Patent GB-409922-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in machines for the manufacture of sliding clasp fasteners
IPC: A44B19/46
Filed: 1933-06-23
Abstract: 409,922. Sliding-clasp fastenings. SCHUNE, L. M., 90, Rue Garibaldi, St. Maur des FossÚs, Seine, France. June 23, 1933, Nos. 18004 and 18005. Convention dates, June 23, 1932 and Feb. 10, 1933. [Class 44.] In a machine for the manufacture of the stringers of sliding-clasp fasteners the sorting means for arranging the mass of loose elements in proper order and the clipping means for assembling the ordered elements on the beaded tape are actuated by separate driving means so that either can be stopped independently. The machines described have control means for varying the length of tape to be fitted with elements and with means for' automatically giving a series of such fitted lengths. The sorting portion of a machine is shown in side and front view in Figs. 4 and 5 and details in Figs. 7, 15 and 19. The elements fed in mass to a hopper 1 pass therefrom through the oblique open end 101 of a rotating funnel 102 into a reversely inclined cone member 2 driven by pulley 104. The base of member 2 is fitted with blades 108 forming small pockets into which an element passes and after a certain rotation falls out through a peripheral opening 106 and passes by a shoot 3 to an electromagnetically vibrated grooved slide 4 having inclined walls 113 to feed the elements so that their legs enter the groove but with the heads maintained outside until a notch in the groove permits the element to drop into a grooved shoot E or E<1> according to which particular way the element has its head disposed The grooves at the top of the shoots E, E<1> are of zig-zag form immediately below the slide 4 to prevent jamming by the non-accepted elements ; the legs of such elements are guided by the projecting part of the zig-zag and so cannot twist into the groove. The shoots themselves are wider at this region so as to facilitate the falling accepted elements disposing themselves with their legs vertical. The shoot E is twisted half a turn so that the elements discharged therefrom have their heads disposed the same way as those from shoot E. The elements should have the legs downwards but any lying with the head down are ejected by the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 15 wherein a cam-driven pusher 120 engages the head of element Z and so pushes and trips open a door 15 controlled by a spring 128 and cam 129. The element falls out and on return of the pusher 120 the door 15 is closed by an arm 125 associated with the pusher 120. If the element is lying correctly the pusher 120 passes between its legs and so does not push open the door 15. A second cam-operated rod 118 is now withdrawn to allow the element to continue down the shoot if it has not been ejected. During this operation the overlying elements are held up by a spring-pushed rod 121 carried by the same member as the pusher 120 and normally extending beyond such pusher 120. The second cam-operated rod 118 now returns and the pusher 120 and associated rod 121 are completely retracted so that the column of elements drops one space on to the rod 118 and the operation is repeated as before. To prevent jamming between elements the grooves e, e<1> in the shoots E, E<1> are offset from the usual middle line. So long as the shoots E are not full the lever device shown in Fig. 19, which is moved with the column-retaining rod 118, will occupy the position shown but when both legs 1381, 138<11> of the piece 138 rest on the heads of elements Z the movement of pivot 136 to the right hand (when the rod 118 is returned) will cause arm 134 to close the electric switch device 144 and so stop the drive of the sorting portion of the machine. The two shoots E, E<1> are alternately connected with a mechanically vibrated central feed shoot H by a manual control lever 160, Fig. 21 ; the non-supplying shoot has its column of elements held up by a spring lever 171 or 172 shich inserts a projection into the groove e or e<1>. The clinching portion of the machine comprises arrangements for controlling the feed of elements from the central shoot H on to the tape, Fig. 30 ; for gripping the tape during the clinching operation, Fig. 39, for effecting the stepping feed of the tape after each clinching operation, Figs. 41 and 21 ; and for stopping the operation after the required heigth has been formed, Figs. 42, 43 and 21. Referring now to Fig. 30, on movement of the member 201 to the left a lug 203 enters the shoot H and between the legs of element Z2 to hold up the column of elements while a lug 204 being moved away from the bottom element Z1 allows the latter to straddle the tape on to which it is forced by a lever 213 which is operated by the continued movement of a member 207 after the member 201 has been stopped by its ears 202 engaging the supporting fixture 221. Should an element be disposed upside down, the shoot H being pivotally mounted at 182 yields when the lug 203 moves forward and butts on the head of the element instead of entering between its legs. The tape is then gripped by camactuated gripper arms 262, Fig. 39 and the element clinched bv cam-actuated clinching arms 272 ; the clinching dies 275 and the ends 302 of the gripper arms 262 are recessed to form an entrance guide for the dropping element. The clinching arms have wedge-adjustment pieces 276 for engagement by the cam. The stepping feed of the tape is effected by the escapement device shown in Fig. 41 allowing a toothed wheel 312 to move one step and so to allow a stepping movement of a rack 296 formed on a carriage 289 to which the tape is manually clamped by a bar 304, the carriage 289 being connected to a spring drum 24, Fig. 21. The escapement device, Fig. 41, comprises a pivoted member 315 on which is a fixed dog 327 and a movable dog 328 ; when the member 315 is rocked by a cam-operated link connected to pin 319 the fixed dog 327 moves out from the toothed wheel 312 which now engages and rotates the movable dog 328 until this latter dog 328 reaches a stop 331 whereupon the tape stepping movement ceases and on the member 315 being returned the fixed dog 327 once more engages the toothed wheel 312. To set the machine for making different lengths of stringers an adjustable stop 26 is suitably clamped to the carriage 289 so that on moving the carriage to the left (this being allowed by a free-wheel device in the escapement wheel 312) the stop 26 abuts against a block 299. The carriage is then stepped to the right and elements are clinched on the tape by the arrangements previously described until a cam 29 at the left hand end of the carriage 289 trips a detent 28 holding up a lever 30. The dropping of the lever 30 rocks a shaft 344 whereby a rod 348, Fig. 42, is lifted and so tilts a plate 352 carrying stops 364, 368 which are thus moved into the path of a declutching device, Fig. 43, whereby the main shaft N of the clinching portion of the machine is disconnected from the continuously running pulley and toothed wheel 248, 384 and is stopped in a definite position. Normally the wheel 384 drives the shaft N by a pawl 383 pivotally carried in a member 378 keyed to the shaft N but when the plate 352 is tilted the pawl 383 is turned out of driving engagement by the stop 364 acting on an arm 382 on the spindle 381 to which the pawl is fixed ; the shaft N is stopped in a definite position by a second stop 368 on the plate 352 engaging a stop 382<1> on the member 378. The operator then releases the tape by opening the carriage clamp bar 304, pulls the tape a short distance, moves the carriage to the left, and then re-clamps the tape by the bar 304. The lever 30 is then lifted and by tilting the plate 352 back to normal permits the pawl clutch device, Fig. 43, to re-engage the shaft N with the pulley 248 and the clinching operation is resumed. In order to get a multiple length stringer the shaft N is stopped at a 180‹ position (by putting alternative stops on the plate 352 into action) so that the gripper arms 262, Fig. 39, now prevent the tape being pulled through. The operator then proceeds As before, except in pulling the tape, and on restarting the clinching operation the elements are fixed on the tape at the usual intervals without any inter-stringer spacing. An alternative form of the clinching machine portion is shown in Figs. 46 and 48. Here the tape 23 is held between gripping wheels 31, 32 and the stepping of the tape is effected by a pawldriven drum 36. This machine automatically repeats the clinching of any predetermined length of stringer. The drum actuates through toothed gearing a counting mechanism 49 which is set beforehand and when it has been turned to zero after the clinching of the corresponding number of elements completes an electric circuit to a magnet 390, Fig. 21, to cause the lever 30 to drop and stop the clinching machine. The lever 30 when dropped closes a contact 393-396, Fig. 51, so that an escapement magnet 53, Fig. 46, is energized to allow a shaft 55 to make a half turn. The turning of this shaft opens the gripper wheel 31 by a cam 57, disengages the counting mechanism 49 by means of cam 58, and by a cam 64 causes a shaft 61 to be driven one revolution by the continuously rotating pulley 68. The shaft 61 re-sets the counting mechanism, and through gearing T, T<1> and a free wheel device 69 pulls the tape through a certain amount to separate the stringer lengths, and finally closes a contact whereby the second escapement magnet 73 is energized to allow shaft 55 to complete the full turn whereupon the counting mechanism 49 is re-engaged and the tape gripped by wheel 31. The rising of the counting mechanism closes a circuit through a time switch 406, Fig. 51, to energize magnet 405 whereby the lever 30 is lifted to re-start the clinching.