Locking piece attaching device and loop pin

Abstract

Provided is a locking piece attaching device that solves the problems of the prior art, effectively prevents the occurrence of a state in which, for example, thread-like body portions of adjacent loop pins become entangled, and enables labels, tags, price tags or the like to be attached easily and quickly to any product with a high work efficiency.　A locking piece attaching device 110 according to the present invention is provided with a space opening portion 200 that has a predetermined distance between a wall surface including a first guide passage 42 and a wall surface including a second guide passage 43 and that is open upward and downward, or is provided with a space opening portion 200 that has the predetermined distance and is open forward, upward and downward.

Description

Locking piece attachment device and loop pin

[0001] The present invention relates to a locking piece attaching device that can be used to bundle clothing, socks, shoes, bags, and other products, and to attach locking pieces, also known as tags, indicators, such as brand labels, price tags, material descriptions, and usage instructions, to these products. More specifically, the present invention relates to a locking piece attaching device used to attach locking pieces that display various tags, registered trademarks, quality labels, manufacturer names, distributor names, and the like, to products, and to a loop pin used in the locking piece attaching device.

[0002] Various types of fastening devices have been used to fasten items such as clothing, socks, shoes, and bags, or to efficiently attach fastenings such as brand labels and price tags to these items. For example, a conventional fastening device uses a pistol-shaped device with a lever attached to the device body. A loop pin is ejected from a loop pin assembly, one after the other, with a tag, label, or the like interposed between the pin and the loop pin. The loop pin is then inserted into a socket, forming a loop. The loop pin is comprised of a filament-shaped thread portion with a fastening head and a socket portion attached to both ends. The loop pin assembly is comprised of a plurality of loop pins arranged in parallel, each with its fastening head and socket portion temporarily attached to a separate connecting bar.

[0003] Meanwhile, the present inventors, after extensive and intensive research with engineers at MIT International, an affiliated company, independently developed and are now offering to the market locking piece attachment devices 500, 510, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2000-238714 (Patent Document 1), 2000-289727 (Patent Document 2), 2001-354218 (Patent Document 3), 2001-56644 (Patent Document 4), and 2004-83133 (Patent Document 5), and as is clear from the schematic perspective views of Figure 10 (first configuration example) and Figure 11 (second configuration example) of the present application. These locking piece attachment devices 500, 510 have a pistol-shaped device main body 10. The device body 10 is provided with: a grip lever 12 rotatably supported on a grip portion 11 provided on the device body 10; a drive arm 13 (see Figures 12 and 19) that is swung by the grip lever 12; a first guide passage 42 that is arranged within the device body 10 and extends along the longitudinal direction of the device body 10 from near the rear end 40 of the device body 10 to the front end 41 of the device body 10; a second guide passage 43 that is arranged approximately parallel to the first guide passage 42 at a predetermined interval and extends from near the rear end 40 of the device body 10 to the front end 41 of the device body 10; a cylindrical hollow guide member 50 having one end connected to the tip opening of the first guide passage 42; and a curved hollow guide member 20 having one end connected to the tip opening of the second guide passage 43 and having a tip end 20a at the other end that is arranged on the firing direction line of the insertion head 3 of a loop pin 700 described later. A first ejection pin 16 is provided within the first guide passage 42, which slides back and forth linearly in response to the swinging motion of the drive arm 13. A second ejection pin 19 made of a flexible member is provided within the second guide passage 43, which slides back and forth in response to the swinging motion of the drive arm 13. As shown in Figure 20, the loop pin 700 has a thread-shaped body 2 having a predetermined length and flexibility, and an insertion head 3 having an engaging portion 4 is provided at one end 60 of the thread-shaped body 2. The other end 30 of the thread-shaped body 2 is provided with a socket 5 having a hole 7 with a locking portion 6 for irreversibly inserting and fitting the engaging portion 4 of the insertion head 3.The first ejection pin 16 is configured to come into contact with the insertion head portion 3 of the loop pin 700 loaded and supplied into the first guide passage 42, and in response to operation of the grip lever 12, eject the insertion head portion 3 linearly through the hollow guide member 50 toward the mating portion 54 with the socket portion 5. The second ejection pin 19 is configured to come into contact with the socket portion 5 of the loop pin 700 loaded and supplied into the second guide passage 43, and in response to operation of the grip lever 12, move the socket portion 5 to the mating portion 54 with the insertion head portion 3 through the curved hollow guide member 20. The first ejection pin 16 and the second ejection pin 19 then mate the insertion head portion 3 with the socket portion 5 at the mating portion 54.

[0004] In the specific example of Fig. 10, the first guide passage 42 and the second guide passage 43 are formed on the same horizontal plane. However, as shown in the specific example of Fig. 11, the first guide passage 42 and the second guide passage 43 may be formed on horizontal planes at different heights. Furthermore, in the locking piece attaching devices 500 and 510, a gap 70 having a desired distance and depth (bottom) is formed between the wall surface including the first guide passage 42 and the wall surface including the second guide passage 43. The bottom of this gap 70 is closed by a horizontal bottom surface 72 or an inclined bottom surface 71. Below, the basic configuration and operation of a conventional locking piece attaching device, which is also the subject of the present invention, will be outlined, mainly with reference to the locking piece attaching device 510 disclosed in Fig. 11. In addition, the configuration of the locking piece attachment device 500 disclosed in Figure 10 and the drive mechanism of each component are substantially the same as those in Figure 11, except that the first guide passage 42 and the second guide passage 43 are formed on the same horizontal plane.

[0005] That is, specific examples of the locking piece attaching device 510 are apparent from FIGS. This locking piece attaching device 510 includes a grip lever 12 rotatably supported on a grip portion 11 provided on a pistol-shaped device main body 10, a drive arm 13 swung by the grip lever 12, a first guide passage 42 arranged within the device main body 10 and extending along the longitudinal direction of the device main body 10 from near the rear end 40 of the device main body 10 to the front end 41 of the device main body 10, a second guide passage 43 arranged approximately parallel to the first guide passage 42 at a predetermined interval and extending from near the rear end 40 of the device main body 10 to the front end 41 of the device main body 10, a cylindrical hollow guide member 50 having one end connected to the tip opening of the first guide passage 42, and a curved hollow guide member 20 having one end connected to the tip opening of the second guide passage 43 and inclined obliquely downward so that the tip end 20a of the other end is positioned on the line of the firing direction of the insertion head 3 of the loop pin 700. A first ejection pin 16 is provided within the first guide passage 42, which slides back and forth linearly in response to the swinging motion of the drive arm 13. A second ejection pin 19 made of a flexible member is provided within the second guide passage 43, which slides back and forth in response to the swinging motion of the drive arm 13. The loop pin 700 has a predetermined length and a flexible filament 2 at one end 60 thereof, which is provided with an insertion head 3 having an engaging portion 4. The other end 30 of the filament 2 is provided with a socket 5 having a hole 7 with a locking portion 6 for irreversibly inserting and fitting the engaging portion 4 of the insertion head 3. The first ejection pin 16 is configured to come into contact with the insertion head 3 of the loop pin 700 loaded and supplied into the first guide passage 42, and to eject the insertion head 3 linearly through the hollow guide member 50 toward the fitting portion 54 with the socket portion 5 in response to operation of the grip lever 12. The second ejection pin 19 is configured to come into contact with the socket portion 5 of the loop pin 700 loaded and supplied into the second guide passage 43, and to move the socket portion 5 to the fitting portion 54 with the insertion head 3 through the curved hollow guide member 20 in response to operation of the grip lever 12.The first and second ejection pins 16 and 19 then fit the insertion head portion 3 and the socket portion 5 together at the fitting portion 54 .

[0006] Furthermore, in the conventional locking piece attaching device 510, a gap 70 having a desired distance and depth is formed between the wall surface including the first guide passage 42 and the wall surface including the second guide passage 43. The bottom surface of this gap 70 is closed by a sloped bottom surface 71. As described above, in the conventional locking piece attaching device 510, the horizontal plane formed by the first guide passage 42 incorporating the first ejection pin 16 and the horizontal plane formed by the second guide passage 43 incorporating the second ejection pin 19 are at different heights (see FIG. 11 ). Specifically, the horizontal plane including the first guide passage 42 is lower than the horizontal plane including the second guide passage 43, and the sloped bottom surface 71 exists in the recessed portion of the gap 70. In the first configuration example shown in Figure 10, as is clear from the plan view of Figure 16 and the front view of Figure 17, the horizontal plane formed by the first guide passage 42 and the horizontal plane formed by the second guide passage 43 are flush with each other, and a horizontal bottom surface 72 exists in the recess of the gap 70.

[0007] A more specific configuration example and driving method for the drive mechanism of the conventional locking piece attaching device 510 will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figures 12(A), 12(B), 13, 14(A), and 14(B) are schematic side and plan views showing an example of the internal structure of the locking piece attaching device 510. In these figures, the device main body 10 includes a grip lever 12 rotatably supported on a grip portion 11, a drive arm 13 swung by the grip lever 12, a first pin holder portion 15 that linearly slides on a first guide rail 14 by the operation of the drive arm 13, a first ejection pin 16 attached to the first pin holder portion 15 and sliding reciprocally within a first guide passage 42, a second pin holder portion 18 that linearly moves on a second guide rail 17 by the operation of the drive arm 13, and a second ejection pin 19 that has a base end fixed to the second pin holder portion 18, is made of a flexible member such as a tightly wound coil spring, and slides reciprocally within a second guide passage 43. The tip of the second ejection pin 19 is located near the exit of the second guide passage 43. The device main body 10 also includes a curved hollow guide member 20 that guides the second ejection pin 19. The curved hollow guide member 20 is configured so that its tip 20a is positioned at a position where it descends to the protruding position of the first ejection pin 16 while changing its height and horizontal position, thereby allowing the second ejection pin 19 to reach the tip 20a.

[0008] As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B , the grip lever 12 is rotatably supported on a pin 21 erected on the device body 10, and a first cam 22 is formed on the inner surface thereof, which abuts against the base end 13 a of the drive arm 13. The movement speed of the first ejection pin 16 can be changed by appropriately modifying the shape of the first cam 22. Furthermore, when the grip lever 12 rotates around the pin 21, the first cam 22 is constantly in contact with a roller 24 rotatably attached to the base end 13 a, and is shaped so that the rotational motion of the roller 24 can be converted into oscillation of the drive arm 13. The drive arm 13 is rotatably supported on a support shaft 23 erected on the inner surface of the grip portion 11 at approximately the center thereof, and the base end 13 a is bent at a right angle relative to the longitudinal direction. A spring member 25, one end of which is fixed to the grip portion 11, is engaged with a protrusion 13 b formed near the center of the drive arm 13. The drive arm 13 is urged to rotate clockwise by the spring member 25. As a result, the roller 24 at the base end 13a is always pressed in a direction that causes it to abut against the first cam 22 at a right angle.

[0009] 19, the drive arm 13 is equipped with a second cam 26 that drives the first pin holder portion 15. This second cam 26 has curved portions 26a and 26b that are curved approximately symmetrically on both sides, and has a pointed portion 26c at its upper end. A hole 13c is formed at the tip of the drive arm 13, and a link member 27 that connects to the second pin holder portion 18 is connected to this hole 13c via an elongated hole (not shown).

[0010] 18(A) and 18(B) are explanatory diagrams showing the relationship between the first pin holder portion 15 and the second cam 26. FIG. 18(A) shows a state in which the drive arm 13 is biased to rotate clockwise by the spring member 25 without the grip lever 12 being gripped (see FIG. 12(A)). The first pin holder portion 15 is pressed to the right (direction A) in the figure by the curved portion 26b of the second cam 26, and the first ejection pin 16 is retracted all the way. At this time, the second cam 26 is inserted into the central groove of the first pin holder portion 15.

[0011] Figure 18(B) shows a state in which the grip lever 12 is gripped and the drive arm 13 is rotated counterclockwise against the spring member 25 (see Figure 12(B)). The first pin holder part 15 is pressed leftward in the figure (direction B) by the pointed part 26c of the second cam 26, and the first ejection pin 16 protrudes up to the tip end 20a of the curved hollow guide member 20. The relationship between the first pin holder part 15 and the second cam 26 is such that initially, the curved part 26a abuts against the side wall of the recessed groove of the first pin holder part 15. However, as the drive arm 13 rotates gradually, the notched part 26d of the second cam 26 abuts against the first pin holder part 15, which temporarily reduces the feed speed of the first pin holder part 15. Furthermore, in the final stage, the pointed portion 26c falls into the small recess 15a formed in the side wall of the recessed groove, and in this state, the first pin holder portion 15 can be held.

[0012] The second pin holder portion 18 is connected to the drive arm 13 via a link member 27 and moves linearly along the second guide rail 17 (see FIG. 13 ). When the drive arm 13 rotates counterclockwise, the link member 27, which initially presses the second pin holder portion 18 in a ">" shape, rotates in a toggle-like manner at the elongated hole, changing the movement speed of the second pin holder portion 18 near the toggle position. In other words, when the link member 27 rotates in a toggle-like manner, the second pin holder portion 18 barely moves. This mechanism prevents the second ejection pin 19 from bouncing back. Therefore, the socket portion 5 can be held at the tip portion 20a of the curved hollow guide member 20. Furthermore, the socket portion 5 that first reached the tip portion 20a of the curved hollow guide member 20 can be kept waiting.

[0013] Next, a specific example of how to use the locking piece attachment device 510 configured as described above will be described. First, the loop pin 700 is attached to the attachment portion from the top surface of the device body 10. As shown in FIG. 15 , the loop pin 700 has its socket portion 5 positioned higher and its insertion head portion 3 positioned lower. This inclination is the same as the inclination of the curved hollow guide member 20. When the grip lever 12 is gripped, it rotates around the pin 21, and the drive arm 13, which is in contact with the grip lever 12 via the roller 24, rotates counterclockwise against the biasing force of the spring member 25. As the drive arm 13 rotates, the first pin holder portion 15, which is engaged with the second cam 26, advances along the first guide rail 14. As the first pin holder portion 15 advances, the first drive pin 16 fixed thereto drives the insertion head portion 3 forward.

[0014] On the other hand, when the drive arm 13 rotates, the link member 27 connected to the hole 13c at the tip rotates, causing the second pin holder portion 18 to advance along the second guide rail 17. Because the second pin holder portion 18 is located farther away from the rotation center of the drive arm 13, it advances at a faster speed than the first pin holder portion 15. Also, the distance that the socket portion 5 travels through the curved hollow guide member 20 to reach its tip portion 20a is longer than the distance that the insertion head portion 3 travels in a straight line, so the stroke for movement is also longer. The timing of their movements is such that the socket portion 5 reaches the tip portion 20a first, and then the insertion head portion 3 reaches the tip portion 20a and engages at the mating portion 54.

[0015] Furthermore, due to the structure of the second cam 26 and the first pin holder portion 15, the forward movement speed of the first ejection pin 16 is temporarily reduced near the tip 20a and latched at the tip 20a. This mechanism prevents cracking of the loop pin 700. Furthermore, since the first ejection pin 16 is latched in the protruding state, the insertion head portion 3 can be securely attached to the socket portion 5. The second pin holder portion 18 is connected to the tip of the drive arm 13 via a link member 27. This allows it to rotate in a toggle-like manner around the hole 13c, changing the movement speed of the second pin holder portion 18 near the toggle position. In other words, when the link member 27 rotates around the hole 13c, the second pin holder portion 18 barely moves forward. This mechanism prevents the second ejection pin 19 from bouncing back, and the socket portion 5 can be held in the position of the tip 20a of the curved hollow guide member 20.

[0016] Next, an example of how to use the locking piece attaching device 510 will be described in detail. First, an example of the configuration of a loop pin 700 used in the locking piece attaching device 510 will be described with reference to FIG. 20 . As shown in FIGS. 20(A) to 20(D), each loop pin 700 used in the locking piece attaching device 510 is composed of a flexible filament 2, an insertion head 3 provided at one end 60 of the filament 2 and having an engaging portion 4, and a socket 5 provided at the other end 30 of the filament 2 and having a hole 7 formed therein with an engaging portion 6 for irreversibly inserting and fitting the insertion head 3. By inserting the insertion head 3 through the hole 7 provided in the socket 5, the engaging portion 4 provided on the insertion head 3 engages with the blade-shaped engaging portion 6 located within the hole 7 of the socket 5. This prevents the insertion head 3 from coming off the hole 7 of the socket 5.

[0017] Furthermore, the locking piece attaching device 510 mechanically attaches the loop pins 700 to specific products while retaining the tags. To efficiently perform this operation, it is desirable to use it as follows. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 20A, multiple loop pins 700 are arranged in parallel, and a portion of the insertion head 3 of each loop pin 700 is fixedly held in a state in which it can be easily cut off by a predetermined connection bar 8. At the same time, a portion of the socket 5 of each loop pin 700 is fixedly held in a state in which it can be easily cut off by a separately prepared predetermined connection bar 8'. In this way, an integrated sheet-like loop pin assembly 9 is formed and used.

[0018] Next, to actually drive out the individual loop pins 700 using the locking piece attaching device 510, the loop pin assembly 9 is set in the locking piece attaching device 510 as shown in Figures 11 and 14(B). Specifically, the two connecting bars 8, 8' of the loop pin assembly 9 are brought close to each other, and the filament portion 2 is bent into a U-shape. In this state, the connecting bar 8 is inserted into the vertical groove 32 for inserting the connecting bar 8, which is provided in the locking piece attaching device 510. The insertion head 3 is then inserted into the first guide passage 42 that guides the first drive pin 16. At the same time, the connecting bar 8' is inserted into the vertical groove 33 for inserting the connecting bar 8', which is provided in the locking piece attaching device 510. The socket portion 5 is then inserted into the second guide passage 43 that guides the second drive pin 19. After the loop pin assembly 9 is set, each time the grip lever 12 of the locking piece attachment device 510 is pulled, the various mechanisms described above are activated, and although not shown, a predetermined loop pin feeding mechanism also operates at the same time, feeding the insertion head portion 3 and socket portion 5 of the loop pin 700 one by one into the first guide passage 42 and the second guide passage 43, and striking them individually to form loops.

[0019] However, in the locking piece attaching device 510, as shown in Figure 11, the loop pin assembly 9 is attached to the device main body 10 in a curved state, and the loop pins 700 are continuously driven out one by one to form a closed loop together with a tag or the like, which is then attached to a specific product. In this case, there is no means to prevent the filament portions 2 of the individual loop pins 700 from becoming entangled in the greatly curved portions. In other words, the curved portions of each filament portion 2 are in a free state, that is, they are able to freely displace and deform.

[0020] Therefore, if tension fluctuations or abnormal forces are applied to any part of each filament portion 2 in this state, the filament portion 2, including the curved portion, easily displaces and deforms in a variety of directions. As a result, the filament portions 2 come into contact with each other and become entangled. If the filament portions 2 of adjacent loop pins 700 become entangled, the socket portion 5 and the insertion head portion 3 of the launched loop pin 700 may not be fully engaged, preventing the connection from being completed. In this case, if the next loop pin 700 is launched without realizing that the loop pin 700 has not been fully connected, a jam will occur within the hollow guide member 50 or the curved hollow guide member 20. Such a jamming causes a significant amount of time to be required to remove the loop pin 700, significantly reducing work efficiency. Furthermore, continued use in this state could result in the locking piece attaching device 510 malfunctioning, rendering the locking piece attaching device 510 unusable. Furthermore, even if the thread-shaped body portions 2 are entangled and the insertion head portion 3 and the socket portion 5 can be completely engaged, it may not be possible to smoothly remove the loop pin 700 including a tag or the like from the device main body 10.

[0021] To solve these problems, the inventors and other related parties have investigated the causes of the problems and proposed specific solutions to address each of the individual causes, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-238714 (Patent Document 1), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-289727 (Patent Document 2), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-056644 (Patent Document 4), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-206171 (Patent Document 6), and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-126176 (Patent Document 7). However, they have not been able to achieve a sufficient and complete entanglement prevention effect. In particular, when the filament portion 2 of the loop pin 700 is a thin filament, when a more flexible filament such as a thread, twisted yarn, braided cord, or knitted cord is used, or when the launch speed of the loop pin 700 is increased, the probability of entanglement occurring increases. In other words, the current situation is that considerable effort is required to resolve the problems. In a method of using a locking piece attaching device 510 to which loop pins 700 are attached and connecting the loop pins 700 to attach tags or the like to merchandise, the following problems occur for the reasons described in the above-mentioned prior art. Specifically, the filament portions 2 of adjacent loop pins 700 become entangled with each other, i.e., intertwined, crossed, or joined and abutted against each other, resulting in an inseparable state. This causes the insertion heads 3 and sockets 5 of the loop pins 700 to be unable to fit together. Furthermore, even if the insertion heads 3 and sockets 5 can be fitted together, if the filament portions 2 of adjacent loop pins 700 are entangled with each other, the following problems may occur. For example, even after the loop pin driving operation is complete, the fitted loop pins 700 may not be able to be removed from the device main body 10. This requires a considerable amount of time and effort for the removal operation, significantly reducing the efficiency of the tag attachment operation and contributing to increased costs.

[0022] Therefore, the inventors of the present application continued their intensive research and further investigated other causes of the filament portions 2 of the loop pins 700 becoming entangled with each other, resulting in an incomplete firing operation or in the inability to remove the loop pins 700 from the device main body 10. As a result, it was newly discovered that after the insertion head 3 is fired out of the machine by the first firing pin 16, when the first firing pin 16 retracts to its original position, the insertion head 3' of the next loop pin 700' above it descends before the filament portion 2 of the previously fired loop pin 700 has been removed from the insertion head fitting opening 53, thereby pinching the filament portion 2 of the loop pin 700 remaining in the insertion head fitting opening 53, making it impossible to remove the fired loop pin 700 from the device main body 10. At the same time, it was newly discovered that it becomes impossible to fire the next loop pin 700'. That is, as shown in FIG. 21 , after the first ejection pin 16 ejects the insertion head 3 from the hollow guide member 50, the first ejection pin 16 returns to its original position, and the insertion head 3' of the next loop pin 700' descends from above into the insertion head fitting opening 53 provided in the first guide passage 42. The filament portion 2 (shown in bold black) of the previously ejected loop pin 700 is then pinned under the insertion head 3' within the insertion head fitting opening 53. This series of movements causes the previous loop pin 700 to be unable to be completely ejected from the device main body 10. Furthermore, new problems have been discovered, such as the inability to remove the entangled loop pins 700, 700' from the device main body 10, and the inability to eject the next loop pin 700'. These problems also occur at the socket fitting opening of the second guide passage 43 in the locking piece attaching device 510.

[0023] Furthermore, in the device body 10 of the locking piece attaching device 510, if the above-mentioned problem occurs, the loop pin 700 whose insertion head 3 and socket portion 5 could not be fitted together, or the loop pin 700 that has become entangled with the filament portion of an adjacent loop pin 700' even if the insertion head 3 and socket portion 5 can be fitted together, must be manually removed along the pushing direction of the first ejection pin 16. However, in the locking piece attaching device 510, the curved hollow guide member 20 is located in front of the device body 10. Therefore, the operation of removing the entangled loop pins 700 is inevitably a time-consuming task requiring a high level of nerve and delicate movement due to the limited working space, and it has been found that this is the cause of a significant decrease in work efficiency.

[0024] The inventors further investigated the cause of the entanglement of the filament portions 2 of adjacent loop pins 700. As a result, they found that in the locking piece attaching device 510, the gap 70 formed between the first guide passage 42 that drives out the insertion head portion 3 and the second guide passage 43 that drives out the socket portion 5 is closed by the bottom surface 71 (bottom surface 72 in the locking piece attaching device 500), so the filament portions 2 of multiple loop pins 700 collide with the bottom surface 71 and are pushed upward. They then confirmed that the movement of the filament portions 2 being pushed upward and the frequent up-down and left-right movement of the locking piece attaching device 510 itself within the space cause adjacent filament portions 2 to easily become entangled due to the effects of vibration, etc. It was found that this phenomenon of the filament portions 2 becoming entangled with each other occurs with a very high probability when the filament portion 2 is thin and highly flexible, or when a twisted yarn or the like is used for the filament portion 2, because the bottom surface 71 pushes the filament portion 2 upward more than expected, causing the filament portion 2 to deform and meander significantly. It was also found that when the filament portion 2 is thin and highly flexible, or when a filament is used for the filament portion 2, when the insertion head portion 3 and socket portion 5 of the loop pin 700 are driven forward toward the fitting portion 54, the filament portion 2 of the next loop pin 700 is dragged forward by the movement of the filament portion 2 of the previous loop pin 700, causing the adjacent filament portions 2 to become further entangled with each other. As a result of further intensive research, the present inventors have solved the problems of the prior art and have obtained a technology for efficiently, quickly, and more accurately attaching a desired fastening piece to a desired product.

[0025] JP 2000-238714 A JP 2000-289727 A JP 2001-354218 A JP 2001-056644 A JP 2004-083133 A JP 2005-206171 A JP 2010-126176 A

[0026] Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a locking piece attaching device that solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, effectively prevents the filament portions of adjacent loop pins from entangling, and enables tags and the like to be attached using loop pins easily, quickly, and with high work efficiency. A second object of the present invention is to provide a locking piece attaching device that allows the loop pin to be easily removed from the device body even when it cannot be completely ejected from the device body. A third object of the present invention is to provide a preferable loop pin for use in a locking piece attaching device in order to achieve the above-mentioned objects.

[0027] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the locking piece attaching device of the present invention has a filamentous body portion of a predetermined length and flexibility, at one end of which an insertion head portion with an engaging portion is provided, and at the other end of which the filamentous body portion is provided with a socket portion with a hole portion with an engaging portion for irreversibly inserting and fitting the engaging portion of the insertion head portion, using a loop pin to attach the locking piece. The locking piece attaching device includes a grip lever rotatably supported on a grip portion provided on the device body, a drive arm swung by the grip lever, a first guide passage disposed within the device body and extending along the longitudinal direction of the device body from near the rear end to the front end, a second guide passage disposed substantially parallel to the first guide passage at a predetermined distance from the first guide passage and extending from near the rear end to the front end of the device body, and a curved hollow guide member having one end connected to a tip opening of the second guide passage and the other end disposed on the line of the ejection direction of the insertion head. Also, in the locking piece attaching device, a first ejection pin is disposed within the first guide passage and slides back and forth linearly in response to the swinging movement of the drive arm, and a second ejection pin made of a flexible member and slides back and forth in response to the swinging movement of the drive arm is disposed within the second guide passage. In addition, in the locking piece attachment device, the first ejection pin is configured to abut against the insertion head of the loop pin loaded and supplied into the first guide passage, and to eject the insertion head in a straight line toward the mating portion with the socket portion in response to operation of the grip lever, and the second ejection pin is configured to abut against the socket portion of the loop pin loaded and supplied into the second guide passage, and to move the socket portion to the mating portion with the insertion head via the curved hollow guide member in response to operation of the grip lever, and the first ejection pin and the second ejection pin mate the insertion head with the socket portion at the mating portion.The locking piece attaching device is characterized in that an open space that is a predetermined distance apart and opens upward and downward between a wall surface including the first guide passage and a wall surface including the second guide passage, or an open space that is the predetermined distance apart and opens forward, upward, and downward, is provided. The loop pin according to the present invention is characterized in that a thread-like body having a predetermined length and flexibility is provided at one end with an insertion head having an engaging portion, and at the other end with a socket having a hole with an engaging portion for irreversibly inserting and fitting the engaging portion of the insertion head. The one end of the thread-like body is connected to the insertion head perpendicular to the central axis of the insertion head, and the other end of the thread-like body is connected to the socket against the surface on which the hole is formed so as to be perpendicular to the central axis of the socket.

[0028] The locking piece attaching device and loop pin according to the present invention are easier to operate than conventional locking piece attaching devices and can effectively prevent the filament portions of adjacent loop pins from entangling. This reduces the chance of entanglement between the filaments, and even if entanglement does occur, it can be easily resolved. Furthermore, entangled loop pins can be easily and quickly removed from the locking piece attaching device, improving the efficiency of the locking piece attaching operation and achieving the effects of improved productivity and cost reduction.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a first configuration example of a locking piece attaching device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the first configuration example of a locking piece attaching device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing the first configuration example of a locking piece attaching device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a second configuration example of a locking piece attaching device according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the second configuration example of a locking piece attaching device according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a front view schematically showing the second configuration example of a locking piece attaching device according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a top perspective view schematically showing the second configuration example of a locking piece attaching device according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is an upper perspective view schematically showing a configuration in which a guide member is attached to the second configuration example of a locking piece attaching device according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a side view schematically showing a state in which a loop pin assembly is mounted on the locking piece attaching device shown in FIG. 8 and equipped with the guide member according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a first configuration example of a conventional locking piece attaching device. FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a second configuration example of a conventionally used locking piece attaching device. FIGS. 12(A) and 12(B) are side views schematically illustrating an example of the internal structure of a conventionally used locking piece attaching device according to the second configuration example. FIG. 13 is a side view schematically illustrating a main portion of a second pin holder unit in a conventionally used locking piece attaching device according to the second configuration example. FIG. 14(A) is a plan view schematically illustrating an example of a drive mechanism in a conventionally used locking piece attaching device according to the second configuration example, and FIG. 14(B) is an enlarged plan view of a portion thereof. FIG. 15 is a front view schematically illustrating a conventionally used locking piece attaching device according to the second configuration example. FIG. 16 is a plan view schematically illustrating a conventionally used locking piece attaching device according to the first configuration example. FIG. 17 is a front view schematically illustrating a conventionally used locking piece attaching device according to the first configuration example. 18(A) and 18(B) are diagrams showing the relationship between the first pin holder part and the drive arm used in the conventionally used locking piece attaching device according to the second configuration example, and Fig. 19 is a plan view showing the drive arm used in the conventionally used locking piece attaching device according to the second configuration example.Figures 20(A) to 20(D) are schematic diagrams showing the structure of a single loop pin used in a conventional locking piece attaching device and the structure of a collection of multiple loop pins. Figure 21 is a partially sectional perspective view showing the reason why the insertion head and the filament portion become entangled with each other in a conventional locking piece attaching device. Figure 22 is a partially sectional perspective view showing the reason why the entanglement between the insertion head and the filament portion is eliminated when the loop pin of the present invention is used. Figure 23 is a side view showing the state in which auxiliary engagement means is provided at the rear end of the locking piece attaching device of the present invention using the guide member shown in Figure 9 to maintain the guide member in a curved shape. Figure 24 is a side view showing the structure of a loop pin of the present invention. Figure 25 is a perspective view showing the structure of a loop pin assembly formed by arranging multiple loop pins of the present invention.

[0030] Specific examples of the locking piece attaching device according to the present invention and preferred loop pins used in the locking piece attaching device will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the specification and drawings of this application, elements that can be similarly described will be given the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description. First, preferred examples of the locking piece attaching devices 100 and 110 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. Note that, with regard to the locking piece attaching devices 100 and 110 and loop pin 1 according to the present invention, elements that are similar to those of the conventional locking piece attaching devices 500 and 510 and loop pin 700 will be given the same reference numerals. 1 and 4, the locking piece attaching device 100, 110 according to the present invention comprises a grip lever 12 rotatably supported on a grip portion 11 provided on the device main body 10, a drive arm 13 (see FIGS. 12A and 12B) that is swung by the grip lever 12, a first guide passage 42 that is disposed within the device main body 10 and extends along the longitudinal direction of the device main body 10 from the vicinity of the rear end 40 to the front end 41 of the device main body 10, a second guide passage 43 that is disposed approximately parallel to the first guide passage 42 at a predetermined interval and extends from the vicinity of the rear end 40 to the front end 41 of the device main body 10, a cylindrical hollow guide member 50 having one end connected to the tip opening of the first guide passage 42, and a curved hollow guide member 20 having one end connected to the tip opening of the second guide passage 43 and having the tip 20a at the other end that is disposed on the line of the striking direction of the insertion head 3 of a loop pin 1 described later. A first ejection pin 16 is provided within the first guide passage 42, which slides back and forth linearly in response to the swinging movement of the drive arm 13. A second ejection pin 19 made of a flexible member is provided within the second guide passage 43, which slides back and forth in response to the swinging movement of the drive arm 13. As shown in Figure 24, the loop pin 1 has an insertion head 3 having an engaging portion 4 at one end 60 of a flexible filament 2 having a predetermined length. The other end 30 of the filament 2 is provided with a socket 5 having a hole 7 with a locking portion 6 for irreversibly inserting and fitting the insertion head 3.The first ejection pin 16 is configured to come into contact with the insertion head portion 3 of the loop pin 1 loaded and supplied into the first guide passage 42, and in response to operation of the grip lever 12, eject the insertion head portion 3 linearly through the hollow guide member 50 toward the mating portion 54 with the socket portion 5. The second ejection pin 19 is configured to come into contact with the socket portion 5 of the loop pin 1 loaded and supplied into the second guide passage 43, and in response to operation of the grip lever 12, move the socket portion 5 to the mating portion 54 with the insertion head portion 3 through the curved hollow guide member 20. The first ejection pin 16 and the second ejection pin 19 then mate the insertion head portion 3 with the socket portion 5 at the mating portion 54. 1 and 4, the locking piece attaching devices 100, 110 according to the present invention eliminate the bottom portions 71, 72 of the gap 70 formed in the conventional locking piece attaching devices 500, 510, and instead provide an open space 200 that is open forward, upward, and downward and has a predetermined distance between the wall surface including the first guide passage 42 and the wall surface including the second guide passage 43. In the locking piece attaching device 100 shown in FIG. 1, the first guide passage 42 and the second guide passage 43 are formed on the same horizontal plane. However, as shown in the specific example of the locking piece attaching device 110 shown in FIG. 11, the first guide passage 42 and the second guide passage 43 may be formed on horizontal planes at different heights. Below, the characteristic configuration and operation of the locking piece attaching device according to the present invention will be outlined, mainly with reference to the locking piece attaching device 110 shown in FIG. 4. In addition, the configuration of the locking piece attachment device 100 shown in Figure 1 and the drive mechanism using each component are essentially the same as those in Figure 4, except that the first guide passage 42 and the second guide passage 43 are formed on the same horizontal plane.

[0031] For example, in conventional locking piece attaching devices 500, 510, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, flat or inclined bottom surfaces 71, 72 exist in gap 70 formed between the side wall surface including first guide passage 42 and the side wall surface including second guide passage 43. As described above, highly flexible thread-like body portions 2 such as filaments constituting individual loop pins 700 are arranged in a curved shape, and the curved portions are stacked on top of each other to form a multi-layer structure, constantly or irregularly abutting against bottom surfaces 71, 72 inside gap 70. The curved portions of adjacent stacked thread-like body portions 2 may displace and move relative to each other and even jump due to forces, vibrations, etc. that are continuously or intermittently applied from bottom surfaces 71, 72. This movement causes the filament portions 2 to become entangled with each other, hindering the smooth sliding and movement of the loop pins 700, resulting in problems such as an incomplete firing operation of the loop pins 700 or the inability to remove the loop pins 700 from the device main body 10. To solve these problems, the inventors of the present application removed the flat or inclined bottom surfaces 71, 72 that constitute the gap 70 of the conventional locking piece attaching devices 500, 510, and instead formed in the locking piece attaching device 110 an open space 200 (not shown) that opens toward the top and bottom of the device main body 10, or, as shown in FIG. 4, an open space 200 that opens toward the front, top, and bottom of the device main body 10. In the present invention, providing the open space 200 that opens toward the front, top, and bottom of the device main body 10 is preferable in terms of work efficiency.

[0032] While the width, depth, and vertical length of the open-space portion 200 are not particularly limited, it is desirable that the open-space portion 200 penetrate the device body 10 in a generally vertical manner from the upper end surface to the lower end surface. In this case, when the locking piece attaching device 110 is viewed from above, the cross-sectional shape of the open-space portion 200 is rectangular. Furthermore, as is clear from FIGS. 4 to 7 , the locking piece attaching device 110 of the present invention preferably also has an opening on the front end 41 side of the device body 10. In this case, when viewed from above, the cross-sectional shape of the open-space portion 200 is U-shaped with an opening at the front. By adopting the above-described configuration, the locking piece attaching device 110 of the present invention can reliably improve upon the conventional problem of the curved filament portion 2 formed by the individual loop pins 1 of the loop pin assembly 9. As a result, the loop pins 1 can be driven out while reliably maintaining an orderly stacked state. This solves the problem of the loop pin being incompletely shot out and the problem of the loop pin not being able to be removed from the device main body 10.

[0033] In other words, in the prior art, the above-mentioned problems occurred, and when attempting to remove loop pins 700 that were improperly fitted (hereinafter referred to as improperly fitted) from the device body 10, the bottom surface 71 or 72 of the gap 70 got in the way, and the only way to remove the loop pins 700 was to manually pull them out toward the front end 41 of the device body 10. However, this method of removing improperly fitted loop pins 700 by moving them in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction results in the filament portions 2 forming the curved portions of adjacent loop pins 700 being entangled with each other when they are pulled out, further strengthening the entanglement and making the removal difficult. As a result, the punching operation had to be temporarily stopped, the loop pin assembly 9 removed from the device body 10, and then the improperly fitted or unfitted loop pins 700 had to be manually removed, resulting in inefficient correction work.

[0034] In contrast to this, in the present invention, as described above, the space-opening portion 200 is provided in the locking piece attaching device 110, so that even if the loop pins 1 become entangled, the improperly fitted loop pin 1 can be manually pulled out from the lower open end of the space-opening portion 200. This makes it possible to easily separate and remove the loop pin 1 from the locking piece attaching device 110. In the configuration of the present invention, when the curved filament portions 2 are stacked in multiple layers, the improperly fitted loop pin 1 can be pulled out parallel to the stacking direction, so that the pulling and removal operation can be easily performed without further promoting entanglement of the filament portions 2.

[0035] The flexible thread portion 2 constituting the loop pin 1 used in the latch-attaching device 110 according to the present invention is preferably made of a plastic filament or thread. Furthermore, the thread portion 2 of the loop pin 1 is preferably made of one material selected from the group consisting of twisted threads made of natural or synthetic fibers, braided cords, knitted cords, paper cords, twisted paper, and plant fiber threads, or a combination of these materials. In particular, in the present invention, it is preferable to use a thread portion 2 that has as little environmental impact as possible. From this perspective, it is desirable to use a thread portion 2 made of a natural material as the thread portion 2 used in the present invention. Furthermore, while the latch-attaching device according to the present invention has been described with reference to the latch-attaching device 110 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the same effect can be achieved with the latch-attaching device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in which the horizontal plane formed by the first guide passage 42 and the horizontal plane formed by the second guide passage 43 are flush with each other.

[0036] Next, further intensive research was conducted into improving the operation of the locking piece attaching device and the technology for preventing improper mating. As a result, in order to prevent improper mating, as shown in FIG. 8 , a long guide member 300 having a predetermined length is disposed inside the curved portion of each filament portion 2 of the loop pin 1 mounted on the device main body 10, penetrating the open space 200 and extending along the vertical axis of the device main body 10 or a direction approximating thereto. This proved to provide a more preferable effect. The material constituting the guide member 300 is not particularly limited. Furthermore, its positioning is arbitrary as long as it is positioned so as to contact the inside of the curved portion of each filament portion 2. Furthermore, it is desirable for the guide member 300 to be held, for example, by the distal end 303, which is the other end, of a support member 302, which has one end 301 held near the front end 41 of the device main body 10 and extends from the one end 301 through the open space 200. It is desirable that the length of the portion of the guide member 300 formed above the support member 302 be the same as or longer than the longitudinal length of the connection bars 8, 8' that hold the loop pin assembly 9.

[0037] Furthermore, it is desirable that the length of the portion of the guide member 300 formed below the support member 302 be set to a length sufficient for at least a plurality of loop pins 1 to be stacked in parallel. Figure 9 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the loop pin assembly 9 attached to the locking piece attaching device 110 shown in Figure 8. The loop pin assembly 9 mounted on the locking piece attaching device 110 of the present invention is further stabilized to prevent entanglement of the filament portions 2 due to irregular swinging caused by various movements, displacements, vibrations, etc. during operation. Therefore, as shown in Figure 23, it is also preferable to provide an auxiliary engagement means 305 near the rear end 40 of the device main body 10 that can engage the tip of the guide member 300, thereby forcibly maintaining the guide member 300 in a curved state.

[0038] Next, during the study to solve the problems of the prior art, it was considered essential to improve the loop pin 1 in addition to the configuration of the locking piece attaching device 110, and extensive research was conducted on this point as well. As a result, a loop pin 1 having a structure suitable for use with the locking piece attaching device 110 was successfully developed. That is, a loop pin 1 that can be mounted on the locking piece attaching device 110 of the present invention and used effectively and efficiently was successfully developed. The loop pin 1 has a structure that can be used effectively and efficiently, in which one end 60 of the filament 2 is provided with an insertion head 3 having an engaging portion 4, and the other end 30 is provided with a socket 5 having a hole 7 with an engaging portion 6 for irreversibly inserting and fitting the insertion head 3. In this case, one end 60 of the filament 2 is connected to the insertion head 3 so as to be perpendicular to the central axis direction P of the insertion head 3, and the other end 30 is connected to the socket 5 so as to be perpendicular to the central axis direction P' of the socket 5 against a surface 205 on which the hole 7 is formed.

[0039] The configuration of the loop pin 1 according to the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. A desirable configuration of the loop pin 1, as shown in FIG. 24 , is that an insertion head 3 having an engaging portion 4 is provided at one end 60 of a filament 2 having a predetermined length and flexibility. Furthermore, a socket 5 having a hole 7 with a locking portion 6 for irreversibly inserting and fitting the insertion head 3 is provided at the other end 30 of the filament 2. One end 60 of the filament 2 is connected to the insertion head 3 so as to be perpendicular to the central axis P of the insertion head 3. Meanwhile, the other end 30 of the filament 2 is connected to the socket 5 against the surface 205 on which the hole 7 is formed so as to be perpendicular to the central axis P' of the socket 5. Note that the loop pin 1 according to the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the ends of the filament 2 are connected as described above. That is, as long as the ends of the filamentous body portion 2 are connected as described above, any part within this range can be selected as the connection part (see filamentous body portions 2, 2' in Figure 24). Note that, for example, if the filamentous body portion 2 is a highly flexible filamentous body made of a filament containing twisted yarn made of natural or synthetic fibers, a braided cord, a knitted cord, a paper cord, a twisted paper cord, or a vegetable fiber filament, it is desirable that the end of the filamentous body portion 2 be connected to the part shown by the solid line in Figure 24. By adopting such a configuration, it becomes possible to shoot out the loop pins 1 at high speed and continuously.

[0040] On the other hand, when the thread portion 2 is formed of a filament made of synthetic resin, it is desirable to connect the end of the thread portion 2 to the location indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 24. Furthermore, one end 60 of the thread portion 2 is connected to the insertion head portion 3 so as to be perpendicular to the central axis direction P of the insertion head portion 3, while the other end 30 of the thread portion 2 is connected to the surface 205 on which the hole 7 is formed so as to be perpendicular to the central axis direction P' of the socket portion 5. This solves one of the problems with the prior art described in Fig. 21. Specifically, the thread portion 2 of the previously ejected loop pin is trapped under the insertion head portion 3' of the next loop pin in the insertion head fitting opening 53, thereby solving the problem of the previous loop pin not being able to be completely ejected from the device main body 10.

[0041] The reason for this is that the filament portion 2 connected to the insertion head 3 is attached perpendicular to the central axis direction P of the insertion head 3 (see FIG. 24 ). That is, as shown in FIG. 22 , the influence of the filament shape Q at the orthogonal connection and its neighboring portions prevents the filament portion 2 from being pulled into the insertion head insertion opening 53 of the first guide passage 42. At the same time, the structure shown in FIG. 24 allows the filament portion 2 to bend with greater strength than in the prior art, thereby more firmly stabilizing the curved portion of the filament portion 2. The filament portion 2 of the loop pin 1 according to the present invention is preferably moderately flexible. A filament portion 2 having moderate flexibility is preferably made of a plastic filament or a conventional filament. Furthermore, the filament portion 2 of the loop pin 1 according to the present invention is preferably made of a material selected from the group consisting of natural or synthetic fiber filaments, braided cords, knitted cords, paper cords, twisted paper, and plant fiber filaments, or a combination of these materials.

[0042] Furthermore, in order to perform a tag attachment operation, it is more preferable that the loop pin 1 according to the present invention has the filament portions 2 formed in a straight line and adjacent filament portions 2 arranged parallel to each other to form a loop pin assembly 9. For example, as shown in Fig. 25, in the loop pin assembly 9, each of the insertion head portions 3 of the plurality of loop pins 1 is connected to an elongated connection bar 8 (also called a runner bar) having a desired cross-sectional shape via a connection link portion 111 having a desired shape and configured to be easily broken by a small external force. Meanwhile, each of the socket portions 5 of the plurality of loop pins 1 is connected to an elongated connection bar 8' (also called a runner bar) having a desired cross-sectional shape via a connection link portion 111' having a desired shape and configured to be easily broken by a small external force.

[0043] As is clear from the above explanation, the present invention, by improving the structure of the locking piece attachment device as described above and the structure of the loop pin, fundamentally eliminates the cause of the entanglement of the thread-like body portions in the loop pin, which was a problem in the prior art, and has completed a technology that theoretically perfects the operation of firing out the loop pin.

[0044] 1, 700, 700' Loop pin 2, 2' Thread-shaped body portion 3, 3' Insertion head portion 4 Engagement portion 5 Socket portion 6 Locking portion 7 Hole portion 8, 8' Connection bar 9 Loop pin assembly 10 Device body 11 Grip portion 12 Grip lever 13 Drive arm 13a Base end portion 13b Projection portion 13c Hole 14 First guide rail 15 First pin holder portion 15a Small recess 16 First ejection pin 17 Second guide rail 18 Second pin holder portion 19 Second ejection pin 20 Curved hollow guide member 20a Tip portion 21 Pin 22 First cam 23 Support shaft 24 Roller 25 Spring member 26 Second cam 26a, 26b Curved portion 26c Pointed head portion 26d Notch portion 27 Link member 30 End portion 32, 33 Vertical groove 40 Rear end portion 41 Front end portion 42 First guide passage 43 Second guide passage 50 Hollow guide member 53 Insertion head fitting opening 54 Fitting portion 60 End portion 70 Gap portion 71 Bottom surface portion 72 Bottom surface portion 100, 110, 500, 510 Locking piece attaching device 111, 111' Connecting link portion 200 Open space portion 205 Surface 300 Guide member 301 One end portion 302 Support member 303 Tip portion 305 Auxiliary engagement means

Claims

1. A locking piece attaching device in which a thread-like body having a predetermined length and flexibility is provided with an insertion head having an engaging portion at one end thereof, and a locking piece is attached to the other end thereof using a loop pin having a socket with a hole with a locking portion for irreversibly inserting and fitting the engaging portion of the insertion head, the device comprising: a grip lever rotatably supported on a grip portion provided on the device body; a drive arm swung by the grip lever; a first guide passage disposed within the device body and extending along the longitudinal direction of the device body from near the rear end to the front end of the device body; a second guide passage disposed approximately parallel to the first guide passage at a predetermined distance from the first guide passage and extending from near the rear end to the front end of the device body; and a curved hollow guide member having one end connected to the tip opening of the second guide passage and the other end disposed on the line of the direction of projection of the insertion head. A first ejection pin is provided within the first guide passage, and the first ejection pin is configured to slide back and forth linearly in response to the swinging motion of the drive arm. The second guide passage is provided with a second ejection pin made of a flexible member that slides back and forth in response to the swinging motion of the drive arm. The first ejection pin comes into contact with the insertion head of the loop pin loaded and supplied into the first guide passage, and in response to operation of the grip lever, ejects the insertion head linearly toward a fitting portion with the socket portion. The second ejection pin comes into contact with the socket portion of the loop pin loaded and supplied into the second guide passage, and in response to operation of the grip lever, moves the socket portion to a fitting portion with the insertion head via the curved hollow guide member. The first ejection pin and the second ejection pin fit the insertion head and the socket portion at the fitting portion. A locking piece mounting device characterized in that: a space opening portion having a predetermined distance therebetween and opening upward and downward is provided between a wall surface including the first guide passage and a wall surface including the second guide passage; or a space opening portion having the predetermined distance therebetween and opening forward, upward, and downward is provided.

2. The locking piece attaching device according to claim 1, characterized in that the thread portion constituting the loop pin is made of a plastic filament or thread.

3. The locking piece attachment device according to claim 1, characterized in that the filamentous body portion constituting the loop pin is made of one material selected from the group consisting of filaments including twisted yarns made of natural or synthetic fibers, braided cords, knitted cords, paper cords, twisted paper, and vegetable fiber filaments, or a combination of these materials.

4. A locking piece mounting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first guide passage and the second guide passage are formed on different horizontal planes.

5. A locking piece attachment device as described in claim 1, characterized in that one end of the thread-like body portion is connected to the insertion head of the loop pin so as to be perpendicular to the central axis direction of the insertion head, and the other end of the thread-like body portion is connected to the socket portion of the loop pin against the surface on which the hole portion is formed so as to be perpendicular to the central axis direction of the socket portion.

6. A locking piece attachment device as described in claim 1, characterized in that when a loop pin assembly in which a plurality of loop pins are arranged in parallel and each of the insertion heads and sockets is temporarily fixed integrally to an individually provided connection bar is mounted on the device body, a long guide member having a predetermined length is arranged inside the curved portion of each thread-like body portion of the loop pin, passing through the open space portion and along the vertical axis direction or a direction approximately thereto.

7. The locking piece attaching device according to claim 6, wherein the guide member is arranged so as to contact the inside of the curved portion of each thread portion.

8. A locking piece attachment device as described in claim 7, characterized in that the guide member is held at one end of a support member which is held near the front end of the device body and which extends from the one end into the open space.

9. A locking piece attachment device as described in claim 8, characterized in that the length of the portion of the guide member formed above the support member is the same as or longer than the longitudinal length of the connecting bar that holds the loop pin assembly.

10. The locking piece attachment device according to claim 9, characterized in that the length of the portion of the guide member formed below the support member is set to a length when at least a plurality of the loop pins are arranged in parallel.

11. A loop pin for a locking piece attaching device, comprising a thread-like body having a predetermined length and flexibility, at one end of which is provided an insertion head having an engaging portion, and at the other end of which is provided a socket having a hole with an engaging portion for irreversibly inserting and fitting the engaging portion of the insertion head, wherein the one end of the thread-like body is connected to the insertion head so as to be perpendicular to the central axis of the insertion head, and the other end of the thread-like body is connected to the socket against the surface on which the hole is formed so as to be perpendicular to the central axis of the socket.

12. The loop pin according to claim 11, characterized in that the loop pin assembly is formed by arranging a plurality of loop pins in parallel, with the insertion head and socket portion of each loop pin temporarily fastened integrally to an individually provided connection bar.

Images