Year: 1887

page_text: I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman 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 object of this Invention is to produce a machine for making tack strips which
consist of wire bent at intervals into loops pressed into tack form the legs of the loops
forming the shank and point of the tack."
In order to attain this object, a reciprocating punch, a reciprocating device which is
termed an abutment, inasmuch as it forms a block against which the punch acts; and
a feeding mechanism whereby the wire is fed intermittently and at the proper intervals
in loop form into the runway or space between the punch and the abutment are
employed. The punch reciprocates lengthwise of the runway. The abutment recip-
rocates across the runway, its movements being so timed that it shall first be a block
across the runway, between which and the reciprocating punch, the loop or length of
wire fed into the space between the two shall be pressed into tack form and then shall
withdraw so as to permit the newly formed tack as well as the others of the tack
strip to pass forward through the runway the requisite distance for the production
of another tack. The feeding mechanism of course operates during the intervals
between the successive tack-forming operations and while the punch is withdrawn.
It is in this combination of the punch, the abutment and mechanism for inter-
mittently feeding from a continuous wire into the space between the two the loop of wire
needed to form the tack, that my Invention mainly is comprised. Various forms of
feeding mechanism can be made use of. The feeding mechanism which is preferred,
consists of a device, termed a looper, which has reciprocatory movement into and out
of the space between the punch and abutment, and intermittently and at the proper
[D017

page_text: interval moves against the wire, which extends lengthwise and above the bottom of the
space or runway, bending or pushing down into loop form that portion of the wire
included in said space, and drawing from the reel the wire necessary to permit this
operation. In this way, the wire is fed in loop form into the space between the punch
and the abutment.
«
The wire is held at its forward end between the abutment and an opposite clamping
surface and the supply of wire needed to form the loop is therefore drawn from the
other end. This clamping surface, or clamp" as it is termed, is preferably made
movable, giving its reciprocatory movement so that its clamping action will take place
intermittently and at the proper intervals only.
With the punch, abutment, and feeding mechanism, is also preferably combined an
intermittently acting header or device for flattening the head of the tack or that end
opposite to the point, which latter is formed by the bight of the squeezed loop.
The accompanying drawings represent a machine embodying the several features of
the Invention in their preferred form.
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the machine, the line of section, wherever
there are sectional parts shewn, being centrally and longitudinally of the machine--
that is to say in the line of the runway.
Figure 2 is a plan of the machine with the top levers, the looper, the clamp, and the
header removed, and the central top plate partly broken away to show the abutment
and the forward end of the punch.
are shown
Only so much of the machine is shewn as is needed for purposes of explanation.
The legs and part of the framework are omitted; and the cams
diagramatically.
The table on which the various working parts are placed is shewn at A, and below
it is the shelf A', to which are connected the system of levers for giving motion to
the various parts. The shelf and table are connected together by suitable rods or bolts
and form part of the framework of the machine as will be understood without further
explanation. For the purpose of securing greater mechanical accuracy the table is
recessed to receive steel plates or beds B, B, in the top of which, and of intervening
portions of the table, is formed longitudinally and centrally of the machine, the runway
or groove C in which the wire and formed tack strips are fed along, and the punch D
and apper part of the abutment E reciprocate. The bed B, for the purpose of securing
nicety of adjustment, is held in dovetailed or undercut grooves in the table so that it
may slide crosswise of the latter, and is held in adjusted position by side set screws a
which pass through side brackets on the table and press at their inner ends upon
the side edges of the bed.
Over the central portion of the bed and table is a covering plate B² through which
play the looper F, the clamp G and the header H.
The punch D reciprocates horizontally backwards and forwards in the runway. It
is mounted on a carrier D and is secured thereto so as to be longitudinally adjustable
by a jacket screw c screwing into a flange on the carrier and bearing at its head against
the end of the punch, and by a slotted plate d held to the carrier by screws e passing
through said slots, and bearing at its rear edge against a lug on the punch. The
punch is thus held between the jack screw and the slotted adjustable plate, and mani-
festly can be adjusted longitudinally so as to meet the abutment E sooner or later
during its forward movement.
The reciprocatory movement of the punch is derived from the lever g pivotted to
the table and jointed at one end to the carrier and at the other to the cam arın h which
has a forked end to straddle the shaft 1 and is provided with a cam roll 2 to enter a
groove in the face cam 3 on said shaft.
In advance of the punch is the abutment E which reciprocates vertically in proper
guides so that its upper end shall alternately project into and be drawn down out of the
runway. The space in the runway shown in Figure 1, between the punch and the
abutinent, is that into which the wire is fed and in which the loop is formed. The
wire loop is squeezed between the contiguous faces of the punch and the abutment and
these faces are so formed as to give the proper taper to the shank of the tack.

page_text: In so far as concerns its co-operation with the punch the upper end of the abutment
need be of a thickness from front to rear equal to, or a very little less than, the
interval separating two successive tacks. But it is made of greater thickness in order
to co-operate also with the header H; and consequently has formed in it at appro-
priate intervals vertical sockets or holes i for receiving such of the formed tacks as
may not have passed beyond it as indicated in Figure 1.
The abutment E derives its movement from a toggle lever at the elbow of which
is a cam roll 4, which enters a cam groove on the face cam 5 which is carried by and
revolves with the shaft 1.
The looper F has vertical reciprocatory movement. It plays through the clamp G
and down into the runway in the space between the punch and the abutment.
The wire from which the tack strip is made passes from any suitable reel, down
through an inclined feed opening in the top plate B2 into the runway extending
beneath the looper and above the abutment a spring presser 7 being used to prevent
too free delivery of the wire, while during the operation of the looper, the wire is held
at the front between the abutment and the clamp G as is hereinafter more fully
described.
The looper descends upon the wire, and drawing it in from under the presser / bends
it down in loop form into the space between the punch and the abutment.
After the looper rises, the punch moves forward and squeezes the loop between it
and the abutment, thus pressing the loop of wire into tack form.
As soon as this has been accomplished the abutment descends so as to get out of the
way of the newly formed tack, and the punch then moves further forward and in so
doing pushes along the whole tack strip a distance just equal to that which separates
successive tacks and then at once recedes to its original position. This will bring the
newly formed tack over the first hole in the abutment, into which it will enter when
the abutment again rises-as indicated in Figure 1, where the wire partly made into
a tack strip is shown at c.
The looper is actuated by a pivoted arm m jointed at one end to the looper, and at
the other to a toggle lever n, and the latter is moved and controlled by a cam roll 6
at its elbow which enters a cam groove in the face cam 7 on the shaft 8.
The clamp G acts as aforesaid to clamp the wire upon the abutment E so as to
prevent it from being drawn back by the action of the looper. It has for this purpose
reciprocatory movement imparted to it at proper intervals, said movement being
imparted from a pivoted arm o jointed to the clamp at one end and at the other end
to the toggle lever p provided at its elbow with the cam roll 9 entering the cam
groove 10 of the face cam on the shaft 8.
The two shafts 8 and 1 derive their rotary movement from the driving shaft 12
through gearing 13, 14, 15 and they revolve synchronously.
The header H is intended to press upon and flatten that portion of the strip which
is designed to form the head of the tack. The abutment forms what may be termed
the anvil against which it strikes or presses and it can thus act at any time during
the period when the abutment is up. Its reciprocatory movement is obtained from a
pivoted lever jointed at one end to the header and at the other end to the vertical
arm s provided at its lower end with a cam roll 16 which bears upon the peripheral
cam 17 on the shaft 8, the cam roll being held in contact with the cam by the spring 18
which tends to pull down the end of lever to which arms is jointed.
""
As a matter of mechanical construction in the arrangement shewn in the drawings
it is preferred to make the header H in two parts-the lower part or header proper
playing through the plate B2 and arm o and upheld by an encircling spring inter-
posed between the arm o and the flanged top of the header; and the upper part H³,
arranged to bear upon the top of the header, and made vertically adjustable in the
lever as seen in Figure 1, so that it may meet the part H sooner or later in its
downward stroke.
The operation of the several. parts will now be described-their actuating cams are
of course shaped to impart appropriate movement to them at the proper times and in
order to enable the skilled mechanic to more readily construct such cams as well as to

page_text: a better understanding of the mode of operation of the machine there is placed upon
the drawing adjoining figure 1, a table indicating the position and movements of the
several parts during one complete revolution of the cams, the 360° constituting one
complete revolution being subdivided into divisions of 30° each.
In the several lines reading from right to left are indicated the movements and
positions assumed by the looper F punch D, abutment E, clamp G and header H
respectively.
In figure 1 the parts are represented in the position they occupy upon the comple-
tion of one entire revolution-that is to say in the right band column of the table-
At this time the looper is up and at rest, the punch has just finished its backward or
receding movement, the abutment is up and the clamp is down-the wire thus being
clamped between the parts E G.
Starting upon another revolution, during the first 30° as seen in the left hand
column of the table, the looper descends while the other parts remain at rest, during
that portion of the revolution from 30° to 60° all the parts still remain at rest except
the looper which rises and returns to its first position having accomplished the bending
of the wire into loop form; from 90° to 180° all of the parts remain at rest savo the
punch which during this portion of the revolution moves forward and squeezes the
loop into tack form; from 180° to 210° all of the parts remain at rest except the clamp
which rises, and the abutment which descends so as to leave the runway clear; from
210° to 240°, the parts are at rest excepting the punch, which moves still further
forward a distance equal to that which separates the acting face or side of the abutment
from the first hole i, the effect of this being to advance the back strip far enough to
bring the newly formed tack just over said hole i; from 240° to 270° all the parts are
at rest except the punch which begins to move back to its original position and in so
doing travels far enough to uncover or clear the abutment; from 270° to 300° the clamp
and looper are at rest, while the punch is still moving, and the abutment rises again to the
position from which it descended; from 300° to 330° the abutment and looper are at rest,
while the punch is still receding and the clamp begins to descend upon the abutment ;
from 330° to 360° the clamp concludes its descent, the punch concludes its receding
movement and the looper and abutment are at rest, the parts when the point indicated
by 360° has been reached, occupying again the position shown in the drawing.
In the foregoing description it has not been deemed necessary to include the
header H. It is sufficient to say that it can operate at any time during the period
when the abutment is up and at rest.
In order to prevent any possibility of the tack strip being drawn back while the
punch is receding and the abutment is down, a light spring controlled pawl or
detent is placed at the side of the runway which is provided with a tooth which
enters the space between any two successive tacks and is arranged to yield only in a
direction to permit the advance of the tack strip-the tooth being bevelled in a direc-
tion to facilitate this advance movement. The successive tacks can thus readily pass
beyond the detent but cannot be drawn back-the strip being thus held in proper
position.
With a view to more readily and nicely adjusting the movements of the several
parts, each one of the toggle levers is provided with a vertical adjustment as shown
for example in section in connection with the lower end of toggle p. The lower arm
of this toggle is jointed to the head of a post or support w the stem of which passes
through and swivels in a sleeve y and is held thereto by a nut screwing on the
lower end of the stem, the sleeve thus being held between the head of the post and
the nut. The sleeve is externally scrow threaded and screws down through the
shelf A¹. It is manifest that by turning the sleeve in one direction or the other
(which can be done without turning the post w) the toggle can be lifted or lowered
as the case may be. A check nut z' is used to hold the sleeve in its adjusted
position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
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1

page_text: First. The combination of the reciprocatory punch, the reciprocatory abutment and
mechanism for feeding the wire into the space or runway between the punch and the
abutment these parts being timed in their movements relatively to one another and
operating together substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set
forth.
Second. The combination of the punch, the abutinent, and the looper, these parts
being operated to move at the times and in the manner substantially as hereinbefore
set forth.
Third. The combination of the reciprocatory punch, the reciprocatory abutment,
mechanism for intermittently feeding the wire into the space between the punch
and abutment and the reciprocatory header-these parts being timed in their move-
ments and operating together substantially in the manner herein before set forth.
Fourth. The combination of the reciprocatory punch, the reciprocatory abutment
intermittently operating wire feed mechanism and the reciprocatory clamp these
parts being timed in their movements and adapted for joint operation substantially
as herein before set forth.
Fifth. The combination of the punch, the looper, the abutment, the clamp, the
header and mechanism for imparting reciprocatory movement to the same at the
times and in the manner substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Sixth. The combination with the reciprocatory abutment and intermittently operating
wire feed mechanism of the punch and punch operating mechanism substantially as
described whereby the punch is actuated first to squeeze the wire into tack form
against the abutment, and then, upon the descent of the abutment, to advance the
tack strip a distance equal to that which separates successive tacks as herein before
set forth.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.