US56312A - Machine for labeling spools - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES AARON W. C. WILLIAMS OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR LABELING SPOOLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,312, dated July 10, 1866.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, AARON W. C. WILLIAMS, of the city and county of Hartford, in the State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Labeling Spools; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full' and exact description thereof. l

It is common to apply a printed label to one end, and sometimes to both ends, of the small spools on which silk, cotton, Ste., are wound. To eii'ect this by hand is a great labor. Machinery has been constructed for the purpose, but all previous to mine has been very cornplicated and expensive.

Figure l is a vertical section of a machine adapted for operating by hand, and showing two positions of the hand-lever-one position in green and one in blue-the green being the one to which position the position ofthe other parts correspond. The green shows the position when it has just commenced to descend and turn the wheel. The blue shows the position when it has just commenced to rise. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section, showing the position of all the parts at the instant when the label is aiiixed. Fig. 4l is a front View, and Fig. 5 a planview, of the label-holder detached. 4

Similar letters of reference indicate likeparts in all the figures.

I will now proceed to describe what I consider the best mode of working out my invention. v

A A, te., is the fixed framing which supports the several working parts of the mechanism. B is a wheel, which turns on a shaft supported in the ramingA. There are recesses of any length required to contain a large number of spools, which are placed therein by hand or otherwise. i

D is a roller having a surface of elastic material, like the inking-roll of a printing-press. Its axis is supported in slots or grooves in the framing A. E is a roller which rests on the roller D. It may also be made of elastic material, and is guided in the same slots as the roller D. These rollers are supplied with adhesive gum or sizing, either constantly or at intervals, by anyordinary means. (Not represented.) The principal function of the roller E is to'properly distribute the adhesive material on the roller D.

Each recess t in the wheel B receives a spool from the trough C, and by the rotation of the wheel carries the spool under the roller D, so that its projecting end is covered with an adhesive coating.

Cr is a vertical tube having an internal diameter corresponding to the diameter ofthe spools to be labeled. This tube is provided with win gs G', which stand in vertical grooves in the framing A, as indicated in Fig. 2.

A quantity of labels previously printed and cut by mechanism not represented must be introduced into the interior of the tube Cr with the printed side up, and are pressed down by the weight H until the lowermost of the labels rests on the internal projections, g g, at the base of the tube. These projections may be soldered or otherwise firmly attached to the metal tube at the base, and they may be at-V tached at some elevated points, as represented, but they should not be allowed to spring entirely out of the line of the interior of the tube.

The tube Gr and its connections are caused to rise and sink in the grooves in the framing A, being. guided by the framing A. At each descent it presses the lowermost of the contained labels upon the adhesive surface of a spool, which is held directly beneath. The lowermost label sticks to the spool, and on the rising of the tube Gr and its connections the lowermost label is compelled to double itself and distort its form suficiently to pass the internal projections, g g, while the remaining labels, being not thus drawn down, but heilig only pressed down by their own gravity and that of the weight H, are sufficiently supported by the internal projections, g y, and are retained therewith. This process is repeated as each spool arrives at the proper points.

I is a roller covered with elastic or other material, which presses smoothly and evenly over the whole surfaceof the label and per fects the contact of every part thereof with the adhesive surface of the spool. The spool finally falls out of the recess 't/by its gravity, and the recess is again presented to receive another spool.

J is a lever, which may be operated by hand or otherwise, and which imparts the proper motions to the mechanism.

K is la spring-catch mounted on the lever J, and which is adapted to enter recesses in the wheel B, and compel a partial rotation of that wheel at each descent ot' the lever J. The periphery of the wheel B is not a perfect circle. The portions between the several notches or recesses Z) are each inclined, as represented at B. I prefer to make each an arc of a circle struck from a center not coinciding with the center of the wheel B, but so near thereto as to give but a slight inclination to the surfaces B between the several notches, as represented.

The end ot' the arm J of the lever J is widened, as represented, and is inclined so as to lift the tube G and its attachments at each upward movement of the lever J. The. upward movement of the lever J is limited by the contact of the stop j with the wing G. The descent of the lever J is limited by the contact of the lever itself with some fixed portion of the machine, or with an adjustable screw or other gage. .(Not represented.)

During each rising movement of the lever J the inclined surface or end ofthe arm J thereof comes in contact with the lower edge of one wing, G', and raises the tube G so as to lift it entirely out of the recess I), in which it had been previously resting. When the upward motion of the lever J is arrested by contact of the lever J with the side of the wing G the spring-catch K has dropped into one ofthe notches b. During the descending movement of the lever J the spriiig-catch K retains its hold in the notch Z) and compels a partial revolution of the wheel B, so as to remove the spool which has just been labeled and present another under the tube G. The early portion of this motion liberates the tube G by ceasing to support the wing G on the arm J; but the tube G and its attachments continue to be supported by reason of the contact of the lower edge ofthe wing G with the periphery of the wheel B. W'hen the lever J has completed its descending motion one of the notches b is presented directly under the wing G', and the tube G and its attachments descend rapidly. The descending motion, being` thus sudden, causes the lowermost label to be pressed upon the spool by the momentum as well as the gravity ofthe descending weight H. The next ascending motion of the lever J again lifts the catch K. Its inclined surface enables it readily to do so, and causes it to traverse along the periphery of the wheel B and seize the next succeeding notch b. Thus the operation continues, the tube G being lifted by the arm J entirely ont of the notch b before the catch K comes into play to induce a movement of the wheel.

The periphery of the wheel B being not' circular, but divided into inclined segments, as represented, allows the weight H to come down and stop the motion ot' the wheel B and its attachments at the right point, however rapidly the machine is worked. Were the periphery of the wheel entirely circular it would be possible to turn the wheel B so rapidly that the gravity of the tube G and its attachments would not force the wing G down into the notch b in time to arrest its motion, and the wheel B and its attachments might continue to move by its momentum after the motion of the lever J had ceased.

It is frequently desirable to iix a label on each end of each spool. To do this I can repeat the operation, substituting the proper labels in the tube G and turning and placing` the spools in a reverse position in the trough C; or I can connect a second machine by placing it a little lower than the Iirst, and so ar ranged that its spout C shall receive the spools as they are discharged from the recesses in the first machine.

I can employ a pawl mounted on the frame A and adapted to catch in the notches b to prevent a reverse movement ot' the wheel B, but I have not found such to be necessary.

I propose to employ spring-knockers on the wheel B, if desired, adapted to be operated by contact with a suitable projection on the frame, so as to strike on the innermost end of each spool at the proper point to facilitate the rapid delivery of the spools from the wheel. This is not important except where a machine is to deliver spools into the feeding device for another machine, and I have not therefore represented it. and applied by any skillful mechanic. It 1s necessary simply to produce a suitable cavity in the wheel B under each ofthe cavities and to provide a hammer and spring, which shall be out of the way during thatpart of the revolution in which the spool is received, gumnied, labeled, and the label smoothly rolled down, and shall be effective to deliver a smart rap on the spool and drive it forward at the point where it is desired to deliver.

I prefer to make the upper side of the feeding device U capable of yielding by a spring, (notrepresented,) so that injury will be avoided in case a spool is only partially received in a cavity, This is not important, however, except when the machine is worked by power, as the increased resistance will be felt and the lever J will be stopped when such derangement occurs in operating the machine by hand.

I do not confine myself: to the working of the machine with the labeling device G directly above the axis of the spool-carrier B. The simplest form of apparatus known to me is to provide for working the labeling device G, as also for pressing forward the rollers D and I, by gravity, as represented 5 but this is not absolutely necessary. These parts, as also feeding of the spools, may be operated It will be easily understood n the bottoms of the cavities i, so as to adapt the same machine to receive and label spools of different lengths. I also propose to bush the cavities it, so that by changing the bushings and changing the labeling device I can make the same Wheel and the other mechanism serve to label spools of different diameters.

In case any difficulty is experienced from a tendency to lift the spool out of the cavity it when the labeling device G rises, as may be the case with stiff labels, I propose to introduce a spring bolted to a cross-bar so as to press against the end of the spool. I have represented these parts, L being a cross-bar and Mthe spring bolted thereon. The spring is pressed aside out of the Way at each descent of the labeling device G, but springs inward so as to meet the spool should it attempt to rise.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The recesses i@ in the carrier B, arranged relatively to the feeder C and the roller D, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination of the carrier B, carrying the spools in succession, as specified, with the labeling device G,.adapted to present the labels thereto, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The label-holder G, in combination with the mechanism represented, or its equivalent, for rendering its action automatic, substantially as herein specified. 4 i

4. The pressin groller I, in combination with the spool-carrier B, labeling device G, sizer l), and spool-feeder C, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

5. The inclined surface J on the vibrating arm J, in combination with the label-carrier G, spool-carrier B, and'recesses b, arranged as represented, so as to hold the spool-carrier firmly in position While the label is applied, and liberate it by the retreat of the label-carrier to allow the succeeding spool to be presented, substantially as herein specified.

6. The catch K, in combination with the spool-carrier B, lever J, and label-carrier G,

-adapted to operate substantially as and for the puipose herein specified.

A. W. C. WILLIAMS. Witnesses:

J. B. WARING, J. I. BRAINERD.

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