of the filament portion, each one of the plurality of fasteners being adjacently arranged to each other, so that each one of the filament portions are arranged parallel to each other, wherein at least one of the bulged massive portions of each one of the fasteners is simultaneously connected to a rail, said fastener attaching device comprising 
 a main body,    an operating lever,    at least one hollow needle provided on an end portion of said main body,    a pushing pin passage,    a pushing pin which slides through said pushing pin passage back and forth in response to an operation of said operating lever,    a bulged massive portion gripping means,    a bulged massive portion supply path for moving the bulged massive portion of the fastener assembly, provided at a position with a predetermined angle with respect to said pushing pin passage,    a rail moving passage provided inside said main body parallel to said bulged massive portion supply path, and    a bulged massive portion supply means for supplying one of said bulged massive portions to said pushing pin passage in response to an operation of said operation lever.    
   
   
       22 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 21 , wherein an inside diameter of said hollow needle is substantially identical to or minimally larger than an external diameter of said bulged massive portion.  
   
   
       23 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 21 , wherein said bulged massive portion gripping means is provided with a portion for covering at least a part of a surface of said bulged massive portion and has a space inside for accepting a part of said surface of said bulged massive portion part therein.  
   
   
       24 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 21 , wherein said bulged massive portion supply means supplies a bulged massive portion to said pushing pin passage before said bulged massive portion gripping means, which is provided at an end portion of said pushing pin or a tip portion of the pushing pin, passing by said intercrossing portion formed between said bulged massive portion supply passage and said pushing pin passage in response to an operation of said operation lever in the vicinity of said bulged massive portion supply means.  
   
   
       25 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 21 , wherein a connecting portion cutting means for cutting a connecting portion connecting said bulged massive portion to said rail in response to an operation of said operation lever, is provided in the vicinity of said bulged massive portion supply means.  
   
   
       26 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 21 , wherein at least a part of said bulged massive portion gripping means, a connecting portion cutting means for cutting a connecting portion connecting said bulged massive portion to said rail in response to an operation of said operation lever, is provided.  
   
   
       27 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 24 , wherein said bulged massive portion gripping means and said pushing pin perform respective sliding motions different from each other.  
   
   
       28 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 21 , wherein the fastener assembly has a plurality of unit fasteners each comprising a filament portion and two bulged massive portions provided at both end portions of said filament portion, and each one of the plurality of said fasteners are adjacently arranged to each other, so that each one of said filament portions thereof are arranged parallel to each other, and further wherein said device is provided with a pair of said hollow needles, a pair of said pushing pins, a pair of said pushing pin passages, a pair of said bulged massive portion gripping means, a pair of said bulged massive portion supply paths, a pair of said rail moving passages and a pair of said bulged massive portion supply means.  
   
   
       29 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 27 , wherein when said fastener assembly is to be mounted on said device, said fastener assembly is mounted thereon so that a direction along which each one of said filament portions are arranged is set so as to intercross with said center axis of said pushing pin path at a predetermined angle, wherein said filament portions are longer than the shortest distance between said pushing pin passages.  
   
   
       30 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 28 , wherein said bulged massive portion supply means includes a pair of rotating members each having a plurality of fastener engagement members on a peripheral surface thereof which can engage with a predetermined portion of each one of said unit fasteners or said indexing means provided on said rail, so as to move said unit fasteners by a predetermined distance in a predetermined direction.  
   
   
       31 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 30 , wherein said rotating member comprising a pair of circular plates.  
   
   
       32 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 30 , wherein a common rotating axis of said rotating members intercross in a direction along which each one of said filament portions are arranged, at a non-perpendicular angle.  
   
   
       33 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 30 , wherein a pair of said rotating members are rotated by a common driving member which is driven in response to an operation of an operation lever, the rotating directions of each one of said rotating members being different from each other.  
   
   
       34 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 27 , wherein said pushing pin penetrates through an inside hollow path of said bulged massive portion gripping means.  
   
   
       35 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 34 , wherein a moving range of said pushing pin is larger than that of said bulged massive portion gripping means.  
   
   
       36 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 34 , wherein said pushing pin is connected to a second slider member which is connected in turn to a driving member driven in response to said operation lever while said bulged massive portion gripping means is supported on a first slider means, which being provided with a control means which can contact said second slider means during one time period so that said first slider means can be driven with said second slider means, and can be disconnected from said first slider means during another time period so that said first slider means stops its movement while said second slider means is still moving.  
   
   
       37 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 36 , wherein said control means is provided with a stopper member on a part of said control means which can contact said second slider means during one time period, and said stopper member can engage with a stopper member holding means which can hold said stopper member during another time period.  
   
   
       38 . A fastener attaching device according to  claim 36 , wherein said first slider means is further provided with a base plate having a hole through space therein through which said second sliding means can move along said hole through space when said stopper member is disconnected from said second slider member.