Abstract: A button feed unit to guide a button element from a button supply to a button applicator and arrange the direction of surface pattern provided on a front face of the button element. The button feed unit is adaptable for a variety of buttons of different sizes by exchangeable components of a feed path for the button element. The feed path for the button element is provided with a button rotating attachment having a button element guide path of a wedge-shaped cross section to pinch a part of the periphery of the button head and to urge the button head resiliently toward a cooperating feed path guide member, wherein at least the attachment is exchangeable.

Abstract: A button feeder for guiding and feeding a button element having an oriented pattern on its front face along a feed path and for insuring a desired orientation of the pattern. This button feeder provides a button pusher having a finger member projected from its frontal edge and urged resiliently downwardly from the pusher and the pusher provides a cam contactor projecting downwardly, the cam contactor riding on a cam surface, wherein the frontal edge of the pusher is guided and downwardly moved along the cam surface during transport and rotation of the button by the pusher along the feed path, and the finger member is lowered to engage a recess formed on the back face of the button head to arrest the rotation of the button element so as to orient and place a pattern on the button surface in a desired orientation.

Abstract: An apparatus for protecting a horizontally reciprocable light projector from collision with a vertically reciprocable punch of a button setting machine, wherein a lost motion mechanism is provided for producing a delay between retracting movement of the light projector and the downward movement of the punch to such an extent that the light projector is retracted from the vertical path of movement of the punch before the punch starts moving downward. The lost motion mechanism is composed of a shaft having an annular actuating flange, and a cylinder member slidably receiving therein the shaft. The actuating flange is normally separated from the cylinder member and engageable with the cylinder member to lower the punch when the light projector is retracted from the vertical path of movement of the punch.

Abstract: A parts applying apparatus for applying buttons, rivets and other fastening parts to a garment fabric is disclosed which essentially comprises a reciprocating ram, a punch including an annular flange, a punch holder carrying the punch and a parts gripper for releasably holding parts to be clamped onto fabric. The gripper is resiliently urged toward and held in sliding engagement with the ram. An elastic member such as of rubber is interposed between the punch flange and the punch holder to absorb part of the impact pressure exerted to the fabric during the parts clamping operation.

Abstract: Separable slide fasteners are manufactured from an alongate slide fastener chain composed of a pair of slide fastener stringers having rows of coupling elements alternating with element-free portions having substantially U-shaped recesses defined in inner edges thereof. The elongate slide fastener chain is fed under tension along a longitudinal path, and the slide fastener stringers are separated from each other. Then, an insertion pin is attached laterally to the inner edge of one of the element-free portions, and a box pin is attached laterally to the inner edge of another element-free portion confronting said one element-free portion. The insertion pin and the box pin which are laterally aligned with each other are threaded through a slider until certain coupling elements of the slide fasteners stringers are interengaged. Then, a box is attached to the box pin.

Abstract: In a method of attaching parts of a separable bottom end assembly to a continuous slide fastener chain, a box or insertion pin, in the shape of a channel, of a separable bottom end assembly is threaded onto one of longitudinally spaced successive element-free portions of one longitudinal edge of a continuous slide fastener stringer in an edgewise direction while the one element-free portion is kept stationary at an attaching station in a substantially horizontal path of the fastener stringer as the latter is at rest. The thus threaded pin is then fixedly secured to the one element-free portion by being compressed into a final shape therearound.

Abstract: A button orienting and placing apparatus comprises a guide table defining a substantially horizontal first guide channel, and a chute defining a slanting second guide channel communicating at its lower end with one end portion of the first guide channel remotely from a die. Each of the first and second guide channels is composed of a button-head guide passageway for receiving a head of the button, and a claw guide passageway for receiving a pair of claws of the button. The claw guide passageway of the first guide channel has a arcuate lower end portion curved toward the die.

Abstract: In an apparatus for joining together a pair of fastener elements of a garment fastener, such as a snap fastener, a button or an ornamental article, with a garment fabric sandwiched between the two fastener elements, a punch assembly for forcing one fastener element against its mating fastener element has a clamp-holder divided into a pair of separate pieces, and an adjustable spring means for imparting an appropriate amount of braking force to the two clamp-holder pieces.

Abstract: A gripper mechanism for feeding a pair of elongate strips such as a pair of slide fastener stringers has a pair of gripper holders supporting a pair of grippers for gripping the slide fastener stringers, respectively, and a pair of sliders joined to the gripper holders, respectively, and slidably disposed in a housing for independent movement therein. In response to engagement with a cam on a feed path, the grippers are opened to grip or release the slide fastener stringers. The grippers are normally urged by a spring to clamp the slide fastener stringers. A pinion is angularly movably supported on a slide block in the housing and held in mesh with a pair of racks, respectively, of the sliders. A spring acts between the housing and the slide block for normally urging the slide block in a direction to move the gripper holders into abutment against the housing. The gripper holders can be moved relatively to each other toward and away from the housing.

Abstract: A slide fastener chain with reinforcing strips is fed along a feed path through a finishing apparatus for trimming the reinforcing strips. The finishing apparatus has a chain guide unit, a cutter unit, and a chain tensioner unit. The chain guide unit includes a stop having recesses for accommodating some coupling elements and steps for engaging endmost coupling elements. The chain tensioner unit has a presser gripper for pressing the slide fastener chain against a support base and a presser roller for depressing the slide fastener chain to tension the same for thereby forcibly pushing the endmost coupling elements against the steps. When the slide fastener chain is tensioned by the chain tensioner unit, one of the reinforcing strips is accurately positioned with respect to the cutter unit. The reinforcing strip is then trimmed by central and side cutters which cut off excessive central and side portions completely.

Abstract: A device for positioning a pair of longitudinally advancing elongate slide fastener stringers comprises a pair of positioning jaws movable relatively to one another in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of each slide fastener stringer to define therebetween a guide channel for the passage of the slide fastener stringer. At least one of the positioning jaws includes a step for engaging the leading coupling element of each coupling element row mounted on one longitudinal edge of a tape of each respective slide fastener stringer, for thereby stopping the slide fastener stringer. The positioning device having the positioning jaws is capable of accurately positioning the slide fastner stringers even when the slide fastener stringer is laterally undulated or locally swelled during advancing movement thereof.

Abstract: In a method of cutting a continuous slide fastener chain into individual slide fastener lengths, the fastener chain is tensioned between its leading end and a succeeding element-free portion as they are gripped by downstream and at upstream grippers, respectively, at a specified point and a cutting station spaced upstream therefrom along a horizontal straight path by a varying distance corresponding to the length of a prospective individual slide fastener. Then the tension of the individual slide fastener length of the chain is relaxed by slightly moving the downstream gripper from the specified point toward the upstream gripper which is kept stationary at the cutting station, whereupon the fastener chain is cut transversely across the succeeding one element-free portion.

Abstract: A button orientation apparatus comprising a setting die for receiving a button for attachment to a garment fabric, a clamping means for clamping the button on the die, a cam means for angularly moving the clamping means about its axis, and a control means operatively associated with and controlling rotation of the cam means so that the clamping means is oriented to position the button in the proper orientation with respect to the garment, the control means including a stopper pin engageable selectively with one of a plurality cam plates in the cam means.