Improvements in Apparatus for Dishing the Metallic Backs of Buttons and for Applying and Clenching Metallic Tags or Eyelets thereto.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept.. 1890-Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Dishing the Metallic Backs of
Buttons and for Applying and Clenching Metallic Tags or Eyelets
thereto.
1. HEINRICH ZÜNDORF of 40 Zollstrasse, Barmen-Rittershausen, Rhenish Prussia, in
the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, 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 and accompanying drawings :-
:-
My said invention relates to apparatus for dishing the metallic backs of buttons
and for inserting and clenching thereto the metallic eyelets for attaching or sewing on
the buttons as is well understood. The apparatus perform three operations viz. cutting
off and forming che eyelets, dishing the button backs and inserting and clenching the
eyelets.
The accompanying three sheets of drawings fully illustrate the invention and the
mode of carrying the same into practical effect.
In Sheet 1 of the drawings:-Fig. 1 is a vertical cross section of the machine at the
line XX Fig. 3 (Sheet 3). Figs. 1° and 1° represent the button back and eyelet in
different stages of manufacture. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the eyelet in position
and ready for the button back. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the mechanism for carrying
round the eyelet carrier.
In Sheet 2 of the drawings:-Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus
at the line Y Y Fig. 3 (Sheet 3). Fig. 9 is a detail view of the mechanism for applying
the button back to the eyelet.
In Sheet 3 of the drawings:-Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus with a portion
of the top gear removed. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of a portion of the
mechanism for cutting off, bending and feeding the eyelets. Fig. 8 is a plan view of
the detail view shown in Fig. 9 (Sheet 2).
To give a general idea of the working of the machine I may mention that there is
a central disc-carrier B which is plainly seen in Fig. 3 the said disc B having an
intermittent rotating motion in the direction of the arrow. There are six small
recesses in the periphery of this disc numbered respectively 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. These
recesses have a little pin d (Fig. 4) for carrying the eyelets. As the disc B revolves
flush with the table A it will be seen that once an eyelet has been placed on the pin
it cannot escape through the disc B revolves because it is confined by the edge of the
space in which the plate lies. The eyelets are made from a continuous length of wire O
which is fed by revolving rollers W. W. to a cutting off appliance, which will be hereafter
described. The short portion cut off is bent into the loop shape shown at I Fig. 1b
and at Fig. 4 and then pushed by the pusher V straight on to the pin d in one of the
recesses in the disc B when such recess stands in the position marked I (Fig. 3).
The disc B then revolves carrying the eyelet to the position marked 2 the limbs of the
eyelet standing out of the recess as in Fig. 4. Now comes the application of the
dished button back c. The back is made from a plain flat disc of thin sheet metal
which appears at the top in the series of views marked Fig. 1. This flat disc is laid
on the hollow matrix 6 (see Fig. 3). A stamp t then falls upon it and stamps it into
the dished or cup shape shown in the two lower views in Fig. 1ª. At the same time
a punch 61 projecting from the bottom of the matrix punches the oblong hole which
appears in the lowest view in Fig. 1. The stamp & then rises taking with it the
back c.
The stamp t. then turns through the arc dotted in Fig. 3 till the button
back is held exactly over the upwardly projecting limbs of the eyelet. The
stamp t again rises and a fence wi displaces the button back which drops over
the limbs of the eyelet, as shown at II Fig. 1. The disc B then makes another
sixth of a revolution into position 3 and brings the eyelet and button back beneath.

page_text: a wedge shaped clenching ram D which falls between the crossed limbs of the
eyelet and bends them into the position shown at III Fig. 1.
Again the
disc B revolves bringing the eyelet and back into position 4 when a second and final
clenching ram F falls and completes the clenching as at IV Fig. 1. The next
revolution of the disc Binto position 5 brings the button back against the doffing
fence N by which the eyelet and button back is pushed off the pin & and drops down
a hole o into a suitable receptacle. At position 6 the recess is empty and the next
movement fetches it to position 1 where a fresh eyelet loop is supplied and the
operation repeated as described. It may be mentioned that the slide marked e. i.
which appears at the front of Fig. 3 plays no part generally in the operation just
described but is sometimes applied as a precautionary detail for reasons which I will
hereafter explain.
.
A
Having now given a sketch of the cycle of operations I will now proceed to describe
the mechanism in detail whereby the various movements are obtained. The revolving
disc B is carried on a sleeve a and is turned to fit into a circular recess in the table A
with which it lies flush. The disc is kept down by a coiled spring n which presses on
a shoulder at the top of the bearing and on a collar at the foot of the sleeve a. On
the sleeve a. is a ratchet wheels having six ratchet teeth corresponding to the six
recesses in the disc B. A ratchet pawl k pressed in gear by a spring is mounted
on a lever kept normally in the dotted position by a spring f. A tappet u on the
shaft W strikes the lever at each revolution and throws it into the position in full
lines causing the ratchet wheel and consequently the sleeve and disc B to revolve one
sixth of a revolution at each revolution of the shaft W. The lever his pressed by the
spring fagainst a stop attached to the under side of the table A. Through the
centre of the sleeve a there passes a spindle J the said spindle being continued up
through the centre of a cylinder C which is supported from the table by a bracket G.
This spindle carries a weight H and from the weight H there depend the clenching
rams D. F. The bottom end of the spindle J is connected by a spring J³ and
adjustable link T to a stay T extending between the side. frames of the machine.
catch J¹ secured to the spindle J lies opposite to a revolving tappet J2 on the shaft W
so that at each revolution of the shaft W the spindle J together with the weight H
and clenching rams D. F. are raised and allowed to fall. By means of an adjustable
stop S¹ the fall can be regulated to the required extent. In order to hold the
intermittently revolving disc B securely during each stoppage I provide a locking
bar the top end of which enters a hole in the disc when the disc is at rest the locking
bar being withdrawn when the disc is about to be moved. The foot of the locking barg
rests on a tappet q¹ the depressions and elevations on which are so spaced that the
locking bar is raised as soon as the disc stops and drops as soon as the disc is to move.
The shaft W receives motion from a belt driving the fast pulley R of the fast and
loose pullies shown. The herein before referred to stamp t is carried on a lever t¹ at
the lower end of a spindle g provided with a weight g at the top as shown. The
spindle g is carried in a long bearing formed in the cylinder C and is capable of being
slid up and down in the said bearing and also of rotating, the object of the rotation
being to bring the stamp first over the matrix b and then over the recess occupying
the position marked 2. (Fig. 3). This rocking motion is obtained from a lever r
keyed by a pin n² to the spindle g the point of the pin n³ entering a groove n¹ in the
spindle so that while the lever may rotate the spindle g the said spindle can also
slide up and down through the boss of the lever. The end of the lever r is connected
by a link to a double lever l 12 pivotted at e¹ on a bracket e. The lower end 1 of
the double lever is connected to a sliding stud sliding in a bracket P¹. The nose
of the stud 13 is held by a spring 1 in contact with a cam shaped race in the wheel E
so that the stud 13 is moved to and fro at the proper intervals, thereby rocking the
double lever and spindle g so that at the proper times the stamp t is moved from
over the matrix b to over the eyelet in the periphery of the disc B as described. I
have now to show how the stamp t is allowed to fall and again raised. A secondary
spindle or prop m² is supported from the cylinder C in brackets m. m. On the
spindle m³ I fix a stop m². The spindle m¹ slides in its bearings m. m and when it is

page_text: itself supported by the lever i in its turn supports the weight g¹ and consequently the
spindle g and stamp t. In the drawing the spindle and stamp are represented at their
highest point. The lever i is of a bell-crank formation the lower arm being
connected to a horizontally sliding stud P sliding in the bracket P¹ and with its nose
resting against a cam face P2 formed on the inner edge of the wheel E. The cam
face P² is formed with abrupt inclined steps clearly shown in Fig. 3 so that at the
proper intervals the support of the lever i is abruptly withdrawn from beneath the
stop m² and the stamp t with its spindle and weight fall and stamp and punch the flat
disc c into the dished or cup shape already referred to as comprising the button back.
The cam face P² is so shaped that after the stamping blow is delivered the lever i
raises the stamp t with the adhering button back so as to clear the matrix b whereupon
the double lever 12 moves the lever r and slews the stamp round into the position
shown in dotted lines at Fig. 2. Then another change in the cam face P' causes the
lever to lift the stamp t to its full height dropping the button back over the eyelet
limbs as it rises, by means of the doffing fence wi. On being so lifted the link !
again slews the stamp back to the position shown in Fig. 2, ready to descend and
stamp and punch the next button back placed over the matrix. It will be understood
that the little flat discs to compose the button backs are placed by hand over the
matrix b.
It now remains to treat of the mechanism for cutting off and feeding the eyelets.
This portion of the apparatus is operated partly from the main shaft W and partly
from the secondary shaft W. a which is driven by a band from the shaft W by means of
pulleys V₁ V. A pulley V transmits motion by a band to a pulley W' on the spindle
of one of the wire feed roller W the two spindles being geared by wheels W* W².
The wire o' is thus fed between the rollers W W against a stop and beneath an anvil
rod Q. A cutters running in slides ss and attached to or forming part of the bar S
is raised by a cam s on the shaft W lifting the bar S by the catch s. The cutter
travels in a guide s³, a spring fe keeping the cutter against the part P'. A circular
portion of the cutter bends the cut off piece of wire over the anvil into a staple
shape as shown in dotted lines and two side presses U U carried by arms KL
advance and bend the limbs across each other into the loop shape shown in Fig. 1'.
The parts are mounted on a bracket P. The arms K L are pivotted at M M' and have
tails K' L, engaging in such a manner that the pressure of a spring K³ tends to keep
them apart. They are brought together by a cam L2 on the shaft W acting on the
prolongation L³. The cam overpowering the spring and causing the bending side
presses to converge in the direction of the arrows Fig. 6. When the eyelet loop has
been thus formed it is pushed along the rod Q by the pusher sleeve V and placed over
the pin d in the recess in the disc B which happens to be opposite the pusher at the
time.
The rod Q is exactly opposite to the pin d so that the eyelets slides from the rod
and is transferred to the pin d the rod Q acting as a guide. The pusher V projects
from the guide V and slides in the part P₁ and is actuated by the sliding bracket' -72.
A pin do projecting from the part VI engages with a slot si in the sliding bracket V.2
the traverse in the slot being due to the angular position of the pusher V. The
bracket V2 slides on a bolt which occupies a slot in the bracket as clearly shown in
Fig. and at the end of the bracket V is a bowl ro which occupies a cam groove El
in the wheel E.
The cam groove El is so formed as to push in the bracket V2 at the times
when the newly formed eyelet has to be carried to the disc B, and to draw it
out again when the parts have to be retired previous to the cutting off and formation
of a fresh eyelet. The cam surfaces, cams, and tappets are all so arranged that the
requisite movements dwells and operations of the respective parts follow each other at
the required intervals to bring about the results clearly set forth in the foregoing
Specification.
In some
cases I might dispense with the matrix b and
the dished and punched button backs in a separate machine.
place the backs so previously prepared, upon the limbs of the
stamp t and produce
In such a case I would
eyelets by hand at the

page_text: position marked 2. Lest such hand work should accidentally derange the perpen-
dicularity of the projecting eyelet limbs or set the back a little to one side I provide
the spring fork ei mounted on a slide e h moving in guides ei and operated by a
lever centered at ch² and operated by a tappet g a on the side of the wheel E.
When the tappet operates the lever ch the spring fork ei advances and by touching
one side or the other of the dished back straightens the button back on the limbs so
that there is no danger of its being clenched away. This straightening apparatus
might however be used in conjunction with the complete apparatus described and
shown. The spring fork is withdrawn before the disc B makes the next movement.
By means of the improved apparatus hereinbefore described it will be seen that all that
is required is to keep the matrix properly supplied with the flat discs from which the
button backs are formed, the whole of the other operations being automatic. I might
in conjunction with this apparatus apply feeding mechanism for automatically feeding
the said flat discs or blanks to the matrix b.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1) The general arrangement construction and combination of mechanism for
dishing the metallic backs of buttons and for inserting and clenching metallic eyelets
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
(2) In an apparatus of the indicated description the intermittently revolving disc B
driven by a ratchet and having recesses for receiving and carrying round the eyelets
and button backs, in combination with the described means for clenching the said
eyelets and for doffing the button backs substantially as described and shown.
(3) In apparatus of the indicated nature, the described mechanism for cutting off
and forming the eyelets and for feeding the same to the revolving carrier disc
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
(4) The mechanism herein before described for dishing and punching the button
back blanks and for placing the same when so dished and punched over the limbs of
the eyelet substantially as described and shown.
(5) The sliding spring fork for adjusting the eyelets and button backs previous to
the clenching operations, mounted arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown.
Dated this 19th day of September 189n
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.