IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING TAGS FOR LACES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adam Booth, the elder, and Adam Booth, the
younger, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING TAGS FOR LACES."
Sealed the 81st August 1859, and dated the 8th March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adam Booth, the elder,
and Adam Booth, the younger, at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 8th March 1859.
We, ADAM BOOTH, the elder, and ADAM BOOTH, the younger, of the City of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPA-
RATUS FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING TAGS FOR LACES," to be as follows:-
We employ a series of circular shears or cutters placed the length of the
tag apart, and guided by a parallel gauge so as to cut the metal into several
long strips at once, which are coiled upon spools as the cutting proceeds; any
suitable number of the said coils are then placed in a creel, and the strips
brought to a machine adopted for cutting, punching, and finishing several tags
at one revolution of the driving shaft.
The said machine is furnished with a number of circular feeders for guiding
and feeding the strips, motion being regulated according to the desired case of
the tag by means of change wheels.

page_text: The measured lengths are cut, then forced upon punches, and afterwards
taken off by means of sliding movements effected by cranks, eccentrics, or cams,
a vibrating or sliding gauge being employed to regulate the shape of the tag.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Adam Booth, the elder, and Adam Booth, the younger, in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ADAM
BOOTH, the elder, and ADAM BOOTH, the younger, of the City of Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Adam Booth, the elder, and Adam Booth, the younger,
Her special licence that we, the said Adam Booth, the elder, and Adam
Booth, the younger, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said. Adam Booth, the elder, and Adam Booth, the younger, our
executors, administrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
MAKING OR MANUFACTURING TAGS FOR "LACES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Adam Booth, the elder, and Adam Booth, the
younger, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 we, the said Adam Booth, the elder, and Adam
Booth, the younger, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
:-
We employ a series of circular shears or cutters placed the length of the tag
apart, so that the metal may be cut into several strips at once, which are coiled

page_text: upon spools as the cutting proceeds. Any suitable number of the said coils
are then placed in a creel, and the strips-brought to a machine adapted for
cutting, punching, and finishing several tags at one revolution of the driving
shaft.
The said machine is furnished with a number of circular or other formed
feeders for guiding and feeding the strips at a speed according to the desired
size of the tag, the various sizes being regulated by change wheels.
The measured lengths of the strips are cut, shaped, punched, and afterwards
released by means of sliding movements, effected by the compound action of
cranks, eccentrics, or cams, a vibrating or sliding gauge being employed to
regulate the shape of the tag.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig: I is a
front elevation of one arrangement of our improved tag-making machine;"
Fig. 2 a transverse elevation, Fig. 3 a transverse section; and Fig. 4 a plan
of the same; Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are detached views of some of the working
parts drawn to their full dimensions; and Figs. 9 and 10 are different formis
of circular cutters.
a represents the framework of the machine; b, the driving shaft; c, the
fast and loose pulleys; and d, the strips of metal from which the tags are to be
made, which strips are brought from their coils and placed in the grooves of
the circular feeders e, having an intermittent motion of the exact length
required for the size of the tag. The feeders are fixed to shafts or spindles f,
having at their ends bevil wheels g, gearing into other bevil wheels h on the
shaft i, which spindles work in holes in the bars k and l, the holes at m being
oblong, so that the corresponding spindles can be influenced by the springs ",
and keep the feeders firm upon the strips d, the edges of which press against
the bottoms of the grooves, which are milled or roughened so as to obtain
a perfect hold. On the shaft i is fixed a toothed wheel o, gearing into another
toothed wheel p fixed to the shaft q, on which is also fastened the ratchet wheel r
operated upon by a catch s, working on an eccentric & fixed to the driving
shaft b, so that as the latter revolves the catch is moved to and fro, and gives
an intermittent motion to the ratchet wheel r, shaft q, and toothed wheel o,
which turns the toothed wheel p, shaft q, and bevil wheels h; thereby giving
motion to the bevil wheels g, spindles f, and feeders e. The toothed wheels o
1 pare change wheels, their diameters being varied according to the desired
size of the tag. The strips & pass from the feeders through slots or inortices
in the vibrating bar u, from whence they proceed forward to be sheared or cut
by the stationary cutters v, and the sliding cutters.w fixed to the slide a, which
and

page_text: has a to-and-fro motion imparted to it, by means of the eccentrics y on the
driving shaft and connecting rods z. The pieces cut from the strips are sup-
ported at the right moment by the vibrating bar or gauge a', so that benders b',
also connected to the slide a, shall move forward at the same time as the
sliding cutters, and force the tags upon the stationary punches c', the benders
having corresponding indents to allow the holes to be made, thus shaping and
punching the tags d, after which the sliding cutters and plates recede, and the
tags are pulled off the punches by the parts e, Fig. 7, of the benders, and
allowed to fall into a box or receiver, the vibrating gauge having been moved
back to allow them to do so, as shewn by the dotted lines Fig. 5, and after-
wards returned to its first position, as shewn by the full lines, which movements
are obtained by fixing on the end of the gauge a lever f¹, connected to the
rod g, furnished with the bowl or roller ', placed in contact with a cam ³ on
the driving shaft, which cam moves to and fro as required, the bowl being
kept close to the cam by the spring , and the rod supported by the grooved
pulley m'. The vibrating bar or gauge works in eccentric bearings, which
can be raised and lowered according to the desired shape of the tag, the
position being determined by the index plate ; thus a series of self-acting
movements are combined, by which any suitable number of tags can be made
simultaneously instead of making each tag singly, as in the machines heretofore
in use.
The circular shears shewn in Fig. 9 are made of steel discs, and are
suitable for shearing brass plate, and the cutters shewn
for cutting tinned plate.
Fig. 10 adapted
We also vary the arrangement of the machine by reversing the action of
the cutters, that is, causing the cutters v to move to and fro and the cutters w
to be stationary, the slide a being brought to the front of the machine, and
put in motion by eccentrics acting upon rods at the outside of the frame ends.
The strips being fed by fingers, or clippers which close upon the strips, and
carry them down the length required for the size of the tag by means of cams
or tappets, the opening of the clippers being caused by other tappets or springs.
This machine is especially adapted for making tags of tinned plate, or where
the plates are in short lengths.
The tags are polished in a very simple, efficient, and economical manner,
by passing them through a hopper into the interior of a revolving drum, and
allowing them to rub against each other for a certain time, after which they
are made to pass through another hopper into a revolving riddle or sieve, so
that the dust and other extraneous matter may be removed.
Having thus fully described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be distinctly understood

page_text: that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein set forth, as such
may be varied or modified without departing from the principle thereof; but
we claim as our Invention, and which to the best of our knowledge and belief
has not been hitherto used within the realm, the arrangement and con-
struction of improved tag-making machinery, in which we employ a series
of any suitable number of circular cutters or shears, for shearing a corres-
ponding number of strips of metal intended for the manufacture of tags; and
also machines or apparatus in which several of the said strips of metal are
all fed onwards at one operation, either by circular feeders or clippers, and
afterwards cut, shaped, punched, and made into tags by a series of con-
secutive mechanical movements; and also the mode of polishing and cleansing
the tags by placing them in quantities in the interior of a revolving drum,
and afterwards in a revolving riddle or sieve.
In witness whereof, we, the said Adam Booth, the elder, and Adam
Booth, the younger, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named Adam Booth, the elder, and Adam
Booth, the younger, in the presence of
ADAM BOOTH.
(L.S.)
ADAM BOOTH, JUN. (L.S.)
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.