US63939A - Island - Google Patents

Description

`ELISHA O. POTTER, OF NORTH TROVTDENOE, RHODE ISLAND.

` Letters Patat No. 63,939, dated April 16, 1866.

APPARATUS FOR GUIDING CLOTH.

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To ALL wHoM 1r MAY ooNcEnN:

Beit known that I, ELISHA O. POTTER, of North Providence, in the county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Machine or Apparatus for Guiding Cloth or other material by the selvedge edge during its delivery to other machinery; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with vthe drawings making a part of the same, is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Figure l is a side elevation.

Figure 2 is a plan. g

Figures 3, 4, and 5 are detached parts to be referred to. Y

The apparatus herein described is applicable to all casos Where rolls of cloth, paper, or similar material are to be presented to a machine for some operation to be performed thereon, and where it is desirable that the same shall be delivered with the least possible deviation from a straight line of travel. The importance of some mechanical `means for such object is daily experienced, as` for instance in the use of machines for printing calicees or' paper hangings in different colors, where the perfection of the pattern depends upon the accuracy with which the subsequent colors are laid on with reference to the figure which has already been printed.

The principle upon which the apparatus acts is to shift the position of the roll which is being unwound longitudinally whenever the selvedge edge is travelling otherwise than in a straight line, and thus correct the error which otherwise would follow.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the beam upon which the cloth or other material is wound. B B are two rollers placed side by side, under both of which the cloth is carried, and which are arranged in bearings located at a sulciently low point in the sides of the frameto cause` the selvedge edge of the cloth between the two rollers to pass near to the eptremity of the pendulum presently to be described. C C are other sets of rollers, over the first of which the cloth passes, thence around the larger roller C', and thence over the second of the rollers C C; and there may be also other sets which can be used to support the clothas it is delivered to the printing or other -machine with which the apparatus is connected. We will suppose now that the roll of cloth or paper is being unwound from the cloth-beam A. In addition to the capacity which the beam has of turning in its bearings, it can also be moved longitudinally while it is so revolving upon its axis. For this purpose its outer bearing (not shown) is sufficiently long to be accommodated to any change of position longitudinally which may be given to it within the limits of such motion, which the distance of the bearings from each other upon the frame will allow. The inner bearing has a score, a, turned in it, which rests in a yoke, b, attached to and forming a part of a sliding carriage,l D, fitted to Work in guides c c. To this carriage is attached a rack, d, with which rack the toothed pinion E is tte'd to engage, (fig.) It is quite obviousv that whenever motion is given to such pinion, the cloth-beam A will be made to move endwise toward the one side or the other of the machine, depending upon the direction in' which such pinion is turnedf' The position of the cloth-beam is governed by the selvedge edge of the cloth as it travels, in the following manner: E is a toothed wheel mounted upon ashaft, E, which is arranged at right angles with the axis of the cloth-beam. One end of its shaft is accommodated with a bearing, e, affixed to the side frame of the machine, and the other end may be connected by a key with the shaft of thc pinion E, which is in this instance made tubular to receive it. Upon the shaft E, as an axle, is placed the bell-crank shaped piece F, iig. 4, the horizontal arm of which is appro riatel connected D a shackle-bar, F', fi l with a crank or eccentric u on the shaft G, and to which shaft a P Y y g i P constant rotary motion is to be given bymeans of a belt passing around a pulley keyed upon such shaft, or in any convenient way. The end of the perpendicular arm of the bell-crank piece F sustains two pawls y g, arranged to work in opposition to each other, and by their forward thrust, when permitted toengage with the teeth of the wheel E", give an intermittent motion to it, first in one direction and then in the other. It is not intended, however, that either of these pawls shall, except at the timos when the position of the cloth-beam is to be changed, he permitted to act upon the wheel E', neither is it intended that both pawls shall be capable of acting at the same time; but while the action of both may be suspended, the action of one always is suspended, while the other is free to be engaged. The mechanism by which the pawls gg are controlled and the line of travel of the selvedge of the cloth, papcr,or other material made to govern the position of the beam which is being uni-oiled, is as follows: H, fig. 3, is an irregular-shaped metallic disk placed upon the shaft E, upon which it can be freely rocked. A portion of its edge from c to y is the are of a true circle described from thc axis upon which the disk turns, and with a radins equal to that of the toothed wheel E', or suilicient to enable, projecting pins upon the respective pawls to ride thereon and raise the acting faces ofthe pawls clear of the teeth of the wheel E', when such disk is adjusted in position to effectthat' result. Referring to iig. 3 it will be seen in what manner the said disk plate H is operated so -as to't-hrow one or both of the pawls g g out of gear. I is a bent lever pivotcd rto the. frame of the machine at L; its lower arm hangs so that the soli/edge edge of the cloth will determine its position, its other arm being heavier, so as to give a constant tendency to the lower arin to bear against such selvedge. The extremity of the upper arm is forked, as shown, and embraces a stud-pin set in the side of the disk plate H, and for the purpose of embracing the shaft E it is formed with a loop. z', as shown. It is quite evident that as the pendulum arm of the bent lever is vibrated the disk plate will be rocked upon its axis, so as to free one or the other of the pawls g, but so long as it hangs perpendicularly both vpawls will be out of gear. Now as the cloth or other material is passing along, if it happens that it travels in aline other than that one which is parallel te the side of the frame, owing to the roll being corkscrew wound, the said pendulum arm will follow such selvedge, whereupon one or thc other of the pawls will be brought into action and the cloth-beam will be carried nearer to the one side or the other of the frame in compensation of such irregularity of travel.

-So long as the material is being unweund properly the penduluinwill hang plumb, and neither pawl will act'to shift the position of the beam. I have represented the shaft of the pinion and the shaft'of the wheel E as connectedltogether In such ease it will be necessary to have the rack so short that when the beam has reached its extreme limitv of movement in either direction, the rack will be clear of the teeth of the pinion to prevent breakages, but it will be better to operate the pinion-shaft by the friction of the end of the shaft E' against the end of the sleeve, into which the pinion-shaft is framed, the degree of which can be readily regulated by enabling said pinion-shaft and sleeve to move endwise in its bearings, and by causing it to be pressed against the end of the shaft E by a weight acting through a lever to maintain the two in contact, or by a spring. By this arrangement, while the friction will be suiiic'ient to effect the movement of the cloth-beam, no injury will ensue in case the beam has brought up against'tlie-fraine before the pawl has ceased to operate.

I do not mean to limit myself to the precise construction and arrangementof the several parts as described,

but mean to include all mere formal variations performing the same mode of operation by equivalent means.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,'is-

1. In an apparatus for guiding cloth, paper, or other like material during its delivery to other machinery, the combination of a beam capable of an eudwise movement with the selvedge edge of the material as it is being unrolled, in the manner substantially as described for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, in an apparatus for the above-declared purpose, of the following instrumentalities: a beam capable of an endwise movement, a rack and pinion de, and a double pawl and ratchet gear E gg, or the equivalents thereof, substantially as described.

'3. IThe combination, in an apparatus for the above-declared purpose, of the following instrumentalities: a mechanism for imparting an endwise movement to the cloth-beam as above described, a disk plate H, and vibrating bent lever I, or the equivalents for putting into action or suspending the operation of the mechanism for the shifting of the position ofthe beam substantially as described.

ELISHA O. POTTER.

Witnesses:

W. B. VINCENT, W. W. RICHARD.

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