AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE. OF BUTTONS. AND THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Isidore Honoré Parent, of Paris, in the French,
Empire, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE.
OF BUTTONS. AND THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 12th May 1859, and dated the 16th November 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Isidore Honoré
Parent at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th November 1858.
I, ALFRED ISIDORE HONORE PARENT, of Paris, in the French Empire,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS, AND THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to
be as follows:-
My Invention consists in manufacturing buttons by means and in manner
following, that is to say:-I first form continuous bands of strips of metal of
a suitable width by turning over the end of each strip into the form of a hook,
and engaging the hook in the end of the next strip in it, and then flattening
the ends down. The continuous band being thus formed, I take it to a cutting
and stamping machine, in which I use hollow concentric punches which are
driven from excentrics upon a shaft in such manner as at each stroke to cut a
disc from the continuous band, depress the centre or body thereof into a
matrix, and leave a raised edge or rim all round. By means of an excentric
upon the shaft already named, one end of a lever is depressed, whereby a
connecting rod is made to move a ratchet, which entering into a ratchet wheel
connected with feed rollers, through which the continuous band is passed,
regulates the feed of the band in accordance with the stroke imparted to the
punches. The same feed rollers may be used for different sized buttons by
giving more or less advance to the ratchet wheel. The opposite end of the lever

page_text: which is made to impart motion to the ratchet is fitted with a spring in order
to raise that end of the lever depressed by the excentric.
The cupped discs, produced as aforesaid, have placed in them first a disc of
card, linen, cotton, or other fabric, and then a disc of metal which is of such
size as just to fit in them. Thus prepared, the partially formed button is placed
in recesses formed in an endless belt of gutta percha or other like suitable
material, and brought under first a punch which sets and fixes the blanks in
movable shaped rings, held in a revolving platform supported under the endless
belt. While in these cups, the blanks are brought between punches and
matrices, whereby the three surfaces are compressed, dished, and perforated
with the required number of holes, and are then finally shaped between
another punch and matrix, after which the buttons are pushed up into a
cylinder, from which they fall into any receptacle provided for them. Pins
for clearing out the holes in the buttons may be fixed in these cylinders. The
punches and matrices are fitted with springs, and are otherwise constructed to
perform efficiently. The whole of the motions in this second machine are
derived from excentrics on a shaft to which rotary motion is communicated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Isidore Honoré Parent in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
ISIDORE HONORÉ PARENT, of Paris, in the French Empire, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of November, in the year, of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Isidore Honoré Párent, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred
Isidore Honoré Parent, 'my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Alfred Isidore Honoré Parent, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS, AND THE APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred

page_text: .
Isidore Honoré Parent, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Alfred Isidore Honoré Parent, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is, to say:
My Invention consists in manufacturing buttons by means and in. manner
following, that is to say-I first form continuous bands of strips of metal of
a suitable width, by turning over the end of each strip into the form of a hook,
and engaging the hook in the end of the next strip in it, and then flattening
the ends down. The continuous band being thus formed, I take it to a
cutting and stamping machine in which I use hollow concentric punches,.
which are driven from excentrics upon a shaft in such manner as at each
stroke to cut a disc from the continuous band, depress the centre or body.
thereof into a matrix, and leave a raised edge or rim all round. By means of
an eccentric upon the shaft already named, one end of a lever is depressed,
whereby a connecting rod is made to move a ratchet, which entering into a
ratchet wheel connected with feed rollers, through which the continuous band.
is passed, regulates the feed of the band in accordance with the stroke
imparted to the punches. The same feed rollers may be used for different.
sized buttons by giving more or less advance to the ratchet wheel. The oppo-
site end of the lever which is made to impart motion to the ratchet is fitted
with a spring in order to raise that end, of the lever depressed by the
eccentric.
The cupped discs, produced as aforesaid, have placed in them first, a disc of
card, linen, cotton, or other fabric, and then a disc of metal, which is of such
size as just to fit in them. Thus prepared, the partially formed button is
placed in recesses formed in an endless belt of gutta percha, or other like
suitable material, and brought under first a punch which sets and fixes the
blanks in movable shaped rings, held in a revolving. platform supported under
the endless belt. While in these cups, the blanks are brought .between
punches and matrices, whereby the three surfaces are compressed, dished, and
perforated with the required number of holes, and are then finally shaped
between another punch and matrix, after which the buttons are pushed up

page_text: into a cylinder from which they fall into any receptacle provided for them.
Pins for clearing out the holes in the buttons may be fixed in these cylinders.
The punches and matrices are fitted with springs, and are otherwise con-
structed to perform efficiently. The whole of the motions in this second
machine are derived from eccentrics on a shaft, to which rotary motion is
communicated.
At Figures 1, 2, and 3, of the accompanying Drawings, I have illustrated
the manner in which I form continuous bands of strips of metal. This is
accomplished by bending the end of the bands a, a, as in Figure 1, hooking
them together as shewn at Figure 2, and finishing the connection by pressing
or flattening the hooks together as seen at Figure 3. The machine which
I employ for preparing these continuous bands of metal for manufacturing
buttons from them is illustrated in front elevation at Figure 4, and in vertical
section at Figure 5. This machine has two distinct motions by which it pro-
duces simultaneously the punching and stamping, or turning up of the edge of
the metal. First, the motion given to the cutting punches, and those for turning
up the edge of the metal. Second, the progressive motion which is given to the
endless band in proportion to the metal that is punched. a is the main shaft
which carries the fast and loose pullies b, c, the fly wheel d, and the three
cranks e, f, g. The cranks e, f, carry the cutting punches, and the crank g,
the stamping punches for turning up the end. These three cranks are
mounted on a forked arm or standard as shewn, in order that the punches
may work as perpendicularly as may be, the connecting rods are screw-threaded
in order to regulate their height, and consequently the amount of pressure.
The lower ends of the connecting rods carry balls which work in socket joints
in the guide rods. The cutting out punches h, Figure 5, are tubular, and
receive through their centres the stamping punches i. These punches are
inserted in a plate k, fitted into a dove-tail groove, and work in a matrix or
plate for cutting and stamping on. The first plate 1, Figures 6 and 7, guides
the punches to the second plate, the pins m entering corresponding holes
on the stamping plate n, Figures 8 and 9. This plate n is made in such
manner that the upper part of the holes o may be of the size of the button
blank, whilst the lower part narrows in order that the stamping punch i as i
descends causes the edge of the blank to turn up, and so form the rim.
The continuous bands of metal are caused to pass underneath the punche
in the following manner :-On the shaft a, an eccentric p is placed, working
against a roller q; this roller is fixed to a lever r, which oscillates on a pi
s fixed to the standard in such manner that the rotation of eccentric pro
duces the falling of the lever r, which is brought back to its position b

page_text: the spring t fixed to one of its ends; when the lever r is depressed, the rod u
which is fixed to the opposite end of the lever follows its motion, and through
the joint causes the paul y to enter the teeth of the ratchet wheel x, and
thereby turn it. The number of teeth in this wheel can be varied according
to the speed at which the continuous band is to be moved, and the size of the
buttons required to be stamped. The axle of the ratchet. wheel carries a
toothed wheel a¹ gearing into the pinion 6 which again gears into another
toothed wheel on the upper roller c¹. The two rollers c¹, c', are provided
with a toothed wheel d, which allows both to revolve in opposite directions,
and thus draws the metal band through the machine.
blank for the button
table A, and
The machine just described produces a cupped shell or
of the shape shown on an enlarged scale in Figure 10. At Figure 11, Sheet
2, I have shewn in front elevation, the machine which I employ for finishing the
button, after it has left the machine illustrated in Sheet 1. A disc of card, linen,
or other suitable material f¹, and a disc of metal g', Figure 12, are placed in the
blank just described; the filled blanks are then placed on an endless band of
gutta percha or other suitable material h¹, Figures 11 and 13. This band of
gutta percha is stretched round pulleys k¹, and over the plate or
the support q', Figures 11, 14, and 15; a standard m' supports the crank
shaft n', which produces as it revolves the ascent and descend of the cranks o¹,
p; these are mounted like the cranks in the first machine, and carry at
their lower part the piercers or borers for forming holes in the buttons as well
as the punches or cutters. The bed A, on which the apparatus rests, has a
plate formed of two discs r¹ and 1, the former being fixed, and the latter
movable and pierced with holes in which movable rings s¹, Figures 16 and 17,
are placed. These rings have grooves or notches formed on their outer edge
into which projections on the plate & take; beneath the table P, two matrices
for piercing and stamping are fixed, shown separately in Figures 18, 19, 20,
and 21; the piercing matrix is composed of a cone t', bolted on the bed A, in
which matrix a cylindrical tube u¹ is fitted, terminating in a screw thread at
its lower part to receive the nut v¹, and furnished at its upper part with a ring
having holes corresponding to the piercers or borers. The cylindrical tube,
2 is cased in a second tube a¹, having a shoulder formed at its upper part for
the helical spring a² to act against. This arrangement is intended to remove
the piercers should they stick in the matrix and moveable ring. The punching
piercer, Figure 30, corresponding to this matrix is composed of a central tube
a³, terminated by the piercers 63, 63. This tube is encased in a tube c³,
around which there is a helical spring e³, and the whole is enclosed in a
cylinder or case d³, which as it descends produces the shape of the button.

page_text: shown at Figure 12*; the piercers immediately follow to produce, the holes.
A lever fs moved by the play of the piercers assists in withdrawing them
if they should meet with any obstacle. The stamping matrix, Figures 20
and 21, is formed almost similarly; it is composed of a cone 62, in which the
tube c is placed, terminated by a screw at its lower part to receive the nut e*,
and its case d². In the centre of the tube c², there is a plug e², on which
there is a protection in the form of a button; the screw threaded rod f² takes
into this plug, and keeps it in position. A spring 93 surrounds the case d²;
this arrangement is intended to cause the movable ring to penetrate between
the tube c, and the trunk of the cone at the time the stamping takes place;
h2, Figure 11, are curved levers to assist the springs to return to their position;
these springs are put in action by the cams, k². Figure 22 is a short tube which
is employed for forcing the button blanks with the materials in them through
the gutta percha band, into the movable rings. The tube k² is surrounded by
another tube 2, held by the arm 1, which in its descent turns down the rim of
the button while the tubo 2 holds it in position. To this tube k a rod m² is
fixed, working loosely through the arm ; the upper end of this rod m³ is
A fork o² worked by the
screw-threaded, and carries a regulating screw nut.
projecting stud p², fixed on the framing, causes the tube n² to ascend, followed
by the tube 2. The cylinder which receives the finished buttons is held by
the arm is a piston placed below the table which is acted on by a
helical spring s², so that when the receiver presses upon the piston it causes the
button to open the springs t2, Figures 23, 24, and 25, and to enter the body of
the cylinder from which the buttons issue by the opening u² into a shoot v
Figure 11. The piston carries four points which open the holes of the button
when the interior is stopped up by the stamping.
In order that these motions shall be executed with precision, it is necessary
that the plate present itself successively to the punches, and this motion is
always in relation to the advance of the endless band on which the blanks are
placed. For this purpose on the shaft n' there is an eccentric 9³, which
imparts to the rod h³ a to-and-fro motion. This rod carries a hooked pro-
jection ³, working in a groove in the lever ³, fixed on the axle m³. There is
a paul secured on this lever 13, which takes into the ratchet wheel n³ in such
manner that this wheel turns regularly and communicates a similar rotary
motion to the pulley . This pulley ¹ is furnished with projections p3, which
take successively into one of the holes in the band, and thus retain the strap
during the operations of stamping, punching, and finishing. The eccentric g
and the rod h³ communicate a rotary motion to the plate by means o
jointed levers q³, and a ratchet wheel. To hold this plate stationary whil

page_text: the different operations take place, a roller
takes into the notches s³, formed
on the rim of the plate l', and of a number equal to those of the movable rings;
this roller leaves the notch each time that the punches have acted, and the
plate turns. The rod h³, Figure 26, carries a cam t³, which acts on a roller u³
of the lever ³, pivoted at 3. Each time that the rod a³ descends it turns the
plate, the cam acts on the lever v³, and causes the roller to enter a notch in
the plate.
In order to prevent the disarrangement of the movable rings during the
rotation of the plate, I provide on that part which receives the punching action
a partial disc w³, Figure 27, the holes of which are smaller than the exterior
circumference of the rings.
The buttons on leaving this machine are quite finished, and ready to be
polished, silvered, gilt, or ornamented in any desired manner.
I prefer to employ slate for the material of the bed or the table of the
machines, owing to the resistance it offers to acids.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim as the improved
manufacture of buttons,-
First, the forming continuous bands of strips of metal, in the manner and
for the purposes herein-before set forth.
Second, the general arrangement of machinery for the manufacture of
continuous bands of metal into shells or cupped discs for buttons, as herein-
before described and illustrated in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
And, third, the general arrangement of machinery, herein-before described
and illustrated in Sheet 2 of the Drawings hereunto annexed, for manu-
facturing the shells or cupped dises into buttons..
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Isidore Honoré Parent, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of May, One thou-
sand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
CII. ARMENGAUD, Ing". Civil,
Boulev de Strasbourg, 23,
à Paris.
A. I. H. PARENT. (L.S.)