US1990267A - Device for use in, or in connection with, machines for sewing on buttons - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 5, 1935. v. J. CLARKSON 1,990,267 DEVICE FOR USE IN, OR IN CONNECTION WITH, MACHINES FOR SEWiNG ON BUTTONS I Filed May 22. 1,933 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 5, 1935. v. J. CLARKSON DEVICE FOR USE IN, OR IN CONNECTION WITH, MACHINES FOR SEWING ON BUTTONS s Sheefis-Sheet 2 Filed May 22, 1933 Feb. 5, 1935. v. J. CLARKSON R IN CONNECTION WITH, MACHINES EOR SEWiNG ON BUTTONS DEVICE FOR USE IN, 0

3 SheetsSheet 3 Filed May 22, 1935 20'; holes in register.

25 feeding operation, whereupon a mechanical arm which:-

Patented Feb. 5, 191 35 I l v i I A UNITED STATES PATENT'IOFFICAE,

navroa ron USE IN, on m oomo'rroiv m r g, moms FOR sawmo on BUT- Vincent Joseph Clarkson, Leeds, England Application May 22, 1933, Serial No. 672,335 In Great Britain June 6, 1932 8 Claims. (Cl. 112-413) This invention relates to machines for sewingbracket) suitably arranged on, or associated with,

on buttons, and particularly to means for feeding the machine.

the buttons in turn to and for correctly position- In a preferred embodiment, the holder may ing them in the clamps or jaws of the machine comprise parallel legs afiorded by two or more with their holes in register with the sewing needle substantially rigid wires or the equivalent, or by 5 or needles. bending a piece of substantially rigid wireor the According to the invention the feeding means equivalent into hairpin formation, the spacing of comprise shutters or their equivalent adapted to the legs being such as to permit of buttons being co-operate to first isolate a button from the threaded thereon with each leg engaging correwaiting supply and then transfer it to the carspending holes in the buttons. 10 rier for conveying it to the clamps or jaws of In the case of a holder comprising two parallel the machine. lengths or legs of wire or the equivalent, the but- According to a further feature of the invention tons may be retained upon the holder when not the button holding device more particularly required by an appropriate removable stop or though not exclusively for supplying buttons in stops on said lengths or legs of wire and which 5 turn to machines for sewing-on buttons commay conveniently be in the form of a clip or clips, prises essentially one or more substantially rigid and in thislatter connection said clip or clips .wires' or theequivalent on to which the buttons may serve to, connect the lengths or legs of wire can be threaded one upon another with their together.

In an embodiment of the invention, the buttons understood and readily carried into effect, the are carried by a holder adapted to maintain them same .will now be more fully described with referin Suc a position as t0 bring the holes therein ence to the embodiments illustrated by way of into predetermined positions for the subsequent example, in the accompanying drawings, in

or carrier is advanced up to the button carried Figure 1 is a part side elevation showing the by the holder so as to cause one or more fixed general arrangement of the main features of the pins, spindles, rods or pegs appropriately posimachine viz. the holder, the feed device,"an'd the tioned on said arm or carrier, to come into aligncarrier. ment with one or more of the holes in said but-' Figures 2, 3 and 4 are respectively a side eleva- 30 ton prior to engaging therewith. The feed de- 'tion, plan, and end elevation of a carrier. Vic p v d d Supplying buttons vely Figures 5a, 5b, and 5c are respectively a front to the carrier takes the form of shutters or their elevation, side elevation and a plan of one form equivalent adapted to co-operate to first cut off of button holder with buttons thereon.

In order that the invention may be clearly 20 or isolate a button from the waiting supply and Figures 6, '7 and 8 area plan, end elevation and 5 then drop or supply it on to the carrier arm. front elevation respectively of a feed device.

This being effected, the arm or carrier may now 9a, 9b, and 9c are a plan, front elevation and be Opera-ted automatically to convey the d end elevation respectively of the shutters emor gripped button into correct position between played in the feed devi e,

the jaws a p the sewingfcn mac n Figure '10 is a fragmentary sectional elevation 40 with the holes in the buttons in alignment or showing the guiding of the shutter. register with the sewing needle or needles where- Figure 11 is a diagrammatic plan of the workupon the said jaws or clamps close upon the ing parts showing, by way of example, a conbutton to hold it in its predetermined position venient mode of operating them.

' during the Operation of Sewing-Om In th s cOn- Figure 12 is a similar view, showing the parts 45 nect on the J clamps in closing p the in the position when ,the lower pair of shutters positioned'button may release the latter from the are open arm or carrier so as to allow it to perform the Figure 13 is a similar i showing th parts next automatic feeding operation. The holder when the upper pair of shutters are open, may c p one or a plurality of b lly Referring to Figures 5a, 5b, and 5c of the draw- 50 r d Wires, reds, P the like, lst at One ings, the holder comprises a pair of parallel legs 1 end the pp end) of the holder, m n afforded by bending a piece of wire into hairpin are provided whereby it may be suspended from, formation, the spacing of the legs being such or otherwise attached to, a support (conveniently as to permit their being engaged with or passed 5 in the form of an appropriate standard or through diametrically opposed holes in the but- 5 carrier 3 remains stationary with its pins in regand in this connection said clip may bridge across and engageboth .leg

Whenin use for supplying buttons to a sewingon machine, the button holder may be carried by a supporting standard in such a position that the lower end or ends of the wire leg or legs are in register with holes in supply-controlling shutters in conjunction with which works a carrier for conveying the buttons in turn from the holder provided by the but should it be necessary in any case, additional may be provided to ensure the. the buttons.

The carrier'for transferring the buttons to the sewing-on machine (indicated by dotted lines at Figure 1) comprises a rigid bar 3 provided with a in the buttons being the legs of the holder 1 also.

Figures 6 to 10 inclusive illustrate a convenient device for feeding the buttons 2 singly and successively from the holder to the carrier. The said device'consists essentially of upper and lowholder 1 and the holes in the buttons 2.

When the machine is ready for use see Figure 1) the holder 1 with its buttons a position that by suitable manipulation of the shutters '6, '7. Such manipulation may be effected at the proper time during the travel of the carrier bar 3to and from the sewing-on machine (Figure 1) by mechanism such as thatshown by way of examated by the lever 11 in or about the two extreme stages of its movement, respectively. The lower shutters 7 are actuated when the carrier 3 is beneath them by the co-operation of the lever 11 with an abutment 14 on a spring pressed link 15, movement of which actuates lever and link mechanism 16 to open the lower shutters. The pin and slot 13 between lever 11 and bar 3 afl'ords a lost motion connection at this stage so that the ister with the holes in the buttons while shutters I, tom shutter from 2 is carried by of operations isas fol; Assuming that the lowermost button in the the top shutter will isolate the button on the betthe "stock in the holder. By suitable timing of the cam or other mechanism,

sewing-machine, the raising and opening of the clamp elements being eflfected by mechanism such as levers, and/or cable transmission timed to operate during the forward movement of the carrier-arm. These clamps then automatically close on to the button and, as

ton into position on the work for the actual sewing operation.

To adapt the feed device for others of the requiredform to co-operate with the corresponding pin or pins 01' the holder.

ton may necessitate.

'The device is exceedingly simple in operation. foolproof in construction, and eflicient' in use. With ordinary buttons, no

the carrier-arm returns .to its zero position automatically lower-the but- -tioned below said stack single button therebetween and to transfer the .alternately as supporting means I claim:-

1. In a button sewing machine, means for delivering buttons singly from a stack to the sewing mechanism of the machine, said means comprising a moving carrier bar adapted to travel from a point under the stack to the'sewing mechanism, an upper and a lower pair of shutters positioned below said stack and adapted to isolate a single button therebetween and to transfer the same to the bar, and operating means for said shutters, timed to open the lower pair of shutters after the bar reaches the limit of its inward movement toward said point under the stack, and to open the upper pair of shutters at a diflerent point in the cycle of movement of said carrier bar.

2. In a button sewing machine, means for delivering buttons singly from a stack to the sewing mechanism of the machine, said means comprising a moving carrier bar adapted to travel from a point under the stack to the sewing mechanism, an upper and a lower pair of shutters positioned below said stack and adapted to isolate.a single button therebetween-and to transfer the same to the bar, and operating means for said shutters, timed to open the lower pair of shutters after the bar reaches the limit of its inward movement toward said point under the stack, and to open the upper pair of shutters at substantially the end of tltie outward movement of the bar away from the s ack.

I 3. In a button sewing machine, means for delivering buttons singly from a stack to the sewing mechanism of the machine, said means comprising a moving carrier bar adapted to travel from a point under the stack to the sewing mechanism, an upper and a lower pair of shutters positioned belowsaid stack and adapted to isolate a single button therebetween and to transfer the same to the bar, and operating means for said shutters timed to open the lower pair of shutters after the bar reaches the limit of its inward movement toward said point under the stack, and to open the upper pair of shutters during the movement of the bar remote from the stack.

4. In a button sewing machine, means for delivering buttons singly from a stack to the sewing mechanism of the machine, said means comprising a reciprocating carrier bar adapted to travel from a position under the stack to the sewing mechanism, two pairs of shutters posiand adapted to isolate a same to the bar, said pairs of shutters serving for said stack of buttons, means for opening and then closing the upper pair of shutters while the lower pair is closed to isolate a button between said pairs, and means for opening the lower'pair while the upper pair is closed and when the feeder bar is positioned thereunder button to the bar.

5. In a button sewing machine, means for deto transfer the isolated livering buttons singly from a stack of buttons to the sewing mechanism of the machine, said means comprising a reciprocating feeder bar adapted to travel from a position below the stack to the sewing mechanism, two pairs 'of shutters isolate a button means for engaging rods to position the same accurately,

thereon, the portion of positioned below said stack of buttons and adapted to support the same, said pairs of shutters being normally held in closed position by spring tension means, and means for momentarily opening said pairs of shutters alternately in timed relation to the movement of said feeder bar, to

from the stack and then drop the same upon the bar when the latter reaches its position under the stack.

. 6. Button holding and delivering means for use with a button sewing machine having a button carrier bar associated therewith, said means comprising a pair of vertically disposed parallel rods supported adjacent their upper ends, and adapted to have a plurality of buttons threaded thereon in stacked formation, two pairs of horizontally disposed shutters adjacent the lower ends of said rods in supporting relation to the stack of buttons, each pair of shutters being opened and closed alternately, first to isolate a button from said stack and then to drop said button to the button carrier bar for the sewing machine, said pairs of shutters each having and to prevent lateral displacement thereof.

'7. Button holding anddelivering means for use with a button sewing machine having a button carrier bar associated therewith, said means comprising a pair of vertically disposed parallel rods supported adjacent their upper ends, and adapted to have a plurality of buttons threaded thereon in stacked formation, two pairs of horizontally disposed shutters adjacent the lower ends of said rods in supporting relation to the stack of buttons, each pair of shutters being opened and closed alternately, first to isolate a button from said stack and then to drop said button tothe button carrier bar for the sewing machine, said pairs of shutters each having recesses shaped to embrace the lower end of each of said rods to position the same vaccurately, and to prevent lateral displacement thereof.

the lower endof each of said 8. A button carrying device adapted to hold a plurality of buttons in proper relation thereon to be received by a button sewing machine or the the device is dis-associated with the machine and as a button feeding'means when associated with the machine, said device comprising a single elongated substantially rigid wire bent upon itself intermediate its ends into substantially ushape, and stop means associated with anend of said wire, the legs formed by the bend therein being disposed in parallel relation to each other and being spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the holes in the buttons threaded the wire at the bend comprising a means whereby the device may be hung from a support and the buttons retained thereon by said stop means to store said buttons, and whereby said device may thereafter be hung from asupport onsaid machine, and serve as a button feeding magazine for the machine, after the stop means has been rendered inoperative.

VINCENT JOSEPH CLARK ON.

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