Improvements in Button-setting Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1890-Accepted, 27th Sept.. 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES HERBERT CLARK, of Chelsea, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Gentleman.]
Improvements in Button-setting Machines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for an "IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTON-SETTING MACHINES," and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This invention consists of certain improvements hereinafter set forth in detail in
machines for attaching buttons to leather, cloth or any other material by means of
what are called metallic tack fasteners, the buttons and the fasteners being both fed
automatically from hoppers and delivered at the proper point for clinching together
through said leather or other material.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine viewed from the fastener side showing
the clinching bar in its extreme lowest position.
Fig. 2 is a view looking into the interior of the machine showing certain parts
in section and with the fastener side of the frame removed, the clinching parts
being shown in directly opposite positions to those shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an interior view of the fastener side of the machine the button side
being removed.
Figs. 4 and 5 are front views of the button jaws and adjacent parts on a larger
scale, corresponding to positions of machine shown in Figs. 2 and 1 respectively.
Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line a Fig. 2.
Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the relative position of the die, fastener, button
and leather just prior to clinching.
Fig. 8 is a front view of part of the hinged fastener raceway showing the action
of the fastener gate.
Fig. 9 is a side view of the button gate.
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the fastener carrier.
A and A¹ are the two sides of the frame enclosing the working parts, A being
the button side of the frame and A' the fastener side. These are bolted together
and secured to the base plate A*. A rack R, Fig. 3, is given an up and down
motion in any desired manner as by being secured to a vertical rod actuated by a
treadle. This rack meshes with the pinion R on the inner face of which is a pin "..
The pinion turns loosely on the shaft a' which also bears the two cams P P these
cams being secured to the shaft a¹. The cam P¹ has fixed on the outer face thereof
the piece M containing in its face an outer cam groove m in which the pin r on the
face of the pinion engages. On the opposite face of the pinion R from the pin is
the springbearing against the inner face of the frame A¹ and tending to keep the
said pinion pressed constantly toward the piece M.
When the rack R' is pulled downward the pin is in contact with the shoulder of
the groove m and turns the cams P P through one revolution. When the rack
moves on its up stroke the pin passes backward out of the groove m and when the
rack has reached its extreme upward position the pin again slips into the groove m
under the action of the spring ready to again move the cams through one revolu-
tion at the next down stroke of the rack.
From the rack and the two cams P P¹ motion is imparted to the various working
parts of the machine.
A and A³ are two similar hoppers mounted on the sides A A' of the frame one for

page_text: the buttons and one for the fasteners. These hoppers are provided with caps A° and A
and through their centres pass the movable shaft a on which shaft are mounted fast
the elevator wheels A³ A. These wheels are arranged to turn in close contact with
the inner faces of their respective hoppers and have the recesses a² at close intervals
along their periphery forming buckets in which the buttons and fastoners are 5
raised.
An intermittent rotary motion is given to the elevator wheels in the direction of
the arrows by the following mechanism shown in Fig. 3. N is a ratchet fixed on
the shaft a; N is a pawl engaging therewith pivoted at its lower end to the sliding
piece N which is guided to move up and down in any desired manner as by a l
screw moving in a slot in the face of the piece N³. The sliding piece N is
provided at its lower end with a projecting piece n' against which the arm on
the top of the rack R' bears when the rack has reached nearly the bottom of its
down stroke. ³ is a pin on the piece N³ at such a height that the arm bears
up against the same when the rack has reached nearly the top of its up stroke.
The construction is such that as the rack moves down the arm pulls down the
piece N and with it the pawl N1 which by means of the spring n is kept constantly
pressed toward the ratchet with the result of turning the said ratchet and with it
the elevator wheels some distance at each down stroke.
On the up stroke of the rack the pawl is pushed back over another tooth by 2
means of the arm r¹ bearing against the pin n and the ratchet is prevented from
turning by means of the detent N and the spring n' bearing against the pin n³
as clearly shown in Fig. 3.
The shaft a projects on one side beyond the cap of the hopper and is provided
with a knob or handle A" whereby the clevator wheels may be turned by hand if
desired independently of the actuating mechanism just described.
B is the upper button trough into which the buttons are delivered from the
elevator wheel A³, the recesses a in the wheel being of proper depth to deliver the
buttons on a level with the said trough. The buttons raised by the elevator wheel
spill over toward the trough B, the channel in which is of sufficient width to easily
contain within it lengthwise the button eye as shown in Fig. 6. The trough B
slopes downward as shown, and some of the buttons drop therein from the elevator
Those that do not, drop off
wheel in the proper position to slide down the same.
and fall back into the hopper A2. B is a flanged guard on the inside of the button
trough to aid in keeping the buttons in position and prevent their falling off other
than into the hopper. This guard has a gate or hole 6 of sufficient size to allow the
. button to pass through when in proper position in the trough but which causes all
those not properly seated in the trough to fall off into the hopper. The slope of the
trough and the pressure of the new buttons added at frequent intervals from behind
causo a steady stream of buttons to travel down said trough at the lower end of
which there is a turn at right angles. The details of the button feed will be best
understood by reference to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5. B B are two feed wheels or disks
geared together to turn on the spindles respectively as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
These wheels are provided with grooves around their peripheries in which grooves
rest the stationary feed wire b¹. These wheels serve as the only means of support
for said wire which is bent down under and partially around the wheel B₁ thence
partially around and over the wheel B2 surrounding sufficiently the peripheries of said
wheels to be held stationary as the wheels revolve. The feed wire b' extends from
the lower end of the trough B which bends at right angles to its general direction,
thence around said feed wheels and down to the end of the die D, against the front
face of which its lower end bears.
The feed wheels are provided with radial recesses &³ which are of sufficient size to
receive each a button eye and move the button along the wire. The buttons falling
from the end of the trough B are caught on the upper end of the wire b¹, and as each
recess in the lower feed wheel comes around it receives within it the eye of on
button thus separating them as shown in Fig. 2. The upper feed wheel in lik

page_text: manner takes the buttons one by one as it revolves from the lower, continually moving
the buttons along the wire b¹. The feed wheels B' B2 derive their motion from tho
main shaft a by means of a sheave pulley Be fixed thereon and connected by a belt B³
with the sheave pulley B7 fixed on the spindle of the feed wheel B³.
From the feed wheels the buttons are pushed in a steady stream down the wire as
far as the movable button gate or separator B, a detail view of which is shown in
Fig. 9, the button heads being guided by the channel B³ along the curved upper
front portion of the frame A which curved portion I term the nose by reason of its
shape.
As the
The separator B has two stops 66 67 passing over the feed wire b¹ one from above
and the other from below as shown in Fig. 9. The separator is pivoted at 6ª to the
opposite side of the frame A from that shown in Fig. 2 and is kept pressed upward when
the machine is at rest by means of the spring 60 so that normally the lowest button
above the separator is prevented from falling farther down the wire by coming in
contact with the lower stop as indicated by the full lines in Fig. 9.
buttons are needed the separator is pressed down by mechanism hereinafter described
allowing the button resting against the stop to pass by it and fall down the feed
wire till it rests, as shown in Fig. 1, just on top of the die D at the end of the nose.
At the same time the rest of the buttons above the separator are prevented from
falling by means of the upper stop which falls and rises with the separator. In
this manner the buttons are cut off from the line on the wire and dropped one by
one to the top of the die.
In order not to overcrowd the wire between the movable button gate or
separator B and the feed wheels B B I preferably employ means whereby when
the said portion of the wire is full of buttons the feed wheels will cease to turn and
hence will not feed more until some are removed from beneath. I may accomplish
this by having the belt B so loose that as soon as there is any resistance to the
turning of said feed wheels, which would be the case were the wire overcrowded, the
belt B8 will simply slip over the pulley B7 and not turn it till the resistance is
removed.
The operations of separating the buttons as above, separating the fasteners, pre-
senting the fasteners one by one at the proper point under the die and clinching the
fastener through the button eye are all accomplished by means of the cams P P¹
acting upon a movable cradle and its connections.
This cradle turns on the shaft ef as a pivot. Within it is pivoted at g' the links I'
which are in turn pivotally connected at to one end of the bell crank lever L.
This lever fulcrumed at to the frame has at its other end a cam roll engaging
with the cam groove p' in the inner face of the cam P¹. In this manner the cradle
gets an up and down movement on its pivot. At the front of the machine embracing
the nose thereof is the piece C made preferably of spring steel and bent around
into the shape of an inverted U, see Figs. 4 and 5. At the lower end of the arms
of the piece C are the gripper jaws C kept normally sprung together. This piece()
bearing the gripper jaws C is pivoted at c' to the arm which is in turn pivoted
atc to the side of the nose of the machine, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
The cradle E has the upwardly extending lifter E' having a shoulder at e which
when the cradle rises bears against and lifts the arm C and with it the spring jaws CC²,
either by bearing directly against said arm C or preferably (as shown) against a
spring arranged in such a manner as to cushion the arm as it is lifted and thus
avoid sudden jarring of the parts.
Just before the cradle has reached the end of its up stroke the lifter E¹ presses up
the spring jaws CC. When the cradle moves downward, the upwardly extending
end of the lifter E bears down on the pin e (which serves as a pivot to the
piece C) pressing down the jaws CC in the manner more fully to be described
presently. The pin c' as it descends presses against the movable button gate B
which moves downward and drops a button down the wire as already described.
The fasteners in the hopper A' are lifted by the elevator wheel AⓇ and deposited
upon the stationary raceway F in a similar manner to the buttons on their side of

page_text: the machine. Some strike the raceway in the right position and are pushed along
down the same, and some fall back into the hopper again. F' is a flanged fastener
guard analogous in part to the button guard B.
The fasteners travel down the inclined raceway Fon their heads. Those whose
shanks or points pass back of the guide are in proper position to be carried to the
end of the journey (i.e. to the clinching die). Those however, that do not pass behind
said guide or are tilted in the wrong position on the raceway F meet with the
triangular piece f¹ which wards them off so that they drop back into the hopper.
The cradle E contains within it the clinching bar G pivoted on the shaft e. This
bar which bears the entire strain of clinching the fastener is preferably cushioned in
the manner shown in Fig. 2 by resting against the forward end of a bar G¹ which in
turn rests on the pin g. At the rear the bars G and G₁are separated by stiff
springs G the entire arrangement being such as to perfectly cushion the clinching
bar as it performs its work.
The clinching bar G is provided with the lateral grooves g³ running along both
sides thereof from front to rear. In these grooves the fastener carrier frame H
slides back and forth along the clinching bar. This frame H contains a block h
and 6).
having a slot in which works the pink in the top of the lever K (Figs. 1,
This lever K pivoted to the frame at ' has at its lower end the slot in which works
the pin on one end of the lever K'. The lever K³ is pivoted at 4² to the frame
and at its lower end has the cam roll which engages with the cam groove p in
the inner face of the cam P. In this manner, as the cam P revolves, the frame H is
given a back and forth motion along the bar G through the action of levers K K.
F³ is a hinged fastener raceway pivoted at to the frame. The lower end of the
raceway rides upon the top of the pusher bar H' which extends forward from the
block on the fastener carrier frame. From the first raceway F the fasteners travel
down along the twisted raceway F secured to the first and connecting it with the
hinged raceway F³. They move along impelled principally by the pressure of those
continually added from behind and partly by gravity.
The fasteners are held by their flanged heads within the raceway with their shanks
pointing outward in a manner evident from the drawings (see Figs. 3, 6 & 8)
without further description.
Part way down the binged raceway F³ is the fastener separator or gate F
shown best in Figs. 2, 6 and 8. This gate is pivoted at to the raceway and
has an arm bent around back of the raceway and provided with the lug. The
gate F is curved up over the shanks of the fasteners in the raceway and is provided
with two stops which operate in such a manner that when the gate moves on its
pivot one fastener drops down by gravity to the end of the hinged raceway and
At the same time the gate
through the opening upon the clinching bar G.
prevents the sliding down of more than one of the fasteners at a time as indicated by
the dotted lines in Fig. 8. The gate is kept in its normal position (i.e. the position
shown by the full lines) by means of the spring bearing against the arm .
This is the position when the cradle is down. When the cradle rises however to
nearly its extreme upper position the bar E' secured to the side of the cradle pushes
against the lug f₁ and opens the gate F' thus letting down a fastener.
A fastener having been deposited upon the clinching bar G in the manner described
the carrier frame H slides forward and the bifurcated forward end of the pusher
bar H carries the fastener forward along the bar. The fastener being of the
peculiar shape shown in Fig. 7 it is necessary that when presented under the die i
be in the position shown in Fig. 7 i.e. with the upper end of its shank pointing rear
wardly. When the fastener arrives upon the clinching bar, however, though resting
as it should upon its flanged head, its shank is likely to be in any position. It i
therefore necessary to provide positive means for turning the same, and this i
accomplished by means of the movable block E held in the manner shown in Figs.
and 2 above the clinching bar. This block is seated against springs eª and held dow
upon pins in an upper extension of the cradle E. The under surface of the sprin
block E is provided with the cam groove e³ of such a shape that as the fastener i

page_text: 'pushed along it by the pusher bar H' it cannot fail to be turned into the proper
position. When the pusher bar has carried the fastener as far as it will it has left it
with its point in the groove e at the under forward end of the spring block E. The
carrier frame H is then drawn back on its return stroke and the fastener held firmly
under the block with its point still in the groove e' is seized by the spring fastener
jaws H on the front of the carrier and clasped within the recess h' Figs. 5 and 10.
At the next forward stroke of the frame the fastener is carried forward to the
extreme front of the clinching bar in the position shown in Fig. 1 and a new fastener
is by the same operation carried by the pusher bar H' under the spring block and
into the groove e².
When the jaws C are in their lowest position i.c. under the die as shown in Figs. 1
and 5, they hold a button by the eye. In this position two cheeks I embracing the
die D and having bevelled under sides conforming to the shape of the upper sides of
the spring jaws C as shown in Fig. 5, are at their extreme forward position and
serve by their bevelled sides to lock the two spring jaws C firmly together. These
locking checks I are secured to the forward end of a bar which is guided to slide
back and forth being held normally at its forward position (shown in Fig. 1) with the
locking cheeks between the jaws (by means of the spring 12 held by pins to the
frame and pressing against a pin i on the bar I.
The bar and with it the cheeks I are withdrawn at the proper moment into the
position shown in Fig. 2 by means of the piece which projects downward and engages
with the pin on the lever K when the latter moves back.
To sum up the various operations of the machine co-operating to clinch the fastener
within the button eye as they occur with respect to each other, start with the machine
at rest in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the rack R¹ being up, the cradle E and
clinching bar G down, said clinching bar having a fastener held by the fastener
jaws at the forward end of the said bar. In this position also the cheeks I are
forward between the spring button jaws locking thein together as just described,
and the jaws are holding a button under the die D.
The rack R' being drawn down the cradle and clinching bar rise till the point of
the fastener penetrates the leather or material to which the button is to be attached,
said material being held directly under the jaws C. The fastener point enters the
eye of the button within the jaws C, the leather or other material being stripped down
upon the fastener till it lies next the head thereof. The sliding fastener carrier H' is
then drawn to its backward position the jaws H' releasing their hold on the fastener
at the front the parts being now in the relative position shown in Fig. 7, with the
point of the fastener against the groove d of the die. The jaws H* of the fastener
carrier sliding back engage with a new fastener under the spring block E² to be
brought forward at the next operation. The cheeks I are next withdrawn unlocking
the jaws C which then separate as they pass up over the curvature of the die D (best
shown in Figs. 4 and 5) and snap together over the eye of the button dropped down
the wire and resting on the top of the die. Meantime the clinching bar G con-
tinues to rise still farther clinching the fastener shank around the button eye within
the grooved on the underside of the die the parts being now in the position shown
in Figs. 2 and 4. All these operations just named take place during the down stroke,
of the rack R' and while the cams P P are turning one revolution. Just before the
rack R has reached its extreme lowest position the cheeks I move forward pushing
outward the piece ( bearing the jaws the cradle and clinching bar quickly move
downward causing said spring jaws C also to move downward and the button clasped
by the jaws above the die is stripped off the wire b' and carried under the die D ready
for the next operation. Meantime the button separator B has again operated to drop
another button down upon the top of the die and when the end of the down stroke of
the rack R' has been reached the parts are again in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5
and with the cheeks in their forward position.
I have designated the button in various views by the letter S and the fastener by the
Lettor T

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what 1 claim is :---
1. In a button setting machine a movable clinching bar in combination with a
movable fastener conducting raceway adapted to deposit one fastener at a time upon
said clinching bar, substantially as described.
2. In a button setting machine a movable clinching bar provided with a forked
pusher bar movable back and forth above said clinching bar in combination with a
hinged fastener conducting raceway terminating above said clinching bar, the said
raceway being provided with suitable means for dropping the fasteners one by one I
upon said clinching bar, substantially as described.
3. In a button setting machine a movable clinching bar G provided with a forked
pusher bar Hmovable back and forth above said clinching bar in combination with a
hinged fastener conducting raceway F resting upon said pusher bar, substantially as
described.
4. In a button setting machine the combination with a stationary fastener hopper of
an elevator wheel movable therein and provided with bucket forming recesses, a
stationary fastener conducting raceway, a movable clinching bar provided with suitable
fastener turning and positioning devices and a movable fastener raceway conducting
the fasteners from the stationary raceway to the clinching bar, substantially as and
for the purposes described.
5. In a button setting machine a fastener conducting raceway F³ provided with a
movable fastener separating gate F pivoted to the raceway and an opening f* in the
bottom of said raceway whereby one fastener at a time is separated by said gate from
the fasteners above and allowed to drop through said opening substantially as
described.
6. In a button setting machine a fastener conducting raceway F3 provided with a
movable fastener separating gate F pivoted at f³ to the raceway, the said gate having
stops adapted to cross the path of the raceway from opposite sides and allow one
fastener at a time to drop down said raceway substantially as described.
7. In a button setting machine the combination with a stationary button hopper of
an elevator wheel movable therein and provided with bucket forming recesses, a
button trough B, two revolving peripherally grooved and radially recessed feed
wheels B B2 and a stationary wire held by said wheels and arranged to receive
the buttons from said trough B substantially as and for the purposes described.
8. In a button setting machine an inverted U-shaped spring C spruck up from one
piece of spring steel and provided with jaws (2 at the lower end thereof substantially
as described.
9. In a button setting machine the combination with a button feed wire of a die I
having rounded contour and an inverted U-shaped one piece spring C movable up
and down and bearing a pair of gripper jaws C adapted to spring apart as they mov
over the rounded die and to spring together above the die, substantially as and for th
purposes described.
10. In a button setting machine the combination with a button feed wire b' of
die D, a pivoted one piece spring C movable up and down and bearing the grippe
jaws and a pair of reciprocating cheeks I, all constructed, arranged and operatin
substantially as and for the purposes described.
11. A button setting machine consisting of the combination of two stationar
hoppers one for the buttons and one for the fasteners and elevator wheels revolub
one in each hopper, a clinching die, a movable clinching bar and suitable button an
fastener feeding devices whereby a button and a fastener are brought together at t
proper moment between said clinching bar and dic, substantially as and for t
purposes described.
12. A button setting machine consisting of the combination of two stationa
hoppers one for the buttons and one for the fasteners and elevator wheels revolut
one in each hopper, button and fastener conducting troughs and raceways a stationa

page_text: feed wire, revolving peripherally grooved and radially recessed feed wheels, a clinching
die, spring button gripping jaws movable up and down over said die, suitable locking
devices for holding said jaws together beneath the die and a movable clinching bar
provided with suitable fastener turning and positioning devices, all constructed,
arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 21st day of July 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.