US3226175A - Electric lamp making apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 28, 1965 P. RUSSELL ETAL ELECTRIC LAMP MAKING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnv vtow's Ardshuf 1 Russett Edward? Gw-g e t'ic by en" bds'ovneg Dec. 28, 1965 P. RUSSELL ETAL ELECTRIC LAMP MAKING APPARATUS M b K m Ougdc w TR mp w m r h d A E .WQ |\|HV11H w my dog 6 n 9 Filed Sept. 5, 1963 8, 1965 A. P. RUSSELL ETAL ELECTRIC LAMP MAKING APPARATUS .S Sheets-Sheet 3 52 C) lnven tovs: Av thur' P. Russebl, Edward F. Gaggrtic b 7m Teh' A -T'OTTWQH 2 0 Z 6 T 3 2 7 m iww wiry T- S um m mm; :5 m fi w F United States Patent 3,226,175 ELECTRIC LAMP MAKING APPARATUS Arthur P. Russell, South Euclid, and Edward F. Grgetic, Richmond Heights, Ohio, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 306,037 9 Claims. (Cl. 31631) This invention relates to lamp sealing-in apparatus for uniting the component parts of a lamp comprising a glass bulb, a glass exhaust tube and a filament mount structure. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for fusing the glass bulb to the exhaust tube, with the leadingin conductors of the mount structure hermetically sealed in the glass forming the seal between the said glass parts of the lamp.

There has recently appeared on the market a miniature type incandescent lamp commonly referred to as a wedge base lamp and comprising a small tubular glass bulb provided at one end with a flattened external stem press through which the two lead-in wires of the lamp mount are sealed so as to project endwise from the glass stem press in more or less parallel relation. Outwardly of the stem press the lead-in wires are bent or looped back upon themselves to form loop-shaped lamp terminal contact portions which are bent around opposite sides of the stern press so as to lie more or less fiat against the flattened sides thereof, the free wire end of each wire loop contact being reentered and embedded in the outer end of the stem press so as to be firmly anchored therein. The lamp is exhausted through a glass exhaust tube which extends through and is sealed into the glass stem press between the two wire lead-in conductors and is tipped-off outwardly of the stem press. The passageway through the exhaust tube is maintained open during the stem press forming operation in a suitable manner, as for example by the provision of an internal coating on the exhaust tube of a material suitable for the purpose, such as powdered Zirconium oxide, as described and claimed in US. Patent 2,904,716, R. Malm et al., dated September 15, 1959.

In the high-speed production manufacture of such wedge-base type lamps on automatic lamp-making machines, it is highly desirable to conform to the usual manufacturing requirements customary in the lamp-making art, such as uniformity of lamp construction and quality, and minimum production rejects or shrinkage. In particular, the lamps should all have a uniform spacing between and positioning of the loop-shaped wire contact terminals of the lamp so as to enable proper socketing of each lamp in a socket, and the filament mounts should be sealed into the lamp bulb in properly aligned and inserted position therein so as to properly locate the filament with respect to the lamp bulb and to the lamp socket as well.

One of the operations involved in the manufacture of electric incandescent lamps in general is the sealing of the lamp mount or stem into the glass lamp bulb. According to current lamp-making practice, these sealing operations are customarily carried out in automatically operating sealing-in machines which generally comprise an intermittently indexing carrier or turret provided with a series of individual work-supporting sealing heads which support the lamp mounts or stems and the glass bulbs in proper position for sealing together and advance them in turn through a series of successive work stations where the glass bulb is suitably heated and softened, as by means of gas fires located thereat, to effect the sealing of the lamp mount or stem into the bulb. For obtaining maximum operating speeds and production efficiency from such sealing-in machines, automatic feeding and unloading mechanisms are customarily provided for feeding the component lamp parts into, and unloading the sealed lamp Patented Dec. 28, 1965 ice assembly from the sealing heads of the machine. To enable the use of such automatically operating feeding and unloading mechanisms, however, the sealing heads must be of a design which, in addition to being capable of supporting the component lamp parts in proper sealing relation, also permits the feeding of the individual lamp parts into place in the sealing head by the various automatic feeding mechanisms, and the unloading of the sealed lamp assembly from the sealing head by the automatic unloading mechanism, without any obstruction whatever to the operation of such mechanisms.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide apparatus for automatically manufacturing wedge-base type incandescent lamps of the character referred to, at high speeds and in conformance with the above-mentioned manufacturing requirements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a head construction for supporting the component parts of a lamp of the character referred to hereinabove in proper relation for sealing together to form a tubulated lamp bulb assembly.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel head construction for a lamp sealing-in machine adapted to seal together the component parts of a lamp of the general character referred to hereinabove which head construction is adapted to receive and permit the automatic feeding of the various component lamp parts into supported position within the head by separate automatically operating feeding mechanisms without in any way interfering with the proper operation thereof.

Briefly, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, the work-supporting head of a lamp sealing-in machine is provided with separate pairs of jaws for respectively receiving and holding in sealing relation the filament mount, glass exhaust tube and glass bulb components of a lamp of the type referred to, the exhaust tube jaws and mount holding jaws being operated by common actuating means carried by the head and being vertically movable in unison on the head through an appreciable amount of vertical travel relative to the bulb holding jaws to afford suflicient clearance therebetween to permit feeding of the lamp parts into the head by separate automatically operating feeding mechanisms, and removal of the sealed lamp assembly from the head by automatically operating unloading mechanism.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the mount holding jaws of the lamp sealing head are adapted to butt up against the bottom or neck end of the glass lamp bulb, during their upward movement to introduce the lamp mount into sealing position within the bulb, in order to thereby readjust the bulb supported in the head to the proper elevational position relative to the lamp mount and exhaust tube for the subsequent sealing together thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of a species thereof and from the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lamp sealing-in machine according to the invention showing the work-supporting heads at the principal work-performing stations of the machine, a portion of the head-supporting carrier being broken away and the associated heads omitted in order to show the various cam tracks and operating mechanisms located therebelow for actuating the various work-holding mechanisms of the heads during the course of travel thereof around the machine.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view showing the manner in which the component parts for a lamp of the character referred to above are positioned in sealing relation by the work-supporting head of the apparatus comprising the invention.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, taken at a right angle to FIG. 2, of the tubulated lamp bulb assembly produced by the sealing apparatus comprising the invention.

FIG. 4 is an elevation of the completed lamp.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the drive mechanism for the apparatus comprising the invention and the various cam tracks and actuating means for the various operating mechanisms of the work-supporting heads of the apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lamp seal pinching mechanism located at one of the work stations of the apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary front elevation of one of the work-supporting head mechanisms of the apparatus with its work-holding jaws shown in their open or inoperative position.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of the head mechanism shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the work-supporting head mechanism with its work-holding jaws shown in their closed or operative positions, the gripping faces of the mount holder jaws and the mount being omitted in order to show the exhaust tube holder jaws therebelow.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of the head mechanism showing it in its operative position with all the component lamp parts supported in place therein ready for sealing together.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the head mechanism as shown in FIG. 10 and additionally showing the gas fire burners at the various heating stations of the apparatus for heating and fusing the glass lamp bulb in the head, and

FIG. 12 is a sectional View on the line 12-12 of FIG. 11 showing the actuating mechanism for operating the lamp bulb holder jaws of the head.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus according to the invention comprises a carrier or turret 1 provided around its periphery with a plurality of heads 2 for supporting and carrying a glass bulb 3, a filament mount 4 and a glass exhaust tube 5 in proper relation for sealing together, as shown in FIG. 2, to form a tubulated lamp bulb assembly 6 such as shown in FIG. 3. The glass bulb 3 is of generally tubular shape having an open end into which the lamp mount 4 and the exhaust tube 5 are sealed. As shown, the lamp mount 4 comprises a filament 7 of tungsten wire or other suitable refractory metal wire in coiled or coiled-coil or other suitable form connected at its opposite ends to a pair of lead-in wires 8, 9 which extend in generally side-byside relation and are embedded in a glass bead 10 to firmly hold them together in fixed spaced-apart relation. The outer ends of the lead-in wires 8, 9 are retroverted or doubled back upon themselves to form loop-shaped outer end portions 11 (FIG. 2) serving as the terminal contacts for the lamp. The filament 7 is supported intermediate its ends by a supplementary support wire 12 one end of which is embedded and anchored in the glass bead 10 and the other end of which is formed with a loop within which the filament is supported. During the sealing of the lamp bulb assembly 6, the lower or open neck end of the bulb 3 and the upper end of the exhaust tube 5 are heated and softened and the bulb end then pinched around the lead-in wires 8, 9 and exhaust tube 4 to form a flattened external stem press 13 in which the portions of the lead-in wires immediately adjacent the loop-shaped outer end contact portions 11 are embedded and hermetically sealed, the free ends of the retroverted outer end portions 11 of the lead-in wires reentering and being embedded in the stem press 13 to firmly anchor them therein. The looped wire contact portions 11 of the sealed lamp bulb assembly 6 are bent around opposite fiat sides of the stem press 13 to lie flat thereagainst as shown in FIG. 4, and the lamp bulb 3 then evacuated to the degree customary for conventional vacuum type incandescent lamps through the bore of the glass exhaust tube 5 which is then tipped ofi irmnediately outward of the stem press, as indicated at 14, to thereby hermetically seal the bulb. During the stem press forming operation, the bore of the exhaust tube 5 is maintained open through the stern press in a suitable manner, either by proper control of the heating and softening of the glass bulb and exhaust tube or by the added provision of an internal coating on the exhaust tube as described hereinbefore, coupled with the use of stem press pinching jaws which are properly relieved to accommodate the exhaust tube region of the stem press 13 without pinching the exhaust passageway shut.

The turret 1 is mounted for rotative movement on a vertical center shaft 15 journaled in the stationary or bed portion (not shown) of the machine, and it is intermittently indexed about its rotative axis by suitable indexing means, as by a conventional electric motor-driven horizontal main drive or cam shaft 16 (FIG. 5) carrying a barrel cam 17 which successively engages with a plurality of rollers 18 depending from and disposed around the periphery of a circular index plate 19 fixed on the turret support shaft 15, to carry each head 2 progressively through a series of work stations (32 in the case of the particular machine illustrated designated A to Z and A1 to F1) where various lamp-making operations are performed. The location of the main drive shaft 16 relative to the turret 1 is incidated by the shaft axis 16' shown by the dash-dot line in FIG. 1. The operations essentially performed by the apparatus comprising the invention are the feeding of a glass exhaust tube 5 at the first or exhaust tube loading station A, the repositioning of the exhaust tube 5 at the second station B to locate it at the correct elevational position for sealing to the lamp bulb 3, the feeding of a lamp mount 4 at the third or mount loading station C, the feeding of a glass lamp bulb 3 at the fifth or bulb loading station E, the repositioning of the bulb at the sixth station F to locate it at the correct elevational position for scaling to the exhaust tube and to the lamp mount, the heating and fusion of the open neck end of the bulb to the upper end of the exhaust tube and around the lead-in wires of the lamp mount 4 at the seventh station G and through the twenty-seventh station B1, the pinching of the bulb neck at the eighteenth station R and preferably also at one or more subsequent stations such as the twenty-third and twenty-fourth stations W and X, respectively, to form the stem press 13 on the lamp, and the unloading of the sealed lamp bulb assembly 6 from the supporting head 2 at the thirty-first or unloading station E1 of the machine.

Each work-supporting head 2 of the apparatus according to the invention comprises a support means consisting of an elongated support bracket 20 bolted or otherwise fastened to the upper side of the turret 1 and extending radially outward from and overhanging the outer periphcry of the turret. Fixedly mounted on and upstanding from the overhanging portion of the head support bracket 20, on the radial center line 0 thereof (FIG. 9), is a vertical support post 21 on the upper end of which is fixedly mounted, as by being bolted thereonto, a horizontally disposed support plate 22. Also fixedly mounted on and upstanding from the overhanging portion of the head support bracket 20, radially outward of the turret 1 from the support post 21, are a pair of vertically extending guide rods or posts 23, 24 which, as shown in FIG. 9, are symmetrically located on opposite sides of the radial center line 0 of the head 2. The upper ends of the guide rods 23, 24 project into and snugly fit within openings in the support plate 22 to restrain it against: rotational movement about the vertical axis of the support post 21 on which it is mounted.

Pivotally mounted on the upper side of the support, plate 22 for horizontal swinging movement thereon are a pair of bulb holder arms 25 and 26 having upwardly offset jaw arm portions 27 and 28 for gripping and holding therebetween a tubular glass lamp bulb 3 in a vertical open end down position on the center line c of the head 2, with the bulb located radially outward of the turret 1 from the support plate 22. As shown particularly in FIG. 9, the offset jaw arm portions 27 and 28 are provided with vertically extending semi-cylindrical grooves 29, 30 in their opposed bulb-engaging faces for receiving the bulb 3 and centering it between the jaw arm portions when in their closed position so as to vertically align the bulb in proper sealing position with the other parts of the lamp supported in the head 2. The bulb holder arms 25, 26 are clamped or otherwise fastened to the upper ends of, and are pivoted between their open and closed positions by, respectively vertically extending pivot shafts 31 and 32 which are journaled adjacent their upper ends in the support plate 22 and adjacent their lower ends in the overhanging portions of the head support bracket 20. The bulb holder arms 25, 26 and associated jaw arms 27, 28 are normally maintained in their closed or bulb-holding position as shown in FIG. 9 by the pull of respective tension coil springs 33 and 34 which are connected at one of their ends to respective spring posts 35 and 36 fixed on and projecting from the bulb holder pivot shafts 31, 32 and at their other ends to spring posts 37 (FIGS. 8 and 11) fixed on and projecting from the support posts 21 of the next adjacent support heads 2. As shown in FIG. 9, the bulb holder arms 25, 26 are provided with adjustable stop screws 38, 39 which engage with a stop pin 40 fixed on and upstanding from the upper side of the support plate 22 to thereby prevent the opposed faces of the bulb holding jaws 27, 28 from striking against one another, and so causing the gradual wear thereof, when a bulb 3 is for some reason missing in the head 2 at the time the bulb jaws are closed to grip a bulb therebetween. The pivot shafts 31, 32 for the bulb holder arms 25, 26 are geared together, by means of intermeshing spur gears 41, 42 fastened on their lower ends, to cause the bulb jaws 27, 28 to swing or pivot in unison toward one another to grip the bulb 3 therebetween and away from one another to release the bulb and permit the unloading thereof from the machine.

Rotation of the bulb jaw pivot shafts 31, 32 to effect the opening and closing movements of the bulb jaws 27, 28 is produced by a bulb jaw operating mechanism 43 (FIG. 12) comprising an actuating lever arm 44 fastened at one end to the lower end of the pivot shaft 31 and pivotally connected at its other end by a link 45 to one end of an operating arm 46. The other end of the operating arm 46 is pivotally mounted on a vertical pivot pin 47 depending from and suitably fastened, as by means of a set screw 48, within a bore opening 49 in the lower end of the vertical support post 21 which, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, extends completely through the overhanging portion of the head support bracket 20 and projects downwardly from the underside thereof. Relatively mounted on and depending from the swinging end of the operating arm 46 and is a convexly rounded cam follower roller 50 which, when the head is positioned at the lamp unloading station E1 of the machine is engaged by one arm 51 of a bell crank lever 52 pivotally mounted on a stationary part (not shown) of the machine frame, to cause the operating arm 46 to be swung about its pivot pin 47 to rotate pivot shafts 31, 32 so as to effect the opening of the bulb jaws 27, 28. As shown in FIG. 5, the pivotal movement of the bell crank lever 52 in proper timed relation to the dwell of each head 2 at the lamp unloading station E1, is produced by a cam follower lever arm 53 which is pivoted at one end on the machine frame and is engaged at its other end with the cam track of a face cam 54 fixed on the main drive shaft 16 of the machine, the cam follower lever arm 53 being pivotally connected intermediate its ends by link 55 to one arm of a bell crank lever 56 which is pivotally mounted on the machine frame and has its other arm pivotally connected by link 57 to the arm 58 of the roller-engaging bell crank lever 52. On indexing of the head 2 away from the lamp unloading station E1, the cam follower roller 50 rides off the arm 51 of the actuated bell crank lever 52 onto an arcuateshaped stationary cam track 59 which then continues to hold the operating arm 46 of the bulb jaw operating mechanism 43 in an actuated or inwardly pivoted position with the bulb jaws 27, 28 swung to an open position. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the cam track 59 is concentric with the rotational axis of the turret 1 and it is coextensive with the path of travel of the operating arm roller 50 from the lamp unloading station E1 to the bulb loading station E. During the index movement of the head 2 from the lamp unloading station E1 to the exhaust tube loading station A, a slight rise 62 in the cam track 59 acts to swing or pivot the bulb jaws 27, 28 open an additional amount, e.g., to a 60 pivoted position from the initial 45 open pivoted position to which they are swung at the lamp unloading station E1 by the bulb jaw actuating lever 52. By thus swinging the bulb jaws wider apart, additional clearance is provided for the entry therebetween of the mechanism for automatically loading the exhaust tube 5 into the head 2 at the ensuing exhaust tube loading station A of the machine. During the course of movement of the head 2 from the exhaust tube loading station A to the bulb loading station E of the machine, a gradual drop 63 in the cam track 59 then allows the bulb jaws 27, 28 to be gradually swung or closed to within a few degrees of their fully closed position, for example, to an 8 open pivoted position, by the pull of the tension coil springs 33, 34 on the spring posts 35, 36 such as rotates the bulb jaw pivot shafts 31, 32. On indexing to the bulb loading station E, the roller 50 carried by the operating arm 46 of the bulb jaw operating mechanism 43 rides off the trailing end of the cam track 59 and onto the arm 64 of a bell crank lever 65 which controls the subsequent closing movement of the bulb jaws 27, 28 from the partially (for example, 8) open position they occupy on index into station E to their fully closed position during the dwell of the head 2 at the said station E. The pivotal movement of the bulb jaws 27, 28 to their fully closed position at station E so as to grip and hold the bulb 3 therebetween occurs only after the bulb has been suitably placed in position in the head 2, as by means of an automatically operating bulb loading mechanism (not shown), for gripping and retention of the bulb by the bulb jaws 27, 28. With the bulb 3 thus positioned and held in place in the head 2, the bell crank lever 65 is pivoted so as to disengage its arm 64 from the roller 50 on the bulb jaw operating arm 46, thereby permitting the tension coil springs 33, 34 to rotate the bulb jaw pivot shafts 31, 32 so as to swing the bulb jaws 27, 28 to their fully closed position in which they embrace and grip the tubular bulb 3 therebetween and firmly hold it in a vertical open end down position as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The pivotal movement of the bell crank lever 65 in proper timed relation to the dwell of each head 2 at the bulb loading station E is produced by a cam follower lever arm 66 which is pivoted at one end on the machine frame and is engaged at its other end with the cam track 67 of a face cam 68 fixed on the main drive shaft 16 of the machine, the cam follower lever arm 66 being pivotally connected intermediate its ends by link 69 to one arm of a bell crank lever 70 pivotally mounted on the machine frame and having its other arm pivotally connected by link 71 to the arm 72 of the roller-engaging bell crank lever 65.

Slidably mounted on the vertical guide rods 23, 24 of the head 2 for vertical sliding movement thereon is a main support slide or carriage 73 having a vertically extending front face 74 disposed normal to the radial center line c of the head and facing radially outward of the turret 1. Pivotally mounted on the front face 74 of the slide 73 for pivotal movement in a vertical plane parallel to the front face 74 are a pair of exhaust tube holder arms or levers 75, 76 which extend generally vertically in more or less side-by-side relation and are provided at their upper ends with inturned opposed jaw members 77, 78 which are adapted to grip an exhaust tube 5 therebetween and hold it in a vertical centered position in axial alignment with and directly below a bulb 3 held in the bulb holder jaws 27, 28, as shown in FIG. 12. For such purpose, one of the jaw members, e.g., jaw member 77, is formed with a pair of vertically spaced V-shaped jaw ends or faces 79 (FIG. 7) against which the exhaust tube 5 is clamped and centered at the bottom of the V by the jaw end 80 of the other jaw member 78 which is adapted to engage and press against the exhaust tube at a region between the two V-shaped jaw faces 79. The lever arms 75, 76 are pivoted intermediate their ends on respective headed pivot or set screws 81, 82 which are fastened in, and project from the front face 74 of the support slide 73.

The exhaust tube holder jaws 77, 78 are normally held in their closed pivotal position by the pull of a tension coil spring 83 extending between and connected at its opposite ends to spring posts 84, 85 extending from the respective lever arms 75, 76 adjacent their upper ends. Pivotal movement of the lever arms 75, 76 to open the exhaust tube holder jaws 77, 78 thereon is produced by downward movement of a roller 86 which is connected to the lever arms by connecting links 87, 88 pivotally connected at one end to the lower ends of the respective lever arms 75, 76 and pivotally interconnected at their other ends by a common pivot pin 89 (FIG. 7) on which the roller 86 is rotatively mounted. The roller 86 is moved downwardly, to effect the opening of the exhaust tube holder jaws 77, 78, by the engagement therewith of a downwardly facing shoulder 90 on a subslide 91 which is vertically slidable on the main support slide 73. The shoulder 90 is constituted by the upper end wall of a vertically extending slot 92 formed in the rear face of the subslide 91, within which slot the roller 86 is received and moves. As shown in FIG. 11, the slot 92 is open at its lower end in order to permit the passage of the roller 86 out the lower end of the slot. The subslide 91 is vertically reciprocated by, and fixedly secured as by a clamping screw 93 to a vertically extending actuating rod 94 which is vertically slidable in upper and lower slide bearing blocks 95, 96, respectively, formed integral with and projecting from the front face 74 of the main support slide 73. The subslide 91 is provided with a pair of opposed downwardly extending arms 97 and 98 defining therebetween a vertical slideway 99 (FIG. 10) for slidably receiving therein the lower bearing block 96. By means of this sliding fit of the lower bearing or guide block 96 within the slideway 99, the subslide 91 and the associated actuating rod 94 to which it is fastened are locked against rotation about the vertical axis of the actuating rod.

At its upper end, the main support slide or carriage 73 is provided with a mount holding means 100 for supporting a lamp mount 4 is upright position thereon in vertical axial alignment with and centered relative to the exhaust tube 5 and the bulb 3 supported in the head 2. The mount holding means 100 comprises a stationary jaw 101 fixed on and upstanding from the upper end of the support slide 73 and a complementary pair of side-by-side movable jaws 102 which are pivotally mounted on the upper end of the support slide 73, in opposed relation to the stationary jaw 101, on a horizontally extending common pivot pin 103, for pivotal movement in a vertical plane parallel to the radial center line c of the head 2. The jaws 101, 102 are formed with cooperating flat jaw faces 104, 105, respectively (FIG. 8), which, in the closed position of the jaws, are disposed in opposed relation in parallel vertical planes normal to the radial center line of the head 2 and are adapted to engage and clamp therebetween the lead-in wires 8, 9 of the mount 4 :at the region of their looped outer contact portions 11. The jaw faces 104, 105 are suitably relieved or grooved, as indicated at 106, so as to freely accommodate therebetween the exhaust tube without crushing it when the jaws 101, 102 are in their closed mount holding position. As shown, the pivoted jaws 102 are in the form of bell crank levers one of the arms of which serves as the clamping jaw thereof and the other arms of which are pivotally connected by respective compression spring links 107 to the upper end of the vertical actuating rod 94. The provision of two independent movable jaws 102 for clamping respective ones of the lead-in wires 8, 9 of the lamp mount 4 against the stationary jaw 101, together with the spring compressed connection of the pivoted jaws 102 by the compression spring links 107 to the actuating rod 94, assures the secure clamping of each lead-in wire of the lamp mount between the jaws 101, 102 irrespective of any variations in the wire diameter or size of the lead-in wires. As shown in FIG. 11, the compression spring connecting links 107 are pivotally connected at one end to the operating arms 102' of the respective pivoted jaws 102 by separate pivot pins 108 and at their other ends they are pivotally connected to the upper end of the actuating rod 94 by a pin and slot type connection, the actuating rod being provided with a pivot pin 109 received and slidable within slots 110 in the lower ends of the links 107. Compression coil springs 111, disposed within bore openings 112 in the respective links 107, are compressed between the inner ends of the bore openings 112 and the pivot pin 109 riding in the slots 110 of the links to thereby constantly exert an upward thrust on the links in the direction of pivotal closing movement of the movable jaws 102. The subslide 91 and the associated vertical actuating rod 94 on which it is fastened are continuously urged upwardly relative to the main support slide 73, to thereby normally maintain the movable jaws 102 in their pivotally closed mount-holding position, by the pull of a pair of tension coil springs 113 which are disposed on opposite sides of the actuating rod 94 and are connected at one of their ends to spring posts 114 extending from the upper bearing block 95 on the main support slide 73 and at their other ends to spring posts 115 extending from the subslide 91. The upward lifting movement of the subslide 91 and associated actuating rod 94 relative to the main support slide 73 by the tension coil spring 113 also acts to raise and disengage the stop shoulder 90 of the subslide from the roller 86 controlling the operation of the exhaust tube holding jaws 77, 78 so as to free the said roller 86 for upward movement within the slot 92 in subslide 91 in order to thereby permit closing of the tube holding jaws 77, 78 by the coil spring 83.

Vertical movement of the actuating rod 94 and associated subslide 91 relative to the main slide 73, to effect the opening and control the closing of the mount holding jaws 101, 102 and the exhaust tube holding jaws 77, 78, is effected by the engagement of a downwardly facing segmented cam track 116 with a cam follower roller 117 car ried by the actuating rod 94 at its lower end. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the cam track 116 is composed of a stationary drop segment 118 of arcuate shape which extends around the path of travel of the heads 2 on the turret 1 from a point between stations Z and A1 to a point just before station A and which is operative to move the actuating rod 94 and subslide 91 downwardly so as to effect the opening of the mount-holding jaws 101, 102 and the exhaust tube-holding jaws 77, 78, a short vertically movable cam track segment 119 located at station A for permitting a small amount (e.g., inch) of upward movement of the actuating rod 94 and subslide 91 at said station by the upward pull thereon of springs 113 in order to permit the closure of the exhaust tube-holding jaws 77 78 by the spring 83 connected thereacross, an elevated stationary track segment 120 of arcuate shape which extends around the path of travel of the head 2 from a joint just beyond station A to a point just before station C for maintaining the actuating rod 94 and associated subslide 91 in the initially elevated position to which they are raised at station A by the springs 113 in cooperation with the movable cam segment 119, and a second short vertically movable cam track segment 121 located at station C for permitting an additional amount (e.i., inch) of upward movement of the actuating rod 94 and subslide 91 at said station by the upward pull thereon of the springs 113 to thereby permit the closure of the pivoted mountholding jaws 102 against the stationary jaw 101 so as to clamp the lamp mount 4 securely therebetween. The movable cam track segment 119 at station A is raised in proper timed relation to the dwell of each head 2 at said station by the pivotal movement of a cam follower lever arm 122 (FIG. which is pivoted at one end on the machine frame and is engaged at its other end with a cam track in one face of a face cam 124 fixed on the main drive shaft 16 of the machine, the cam follower lever arm 22 being pivotally connected intermediate its ends by link 125 to one arm of a bell crank lever 126 pivotally mounted on the machine frame and having its other arm pivotally connected by vertical link 127 to the cam segment 119. The other movable cam track segment 121 at station C is likewise raised in proper timed relation to the dwell of each head 2 at said station by the pivotal movement of a cam follower lever arm 128 which is pivoted at one end on the machine frame and is engaged at its other end with a cam track 129 in the other face of the face cam 124, the cam follower lever arm 128 being pivotally connected intermediate its ends by link 131 to one arm of a bell crank lever 132 pivotally mounted on the machine frame and having its other arm pivotally connected by vertical link 133 to the cam segment 121.

The main support slide 73 of each head 2 is raised from a lowered article loading or down position as shown in FIG. 8, in which position the exhaust tube 5, mount 4 and bulb 3 are loaded into the head 2, to a raised sealing or up position as shown in FIG. 11 to insert the mount 4 and exhaust tube 5 into the bulb 3 and position them in sealing interrelation, by the engagement of an upwardly facing stationary cam track 134 (FIGS. 1 and 5) with a cam follower roller 135 carried by and depending from the lower end of the main support slide 73. The cam track 134 is of arcuate shape and it extends around the path of travel of the heads 2 on the turret 1 from a point just before station A1 to station I.

At the first or exhaust tube loading station A of the machine, the main support slide 73 is in its lowered or down position with its cam follower roller 135 resting on a low portion of the cam track 134. The main support slide 73 then remains in such lowered position during the time the exhaust tube 5, mount 4 and bulb 3 are loaded into the head 2 at stations A, C, and E, respectively. During the dwell of the head 2 at station A, the exhaust tube 5 is loaded into the head by suitable means, as by a conventional type automatically operating exhaust tube loading mechanism (not shown), and the exhaust tube holder jaws 27, 28 of the head then closed to grip and hold the exhaust tube therebetween by the slight upward movement (e.g., inch) of cam segment 119 which allows the coil springs 113 to raise the actuating rod 94 and associated subslide 91 a corresponding amount so as to disengage the stop shoulder 90 on the subslide from the exhaust tube jaw operating roller 86 and free the latter for upward movement sufficient to permit the pivotal closing of the exhaust tube-holding jaws 77, 78 by the coil spring 83 connected thereacross. The limited extent of upward movement of the actuating rod 94 and subslide 91 permitted by the upward movement of the cam segment 119 at station A is insufficient to cause pivotal closing of the movable mount-holding jaws 102 against the stationary jaw 101, these jaws instead remaining in their open position for the subsequent loading thereinto of a mount 4 at station C. On index of the head 2 away from the exhaust tube-loading station A, the cam track follower roller 117 on the actuating rod 94 rides off the movable cam track segment 119 and onto the elevated segment 120 of the cam track 118 which is located at the same elevation as the cam segment 119 when in its elevated position. As a result, the actuating rod 94 and subslide 91 are maintained by the cam track segment 120 at the same elevational position to which they are raised at station A by the movable cam segment 119, during the subsequent course of travel of the head from station A to station C. At station B the exhaust tube 5, which is vertically slidable in the closed jaws 77, 78, is pushed down against the top end or seat 136 (FIG. 7) of an exhaust tube locating stop 137 upstanding from the upper bearing block of the main slide 73, to thereby position the exhaust tube in proper elevational sealing position on the said slide, by a conventional type exhaust tube pushdown mechanism (not shown) such as disclosed, for example, in US. Patent 1,655,140, Fagan, and located at the said station B.

On indexing to station C, the cam follower roller 117 on the actuating rod 94 rides off the stationary elevated segment 120 of the cam track 116 and onto the other movable segment 121 thereof which at that time is positioned at the same elevation as the stationary track segment 120. During the ensuing dwell of the head 2 at station C, a lamp mount 4 is loaded into the head by suitable means, as by a conventional type automatically operating mount feeder mechanism (not shown), and the mount holder jaws 102 then pivoted to their closed position against the other jaw 101, to clamp and hold the mount 4 securely therebetween, by the upward movement of the movable cam track segment 121 which allows the actuating rod 94 and subslide 91 to be raised by springs 113 a corresponding additional amount sufiicient to permit the closure of the jaws 102 against jaw 101.

From the mount loading station C, the head 2 is then indexed through an idle station D and then to the bulb loading station E where a bulb 3 is loaded into the head by suitable means, as by a conventional automatically operating bulb feeding mechanism (not shown) located at the said station C. During the course of travel of the head 2 from the first station A to the bulb loading station E, the bulb holder jaws 27, 28 are maintained in their open pivoted position by the engagement of the cam track 59 with the cam follower roller 50 of the bulb jaw operating mechanism 43. On indexing to the bulb loading station E, the cam follower roller 50 rides off the end of cam track 59 and onto the arm 51 of the bell crank lever 52 which, during the dwell of the head 2 at the station E, is pivoted to disengage the lever from the roller 50, thereby allowing the bulb jaw closing springs 33, 34 to swing the bulb jaws 27, 28 to their closed position so as to grip and hold the bulb 3 therebetween. The bulb 3 is initially placed in the head 2 by the bulb feeding mechanism at, and it is gripped and held by the bulb jaws 27, 28 in an elevational position slightly lower (e.g., around .040 inch or lower) than its final elevational position for sealing to the mount 4 and exhaust tube 5, into which final sealing position the bulb is subsequently pushed up during the index movement of the head 2 around the machine, as described hereinafter.

Immediately upon indexing of the head 2 away from the bulb loading station E and continuing until the head is in the course of its index movement between stations H and I, the cam follower roller on the main carrier slide 73 rides up a gradual rise in the cam track 134 to thereby raise the slide 73, and the mount 4 and exhaust tube 5 carried thereby, to an elevated position slightly higher, e.g., approximately .040 inch higher, than their final sealing position, and to introduce the mount 4 and exhaust tube 5 into the open lower neck end of the bulb 3. During the very last portion of this upward movement of the slide 73, the closed mount holder jaws 101, 102 carried by the slide abut against the lower end of the bulb 3 and push it up to its final sealing position. The carrier slide 73 is then maintained in such elevated position by the cam track 134 during the remainder of the index movement of the head 2 from stations H to I.

Immediately upon the start of index movement of the head 2 away from station I, the cam follower roller 135 on the main carrier slide 73 rides and drops off the end of the cam track 134, which terminates at the said station I, to allow the carrier slide 73 to drop down of its own weight a predetermined slight amount, e.g., around .040 inch or so, to its final operative sealing position as determined by the abutting engagement of a stop shoulder 138 on the carrier slide 73 with a springloaded pivoted latch arm 139 carried by the head support bracket 20, as shown in FIG. 11. This slight amount (.040 inch) of downward movement of the carrier slide 73 positions the mount 4 and exhaust tube in proper final sealing position relative to the bulb 3 supported in the head 2 and at the same time causes the mount carrying jaws 101, 102 to separate a corresponding slight amount from the lower end of the bulb 3, as shown in FIG. 11. By thus moving down out of contact with the neck end of the bulb 3, the mount-holding jaws 101, 102 which, because of their being made of steel are readily heat-conductive, are thereby prevented from conducting away the heat introduced into the body of the glass bulb by the gas sealing fires during the subsequent sealing operation such as would prevent the formation of a good fused seal between the bulb 3 and the exhaust tube 5 and the lead-in wires 8, 9 of the mount 4.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the stop shoulder 138 is formed by the downwardly facing notched end of a latch plate 140 fastened to the back side of the main carrier slide 73, as by being bolted thereto. The pivoted latch arm 139 is fastened on the upper end of a vertical pivot shaft 141 which is rotatably mounted in and projects from the underside of the head support bracket 20. Fastened on the projecting lower end of the pivot shaft 141 is an operating arm 142 carrying a roller 143 at its free end which is adapted to engage with a stationary cam track 144 (FIGS. 1 and 5) during the course of index movement of the head from station A1 to B1 to effect the disengagement of the latch arm 139 from beneath the latch plate 140 at station B1 so as to free the main carrier slide 73 for downward return movement of its own weight to its initial lowered position during the subsequent travel of the head 2 from station B1 to the lamp unloading station E1, such downward movement being controlled by a gradual drop in the cam track 134. The latch arm 139 is continuously urged toward its operative or latching position underlying the stop shoulder 138 on the latch plate 140 by the pull of a tension coil spring 145 connected at one end to a spring post 146 on the free end of the operating arm 142 and at its other end to a spring post 147 extending from the head support bracket 20. On index of the head 2 from station B1 to C1, the roller 143 on operating arm 142 rides down the drop in the cam track 144 and off the end thereof, thereby allowing the coil spring 145 to pivot the shaft 141 so as to swing and bias the latch arm 139 against the side edge 148 (FIG. 9) of the latch plate 140 in readiness for snapping into latching position under the stop shoulder 138 on subsequent elevation of the carrier slide 73 during the next cycle of travel of the head 2 around the machine.

Beginning at station G and continuing throughout the dwell of the head 2 at each of the work stations H through B1 of the machine, the bulb 3 is heated adjacent its lower end by gas fires 149 (FIG. 11) directed against opposite sides of the bulb by burners 150 located at each of said stations, to effect the softening and fusing of the glass bulb around the lead-in wires 8, 9 of the mount 4 and around the inserted end of the exhaust tube 5 which is also heated and softened (by the heat radiated by the heated bulb) to a lesser degree insufficient to cause the collapsing and closure of the passageway through the exhaust tube. At one or more of the heating stations, for example, at station R as shown in FIG. 1, and preferably, in addition at stations W and X as well, the softened lower end of the glass bulb 3 is firmly compressed around the leading-in wires 8, 9 and into contact with the softened glass exhaust tube 5 by means of a pair of opposed press jaws 151 of a stem press forming mechanism 152 located at each of said press forming stations to thereby produce the flattened stem press 13 of the final lamp bulb assembly 6. The press surfaces of the press jaws 151 are suitably relieved or grooved to accommodate therebetween the exhaust tube 5 and the adjacent portions of the bulb end so as not to close off the passageway through the exhaust tube. The stem press forming mechanism 152 may be of any conventional type, the particular mechanism shown comprising, in general, a pair of opposed press jaws 151 which are pivotally mounted on a common pivot pin 153 extending from a support bracket 154 fixed on a stationary portion of the machine frame. Pivotal movement of the jaws 151 between their open and closed positions is effected by a vertical actuating rod 155 vertically reciprocable in the bracket 154 and carrying a cross arm 156 at its lower end which is connected by links 157 to the respective jaws 151. At its upper end, the actuating rod 155 is pivotally connected to one end of a rocker arm 158 which is pivotally mounted on a stationary portion of the machine frame and is pivotally connected at its other end by vertical link 159 (FIG. 5) to one end of a cam follower rocker arm 160 the other end of which is engaged with the cam track of a face cam 161 fixed on the main drive shaft 16 of the machine.

During the heating and fusion of the glass bulb 3 and exhaust tube 5 to form the seal therebetween, nitrogen or other suitable non-oxidizing flushing gas is slowly introduced into the bulb to provide a protective atmosphere therein about the lead-in wires 8, 9 and filament 7 so as to prevent the oxidizing thereof. The flushing gas is introduced into the bulb, through the open lower end of the exhaust tube 5, from a port (not shown) in the top end or seat 136 of the exhaust tube locating stop 137 which port is alinged with the passageway of the exhaust tube 5 positioned in the closed jaws 77, 78 and is connected, by means of connecting bores or passageways (not shown) in the upper bearing block and the main slide 73 and by conduit 162 (FIG. 11), to a supply of the flushing gas through a conventional type rotary valve (not shown) such as is customarily provided on lamp sealing and exhaust machines.

During the index of the head 2 to station B1 where the final heating of the glass seal or stem press 13 is effected, the exhaust tube holder jaws 77, 78 and the mount-holding jaws 101, 102 are opened, in order to thereby release their grip on the exhaust tube 5 and mount 4, by the downward movement of subslide 91 relative to main slide 73 against the pull of springs 113, the downward movement of the subslide being produced by the engagement of its cam track follower roller 117 with the downwardly inclined or drop portion 118 of the cam track 116, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Also during the index of the head 2 to station B1, the latch arm 139 is disengaged from beneath the stop shoulder 138 on latch plate 140 by the engagement of the roller 143 on the latch arm operating lever 142 with the rise portion of the cam track 144, thereby freeing the main carrier slide 73 for downward return sliding movement of its own weight to its initial lowered starting position during the ensuing travel of the head 2 to the lamp unloading station E1, as permitted by the gradual drop in the cam track 134 onto which the roller on slide 73 rides during the index of the head to station A1. This downward movement of the main slide 73 carries the mount holder jaws 101, 102 and exhaust tube holder jaws 77, 78 downwardly out of the way of the sealed lamp bulb assembly 6 still held in the bulb holder jaws 27, 28, so as to free the lamp assembly for unloading thereof from the head at the unloading station E1 by automatically operating unloading or transfer means (not shown) located at said station. During the last part of the dwell of the head 2 at the unloading station E1, and after the lamp assembly 6 has been gripped by the lamp holding means of the lamp unloading mechanism at said station, the bell crank lever 52 is pivoted, by the operation of its control cam 54, acting through lever 53, link 55 lever 56 and link 57, to cause it to engage the roller 50 on operating arm 46 and swing the latter so as to effect the opening of the bulb holder jaws 27, 28, thereby freeing the lamp assembly 6 for removal from the head 2 by the unloading or transfer means and completing the full cycle of operation of the head so as to be in readiness for the start of another operating cycle. In order to assure against the presence of any remnant of a broken exhaust tube 5 in the head 2 such as might interfere with the subsequent loading at station A of the next exhaust tube 5 into the head at the start of the following cycle of operation, a blast of air is preferably directed out of the port in the exhaust tube seat 136 to forcibly eject any such exhaust tube remnant out of the head.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown but that they may be widely modified within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

7 What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Lamp sealing apparatus comprising a head for supporting an assembly of a lamp mount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust tube in position for sealing together into a unitary structure, said head comprising support means, bulb holder means mounted on said support means for holding the bulb with an open end thereof facing downwardly, a main slide vertically slidable on said support means, subslide vertically slidable on said main slide, exhaust tube holder means comprising a pair of cooperating jaw arms pivotally mounted on said main slide for holding an exhaust tube in a vertical position beneath said bulb, said jaw arms being spring-biased so as to be normally pivoted to their closed tube-holding position, jaw arm opening means operatively associated with said jaw arms for pivotally opening the latter, a mount holder comprising a pair of cooperating jaw means mounted on said main slide for holding a lamp mount in a position beneath said bulb, one of said jaw means being movably mounted on said main slide for movement toward and away from the other one of said jaw means and the said subslide being connected to said movable jaw means to effect the said movement thereof on vertical sliding movement of the subslide relative to themain slide, spring means biasing said subslide upwardly relative to said main slide to move said movable jaw means to its closed mount-holding position, said subslide engaging with and actuating said jaw arm opening means on downward movement of the subslide relative to the main slide to thereby effect the pivtal opening of said tube-holding jaw arms, control means operatively associated with said subslide to control the upward. movement of said subslide relative to said main slide by said spring means, and elevating means operatively associated with the main slide to effect vertical sliding movement thereof on said support means and elevate the exhaust tube and lamp mount into the said open end of the bulb so as to position them in sealing relation thereto.

2. Sealing apparatus comprising a head for supporting an assembly of a lamp mount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust tube in position for sealing together into a unitary structure, said head comprising support means, bulb holder means mounted on said support means for holding the bulb with an open end thereof facing downwardly, a main slide vertically slidable on said support means, a subslide vertically slidable on said main slide, exhaust tube holder means comprising a pair of cooperating jaw arms pivotally mounted on said main slide for holding an exhaust tube in a vertical position beneath said bulb, said jaw arms being spring-biased toward their closed tube-holding position and carrying engagement means adapted to be engaged by said subslide during the latter portion of the downward movement thereof relative to said main slide to thereby effect the pivotal opening of the jaw arms, a mount holder comprising a pair of cooperating jaw means mounted on said main slide for holding a lamp mount in a position beneath said bulb, one of said jaw means being pivotally mounted on said main slide for pivotal movement toward and away from the other one of said jaw means and the said subslide being connected to said pivoted jaw means to pivot the latter on vertical sliding movement of the subslide relative to the main slide, spring means biasing said subslide upwardly relative to said main slide, said pivoted jaw means being pivoted to its closed mountholding position by said subslide during that portion of the upward movement thereof relative to the main slide following its disengagement from the said engagement means, control means operatively associated with said subslide to control the upward movement of said subslide relative to said main slide by said spring means, and elevating means operatively associated with the main slide to effect vertical sliding movement thereof on said support means and elevate the exhaust tube and lamp mount into the said open end of the bulb so as to posi tion them in sealing relation thereto.

3. Sealing apparatus comprising a head for supporting an assembly of a lamp mount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust tube in position for sealing together into a unitary structure, said head comprising support means, bulb holder means mounted on said support means for holding the bulb with an open end thereof facing downwardly, a main slide vertically slidable on said support means, a subslide vertically slidable on said main slide between lowered and raised positions relative thereto, exhaust tube holder means comprising a pair of cooperating jaw arms pivotally mounted on said main slide for holding an exhaust tube in a vertical position beneath said bulb, said jaw arms being spring-biased toward their pivotally closed tube-holding position and carrying engagement means adapted to be engaged by said subslide when in its said lowered position to thereby hold the jaw arms in their pivotally opened position, a mount holder comprising a pair of cooperating jaw means mounted on said main slide for holding a lamp mount in a position beneath said bulb, one of said jaw means being pivotally mounted on said main slide for pivotal movement toward and away from the other one of said jaw means, said subslide being connected by a lost motion connection means to said pivoted jaw means so as to pivotally close the latter during that portion of the upward movement of the subslide to its said raised position relative to the main slide following the disengagement of the subslide from the said engagement means, spring means biasing said subslide upwardly relative to said main slide, control means operatively associated with said subslide to control the upward movement of said subslide relative to said main slide by said spring means, and elevating means operatively associated with the main slide to effect vertical sliding movement thereof on said support means and elevate the exhaust tube and lamp mount into the said open end of the bulb so as to position them in sealing relation thereto.

4. Lamp sealing apparatus comprising a head for supporting an assembly of a lamp mount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust tube in position for sealing together into a unitary structure, said head comprising support means, bulb holder means mounted on said support means for holding the bulb with an open end thereof facing downwardly, a main slide vertically slidable on said support means, exhaust tube holder means comprising a pair of cooperating jaw arms pivotally mounted on said main slide for holding an exhaust tube in a vertical position beneath said bulb, said jaw arms being spring-biased so as to be normally pivoted to their closed tube-holding position, a mount holder comprising a pair of cooperating jaw means mounted on said main slide for holding a lamp mount in a position beneath said bulb, one of said jaw mean being movably mounted on said main slide for movement toward and away from the other one of said jaw means, common operating means for effecting and controlling the opening and closing of said tube-holding jaw arms and said mount-holding jaw means, said operating means comprising a subslide vertically slidable on and spring-biased upwardly relative to said main slide, engagement means carried by said jaw arms and engageable with said subslide on downward movement thereof relative to the main slide to effect the opening of said jaw arms, a lost motion connection means connecting said subslide to the said movable jaw means to move the latter to its closed position during that portion of the upward movement of the subslide relative to the main slide subsequent to the disengagement of the subslide from said engagement means, control means operatively associated with said subslide to control the spring-biased upward movement of said subslide relative to said main slide, and elevating means operatively associated with the main slide to effect vertical sliding movement thereof on said support means and elevate the exhaust tube and lamp mount into the said open end of the bulb so as to position them in sealing relation thereto.

5. Lamp sealing apparatus comprising a head for supporting an assembly of a lamp mount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust tube in position for sealing together into a unitary structure, said head comprising support means, a bulb holder mounted on said support means and adapted to hold the bulb for vertical sliding movement therein with an open end of the bulb facing downwardly, a carriage vertically slidable on said support means, an exhaust tube holder on said carriage for holding an exhaust tube in a vertical position beneath said bulb, a mount holder comprising a pair of cooperating jaw means mounted on said carriage for holding a lamp mount in a position beneath said bulb, said jaw means being engageable with the said open end of the bulb on upward movement of said carriage to thereby butt up the bulb in its said holder to its final sealing position therein, and elevating means operatively associated with the main slide to effect vertical sliding movement thereof on said support means, said elevating means being operative to raise the carriage to an elevated position slightly higher than its final sealing position to effect the said butt-up of the bulb to its final sealing position by said jaw means and to then lower the carriage a slight amount to disengage the said jaw means from the open end of the bulb and locate the mount and exhaust tube in final sealing position relative thereto.

6. Lamp sealing apparatus comprising a horizontal carrier having a plurality of heads thereon each adapted to support an assembly of a lamp mount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust tube in position for sealing together into a unitary structure, said carrier being intermittently indexable to advance said heads successively to a plurality of work stations, each of said heads comprising support means on said carrier, bulb holder means mounted on said support means and adapted to hold the bulb for vertical sliding movement therein with an open end of the bulb facing downwardly, a carriage vertically slidable on said support means, an exhaust tube holder on said carriage for holding an exhaust tube in a vertical position beneath said bulb, a mount holder comprising a pair of cooperating jaw means mounted on said carriage for holding a lamp mount in a position beneath said bulb, said jaw means being engageable with the said open end of the bulb on upward movement of said carriage, and carriage elevating and positioning means, including a cam track underlying said heads at and coextensive with their path of travel between certain of said work stations, on which the carriage rests to fix the elevational position of and effect vertical sliding movement of the carriage on its said support means, said elevating means initially holding said carriage in a lowered position through a series of successive work stations at which the exhaust tube, lamp mount and bulb are successively loaded into the head, then elevating said carriage during the course of travel of each head between certain of the next succeeding stations to elevate and introduce the exhaust tube and lamp mount into the open end of the bulb and raise said jaw means into engagement with the open end of the bulb to butt it up a slight additional amount in its older to its final sealing position, and to then lower the carriage a slight amount to disengage the said jaw means from the open end of the bulb and locate the mount and exhaust tube in final sealing position relative thereto.

7. Lamp sealing apparatus as specified in claim 6 wherein the said carriage elevating and positioning means includes in addition a carriage rest latch on said support means on which latch the carriage is adapted to rest throughout certain of the work stations of the apparatus following the elevation of the carriage to its uppermost position by said cam track to thereby support the carriage and the associated mount and exhaust tube in proper sealing position relative to the bulb, said latch being springbiased to snap into carriage-Supporting position beneath said carriage during the upward movement thereof by said cam track, said cam track terminating at a point in the path of travel of the head just after said latch is springactuated into its carriage-supporting position to thereby free the carriage for downward sliding movement of its own weight onto said latch so as to rest thereon in its said sealing position.

8. Lamp sealing apparatus comprising a horizontal carrier having a plurality of heads thereon each adapted to support an assembly of a lamp mount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust tube in position for sealing together into a unitary structure, said carrier being intermittently indexable to advance said heads successively to a plurality of work stations, each of said heads comprising support means on said carrier, bulb holder means mounted on said support means for holding the bulb with an open end thereof facing downwardly, a main slide vertically slidable on said support means, exhaust tube holder means comprising a pair of cooperating jaw arms pivotally mounted on said main slide for holding an exhaust tube in a vertical position beneath said bulb, said jaw arms being spring-biased so as to be normally pivoted to their closed tube-holding position, a mount holder comprising a pair of cooperating jaw means mounted on said main slide for holding a lamp mount in a position beneath said bulb, one of said jaw means being movably mounted on said main slide for movement toward and away from the other one of said jaw means, common operating means for effecting and controlling the opening and closing of said tube-holding jaw arms and said mount-holding jaw means, said operating means comprising a subslide vertically slidable on and spring-biased upwardly relative to said main slide, engagement means carried by said jaw arms and engageable with said subslide on downward movement thereof relative to the main slide to effect the opening of said jaw arms, said subslide being connected to said movable jaw means to elfect the said movement thereof to its closed position during that portion of the upward movement of the subslide relative to the main slide subsequent to the disengagement of the subslide from said engagement means, control cam track means engaging with said subslide at certain of said stations to restrain and control the spring-biased upward movement thereof relative to said main slide, and an elevating cam track engaging with said main slide at certain of said stations to effect vertical sliding movement thereof on said support means and elevate the exhaust tube and lamp mount into the said open end of the bulb so as to position them in sealing relation thereto.

9. Apparatus as specified in claim 8 wherein the said control cam track means for said subslide comprises a vertically movable segment at one of said stations for permitting a limited amount of initial spring-biased upward movement of the subslide relative to the main slide sufficient to disengage the subslide from said engagement 17 means so as to enable the spring-biased tube-holding jaw arms to close, an elevated track segment extending between the said one station and a subsequent one of said stations for maintaining the upwardly spring-biased subslide at said initially elevated position, and a second vertically movable segment at the said subsequent station for permitting an additional amount of spring-biased upward movement of the subslide relative to the main slide sufficient to efiect the movement of said movable jaw means to its closed position.

No references cited.

FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Exam'mcr.

Claims (1)

1. LAMP SEALING APPARATUS COMPRISING A HEAD FOR SUPPORTING AN ASSEMBLY OF A LAMP MOUNT, A GLASS BULB AND A GLASS EXHAUST TUBE IN POSITION FOR SEALING TOGETHER INTO A UNITARY STRUCTURE, SAID HEAD COMPRISING SUPPORT MEANS, BULB HOLDER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR HOLDING THE BULK WITH AN OPEN END THEREOF FACING DOWNWARDLY, A MAIN SLIDE VERTICALLY SLIDABLE ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS, SUBSLIDE VERTICALLY SLIDABLE ON SAID MAIN SLIDE, EXHAUST TUBE HOLDER MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF COOPERATING JAW ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID MAIN SLIDE FOR HOLDING AN EXHAUST TUBE IN A VERTICAL POSITION BENEATH SAID BULB, SAID JAW ARMS BEING SPRING-BIASED SO AS TO BE NORMALLY PIVOTED TO THEIR CLOSED TUBE-HOLDING POSITION, JAW ARM OPENING MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID JAW ARMS FOR PIVOTALLY OPENING THE LATTER, A MOUNT HOLDER COMPRISING A PAIR OF COOPERATING JAW MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID MAIN SLIDE FOR HOLDING A LAMP MOUNT IN A POSITION BENEATH SAID BULB, ONE OF SAID JAW MEANS BEING MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID MAIN SLIDE FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OTHER ONE OF SAID JAW MEANS AND THE SAID SUBSLIDE BEING CONNECTED TO SAID MOVABLE JAW MEANS TO EFFECT THE SAID MOVEMENT THEREOF ON VERTICAL SLIDING MOVEMENT OF THE SUBSLIDE RELATIVE TO THE MAIN SLIDE, SPRING MEANS BIASING SAID SUBSLIDE UPWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID MAIN SLIDE TO MOVE SAID MOVABLE JAW MEANS TO ITS CLOSED MOUNT-HOLDING POSITION, SAID SUBSLIDE ENGAGING WITH AND ACTUATING SAID JAW ARM OPENING MEANS ON DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE SUBSLIDE RELATIVE TO THE MAIN SLIDE TO THEREBY EFFECT THE PIVOTAL OPENING OF SAID TUBE-HOLDING JAW ARMS, CONTROL MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SUBSLIDE TO CONTROL THE UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID SUBSLIDE RELATIVE TO SAID MAIN SLIDE BY SAID SPRING MEANS, AND ELEVATING MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN SLIDE TO EFFECT VERTICAL SLIDING MOVEMENT THEREOF ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND ELEVATE THE EXHAUST TUBE AND LAMP MOUNT INTO THE SAID OPEN END OF THE BULB SO AS TO POSITION THEM IN SEALING RELATION THERETO.

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