Improvements in Machines for Driving Tacks and other Fasteners.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1898
[Communicated from abroad by WALTER SHAW, 108, Summer Street, Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America.]
Improvements in Machines for Driving Tacks and other Fasteners.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
My invention is a fastening driving machine made up of a machine for driving
tacks or other fastenings; a work support or jack and a mechanism which auto-
matically actuates the jack while the fastening is being driven.
In the drawings I have shown my invention embodied in a lasting machine;
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of head or fastening driving
mechanism;
Figure 2 is a front view of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a detail of the tack feeding shaft and pawls on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;
Figure 4 is a detail of the clutch operating cam and roll, on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;
Figure 5 is a detail of the starting mechanism on line 5-5 of Fig. 1;
Figure 6 is a view of the lower part of the jack standard and the base of the
machine, showing the jack operating clutch;
Figure 7 is a view of the jack and the upper part of its standard;
Figure 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 2.
those
A is the frame of the machine which carries and supports in proper relation
to one another, all the moving parts of the machine. Bis a driving shaft mounted
in suitable bearings in frame A and driven, through pulleys B B", which are
loose and fast respectively. At the front end of shaft B is a crank which by
means of connecting rod is connected to a driver D which reciprocates in
bearings upon frame A. Upon each side of shaft B, at the rear, are two
receptacles E for tacks, within which scoop arms e revolve, continually deposit-
ing tacks upon slanting tables from which they roll into the tack chute F
which consists of a slotted way, the slot of which is wide enough to permit the
passage of the bodies of the tacks but not of their heads, in consequence of which
the tacks hang point down and slide gradually down the chute, as
at the bottom of the chute are fed by the tack feeding mechanism, under the
driver D. These two tack receptacles are intended to hold tacks of different
sizes and means are provided by which either of the two kinds of tacks may be
fed, the act of throwing one tack feed into operation, stopping the other.
Upon
one side of a worm gear G, are the cam lugs g whose function is to operate a pair
of push slides which are set over the top of the tack chute and at the lower
side of slanting tables e. The object of these slides is, at intervals during the
operation of the machine, to move back and forth, clearing a space along the
notch of the tack chute F for the entrance of tacks and then urging the tacks down
the incline and this is accomplished by means of push arms which rest against
the lower end of slides e, which push arms are reciprocated by levers & fast to the
ends of shaft ein bearing which shaft is rocked by cam lever which

page_text: is in contact with the cam lugs g¹. Slides & are normally forced to their lowest
position by springs against the force of which push arms operate, with the
result that as soon as cam lugs g' drop cam lever e, slides are shot back to
their lowest position by the springs. All the mechanism so far described is so
well known in the art as to need no more complete description.
Secured upon shaft B is a worm which meshes with worm gear G upon one
side of which are secured a number of cam luge g. The cam lugs g, as the
gear Gis revolved by the movement of the worm, act at h upon lever H, which
is pinned to the frame A at ' and cause that lever to move up and down, thus
giving a reciprocating movement to pawl I pinned to the free end of lever H. The
lower end of pawl I rests against oue arm of a pawl-shield J, which is pinned at j
to the frame of the machine, the other arm of lever J being pinned to the upper
end of starting rod K. This starting rod K is held up by a spring & and pawl I
is connected with pawl-shield J by a yoke and spring while a spring i fast
to the frame of the machine tends constantly to pull pawl I downward and in-
ward (see Figures 3 and 1). Pawl I is obviously so organized that, upon the de-
pression of rod K, it will be drawn forward so that, as it is reciprocated under
the action of lever H, it will engage ratchet wheel upon shaft I, but as the
movement of lever H is less than the distance between the teeth of ratchet
wheel, the shaft L is not moved far enough by pawl I alone for that pawl alone
is incapable, without assistance, of moving the ratchet wheel one complete tooth
In Fig. 5 is shown a detail of the mechanism which completes the movement of
shaft and consists of a pair of pawls operating upon a ratchet upon
shaft L. These pawls are pinned to a plate which is pivoted to a bracket fast
to the frame of the machine, and this plate is oscillated by an eccentric & ou
shaft B (see Figure 1), through a connecting rod b³. Pawl is a push pawl and
pawl a hook pawl. The movement of pawl I having partially turned shaft L,
upon the next downward movement of pawl shaft L will be sufficiently pushed
around to bring a tooth under the hook of pawl and as the pawl is retracted
pawl will hook into ratchet and continue the rotation sufficiently to place a
tooth on ratchet in proper relation to pawl I to be moved by pawl I as it is
raised.
Mounted upon shaft L is a cam M which cam, through a roll m on one arm m
of rock shaft m³ (the other arm of which is pulled by a spring in
a direction to keep the roll in contact with the cam) controls rock
shaft m which works in a bearing in a bracket fast to the frame of
the machine. At the other end of the rock shaft m³ is a cross arm m in a forked
arm m³, the lower end of which engages a sleeve mª sliding on a rod and pressed
toward the machine by a spring; and the upper end of which has a projection
with which the cross arm m may engage. From the sleeve m³ depends a finger m²
which normally closes the bottom of the chule F. A forked arm m³, similar in
all respects to arm m³ is pivoted to a bracket upon the opposite side of the machine
to arm m³ and controls, through a sleeve m and a finger mo the delivery of tacks
upon that side of the machine from the chute upon that side of the machine. By
means of the cross-arm m either of the forked arms m³, m³, may be rocked upon
its pivot, accordingly as the cross arm is adjusted; or the cross arm may be so
placed as not to engage either of the forked arms as it is rocked, in which case
no tacks will be fed.
Also mounted upon shaft L is a second cam N, which cam, through roll n, and
connecting rod which slides in a bearing in a bracket 119 fast to
frame of machine, and through lever n³ pivoted to the frame of the
machine, at suitable intervals lifts rod n against the force of spring ³
and through lever n6, (see Figure 6), operates the clutch 00' on shaft P, which
by means of bevel gear and segmental gear p' throws up and holds up the
jack Q
The jack Q may of course be of any desired construction, and it is shown in
Fig. 7, as in operative position, having been thrown up by the rotation of shaft P,

page_text: The rotation of shaft P
at its highest position
jack up and holds it up
the clutch is released.
so that the depression
The weight of the jack is balanced, as nearly as may be, by a spring f so that the
jack can be more easily thrown up by the clutch 00.
when the jack is at its lowest position and segment
throws segment p down and through arm p throws the
with the full frictional power of the clutch () () until
Starting rod K is controlled by treadle through lever
of treadle depresses lover on starting rod K.
The operation is as follows: power being applied to shaft B, it is revolved in
the direction indicated by arrow (see Fig. 1) the worm gear G is revolved and by
means of the cam lugs the lever H is lifted and pawl I lifted against the
resistance of spring which as soon as lever H is dropped by lug g pulls the
pawl I and lever H down. In this way a reciprocating motion is imparted to
pawl I so long as shaft B is revolved. This motion of pawl I is however, idle
until starting rod K is depressed, the effect of which depression is to pull pawl I
forward so that upon its up-stroke it will engage a tooth of ratchet / on shaft L
(see Fig. 3) sufficiently to move ratchet into engagement with pawls, and
shaft is then moved by pawls acting through ratchet /, sufficiently to
bring the next tooth of ratchet 7 into proper position to be acted upon by pawl I.
The rotation of shaft I operates the clutch of the jack lifting mechanism through
cam N, and operates the tack feeding fingers mm through cam M as above
described. It is evident that by the adjustment of these cams upon shaft L the
jack will be thrown up just as the tack is fed. The cam M has also to be properly
adjusted with relation to shaft B, which at each revolution reciprocates the
driver D. In the machine shown in the drawings, there are eight teeth upon the
worm gear G between each of the cam lugs or forty-eight teeth in all. It is
obvious therefore that shaft B makes eight revolutions, and driver Deight
strokes for every operation of shaft L; and cam M is adjusted upon shaft L to
cause the operation of one of the tack feeding fingers, m mo, as driver ]) upon
its eighth stroke rises above the entrance of the tack chute into the nozzle .r.
Upon the down stroke the tack, being in the nozzle, below the driver, is driven.
It will now be clear that so long as starting rod K is kept depressed to hold
pawl I in working position the machine will continuously perform the operations
of feeding a tack, raising the jack and driving the tack.
I have shown and described my fastening driving machine, as made up of a
fastening driver which runs continuously but whose feed is intermittent in com-
bination with a work support and means to raise the work support at the moment
at which a fastener is driven but I do not limit myself to any particular form of
fastening driving mechanism or any particular form of work support for my inven-
tion is of any fastening driving mechanism and any work support with means to
raise and lower the work support at the moment at which a fastener is driven.
In lasting the operation is as follows:
The laster first shifts the belt from the loose pulley B' to the fast pulley B",
and thereby starts the machine, which runs continuously, but is nevertheless idle
until the pawl shield J is withdrawn.
After the laster has pulled one part of the upper into place he holds it and
depresses the treadle to withdraw pawl shield J, whereupon the jack is pressed
to place and a tack is driven; he may then let up on the treadle and take his
time to pull another part of the upper into place before he repeats the operation
as first described. But it is essential during the operation of lasting that he be
able to drive several tacks in succession, and to do that he holds the pawl shield
retracted long enough to get as many tacks as he wants, moving the jack while
it is not under the control of the jack operating mechanism, so that the jack and
the last and the shoe carried by it will be pressed to place for each tack as it is
driven. The jack is counterpoised by a spring f which is adjusted to suit the
operator, and most operators so adjust spring f that the up and down motion of
the jack is slight, usually less than half an inch; for during the intervals between
successive operations of the tack driving and jack operating mechanisms the jack

page_text: is under the control of the laster, aided by the stress of spring f. The main
advantage of my machine, is that it enables the operator to do more work.
While some lasters want more and some less time between tacks, yet it is
essential that the jack be pressed to place and the tack be driven as near instantly
as possible, and I have found in practice that if the machine be timed for about
1200 operations per minute, or 20 per second, and the pawl I be reciprocated 150
t:mes per minute, that even the most expert lasters are not annoyed by the wait
between operations while the ordinary laster has sufficient time between opera-
tions to manipulate the jack and the work.
But some lasters can last with a shorter wait, while a few desire a longer wait;
and in other work than lasting the wait, will of course, depend upon the time
required for manipulation between operations; this being obviously a matter to
bu determined by circumstances; for my invention is a continuously operating
machine automatically controlled as to the intervals between operations, each
operation of driving a tack in and pressing the jack into place being almost
instantaneous but the time between operations depending upon the timing of the
controlling mechanism by which the jack and its operating mechanism and the
tack driving mechanism are caused to constitute one machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First: A machine comprising a fastening driving mechanism; * jaok;
mechanism for presenting the jack and mechanism to automatically connect and
disconnect the jack presenting mechanism and its driving shaft to cause the jack
to be presented to the fastening driving urechanism when the fastening driving
mechanism drives a fastening, substantially as described.
Second: In combination, a fastening driving mechanism; a jack; mechanism
for presenting the jack; automatic mechanism to connect and disconnect the jack
presenting mechanism and its driving shaft and means whereby the operator can
control the operation of the automatic mechanism.
1005
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.