US2998831A - Furniture glue press attachment - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 5, 1961 E. DOIRON 3 FURNITURE GLUE PRESS ATTACHMENT Filed May 1, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Emile Doiron INVENTOR.

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Sept. 5, 1961 E. DOIRON FURNITURE GLUE PRESS ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May ll 1959 Emile Do/ron IN VEN TOR. Mm BY m. 15m

2,998,831 FURNITURE GLUE PRESS ATTACHMENT Emile Doiron, 40 Franklin St., Athol, Mass. Filed May 1, 1959, Ser. No. 810,310 3 Claims. (Cl. 144-289) This invention relates to a new and useful actuating assembly for a furniture glue press or clamp machine of the type disclosed in the patent to Gardner No. 1,782,846, dated November 25, 1930, and more particularly relates to an attachment consisting of an actuating assembly for advancing the conveyor assembly of this apparatus, which assembly is of the intermittent advancing type having a rotating shaft with a ratchet wheel mounted thereon.

The main object of this invention is to provide anactuating assembly specifically adapted as an attachment for a furniture glue press or clamp machine of the type disclosed in Patent No. 1,782,846 and that will move inone direction to intermittently advance a conveyor and quickly return to its starting position in readiness for the next forward advance of the conveyor assembly.

A further object of this invention, in accordance with the preceding object, is to provide an actuating assembly that will advance to urge forward movement of a conveyor assembly and quickly return to a position in readiness to eflect the next movement of the conveyor assembly.

A still further object, in accordance with the preceding objects, is to provide an actuating assembly that will be readily adaptable for use with ratchet Wheels of varying diameter.

Still another object, in accordance with the preceding objects, is to provide an actuating assembly that will have a diminishing force applied thereto to return it to its starting position whereby as the limit of the return be greatly reduced.

A final object to be specifically enumeratedv herein is to provide an actuating assembly that will be of simple construction, readily adaptable to numerous sized machines, readily replaceable, and lend itself to conventional forms of manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference. being had to the. accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE '1 is a side elevational view of the invention shown mounted upon a conventional form of furniture glue press clamp machine, parts of the clamp machine being broken away;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged end elevational view of the invention as seen from the left side of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the attachment constituting the invention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 11) generally designates a conventional form of glue press clamp machine such as that disclosed in the patent to Gardner No. 1,782,846 dated November 25, 1930, comprising a conveyor assembly generally designated by the reference numeral 12 having a plurality of clamping elements 14 thereon.

The glue press clamp machine includes a means for intermittently advancing the conveyor assembly 12 having the clamping elements 14 thereon to and from a work position so that a workman standing at the work position may either place into or remove from the clampglued together.

The conveyor assembly 12 includes a horizontally disposed rotating shaft 16 that has a ratchet wheel,18ysecured thereto. a reciprocating power means having a control therefor that, may be conveniently operated by a workman to actuate the rotation ofthe shaft 16 so as to effect, the movement of the conveyor assembly 12.

The reciprocating, power means 20 comprises an extensible motor 22 having a cylinder 24 with a piston (not shown) slidingly disposed therein which is con.- nected to a piston shaft 25.

The extensible motor 22 is operated by fluid pressure entering through inlet line 26 that is controlled by inlet valve 28. The inlet line 26 is connected to a T-fitting,

30 that is in communication with the interior of the cylinder. 24 above the piston (not shown) slidingly disposed therein. The fluid pressure entering the cylinder 24v will cause the downward movement of the piston and the piston rod 25. Also connected to the T-fitting 30 is an outlet line 32 which is controlled by anoutlet valve 34 which may be. opened to allow, the fluid pressure contained within the cylinder 24. to be exhausted therefrom.

An actuating lever 36 is pivotally secured to the clamp machine 10 and is. connectedby a pivotal link 38 to an operating pedal 40.

The structure as above set forth is substantially that disclosed by the aforementioned patent, and it is to be understood that the aforementioned structure does not comprise any part of the invention claimed herein.

In the aforementioned patent to Gardner, there is pivotally secured to the rotatable shaft 16 an actuating beam, not shown, which has on one end a pawl engageable with the ratchet wheel and on the other end a weight. The beam is disposed in a substantially horizontal position and there is provided between the piston shaft 25 and the end ofthe beam having the pawl thereon a connecting link. to reciprocate the actuating beam aboutv its axis. As the piston shaft 25- is moved downward by fluid pressure. in the extensiblemotor 22,. thepawl on the actuating beam engages the periphery of the ratchet wheel 18 to effect the rotation of the rotatable shaft 16 and thus the movement of the conveyor assembly 12.. [After the piston shaft 25- has reached its downward limit, the outlet valve 34 is opened and the weight on the opposite end of the actuating beam returns the latter to its original position in readiness for the next downward stroke of the piston shaft 25.

The present. invention comprises an actuator assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 42. which constitutes a replacement or conversion unit for the aforementioned pivotally mounted actuating beam.

The actuator assembly 42 comprises a brace element 44 that is in the form of an elongated strap having a first laterally projecting flange 46 on one end and a second laterally projecting flange 48'on the other end which extends in the opposite direction of the first laterally projecting flange 46. The second laterally projecting flange 48 is adapted to be secured to the clamp machine 10 by any convenient means such as fastener 56 with the first laterally projecting flange 46 disposed above and in alignment with the ratchet wheel 18. Depending from and secured to the first laterally projecting flange 46 is an expansion spring 52, the lower end thereof being secured to an actuating means 54 in the form of an inverted U-shaped element having a pair of depending legs 56. Each of the depending legs 56 is suitably apertured as at 58, the apertures being aligned and rotatably receiving therethrou-gh an actuator pin 60. The actuating means or inverted U-shaped element Patented Sept. 5, 1961 Disposed adjacent the work position is.

3 54 is connected to the piston shaft 25 by means of a connecting assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 62. The connecting assembly 62 QUIT? to the upper portion of the piston shaft 25 at the other end.

It will be readily apparent with reference to FIGURE 2, that the strap connectors 64 are adapted to embrace a portion of the ratchet wheel 18, and that in operation, as the operating pedal 40 is depressed, the operating lever 36 will open the inlet valve 28 emitting fluid pressure into the cylinder 24 above the piston (not shown) to urge the latter and the piston shaft 25 in a downward direction. The connecting assembly 62, upon the downward movement of the piston shaft 25, will draw the actuating means 54 downward against the force of the expansion spring 52 and cause the actuator pin 60 to engage the periphery of the ratchet wheel 18. Further downward movement of the piston shaft 25 then effects counter-clockwise rotation of the ratchet wheel 18 and the movement of the conveyor assembly 12. Upon the release of the operating pedal 40, the spring 66 will effect the pivotal movement of the operating lever 36 to open the outlet valve 34 releasing the pressure within the cylinder 24 whereupon the expansion spring 52 will return the actuating means 54 to its starting position in readiness to etfect the next downward movement of the piston shaft 25.

Although the actuating assembly 42 has been shown in a substantially vertical position, it is to be understood that other positions could be assumed as long as there was provided a guiding means for the guiding movement of the actuating means 54 into engagement with the ratchet wheel 18 and back to the starting position therefrom.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired tolimit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a furniture glue press of the type having an intermittently advancing conveyor with a rotating shaft drivingly connected thereto, a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaft, and a reciprocating power means disposed on one side of and for movement in alignment with, towards and away from said ratchet wheel, an actuator assembly for said conveyor comprising a brace element,

said brace element being secured to a stationary support on said glue press adjacent said ratchet wheel and on the side remote from said power means and having at least a portion thereof in alignment with the ratchet wheel, a spring having one, end secured to said portion of said brace element, actuating means secured to the other end of said spring, connecting means operatively connecting said power means to actuating means to reciprocate the latter, an actuator carried by said actuating means and releasably engaging said ratchet wheel,

said actuating means comprising a generally inverted U-shaped element having a pair of depending legs straddling said ratchet wheel, said actuator comprising a pin secured between the lower ends of said legs and engageable with said ratchet wheel.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises a pair of elongated spaced links straddling said ratchet wheel and having their opposite ends pivotally secured to said reciprocating power means and said pin.

3. In a furniture glue press of the type having an intermittently advancing conveyor with a rotating shaft drivingly connected thereto, a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaft, and a reciprocating power means disposed on one side of and for movement in alignment with, towards and away from said ratchet wheel, an actuator assembly for said ratchet wheel comprising a brace element, said brace element being secured to a stationary support adjacent said ratchet wheel and on the side thereof remote from said power means, at least a portion of said brace element in alignment with the ratchet wheel, a spring having one end secured to said portion of said brace element, elongated actuating means having one end secured to the other end of said spring and the other end operatively connected to said reciprocating power means by a pair of generally parallel and spaced rigid connecting members, said connecting members disposed on opposite sides of said ratchet wheel and extending along a chord of the latter and beyond the peripheral edges of said ratchet wheel receiving a portion of the latter therebetween, an actuating pin secured between said connecting members adjacent said spring for engagement with the periphery of said ratchet wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,001,547 McMillen Aug. 22, 1911 1,326,186 Clas Dec. 30, 1919 1,420,941 Palmer June 27, 1922 1,782,846 Gardner Nov. 25, 1930 2,387,847 Hofiman Oct. 30, 1945 2,618,982 Mead Nov. 25, 1952

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