IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTON WORKING MACHINES
Year: 1878

page_text: “
LETTERS PATENT to Charles Max Sombart, of the Firin of Buss, Sombart,
and Company, Engineers and Patent Agents, of Magdeburg, in the Empire of
Germany, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTON WORKING
MACHINES." A communication from Elisabeth Loeper, of Magdeburg, in the
Empire of Germany.
Sealed the 11th October 1878, and dated the 18th April 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Max Sombart at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th April 1878.
CHARLES MAX SOMBART, of the Firm of Buss, Sombart, and Company, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUTTON WORKING MACHINES." A communication from Elisabeth Loeper, of
Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany.
The principal novelties of the machinery are the following:-The feeding or
introducing of unworked buttons; the working or turning of such buttons, and the
pushing them out of the machine.
The feeding is principally effected by a sledge or carriage horizontally conducted
by means of four wheels running on rails. In an inclined rail a channel or groovè
is cut that laterally corresponds with the diameter of the unworked buttons. A
second rail, adjustable by means of slits and pins, lies over a channel to such a height
as to prevent the buttons from turning over..
The working of the button is as follows:-An axle is kept in uninterrupted
rotation by a pulley. A cutting tool secured in a rod is used to round the button.
While the sledge is removing from the chuck a rod is sunk to such an extent that
the cutter slightly touches the button. From thence the rod sinks very slowly and
presses the cutter gradually into the button, so that the latter has exactly to adopt
the form answering to the shape of the cutting tool. The turning having been
Dries C31

page_text: done the rod rises, and is followed by an upward motion of a ring, causing the
loosening of the button, in order to be immediately afterwards thrown out by a steel
plate.
To produce the described operations of the sledge, chuck, and rod, any mechanical
contrivances may be adopted.
:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Max Sombart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
October 1878.
CHARLES MAX SOMBART, of the Firm of Buss, Sombart, and Company, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUTTON WORKING MACHINES." A communication from Elizabeth Loeper, of
Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany.
The improvements relate to the automatic turning and shaping of buttons from
any material by and through the employment of improved machinery, fully explained
and illustrated by the following Specification and the annexed Drawings, in
which,―
Figs. 1 and 2 represent respectively front and side views of the whole machine.
Figs. 3 and 4 show two different constructions of part of the machine, hereafter
called the sliding carriage or feeder.
Fig. 5 represents the chuck employed for the working of prepared round
buttons.
Figs: 6 and 7, the chuck employed for working rough square pieces.
The mechanisms, as shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, serve. for polishing the buttons.
The principal operations of the work are the following:
1. The feeding or supplying with rough buttons.
2. The turning off the rough buttons.
3. The throwing out of the finished buttons.
4. The polishing the buttons.
The feeding apparatus consists chiefly of an inclined rail A. (Fig. 3), supported on
a sliding carriage with four wheels a, to be moved horizontally.
In the full length of rail A is a groove b equal in breadth to the diameter of the
rough buttons and covered by a plate c. The latter prevents the buttons sliding
through it from turning upside down; and in order to discover immediately every
irregularity, it is slit to its full extent in the midst.
Before beginning work the groove b from its upper end to the distribution
apparatus is filled with rough buttons. Pin d touches the bottom of the groove
before the last button, and is retained in this position by came by means of spring f
preventing thus the free sliding through of the buttons.
For supplying the chuck with a button the sliding carriage has to make the
following operations :-Firstly, it is to be advanced so far that the lowest end of the

page_text: rail is placed precisely above the chuck; cam e then is retired, pin d' rises, leaving
free the lowest button, whilst at the same time pin gis pressed down and retains the
upper buttons till pin d has regained its former position. The lowest button
having become free slides now in the groove b to the opening beneath, situated
above the chuck, and falls thus in the hollow of the latter. After this lever D
moves stamp downward, pressing thus the button in an exact horizontal
position and into the lowest hollow i of the chuck. Then the sliding carriage
begins its backward movement. The sliding carriage, represented Fig. 4, differs
from the above described chiefly by a rail / disposed in groove b, which rail by
means of 2 slits 7 and screw m may be elevated or lowered at need. In this case the
distributing apparatus is disposed beneath rail A. The two pins d are placed at each
side of the rail k, before the lowest button, working in the same, as above described;
where a button is let free; both pins g¹ are put before the following button before
pins have left the way free. After disengaging, the button spring f¹ forces back
again the distributing apparatus to its original position.
The chuck forming the upper part of the rotary shaft E consists principally of a
hollow steel cone C intersected by two cross cuts n of the ring o with a thin
vertically placed steel leaf p. Ring o is put over cone c, so that the steel leaf is
placed in one of the two cross splits. By moving downward the ring the chuck is
bent in such a manner as to hold fast the button, whilst the moving upward of the
ring frees the button. The chuck is open as long as the sliding carriage is in
advanced position, and has its lowest opening exactly on the chuck; but as soon
as stamp h has pressed the button in hollow i, ring o lowers and holds fast the
button.
The working of the button requires the following operations :-Shaft E is brought
to continuous rotation by pulley F. A cutter born by support G is destined to
effect the turning of the button. Whilst the sliding carriage retires from the chuck
the support is being quickly lowered to the extent that the cutter touches the
button, but the movement of the support is very slow, by which means the cutter,
is forced into the button, giving to the latter exactly the form corresponding to that
of the cutter. The turning finished, the support G rises, then ring o, by which the
button is freed and thrown out of the hollow of the chuck by the blade p. For
producing the said operations of the sliding carriage of the chuck and the support
several motive mechanisms are required.
Independant of the said pulley F the machine itself is put in motion by pulley H,
to which a loose pulley may be joined. By pulley H movement by means of the
conical wheels I and K is transmitted to the drum L. The projecting curve q on
the latter gives to the support G its peculiar movement, and for this purpose two
tappets are arranged on the support, which are made above and beneath to fit
exactly to the curve.
The rotation of shaft M is effected by toothed wheel gear. The shaft M has two
cranks N¹ and N disposed to each other at a right angle, and which are connected
with the cranks o and O' by means of the rods and r¹, thus effecting the rotation
of shaft P in the same direction as that of shaft M.
Shaft P has three cam mechanisms disposed along the axis, one near the other
(not visible in the Drawing). One of these, a semicircular shape disc, effects the
drawing away and retaining of the sliding carriage, which the weights s by means
of cords running on the rolls t are always endeavouring to draw towards the chuck C.
In order to give to this disc movement a tappet u is solidly fixed to the under
part of the sliding carriage. The disc catches the tappet u by drawing back the
sliding carriage from the chuck and holding the former fast in the same position
till its cylindrical part has left the tappet. A second cam gives to the lever D) a
sharp movement when the inferior opening of the sliding carriage has arrived
above the chuck. The third cam disc serves for moving the ring o. Ring o being
together with the chuck C in continual rotation lies within a large frame Q, which
solidly connected to the sockets v by the same can be moved only vertically on the
rail w. Beneath and above the frame Q two rails x and x' are disposed, through

page_text: which pass the pivots of the rolls y and y¹.. These rolls move between two
projections of ring o. If ring o is to be lifted, frame Q is first moved, rolls y are
placed against the superior projection on the ring o, and free the chuck. At the
inverse operation the rolls act upon the inferior projection and press down the
ring o.
In order to effect the elevating and sinking of the ring by the mechanism of the
machine, frame Q is connected with the longer arm of the two-armed lever R, whose
shorter arm trains against the cam, which serves to move ring o. The longer lever
arm is charged with a weight during the working of the machine; firstly, a rising of
ring o to its highest position is effected; thus besides the desengaging of the button
a simultaneous throwing out of the same is effected by the blade; then a gradual
sinking of ring o takes place till the steel blade has so much retired as to permit
the advancing of another button. At the same time the chuck remains open until
the new button has been introduced by the stamp h. When the cam leaves the
lever, and by the weight on the longer arm of the lever, the chuck is closed.
the advancing of the sliding carriage, cam e pushes against a projection, which is
not shown in the Drawing, by which action the disengaging of one button, in the
manner above described, is effected.
At
For working roughly cut square pieces, the chuck, as represented in Figs. 6 and 7,
is used. This chuck is so constructed that it is moveable in vertical direction
against the cutter, but it does not rotate whilst the cutter is in rotation. For this
purpose the machine is inversely disposed, so that the rotative shaft E with the
cutter is placed above and the chuck connected with the sliding carriage of the
support G beneath it, and carried up and down by means of curve g on drum L.
This chuck consists of a quadrangular frame S, above which in a sloping position
lie two rails z dovetail-shaped towards each other. Moveable on these rails is a
plate T, whilst another plate T¹ is solidly connected with said rails. The rectangular
cuts made out of the interior sides of the plates so fit one another that they form a
square when the plates approach. The spiral spring pressing against the projection
a of the plate T endeavours to separate plate T from plate T¹. The contrary is
effected by means of a wedge j¹ through a slit; at its lower end passes a lever U,
which turns the pivot d. By means of this lever the movement of the plates is
regulated. The square opening between the plates serves to receive the pieces to
be turned off. In order to have the position of these pieces always regular, below
plates T and T¹ is placed a couple of plates V and V' moveable in the longitudinal
axis of frame S. These plates have no cuts, and by means of spiral springs e and e¹
are pressed firmly against each other. The plates V and V¹ are supported by the
pieces W and Wi fixed on the frame S.
The removing of the finished buttons downward is effected by the following
managements:-On the pivots fixed in the pieces W and W¹ two levers S. and Si
rotate. These levers are provided with slits, in which pass pins j, j', connected to
plates V and V. Levers is two-armed, and so connected with the other lever by
a cross piece n that both their slits by one movement make equal ways. Lever s at
its free end bears the tappet k, which projects above the frame of the stand.
The operations of this chuck apparatus are the following:-While the sliding
carriage approaches, cam X has lifted lever U, plates T and T¹ have separated from
each other, and by stamp h the piece to be worked is pressed in the lowest hollow
of the square cutting device. During this the cam has advanced so far that it leaves
the lever, which by spring u is drawn down, and thus presses plate T and T
together. The throwing out of the finished button is effected when the feeder
approaches. The plates T and T¹ having opened a tappet on the carriage bears on
tappet k, thus turning levers s and s¹, so that the separating plates V and V¹ permit
passage of the finished button, and close immediately after.
The chuck arrangement, as described, Fig. 5, and the machine, in the first
disposition, serve for polishing the buttons. After having removed the cutter
bearer G of the support, two arms a carry on a circular seat ba brush Y of brass
wire (Fig. 10). This brush is held by Z, which at one side is connected to a ratchet

page_text: wheel c.
Between the bearing b and the ratchet wheel c there is a spiral spring,
which presses the ball of Z firmly against the wall of bearing b, thus protecting the
brush from accidental moving. In employing the brush it is by the curved drum L
driven against the button to be pollished. In order to prevent a partial wearing of
the brush, and to obtain a quickly succeeding lifting off and pulling down of the
brush, the following dispositions are made:-On the support carriage G eyes d and
d are fixed, in which a rod e can slide up and down; the latter is lifted by the
spiral spring f, which bears on the adjusting ring g and the bearing d. On its
upper end rode has a nose h¹, at the inferior end a broad rod i, which extends
downward till the brush and a hooked spring k catch in the ratchet wheel c. In
the curve on the curve drum a curve piece teethed on the inferior sido is inserted
where it gives to the support G its lowest position. This piece rolled out is re-
presented in Fig. 9. In the hollows of this piece passes nose h of bar e, the
drum moving in such direction that bar e is lowered. By this, firstly, the hook
spring catches the next tooth of ratchet wheel c; secondly, rod i presses the
loose end of the brush tightly against the button to be polished. If the lowest point
of the curve piece has passed, the spiral spring flifts again bar e¹, rod i leaves the
brush and permits the button to leave, which at the same time by means of the
hook on spring k makes a part rotation. The throwing out and supplying of
the buttons is effected as above described.
What I claim is,-
Firstly. The sliding carriage in its whole construction and disposition, specially,
(a), the oblique groove moved to and fro in horizontal direction; (b), the bolt pins
d and g (Fig. 3), d' and g¹ (Fig. 4), which by alternately advancing and retiring
serve as apparatus for disturbing or dividing the buttons; (c), stamp / effecting
the introduction of the buttons into the chuck.
Secondly. The arrangement for throwing out the buttons represented in Fig. 5.
Thirdly. The whole chuck arrangement for turning off rough cut square pieces, as
represented in Figs. 6 and 7, and with arrangement to throw out dowward the
worked buttons.
Fourtly. The apparatus above described for polishing buttons.
Fifthly. The combination of the herein-employed mechanisms for giving move-
ment to the acting parts, all substantially in the manner and for the purposes set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles. Max Sombart, have hereunto set my
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AT 1810