Fabricated toy animal whisker construction and methods and apparatus for producing and applying same

摘要

Filaments of flexible material are gathered into bundles of a desired number of filaments. Filaments in each bundle are thereafter secured together by anchor barbs which are molded therearound and which present pointed end portions. Simultaneously molded web portions are formed in a position to connect together a desired number of bundles in spaced apart relationship. Filaments in each of the connected bundles are cut to a required length and comprise a web clip of anchor barbs and filaments. The web clip of anchor barbs may then be received in an injector mechanism for cutting successive anchor barbs from the clip and injecting severed barbs into a covering material such as a fabric. The injection mechanism may be an injector head into which the clips of anchor barbs may be fed. It may also be desired to employ a manually operated injector gun. The injector gun is pneumatically powered to cut off and drive individual anchor barbs through a covering material such as the nose portion of a toy animal of the teddy bear. There may thus be produced depending sets of filaments which are solidly anchored in the covering material to constitute sets of artificial whiskers.