Improvements in Machines for the Manufacture of Boot and Shoe Lace Fasteners.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1894
COMI MIM
Improvements in Machines for the Manufacture of Boot and
Shoe Lace Fasteners.
I AUGUST EDUARD MÜLLER of Georgstrasse 5, Köln, Rhenish Prussia, Germany
Merchant 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 :-
The machines which have been built hitherto for making boot and shoe lace
fasteners or the like articles having a top and bottom flange, a concentric and an
excentric neck, are generally working with rotary cutters or with rotary cutters
in combination with chisels or with chisels alone, turning round the working
piece.
The drawbacks connected with the employment of rotary cutters have induced
me to construct the machine represented on the accompanying drawings, which
acts automatically like a lathe with ordinary chisels and which, by its peculiar
construction secures a great efficiency. An ordinary workman is enabled to
attend to a large number of single machines.
I construct my new machine in two variations being both based on the same
system of a lathe with ordinary chisels and distinguishing themselves only in the
arrangement of advancing the wire from which the shoe lace fasteners are
cut off.
In the first case the wire is fed in one long piece automatically in a horizontal
position by means of a weight pulling a cord to which the wire or blank is attached
in the other case the wire is arranged vertically in several short pieces which fall
by their own gravity and a special feeding apparatus is provided for in place of
the weight. Another distinguishing feature of the two variations consists in the
number of pieces produced at the same time by the machines, as the first one is a
single acting machine making one piece only at a time, whilst the other is a double
acting machine making two lace fasteners at a time in each set of tools arranged
on one frame. I shall describe at first the single acting machine and then the
double acting one.
On the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a plan of the single acting machine ;
Figure 2 is an elevation of the same;
Figure 3 is a side view, seen from the left side of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a section along line I-I;
Figures 5-9 are details of construction showing the mechanism for turning the
excentric part of the fastener and for holding the wire;
Figure 10 shows the chisels used in an enlarged scale ;
Figures 11, 114, 12, 12 show in two examples the manner of working of the
chisel turning the excentric part;
Figure 13 is a front view of the double acting machine;
Figure 14 is a side view of the same;
Figure 15 is a vertical section along line II-II;
Figure 16 is a plan partly in section;
Figure 17 shows the working of the double sets of chisels ;
Figures 18-21 show the mechanism for driving the transporting shaft;
Figures 22, 23 and 24 show the arrangement for limiting the advance of
the wire.
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page_text: the legs carrying the frame 2 in which are arranged all the working parts of the
machine. The pulley 3 set in motion by any head gear moves the shaft 4, to
which are keyed the wheels 5 and 6. The small wheel 6 turns a wheel 7 on a
spindle 8 and the wheel 5 moves by means of the intermediate gearing 9, 10 a
spur wheel 11 on a hollow spindle 12, which forms one piece with the wheel and is
carried in a bracket 13. The spindle 12 carries in its interior the wire serving as a
blank for the shoe lace fastener to be made. At its front end it is provided with
a flange 14 (Fig. 7 and 8) being provided with a dove tailed groove running across
diametrically; in it is carried the head 15, which is provided with the device for
holding fast the wire and for varying its position with regard to the geometrical
axis of the spindle 12. For this purpose it is provided with a round projecting
piece 16, having three longitudinal slots, into which are laid keys 17 held on
pins 18, so that the keys can turn in a radial direction. The outer sides of the
keys 17 stand a little oblique to the edge of the piece 16; a ring 19 is put over
the piece 16 and the keys 17, which can be shifted axially, and when thus shifted
backwards or upwards, presses the front edge of the keys 17 towards the centre,
holding the wire and giving it free when the ring is pushed backwards; in this
case springs 20 are arranged to open the keys immediately. The shifting of the
ring is done by means of a lever 21, which is governed by a disk 22, having pro-
jections 22, this disk is keyed to a spindle 23 carried in brackets 24, which
receives its motion by means of bevil wheels 25, on a shaft 26 running along in
front of the machine and being driven by similar bevil wheels 27 from the shaft 8.
I shall now explain how the concentric and excentric shaping of the wire is done:
Let us suppose the wire be held fast by the keys 17, so that it turns quickly round
with the spindle, making about 1200 to 1500 revolutions per minute.
For receiving an excentric part the wire must be shifted out of the geometrical
axis of the spindle 12, so that it moves in a circle round this axis. For this purpose
the piece 15 is provided in diametrically opposite places with little projections 28,
which strike in the proper moment against a pin 29 of hardened steel, forming part
of a round bar 30 which is carried in a bracket 31; at the other end of the bracket
a spiral spring 32 is wound round the bar 30 pressing against its head and having
the tendency to push the bar and its pin 29 away from the head 15 and towards a
disk 33 on the shaft 8. Now when the disk 33 turns round, it strikes against the
head of the bar 30 with its projections 34 and pushes the bar towards the head 15.
The head 15 has also 2 projections 28 and the number of revolutions of the
spindle 12 and of the disk 33 is so proportioned, that the projections 34 strike
against the bar 30 exactly in that moment when either of the projections 28 passes
the bar 30. In the one case the head is shifted with the wire held therein out of
the centre, in the other case it is brought back again into its central position.
Because the disk 33 rotates slowly there will always be a certain time and
corresponding number of revolutions for the spindle 12 aud the wire carried therein
before the change of place of the wire takes place and the tools have ample time
to work upon the wire and shape it.
I have now to explain the manner how the tools are advanced towards and
withdrawn from the working piece.
The tools used by me are ordinary turners chisels; they are arranged at both
sides of the working piece; one for turning the excentric part and two for making
the concentric neck and for cutting off the finished piece from the wire. The tools
are carried in slides 35, 36, which are dovetailed in a bracket 37; they are
approached to the working piece slowly and withdrawn from it rapidly. This
movement is attained by means of a cam disk 38 which ou account of its volute
shape causes a bar 39 carried in a bracket 40 to be moved to and fro during a
revolution; a spring 41 wound round this bar supports this motion, so that the
slide 36, being combined with the bar 39, is pushed slowly towards the working
piece, but withdrawn quickly. The same mechanism is provided for the slide 35
which by means of the bar 42, and the disk 43 on shaft 23 is moved in a similar
manner.

page_text: The mechanism for advancing the wire when a finished piece is cut off and for
limiting its stroke is best understood from Figures 1, 3 and 4. Between the two
slides 35, 36 is fixed to the main frame 2 an angle piece 44 provided at its
horizontal shank with a slot, so that it can be nicely adjusted. This angle serves
for limiting the stroke of the wire which is pulled towards it; for this purpose a
collar 45 is fixed to the wire projecting out of the hollow spindle; against this
collar is stuck loosely upon the wire a ring 46, having a little ear through which is
drawn a cord 47 coming from a fixed point 47" and laid round the rollers 48.
At its end this cord is provided with a weight 49, which causes the shifting of
the wire when it is given free by the keys 17, after a shoe lace fastener has been
finished and cut off.
The working of the machine is as follows:
The blank turning very quickly round is made first to move in a circle round its
geometrical axis in shifting it out of the middle by means of the bar 30, spring 31
and disk 33; now the slide 36 is slowly pushed forwards by means of the bar 39
and disk 38 for shaping the excentric part at the wire, which then is shifted back
into the middle, so that the shaping of the concentric neck of the piece and its
cutting off may be done by means of the chisels in the slide 35, governed by the
disk 43, the bar 42 and their accessories.
Such a finished shoe lace fastener is shown in Figure 10 and in Figures 11 and 12
is shown in diagrams the manner of shaping the excentric neck standing less or
more out of the middle of the wire.
A variation of my new machine is shown in Figures 13-24.
As stated above the wire is here made to fall by its own weight and two shoe
lace fasteners are formed at a time; besides this the machine is built as a double
machine driven by one first motion or main shaft, at both sides of which a double
cutter device is arranged.
Upon the legs 52 is placed the frame 53 carrying in brackets 54 the main
shaft 55, which is set in motion by a pulley 57,-I beg to observe that all parts are
arranged symetrically right and left of the line I-I-levers 58, 59 and a clutch 59ª.
A bevil wheel 60 keyed to the shaft 55 communicates motion to the vertical
shaft 61 by means of a corresponding bevil wheel 62 on this shaft, which is carried
in brackets cast to the frame 53. To the top end of the shaft 61 is fixed a spur
wheel 63, gearing into a wheel 64 forming part of a hollow spindle 65; this spindle
is carried in brackets 66, it is provided at its bottom end with a dovetailed flange 67
exactly like the hollow spindle of the machine described before. In it is guided
the head 68 with projections 69 against which a bar 70 strikes in the proper
moment just as in the preceding case to push it out of or into the middle.
The bar 70 is governed by a disk 71 arranged in the middle of the machine and
behind it is lodged another disk 72 acting upon the other side of the machine.
Each of these disks is driven by a worm wheel 72, 73 and suitable worms 74, 75 on
the backside of the framing, for which purpose the spindle of the worm carries a
chain wheel 76 to which motion is communicated by corresponding chain wheels 77
keyed to the main shaft 55.
For turning the working piece slides 79 are arranged working in the same manner
as before but differing only in the manner how they are moved.
How this is done will be best seen from Figures 18-21. In front of the main
frame 53 I arrange a shaft 80 which I carry in brackets 81 and to this shaft I give
a periodically advancing or rotating motion by the following mechanism. On the
shaft 55 is fixed a disk 82 to which are attached left and right cams 83, which can
be shifted and adjusted radially, for which purpose slots and bolts are provided in
the disks 83 and their central hole is made oblong. Opposite to these disks I fix
to the shaft 80 grooved pulleys 84 and at the side of these rocking levers 85 are
stuck loosely upon the shaft 80; the ends of these levers being pressed down upon
the disks 83 either by means of springs 86 or by weights respectively, as is shown
in Figure 14. The front ends of the levers are provided with friction pawls 87
which seize into the grooves of the pulleys and thus turn them round in a well

page_text: known manner and since the disks are set at opposite angles (180° difference) the
one begins to act when the other ceases its action and so a periodically turning of
the shaft 80 is attained. Now I fix to the same shaft volute shaped disks 88 upon
which stand wedge shaped pieces 89 being pulled downwards by springs 90, the
wedges are guided in suitable recesses of the bracket and brought in contact with
the slides by means of an adjustable screw 91; now it is easy to understand how
the wedge shaped pieces 89, on account of their slowly advancing and their rapid
downstroke cause a corresponding movement of the slides 79. According to the
making of two lace fasteners at a time, into the slides are put double the number
of chisels Figure 17, the one pair making the concentric part being a little set back
against the other in order to cut off the second piece a little later than the first.
How the wire is held fast and let free is best seen from Figures 13, 14. The
head 68 is provided in a similar manner as before with keys, surrounded by a
ring 92; this ring is governed by a lever 93 being pressed, with its bottom end by
a spring 94 pulling at the other end, against a disk 95. This disk is provided with
a projection, which in the proper moment, causes the keys to open so that the wire
is let free to fall down by its own weight.
For limiting its downstroke I have arranged the following device, Figures 22, 23
and 24:
In the bracket 96 is drilled a hole 97 for taking up the bolt 98 having a head 99.
This head is provided with screw-thread so that a screw 100 may be put into it
which by means of a nut 101 can be carefully adjusted.
At its upper end the screw 100 is provided with a head upon which the wire falls
down, being thus limited in its stroke.
In order to give a free passage to the pieces cut off, the screw 100 standing just
below them and held in position by a spring 97, may be shifted away.
This is done by means of a lever 102 attached to the bracket 96, which by the
advancing slide 79 is moved and causes the bolt 98, in pressing with its free end
against it, to retire against the bracket.
I have now still to explain the arrangement for feeding the wire automatically
into the hollow spindle, which is attained by the following devices:
To the spur wheel 63. I fix a radially adjustable piece 104, which strikes
against a lever 105, being loosely stuck upon a vertically arranged shaft 106; to
the other end of this lever is fixed a friction pawl 107, that seizes into the groove
of a pulley 108 upon the same shaft, so that it will be turned round step by step.
To the top of the pulley 108 is attached a round disk 109 and to it is fixed on
pillars 110 a second disk 111 equal in size to the disk 109.
The diameter of them is so proportioned, that they reach over the central hole
of the spindle 65. The disks are provided with a number of holes 112, into which
are stuck the blanks standing upon a third disk 113, which is fixed to the
framing 53, close below the disk 109.
This disk 113 is provided with one hole only, now when the blanks which are
carried round with the disks 109 and 111 come to stand over the hole in the lower
disk 113, they fall through it into the hollow spindle 65. The advance of the disks
carrying the wire is so proportioned, that a new wire will always come to stand
over the centre of the hollow spindle when the preceding one has been fully
consumed.
Having now fully 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. In a machine for making shoe lace fasteners in combination with a rotating
hollow spindle 12 a flange 14 at the end of said spindle and a head 16 dovetailed in
said flange, this head being provided with means for holding fast the wire to be
worked upon centrally and excentrically to the geometrical axis of the hollow
spindle as set forth and described.
2. In a machine for making boot and shoe lace fasteners the combination of a

page_text: rotary spindle 12, a flange 14 and head 15 having projections 28 with a pin 29, a
bar 30 and with a rotary disk 33, said disk being provided with projections 34
striking against the bar 30 and thus causing the head 16 to alter its position with
regard to the centre line of the hollow spindle 12, substantially as set forth and
described.
3. In a machine for making boot and shoe lace fasteners the combination of slide
rests 35 and 36 carrying ordinary chisels driven slowly towards the working piece
and withdrawn quickly from it, with bars 39, 42 which are governed by peculiarly
shaped disks 38. 43 by means of springs, as set forth and described.
4. In a machine for making boot and shoe lace fasteners the hollow spindle 12
carrying the wire, the arrangement for pulling it forwards consisting in two rings
stuck upon the wire the latter of which is provided with an ear through which a
weighted cord is drawn coming from a fixed point and laid round rollers, the
limiting of the shifting of the wire by an adjustable angle 44 between the two
slides 35, 36, as illustrated and described.
5. In a machine for making boot and shoe lace fasteners the arrangement of two
hollow spindles 65 left and right from disks 71, 72, driven by worm and chain
gearing 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77 which by means of bars 70 causes the shifting of the
wire out of the geometrical axis and back again, as set forth and described.
6. In a machine for making boot and shoe lace fasteners the combination with
the slide rests 79 carrying each a double pair of chisels of a shaft 80 driven at
intervals from the main shaft 55 by an adjustable friction clutch device 82, 83, 84,
85, 86, 87, of volute shaped disks 88 and wedge pieces 90, which cause the slide
rests to advance slowly and retire quickly.
7. In a machine for making boot and shoe lace fasteners the hollow spindle 65,
the slide rest 79, the bracket 96 carrying a bolt 97 and and a screw 100, which is
pressed forwards by a spring 97ª, in combination with a lever 101 which presses the
bolt 98 into the bracket gradually with the advancing slide 79.
8. In a machine for making boot and shoe lace fasteners the rotary hollow
spindle 65 carrying the working piece centrally or excentrically to the axis of said
spindle, in combination with the self feeding device consisting of a fast disk 113,
the revolving disks 109, 111 and the grooved pulley 108, which is caused to advance
periodically. The whole as described and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of September A.D. 1894.