Improvements in Machines for Attaching Buttons.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Attaching Buttons.
1, RIDLEY JAMES URQUHART, of 57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, which has been communicated to me by Max Drake, of
48, Louisenstrasse, Berlin, N.W., in the German Empire, Captain, to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to machines for attaching buttons having eyeletted
shanks by means of wire clamps to cloth or other materials and consists in improve-
ments in the arrangement or construction of the same having for their object
to render the working of the machine independent of or not influenced by the
irregularity of the buttons.
The improved machine or apparatus consists of a frame with two standards or
cheeks on a base plate, a lever hereinafter called the main lever fulcrumed on
the standards and moving between them with the attachments hereinafter described,
and an excentric or cam with pivots mounted on the standards and fitted with a
handle for operating the same. The main lever is fulcrumed near to the back
end of the frame and its front end or head held up by a spring; it is slit for its
entire length on its upper side, which is an inclined position. Into the slit the
shanks of the buttons are inserted and the wire clamps are passed through the
eyelet of the shanks, the heads of the buttons resting and sliding on the top of
the lever. The head of the lever is formed with a rising part consisting of two
side plates with a cross bar extending to the outside of the standards. Between
the side plates a lever hereinafter called finger lever is mounted on pivots, the
lower end forming a curved finger which is pressed down on the slide in front of
the buttons by a spring attached to the head. On this lever is pivotted a second
lever formed at its lower end of a curved spring and hereinafter called spring
lever, the upper end of which is pushed from the upper end of the finger lever
by a spring, so that the lower curved spring end rests against the underside of the
curved finger when the main lever and excentric are in their midpositions. In
this position the finger as stated rests on the main lever in front of the buttons,
and the spring lever is removed from them.
When the handle of the excentric is turned backwards a cam formed on the
excentric pushes the upper end of the finger lever back and releases the first
button, which slides down to the front on to a horizontal slit plate on the head
with a stop at the end of the slit. At the same time the upper end of the spring
lever encounters a cross rail between the standards, which turns it so that the
curved spring end seizes over the second button and prevents it following the
first. By pulling the handle of the excentric forward the levers first return to
the previous positions, the curved finger is pressed on the main lever in front of
the previously second button and the spring lever releases it, so that the row

page_text: of buttons can slide forward against the curved finger. By pulling the handle
further the excentric depresses the main lever and two vertical levers fulcrumed
on the extensions of the cross bar of the head of the main lever encounter with
their upper ends, which are formed inclined or have inclined spring blades attached
to them, the tops of the standards and their lower ends are pushed inwards thereby
and force inwards two opposite wedge shaped pins, which slide in the head of the
main lever and are ordinarily held pushed outwards by springs. The ends of
the pins lift up the head of the button and thereby pull the wire clamp or staple
pushed through its eyeletted shank tightly against the underside of the slit end-
plate of the head, so that as the excentric further depresses the main lever, the
wire staple is pressed through the material to which the buttons are to be
attached and into the grooves of a small anvil underneath the head, which grooves
are formed in the usual way and close the clamp or staple upon the material.
The heads of the buttons are thus not subjected to pressure and irregularities in
the buttons do not affect the action of the machine.
I, RIDLEY JAMES URQUIART, of 57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, which has been communicated to me by Max Drake, of
48, Louisenstrasse, Berlin, N.W., in the German Empire, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to machines for attaching buttons having eyeletted
shanks by means of wire clamps to cloth or other materials and consists in improve-
ments in the arrangement or construction of the same having for their object
to render the working of the machine independent of or not influenced by the
irregularity of the buttons.
On the drawing appended hereunto a new machine is shewn as an instance how
my improvements may be carried out, Figures 1 to 3 shewing longitudinal sections
of the machine with the working parts in different positions, and Figures 4 and 5
end views of the working head, partly sectioned on Figure 5 to show the fixing
mechanism for the buttons.
The improved machine or apparatus consists of a frame with two standards or
cheeks A on a base plate A, a lever C hereinafter called the main lever fulcrumed
on the standards A¹ and moving between them with the attachments hereinafter
.. described, and an excentric or cam B. with pivots mounted on the standards A'
and fitted with a handle b for operating the same. The main lever C is fulcrumed
near to the back end of the frame and its front end or head is held up by a
spring c; it is slit for its entire length on its upper side, which is an inclined
position. Into the slit the shanks of the buttons are inserted and the wire clamps
are passed through the eyelet of the shanks, so that the heads of the buttons
rest and slide freely on the top of the lever and the shanks with wire clamps hang

page_text: down underneath the lever. The head of the lever is formed with a rising part
consisting of two side plates with a cross bar C₁ extending to the outside of the
standards A. Between the side plates a lever 1 hereinafter called finger lever
is mounted on pivots, the lower end of the lever forming a curved finger which is
pressed down on the slide in front of the buttons by a spring X attached to the
lever 1 and pressing against the cross bar C¹. On this lever is pivoted a second
lever d formed at its lower end of a curved spring F and hereinafter called spring
lever, the upper end of which is pushed from the upper end of the finger lever D
by a spring, so that the lower curved spring end rests against the underside of
the curved finger when the main lever and excentric are in their midpositions,
as shewn on Figure 1. In this position the finger of lever D as stated rests on
the main lever in front of the buttons, and the spring lever D is removed from
them.
When the handle of the excentric B is turned backwards into the position
shewn on Figure 2, a cam 62 formed on the excentric pushes the upper end of the
finger lever D back and releases the first button, which slides down to the front
on to a horizontal slit plate k at the head of the lever with a stop at the end of
the slit preferably formed of a light spring. At the same time the upper end
of the spring lever d encounters a cross rail a¹ between the standards A which
turns it so that the curved spring end F seizes over the second button and prevents
it following the first. By pulling the handle of the excentric forward the levers
first return to the previous positions, the curved finger is pressed on the main
lever in front of the previously second button and the spring lever releases it,
so that the row of buttons can slide forward against the curved finger. By pulling
the handle further into the position shewn on Figure 3 the excentric B depresses
the main lever C and two vertical levers G fulcrumed on the extensions of the
cross bar C¹ of the head of the main lever C encounter with their upper ends g,
which are formed inclined or have inclined spring blades g₁ attached to them,
the tops of the standards A' and their lower ends are pushed inwards thereby
and force inwards two opposite wedge shaped pins or clips 4, which slide in
the head of the main lever C and are ordinarily held pushed outwards by springs
surrounding them. The wedge shaped ends of the pins lift up the head of the
button and thereby pull the wire clamp or staple pushed through its eyeletted
shank tightly against the underside of the slit endplate k of the head, so that as
the excentric further depresses the main lever, the wire staple is pressed through
the material to which the button are attached and into the grooves of a small
anvil a underneath the head, which grooves are formed in the usual way and close
the clamp or staple upon the material. The heads of the buttons are thus not
subjected to pressure and irregularities in the buttons do not affect the action of
the machine.
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
1 claim is :-
1. In machines for fixing buttons with eyelet shanks to materials by means
of wire clamps the arrangement of a main lever C actuated by a string c and an
excentric B in such a manner, that when the excentric is turned in one direction
a finger arresting the first button is lifted off the main lever so that the button
can slide into the working position, and when the excentric is turned into the
opposite direction, it depresses the head of the main lever and thereby fixes the
wire clamp in the material, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the drawings.
2. In machines for fixing buttons with eyelet shanks to materials by means of
wire clamps the arrangement of two levers G at the head of the main lever C,
the upper ends of which levers G extend with inclines over the standards A¹ of
the frame and the lower ends of which act on wedge shaped pins or their equiva-

page_text: lents, so that by depressing the head of the main lever the wedges are pushed
inwards and hold the button while the clamp is forced through material and closed.
3. The combination of the two improvements specified in the two preceding
claims in one machine.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester,
Harrington Chambers, 24, North John Street, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.