US1636876A - Chttte-cleabing device fob match machines - Google Patents

Description

July 26, 1 9217.

1,636,876 0. E. SWARTZ CHUTE CLEARING DEVICE FOR MATCH MACHINES Filed April 10. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 26,1927.

' O. E. SWARTZ CHUTE CLEARING DEVICE FOR MATCH MACIiINES Filed April 10. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet g Fatented July 26, 1927. I i

UNITED STATES ice.

ORLO n. swenrz, or wApswonT'rI', onto, ass snon so 'rnn c11 MATCH coia'ranv,

or WA S BTH, OHIO, QBBQ T N OF cnu'rn cnnan nc DEVICE FOR MATCH MACHINES.

Application filed April 10,

At the punchout ends of match machines where the finished matches are punched out of the splint-carrying plates, a chute is ar ranged for catching the matches as they are punched out of the plates, and for conveying them to box filling machines. Ordinarily these chutes are provided with inclined bottoms and are constantly vibrated, whereby, when the matches are punched out of the plates and fall into the chutes, they will, owing to the vibration and the inclination of the bottoms of the chutes, settle uniformly in the chutes and travel evenly and uniformly to the box filling machines.

It sometimes happens, however, that matches falling into the chutes become so disarranged therein as to cause stoppage of the travel of the matches down the chutes in spite of the inclined bottoms thereof and the vibration imparted thereto, and this stoppage, obviously, interferes with the efficient operation of the machines and necessitates attention of the machine operators almost constantly upon the chutes to see that the matches travel properly therein.

The object of my invention is to remedy this difficulty by providing means for positively insuring travel of the matches down the chutes, to the end that the eflicient cont nuous operation of the match machines may not be impaired.

The invention consists in the combination with the match receiving chute arranged at the punch-out end of amatch machine, of a chute clearing device comprising a travelling conveyor provided with fingers extending into the chute and adapted by means of the travel of said conveyor to maintain a constant and even clearing of the chute and uniform uninterrupted travel of the matches through the same, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated,

Figure 1 is an end view of that much ofa match machine necessary to illustrate the ap plication of my invention, with my device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side .view of same looking at the left-hand side of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the chute and illustrating the arrangement of the con veyor with respect thereto. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the arrangement of the sprocket? eenveyor chains. Fig. 5

1924. Serial No. 705,600.

detailperspective view of one of the fingercarrying links of the conveyor.

The frame 1 of the match machine carries a table 2 upon which is mounted in suitable supports 3 'a trough or chute 4 arranged for a rapid longitudinal vibration therein and connected for such vibration by means of the ordinary shaker head (not shown) through gears 5 and 6 with an electric motor 7 or other source of power.

Mounted upon suitable stands 8 carried by the table 2 is a guide member 9lprovided with a pair of ways 10 (see particularly Figs. 2 and 3) in which travel the chains 11 of the conveyor. These chains carry upon their adjacent sides, at suitable inter vals, upstanding feed fingers 12 herein shown as formed integral with links of the chains, and these fingers, extend through slots 14 in the bottom 15 of the chute l. The

conveyor chains are carried by sprockets 16 mounted at one side of the machine and fixed to a shaft 17 driven by means ofchain and sprocket gearing 18v, worm gearing 19 and chain-and sprocket gearing 20 from the main drive shaft 21 of the machine, and at the other side of the machine the chains are carried by idler sprockets 22 mounted upon a shaft 23. In the particular arrangement shown, the idler flight of the chains is guided layrollers 24; carried in bearings 25 beneath th ta le 2.

As will be seen by reference particularly to Figs, the sprockets 16 are so set upon the shaft 17 that theirteeth break spaces, in other words, so that the chain of the conveyor farther from the observer when looking at Figs. 1 and 4 has its fingers 12 slightly in advance of the fingers 12 of the other conveyor chain. This particular setting is for the purpose of compensating for the difference in diameter of the matches at their head ends, and thereby accomplishes feed of the matches down the trough or chute 4 in a position with their length substantially normal to their direction of travel. I have found that, in practice, if the fingers of one chain are arranged one-fourth of an inch in advance of the fingers of the other chain this result is satisfactorily attained.

The operation of the deviceis as follows Assuming that the match machine is running and that the motor 7 is imparting rapid r eip reeatory vibration to the trough a, and that the puiieh out meshanismv shown;

1,636,876. PATENT OFF is punching the matches out the splint-carrying plates and causing them to fall into the trough or chute a, the vibration of the chute has a tendency to cause the matches to settle therein and arrange themselves in positions wherein their length is substantially normal to the length of the trough. Oi course this is an ideal condition, and it it were always possible to maintain such a condition, the matches would feed down the trough without difficulty or interruption and the provision of any additional feed means would be unnecessary. However, in actual practice, as has been hereinbefore pointed out, the matches do not always fall into the trough in such a way as to produce this condition, but do sometimes fall thereinto in such positions as to tend to upset the ideal condition of their ultimate arrangement in the trough and, it not completely interrupting their travel down the chute, materially interfering with such. travel and causing misalignment of the matches in the chute. ilty chute clearing device consisting of the conveyor chains and their fingers 12 corrects this undesired condition and maintains a constant uninterrupted feed and tends to a uniform arrangement of the matches in the chute, for the reason that, during the operation of the machine, the chains of the conveyor being constantly driven from the main drive of the machine, the fingers 12 will be constantly running along through the slots 14 in the chute and will carry the matches along with them. At the same time, owing to the setting of the fingers as hereinbefore described, the matches will be maintained in proper alignment normal to the direction of their travel, notwithstanding the addeddiamet-er and bulk caused by their heads. Moreover, as will be seen particularly by reference to Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the fingers 12 are of such dimensions and conformation as to take up very little space in the trough and to be withdrawn from the matches slowly and smoothly so as not to disturb their arrangement in the trough.

Various changes may be made in the con struction and arrangement of the parts of the device without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the toll0wing claims.

lVhat I claim is 1. In a chute clearing device for match machines, the combination with a chute arranged to receive matches from the .punchout of the machine and provided with a slot ted bottom, of a pair of travelling conveyor chains arranged beneath the chute bottom and provided at intervals with chute clearing fingers extending into the chute through the slots in the bottom thereof, the fingers of one chain being arranged for travel in advance of the fingers of the other chain, for the purpose specified.

2. In a chute clearing device for match machines, the combination with a chute arranged to receive matches from the punchout of the machine and having a slotted bottom, of a pair ol travelling conveyor chains having fingers extending through the slots of the bottom of said chute for ensuring the travel of the matches therethrongh, said chains being so relatively spaced that the fingers of one chain-will engage said matches adjacent to their heads and the fingers of the other chain will engage said matches adjacent totheir butts, the fingers engaging said matches adjacent to their butts being arranged for travel in advance of the fingers engaging said matches adjacent to their heads, whereby the matches are conveyed througl'i said chute in uniform relative arrangement substantially normal to the length of the chute.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of April, A. D. 1924.

ORLO E. SVJARTZ.

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