US311572A - Hat-sizing machine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

' 2 Sheets-Shed; l. G'. W. ELWELL 8L' B. PAY.

HAT SIZING MACHINE.

w, JC m Patented Feb. 8, 1885.

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G. W. ELWELL'SE B. PAY. HAT SIZING MACHINE,

No. 311,572. Patented Feb. 3, 1885.

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ll'rvrrnn dramas Parenti erica GEORGE XV. ELVELL AND BERNARD EAY, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

HAT-SIZING MACHENE.

FDPECEFC'ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,572, dated February 3, 1885.

Application tiled October 10, 1884. (No model.)

To afl whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORG-E W. ELwnLr. and BERNARD Fav, citizens of the United States, residing at Danbury, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Sizing Machines; and we do hereby deelare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

Our invention relates to the class of hatsizing machines in which the bundles of hatbodies are rolled along through chambers by means of endless aprons; and the object thereof is to simplify and improve their construction, to produce, in short, a machine which shall be economicalin cost, durable, and practically impossible to get out of order. With these ends in view we have devised the improved construction, which we will now describe in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a longitudinal section on the line .o a' in Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a transverse section on the line 9/ 1/ in Fig. l, excepting that the roll is shown in full lines; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the entire machine; and Fig. 4, a plan view of the belt, a portion ofthe cross'picces being removed, and also showing two ot' the rollers which support the belt.

A A represent the frame-work of the machine, which may be put together in any suitable manner, and may be made of either metal or wood, the latter, however, being deemed preferable.-

B is the trough, and C the table.`

D represents hexagonal rollers, whose shafts are journaled in the corner-posts ofthe niachine, and E round rollers, whose shafts are jonrnaled in the intermediate posts.

F and G represent, respectively, the roof and bottom of the machine, both of which are made adjustable up or down in any suitable manner. Ve preferably, however, use adjusting-shafts having gears which mesh with racks upon the top and bottom, as shown in our former Patent No. 308,598, granted October 14, 1884.

An important feature of our present invention consists in an endless wooden apron carried by the rollers. This apron consists of bands or independent belts H, of metal, rubber, leather, or any suitable material, to which cross-strips H', of wood (metal may be used, if preferred) are bolted or otherwise firmly secured. Any number of these belts may be used; but we preferably use three only, making them about three inches in width, and placing one at each edge of the rollers and one midway between them. These strips are preferably made about three inches wide, and are placed close together and bolted to the belts, after which the heads of the bolts are riveted to give additional security.

In our present machine, as in the one described in our patent referred to above, we make both roof and bottom concave in outline, and provide them with ri bs or lags F' G', the size, location, and arrangement of which are matters wholly within the judgment of the person constructing the machine. The crossstrips H are made concave in outline from end to end, the curvature corresponding in every respect with that ofthe top and bottom, thus forming two concave chambers, M. rlhe cross-strips are also provided with lags H, which correspond in size, number, and arrangement with those upon the top and bottom.l In the present instance we have shown cach cross-strip as provided with five lags. As stated above, however, this is a matter wholly within the judgment ofthe constructor. \Ve have shown the inner rollers as straight round ones, and the two end ones as hexagonal in cross-section. rllhis, however, is notan essential feature ot' our invention, as straight round rollers may be used at the ends, if desired. XVe preferably, however', at the ends use some form of roller which is polygonal in cross-section, making the width of the sides to correspond with the width of the cross-pieces of the apron, so that when in use each ofthe sides of the end rollers will carry one cross-strip of the apron, thus preventing the possibility of the belts shifting or slipping on the rolls. We preferably place sliding j ournal-boxes in the corner-posts, in which the shafts ofthe two end rollers are journaled. By this means we are enabled to take up the slack inthe apron should it become stretched in use. l

The gist of our present invention lies in the ICO ` ed the roof and bottom at equal distances from two concave chambers having rigid or unyielding upper and lower surfaces or walls, both of which are provided with projections or lags, and one of whichis a moving surface or wall when the machine is in operation.

K represents side strips,which serve to brace and strengthcnthe machine, and also to close the chambers at the sides.

L represents stops, which limit the movement of the roof and bottom, so that it will be impossible under any circumstances for the lags on either to come in contact with those upon the apron. i

We have shown the machine as driven from a belt running on a pulley upon one of the end shafts. This shaft is additionally provided with pulleys, which carry belts running over corresponding pulleys upon lthe shaft at the opposite end.-

The operation is as follows: Having adjustthe apron, which distance will of course dcpend upon the class of work being done, the operator at one end of the machine dips the hat-bodies in the trough, rolls them in bundles upon the table, and places the bundles upon the apron, the upper side of which, for example, moves away from him. vAs the apron moves along the bundles of hat-bodies are kept continually rolling over and over inv a direction opposite to-their forward movement. rlhe bundles are thus continually brought in contact with the ribs or lags at top and bottom of the chamber, which in effect isthe same as if they were subjected to a continual series of unyielding blows from abovel and below. After passing through the machine the hatbodies are again dipped by another operator, rolled into a bundle, and started back again in the other concave chamber-that is, the one between the apron and thebottom. This operation is repeated as many times as may be' necessary to shrink the hat-bodies down to the desired size. As the bundles of bodies travel forward but half as fast as the apron, they get the full thumping and beating effect of all the lags, ribs, or projections both on the top and bottom of both chambers.

Owing to the curvature of the tops and bottoms of both chambers, the bundles of bodies are kept continually in the center, so that every bundle passed through the machine must be subjected to an equal amount of manipulation. rlhe capacity of the machine is limited only by the ability of the two operators to dispose of the bundles of hats. The bundles may be put in rapidly one after another, and each will receive the same amount of thumping, no matter how close Vthey may be together.

It will of course be obvious that the details of` construction maybe varied within reasonable limits without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Ve make no claim in this application to the subject-matter covered by our former Patent No. 306,598; but,

Having thus described our invention, -we claiml. A hat-sizing machine having an adjustable roof and bottom, in combination with an endless apron consisting of strips placed close together and secured to belts, of metal, rubber, or any suitable material, passing over rollers, whereby unyielding chambers are formed both above and below the apron.

2. The concave roof and bottom, in combination with an endless apron consisting of concave strips placed close together and secured to endless belts passing over'rollers, whereby two unyielding concave chambers are formed, one wall of each chamber being stationary and the other 'in constant motion when the machine is in use.

3. 1n a hat-sizing machine, two unyielding concave chambers having lags Yor ribs upon both walls, one of said walls being stationary, the other in constant motion, when the machine is in use.

4. The adjustable concave roof and bottom, in combination with an endlessiapron consisting of strips concave in the direction of their length and secured to endless bands or belts, rollers which support said apron, and a polygonal roller at each end of the machine whose sides are equal in width to the width of the strips, as and for the purpose set forth.-

5. rlhe adjustable root' and bottom, and the endless apron consisting of strips placed close together and secured to bands or belts, rollers which support said apron, and sliding journal-boxes which carry the end rolls, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony .whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE w. nimfnnn. BERNARD FAY.

lVitnesses:

ORIN C. BowDY, CHARLns T. ANsoN.

InO

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