Patent GB-418905-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of sliding clasp fasteners
IPC: A44B19/48
Filed: 1933-05-02
Abstract: 418,905. Sliding - clasp fastenings. LIGHTNING FASTENERS, Ltd., Imperial Chemical House, Millbank. May 2, 1933, No. 12784. Convention date, May 2, 1932. [Class 44.] For the manufacture of elementcarrying stringers for sliding-clasp fastenings the elements are sorted, preparatory to being fed to the portion of the machine which clamps the elements on the stringer tapes, by allowing a loose mass of elements to slide down an inclined plane provided with angular baffles to guide the elements and so to give a large proportion of the elements the same orientation. Preferably the baffles have grooves in the edges to accommodate the body portions of the elements while the interlocking projections on the heads of the elements slide on the edge. Figs. 2 and 5 show front and side sectional elevations of the sorting and feeding portion and Figs. 7 and 8 sectional plans of the assembling and clamping portion of a machine for the production of stringer members of sliding clasp fastenings. The fastening elements pass from a hopper 8 to an inclined shoot 17 beneath a roller 11 having helical grooves 12, 13 therein to accept the interlocking projections on the elements. The elements thus lie with the projections uppermost and flat on the shoot and on sliding down the shoot engage staggered angular baffles 18-21, preferably having undercut edges to accept the body portions of the elements while the interlocking projections of the elements remain engaged with the edge, whereby the elements are eventually positioned with the legs downwards and drop straddlewise on to feed rails 24, 25 being guided thereto by baffles 26, 27. Any elements not properly disposed fall through and are returned to the hopper 8. The shoot 17 is vibrated by a camdriven hammer head 28. The elements on the rails 24, 25 are fed forward by reciprocating pushers 33 and are packed against each other by providing a resilient roofing over the rails to bear lightly on the elements. The sorting roller 11 is provided with a spring-mounted sweeper arm 15 to prevent jamming of the elements at the entrance to the shoot 17. The roofed rails lead to the clamping portion of the machine and are twisted through 90‹ to position the elements so that the legs embrace a horizontal stringer tape. The elements are clinched to the tape by upper and lower punches 53, 52, Fig. 6, and the proper spacing is effected by a step-by-step feed of the tape. This feed of the tape is achieved by hook-ended links 62, Fig. 7, pivotally connected to arms 65 which are opened outwardly by wedges 67 on the punchcarrying slide 50 when this slide rises. The machine shown is a duplex one in which elements are fed on to two rails 24, 25 and clamped to two tapes 8, in order to equalize the spacing of the elements on the two tapes to ensure the stringers so formed being capable of interlocking, the relative stepping movement of the two tapes is adjusted by slightly turning the wedge-carrying member 69, which is mounted on the slide 50, about a vertical axis by a hand-wheel set-screw 71, Fig. 8. Specification 418,904 is referred to.