US1296887A - Cell-case machine. - Google Patents

Description

A. w. n. was & 1. STARMAN.

CELL CASE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. 1916.

2 SHFEYTS-SHEET I.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

A. W. D. WEIS & J. SIAHMAN. CELL CASE MACHINE. APPLICATION flLED SEPTIB. 1915.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

' ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALWIN W. D. WEIS, 0F QUINCY ILLINOIS, AN D JOSEPH STARK-AN, OF RAPIDS,

. IOWA.

CELL-CASE MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. September 8, 1916. Serial No. 119,012.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALWIN W. D. Wins and JOSEPH STARMAN, citizens of the United States, respectively residing at Quincy and Cedar Rapids, in the counties of Adams and Linn and States of Illinois and Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cell-Case Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to cell-case machines, and vmore particularly that type of such machines which automatically punches, cuts oif and assembles the strips of paper commonly known as filler strips in the formation of eggcase fillers used for the packing and shipment of eggs.

The main object of this invention is to improve the assembling mechanism so as to facilitate the transference of the punched and severed strips, successively, to the stripcarriers, the improvement being of such a nature as to admit of a continuous movement of the carriers and of the strip-conveyers, whereby the highest speed may be attained in the type of machine herein represented, together with great accuracy in the placing of the strips.

The invention, which 'will be-hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, is herein shown as applied to a cell-case machine for which Letters Patent were issued to Alwin W. D. Weis, on the 15th of April, 1913, No. 1,059,325 to which reference'may be had for the more specific details of construction. With the exception of the strip-feeding mechanism, which forms the subject matter of this invention, the machines may be regarded as practically identical.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a mid-section of the main operative parts of the machine as a whole, with the strip-feed mechanism as in use. Fig. 2 is a similar view, enlarged, showing in clearer detail the feed apparatus at one side of the machine. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral 1 designates the main frame of the machine, on which is mounted at opposite sides paperfeed rolls 2 and cutting and punching mechanism 3, the latter operated by eccentrics 4 have a continuous forward movement. high rate of reciprocating speed may be.

on cross-shafts 5. Between these opposite mechanisms is mounted a strip-carrier, comprising a series offorms ,6 provided with elastic forked fingers 7 into which the severed strips are thrust successively. The carrlers, after being filled with one set of parallel strips, are given a quarter turn successively, when they present, on theopposite side of the machine, transversely arranged fingers, to receive the strips from that side, and to guide them accurately into engagement with the first series of strips. The machine also contains mechanism for ejecting the completed filler, and other details not essential to an understanding of this invention. Suitable mechanism is, provided for imparting the appropriate movements to these devices, and the same is illustrated and described in the patent above referred to, but is not deemed essential herein. The revoluble carrier forms, as will be seen, are mounted on a sprocket-chain 8 carried by sprockets 9. It is very desirable that the strip-carrier:

given to the punching and cutting devices, but owing to thelr size and mass, as well as special movement, it is impossible to operate the carriers, ste -bystep, at more than 2. limited speed, wit accuracy, and without too great vibration. So also it is desirable to transfer the cut strips to the carriers by mechanism having a similar forward movement. for though this mechanism is much lighter than the carrier, and therefore capable of relatively higher speed of movement,

reciprocating action is here limited by the greater travel of the strips. This invention therefore aims at the highest elliciency in the machine by providing a, strip-feed moving continuously forward, in cooperation with strip-carriers moving likewise.

In Fig. 1 the right side of the figure represents the initial eeding operation, left side the final operation. Between these operations (at the top of the machine, not shown), the carrier forms are successively given a uarter turn, as above. mentioned.

Imme iately in front of the cuttingand punching mechanism is mounted a double gang of feed-rolls 10. These are arranged in separated order. as shown in Fig. 3, on shafts 11 suitably journaled in frames 12 secured to the punch-head frames. These attached frames are T-shaped as shown,

and the edges of the cut strips.

and at their inner ends carry shafts 13, with gangs of separated sprockets M'thereon. These aline with sprockets 15 on the lower of the shafts 11. On these sprockets are mounted chains 16'provided w1th regularly spaced spurs 17 adapted to engage the rear Adjacent to the chains are pairs of guide-fingers 18, spaced apart enough to allow the strlps to -sl1de between them, but keeplng the strips accurately in position so as to be carried forward by the spurs of the sprocket-chalns. These guidefingers extend from close to the cut-off, to near the lips of the strlp-holding fingers of the carrier forms, as shown in Fig. 2. The guide fingers are secured to bridge-bars 19 attached to the T-frames.

-Continuous forward motion is imparted to the chains by drive-chains 20 trained over sprockets 21 and 22. The latter sprockets are driven by chains 23 from sprockets 24 on the cross-shafts 5. As herein represented, these shafts rotate in opposite dlrectlons, and thus cause a corresponding movement of the feed-chains, on the upper portlons of which the strips are carried.

It will be noted that the strip-feed-rolls are partial or mutilated rolls, about half of the periphery of each being cut away. The rolls therefore can feed thestrips only while the full faces are opposed. When in the other position there is of course a space between them, into which space the strip blank is thrust by the initial paper feed before it is out off from the main sheet. This cutting should slightly precede the feeding action of these mutilated, intermittent rolls, the strip being held for the instant by the guide fingers. The intermittent rolls carry the strip forward and deposit it just above the chalns, where it is caught by the spurs 17 and carried forward and thrust between the fingers of the carriers; The movement of the feed chains is made a little more rapid than the perpendicular. movement of the carriers, so that this thrust may be sufficient to carry the strip .well into the fingers while they are crossing the path of the strip feed.

' The stripsare seated by means of beaters,

which will now be described.

In brackets 25 are journaled rock-shafts 26, each carryin a gang of levers 27 terminating in for ed blades 28 adapted to straddle the feed chains. The rock-shafts are each actuated by a bell-crank 29, to which reciprocating motion is given by an eccentric at the end of the shaft 13, through the medium of the strap and connecting rod'30. The swing of the gang beaters is so timed that the stri may pass under the lower ends of the forl s to reach the carrier fingers, but immediately on entering them the forks follow the rear edge ofthe strip, and at the end of their swing force the strip home. It will be evident from the construction of the beater, a long driving arm and a short actuating arm, that the movement of the beater is relatively even quicker than the movement of the feed chains, bein actually a blow,-when working at high s'pee and this smart blow sends the strip for- These forked beaters are therefore, in practice, adjusted so as to drive the strips far enough forward to completely clear the points of the conveyer spurs or flights, and thusprevent any catching and dragging of the strips by said spurs, and this is practically the main purpose of the forked beaters. For the complete interlocking of the strips another beater is employed, and may be designated as the interlocking beater. This is shown at the left of Fig. 1. It comprises a rock-shaft 31 in bearings 32 and carrying arms 33 provided with a flat beaterplate 34. The bail so formed is retracted by a spring-35, and driven forward by a cam 36 on the cross-shaft 37. This beater also delivers a rather sharp stroke, and serves to drive home the entire filler, by successive blows, not only interlocking the last series of strips with the first, but bottoming and leveling the whole.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the whole movement of the severed strip, both in the transferring feed and while in the carrier, is a continuous forward-movement, except only the final impulses given by the beaters and the interlocker. These movements are very short, and require merely a light blow which is delivered by oscillating mechanism so li ht in weight as to be capable of very rapi action without injurious vibration. The effect of the construction, as compared with a wholly intermittent strip-feed, is to very greatly increase the speed and productiveness of the machine.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a cell-case machine, combined with a continuously forward-moving gang of strip-carriers, a continuously moving stripconveyer adapted to carry the strip from the point of cut-01f and thrust it in the carrier, the conveying and thrusting movement of the strip-conveyer being transverse, and its turning movement being coincident with the movement of the strip-carrier.

2. In a cell-case machine, combined with a continuously forward moving gang of strip-carriers, a continuously moving stripconveyer adapted to advance the strip and thrust it in the carrier, and an intermittent strip-feed adapted to deliver to said conveyer the strip as severed from the parent sheet, the conveying and thrusting movement of the strip-conveyer being transverse, and its turning movement being coincident with the movement of the strip-carrier.

3. In a cell-case machine, the combination of a strip-carrier having continuous movement, ascending on one side and descending on the opposite side of the machine, continuously moving strip-conveyers adapted to thrust the severed strips into said stripcarrier, and means adapted to guide the strips as so conveyed, the conveying and thrusting movement of the strip-conveyer being transverse, and its turning movement being coincident With the movement of the strip-carrier.

4. In a cell-case machine, the combination with an endless-chain gang of strip-carriers, of an endless chain strip-conveyer provided with strip-engaging spurs, and adapted to thrust the strips into said strip-carriers, the conveying and thrusting movement of the strip-conveyer being transverse, and its turning movement being coincident with the movement of the strip-carrier.

5. In a cell-case machine, the combination with an endless chain gang of strip carriers, ascending on one side and descending on the opposite side of the machine, of endless chain conveyers provided with strip-engaging spurs, and a apted to thrust the strips into the carriers, and guides to keep the strips in proper relation to the conveyers and said strip-carriers, the conveying and a0 thrusting movement of the strip-conveyer being transverse, and its turning movement being coincident with the movement of the strip-carrier.

6. In a cell-case machine, the combination 65 with an endless gang of strip-carriers, of

transversely arrangedendless chain conveyers adapted to thrust individual strips into said carriers, sprockets therefor, and interposed intermittent, continuously revolving feed-rolls concentric with the sprockets at the receiving terminus of the chains adapted to seize the strips as severed from the parent sheet and deliver them forwardly on said conveyers.

7. In a cell-case machine, the combination of an endless chain gang of strip-carriers, transversely arranged external, endless chain strip-conveyers adapted to thrust individual strips into the strip-carriers, fixed guide fingers in proximity to said conveyers and adapted to receive the strip-blank as fed forward preliminary to cutting ofi and to hold it in proper entering position near the carrier, means adapted to eject the strip from said fingers and intermittent feed mechanism-adapted to forward the strip from the cut-ofl7position and deliver it to said conveyer.

8. In a cell-case machine, the combination of a continuously and forwardly moving gang of strip-carriers, transversely arranged strip-conveyers adapted to thrust individual strips into said carriers while so moving, and reciprocating heaters adapted to further thrust the strips into the carriers and out of the way of the conveyers.

9. In a cell-case machine, the combination of an endless-chain gang of strip-carriers having continuous forward movement, similarly moving strip-conveyers adapted to thrust the individual strips into the carriers, and reciprocating beaters travelin at a higher rate of speed, and adapte by a swinging blow, to bottom the strip in the carrier.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ALWIN W. D. WEIS. JOSEPH STARMAN. Witnesses:

EMMAG'. Surrrcoon, J. M. ST. JOHN.

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