Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1887
Specification Accepted, 20th Dec., 1887
I, MATTHEW ARNOLD, residing at No. 57 Silver Street, in the city and county of
San Francisco, and State of California, one of the United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to certain improvements in riveting machines, and it consists
of an elongated hopper, having a peculiarly-constructed channel in the bottom, by
which the hollow unflanged rivets are placed in the proper position by the vibration
of the hopper-body; a pivot or hinge which connects it with an inclined chute,
through which the rivets are delivered to a vertical guide, within which a plunger
works to set the rivets into the material which is to be secured by them.
In connection with this is a stop or stops for holding the rivets, delivering them
one by one beneath the plunger, and a means for raising the guide and inclined
chute above the anvil to admit the material to be riveted, together with a means for
agitating or oscillating the hopper about its hinged support, so as to invert the rivets
contained therein, and deliver them, in the proper position, into the inclined chute, and
in certain details of construction, all of which will be more fully explained by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my machine.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, taken through the hopper, the inclined
chute, and the guide.
Figure 3 is a vertical section, showing the plunger and guide forced down.
Figure 4 is a transverse section of the box or hopper.
Figure 5 is a transverse section of the chute.
Figure 6 shows a modification of the machine.
My machine is especially designed for setting rivets which are formed by striking
up from sheet-metal, so that the rivet is made with one closed end and pointed legs
projecting from this end, the outside of the rivets being smooth or fluted and having
no projection or flange at the head.
A is a bed-plate or frame, having an arm or standard B, through the end of which
a hole is made to receive the vertically-moving guide C, and this guide bas a hole
through its center to allow the plunger D to pass through it.

page_text: The operation of these parts will be hereafter more fully explained.
The lower part of the guide is open at one side, and an inclined chute E is secured
so that its lower end opens into the side of the guide, and it extends upward and
backward at an inclination to one side of the standard B, as shown.
This chute is made rectangular in transverse section, and of a width just sufficient
to receive the rivets when they stand in the proper position, but no others are allowed
to enter.
To the upper end of this chute is hinged an elongated box or hopper F, into
which the rivets are delivered from any source of supply and in any suitable
manner.
The bottom of this box is composed of two sides sloping towards each other, and
meeting so as to form a central channel at the lowest point, extending from one end
to the other of the box. In the middle of this channel, a rib or plate stands vertically,
extending the whole length of the channel and in line with a similar rib or plate,
which extends downwardly through the inclined chute E, before mentioned.
The peculiar form of my rivets, being made with a closed top and three projecting
legs or points, as shown, causes them to fall upon the longitudinal rib in the box, one
point lying upon one side of the rib, and the other two upon the other side, while the
closed top of the rivet remains upward.
The rivets are then in such a position that when the box is tilted to a sufficient
angle, the rivets will slide out of the lower end and down upon the rib in the inclined
chute, where they will remain, being held by the stop I, which is pivoted to the
vertically-moving guide, and has one end extending into the side of the inclined
chute just above the lower end of the rib, so that the rivets will be retained by this
stop until released by the proper mechanism, and at the proper time.
The rivet-holding box has a mechanism connected with it and with the operating
lever-handle, by which the box is caused to oscillate about its pivot or hinge, so as
to change its angle about this center, and thus cause the rivets to be thrown from
one end of the box to the other.
This agitation of the rivets within the box, causes them to eventually take their
proper position upon the guide-rib within the channel at the bottom of the box, and it
thus automatically places them in position to be delivered into the inclined chute,
which is done at each movement of the box, which tilts it into line with the chute.
The upper end of the plunger is connected with the operating lever K, by means of
an adjustable sliding joint, as shown at L, or by a link or other suitable connecting
device which will allow the lever to turn about its fulcrum while the plunger moves
vertically. A slot is made in one side of the guide C, and a pin M projects
from the plunger through this slot, so that its end extends slightly outside of
the guide.
The outer end of the stop I, before described, for retaining the rivets in the
inclined chute, stands in such position with relation to the slot in the guide, that
when the plunger moves downward, and after its lower end has passed the end of the
inclined chute, the pin M will strike the outer end of the stop, pushing it down and
thus lifting the inner end so as to allow a rivet to slide beyond it, and this rivet will
strike the side of the plunger where it will remain as long as the plunger is down.
When the plunger is raised, this rivet will slip beneath it, and will then fall astride
an arm N; which is hinged to one side of the guide, so that it projects into the path
of the plunger, and is held there by a spring O. When the plunger passes down
upon the head of the rivet, it forces this arm temporarily outward so as to allow itself
to pass down, and as the rivet will be hanging astride this arm in the same manner
that they hang upon the ribs of the box and chute, before described, it will be seen
that the plunger in its downward movement will force the arm back, and carry the
rivet forward or downward, until its points rest upon the goods which are to be
secured by it.
This material, which may be leather or anything else, is passed beneath the end of
the guide C, and rests upon the anvil P.
The points of the rivets will be forced through the material by a sufficient pressure

page_text: upon the plunger, and after passing through the material, will strike the curved or
grooved surface of the anvil, so that a continued pressure will turn these points either
outward or inward according to the position of the curved groove in the anvil, and
thus rivet them upon the opposite side of the leather or fabric.
When the plunger is again raised, it first allows the swinging arm N, to pass in
beneath it, and as soon as it rises above the lower end of the inclined chute, the single
rivet, which has been resting against the side of the plunger, will slip in beneath it
and fall astride of this arm.
A further upward movement of the plunger causes the pin M to strike the top of
the slot in the guide C, and thus raise the guide slightly from the surface of
the fabric, allowing it to be moved along to the point where the next rivet is to
be inserted.
This movement also produces a slight jar or agitation of the chute and the rivet-
holding box, which are supported from the guide, and this jar causes the rivets to
move downward and take their proper place, or loosens them if there is any
inclination to stick.
The first upward movement of the plunger after the rivet has been set, releases the
end of the stop I, and a spring R forces the other end of the stop downward upon
the rib in the chute, thus preventing any more rivets from passing down until the
one which has already passed has been disposed of. The anvil is adjusted up or
down by a screw R¹.
It will be manifest that the machine may be operated by connecting the plunger
directly with a crank or other power-producing machinery.
The rivet-holding box and guiding rib or channel and chute may also be dispensed
with, and the rivets may be introduced by hand through a feed-opening at the side of
the plunger-guide, so as to pass beneath the plunger when it is raised, and then be
forced through the fabric by its descent.
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-
a
1. A rivet-holding box with central channel and rib, and mechanism by which it
may be agitated to place and move the rivets, an inclined chute forming
continuation of the box and conveying the rivets to the vertically-moving plunger by
which they are set, and a stop to control the passage of the rivets from the chute to
the space beneath the plunger, substantially as described.
2. The inclined chute secured to a vertically-moving guide, having an inclined
rivet-guiding rib extending within it, a stop pivoted to the guide and resting upon
the rib, to prevent the passage of rivets, a plunger moving vertically through the
guide, and having a pin projecting through one side of a slot in said guide, so as to
strike the stop and raise it to release the rivet when the plunger is pressed down, and
an arm projecting through the side of the guide to receive rivets from the rib and
hold them in position to be driven by the plunger when it descends, substantially as
herein described.
3. A plunger moving vertically through a guide, a feed-opening in the side of the
guide to admit rivets, and a device by which the rivets are held in position to be
driven by the plunger when it descends, substantially as herein described.
Datad this Fightoonth day of October 1887
For the Applicant,
W. E. GEDGE,
Agent.