Improvements connected with the Manufacture of Leather Loops from Slitted Blanks, and in Machinery therefor.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by ELLIS SPEAR and FRANK LEANDER MIDDLETON,
both of 1003 F Street, Washington, United States of America, Patent
Attorneys.]
Improvements connected with the Manufacture of Leather Loops
from Slitted Blanks, and in Machinery therefor.
I, ERNEST RICHARD ROYSTON, of 15 Water Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, C.E., Fel. Chart. Inst. P.A., 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 is a machine for forming seamless leather loops from slitted blanks
and in the manufacture of such loops, by my machine, the blanks which have been
previously slitted, are fed thereto from a hopper whereupon they are spread or
upset into the form of rectangular loope in which condition they are pressed 'to
firmly set them to this form.
These loops are specially designed for use in barness but may be used in various
situations.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine the upper stationary ring being broken
away and the carrier spokes omitted;
Figures 14, 1, 1°, are details;
Figure 2 a central vertical section;
Figure 3 shows a sectional view of the press;
Figure 4 a face view of the same;
Figure 5 is a view of the cam plate for operating the dies;
Figures 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are detail views relating to the hopper and means for
feeding the blanks onto the loop stick ;
Figure 11 shows detail parts.
The slitted blanks are piled in a hopper a, the lower one resting on a plate b
with its slit in line with the wedge shaped end of the loop stick, so that when the
loop stick advances, its point will enter the slit and the loop blank will be thereby
spread and will be thrust upon the rectangular portion c of the stick by the spring
pressed pusher plates d, e, between which the wedge shaped end of the loop stick
enters. These plates, in sliding apart, maintain their contact with the edges of
the loop blank as they are spread by the wedge end of the loop stick and when the
loop stick has completed its movement, the loop is fully on the rectangular part c.
The supporting plate b is pivoted to the spring pressed' rods so that it will yield
downwardly as the loop stick advances. The side edges of the loop blanks are
pressed upon as the stick advances by supplemental plates f Figures 7, 8 and 9
held in the frame 9, so that all parts of the loop blanks are forced onto the stick
as it advances. An opening his formed in the frame g for the loop stick to pass
through.
The lower end of the hopper has an opening i with inwardly projecting edges i*
which hold the ends of the loop blank when flat but when the loop is spread the
ends are drawn within these edges and as the loop stick retracts to draw the loop
blank from the hopper, the ends of the loop blanks pass freely by the said edges
without striking the same.
The loop sticks are carried by a carrier wheel; having inner and outer rings j*

page_text: which is rotated step by step by a vibrator lever k pivoted on the central axis /
and having a spring pawl k* to engage teeth or cavities in a rim m bolted to the
under side of the wheel Figure 2, the vibrator being oscillated by a peripheral
groove in a cam n on the cam shaft o engaging a roller on a stud p of the lever k
Figure 2. Each time the carrier is given one step in its rotation it brings a loop
stick directly in front of the magazine or hopper and spring pusher plates, and the
carrier is held rigidly and accurately in this position by a spring detent q working
through a bearing r on the bed of the machine.
The loop stick in moving into position before the magazine brings the grooves
in its head t into engagement with a pin on the sliding block tx and the block is
then operated towards the hopper in fixed guides u and the loop stick is thrust into
the loop and between the pusher plates, it being returned when the sliding block
retracts.
This block is operated by a pivoted lever v on a rock shaft to operated by a cam
on the main shaft by the arm y and the cam slide y*.
This sliding block engages the loop sticks in succession as they are brought
around by the step by step movement of the carrier.
As shown in Figure 11 the arm y is yieldingly connected to the rock shaft by a
spring a secured at one end to the arm and having its other end engaging a pin b
on a collar c¹ fixed to the rock shaft so that if the loop stick meets with any
obstruction in its forward movement this connection will yield and prevent straining
or damage to the parts.
There are eight loop sticks and as they reach the station, a quarter turn to the
left from the magazine. they are engaged by a second slide t', as for instance in
Figure 1 which moves in ways on the bed and is operated by a lever pivoted on a
pin d' which is oscillated by a cam el dotted lines of Figure 1. The fulcrum pin d
is adjustable in a slot in the bed of the machine, to vary the throw of the lever and
the movement of the loop stick and when the loop stick with the loop thereon is
thrust outward it enters the press f¹ to introduce the loop between the two pairs of
pressing and forming dies g', h'. Of these the larger dies g' engage the loop blank
first and press the upper and lower sides of the same onto the loop stick and after
these dies have reached their extreme inward limit the smaller dies h¹ move towards
each other and entering between the larger dies press upon the ends of the loop
blanks and thus the loop blank is pressed about the loop stick upon all sides thereof
as at 2 Figure 4. The die blocks are held by set screws in slides i movable in
ways in the press frame and operated by levers which have laterally projecting
bearing pins entering recesses in the slides. The rear ends of the levers carry
blocks k adjustable by screws and having pins m¹ with rollers thereon entering
cam slots n¹ in an oscillating cam plate of keyed to the rock shaft which is
operated by an arm q' and a link ¹ from a cam s on the shaft. By the oscillation
of the cam plates the dies are operated to and from each other. By adjusting the
blocks on the levers the throw of the die blocks may be regulated.
The loop after being pressed at the first press is carried by the step by step
movement of the table a half turn to the opposite side where the loop stick is
engaged by another slide t¹¹ similar to the slide t' and operated by a similar lever
and cam through which the loop stick is moved into a second press, a duplicate of
that described where the final pressing of the blank about the loop stick takes
place.
As the loop stick at this station advances, the discharge sleeve thereon is
carried forward so that the bevelled projection w' thereon will freely pass by a
spring discharge pin which also has a bevelled end to cause the same to be
pushed back. As the loop stick retracts the flat sides of the pin and projection
coming together will cause the discharge sleeve to be retarded and held against
retraction thus allowing the loop stick to draw back within it and thereby
discharging the loop. The next step carries the sleeve away from the discharge
pin and it finally arrives before the magazine and as the loop stick advances into
the hopper the discharge sleeve is pushed back thereon.

page_text: The spring discharge pin is carried in a supporting bracket projecting from the
press frame Figures 1 and 14. Between the stations, the loop stick is held against
longitudinal movement by a rib a' on a ring & shown broken away in Figure 1,
fixed on the central axis l, said rib entering the grooves in the heads of the loop
sticks, but at the stations where the loop stick must be moved radially, this rib is
cut away as shown at C Figure 2.
It will be seen that in this machine one part i.e. the loop stick is brought around
to axially align with the dies or press and is then moved longitudinally into the
same and while I have shown the press stationary and independent of the carrier
I do not wish to limit myself in this respect, as other arrangements may be devised
in which the parts are brought into and out of alignment and one part is then
moved axially into line with the other.
The vibrator, as it returns for a new feeding action releases the detent which
holds the carrier fixed in position for which purpose the vibrator has an inclined
finger for engaging the detent and pushing it back simultaneously with the
engagement of the spring pawl with a new tooth.
In the die cavity a bushing e is placed which may be removed and replaced by
a bushing of different size to suit different sizes of loop sticks and the dies may be
changed to suit different sizes of loops to be pressed.
In Figures 8 and 9 I show two sizes of pusher plates for placing loops of
different sizes upon the loop sticks. For smaller loops the small plates fure
adjusted inwardly.
I claim:
1. In a machine for forming loops, the press or die device, a loop stick with
means for moving one of said parts into and out of line with the other and for
moving oue part in a direction axially of the loop stick and die cavity to make the
loop stick with its loop enter the die cavity, substantially as described.
2. The arrangement of the parts of Claim 1 by which a series of loop sticks
move radially in a step by step carrier and are brought around to the press
arranged adjacent to but independent of the carrier, with means for moving the
loop sticks into and out of the press.
3. The press comprising the series of radially movable dies operated by a series
of pivoted levers with means for engaging and operating the rear ends of the
levers.
4. In connection with the parts of Claims 1 and 2, means as the stationary
flange or rib engaging grooves in the heads of the loop sticks to hold the same
against radial movement between stations, and cut away at intervals to allow the
said radial movement.
5. The rotary carrier with its radially movable loop sticks, means, as the sliding
blocks, for engaging the loop sticks at certain stations to move them longitudinally
to the press or other mechanism.
6. In combination with the longitudinally movable loop stick, the means for
discharging the loops therefrom as for instance the sliding pusher on the loop stick
with controlling means therefor.
7. In combination with the loop stick, the press and the discharge pusher, the
means for returning the pusher to normal position and for placing a fresh blank on
the loop stick.
8. The means for placing the loop blanks on the loop sticks, consisting of the
yielding pusher plate or plates, contacting with the loop blank and adapted to
receive the loop stick.
9. In connection with the pusher plate or plates of Claim 8, the yielding
supporting plate 6 to hold the loop blanks with their slits in line with the pointed
ends of the loop sticks.
10. In connection with the pair of spring pusher plates, the two supplemental
plates Figures 8 and 9 for pressing upon the end edges of the loop blanks.

page_text: 11. The loop stick with its wedge shaped end combined with the spring pusher
plates, arranged to separate and receive the stick between them.
12. The loop stick combined with the magazine having an opening with retaining
flanges on each side of the opening.
Dated this 9th day of November 1896.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.