Improvements in Button Setting Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec.,
1899
.
ALL
1000
5th D
1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Button Setting Machines.
I, ERNST BERNING, Partner of the Firm of Gustav Rafflenbeul, of Schwelm,
Westfalia, Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
In the various button setting machines, which have been brought out hitherto,
for instance those of the British Patents No. 24174/1893 and No. 11877/1898,
the buttons coming from the chute or button race are taken up by a mech-
anism, which transports them from the race sideways to the clamping station,
at the same time turning them during this transportation by 90 degrees or
turning them at the end of the transport. Special means having to be provided
for carrying out this transportation and it of course requires a certain amount of
time, which might be spared, if it were possible to conduct the button from
the chute direct to the clamping place. Now it is the object of my present in-
vention to produce a device for button setting machines, which allows to carry
out this idea and by means of which the button coming from the button race
or chute is led direct to the clamping place and there only needs turning by
90 degrees, so as to bring the eye in a horizontal position. Means being also
provided to control the buttons, so that always only one at a time is allowed to
reach the clamping place and to hold it fast there until the clamping has been
completed.
On the accompanying drawing the main parts of the invention are shown in
an enlarged scale to explain its working.
Figure 1 is a side view of the controlling, clamping and turning device;
Figure 2 shows the same parts in front view partly in section;
Figure 3 is a similar view indicating the beginning of the turning of the
button;
Figure 4 shows the button turned 90 degrees and in place for being clamped
fast;
Figure 5 is a side view similar to Figure 1, the clamping "hammer" pressed
down and holding the button fast and the controlling device turned so much,
that the lowest button in the chute could pass underneath the edge of the con-
trolling disc and take the position shown in this figure with regard to the con-
trolling disc:
Figure 6 is a view seen at right angle to Figure 5 from the left side.
The buttons coming from a receptacle are fed by well known means, usel
with the machines named above, into the button race A and slide down therein
until they bear against the controlling disc B. here stopped by the edge C of this
disc, which is held by a pin D on the frame of the machine, so that it can
oscillate to and fro on that pin.
Alongside of the button race is held movably on a pin E a rocking lever F
which is caused to oscillate on the bolt E by the part moving up and down the
ordinary feeding element used in these machines or by some other suitable gear
not shown on the drawing, which however does not form part of this patent,"

page_text: At the front end of this lever F is fixed the clamping head or clamping
hammer G of peculiar shape at its bottom side, so that it can reach over the
button head and press it down firmly into the button holder H at the end of
and a little below the button race, and so that the fastening pin can be bent in
the hammer G to form an eye for fixing the button to the stock, as will be best
seen from Figures 4 and 6.
The button, which has been allowed to pass the controlling disk D, sliding
down the short part of the chute below the disk, falls directly into the button
holder H, as seen from Figure 2, but with its eye hanging downwards and
partly resting on the edge of the holder, partly on the edge of a tongue I; it
therefore requires turning by 90 degrees. This is done by raising the
tongue I in turning it with the bolt K, to which it is fixed. This bolt is caused
to oscillate by the up and down motion of the feeding apparatus mentioned above,
and from Figures 2, 3 and 4 it will be seen, that when the tongue I is going
upwards it causes the button to fall with its head into the holder H; its eye
then lying horizontally upon the edge of the holder. This turning being done,
the hammer G goes down and clamps the button fast, as shown by Figure 6, so
that now the fixing to the stock can be done in the usual manner and by the same
means used in button setting machines known. namely by the pin holder L with
the pin ram contained therein going upwards and pressing the fastening pin
through the leather and the button eye and bending it round.
Dated this 16th day of December 1899
Improvements in Button Setting Machines.
I, ERNST BERNING, Partner of the Firm of Gustav Rafflenbeul, of Schwelm,
Westfalia, Germany, 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:―
In the various button setting machines, which have been brought out hitherto,
for instance those of the British Patents No. 24174/1893 and No. 11877/1898,
the buttons coming from the chute or button race are taken up by a mech-
anism, which transports them from the race sideways to the clamping station,
at the same time turning them during this transportation by 90 degrees or
turning them at the end of the transport. Special means having to be provided
for carrying out this transportation and it of course requires a certain amount of
time, which might be spared, if it were possible to conduct the button from
the chute direct to the clamping place. Now it is the object of my present in-
vention to produce a device for button setting machines, which allows to carry
out this idea and by means of which the button coming from the button race
or chute is led direct to the clamping place and there only needs turning by
90 degrees, so as to bring the eye in a horizontal position. Means being also
provided to control the buttons, so that always only one at a time is allowed to
reach the clamping place and to hold it fast there until the clamping has been
completed,

page_text: On the accompanying drawings those parts of a button setting machine are
shown in various views, which comprise the new arrangement, in different work-
ing positions.
Figure 1 is a side view of the controlling, clamping and turning device;
Figure 1 is a plan of Figure 1 the belcrank lever partly broken off;
Figure 2 shows the same parts in front view partly in section:
Figure 3 is a similar view indicating the beginning of the turning of the
button;
Figure 3 is a similar view showing the turning plate so much raised that
the button in falling thereon is turned automatically;
Figure 4 shows the button turned 90 degrees and in place for being clamped
fast;
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1, the clamping hammer pressed
down and holding the button fast and the controlling device turned so much,
that the lowest button in the button race could pass underneath the edge of the
controlling disc and take the position shown in this figure with regard to the con-
trolling disc;
Figure 6 is a view at right angle to Figure 5, seen from the left side.
Figures 1 to 6 are drawn on an enlarged scale.
Figure 7 is a front view of the upper part of the machine;"
Figure 8 is a side view of the same with the clamping hammer raised up and
seen from the left side of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a similar view with the clamping hammer pressed down;
Figure 10 is a side view of the machine seen from the right side of Figure 7;
Figure 11 is a vertical section of Figure 10 along line I--I.
In the following description I limit myself to describe and mention those parts
of the machine, which are old and do not form part of the present invention only
so far as they will be necessary for the general understanding.
The buttons are placed in a receptacle I and and from this they are fed by the
feed slide 2 into the button race 3 and slide down therein until they hear against
the controlling disc 4. Here they are stopped in their downward motion by
the edge 5 of disc 4 which is held by a pin 6 on the frame of the machine, so
that it can oscillate to and fro on that pin.
A covering plate 7 prevents the buttons from falling out at the top. Allong-
side and parallel to the button race is held movably on a pin 8 a rocking bell-
crank lever 9, which is caused to oscillate on the pin 8 when the crosshead 10
is moved up and down by the rod 11. This rod, as will be remembered, goes
down in the interior of the standard 12 of the machine and at its lower end is
connected to a treadle, so that when this treadle is set in motion the crosshead 10
goes up and down and with it the feed slide 2 and the anvil rod in the interior
of the pin holder 13, into which the fastening pins are fed by the pin race 14
of known construction. These parts as well as the pin controlling arrange-
ment 15 shown in Figures 10 and 11 are not new.
I will now proceed to explain how the buttons are brought down to the clamp-
ing place and how they are put in proper position there for the fixing to the
shoes or boots:
As will be seen from Figure 1 the lowest button in the button race 3 bears
against the edge 5 of the controlling dise 4 while the upper arm of the rocking
lever 9 is in its raised position.
In this position of the rocking lever 9 its lowest end of the crooked part 9* is
pulled against a roller 16 by a spiral spring 17, fixed with one end to said lever
and by the other to the machine frame (Figures 8 and 9). Near the front end
of the horizontal arm of the rocking lever 9 is fixed a pin 18, which reaches into
the angleshaped slot 20 of the controlling disc 4, so that when the crosshead 10
and with it the roller 16 is pushed upward by the treadle acting upon the
rod 11, the controlling disc is brought from the position of Figure 1 into that
shown in Figure 5, and by this movement the disc has allowed the lowest

page_text: button to pass underneath the edge 5 and to slide into the recess 5°, where it
is now held, ready to slip down the race by the next turning of the disc when the
crosshead 10 goes down again thereby turning the lever 9 so that its upper arm
rises and brings back the disc from the position of Figure 5 into that of Figure 1.
It will be observed that in thus turning in the direction of the finger of a clock
the left corner of the edge 5ª pushes the button out of the recess 5 and down
the race, the next one being again stopped by the edge 5.
At the end of the button race in the face of the machine I arrange a trough-
like projection 21 closed in front and just long enough to receive a button and
having its outer right edge exactly in a line with the left inner edge of the button
race. At the right side of this trough I arrange a plate 22 touching the outer
side of it only in the front part by a little projection 22", but leaving towards
the rear an opening wide and long enough for the eye of the buttons to pass
through, so that when the button leaves the race it will place itself partly on
the edge of the trough and partly on the plate 22 as shown in Fig. 2.
The plate 22 is fixed at its right end to a bolt 23, carried in ears 24 at the side
of the machine frame. A spiral spring 23 wound round the bolt 23 between
the ears 24 tends to press the left side of the plate downwards, while a pin 25°
limits this downward pressure, so that the upper edge of the plate will normally
be in a level with the edge of the trough 21 (Fig. 2).
At the rear end of the bolt 23 is a thumb 25 projecting sideways, and inside
of it rises a vertical bar 26 fixed at its lower end to the crosshead 10 and being
reduced in width at its upper end so that this end can pass through between the
thumb 25 and the side of the frame, while the shoulder 27, formed by this re-
duction, will strike against the thumb, when the bar is pushed upwards and
thus will cause the bolt 23 to be turned at a certain angle, thereby turning and
raising also the plate 22 as indicated in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6.
In censequence of this turning of the plate 22 the button will be raised at one
side, its head will fall into the trough and its eye will so be placed horizontally
in proper position for the fastening pin to pass through the eye when the button
is being fixed to the shoe.
Figure 3 shows a variation of the arrangement described with regard to the
position of the plate 22 and the bolt 23. Here, as will be seen. the plate 22 lies
higher than the edge of the trough, so much that there will be just sufficient
room between the lower surface of the plate and the edge of the trough for the
eye of the button to place itself between the two when lying horizontal. This
arrangement has however the advantage that the button leaving the button race
as soon as it comes to lie upon the plate with one side only, having no support
on the edge of the trough, will turn over automatically, as indicated in
Figure 3, and only in the exeptional cases, where this does not happen, the
turning of the plate 22 will have to achieve this action.
The button thus brought in proper position must be held fast for the following
fastening it to the shoe, and this is done by the clamping hammer 28. This
hammer is fixed at the front end of the lever 9; its lower side is provided with
a recess 29 and is suitably shaped so that it can grasp the button and hold it in
place when it is pressed down upon it, as shown in Figure 6, and at the side
where the lower face of the clamping hammer presses upon the eye of the button
it is provided with the concave causing the pin thrust up against it to be bent
round so as to form a hook round the eve of the button after having gone through
the leather and thus fixing the button firmly and securely to the shoe.
This construction of the hammer with the cavity or concave 28ª is the same as
is used in all button setting machines of this class; it presents nothing new in
itself, neither in its design nor in its action. It will be found in the English
Specification No. 24174/93 Figure 8: No. 11877/98 Figure 10 and No. 73/93
Figure 4, where it is shown in connection with a pair of tongs for the same pur-
pose. It therefore does not form part of the present invention.

page_text: 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/ In a button setting machine, in combination with a trough 21 in front of
the machine frame immediately below the button race 3, a plate 22 connected
to a rocking bolt 23 carried in ears 24 of the frame, a spiral spring 23 wound
round said bolt and fixed with one end to the same and with the other end to the
machine frame and thus tending to turn the bolt in one direction, a pin 25
fixing said plate 22 in such a position that its upper surface stands in a
level with the upper edge of the trough 21, a thumb 25 at the rear end of the
bolt 23, a vertical bar 26 guided between the rear end of the bolt 23 and the
machine frame, said bar being reduced at its upper end to form a shoulder 27,
its lower end being fixed to the crosshead 10 going up and down with the same
thereby causing the oscillation of the bolt 23 and the plate 22 as described and
illustrated and for the purpose set forth.
2/ In a button setting machine as specified in Claim One in combination with
the trough 21, a clamping hammer 28 fixed to a bellcrank lever 9 and having
its lower face so shaped that it can hold the button fast in the trough
and cause the fixing pin to form a hook round the eye of the button for fixing
the same to the leather, a roller 16 so connected to the crosshead 10 that it hears
against the crooked lower end of the lever 9 thereby causing the lever to oscillate
round the pin 8 when the crosshead is moved up and down as described and
illustrated and for the purpose set forth.
3/ In a button setting machine in combination with the button race 3, a
trough 21 in front of the machine frame immediately below the button race, a
rocking lever 9, a controlling disc 4 held movably on a pin 6 so as to stand
centrally over the button race, an angle shaped slot 20 in said disc and a pin 18
on lever 9 engaging with the disc 4 in slot 20, the whole as described and illus-
trated and for the purpose set forth.
Dated thie 15th day of September 1900