US1698478A - Box making and lidding machine - Google Patents

Description

J. H. HALL BOX MAKING AND LIDDING MACHINE Jam. 8, 1929.

Filed Feb. 15. 1927 '4 Sheets-Sheet 2 HEW Ian, 8, 1929.

J. H. HALL Box MAKING AND LIDDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 15, 192

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 abbo n Jan. 8, 1929. 1,698,47

. J. H. HALL BOX MAKING AND LIDDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 15, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 James/l- Hall,

Patented Jan. 8, i929.

nmren srares earner creme JAMES H. HALL, OF TOPPENISI-I, WASHINGTGN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO ANDREW O. MOE, vOF TOPPENISH, WASHINGTON. I

BOX MAKING'ANDLIDDING MACHINE;

Application filed February 15, 1927. SerialNo. 16'8,406.'

This invention relates to a box making and lidding machine, and particularly to a machine for use in assembling the component parts of boxes and crates in proper position for nailing, and to a machine which may be used in applying lids to boxes.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character whereby the component parts of a box or crate may be readily, quickly and conveniently assembled.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine whereby, in the formation of boxes or crates, a wall of which is composed of two or more battens or boards, such'battens or boards may be fed up into posit-ion in properly spaced relationship to each other.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine having means whereby the elements which form one or more of the walls of the box may be disposed in stack form and fed from the stacks into proper assembly for nailing to form a box or crate of the desired construction.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine whereby cleats may be ap plied inproper position to be applied to ,a,

box or crate of a certain type when desired.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a'machine which is simple of construction, efficient in operation, rapid in action and which may be manufactured for'use and maintained in working operation at comparatively small initial and maintenance cost. A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine having progressively operating followers for feeding the stacks of box end pieces up into working relationship for the action of pushers on the advanced end pieces to shift the latter into assembled position, which followers upon the bringing of the final box ends into position to be engaged by'the pushers may be retracted or returned to initial position for-action upon new stacks of ends.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features'of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which l Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

.Figure 3 is a central vertical fr0nt-to-rear section through the machine.

7 Figure 4 is a front elevation of the'machine.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of thereciprocatory feeder detached from the machine.

Figure 6 is a detail vertical section taken longitudinally through one of the follower racks. v

Figure 7is' a detail view of a portion of the feeder. V v

Figure'S is a viewof one of the cleat racks and feeders, showing the action of the latter. Figure 9 is a sectional View showing a modified construction of means for actuating the end board rack followers.

Figure 10 is a section on line 10-10 of Figure 9. I

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic viewof the worm shaft and parts associated therewith.

In carrying my invention into practice, I provide a machine of the character described comprising a main frame 1 mounted on supporting legs and consistingof suitably connected and reinforced longitudinal and trans verse bars and other desired component extending between the table portion 2 and a front or auxiliary table portion 5 arranged at a lower level than said table portion 2. This table portion 5 may be used as a support for nailing tools, for partly formed boxes or for reserve stacks of material to be used in forming the walls-of the boxes. This front or auxiliary table is provided with a central depressed portion 6 for a purpose hereinafter described.-

Extending along the'sides of the opening 3. just'below the plane of-thetable 2 are-guide rails 7, below the forward portions of which is arranged across board 7, on which rails is fitted to slide a reciprocating feeder 8. This feeder is preferably formed of a pair of angle metal side bars9,connected at the front by a cross strip 10 and at a suitable point between the center and rear end of the feeder by a U- shaped or bail-shapec'l depending cross-piece 11L The feeder 8 movable forwardlyfrom a retracted position for carrying boards or partsn Thisframe carries or includes a main battens 12 from a stackonthe table 2 to an walls 4 and between a pair of opposed horizontal front platforms 13, provided upon their inner edges with retaining springs 14 or the like to engage the edges of the battens and hold them in position. The side bars of the feeder are provided with pairs of gravity projected dogs 15, which may vary in number of pairs according to the number of battens to be engaged and pushed forward, and which are adapted to recede in sliding rearwardly under the stack of battens and to spring up in position in rear of the stack for engagement with bottom battens of the stack, whereby the battens may be successively taken from the stack and moved to assembling position. The battens 12 are to be nailed to end boards 16 so as to respectively form the sides, the bottom and the ends of a box or crate. The feeder 8 is adapted to be moved forwardly by depressing an operating pedal 17 connected by a cord or cable 18 with one pulley member ofa double pulley 19 disposed at a level between the table 2 and the box support 6, the other pulley member of which double pulley is connected by a cord or cable 20 with the cross piece 11 0f the feeder, to which cross piece and a portion of the frame is attached a spring 21 for retracting the feeder when the. pedal is released. The purpose of employing the double pulley .19 is to permit said pulley to be disposed mainly on one side of the center of. the ver tical line of the opening 3, for anoffset arrangement of the pedal 17, while permitting of a straight line connection of the cord 20 with the center of the cross piece 11.

Arranged at opposite sides of the frame in rear of the walls 4 and table 5 and below the table 2 are racks 22 to receive the, end boards or end pieces 16 of the box or crate to be formed, which are arranged in stacks therein. These racks extend under the table 2 at opposite sides thereof and communicate. at their inner ends with the opposite sides of the vertical space or opening 3 below the table 2 and have arranged therein followers 23 for feeding the stacks inwardly. On the forward or inward movements of the followers the ad vanced boards of the stack are displaced from the inner ends of the racks 22 and. brought into position oil-guide rails 24 arranged at the base of the opening 3 and against stop rails 25, thus disposing such advanced end boards in position to be engaged at their rear edges by pushers 2G and moved-forwardiy beneath and beyond the guide board 7 into assembling position. The followers 23 are moved forwardly or urged in feeding direction by means of springs 27 which extend in parallel relation at their inner ends and are fastened to the frame at opposite sides of the base of the opening 3, which springs keep the boards constantly fed up so that upon the retraction of the pushers 26,.after each operation thereof, the succeeding end boards will be moved into position in front thereof ready to be shifted to assembling position upon the next working movement of the pushers. The pushers are operated as hereinafter described. The followers may, in a hand operated machine, be moved outwardly or retracted, when it is desired to put new stacks in position, by means of depressible hand or foot levers 28 connected to the followers by cords or cables 29 passing around pulleys 30" on the racks.

in a power type of machine, however, I may employ followers and feed mechanism of the construction shown in Figures 9, 10 and 11. In this construction each follower 2 1 is provided with a half nut 30, the half nuts of the followers engaging reversely threaded portions of a worm or screw shaft 31 extending transversely of the frame and journaled in bearings 31 therein. Mounted loosely on the central portionof this shaft, which provided with a fixed ratchet wheel 32, is a gear wheel 33 carrying-dogs or pawls 3 1 to engage said gear wheel. The teeth of the gear wheel mesh with the teeth of a'recip'- rocating, rack bar 35 which is fastened to the pushers 26, so that when the pushers move rearwardly motion will be applied to the screw shaft through the pawl and ratchet connection to move the followers in the properdirection for a feed upaction, while on the forward movement ofthe pushers and of the rack bar the gear wheel will turn idly on the screw shaft by reason of its pawls sliding over the face of the ratchet teethpso that the followers will remain stationary on such motion of the pushers. The pushers and followers are so timed in their working actions as to cause the advanced end pieces to be fed into proper position for subsequent engagement by the pushers without any interference between them. Thus it will be understood that on each forward working movement of the pushers to feed up the end pieces resting on rails 24 and against stops 25, the gear 33 will be turned idly by the rack bar 35, during which'time the followers 2 1 will be at rest, whileon the retraction of the pushers the rack bar will give a working turn to the gear 33 to give a prescribed movement to shaft 31. This working movement may be a full rotation of gear 33 imparting to shaft 31 a full rotation or such rotation as to move each follower forward a distance equal to the thickness of an end board to be fed up, this feed up motion occurring during the retraction of the pushers. The working power for the action from any suitable source may be applied to the pushers or rack bar in any desired manner for positive forward and backward movements in which, if desired, the retracting spring may be dispensed with. v

holders may be swung outwardly to permit of the insertion of a new stack or to permit a stack to be replenished. will thus be held between stop strips 38 at the front of the posts and the holders against any possibility of displacement'of the bat tens or shifting of the stack out of position as a result of the movements of the feeder 8,

the stops 3? being notched at their lower ends as at 38", to allow the bottom batten to be fed forward from the stack. The'posts 36 are provided on their outer sides with guide rails 38 engaged by'suitable anti-fric tion wheels or roller bearings 39 on guide bars 40 carried by a vertically movable presser. This presser consists of a crossbar 41 carr ing depending arms 42 provided with angularly bent fingers or clamping members 43 to engage and hold in position the battens 12 fed up to assembly position by the feeder 8. The presser is adapted to be elevated by springs 44 so as to permit the battens 12 to move forwardly under the fingers or clamps 43 at proper time periods, and the presser is adapted to be thrown downwardly into clamping position by means of a pedal or foot lever 45 coupled to the cross bar of a yoke extension 45, the vertical arms of which are connected with the bars 40 and slide vertically through slots in the table 2 The presser comes into action after the end boards are fed up to clamp the previously fed up battens, 12 against the upper edges of the end boards. The parts thus assembled may be tongued and grooved for interlocking engagement as a. result. of the feed up and presser actions, or they may be nailed to gether in any suitable manner in the fed up position or temporarily united for subsequent nailing by hand or by the action of a. nailing machine. The ends and one side of the body of the box will thus be formed, and the partly completed box may be removed in this condition and turned over for the feed of other battens 12 to similarly form the other side and bottom of the box body which may be nailed to the end boards while the parts are hacked and supported by the guide rails 25, pushers and the presser clamps, as will'be readily understood.

The pushers may be of any suitable construction. They consist as shown in the present instance of rectangular or oblong rectangular blocks of wood or metal, suitably connected for movement in unison and braced by cross pieces 46. One or more springs47v connected with a cross piece 46 and the frame 1 may be provided for retracting the pushers, a foot pedal 17 connected to one of the braces The battens 12 sembly position.

46 by cord or cable 47 passing over a guide pulley 47 is provided whereby the. pushers may be moved forward for a feed action. 7

Arranged at opposite sides of the machine at the front, above and fixed to the platforms 13, are cleat holders,.each consisting of a pair of upright bars or posts 48 connectedby cross pieces 49, thus providing cleat racks which. are closed at their outer sides to hold the cleats 50 and open at their inner sides facing each other. The inner faces of the posts are provided with grooves 51 in which the ends of the cleats are received to permit the cleats to freely slide downward, the bottom. cleat of each stack resting on the'underlying platform 13, over which platforms the cleats are adapted to slide or feed into as- At their lower ends the grooves in the posts are notched or cut away to permit of the lateral displacement of the lowermost cleat in each stack, and fixed to the platforms in line with the notches are abutment blocks 52 having beveled or inclined (cam) surfaces 52. Arms 53 are fastened to the sides of the pr sser and carry leaf spring feeders 54 havingangular-1y bent lower ends or fingers 55 movable through the notches in said walls to engage the lower cleats, as shown. The springs are rounded or curved at the juncture of their body portions and bent lower ends to provide cam surfaces for engagement with the cam abutment surface 52 oft-he blocks 52, by means of'which the springs are forced inwardly on each downward movement of the presser for a cleat displacing or feed action, as will be readily understood. The cleats, when so supplied, are successivelyfed intoposition to be nailed or otherwise fastened at the ends of the box in theusual manner, and this .cleat mechanism-may be employed when-' ever it is desired to apply cleats to boxes or crates of certain constructions.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the construction and mode of operation of my improved machine for assembling the parts of boxes or crates will be readily understood, and it will be seen that the invention provides a ma-- chine of this character which is simple of construction, reliable and efiicient inaction, and adapted to be readily and easily operated by manual effort or electric, hydraulic, steam or other suitable power. Itwill also be seen that the invention provides a machine whereby the major box forming parts may be united by tongue and groove connections as they are. fed into assembled position and the remaining parts, including the cover or lid, nailed or otherwise fastened in position. While the structure shown is preferred, it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportions and arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims, without departing r it 7 vertically movable pressed position to move a cleat edge of the side member.

from the spirit or sacrificing any of the ad,

vantages of the invention. v

The machine may also be employed when desired as a lid applying machine, in which operation, as is required in many cases, the

presser will serve to apply the lid and compress the contents to any desired degree and to hold the lid while it is being secured in place. In such lid applying operatlons the lid, and contents of the box are subjected to heavy pressure which bulges the box bottom downward. The deportion 6 of the table 5 receives and accommodates the depressed box bottom in this operation.

Having thus fully described my invention, 1 claim: 7

1 In a box assembling machine having means for arranging pair or end members and a side member in position to be seen it together, a vertically reciprocating pres \1 element designed to engage said side member inwardly oi" opposite edges thereci and means operating in unison with said presscr for moving a cleat member to securing position along each of said edges.

2. In a box assembling machine having means for arranging a pair of box end menu 'bers and a side member in position to be secured together, a vertically reciprocable bar, a pair of substantially L-shaped members engaging and pressing upon said side member inwardly of opposite edges thereof, means for maintaining a supply of cleats/adjacent each of said edges, and cam operated resilient members movable vertically with and by said bar, shiftable horizontally at a predetermined onto the adjacent 3. In a box machine having a vertical stack of box side battens and a laterally directed horizontal stack of edge supported box end members at opposite sides of said vertical stack, means for simultaneously moving an inner member of each horizontal stack and the bottom batten of the vertical'stack to a position assembled for nailing, and means actuated by and upon reverse movement or said first means for shitting each horizontal stac toward the opposite stack a distance substantially equal to the thickness of an end member, substantially as and for the purpose set forthv 4. In a box making machine including a vertical stack of side battens and a laterally extending horizontal stack of edge supported box end members at opposite sides of the verticle stack, individual feed means for each stack designed to simultaneously move a member "from each to a position for nailing, a follower at the'outer end of each horizontal stacl .'and means controlled by the feed means for the horizontal stacks upon their return i'novement "tor actuating the followers to shift the horizontal stacks a predetern'iined distance.

5. in a box making machine, means for supporting a vertical stack of side bat-tens for feeding downwardly, a laterally extending box end member supporting-rack at opposite sides of and in a plane beneath said supporting n cans, a shaft extending longitudinally of and beneath said racks and threaded from opposite ends inwardly, pusher means operating across the inner end oi each rack for removing a member therefrom, means coning said pusher means with said shaft for rotating the shaft upon return of the pusher, and follower elements movable in each rack and operated upon by said shaft when the same is rotated to i'eed end members substantially as described. v

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

JAMES ii. HALL.

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