US2167045A - Stacking mechanism - Google Patents

Description

y 3 F. E. HOOPER STACKING MECHANISM Filed July 27, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 25, 1939. .L- O PER 2,167,045

STACKING MECHANISM Filed July 27, 1957 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 A/VEA/TUE: W f M July 25, 1939. F. E. HOQPER 2,167,045

STACKING MECHANISM Filed July 27, 1937 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 72 61 35 JVVE/VTUEL July 25, 1939. F. E. HOOPER STACKING MECHANISM Filed July 27, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 /VVEN7Z7 ALL Patented July 25, 1939 PATENT OFFIQE STAOKING MECHANISM Frederick E. Hooper, Marblehead, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application July 27, 1937, Serial No. 155,972

11 Claims. (01. 214-6) This invention relates to mechanism for taking articles from a moving carrier and is herein illustrated as embodied in a mechanism for taking toe tips from the carrier of a machine which operates upon them and piling them in a stack.

In the manufacture of toe tips for shoes, a machine in common use comprises a skiving mechanism, a searing mechanism and a perforating mechanism arranged about the circular path of tip carriers which move around such path from a loading station, where the operator supplies them in succession with toe-tip blanks, past the various mechanisms which operate upon them and back to the loading station.

: In order to remove these and other articles from their carriers and to stack the articles, there is provided, in accordance with one feature of the invention, the combination with an article carrier moving in a predetermined path of transferring mechanism for grasping a moving article and removing it from its carrier. In the illustrated construction, the moving carrier has jaws which close upon a toe tip insuch a manner as to leave the margin of the tip projecting from the carrier in position to be operated upon by the skiving, searing and perforating mechanisrns,

said jaws being opened after the last operation;

and the transferring mechanism comprises a pair of grippers which are normally held open in posi- 30.tion to have the projecting margin of the toe tip carried between them. At the proper moment, the moving carrier throws into operation mechanism for actuating the grippers which causes them to close on the margin of the toe tip, to transfer the toe tip from its carrier to a position above a stack support, to release the toe tip and. finally to return. to their initial position with the grippers open to receive another toe tip.

In order to press each article down upon the top of a stack, there is provided in accordance With another feature of the invention, pressing means which acts immediately after. the article is released to press it into place. In the illustrated construction, two pivoted pressers are provided which are caused to swing down after the grippers have released a toe tip, said swinging down being caused by the moving grippers during the return of the grippers from tip-releasing to tip-receiving position.

These and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be described as embodied in an illustrated machine and pointed out in the appended claims. Referring now to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan of a portion of a machine in Which the present invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the transferring and stacking mechanism in process of taking a toe tip from its carrier;

Fig. 3 is a detail, partly in section, showing the pers are opened to releasethe articles;

Fig. 7 is a plan View on an enlarged scale of the transferring and stacking mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. '7, showing, more particularly, the construction of the clutch, and

Fi 9 is a detail in rear elevation of the mechanism which releases the grippers and the pressers and throws in the clutch to impart a com- .plete reciprocation to the grippers.

The machine herein shown for operating upon a piece of work is a machine for operating upon toe-tip blanks and is or may be substantially the same asthe machine of Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,989,682, granted February 2, 1935, upon application filed in the name of John B. Coffey. In this machine, each toe-tip blank is clamped near its rear margin by the jaws of a tip carrier and, with its margin projecting from the carrier, is fed successively first past a mechanism for skiving its rear edge, then past a mechanism for applying a searing heat along the skived edge and finally past a perforating mechanism for forming a roW of ornamental perforations in its margin. In Fig. 1, one end of such a machine is shown. The tip carriers, two of which are indicated at A and B, are adjacent to the perforating mechanism, indicated as a whole at C, and are moving in a circular path in the direction indicated by the arrow. The tip carriers are mounted at the outer ends of stems D and are rotated about an axis which is the center of curvature of the outer edges of the jaws of the carriers. The carrier A is being moved past the perforating mechanism C which is in process of forming a row of ornamental perforations in the rear margin of a toe-tip blank. At

the completion of the perforating operation, the

jaws of the carrier A will be caused to release their grip upon the finished tip. The jaws 2 I, 23

are shown in Fig. 2 in their separated relation after the finished tip I66 has been released. The jaw 2| is rigid with the frame of the tip carrier. The jaw 23 is pivoted to the frame of the tip carrier and is held in clamping position against the force of a spring bythe levers 25, 21 of a toggle, the toggle being broken after the perforating operation has been completed by contact of the 7 upper end of the lever 21 with a roll'29 which is located in position to engage the lever 21 at the proper time. No further description of the machine will be given, since the details of its construction form no part of the present invention, reference being made to the patent for details not herein shown or described. I It willlbe under- I stood, however, that the tip carriers are rotated in the direction indicated in Fig. l by the arrow, and that, after the completion of the perforating operation, the upper jaw of each carrier is swung up to release thetip which it carries, the partsthen occupying the positions shown inFig.

2 with the margin of the released tip I03 projecting beyond the jaws of the carrier into a position in which it may be readily grasped.

'As, the carriers successively reach the position ofth'e carrier'A in Fig, 2, the finishedtips are taken from them and stacked. Referring still to Fig, 2, the general operation ofthe stacking mechanism will be described. A sliding transferrer, indicated as a whole by the letter T, has grippers 3|, 33 which areheld open at the proper times in their extreme right-hand position to permit the margin of a released toe tip I to be carried between them by one of the moving tip carriers. While they are so held, a moving carrier strikes a finger 34, movement of which throws in a one-revolution clutch whereupon the following movements taken place. The grippers close upon the margin of the toe tip. The transferrerT slides to its extreme left-hand position where its grippers 3|, 33 are opened.(Fig. 6) to release the tip and to permit it to' fall .upon a spring-supported platform 35 (Fig. 2) which may be pushed down and will remain in any position,

' towhich it is pushed. The transferrer then returns to. its extreme right-hand position, its grippersbeing held open to receive another tip;

and during this return movement two pivoted' pressers 31 are swung down to exert pressure upon the tip which was just deposited upon the platform 35 (or upon the top of the stack of tips I06 which is being built up) and to depress the platform slightly. In this manner, the finished tips are taken successively from the moving carriers and added to the stack.

The transferring and stacking mechanism is mounted upon a bracket 4| b-y cap screws 43, said cap screws passing through horizontal slots in the bracket and being threaded into the frame. Turning now to Figs. 2 and 3, the platform 35 is fast to the upper end of a hollow tube 45 which is vertically slidable in a second hollow tube 41 having a closed bottom,

said tube 41 being held firmly in a split bearing two pressers 31,

V (Fig. 5) which is adjustably fastened to the frame of the machine 49 is a detent 55 having a weight 51 at its outer.

torsion springs 61, each of which is coiled about the stud SI and the ends of which bear against the top of one gripper and the bottom of the other. The grippers are opened at the left-hand end of the sliding movement of the block 63 by reason 'of an adjustable set screw 69 threaded through a part of the bracket 4| which engages a horizontal stud 12 projecting from one side of the vertical arm of a bell-crank lever 1| pivoted about a stud 13 carried by the block 63, said screw 69 forcing the stud 12 between the inclined tails I3], I33 of the grippers. At the same time that the grippers are opened, the bell-crank lever 1| is swung counterclockwise about its pivot 13, and its horizontal arm rides upthe lower rounded face of a catch 15 and is held by the catch so as to. maintain the grippers open until said catch is later moved to release the bell-crank lever and permit the spring 61 to close the grippers. The catch 15 is pivoted at 11 to the slide block 63 and is urged at all times by a torsion spring 19 to swing clockwise as far as permitted by a stop pin 8|. At its upper end the catch 15 has a tail I15 which, just before the slide block 63 starts to move from its extreme right-hand position toward the left, is swung to the left to cause the catch 15 to release the bell-crank lever 1| and thereby permit the closing of the grippers 3|, 33 which at that timehave received between them the margin of a toe tip. a

In order to operate thetwo pressers 31 during the right-hand movement of the slide block 63 (Figs. 2 and 4) the pivot stud 13 projects from it on each side. Upon the projecting ends of the stud are loosely hung two short arms 83, each carrying at its lower end a roll 85, said rolls being arranged to run respectively on the tops of the During the left-hand sliding movement of the block 33, when the grippers move from receiving to releasing position, these rolls have no effect upon the pressers. During the right-hand sliding movement of the block 63,

when the grippers move back to receiving position, the rolls 85 swing the pressers down. To

this end, each arm 83 has an upwardly projecting finger in position to engage, respectively, pins. 81 carried by the block 63, said pins being so located as to permit the arms to swing counterclockwise.

when the rolls 85 on the arms engage the pressers 31 during the left-hand movement of the slide block 63 but to prevent the arms from swinging clockwise during the return right-hand sliding movement of the block. Thus, when the slide block 63 moves to the left, the pressers 31'remain in raised position but when the slide block returns, the rolls 85 swing the pressers down.

These pressers are pivoted to the bracket 4| at 89, have tails I31 and are urged at all times by springs 9| to swing upwardly as far as the heads of screw bolts 93 will permit, said bolts being carried by the bracket M and extending through slots in the tails I31. If no further provision were made, the pressers 31 would rise into and remain in the" position shown in Fig. 2

as soon as the rolls ran off from their righthand ends. In order to hold them down and keep them held down while the slide block 63 finishes its movement to the right and comes to rest with the grippers open, means are provided for locking the pressersin their lowered positions. The tails IS'I of the pressers carry rolls, one of which is shown at in Fig. 2, which, when the pressers are swung down, engage catches one of which is shown at 91. Each catch is pivoted at as to the bracket 4! and has a tail, to the outer end of which is pivoted at IIII the lower end of an upright link I93 pivoted at its upper end at I05 to the outer end of a link IN, the inner end of which is pivoted at I09 to the bracket. The link Iii? has an upwardly extending curved projection to which is pivoted at III one end of a slender slide rod I53 which extends through a guiding bore in a lug on the bracket. When the reciprocation of the slide block 63 from its right-hand position is started each time by swinging the finger 34 to throw in the one-revolution clutch, a lug H5 on an arm I29 (Fig. 7) is caused to engage the right-hand end of the rod H3 and push the rod to the left to free the catches 9'! from the rolls 95 and permit the springs 9! to swing the pressers up into the position shown in Fig. 2.

The swinging of the finger 3t, clockwise as iewed in Figs. 1 and 7, not only throws in the one-revolution clutch in a manner presently to be described and releases the pressers 3? but also trips the catch 15 (Fig. 6) by swinging its tail to the left. Referring now more particularly to Figs. '7 and 9, the hub of the finger 34 is loosely mounted on the upper end of an upright pin I I! rotatably mounted in a bearing in the bracket 4 I, and is connected by a tension spring IIS to the bracket. Below the point of attachment of the spring to the finger, said finger has a downwardly extending projection through which is threaded a stop screw I25, the end of which is normally held against a part of the bracket 4I. The finger 34 thus always remains in the position shown in Fig. 7 except when it is being swung by a moving tip carrier or allowed to swing back after the carrier has passed it. Fastened to the bottom of the pin II'I is an arm I23 connected by a spring I 25 with the bracket GI and by a link MI with a pivoted dog I43 which is normally held by the spring I25 in contact with a projection I55 on the roller cage of the clutch later to be described. The spring I25, because of the construction just described, also normally maintains the pin Ii? in the angular position shown. Adjustably fastened by a pinch screw I2! to the rotary pin II? is the hub of a second arm I29, the outer end of which lies in the arc of movement of a stud I35 formed on the lower end of a vertical pin I35, the axis of the stud being eccentric to the axis of the pin. The pin is received in a socket formed in the finger 34, the upper end of the pin being of reduced diameter to extend up through a hole in the top of the socket and being threaded to receive a lock nut I39 by which the pin is held in adjusted angular position. When the finger 3a is swung clockwise (Fig. 7) the stud I 35 engages the arm I29 and swings it clockwise; and since the arms I29 and I23 are fast to the rotatable pin II'I, the

arm I23 is also swung clockwise. The arm I29, as it swings clockwise, accomplishes two results. The projection H5 carried by it pushes the slide rod II 3 to the left, thus freeing the p-ressers 37 which thereupon rise; and .a face 229 on the arm I29 engages the upwardly extending tail I15 of the catch I5, thus releasing the grippers 3|, 33, which then close upon the margin of a toe tip. The arm I23, as it swings clockwise, throws in the one-revolution clutch which imparts a complete reciprocation to the slide block 63. It is, of course, desirable that the grippers 3I, 33 be caused. to grasp the moving toe tip before the clutch is thrown in, and this timing may be accomplished by varying the angular position of the arm I29 on the pin Hi. It is also desirable that the grippers grasp each toe tip midway between ,the ends of its margin which project from the jaws of .a tip carrier; that is, having adjusted the angular position of the arm I29 on the pin II? so that the grippers grasp the toe tip just before the one-revolution clutch is thrown in, it is desirable to time properly the closing of the grippers with respect to the position occupied at that moment by that one of the moving tip carriers from which a toe tip is to be taken. This is accomplished by varying the .angular position of the eccentric stud I35.

Referring now to the one-revolution clutch (Fig. 7), the arm I23 is connected, as has been explained, by a link MI to a dog I43 pivoted about a stud I49, said dog controlling in the usual manner the operation of a Horton clutch through which one revolution is imparted from a shaft I45 to a disk I46. This disk has threaded into its upper face a screw I 48, the stem of which extends through a slot I4? in one end of a lever I50 which is pivoted intermediate its ends about the stud I49, said lever having at its other end a slot to receive the stem of .a screw I 52 threaded into the block'63. Thus when the disk makes one revolution a complete reciprocation is imparted to the slide block 63 and .a finished toe tip is added to the stack and pressed down. The Horton clutch comprises the usual roller cage I5I and rolls I53, said cage being urged at all times to rotate into a position in which the clutch is operative. by a spring I54 and having a projection I55 adapted, when engaged by the dog I43, to arrest the rotation of the roller cage and throw out the clutch. The details of construction of the clutch form no part of the present invention and any suitable one-revolution clutch may be employed. The upright shaft M5 is driven (Fig. 5) from a bevel gear I5? on its lower end by a bevel gear I59 on one end of a horizontal shaft I6I, said shaft having near its other end a spiral gear I63 driven from a second spiral gear I65 on a horizontal shaft IIS'I which is a constantly driven shaft of the machine of the patent with its end extended, the extended end of the shaft I 67 as well as the end of the shaft I6I being supported in bearings in a bracket I 69 which, inturn, is supported by a hanger I?! the upper end of which is hung on a rod H3, which is also a rod of the patented machine with its end extended. A set screw IIl fastens the upper end of the hanger IN to the extended end of the rod I'I3.

In the operation of the machine, the arm I23 (Figs. 7 and 9) is adjusted into an angular position such that when the finger 38 is swung by a moving tip carrier the grippers will be caused to close upon a tip, and the pressers will be released just before the clutch is thrown in; and the eccentric stud I35 is adjusted so that the grippers will grasp a toe tip midway between the ends of its margin which projects from a toe-tip carrier. As a toe-tip carrier continues its movement after the toe tip has been perforated, its jaws are reciprocation is imparted to the slide block 63 with the grippers-ii, 33. During the movement of the grippers from receiving to releasing position, the rolls 85 ride over the pressers 31 without depressing them. Atthe left-hand end of the gjmovement of the slide block 63, the grippers are opened to release the toe tip above the stack of tips on the support. During the return movement of the grippers to receiving position, the rolls 83 depress the pressers 31 so as to press the go'fireleased toe tip upon the top of the stack and to push down the stack support, the pressers being locked in lowered position by the catches 9?. The

slide block 63 continues'its movement to the right and comes to rest with the grippers open in position to receive another toe tip from the neXt toe-tip carrier.

Although the invention has been described as set forth in a particular machineQit should be understood that the invention is not limited to the scope of this application to the particular machine which has been'shown and described. Having described my invention, what I claim 'as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1 the United States is:

1. A machine of the class described having, in combination, an article carrier, means for moving the article carrier in a predetermined path,

transferring mechanism past which the carrier moves for grasping a moving article and removing it from the carrier, said mechanism including a pair of grippers which are moved toward each other to grasp an article and are then moved bodily to remove the article, and a normally stationary member which is engaged by the moving carrier as the carrier approaches the transferring mechanism for actuating said mechanism. 2. A machine of the class described having, in combination, an article carrier moving in a predetermined path, transferring mechanism for grasping a moving article and removing it from its carrier, a normally stationary member engaged by the moving carrier as it approaches the transferring mechanism for actuating saidmechanism, and means for varying the timing of the actuation of the'transferring mechanism with respect to the' position of the moving carrier while maintaining the normal stationary position .of the member unchanged.

3. A machine of the class described having, in combination, an article carrier moving in a predetermined path, transferring mechanism for grasping the moving article and removing it from the carrier, said mechanism comprising grippers, mechanism for actuating the grippers including causing them to come to rest in open position in the path of an approaching article, and means engaged by the article carrier for throwing said actuating mechanism into operation to cause the grippers to close upon the article and remove it from the carrier.

' 4. A machine of the class described having, in combination, articlecarriers movable in a circular path with the margin of the articles projecting from the carriers, and transferring and stacking mechanism for engaging the projecting margins of the articles, removing the articles from the carriers, stacking them and pressing each article down upon the stack, said mechanism including pressing means and a pair of grippers between the open jaws of which the margins of the artidetermined path, and mechanism located adja-V 7 cent to the path of the carriersand actuated successively by the moving carriers as said carriers approach the mechanism for removing the articles from the carriers and stacking them, said,

mechanism comprising a support for a stack of articles, a pair of grippers movable from receiving position adjacent to the path of movement of the carriers to releasing position above the stack support, yielding means for closing the grippers, a catch for holding the grippers stack support, a pair of grippers mounted for movement from receiving position adjacent to the path of the carrier to releasing position above the stack support and back to receiving position,

means for engaging and opening the grippers in releasing position, a catch for holding them open as they are returned and brought to rest in receiving position, actuating mechansim for imparting movement to the grippers from receiving position to releasing position and back again, and means engaged and moved by a carrier for disengaging the catch and for rendering the actuating mechanism operative.

7. Mechanism for taking articles from a moving carrier and stacking them having, in com bination, a stack support, a pair of grippers mounted for movement from receiving position adjacent to the path'of the carrier to releasing position above the stack support and back to receiving position, means for engaging and open? ing the grippers in releasing position, a catchfor holding them open as they are returned to and brought to rest in receiving position, a presser operated by the movement of the grippers to receiving position to press the released articles upon the stack on the support, a catch for engaging the presser and holding it in pressing position, actuating mechanism for imparting movement to the grippers from receiving position to releasing position and back again, and means engaged and moved by a carrier for disengaging the catches and for rendering the actuating mechanism operative.

8. Mechanism for transferring and stacking articles having, in combination, a stack support, a pair of grippers, means for causing the grippers to grasp an article, to move it into a position above the stack support and there release it, a presser, and means moving with the grippers from their releasing to their grasping position for causing the pr-esser to act upona released article.

9. A machine of the class described having, in combination, an article carrier moving in a predetermined path, a stack support, mechanism for transferring an article from the carrier into a position above the stack support, mechanism for pressing the articles against the stack support, and actuating means thrown into operation by a moving carrier for operating both said mechanisms.

10. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a plurality of carriers for flat articles of sheet material, said carriers being movable in a circular path which includes the plane of the articles, a stack support located adjacent to said path, mechanism for transferring articles one by one from the carriers into a position above the stack support, mechanism for pressing the articles against the stack support, and actuating means including a clutch thrown into operation by a moving carrier for operating both mechanisms.

11. A machine of the class described having, in combination, an article carrier movable in a predetermined path, transferring mechanism for grasping moving articles and removing them from the carrier, said articles being of such shape that they may be grasped at different 10- calities on them, a normally stationary member engaged by the moving carrier as it approaches the transferring mechanism for actuating said mechanism, means for varying the timing of the actuation of the transferring mechanism with respect to the position of the moving carrier While maintaining the normal stationary position of the member unchanged, and means for varying the locality on the articles which is grasped by the transferring mechanism.

FREDERICK E. HOOPER.

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