Patent GB-190323287-A (GB)
Title: An Improved Machine for the Automatic Manufacture of Boot Laces
Inventor: MEIER ADOLF
Filed: 1903-10-27
Granted: 1903-12-17
Abstract: 23,287. Meier, A. Nov. 1, A.D. 1902, [date applied for under Patents Act, A.D. 1901]. Shearing ; bend. ing.-Relates to a machine for automatically making boot laces. The material for the laces is contained on a drum 1, Fig. 1, and the metal for the tags on the drum 2, and both are led respectively over rollers 5, 4 to an aperture 7 shown separately in Fig. 5. A toothed arm 9 is carried on an arm 8 and is operated to carry the metal into a recess 60, Fig. 6, in the press 11, 12 which is cam-actuated to close the tag upon the lace. The arm 8, Fig. 5, is pivoted to an arm. 17 which is mounted on a pivot 16 and is acted upon by a spring 21, and by an arm 19 engaging a grooved cam 14, to move the arm 9 forwards. One end of the arm 8 rests on the edge of the cam 14 to raise the arm 9 as required to grip the metal. A knife 23, Figs. 4 and 5, placed between the guide 7 and the press 11, 12, is mounted on an arm 26 and is operated by means of a cam-groove in the disc 14 to cut the metal strip into pieces of length sufficient to make two tags. The movable part 11 of the press carries two pins provided with rollers 29, 30, which pass through slots in the part 12 and engage projections 31, 32 on the disc 61 to operate the press for forming the tags. The spindle 15 is rotated by chain gearing from the main shaft 33 as shown in Fig. 1. In operation, the metal and lace are fed into the opening 60 by the arm 9, the knife 23 then cuts off the metal, and the press 11, 12 compresses the tag upon the lace material. The lace is then drawn forwards through the press by means of gripping-jaws 40, which are normally drawn together by means of a spring, but are prevented from closing entirely by means of a roller 42 on an extension of one of the jaws bearing against the fixed disc 44. The jaws are rotated by means of chain gearing from the shaft 15 to pass through a slot 46 in the support 47, and, when the roller 42 enters the notch 45 in the disc 44, the jaws are closed to grip the lace, and to draw it so that the tag stands between a clamping- device on the arm 48. The lace is drawn out to its full length as the arm 48 is rotated about the pivot 49 by means of the crank 50, connecting- rod 51, and arm 52, and the tag is also out across by a knife carried by the arm. The cutting and clamping mechanism consists of a two-armed lever 54, shown separately in Fig. 7, a knife 55, and an arm 56 mounted on a pin 53. The lace is gripped between a jaw 67, Fig. 8, on the lever 54 and a jaw 68 on the arm 48, and is cut by knives 55, 69 on the lever and arm respectively, the lever carrying at its lower end a roller 57 working on a fixed cam 58 to operate the knife. The knives are held apart, and the clamping-device is closed normally by means of springs acting on the lever 54 and the arm 56 respectively. As the arm 48 descends, the arm 56 engages a cam 59 on the support 47, and is thereby moved against the action of the spring until a snap 62, Fig. 8, engages behind the arm and holds the clamping-device open. A mechanism for releasing the snap 62 is arranged on the frame and consists of a bell-crank lever 64, Fig. 9, one arm 65 of which has a pin 72 and is pressed against its support by a spring 66. The other arm 73 has a bevelled end. When the arm 48 is in the upper position to receive the lace, the free end of the snap 62 is behind the arm 73 of the lever 64, and, as the arm 48 moves downwards, the snap is disengaged by catching the arm 73 from the back ; the clamping-device is thus closed, and the lace is drawn out to its full length, and the tag cut across. The clamp then opens, and the arm returns and receives the next lace which has had the tag attached during the return of the arm.