US1801997A - Machine for feeding biscuits and the like - Google Patents

Description

April 21, 1931. J, H. l.. BQETTCHER l1,801,997

MACHINE FOR FEEDING BISCUITS AND THE LIKE /Kn ATTORNEYS April 21, 1931 J. H. L. rBOETTCHER 1,801,997

MACHINE FOR FEEDING BISCUITS 4.PANB THE LIKE v File@ March 4, 192s 6 sheets-sheet 2 ll lllvl l! lllllllllllll k j INVENTOR 9z- B .MM

K L, ATTORNEYS `April' 21,4 1931 J. H. L. Escura'rTcHl-:R-A 1,801,997A

MACHINE FOR FEEDING BISCUITS AND THE LIKE Filed March 4, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR mi. VBY

.; ATTORNEYS Y April 21, 1931- J. H. L. BoETTcHER 1,801,997

KACHINE FOR FEEDING BISCYUITS AND THE LIKE @ATTORNEYS April '21, 1931. J. H. l.. Bor-:'rTcHER MACHINE: FOR FEEDING BISCUITs AND THE Lrx Filed March 4 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENToR @am (MEC W -S ATTORNEYS April 21, 1931- J. H. L. BoETTcHER 1,801,997

MACHINE FOR FEEDING B ISGUITS AND THE LIKE Filed March 4, 1926 v 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR M0431 BY 2f ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITEDSTATES g PATENT OFFICE `JACOIB HEINRICH LUDWIG BOETTCHER-,- OF Gi NGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSGNOR TO'DE- viens CORPORATION or 'or New JERSEY NEW JERSEY, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION l'l'ACI-INE FOR .FEEDING 'BISGTS ND THE LIKE Application filed March `Il, 19.26.` SeralvNo. 92,184.

This invention `relates tol a machineitor feeding biscuits andthe like, and has tor an object to provide apparatus whereby biscuits may be taken from a traveling conveyor that brings them from the ovens, and fed to cartons or packages without being' touched by the operative.

. Another object consists in providing ap.- paratus whereby a plurality ot stacking and path without inis intermittent. and automaticallyl controlled 1` so as to be coordinated with the operation of the stacking and feeding devices.

Another object consists in providing apparatus of this character which israrranged so asvto. be adaptable for construction in banks so that a considerable number of sets of the operating parts may be simultaneously operated from a givendriving mechanism.

Another object consists in Vproviding certain improvements in the form, construction, and-arrangement ot the several parts whereby the yabove named rand otherobjects may effectively be attained. Y

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings in whichV i Fig. 1 represents a side` elevation;

Fig. 2 represents a broken plan view;

F ig. 3 represents a broken end elevation;

F ig. t representsa longitudinal vertical section; Y

Fig. 5 representsa-side elevation, on an enlarged scale, showing .the parts in positions di'lerent from those represented in F ig.y 1.

Fig. -6 represents ;a diagrammatic view illustrating` the movement of certain parts.

The apparatus includes a frame` work which embodies legs 1 that support longi tudinal members 2, 3,.,whichare united by cross members il, 5, and 6.

.A pair of vertical supports 7,18, projectAV upwardly from the vlongitudinal members 2, 3, near one end thereof, and the said supports are braced by a cross bar 9.

Jfeeding devices may continuously and succes-VV or the like to the stacking and feeding devices in order that the feed f vcomposed Ot leaf springs or the like.

or the like, which are represented in dottedw lines and denoted by 13 so that they may be received in rchannels project laterally therefrom ,immediately above the upport portion of the belt 2.

t will beunderstood that the oncoming biscuits, being fed by the belt 12, -will continuously urge'k the preceding `biscuits to advance along the channels 14, 15, in the direction indicated by lthearrow on Fig. 1 and, of the biscuits may be intermittently interrupted, for a purpose to be hereinafter described, I provide ali-intermittently actuated stop. The saidstop con sists ot apair of lingers 16, 17, which may be They have'their operative ends projectingy downwardly into the channels 14, 15, so as to be adapted to engage the top ofthe biscuits immediately below them. The other ends of the fingers 16, 17, aresecured to brackets 18,19y which are carried by a rod 20 that has its ends mounted in arms 21, 22, that are pivoted in the vertical supports 7, 8. A pair of drop arms 23, 24, have their upper ends connected to the rod 20. They arefL-shaped, as .clearlyl sho-wnin Fig. 1,' and their lower extensions are lunited into a single horizontal extending supported in standards 27, 28, that project 14, 15, which are suit-v ably tixed to the vertical supports y7, 8, and

upwardly on an` angle from: longitudinal Y members 2, 3, ot themachine frame.V

The horizont-al arm 25 carries an anti-triction roller 29 that is adapted for contact with a cam which is fixed on a shaft 30 thatr is 'journaled in the longitudinal trame mem# bers 2, 3. The said cam is composed of three discs 31, 32, 33, and said discs have arcuate slots, denoted generally by 34, 35, formed therein, kwhich are traversed by bolts 36, 37. The discs 32 and 33 are yof greater diameter than the intermediate disc 31 and they have notches, denoted generally by 38, 39, formed in their peripheries, the notches on one disc being adapted to register with the notches on the other. It is these notches which serve as the cam surfaces for cooperative action with the roller 29 on the horizontal arm 25 and it will be seen that, by loosening the bolts 36, 37, the discs 32 and 33 may be circumferentially adjusted with respect to each other so as to vary the location and extent of the notches 38, 39 in the combined discs, thereby varying the moment at which the roller 29 is allowed to drop into and is forced out of the notches 38, 39. It will be understood that the disc 31 is fast to the shaft 30, while the discs 32 and 33 are rotatable thereupon. After the desired adjustment has been made, the tightening of the bolts 36, 37 will lock the discs 32 and 33 to the disc 31 so as to make them, in eiect, fast to the shaft and operated by it.

The shaft 30 carries a gear 40 which is pinned, or otherwise suitably secured, thereto, and meshes with a gear 4l that is fast on a power shaft 42 which is journaled in the lon itudinal frame members 2, 3, and actuate from a suitable source of power, such as a motor, not shown.

In order to actuate the belt 12, a sprocket wheel 43 is fixed on the end of the shaft 42 and a chain`44 leads from said wheel to a sprocket wheel 45 fixed on the shaft 10 that carries the belt pulley 11.

From the foregoing arrangement it will be seen that, when the shaft 30 is rotated, the roller 29 will periodically come into register with the notches 38 and 39, thereby allowing the horizontal arm 25 and vertical dro arms 23, 24 to move downwardly. The sai downward movement will bring the lingers 16, 17 into contact with the tops of the biscuits lying immediately below them in the channels 14, 15 and thereby stop the delivery of the biscuits during the period the roller 29 remains in one or the other of said notches. While this stop is eiiective, the belt 12 will merely slip under the line of biscuits 13 being delivered into the channels, thus allowing for the hindrance of delivery without injury to the biscuits. As soon as the roller 29 passes out of either of the notches 38, 39,

l the fingers 16, 17 will be lifted from the biscuits and the delivery will again take place.

The channels 14, 15, have their inner ends terminating in a pair ot' corresponding down wardly sloping slides 46, 47, the lower ends of which open into a pair of corresponding downwardly curved guides 48, 49. The upper end of the guides and lower end of the slides are supported by a bracket 49* that projects from the uprights 7, 8 andthe lower end of the guides rests upon the cross member 6.

According to the scheme of this apparatus, the biscuits pass down the slides 46, 47 and are then taken by conveyors along the curved guides 48, 49, until, at the bottom thereof,

they are suitably fed to cartons or packages.

A plurality of such conve ors are provided and they are arranged so that each one operates in all the guides, the one following the other in the same endless path from one end of the guides to the other and then back to the first end. The construction and operation of one arm and free end of each conveyor and its actuating mechanism is clearly shown in Fig. 4 and will now be described.

The conveyor is marked 50 and consists of a pair of arms which have their :tree ends fashioned to constitute open structures having bottoms 51, tops 52, and backs The area of each bottom is such as to conveniently support the biscuits, and the spacing oi' the tops 52 from the bottoms 51 is such as to readily accommodate the number of biscuts desired to be supplied to each carton or package.

The other ends of the conveyor arms are iixed at 54 in spaced relation on an angle arm 55 that is fast to a rock shaft 56 which is journaled in a swing member 57 that is pivoted on a rod 58 which is mounted in the upper ends of the standards 27, 28. Another arm 59 has one end fast to the rock shaft 56 and its other end pivoted at 60 to a link 61 that extends downwardly at an angle and has its lower end provided with an anti-friction roller 62. The said roller is litted to engage the periphery of a cam 63 that is fixed near one end of the driven shaft 30, whereby the rotation of the said cam will reciprocate the link 61 and arm 59, thereby rocking the shaft 56 and, hence, oscillating the arm 55.

,In order to insure that the roller 62 shall maintain contact with the cam 63, a spring arm 64 is arranged with one end pivoted to the end of the link 6l at which the roller 62 is located, while its other end is pivoted at 65 in a lug 66 which projects from the cross member 9 that spans the uprights 7, 8. Another lug 67 extends from the cross member 9 in a direction opposite to the lug 66, and a retractile coil spring 68 has one end secured to the lug 67 and the other end secured to the spring arm 64 intermediate its extremities. This construction causes the roller 62 to be yieldingly urged at all times toward the cam 63.

When the arm 55 is moved in one direction, the conveyor 50 will be swung downwardly, from the position shown in Fig. 4, throughout the length of the guides 48, 49, until it comes to a substantially vertical position near the lower extremity of the guides; and when the arm 55 is moved in the opposite direction it will impart opposite movement to the conveyor 50.

In order that the operative end of the conveyor 50 may be moved out of the way during its return travel to the top of the guides 48, 49, so as to permit downward movement of the other conveyor in the said guides, provision is made for lifting the conveyor 50 away from the guides by a movement substantially `i from the point d to the point e.

thelong curved face of cam 87 is not concentric but has a lesser radius at the point b than it has at the point a; and this is what imparts the slow downward movement to conveyor 75 while the biscuits are being stacked therein. The ioating pivot 81, however, remains stationary during this period because the face of cam 98, which is being traversed byroller 97, is concentric. Continued rotation of the cams moves roller 97 from point b to point c, and moves roller` 86 from point b to point c. During this travel the floating pivot 81 also remains stationary, but pivot 84is moved from point b to point e because the face of the cam 87 from b to c drops rapidly toward the axis of rotation of the cams. This imparts the downward swinging movement to the filled conveyor 75 so as tocarry it to the bottom of the guide 49. Continued rotation of the cams moves roller 97 along cam 98 from point c to point d, and moves roller 86 along cam 87 from point c to point d. This causes floating pivot 81 to move from its lower position to its upper position marked w, because the surface of cam 98 from` the point c, to the point d passes abruptly away from the axis of rotation of the cams. The result of this action is to lift the .conveyor` 75 vertically away from the guide 49, while leaving it adjacent the lower portion of the guide. The next step in the rotation of the cams moves roller 97 along the surface` of cam 98 from the point d to the point e, and moves roller 86 along cam 87 This swings pivot 84 from point c to point e because the surface of cam 98 from I) tce is concentric with the axis of rotation while the surface of cam 87 from d to e moves away from the axis, and this action correspondingly swing-s the conveyor to a point near the upper end of the guide 49, though spaced from it. The final step in the complete rotation of the cams moves roller 97 along the surface of cam 98 from e to a, and moves roller 86 along the surfaceof cam 87 from e to a. This causes Hoating pivot 81 to pass from its upper position w to its lower position because the surface of cam 98 from e to a4 slopes abruptly toward the axis-of rotation-of the cam. The surface of ycam V87 from e to a moves abruptly awayfrom the axis in order to permit the movement of roller 86 to accord with that of roller 97 and thereby prevent swinging movement of the pivot 84, so that the conveyor 75 will be from the limit of its upward swing projected end of the guide directly toward the upper 49. v

In operation, as the operative end of one of the conveyors comes to the position of the conveyor in Fig. 1, the lingers 16, 17 are automatically lifted from the biscuits being delivered and the latter begin to run down the slides 46, 47, following one another into the operative end of the conveyor 50. During this period said conveyor is moving down very slowly, the speed of its downward movement being suilicient to compensate for the stacking up of the biscuits, one on top of the other, in the said conveyor. After a given number of biscuits have thus passed down the slides and into the conveyor, which number is pre-determined according to the circumstances under which the machine is being operated, the fingers 16, 17, are automatically moved downwardly so as to contact with the biscuits in the channels 14, 15, and thereby arrest the feed. At this instant the position of the parts is represented by the conveyor 50 shown in Fig. 5.

In order to insure that the last biscuit passing into the conveyor does not hit against either top 52 and become injured, each said top is pivoted at 99 in a clip 100 secured to the back 53 by a bolt 101. Each said top 52 is formed like a bell crank and its rearward extension is engaged by a leaf spring 102 that is fastened to the clip 100 so as to yleldingly urge the top into orizontal position. Pins 103 are fixed in the lower end of the slide 46 in such position as to be engaged by the front edge of each top 52 just before the last biscuit is fed into the conveyor 50, and this engagement of each top with a pin 103, coupled with the downward movement of the conveyor, lifts each top, as indicated in Fig. 5, so as to eliminate any possibility of contact between it and the last incoming biscuit. As soon as each top has passed out of engagement with a pin 103, the spring 102 automatically brings it back into normal position. It will be understood that the tops 77 of the other conveyor, 75, are constructed, arranged and operated in the same way.

Inasmuch as the guides 48, 49, have bottoms and sides, the cooperation of the said guides with the operative ends of the conveyors forms a substantially complete enclosure for the biscuits during the downward movement of the conveyors 1n the guides, thereby protecting the biscuits during such travel.

When the conveyor reaches the lower art of the guides 48, 49, the biscuits carried by it are urged between a spring catch 104 and a spring blade 105. The catch is secured to one side of the guide and has its nose projecting through a hole therein so as to be in the path of travel of the biscuits. It is constructed and operated vsubstantially like the well knownV umbrella catch. The blade spring is also fast to the guide and has its inner end projecting through a hole in the side of the guide and standing out into the path of the biscuits. All the biscuits carried by a conveyor will be caused to pass the catch 104, pressing it aside during their passage. After they have thus passed the catch the latter will spring out and serveto support the last biscuit in upright position. The inwardly projecting blade 105 will yieldingly from the lower end of the guide into a carton or package, substantially as setforth in my United States Patent No. 1,518,556 dated 'December 9,1924; or the lot of b-iscuits may be fed into a carton or package-in any otherl suitable mannen Y The operating cams are so shaped that, after a conveyor has been loaded with biscuits, its downward movement in the O'uides is very rapid and, likewise, the movements of the conveyors toward and away from the guides are rather sudden. On the contrary, the downward movement of the conveyors at the time they are being loaded with biscuits is very gradual so as justA to accommodate the flow of thebiscuits down the slides 46, 47.

As previously described, each conveyor has two arms and two operative heads and cooperates with both guides 48, 49, so that two lots of biscuits are simultaneously fed down through the guides by each conveyor. The conveyors work in the same manner and follow the same kpaths of travel, each one succeeding the other. It will, of course, beclear that the construction above described can be duplicated as desired so as to make banks of such apparatus, thus simultaneously feeding any reasonable number of lots of biscuits to be ejected into cartons or packages. To indicate this Figs 2 and 3 have been shown as broken views.

It will be seen from the foregoing that this apparatus avoids any manual handling of the biscuits from the time they are fed from the ovens until they are inserted in the cartons or packages. It is not necessary for the operator ever to touch a single biscuit 1n this part of the work and, therefore, the desired sanitary conditions are achieved. The biscuits are not only fed automatically, partly under the influence of gravity, but they are simultaneously stacked so as to form an accurate rcharge for theintended package and they are delivered for insertion in the package in this stacked condition. By arranging the conveyors so that they operate successively in the same guides, the size of the machine for any given output is decreased.

It will be understood-that various changes may be resorted to in the form, construction and arrangement of the severa-l parts, without departing` from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not intend to be limited to the details herein shown and described, except as they may be included in the claims. Y

What I claim is:

l. Apparatus of the character described comprising, Va guide forrthe biscuits having three walls', and-a conveyor for a lot of biscuits adapted to move through the guide, said conveyor having three walls, whereby, when the conveyor is moving through the guide the lot of biscuits will be effectively confined by them on all sides.

2. Apparatus ofthe character described comprising, a plurality ofguides for the biscuits, a plurality of conveyors adapted to successively feed lots of biscuits through said guides, each said conveyor having a plurality of'operative ends,one end cooperatingwith each of the plurality of" guides.

Apparatus of the character described comprising, a pluralityof conveyors for feeding lots of biscuits, each conveyor including a plurality ofarms, an arm of one conveyor being arranged to travel between two arins of another conveyor;

4:. Apparatus `of the character Vdescribed comprising, a conveyor for feeding lots of biscuits, and means for actuatingisaid conveyor, said means including afixed pivot and a floating pivot, mechanism for moving the conveyor about` the` floatingk pivot to give the vconveyor ay swinging movement, and mechanism for bodily moving the floating pivot to give' the conveyor a longitudinal movement. n, 5. Apparatus of the character described comprising, a guide for the biscuits, a'swinging conveyorfor feeding lots 0f biscuits through lsaidy guide, means kforstacking the biscuits in the` conveyor, and means for swinging the conveyor slowly while it is 'beirg stacked -and Arelatively rapidly there'- a er. c

6.' Apparatus of the character described comprising, a guide for the biscuits, a swin ing conveyor for feeding lots of biscuits through saidguide, and means for moving theconveyor in the direction of its longitudinal axis to withdraw itfrom the guide lafter it has yfed its lot of biscuits therethrough, and for returning it to the other end of the guideby swinging movement and ainovement in the direction of its longitudinal axis taking'V place in a pathoutside of the guide.

7; Apparatus Vof the character described comprising,` a mechanical conveyor for feeding lots of biscuits, means for stacking biscuits in the conveyor, and a movable top on said conveyor, and automatic means for moving said top. ko avoid injury tothe last bissuit ofa lotI stacked therein. j

8. Apparatus of the character described comprising, a conveyor for feeding lots of biscuits, means for stacking biscuits in the conveyor, a movable top on said conveyor to avoid injury to the last biscuit of a lot stacked therein, and a device in the path of travel of the conveyor for engaging said top and moving it at the time the last biscuit of aI lot is stacked therein.

9. Apparatus of the character described comprising, a uide for the biscuits in substantially the orm of an arc of a circle, a

conveyor for feeding lots of biscuits through the guide, said conveyor being pivotally mounted at substantially the center of the circle of which the guide forms an arc, and means for swinging the conveyor substantially through a sector of the said circle and also moving the conveyor substantially on a 'm radius of the circle.

10. Apparatus of the character described comprislng, a guide for the biscuits in substantially the form of an arc of a circle, a conveyor for feeding lots of biscuits through the guide, said conveyor being pivotally mounted at substantially the center of the circle of which the guide forms an arc, and means for swing the conveyor substantially through a sector of the said circle and also movin the conveyor in two directions substantia 1y on radii of the circle.

11. Apparatus of the character described comprismg, a plurality of conveyors for feeding ots o biscuits, each conveyor including "55 a plurality of arms, an arm of one conveyor belng arranged to travel between tivo arms of another conveyor, and the conveying parts of each conveyor following the same path of functional movement.

12. Apparatus of the character described comprising, a dguide for the biscuits, a conveyor for fee ing lots of biscuits through the guide, means or stackinor the biscuits in the conveyor at one end of the guide, means for actuating the conveyor in its course of travel, including means for swinging the conveyor slowly during said stacking, and means for removing the conveyor from the biscuits at the other end of the guide by a relatively quick axial movement.

13. Apparatus of the character described com rising, a plurality of conveyors for feeding ots o biscuits, each conveyor having a. di erent and movable axis, each conveyor also havina series of biscuit-conveying ends, and

a num er of channels with which these conveyors cooperate less in number than the total number of biscuitconveying ends.

14. Apparatus of the character described comprising, a. conveyor for feeding lots of biscuits, means for moving the conveyor along an arcuate path from its point of loading to its point of discharge, means for moving the conveyor in a reverse direction along a different arcuate path from its point of discharge to its point of loading, and means for moving the axis of said conveyor.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 5 2nd day of March, 1926.

JACOB HEINRICH LUDWlG BOETTCHER.

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