Improvements in Machinery for Forming and Applying Wire Staples.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in Machinery for Forming and Applying
Wire Staples.
I, AUGUST BREIMER Manufacturer, of 3 and 4 Moor Lane London Middlesex,
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 :-
My improvements are illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1
is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the upper part of a machine
arranged for stitching card board boxes over the edges, while Figs. 3, 4, and 5
represent in detail the principal working parts of this machine. Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9
and 10 represent different stages of operation, namely the introduction and cutting
of the wire, the formation of the staples, and the insertion and clenching of the
same. Fig. 11 represents a card board box made by this machine and held fast
by the staples as indicated in section by Fig. 12. Figs. 13 to 28 show the con-
struction of a machine for flat stitching hollow objects, (see Fig. 28). Figs. 21
to 27 show the arrangement of the same machine for stitching pamphlets through
the fold or through the side.
The three machines have the common feature, that they draw the wire from the
spool and form from the same staples, the shanks of which are driven from one
side through the material to be stitched, and are clenched or bent down on the
other side. For setting the machines in motion I employ a driving lever the travel
of which is indicated by a dotted sector, and which may be moved by the hand, by
the foot, or by steam power. The connecting rods distinguished in the drawings
by an arrow, transmit the motion to grooved discs which may oscillate on a pivot
as represented in the drawing, or which may be guided to and fro in a straight
line.
The grooved discs, in their turn, move the mechanisms serving to feed the wire,
to form the staples and to insert the same, while the driving levers, at the end of
their stroke, set in motion the mechanism for clenching or riveting down the
shanks of the staples.
In the drawings, corresponding parts of the three machines are designated with
the same letters for the sake of clearness.
After these general statements I will now proceed to the detailed description of
the machine illustrated on sheet 1. A is the machine frame, forming in front
a projecting horn D on which is held the edge of the box to be stitched. 1 is
the driving lever oscillating on the bolt C. The lever B is pivoted on the bolt 3

page_text: secured to the machine frame, and carries in front the mechanisms serving to form
the wire staple and to insert the same. The various moving parts of these
mechanisms derive their motion from the grooved discs 4 and 5, which are con-
nected with the driving lever by the connecting rod 2 and adapted to oscillate on
the two bolts 6 screwed right and left into the front arm of the lever B. At its
rear end the lever B carries a roller 39 which is guided in a curved slot 40 of
the lever 1.
The machine works as follows: After the cardboard box has been laid upon the
horn D, the lever 1 is moved in the direction of the arrow whereby the curved
slot 40 turns the lever B until the staple forming head sits firmly on the cardboard
box. At the same time the connecting rod turns the eccentrically grooved discs 4
and 5, which are held together by two screws.
Among the curved grooves, groove 7 of the disc 4 is the first to operate. By
means of the roller 8 it lifts the slide 9. The latter acts on the pawl lever 11
by means of the connecting rod 10, which lever 11 carries a pawl 12 acting on the
ratchet wheel 13. The ratchet wheel is secured to one of the pair of feed rollers 14
which seize the stitching wire 15 and guide it towards the staple forming head 17
through the canal 16 and a straight slot situated in the bending block 25. The
period or moment of this operation is determined by the curve 7, and the length of
wire fed forward is just sufficient to form a staple.
Fig. 6 shows the position of the staple forming head before the commencement
of the feed motion, and Fig. 7 its position at the end of the feed motion for the
wire. As soon as the wire is introduced, the curve 18 of the cam 5 begins to
operate. Its object is to cut off the wire and bend it into a staple. In this curve
there moves the roller 19 fixed on the up and down moving slide piece 20, (Figs. 2
and 5) to which the two connecting rods 21 are joined by means of a pin. These
two connecting rods act on two cranks 22 fixed to the two benders 23 which are
fitted into the staple forming head 17 and are caused to rotate by the down motion
of the slide piece 20. The two benders are provided with a projection d by means
of which, during the rotation of the benders, the wire is bent round the bending
block 25 after one of the said projections has first cut the wire on the cutting edge
of the knife block e. The staple shanks are bent in such a way that the same form
an angle of about 60 degrees with the back of the staple.
Evidently the use of the rotating benders allows the staples to be bent at any
desired angle by altering the size of the cranks 22, or the motion of the piece 20.
Fig. 8 shows the end of the bending process, the dotted circles indicate the motion
of the pins of the cranks 22.
The bending being done the benders rotate so far back as to let the projections d
freely pass the staple driver 26. The latter is moved by means of the curve 27 of
the cam or disc 5. In this curve moves the roller 28 mounted on a bolt of the
slide piece 29, at the lower end of which the driving piece 26 is fixed by means of
screws 30. At the beginning of the driving or inserting motion, the screw head
pushes against the slanting surface 31 of the piece 25, (Figs. 2 and 4), and thus
raises the bending block out of the wire channel whereupon the driver of the
staples are allowed to descend freely so as to gain access to the corner of the card
board box to be stitched.
The driver is cut out rectangularly underneath, it bends the back of the staple
over the cardboard or sheet metal edge, where the latter has been put on before,
and presses the feet of the staple through the cardboard and this being a peculiarity,
penetrates through the same without having an outward guidance or hold in the
staple forming head.
This free insertion of the staple is only possible, when its shanks form an angle
of 60 degrees with the back as before mentioned; Fig. 9 shows the staple forming
head after the insertion of the staple has taken place. The bending down or
clenching of the feet of the staple is effected as follows. The lever 1 butts with
the facing 32 against the bar 33 the front part of which sets in motion an angle
lever 34. This lever projects with one end into an aperture of the clencher 35 and

page_text: lifts the same, (Figs. 2, 3, 9 and 10). The clencher is shown on an enlarged scale
in Fig. 3.
The surfaces which catch the feet or shank of the staple, are made rough or
provided with small teeth 41 which always tend to bend the feet of the staple
upward, and prevent the same from slipping in the opposite direction. The feet of
the staple in penetrating through the cardboard leave mostly a rough piece of
paper sticking out on the inside which spoils the appearance of the box; (Fig. 9);
to prevent this the clincher is provided with steps 43 which press down smoothly
the roughened surface of the cardboard. The steps 43, may be provided with a
groove 42 which receive the feet of the staple to enable a complete smoothing down
of the cardboard.
The stitching having been finished in the above manner, the lever 1 and the
arm B are brought back into the position shown in Fig. 2, by means of the
spring 36, while the spring 37 draws the clencher 35 back again into the position
shown in Fig. 9. At the same time the bending block 25 is again pressed into the
staple forming head by means of the spring 38, Fig. 2. Subsequently the stitching
may proceed anew in the above described manner.
The two machines illustrated on Sheet 2 differ in the following parts from the
one already described and shown on Sheet 1. The frame A is of an altered shape,
and the lever B, rotating upon the bolt 3 shown on Sheet 1 is replaced by a
casing E guided in the frame A and sliding vertically up and down in the same.
A single bolt, 6, on which the cam 6 oscillates is fixed to the casing E. On Sheet 1,
the cam is divided in two parts 4 and 5, because the wire feeding parts are
arranged on the opposite side of the cam 5 whereas on Sheet 2 there is only one
cam for each machine. There is another alteration in the arrangement of the
curve 40, through which the material having to be stitched is pressed down. In
Sheet 1 this curve is formed in the working lever 1, but in Sheet 2 it is also
situated in the cam 5. In Sheet 1, furthermore, there are benders rotating in the
wire head, in Sheet 2 the benders generally used for wire stitching machines are
shown, but they may be exchanged for rotating benders. As on sheet 2 the staple
shanks are bent rectangularly to their back, the benders hitherto used will auswer
the purpose.
The clenching apparatus, Sheet 2, Figs. 13, 14, and 15 is of a special construction.
For clenching the feet of the staples, the projection 32 of the lever 1 butts against
the tongue 33. The front end of the latter is provided with a groove running in
a slanting direction. The small clenching block, Fig. 15, enters this groove so that
during the forward motion of the bar 33, the block is set in an upward motion and
bends the projecting feet of the staple down flat. As soon as the bar 33 is again
drawn back by means of the helical spring 37 the clenching block slides down-
ward into the position shown in Fig. 14. The machines shown on Sheet 2 are also
provided with an arrangement to adapt themselves to the various thicknesses of
different books. Fastened to the frame A is a bolt 44 which carries on one side
the eccentric pin 45 with the roller 39, (Fig. 25) which roller enters the curved
groove 40.
When the cam 5 is in motion, this curve causes the casing E to
descend to the lever B in the same way as has been explained for Sheet 1. By
changing the position of the bolt 44 by means of the regulating screw 46, the
space between the staple forming head and the clenching apparatus may be
altered at will.
In other respects the machines illustrated on Sheet 2 work in the same manner
as those illustrated on Sheet 1.
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. The combination with the lever B, of the cams 4 and 5 which have their
fulcrum on the lever B and are so arranged that the parts 9, 20, and 29, with their
rollers receive their motion directly from the cains (Sheet 1, Figs. 1 and 2).

page_text: .
2. The combination with the vertically sliding casing E of a cam 5 which has
its fulcrum on the casing, and is so arranged that the casing E as well as the
parts 9, 20 and 29 with their rollers receive their motion directly from the cam
(Sheet 2, Figs. 13, 14, 23 and 24).
3. In lieu of the cams pivoted on bolts or axles, as mentioned under claims 1
and 2, reciprocating cams which are guided horizontally in the lever B or in the
casing E.:
4. The combination of lever 1 with connecting rod 2 adapted to set in motion
the cams mentioned under claims 1, 2 and 3.
5. Benders 23 pivoted on their longitudinal axes, said benders being provided
with projections & and adapted to bend the staple shanks at any desired angle to
its back, (Sheet 1).
6. A bender 23, adapted to cut off the wire by turning on its axis (Sheet 1,
Figs. 7 and 8).
7: The combination of benders 23, with cranks 22, connecting rods 21 and slide
blocks 20.
8. The use of staples the shank of which form with the straight back an angle
of about 60°, for connecting the edges of boxes made of cardboard or other
material.
9. The use of a rectangularly recessed driver 26 (Fig. 9) for inserting into the
edges of boxes staple shanks forming with the back an angle of about 60 degrees.
10. A clenching anvil 35 (Fig. 3) the clenching surfaces of which are roughened
or toothed for the purpose of safely clenching or bending the staple shanks
upward.
11. A clenching anvil 35 (Fig. 3), having elevations 43 and recesses 42 for the
purpose of pressing down the raised portion of cardboard.
12. The arrangement of the bending block 25 in such a manner that the head 30
situated on the part 29, lifts the block out of the wire canal, by the contact (of the
head 30) with. the inclined surface 31, in order that the staple may freely pass
downward in the staple forming head (Figs. 2 and 4).
The whole substantially as described and illustrated.