US1563725A

US1563725A - Strand-feeding machine

Info

Publication number: US1563725A
Application number: US565731A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fred M Cleaveland
Original assignee: FRED W GREEN
Current assignee: FRED W GREEN
Priority date: 1922-06-03
Filing date: 1922-06-03
Publication date: 1925-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 1942-12-01

Description

Dec. 1, 1925. 1,563,725

F. M. CLEAVELAND S TRAND FEEDING MACHINE Filed June :5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jay/727 Dec. 1, 1925- 1,563,725

F. M. CLEAVELAND STRAND FEEDING MACHINE File June 2 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig-2. fz z I a H Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES FRED ML CLEAVELAND, OF WAKEFIELD,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FRED W.

GREEN, or IONIA, MICHIGAN.

STRAND-FEEDING MACHINE.

Application filed .Tune 3, 1922. Serial No. 565,731.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FRED M. CLEAVELAND, of lVakefield, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Strand-Feeding Machines, of which the following is a specilication.

The invention relates to a strand feeding machine and especially one adapted to feed strands of rattan to a strand finishing or shaving machine like, for example, the machine shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 216,723 of June 24,1879.

The object of the invention is to provide a mechanical feed for the strand into the finishin machine in place of the manual feed hitherto employed which calls for a high degree of operative skill and in any event is attended with considerable danger. In this connection it will be explained that a strand finishing or shaving 1nachine, in order to properly function, is continually run at a high speed. Consequently a strand manually fed into the machine is violently jerked fromthe hands of the operator. This calls for a high degree of skill in feeding the strands and great care must be exercised for unless the strand be properly release-d very painful. injuries will result. The essential object of the invention is to overcome these diflioulties.

The extreme care required in a manual feeding of the strands necessitates their slow feeding and consequently the finishing or shaving machine functions for a relatively short part of its running time. Another object of the invention is to quicken the feed and thereby increase the operative elliciency of the finishing machine.

In fact the objects of the invention are to generally improve upon the manual feed.

The invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawings, in which--- Fig. 1 is a side'elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a. view in cross section, certain of the parts being shown in elevation.

ments later to be referred to, and

Flg. 4 1s a cross section on line t4 of Fig.3 is a plan'ofon'e of the units or seg-' "of the feed rolls of the shaving mach ne. As will presentlybe described, mechanism 7 is provided by which the belt may be in- Referring to the drawings: 1 represents the end portions to a piece or strand of rattan arranged in the present *machine and, as will later be explained,

about to be fed by it between the revolving feed roll 2 and cooperating presser roll 3 of a shaving machine'like that referred to in the aforesaid patent.

Arranged to run at right angles to the line of the feed of the strand into the rolls as aforesaid, is an endless carrier belt l. This belt is made up of a number of individual parts or segments 5 pivotally connected by links 6 of suitable character.

The belt is supported by space-d sprocket wheels 7 and 8, respectively, around which the belt'turns, 9 representing the upper running portion of the belt and 10 the lower or under running portion thereof. Each of the sprocket wheels 7 and 8 is carried by a shaft 11 which turns in bearings 12 supported by suitable standards, of which .13 represents the standard supporting the bearings for the sprocket wheel 7 and 14 the bearings for the sprocket wheel 8.

Each of the segments 5 of the belt presents an outer surface or face 15 along which is cut a groove 16 running lengthwise the segment at right angles to the path of the belt. Each of the grooves is adapted to receive the end portion of a strand to be finished, the strand being laid within it. To assist in the retention. of the strand each groove is provided with inwardly-inclined or

beveled side edges

17 and 18, respectively, by Wedging contact with which the strand is held in place.

The strand portions 1 are laid in certain segments of the belt on the upper running portion 9 thereof lying back of a determinate station or point in front of the feed rolls of the shaving machine and the strand poi tions are fed laterally in substantially paral lel lines to this point or station. In other words, each segment of the belt. as it passes along the upper running portion thereof during the turningof the belt, will reach a determinate position where the groove 16 in the segment, or rather the strand 1 contained within the groove, will lie in front termittently turned so that each segment of the belt will in turn reach the determinate position above referred to and dwell in such position a sufficient time to enable the strand borne by the segment to be detached therefrom and fed into the feed rolls of the shaving machine. The length of the belt and its arrangement is such that there will always be a number of segments on the upper running portion 9 of the belt back of the determinate position of the one segment from which the strand is fed, in order that the end portions of a number of strands may be laid in the grooves of such segments and eventually reach in turn the determinate position from which the strand is fed.

Reference will now be made to the mechanism for intermittently turning the belt and also to the mechanism which co-operates therewith and functions to disconnect the strand from a positioned segment and to feed it into the feed rolls of the shaving machine.

Fixed to the shaft 11 of the sprocket wheel is a ratchet wheel 2O. Arranged to turn upon the same shaft between the ratchet wheel and one ofthe bearings 12 of the shaft is a feed crank 21. This crank carries a ratchet clutch member 22 pivoted to it by a pin 23.and held inoperative engagement with the teeth of the ratchet'wheel by a spring arm 2i fixed to the crank and backing the clutch member 22.

The feed erank 21 is operated from oli' a shaft 25 turning within a bearing 26 and 0p erated by any suitable source of power, not shown. The shaft 25 c'arriesa disk or web 2'? bearing a crank pin 28 ecce'ntrically arranged. Journalled to this pin is a rod 29 which connects with the feed crank 21 by means of a bolt and nut connection 30. At the point where the rod is connected to the arm the arm is provided with a slot 31 for purposes of adjustment. By these means the carrier belt is operated as the shaft 25 is turned; the proportioning, arrangement and adjustability of the parts being such that the belt will be turned intermittently just such distance as will successively bring each segment of the belt into the determinate position above noted in front of the feed rolls of the shaving machine and enable it to dwell in such position a snifieient time as will permit of the delivery of the strand borne by the segment into the feed rolls of tbe shaving machine. v 1

The strand in any segment of the beltpositioned in front of the feed rolls of the shaving machine removed from the segment and fed into the feed rolls elf-the see ing machine during the period of the dwell of the segment as follows. I y Seeuredtothe' era-11k pin. 2803 the shaft 25 is aweb 32 havinga crankpin 33' eccentric to the shaft and located diametrically opposite the pin 28. Journalled to the pin 33 is a link 35 pivotally connected to the lower end of a bar 36 slidably arranged in a vertical guide 37 on a standard 35, the arrangement being such that the bar 36 is movable endwise up and down within the guide as the crank shaft is turned. The bar 36 lies adjacent the side of the belt and has secured to it an arm 39 which extends crosswise beneath the upper running portion 9 of the belt and immediately below the point or station occupied by that segment from which the strand is to be delivered. Secured to the arm 39 are sets of spaced lingers l0 and ll each set bearing between them a grooved roll The lingers extend upwardly by the respective ends of the positioned segment and the arrangement is such that when the bar 36 is lifted the wheels L2 will be brought into contact with the strand and lift it out of the segment. On the return movement of the bar 36 the lingers and rolls 4-2 carried by them will drop into an outof the way position below the top running surface of the belt or where they will not interfere with the strands carried by the belt during its forward movement.

Arrangec'l upon the forward end of the arm 39 on the delivery side of the belt is a spring arm. l3. Carried by this arm is a grooved idler roll 44. This roll occupies a position in exact alignment with the groove 16 in that positioned segment from which the strand is delivered, the roll lying just below the line of the strand which is placed within the segmentwith the end thereof extending so far to lie above the roll. Located above the roll as is a feed roll driven by a pulley 46, both roll 45 and pulleybeing arranged'upou a shaft .1-? which turns in ;bearings d8 on a frame e2;- tcnsion lflto the standard 13. In the operation of the machine the feed roll 4-5 is driven at a speed substantially equal to that of the feed rolls to the shaving machine to which the strand is delivered. lVhen the arm 35) is raised forlifting the strand out of the segment, the roll l4; will also be lifted and thereby lift the end of the strand into contact with the feed roll 525 which there upon feeds the strand into the feed rolls of the shaving machine. All the strands are so placed in the segments that their ends will project sufficiently to lie above the roll. 4-1 when the strands are brought into position for discharge so that they may be engaged by this roll and fed hi: the roll; l5 as aforesaid. It will also be observed that when the strand lifted out of the pos tion-ed segment itis held in proper aligned positio-n'to be fed by the roll 45 into the feed rolls of the shaving machine. The strand will then rest upon the rolls e2 with strand being then taken care of in turn by the machine.

Inasmuch as the strands vary in length, it is necessary that the machine be so timed that the dwell of the carrier will be so long as to permit of the feeding of the longest strands from any segment of the carrier positioned as aforesaid.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by. LettcrsPatent of the United States:

1, In a strand-feeding machine, the combination with an operating mechanism, of a movable carrier for receiving and holding the end portions of a number of strands arranged separate from one another on substantially parallel lines andapplied to the carrier to extend crosswise it with permitted detachability therefrom, means for intermittently operating the carrier whereby each of the strands carried by it will be moved laterally to reach and occupy in turn a determinate position with dwell of the carrier when the strand is occupying such determinate position, means for detaching each strand positioned as aforesaid from the carrier during the dwell of the carrier, and means for feeding the detached strand.

2. In a strand-feeding machine, a movable carrier for receiving and holding the end portions of a number of strands ar ranged separate from one another on sub-- stantially parallel lines and applied to the carrier to ext-end crosswise it with pcrmitled detachability therefrom, means for intermittently operating the carrier whereby each of the strands carried by it will be moved laterally to reach and occupy in turn a determinate position with dwell of the carrier when the strand occupying such. determinate position, means for detaching each strand positioned as aforesaid from the carrier during the dwell of the carrier and loosely holding the strand in position for feeding, and means for feeding the detached strand.

3. In a straml-feeding machine, a n1ov able carrier for receiving and holding the end portions of a number of strands arranged separate from one another on substantially parallel lines and applied to the carrier to extend crosswise it with permit ted detachability therefrom, means for intermittently operating the carrier whereby each of the strands carried by it will be moved laterally to reach and occupy in turn a determinate position with dwell of the can rier when the strand is occupying such determinate position, means for detaching each strand positioned as aforesaid from the carrier during the dwell of the carrier, loosely holding the strand in position for feeding and guiding the strand during the feeding, and means for feeding the detached strand.

4. In a strand-feeding machine, the combination with an operating mechanism, of a movable'endless carrier having a number of connected strand-bearingunits, each of said units having an open groove with inclined sides extending across the face of the unit and in which the end of'a st and is contained, means for intermittently operating said carrier whereby each of its units and strand carried by it will reach and occupy in turn'a. determinate position on the upper running portion of said carrier during the operation thereof with dwell of the carrier when said unit and strand carried by it is occupying said determinate position, means for lifting each strandpositioned as aforesaid out of the groove in the unit containing it during the dwell of the carrier, and means for feeding the detached strand.

5. In a strand-feeding machine, the combination with an operating mechanism, of an. endless carrier having a number of connected strand-bearing units, each of the units being adapted to receive and hold with permitted detachability the end of a strand applied to the unit to extend crosswise it, means for intermittently operating the carrier whereby each of its units and strand carried by it will reach and occupy in turn a determinate position in the path of the carrier during the operation thereof with dwell of the carrier when said unit and strand carried by it are positioned as aforesaid, means for detaching each strand positioned as aforesaid from the unit carrying it, loosely holding the strand in position for feeding and guiding the strand during its feed ing, means for intermittently operating said last-named means to function during the dwell of the carrier, and means for feeding the detached strand.

6. In a strand feeding machine the combination comprising a driven feed roll, a movable carrier for receiving and holding the end portions of a number of strands arranged separate from one another and an plied to the carrier to extend crosswise the carrier and be detachable therefrom, means for supporting and arranging the carrier whereby each strand carried by it will in turn reach and occupy a determined position in the path of the carrier and adjacent said driven roll during the operation of the carrier, means for operating the carrier whereby each strand carried by it will in turn be positioned as aforesaid with accompanying dwell of the carrier, means for detaching each strand positioned as aforesaid from the carrier during; the dwell of the carrier and means for moving the detaching strand into contact with said driven feed roll.

7. In a strand feeding machine, the combination comprising a driven feed roll, an endless carrier for receiving; and holding the end portions of a number of strands separately arranged and extending crosswise the carrier, means for supporting; and arranging the carrier whereby each strand carried by it will in turn reach and occupy a determinateposition in the path of the carrier and adjacent said roll during the operation of the carrier, means for operating the carrier whereby each strand will in turn be positioned as aforesaid with accompanying dwell of the carrier, and means for detaching; each strand positioned as aforesaid from the carrier during" the dwell of the carrier, retaining the detached st and in position to be, fed and moving the same into contact with said feed roll whereby it will be fed thereby.

8. In a strand-feeding machine, the combination comprising a driven feed roll, an endless carrier for receiving and holding the end portions of a number of strands separately arranged and extending crosswise the carrier with ends projecting laterally there from whereby each strand carried by it will in turn reach and occupy a determinate position in the path of the carrier adjacent said feed roll during the operation of the carrier, means for intermittently operating the car rier whereby each strand will in turn be positioned as aforesaid with accompanying dwell of the carrier, means adapted when operated to detach each strand positioned as aforesaid from the carrier during the dwell of the carrier, hold the detached stand in position for feeding and enide the strand during its feeding, means for operating said last-named meansintermittently to function during the dwell of the carrien and means carried by said strand-detaching, holding and guiding means for moving the strand into contact with said feed roll whereby it will be fed thereby.

FRED M. CLEAVELAND.