US2908493A

US2908493A - Adjustable cloth feeding assembly for cloth spreading machines

Info

Publication number: US2908493A
Application number: US613972A
Authority: US
Inventors: Obedin Nathan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-10-04
Filing date: 1956-10-04
Publication date: 1959-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 1976-10-13

Description

N. ADJUSTABLE CLOTH FEEDING ASSEMBLY FOR CLOTH SPREADING MACHINES Filed 001:. 4. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. NATHAN OBEDIN FIGZ BY amwd Oct. 13, 1959 N. OBEDIN 2,908,493

ADJUSTABLE CLOTH FEEDING ASSEMBLY FOR CLOTH SPREADING MACHINES Filed 001'.- 4, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. NATHAN 055mm BY Email/6,

A TTORNEYS United States Patent ADJUSTABLE CLOTH [FEEDING ASSEMBLY FOR CLOTH SPREADING MACHINES Nathan Obedin, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Application October '4, 1956, Serial No. 613,972

7 Claims. (Cl. 27031) This invention relates to improvements in cloth spreading machines, and relates in particular to a locking assembly for releasably holding the pivotable spreading member of the machine in various adjusted positions.

The invention is intended for use in the well-known and widely used utility spreading machines or turntable spreading machines both of which consist generally of a carriage mounted on wheels for rolling movement back and forth over a cutting table. A roll of cloth or sheet material is mounted on the carriage and the cloth is fed downwardly over guide rollers to a spreading member which is pivotally mounted at. the front of the carriage and carries a feed roller at its free end. The feed roller is maintained close to the table surface to guide the cloth to the table, and as the carriage is rolled back and forth, layers of cloth are spread or laid down in a uniform stacked pile.

As the pile of cloth is built up, it is necessary to raise the spreading member at frequent periods so that its feed roller clears the top layer of cloth on the pile. The conventional method of raising and lowering the feed roller is by screw means connected to the spreading member and adapted to pivot the spreading member, upwardly or downwardly depending on the direction in which the screw is turned. While such screw means is operable for this purpose, its use is slow, tedious. and tiresome, the operator being required to manually turn the screw a great many times to move the spreading member a short distance. This operation is time-consuming and slows down the spreading operation to a great extent, especially where it is necessary to raise or lower the spreading member to its fullest extent at the beginning and end of the spreading operation.

According to the present invention, there is provided a novel locking assembly consisting of a pair of detent fingers, one finger locking the spreading member from upward pivoting movement and the other finger locking the spreading member from downward pivoting movement. These fingers are pivotable and can be actuated by one hand of the operator to release the spreading member for either upward or downward pivoting movement, or both. At the same time the operator may grasp the spreading member with his other hand and raise or lower it quickly and easily to any desired position of adjustment within the limits of its movement. Release of the detent finger or fingers will then immediately lock the spreading member in this adjusted position.

An object of the invention is to provide a locking assembly of the character described which permits rapid and efiicient adjustment of the spreading member with a minimum loss of time and expenditure of energy.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a locking assembly of the character described which permits adjustment of the spreading member in in finite increments.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a locking assembly of the character described which is composed of a few simple parts and is economical in manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the course of the following specification, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a spreading ma.- chine incorporating the instant invention;

Fig. Zis a front elevational view thereof with the cloth broken, away to reveal the machine structure;

Fig. 3 is an enlargedview of theadjusting assembly of the machine, as shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The cloth spreading machine illustrated in the drawings is the manually-operable type of turntable machine, the general construction of which is conventional and well-known, The machine comprises a carriage 10 having respective pairs of wheels 11 and 1 2 at each side thereof, the wheels. 11 being adapted to roll upon a track 14 which is fixed at one side of the table surface 15. The carriage 10 comprises a pair of cast metal

side frame pieces

16 and 17 connected together by cross rods 18. Each

side frame piece

16 and 17 has an open centralportion, and a pair of integrally-cast handles 19. which may be grasped by the operator for manually, rolling the carriage back and forth-over the table surface.

The turntable assembly comprises a frame 20 having a pair of,

side frame pieces

21 and 22 connected together by cross rods 23. Each frame 20 has as its. upper end a socket. 24 for rotatably mounting a roll of cloth R, and at its lower end a pair of outwardly-projecting

arms

25 and 26. A cloth-guiding rod 27 is rotatably mounted between the arms 25 of

frame pieces

21 and 22, while a similar cloth-guidingbar 28 rotatably, mounted between the arms 26.

The turntable frame 2ft. is rotatably mounted at its center upon the carriage 10 by means of the usual swivel mount 29, the structure of which is conventionaL and will not be described indetail. The swivelmount 29 is operable to permit the turntable frame to be turned on a horizontal plane through an angle of relative to the carriage 10 during operation of themachine so that the cloth may be spread in stacked layers with the nap facing in the same direction. Theusuallatch means 30 may also be provided for releasably locking the tumtable frame in its aligned operative position, such as that shown in Fig. 1, during the actuallaying-up of the cloth.

The machine also has a spreading member 31 located at the front end of the carriage It) for guiding the cloth into spread position upon the table surface. The spreading member. 31 includes apair of

side arms

32 and 33 connected together by a tie bar 34 and mounting a cloth feed roller 35 rotatably between their front ends.

A lug 36 is cast integrally on each

side piece

16 and 17, each lug 36 having an integral boss 37 as shown in Fig. 4. The lugs 36 and their bosses 37 serve to mount the spreading member 31 pivotally on the carriage 10. Thus, the spreading member 3]. may be pivoted upwardly or downwardly to bring the cloth feed roller 35 to selected vertical positions above the table surface.

In spreading cloth, the cloth C is unwound from. the roll R mounted in socket 24, passes over the roller 28, and beneath the feed roller 35. To lay a cloth layer smoothly upon the table surface, or upon the pile of-cloth P already spread, the roller 35 must be disposed above and proximate to the uppermost layer on the pile. As the height of the pile increases, the cloth feed roller 35.n1ust be raised periodically, so it will clear the uppermost cloth layer on the pile P. For this reason, ready adjustability of the spreading member 31 is an important factor in the'spreading operation.

Figs. 3 and 4 show in detail the means for pivotally mounting the arm 32 on the carriage frame. A pivot pin 38 extends through the arm 32, through a spacer nut 39 and through theboss 37, the pin.38 having a threaded end which is screwed into the lug 36.

The machine also includes a locking assembly 40 for releasably holding the spreading member 31 in any selected pivoted position, and for quickly and easily releasing the spreading member for further pivoting adjustment. For this purpose the arm 32 has a substantially perpendicular rear terminal extension 41 which actuates the locking assembly. a

The locking assembly 40 includes a hollow housing 42 which is pivotally mounted on an integral frame extension 43 by a bolt 44. A cylindrical rod 45 extends through housing 42, passing through

aligned openings

46 and 47 in the front and rear walls of the housing for longitudinal sliding movement therethrough. A nut 48 afiixed to the rear end of rod 45 acts as a stop to prevent the rod from being slid entirely out of the housing 42. A cylindrical block 49 is secured to the other end of rod 45, as by a set screw 50. The block 49 has a cylindrical pivot shaft 51 integral with one end and extending perpendicularly to the rod 45. The end of arm extension 41 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 51, and is held in this mounted position by a nut 52 which engages the threaded terminal portion 5111 of the shaft 51.

The arm 32 and its terminal extension 41 act in the manner of a bell crank lever so that when the arm 32 is raised or lowered, its perpendicular extension is moved forwardly or rearwardly in a substantially horizontal direction, carrying the cylindrical block 49 with it, and sliding the rod 45 through the hollow housing 42. Actually, the arm extension 41 moves the cylinder 49 and pivot shaft 51 in an arcuate path since the arm extension 41 turns about the fixed pivot 38. For this reason, the hollow housing 42 is mounted to turn on the pivot 44, the housing pivoting to compensate for the arcuate movement of cylinder 49, and permitting the rod 45 to slide freely in either direction through the

housing openings

46 and 47.

A pair of

detent fingers

53 and 54, in the form of elongated metal plates are provided to grip and hold the rod 45 against longitudinal sliding movement in the housing 42. The

fingers

53 and 54 have respective circular apertures 55 and 56 at one end thereof, the rod 45 extending through these openings 55 and 56, which are of slightly greater diameter than the cylindrical rod 45. The

fingers

53 and 54 extend through

openings

57 and 58 in the side wall of the housing 42, so that the free ends of said fingers project a substantial distance exteriorly of said housing.

A pair of compression springs 59 and 60 are mounted on rod 45 between the end walls of the housing 42 and the

respective fingers

53 and 54, the springs normally urging the fingers inwardly toward each other to their operative positions shown in Fig. 4. The tension of spring 59 biases the enclosed end of the finger 53 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 4, so that the finger 53 is tilted in a clockwise direction. In this tilted position, the edges 53:: and 53b of the finger 53 bordering the circular opening 55 engage the surface of rod 45, as shown in Fig. 4, while the rearward surface of the finger 53 engages the edge of the housing opening 57 at line of contact indicated as 53c. This line of contact 530 constitutes a fulcrum about which the finger 53 may pivot. This pivoting action is limited by engagement of the finger with the housing wall at 53d.

If the spreading member 31 were to be lowered, the arm 32 would pivot downwardly, causing its extension 41 to move to the right as viewed in Fig. 4, thereby drawing the rod 45 to the right through the housing 42. Such movement of the rod 45 toward the right is prevented, however, by action of the finger 53. Tension of the spring 59 causes the finger edge 53b to wedge against the surface of rod 45 and bite slightly therein. For this purpose, the

fingers

53 and 54 are made of hard metal while the rod 45 is made of relatively soft metal. A pulling force on rod 45 in a right-hand direction would urge the finger 53 to turn in a clockwise direction around the fulcrum 53c, which in turn would cause the edges 53a and 53b, to bite more securely into the body of rod 45, increasing the wedging action thereof, and locking the rod 45 from sliding movement toward the right.

The finger 54 acts reversely in an identical manner to prevent the rod 45 from sliding toward the left through housing 42, and thus normally prevents the spreading member 31 from being raised. Any force on the rod 45 in a left-hand direction would tend to pivot the finger 54 counterclockwise about its fulcrum 540, which pivoting action is prevented by engagement of the finger with the housing wall at 54a. The finger edges 54a and 54b bordering the circular opening 56, thus bite more firmly into the rod 45, providing the wedging action.

A rectangular block 61 is fixed to the outer wall of housing 42 centrally between the

openings

57 and 58, as by a screw 62, with the planar front and rear surfaces of the block in alignment with the inner edges of

openings

57 and 58.

To release the spreading member 31, so that it may be lowered, the free end of finger 53 is manually depressed or moved toward the block 61, against the tension of spring 59, until the surface of finger 53 rests flush against the surface of said block 61. In this position of release, the circumferential edges of the opening 55 are parallel to and spaced from the surface of rod 45, so that the latter is free to slide through the opening 55. Similar depression of the finger 54 aligns the opening 56 parallel to the rod 45 so that the latter may slide to the left through said opening 56, and the spreading member 31 may be raised. The fingers are made of small size and are located relatively close together, so that in actual practice both are depressed simultaneously, the operator grasping both

fingers

53 and 54 in one hand and squeezing them together, while with the other hand he may raise or lower the spreading member 31.

Thus the spreading member may be quickly and easily raised or lowered and locked in an adjusted position in infinite increments, the

fingers

53 and 54 grasping the rod 45 at any point along its length within its limits of movement. The spreading member may then be immediately released by depression of one or both of the fingers and re-set in any other adjusted position.

A coiled compression spring 63 may be used to counterbalance the weight of the spreading member 31. This compression spring 63 is mounted at the end of rod 45 between the terminal nut 48 and the housing 42. Tension of spring 63 against the nut 48 acts to relieve the weight of the spreading member, permitting the latter to be raised and lowered with a minimum manual effort.

I claim:

1. In a cloth spreading machine having a carriage movable along a table surface and a spreading member pivotally mounted on said carriage for movement along an arcuate path toward and away from the table surface, an adjusting assembly for releasably locking the spreading member in selected adjusted positions, said adjusting assembly comprising an adjusting rod mounted on the carriage for sliding longitudinal movement, crank means coupling said adjusting rod to said spreading member whereby said adjusting member is slid longitudinally when said spreading member is pivoted, and a detent finger mounted on said carriage and manually movable between a locking position in which it engages and frictionally holds said rod, and a release position in which it is clear of said rod, the detent finger being arranged to frictionally grip said rod in its locking position to hold said rod against sliding movement in a direction to lower said spreading member.

2. In. a cloth spreading machine having a carriage movable along a table surface and spreading member pivotally mounted on said carriage for movement along an arcuate path toward and away from the table surface, an adjusting assembly for releasably locking the spreading member in selected adjusted positions, said adjusting assembly comprising an adjusting rod mounted on the carriage for sliding longitudinal movement, crank means coupling said adjusting rod to said spreading member whereby said adjusting member is slid longitudinally when said spreading member is pivoted, and a pair of detent fingers mounted on said carriage and movable between a locking position in which they engage the rod, and a release position in which they are clear of said rod, one of said fingers being arranged to grip said rod in its locking position to hold said rod against sliding movement in one direction, the other finger in its locking position being arranged to hold said rod against sliding movement in the other directions, said fingers being individually and manually operable.

3. In a cloth spreading machine having a carriage movable along a table surface and a spreading member pivotally mounted at one end on said carriage for substantially vertical movement of its free end relative to the table surface, an adjusting rod mounted on said carriage for longitudinal sliding movement, means coupling said adjusting rod to said spreading member for sliding movement of said adjusting rod when said spreading member is pivoted, and a pair of detent fingers pivotally mounted on said carriage for releasably locking said adjusting rod against sliding movement and thereby locking said spreading member in an adjusted position, each of said detent fingers having a gripping surface, spring means normally urging said detent fingers to a locking position in which their gripping surfaces engage and hold the adjusting rod, one of said gripping fingers being arranged to restrain said adjusting rod from sliding movement in one direction and the other finger being arranged to restrain said rod from sliding movement in the opposite I direction, said fingers being individually pivotable to release positions in which their gripping surfaces are remote from said rod.

4. In a cloth spreading machine, a carriage movable along a table surface, a spreading member pivotally mounted at one end on said carriage for substantially vertical movement of its free end relative to the table surface, an adjusting rod mounted on said carriage for longitudinal sliding movement, crank means coupling said adjusting rod to said spreading member for sliding movement of said adjusting rod when said spreading member is pivoted, and a pair of detent fingers pivotally mounted on said carriage for releasably locking said adjusting rod against sliding movement and thereby locking said spreading member in an adjusted position, each of said detent fingers having an aperture of greater area than the cross sectional area of said adjusting rod, said rod extending through both of said apertures, and spring means normally urging said detent fingers to tilted locking positions in which the edges of the apertures engage and grip the adjusting rod, the detent fingers acting as wedges respectively to restrain the adjusting rod from sliding movement in opposite directions, said fingers being individually pivotable to release positions in which the aperture edges are spaced from the adjusting rod.

5. An assembly according to claim 4 in which a housing is pivotably mounted on said carriage, the adjusting rod extending slidably through said housing, said detent fingers extending through respective spaced openings in said housing.

6. An assembly according to claim 4 in which spring means are connected to the adjusting rod and adapted to bias said rod in a direction to counterbalance the weight of said spreading member acting upon said rod.

7. In a cloth spreading machine, a carriage movable along a table surface, a spreading member pivotally mounted at one end on said carriage for substantially vertical pivoting movement relative to the table surface, an adjusting rod mounted on said carriage for longitudinal sliding movement, said adjusting rod being coupled to said spreading member and movable therewith when said spreading member is pivoted, and a pair of detent fingers pivotally mounted on the carriage and normally engaged with said rod, one of said fingers having a gripping surface for holding the rod against longitudinal sliding movement in one direction, the other finger having a gripping surface for holding the rod against longitudinal sliding movement in the other direction, said fingers being individually pivotable for releasing the adjusting rod and permitting the spreading member to be pivoted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,029,316 Preister June 11, 1912 1,036,011 Schneider Aug. 20, 1912 2,355,526 Gundlach Aug. 8, 1944 2,476,759 Obedin July 19, 1949 2,478,840 Sayles Aug. 9, 1949