US3058118A - Wire stitching machine - Google Patents

Description

Oc 2 E. KUGLER 3,058,118

WIRE STITCHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 9, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. MANUEL [fa/(use.

ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 16, 1962 E. KUGLER 3,058,118

WIRE STITCHING MACHINE Oct. 16, 1962 E. KUGLER 3,058,118

WIRE STI'ICI-IING MACHINE Filed Feb. 9, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 NVENTCR EMfl/VUEL Mus; EAP.

ATTOFQN EYS- 3,058,118 WIRE STITCHING MAC Emanuel Kugler, 296 Hungry Harbor Road, Valley Stream, N.Y. Filed Feb. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 7,556 6 Claims. (Cl. 1-120) This invention relates to stapling or wire stitching machines, and more particularly to such machines for simultaneously making and fastening two staples at spaced intervals and simultaneously severing the fastened mat rial between the staples.

The machine is especially useful in the making of draw string bags and an embodiment of the invention intended for that specific purpose will be herein described by way of example.

Machines are well known of the general type for feeding wire from a supply roll, cutting the wire, bending the cut lengths into staples and driving and clinching the staples in or over material to be fastened. Heretofore, stitching machines of this type have been used to fasten draw string bag cords together, but separate cord severing means was required and the two staples were not spaced as closely together as desired.

The present invention is concerned with wire stitching mechanisms of this general type and an object of the invention is to provide an improved machine wherein two staples are formed and clinched over the cords with a minimum of space between the staples and cord cutting means is incorporated in the machine as a part thereof and acts conjointly with the staple forming and clincing means to cut the fastened cords intermediate the staples.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character described which may be economically made, will be durable in use and will require a minimum of servicing.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be more particularly understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which? FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the device looking in the direction of the feed of the strings to be joined, with certain parts omitted for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken at line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of certain parts of FIGS. 1 and 2, showing further details;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the parts shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmental view, partly in section, showing further details of the device shown in FIG. 1, with the parts shown in different position of operation;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view as seen from the right of FIG. 2 with a section of the housing removed to better show certain of the details of the mechanism; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are fragmentary views showing certain parts in successive stages of operation.

In the presently preferred embodiment the invention is shown for use in securing together the strings or cords such as 153 and 154 which are disposed in continuous lengths passing through tubular lips of adjacent spaced apart bag segments, one of which is designated 152 in FIGS. 1 and 3. The strings, together with the bag segments, are fed by rollers 141 and 142 (FIG. 2), the segments being supported between cord belts such as 147 and 148 and a pair of grooved guide rollers 140' are provided to maintain the strings in alignment as they are fed forward, preferably the lower one of the rollers 140 being driven. The strings and segments are brought to rest for suitable intervals, during which the strings are to be secured together and severed, in the manner more fully described in my copending application Serial No.

Patented Get. 16, 1962 858,659, filed December 10, 1959. The novel stitcher which I have devised is designated in general as and will now be described more particularly wtih reference to FIGS. 18 inclusive.

The stitcher 155 comprises a supporting frame designated in general as 156 (FIGS. 1 and 2) rigidly mounted on a suitable pedestal 157. The pedestal may, for example, be formed as a part of a subframe slidably mounted on the main frame of a draw string bag making machine, such for example as is shown and described in my said copending application. The stitcher also comprises an electric drive motor (not shown) and two spools (not shown) of stitching wire serving to supply wires 162 and 162 (FIG. 3) to the stitcher. The drive motor and spools may be conveniently mounted on the frame 156 in the manner customary in the art. Suitable known wire feed means, including the feed rolls 163 and 164, serves to intermittently feed increment lengths of wires simultaneously to the stitching mechanism through guide tubes 165 and 165' (FIGS. 1 and 3) which direct the wires across fixed shear blades 166 and 166' in horizontal alignment with and across oppositely disposed bending anvils 167 and 167 pivotally mounted on pins 168 and 168' (FIG. 2) fixed in the frame 156 and resiliently held inwardly by pins 169 and 169' slidably mounted in the frame 156 and urged downwardly by springs 170 and 170. Instead of using a pair of feed rollers such as 163164 to feed a single wire, as in the prior art, I have found that by making the rollers 163 164 wide enough to feed the two wires, greater uniformity of feed is provided. Movable wire shear blades 171 and 171 (FIGS. 3 and 4) are detachably rigidly secured to the lower ends of heads 172 and 172' respectively, which are mounted for vertical reciprocation in the frame 156. The heads 172 and 172 are held in vertical alignment by a dowel pin 173 and are secured together in back-to-back engagement by a screw 174, so that they may be reciprocated simultaneously as an integral unit. They are reciprocated by means of a crank pin 175 (FIGS. 2 and 3) carried on an eccentric arm 176 mounted on a gear wheel 177 driven by the motor (not shown), through a solenoid actuated single revolution switch such as is well known in machines of this general character. The solenoid is energized in timed relation to the cords to be stitched. The inner faces of the heads 172 and 172 (FIG. 4) are recessed as at 178 and 178 to receive a cord shearing member 179 with sufiicient clearance for a sliding fit to permit movement of the shearing member with respect to the heads 172 and 172'. The shearing member 179 is provided at its upper end with a fixed pin having oppositely projecting ends 180 and 180' which extend outwardly through elongated slots 181 and 181 provided in the heads 172 and 172'. The outer faces of the heads 172 and 172' are recessed inwardly extending vertically between the upper shoulders v182 and 182 and lower shoulders 183 and 183'.

Hammer plates 184 and 184' are positioned within the said recesses and are provided with holes 185 and 185 within which snugly fit the pin ends 180 and 180' respectively; so that the hammer plates and cord cutting member 179 are connected together for movement as a unit. The heads 172 and 172', from the shoulders 183 and 183 downwardly to the end of the heads, are provided with T slots, such as 186 and 186', within which are slidably disposed hammer rods 187 and 187 having corresponding cross-sectional shape; the hammer rods 187 and 187 being secured to their carrying plates by pins 188 and 188'. The carrying plates 184 and 184' are shorter in length than the recessed spaces between the shoulders 182 and 183 and 182' and 183, so as to permit relative movement limited only by the elongated slots 181 and 181. The hammer plate 184 is provided 3 with a hole 189 (FIG. 4) in which is positioned a crank pin 190 (FIGS. 2 and 3) carried on eccentric arm 191, which is driven from the gear 177, thus serving to reciprocate not only the plate 184 and its hammer 187, but also the shearing member 179 and the opposite plate 184' and its hammer 187. The lower ends of the heads 172 and 172 are recessed as at 192 so as to straddle the respective anvils 167 and 167; and the crosswise portion of the, T slot is in vertical alignment with the wires 162 and 162' (FIGS. 3 and 4), so that a staple forming cavity is provided between the ends of the heads 172 and 172 and the respective corresponding anvils 167 and 167. Anvils ,195 and 195 are provided in vertical alignment with the hammers 187 and 187 and are provided with recesses for clinching the staples. The anvils are carried on a block 196 rigidly secured to a plate 197 vertically adjustably secured to a vertical wall of the pedestal 157.

Cord Shearing The shearing of the draw string cords 153 and 154 is provided by a movable shear edge 200 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) formed integrally on the shearing member 179 for a part of its width and a guide finger 201 extends downwardly therefrom for the remaining width of the member 179. The shear edge 200 is aligned for movement in cooperating engagement with a fixed shear edge 202 carried on a shear block 203, mounted on the block 196 which is provided with a slot 198 serving as a guide for the finger 201. An important feature of the finger 201 is its function in facilitating the adjustable setting of the shear block 203 to assure a close contact between the shear edges 200 and 202. Abutments 204 and 205 carried on a block 197 fixed to the vertical wall of the pedestal 157 are disposed on opposite sides of the anvil blocks 195 and 195' to align the cords 153 and 154 in position to be fastened together. As an important part of my invention, means is provided for moving the cords 153 and 154 from the side-by-side relationship as they pass between a pair of lateral guide rollers 140 (FIG. 2) to a superimposed relationship against the blocks 204 and 205, so that they are disposed in tandem arrangement for engagement by staples, such as 206, so that when the staples are clinched they will firmly and permanently fasten the cords together. A pair of fingers 207 and 207 (FIGS. 1 and 2) are fixed to a shaft 203 which is journaled in the block 196. The fingers are normally held in open position, as shown by solid lines (FIG. 1), by helical tension spring 210, and are moved to closed position, as shown by broken lines, by suitable means such as the solenoid actuator 211, which serves to move the cord to the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. As will be noted in FIG. 2, the cords 153 and 154 are disposed in side-by-side position between a pair of rollers 141 and 142, the roller 142 being provided with a friction sleeve 143 serving to assure positive engagement with the cords, and these rollers, in combination with the pair of wheels 140, serve to hold the continuous cords in alignment and in a slightly tensioned condition while they are being moved into superimposed position, secured together by the staples and severed by the cord shear. The pair of guide rollers 140 and rollers 141 and 142 are suitably mounted on the frame carrying the pedestal 157, such as in the manner shown and described in said copending application.

Operation The operation of the device will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, which show the strings 153 and 154 held under tension between the pair of rollers 140 and the friction engaging rolls 141 and 142, and further show the strings moved in tandem position one above the other by the fingers 207 and 207. Upon rotation of the gear 177 (FIGS. 2 and 3) the wires 162 and 162' (FIG. 3) are fed forward equal increments of length and the interconnected heads 172 and 172' are moved downwardly by the crank arm 176, causing the wires to be cut off between the fixed shear plates 166 and 166' and movable shear blades 171 and 171 respectively, with the wire pieces extending transversely across the bending anvils 167 and 167 in the path of and immediately engaged in the staple forming cavities in the lower end of the bending heads 172 and 172. Upon continued movement of the heads 172 and 172, the wire pieces are bent over the bending anvils to form staples such as 206; the anvils thereupon swiveling about their pivot points 168 and 168' moving the pins 169 and 169' against the action of compression springs 170 and 170. These staples as delivered from the bending anvils are in straddling alignment with the strings 153 and 154, and in said tandem relationship, and while 50 held, the. staples are moved down (FIG. 5) and the hammer rods187 and 187 are then moved downwardly by the crank arm 191. The staples compress the strings 153 and 154 and the lower points of the staples are turned in grooves provided in the clinching anvils and 195 so as to turn the points and finally crimp them while the strings are compressed so as to firmly secure the cords together at closely spaced points. At this time the cutting blade 201 is moved downwardly and, in cooperation with the shear edge 202, severs the strings intermediate the staples 206, all of which is accomplished during an interval of rest of the strings and in a space between successive bag segments, which space is bridged by said strings, as more particularly described in said copending application.

Following the severing of the strings the parts are returned to normal position, concluding one complete cycle of operation of the machine, and the machine is ready to operate upon succeeding lengths of string fed into register therewith, such as by saidbag making machine.

Because of the unique construction and arrangement of my machine, it is possible to reduce the space between the staples to less than heretofore obtainable in the prior art. For example, in practice I have satisfactorily operated a machine embodying my invention in conjunction with a draw string bag making machine, wherein the staples such as 206 are spaced apart and with the strings cut midway between the staples, the cut ends of the strings would extend only /8" beyond each staple. The space between the staples could be further reduced to about A if desired.

Having thus described my invention with particularity withreference to the preferred apparatus for carrying out the same and having referred to some possible modifications of theinvention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that other changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention, and it is my intention to cover in the appended claims such changes as come within the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for feeding increments of a pair of spaced wires transversely over material to be fastened together in side-by-side relation, means for simultaneously severing said increments to provide cut wire lengths, means for simultaneously forming said cut lengths into staples, means for simultaneously clinching said staples around said material in spaced relation lengthwise thereof, and material cutting means positioned between said staple clinching means igld operably connected thereto and movable thereby.

2. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for feeding increments of a pair of spaced wires transversely over longitudinally extending material, a pair of L-shaped members pivotally mounted with their lower legs extending toward each other from their pivots, and providing staple forming anvils yieldably held in substantially horizontal alignment, a pair of wire bending heads mounted for reciprocating vertical movement in cooperative alignment with said anvils and adapted to receive said wires as they are bent over said anvils, means for simultaneously cutting said wire increments, a pair of hammers slidably disposed in said heads in alignment with said wire increments and said anvils respectively, a cutting shear blade for severing said longitudinally extending material and connected to said hammers for movement therewith, and common means for moving said bending heads and hammers and cutting shear blade.

3. In a device for simultaneously stitching material operated upon at closely spaced points and concurrently severing said material between said points, the combination of, driving head means, a housing in which said driving head means is slidably disposed for reciprocation, a material shearing member slidably disposed in a guideway provided in said driving head means for movement relative thereto, said shear member having a shear edge extending transversely thereof and guide means extending therebeyond, a fixed shear block disposed in operative alignment with said shear edge, a fixed guide block for said guide means, said shearing member having a pin fixed therein with opposed ends extending outwardly through longitudinally extended elongated slots provided in said driving head means on opposite sides of said guideway to permit limited movement of said shearing member, two hammer plates longitudinally slidably disposed in recesses provided in the outer faces of said heads respectively and in driving engagement with said pin ends to operatively connect said shearing member and hammer plates together for unitary movement, hammer rods carried by said hammer plates respectively and slidably disposed in guideways provided therein, wire shear blades secured to the lower ends of said driving heads respectively, fixed wire shear blocks disposed in operative alignment with said shear blades, wire bending anvils resiliently held in transverse alignment with said shear blocks respectively and in vertical alignment with recesses in the lower ends of said driving heads, fixed clinching anvils in vertical alignment with said hammer rods respectively, common means for successively feeding increment lengths of wires across the upper faces of said Wire shear blocks and across said wire bending anvils, means for reciprocating said interconnected heads to shear off said increment lengths of wire, bend the same into staple form and clinch said staples over said material operated upon and means for reciprocating said hammer plates and material shearing member out of phase with said reciprocating heads to sever said material intermediate said clinched staples.

4. In a device for simultaneously stitching material operated upon at closely spaced points and concurrently severing said stitched material between said points, the combination of, a pair of driving heads securely interconnected together in back-to-back relationship for unitary movement, a guideway in which said interconnected heads are slidably disposed for reciprocation, a shearing member longitudinally slidably disposed between said heads for movement relative thereto, a shear block disposed in operative alignment with said shearing member, two hammer plates longitudinally slidably disposed in recesses provided in the outer faces of said heads respectively, means operatively connecting said shearing member and hammer plates together for unitary movement, hammer rods carried by said hammer plates respectively and slidably disposed in guideways provided therein, wire shear blades secured to the lower ends of said driving heads respectively, fixed wire shear blocks disposed in operative alignment with said shear blades, wire bending anvils resiliently held in transverse alignment with said shear blocks respectively and in vertical alignment with recesses in the lower ends of said driving heads, fixed clinching anvils in vertical alignment with said hammer rods respectively, means for successively feeding increment lengths of wires across the upper faces of said wire shear blocks and across said wire bending anvils, means for reciprocating said interconnected heads to shear off said increment lengths of wire, bend the same into staple form and clinch said staples over said material and means for reciprocating said hammer plates and material shearing member out of phase with said reciprocating heads to sever said material intermediate said clinched staples.

5. In a device for simultaneously fastening together material operated upon at closely spaced points and concurrently severing said fastened material between said points, the combination of, a pair of identical driving heads securely interconnected together in back-to-baclc relationship for unitary movement, a housing in which said interconnected heads are slidably disposed for reciprocation, a material shearing member longitudinally slidably disposed between said heads for movement relative thereto and provided with a shear edge, a fixed shear block disposed in operative alignment with said shear edge, said shearing member having a pin fixed therein with opposed ends extending outwardly through longitudinally extended elongated slots provided in said driving heads to permit limited movement of said shearing member relative to said heads, two hammer plates longitudinally slidably disposed in recesses provided in the outer faces of said heads respectively and in driving engagement with said pin ends to operatively connect said shearing member and hammer plates together for unitary movement, hammer rods carried by said hammer plates respectively and slidably disposed in guideways provided therein, wire shear blades removably secured to the lower ends of said driving heads respectively, fixed wire shear plates disposed in operative alignment with said shear blades, wire bending anvils resiliently held in transverse alignment with said shear plates respectively and in vertical alignment with recesses in the lower ends of said driving heads, fixed clinching anvils in vertical alignment with said hammer rods respectively, means for successively feeding increment lengths of wire across the upper faces of said wire shear plates and across said wire bending anvils, means for reciprocating said interconnected heads to shear off said increment lengths of wire, bend the same into staple form and clinch said staples over said material and means for reciprocating said hammer plates and material shearing member out of phase with said reciprocating heads to sever said material intermediate said clinched staples.

6. In a device for simultaneously stapling material operated upon at closely spaced points and concurrently severing said stapled material between said points, the combination of, a pair of driving heads securely interconnected together in back-to-back relationship for unitary movement, a housing in which said interconnected heads are slidably disposed for reciprocation, a material shearing member slidably disposed between said heads for movement relative thereto, said shear member having a shear edge extending transversely thereof for part of its width and having a guiding finger offset from said edge and extending therebeyond, a fixed shear block disposed in operative alignment with said shear edge, a fixed guide block for said guide finger, said shearing member having a pin fixed therein with opposed ends extending outwardly through longitudinally extended elongated slots provided in said driving heads to permit limited movement of said shearing member, two hammer plates longitudinally slidably disposed in recesses provided in the outer faces of said heads respectively and in driving engagement with said pin ends to operatively connect said shearing member and hammer plates together for unitary movement, hammer rods carried by said hammer plates respectively and slidably disposed in guideways provided therein, wire shear blades removably secured to the lower ends of said driving heads respectively, fixed wire shear blocks disposed in operative alignment with said shear blades, wire bending anvils resiliently held in transverse alignment with said shear blocks respectively and in ver- 3,058,118 t 7 r 8 tical alignment with recesses in the lower ends of said said reciprocating heads to sever said material interdriving heads, fixed clinching anvils in vertical alignment mediate 'said clinched staples. with said hammer rods respectively, means for successively feeding increment lengths of wire across the upper Re ere ces Cite in the file Of this patent faces of said wire shear blocks and across said wire bend- 5 U D STATES PATENTS in anvils, means for reciprocating said interconnected heiads to shear ofi said increment lengths of wire, bend 21 2, 1904 the same into staple form and clinch said staples over i ig g gldaynard P i said material and means for reciprocating said hammer g 32 3 I h S a 1 plates and material shearing member on of p a e W1 10 2,819,467 Marks M Jan. 1958 2,831,302 Jensen Apr. 22, 1953

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