Improvements in Machines for Inserting Metallic Fastenings in Boots and Shoes and Leather Work.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Inserting Metallic Fastenings in
Boots and Shoes and Leather Work.
A communication from abroad by JAMES WILLSON BROOKS, of Petersham, in
the State of Massachusetts, United States of America.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent 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:-
The machine to be herein described is adapted to produce its own nails as needed
from a nail strip of a width to correspond with the length of the nail.
The nail strip is contained in an oscillating and longitudinally movable strip
carrier, and the end of the strip is moved or put into position between cutters
which sever the strip to form a nail, after which the driver descends to drive it.
In this invention to secure rapidity of action and to reduce the strains on the
machine to the minimum, I have separated the support for the coil of nail strip,
from the strip carrier, so that the said coil has only a motion of rotation upon
its own axis when being unreeled, the strip being twisted about half-way round
between the strip-carrier and the reel as one nail after another is cut from
the strip.
The strip-carrier in this present invention besides having a motion of oscillation
and of reciprocation is also adapted to be tipped vertically to change the bevel
or shape of the nail to be severed from the strip.
I have also provided novel mechanism by which to oscillate the strip-carrier.
Herein also the nail tube is connected to the lever carrying the movable cutter
member, so that the nail tube is put into position to receive each nail as it is
cut off from the strip.
I have also combined with the cutters a yielding or spring actuated nail holder
adapted to prevent axial rotation of the nail between the cutting and driving
operations.
I have also combined with the strip-carrier, cutting mechanism, and driver and
awl, for feeding the material.
Fig. 1 of the drawing is a right-hand side elevation of the working parts or head
of the improved machine herein to be described, the column and work-support
or horn being omitted, as well as the strip support, the latter being shown in
Fig. 10;
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3 is a section in the dotted line x, Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 shows the strip-carrier detached and reversed from its position Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a section of the strip-carrier in the dotted line a¹;
Figs. 6 and 7 represent the mouth or delivery end of the strip-carrier separated,
to show the holding rolls which act on the strip;
Fig. 7 is a section in the line 8, Fig. 4, it, however, showing a tube inserted as
it may be to change the diameter of the opening in the strip-carrier for a narrower
strip;
Fig. 8, a detached view of the adjusting gear stud shown in Fig. 4, to adjust the
inclination of the strip-carrier, according to the taper which it is desired to give to
the nail;
Fig. 9, a detail showing the toothed segment for reciprocating the sliding frame
having the attached sleeve-like bearing in which the strip-carrier is mounted,
together with the threaded collar having the rack;

page_text: ...
Fig. 10 shows developed the can for actuating the strip-carrier ;
Fig. 10, a detail showing part of the column and the strip-carrier, together with
part of the mechanism for depressing the horn to release the material slightly while
the awl operates to feed the material over the horn ;
Fig. 11 is a partial horizontal section at the head of the machine in about the
dotted linea, Fig. 2, the section showing the pivot stud of the lever on which is
mounted the movable blade or member of the cutter ;
Fig. 12 is a detail top view of the foot or throat plate and gage detached;
Fig. 13 an upper end view of the nose detached;
Figs. 14 and 15 are respectively outer and inner side views of the stationary
cutter blade or member ;
Figs. 16 and 17 are respectively end and inner side views of the cover plate
outside the stationary cutter blade, said figures showing the attached nail-holder
and its actuating spring;
Fig. 18 is an enlarged partial horizontal section in about the line 6, Fig. 2;
Fig. 19 represents the strip in side elevation, the portion at the left of the full
line representing the nail as cut off, the dotted line representing the line of the next
cut to be made when the strip is rotated 180°;
Fig. 20 shows a section of the strip;
Fig. 21, a longitudinal section of a modified form of strip-carrier ;
Fig. 22, a section in the line 10, Fig. 21;
Figs, 23 and 24 are respectively opposite end views of the strip carrier ;
Figs. 25 and 26, enlarged details of the strip carrier;
Fig. 27, details of the guides which control the edges of the strip.
The head A' of the frame-work rests on a suitable column A, which in practice
has a foot to stand on the floor.
The column carries a suitable work-support or horn, upon which may rest the
work into which the nails made from the nail strip s, of uniform thickness, are to
be driven, the shape of the nail strip being best shown in Fig. 20, a portion of the
strip being represented in Figs. 1 and 10, the strip in practice in coil form coming
from some suitable reel R, supported in a suitable bracket, but independently of
the strip carrier, as shown in Fig. 10.
The power shaft A' has a fast pulley A³ and a co-operating loose pulley A, the
said members constituting a clutch pulley, one of the said members being forced
into or pulled from contact with the other, as it is desired to run or stop the power-
shaft, by means of a wedge-shaped slide-bar A' connected to a rod Aso, controlled
by a suitable treadle A
The power-shaft A' has fast upon it a cam B, and a pinion C, and the forward
end of the said shaft is provided with a driver-bar lifting-cam A, shown in Fig. 2
by dotted lines, it acting upon a projection A', see dotted lines Fig. 2, fast upon
the driver-bar A", provided at its lower end with a driver a, the said cam A®
serving to lift the driver-bar, the driver being thrown down quickly by the
spring A acting on the arm A, and the link A interposed between the arm AI⁰
and driver-bar.
The force of the spring A' may be regulated by the screw A¹³ in engagement
with the worm gear A.
The cam B has at its inner face, see Fig. 3, a cam groove B¹ which receives a
roller or other stud of an arm or elbow-lever B having a depending rod C³, to the
lower end of which is jointed a pawl-carrier d", the said pawl-carrier sliding in
guide-ways d fixed to the frame-work. "
This pawl-carrier has a pawl do which at each ascent of the rod C8 is adapted to
engage the teeth a of a rod d jointed to a lever C" pivoted at C, the opposite
end of said lever being jointed to a rod C" connected with a second rod C" having,
as shown, at its upper end a block C" to which is adjustably connected a suitable
horn or work-support C*.
The frame-work has a stop d, against which the pawl d strikes as the pawl-
carrier is depressed, the stop thus releasing the pawl from the ratchet teeth d*.

page_text: The rod C is surrounded by a spring C which at its lower end rests on an
abutment C supported by the frame-work, the upper end of the spring acting
against an adjustable nut C on the said rod C".
:
The function of the spring C" is normally to elevate the horn whenever the
pawl d is disengaged from the teeth this happening when the pawl-carrier is
down, and at such time the horn rises to caliper the leather upon it between the
horn and the nose b³.
The horn must however be depressed to slightly release the leather, in order that
it may be fed for the insertion of another fastening, and this is done as the pawl-
carrier is elevated, the pawl at such time engaging the ratchet teeth d² and
turning the lever C₁ sufficiently to release the leather and enable it to be fed.
In order that the operator may depress the horn at any desired time, I have
provided a treadle d, also pivoted at C2, the rear end of the treadle acting against
a projection on, or it may be against the lever C¹º.
The projection C on lever C is of sufficient weight to normally keep the end
of the horn elevated so as to afford a sort of abutment to aid in clinching the end of
the nail driven into the material on the horn.
The pinion C on the main shaft A' engages a toothed gear C¹ on the cam-
shaft C, said cam-shaft having a series of cams C, C', the two latter being.
preferably made in one piece, and a cam C³.
The main shaft A* also has fast on it at its front end a cam plate A", provided
at its outer face with a cam groove A', into which is entered a roller or other
stud a² of a lever a³, mounted loosely upon the outer end of the cam shaft C', the
hub of the said arm being retained upon the said cam-shaft by a suitable nut a².
The arm a has a projection, to which is jointed at as a link a, herein represented
as rounded at its lower end, see Fig. 2, and fitted into a circular socket in the upper
end of the feed-bar a', provided as represented with an awl-like point a*.
The said feed-bar is slotted, as at a, in the direction of its length, and receives
loosely in its slot a fulcrum block 10, mounted on an adjustable fulcrum stud a",
secured in the front of the head of the machine, the adjustment of the said
fulcrum stud vertically regulating the effective length of the feed stroke of the
feed-bar.
The feed-bar has a roller or other stud a", which is acted upon by an irregular
peripheral portion a", of the cam plate A to vibrate the said feed-bar when in
engagement with the material, the movement of the arm a reciprocating the feed-
bar, so that it descends to engage the leather, and retires therefrom, the backward
movement of the feed-bar over the leather being effected by a spring c.
The feed-bar works in a guide-box, the front plate of which is marked a", it
being held in place chiefly by a screw a¹, the said screw passing through an
enlarged opening in the feed bar, so that the vertical movement of the latter, as well
as its lateral movement, is not affected by the said screw.
The edge gage b, made adjustable by the handle b', and the foot-plate 6³ to rest
upon the leather, are substantially as common.
To the front side of the head is attached by a screw ³, a cover plate, grooved
at its inner side, see Fig. 17, and provided with a yielding nail holder * acted
upon by a spring 8, the said nail holder being slotted at 62 for the passage through
it of the inner end of a screw 6, which screw acts both as a guide and to limit the
sliding or horizontal movements of the said nail-holder.
At the rear of the nail holder is located the stationary member of the strip-
cutting mechanism.
The head of the machine is provided with a suitable orifice, see Fig. 11, to receive
the pivot 6 of the movable cutter lever 610, said cutter lever having at its upper end
a suitable roll 60×, see Fig. 2, which enters a groove 610x, shown by dotted lines, at
the rear side of the cam A secured to the front end of the shaft A', the shape of
said groove being fully represented by dotted lines in said figure, said lever having
also attached to it by screw a cover plate 6, the said plate holding in place
between it and the said lever the movable blade b¹ of the cutting mechanism, the

page_text: latter being slotted at 61, see Fig. 15, to enable it to be adjusted, when desired, to
compensate for the grinding of the cutter.
The lower end of the lever 6,10 carrying this movable cutter, has a suitable
lip 6, see Fig. 2, to which is attached by a screw 61° a nose, composed, see Fig. 13,
of a block be provided at its front side with a vertical guide-way 617 to receive a
key or rib projecting from the rear side of a plate 618, said block 61 and plate 618
being provided with a vertical passage, through which the driver a, drives the nail
when severed from the strip; Fig. 13 showing a nail in said passage.
The lever 60 has a curved guide lip 40, and the cap-plate ¹³ has a curved guide
lip 60, to enclose the movable cutter member.
The head of the machine has attached to it by a screw " a plate 6", the inner
edge of which overlaps a portion of the outer face of the movable lever 610 to keep
its portion properly seated in its bearing, the lever 60 being suitably slotted in
line with the screw 6 so as to let the said lever move and not be obstructed by the
screw.
The main shaft has loosely mounted upon it a sliding frame D having an
upright arm D¹, provided with a roller or other stud to enter a cam groove in the
front face of the cam C³.
This sliding frame has a downwardly projecting arm D2, to which is connected
by an adjusting device, shown as a stud Ds having gear teeth 100, and called a
gear stud, see Figs. 1 and 8, a segmental arm D*, having a hollow sleeve-like
bearing Do, in which oscillates the strip-carrier D', to be described.
This strip-carrier has a thin tapered nose, made preferably in two pieces and
held together by the screws f, see Fig. 1, and each half of said nose is provided
with a gripping roll as f¹, f', said rolls serving to grip the strip centrally between
them sufficiently to take the same with the strip-carrier when the latter is being
moved in the forward direction, the rolls rolling back along the strip when the
latter is held by the cutters.
To provide for different widths of strip, the strip-carrier may have inserted in it
tubes, as Dx, see Fig. 74, to fill its space, the particular tube used having a central
opening of the width of the strip.
The frame D and its attached parts including the bearing Do, is oscillated
slightly so that as the strip-carrier, to be described, is oscillated, it may at the
same time be moved somewhat laterally, so that neither the nose of the strip-
carrier nor the edge of the strip will contact with the stationary cutter.
The frame D at its rear end is shown as threaded, and as receiving loosely upon
it a threaded collar D, provided at one side with a series of teeth D7 to constitute
a rack, see Fig. 9, which teeth are engaged by a toothed segment D8 carried by a
radius-bar D mounted upon a stud D, the said radius-bar having adjustably
attached to it a stud I", provided with a loose block D, which enters a slot Dis
in a lever D having its fulcrum at D, and provided with a roller or other.
stud D which enters the cam groove in the cam C³, see Fig. 10, the latter groove
moving the said lever and radius-bar, and causing the segment to reciprocate, the
slide frame D longitudinally upon the said shaft, said movement of the frame
carrying with it the bearing D and the oscillating strip-carrier, it giving to the
said strip-carrier more or less longitudinal movement, as may be desired, to enable
it to place, the free end of the strip s, carried by it, more or less beyond the edge
of the stationary cutter blade 6, the movable cutter being then retracted.
The collar De being loose on the frame D enables the latter to be oscillated at
the proper times without interfering with the motion of the rack and segment.
While the knives are in engagement with the strip and cutting the same
transversely, the strip-carrier is moved backwardly along over the strip for å:
distance equal to the width of the next nail to be made...
The strip-carrier, mounted to oscillate in the hollow hub D30, is provided
externally, see Fig. 3, with a series of teeth, which are engaged by teeth e of. a.
rack-bar e', herein represented as a hollow nearly square rack deriving its move-
ment from a link e, which is ball-jointed at one end to the said rack-bar, and is

page_text: adjustably connected by its threaded end to a hollow nut e, in turn ball-jointed.
to the lower end of a lever e, pivoted at es and provided with roller or other stud e',
which enters the groove in the cam C, see Fig. 3.
The segmental arm D' of the hollow hub D in which oscillates the strip-carrier,
is provided with a curved slot, e, struck from the centre of the strip at the cutting
point, and the gear stud D³, confining the said arm to the said sliding frame, passes
through said slot, the adjustment of the arm in the arc of a circle by the teeth 100
of the gear stud D' engaging the rack 101 of the arm, enabling the nail cut from
the strip to be of any given taper.
It will be observed, see Figs. 1 and 8, that the gear stud D' has near one end a
thread ts, and as represented, the end of the stud is squared or flattened as at t', so
that it may be rotated when it is desired to adjust the segmental arm on the sliding
frame, a check nut to being applied to the said threaded part t8 of the stud for
clamping the same in adjusted position.
•
Instead of squaring the end of the gear stud, as stated, I may shape it in any
other suitable or usual way to be engaged by a wrench or screw-driver.
The strip-carrier is rotated about 180°, first in one and then in the other
direction, presenting uppermost first one edge of the strip and then the other, and
the nails are cut alternately with their heads from opposite edges of the strip.
The block 16, see Fig. 13, has at its rear side a rib 6 which is adapted to enter
a suitable horizontal slot, not shown, in the lip before referred to.
In operation, as stated, the end of the strip is placed between the stationary and
the movable cutters when they are separated, and then the movable cutter 614 is
actuated and made to co-operate with the stationary cutter and grasp the strip,
and this done the carriage and strip carrier are moved backwardly away from the
cutters the rolls rolling over the strip.
The cutters in their final closing movement cut from the strip the nail next
to be driven, and as the movable cutter passes the stationary cutter, the former
continues to act against the nail supported at its opposite side by the yielding
guide, and the said severed nail is moved slightly to one side until it is put
vertically in line with the driver and with the nail passage in the nose shown in
Fig. 13.
By making the guide movable laterally in the direction of the thickness of the
nail strip the nail may be moved bodily laterally and the nail be prevented from.
turning around its own centre between the cutting and driving operations.
As herein shown, each nail as it is formed is forced laterally against the yielding
nail holder 110, which latter prevents the nail cut from the strip from rotating.
axially between the cutting and driving operations, and hence the said yielding nail
holder constitutes a part of the driver passage.
In Figs. 21 to 27, I have shown a modified form of strip carrier.
-::
. Referring to Fig. 21 the sleeve D receives within it a tube 200 having at one
end a flange 201, the tube at its other end being threaded to receive a threaded
collar 202, the latter serving to keep the tube in the hub or sleeve.
The sleeve D is slotted, as at 12, and the tube is provided with teeth by which
it may be engaged and rotated partially in one and then in the other direction as
has already been described of the strip carrier D³.
:
The tube 200 receives two like bars 203 and 204, each having bearings for the
strip holding rolls D, D', the rear ends of the said bars having threaded holes to.
receive like screws 205, which are passed through holes 206 in a guide block 207,
threaded externally to receive upon it an adjusting nut 208.
The outer side of the flanged end of the tube 200 is cut away as shown at the
left in Fig. 21, or beveled, and the bars 203 and 204 are correspondingly beveled
to contact therewith, so that as the nut 208 is screwed upon the block 207 the
bevel surfaces of the bars are made to co-operate with the bevel surfaces of the
tube, thus causing the rolls D, D', to approach each other to clamp the metallic
nail strip. between. them with increased force.
To adapt the bars to guide nail.strips of different widths I have provided the

page_text: head of the bar 204 with supports or bearings 209, 210, for two guides 212 and 213
made adjustable by a suitable right and left-hand screw 214 shown in Fig. 25 as
having a head at each end, the left-hand thread engaging a threaded part of one
guide and the right-hand thread a threaded part of the other guide, so that the
said guides by the rotation of the screw may be adjustable simultaneously in 5
opposite directions, thus adapting the acting edges of the guides to nail strips of
different widths, and presenting the strip of whatever width with its center line at
the center of oscillation of the strip-carrier.
The space between the bars referred to near the rolls, is provided with a friction
device 215, shown as a spring metal plate under the control of a screw 216, the 1
friction device overlapping frictionally and acting upon the sides of the guides
referred to.
The block 207, see the right hand diagram of Fig. 24, is provided with
projections 219 which bear against the ends of the bars 203 and 204, the screws 205
connecting the said bars and the block 207, the projections preventing the
possibility of the bars being closed or brought together at their ends next the
block.
The rolls referred to forming part of the strip-carrier serve to hold the strip
firmly between them and carry the strip forward with them to the cutters during
the forward motion of the sleeve containing the strip-carrier, but the rolls roll over
the strip on the backward movement of the strip-carrier, the end of the strip being
at such time engaged by the cutters.
The rolls, acting as described, are efficient and operate very differently from a
strip-carrier having flat springs to bear upon and hold the strip frictionally.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1 The use in a machine for inserting metallic fastenings, of the following
instrumentalities, vis. :-a movable frame; an attached arm having a sleeve-like
bearing and made adjustable on the said frame to present the bearing in a more or
less angular position with relation to a horizontal line; an oscillating strip-carrier
mounted in said sleeve-like bearing, and cutting mechanism to sever the said strip
transversely for the production of fastenings, substantially as described.
2: The use in a machine for making and inserting metallic fastenings, of a
movable frame; an attached arm having a sleeve-like bearing; a strip-carrier
mounted in said sleeve like bearing, and two levers adjustably connected together,
one lever being connected with the said frame and the other being acted upon by
a cam, to operate, substantially as described.
3: The use with a movable frame having a sleeve-like bearing for the reception
of an oscillating strip-carrier, of a collar on the said frame and provided with rack
teeth adapted to be operated by a movable lever having rack teeth, substantially as
described.
4-The use in a machine for making and driving fastenings, of a movable frame
having an attached sleeve-like bearing; an oscillating strip carrier mounted in said
sleeve and provided with gear teeth, and a sliding rack-bar having its bearings at
right angles to the said sleeve, and means to reciprocate said rack bar, substantially
as described.
5: The use with a sleeve containing a toothed strip-carrier, of a rack-bar
universally jointed to an actuating lever, said rack bar oscillating the strip-carrier,
substantially as described.
6-The use in a machine for making metallic fastenings from a strip, and
driving the same, of a movable frame, an arm adjustably attached thereto and
provided with a hollow sleeve-like bearing; a strip carrier therein; a rack to
oscillate the strip-carrier, and an adjusting device to alter the angle of the said
sleeve-like bearing upon or with relation to the said movable frame and the line of
its feeding movement, substantially as described.

page_text: 7 :—The use in a machine for making and driving metallic fastenings, of a movable
frame having at its lower end a sleeve-like bearing, a strip-carrier mounted in the
said bearing; means to oscillate the strip-carrier; cutting mechanism to sever the
strip transversely; a nose or nail guide in which the nail or fastening is deposited,
a driver; and an awl feeding device, to operate, substantially as described.
8-The use in a nailing machine, with the shaft A, of a feed bar, a fulcrum on
which it is adapted to rock and slide, a lever jointed to said feed bar, and a cam on
said shaft to operate the said lever and feed bar, whereby the latter may be moved
vertically and also rock about its fulcrum, substantially as described.
9: The use in a machine for inserting metallic fastenings, of the following
instrumentalities, viz. :-an oscillating and reciprocating strip-carrier, nail-cutting
mechanism consisting of a stationary and a movable cutting blade, and actuating
devices for one of said blades; and a notched spring-supported nail-holder located
at the outer side of the stationary blade and in the path of movement of the movable
blade when passing the edge of the stationary blade, the said nail-holder receiving
against it the side of the nail being cut from the strip and yielding under the action
of the nail and the movable cutter during the cutting operation, substantially as
described.
:
10 In a machine for inserting metallic fastenings, two cutters to act on opposite
sides of and sever nail material, and a yielding nail-holder having a rectangular
notch, into which one of the cutters places the uail cut from the nail material, the
said nail-holder preventing axial rotation of the nail while being transferred from
the position at which it is cut into the position to be driven, substantially as
described.
11 In a nailing machine, the use with a driver bar, and strip cutting mechanism,
of a strip-carrier, means to support it, the said means being adjustable in the arc of
a circle struck from substantially the center of the strip at the cutting point, and
means for both oscillating the strip-carrier and for moving it backwardly over the
strip while held by the cutting mechanism, substantially as described.
12: In a nailing machine, an oscillating and longitudinally reciprocating strip-
carrier provided with rolls to bear upon and pinch between them the strip, and
cutting mechanism to act upon and sever the strip, the rolls rolling over the strip
while held by the cutter and during the movement of the strip-carrier away from
the cutters, substantially as described.
13: In a nailing machine, a nose having a driver passage, and provided with a
laterally movable spring-supported side, to operate, substantially as described.
14 In a nailing machine, a frame having at its lower end a hollow sleeve or
bearing; a strip-carrier therein adapted to receive a metal strip, cutting mechanism
to sever the strip transversely into nails or fastenings, and a reel or device to receive
and support the strip in coil form, the support for the coiled metal strip being
disconnected from the strip-carrier whereby the strip-carrier is relieved from
carrying the weight of the metal coil, substantially as described.
15: The use in a nailing machine, with an oscillating and longitudinally movable
strip-carrier, of devices to adapt the strip-carrier to a strip of any desired width
within the capacity of the carrier, substantially as set forth.
سم
1
1909
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.