Improvements in the Fastening of the Corners of Cardboard and similar Boxes and in Mechanism therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1891
Improvements in the Fastening of the Corners of Cardboard and
similar Boxes and in Mechanism therefor.
A communication from EMIL SALTZKORN, Consul, and LUDWIG NICOLAI,
Manufacturer, both of 20, Lobtauerstrasse, Dresden, in the Empire of
Germany.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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 :-
This invention relates to the connecting or fastening of the corners of paste-
board boxes and to a machine enabling such fastening to be carried out in practice.
According to this invention the walls of the box are connected by means of
corner pieces of any suitable material, such as cardboard, leather, metal or the
like, which can be finished or decorated in any desired manner.
The peculiarity of the fastening consists in fixing the said corner pieces to the
walls of the box by means of rivets provided with a number of points or teeth.
Where rivets are at present used the material has to be previously perforated. In
employing the improved rivets with multiple teeth however this necessity is
obviated. The points or teeth pass through the material and are bent down at the
back in different directions while the whole surface of the head of the rivet snugly
adheres to the connected corner surfaces. The head of the rivet preferably
assumes the shape of a star formed of three or more points so that the turned
down teeth provided around the periphery of the head are spread as widely as
possible apart and thereby prevent the perforated portions from being torn away.
Owing to this construction to each of the narrow teeth driven through the material
forms of itself an independent fastening for the joint.
The machine adapted to carry out this invention in practice stamps the star-
shaped blanks of rivets out of a metal band which is automatically fed to it, and
converts them into rivets by forcing them into a channel from which they are
carried by the finishing die or stamp into a conveying arrangement which in its
turn directs them into the channel through which they are driven into the corners
of the cardboard box, by another descending die while a third or counter-die
moving upwardly flattens down the points on the opposite side.
The operation is so timed that the rising of the cutting-out die coincides with
the descent of the corner-fastening and that the rising of the finishing die similarly
coincides with the movement of the counter or flattening die, the motion of the
conveying device taking place after all the dies have completed their return
stroke.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a cross section of the front end of the machine,
Fig. 2 is a side view of the same and
Fig. 3 is a plan of the conveyor.
The shafts supported by the frame a are connected by gearing c e¹ and
receive a uniform rotary motion from any suitable source of motive power con-
nected with the driving shaft. The other shaft 1 rotates a cam d in the
irregular curve d' of which runs a roller e connected with the hollow dief which
is thereby vertically reciprocated and in so doing stamps the metal sheet fed
between it and the matrix y to a desired shape.
Another cam secured to the shaft braises the finishing die i provided at its
foot with a roller ¹. This die is arranged within the hollow die ƒ and guided by

page_text: the head thereof. When this takes place the spiral spring is compressed and
when the die is relieved from pressure it forces it down into its original position
again. The finishing-stamp i acts upon the central portion of the star cut out of
the metal sheet and for the purpose of forming the rivet forces it into the channel k
thus turning up the points or teeth. To fit the shape of the star suitable projec
tions are provided in the channel and corresponding recesses formed in the die i
which further assists the secure guiding of the blank. The finishing die i conducts
the rivet through the channel up into another channel provided in the conveying
disc arranged above where it leaves the rivet and itself moves back to its
original place.
Upon the shaft is also mounted a roller m in the periphery of which a curve m
is cut out. In this curve is guided an arm of the shaft 3 whereby the latter is
oscillated backwards and forwards which oscillating motion is communicated to the
pawl attached to the head of the said shaft 3. This brings the pawl into and
out of engagement with the toothed rim of the conveying disc L. The latter
receives its rotary motion from the main shaft by means of bevel gear, the
wheel P of which mounted upon the shaft being provided with three closely set
teeth only, while the other wheel mounted upon the shaft of the conveying
disc L carries 36 teeth. Owing to this arrangement the movement of the said
conveying disc can only be intermittent.
Each revolution of the wheel p causes its three teeth to strike the teeth of the
wheel once, with the result that the latter wheel is moved the distance of three
teeth. Therefore, in order to make the wheel complete one entire revolution,
along with the conveying disc L twelve revolutions of the toothed wheel pare
required.
Now owing to this intermittent motion the conveying disc L with its twelve
channels is only caused to turn the distance at which two succeeding channels
are set apart.
The pawl o moves in a manner exactly corresponding to the intermittent rotation
of the conveying disc, and it gets out of gear with the latter just before its
displacement begins and engages with it again immediately after it has moved
along one step. It therefore arrests the disc L by striking the next tooth, so as
to prevent the disc from continuing its rotary movement beyond the point at
which the channels should be situated to occupy the proper position in relation
to the stamps or dies.
The channels alternately receive the rivets in course of formation and convey
them underneath the corner fastening die there being at all times 6 channels
occupied by rivets and 6 free channels."
Upon the shaft bis mounted a cam adapted to press down with its operative
face the corner fastening stamps provided with a roller s'. The rivet contained
in the channel which is at the time situated underneath the dies is then forced
by the latter through the stationary channel into the cardboard or material
forming the corner of the box which latter is placed for the purpose against the
guide rail of the support T. The corners of the box being thus fastened or
rivetted the stamps is drawn up again through the expansion of a spiral spring v
attached to the frame a and through the medium of a lever .
The counter stamp guided by the guide rail and having for its object to
turn and flatten down the points of the rivets after they have been driven through
the cardboard is set in motion by the displacement of the bar a supported by the
said guide-rail t and connected with a levery which is depressed by a cam
mounted upon the shaft when the bar a is drawn back. Owing to the inclines
formed both on the lower surface of the counter-stamp and on the head or pro-
jection of the bar the said counter-stamp rises whenever the bar a moves
backwardly while as the bar advances it sinks owing to its own weight.
The shaft is also provided with a gear-wheel I engaging with the teeth of a
similar wheel 2ª fixed upon a roller 2. This roller as well as a second roller 3 are
supported together in a bracket 4 of the frame, their object being to cause the

page_text: metal sheet to be fed under the stamping-out device. For this purpose a shoulder
is provided upon the roller 2 which shoulder at a given moment comes into
contact with the metal sheet lying upon the other roller 3 and moves it one step.
While the roller 2 completes its revolution no contact takes place between it and
the roller 3 and therefore the metal sheet remains stationary until again grasped
by the shoulder of the said roller 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. Connecting the walls of card boxes or the like with corner pieces of any
desired material by driving rivets having three or more points or teeth both
through the wall of the box and the corner piece, the points protruding on the
opposite side being then bent down in different directions substantially as
described.
2. A machine for carrying out the operation characterized in the preceding
claim and comprising a cutting-out stamp or die which in its upward stroke
cuts a star-shaped blank out of a metal sheet which is automatically fed to it such
blank being then forced up by the finishing die i through the channel / to the
conveying device L for the purpose of being there converted into a rivet; while
a descending dies drives the rivet then lying underneath it in the conveying
device L through the channel into the corner and wall of the box placed upon
the guide-rail whereupon a counter die bends and flattens down the points
protruding from the material on the other side the whole constructed and
operating substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete machine
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 4th day of November 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.