164,408. Berry, G. W. Jan. 9, 1920. Hinges. - Flat or plate hinges are made without connecting wires by automatically feeding the pairs of blanks simultaneously in separated paths through a series of sets of dies, which form a pintle on one plate in a succession of stages and extensions on the other plate, then slot the pintle plate for the reception of the extensions and finally bend the extensions round the pintle, after the plates have been automatically assembled. The blanks are intermittently fed side by side between parallel sets of dies and punches 1 - - V, Fig. 2, the pintle being bent at stages I, II, III, IV, into the form shown at IV, Fig. 6, the holes for the fixing screws being punched at stage II, the slots for receiving the extensions formed and the holes countersunk at stage III and the pintle completed at stage IV. The other plate is slotted to form extensions at stage I, punched to form the fixing holes at stage II, the holes countersunk at stage III, and the extensions bent up as shown at IV, Fig. 6, at stage IV to form the bulbs. At stage V the extensions are passed through the slots in the pintle plate and are bent round to complete the hinge. The holes are punched to a larger diameter than required, and countersinking is effected by punches which displace the metal of the plate, to contract the diameter. The first set of dies and punches comprises a bending die X<1>, Fig, 8, with a spring-pressed plate X<2> for turning up the edge of the pintle plate against the shoulder X<4>, and two extension slotting punches Y passing through a spring-pressed stripper Y<1> and cooperating with the surface Y<2> of the lower die. The second set, Fig. 9, has punches X<8>, Y<3>, passing through stripping plates X<7>. Y<4>, and entering holes X<9>, Y<5>, in the lower die for punching the fixing holes, and parts X<40>, X<5> co-operating with a spring plunger X<6> for partly rolling over the edge of the pintle plate. The third set has a set of slotting punches for the pintle plate and two sets of countersinking punches passing through strippers and respectively engaging with shallow recesses and holes into the lower die. It also has similar surfaces for further bending the pintle. The fourth set of dies and punches, Fig. 11, has surfaces X<15>, X<16> co-operating with a recess X<17> and spring plunger X<18> to finish the pintle, the blank resting on a spring-pressed plate X<19>. Further, a projection Y<10> co-operates with a recess Y<12> on a spring-pressed plate Y<13> to bend up the extensions on the bulb plate. In the fifth set of dies &c., Fig. 12, the nintle plate rests on a spring-pressed plate X<22> and is pushed over the extensions of the bulb plate by a spring-pressed plate X<20> prevented from falling from the die by pivoted catches. The bulb is then turned over the pintle by recesses Y<14>, Y". The hinges may be made from separate strips which are fed along a table having two surfaces at different levels by a pair of rollers 2, the lower one of which is intermittently rotated by a gear wheel operated by a set of levers 7 from a countershaft 23 which is driven by bevel and chain gear from the main shafts. The strips are cut into blanks by a fixed cutter on the end of the table engaging a cutter on the " sub "-press head which carries the punches. The blank feed members 14 are mounted on bars 15, which are reciprocated longitudinally by a cam on the shaft 23 through levers, and are slotted at 14<c> so that they may be moved transversely at each end of the stroke of the bar by arms 24 on shafts 25, 25<a> provided with levers which are engaged by cams on parallel shafts rotated by worm gear from the shaft 23. Projecting hinged spring fingers 14a on the members 14 serve to allow the feed members to pass easily over the lower die. The pintle plates are brought at stage V, into a position overlapping the bulb plates by a transversely moving feed member 33 which is connected bv a lever and link to one arm of a bell crank mounted on the shaft 25, and is operated by a cam on one of the parallel shafts, the motion of the member being greater than that of the members 14. The pintle may be partly formed before entering the dies, or may be completed in two stages. The holes for receiving the fastening screws may be punched in the respective plates at different stages of the operations, countersinking being effected at the next succeeding stages. The finished hinges may be discharged by automatically or manuallyoperated means or by the succeeding hinges. According to the Provisional Specification the plates may be assembled by feeding them in converging directions. Specifications 25909/12, 100,589, and 105,768 are referred to.