US1195951A

US1195951A - Machine and method fob beinfobcing sheet matebial

Info

Publication number: US1195951A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1916-08-22
Anticipated expiration: 1933-08-22

Description

M. R. HARRISON.- MACHINE AND METHOD FOR REINFORCING SHEET MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED APR-.17, 1916.

1,195,951. Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- WWW M. R. HARRISON. MACHINE AND METHOD FOR REINFORCING SHEET MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. IT, I9I6.

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MARY B. HARRISON, OF WIN'IHROP, MASSACHUSETTS. fiACHINE METHOD FOR REINFOBGIN G SHEET MATERIAL.

Specification Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

Application filed April 17, 1818. Serial No. 91,648.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARY R. HARRISON, (formerly MARY R. CARNEY,) of Winthrop,

in the county of Suffolk and State. of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines and Methods for Reinforcing Sheet Material, of which the following is a specification, said improveuients being in machines of the same general type and operating upon the same principle as explained in my former application filed February 24, 1914, Serial No. 820,451, renewal application filed May 11, 1915, Serial No. 27 ,440.

This invention relates to the manufacture of a strong sheet material, such as rein forced paper, for any and all uses to which such material can be put, the machine and its principle of operation being also such as to enable shipping tags to be rapidly and economically made.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved, simple, inexpensive and rap idly operating machine which enables strands, such as thread, string, cord, wire or tape, to be secured between two sheets cross-wise of the latter or to be applied to the surface thereof either for the purpose of furnishing tags or to provide said material with reinforcement. For the latter purpose it is best also to lead in strands lengthwise of the material.

For convenience of description I shall hereinafter chiefly refer to the sheet material as paper, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to any specific sheet material.

The invention consists in the improvements which I shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation and part section of a machine embodying my present improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of one of the endless carriers for causing the loops of strand material to travel along is a detail view to illustrate trimmers 5O the edges of the former or table. Fig. 4 which may be employed for the edges of the material. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively seetional and side elevation details of a part of the ring-driving gearing. Fig. 7 is a detail view to illustrate the operation of the rings for carrying the transverse strand material around the table or former. Fig. 8 1s a view looking from the right of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 represents a transverse section of a former or table having laterally convex upper and lower surfaces.

Similar reference characters indicate simi-- lar parts in all of the views.

Referring chiefly to Figs. 1 and 2, a suitable framework is indicated at 10,, said frame-Work being, however, in two sections to adapt said frame-work to be lengthened if desired. 'Four webs of sheet material, such as paper, are indicated at 11, 12, 13 and 14, as passing through the machine from

supply reels

11, 12, 13 and 14, respectlvely. The four webs and the rein forcing strands hereinafter described are drawn through the machine by suitably driven rolls 15, which alsoserve to press the layers together. Of course any number of pairs of rolls 15 may be employed. Two, or all four of the webs of paper are coated with an adhesive supplied by means of rolls 16, in a well-known manner. To reinforce the webs of paper longitudinally, four series of strands 17, 18, 19 and 20 are led in from suitably mounted spools 17 18 19 and 20*, carried by stands Or racks 41.

A support for the sheet material to prevent the latter from being collapsed by the winding of transverse strands around it as hereinafter described, comprises a table or former 21 which is suitably supported at one end by the frame of the machine, as by cross strips 46, 47, in a position interposed between the

webs

12, 13, the side edges of said table being provided withstrand conveyers, such as endless cords or chains 22 running in grooves in the edges of the table so that the transverse strands hereinafter described, and which are wrapped around the table and the

webs

12, 13, will not bind along the edges of, the table and interfere with said webs and the strands being drawn off from the support by action of the rolls 15.

To better engage the portions of the strands which pass around the edges of the support or table 21, chains having serrated links, as indicated in Fig. 3, may be employed. As hereinafter described, the two strand conveyors are positively driven, so that their outer stretches will move along the edges of the table at thesame speed as that of the

webs

12, 13.

The support of table 21, if made of two parts or members as indicated in Fig. 2, so that they may be laterally adjusted relatively to each other to vary the width of the table as a whole, enables the product of the machine to be varied as to width. This is of special use when the machine is to be employed for the making of stringed tags as hereinafter described, because of the desirability of having strings of greater or lesser length projecting from the tags, according to the use to which any particular quantity of tags ordered is to be put.

One or more strand carriers traveling in an orbital path wrapping one or more strands of reinforcing material around the support 21 and portions of. the

webs

12, 13,

which are above and below said support, due to advancing movement of the webs in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, will result in the transverse strand or strands being wound spirall around said support and the two webs which are separated thereby. While the strand carrier or carriers might include endless chains as illustrated in my said former application, in the present drawings I illustrate two rings. One of these rings is illustrated at 23, and it carries brackets provided with spindles upon which are mounted spools 24 from which the strand material a leads through guide eyes 25. By means of gearing, hereinafter described, the supplemental ring 28 may be caused to rotate either with the ring 23, or in a direction opposite thereto, or may be thrown out of action altogether. Said supplemental ring 28 carries brackets provided with spindles for spools 29, the strands from which also lead through guide eyes 25. Of course in practice suitable retarding devices may be employed to prevent too free unwinding of the material from the

spools

24, 29. In starting the operation one end of each strand (1 is connected in any suitable way as by an adhesive to one of the

webs

12 or 13 and then the rotation or travel of the strand carrier wraps the strand or strands a around the table and the two webs of paper.

To trim the edges of the material and also separate the product into two sheets, each of double thickness, I may employ overlapping disk knives 30, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4. I do not limit myself, however, to trimming at this point, as the entire four-ply material may be wound on a roll 33 and afterward unwound, dried if necessary, and trimmed and cut into strips of any width. When trimming disks 30 are employed as illustrated, the adhesive-applying rolls 16 are of such length as to leave narrow margins of the webs un-coated in order to avoid having the cutters gummed up by adhesive. The operation described simultaneously trims the sheets and. disconnects them from each other. In order that the webs 11 and 14, and the longitudinal strands 17 and 20 may be carried directly into contact, preferably with some pressure, with and upon the intermediate webs, I provide rolls 40 closely adjacent to the surfaces of the table near its delivery end.

The longitudinal strands are supplied by spools suitably mounted in four racks 41, three of which may be near the base of the machine, and one supported above it. The longitudinal strands 18 and 19 lead through guide strips 44, a roll 45 deflecting both the strands 19 and the web 13 on their way to the adhesive applying roll 16.

lVhen the machine is supplied with material as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, and operated, the strands (r are divided, so that as the entire plurality of webs issue from the machine, two sheets of product will result. Inother words, after the action of the cutters 30, the webs 11 and 12 with longitudinal strands and crossing transverse strands can be wound up on one reel while the webs 13 and 14 also having longitudinal and transverse reinforcing strands may be wound up on another reel.

It will be readily understood that the number of spools employed for the longitudinal strands will control the lateral spacing of the latter, and the number of spools employed for the transverse strands, or the relationship of the speed of travel of the paper webs and the strand carrier or carriers will control the spacing of the transverse strands.

To drive the endless conveyers 22 positively, they are mounted upon sprockets, four of which are indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the shafts of two of said sprockets having intermeshing pinions 49 (Fig. 7). Compounded with one of the pinions 49 is a beveled pinion 5O driven by a beveled pinion 51 carried by a shaft 52 having a sprocket 53, which sprocket is driven by a suitable chain not necessary to illustrate. The speed of operation is such, of course, that the strand conveyors will always travel at substantially the same speed as the speed of travel of the paper webs through the machine.

The shaft 32 which drives one or both rings 23, 28, is provided with a beveled pinion 60 (Figs. 1 and 5) meshing with another beveled pinion carried by a driving shaft 61. Said shaft 32 carries a gear 62. which, through an intermediate gear 63, meshes with the toothed ring 64 carried by the ring 23. In fact, the member 64 may be considered as a large annular gear for the ring or strand carrier 23, the whole rotating in a bearing 65, said bearing being cylindrical and the table extending through said bearing. Another bearing 66, similar to the bearing 65, supports the supplemental ring or strand carrier 28, this latter carrier or ring ll'i having an annular gear 67 (Figs. 1, 5 and 6) which meshes with and is driven by a gear 68 carrier by a shaft 69, said shaft having a pinion 70 meshing with an intermediate pinion 71 the said intermediate pinion being mounted upon a suitably supported stud shaft 72. A sleeve 73 splined on the shaft 32, has a pinion 74 adapted to mesh with the pinion 71. The other end of the sleeve 73 has a gear 75 adapted to mesh with the gear 68.

A pin 76 passes through the sleeve 73 and into either one of a seriesof locking holes 77, 78, 79 in the shaft 32, said pin being normally pressed inwardly by a spring, but having a knob or finger piece by means of which the pin 76 may be withdrawn from either one of said locking holes. I do not illustrate the pin 7 6 in Fig. 1 because of the small scale of that figure. It will be readily understood, however, by comparing Figs. 1 and 5, that if the pin 7 6 be withdrawn and the sleeve 73 and its two

toothed members

74, 75 shifted from the position indicated in Fig. 5 to that indicated in Fig. 1, the rotation of the shaft 32 which always is in a given direction, will actuate the supplemental strand carrier 28, through the intermediate pinion 71, in a direction which will be opposite to the direction of movement that said carrier will have if the sleeve 73 and its toothed members are in the position shown in Fig. 5. In other words, the shifting of the sleeve 73 so that the pin 76 will occupy either the locking hole 77 or 79, will cause the supplemental strand carrier 28 to rotate either with or opposite to the strand carrier 23. If the pin 76 be caused to occupy the intermediate locking hole 78, neither of the

toothed members

74, 75 will engage the

toothed members

71, 68, and therefore the supplemental strand carrier will remain idle. In this last case the strands that would be supplied by said supplemental carrier are, of course, omitted. That is, they will not be attached in any way so as to be wrapped around and drawn along With the webs of paper.

The structure just described enables me to apply a large number of transverse strands all in the same spiral direction, or to divide these strands so that they are applied spirally in .opposite directions, and will cross each other more or less diagonallyaccording to the speed of travel of the paper relatively to the speed of movement of the strand carriers.

lVhen the entire plurality of webs are trimmed, two sheets of product will result. In Other words, after the trimming, the webs 11 and 12 with intervening longitudinal strands and crossing transverse strands will constitute one sheet of product which can be wound up on a reel or treated as desired, while the webs 13 and 14', also having interyening longitudinal and transverse reinforcing strands, may be wound up on another reel or otherwise treated.

I provide means for varying the angle of inclination of the transverse strands for one sheet of product relatively to the longitudinal strands and edges of the paper if that should be desired. Said means as illustrated in the present machine comprise a guide finger 85 (Figs. 7 and 8), which is inclined or curved so that as the ring 23, revolving in the direction of the arrow w, in Fig. 7, carries the strands a successively down toward and over the edge of the table 21, each strand a will ride down over the inclined or curved finger 85 so that said finger will advance that portion of the strand in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 8. To vary the amount of advance or forward laying of' the strands a, the finger 85 has a shank 86 mounted in a clamp 87 which is adjustably mounted upon a pin or stud 88 supported by a bracket 89 of the frame 10. The finger may be shaped and adjusted so that each strand a, as it rides down, will be laid on web 12 at a right angle to the edges of the paper, thus producing, between webs 11 and 12, rectangular reinforcing. This will result, of course, in the return strands which pass across the other or under surface of the table, having their obliquity doubled. In other words, since the machine without the use of the finger 85 or some equivalent thereof will produce a spiral laying of the transverse strands, anything; to reduce the obliquity on one side of the table will correspondingly increase the obliquity on the other side. This feature is of special importance if the machine is employed for making shipping or price tags. If the two webs 13,- 14, and the longitudinal strands 19, 20 are omitted there will then be nothing passing under the table 21 but the strands a. There need then be but two strands a, both led through one guide 25. Suppose the table to be only 12 inches wide or adjusted for that width, and that the webs ll, 12 are each 12 inches Wide, and that the speed of advance of the paper relatively to the speed of wrapping of a single pair of strands a as just described, is such that the distance or space between successive spirals is 3 inches. By then cutting in the middle the strands which passed under the table, and cutting the paper after it leaves the machine, in the middle and cross-wise between the pairs of transverse strands, the result will be rectangular pieces of 2-p1y paper each 6x3 inches, with a pair of strings a little over 6 inches long leading from one end. If the finger 85 is properly used the pair of strings will be midway of, and parallel with the longer edges of the tags.

lVhile the tags so produced may be utilized in the ordinary manner of shipping tags, I consider that such articles are especially useful under conditions which do not require that they be weather-proof. Price tags, and tags that are simply to identify goods or articles in-doors are capable of being economically produced at great speed with my machine operated as above described. Of course the sheet material may be cut otherwise than just explained. For instance the transverse or cross-cutting may be'in such location that the strings are near one longitudinal edge of each tag instead of at the mid-width.

For some purposes, the material produced by my method or machine, need not include but one sheet or layer of paper or equivalent sheet material, instead of two. That is, the covering webs or layers 11 and 14 may be omitted, especially if the reinforcing strands are properly connected to the other webs or

sheets

12, 13. This may be effected by making the upper and lower surfaces of the table laterally convex as indicated in Fig. 9 which represents a diagrammatic transverse section through such a table 21. This table will be of such length, or such a quick-drying adhesive employed, or blasts ture of the surfaces of the table results in the strands being embedded in the adhesive material with which the exposed surfaces of the webs of paper are coated, due to the pull of said strands as they are laid. Such a table is preferably provided with traveling chains 22 similar to those previously described herein.

It is to be understood that Fig. 9 merely represents a modification in the form of the support or table shown in Fig. 1, and that a machine having such a laterally curved support as indicated in'Fig. 9 would also have the other essential features like, or substantially like, those hereinbefore described.

Material of either of the kinds described, when out into narrow strips, is useful for all of the purposes for which stay strips for boxes are now employed, being stronger than the mere paper strips. and cheaper than those which consist of woven cloth and paper. Such strips, whether used for box corner stays or in lieu of strings for bundles or packages, are usually adhesive-coated on one side. For such purposes it is not necessary to have the material consist of two sheets with intervening strands. The material produced by a machine constructed as explained in connection with Fig. 9 consists of but one web of paper with crossing strands adhesively secured to one surface the strands, said strands being then con fined between the one strand-carrying strip or sheet and the surface of the article to which that strip or sheet is applied. This material is also useful for the edges of writing tablets and the backs of signatures in book binding.

If the two carriers which lay or wrap the transverse strands are run in opposite directions, and at such speed relatively to the speed oftravel of the paper as to cause the strands from the two carriers to cross each other at, or substantially at, a right angle to each other, no longitudinal strands need be run through the machine. The material so produced I consider to be especially useful for the manufacture of strong envelops, much cheaper than the well-known clothlined envelops now in use.

By means of two strand carriers, moving in opposite directions, and with the paper traveling at a relatively high rate of speed, the strands will be laid to cross each other at a right angle, but diagonally to the paper thereby producing ,an arrangement of the strands similar to the warp and weft of bias-cut fabric. By a close arrangement of a multiplicity of spools of thread, the product is useful when gummed and cut to narrow width, as stay strips for paper boxes. For this purpose the longitudinal strands described need not be employed.

When the longitudinal strands are employed the guides, which determine the lateral positions of strands 17 and 20 alternate with those which determine the lateral positions of strands 18 and 19.' Since the transverse strands a are wrapped around the latter and not the former, this results in said transverse strands being alternately above and below the longitudinal strands in a manner similar to the passing of weft threads of woven fabric alternately above and below the warp threads.

I have mentioned a way of using the machine to make tags having tying strings, and referred to leading two strands a through one guide eye 25. This, of course, would lay the two strands close together, and sometimes they will twist so as to cross each other. But. if the two strands are led through different guides they will be laid with a space between them according to the distance between the two guides employed. If the two guides used are next each other, the strandscan not cross or twist and yet will. be laid very close together; while if the two guides selected for use are a greater dislutely prevent it from turning over.

tance apart, the strands may be laid with a space of an inch or more between them. This last method of use produces tags with two tying strings so widely spaced that when tied to an article with an address or price-announcing surface outermost, it will remain so and not turn or twist about to show the wrong side.

The machine can also be used to make tags rapidly with one or more tying strings extending from each end so that the tag can be secured in a manner that will absIo- 0 make such tags, four webs of paper are led through as illustrated in Fig. 1, but the' webs are considerably narrower than the table. For instance, with a table 12 inches wide, if the webs are four inches wide, and are afterward cut only transversely between the strands a and not longitudinally, and the portions of the strands which passed over the edges of the table are simply severed, thus leaving no waste of string, the projecting portions of the string will be four inches long. Of course the length of the tying strings will be according to the relative widths of the table and the Webs of paper, and may be as preferred for particular uses.

It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the details'of construction illustrated, nor size or, dimensions, as the principle of my invention 'may be embodied in many different sizes or differently proportioned machines according to the width of the material produced and the character or quality of the sheet and strand materials that are to be combined.

Having now described my invention in one or more of its embodiments without attempting to describe all possible modifications, what I claim is:

1. A machine of the character described, comprising, means for causing a plurality of strips of sheet material to travel in the direction of their length, means for laying strand material transversely of said strips, means whereby the angle of the strand material relatively to the strips may be varied, and means for uniting said strips with the strand material confined between them. 2. A machine of the character described comprising means for causing a plurality of strips of sheet material to travel in the direction of their length, a strand carrier movable around one of the strips to wrap a strand spirally about it, means whereby the strand may be deflected as it is carried into contact with one surface. of the strip, and means for adhesively connecting said strips at a point beyond the location of the strand carrier.

3. A machine of the character described comprising means for causing a plurality of strips of sheet material to travel in the direction of their length, a strand carrier movable around one of the strips to wrap a strand spirally about it, an adjustable finger for deflecting the strand as it approaches one surface of the strip, and means for adhesively connecting said strips at a point beyond the location of the strand carrier.

4:. A machine of the character described, comprising a'carrier for imparting an orbital path of movement to strand material, means for feeding sheet material through said path, a support for preventing the sheet material from being collapsed by the strand material, conveyers for preventing the strand material from binding on the support, means for positively driving said conveyers, and means for uniting the sheet material and strand material.

5. A machine of the character described, comprising a carrier for imparting an orbital path of movement to strand material, means for feeding. sheet material through said path, a support for preventing the sheet material from being collapsed by the strand material, chains having portions arranged to travel along the edges of the support, means for positively driving the chains, and means for uniting the sheet material and strand material.

6. A machine of the character described, comprising means for causing two strips of sheet material to travel in the direction of their length, means for applying an adhesive to the outwardly facing surfaces of said strips, a strand carrier movable around the strips to wrap a strand spirally about them and in contact with the said adhesive, and means for simultaneously trimming ,the sheet material and cutting the strands to disconnect the two strips.

7. A machine of the character described, comprising means for causing two strips of sheet material to travel in the direction of their length, means for applying an adhesive to the outwardly facing surfaces of said strips, a strand carrier movable around the strips to wrap a strand spirally about them and in contact with the said adhesive, a support for preventing the sheet material from being collapsed by the strand material, and means for simultaneously trimming the sheet material and cutting the strands to disconnect the two strips.

8. A machine of the character described, comprising two carriers for imparting orbital paths of movement to strand material, means for feeding sheet material through said paths, a support'for preventing the sheet material from being collapsed by the strand material, and means for moving said carriers either in the same direction or in opposite directions.

9. A machine of the character described, comprising two carriers 'for imparting orbital paths of movement to strand material,

means for feeding sheet material through said paths, a support for preventing the sheet material from being collapsed by the strand' material, and means for moving said carriers either in the same direction or in opposite directions, or permitting one to remain idle while the other operates.

10. A machine of the character described, comprising two carriers for imparting orbital paths of movement to strand material, means for feeding sheet material through said paths, a support for preventing the sheet material from being collapsed by the strand material, and means whereby either one or both of the carriers may be driven.

11. A machine of the character described, comprising a support having a free end,

v means for feedin sheet material along said support, means or adhesively coating the sheet material, means for Wrapping strand material around both the support and the coated sheet material, and a pressingroll adjacent the surface of the support near its free end.

12. A machine, of the character described,

drawing individual strands into contact a with the adhesive-coated surface of the sheet material.

13. A machine of the character described, comprising a support having laterally curved surfaces, means for feeding sheet material along said surfaces, means for coat ing the outer surfaces of the sheet material with adhesive, and means for wrapping strand material around both the support and the sheet material.

14:. The method of providing reinforced material, consisting in wrapping strand ma- 7 terial around longitudinally moving other material, deflecting the'strand material during ii. portion of its travel, and uniting the W o e.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

MARY R. HARRISON.