IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING BUTTONS AND OTHER SIMILAR DISC-SHAPED ARTICLES FROM BONE, VEGETABLE IVORY. AND WOOD
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Mincher, of Pear Tree Street, Goswell
Road, and of Campbell Road, Bow, both in the County of Middlesex,
Bone and Vegetable Ivory Button Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING
BUTTONS AND OTHER SIMILAR DISC-SHAPED ARTICLES FROM BONE, VEGETABLE
IVORY. AND WOOD."
Sealed the 28th September 1875, and dated the 7th July 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Mincher at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th July 1875.
I, EDWARD MINOHER, of Pear Tree Street, Goswell Road, and of
Campbell Road, Bow, both in the County of Middlesex, Bone and
Vegetable Ivory Button Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
MANUFACTURING BUTTONS AND OTHER SIMILAR DISC-SHAPED ARTICLES FROM BONE,
VEGETABLE IVORY, AND WOOD," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for

page_text: manufacturing buttons and other similar disc-shaped articles from bone,
vegetable ivory, and wood, and consists in mounting upon a frame or
bench a bed plate on which are uprights for carrying shafts and sliding
bars by which the movements of gripper jaws can be operated in
regular order for receiving the rough pieces of material for holding
them while rotating tools shape them into buttons, bottle tops, and
shields, counters, or other circular or disc-shaped form, whether the
faces be flat, corrugated, rubbed, sunken, or otherwise.
At the rear of the bed plate I arrange a shaft upon which is a pulley
for a band from an overhead or underneath motion to operate. This
shaft carries at one end a bevil pinion gearing into a corresponding
wheel on a short shaft at right angles. The latter shaft has a couple of
excentrics upon it for actuating through the intermediation of sliding
bars the opening and closing operation of the revolving tools by which
the rough piece of material is cut and brought into the required shape
in accordance with the shape of the tools with which the tool spindles
are furnished.
The tool spindles are driven by independent motions, preferably from
underneath, and rotate thereby, the rotation for cutting or reducing
purposes being in addition to the end or motion from eccentrics and
slide bars before referred to.
In the front of the bed plate I attach a plate or it may be a skeleton
frame from which projects a rod or bar, at the end of which I fit a jaw
for the rough piece of bone, ivory, or wood to be put against by hand.
I also hinge to the plate or skeleton frame a counter jaw by which the
piece of material is held in by pressure of a spring, while the tools
approach and perform the cutting or reducing operation. This spring
is attached to a sliding bar and the pressure is removed by a backward
travel of the spring, and its bar through the action of a plate on the end
bearing against a cam on the forward end of the short shaft before
mentioned, the release of the shaped button, shield, counter, or other
disc-shaped article being effected by the attendant prior to fitting in a
fresh rough piece.
In some cases I arrange a receiver between the fixed jaw and the
moveable one, so that the rough piece of material can be put into it
while the jaws are apart, thus preventing injury to the fingers of the

page_text: attendant from any cause; the receiver is composed of two wings or cup
plates which can be caused to open when the tools retire after completing
the cutting or reducing, and allow of the article falling into a receptacle
beneath, the wings or cup plates then closing again for the reception of
a fresh rough piece.
attendant from any cause; the receiver is composed of two wings or cup
plates which can be caused to open when the tools retire after completing
the cutting or reducing, and allow of the article falling into a receptacle
beneath, the wings or cup plates then closing again for the reception of
a fresh rough piece.
The advantages of this Invention are skilled labour can be dispensed
with, injury to the hands prevented, and a greater quantity of articles
made in a given time than by machines at present in use.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Mincher in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
MINCHER, of Pear Tree Street, Goswell Road, and of Campbell Road,
Bow, both in the County of Middlesex, Bone and Vegetable Ivory
Button Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Mincher, Her special licence
that I, the said Edward Mincher, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Mincher, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING BUTTONS AND OTHER SIMILAR
DISC-SHAPED ARTICLES FROM BONE, VEGETABLE IVORY, AND WOOD," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Mincher, my
exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immo-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Mincher, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thercof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for
manufacturing buttons and other similar disc-shaped articles from bone,
vegetable ivory, and wood, and consists in mounting upon a frame or
bench a bed plate on which are uprights for carrying shafts and sliding
bars by which the movement of gripper jaws can be operated in regular
order for receiving the rough pieces of material and for holding them,
while rotating tools shape them into buttons, bottle tops, and shields,
counters, or other circular or disc-shaped form, whether the faces be flat,
corrugated, ribbed, sunken, or otherwise.
My Invention will be well understood by reference to the annexed Sheet
of Drawings and following description thereof:-At the rear of a bed
• plate A I arrange a shaft B upon which is a pulley O for a band D from an
overhead or underneath motion E to operate. This shaft carries at one
end a bevil pinion F gearing into a corresponding wheel G on a short
shaft H at right angles to the shaft B. The shaft H has a couple of
cams or excentrics I, J, upon it for actuating through the intermediation
of sliding bars K, L, the opening and closing operation of the revolving
tools M, N, by which the rough piece of material which is put between
them is cut and brought into the required shape in accordance with
the shape of the tools with which the tool spindles P, Q, are furnished.
The tool spindles P, Q, are driven by independent motions R, S, and
rotate thereby, the rotation for cutting or reducing purposes being in
addition to the end-on motion from the cams or eccentrics I, J, and slido
bars K, L, before referred to.
To the front of the bed plate A. I attach a plate T, or it may be a
skeleton frame from which projects towards the machine a rod or bar U,
at the end of which I fit a jaw a for the rough piece of bone, ivory, or
wood to be put against by hand. I also hinge to the plate or skeleton
frame T a counter jaw 6 by which the piece of material is held in by

page_text: pressure of a spring c, while the tools approach. and perform the cutting
or reducing operation. This spring is attached to a lever bar d and the
pressure is removed by a backward travel of the. spring and.its-bar
through the action of a plate e on which is a roller running in the race
of a cam fon the forward end of the short shaft H before mentioned,
the release of the waste piece and also of the shaped button, shield,
counter, or other disc-shaped article being effected by the attendant
prior to fitting in a fresh-rough piece.
In some cases I arrange, a receiver between the fixed jaw and the
movable one, so that the rough piece of material can be put into it,
while the jaws are apart, thus preventing injury to the fingers of the
attendant from any cause. The receiver is composed of two wings or
cup plates which can be caused to open when the tools retire after com-
pleting the cutting or reducing, and allow of the article and the waste
piece falling into a receptacle beneath the wings or cup plates, then
closing again for the reception of a fresh rough piece.
The advantages of this Invention are, skilled labour can be dispensed
with, injury to the hands prevented, and a greater quantity of articles
made in a given time than by machines at present in use.
The arrangement of mechanism shown in the Drawings for the
purpose of my Invention is the one now in practice, but change of
position in some of the parts can be effected without altering the action;
for instance, I can work the sliding bars from separate cams or excentrics,
one at each end of the frame, so as to move the bars direct and in line of
the cam centres, the cam or excentric. shafts being fitted below the
frame cr bed plate A to give more clearance above.
Having thus set forth the nature of my said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
The combination of appliances forming a machine or apparatus.
arranged and acting in the manner described and shown for manu-
facturing buttons and other similar disc-shaped articles from bone,
vegetable ivory, or wood.
Secondly. I claim mechanically operating two revolving cutting
tools with end-on motions towards each other and working conjointly as
described for acting on bone, vegetable ivory, or wood temporarily held

page_text: between gripper jaws for the manufacture of buttons and other similar
disc-shaped articles therefrom, and the separation of such cutting tools
end-on, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Mincher, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
FRED. CHURCHYARD.
E. MINCHER. (L.S.)