US2213426A - Pottery-ware processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

P 1940- w. H. ANDERSON Er AL 2,213,426

PO'iTERY-WARE PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed March 4, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENT OR w. H ANDERSON ET AL POTTERY-WARE EROCESSING APPARATUS Sept. 3, 194Q.

Filed March 4, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 p 1940- w. H. L. ANDERSON El AL 2,213,426

POTTERY-WARE PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed March 4, 1939 3 SheetsSheet 5 r ca ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 3, 1940 PATENT OFFICE POTTERY-WARE PROCESSING APPARATUS William H. L. Anderson, Maxon H. King, and

Arthur W. McElroy, East Liverpool, Ohio, assignors to The Edwin M. Knowles China Company, East Liverpool,

West Virginia Ohio, a corporation of Application March 4, 1939, Serial N 0. 259,864

18 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for processing pottery-ware after its first firing, and more particularly to apparatus for brushing and stamping unglazed ware and for delivering the ware to the brushing and stamping machine and conveying it therefrom through a glaze-spraying and before the glaze has been applied it must be brushed or otherwise cleaned to remove adhering grains of sand or small particles of fired clay and the like. Otherwise, they will produce slight protuberances on the surface of the ware after the glaze has been fired on. It has been the general practice to clean such were individually with hand brushes, or to manually pass each individual piece between two power driven revolving brushes. Both processes are slow and expensive. It is also customary to manually carry the brushed ware to a bench where the trade-mark insignia of the manufacturer is stamped by hand on the bottom of each piece, following which the ware is manually trucked. to a glaze-spraying machine. These likewise are slow and expensive processes. One of the principal reasons why this brushing, stamping and transporting work is still done manually is that no satisfactory apparatus has been suggested heretofore for doing it automatically or mechanically. The machines that have been proposed either will not operate satisfactorily, or do not have sufiiclent flexibility for use in a pottery plant where the ware takes hundreds of difierent forms. Some machines would break too much ware and others. are so slow in operation that they would bev no improvement over the hand methods. Other disadvantages are also present.

It is among the objects of this invention to eliminate considerable manual labor and thereby decrease the cost of manufacturing pottery-ware by providing apparatus in which unglazed pot-v tery-ware is automatically fed through an emcient automatic brushing and stamping machine and delivered to a glaze-spraying machine. Other objects are to provide apparatus of this character which is rapid in operation, relatively simple in construction, brushes and stamps vwhile the ware is in motion, handles the ware safely, and in which the brushing and stamping machine is adjustable for ware of difierent shapes and sizes.

According to this I invention pottery-ware of practically any type except hollowware is fed by an automatic dealer to a brushing machine. This machine is provided with a pair of spaced endless belts adapted to frictionally engage opposite edges of the ware and thereby carry it through the machine. The belts are adjustable toward and away from each other so that ware of different sizes'can be accommodated. To hold. the inner strands of the two belts substantially parallel they are backed up by small rollers. It is undesirable to rigidly support the belts by the rollers at exactly opposite points because there may not be sufficient yielding of the belts at these points to permit slightly oversize ware to pass between them without being broken. Therefore, the backing up rollers for one belt are staggered longitudinally thereof relative to the rollers behind the other belt.

As the ware is carried along between the belts its opposite sides are brushed by rotary brushes mounted between the belts. These brushes are independently adjustable toward and away from the ware and are preferably staggered longitudinally of the machine so that they will not wear against each other when no ware is between them. There are a plurality of brushes both above and below the ware, each brush being narrower than the maximum spacing between the belts and being spaced longitudinally of the machine from an adjacent brush or brushes so that the brushes will not interfere with' moving the belts closer together. As the ware approaches the delivery ends of the belts each individual piece in turn trips a mechanism which sets an automatic stamper in motion for stamping the company's trade-mark on the bottom of the ware. As the ware leaves the belts it is supported by transfer belts below it which are adjustable toward and away from each other with the first-mentioned belts. The transfer belts carry the ware to a conveyor where it is. picked up by still other belts, preferably metal bands, and conveyed through a glaze-spraying machine. The transfer belts are so related to the conveyor bands that movement of the former toward and away from each other does not interfere with and is not restricted by the conveyor bands. The apparatus is thus fully automatic from the time the ware is loaded into the dealer until it is unloaded from the conveyor that removes it from the glazespraying machine. l

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of my apparatus; Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged plan and side views. respectively, of the brushing and stamping machine; Fig. 4 is a view of the delivery end of th s machine; Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken claim is made to it per se.

I the opposite edges of all the ware in the stack except the bottom piece. When the upright members grip the ware, the supporting members are retracted in opposite directions in order to drop the bottom piece onto conveyor feed belts 4. The supporting members then move back beneath the stack and the gripping members release it so that it drops onto the supporting members which release the free bottom piece as soon as the gripping members again hold the stack. With this type of dealer the ware 6 can be rapidly placed very close together on the belts and spaced uniformly.

The outer ends of the feed belts are carried by a drum 1 J'oumaled in the outer end of the dealing machine framework, and their inner or delivery ends extend around vertical pulleys 9 mounted in the entry end of a brushing and stamping machine ll. As the ware enters this machine its opposite edges are frictionally gripped by the inner parallel strands of two endless belts l2 which carry it through the machine wherein the upper and lower surfaces of the ware are brushed by rotary brushes l3, l4, l5, l6, l1 and 18 mounted between the belts. Just before each piece of ware leaves this machine it sets in operation an automatic mechanism 2| which stamps a trade-mark on the bottom of the ware. The ware is then deposited on horizontal transfer belts 22 by which it is carried out of the machine in the same way that it is delivered to it. The delivery ends of these belts are carried by a drum 23 around which extend intermediate belts 24 that also extend around another drum 26 a very short distance away for a purpose to be set forth later. Both of these drums are journaled in a conveyor framework 21 that extends to the glaze-spraying housing 28 and also supports a third drum 29 adjacent drum 26. Drum 26 carries one end of several long conveyor bands 25 that travel through the spray housing, and the corresponding ends of slightly shorter conveyor bands 30 in line with intermediate belts 24 are carried by drum 29 because belts 24 prevent bands 30 from extending around drum 26.

It is one of the features of this invention that the brushing and stamping machine is adjustable for receiving and acting on ware of different diameters. Accordingly, the delivery ends of feed belts 4 from the dealer, shown at the lefthaud end of Figs. 2 and 3, are supported by the vertical pulleys 9 disposed between a pair of parallel horizontal frames 3| to which they are connected. Each of these frames may be a large I beam disposed on its side (Figs. 4 and 5), and they are supported at their ends by horizontal screws 32 passing through their lower flanges and journaled at their ends on the framework 33 of the entire machine. Each screw is provided with right and left-hand threads so that when turned by cranks 34 they move the two frames laterally to either increase or decrease the space between them. These two screws are geared together by a shaft 35 so that both can be turned in uni on by either crank.

Journaled on vertical axes at the ends of each frame are main pulleys 36 and 31 that carry endless V belt [2 which preferably has a rubber facing for engaging the ware. Pulley 36 is adjustable away from pulley 31 by screw 38 (Fig. 2) in order to keep the belt under the desired tension. As shown in Fig. 4, the two pulleys 31 are driven at the same speed by a variable speed motor 3! below them which is connected by a chain and sprocket drive 4| to a transverse drive shaft 42 on which are splined miter gears 43 that mesh with miter gears 44 keyedon the lower ends of the pulley shafts. When frames 3| are adjusted inwardly or outwardly, gears 43 are kept in mesh with gears 44 by plates 46 secured to the frame.

To hold the inner strands of the belts parallel and prevent them from deflecting laterally or sagging and thereby dropping the ware, they are backed up or supported by a series of closely spaced small grooved rollers 41 journaled on vertical'axes along the inner edge of each frame 3| (Figs. 2 and 5). These rollers hold the portion of the inner strands of the two belts between the end pulleys closer together than the pulleys themselves so that oversize ware, of which it is nearly impossible to be entirely free in the manufacture of ware by hand, will'not be broken by compression between the pulleys in passing between them. Another feature of this invention is to permit oversize ware to pass between the backing-up rollers without being broken because of insuiiicient space between them. Accordingly, the rollers behind one belt are staggered longitudinally thereof relative to those behind the other to provide a short length of unsupported belt directly opposite each roller on the opposite frame. When an oversize piece of ware starts to pass any given roller, the short length of unsupported belt opposite to that roller is deflected outwardly between its adjacent rollers by the ware so that undue pressure is not exerted on the ware. Oversize ware thus travels in a slightly zig-zag path through the machine without breakmg.

As the ware is carried through the machine by these belts its upper and lower surfaces are brushed by the six rotary brushes, brushes l4, I6 and I8 being mounted above the ware and the other three below. Several brushes are used in order to avoid interfering with adjustment of the machine for ware of different diameters, and yet permit all surface areas to be brushed. An

upper and a lower brush are carried by each a frame so that they will be adjustable laterally therewith, but the two center brushes l3 and I8 are mounted in fixed position, as far as lateral adjustment is concerned, on the center line through the machine because it is unnecessary for them to be adjusted with the frames. Fig. 2 shows the brushing machine adjusted to its greatest width, the space between belts I 2 being approximately three brushes wide as it appears in Fig. 4. The brushes in each of the upper and lower groups are spaced apart longitudinally of the machine (Fig. 3) to permit them to be moved toward a common vertical plane as the diameter of the ware is reduced. Thus, the combined width of three brushes above or below the frames determines the widest ware that can be brushed, and the belts can be brought closest together if all of the brushes are of the same width. To prevent the upper and lower brushes from wearing against each other when no ware is between them, they are staggeredlongitudinally of the machine.

Each of the brushes I4, I5, I6 and I1 is mount? ed on the inner end of a horizontal shaft 5|, the outer end of which is supported in operative connection with an electric motor 52 for rotating the brush in a direction opposed to the travel of the ware. Each motor is carried by a bracket 53 slidably mounted on a pair of vertical rods 54 having one end secured to the frames and their outer portions carried by cross bars 56 supported As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, lower center brush I3 is driven by a belt and sheave 68 from a motor 69 carried by a bracket II slidably mounted on a pair of vertical rods I2. The opposite ends of these rods are mounted in cross bars I3 secured to vertical braces 14 extending upwardly from brace I9. Projecting downwardly from bracket II; is a bar IS the lower end of which is pivoted to the inner end of a lever 11. The center of this lever is pivotedin a bracket I8 mounted on a cross brace I9 of the framework, and the outer end-of the lever is pivoted to bracket 8| in which the lower end of adjusting screw I2 is threaded. The upper end of this screw is supported in an angle 83 on the upper end of a vertical brace 84 connected to the side of the main framework.

It is a still further feature of this invention that as each piece of ware leaves the last brush (I8) it sets in operation the stamping mechanism 2| by which the trade-mark of the company is automatically stamped on the bottom of the ware. The ware is fed bottom side up through the machine so that the-clay particles that are loosened by the brushes will be sure to fall away from the ware and not be caught therein. The stamping mechanism comprises a bridge-like structure 86 that extends across the top of the brushing machine on whose framework it is mounted. Supported in bearings 81 mounted on the front faces of one side of the bridge and the v lower end of a supporting member 88 extending downwardly from the top of the bridge is a horizontal shaft 89 coupled by a belt and pulley drive 9| to main drive shaft 42. This shaft extends 99 which are rotated by a belt and sheave drive IIII from stamping wheel shaft 89. As the stamping wheel rotates, its rubber stamps pass across the outer inking roll and are thereby inked.

In order to synchronize the movements of the stamps with the movement of the ware so that each piece of ware will be stamped substantially at its center, rotation of the stamping wheel is stopped periodically by means of a rod I86 which engages a stopmember I81 projecting from one side of the hub between each pair of arms 94. The upper endof this rod is connected to a solenoid I88 supported by the top of the bridge. This solenoid is wired to a normally open electric switch I89 mounted on one of the frames 3| behind backing-up rollers 41. The switch is periodically closed by means of an actuating member III that engages the inner strand of belt I2 between two of the rollers. When a piece of ware comes opposite this actuating member the slight deflection of the belt caused by the passing ware moves the actuator sufliciently to close the switch momentarily. This energizes the solenoid and raises the rod I Iii-out of engagement withthe adjoining stop I!" on the stamping wheel. The constantly rotating shaft 89, through friction clutch 92, thereupon immediately causes the stamping wheel to rotate, whereby one of the rubber stamps is swung forwardly through an arc at the same speed as the piece of ware that tripped the switch. The stamping wheel is located at such a distance from the switch actuator that the center of a piece of ware is substantially directly below the center of the stamping wheel when any one of its stamps is at the lowest point of its arc. The switch automatically opens the moment a piece of ware passes its actuator, thus allowing the solenoid rod to quickly move downwardly underthe influence of a coil spring (not shown) and prevent the next succeeding stop I81 from passing it until it is again retracted.

The bridge is adjustable lengthwise of the brushing machine in any suitable manner, such as by bolts I I2 that pass through slots H3 in the feet of the bridge. This adjustment permits the stamping wheel to be moved forward or backward in order to initially position it where it will stamp the ware substantially in its center. As the switch'is tripped only when the widest part of a piece of ware passes its actuator, the ware will always be stamped in its center regardless of how great its diameter is longitudinally of the machine. Due to the fact that different types of ware vary in overall thickness, means is provided for adjusting the stamping wheel vertically so that the stamps will bear with the same pressure on all ware. For this purpose the sides of the bridge are preferably telescoped and are provided with vertical adjusting screws II4 that are turned simultaneously by a crank H5 and chain and sprocket drive IIG above the bridge.

The stamping wheel is connected by a chain and sprocket drive I" to a counting mechanism II8 supported by the bridge so that the number of pieces of ware passing through the machine willbe counted automatically. That is, every .time the stamping wheel turns suflixciently to stamp twelve pieces of ware it advances the counter once.

The brushing and stamping machine I I is preferably surrounded by any suitable enclosure (not shown) to which an exhaust conduit and fan are connected for removing the dust caused by the brushing operation.

In the operation of the apparatus disclosed herein, frames 3| of the brushing and stamping machine II are adjusted toward or away from each other by cranks 34 to obtain the correct spacing between the inner strands of ware-gripping belts IZ. This spacing should be such that the belts will bear against the opposite edges of the ware 6 to be brushed at that particular time with suflicient pressure tocarry it through the machine without dropping it or permitting the brushes to dislodge it, but, of course, without so much pressure .as to break the ware. When frames 3| are adjusted laterally they carry feed belts 4 and transfer belts 22 with them, the outer ends of belts 4 moving axially of drum 1 in the framework of the dealing machine. In like manner, the outer ends of belts 22 can move axially of drum 23, mounted in conveyor framework 21, without interfering with the long conveyor bands 25 because the latter are carried by a separate drum 26. Intermediate belts 24 serve the purpose of bridging the space between belts 22 and 25,, and are close enough together to avoid interference with the lateral adjustments of belts 22.

The various operating elements of the apparatus are started in operation, whereby a stack 2 of ware, placed between the side gripping members 3 of the automatic dealer l, is dropped one piece at a time in rapid succession onto belts 4 by which it is carried in between belts 12 of thebrushing machine. The ware is removed from the transfer belts by the converging inner strands of belts l2, and as it is carried through the machine its upper and lower surfaces are thoroughly brushed by the various brushes which are adjusted vertically to exert the desired amount of pressure thereon. As each piece of ware approaches the discharge end of the brushing machine it momentarily closes.

electric switch I09 and thereby permits the stamper to rotate 90 for stamping that piece of ware in the manner previously described. The bridge structure 88 that carries the stamping wheel is adjusted longitudinally of the brushing machine framework to a point where the rubber stamps 96 will stamp each piece of were substantially in its center. Also, the bridge is adjusted vertically by crank H5 to'permit the stamps to produce the desired amount of pressure on the ware'. Slight variations in the vertical positions of different pieces of ware relative to the belts frictionally engaging their edges are taken care of by the resiliency of the rubber stamps.

It has been pointed out above that slightly oversize ware travels in a zigzag path through the brushing machine, due to the staggered relation of backing-up rollers 41. It will be seen, however, that if this zigzag movement continued as the ware passed under the stamping wheel, it would smear the insignia being stamped on the ware. Therefore, to stop this zigzag movement during the short interval when the stamp is in engagement with theware, two of the backingup rollers beside the stamping wheel on one frame 3| are spaced apart a much greater distance than the other rollers in orderto provide a relatively long unsupported section of belt l2.

.Directly opposite this unsupported section the other belt is backed up 'by a pair of the usual rollers 41 and by an additional small roller l2l disposed between them. Consequently, as a piece of over-size ware passes through the stamping zone it cannot deflect the belt supported by roller l2! and adjacent rollers 41, but

the long unsupported section of the opposite belt yields sufficiently to prevent the were from.- being brokerr. As all of the belt yielding is accordance with this invention are numerous. Its capacity is very great because the automatic dealer rapidly feeds the ware very close together, brushing and stamping and spraying operations are performed on the ware while it is in motion, movement of the ware is continuous and unbroken from the-time it is placed in the dealing machine, occasional unavoidable breakage of defective ware in the brushing machine does not foul it, and the various belts may be driven at a high rate of speed. The conveyor belts of the brushing machine may be driven at a higher rate of speed than the dealing machine belts for a purpose to be described presently. Apparatus of this type now in use has been operated at the rate of one thousand dozen plates per hour.

Due to the fact that the different belt systems of this apparatus can be operated at different speeds, ware of various sizes can be properly stamped although fed to the brushing machine in closely spaced relation. The distance between the centers of adjacent pieces of ware passing beneath thestamping wheel should be greater than the length of the are between two adjacent stamps, to allow for momentary stopping of the stamping wheel rotation. Likewise,

the stamping wheel must be large enough to accommodate its various parts without too much crowding, and the length of the are just mentioned should be great enough to prevent two adjacent stamps from accidentally engaging the same piece of ware. This means that when ware of small diameter is fed close together to the brushingand stamping machine the centers of adjacent piecesmay be too close together for stamping. This difficulty is overcome by running belts [2 of the brushing machine faster than the other conveyor belts so that the ware passing through the machine and beneath the stamper will be spaced the desired distance apart.

The adaptability of the brushing and stamping machine to use with ware of many different sizes and depths is a very desirable feature. The size and arrangement of the brushes permit lateral adjustment of belts I 2, and the vertical adjustment of the brushes permits proper brushing of were varying considerably in depth; provided, it is not hollow ware. As the ware is always fed along the center line of the machine the stamping wheel need not be adjusted transversely of the machine, but its longitudinal and 1 00 In Figs. 6 and '7 a modified embodiment of the stamping mechanism is disclosed. The stamping wheel hub I" is driven through a shaft 89 and friction clutch 9| in-the same manner as the one previously described, but instead of being provided with radiating arms a plurality of blocks Iii are secured to one of its faces. Each block is provided with aradial passage in which a stem IE2 is slidably mounted. Mounted on the outer .end of the stem is a. cushioned rubber stamp III bearing the desired insignia, and the inner end of the stem has a convex head I54 between which and block IS! a coil spring I58 is compressed for biasing the stamping member inwardly to retracted position.

In order to periodically move each successive stamp outwardly into engagement with a piece of ware passing beneath it when the stamp reaches its lowest position, a ring gear I51 is rigidly connected to blocks ll. Meshing with this gear is an idler gear I58 carried by a horizontal stub shaft I59 supported in any suitable manner by the framework 86. This gear meshes with a spur gear IBI carried by another stub shaft I62 below the axis of hub I50 and havingjust one-quarter as many teeth as the ring gear so that it will revolve four times during each revolution of the latter. Rigidly connected to this spur gear is a radially extending arm I63 the outer end of which carries a roller I64 in the plane of the stamping members.

It will thus be seen that as the ring gear is turned by hub I50 it rotates spur gear l6! and thereby causes roller l6l'to strike the head of the stamping member passing below it in an arcuate path. As the roller travels in a direction opposite to the path of movement of the stamping member, the time during which the stamping member is pressed into engagement with the ware is very short. Consequently, there is little chance of the insignia stamped on the ware being blurred or distorted by horizontal movement of the ware relative to the stamp while 'passing through the stamping zone.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the construction and mode of operation of our invention and have illustrated and described what we now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of laterally spaced endless belts, the inner strands, of which are disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of pottery-ware, means for driving said belts for conveying said ware longitudinally of the belts, means for efiecting relative movement of the belts toward and away from each other, and movable brushes mounted betweenthe belts on opposite sides of said ware for brushing it.

2. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pairof laterally spaced frames, means for eifecting relative movement of the frames toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted in a common planeon said frames, an endless belt carried by the pulleys on each frame, the inner strands of the belts being disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of pottery-ware, a plurality of backing-up rollers behind each of said inner strands for supporting them, means for driving said belts in the same direction for conveying said ware from end to end of the frames, and rotary brushes mounted between the belts on opposite sides of said ware for brushing it.

3. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of laterally spaced frames, means for effecting relative movement of the frames toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted in a common plane on'said frames, an endless belt carried by the pulleys on each frame, the inner strands of the belts being disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of pottery-ware, a plurality of backing-up rollers behind each of said inner strands and holding said strands between the pulleys closer conveying said ware from end to end of the 5 frames, and rotary brushes mounted between the belts on opposite sides of said ware for brushing it 4. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of laterally spaced endless belts; the inner strands of which are disposed parallel to each other for frictionally grippingopposite edges of pottery-ware, means for driving said belts for conveying said ware from end to end of the frames, means for eifecting relative movement of the belts toward and away from each other, and rotary brushes mounted between the belts on opposite sides of said ware, the brushes at one side of the ware being staggered relative to those at the other side.

5. Pottery processingapparatus comprising a pair of laterally spaced frames, means for effectingrelative movement of the frames toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted in a common plane on said frames, an endless belt carried by the pulleys oneach frame, the inner strands of the belts being disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of potteryware, means for driving said belts for conveying said ware from end to end of the frames, a rotary brush mounted in fixed position between said frames on each side of the ware, and a rotary brush mounted on each frame on each side of the ware and spaced from said fixed rotary brushes longitudinally of said frames. 6. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of laterally spaced frames, means for-effect- I ing relative movement of the frame toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted in a common plane on said frames, an endless belt carried by the pulleys on each frame, the inner strands of the belts being disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of pottery-ware, means for driving said belts for conveying said ware from end to end of the. frames, movable brushes mounted between the belts on opposite sides of said ware for brushing it, and means for independently adjusting each brush toward and away from the ware.

'7. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of horizontally spaced frames, means for moving the frames toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted on vertical axes on said frames, an endless belt carried by the pulleys on each frame, the inner strands of the belts being disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of pottery-ware, means for driving said belts for conveying said ware from end to end of the frames, a plurality of rotary brushes mounted on horizontal axes between the belts above and below said ware, vertically adjustable supports for some of the brushes mounted on said frames, a driving motor carried by each support and operatively connected to the adjoining brush, vertically adjustable supports mounted in laterally fixed position for supporting the rest of the brushes midway between the belts, and brush-driving motors carried by said fixed supports.

8. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of laterally spaced endless belts, the inner strands of which are disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of 'pottery-ware,.means for driving said belts for conveying said ware from end end of the frames, means for effecting relative movement of the belts toward and away from each other, movable brushes mounted between the belts on opposite sides of said ware for brushing it, stamping mechanism mounted between said belts adjacent their delivery ends, and means operated by the were as it is carried forward by the belts for periodically actuating said mechanism to cause it to stamp each piece of ware.

9. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of laterally spaced frames, means for effecting relative movement of the frames toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted in a common plane on said frames, an endless belt carried by the pulleys on each frame, the inner strands of the belts being disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of potteryware, means for driving said belts for conveying said ware from end to end of the frames, movable brushes mounted between the belts on opposite sides of said ware for brushing it, stamping mechanism mounted between said belts adjacent their delivery beds, electrically controlled means for periodically actuating said mechanism to cause it to stamp each piece of ware, and a laterally movable member mounted behind the inner strand of one of the belts 'and actuated by said pair of laterally spaced frames, means for effecting relative movement of the frames toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted in a common plane-on said frames, an endless belt carried by the pulleys on each frame, the inner strands of the belts being disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of pottery-ware,-means for driving said belts for conveying said ware from end to end of the frames, movable brushes ounted between the belts on opposite sides of sa d were for brushing t, stamping mechanism mounted between said belts adjacent their delivery ends, means operated by the ware as it is carried forward by the belts for periodically actuating said mechanism to cause it to stamp each piece of ware as it passes through a certain zone, and a plurality of backing-up rollers behind each of said inner strands for supporting them, one of said belts being substantially rigidly supported by said rollers, and the rollers supporting the other belt in said zone being spaced a material distance apart to provide a relatively flexible section of belt in that zone.

11. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of laterally spaced frames, means for effecting relative movement of the frames toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted in a common plane on said frames, an endless belt carried by the ulleys on each'frame, the inner strands ofthe elts being disposed'parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges pected to said electric means and periodically actuated by said were carried forward by the belts.

12. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of horizontally spaced frames, means for moving the frames toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted on vertical axes on said frames, an endless belt carried by the pulleys on each frame, the inner strands of the belts being disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of pottery-ware, means for driving said belts for conveying said ware from end to end of the frames, and at least three rotary brushes of substantially the same widths disposed between the belts on each side of the were and being spaced longitudinally of the frames, an upper and a lower brush being mounted in laterally fixed position midway between the belts, and an upper and-a lower brush being mounted on each frame.

13. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of horizontally spaced frames, means for moving the frames toward and away from each other, pulleys mounted on vertical axes on said frames, an endless belt carried by the pulleys on each frame,'the inner strands of the belts bein disposed parallel to each other for frictionally gripping opposite edges of pottery-ware, means for drivingsaid belts for conveying said ware from end to end of the frames, and at least three rotary brushes of substantially the same widths disposed between the belts on each side of the ware and being spaced longitudinally of the frames, an upper and a lower brush being mounted in laterally fixed position midway between the belts, and an upper and a lower brush zontal conveyor for delivering ware to said belts,

brushes mounted between said belts above 'and below the ware for cleaning it, a glaze-spraying machine, and asubstantially horizontal conveyor 'for receiving brushed ware from said belts "and conveying it through said machine, said traveling beltsbeing adapted to be driven at any desired speed independently of the speed of said con-'- 16. Pottery processing apparatus comprising a pair of horizontally spaced traveling belts having parallel inner strands, for frictionally gripping opposite edges of pottery-ware, a substantially horizontal conveyor for delivering ware to'said belts, automatic means for depositing were on said conveyor, brushes mounted between said belts above and below the were for cleaning it, stamping mechanism mounted above the belts for stamping the ware while it is in motion, a glazespraylng machine, and a substantially horizontal conveyor for receiving brushed ware from said belts and conveying it through said machine, said traveling belts beingadapted to be driven faster than said conveyors.

17. Pottery processing apparatus comprising brushes mounted for brushing the opposite sides of pottery-ware passed between them, means cleaning it, stamping mechanism above the belts for stamping the ware while it is in motion, a glaze-spraying machine, and a substantially horizontal conveyor for receiving brushed ware from said belts and conveying it through said machine. 5

WILLIAM H. L. ANDERSON. MAXON H. KING.

ARTHUR W. MCELROY.

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