Year: 1886

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
Francis H. Richards of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States of America) and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in machinery especially adapted for
setting or inserting button fasteners into shoe uppers or fabric. The machine is
illustrated as specially adapted for setting that kind of button fasteners known in
the market as "Kempshall's One Prong Button Fastener," and the present inven-
tion is in the nature of an improvement on a machine for the same purpose
described in United States Patent No. 311,033 granted to Francis H. Richards
January 20th, 1885.
The invention has for its object to furnish a more convenient and efficient
machine of its class.
In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of this button setting machine.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same partly in vertical section.
Figure 3 is a central vertical section of the same partly in elevation.
Figure 4 is a like view of a portion of said machine with the driver in its
elevated position.
Figure 5 is a plan view of said machine.
Figure 6 is a horizontal section of a portion of said machine on line x-x of
figure 1.
Figure 7 is a view of that side of the front end of the magazine which when in
position is at the bottom.
Figure 8 is a top view of the front end of the magazine with the shell removed.
Figure 9 is an end view of the front part of the magazine with the shell
removed, together with a button fastener within the groove of said magazine.
Figure 10 is a side elevation of the forward part of the magazine.

page_text: Figures 11 and 12 are top and side views of a section of the shell of magazine
showing groove for holding magazine in place by means of a spring.
Figures 13, 14 and 15 are front, side and top views of the driver, and-
Figures 16 and 17 are transverse sectional views of the magazine together with
a button fastener.
The frame of the machine is designated by A and is supported on top of a
column or stand B or otherwise as may be convenient. Said frame is preferably
formed hollow and has formed therein suitable places or bearings to receive the
several details. At the upper end the frame is bored to receive the stem 2 of the
die-holder D 2 which in this case is secured by means of the holding pin 3 passing
through stem 2. Said holder at its front end is fitted to receive a die block Ĕ
having the setting die proper 4 formed on the underside near its extreme front
end. As herein shown the die block is also formed to receive the button shank as
at 5 figs. 3 and 4, this is desirable, but not necessary.
Immediately below the setting die 4 is placed a vertical slide S the back side of
which at the right hand in figs. 2, 4 and 6 is flat and closely coincides with the
front of said die. Said slide has its upper bearing in the frame at 6, and the
lower bearing on the upper end of screw C, which screw is fixed in the bottom of
the frame as shown in figs. 3 and 4. A check nut 7 may be used when necessary
to hold the screw from accidental desplacement. In using the machine the slide is
pushed downward by the operator who presses on the upper end when putting
fabric between it and the die, it being held up by some suitable spring as 8 here
interposed between its lower end and the frame.
'
D designates the driver which lies against the back of slide S and is a flat piece
usually of steel about the thickness of the fasteners to be set with the machine.
At its lower end said driver is furnished with means for imparting thereto a
vertical reciprocating movement, which said means consists of rack teeth 10 that
mesh with similar teeth 11 on lever L. The downward movement of the driver is
limited by screw C, the point 9 of which projects through into an opening formed
in the slide and strikes a projection 13 on the front of the driver, which projection
also limits the upward movement of the driver by striking against shoulder 58 on
slide S. For convenience and economy of manufacture the said driver is formed of
two parts D and F. Part D is usually made of steel and tempered at its upper
end or throughout, while part F may be made of cast or malleable iron. These
two parts are securely fastened together by making a notch in part F to receive
the lower end of part D. The driver is operated by lover L which is pivoted to
the frame in the usual way at 16 and is operated by a treadle rod T pivoted to
said lover. This rod of which only the upper end is shown extends down through
a spring to a treadle not shown.
For locking the machine so as to prevent its misuse by meddlers, I have
provided a stop key K operated by a handle 19 within the frame. This key has a
projection 20, which by the turning of the key may be thrown in front of a tooth
as 21 as indicated by the broken lines in fig. 3, the full lines showing the unlocked
position. If for any reason it is deemed preferable the key may be arranged in a
reverse position to that shown so that projection 20 shall act against one of the
teeth 10 of the driver. It is obviously immaterial as to the operation of the key
whether it is placed in one, or the other of these positions.
A cap is provided to hold the driver point against the slide and prevent the
turning of the slide in frame A. In fig. 3 the driver is shown standing in its
lowest position with a fastener 24 placed above it ready to be driven up against
the setting die. For supplying fasteners to the position of the fastener 24 there is
fixed in the machine in a horizontal position, a magazine M hereinafter described
which terminates at the rear side of the driver and thus forms between itself and
slide S a driver channel 26 corresponding to the thickness of the fasteners. Said
channel is continued up to the top of slide S by means of a notch in the slide cap I,
which cap is removably secured to said slide by means of screw 27 which passes

page_text: through the front side of slide cap I and has a conical point 30 entering (slightly,
eccentrically) a conical depression (see figs. 3 and 4) formed in the slide, the object
of which is to furnish a convenient means for removing from said driver channel
any imperfect fasteners that may accidentally get into the machine. In this.
machine the button fasteners are supplied to driver channel 26 from a magazine,
the principal part of which is designated by M and has a T shaped slot G for
receiving the fasteners. This magazine is supported in the machine with its front
end even with the rear side of said channel 26 by means of a tube 35 removably
fixed in the frame, 36 being a set screw for holding said tube in place. It is
considered preferable that said tube 35 should not extend to the driver channel
and that another one 37 filling the intervening space is also removably fixed to
the magazine M. Tube 37 has a groove 39 which reaches about half way around
it and terminates at either end with a hole, one of which 40 is shown in figs. 3, 4
and 12. A spring 42 is attached to the frame and has a thumb piece 43 or other.
means whereby it may be withdrawn, and a stop 44 which passes through a hole
in the frame into groove 39 or into one of the holes. By means of this spring
stop and the said holes the magazine may be unlocked and turned in tube 35
(these parts being freely fitted) from its working position fig. 17 to its filling
position fig. 16 and there again locked. Groove G and tube 35 extends some:
distance rearward of frame A (as I have generally made the machine about six
inches) and the tube has in its upper side a wide slot 45 through which the
magazine may be filled with the fasteners 40, when the said groove G is on the.
upper side as in figure 2. The magazine being filled it is then turned as above
mentioned to carry the fasteners to its underside as shown in fig. 17. It will be
observed the first effect of turning the magazine is to carry the fasteners under the
tube and thus securely lock them in groove G. Next they are inverted into
proper position for feeding to the driver channel. This operation is readily per-
formed by means of the piston 50 having wing 51 fitting groove G and operated
by a spring 52 for pushing it forward, and a rod 53 for drawing it back, said rod.
having fixed thereon a handle 54 whereby is drawn back and turned, thereby
furnishing a means (acting through wing 51) for turning the magazine. For
convenience of assembling the parts magazine M is preferably divided at 55 fig. 2,
and the parts being screwed or otherwise removably fastened together. The
spring 52 acting on the piston forces the fasteners along to the end of the magazine
against the driver when that is up as in fig. 4 and against the slide S above the
driver when it is down as in fig. 3. It is sometimes necessary or desirable in
practice to remove the magazine while it is filled with fasteners, either to replace
it with another one containing a different size of fasteners, to remove imperfect
fasteners, or for some other reason In order to permit such removal without
allowing the fasteners to tumble out of the front end of groove G by gravity or
from the power of the spring 52, I have provided a detent latch whose construction
and operation is as follows; The front end of the magazine M has made therein a
slot inclined to its axis, into which slot a latch 60 is fitted to move freely endwise
with the magazine. The latch is forced out by a spring indicated by broken
lines 61 figs. 7, 8 and 10, contained in a hole formed in the magazine. Said latch
may be constructed to slide in its containing slot, but I prefer to construct it to
swing therein because in this case it is very simply held in proper position. The
upper end has a pin 63 which lies in a notch 64 formed in the top of magazine M
at right angles to latch 60. When assembling these parts spring 61 is put into the
hole in the magazine, the latch 60 is next put in place with its pin in notch 64
and the tube 37 is put on, holding all in place. The upper front corner 65 (the
lower front corner in the position illustrated in fig. 10) of the latch strikes against
the inside of said tube thus acting as a stop to prevent the spring from throwing
out too far the lower front corner of said latch. When the magazine is not set in
the machine the latch is thrown so far out as to stand partially across groove G
and thus act as a sort of closed door (see fig. 7) to prevent, even against the power.
.

page_text: of the spring 52 any fasteners from getting out, but when said magazine is put in
working position as in fig. 4, the projecting corner of the latch is forced back by
the front surface of the channel 26 sufficiently to release the fasteners and allow
them to pass out one by one into said channel. In practice the required move-
ment of the latch may be lessened by beveling it as shown. The above described
latch not only acts to retain the fasteners in the magazine, when this is removed,
but it acts also as a spring stop to prevent them from accidentally working upward
in channel 26.
The operation of this invention, especially the operation of the details, will be
readily understood from the drawings and preceeding description. When the
machine is to be used, the operator first sees that the magazine is supplied with
the button fasteners, then turns the key K, to unlock the driver, pushes down the
slide S and properly places therein the material, V, to which buttons are to be
attached. A button U figs. 3 and 4 is then placed with its shank figs. 3 and 4 in
notch 5. Rod T is now drawn down, throwing up the driver, and forcing a
fastener from position 24 up through channel 26, until its point strikes in die 4,
and is bent over into a hook through the button shank, This setting operation
being completed, the driver is returned to its lowest position, spring 52 forces a
fastener past the detent spring into channel 26, and the machine is ready for
setting another button.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. The combination, in a button fastener setting machine having a driver
channel substantially as described, of a driver, a grooved magazine substantially as
described supplying fasteners to said channel above the driver, and a spring stop
located above the groove of said magazine and projecting into said channel,
substantially as set forth, and for the purpose specified.
2. In a button fastener setting machine, the combination of slide S and
magazine M formed substantially as described, having between them channel 26,
driver D, spring stop 43 located above the groove of said magazine, and a spring
for operating said stop, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set
forth.
3. In a button fastener setting machine, the combination of magazine M, having
groove G, and a spring detent adapted to bear against the fasteners in said groove,
substantially as set forth.
4. In a button fastener setting machine, the combination of slide S and slide
cap I, provide with means substantially as described whereby said cap is held
against said slide, substantially as set forth.
5. In a button fastener setting machine, the combination of slide S, having the
depression for the point of a screw, cap I and conical pointed screw 27, substantially
as set forth.
6. The combination of tube M, having groove G, slotted tube 35, piston 50
having wing 51, spring 52, and means substantially as described for drawing back,
and for turning said piston and thereby said tube 35, substantially as set forth.
7. The combination of a frame work having channel 26, magazine M, having
groove G, latch 60, pivoted at one end to said magazine, and set inclined to said
groove, and a spring operating said latch, substantially as set forth.
8. The combination in a button fastener machine of magazine M, grooved and
slotted substantially as described, latch 60 having pin 63 fitting into a notch 64 in
said magazine, and tube 37, holding said latch in place, substantially as set forth.
9. The combination in a button fastener machine of tube 35 having a fixed
position and a slot 45 on the upper side thereof, magazine M having groove G, and
means substantially as described for locking said magazine to have, and for turning
it from having, its slot first on the upper side and then on the lower side, whereby

page_text: the fasteners may be put into said groove points down, and then inverted and
locked therein, substantially as set forth.
10. The combination with a frame work, of screw C, adjustably fixed in said
frame and having point 9, slide S having its upper bearing in said frame-work and
its lower bearing on said screw-point, and a driver D sliding in said slide, and
having its downward stroke stopped by said point, substantially as set forth.
11. In a button fastener setting machine, the combination of a frame-work
having a driver channel substantially as described, a slide having a movement in
the direction of and carrying a setting die over said channel, a driver operating to
force fasteners through said channel against said die, and connecting mechanism
substantially as described for operating said driver and die, substantially as set
forth.
12. The combination of a reciprocating driver, gearing substantially as described
for operating said driver, and a stop key acting in connection with said gearing to
lock said driver, substantially as set forth.