Applicator tool

DETAILED DESCRIPTION We claim: 1.
An applicator tool comprising: a body; a lever pivotally mounted with the body; an applicator needle adapted at a leading end thereof to be engageble with a leading portion of a tag; means coupling said needle to said lever, such that pivotal movement of the lever is reflected in movement of the needle from a rest position toward a position where the leading end has been forced through a part of an object to be identified by the tag and carried with the leading portion of the tag, said needle being of overall curved shape and being located by guide means whereby the needle moves, during application of a tag, on an arcuate path, said body having a recess formed therein such that the portion of the object to which a tag is to be applied can be located within said recess; and tag location means positioned adjacent said leading edge of the needle when said needle is in the rest position, said tag location means causing a tag when located therein to engage with the leading end of said applicator needle, said tag location means being formed by a slot into which the leading portion of a tag can be inserted, said slot including a surface so positioned that pressure is applied to said leading portion of the tag thereby causing said leading portion to become engaged with the free end of said needle.
2.
An applicator tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the free end of the needle has a lug which is located adjacent said slot during the initial closing of the applicator.
3.
An applicator tool as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein a longitudinally extending gap is formed in the outermost wall of said slot to permit movement therethrough of connecting portion of a tag as the needle is moved across said recess.
4.
An applicator tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein the coupling means comprises a toothed quadrant pivotally mounted within the body and coupled to said lever by a link, the toothed quadrant meshing with a toothed surface of a pivot arm which is coupled to said needle, said guide means causing said needle to move on an arcuate path having a radius centred substantially on the pivot centre of said pivot arm