Improvements in Machines for Attaching Buttons to Garments.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 17th May, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Attaching Buttons to Garments.
I, DANIEL ARTHUR (CARPENTER, of 62 Montague Street, in the City of Brooklyn,
State of New York, United States of America, Lawyer, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR ATTACHING BUTTONS
TO GARMENTS," 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 machines which receive both buttons and
fasteners in bulk, and feed and apply them to garments, and the invention consists
of a machine for attaching buttons to garments, having its several parts constructed,
arranged and combined substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein
described and claimed.
In the accompanying sheets of drawings,
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are front, side and rear views respectively;
Figs. 4 and 5, side and front views illustrating the operation ;
Figs. 6, 7 and 8 details of the button reservoirs ;
Fig. 9 is a fragment of one of the button chutes showing how the descent of the
buttons is regulated;
Fig. 10, a sectional view of the anvil mechanism ;
Figs. 11 and 12 are face views of the table in different positions.
Similar reference numbers indicate like parts in the several views.
The general object of this invention is to enable buttons of two sizes to be applied
to garments by a single machine, self feeding with respect to both the buttons and
fasteners, and constructed to operate in such a way that buttons of either size may be
applied at the pleasure of the operator. The invention is particularly designed to
facilitate the attachment of buttons to the waist bands and fronts of overalls and
trousers.
The framework of the machine consists of the upright part 1, provided with a
suitable base, the part 2 extending downward from the front portion of the base,
these parts and the base being made in a single casting, and the arm 3 bolted to the
apright part 1. The part 1 furnishes a guide 4 for the plunger 5 and supports the
pivoted lever 6. The upper and lower sections of the part 2 are recessed, as shown
in figs. 1 and 10, while the section 7 between them is solid. In the upper section of
the part 2 is pivoted a block 8, the pivot passing through the lower front corner of
the block, and lengthwise through the block is drilled a holo within which is a rod 9
projecting up through the base, and containing a receding pin 10 with a depression
in its upper end and a coil spring supporting it.
Through the section 7 of the part 2 passes a rod 11 of the same diameter as the
rod 9. These two rods are connected by a short link 12, and a link 13 connects the
rod 11 with a lever 14 pivoted to the lower end of the part 2. A coil spring 15 tends
to draw the upper end of the block 8 inward. This block takes the inclined position
in which it appears in fig. 10, at the end of each operation of the machine, and
remains in that position until the beginning of the next operation, and the upper end
of the rod 9 then rests directly below the mouth of the chute that leads from the
reservoir containing the fasteners. To one side of the part 2 is attached a slide 16
and projections 17 and 18 are made on the lever 14 and the block 8 respectively.
On a pin projecting from the side of the upright part 1 is mounted a bar 19, which
has at its lower end a table 20, and at its upper end a slot 21 in which is received a
pin fixed in the side of the lever 6. The table 20 is made in two sections one of
which 22 is rigidly attached to the bar 19, while the other 23 is connected with the
frame by a pivoted arm 24, and constructed to slide on the section 22, the upper faces
of the two sections being in the same plane, and forming when the table is in the
Daine

page_text: position shown in fig. 1, a continuous surface. The inner edges of the two sections
meet directly beneath the centre of the plunger and a semicircular notch is cut in
each to form a small round hole through the table. The lower part of the slot 21
lies on the circumference of a circle whose centre is the pivot of the lever 6, but the
direction of the slot changes at the proper distance from the bottom, so that when the
rear end of the lever is thrown upward the bar 19 and likewise the table remain
stationary until the lower end of the needle attached to the plunger passes below the
surface of the table through the small hole just mentioned, whereupon the bar 19
is suddenly inclined to such an extent that the inner section of the table is drawn
away from the plunger, and the outer section forced forward by the arm 24, and
a large opening is produced in place of the small one, the sections of the table changing
their relative positions in the manner represented in figs. 11 and 12.
The arm 3 supports the reservoirs which contain the buttons and fasteners. The
buttons are ordinary one part buttons each having a round central perforation, and
the fasteners are eyelets or tubular rivets such as are commonly used with buttons
of this kind. The eyelet reservoir 25 is mounted directly on the arm 3, and is
provided with a ratchet and pawl by means of which the eyelets may be agitated
in one of the various ways commonly employed in eyeleting machines, and caused
to pass from the reservoir into the chute 26. At the lower end of this chute is a
spring that arrests the descent of the eyelets, and the chute is slotted so that a narrow
vertical passage is formed through the end of the chute. The button reservoirs 27
and 28 are attached to a supporting plate 29, which is pivoted to the arm 3 at the
back of the reservoir 25, the plate 29 turning about the axis of the ratchet wheel of
the eyelet reservoir. The button reservoirs are alike in construction except with
respect to the differences necessary to adapt them to buttons of different sizes and to
positions on opposite sides of the machine. A cast base 30, (see figs. 6 and 8), is
rigidly secured to the plate 29, this base being provided with a rim 31 extending along
a portion of its circumference, and with a broad channel 32 which is as wide as
a button, and a narrow channel 33 about two thirds as wide. The reservoir consists
of the spun or cast top 34, having a swinging cover, the band 35 with openings
corresponding to the shape of the buttons, around its lower edge, and the bottom 36
permanently united to the band 35. The top and the band may fit snugly together
like a pail and its cover and the top need not be otherwise fastened. The reservoir is
placed on the base 30, the upper surface of the bottom 36 being flush with the
bottom of the channels 32 and 33, and is keyed to a shaft extending through the
hase 30, and the supporting plate 29, and connected by means of a ratchet, pawl and
rod with the pawl plate 37 at the back of the eyelet reservoir, as shown in fig. 3. The
channels of the base 30 may either be covered or have grooves milled in their walls
to prevent the buttons from overlapping one another. Chutes 38 and 39 convey the
buttons downward from the reservoirs, the rods 40 serving as braces to steady the
chutes, and these chutes and the button reservoirs turn with the supporting plate 29
on its axis as a single body, the one chute or the other being brought beneath the
plunger according to the direction in which the system is turned.
A suitable distance from the lower end of each of the button chutes is a device to
regulate the descent of the buttons, one at a time. At the outer end of an arm 41
pivoted to the chute, or a projection thereon, are two pins so located that when the
inner section of the arm is moved back and forth, the pins are brought alternately
against the face of the chute. A coil spring 42 tends to draw the inner section of the
arm upward, and a flat spring 43 extends behind the upwardly bent end of the arm.
In each side of the lever 6 is a pin 44.
Below the device just described is a bracket 45 rigidly connected with the chute.
In this bracket is a hole 46, and on either side of the upright part 1 of the frame are
a pin 47 and a spring catch 48. When one or the other of the chutes is brought
under the plunger, the pin 47 enters the hole in the bracket 45, and the catch 48
keeps the bracket in place, so that the lower end of the chute is held firmly in the
proper position, the other chute being moved aside, as shown in figs. 1 and 3.
The extremity of each of the button chutes is formed into a receiver for the
1

page_text: and springs secured to the sides of the chute are located on either side of this
opening.
The plunger is provided with a sharp pointed needle adapted to fit snugly in the
stem of the eyelet, and at the upper end of the needle is a die to curve or upset the
eyelet.
A rod 49 extends from the lever 6 to the plate 37 at the back of the eyelet
reservoir.
The machine is mounted on a standard and the levers 6 and 14 are connected by
rods with a treadle, as represented, for example, in fig. 4.
To operate the machine, buttons and evelets being in the reservoirs and in the
chutes, and one of the button chutes being in position below the plunger with a
button in the reservoir of the chute, the garment is placed on the table and power
is applied to the treadle. The rod 11 moves upward and pushes before it the rod
or anvil 9, and the pin 10 passes through the slotted end of the chute and up
into the stem of the foremost eyolet, and then the rod 11 entering the block or
guide 8 causes this to assume an erect position, throwing outward the upper end
of the anvil, and the pin 10 pulls the eyelet past the spring which obstructs the
mouth of the chute, and the eyelet is carried upward on the pin. During the part
of the operation just described the plunger 5 descends, the needle passing through
the button and piercing the cloth, and as the plunger continues downward it passes
through the end of the chute, or receiver, forcing the button through with it, the
springs at the side of the opening yielding under the pressure of the plunger, and the
bution falls on the cloth and is held between this and the shoulder of the plunger at
the upper end of the needle. The table supports the cloth while the needle enters the
small hole in the table, and penetrates the cloth to such an extent that this surrounds
the thick part of the needle, the tapering part being wholly below the cloth, and then the
table is inclined downward and opens as before explained, and the anvil carrying
the eyelet passes through the table, and the needle and pin 10 are brought into
contact with each other, the cloth being then held upon the needle by friction. The
extreme point of the needle does not touch the pin 10 but enters the depression in the
end of the pin, and is thus without danger of being broken or blunted by the contact.
As the plunger and anvil approach each other the pin 10 recedes under the pressure
of the needle, and this enters the eyelet whose steun is forced over the needle and
between it and the cloth and button, and afterwards meets the die, which descends
into the hub of the button and so curls or upsets the eyelet that the button is clamped
firmly to the cloth, the needle extending through the eyelet and downward into the
anvil. The pressure is then removed from the treadle, and the anvil, plunger and
table return to their former positions.
When the guide 8 becomes upright the slide 16 falls and its upper end rests closely
behind the projection 18 on the guide, and there stays until it is forced above this
again by the projection 17 on the lever 14, so that the anvil in returning to its
resting place descends vertically almost to the end of its movement and passes under
the eyelet chute after the pin 10 gets below the end of the chute, for before the pin
reaches such a point the slide prevents the guide 8 from tipping after the rod 11
leaves it.
The lever 6 through the rod 49, and the rods, ratchets and pawls at the rear of the
reservoir, agitates the eyelets within the eyelet reservoir, and also imparts an inter-
mitting rotary motion to each of the button reservoirs, the direction of this motion
being such that in each case the lower part of the reservoir, where the buttons collect,
moves upward on the outside of the axis. The buttons are thus carried up against
the outer side of the reservoir, and some of them slide through the openings in the
band 35 into the broad channel 32, while others fall back against the inner and lower
sides of the reservoir, and some of the latter pass part way through the openings and
project into the narrow channel 33 in which position they are moved along until they
reach the broad channel, when they are discharged into this and go down the chute.
The buttons projecting into the channel 33 are carried forward by the sides of the

page_text: openings since the channel is too narrow to allow the hubs of the buttons to pass
entirely through the openings. Both reservoirs rotate with each operation of the
machine, no matter from which chute the buttons are taken, the distances of the
ratchets and pawls of the button reservoirs from those of the eyelet reservoir
remaining constant, and the rods connecting these being permanently secured in
place.
With the upward movement of the tever 6 the flat spring 43 is pushed above the
bent end of the arm 41 by the pin 44, and the coil spring 12 causes the lower of the
two pins at the outer end of the arm to bear against the face of the chute, the upper
pin being held away from the chute, and a button then slides down against the lower
pin.
When the lever returns the pin 44 presses downward the inner end of the arm
and the upper of the two pins is brought against the chute and the lower one moved
away from it, so that the lowest button is released and the others are held back. The
purpose of the spring 43 is to keep the inner end of the arm 41 from moving upward
when the chute is thrown out from under the plunger, for otherwise a second button
would be released when the chute was thrown in again.
It will now be understood that with suspender buttons in one of the reservoirs
and fly buttons in the other, a complete set may be applied by this machine to each
of a large number of pairs of overalls or trousers, and that each garment need be
handled only once, since the operator can apply large or a small button, or as
many of either kind as he may wish, by having the proper chute thrown in when
the machine is operated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination of the guide 8 having a longitudinal channel therein, and
pivoted near its lower end to the frame, the anvil 9 adapted to slide in this guide, the
fixed vertical guide 7 beneath the pivoted guide, the rod 11 adapted to slide in the
vertical guide and to project from this guide to and into the channel of the pivoted
guide underneath the anvil 9, an operating lever, a fixed chute, and an upsetting die,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. The combination with the fixed chute, an upsetting die, the pivoted guide, the
anvil adapted to slide therein, and an operating lever, arranged as set forth, of a
holding device or catch on the frame, adapted to engage the pivoted guide when this
becomes upright, and means for tripping the catch after the anvil has passed below
the chute, substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The combination of a fixed chute, an upsetting die, the pivoted guide 8 arranged
to assume an inclined and also an upright position, the anvil 9 adapted to slide
therein, the fixed vertical guide beneath the pivoted guide, the rod 11 adapted to slide
in the vertical guide and to project from this guide to and into the pivoted guide, and
a holding device to retain the pivoted guide in a vertical position after it ceases to be
thus held by the rod 11, substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. The combination with an anvil, a plunger, needle and die, of the cloth-supporting
table with a hole larger than the needle and smaller than the anvil or plunger, the
bar 19 connected therewith at one end, being pivoted to the frame and provided with
a slot which changes abruptly from one direction to another, and the lever 6 carrying
a pin which enters the slot in the bar, whereby the table is made first to resist the
pressure of the needle, and then to move quickly out of its position to afford a space
in which the anvil and plunger can come together, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
. The combination of an anvil, and die, the cloth supporting table, the pivoted
bar 19 connected therewith at one end and provided with a slot near its opposite end,
and the lever 6 carrying a pin which enters the slot in the bar, the slot throughout a
portion of its length coinciding with the circumference of a circle described about
the pivot of the lever 6 as a centre, but elsewhere departing therefrom, substantially
as and for the purpose described.

page_text: 6. The combination of an eyelet-holding anvil, a needle and a die, a lever projecting
in front of the frame, a table the rear portion of which is connected with the lever
and consists of a plate 22 with a notch in its front edge larger than the needle and
smaller than the face of the anvil, and a pin or cam adapted to act on the lever and
having a sudden backward throw with respect to the notched edge of the plate 22 at
least one half the face diameter of the anvil, whereby the plate may be quickly moved
inward, clear of the space traversed by the anvil or die, after the needle has piercod
the cloth, substantially as and for the purpose described.
7. The combination of a needle and die, an anvil adapted to move upward past
a chute and false eyelets therefrom, and a cloth-supporting table made in sections
placed edge to edge with a hole between them larger than the needle and smaller
than the anvil, which sections are adapted to separate as the anvil moves upward
until an opening is formed in the table through which the anvil can pass, and a
fastening whereby the sections are firmly held close together during the passage of
the needle through the cloth, substantially as and for the purpose described.
8. In a machine for feeding and attaching buttons having a broad face and a
hub with a central opening therein, the combination of the plunger and anvil adapted
to move downward and upward respectively, a chute for the buttons leading to the
plunger, a holder in which the buttons rest in a horizontal position, the chute for
eyelets or hollow rivets leading to the anvil, a needle adapted to enter the stem of
the eyelets and the opening in the buttons, a movable plate below the button holder
with an opening larger than the needle and smaller than the face of the anvil or
the button, when the plate is interposed between the anvil and plunger, a lever
with which the plate is connected and whereby it is moved aside from directly
above the anvil, after the needle has pierced the cloth, and a die whereby the eyelet
is upset within the button, substantially as and for the purpose described.
9. In a machine for feeding and attaching buttons having a broad face and a
bub with a central perforation therein, the combination of the plunger and anvil
adapted to move downward and upward respectively, a chute for the buttons leading
to the plunger, a holder in which the buttons rest in a horizontal position in the
path of the plunger, the chute for eyelets or hollow rivets leading to the anvil, the
needle attached to the plunger, having a range of motion extending above and below
the button holder, and adapted to enter the perforation in the buttons, a table located
between the button holder and the anvil, and above the level at which the point of the
needle and the anvil meet, with a movable plate arranged to help sustain the cloth
when this is pierced by the needle, a lever whereby the plate is afterwards withdrawn
from the cloth, and a die whereby the eyelet is upset within the hub of the button,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
10. In a machine for feeding and attaching buttons having a broad face and a hub,
the combination, with an anvil and setting plunger, of two chutes 38 and 39 movable
alternately by the hand under the guide of the plunger, or out of that position, each
chute having at its lower end a perforation of greater diameter than the setting face
of the plunger, and a catch or similar fastening by which the chutes are held
stationary until they are again moved by the hand, whereby the plunger as it descends
may be made to pass through either chute at the pleasure of the operator, and push
the buttons before it through the under side of the chute, as through a stationary
holder or receiver, substantially as and for the purpose described.
11. In a machine for feeding and attaching buttons having a broad face and a hub,
the combination, with an anvil and setting plunger, of two chutes 38 and 39, each
having at its lower end a separate holder or receiver with yielding sides between
which the setting face of the plunger can pass, and each being movable by the hand
and adapted to have its holder placed in turn beneath the guide of the plunger, or out
of that position, and a catch or similar fastening by which the chutes and holders are
held stationary until they are again moved by the hand, whereby the plunger as it
descends may be made to pass through either bolder and push the buttons before it
through the holder of either chute, as through a holder which is always stationary,
substantially as and for the purpose described.

page_text: 12. In a machine for feeding and attaching buttons, the combination of an anvil
and plunger adapted to move upward and downward respectively, a table through
which a passage is provided for the anvil, a chute for fasteners terminating underneath
the table, two chutes terminating above the table and adapted to convey buttons of
different sizes, movable holders for the buttons, at the lower extremities of the button
chutes, with yielding sides between which the face of the plunger can pass, and a
catch or like device by which the holders are fastened each in place of the other under
the guide in which the plunger travels, whereby buttons fed through either of the
upper chutes and fasteners fed through the lower chute may be applied to opposite
sides of the garment on the table, and the buttons attached to the garment with the
fasteners, substantially as described.
13. In combination, an anvil, plunger and die, formed and arranged to hold apply
to garments and upset fasteners, an operating lever connected with the plunger, two
reservoirs for buttons mounted on an upwardly projecting arın 3 secured to the frame
and provided with a plate or bar extending laterally from the arm in opposite directions
and serving to support the reservoirs with their bases substantially in the same inclined
plane, mechanism for agitating the buttons in the reservoirs, rods or bars connecting
such mechanism at the back of each reservoir with the operating lever, and pivoted
chutes attached to the bases of the reservoirs or the supporting plate and adapted to
be alternately fixed by hand in position to deliver the buttons to the setting mechanism,
as and for the purpose described.
14. In combination, an anvil plunger and die, formed and arranged to hold, apply
to garments and upset fasteners, two reservoirs for buttons mounted on an upwardly
projecting arm 3, secured to the frame, and provided with a supporting plate or bar
to which the reservoirs are attached with their bases substantially in the same inclined
plane, mechanism for agitating the buttons in the reservoirs, and pivoted chutes pro-
vided with separate holders or receivers, connecting with the reservoirs, and arranged
to be alternately placed in and out of the path of the plunger, as and for the purpose
described.
15. In combination, an anvil, plunger and die, formed and arranged to hold, apply
to garments and upset fasteners, a supporting plate arranged to turn about an axis
on an upwardly projecting arm 3, reservoirs attached to the plate, one on either side
of the axis, and chutes connecting with the reservoirs, and adapted to turn with the
reservoirs and plate as a single body about the axis of the plate, substantially as
described.
16. In combination, an anvil, plunger and die, formed and arranged to hold, apply
to garments and upset fasteners, a supporting plate arranged to turn about an axis on
an upwardly projecting arm 3, reservoirs attached to the plate one on either side of
the axis, chutes connecting with the reservoirs and adapted to turn with the reservoirs
and plate as a single body about the axis of the plate, and a fastening whereby the
chutes can be securely fixed in position, substantially as described.
17. The combination with an anvil plunger and die arranged to hold apply to
garments and upset fasteners, of the supporting plate 29 pivoted to the arm 3, the
reservoirs 27 and 28 each mounted on a base 30 secured to the supporting plate, and
the chutes 38 and 39 attached one to each base, these several parts turning as a single
body upon the axis of the plate 29, substantially as and for the purpose described.
18. The combination in.a button setting machine of three reservoirs 25, 27 and 28
all provided with ratchets and pawls, two of the ratchets and pawls being connected
with the pawl-carrying-plate-37 of the third reservoir, and that plate with an
operating lever by a single rod, whereby all the ratchets and pawls are actuated,
substantially as described.
19. In combination with a plunger, anvil die and chute, a reservoir mounted on a
supporting plate or arm which turns about an axis located on one side of the reservoir,
and provided with a ratchet and pawl operated from such axis, the reservoir thus
being allowed to move freely from one position to another, substantially as described.
20. The combination with an anvil, plunger and die, of an inclined reservoir with
openings in its sides through which buttons having hubs can pass with the hubs

page_text: uppermost, the broad channel 32 whose width is at least equal to the face diameter of
the buttons, and the narrow channel 33 whose width is less than one half the face
diameter plus one half the hub diameter of the buttons, the narrow channel opening
into the broad channel at the lower side of the reservoir, and both being located on
the exterior of the reservoir and connecting with the openings therein, and the chute
extending downward from the broad channel, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
Dated this Thevante nighth L 1900
DANIEL ARTHUR CARPENTER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.