Improvements in the Manufacture of Lacing Studs and in Covering the Heads of said Studs, and Analogous Articles with Plastic Materials."
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 2nd Feb., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in the Manufacture of Lacing Studs and in Covering
the Heads of said Studs, and Analogous Articles with Plastic
Materials."
We, FRANK BUR MANVILLE of No. 166, Grove Street, Waterbury, County of New
Haven and State of Connecticut, Mechanical Engineer, and ARTHUR MATHISON OF
No. 161 Florida Street, Springfield, County of Hampden and State of Massachusetts,
Manufacturer, both in the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement.
Our invention relates to an improvement in lacing studs and in the method of
making the same, and in securing plastic material onto the heads of said studs and
analogous objects, one object being to produce a lacing stud from a single piece of
metal and of such form and construction that the metal will be so disposed as to
impart great strength and durability to the finished article; a further object being to
produce a cheap and efficient method for the manufacture of said improved lacing
stud, whereby the head of a stud is peculiarly adapted to receive and permanently
hold said plastic material.
In the accompanying drawing, Figures, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 represent a piece of wire,
and the several forms given thereto successively previous to bending that repre-
sented in Figure 5 to make one form of the completed lacing stud illustrated in
Figure 6.
Figures 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 illustrate a lacing stud similar to Figure 6 but
having the head thereof specially formed to receive and hold thereon a covering of
plastic material.
Figures 12 and 13 illustrate eyelets having a head or rim, the border of which
is adapted to receive and hold a covering of plastic material substantially the
same as said material is held by the head of the lacing stud illustrated in
Figure 7.
In Figure 1, A represents a short piece of wire preferably steel wire though it may
be brass or any other metal. This blank is placed in any suitable heading machine,
and its opposite ends are upset forming thereon the spherical heads B B, as repre-
sented in Figure 2. The blank is then flattened in a suitable machine to the form
illustrated in side elevation in Figure 3 and plan view in Figure 4. By reference to
Figure 3 it will be observed that the round ends are flattened to form dises C C¹ as
represented in Figure 4, while the middle portion or shank D is rounded as at a a
at which points the ends of the shank merge into the discs C C, the body of the
077

page_text: shank being left cylindrical in cross section although if desired it may be slightly
flattened. In the process of flattening or if desired by a separate process, the disc
C' is not only flattened but is also made slightly convex externally, giving to its
outer surface b and to its edge c, a smooth and finished appearance. From the other
disc C is punched out an eyelet d of any desired length and diameter as shown in
Figure 5. Or, when the head is to be covered with a plastic material, as shown in
Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9, said head, C', may be made flat on its outer side as shown in
top plan view in Figure 10, with curves, 3, in the border and having the right-
angularly arranged ribs projecting on its under side whereby are forined pockets or
receptacles in each of the four spaces, o, between the extremities of said ribs, the
latter being triangular in cross section as shown at 4', Figure 9, the base of the
triangle being uppermost. This latter named head construction particularly strong
owing to the junction of one end of the rib, 5, with that part of the stud at the
junction of one shank D, and head C.
Another form which may be given to said stud-head, when it is to be covered as
aforesaid, is illustrated in Figure 7, wherein the head is made with elevations, 10,
and depressions, 12. The said pockets, or receptacles for the said plastic covering of
the head at o, Figure 11, perform the same office as to the elevations and depressions,
10 and 12, Figure 7, viz., to receive therein and especially under the head, suffi-
cient of said plastic material (as at y, Figures 7 and 8,) to anchor it firmly to
the head.
The depressions, 12, Figure 7, and the edges of the ribs, 4, Figures 8, 9, and 11,
constitutes parts of the under side of the stud-head which rest solidly on a die while
the plastic material is pressed thereon, and therefore said material cannot be ruptured.
The discs C, C are then bent by any suitable machine so as to stand at right angles
to the shank D, which process completes the article, as illustrated in Figure 6,
excepting of course, it may be afterward polished, plated or japanned, or shaped to be
covered as described, with plastic material, J. When the discs are bent at right
angles to the shank D, it will be observed that the rounded portions a, a not only
allow of such bending without cracking or distorting the metal at the bends, owing
to the fact that the thickness of the metal is gradually reduced at the rounded
portions so as to facilitate the operation of bending, but such rounded ends of the
shank also result in imparting a smooth and finished contour to the finished article.
The lacing stud illustrated in Figure 6 is provided with a thick and strong
shank D, of cylindrical form in cross section, which firmly unites discs C, C¹, and
retains the latter against being hent out of place, and being formed with a
smooth and rounded surface it will not cut or unduly wear the lacing as it is
drawn snugly around it in lacing a shoe. By our improved process, there is no
waste metal in the manufacture of the article, the blank being manufactured in such
a manner that by the successive operations herein before described, the metal com-
prising a short piece of wire is caused to assume the form of a completed lacing stud.
The article so formed is much stronger, particularly with the rib thereon as at 5,
Figure 11, and more highly finished than one in which the parts are turned in a
lathe, because the successive operations of heading and flattening, operate to con-
solidate the metal and render it compact and strong, and to give its surface a hard
and finished appearance, and furthermore by our improved process we are enabled to
nake lacing studs of steel, which metal is preferable to brass because japan or other
similar covering will adhere more closely thereto, and even though it may after a
time be rubbed or worn off, it will not disfigure the article to the extent that it does
when made of brass.
As it is evident that slight changes in or variations from the process and the
features of form and construction of the lacing stud, herein shown and described,
may be resorted to without involving a departure from our invention, we would have
it understood that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise steps in the process,
form, and construction, described and shown. The eyelet, K, illustrated in
Figures 12 and 13, is of the ordinary construction excepting as to the head, w,
thereof. The head of said eyelet is constructed with the elevations and depressions,

page_text: 10 and 12, extending outwardly from the center to the periphery thereof, in the
form and manner also further illustrated in Figure 7, on the head of the stud there
shown, and the plastic material, J, is applied, anchored, and secured thereon, as above
described. The lacing studs and eyelets herein described are adapted for use on shoes
or other objects of wearing apparel. The plastic material applied thereto is prefer-
ably that having pyroxylene for its base, and it is given any desirable color, so that
the color of the studs and eyelets may conform to that of the material or article on
which they are secured. The plastic material applied to the heads of studs and
eyelets having the conformations described, and filling the recesses under the
elevated portions of the metal is so firmly fixed thereon that it is not disturbed by
wear, and burning, only, will separate it from the heads.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim
is :-
A-process-for-manufacturing-lacing studs, consisting in-upsetting the ends of
a-blank--and--torming--enlarged -heads--thereon,--then--flattening-the--heads,--and
punching an eyelet-from-one of the-flattened-dises,-and-bending-such-dises-at--right
angles-to-the-shank, substantially-as-set-forth.
2.-A-process-for-manufacturing lasing-studs,-comprising the upsetting-of-the ends
of-a-wire-blank-and-forming-heads thereon,-flattening-the-heads, and-rounding the
ends-of-the-shank-where-they-conneet-with-the-dises,-substantially-as-set-ferth.
13. The process of manufacturing lacing studs consisting in fortning enlarged
heads on the opposite ends of a blank, flattening such heads, punching an eyelet from
one of the flattened dises and bending the discs at right angles to the shank, sub-
stantially as set forth.
4. A-leeing-stud-having-a-head-and-an eyelet bearing base, the said bead and
base--being--integrally-united-by-a-solid--cylindrical--shank,--substantially-as-set
forth.
25. A lacing stud constructed as aforesaid having a rib on the under side of the
head thereof, extending to the junction of said head and the shank of the stud,
whereby the union of said head and shank is made more rigid.
3 6. A lacing stud constructed as aforesaid having projecting, right angularly
arranged ribs on the underside of its head, whereby the head is made more rigid, and
elevations and depressions are formed at the border of the head, combined with a
plastic covering on the head engaging the border thereof substantially as described.
47. An eyelet or stud having a metallic head with elevations and depressions
extending outward from near the center to the periphery of said metallic head, and a
plastic cover extending over said metallic head and outside the periphery thereof, and
filling the recesses under the elevated portions of the metal, the depressions in the
metal under the head being exposed, substantially as described. and illustrated.
Dated this 10th day of August 1904.
FRANK BUR MANVILLE,
ARTHUR MATHISON
Haseltine, Lake & Co,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.
Agents for the Applicants.