Improved Process and Apparatus for Capping the Ends of Corset Steels.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process and Apparatus for Capping the Ends of Corset Steels.
I, ADOLPH FRIEDRICH RAU, of Göppingen, Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The capping of corset steels has hitherto been effected by putting the metal
caps, which have previously been stamped out, one by one on the corset steel
by hand, and then pressing them fast by means of special rollers.
This process however was very tedious and lengthy and had, moveover, the
disadvantage that only metal caps could be employed.
In the present invention these defects are obviated and the capping is effected
automatically by a machine.
The operation consists of driving the steel to be capped (Figure 11) by means
of a suitable guide through friction rollers into a stamping apparatus which
stamps the caps out of a strip of metal, paper or the like automatically supplied
to it, and inserts them in the track of the steel in such a manner that when the
steel is pushed further forward, the cap is driven or pressed over the end of the
steel, so that at the other end of the machine the steel drops down ready capped.
A machine for carrying out this operation is illustrated in the accompanying
drawing by way of example in which:
Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of the machine.
Figure 3 is a front elevation.
Figure 4 a view from above.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section on the line A-A of Figure 3
Figure 6 is a cross section on the line B-B of Figure 1.
Figures 7 to 13 illustrate details of construction.
A base-plate 2 is fastened to the table of the machine (Fig. 5). This plate
supports the various parts for capping the steels, which consist of a channel
for guiding the steels which consists of two fixed parts 3, 4 and a movable
slide 5. The slide 5 serves together with the part 3 as the stamping apparatus
for the strip 6 out of which the caps are stamped, the back projection 7 of the
slide 5 forming the stamp and the part 3 of the guide the die-holder. By
pressing the stamp into the die a corresponding piece is stamped in the usual
way out of the strip of material 6.
The corset steel 8 is propelled by means of the pairs of rollers 9, 9 and 10, 10
which are geared together by means of the toothed wheels 11 (Fig. 2) and can be
driven by means of pulley 12 on one side (Fig. 1) and pulley 13 on the other
side Fig. 4 from any suitable source of power. The rollers are so profiled that
the upper one of each pair engages with a circular rim in a corresponding groove
of the under one (Fig. 3). The groove serves thus as a guide between the rollers
for the steel 8.
A third pair of rollers 14, which are coupled together by means of toothed

page_text: gearing 15 and can be set in rotation by the crank 16, serve to wind off the
strip 6 from a roll 17 and deliver it through the stamping apparatus to a guide 18
where the rest of the strip 6 is separated from the dies. All the pairs of rollers
are placed loosely in contact with each other. The pairs which serve to push
forward the steels can moreover be adjusted in the wellknown manner against
each other by means of screws 19 which act on their respective bearings.
The stamp 7 with its slide 5 receives a to and fro motion by means of a
handle 20 which is connected with a treadle 22 by means of a jointed rod 21.
This lever is actuated by a spring 23, which effects the raising of the handle 20,
as soon as it is let down by dropping the treadle 22.
As will be seen from Figures 5, 6, and 7, which illustrate the stamping
device on a larger scale, the handle has wedge-shaped projections 24, 24 on each
side, to which correspond the wedge-shaped planes 25, 26 of the forked ends of
the slide 5. To operate the machine the treadle 22 is first depressed
This causes
the slide to be pushed back (to the right in Fig. 5) by means of the handle 20,
and to stamp a cap by means of its striker 7 out of the strip of material 6 on
the die 3: If the treadle has been let go, the handle will rise by means of the
spring 23 and the slide therefore be pushed forward by means of the wedge
pieces 24, 24.
Meanwhile the corset steel 8 has been inserted between the first pair of
rollers 9, 9 and guide 4. When it has been pushed forward by means of these
rollers the steel meets with the stamped out piece for the cap which is of the
shape illustrated in Figure 10, and this capping piece as it finds its place on the
die 3, is folded over the front end of the steel, and a cap, as illustrated in
Figure 13 is formed. Having received this turned-over cap the steel passes
through the die or guide 3 and is taken off by the rollers 10, 10.
Then, by turning the crank 16, the strip of material is brought again into
position between the striker and die, stamped out by pressing down the treadle 22
and a fresh steel or the other end of the first one is brought between the
rollers 99 and the same process is repeated.
Instead of adjusting the strip 6 by hand this can be effected by the machine
itself. The apparatus for this purpose is best shewn in Figs. 1, 6, and 9.
A spur-wheel 27 is fixed on the rollers 14 for propelling the strip of
material; in this wheel a pawl 28 engages, which pawl is pivoted on a piece 29
sliding in a holder 30 and actuated by a spring 31 fixed on the frame of the
machine. A second spring 32 placed on the holder 30 maintains the pawl 28
in engagement with the spur-wheel 27. An angle arm 33 with sloping end 34
fastened on the handle 20 engages in the holder 30 and the sliding piece 29.
When the handle 20 is actuated in stamping, the sloping end 34 of the angle
piece 33 slightly pushes forward the piece 29 by the stretching of the spring 31
causing the pawl 28 to operate revolving the spur-wheel and consequently the
rollers 14, 14. When the handle 20 and angle piece 33 rise the piece 29 is
drawn back again by means of the spring 31.
t
As the strip of material 6 is comparatively flexible and yielding it is pre-
ferable and in most cases necessary to employ a gummed strip of material which
may be moistened in any suitable manner, or an apparatus is provided on the
table of the machine which covers the strip 6 with gum.
.!
Finally, it is not absolutely necessary to employ strips of paper, webbing or
the like, the same object can also be attained with a thin strip of metal, only in
this case of course a suitable adhesive medium must be used.
The machine could also be arranged in such a way that several steels could be
inserted in a row and capped simultaneously.
The caps made by this machine have the advantage over the metal caps hitherto
used for corset steels that they adhere very firmly to the steels do not rust or
damage the corsets, and steels provided with these caps have a very good apear-
ance. It is of course understood that the steels are covered with a fabric of
some kind.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. Process for capping corset steels in which the steel to be capped travels
through transporting rollers provided with a suitable guiding device and under
a stamping mechanism which stamps the caps out of a strip of material auto-
matically moved along and inserted in the guiding device in such a manner that
when the steel is pushed further forward the cap is folded over the steel and
finally the capped steel is discharged from the opposite end of the machine, sub-
stantially as described.
2. For carrying out the process characterised in Claim 1, a machine having a
stamping mechanism which stamps suitable blanks for the caps out of a strip (6)
advanced by mechanical means and places these blanks in a guide for the corset
steels in such a way that when the steel is pushed forward the blank is thereby
converted into a cap covering one end of the steel, substantially as described.
3. In a machine as set forth in Claim 2, a stamping mechanism consisting of
the slide (5) with striker (7) and a fixed die (3) which parts at the same time
form a guide for the corset steel, said slide set in reciprocating motion by means
of a handle (20) connected with a spring treadle (22) by the application of wedge
shaped pressers (24, 24), for the purpose described.
4. In a machine as set forth in Claims 2, and 3, a forwarding device for the
strips of fabric, consisting of a spur wheel (27) which is turned by means of the
pawl 28 attached to the sliding piece 29 actuated by a spring so that an angle
piece (31) connected with the loop (20) of the stamping mechanism is driven
with its inclined end 34 against the said sliding piece 29 when the handle is
pressed downwards.
5. A corset steel manufactured by the process characterized in Claim 1, the
caps of which consist of material (paper, webbing, or the like) gummed on the
steel which is covered with a textile material, substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of October 1899.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.