Patent ID: 6038944
Filing Date: 2000-03-21
Classification: B21D,Y10T

Abstract:
Apparatus for manufacturing buttons and button medallions from a flexible sheet, a shell, and a back comprising:a. a box frame comprising a base, first and second columns upstanding from the base, and a crown attached to the columns;b. a die table rotatably indexable about the frame first column;c. a handle pivotally connected to the crown;d. ram means for reciprocating along a vertical axis in response to pivoting of the handle;e. a pickup die and a crimp die each mounted to the die table, a selected one of the pickup die and the crimp die being placeable under the ram means in response to indexing the die table; andf. shifter means traveling in an arcuate path around the frame first column for controlling the ram means between a pickup mode and a crimp mode in response to indexing the die table to place the pickup die or the crimp die, respectively, under the ram means, wherein the ram means comprises:i. a ram plate engaging the handle and reciprocable along the vertical axis in response to pivoting of the handle, the ram plate defining at least one hole therein;ii. a ram inner plug fastened to the ram plate;iii. a ram outer ring slidable and rotatable over the ram inner pluq;iv. at least one pin pressed in the ram outer ring and extending toward the ram plate; andv. finger means on the ram outer ring for positively bidirectionally rotating the ram outer ring between the pickup mode and the crimp mode in response to indexing the die table, the pin in the ram outer ring being out of alignment with the hole in the ram plate when the ram outer ring is in the pickup mode, the pin in the ram outer ring being in alignment with the hole in the ram plate when the outer ring is in the crimp mode.