IMPROVEMENTS IN, AND APPARATUS FOR, ATTACHING SHANKS TO BUTTONS, APPLICABLE IN PART TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the
County of Middlesex Gentleman for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN,
AND APPARATUS FOR, ATTACHING SHANKS TO BUTTONS, APPLICABLE IN PART
TO OTHER PURPOSES " communicated to him from Jean Félix Bapterosses a
person resident at Paris in the Republic of France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd March 1883.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING SHANKS TO
BUTTONS APPLICABLE IN PART TO OTHER PURPOSES a communication to me by
Jean Félix Bapterosses a person resident at Paris in the Republic of France.
"
This Invention relating to the manufacture of buttons consists in the employment
of an improved method of and apparatus for performing the operation of fixing the
shanks in the heads whereby the said operation is greatly facilitated and accelerated
as hereinafter described.
}
In the manufacture of buttons composed of ceramic materials the operation of
attaching the button heads to the shanks is of the greatest importance and delicacy
owing to the large number and small size of the articles to be manipulated.
The said operation consists firstly In arranging the prepared button heads in
such a manner that the hollows or cavities in the said button heads are for the
reception of the shanks all turned in one direction secondly in filling the said
hollows or cavities with a liquid cement and thirdly in placing the shanks in the
said cement which on hardening or setting fixes the shanks firmly to the button
heads.
The apparatus employed according to this invention for carrying out the several
stages of this operation consists of a series of devices hereinafter described.
The button beads are held in position for the reception of the shanks in a tray
or holder constructed with a perforated plate presenting cells or compartments in
which the button heads are firstly arranged with their cavities downwards and
corresponding to the perforations.
The heads thus arranged are covered with a sheet of india-rubber over which is
laid a foundation plate carried in a frame by means of which the foundation plate

page_text: is secured to the perforated plate. By this operation all the button heads are held
firmly in position and the cavities in the said heads are rendered accessible through
the holes in the perforated plate by turning over the combination of plates forming
the tray so as to bring the perforated plate to the top.
In order to adjust the buttons in position a centering device is employed. This
device consists of a rectangular metal plate provided with handles to facilitate its
inanipulation, register studs and screwed or rivetted centering pins in number
corresponding to that of the button heads contained in the tray hereinbefore
described.
In order to adjust the centres of the buttons the centering device is placed upon
the tray with the register pins inserted into corresponding holes in the tray; the
centering pins engaging with the cavities in the button heads and adjusting the
latter in the proper position.
The button beads thus adjusted and centered are ready to receive the cement
that is to fix the metallic shanks. The improved cement distributing device
hereinafter described supplies the cement to several rows of buttons simultaneously
and consists of a trough provided with handles and handles and having a perforated
bottom through which the cement is permitted to escape through conical nipples
soldered to the said bottom.
The distance between the centres of these nipples corresponds to the distance
between the centres of the button heads in the tray and valves are suspended inside
the trough over the nipples by wires connected to a cross bar on a moveable
frame provided at each end with handles situated opposite the handles of the trough
and guided in vertical guides attached to the sides of the trough. Springs placed
between the handles of the moveable frame and of the trough tend to elevate and
open the valves which are closed by pressing the finger upon the handles of tho
moveable frame and thus cut off the supply from all the nipples simultaneously.
The cement is allowed to flow out of the nipples when the latter are introduced
into the cavities in the button heads. The valves are maintained closed when the
distributor is out of action by turning cam levers placed between the vertical guides
so as to cause the cams to press down the moveable frame.
When all the button heads have been supplied with cement they are ready to
receive the shanks which are arranged in order upon a shank tray or holder by
means of a mechanical shank adjuster and distributer as hereinafter described.
The shank adjuster and distributer is composed of a thin plate the thickness of
which is about equal to the thickness of the wire constituting the shanks. In this
plate are formed openings whose outline corresponds generally with the external
outline of the shanks and which are arranged at the same distance apart as the
holes or cells in the shank tray hereinafter described. This plate slides upon an
under plate whose thickness is about equal to the length of the shauks and which
is perforated with a series of holes the width of the said holes being about equal
to that of the loops of the shanks. These holes taper from the upper to the
lower side of the under plate and their number corresponds to the number of
openings in the sliding plate the said openings being capable of coinciding
with the holes in the under plate when the device is manufactured as hereinafter
described.
When the holes in the under plate are covered by the unperforated portion of
the upper or sliding plate the openings in the latter form cells in which the wire
shanks when scattered over the surface of the said plate settle themselves
automatically when the plates are gently shaken. The shank adjuster thus filled
with shanks is then placed upon a shank tray consisting of a rectangular plate
provided with handles register holes and holes for the reception of the shanks.
The latter holes are countersunk and grooved and serve to hold the shanks in a
vertical position perpendicular to the plane of the tray. The shank adjuster or
distributor herein before described is retained in the proper position upon the
shank tray by means of register pins which engage with the register holes in
the tray.

page_text: When thus arranged the upper or sliding plate of the distributor is caused to
partake of a slight longitudinal displacement limited in extent by the length of
oval holes or slots working over studs provided with set screws and all the shanks
are thus caused to fall loop upwards into the holes in the underplate which are
uncovered by the said movement of the upper plate. The shanks guided by these
holes simultaneously enter the cells in the tray which form continuations of the
said holes.
It is evident that the shank distributor may be arranged to drop the shanks
directly into the cavities in the button heads as the divisions of the cellular tray
or receptacle for the button heads exactly coincide with those of the distributer.
The distributer is carefully removed after the shanks have been regularly
deposited as hereinbefore described and the shanks are then transferred to the
button heads by means of a multiple carrier next hereinafter described.
This device is provided with a metal frame constructed with handles and of the
same dimensions as the shank tray. The longitudinal bars of this frame serve as
supports to the pivots or axes of a series of T shaped hinged plates or levers.
These levers are arranged in pairs and are provided with tails there being a pair
of such levers to each row of shanks. The adjacent sides of each pair of hinged
plates or levers are provided with strips of steel so shaped as to act as spring
gripper jaws capable of laying hold of each of the shanks separately.
Between each pair of gripper levers there is provided a strengthening bar or
shoulder which distributes and equalises the pressure throughout the jaws and
stiffens the jaw plates.
These jaws are operated in such a manner that they all open and close
simultaneously for the purpose of laying hold of or releasing the shanks. With
this object the extremities of its frame are provided with brackets in which are
pivotted a couple of forked levers which impart motion to a pair of rack shaped
plates provided at their extremities with pins which engage with corresponding
recesses in the arms of the forks. The plates and levers are so arranged that by
turning the two levers towards or away from each other oue of the rack plates is
raised or lowered whilst the other rack plate is moved simultaneously in the
opposite direction. One of the rack shaped plates is provided with rounded teeth
forming a series of wedges arranged at the same distance apart as the rows
of buttons. Each of these wedges acts simultaneously upon the tails of the
levers of two corresponding pairs of spring gripper jaws so as to cause the said
jaws to close upon the shanks which are placed between them.
The other rack shaped plate is provided with angular wedge shaped teetli
arranged opposite the spaces between the teeth on the former plate and acts in a
similar manner upon the tails of the gripper levers for the purpose of opening
the jaws and causing the latter to release the shanks after they have been
transferred to the button tray.
In order to thus simultaneously transfer all the shanks which have been
arranged in the proper position upon the shank tray hereinbefore described to the
button heads the multiple carrier is placed upon the shank tray or holder and the
levers are manipulated so as to cause the spring jaws to close simultaneously and
lay hold of the shanks. The multiple carrier is then transferred with the shanks
to the button tray and its levers being again manipulated but in the contrary
direction the shanks are released by the spring jaws and drop simultaneously into
the cemented cavities in the button heads. It is evident that by slightly
modifying the form of the spring jaws the multiple carrier herein before described
may be employed for inserting other descriptions of shanks in the recesses
provided for their reception in the button heads.
This device completes the operation of attaching the shanks to the heads. When
the cement has dried or set the buttons are finished

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th September 1883.
"
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING SHANKS TO
BUTTONS APPLICABLE IN PART TO OTHER PURPOSES a communication to me from
Jean Felix Bapterosses a person resident at Paris in the Republic of France.
"
This Invention relating to the manufacture of buttons consists in the employment
of an improved method of and apparatus for performing the operation of fixing the
shanks eyes or loops in the heads whereby the said operation is greatly facilitated
and accelerated as hereinafter described.
In the manufacture of buttons composed of ceramic materials the operation of
attaching the button heads to the shanks eyes or loops is of the greatest importance
and delicacy owing to the large number and small size of the articles to be
manipulated The said operation consists Firstly. In arranging the prepared
button heads in such a manner that the hollows or cavities in the said button
heads are all turned in one direction for the reception of the shanks-Secondly in
filling the said hollows or cavities with a liquid cement and thirdly in placing the
shanks in the said cement which on hardening or setting fixes the shanks firmly to
the button heads.
The apparatus employed-according to this Invention for carrying out. the several
stages of this operation is composed of the following parts namely.
1. A tray hereinafter termed the button tray provided with cells for the reception
of the button heads.
2. A. centering device which adjusts the rows of buttons in the proper position on
the said tray.
3. A cement distributor with nipples or nozzles for introducing liquid cement into
the cavities in the button heads when the latter are duly centred and adjusted on
the tray.
4. A shank adjuster which by one movement of a sliding plate causes the shanks
to tilt over and drop loop upwards into the cells of a shank tray provided for their
reception.
5. A shank tray for holding the shanks distributed by the aforesaid shank
adjuster.
6. A multiple shank carrier which takes hold of all the shanks arranged by the
shank adjuster upon the shank tray and transfers them simultaneously to the
cemented button heads.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
The several stages of the operation of shanking the buttons from the arranging
of the button heads upon the tray to the final insertion of the shanks or loops into
the cement which is introduced into the cavities of the said button heads are
hereinafter described in the order in which they are performed in practice..
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal section of the centreing
device hereinbefore referred to and Figures 2 and 3 represent respectively a
longitudinal section and a plan of the underside of the button tray which consists
of a perforated plate A provided with cells for the reception of the button heads B
Figure 2. In order to place these button heads in position in the tray or holder
the plate A is inverted so as to present the cells on its upper side and the shankless
button heads B are placed in the cells with the cavities (formed in the said heads

page_text: for the reception of the shanks) downwards in such a manner that the said cavities
coincide with perforations o in the plate A.
The heads thus arranged are covered with a sheet O2 of india rubber over which
is laid a foundation or supporting plate T carried in a frame S by means of which
the plate T is secured to the plate A by means of projections A¹ engaging with
slots S'. By this operation all the button heads B are firmly fixed in position and
the cavities in the said heads are rendered accessible through the holes o by turning
over the combination of plates forming the tray so as to bring the plate A to the
top as shewn in Figure 2. In order to adjust these button heads accurately in the
proper position to receive the shanks the centreing device represented in section
in Figure 1 is employed. This device consists of a rectangular metal plate P
provided with handles to facilitate its manipulation, register studs g and screwed
or rivetted centreing pins p in number corresponding to that of the button heads
contained in the tray figure 2: The centres of the buttons are adjusted by placing
this centreing device upon the button tray with the register pins g inserted in
corresponding holes t in the tray the centreing pins p at the same time engaging
with the cavities in the button heads and adjusting the latter in the proper
position.
The button heads thus adjusted and centered are ready to receive the cement
that is to fix the metallic shanks. This cement is supplied to several rows of
buttons simultaneously by means of an apparatus illustrated in longitudinal section
and plan in Figures 4 and 5 respectively consisting of a trough a provided with
handles a¹ and having a perforated bottom a² through which the cement is
permitted to escape through conical nipples b fixed to or formed on the said
bottom. The distance between the centres of the said nipples b corresponds to the
distance between the centres of the button heads B in the tray-Valves care
suspended inside the trough a over the nipples 6 by wires c¹ connected to cross
bars c² on a movable frame C provided at each end with handles d situated
opposite the handles a' of the trough a and guided in vertical guides d¹ attached
to the sides of the trough a. Springs a³ figure 4 placed between the handles a¹
and d tend to elevate the frame C and open the valves c which are closed by
pressing down the handles & when it is required to cut off the supply from all the
nipples simultaneously. The cement is allowed to flow out of the nipples b when
the latter are introduced into the cavities in the button, heads as shewn in
figure 4 The valves are maintained closed when the distributor is out of action
by turning cam levers K (connected to cams k placed between the vertical
guides d¹) into the position indicated in dotted lines in figure 4. so as to press down
the frame. C.
When all the button heads have been supplied with cement they are ready to
receive the shanks, eyes or loops which are arranged in order upon a shank tray or
holder by means of a mechanical shank adjuster and distributor as hereinafter
described. This apparatus is illustrated in longitudinal and transverse section and
in plan in Figures 67 and 8 respectively and is provided with a thin plate e of
sheet steel or other suitable material the thickness of which is about equal to the
thickness of the wire of the shanks-In this plate e are formed openings f whose out-
line corresponds generally with the external outline of the shanks the said openings
being arranged at the same distance apart as are the holes in the shank tray
hereinafter described. The plate e slides upon an under plate E whose thickness is
about equal to the length of the shanks the said plate E being perforated with a
series of holes h of about the same width as that of the loops of the shanks. These
holes / taper from the upper to the lower side of the plate E and their number
corresponds to the number of openings f in the plate e the said openings f being
capable of coinciding with the holes h when the apparatus is manipulated as
hereinafter, described.
When the plates e and E are in the position shown in the drawing the holes h
are covered by the unperforated portion of the sliding plate e. and the openings in
the latter form cells in which drop the shanks when they are scattered over the

page_text: surface of the said plate and the apparatus is gently shaken A shank being thus
placed in each of the openings f in the plate e the shanks are finally adjusted by
hand if required and the shank adjuster is placed npon the shank tray next
hereinafter described with reference to Figures 9 9 and 10 of the accompanying
drawings. Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of the shank tray with the shank
distributor herein before described placed thereon and figures 9° and 10 are
respectively a plan and transverse section of the tray which consists of a
rectangular plate n provided with handles u register holes t' and holes or cells n'
for the reception of the shanks z. The holes n which correspond in number and
arrangement to the holes h in the shank adjuster or distributor are countersunk
and provided with nicks or grooves in the countersunk part as shewn in the
drawing which serve to hold the shanks in a vertical position perpendicular to
the plane of the tray as shown in Figure 10. The shank adjuster or distributor
filled with shanks as herein before described being placed in position upon the
shank tray as shown in figure 9 is retained in the proper position thereon by
means of register pins g¹ figure 6 which engage with the corresponding register
holes t¹ in the tray (figure 9a) When thus arranged the upper or sliding plate e of
the distributor is caused to partake of a slight longitudinal displacement limited in
extent by the length of holes or slots v working over studs or stops provided with
set screws V and all the shanks z are thus caused to fall loop upwards into the
holes in the underplate E which are uncovered by the said movement of the
upper plate. The shanks guided by these holes simultaneously enter the holes or
cells n¹ in the plate n of the shank tray as shewn in figure 9 which represents some
of the shanks in the act of falling into their allotted cells n¹.
It is evident that if preferred the shank distributor hereinbefore described may
be arranged to drop the shanks directly into the cavities in the button heads
(instead of into the cells in the tray) as the divisions of the cellular tray or
receptacle for the button heads Figure 2 exactly coincide with the holes in the
distributor.
The distributor being carefully removed after the shanks have been deposited
as hereinbefore described the latter are supported in the cells n¹ as shewn in
Figure 10.
The next operation consists in transferring the shanks to the button heads B
by means of the multiple shank carrier illustrated in longitudinal section in
figure 11 in transverse section in figure 12 and in elevation in figure 13 This
apparatus is provided with a metal frame R constructed with handles R' and of
the same dimensions as the shank and button trays The longitudinal bars or
sides of this frame serve as supports to the pivots or axes f¹ of a series of T shaped
hinged plates or levers F These levers are arranged in pairs and are provided
with tails there being a pair of such levers to each row of shanks in the plate n
of the shank tray. The adjacent sides of each pair of hinged plates or levers F F
are provided with strips of steel f³ so shaped as to act as spring gripper jaws
capable of laying hold of each of the shanks separately Between each pair of gripper
levers F there is provided a strengthening bar or shoulder x which distributes
and equalises the pressure throughout the jaws and supports or stiffens the jaw
plates F.
The jaw plates are operated in such a manner that they all open and close
simultaneously for the purpose of laying hold of or releasing the shanks.
With this object the extremities of the frame R are provided with brackets G
in which are pivotted a couple of forked levers H operated by handles H The 5
forks at the lower extremities of these levers embrace a pair of rack shaped
plates M and N provided at their extremities with pins i and which engage
with corresponding slots or recesses in the arms of the said forks. The plate M
is operated by the pins i and the plate N by the pins so that by turning
the two levers H towards or away from each other one of the rack plates is 5
raised or lowered whilst the other rack plate is moved simultaneously in the
opposite direction.

page_text: The rack shaped plate N is provided with rounded teeth N³ forming a series of
wedges capable of acting simultaneously upon both the tails of each pair of
levers F when the levers H are in the position shown in figures 11 and 12 so as to
cause the jaws f² to close upon the shanks which are placed between them.
The rack shaped plate M is provided with angular wedge shaped teeth M₁
arranged opposite the spaces between the teeth on the plate N and each of these
teeth M acts simultaneously upon the right hand lever of one pair and upon the
left hand lever of the adjacent pair of each of the pairs of gripper levers F for
the purpose of opening the jaws f³ and causing the latter to release the shanks
after they have been transferred to the button heads when the levers H are in the
position shown in figure 13 which represents the carrier placed upon the button ⚫
tray (Figure 2)
In order to thus simultaneously transfer to the button heads all the shanks
which have been arranged in the proper position upon the shank tray as herein-
before described the multiple carrier is placed upon the plate n of the shank tray
or holder (Figures 9, 9a, and 10) and the levers H are manipulated so as to cause
the spring jaws f* to close simultaneously and lay hold of the shanks as shown
in figures 11 and 12 which represent the carrier placed upon the shank tray The
multiple carrier is then transferred (with the shanks held by the jaws f²) to the
button tray as shewn in Figure 13 and the levers H are moved in the direction
of the arrows in Figure 11 thereby lowering the plate M and elevating the
plate N. The parts thereby assume the position represented in figure 13 and the
shanks being released by the spring jaws f2 drop simultaneously into the cement
containing cavities in the button heads. It is evident that by modifying the form
of the spring jaws f2 the multiple carrier herein before described may be employed
for inserting other descriptions of shanks or loops into the recesses provided for
their reception in the button heads This completes the operation of attaching
the shanks to the heads. When the cement has dried or set the buttons are
finished.
The hereinbefore described devices or apparatus namely the centering device the
cement distributor the shauk adjuster and the multiple carrier may be employed
either together as described or they may be employed separately for such arranging
cementing and transferring purposes as they are or may be applicable to It
will be readily understood that the said devices or apparatus may be modified
according to the shape of the buttons or shanks or other articles to be manipulated
thereby.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is:-
First: The improvements in the manufacture of buttons consisting in arranging
and adjusting a number of button heads in a tray or holder then cementing the
same and afterwards attaching the shanks eyes or loops to the button heads
simultaneously the said operations being effected by means of a combination of
devices or apparatus arranged and operating substantially as herein before described
with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Second-In the manufacture of buttons or the like the employment in com-
bination with a tray containing the button heads or the like of a centering device
for adjusting the button heads or the like in proper position upon the said tray
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1. 2. and 3 of the
accompanying drawings.
Third. The cement distributor provided with a number of rows of nipples for the
introduction of the liquid cement into the shank holes of a number of button
heads or the like simultaneously the said distributor being constructed and
arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 4 and 5
of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Fourth. The apparatus for arranging and dropping a number of metallic shanks
simultaneously in proper position either upon the cellular shank tray or directly
into the cavities in the button heads or for other analogous purposes the said
apparatus being constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in figures 9. 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings.
Fifth. The multiple carrier for grasping a number of arranged shanks or loops
or the like and for transferring the said shanks or loops or the like simultaneously
to the cemented button heads or the like the said multiple carrier being constructed
or arranged and operating substantially in the manner herein before described
with reference to figures 11: 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I the said John Henry Johnson have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal this first day of September One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three
T TTENDY TANSON
TIEND
10
TATATAT
JOHNSON (U.S.)

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