US2817467A - Hat crown pouncing and ragging machine - Google Patents

Description

Deg. 24, 1957 H. T. ATwboD ,8 7

HAT CROWN POUNCING AND RAGGINGMACHINE Filed Sept. 21, 1954- 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 HAROLD T. Arwooo Dec. 24, 1957 H. T.- ATWOOD 7 HAT CROWN POUNCING AND RAGGING MACHINE I Filed Sept. 21, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet jfizefiz r HABOLD T. Arwooo 5 Sheets- Sheet s H. T. ATWOOD HAT CROWN POUNCING AND RAGGING MACHINE Deg. 24, 1957 Filed se i". 21, 1954 EZEJEYEJ: HAROLD T. IATWOOD Dec. 24, 1957 H. 1-. ATWOOD HAT CROWN Pouucmc AND RAGGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 21, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 HA 120w TArwooo Dec. 24, 1957 H. 'r. ATWOOD 2,

HAT CROWN POUNCING AND RAGGING-MACHINE FilediSept. 21, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 fig. 11

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1225M Z4222: HAROLD T. ATwooo United States Patent 2,817,467 Patented Dec. 24, 1957 fiice HAT CROWN POUNCING AND RAGGING MACHINE Harold T. Atwood, Chicago, Ill. Application September 21, 1954, Serial No. 457,339 1 Claim. (Cl. 223-40) This invention relates to a hat crown pouncing and ragging machine that may be used in connection with either new or used mens felt hats.

In the manufacture of mens felt hats or in the renovation of old hats the fibers must be trimmed to uniform length and, after the felt is greased and powdered, the fibers are raised to make them stand out to give the surface of the hat a pleasing appearance.

Heretofore these operations have been done manually by an operator holding a pouncing or ragging cloth against the crown of a hat mounted on a rotating chuck. Even with experienced operators the results are not always uniform because the manually exerted pressure may vary or the operator may pass over some portions of the hat quicker than others. "Itis an object of the present invention to provide a machine that will operate without the attention of an operator after it has been started and will stop automatically after it has completed a single operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a pouncing head provided with a pad having an arcuately curved edge to shape a pouncing or ragging cloth secured against the surface of the pad so that the cloth will conform to the contour of the portion of the hat against which it is held with uniform pressure.

Another object is to provide means for moving the pouncing head in a predetermined arc while the hat crown is rotated on'the chuck so that the pouncing head will move from the lower edge of the side of the crown to the center of the crown and then back to its initial position at the lower edge of the side of the crown. Another object is to provide means for automatically moving the pouncing head out of contact with the hat crown as it approaches the center of the crown and to move it back into contact with the center of the crown of the hat as it starts its movement in the reverse direction, so that the pouncing pad will engage the center of the crown, where the felt is thinnest, only once, and will engage the rest of the hat surface twice.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for closely regulating the rotational speed of the chuck on which the hat is mounted. The structure by means of which the above and other objects of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

. Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a pouncing and ragging machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the machine;

- Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1, showing the eccentric roller and cam for moving the pouncing pad across the crown of the hat and means for controlling the electric circuit.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the hat chuck;

Fig. 5 is. a cross sectional view, taken along the line 5+ are 2; t

- move plate 22 forwardly against the rear ends of jaws 20,"

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 7--7 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. l

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the arm adapted to regulate the speed of rotation of the chuck;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the cam for positioning the pouncing arm relative to the crown of the hat with the cam in the position occupied as the pouncing pad is held out of engagement with the center of the crown; t r

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 showing the arm in the position occupied as the pouncingpad is moving back into engagement with the center of the crown of the hat; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary bottom elevational view looking upwardly at the pouncing arm and showing the cam roller for positioning the pouncing arm relative to the crown of the hat.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a basesupporting an upstanding housing 3. A bracket 4 is pivoted to the housing 3, as indicated at 5 (Fig. l). A motor 6, rigidly mounted on bracket 4 drives a shaft 7 on which a split sheave 8 is mounted. An endless belt 9 seated between the two disks of sheave 8 extends around a pulley 10 to drive a shaft 11 on which the pulley 10 is secured.

The inner side wall surfaces of the disks of sheave 8 are tapered outwardly from shaft 7. As bracket 4 is moved pivotally towards housing 3 the disks move closer together and the seat of belt 9 moves outwardly from shaft 7. The outward movement of the seat of belt 9 has the same effect as increasing the size of the pulley 8 relative to the size of pulley 10 and therefore speeds up the rotation of pulley 10 and shaft 11. The pivotal movement of bracket 4 is controlled by an arm 12 which is pivoted to bracket 4 to move parallel to its face and is adapted to move the bracket pivotallywhen it is moved in a plane at right angles to the face of the bracket. A plate 13 (Fig. 9) provided with a plurality of notches 14 extending inwardly from one edge is positioned adjacent one side of arm 12. A spring 15 secured at one end to bracket 4 urges arm 12 towards the notches 14. Accordingly, whenever the bracket 4 is to be moved pivotally, the arm 12 is moved out of its notch 14 and moved in the direction in which the bracket is to be moved. As soon as the force moving arm 12 and bracket 4 is released, the spring 15 will move the arm 12 into the closest notch 14 to hold the arm and bracket against further movement.

As shown in Fig. 4, a worm wheel 16 mounted on shaft 11 meshes with a worm gear 17 to drive a spindle 18 to which worm wheel 17 is rigidly secured. The rate of rotation of spindle 18 is closely controlled by positioning the arm 12 in different notches 14. Spindle 18 is speeded up by moving the motor 6 closer to pulley 10 and is slowed down by moving it away. A chuck 19, adapted to hold a hat to be pounced and ragged, is mounted on the forward end of the spindle 18 and rotates therewith.

The chuck comprises a pair of substantially U-shaped jaws 20 each pivotally mounted in a housing 21. Each jaw 2% has one end engaging the front end of a plate 22 slidably mounted on the spindle. A spring 23, seated in housing 21 and bearing against the rear portion of jaw 20 urges each jaw towards the other. The front ends of jaws 20 are moved away from each other by a cam 24 which engages a ball bearing 22 interposed between the cam 24 and the plate 22. The cam is controlled by a shaft 25 which is actuated manually by a lever 25 to amass? As soon as shaft 25 is released, springs 23 move the front ends of the jaws towards each other to hold the block on which the hat is mounted.

A gear 26, rigidly secured to spindle 18 within housing 21, meshes with a gear 27 mounted rigidly on a shaft 28 journalled in opposite walls of housing 3. A Worm wheel 29, mounted on shaft 28 meshes with a worm gear (not shown) on the upper end of a shaft 30. The shaft 30 extends through a bearing 31 mounted on the inner surface of one wall of housing 3 and through the top wall 32 of base 2. The bottom of shaft 30 is secured to a rotatable disk 33 positioned within the base 2 (Fig. 3).

A nut 34 secures one end of a crank 35 to disk 33 adjacent its circumference. The other end of the crank 35 is secured adjacent the circumference of a disk 36 by a nut 37. The nuts 34 and 37 are so positioned that as disk 33 rotates continuously in one direction the disk 36 oscillates through an angle slightly greater than 90. The oscillatory motion of disk 36 controls the movement of the pouncing arm hereinafter described.

The electrical circuit controlling the operation of motor 6 is housed substantially in base 2. The circuit includes an emergency cut ofi switch 38 of the push button type that is operable to open the circuit at any time. The push button 38 projects through the front wall of base 2 so that it is always easily accessible to the operator. Another switch 40, for the operation of the machine, is mounted on a bell crank 41 pivotally mounted on the underside of the top wall of base 2, as indicated at 42. Switch 40 has an actuating arm 43 projecting outwardly towards the periphery of disk 36. Arm 43 is spring pressed to urge it outwardly and is arranged to close the circuit when it is in extended position. Disk 36 is provided with a cam projection 44 extending laterally from its periphery and engageable with actuator arm 43 to press it inwardly to open the circuit.

A spring pressed rod 45 engaging switch 40 extends through the front wall of base 2 and is provided on its outer end with a button 46. When the machine is at its normal closed position cam projection 44 is in engagement with actuator arm 43 to hold it from movement to its extended position. Inward pressure on rod 45 moves switch 40 rearwardly so that actuator arm 43 moves outwardly from switch 40 to close the circuit and start motor 6. When the motor starts, the disk 36 starts moving. A set screw 47 mounted on an arm 48 of hell crank 41 is positioned close to the periphery of disk 36 so that as cam projection 44 moves past the set screw it pushes arm 48 away from the periphery of disk 36 around pivot 41 and thereby moves switch 40 forwardly to reset it in its initial position. When the movement of crank 35 brings disk 36 back to its initial position the cam projection 44 engages actuator arm 43 and presses it inwardly of switch 40 to open the circuit and stop the machine.

A shaft 49 secured centrally to disk 36 projects upwardly through the top wall of base 2, as shown in Fig. 2. An arm 50 is rigidly secured to shaft 49 to oscillate therewith. A pouncing arm 51 is pivotally mounted on arm 50, as shown in Fig. 2. The pouncing arm comprises a plate 52, a bracket 53 slidably secured to the upper end portion of plate 52 by a rack 54 (Fig. 7) and pinion 55, and a pouncing plate 56 (Fig. rotatably mounted in the upper end of bracket 53, as indicated at 57, Fig. 2.

A knob 58 has a shank 58' which projects through plate 52 and into arm 50 to lock the pouncing arm against pivotal movement when it is swung to its outermost position, as when a hat is to be moved from the chuck. After a hat has been positioned on the chuck, knob 58 has been released, and the pouncing arm has been swung forwardly to its normal operative position, the inward movement of the pouncing arm is regulated by a flat coil spring 59 contained within a housing 60 and secured to a spindle 61 which projects through the plate 52 (Fig. 8). The pressure exerted by spring 59 is adjusted by rotational movement of an arm 62 integral with the housing 60, in accordance with a gage 63 mounted adjacent the housing 60. The spindle 61 is provided with a plurality of serrations or teeth 64 which are engaged by a spring pressed pin 65 (Fig. l) to lock the pressure regulating means against accidental movement after the arm 62 has been positioned to put the desired tension on the spring 59.

The pressure regulating means is effective only when the pouncing arm is positioned correctly with respect to the size of the hat to be worked on by the pouncing arm. For example, the smaller the hat mounted on the chuck, the closer the spacing of the pouncing arm to the chuck. This distance is regulated by means of the rack 54 and pinion 55 (Fig. 7) which are operable by means of a knob 66 rigidly secured to the pinion to move the bracket 53 relative to the plate 52. The top of plate 52 is calibrated in hat sizes to indicate the proper position for bracket 53 for each hat size. When the knob 66 has been rotated in the proper direction to position the bracket 53 properly a set screw 67 is tightened to lock the bracket in the desired position.

The pouncing plate 56 (Fig. 5) is mounted at one side of a vibrator 68 and is provided with a plurality of ball bearings 69. The vibrator is conventional and will not be described. A strip 70 of pouncing paper is mounted on a core 71 and extends around the front of the pouncing plate and a pad 72 which is secured to the pouncing plate. The part of the pouncing paper that covers the front of the pad 72 engages the hat crown as the hat is rotated on the chuck 19 and the pouncing arm 51 is oscillated with the arm 50 which is rigidly secured to the shaft 49. The amplitude of the oscillation is great enough to carry the pouncing pad from the bottom edge of the crown adjacent the brim to the tip of the crown, and back to the bottom edge thereof.

The pouncing paper covering the pad 72 remains in use until the operator decides that it is worn out, and pulls additional paper off the core 71, in a manner hereinafter described, to position fresh pouncing paper in front of the pad 72. The positioning of fresh pouncing paper in front of the pad 72 does not require any interruption of the hat pouncing process since it may be done during the period (hereinafter described) when the pad is removed from the hat crown. The edge of the pad 72 which first engages the crown of the hat as the pouncing arm 51 is oscillated from the edge of the crown adjacent the brim to the tip of the crown is arcuately shaped so as to engage all portions of the crown of the hat with uniformity to produce an even cutting effect over the entire surface of the crown of the hat. A stud 73 projecting upwardly from a bracket 74 secured to one side of a frame 75, which is secured to the rear of the vibrator 68, holds the roll of paper against accidental displacement.

The strip of paper is held against the outer surface of the pad 72 by means of a pair of clamps 76 and 77 and is threaded between rollers 78 and 79. A screw 80 presses roller 79 against roller 78 so that the strip of paper may be fed, when clamps 76 and 77 are loosened, by rotation of a knob 81 (Fig. 2) mounted on the shaft 82 of roller 78. Rollers 78 and 79 are mounted on a bracket 83 secured to the opposite end of frame 75. An idler roller 84- holds the strip 70 taut between pad 72 and roller 78. The plate 56 is preferably provided with guides 85 to keep the paper aligned properly with pad 72. A flat spring 86, secured at one end to frame 75 clamps against the paper coiled around core 71 to prevent slack.

An offset cam 87 is secured to the lower end portion of plate 52 in any suitable manner. The cam, as shown in Figs. l0-12, comprises a rod 88 drive fitted in an aperture (not shown) in the lower end portion of the plate 52. The aperture extends across the width of the plate 52. The rod 88, which is prevented from rotating by its drive fit, has an enlarged end abutting one edge of the plate 52, as shown in Fig. 8 and 12. A sleeve 89 is rotatably mounted on the rod 88 on the opposite side of the plate 52. The free end of sleeve 89 is olfset relative to the rod 88. A spring 90 has one. end secured to a pin projecting from the rod 88 and the other end secured to a pin projecting from the sleeve 89. The sleeve 89 is provided with a slot 91 and a pin 92 projects from rod 88 through slot 91 to limit the rotational movement of the sleeve relative to the rod. The spring 90 normally holds the sleeve 89 in position with its free end above the rod 88. When the sleeve 89 is rotated within the limits permitted by the slot 91 and pin 92, as hereinafter described, the spring 90 is extended partially around the circumference of the rod 88 and exerts a constant force against the sleeve 89, tending to rotate it back into its normal position, with its free end above the rod 88. The interengagement of the slot 91 and the pin 92 keeps the sleeve 89 properly positioned on the rod 88. A roller 93 is rotatably mounted on the free end of sleeve 89. The end of the sleeve 89 is peened over the end of the roller 93 to prevent removal of the roller from the sleeve. If desired, the end of the sleeve 89 could be provided with a threaded recess, and a screw with an enlarged head could be threaded therein to hold the roller 93 on the sleeve. The roller 93 is concentric with the free end of the sleeve 89, and, therefore, is eccentric relative to the rod 88 and the major portion of the sleeve 89.

A cam track 94 secured to the top wall 32 of base 2 is curved to conform to the circular oscillatory movement of the pouncing arm and is aligned with the cam roller 93. As shown in Fig. 2, the cam track has an inclined surface 95 and a groove or recess 96 cut below the upper edge 97 of the surface 95. As the oscillatory movement of arm 50 brings the pouncing arm towards the front of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 2, the cam roller engages inclined surface 95 and tilts cam 87 rearwardly, thereby moving pouncing pad 72 out of contact with the crown of the hat which is mounted on the chuck as the pouncing pad approaches the center of the crown of the hat. At the end of the oscillatory movement of the arm 50 in that direction the cam roller 93 moves into the recess 96.

When the cam roller falls in the recess 96 it moves the pouncing arm 51 toward the chuck, but not far enough to move the pouncing pad 72 back into engagement with the hat crown. While the pouncing pad is spaced from the hat crown the arm 50 starts its movement in the reverse direction. The rod 88 moves with the arm 50 and pulls the cam roller 93 out of the recess 96. The resistance of the cam roller 93 to movement out of the recess 96 causes it to drag slightly and also causes the sleeve 89 to rotate against the action of the spring 90, thus bringing the cam roller 93 into the horizontal plane of the rod 88 with the thicker portion of the sleeve, relative to the free end portion of the sleeve on which the cam roller 93 is mounted, at one side of the sleeve, as shown in Fig. 11. This rotation of the sleeve 89, relative to the rod 88, lowers the horizontal level of the ofiset end of the sleeve, on which the cam roller 93 is rotatably mounted, relative to the rod 88. Since the actual horizontal position of the cam roller 93 is governed by its rolling engagement with the cam track 94, the rod 88 is raised to the level of the cam roller. The rod 88 is rigidly secured in the plate 52, and, therefore, the lifting of the rod 88 moves the pouncing arm 51 inwardly about its pivot so that the pouncing pad 72 engages the hat crown at the tip or center, as the arm 50 moves back toward its initial position. When the cam roller is moved out of contact with the inclined surface 95, spring 90 moves the eccentric free end of the sleeve 89 back to its normal position with the thicker portion on the bottom of the sleeve so that it is ready for the next oscillation of arm 50.

The operation of the machine may be summarized as follows: The lock pin 65 is released and the pouncing arm 51 is swung rearwardly to the outermost position in which it is locked by the shank of knob 58. The lever 25 is then pulled forwardly to move arms 20 of the chunk away from each other. If a hat block is on the chuck it is removed and another hat block placed on the spindle 18. The lever 25 is released, and springs 23 move the arms 20 into position to hold the hat block and hat on the chuck. The knob 66 is turned to position the bracket 53 in accordance Wit-h the size of the hat and the arm 62 is moved to adjust the tension of the spring 59 in accordance with the amount of pressure to be exerted by the pouncing pad against the hat. It is obvious that these various adjustments are made only when the factors controlled by them are different. The knob 58 is released and the pouncing arm is swung forwardly to its normal operative position. The starter button 46 is then pressed inwardly to actuate switch 40.

The chuck starts rotating and the pouncing pad moves into contact with a predetermined area on the crown of the hat. The arm 50 moves the pouncing arm through a predetermined arc, and the shape of the pouncing pad insures proper engagement of the pouncing paper with the crown of the hat until a short distance from the center of the crown when cam roller 93 moves the pouncing pad out of contact with the crown. The arm 50 starts its rearward movement and the pouncing pad moves into engagement with the crown at its center. When the pouncing pad has moved back to the original area where it first engaged the crown, the cam projection 44 engages actuating arm 43 and stops the motor 6. This arrangement causes the pouncing pad to pass over each portion of the crown twice except adjacent the center where it engages the crown only once. The reason for such treatment is that the felt of the crown is thinner at the center and cannot stand as much pouncing as the other portions of the crown.

After the hat has been pounced it may be greased and powdered, and then ragged on the same machine with a ragging cloth substituted for the pouncing paper.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described except as limited by the appended claim.

I claim:

A hat pouncing machine comprising a base, a housing extending upwardly from said base, a bracket hinged to said housing, a motor mounted on said bracket, a rotatable chuck adjacent said housing, means operatively connecting said motor and said chuck, said means including a split sheave adapted to vary the speed of rotation of said chuck as said motor is moved pivotally, a pair of disks in said base, one of said disks being operatively connected to said motor for rotational movement, a crank connecting said disks, whereby said second disk oscillates through a predetermined angle upon rotation of said first disk, means on said second disk to shut off said motor when said second disk returns to its initial position, a shaft secured to said second disk and projecting upwardly through said base, an arm extending laterally from said shaft, a pouncing arm mounted on said first mentioned arm, rack and pinion means for moving said pouncing arm relative to said chuck to adjust the position of said pouncing arm with respect to a hat supported by said chuck, a pouncing pad mounted on said pouncing arm, a spring in said pouncing arm to urge said pad against a hat secured to said chuck, means to adjust the tension of said spring to regulate the pressure of said pad against said hat, said first mentioned arm oscillating said pouncing arm as said second disk is oscillated to move said pouncing pad across the crown of a hat secured to said chuck, and back to its initial position during one cycle of said second disk, and means to move said pouncing pad away from said crown during 2,817,467 7 3 a a predetermined portion of its movement in one direction, References Cited in the file of this patent whereby a predetermined portion of said crown is en UNITED STATES PATENTS gaged by said pouncing pad once, and the rest of said crown is engaged by said pad twice during each cycle of 2,137,250 Schultze 1938 movement of said second disk. 5 215565 12 Ammon Jung 1951

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