A Hand-tacking Tool for use by Upholsterers, Carpet-placers, Bootmakers, Label-attachers, or the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: A Hand-tacking Tool for use by Upholsterers, Carpet-placers,
Bootmakers, Label-attachers, or the like.
I, THOMAS COWBURN, of Spring Villa, Brook Street, Gloucester, in the County
of Gloucester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention relates to a hand-tacking tool for use by upholsterers, carpet-
placers, bootmakers, label-attachers or the like and has for its object to construct
a tool which carries a quantity of loose tacks, designed by the pressure of a trigger,
or thumb-lever, to be delivered from the tack carrier to the nose, or projection,
of the pincers, or hammer, forming the tool, and either to be forced into the
material in position to be driven by a blow from the hammer face, or to be
delivered and retained with the point protruding from the said nose, so that when
the said tool is pressed towards the material to be tacked, the tack point is forced
into the material and remains in position to be either wholly or partially driven in
as previously explained, the said tool being also adapted to be quickly and easily
supplied with a freshly charged tack carrier.
In carrying out the invention I advantageously provide the pincers or hammer,
with a tack carrier holder, which is either attached thereto, or forms part thereof,
and may be formed of flanges, or projections, terminating in a groove, or slot;
the bottom of which slot can be grooved at its end to guide the point of the tack
as it is forced along or ejected, and being closed by a spring hereinafter referred
to as the front spring. One of the said flanges is longer than the other, and is
provided with an overhanging strip, or roof, to which is attached a spring, which
rests upon, and is raised by, the front spring, guiding and preventing the tacks
from being jerked out of the tack carrier. This spring has a peculiar undulating
motion caused by its coming into contact with a projection on the overhanging
strip. The carrier may be formed of a piece of plate bent to a V or U shape,
so that the upturned edges or sides form a groove, or receptacle, for the tacks
which can slide along it. The said carrier can be held in between the flanges at
the front end, and at the rear end by a pin or catch and spring to facilitate its
quick removal and replacement by another when required, for instance, when
emptied of tacks. The tack carrier is also provided with a slit or hole, at the
front end, into which passes a tack divider and retainer formed of a spring piece
or plate one end of which can be attached to the carrier holder and the other
end formed to pass through the slit or hole in the tack carrier and divide the front,
or end tack, from the rest by entering between them, or retaining the second tack

page_text: just below the head thereof. This retainer is moved by a sliding piece, which
also gives motion to the top end of the front spring, which relieves and guides
the tack in the aforementioned groove; the sliding piece is guided along the side
of the flange, or holder, and receives its motion from a lever hereinafter described
as it also gives movement to the tack projector, which is preferably of a curved
form to match the bottom of the groove so as to force the tack along the
groove and partially into the material to be tacked, or to hold it in the afore-
mentioned position, whereby by moving the tool forward the tack is partially
forced into the material as above explained. This projector is a rod with an eye,
or slit, at the rear end into which enters a projection from the lever, for moving
it forward and backward. The lever has a shaft or pin, which in the case of
pincers runs through or works in the joint pin or fastener thereby having a move-
ment independent of the opening or closing of the pincer jaws; to the other end
of this lever is attached a link connecting it with the thumb lever, thus forming
a toggle, to either easily force the tack out, or take away the jar from the thumb
when the tool is pushed forward to insert the tack. The thumb lever, in the
case of the application of the invention to pincers, is fitted to the side of the
upper jaw handle, within reach of the thumb, the levers are brought back on
being relieved of the thumb pressure by a spring, and the sliding piece is also
brought back by a spring at the same time. To refill the tack carrier any
ordinary means may be used, such as a hopper with a couple of plates forming a
groove for the tacks to slide in, and against which the tack carriers can be held
to be refilled. The aforementioned front spring is held in position by a device
which I term a register arranged above it, and to which is attached a spring,
the top end of which gives extra pressure to the top end of the front spring, and
causes the same to rise so that it can lift the head of the tack as above described.
The resister takes the pressure that is put on the spring, by preventing the head
of the tack forcing the spring away too much. The front spring (or springs)
performs various operations, that is to say, it retains the tack in the tack carrier
during the time the tack divider and retainer is withdrawn, it moves or raises
the front edge of the tack head to assist in bringing it out of the tack carrier,
it guides or keeps the tack in the groove during its forward and downward move-
ment, and retains it in position at the nose or end of the groove for entering the
material to be tacked.
1
1
1713
1000
A Hand-taeking Tool for use by Upholsterers, Carpet-placers,
Bootmakers, Label-attachers, or the like.
I, THOMAS COWBURN, of Spring Villa, Brook Street, Gloucester, in the County
of Gloucester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a hand-tacking tool for use by upholsterers, carpet-
placers, bootmakers, label-attachers or the like and has for its object to construct
a tool, for instance a pair of pincers or a hammer, which carries a quantity of loose
tacks, designed, by the pressure of a trigger or thumb-lever to be delivered from

page_text: a tack carrier to the nose, or projection, of the pincers or hammer forming the
tool, and either to be forced into the material in position to be driven by a blow
from the hammer face, or to be delivered and retained with the point protruding
from the said nose, so that, when the said tool is pressed towards the material
to be tacked, the tack-point is forced into the material and remains in position
to be either wholly or partially driven in as previously explained, the said tool
being also adapted to be quickly and easily supplied with a freshly charged
tack-carrier.
In the accompanying drawings:
-
Figure 1 is a front view of a hand-tacking tool made according to the invention,
the said tool being in the form of a pair of pincers :
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the tack-carrier and the upper jaw
of the pincers:
Figure 4 is an elevation of a greater portion of the tool seen from the opposite
side to that shewn in Figure 2:
Figure 5 is a sectional side elevation of the tool shewing the manner in which
it is used:
Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 Figure 4:
Figures 7, 8 and 9 are a front elevation, side elevation and plan respectively
of the tack-carrier:
Figure 10 is a section of the front part of the tool shewing how it is used when
the pincers grip the material to be tacked:
Figure 11 is a sectional elevation shewing the invention applied to a hammer;
and,
Figure 12 is a sectional plan thereof, the section being taken on the line 12-12
Figure 11.
'
Referring first to the pincers shewn in Figures 1 to 10 a and are the two
levers forming the upper and lower handles and having the lower and upper
jaws a and b respectively and being pivoted together by a joint pin c having a
central hole in which the lever pin e works. The upper jaw b¹ is provided with
a tack-carrier holder comprising two lateral plates or flanges d, d¹ secured to or
made in one with the said jaw band having a central slot or opening d³ closed by
a spring strip d³. The upper surface of the upper jaw b₁, that is to say the
bottom of the space enclosed by the two lateral plates d and d¹, is grooved, as
shewn at d (Figures 1, 3 and 5), the said groove being designed to serve as a
guide for the tack point when the tack is being ejected as hereinafter described.
The spring is kept in position by a plate d covering the front central open-
ing and held in position by the catch 6. To the upper end of this plate d
there is attached a spring d which bears against the upper end of the spring
strip and normally holds it against the open end of the tack-carrier hereinafter
described. The said plate d serves to take the pressure on the spring d³ and
prevents the head of the tack forcing the said spring away too much.
The plate is longer than the plate d, and is provided with an overhanging
strip or roof d, to which is attached a spring e resting upon and adapted to be
raised by, the front spring ³ and serving for guiding the tacks and preventing
them from being jerked out of the tack-carrier. This spring e has a peculiar
undulating motion imparted to it caused by its coming into contact with a pro-
jection on the overhanging strip.
The tack-carrier is advantageously formed of a plate f bent to a V or U shape
(Figures 7, 8 and 9) so that the unturned edges or sides form a groove, or
receptacle f, for the tacks 2 which can slide along it. The said carrier f is
provided with a handle f3 and is held between the lateral plates d and d' at the
front end, and at the rear end it is held by a pin or catch f* and spring f³ to
facilitate its quick removal and replacement by another when required, for
instance, when emptied of tacks. The tack-carrier f is provided with a slit or
hole fo at the front end, into which can pass a tack divider and retainer f formed

page_text: of a spring piece or plate, one end of which is attached to the plate d¹ and the
other end formed to pass through the slit or hole f in the tack-carrier f and
divide the front or end tack from the rest by entering between them so as to
retain the second tack just below the head thereof. This retainer f is
forced into the slot f by a sliding piece 9 which also has a pin g' engaging with
the spring & so as to press back the top end of the spring d³ when it is slid for-
ward and thereby release the disengaged tack; the sliding piece g is guided along
the side of the lateral plate d in a guide g² secured to the lateral plate d' and
receives its motion from a lever hereinafter described. g3 is a spring for nor-
mally holding the slide g in its rearmost position. h is the tack-ejector, the said
ejector being curved as shewn and also preferably formed to match the bottom
of the groove; it consists of a rod with a bifurcation or slot h' at the rear end,
with which a pin h² on a lever h³ engages. The lever h³ is fixed on the pin ci
which passes through or works in the stud c by means of which the two jaws
a¹ and are hinged together so that the said jaws can be operated without affecting
the tack ejector mechanism and vice versa. 2 is a link one end of which is pivoted
to the lever h³ near the fulcrum thereof, and the other end of which is hinged to
a thumb-lever j pivoted at j¹ to the lower handle or lever b. As will be clearly
seen, the depression of the said thumb-lever 1, when grasping the pinters as
illustrated in Figure 5, will move forward the ejector along the groove d' for
ejecting a tack as hereinafter described. is a spring for returning the thumb-
lever to its normal position, that is to say, the position shewn in Figures 2 and 4.
The front spring d³ performs various functions, that is to say, it retains the tacks
in the tack-carrier whilst the tack divider and retainer is withdrawn, it moves
or raises the front edge of the first tack-head to assist in bringing it out of the
tack carrier, it guides or keeps the tack in the groove during its forward and
downward movement, and retains it in position at the nose or end of the groove
for entering the material to be tacked."
The tool is employed as follows,-The material, which is to be tacked down, is,
for example gripped by the jaws a', b¹ of the pincers as shewn in Figure 10 and
the thumb lever j is depressed by the thumb as indicated in Figure 5 so as to
press forward the upper end of the lever ³ and thereby slide forward the
ejector h from the normal position shewn in Figures 2 and 4 and eject the tack
which has been released from the tack-carrier and allowed to drop in front of the
said ejector as hereinafter described. The lever in its forward movement strikes
against the rear end of the slide g, as indicated in Figure 5, and pushes the same
forwards in its guide 92. The forward movement of the said slide g forces the
spring plate f forming the tack divider and retainer through the slit or hole fo
in the tack-carrier f so that the said retainer passes between the first and second
tacks, that is to say, separates the front tack from all the rest. The forward motion
of the said sliding piece 9 then pushes back the upper end of the front spring d³
´as above mentioned thereby releasing the front tack which drops into the space
between the two lateral plates d, d', as clearly shewn in Figure 5, the said tack
being then retained in the said space until the ejector has been withdrawn and
, again pushed forward, when it is forced in, or through the material to be tacked
or is held so that by pressing forward the nose of the tool it is forced into the
material and driven in by means of the hammer on the lower jaw a¹.
In Figures 11 and 12 I have illustrated my tacking arrangement as applied to
a hammer, the principle being exactly similar to that above described and the
construction only being altered to adapt it to the different tool. The reference
letters indicate corresponding parts to those in Figures 1 to 10.
In the arrangement shewn all the mechanism is fitted inside the hammer
shaft and head .
The head k is made with a front space for receiving the released tacks and also,
with a curved guide for the ejector h which is operated through the medium of
the link, lever 1, link 12, lever 13 and link from the lever which is pivoted
to the hammer shaft at 16 and is normally held in its uppermost position by the

page_text: pring. The tack-ejector is provided with a stop h¹ which, like the lever
n the previous construction, strikes a lateral sliding piece g so as to force the
pring piece or retainer f" through the slit or hole f in the tack carrier f and
eparate the front tack in the said carrier from the remaining tacks in the manner
ereinbefore described and also to release the said front tack by pressing forward
he front spring d³ and raising the top spring e also in the manner hereinbefore
lescribed.
To refill the tack-carrier any ordinary mean's may be used, such as a hopper
with a couple of plates forming a groove for the tacks to slide in, and against
which the tack-carriers can be held to be refilled.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. In a hand-tacking tool, the combination with the head of the tool, of a tack-
carrier holder, of a tack-carrier and of a spring for normally holding the tacks
in the carrier, substantially as herein before described.
2. In a hand-tacking tool, the combination with the tool of a tack-carrier
holder, of a tack-carrier, of a tack-ejector and of means for releasing the tacks
from the tack-carrier, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In a hand-tacking tool, the combination therewith of a tack-carrier holder,
of a tack-carrier, of a curved ejector working in the head or nose portion of the
said tool and of a link and lever arrangement for operating the said ejector,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. In a hand-tacking tool, the combination with the said tool of a tack-carrier
holder, of a tack-carrier and of a tack-separator or retainer provided with means
for inserting the said retainer between the front tack and the remaining tacks in
the carrier, substantially as herein before described.
5. In a hand-tacking tool, the combination with the said tool of a tack-carrier
holder, of a tack-carrier having a lateral slit or hole, of a spring retainer designed
to be passed through the said slit or hole and between the front and second tacks
in the carrier, substantially as herein before described.
6. In a hand-tacking tool, the combination with the said tool of a tack-carrier
holder, of a tack-carrier having a lateral slit or hole, of a spring tack retainer or
separator, and of a sliding-piece designed to press the spring retainer through the
lateral slit in the tack-carrier and between the first and second tacks, substantially
as, and for the purpose, herein before described.
7. In a hand-tacking tool, the combination therewith of a tack-carrier holder,
of a tack-carrier, of means for normally holding the tacks in the tack-carrier, of
a tack separator and retainer, of means for releasing the foremost tack from the
carrier, of a tack ejector and of means for operating the tack-ejector, substantially
as herein before described.
8. The combination with a hand-tacking tool of the described tack-carrier
formed of a plate f bent to a V or U shape.
9. The combination with hand-tacking pincers, of a tack-carrier holder formed
of lateral plates of unequal length secured to the upper jaw, of a tack-carrier
adapted to fit into the holder and having a lateral slit or hole, of a front spring
and a top spring for normally retaining the tacks in the carrier, of a tack
separator and retainer adapted to be pressed into the lateral hole in the carrier,
of a spring controlled slide for operating the tack retainer and the front spring, of
a tack-ejector working above the upper jaw between the lateral plates and of
spring controlled lever and link mechanism for operating the ejector, and the
slide, substantially as hereinbefore described.
10. The combination with a hand-tacking hammer, of a tack-carrier holder
formed in the head and shaft thereof, of a tack carrier adapted to fit into the
holder and having a lateral slit or hole, of a front spring and a top spring for
normally retaining the tacks in the carrier, of a tack separator and retainer

page_text: adapted to be pressed into the lateral hole in the carrier, of a spring controlled
slide for operating the tack retainer and the front spring, of a tack ejector work-
ing in the hammer head and of spring controlled lever and link mechanism for
"operating the ejector and the slide substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 15th day of November 1898.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.