US2688413A - Unstacking and feeding device for spaceband cleaning machines - Google Patents

Description

p 7' 1954 w P DONE ow 2 uus'mcxmc AND FIIIEEDINEGRDEVICELFOR SPACE BAND CLEANING mcmuss 5 Sheets-Shoe. '1

Filed April 23, 1951 INVENTORS I WILLIAM P. OONEHOWER By RICHARD a. HAMLIN i m r A\ U. i

A TTRNEV Sept. 7, 1954 w. P. DONEHOWER ETAL 2,688,413

NG AND FEEDING DEVICE Filed April 25, 1951 FOR BAND CLEANING MACHINES 5 SheetsSheet 2 y RICHARD 5.1mm!

ATTO war Sept. 1954 P. DONEHOWER ETAL 88,

UN CKING AND FEEDING DEVICE FOR 1 SPACE BAND CLEANING MACHINES Filed April 23, 1951 5 Sheets-$heet 3 INVENTORS WILL/AM P. OONEHOWER W RICHARD s. HAMLIN W 47 70 NE) l 1954 w. P. DONEHOWER ETAL 2,688,413

UNSTACKING AND FEEDING DEVICE FOR SPACE BAND CLEANING ommas Filed April 23, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG/2.

\\\\\\\\\\x\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\aaa /////I\'\(\ Z FIG I4 22 FIGJZ INVENTORS WILL/AM P. DONEHOWER BY RICHARD a. HAMLIN A TTOR/VEY UNSTKCKING AND FEEDING DEVICE FOR SPACE BAND CLEANING MACHINES v Filed April 23, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 P 1954 w P. DONEHOWER ETAL 2,688,413

FIG. 22.

'INVENITORS WILL/AM P. DONEHOWER BY RICHARD a. HAMLIN ,A TTORNEV Patented Sept. 7, 1954 UNSTACKING AND FEEDING DEVICE FOR SPACEBAND CLEANING MACHINES William P. Donehower, Philadelphia, and Richard B. Hamlin, Green Ridge, Pa., assignors to Maurice Hartzell and Blanche D. Hartzell,

Chester, Pa.

Application April 23, 1951, Serial No. 222,462

Claims.

This invention relates generally to spaceband cleaning machines and one object of our invention is to provide an improved machine for feeding spacebands in a manner that is relatively simple, rapid and positive in operation.

Another object is to provide an improved spaceband cleaning machine which is adapted to perform an inspection function so as to prevent the feeding of bands which are either bent or are positioned upside down in the feeding magazine. The desirability of detecting bent bands is obvious in order that they might be repaired, while it is also desirable to have the bands fed into the machine right side up in order that a knife which is provided for scraping off type metal that occasionaly adheres to one side of the band, can be effective.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of our machine;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a spaceband;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the machine;

Fig. 4. is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing a spaceband being initially fed from the feeding magazine;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the spaceband being lifted up against a knife to scrape metal from the band;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the spaceband just entering the cleaning blocks;

Fig. 7 is a perspective of certain elements of the feeding means, the knife actuating cams and the band contracting means, certain parts being omitted for clarity;

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the movable feeding element for engaging the flared shoulders of the spacebands;

Fig. 9 is a perspective of a spaceband being engaged at its flared shoulders by the feeding lips;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the knife, taken substantially on the line i0-l0 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the knife and stationary supporting structure therefor;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the feeding end of the machine showing a band being initially carried forward by the feeding chains;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 but showing the band in position just prior to being conof the band is now ready to be moved forward t to contract it;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line MM of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary plan view showing the band completely contracted or telescoped and now free of its stops so that it is about ready to be re-engaged by the feeding chains;

Fig. 16 is a side elevation of the feeding band taken substantially on line Ifi-IG of Fig. 15 but no parts being shown in cross section for purposes of clarity;

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary plan view showing the band completely re-engaged by the chain after being expanded and now ready to be fed between the cleaning strips and blocks;

Fig. 18 is a bottom perspective View of a cover plate which supports upper pivotal cleaning blocks and the knife;

Fig. 19 is an enlarged longitudinal fragmentary sectional view showing the graphite feeding container, the cleaning blocks and lower cleaning strip;

Figs. 20 and 21 are the perspective views of two of the cleaning blocks;

Fig. 22 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional I view of the bottom plate of the feeding magazine showing a spaceband in its proper right side up position;

Fig. 23 is a view similar to Fig. 22 showing a spaceband improperly positioned upside down thereby automatically to prevent feeding of the band into the machine;

Fig. 24 is a fragmentary perspective showing a part of the spaceband and the means by which it is supported for proper positioning; and

Fig. '25 is a transverse section taken on line 25-45 of Fig. 15 to show the chain guides, certain parts being omitted for sake of clarity.

In the particular embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, for purposes of illustration, we have shown in Figs. 1 and 3 a machine frame I having at one end a feeding magazine generally indicated at 2 and a discharge stacking magazine generally indicated at 3, this discharging means per se not constituting a part of our invention but being the sole invention of the present joint applicant Donehower. Positioned between these two magazines are a pair of feeding chains generally indicated at 4, cams 5 for raising the bands against a cleaning knife and a band contracting finger t which per sedoes not constitute our invention except as it is a cooperative element in our improved band contracting mechanism.

In Fig. 2 a spaceband 1, well known in the art, comprises a long tapered portion 8 and a short complementary tapered element 9 slidable on portion 8 and having flared shoulders It terminating in lateral ears II on each side of a substantially V-shaped opening |2.

' The feeding magazine, Figs. 4 and 12, comprises a pair of stationary vertical side walls l5 and a forward wall l6 which has a vertically extending T-slot H in which a vertically slidable abutment block I8 is yieldingly held down by a spring l9, Fig. 4. The rear end of abutment block I8 is V-shaped to receive the V-recess l2, Fig. 2, of the spaceband. As shown in Fig. 4, the lower rear underside of the abutment l8 (the rear of the machine herein being to the left and the front to the right) is provided with a tip rounded on its bottom so as to allow the lowermost band of a stack of bands 2| to be moved forward easily while the remainder of the stack is restrained by abutment l8. As the bottom-most band slides beneath the tip 20, the abutment I8 is momentarily raised against the tension of spring I9. The tip 20 is transversely narrowed so as to fit substantially in the bottom of the band V-recess l2. The stack 2| of bands are supported upon a stationary plate 22 which in turn is supported upon a spaced stationary part 23 of the frame and upon other horizontal frame members 24. The rear end of plate 22 is provided, Figs. 22 to 24, with a recessed portion 25 whose width is slightly greater than that of the spacebands. A leveling pin 26 is disposed centrally within recess 25 and lies substantially in the same plane as the top surface of plate 22. This pin and recess perform an inspection function in that the spacebands are supposed to be placed in the magazine with the band groove 21, Figs. 2 and 24, on the up side thereby leaving the main bottom fiat surface of the band resting on pin 26 as shown in Fig. 22. If the band is placed wrong side up the band will tilt upwardly, as shown in Fig. 23, about a fulcrum point 28 with the pin falling into the band groove.

Assuming that the bands are properly positioned in the magazine, a reciprocable feeding element 30, Fig. 8, is positioned beneath the plate 22, Fig.7, so that a pair of feeding lips 3 I, recessed in element 30, extend upwardly along each side of plate 22 just sufficiently to engage the flared shoulders IQ of the band as is shown in Fig. 9. The feeding element is biased rearwardly by a spring 32, Fig. 4, connected at one end to a screw 33 which fastens lips 3| to element and at its other end to a stationary part of the frame. This feeding element, when fully retracted, as shown in Fig. 5, has its lips 3| positioned just behind the flared shoulders of the stacked bands. To move this element forwardly a shoulder 34 is formed at its front underside to be engaged by a cam 35 which is driven by a pair of sprockets 36, all mounted upon a common shaft 31, and operated by the pair of chains 4. This feeding cam is similar to that shown in Romyns Patent 2,231,196 and hence per so does not constitute a part of our present invention. As shown in Fig. 25 the chains 4 run in channels 38 along the top of the frame which, as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 1B, is provided with a cover 43.

As the feeding element 3|] moves a spaceband forwardly from the magazine, suitable lugs 40, Fig. 12, on the feeding chains 4 engage the lateral band ears thereby pulling the band beneath a cleaning knife 4|, Figs. 6 and 10. This knife is pivotally supported at 42 in theremovable cover 43 and is biased downwardly by a leaf spring 44 but limited in its downward movement by adjustable stops 45, the spring tension being adjusted by a screw 45'. The bands are raised up to the knife thereby to perform certain dual functions one of which is to scrape metal from the band. To do this, the pair of cams 5, Fig. 7, are secured to and rotated upwardly by shaft 31 on each side of a narrowed section 4! of plate 22 to engage the underside of the band being fed, Fig. 5, and raise it against the knife 4|. As the chain lugs 40 continue to pull the band under the knife the cams will move with the band to firmly press it against the knife until that portion of the band which might contain adhered type metal will have passed the knife whereupon the cams 5 will lower the band on to plate 22. The other function performed by the cams is that as the band is raised by cams 5 the lateral band ears II will be raised over the top of a pair of lateral tail guides 48, Fig. 7, secured to plate 22 and spaced apart just wide enough to serve as a lateral guide for the body portion 8, Fig. 2, of the spaceband. Thus the cams perform the dual functions of helping to clean metal from the bands and also of effectin relative vertical movement between the guides 48 and ears so that the ears may pass the guides and subsequently allow the guides to engage the elongated body portion of the band, this being accomplished in one specific embodiment of our invention shown herein by raising the lateral lips over the top of the tail guides 48.

The chain lugs 4|! now move the band, Fig. 7, over a longitudinal slot 49 in plate 22 during which time, Fig. 12, the trailing end of the spaceband part 8 is laterally guided by the two guides 48. As the rear end of the band passes over the rear end of slot 49 the contraction pin 6, Fig. 6, has moved upwardly to enter slot 49 and engage the end of a recess 50. Fig. 2, of the band. The

pin 6 sweeps forwardly more rapidly than the chains 4 move the front end of the band even though the pin is driven by chain 4 through sprockets 52 at the same speed as sprocket 36, this for the reason that the pin axis 5| is disposed below the level of sprocket axis 31 thereby giving the pin a larger radius of peripheral movement than that of the sprockets. This arrangement of the offset axis 5| provides an extremely simple and yet highly effective means for obtaining rapid movement of pin 6 with minimum complications of the driving connections while at the same time shortening the length of the machine by reason of the lower strand chain having angular portions. It will be understood that the chain lugs must be spaced apart along the chain by a definite distance determined by the spacing of the bands as they feed through the machine and hence by sa ging the chain the accumulated distances along the chain may be maintained while still shortening the machine.

The rapidly moving pin 6 will not by itself effec tively contract the band. In order to obtain a positive contraction of the spaceband so that graphite, if desired, may be worked between all surfaces of the band, we have provided a novel arrangement for positively stopping movement of band part 9 while allowing its part 8 to continue movement and, yet, we further utilize this relative movement between these two tapered parts to automatically disengage the part 9 from its stopped position when the contraction has been effected. To accomplish this it will be seen in Fig. 13 that as the rapidly moving pin 6 engages the end of slot 50 of part 8 the band will be thrust forwardly away from its chain lugs 40 and up against two upstandin stop lugs 55 which, as shown in Fig. 7, is a U-shaped member secured to the underside of plate 22 extending upwardly on each side thereof. With the frontend of part 9 of the bandnow held in a stationary position the pin 6 will move part 8 forwardly beneath part 9 to the position approximately shown in wherein the part 9 ,is about midway between the ends of the part 8. The part 8 is released from stops 55 by functionally utilizing the complementary tapered structure of the band parts 8 and 9 in that the long tapered surface of part 8 lifts the part 9 as part 8 slides forwardly until finally, as shown in Fig. 16, the part 9 is raised above the upper edge of stops 55 and the two parts moved slightly forward over the stops. By this time pin 6 has moved downwardly through its slot 49 and away from the band which is now left momentarily without movement until, as shown in Fig. 17, the chain lugs 48 catch up with band ears I I to again move part 9 to the forward end of part 8 whereupon the two parts then move together. As pin 6, Fig. '6, initially moved upwardly it tended to lift the band 1 which, however, was prevented by an overlying block 51 secured to the cover 43, the block having a slot 58 in which pin 6 moves. In this telescoping operation the stops 55 function broadly merely to engage a front edge of band part 9 without imposing on part 9' a downward force which, if sufficiently present, would prevent freedom of telescopic action.

To clean the bands and lubricate the same with graphite there is provided, as shown in Figs. 18 21, improved cleaning blocks consisting of one series 59 and a special block 60. All of these blocks are supported in the cover 43 by. pin and slot connections 5! which allows the blocks to move upwardly as well as to pivot. Springs 62 are interposed between cover 43 and the blocks preferably near their forward end and the blocks are also provided with a tapered entering edge 63. The special block 60 is additionally provided with a pair of vertical side slots 64, Fig. 20, and immediately above this block a tapered graphite container 65 is disposed. This is supported on cover 63 and discharges immediately over the slotted sections he of block 60. The location of the gra hite container relative to the band during its contraction is shown by dotted circles 65', Figs. 13, 15 and 17. To control flow of the graphite from container 55 a disk 56 is loosely disposed in the container and has a stem 61 extending down into free abutting contact with the top of block fill. Disposed beneath the cleaning blocks is a relatively continuous cleaning strip 68 removably secured by screw 69 to a transverse part it of frame i. As the spacebands move forwardly to the right, they engage the tapered end of the cleaning blocks and initially tilt the same slightly upwardly, as shown in Figs. 6 and 19, until the blocks successively rest entirely along the flat surface of the spacebands. The bands are thus drawn between upper and lower cleaning surfaces under a sufiicient pressure for cleaning, simultaneously being contracted and expanded while graphite is efiectively fed thereto. As the spacebands move beneath special blocks Be it will periodically raise disk 66 to release a limited amount of graphite.

After the spacebands pass through the series of cleaning blocks they are then discharged into the discharge magazine 3 which will be more fully described in the sole application of applicant Donehower Serial No. 223,424 filed April 27, 1951. However, to briefly complete the cycle of operation in this disclosure, chains 4 pass around sprockets on shaft,1l, Fig. 3, and the lower fiat cleaning plate 68 terminates in a downwardly inclined spaceband support 12. As the bands move forwardly to this inclined surface their front end tips downwardly against an abutment T3 thereby lifting the rear left end of the bands whereby a following band is moved beneath this raised rear end and pulled by the chain lugs beneath the stack of bands to keep raising the stack upwardly from the bottom. The chain lugs then move downwardly to be disengaged from. the band ears H. Side plates 7 i maintain the stack in alignment. The bands can be readily removed by simply lifting the stack upwardly by hand. To actuate the chain a hand wheel 15, Fig. 1, is mounted on shaft 5! I.

Operation-She spacebands are stacked in magazine 2, Fig. 3, and the flared edges [0, Fig. 2, of the bands are engaged by the lips 3| of the reciprocating feeder element 30, Fig. 8, the lips extending alongside of only the lowermost band of the stack 2|, Fig. 4. If the band is in good condition, it will be fed forwardly, to the right, and chain lugs 463 will engage the lateral ears H to continue its movement but if the ears are bent or distortedthey will either raise the band above the level of the feeding lips 3| so as not to be engaged thereby or if the band is initially fed band ears It may be above the level of the chain lugs lii so as not to be engaged by them and thus not carried forward into the machine. Also, if any one band is placed upside down in the feeding magazine it will fail to feed when its turn comes for the reason that, as shown in Figs. 22 and 23, the band slot 21 will be on the underside thereby allowing the pin 26 to enter the slot and permit the complete stack of bands to tip downwardly at their left end. The right front end of the band is then lifted out of reach of the reciprocating feeding lips 3| so that the band cannot be fed forwardly. Whenever bands fail to be fed into the machine the operator immediately knows that he has either a damaged band or a band that is in upside down. The damaged band can be removed and repaired while the upside down band will be simply inverted to the position shown in Fig. 22 whereby the band rests on top of the leveling pin 26. After a band is initially engaged by the chain lugs it is raised by cams 5, Figs. 5 and '7, up against the scraping knife d! to remove any possible type metal that might be on it. At the same time the lateral lips ll of the band are lifted over guide elements 48 and after the cams lower the band its trailing part falls between the guides to insure proper alignment of the band slot with slot 49. This permits the contraction pin 6 to sweep upwardly and accurately engage the band to move its front end against stops thereby to allow the rear part H to be moved forwardly and thus telescope these parts for permitting graphite to be spread between them, if desired. The complementary tap-er of these two parts ultimately causes the forward part 9 to be lifted over stops 55 whereupon the chain lugs re-engage band ears II to carry the band forward beneath the series of cleaning blocks 59, and cleaning plate 68 to ultimately discharge the same into the discharge magazine 3.

From the foregoing disclosure it is seen that we have provided an extremely effective, relatively simple and highly fool-proof spaceband cleaning machine that is compact and has minimum parts consistent with the functions performed as well as having the parts readily accessible for inspection or repair thereby requiring minimum time, effort and expense for maintenance.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a spaceband cleaning machine of the type having a feeding magazine for containing stacked bands each of which has an elongated body and a sleeve slidable thereon, the sleeve having lateral ears at one end and flared shoulders extending outwardly from the body and spaced behind and inwardly of the ears, a reciprocating feeding element having lips engageable with said flared shoulders for feeding the lowermost band from the stack, said lips being disposed inwardly of the path of travel of the outer ends of the lateral ears and adjacent to the band body whereby the ears project laterally free of the lips, and means disposed outside the path of travel of said lips for engaging the laterally free ears of the bands for continuing the movement thereof after they are initially fed by said feeding element.

2. A machine for cleaning spacebands which have relatively slidable parts one of which is provided with a V-recess at the forward end comprising, in combination, a feeding magazine having side walls between which horizontally positioned bands are stacked vertically with the V- ends of the bands positioned at one end, a vertically extending V-shaped abutment engageable by the V-recessed ends of the bands, means for vertically yieldably supporting said abutment, escape means on the lower end of said abutment engageable by the forward end of the band to raise the abutment automatically by forward movement of the band for allowing only the lowermost band of the stack to be moved outwardly from beneath the stack and the portion of the abutment above the escape portion having provision for retaining the remainder of the bands in position, and means for feeding the lowermost band during which time said abutment yieldingly moves upwardly in response to movement of the lowermost band thereby to allow such lowermost band to slide beneath the abutment.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 further r horizontal surface terminating between the ends of the bands such that the center of gravity of the bands tends to tip the bands around the termination of said horizontal surface, means for feeding bands from the magazine when the bands are in a substantially horizontal position, said means being ineffective when the bands are tipped, and means engageable with the characteristic on one side of the band for preventing such tipping action so long as the lowermost band of the stack is positioned with said latter side in a down position and controlled by the characteristic on the other side of the band to allow said tipping action when said latter side is positioned downwardly.

5. In a machine for cleaning spacebands having a feeding magazine in which the bands lie substantially horizontally in a vertical stack, a bottom plate in the magazine having a substantially horizontal surface terminating between the ends of the bands such that the center of gravity of the bands tends to ti the bands around the termination of said surface, means for feeding bands from the magazine when the bands are in a substantially horizontal position, said means being ineffective when the bands are tipped, and means for preventing such tipping action so long as the lowermost band of the stack is positioned with a predetermined side in an up position, said predetermined side of the band having a groove and the other side being relatively flat, and the means for preventing tipping of the bands comprising an element of a size to be received in said groove, said element having an upper surface substantially in the same plane as the horizontal bottom plate of the magazine and located beyond the center of gravity of the stack of bands so that when the lowermost band has its fiat surface facing downward it rests on the top of said element and maintains the stack horizontal and when the grooved side faces downward the stack tips thereby to raise one end of the bands so as to render the feeding means inoperative.

References Cited. in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 591,801 Agnew Oct. 19, 1897 1,564,198 Buckminster Dec. 8, 1925 1,907,479 Bendix May 9, 1933 2,085,339 Smith June 29, 1937 2,138,662 Neumair Nov. 29, 1938 2,198,036 Isted Apr. 23, 1940 2,231,196 Romyns Feb. 11, 1941 2,306,922 Willard Dec. 29, 1942 2,318,438 Voth May 4, 1943 2,439,911 Sofnas Apr. 20, 1948 2,509,622 Woolcott May 30, 1950 2,608,285 Davidson Aug. 26, 1952

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