US696168A - Lens-cutting machine. - Google Patents

Description

G. w. FowLE. LENS CUTTING MACHINE.

(No Model.) l

(Application filed Nov. 29, 1901.)

'Patented Mar'.- 25, |902 2' Sheets-Sheet I.

v K A TroHNEr Tn: Nnnms PETERS co.. Mommmo., WASHINGTON, u. c.

No. 696,|68. Patented Mar. 25, |902.

G. W. FOWLE.

LENS CUTTING MACHINE.

(Application filed NQv. 29, 1901.)

' (N0 HUBL) 2 Sheets--Sheei 2.

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/NvE/vro n afewyemfbwk @ma ATTORNEY .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WV. FOWLE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE COLUMBUS PI-IARMACAL COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEV JERSEY.

LENS-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,168, dated March 25, 1902.

Application led November 29, 1901. Serial No. 84,027. (No model.)

T a/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE W. FowLE, a `citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lens-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention Vrelates to the improvement of lens-cutting machines, and has particular rero lation to the improvement of the mechanism 'forming the subject of Patent No. 673,988 to Lewis O. Linville, issued under date of May 14, 1901.

The objects of my invention are to provide f15 an improved lens-cuttingmachine of this class of superior construction and arrangement of parts; to so construct the same as'to so arrange the same as to secure desirable accuracy in 'construction and operation; to provide im- -2o 'proved means of adjustment whereby lenses may be accurately cut to desi-red outlines or sizes; to provide improved means for supporting and adjusting the cutting-diamond, 'and to produce other improvements the de- 72 5 'tails of construction and arrangement of parts of which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter. These objects I accomplish in the 'mannerillustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which v vFigure 1 is a side elevation of my improved fmachine. Fig.k 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section on line x as of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end view. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line y y of Fig. 1.

5 Fig 6 is a detail plan View of one` of the ,pat-

'tern-cams shown in conjunctionwith a por- 'tion of one of the cutter-.operating bars. Fig. '7 is a central sectional view of aleather disk having a concaved face. Fig. 8 is a similar f4'o 'view of a leather disk having a convexed face.

Fig. 9 is a face view ofan uncut lens, showing the lines marking abifocal lens thereon. Fig. *10 isa similar View showing the lines marking the cement-scales of a bifocal lens. Fig.

45 11 is a view in perspective of an uncut cylinder lens, showing the lens outline thereon; land Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the pattern-cam and its stem.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts :5o bthroughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention I employ an oblong frame or table 1, having suitable supporting-legsv 2. Journaled in an opening in the forward portion of the frame or table 1 is the upwardly-extending hub or hollow stem portion 3 of a bevel gear-wheels. Extending into the hollow of the hub 3 is the downwardly-extending central stem of a patterncam 5, the lower end` of said stem being squared to properly engage the central squared opening of the gear-Wheel 4 and the head of said pattern-cam being in the form of an ellipse or partial ellipse or of a form corresponding with a desired contour of lens.

The cam 5 is provided, as indicated in Figs. 3

and G of the drawings, with upwardly-projecting fixed pins 6, said pins being adapted to detachably engage corresponding pin-sockets in the under side ofa horizontally-arranged circular lens-table 7, said lens-table having its upper face provided with a circular depression into which is adapted to be fitted a disk of leather or similar material S.

.llournaled and keyed to slide horizontally on the under side of the top plate of the table l is a shaft 9. This shaft carries thereon a bevel-pinion 10, the teeth of which mesh with those of the gear-Wheel 4. On its outer end the shaft 9 carries a suitable hand-wheel 1l.

In constructing my improved machine -I provide on the upper side thereof toward its rear end araisedlongitudinally-arranged bed-plate 12, the latter having a central longitudinal guideway or groove 13, the upper side opening of which is reduced by the employment on opposite sides thereofof parallel plates 14., the inner edges of which project slightly over the sides of said guideway. In the guideway thus formed is a longitudinally movable or reciprocating bar l5, the latter having a longitudinally-slotted opening 16 formed therein. Upon the forward end of this bar is pivotally mounted a small friction-wheel17,

Vthe periphery of'which is adaptedto bear against the periphery of the cam 5. This friction-wheel 17 is normally retained in contact with said cam through the medium of a spring 18, one end of which is connected with the lower end of a downwardly-projecting pin 19 of the bar 15 and the remaining end of which IOO is fixed to the under side of the frame-top 1. The pin 19 extends through a slotted opening 20 in said frame-top. On the upper side of the bar 15 and Within the guideway 13'is provided a horizontal plate or bar 2l, which is slidably supported in said guideway and which is adjustably connected with the bar 16 through the medium of a set or thumb screw 22. From the bar21 rises the upwardlyextending portion of an angular arm 23, the forwardly-extendin g portion of said arm normally terminating over the lens-table 7 and being provided with a vertical barrel or cylinder 24, through which passes vertically a plunger-rod 25, the latter being surrounded within the cylinder 24 by a spring 26, the lower end of which is suitably secured in the lower end portion of said cylindrical arm and the upper end of which is made fast to a rod 25. rlhe upper end of the plunger 25 is provided with a suitable head or linger piece 25 and the lower end of said plunger is adapted to carryaglass-cutting diamond-point 27. As indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, one of the plates 14 has its upper side or face graduated or provided with scale-marks indicating fractions of inches.

Pivotally connected with the table-top at one side of the center of the width thereof is one end of the horizontal foot 2S of an angu- `lar arm 29, which rises from said foot in the manner indicated in the drawings. The nnpivoted end portion of the foot 28 is provided with a side notch or recess 30, which is adapted to be made to engage the shank of a projecting pin or screw 31, and thus latch the arm 29 in such position that its forwardly-extending and inwardly-curved portion terminates immediately over the center of the disk 7. This forward termination of the arm 29 is provided with a vertical cylindrical head or barrel 32, within which is provided a springactuated plunger or vertical centeri 11g-pin 33, the pointed lower end of which is normally held down or in contact with the center of the disk 8.

Pivoted eccentricall y to one side of the base of the arm 23 is the rounded head or cam termination of a lever 35, the cam-head being adapted when the lever is pressed downward to produce a frictional lock with the surface of one of the plates 14.

As indicated in the drawings, the periphery of the lens-table 7 is knurled or roughened to facilitate the turning of the same. It will also be seen that upon the upper face of the lens-table and on the margin thereof I have provided the degree marks or graduations, such as are indicated at 7n.

In order to illustrate the operation of my improved lens-cutting machine, I will assume that it is desired to cut a lens of a size and character previously prescribed by an oculist. In carrying out this operation the usual preliminary steps are first taken of obtaining the axis of the lens and marking the terminals of the same at opposite points on thc uncut lens.

The glass or uncut lens is then placed on the lens-table 7 and held in frictional engagement therewith through pressure of the center pin or plunger 33, the latter bearing on the optical center of the lens. Now following the formula or prescription of the oculist the uncut lens is moved until its axis-marks register with the degree-marks 7 n of the lens-table called for in the prescription. The set4 or clamping screw 22 being loosened, the bar 2l and its arm 23 are moved horizontally until a predetermined point on said bar is opposite that graduation-mark of one of the plates 14 which corresponds to the size of lens required by the prescription. The set-screw is now tightened to secure a rigid connection of the bars 15 and 2l. The cutting of the lens is Anow carried out by depressing with a finger of one hand the spring-actuated diamond-carrying plunger 25 until the diamond is in proper contact with the surface of the uncut lens and turning the hand-wheel 11 with the other hand, the result being the rotation of the lens-table 7 and the cutting on the lines of the desired ellipse. this operation the movement of the diamondcarrying arm 23 will be controlled by the movement of the reciprocating bar 15 and that the backward-and-forward movement of the latter will be controlled by the contour of the pattern-cam with which the frictionwheel 17 is in contact. In case the lens to be produced is what is known as a cylinder7 lens, such as is indicated in Fig. 11 of the drawings, it is obvious that the pressure of the finger upon the spring-actuated plunger 25 may be regulated so as to insure a desirable uniform engagement or contact of the diamond and glass with the convexed surface of the lens throughout the cut. In order to cut a circular lens, the set-screw 22 is loosened aud the arm 23 is moved to a point which will bringthe diamond opposite a point on the glass the distance between which and the center pin 33 is equal to one-half the diameter of the circle desired. This being accomplished, the lever 35 is pressed downward until, by frictional engagement of its head and one of the plates 14, the arm 23 is locked in the position to which the same hasbeen previously moved. The diamond-holding plunger is nowr depressed and the lens-table rotated, with the result that a perfect circle of the desired size is scratched upon the glass. In a somewhat-similar manner it is obvious that my improved machine may be employed for cutting whatis known as bifocal lenses, such as indicated at 35 in Fig. 9 of the drawings, or the cement-scales indicated at 36 in Fig. 10. In producing thebifocal lens 35 the desired size of elliptical lens 37 is first scratchedA in the manner hereinbefore described, after which the center-pin-carrying arm 29 is thrown outward away from the lenstable and the scratched line of the elliptical lens so placed as to intersect the center of the lens-table. It will be seen that the operation It is obvious that in IIO of cutting the bifocal section from the lens 37 is accomplishedl by settingithe arm 23 as inthe process of 'cutting the circle, inasmuch as the cut necessaryrto produceithe bifccal section is in the arc of a circle.

As shown in Figs. 7 and S of the drawings, the leather disk 8 may have its upper bearingsurface concaved or formed lconvexed to conform1tolthe curvature of the uncut lens` glass and retain the surface of the latter in contact with the surface of said disk.

From the construction and operationherein described it will be seen that while the re-v sults obtained aresimilarto those show n in the heretofore-mentioned patent to Lewis O. Linville the means for movably supporting the friction-wheel-carrying bar and the diamond-carrying arm 33 are 'such as to obviate the necessity of employing a Vbearing-frame for these parts, and likewise the necessity of forming in said -frame accurately-arranged.

bearing-points such as are required in the be- -fore-mentioned patent.

` with afi-ame l having a horizontalguideway thereon, a rotary lens-table mountedl` therein `and a pattern-cam carriedbysaid table, of a spring-actuated reciprocatingbar 15 `mountedvin said guideway, a friction-Wheel mounted in the forward end thereof, a` bar 21 adjustably connected with said bar l'and an arm 23 risingcfromthe bar21 and a diamond-carrying spring-actuated :plunger supported in saidarm, substantially as specied.

- GEORGE W. FOWLE.

In presence off- C. C. SHEPHERD,

A. L. PHELPs,

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