US2082243A - Laundry finishing machine - Google Patents

Description

June l, 1937. 1 DAVID ETAL LAUNDRY FINISHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 4, 1935 1l Sheets-Sheet 1 mwN uw uw mmN @w N o w91 NS @N @N S1 NNN ,NNN QNN NN w S2 EN Si blaft June l, 1937- L. DAVID Er AL LAUNDRY FINISHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 4, 1935 11 Sheets-Sheet 2 t .m s

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LAUNDRY FINISHING MACHINE vFiled Feb. 4, 1935 1l Sheets-Sheet 11 Petented Jnne 1, 1937 UNITED STATE-s PATENTfoFI-ICE Lyn David and Alexander nesenblatt,

New York, N. Y.

Application February 4, 193s, serial No.4,754

27 claims. '(01.270-62) This invention relates to flat work laundry finishing machines.

Particularly in large cities, laundries frequent- 1y launder large quantities of articles of substantially the same type and size such as for example, hand towels, pillow cases, barbers shaving cloths, restaurant napkinsand table cloths and the like, in connection with a linen supply service to oilce buildings, barber shops, restaurants,` doctors, dentists and others. Such service includes the selection and discarding of damaged articles, the folding of the articles, the. stacking of the articlesin bundles, and the tying up of such bundles for economical handling and distribution.

means for automatically operating upon fiatwork linen of the type above-mentioned to nish such fiat-work, including means for selecting and sorting substantially perfect or grade A articles from slightly imperfect orgrade B articles, discarding articles damaged beyond a predetermined limit, folding the articles, stacking them/into bundles, tyingrup the bundles, and ejecting the tied bundles.

Our invention further contemplates the provision of a machine intended to receive the fiat work from a mangle, and to automatically finish the work,'the machine including means for sorting and grading the work, folding the work,

stacking the work intol graded bundles, tying the bundles, ejecting the bundled articles, discarding the damaged and unuseable articles, and performing the operations mentioned at high speed and economically.

The various objects of our invention will be clear from the description which follows, ,and from the drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our new machine, the selecting and folding mechanism being shown at the left of the iigure and the sorting, stacking and tying mechanism at the right. l

Fig.A 2 is a similar elevation on an enlarged scale of the selectingand folding portion of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the means for engaging the work as it comes from'a mangle, and

. for advancing the work into the machine.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the work advancing means.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the suction `means for rst engaging and advancing the work.

Fig. 'l is a front e^vation of the gripping me`ansork delivered thereto by the for advancing the work-engaging suction head.

.Our invention contemplates the provision of 8 is a substantially vertical section of the machine, taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a `vertical section of the work advancing rolls for delivering the folded article to the work advancing chute.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary enlarged front view and partial section of the lower end of the suction arm shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

Fig. 11 isa partial top plan view of the photoelectric cells and lenses used for the selecting operation. e;

Fig. 12 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 13 is a vertical section of the mechanism actuated by the photo-electric cells and controlling the selecting and stacking mechanism.

Fig. 14 is a horizontal section of the same, taken on the line |4-I4 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a wiring diagram of the various electrical instrumentalities.

Fig. 16 is a top plan view of 4the, stacking and counting means and ofthe operating mechanism associated therewith.

l Fig. 17 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 18 is a vertical section and rear view ofthe same, taken on the line IB-IB of Fig. 17.

'A Fig. 19 is a front View of the gear means for raising the stack of articles after a predetermined number of articles have been stacked.

Fig. 20 is a side view of themechanism for ty- .ing' the bundle or stack.

swinging the stack into the various tying posi.

tions' thereof.

Fig. 26 is a similar View of the tying platform,

the tying needle and the operating'parts therefor. Fig-27 is a, perspective view of the stack or lbundle of work showing the tying needle and the twine gripper in the` positions assumed thereby after the first loop has been made around the Fig.'28 is a similar view of the same, showing l the parts in the positions assumed thereby as ,the Isecond loop is made around the stack or bundle.

Fig. 29 is a vertical section of the stack si. JW-

'ing a portion of the needle, and thestring or twine gripper as well as the staple for tying the ends of the string or twine together.

Fig. 30 is a perspective view of the portion of the completely tied bundle showing the staple 5 for holding the severed ends of the tying string.

Fig. 31 i s a perspective view of the post for supporting the presser plate, showing the bayonet lock between the parts thereof.

Fig. 32 is a vertical section of the string or l0 twine gripper..

, For the purpose of clarity and simplicity in the description of what follows, the work operated on by the machine hereinbefore referred to as fiat work, will be termed towels, particularly in view of the fact that articles such as towels form the greater part of such work.

. In that embodiment of our invention which we have illustrated and are about to describe in detail, the machine consists of a number of submechanisms for performing various operations. v

In general, the machine begins its operation on the towel delivered by the last roll of a mangle.

A suction arm'lifts the towel from the mangle roll and transfers it to a conveyor, the suction arm oeing provided with means for preventing operation of the sorting mechanism unless and until a towel is transferred thereby. Grippers on the conveyor forward the towel along a suitable plate on which light is thrown by suitable illuminating means. If the towel is damaged or defective, a lesser degree of light will be reflected therefrom than from a perfect or nearly perfect towel. The towels are sorted by the machine into two graded stacks. The more perfect towels will be designated as grade A towels and do not have any spots or defects therein totalling more than about one-half square inch in area. 'I'hose towels having spots or defects greater than one-half square inch in area and totalling up to 40 about one square'inch in area will be designated as grade B towels. Those having defects totalling over a square inch in area are defective towels and are discarded by the machine.

Means for sorting the towels into grade A and grade B stacks and for discarding the damaged towels is controlled by a set of photo-electric cells. These cells operate the stacking mechanism to stack the grade A towels at one point in the machine and to stack grade B towels at another point while permitting the damaged towels to pass through the machine into a suitable receptacle therefor.

Prior to the stacking of the towels in graded stacks, each towel is folded three times.

When the number of towels in the stack, either gradeA or grade B, reaches a predetermined number, the stack is tied into a bundle and the thus tied bundle discharged from the machine.

The sub-mechanisms for performing each of G0 the operations above-mentioned will now be described in detail.

Receiving and transfer mechanism Referring to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the towel 42 65 as it leaves the manglerests on the inclined belt 40 (Figs. 1 and 5) passing around the last roll 4I of the mangle, it being understood that our machine is arranged in position to remove said towel from the belt 4U for automatic transfer into 70 the machine. Po'wer is supplied to the machine by a suitable motor 43 through Various belts and other driving means on and operated by the motorshaft 44 (Figs. 1 and 2). On said shaft is also mounted a suitable rotary suction pump 45 de- 75 signed to exhaust air from the suction head 46 carried at the end of the transfer arm 4l. Said arm is mounted on the arm shaft 48 for rotation therewith and carries the pipe 49 (Figs. 3 and 5) which communicates at its outer end with the suction head. At its inner end, a bent portion of the pipe 49 is inserted through a suitable opening in the suction casing 50 (Figs. 1, 2 and 10), the opening 5| in the pipe being normally open to permit the pump 45 to exhaust the air from the pipe 49 and the suction head 46 through the pipe connection 52 which communicates with the casing 50.

At the proper time, however, ythe suction opening 5| is closed by means of the valve 53 (Fig. 10) which is operated by a suitable toggle.

Said toggle consists of the member 54, pivoted lto the casing 50 as at 55, andi'terminating in a flange ,56 having an opening 5l through which is passed the rod 58.` 'I'he rod 58 is pivoted to the valve 53 at one end as at 59 and is pivoted to the casing at its other end 60. A spring 6| coiled about the rod serves to maintain the rod and the valve 53 to which it is connected in the particular position into which lthe rod is se't, until moved from said position by the toggle operating means. Said operating means comprises the lug 62 projectingfrom the pipe 49, said lug being suitably shaped to act/,as a cam and to engage one end v63 of the member 54 to swing said member. On the rotation of the arm 41 into its lowermost or substantially horizontal position shown in Figs. 1 and 5, said lug 62 engages the edge 63, and owing to its properly bevelled shape, by its cam action swings the member 54 about its pivot in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 10. Such swinging of the member 54 causes the rod 58 to swing about its pivot in a clockwise direction and thereby to remove the valve 53 from the opening 5| and to permit exhaustion of the air from the pipe 49 and from the suction head 46.

On the transfer movement of the arm 41 into substantially upright position, the lug 64 projecting from the pipe 49 and bevelled similarly to the lug 62 is brought into engagement with the opposite edge 65 of the member 54 and serves to swing said member into valve closing position, thereby to cut off the suction from the suction head and to release the towel transferred by said head.` The means for swinging the arm 41 will now be described.

'Ihe shaft 66 (Figs. 2 and 3) is rotated by the motor shaft 44 through suitable means such as gearing at its lower end not necessary to be shown or described, as for example, any suitable and well-known bevel gearing. At its upper end, the shaft 66 carries the bevel gear 61 meshing with the bevel gear 68 on the shaft 69. Said gear 68 is connected to one part 70 of a suitable clutch, the other cooperating part 'H of said clutch being slidably mounted on the shaft 15 aligned with the shaft 69. The clutch part 'I l is operated by the clutch operating arm 'I2 carried and operated by the solenoid A (Figs. 3 and l5) said solenoid being energized immediately after the head 46 has come into engagement with the towel 42 on the belt 40, and in a manner soon to be described.

On the shaft 'l5 is mounted the gear 13 meshing with the gear segment 14, said segment being in turnxed to the shaft 48 and angle slightly less than 90.

subtending an Consequently, on

the energization of the solenoidA, the continuously rotating sha-ft 66 rotates the shaft 69 and y through the clutch 10, 1|, rotates the shaft 15 and the gear 13, and thereby rotates the segment 14 to turn the shaft 48 and the arm 41 carries thereby through an angle slightly less than 90 to carry the towel engaged by the suction head upwardly on to a suitable scanning plate to be later described.

When the suction on the towel is released through the closing of the valve 63, energization of the solenoid A occurs simultaneously. The solenoid when thus energized releases its armature which isconnected to and in turn releases the clutch operating arm 12. Said arm thereby -swings to the left as viewed in Fig. 3 to disengage the-clutch and to free the shaft 16 from its operative engagement with the shaft 69.

l5 Due to the weight of the arm 41 and the parts carried thereby, said -arm now drops back by gravity to its horizontal position shown in Fig. 5, to carry the suction head 48 to a position on to the mandrel roll 4|, to reengage the next towel,

20 and to permit the repetition of the towel advancing operation.

'I'he suction head 46 is open at its bottom, (Fig. 6), at which is arranged the perforated plate 16 resting on the inwardly projecting flange 11 and carrying a pair of contact points 18, the plate being vertically movable but normally maintained against the ange 11 by the spring 19. A second perforated plate 80 is fixed in the interior of the suction head in parallel spaced relation to the plate 16, and carries the contact point 8| connected by the conductors 82 to the solenoid A. It will therefore be understood that when the plate 16 is in engagement with the towel, suction in the head 46 carries the towel against the perforated plate 16 to close the perforations in said plate, and permits the suction to move said plate olf the flange 11 to carry the contact points 16 and 8| into contact. The circuit to the solenoid A is thereby closed and causes re-engagement and operation of the clutch parts 10 and 1| and the rotation of the arm 41 to the dotted line position of Fig. 5, wherein the .towel is carried into position for delivery to the scanning plate 600. When the valve 63 closes the pipe opening 6|, 45 the suction in the pipe 49 and in the suction head 46 is cut off, thereby permitting the spring 18 to move the plate 16 down on the flange 11 and to open the circuit between and to separate the`contact points 18 and 8|. When the suction is thus 50 cut olf, as hereinbefore explained, the shaft 16 ceases its rotation and the arm 41 drops by gravity to the position shown in Fig. 5, rotating the shaft 48 as it does so in the opposite direction from its previous rotation and through the segment 24 and the gear 13.0n the shafts 48 and 16 respectively, causes rotation of the 'shaft 16 in the direction opposite to that given to' it by the shaft 69. i

The alternate rotation of the shaft 16, first in o0 one direction and then in the other, causes similar movement of the towel forwarding chain 86, rst in the towel forwarding direction and then back to its original or initial position. A pair of such chains 85 are carried at the ends of the gripper shaft 86, being each mounted on a pair of suitable sprocket wheels 81. The chain and gripper shaft 86 is operatively connected to the shaft 15 for rotation therewith but at a higher speed by the train of gears 88, 89, 90 and 9| (Fig. 3). f Secured, to each of the chains 85 in position to have-the leading edge of the towel laid thereon and released by the suction head is a stationary jaw 92 of the towel gripper (Figs. 3, 4 and '1). Said jaw is preferably serrated as at 93 and carries the movable jaw 94'lpivoted thereto as at 96. The movable Jaw is provided with an extension 99 and with ilat edges as 96 and 91 arranged angularly relatively to each other and engaged by the spring 96 to maintain the movable jaw in the position in which it is set, and to assist in the opening and closing movements of the jaws.

Slidably mounted in a stationary part of the machine frame is the slide |00 (Fig. 4) urged outwardly by the spring |0I, and carrying the cam |02 of suitable shape to engage the extension 99 and to quickly move said extension upwardly when the slide-moves inwardly and thereby, assisted by the spring 98, to rotate the movable jaw 84 into towel gripping position. The slide |00 is interposed in the path of the arm 41 or a lug extending Y therefrom whereby, when said arm reaches the limit of its upward movement, thel slide |00 is forced inwardly to close the jaws Vtogether and to cause the towel to be gripped simultaneously with the closing of the suction opening 6| by the valve 63. It being understood that the shaft 86 is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation of the shaft 48, the towel grippers are brought to their most forward position at the time that the arm 41 is brought to its most rearward or uppermost position so that transfer of the towel from the suction head 46to the grippers may be properly effected.

-As the chains 86 are moved rearwardly of the machine, the grippers draw the towel rearwardly on to the stationary scanning plate 600. While the plate as shown is inclined downwardly for the purpose of saving space, it may be horizontal if desired or even inclined upwardly. Said plate is preferably colored black or some dark color along an area of slightly less width than that of the towel, there being a white longitudinal area at each edge of theA plate of about 11A inches 'in width to take care of any slightly narrower towels which may be used in the machine. The area outside of the white strip remains black. The purpose of the coloration of the plate 6 00 will be described hereinafter in, connection with the scanning means for determining damaged areas in the towels and for grading the towels into grade A and grade B stacks. It need merely be said at this time that the scanning area is preferably limited to about iive inches in length. The plate, therefore, is preferably unmutilated and continuous with the width and length of the scanning area but past said area, the platev is provided with a slot to permit the folding opera.- tion soon to be described.

When the chains'86 reach their limit of rearward movement, the movable gripper jaw 94 is rotated in vthe proper direction to open the jaws and to release the towel at the same time that the folding mechanism engages the towel. Said movable Jaw is opened by means of the stationary cam |03 supported by a suitable bracket |04 extending from the stationary bracket |05 (Fig. 8). The cam |03 is shaped similarly to the cam |02 but extends horizontally instead of vertically. To insure gripping of the towel by the folding mechanism at the same time or just before the gripping Jaws are opened, the stationary jaw 92 carries a bridging member |06 which closes the circuit between a pair of suitably stationary spaced contact members |01 in the most rearward position of the chains and Just before the cam |03 engages the handle 99 of the movable jaw to open said Jaw. It will be understood that the spaced contacts |01 are suitably insulated from each other and from the frame of the machine and may be carried by the stationary member such as the bracket |04 (Fig. 8). Suitable conductors lead from the spaced contact members |01 to a suitable solenoid B, which solenoid is energized to operate the folding mechanism as the grippers are opened to release the towel.

First fold mechanism The towel having been arranged on the plate 500 over the longitudinal slot I 08 in said plate, and at the time that it is released by the gripping jaws or just prior thereto, the means for operating the rst towel folding mechanism is set into action. The folding mechanism comprises l5 the vertical blade ||0 (Figs. 2 and 8) provided with a backing or stiffening member I I A pair of similar actuating members engage the surface II| and move the blade downwardly through the slot |08 to fold the towel along its longitudinal center line and to reduce the width thereof in half. The actuating members being similar in construction, a description of one will sufice for both.

The actuating member consists of a frame I2 engaging the backing member III and mounted on posts ||3 passing through the stationary sleeves I|4 on the brackets |05. Interposed between a suitable collar II 5 on one set\ of the posts and the upper ends of the corresponding sleeves ||4 are the springs II 6 which urge the posts and consequently urge the blade ||0 toward its uppermost position. A suitable` rod III connected at its upper end as at ||8 to the post II3, and suitably braced to the lower eiid of the post as by means of the brace II9, is provided with a bent end |20 adapted to enter the groove |2| of a suitable cam |22 (Fig. 2) whereby rotation of the cam engages the end |20 of the rod and pulls the post II3 down through the sleeve ||4 against the action of the spring |I6. Similarly, the rod |23 is connected to another post ||3 and is provided with a bent end |24 designed to enter the groove of the cam |25 which is similar to the cam |22. The grooves in the cams |22 and |25 are open at both ends so that the respective bent ends |20 and |24 of the rods ||1 and |23 may pass through the groove and then be released ready for the reengagement of said bent ends by the cams on the next revolution thereof.

Suitable means are provided for rotating the cams. As illustrated, said means takes the form of an actuating shaft |26 suitably geared to the motor shaft 44 at its lower end and provided with the bevel gear |21 at its upper end. Said gear |21 meshes with the cooperating bevel gear |28 xed on the hollow shaft |29. operatively connected to the gear |28 is one relatively xed member |30 of a one revolution clutch. The other movable member |3| of said clutch is mounted on the one revolution shaft I 32. Said clutch member |3| is engaged by the arm |33 which is in turn secured to the armature of the solenoid B. It will thus be seen that when the solenoid B is energized,.the clutch members |3| and |30 are engaged and while the shaftl |29 rotates continuously, the shaft |32 is given a single revolution, the arm |33 disengaging the clutch after the revolution and when the solenoid B is deenergized. On the shaft |32 are the bevel gears |34, |35 meshing respectively with the bevel gear |36 on the shaft |31, and the bevel gear |38 on the shaft |39. On the shaft |31 is mounted the cam |25 while on the shaft |39 is 75 mounted the cam 22.

- towel forwarding rollers |40,

It will thus be seen that on the energization of the solenoid B, the cams |22 and |25 are rotated to engage the rod ends |20 and |24 respectively and to pull down the blade ||0 to fold the towel lengthwise and to force the thus folded towel through the slot |08 into engagement with the 4| (Figs. 2, 8 and 9).

Each of the rollers is mounted on a suitable shaft supported in the frame of the machine, the roller |4I being mounted on the shaft |42 (Fig. 2) carrying the sprocket wheel |43 and driven from the motor shaft 44 by means of a suitable chain belt |44 passing about the idler pulley |45 which twists the belt to the proper angle.

Said rollers |40 and |4| are spaced apart a suiiicient distance to permit the passage of the folded towel, the surfaces |46 of said rollers being preferably made of roughened crepe rubber designed to yield on the insertion of the blade |I0 therebetween and to suitably grip and forward the towel into the first receiving chute |41 (Figs. 2 and 9). 'I'he rollers are rotated in unison in opposite directions by means of suitable interengaging gear wheels on their respective shafts. Said chute |41 is hinged at its lower end as on the pivot rod |48 and is provided with a central slot |49 for the passage of the second fold blade |50. After the folded towel has dropped to the bottom of the chute |41, the chute is rotated into the horizontal position shown by .the dotted lines in Fig. 8. The means for so rotating the chute comprises the forked arm |5| (Figs. 2 and 8) pivoted at one end to suitable projections on the chute as at |52 and at the other end, being provided with a pin entering the groove |53 of the cam |54. Said groove is provided withv a circular portion |55 to maintain the chute in its upright position at the time that the'towel is being forwarded'by the rollers |40, I4| into said chute. Part of the remainder of the cam is shaped to rapidly rotate the chute into horizontal position after the towel has dropped to the bottom, then to maintain the chute in horizontal position while the second fold is taking place and then to raise the chute rapidly into its upright position.

'I'he means for rotating the cam |54 comprises the gear |56 on the shaft |48', which gear meshes with the intermediate gear |51 supported by the bracket |58. Said intermediate gear in turn meshes with the gear |59 on the shaft |32 (Figs. 2 and 8).

Second fold mechanism `each of their ends to the chute and at their outer ends, are braced in pairs by the post brackets |63, |64.

On the swinging of the chute |41 into the dotted line horizontal position of Fig. 8, said chute engages and lowers the slide |65 mounted in and passing through the sleeve |66 and normally pulled upwardly in said sleeve by the spring |61. At its upper end, the slide |65 carries the springpressed trigger |68 pivoted to the slide as at |69 and normally held in engagement with the lower end |10 of the pivoted weight 1|. As the slide |65 is engaged and moved by the chute |41 on preferably into bundles of fifty oi' the same grade the movement of said chute intoy its horizontal position, the trigger |68 is removed from -the` end of .the weight, thereby'releasing the weight and permitting said weight to drop rapidly about its pivot |12 and to strike the back |80 of the blade |50 and forcing said blade through the slot |49 ofthe chute and to cause the towel to be folded into quarters as well as to forward the thus folded towel in between the forwarding rolll10 ers |13, |14. The ,roller |14 is mounted on a suitable shaft provided with a sprocket wheel driven by the chain |15 (Fig. 8) passing about a sprock-` et wheel |18 which is mounted on the shaft |16. On the same shaft is the sprocket wheel |11 driven by the chain, |19 (Fig. 2) from a suitable sprocket wheel on the motor shaft 44. Interengaging gears |80, |8| on the shaftsA for the rollers |13', |14 cause rotation of said rollers in unison in opposite directions. 'I'he operation and construction of the rollers being similar to the rollers |40, |4|, no further description thereof is deemed necessary. Suffice it to say that the rollers |13, |14 forward the towel, which has now been folded into quarters, into thesecond chute Third fold mechanism Said chute is provided with a central slot |84 for the passage of the third folding blade |83 to again fold the towel this time into eighths in the same manner as the folding hereinbefore described but by somewhat different mechanism, which will now be described. The blade I 83 is provided with a back |85 slidably mounted on the posts |86 and pressed outwardly by the springs |81. The inner ends of said posts are secured to the chute while the outer ends thereof are supported by the brackets |88.

Pivoted to the back |85 as at |89 is the lever |90 which is also pivoted as at |9| to the frame |92, and which is provided with an arm |93 extending toward the shaft |32. Said arm |93 is made of sufficient length to extend into the path of a rotatable arm |94 mounted on the shaft |31, whereby the arm |93 is engaged by the arm |94 at the proper time to cause oscillation of the lever |90 in the proper direction and thereby to force the blade |83 through the slot |84 and to fold the towel and forward it between the towel-forwarding rollers |95, |96. 'I'he rollers in turn forward the thus folded towel on to the moving conveyor belt |91. One of the rollers |95 is mounted on the shaft |16, which is rotated in the manner hereinbefore described through the sprocket 11 and chain |19, said shaft |16 carrying the gear |98. The other roller |96 is provided with a gear |99 engaging the gear |98 on the shaft |16 whereby the rollers are rotated in unison in opposite directions to effect the forwarding movement of the towel on to the belt Said belt passes about a suitable pulley mounted coaxially of the gear |99, and serves to advance the folded towel to the sorting and stacking mechanism.

Sorting or selecting mechanism The towel, having been folded into eighths or other suitable size by the folding mechanism hereinbefore described, the folded towel is now conveyed by the belt |91 into that part of ,the machine which stacks the towels into piles of the same grade, such as grade A and grade B towels, and discards the towels which are so damaged as to make them unfit for further use. In the stacking mechanism, the towels are separated whereafter the bundle is'tied and discharged from the machine.

The means for separating or sorting the towels will now be described.

As shown particularly in Figs. 11 and 12, the control device for the sorting means consists preferably of a pair of photo-electric cells, each of which is responsive-to light and becomes operative to energize other devices when a sufficient amount of light is thrown thereon. The light is produced by the lamps200, 20| (Fig. 12) each provided with a suitable reflector 202 to focus the light on a transverse band of the towel of predetermined width, the illuminated towel areas or bands as 203, 204 being preferably directly underneath the means for transmitting the light to the photo-electric cell. One cell 205 is comparatively insensitive while the other cell 200 is comparatively sensitive. That is, the cell 205 is responsive only to a considerable amount of light.

Therefore, this cell is adapted to operate the mechanism for selecting towels having small damages or spots'since such a towel reflects a greater amount of light than the towel having large spots or damaged areas.

The photo-electric cell 206 is affected by slight variations in the amount of light thrown thereon. Therefore, this cell is responsive to small defects. In other words, it requires less change in light to aect the cell 206 than it does to ail'ect the cell 205. Both cells 205 and 206 are affected by damages of comparatively large area in the towel but only the cell 206 is affected by .damages of comparatively small area. I'he cell 206 will therefore be designated hereinafter as the fine cell while the cell 205 will be designated as the coarse" cell. 'Ihe lamps 200, 20| may be of the long filament type or they may be vapor tubes or Cooper Hewitt lamps or any other suitable source of lighting means.

'I'he light thrown on the towel by the lamps is reflected from the undamaged parts of the towel.

lIf the towel is spotted or is torn or has holes therein, the light is not reflected from the thus damaged areas and thereby causes variation in the amount of light energy accumulated by the photo-electric cells. The light from the towel band 203, which is about one inch in length, is

Vcondensed by a suitable elongated lens 201,- the light being again re-condensed by the smaller lens 208 and focussed or projected on to the cell 206. Similarly, the light reflected from the band 204 is condensed by the elongated lens 209 and is focussed by the smaller lens 2|0 on to the coarse cell 205.

As shown in the wiring diagram (Fig. 15), conductors lead from each of the cells 205, 206 to a suitable amplifier 2| The conductors from the coarse cell 205 lead from the amplier to the motor C and to the solenoid D (Fig. 13). From the fine cell 206, the conductors lead to another solenoid E.

Said motor C and solenoids D and E control the circuit-making and breaking mechanism leading to a solenoid F (Fig. 16) for operating the stacking mechanism for the grade B towels. 'I'he motor C and solenoids D and E also control the mechanism for making and breaking the circuit to the solenoid G which controls the stacking of the grade A towels.

The circuit-making and breaking mechanism will now be described. Said mechanism is designated generally by the numeral 2|2 (Figs. 13 and 16) and includes a casing 2|3 mounted on a base 2|4 forming part of the machine frame. .The motor C is provided with a motor shaft 2|5 carrying the pinion 2|6. Said pinion meshes vwith the gear 2|1 loosely mounted on the shaft 2|3, and is recessed as at 2|8 for.`the reception of the clock spring 223. Asuitable plate as 22| maintains the spring in its recess. The gear 2|1 is provided with a series of vertically spaced circumferential or annular grooves 222, 223 and 224 loadapted to receive the ball 225 urged into said groove by a suitable spring 223.

The gear 2|1 further has a sliding connection with the shaft 2|8 consisting for example, of the key and slot connection 221. The contact-making member 2281s carried by the flange 223 projecting from the gear 2|1 and is designed to make contact with either of the bowed spring contact members 233 or 233 carried in spaced relation by the fixed insulated post 23|. Projecting from 2o the flange 228 is the lug 232, the gear 2I1 being urged by the clock spring 223 to rotate in the proper direction to carry the lug 232 into engagement with the fixed insulated post 23|., and thereby normally maintaining the members 223 25 and 233 (or 233) out of contact, todeenergize the motor C and the solenoids D and E.

Means are provided for sluiting the gear 2| 1 along the shaft 2|8` to the proper height so that on rotation of said gear, the contact member 228 may be carried into contact either with the contact member 233 or with the contact member 233 or with neither of said members. Said means comprises ,the solenoid E and its armature 234 normally pressed downwardly toward the gear 2 i1 by the spring 235 and retracted into the position shown in Fig. 13 by the solenoid E when said solenoid is energized by the coarse photoelectric cell 235. The spring 235 is of sufiicient strength to cause the comparatively heavy armature 234 to deliver a blow to the gear 2 I1 and l thereby to shift said gear downwardly into one of the two positions determined by the entrance of the spring-pressed ball 225 in4 one of the grooves 223 or 222, it being understood that the gear 2|1 is normally in its highest or initial position wherein the ball enters the groove 224. In other words, when the solenoid E is deenergized, the spring 235 becomes operative to shift the gear 2|1 downwardly along the shaft 2|3 and thereby to arrange the contact member 223 on the gear in position to contact with the lower contact member 233, or in a position below said contact .member whereby rotation of the gear will not close any circuit to the solenoids F or G. In

the normal or highest position of the gear 2| 1,

the contact member 228 is'in position to engage the contact member 233 from which conductors lead to the solenoid F, thereby operating the stacking mechanism for the stacking of grade A towels.

In the Anext lower position of the gear wherein the ball 225 enters' the groove 223, the member 228 is arranged at the proper level to engage the contact member 233 from which conductors lead 65 to the solenoid G whereby on rotation of the gear, the circuit is closed to said solenoid G. In the lowest position of the gear wherein the balls 225 enter the groove 222, the contact member 228 is arranged below both of the contact members 233 and 233, and neither of the solenoids F and G are energized, whereby neither of the stacking moves on the belt |91 without being stacked and is discharged into the receptacle 236 (Fig. 1) for damaged and discarded towels.

mechanisms become operative and the towel leased by the operating solenoids therefor, the

gear 2|1 is nevertheless moved along its shaft to its highest position. To retract the hammer 231 to its lowermost position shown in Fig. 13 on the energization of the solenoid D by the fine cell 236, the armature 24| of the solenoid D is provided with a projection 242 secured to the Acable 243 passing over the rollers 244, 245 and 243 and secured to the hammer 231. When the solenoid Dis energized, the armature 24| is retracted to pull the cable and thereby to draw the hammer 231 downwardly against the action of the spring 243.

The operation of the means for making and breaking the circuits to the grading solenoids F and G will now be described. -It being understood that there is provided a slight gap between successive towels fed onto the plate 333, the black part of the plate is exposed to the cells, therefore reilecting to said cells 235 and 233 insufiicient light to energize the solenoids D and E. The armatures of said solenoids are thereby released, permitting the springs 243 and 235 to operate the hammer 238 and the armature 234 respectively. Since the spring 243 is of greater strength than the spring 235, the gear 2| 1 is thereby shifted by the hammer 231 along the shaft 2|3 to its uppermost position' shown in Fig. 13, wherein the ball 225 enters the groove 224 and the contact member 223 is lin position to contact with the upper contactmember 233.

Taking now the case where the towel passing beneath the cells 235, 236 is substantially perfect, that is, if the spots or damages thereon total less than about one-half square inch in area, whereby the towel may be classedv as a grade A towel, then sufficient light reaches both of the cells 235 and 233 for the former to energize the solenoid E and the latter to energize the motor C and the solenoid D. On the rotation of the motor C, the pinion 2|5 is rotated, causing counterclockwise rotation of the vgear 2|1, as viewed in Fig. 14, against the action of the clock spring 223 and thereby carrying the contact member 223 around toward the contact post 23|. Since the fine cell 236 has been energized, the solenoid D is also energized. thereby pulling upon the cable 243 and releasing any pressure upon the gear which might be caused by the hammer 231 or spring 243. Similarly, the solenoid E having Men energized by the coarse cell 235, the armature 234 is retracted against the action of the spring 235 to remove any pressure from the gear 2|1.

'I'he gear now being in its highest position as i indicatedin Fig. 13, andlthe motor C having been energized at the same time through the photo-electric cells, and the gear 2|1 having been rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, the contact member 228 is brought into contact with the upper stationary contact member 233, thereby closing the circuit to the solenoid F. Said solenoid thereupon becomes operative to throw the clutch 253 (Fig. 16) and thereby operating the mechanism for lowering the movable stacker plate 243 on to the belt |31 into'the path 0f the Aband 204, which includes the spot, on to the coarse cell 205 to cause energizationv of the solenoid E. The solenoid E therefore is unable to maintain the armature 234 retracted, thereby releasing said amature to the action of the spring 235 which projects the amature against the gear wheel 2|1 and moves said wheel downwardly through the distance between grooves. 'I'he ball 225 thereby enters the groove 223. At the same time, however, the ne cell 206 which operates under a lesser amount of light than the cell 205 receives sufllcient light to energize the motor C and the solenoid D. The hammer 231 is thereby maintained in its retracted position, permitting the armature 234 to eHect the downward shifting movement of the gear. The motor C is also operated to cause the member 228 to make contact with the lower contact member 233 (the gear 2|1 having been shifted' as above described to the proper position for this purpose),

and thereby to energize the solenoid B and ,tov

throw the one revolution clutch 241 and to interpose the central movable plate 248 into the path of the oncoming towel on the conveyor belt. The towel is thereby arranged in the stacking mechanism for the grade B towels, said mechanism being arranged at the right as shown in Fig. 16, while the duplicate grade A stacking mechanism is arranged at the left of said gure.

Should there be more than one spot (for example, two spots) in the towel between one-half square inch and one square inch in area, to total more than one square inch, then the light from the scanned band or the towel including the spots is insufllcient to cause continued operation of the cell 205 and the operation of said cell is interrupted twice, once for each spot. The armature 234 is thereby released twice by the solenoid E and is operated twice by the spring 235 to shift the gear wheel 2|1 downwardly twice or through two grooves, that is, to arrange the ball 225 in the highest groove 222. TheA contact member 228 is thereby arranged at a level below either the contact members 230 or 233 and rotation of the gear wheel cannot close the circuit to either the solenoid G or the solenoid F. Neither oi.' the plates 248 nor 249 are lowered into the path of the towel and therefore, said towel continues its movement with the belt |91 until discarded and 1 discharged into the discard receptacle 235.

Considering now the case where there are spots on the towel over one square inch, then insufcient light reachesv both of the cells.205 and 206 to maintain them in operation (or to maintain the armature 234 and hammer 231 retracted or to energize either the motor C or the solenoid D and E), whereby no contact is made between the member 228 and either of the members 230 or 233 and neither of the stack plates 248 or 249 is lowered, and the towel is discarded into the discard receptacle 236.

As has'been hereinbefore indicated. when the vtowel has been scanned, the black area on the plate 500 is exposed to the cells whereby the solenoids D and E are deenergizcd as is the motor C, and the spring 240 becomes effective to raise the gear 2|1 to its uppermost position, being stronger than the spring 235, and the parts are positioned ready for the repetition of the operation. it being understood that when the motor C is inoperative, the clock spring 220 rotates the gear 2|1 in a clockwise direction to carry the lug 232 against the stationary post 23|.

Stacking mechanism The stacking mechanism for grade A towels is designated generally by, the numeral 25| (Fig.

` 16) while the substantially identical mechanism for grade B towels is designated by the numeral 252. Thecentral plate 249 o! the grade A stacking device, as has been hereinbefore explained, is first lowered sufficiently by the selecting mechanism to be interposed in the path of a grade A towel to receive said towel thereon as the preliminary step in the stacking operation. Said plate is then raised to deposit the selected towel underneath a stack of such towels until a predetermined number of towels is arranged in the stack, whereatter the stack is tied into a bundle and discharged from the machine.

The stacldng mechanism 25| will now be de' i scribed and the description will sulce for the substantial identical mechanism 252. 'I'he plate 249 is comparatively narrow along its central portion and is provided with transverse projections 253, 254, 255, 256, 251 symmetrical about the center line of the plate and of suiiici'ent width to extend over the belts |91 and thereby to support a towel throughout the entire width of the towel. Assuming now that the plate 249 has been lowered on to th`e belts |91, the towel is moved by said belts on to said plate. The mechanism later to be described i'or operating the plate then raises the plate 249 with the towel-thereon.

Said plate 249 terminates in a backing member 258 (Figs. 16 and 17) provided with a side lug 259 and with a pair of sleeves 260, 28|. Said sleeves are slidably mounted on the respective stationary posts 262 and 2 83. A series of hinged side plates 284, 265, 268 and 281 are provided to hold the stack of towels while the plate 249 reciprocatesto receive and lift the towel from the belt |91. The hinge plates 264 and 285 are each mounted for swinging movement on the rod 268, there being a spring at the hinge for each of the plates tending to urge the plates into their respective horizontal positions. The pivot rod 268 is mounted in suitable bearings carried by the plates 289, 210, which bearings are in turn secured to the posts 262 and 21| respectively. The sleeve 260 is provided with a longitudinal slot to permit said sleeve to pass the plate 269 during the reciprocation of the sleeve and of the plate f It will be seen that as the plate 249 is raisedinto towel-stacking position, the towel thereon `which extends across the projections 253, 254,

,. plates and underneath whatever towels have been previously arranged on said plates. The center plate 249 having deposited the towel at the bottom of the stack is now ready to receive another towel and to repeat the operation.

The means for operating the center plate 249 will now be described.

Referring to Figs. 16 to 19 inclusive, the backing member 258 of said plate is provided-with a lug 288 under which'is arranged the end 28| of the plate-operating lever 282, the lever being pivoted as at 283 to the frame part 2|4 of the machine (Fig. 16) It will be seen that when the end 28| of the lever is moved upwardly, the plate 249 together with the towel thereon are also raised upwardly, the sleeves v268 and 26| sliding on the posts 262 and 263. In order to swing the lever 282, a rod as 284 is pivoted to the lever intermediate its ends as at 285 (Fig. 18), the lower end 286' of said-rod being provided with a cam follower inserted into the groove 281 of the grooved plate cam 288'. Said cam is mounted on the shaft 264 on which the one revolution clutches 241 and 258 are mounted. For rotating said shaft, a suitable bevel gear 285 is secured to the end of the shaft and meshes with a similar gear 286 on the roller shaft 281. (See also Fig. 1.)

lThe towel conveyor belt |91 passes about the pulley 288 on theshaft 289, which shaft also carries the gear wheel 298 meshing with the gear wheel 29| on the shaft 281 whereby movement of the belt causes rotation of the shaft 281 and consequently causes rotation of the shaft 284. i

It will be seen that when the clutch 258 on the shaft 284 is thrown into operation by the energization of the solenoid F, the cam 288' is rotated, reciprocating the rod 284 and thereby swinging the lever 282, and by the engagement of the lever end 28| with the lug 288, raises the plate 249 the required distance to move the towel thereon past the hinge plates 264, 265, 266, 261,

nthereby to deposit the towel at the bottom of the stack of selected towels of the same grade. The cam groove 281' is so designed as to have a substantial rest' period or dwell as at 292 whereby sufficient time is allowed between the energization of the solenoid F through the operation of the selected mechanism. and the raising of the plate 249, to permit the folding of the towel after it passes the photoelectric cells and to permit the folded towel to be conveyed on to the plate 249.

At this point, it might be well to state that the towel is conveyed past the photo-electric cells at such speed and in about the time that it would take the gear 2|1 (Fig. 13) to be rotated through one revolution by the motor C so that suflcient time is allowed for the complete scanning of the towel before the solenoids F or G are energized. It thereby becomes possible to complete the scanning `of the towel a suiiicient. time before the selected towel is stacked, to permit the folding operations hereinbefore described, particularly in view of the considerable dwell or restvprovided on the cam 288'.

The cam track or groove 281 is further so designed that the plate 249 after depositing its towel at the bottom of the stack, drops down to an initial position at a point sufficiently above the conveyor belt |91 to permit the passage therepast of those folded towels which are to be stacked in the grade B stack or to be discarded. The cam track is further so designed that immediately after operation of the clutch 268, the lever end 28| is swung downwardly, permitting the plate 249 to drop on to the conveyor belt |91 to receive the oncoming towel, whereafter the plate is raised past the hinge plates, and then finally lowered to a position above the belt I 91,

thus completing the cycle of operations on each revolution of the cam 288'.

Means are further provided for raising the entire stack of selected towels oif the hinge plates 284, 286, 266 and 261 up on to a similar set of hinge plates preparatory to tying the stack into a. bundle, when fifty towels of the same grade have been stacked. Said means includes a clutch operative after fifty revolutions of the one revolution clutch 258 to raise the plate 249 a suiiiclent distance past the hinge plates to deposit the entire stack of fifty towels on the upper set of hinge plates.

Referring again to Figs. 16 to 19, the pinion 293 on the shaft 284 engages the planetary gears 294 revolubly carried by the internal gear 296 and meshing therewith. Said internal gear 296 is loose on the shaft 284 and carries the pin 298 pivoted as at 384' and pressed by the spring 291 toward its horizontal position. The gears 298, 294 and 293 are so designed that on one revolution of the shaft 284, the gear 295 is rotated through one-fiftieth of a revolution, thereby carrying the pin 296 through one-fiftieth of a complete turn.

0n the shaft 284 is fixed the clutch member 298 provided with an internal conical recess. Loosely mounted on the shaft 284 is the control gear 299 which carries the conical clutch member 388 adapted to enter the recess of the clutch member 298 to operatively engage the gear 299 with the shaft 284. Said clutch members 298 and 388 are urged into engagement by the spring 38|. 'Ihe pin 296, however, by its engagement with the surface of the gear 299 prevents the spring 38| from effecting the operative engagement of the clutch members until said pin 296 has been swung out of the way of the gear 299. 'I'he pin is so operative on every fifty turns of the internal gear 295.

To so swing the pin 296, a track or groove 382 (Fig. 19) is made in that-face of the gear 299 nearest the pin. Said groove communicates with a bevelled recessed portion 383 on the face of the gear 299, the recess at its right edge being provided with a. cam surface 384 leading toward the track 382. It will be seen that on each rotation of the shaft 284, the internal gear 295 rotates one-fiftieth of a turn and the pin 298 being kept at its horizontal position engages the face of the control gear 299 along an annular surface radially outside of the track 382. After forty-nine towels have been stacked, the pin 298 approaches the cam edge 384. On the ftieth revolution of the shaft 284, and on the last fiftieth turn of the internal gear 295, the pin 296 engages the cam edge 384 and is swung about its pivot and against the action of the spring 291 to cause the end of the pin to enter the track or groove 382 and to be removed from the transverse path of bodily movement of the gear 299 along the shaft 284. The resistance of the pin to the movement of the gear 299 under the inuence of' the spring 38| being thus eliminated, the spring 38| moves the gear 299 toward the leftl as viewed in Fig. 16 to cause engagement of the clutch members 388 and 298 and thereby to permit the shaft 284 to rotate the control gear 299 at comparatively high speed. 'I'he control gear 299 is operatlvely connected to the plate 249 through the gears 385, 386, there being a sprocket wheel 381 mounted on the same shaft as the gear 386.

At its lower end, the chain 308 passes about the sprocket wheel 381, and at its 'upper end passes about the sprocket wheel 389 (Fig. 1), the

latter sprocket wheel 309 being supported by the post 263. Mounted on the post 263'is the collar 309', which is secured to the chain and which is arranged vunderneath the sleeve 26|, whereby movement of the chain raises the collar and therethrough exerts upward. pressure on the sleeve 26| to carry the plate 249 upwardly along the posts 26| and 262 past the tying platform soon to be described.

The tying platform consists preferably of four hinge plates similar to the plates 264 to 261 and operating in a similar manner (Fig. 26). For example, the hinge plate 3 I 0 is pivotally mounted by means of a suitable spring hinge on the hinge rod 3||, which is in turn supported by a suitable bearing projecting from the sleeve 3|2 slidably mounted on the post 262. The hinge plate 3|3 is similarly mounted on the post 26|. AThe hinge plate 3|4, however, is similarly mounted on the arm 3|5 carried by the frame of the machine while the similar hinge plate 3|6 is mounted on the arm 3| 1. It will be understood that the plates 3|0, 3|3, 3|4 and 3|6 are spaced apart both longitudinally and transversely a suicient distance to permit the passage of the plate 249 upwardly therepast to deposit the stack of towels thereon and downwardly therepast to free itself of said bundle in the same manner as said plate 249 deposits the towels on the hinge plates 264 to 261.

Said hinge plates 3|0, 3|3, 3|4 and 3|6 constitute the tying platform on which the stack of towels rest while being tied into a bundle. It will be understood that the hinge plate supporting portion of the arm 3|5 is in substantial alignment with the rear post 21| and that the similar arm 3|1 is in similar alignment with the front post 21|, but that there is a space left between the arms 3| 5, 3|1 and the upper ends of said posts 21| for a purpose which will later become obvious.

It will be understood that after the plate 249 has been raised by the chain 308 into position to deposit the stack of towels on the upper hinge plates or tying platform, the plate 249 is released and drops down by gravity until it again contacts with the lever 282 and remains in its initial position somewhat above the conveyor belt |91, ready for stacking the next fifty towels and to repeat the operation above described, it being understood that the pin 296 by its engagement with the control gear 299 permits the plate 249 to drop freely by maintaining the clutch members 298 and 300 out of engagement and against the action of the spring 30|. The gear 299 and the intermediate gears 305, 306 cannot operate the chain 308 when the clutch members 298 andy 300 are disengaged and the gear 299 is also freed cf the shaft 284 to enable it to rotate freely when thc plate 249 is released and drops. The pin 296 on the return movement of the control gear 299 moves out of the track 302 and climbs the bevel or inclined portion 303 of the gear face to a position adjacent the cam edge 304 ready to repeat the operation of controlling the lifting of the stack to the tying platform when fifty towels have accumulated on the lower hinge plates.

Bundle tying mechanism The means for tying the stack into a bundle will now be described.

An upper clamp plate 320 (Figs. 1, 20, 21, 22, and 31) is provided for the purpose of clamping the stack of towels against the hinge plates constituting the tying platform when the stack is-to be manipulated during the tying operation to tiethe stack into a bundle. The upper clamp plate isin its uppermost position clear of the stack when the lplate 249 moves up to deposit the stack on the tying platform. The clamp plate is then moved downwardly on to the uppermost face of the stack to clamp the stack to the tying platform, whereafter lthe stack may be` manipulated as a unit together with the upper clampplate and the tying platform. Said upper plate 320, as shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 25, extends somewhat less than half-way across the upper face of the stack but extends throughout the entire thickness of the stack. The plate is supported by a pair of intersecting brackets 32|, 322 (Figs. 20, 21, 22, 25). At the juncture of said brackets is provided a sleeve 323 secured to the upright post 324. Said post passes loosely through the fixed horizontal portion 325 of the machine frame and carries the two-arm bracket 326 fixed thereto near the upper end of the post. 'I'he bracket 326 in turn supports suitable gearing for the purpose later to be described, and carries the lug 321 engaged by the cam 329 for raising and lowering the upper clamp plate 320, the post 324, the bracket 326 and the parts carried thereby.

Said cam 328 is mounted on the shaft 329 supported by a suitable bracket 330 carried by the iframe part 325, the cam extending through a suitable slot in said frame part. At one end of the shaft 329 is the bevel gear 33| meshing with the bevel gear 332 at one end of the cross shaft 333. At the other end of said shaft 333 is the bevel gear 334 engaging the bevel gear 335 on on .the upright shaft 336 (Fig. 20). 'The bevel gear 331 at the lower end of the shaft 336. engages the bevel gear 338 which in turn meshes with the bevel gear 339 on the tying mechanism shaft 340. A shaft 3|8 aligned with the shaft 340 (Fig. 26) is continuously rotated through a suitable belt or chain 34| passing around a pulley or sprocket on the shaft 3|8 and about another suitable pulley on the shaft 342. Refer- .ring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the shaft 342 carries a pulley 343 for operating the endless belt 344 which discharges the tied bundle from the machine in a manner to be later described. .Said belt 344 also passes about the pulley 345 on the shaft 346 which is rotated in any suitable manner as by means of the belt or chain 341 passing about a suitable sprocket .wheelon the shaft 346 and about another sprocket wheel on the shaft 348 which carries the pulley for the lower conveyor belt |91.

The shaft 3|8 carries one member 3|9 (Fig. 26) of a one-revolution clutch. the other member of which is slidably arranged on the tying mechanism shaft 340. When the clutch members are engaged, it will be understood that the shaft 340 will make one revolution and thereby a cycle of operations will be performed by the tying mechanism, said cycle including the raising and lowering of the upper clamping plate 320. The clutch member on the shaft 340 is operated through the medium of the solenoid H (Figs. 15 and 26) thus to cause operation of the tying and bundling mechanism.

Said solenoid H is energized by the closing of a circuit thereto as the plate 249 starts its downward movement to deposit the stack on the tying platform. Toward this end, (Fig. 1), a suitable spring switch 358 of the plunger type is carried by the arm 359 depending from the frame member 325, being interposed. in the path

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