An Improved Machine for Forming Wire Clips or Staples and Attaching them to Labels, Parcel Carriers, or the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Forming Wire Clips or Staples and
Attaching them to Labels, Parcel Carriers, or the like.
We, WILLIAM TANK BURALL and HENRY CHARLES BURALL of Market
Place, Wisbech, Grocers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :--
A
This invention relates to an improvel machine for forming wire clips or staples
and at the same time attaching them to labels, or it may be to parcel carriers or
the like, and is of that class of machine in which an upper and a lower slide grip
and form the clip or staple between them. The upper lide cuts off, by in ans
of a knife, the required length of wire fed forward by a rocking feeder, which
latter is operated by a pivoted lever in gear with a cam mounted on a shaft
rotated by toothed wheels driven by the main or driving shaft of the machine.
The upper
slide is operated by means of rollers engaging with a cam mounted on
the upper or driving shaft, and the lower slide is operated by a roller engaging
a cam mounted on the other or lower shaft. A dog supports the wire whilst it is
being bent by the upper slide, the dog being held up by means of a pivoted arm
engaging with a pin, and liberated by a pin on the slide striking the said arm.
plunger in the slide is then caused to force down (by means of a can on driving
shaft) the bent wire and with it the dog until one end of the wire is forced through
the label. By this means the bent wire or staple is held in an upright and firm
position until the label is pierced, when the dog is pushed back to allow the
plunger to continue its descent and to drive the staple further through the label.
A cam on the lower shaft acts on a lever connected to a spindle so as to raise a
pivoted table which holds the label in position and prevents the wire tearing the
label. Another cam on this shaft causes the lower slide to be raised and this slide
carries two pivoted fingers or closers. One of these fingers as it is raised closes
the end of the wire passing through the label, on to the latter and thus fixes it
firmly thereto, whilst the other finger closes the other end of the wire around a
former thus forming the loop of the staple or clip. The pivots of these fingers
are made adjustable by screws to suit any thickness of label. The toothed wheels
on the two shafts are geared together by an intermediate or idle wheel, which is
provided with a cam for acting upon a horizontal rod or pusher by means of
which the clip or staple, when it is formed, pushed off the former, the said rod
or pusher being forced back again by means of a spring. The machine is thrown
into gear by means of a clutch on the driving shaft acted upon by a treadle and
is thrown out of gear at each revolution of the shaft by a cam mounted on the
lower shaft striking the lower end of the pivoted clutch lever or it may be made
continuous in its action.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings illustrating our invention
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the machine, the base or support of which is
omitted as it may be of ordinary construction, Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in
section, and Fig. 3 is a plan with certain parts omitted.
Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are details and Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12, are diagrams
illustrating the several stages in the formation of the clip or staple.
Similar letters of reference represent corresponding parts throughout the views.
A represents the frame of the machine and A' its base or support, the lower part
of which is not shown but which may be of any ordinary construction. B is the

page_text: upper slide supported by suitable' guides B and C is the lower slide carried by
the guides C'. Dis the driving shaft actuated by the band pulley D' and E is a
cam fixed thereto for operating the slide B by means of the rollers bb attached
to the said slide. The slide B has a plunger fitted so as to slide within it in
the recessed portion 62 as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5 which plunger is forced
down by means of a cam E' acting upon a roller attached to the said plunger,
and mounted upon the end of the shaft D. The plunger is raised again on the
upward stroke of the slide B through the medium of a pin c¹ fixed thereto engaging
a slot 2 formed in the said slide. The lower slide C is raised by means of a cam F
mounted on the lower shaft F carried by the framing A, this cam bearing against
a roller c carried by the slide C. The shaft F is driven from the shaft D through
the gear wheels a a' and a² and the pivoted lever is connected to the sliding
clutch so that by pulling down a chain d by means of a treadle below but not
shown, the machine is put into gear, whilst it is put out of gear at each revolution
by the aid of a cam f mounted on the shaft F, bearing for a portion of its revolution
against the lower end of the lever d.
The slide C is provided with fingers or closers G, G' pivoted at gul for bending
or closing up the ends of the wire to form the clip or staple. These fingers are
formed with curved edges which bear in their lower positions against rollers g², g³,
secured to the guides C¹ so that upon the fingers being raised their upper ends are
forced closer together, a spring g bringing them back into their former position
when they are again lowered. The vertical positions of the fingers may be
regulated to suit different thicknesses of label by means of the screws which
raise or lower sliding pieces 3 fitted in the slide C, and to which the pivots g g¹
are fixed. The dog i for supporting the wire is carried by a frame formed with
a slot on each side engaging with a guide pin 3. The lower back part of this frame
is connected to the framing A by a spring and to one side is fixed a curved
projection or cam which bears against a projection 5, when the frame is lowered,
and forces the dog back or away from the clip or staple. In Fig. 7 is shown the
arm k pivoted at to the frame A for holding up the dog during the operation
of bending the wire, a notch being formed therein which is kept in engagement
with a pin on the frame by a spring k. The arm k is likewise formed with
a projection against which strikes a piu b', fixed to the slide B, when the latter
is lowered. is a roller bearing against the back of the frame i¹ to prevent the
latter being drawn back until the open part of the frame, represented by the curved
dotted line Figs. 2 and 6 has reached the said roller. m Fig. 2 is the rod or
pusher for pushing the staple off the forner n by means of a cam o formed on the
inner surface of the wheel a' bearing against its end, and m² is a spring for forcing
it back again as soon as the cam is free of the said end.
p is another cam mounted on the shaft F and operating a lever fixed to a
spindle p. The outer end of this spindle carries the table q for holding the label
in position, the said table being raised by the action of the cam, and lowered by
means of a spring gas shewn in Fig. 8 which is a side view of the table. The
wires is fed forward by the feeder r pivoted to the framing at and connected to
the bell crank levert by a hook n (Fig. 3). A roller t' on the short arm of the
lever engages with a cam v mounted on the shaft F thus causing the lever to pull
forward the feeder, the latter being drawn back, when freed by the cam, by a
spring w, Fig. 1. is a spring for causing a grip on the top of the wire.
The operation of the machine is as follows.
The wire s proceeding from a coil or drum, which may be carried by the bar a³
fixed to the base A', is fed forward by the feeder r until it passes through the
guide and underneath the slide B into the position shown by the diagram,
Fig. 9 the length of wire requiring to be severed being regulated by the adjusting
screw limiting the backward motion of the feeder. In the position shewn in
Fig. 9 the central portion of the protruding wire is supported upon the dog i the
other portions passing through horizontal grooves formed in the bottom of the
slide B see Figs. 4 and 5.
The cam E forces down the lower roller band with

page_text: it the slide B, the dog i remaining fixed by means of the arm k, Fig. 7 engaging
the pin k³. This motion of the slide bends the two ends of the wire downward
into the position shown in the diagram Fig. 10 the proper length of wire having
meanwhile been cut off by the knife fixed to the lower end of the slide B.
The downward motion of the slide B causes the pin 4, Fig. 7 to strike against
the projection of the arm k thereby pushing back the latter out of gear with the
pin into the position shown in dotted lines and permitting the frame with the
dog i to descend with the slide B. As soon as the wire is bent into the form
shown in Fig. 10 the cam E' comes into play forcing down the roller and with
it the plunger aud dog i until the longer leg of the bent wire passes through or
pierces the end portion of the label or parcel carrier which is fed forward either by
hand or otherwise a certain distance beneath the said plunger the table g having
been meanwhile raised by means of the camp to support the said label or parcel
carrier. In consequence of the dog continuing to support the bent wire as the latter
pierces the label the said wire is kept in an upright position and prevented from
being bent or turned over, but as soon as the label is pierced the dog is free to be
removed clear of the wire by the open part of the frame reaching the roller /
thus permitting the said frame being drawn back by the spring j as shown in Fig. 2
this action being also assisted by the cam or projection coming into contact with
the projection.
The bent wire being thus free of the dog continues to be forced down by the
plunger until it rests upon the former n as shown in Fig. 11.
The cam F on the shaft F then raises by means of the roller c the lower slide
and with it the fingers or closers G, G', the former one of which, being a little
longer than the other one, first bears against the longer leg of the bent wire, and
by means of the roller g² fixed to the guide C, bends the said leg into the position
shown in Fig. 1. The continued ascent of the slide C causes the closer G to close
the bent leg on to the label so as to grip the latter tightly. The other closer G'
at the same time ascending closes the other leg of the bent wire on the former
as to over-lap the longer leg previously closed against the former.
50
This position of the parts is shown in the diagram Fig. 12. Thus the clip or
staple is formed and securely attached to the label, parcel carrier or other object to
which it is to be secured.
The cam o on the inner surface of the wheel a', now comes into action so as to
bear against the end of the rod or pusher m until the front end bears against and
pushes the clip or staple off the former n and when the cam o has passed out of
contact with the pusher, the latter is forced back again by the spring m.
After each operation the clutch d¹ is thrown out of gear with the pulley D' by
the cam bearing against the lower end of the pivoted lever d, or the machine may
be made to operate continuously if desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
(1) In a machine for forming wire clips or staples and attaching them to labels,
or parcel carriers the application of a slide B formed with a slot c², grooves, b
and a knife and provided with a plunger 6 having a pin c' and a roller ³ for
operating the same substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
(2) The combination with the above claimed slide, of the slide C travelling in
guides and carrying fingers or closers G, G', spring and adjusting
screws, and the fixed rollers g³ g substantially as described and for the purposes
specified.
(3) The improved means for operating the aforesaid slides and plunger
consisting of the shafts D and F geared together by the wheels a a' and a² and
provided respectively with the cams E, E and F acting upon the rollers bbb
and el substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
(4) The improved means for supporting the wire whilst it is being bent and

page_text: forced through the label or parcel carrier comprising the dog i carried by the
frame formed with a slot engaging a pin 3 the roller and the arm K pivoted
at k and formed with a notch forced into engagement with a pin k³ by a spring k
substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
(5) The improved means for disengaging the dog from the wire forming the clip
or staple comprising the cam or projection it fixed to the frame the projection
the spring and the projection formed on the arm k and upon which acts
a pin fixed to the slide B substantially as described and for the purposes
specified.
(6) The improved apparatus for supporting the label or parcel carrier consisting
of the table provided with a spring q' and operated by a camp lever p¹ and
spindle p² substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
(7) The improved means for feeding the wire comprising the feeder pivoted
at and provided with an adjusting screw and spring w, and operated by a cam v
roller levert, and hook u substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
(8) The improved apparatus for pushing the clip or staple off the former
consisting of the wheel a formed with a cam o the pusher m and spring m¹
substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
(9) The engaging and disengaging gear comprising the lever d, clutch d¹, cam f
and treadle chain d substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
(10) The improved machine for forming wire clips or staples and attaching
them to labels or parcel carriers, substantially as described and shown in the
drawings.
Dated this 6th day of September 1895.
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for the Applicants.