Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1887
Complete Left, 24th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 3rd Feb.. 1888
[Communicated from abroad by EDWARD P. MERWIN and WALTER E. BENNETT, both
of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.]
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to machines for attaching buttons to shoes, fabrics. or
other articles or things and has for its particular object the production of a machine
adapted to carry out the mode of attaching buttons to the button pieces of boots or
shoes, by metallic fastenings as described in this application. To this end the button
attaching machine consists in means for inserting the end of the wire in the eye of
the button severing such end and bending the part inserted in the button eye in a
staple like form therein, automatically feeding the button into position for performance
of this operation, feeding the button forward to the material to be operated upon,
forcing the staple through the leather and through the material to which the button is
to be attached, turning the ends of the staple prongs around a cord or wire laid
against the inner or under side of the work, and feeding the work forward from time
to time to have the staple driven and the button attached to the proper point, all as
herein described and claimed.
The method or process of attaching buttons as herein described consists in their
engaging the loop of a wire staple with the eye of the button forcing the prongs of
such staple through the piece of leather or other material to which the button is to
be attached, and turning the ends of the staple prongs around the cord or wire laid
against the inner surface of said face.
In carrying out this invention a suitable frame is constructed, consisting of a bed
and standards secured to or cast with the former, which supports the various operative
narts of the machine.

page_text: The main operating shaft is suitably journalled in one of the standards to which a
rocking motion is imparted by a lever secured to said shaft which lever may be
operated by hand or any other suitable means to and fro. A lever is fixed to the rear
end of the shaft and extends upward therefrom, and pivotally connected with said
lever, toward its upper end is a lever or link, also pivotally connected at its
upper end to the rear end of the annular lever, fulcrummed on a stud, secured in the
standard.
To the upper end of the first mentioned lever is pivoted a pawl, the free end of
which is held by a spring in engagement with the pins, projecting out from a disc,
secured on the back end of a short shaft journalled in the upper part of standard. To
the forward end of shaft is secured a disc provided at intervals with holes or apertures,
near its margin. Said disc is arranged to revolve between a plate forming the back
wall of the button hopper and a plate attached to an extension of the bottom of the
hopper. In the operation of the main shaft said lever will be moved so as to cause a
pawl to act on pins of disc and through the medium of short shaft intermittingly turn
another disc. An aperture is formed in the rear wall of button hopper at the bottom
thereof, so that the holes in disc will in the revolution of said disc be brought to
register with said aperture in the wall permitting a button in the hopper to drop
through each hole of the disc as the latter is revolved and be carried around to sub-
stantially the highest point of said disc, where, by reason of the rearwardly inclined
form of the hole it will fall over the upper edge of the plate on the race-way provided
with a slot for the reception of the eye of the button.
The means described for carrying the button from the hopper to the race-way is
such as is calculated to place it in proper position in said raceway for the operations
to be presently described.
Fulcrummed near its centre on a pin, in ears or lugs of standard is a lever provided
at its lower end with an anti-friction roller, adapted in the oscillation of cam fixed on
shaft to come in contact with the inclined part formed on the side of said cam, and so
rock said lever in one direction. A spring above its fulcrum point serving to move
it in the opposite direction. A lever is provided at its upper end with a pawl, having
a limited movement in one direction and held backward in the other position by a
spring. Said pawl is constructed to engage a wire guided in suitable ways, and, as
the lever is rocked on its fulcrum feed said wire along the distance of the movement
of the free end of the pawl. A holding pawl pivoted on a bracket secured to the
frame and held in engagement with the wire by a spring serves to hold the wire from
being moved back by pawl as said latter pawl returns to take a fresh hold on the wire
to again feed it forward.
Fulcrummed in standard is an elbow-lever the rear end of which is provided with
an antifriction roller and held in engagement with the face of a cam by a spring.
Said lever is bifurcated at its forward end and extends under and forms a substantial
continuation of track-plate bifurcation, answering to slot in said track plate.
The lever is also provided on its forward end with a pin or projection, adapted
as said lever is raised to catch under the free end of a spring-stop or cut-off gate
adapted, when in its normal position, to stop the buttons as they slide down track and
to let one button pass when it is raised.
The arrangement and timing of the parts is such that when the lever is so rocked
on its fulcrum as to raise its forward end, a button will pass the stop-gate and its eye
will drop through bifurcation in the end of said lever and rest on the top of saddle-
strip directly opposite, or registering with the end of wire so that as said wire is fed
along through its guide-bearing, by the operation of pawl it will pass through the eye
of the button directly under the end of the lever which now moves downward with
its forward edge in close contact with guide-bearing cuts or shears the wire at this
point, and bends it in the eye of the button in staple-like form over the saddle-strip,
down which the button and staple now slide as the forward end of lever rises to a
second feed or stop-gate on the lower end of saddle-strip when the staple is driven
and the button secured to the work, which operation and the means for accomplishing.
it will next be described. It is first to be mentioned, however, that if it should.

page_text: happen that a button fails to be presented to the devices for feeding the wire, severing
the same, and bending it into the form of a staple this latter operation would take
place notwithstanding the fact that there was no button in position into the eye of
which the wire would be passed. It is necessary therefore that this staple should not
be presented to the driving means, and to avoid this I cut through saddle-strip just
above the second stop-gate a slot permits a staple not supported by a button to drop
through said slot from a saddle-strip.
The forward end of lever is loosely connected with the staple driving slide suitably
guided in ways formed on the front end of standard to the lower end of which slide
is affixed the staple driver adapted in its descent to strike squarely on the top of the
staple in the eye of the button in position thereunder.
A lever is rocked upon its fulcrum to effect the movement of the staple driver, as
has been described by the operation of the parts acting as toggle-levers to raise and
lower the rear end of said lever in a way that will be understood without further
explanation.
The work to which the buttons are to be secured is placed upon a feed-dog
supported on a work-horn attached to and projecting upward and outward from one
of the standards and on the end of said horn is arranged the staple-clinching anvil
provided with a guiding eye and slot, for the cord, around which the ends of the
staple are to be clinched. The anvil is also provided with two slots, extending
transverse to slot just hereinbefore mentioned, which slots are rounded at their
bottoms and so arranged as to fall directly under the ends of the staple when the
latter is in position to be driven. A slot is formed in the presser foot to permit the
staple, after being driven through the work to pass through to the anvil, and have its
ends bent or clinched around the cord by contact with the curved lower sides of the
slots.
Providing the anvil with a guide slot or eye for the cord, tape or wire, as well as
for the prongs of the staple so that the latter can be driven through or around the
cord tape or wire, and secured thereto is an important feature of the invention.
As the staple driving slide descends to drive the staple, a horn on said slide
extending rearwardly through a slot comes in contact with a lug on the forward end
of feed or top-gate by a spring and depresses said gate, permitting a single button
with its attached staple to pass and slide down off the end of saddle-strip, where the
prongs of the staple fall into guide slots slightly inclined at their sides, formed in the
adjacent portion of the frame, the button dropping over the falling out through
the eye or aperture formed in the button guiding and supporting plate attached to the
front of a certain portion of the frame. This brings a button and its associated staple
into position to be driven, as before explained. The slot in plate is for the purpose of
permitting the eye of the button to pass when the staple is driven.
After a staple has been driven to attach a button, as explained it becomes necessary
to feed the work along before the staple driver again descends, and this is accom-.
plished in the present instance as I will now proceed to describe.
The feed-dog is integrally formed or otherwise connected with a rod or bar,
fulcrummed on the upper end of a braeket, attached to one of the standards and
pivoted at its outer or forward end to the upper end of a bar or rod, fulcrummed on a
stud adjustable vertically in a slot formed in lugs or ears on standard. Said rod is
loosely connected at its lower end with the forward end of a lever, fulcrummed in a
chair having its bearings in the bed. By this construction the lever may be moved
laterally on chair and rocked vertically on its fulcrum pin in said chair. At its rear
end the lever extends upward, and is provided at its extremity with a bowl or anti-
friction roller, adapted to roll in contact with the face of cam on main shaft and a
finger extends out to the side of the roller so as to be engaged by the inclined
projection on the side of cam. By this construction as cam is operated a "fore-
motion movement will be imparted to the forward end of lever and communicated
through bar or rod to feed bar and its dog and thus at the proper moment effect
the feed of the work.
"
To effect the proper clamping of the work between the feed-dog which in this

page_text: instance may be regarded as the presser foot also and the parts thereabove at the
time the staple is being driven, the work horn is made movable vertically, and this
movement upward is effected at the proper moment by means of a lever loosely
connected at its forward end with the lower end of the work horn, vertically guided
in one of the standards. Said lever is fulcrummed on a pin, extending through
lugs or projections formed on or secured to the bed and is provided on its rear
end with a bowl or anti-friction-wheel, adapted to roll in contact with the face of
the cam, fixed on shaft which can imparts the requisite movement to lever at the
proper moment to effect the requisite vertical motion of the work-horn herein before
referred to.
After a button has once been secured to the work and cord by the operation of the
mechanism as hereinbefore set forth, as the work is fed along, the cord will be
carried with it in the eye of the anvil provided for said cord.
A small lever is pivoted on the raceway and held back in contact with a notched
cam-piece secured to a larger lever so that as said lever is oscillated it will impart an
oscillating motion to small lever, and thus brush back into the hopper any buttons that
may chance have fallen in improper position on the raceway, since some part of such
improperly placed buttons will of necessity extend above the path of movement of said
lever while those buttons in proper position will be below the line of movement of said
lever and be unaffected thereby
The metallic fastenings, are staples engaged with the eyes of the buttons and having
their prongs passed through the upper and bent over or clinched at the inner side of
the upper around a cord or as an equivalent thereof a wire of such size that it is
capable of being embraced by the bent over or clinched ends or prongs of the
fastenings. Said cord is placed on the inner side of the upper, and the prongs of
the fastenings are bent around it, the bent prongs being preferably compressed so
closely against the cord, or wire, that the latter cannot easily slip lengthwise through
them.
The cord constitutes a stay, which prevents the staple from being pulled through
the button piece, and also prevents the button-piece from being stretched between the
buttons.
The staple is preferably formed in the eye of the button by first inserting the end
of a piece of wire of indefinite length in the eye of the button, then cutting a staple
blank from said wire, and then bending said blank into a staple form and forcing its
prongs into the button piece and then finally bending the points of the prongs around
the cord.
If desired the staple may be formed prior to its insertion in the button eye. The
mode first described is preferable however, as it enables the button to be attached by
a machine which successively feeds the wire into the eye of the button, cuts off the
blank, bends the wire into a staple form, forces the prongs through the piece of
material, and turns the points of the prongs over the cord, the last named operation
being affected by a suitably formed die, against which the prongs are forced while
they are being driven through the button piece.
The operation of the machine has been so fully set forth in the description of the
construction, arrangement and relationship of the various parts as not to require
further explanation herein.
D
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Machine for Attaching Buttons to
Leather and other Materials.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in that manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine embodying the invention.
Figure 2 represents a rear end view of a portion thereof, parts being shown as in
section.
Figure 3 represents front end view, parts being shown as broken away.
Figure 4 represents a top plan view.
Figure 5 represents a detail view, partly in section, of the devices immediately
employed in severing the wire inserted through the eye of the button and forming it
into a staple therein.
Figure 6 represents a sectional view on the line 2, 2 Figure 5.
Figure 7 represents a view similar to that shown in Figure 6, but with the parts in
a different position.
Figure 8 represents a sectional detailed view taken on the line 33 of Figure 3,
showing the relationship of the parts just previous to driving the staple and thus
attaching the button.
Figure 9 represents a like sectional detailed view taken on the line 4, 4 of
Figure 8.
Fig. 10, represents a front view of the button supporting and guiding plate
detached.
Figs. 11 and 12 represent diagrams showing the manner in which the hutton is
secured to the shoe, fabric or other article or thing.
Figs. 13, 14 & 15, represent prospective views showing different stages of the
operation of securing the button.
Our invention has reference to machines for attaching buttons to shoes, fabrics, or
other articles or things, and has for its particular object the production of a machine
adapted to carry out the mode of attaching buttons to the button pieces of boots or
shoes, by metallic fastenings as described in this application. To this end our button
attaching machine consists in means for inserting the end of the wire in the eye of
the button, severing such end and bending the part inserted in the button eye in a
staple like form therein, automatically feeding the button into position for performance
of this operation, feeding the button forward to the material to be operated upon,
forcing the staple through the leather and through the material to which the button
is to be attached, turning the ends of the staple prongs around a cord or wire laid
against the inner or under side of the work, and feeding the work forward from time
to time to have the staple driven and the button attached to the proper point, all as
herein described and claimed,

page_text: The method or process of attaching buttons as herein described consists in their
engaging the loop of a wire staple with the eye of the button, forcing the prongs of
such staple through the piece of leather or other material to which the button is to be
attached, and turning the ends of the staple prongs around the cord or wire laid
against the inner surface of said face.
In carrying out our invention we construct a suitable frame, consisting of the bed A
and A the standards B C secured to or cast with the former, which supports the various
operative parts of the machine.
a indicates the main operating shaft, suitably journalled in the standard B, and to
which a rocking motion is imparted by a lever b, secured to said shaft, and which
lever may be operated by hand, or any other suitable means to and fro, as indicated
by the arrow d. A lever, e, is fixed to the rear end of the shaft a and extends upward
therefrom, and pivotally connected with said lever e, toward its upper end is a lever
or link, g, also pivotally connected at its upper end to the rear end of the lever, h,
fulcrumed on a stud, i, secured in standard B.
To the upper end of a lever e is pivoted a pawl, j, the free end of which is held by
a spring k, in engagement with the pins, I, projecting out from a disk, m, secured on
the back end of a short shaft, n, journaled in the upper part of standard B. To the
forward end of shaft, n, is secured a disk, o, provided at intervals with holes or
apertures p, near its margin, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Said disk o is arranged
to revolve between a plate, q, forming the back wall of the button hopper r, and a
plates, attached to an extension of the bottom of the hopper. In the operation of the
inain shaft a said lever will be moved so as to cause pawlj to act on pins l, of disk m,
and through the medium of short shaft n, intermittingly turn disk o in a manner that
will be readily understood. An aperture is formed in the rear wall, q, of button
hopper r, at the bottom thereof, so that the holes in disk o will in the revolution of
said disk be brought to register with said aperture in the wall q, permitting a button
in the hopper to drop through each hole p of the disk o as the latter is revolved and
be carried around to substantially the highest point of said disk, where, by reason of
the rearwardly-inclined form of the hole p, it will fall over the upper edge
of the plates on the race-way t, provided with a slot u, for the reception of the eye of
the button.
The means described for carrying the button from the hopper to the race-way is
such as is calculated to place it in proper position in said raceway for the operations
to be presently described.
Fulcrumned near its center on a pin, v, in ears or lugs w of standard B is a lever x,
provided at its lower end with an anti-friction roller, y, adapted in the oscillation of
cam z, fixed on shaft a. to come in contact with the inclined part a', formed on the
side of said cam z, and so rock said lever in one direction, as indicated by the
arrow. Fig. 2, the spring b¹ above its fulcrum point serving to move it in the opposite
direction. Lever is provided at its upper end with a pawl, c, having a limited
movement in the direction of the arrow Fig. 4, and held backward in the position in
which it is represented in said figure by a spring d¹. Said pawl c' is constructed to
engage a wire, el, guided in suitable ways, and, as levere is rocked on its fulcrum,
feed said wire along the distance of the movement of the free end of the pawl. A
holding pawl, f, pivoted on a bracket, g¹, secured to the frame and held in engage-
ment with the wire e by a spring, g³, serves to hold the wire from being moved back by
pawl cas said latter pawl returns to take a fresh hold on the wire to again feed it
forward.
1.
Fulcrumed in standard B at h¹ is an elbow-lever 1, the rear end of which is
provided with an anti-friction roller, j', and held in engagement with the face of cam z
by a spring . Said lever ¹ is bifurcated at its forward end, as at 1, and extends
under and forms a substantial continuation of track-plate t, bifurcation 18, answering
to slot u in said track-plate. Lever ¹ is also provided on its forward end with a
pin or projection, m³, adapted as said lever is raised to catch under the free end of a
spring-stop or cut-off gate, n', adapted, when in its normal position, to stop the

page_text: buttons as they slide down track t and to let one button pass when it is raised, as will
be readily understood by reference to Fig. 5.
The arrangement and timing of the parts is such that when the lever i¹ is so rocked
on its fulcrum as to raise its forward end, as represented in Figs. 5 and 6, a button
will pass stop-gate n', and its eye will drop through bifurcation in the end of said
lever and rest on the top of saddle-strip o¹, directly opposite, or registering with the
end of wire e', so that as said wire is fed along through its guide-bearing p', by the
operation of pawl c', it will pass through the eye of the button directly under the
end of the lever i¹, (see Fig. 6) which now moves downward with its forward edge in
close contact with guide-bearing p', cuts or shears the wire at this point, and bends it in
the eye of the button in staple-like form over the saddle-strip o¹, as shown in Fig. 7,
down which the button and staple now slide as the forward end of lever rises to a
second feed or stop-gate, q, on the lower end of saddle-strip o¹, as seen most clearly in
Fig. 8, when the staple is driven and the button secured to the work, which operation
and the means for accomplishing it will next be described. It is first to be mentioned,
however, that if it should happen that a button fails to be presented to the devices for
feeding the wire, severing the same, and bending it into the form of a staple, this
latter operation would take place notwithstanding the fact that there was no button in
position into the eye of which the wire would be passed. It is necessary therefore
that this staple should not be presented to the driving means, and to avoid this we cut
through saddle-strip o', just above stop-gate ql, a slot o³, as shown in Fig. 5, which per-
mits staple not supported by a button to drop through said slot from a saddle-strip o¹.
The forward end of lever his loosely connected at r with the staple driving
slides, suitably guided in ways formed on the front end of standard B, to the lower
end of which slide s' is affixed the staple driver t¹, adapted in its descent to strike
squarely on the top of the staple in the eye of the button in position thereunder, as
shown in Figs. 8 and 9.
Lever his rocked upon its fulcrum to effect the movement of the staple driver, as
has been described by the operation of the parts e and g, acting as toggle-levers to
raise and lower the rear end of said lever h in a way that will be understood without
further explanation.
The work to which the buttons are to be secured is placed upon the feed-dog q
supported on the work-horn v, attached to and projecting upward and outward from
the standard C, and on the end of said horn is arranged the staple-clinching anvil w¹,
provided with a guiding eye and slot, ¹, for the cord y', around which the ends of the
staple are to be clinched. Anvil w₁ is also provided with two slots, 2¹ 2¹, extending
transverse to slot ', which slots are rounded at their bottoms and so arranged as to
fall directly under the ends of the staple when the latter is in position to be driven, as
shown in Figs. 8 and 9. A slot u³, (see Figs. 4 and 9) is formed in the presser foot
to permit the staple, after being driven through the work D, to pass through to the
anvil to, and have its ends bent or clinched around the cord y¹ by contact with the
curved lower sides of the slots z¹ 2¹.
Providing the anvil with a guide siot or eye for the cord, tape or wire, as well as
for the prongs of the staple, so that the latter can be driven through or around the
cord, tape, or wire, and secured thereto, is an important feature of the invention.
As the staple driving slide s descends to drive the staple, a horn, a³, on said slide,
extending rearwardly through a slot, 63, comes in contact with a lug, c, on the forward
end of feed or stop-gate q', held in the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1, by a
spring d², and depresses said gate, permitting a single button with its attached staple
to pass and slide down off the end of saddle-strip o¹, where the prongs of the staple
fall into guide slots ee², slightly inclined at their sides, formed in the adjacent
portion of the frame, as shown in Fig. 9, the button dropping over and falling out
through the eye or aperture g², formed in the button guiding and supporting plate h³,
(as shown in detail in Fig. 10,) attached to the front of the portion, of the frame.
This brings a button and its associated staple into position to be driven, as before.
explained. The slot (shown as extending down from the aperture g²) in plate 2 is
for the purpose of permitting the eye of the button to pass when the staple is driven.

page_text: After a staple has been driven to attach a button, as explained, it becomes necessary
to feed the work D along before the staple driver again descends, and this is accom-
plished in the present instance as I will now proceed to describe.
Feed-dog is integrally formed or otherwise connected with a rod or bar, j³,
fulcrumed on the upper end of a bracket, .r3, attached to standard C, and pivoted at
its outer or forward end, as at k² to the upper end of a bar or rod, 12, fulcrumed on a
stud, m², adjustable vertically in a slot n², formed in lugs or ears on standard C.
Said rod is loosely connected at its lower end with the forward end of a lever, p²,
fulcrumed in a chair, q, having its bearings in the bed A. By this construction
lever p may be moved laterally on chair q2 and rocked vertically on its fulcrum pin ²
in said chair. At its rear end lever p* extends upward, and is provided at its extremity
with a bowl or anti-friction roller, 82, adapted to roll in contact with the face of cam t'
on main shaft a, and a finger extends out to the side of the roller, s², so as to be.
engaged by the inclined projection w² on the side of cam t*. (See Figs. 1 and 4). By
this construction as cam t is operated a fore-motion movement will be imparted to the
forward end of lever p² and communicated through bar or rod to feed bar j³ and its
dog u', and thus at the proper moment effect the feed of the work.
To effect the proper clamping of the work between the feed-dog u¹ (which in this
instance may be regarded as the presser foot also) and the parts thereabove at the
time the staple is being driven, the work horn v is made movable vertically, and this
movement upward is effected, at the proper moment by means of a lever y³, loosely
connected at its forward end, as at y³, with the lower end of the work horn v³, vertically
guided in standard C. Said lever y³ is fulcrumed on a pin, y, extending through lugs
or projections y³, formed on or secured to the bed A, and is provided on its rear end
with a bowl or anti-friction-wheel, 22, adapted to roll in contact with the face of the
cam, a³, fixed on shaft a, which cam a³ imparts the requisite movement to lever y² at
the proper moment to effect the requisite vertical motion of the work-horn herein before
referred to.
After a button has once been secured to the work D and cord 1 by the operation of
the mechanism as hereinbefore set forth, and as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, as the
work is fed along, cord y¹ will be carried with it in the eye of the anvil w¹, provided
for said cord.
In Figs. 1 and 4 we have shown a small lever 63, pivoted at 3 on the raceway t and
held back in contact with a notched cam-piece, d³, secured to lever h, so that as said
lever is oscillated it will impart an oscillating motion to small lever 6, and thus brush
back into the hopper r any buttons that may by chance liave fallen in improper
position on the raceway, since some part of such improperly placed buttons will of
necessity extend above the path of movement of said lever 65, while those buttons in
proper position will be below the line of movement of said lever 63 and be unaffected
thereby, as is clearly represented in Fig. 1.
Figs. 13, 14 & 15. represent the metallic fastenings, which are staples engaged with
the eyes of the buttons and having their prongs passed through the upper and bent
over or clinched at the inner side of the upper around a cord, y', (or, as an equivalent
thereof, a wire,) of such size that it is capable of being embraced by the bent-over or
clinched ends or prongs of the fastenings. Said cord is placed on the inner side of
the upper, and the prongs of the fastenings are bent around it, the bent prongs being
preferably compressed so closely against the cord, or wire, that the latter cannot
easily slip lengthwise through them.
The cord constitutes a stay, which prevents the staple from being pulled through the
button piece, and also prevents the button-piece from being stretched between the
buttons.
The staple is preferably formed in the eye of the button by first inserting the end
of a piece of wire of indefinite length in the eye of the button, then cutting a staple
blank from said wire, and then bending said blank into a staple form and forcing its
prongs into the button piece and then finally bending the points of the prongs around
the cord y¹.
If desired the staple may be formed prior to its insertion in the button eye. The

page_text: mode first described is preferable, however, as it enables the button to be attached by
a machine which successively feeds the wire into the eye of the button, cuts off the
blank, bends the wire into a staple form, forces the prongs through the piece of
material, and turns the points of the prongs over the cord, the last named operation
being affected by a suitably formed die, against which the prongs are forced while they
are being driven through the button piece.
The operation of the machine has been so fully set forth in the description of the
construction, arrangement and relationship of the various parts as not to require
further explanation herein.
It is obvious that the precise form and arrangement of parts herein shown are not
essential to our improvements, as those may be varied within the limits of mechanical
skill without departing from the nature or spirit of the invention.
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 correspondents I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a button attaching machine, an oscillating lever provided on its free end with
a pawl or dog adapted to engage a wire to feed it through the eye of a button, a
guide and support for the wire, a second oscillating lever bifurcated at one of its ends
to engage the wire on both sides of the eye of the button and arranged to move in
close proximity to the wire guide or support to shear or cut the wire at this point,
and a support for the eye of the button, on both sides of which the bifurcated end of
the latter lever is adapted to move to bend the wire into staple-like form in the eye of
the button all constructed, combined and arranged substantially as and for the
purposes herein before set forth.
2. As a means for severing the portion of a wire extended through the eye of a
button and bending the same into the form of a staple or loop therein, a guide or
support for the wire, an oscillating lever i¹, bifurcated at one of its ends as at l' and
adapted to engage the wire on both sides of the eye of the button, and arranged to
move in close proximity to said wire guide or support to shear or cut the wire at this
point, and a support for the eye of the button, on both sides of which the bifurcated
end of said lever is adapted to move to bend the wire into staple-like form in the eye
of the button, constructed, combined and operating substantially as herein before set
forth.
3. In a button setting machine, a button race-way, stop-gate n', oscillating lever i¹,
provided with the bifurcation l' and pin or projection m³, wire guide or rest p¹, and
saddle-strip o¹, combined and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before set forth.
4. As a means for feeding a wire through the eye of a button, an oscillating
lever a, provided with a dog or pawl c¹, adapted to engage the wire and feed it
forward, a guide for the wire, a second dog or pawl, f1, adapted to engage the wire
and prevent it from being drawn back as the oscillating lever returns to have its dog
take a fresh hold on the wire, and a support for said second dog or pawl, all combined
and operating substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
5. In a button setting machine, oscillating lever, provided with the dog or
pawl c, pawlf and its support, a guide pl, for the wire, oscillating lever i¹ provided
with the bifurcation 1, and a saddle-strip o¹, all combined and operating substantially
as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
6. In a button setting machine, a button hopper, walls or plates 9 s, revoluble
disc o, provided with the holes or apertures p, and raceway t,, all combined and
operating substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
7. In a button setting machine, a button hopper, a button raceway, lever b³, and
oscillating lever h, provided with the cam piece d³, all combined, arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purposes herein before set forth.
8. In a button setting machine, a support for the work, a guide and support for the
button and wire loop or staple in the eye of the same, a clinching anvil provided with
slots having curved bottoms for receiving the prongs of the loop or staple to clinch the
B

page_text: same, and an eye or slot extending transversely of the first mentioned slots to guide a
cord or wire around which the prongs of the staples may be clinched, and a recipro-
cating slide adapted to engage the upper end of the staple on both sides of the button-
eye and drive said staple, all constructed, combined and operating substantially as
and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
9. In a button setting machine, the saddle-strip o¹, stop-gate q¹, provided with the
projection c³, spring d³, and reciprocating slide s', provided with the horn a², whereby
the staple in a button is driven and the stop-gate may be operated to admit another
button and its attached staple to position to be operated upon, all combined and
operating substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
10. The frame f³, provided with the guide slots e e³, having slightly inclined sides,
and the button supporting and guiding plate h², provided with the aperture g³, and
slot, constructed, arranged and combined substantially as and for the purposes
herein before set forth.
11. A vertically, movable, work-supporting horn, a guide therefor, a lever y²,
fulcrumed on the bed of the machine and loosely connected at one end with said
work supporting horn for moving it vertically, the main shaft, and an oscillatory
cam, a³, thereon, engaging the other end of said lever to operate it, combined and
constructed substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
12. A work supporting horn, a feed dog and its bar supported thereon, a bracket
to which said feed dog is pivoted and on which pivot it is adapted to slide, a bar
loosely connected at its upper end with said feed-dog bar and in like manner connected
at its lower end with a lever p², the bed of the machine, a chair, g³, pivoted on said
bed, said lever being fulcrumed on said chair, and an oscillating cam engaging the
other end of said lever to move it on its fulcrum in the chair and move the chair on
its pivot, combined and operating as and for the purposes set forth.
13. In a button attaching machine, a button raceway having the saddle strip o¹
over which the prongs of the wire loop or staple are adapted to depend, provided
with the slot o³ substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
14. In a button attaching machine, a clinching anvil provided with a guide slot or
slots for guiding and clinching the prongs of the staple, and a transverse guide eye
or slot ¹ for the cord or wire, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set
forth.
15. A process of attaching buttons consisting in forming a staple in the button eye,
forcing the prongs of the staple through the fabric to which the button is attached,
and tightly clinching the points of the staple a cord or wire on the opposite side of
the fabric from that on which the button itself is placed.
Datad this 6th day of October 1887