MACHINERY FOR MAKING LOCK SPRINGS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Frederick Stansbury, of the firm of Nourse
& Co., American and General Patent Agents, of 17, Cornhill, London,
for the Invention of "MACHINERY FOR MAKING LOCK SPRINGS."-A com-
munication.
Sealed the 6th March 1855, and dated the 14th September 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Frederick Stans-
bury at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th September 1854.
I, CHARLES FREDERICK STANSBURY, of the firm of Nourse & Co., American
and General Patent Agents, of 17, Cornhill, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "MACHINERY FOR MAKING LOCK SPRINGS,"
being a communication, to be as follows:-
"
The blanks for the springs, having been previously prepared, are subjected to
the action of this machinery for the purpose of being cut into any required
number of strips or fingers. This division into fingers spreads the blank
beyond its original size, and leaves it curled and irregular in shape, and
requiring to be flattened and laterally compressed. It is the object of the
machinery now to be described to convert the prepared blank into the finished
spring, by cutting, flattening, and laterally compressing it.
For cutting the blanks into fingers, I employ shears and a holding and

page_text: feeding apparatus, arranged as follows:-The whole is placed on a bed plate
of iron or other suitable material. On this bed the lower jaw of the shears
is permanently fastened. The upper and moveable jaw is attached to a plate,
which works vertically in guides, and is operated by a lever and cam. The
blank is held while being cut by a vise attached to a table or plate working
laterally in guides. The width of the strips or fingers to be cut will depend
upon the motion or feed of the holding vise, and the regularity of the work
upon the uniformity with which the feed is governed. In order to ensure
regularity, the tables or plate to which the holding vise is attached is con-
nected by an adjustable connecting rod with an upright arm or lever, having
a pin in its upper end, which fits into holes or grooves in a graduated plate.
This pin is retracted and moved forward by a spring and thumb-piece.
The operation of this part of the apparatus is as follows:-The blank to
be cut is placed in the vise, which is then properly adjusted with reference
to the shears. The first cut having been made, by depressing the lever which
works the upper jaw of the shears, the blank is fed in the proper distance for
a second cut by moving the pin of the upright arm forward one division
on the adjustable graduated plate, and so on, until the blank is divided into
the proper number of fingers.
The graduated plate on which the pin and arm work is adjustable, and is
divided into radial grooves or series of holes, by means of which any given
width of blank may be divided into any required number of divisions or
fingers of uniform width.
The springs having been cut are flattened and laterally compressed, by
being subjected to vertical and lateral percussion between two metallic plates
or jaws worked by levers. The upper of these plates or jaws works vertically
on a hinge, and is operated by a lever and cam or toggle joint. The lower
jaw works laterally, and is operated by a lever and spring. Both jaws have
shoulders upon the surfaces, between which the blank is to be operated upon
is placed. The action of this part of the Invention is as follows:-The blank
is placed on the lower jaw, and is flattened by a blow from the upper jaw
brought down upon it by the operation of its lever and toggle. The fingers
spread apart by this blow are brought into contact by a lateral blow from the
shoulders of the two jaws or plates, brought together by the operation of the
horizontal lever attached to the lower jaw. The springs are then complete,
and ready to be hardened and used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Frederick Stansbury in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
FREDERICK STANSBURY, of the firm of Nourse & Co., American and General
Patent Agents, of No. 17, Cornhill, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Frederick Stansbury, Her special licence that I, tho said
Charles Frederick Stansbury, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Charles Frederick Stansbury, ny executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "MACHINERY FOR MAKING LOCK SPRINGS," a communica-
tion, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Frederick
Stansbury, by an instrument in writing under my hand and scal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Frederick Stansbury, 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, reference being made to the accompanying Drawings;
in which Figure 1 represents the machinery for cutting the springs into strips
or fingers; and Figure 2 represents the machinery for flattening and laterally
compressing tho springs after being cut.
The blanks for the springs, having been previously prepared, are subjected
to the action of this machinery for the purpose of being cut into any required
number of strips or fingers. This division into fingers spreads the blank
beyond its original size, and leave it curled and irregular in shape and reguiring
to be flattened and laterally compressed. It is the object of my machinery,
now to be described, to convert the prepared blank into the finished spring, by
cutting, flattening, and laterally compressing it.

page_text: For cutting the blanks into fingers, I employ the machinery shewn in
perspective in Figure 1, the same consisting of shears and a holding and
feeding apparatus, arranged as follows:-The whole is placed on a bed plate A,
of iron or other suitable material. On this bed the lower jaw B of the shears
is permanently fastencil. The upper and movable jaw C is attached to a
plate D, which works vertically in guides E, and is operated by a lever F and
cam. The blank is held by a vice G, attached to a table or plaie H, working
laterally in guides. The width of the fingers to be cut will depend upon the
motion or feed of the holding vice, and the regularity of the work upon the
uniformity with which the feed is governed. In order to ensure regularity,
the table or plate H, to which the holding vice G is attached, is connected by
an adjustable connecting rod J, with an upright arm or lever K, having
a pin L in its upper end, which fits into holes or grooves in a graduated
plate M. This pin is retracted and moved forward by a spring and thumb-
piece N.
The operation of this part of the apparatus is as follows:-The blank to be
cut is placed in the vice, which is then properly adjusted with reference to the
shears. The first cut having been made, by depressing the lever F, which
works the upper jaws of the shears, the blank is fed in the proper distance
for a second cut, by moving the pin L of the upright arm M forward one
division on the adjustable graduated plate, and so on, until the blank is divided
into the proper number of fingers.
The graduated plate M on which the pin and arm work is adjustable, and
is divided into radial grooves or series of holes, by means of which any given
width of blank may be divided into any required number of divisions or fingers
of uniform width.
The lower jaw E
The jaws have each
marked a, a, in the
The springs having been cut, are flattened and laterally compressed by the
machinery represented in perspective in Figure 2, by which they are subjected
to vertical and lateral percussion between two metallic plates or jaws worked by
levers. The upper of these plates or jaws A works vertically on a hinge B, B,
and is operated by a lever C and cam or toggle joint D.
works laterally, and is operated by a lever F and spring.
a shoulder upon their surfaces, between which shoulders,
Drawings, the blank to be operated upon is placed. The action of this part
of the Invention is as follows:-The blank is placed on the lower jaw E, and is
flattened by a blow from the upon the upper jaw A, brought down upon it by
the operation of its lever C and cam or toggle. The fingers spread apart by this
blow are brought into contact by a lateral blow from the shoulders a, a, of the
two jaws or plates, brought together by the operation of the horizontal lever F,

page_text: attached to the lower jaw E. The springs are then completed and ready to be
hardened and used.
What I claim, under the above in part recited Letters Patent is, first, the
method herein described of dividing lock springs into strips or fingers, and
particularly the method of giving regularity to the division by means of the
arm K and its pin L, moving over the adjustable graduated plate M, Figure 1.
And, secondly, I claim the method herein described of flattening and com-
pressing the divided spring by means of vertical and lateral percussion, produced
substantially in the manner described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederick Stansbury, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.
CHARLES FREDERICK STANSBURY. (L.S.)