IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BUTTONS, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF OTHER ARTICLES REQUIRING SIMILAR TREATMENT." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Littleton Aston, of the Firm of John Aston
& Co., Button Manufacturers, and Arthur Hames, Foreman to the aforesaid
Firm, both of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BUTTONS, WHICH IS
ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF OTHER ARTICLES REQUIRING
SIMILAR TREATMENT."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Littleton Aston and
Arthur Hames at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th
March 1880.
"
GEORGE LITTLETON ASTON, of the Firm of John Aston & Co., Button
Manufacturers, and ARTHUR HAMES, Foreman to the aforesaid Firm, both of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
MANUFACTURING BUTTONS, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF
OTHER ARTICLES REQUIRING SIMILAR TREATMENT."
Our Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for manufacturing
buttons, which is also applicable to the manufacture of many other articles requiring
similar or partly similar treatment, thus enabling us to increase the production of
buttons or other articles from any given machine to which our Invention may be
applicable.
The improvements consist in attaching to a hand press, machine press, or a self
acting or automatic reciprocating machine, a plunger, slide, disc, or crosshead,
carrying at its circumference or other part two or more tools for operating upon the
work in hand. This plunger or slide not only reciprocates with the ordinary
motion of the machine, but we impart to it a secondary or partly circular motion,
which we effect by forming in the plunger or slide a groove or grooves into which
enters a fixed stud or roller which may be attached to a pendulous or reeling lever,
slide, or other movement. This stud or roller gives to the plunger, slide, disc,
or crosshead the partly circular motion aforesaid, so that we are enabled to
automatically and rapidly bring two or more tools to bear upon the work in hand
in two or more independent positions.
It will be seen that a stud or roller may be placed upon the plunger to work in a
groove with a similar effect.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Littleton Aston and Arthur Hames in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th August 1880.
GEORGE LITTLETON ASTON and ARTHUR HAMES, both of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING
BUTTONS, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THe Manufacture OF OTHER ARTICLES
REQUIRING SIMILAR TREATMENT."
Our Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for manufacturing
buttons, which is also applicable to the manufacture of many other articles requiring
similar or partly similar treatment, enabling us to increase the production of
buttons or other articles from any given machine to which our Invention may bo
applicable.
The improvements consist in attaching to a hand press, machine press, or a self
acting or automatic reciprocating machine, a plunger, slide, disc, or crosshead
carrying at its circumference or other part two or more tools for operating upon the
work in hand. This plunger or slide not only reciprocates with the ordinary
motion of the machine, but we impart to it a secondary series of circular halting
motions, i.e., the plunger or disc may turn, say, half round then halt, then the second
half, and halt, or it may halt three or more times in making a complete revolution,
as may be desired in designing the motion: We produce this secondary motion by
forming in the plunger or slide a groove or grooves which are cut to form an
incline or inclines with stopping places according to the number of rests required
in making one revolution. A pendulous or reeling lever, slide, or other movement,
is provided with a suitable stud or roller to work in the groove or grooves to
produce the halting movement required from the reciprocating motion of an ordinary
button or other machine, as will be better understood by reference to the Drawings
which we will now proceed to describe.
Figure 1 is a part front elevation; Figure 2, a part side elevation; and Figure 3,
a part plan of our new motion applied to the button machine for which Letters
Patent, No 1699, A.D. 1879, was granted to us. Sufficient only of the machine is
shown to illustrate the applicability of the new motion thereto. A is a revolving
table carrying two rows of dies a, a, and a' a'; K is a slide to which part of the
new device is attached, the other part of the device being attached to the stationary
head B; C is a plunger which is free to revolve in the bearing D; E is a bracket
fast to the head of the machine carrying the pendant lever e, which regulates the
halting action of the plunger C in the following manner :- -The plunger C is
provided with any desired number of grooves c, according to the number of halting
places required, there being a die for each halting place. In this case two
dies fand fare shown on the plunger disc g which agree with the centres of the
two rings of dies a and a¹ on table A. The stationary bracket E carries the pendant
lever e, which is generally held tightly against the stop a' by any suitable means,
such as the spring e. The end of the lever e carries the stud or roller e³, which
enters into the slot c in the plunger C and regulates the halting action. Let it be
supposed that the slide K has just completed its down stroke in pressing a button,
then the stud es will be over the incline of plunger c at the point c', with the
bevelled portion e' of the stud es agreeing with the incline c¹ to c. Now imme-
diately after the slide K commences to travel upwards the bevelled portion e' of
the stud will press upon the incline at c² of the plunger C and turn the plunger
just half round, bringing the die f' to the position previously occupied by f. The
stud will now be near the bottom of the slot c³, so that as the plunger C moves
downwards the shoulder c bears upon the curved top es of the stud e³, and moves it
sufficiently sideways to allow it to pass point c of the incline, when the spring e³
immediately brings the lever e back to its position over the incline at c' just as the

page_text: bottom is being pressed. The plunger during the process of pressing the button is
kept in its exact position by the short guide h which drops into slots formed in the
disc g. The buttons may be lifted out of the dies when made by the little tongs J,
which are clearly shown by Figure 5. These tongs are brought alternately over
the dies and over the basket at the side of the table by the combined action of the
little rollers j on the fixed incline l, the thick part of the incline Zopens the tongs
and liberates the button, while the spring j¹ recloses the tongs upon the next
button to be lifted out. Instead of using the two rows of dies a and a' two or
more tables may be used, as illustrated by Figures 6 and 7, where the circular
disc G works partly over each table.
Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11 illustrate our motion as applied to a hand press worked
by a screw. The disc g¹ in this case is shown to carry two dies fi and f³. The
corresponding dies a² and a³ for receiving the material for making the buttons are
in the hand machines of course stationary. As the reciprocating action of the
plunger C¹ is accomplished by a screw through the union joint m, there is a slight
tendency to turn the plunger C¹ round at the wrong time, but this I prevent by
the paul n' which takes into the ratchet wheel n. The end of the little bracket h¹
guides and keeps the disc g¹ in exact position while the buttons are pressed.
Figure 11 is an inverted plan of the disc g¹.
The regulating lever for producing the halting motion works in a recess inside
the gland D¹ on the pivot r.
Figures 12, 13, 14, and 15 illustrate our device as applied to the simpliest form
of hand or foot press. In this case there is no tendency for the plunger C to turn
round, therefore a ratchet or other equivalent device is not necessary. Three
dies f, f, and fe, are shown with their corresponding stationary dies a*, a³, and aº.
In this press we also use a little bracket h² for guiding the disc g³ with perfect
certainty while the button is being pressed. () is the hand lever, and P is the hook
for attaching the foot lever. The regulating lever for producing the halting motion
in this press also works in a suitable recess formed inside the gland D on the
pivot In order that the working of our new motion may be still more clearly
comprehended we have shown the plunger Cs in three ways by Figures 16, 17
and 18.
Figure 16 is a vertical section through the gland D2 showing the position of the
lever S in the before mentioned recess inside the gland D%. The stud or roller &
enters into the groove in the plunger, which is in the same position as regards
the travel of the stroke in both Figures 16 and 17, the latter being a front view of
Figure 16. Figure 18 shows the position of the lever as the plunger C³ comes down
with one of the three projecting shoulders u, pressing the lever S sideways by its
round end u bearing against the stud 8 of the lever S. As in the case of lever e,
in Drawing Sheet 1, previously explained, immediately the plunger has travelled
sufficiently downwards a spring attached to the side of the lever S brings it back
over the top of the incline v, as shown in Figures 17 and 16; there are of course
in this case three inclines or complete grooves connected with each other at the
upper part so as to allow the free passage of the stud 8 from one groove to the other
by the action of a suitable spring or other equivalent device. A sliding bolt or
reeling lever actuated by a spring or other equivalent agent will regulate the
halting motion when applied to the plungers.
It will be apparent to any practical engineer that this motion is suitable for the
manufacture of very many articles besides buttons, and is applicable to many other
forms of machines, whether for making buttons or other articles, in converting a
reciprocating motion into a number of circular halting motions, we would therefore
have it most clearly understood that we do not confine the application of our new
device to either button or any other particular class of machinery, but we do
claim,
First. The use of two or more inclines in a circular plunger, slide, or disc,
working in conjunction with a pendant lever, bolt, reeling lever, or other equivalent,

page_text: so as to produce a circular halting motion for the manufacture of buttons and other
articles.
Second. The button machine with a circular table carrying two sets of dies, as
illustrated by Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Third. Two or more circular tables combined as illustrated by Figures 6
and 7.
Fourth. The combination of hand press machinery, as shown by Figures 8, 9, 10,
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Littleton Aston and Arthur Hames,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
Witnessed by,
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row,
Birmingham.
GEORGE LILILEION ACTON.
ARTHUR HAMES.
(L.B.)
(L.S.)