US1119454A - Assorting or grading machine. - Google Patents

Description

H. B. RITCHIE.

ASSOR'I'ING 0R GRADING MAGHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED DEC. 31, 1912.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

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IHE NORRIS PETERS CO r'Ho/H LIT/IO WASHINLIQ'I H. B. RITCHIE. ASSOBTING 0R GRADING MAGHiNEL APPLICATION FILED DBO. 81, 1912. 1,1 1 9,454. Patented Dec. 1,1914.

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- cr IIIIIIIHH "HE NORRIS PETERS CD, PHUTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D, C

HOWARD B. RITCHIROF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS.

ASSORTING QRGRADING .IVIACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

"Be it known that I, IIOWARD B. RITCHIE.

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hyde Park, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Assorting or GradingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for separating, or sorting intoldifi'erent lots,

articles of varying sizes delivered to the machine in mixed quantities, and has particular reference to machines adapted to assert or grade elongated bodies such as sardines or other relatively small .fishpreparatory to packing them.

While my invention may beused for assorting various kinds of fish, or articles other than fish, I shall hereinafter designate the articles assorted by the machine as sardines, it being understood, however, that this term is used for convenience and is not intended to be used in a restrictive sense.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple and effective machine adapted to assort and grade large masses or quantities of sardines without liability of the fish becoming clogged so as to in terrupt the operation of the machine.

The invention also has for its object to provide a machine of this character which shall be adjustable. so that a mass of sardines may be assorted into as many grades as may be desirable, the machine being so adjustable that it is capable of delivering, in each grade, fish of any desired size.

To these ends the invention consists in the improvements which I shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a top plan view of an assorting mach ne embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly broken out; Fig. 3 is an elevation, from the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 2, of the asserting portions of the mechanism on, a larger scale, parts being shown in section; Fig. 4 is an elevation of the delivering end of the machine, partly broken out or in sectionaFig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

The frame of the machine comprises side Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1,1914.

Application filed December 31, 1912. Serial No. 7351,4176.

members 12 which are uprights 13, 14 15, said side members being suitably connected, as by cross strips or braces 16. The uprights are arranged in pairs, and the four uprights comprising the two pairs 13, 14 are preferably connected by cross strips or braces 17.

The table or platform 18, on which the sardines are deposited, is illustrated as constructed of a piece of sheetmetal bent to present sides 19 and longitudinal ribs 20. I do not limit myself however to making the platform of sheet metal. strips2l support the platform, said strips having ears 22 provided with apertures slidably fitting rods 23, the platform being secured in itsproper position when adjusted longitudinally of the rods 23 by suitable means, such as set screws 2% passed through the ears 22 and binding against the rods 23. Each rod 23 has connected to it near each end, as best shown in Fig. 2, a yoke 25 which is pivotally connected at 26 to the upper end of a rod or bar 27 which is adjustably held by means of aclamp screw 28 in a bracket 29 secured to one of the uprights 13, 14'. Each upright 13, 14, of course, has such bracket 29, and there are four tice I prefer to aid the movement of thefish down the inclined platform by supplying a suflicient amount of water. The ribs 20 of course insure the fish being guided when they move down the inclined platform, either head first or tail first, to reach the asserting disks straight and parallel. Practically it makes no difference for asserting purposes which end moves first, but it is essential that the fish shall not reach the sorting disks crosswise.

As shown by comparing F 3 and 4, angle bars 30 supported by the side members 12 of the frame are provided with bearings 31 for the series of transverse parallel Suitable cross a vertical rods. or bars 27 which are independently adjustsupported by suitable shafts 32. Each shaft 32 carries a series of spaced disks 33 which have blunt edges and 38 secured to it at one end, the several gears meshing with intermediate idle pinions 39. One of the shafts is provided with a pulley 40 driven by a belt ll from a pulley 41-2 on a stud shaft 43 projecting from an arm i l (Fig. 1) extending from one of the uprights.

Saidstud shaftis provided with fast and loose'pulleys' 45. and 46 for a suitable, driving belt.

Deflector plates 47 are suitablyconnected to the side members 12 of the frame and are inclined inwardly therefrom so as to prevent fish or water from falling upon the, bearings of the shafts.

As shown in Fig. 1, the disks 3,3 are difife'rently spaced, the disks of the first two shafts at the left, nearest, the platformlS,

bein in alinement and closest to ether. The b disks of the next three shafts are spaced in alinement, butwider apart, while the disks of the lastthree shafts, which are also in alinement, are spaced still farther apart, I

do not limit myself to any particularnumberfof shafts as a whole, or in each series.

In operation the sardines slide down the inclined table or platform after the latter has been properly adjusted to deliver the fish, substantially as indicated in Fig. 3, to I the disks of the first shaft. All the disks rotate in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. 3, so that any fish which are too large to pass downwardly between thefirstset of disks into the first box or receptacle 48 will be advanced or drawn along by said disks and supplied to, the next disks. If the fish are of proper size they will then drop through between the disks of the second set, and if they are too large they will be positively carried along to the next or final series of revolving disks. There may be as many differently spaced series of shafts and disks as may be desired, each group of assorting disks being adapted to either permit fish of proper size to pass through into a box or receptacle below, or positively advance the fish to the next wider spaced series, or entirely beyond the end of the machine, where approximately large fish will be delivered a without being assorted. It will be understood that the disks per-form the assorting operation without liability of the machinebeing clogged because the said disks are constantly rotating and are therefore obliged either-to cause any'fish between any two disksto pass downwardly into a box or rethe fish so that it cannot be advanced on.

its side but will have either its back orits belly uppermost. In brief, the fish must pass between the disks edgewise ifthey are to pass at all, and it is the lateral thickness of a fish which controls the proper assorting or grading thereof. Variations of the size to be assorted may be readily effected by employing washers 34; between the disks, of such size as to insure the proper spacing of the disks. Inother words, the washers may be of any size according to the size of the fishto be passed between disks spaced by such washersas the fish pass down the inclined series of revolving disks, they are positivelymovedin such manner that any fish which are partly engaged but are 'too large toslip throughthe spaces between the disks of any shaft or'shafts will be drawn alongbycthe disks of the nextlower shaft orshafts and either then dropped through into a box or receptacle48 orfed still fartheralong. the machine. As hereinbefore described, the ribs 2-0 of the platform 18 serve to guide the fish as they move down the'inclined plane, so'that said fish reach the.

asserting disks 33 straight, or, inother words, in parallel relationship. Since the fish are elongated in shape, if they could reach the disks crosswise, they would be liable to be carried beyond those disks which should gradethem, and would be conse-' quently deposited in a receptacle beyond their proper place. It is essentialthat the fish shall be started onto theassorting disks straight and parallel.

because if they were not, any depressions in the disks would catch the fish and would be liable to force some of the fish down between disks not'properly spaced for that to land thereupon, so as to be evenly bal-.

anced for a short time sufficient to cause such fish to be carried beyond their proper places of grading and deposited into the re ceptacles 4'8. By forming the disks with the tapered peripheries, as, described, any fish landing upon them centrally will immediately tip sldewise, one way or the other,

It is also essential; that the disks shall be peripherally smooth,

and escape down into the receptacles. The

fish cannot get turned sidewise and so pass for guiding the articles to the disks endwise m beyond their proper places for slipping in parallel relationship.

through between the disks. In testimony whereof I have affixed my Having now described my invention, I signature,in presence of two witnesses. 61mm HOWARD B. RITCHIE.

An assorting machine for elongated articles such as fish, said machine having Witnesses: disks provided with blunt edged peripheries A. W. HARRISON, the sides of 'which are beveled, and means 1 P. l/VQPEZZETTI.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatenta,: Washington, D. C.

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