Bottom stop machine

Claim 2

In a machine for forming and attaching bottom stops to a slide fastener chain, a combination comprising support means; die and punch means mounted on said support means for punching a diamond-shaped aperture in a flat wire; means for feeding the flat wire stepwise in longitudinal direction to and beyond said first die and punch means; combined cutting, bending and driving means mounted on said support means and located in said feeding direction downstream of said die and punch means for cutting the prepunched flat wire transversely along a plane extending through the diamond-shaped aperture midway between the ends thereof, for bending the thus cut off wire portion into a staple, for driving the staple through tapes of a slide fastener chain, and for clinching the staples on the tapes; and means for operating said die and punch means, said feeding means and said combined cutting, bending and driving means in proper sequence.

Claim 3

A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said die and punch means comprise a die stationarily mounted on said support means, said die having a pair of opposite end faces and being provided with a first passage extending in said feeding direction between said end faces and forming with one of said end faces a cutting edge, and with a second passage of substantially diamond-shaped cross section intersecting said first passage between the ends thereof; and a punch of diamond-shaped cross section guided in said second passage for reciprocating movement.

Claim 4

A combination as defined in claim 2, wherein said combined cutting, bending and driving means comprise an anvil located spaced in said feeding direction from said one end face of said die, movable between an active position supporting a wire portion downstream of said die and an inactive withdrawn position; a pair of punches arranged spaced and substantially parallel to each other for reciprocating movement on opposite sides of said anvil, one of said punchEs cooperating with said cutting edge for cutting the wire in said plane, and said pair of punches cooperating with said anvil for bending the cut off wire portion into a staple; a stationary clinching plate on said support means below said movable anvil; and a driver guided in the space between said pair of punches for driving the thus formed staple through and clinching it against said tapes, said operating means comprising a ram mounted on said support means for reciprocating movement and carrying in the region of one end thereof said pair of punches, and a driver plate movable relative to said ram and carrying said driver and said punch of diamond-shaped cross section.

Claim 5

A combination as defined in claim 3, and including stop means connected to said anvil for movement therewith and located in the path of movement of the wire spaced from and in the feeding direction downstream of said anvil, and cooperating cam faces on said stop means and on the other of said pair of punches for moving said anvil from its active to its inactive position, and biasing means biasing said anvil to its active position.

Claim 6

A combination as defined in claim 3, wherein said operating means further include a drive shaft, a first pin eccentrically projecting from one end of the drive shaft, a second pin projecting from said ram toward said one end of said drive shaft, a third pin projecting from said driver plate toward said one end of said drive shaft, a first link pivotally connected at opposite ends to said first and said second pin, and a second link pivotally connected at opposite ends to said first and said third pin.

Claim 7

A combination as defined in claim 3, wherein said ram is provided at the end thereof which is opposite said one end with a cam face, said wire feeding means comprising a follower engaging said cam face and a lever pivoted intermediate the ends thereof on said support means and carrying at one end thereof said follower and at the other end a feed jaw, and biasing means cooperating with said lever for maintaining said follower in engagement with said cam face on said ram.