US724240A - Can-capping machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 724,240. BATBNTED MAR. 31,1903;

1?. L. BAKER, GAN GAPPING MAUHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT-.9, 1902' no monnn.- s'snim'rswnrmi.

PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903 F. L. BAKER. 'G AN GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 9, 1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2 K0 MODEL.

No. 724,240. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903 F. 'L. BAKER.-

CAN GAPPIN'G MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9. 1902. NO MODEL. 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3 No. 724,240. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903. F. L. BAKER.

CAN GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 9, 1902. U0 MODEL. 6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

NITED STATES ATENT Enrica.

FRANK L. BAKER, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO REMING TON MACHINE COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE.

CAN-CAPPIMG Macs-nus.

srncrrrcarron formingpart of Letters Iatent No. 724,240, dated Maren e1, 1903. Application filed October 9, 1902- Serial No. 126,495. (No model.)

To all w it may concern: ingaspecialarrangementof can-wipingbrlisli Be it known that I, ERANK L. BAKER, aciti- .zen of the United States, and a resident of Wilmington,Delaware, have invented certain Improvements in Can-Capping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of certain improvements in that class of can-capping'machines known as contin nous-capping machines, in which rows of filled and capped cans are successively moved into position to be acted upon by a row of soldering-irons, my invention comprising certain mechanism whereby the cans are lined up into rows and these rows successively fed forward to the soldering: irons and also certain mechanism whereby the filled cans in their passage through the machine first have their tops cleaned and then have acid applied to the capped tops of the cans inorder to facilitate thesubsequent soldering operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of that portion of the machine which handles the cans while they are being soldered, this view showing also the means employed for discharging from the machine the cans'having soldered caps, part of the mechanism for feeding to the machine the cans having unsoldered caps, and the devices for applying acid to the capped cans. Fig. 2 is a plan view of that portion of the machine which handles the cans before they reach the feed-trough shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3is an elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow as. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of he conveying mechanism shown in Fig. 1 looking in the direc' tion of the arrow y, this View also illustrating the soldering devices of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 1, also.

illustrating the soldering devices. Fig. 6 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the devices for applying acid to the cans. Fig. 6 is a detached view of one of said parts. Fig. 7 is a detached view of one of the elements of said acid-applying device. Figs. 8 and 9 are views of a can-spacing device sometimes used in connection with the machine, and Fig. 10 is a plan viewillustratsometimes employed.

' 1 represents the fixed frame or table of the machine, mounted upon suitable legs, and

upon said frame and legs are bearings for a series of shafts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, referred to hereinafter.

The shaft 2 is the driving-shaft and is provided with pulleys 8 for receiving the driv ing-belt, these pulleys being clutched to or re leased from the shaft 2 by manipulation of a lever 9, so as to readily start and stop the machine. The shaft 2 has a spur-pinion 10, which meshes with a spur-wheel 11 upon the shaft 3, the latter constituting the cam-shaftof the machine,.and said shaft 3 also has a bevel-wheel 12, which meshes witha bevelpinion 13 on the shaft 4, said shaft 4 having a chain-wheel 14, which by means of a chain belt 15 drives a similar chain-wheel16 on the shaft 7.

Upon the shafts 5 and 6 are mounted so as to turn freely skeleton drums or chain-wheels 17, which engage with bars 18, connecting the links 19 of an endless chain, and upon this chain are mounted open-ended can-trays 20, each constituting a pair of angle-bars facing each other and secured to the links of the chain at such distance apart as to accommodate between them a row of cans. Intermittent movements, each to the extent of one of these links, are imparted to the tray-carrying chain 19 by means of a cam 21 on the shaft 3, said cam acting upon an antifrictionroller carried by a lever 22, which is connected by a rod 23 to a lever 24, the latter being secured to a rock-shaft 25 and the rod 23 having swivel connection with both levers 22 and ing-irons 31, whereby the caps are soldered to the cans.

The soldering mechanism contains no special features of novelty. Hence only a brief description of the same will be necessary.

The stems 32 of the soldering-irons are retated by means of collars 32, engaging pins 33, which project from inclined tooth-wheels 34, meshing with similar wheels 35 on a trans verse shaft 36, which has a chain-wheel 37, driven by a chain 38 from a chain-wheel 39 on the driving-shaft 2, as shown in Fig. 5.

The soldering-irons are heated by gas or vapor burners 40 and have rising-and-falling movement-s imparted to them by a bar 41, which is vertically reciprocated by cams 42 on the shaft 3, said cams acting upon rollers carried by vertically-guided rods 43 at opposite ends of the machine.

The solder in wire form is drawn from spools 44 on an elevated table or platform 45 48 and carrying a pawl 55, whichengages with the ratchet-wheel. A lever 56 serves to hold this pawl out of engagementwith the ratchet-wheel whenever it is struck by a col lar 57 on one of the soldering-iron stems when said soldering-iron has been permitted to descend to an abnormal extent by reason of the fact that no can has been fed underneath the same, whereby there will be no feed of solder to the soldering-irons unless a row of cans has been properly fed beneath the same to be soldered.

The soldered cans are carried away from the machine by means of an endlessslatted belt 60, which is driven from'the shaft 2 by means of an inclined tooth-wheel 61 thereon, said wheel engaging a wheel 62 on a short shaft 63, which carries a chain-wheel 64, engaging an endless chain belt 65, the lattr driving a chain-wheel 66 on a shaft 67, which has another chain-wheel 68, engaging with the links of the endless slatted belt 60, so as to cause continuous movement of the latter. The rows of soldered cans are fed from the successive trays 20 onto the endless deliveryof the shaft 7 in respect to the intermittent movements of the tray-carrying chain 19 being such that a complete row of cans can be removed from a tray 20 onto the endless delivery-belt 60 by the action of one of the fingers 70 during one of the intervals of rest between the successive movements of the traycarrying chain 19.

In order to prevent deflection of the inner run of the chain 71 and maintain the" same parallel with the row of cans which is being pushed from a tray 20 by thefinger 70 of the chain, said inner run of the chain is engaged by an angle-bar 78, Fig. 5, which is suitably mounted upon the fixed frame of the machine and not only serves to vertically support the inner run of the chain 71, but also as a backing for said run of the chain, and prevents the same from being pushed outwardly by the strain upon it. Upon the transverse shaft 7 is another chain-wheel 80, which by means a chain 81 drives a chain-wheel 82, carried by a shaft 83, which is adapted to suitable hearings on a table or platform 84, mounted alongside of the main frame 1 of the machine and carrying one end ofa feed-trough 85, the otherend of said trough being mounted upon the main frame and terminating adjacent to and in line with the successive? trays 20 of the chain 19 during the intervals 61? rest between successive movements of the chain, so that cans can be fed from said trough 85 onto each of the trays 20 in succession.

The filled cans to which the caps have been applied are conveyed to the machines by means of an endless slatted belt 86, to which movement is imparted by the shaft 83, said shaft having'a chain-wheel 87 for the reception of a chain belt 88, which drivesa chainwheel 89 ona shaft 90, having a chain-wheel 91, Fig. 3, which engages with the links of the endless slatted feed-belt 86. The cans are delivered by the feed-belt 86 between a pair of inclined guide-rails 92 93, whereby belt onto the table 84 and into the path of fingers 94, carried by an endless belt 95, these shown in Fig. 2.

The inclined guide-rail 92 is fixedly mounted on the table 84; but the guide-rail 93 is pivoted at is receiving end and is acted upon bya spring 96, so that it presses the cans toward the guide-rail 93 with a yielding pressure, and thus accommodates different-sized cans or inequalities in cans of the same size.

The endless belt 95 is mountedupon chain wheels 97 and 98, carried by vertical shafts 99 and 100, the shaft 99 being mounted in iixed hearings on the fixed table 84- and the bearings of the shaft 100 being adjustable, so as to keep said chain under proper tension.

The shaft 99 is driven from the shaft 83 through the medium of intermeshing spurthey are laterally deflected from said feedwheels 101, 102, and 103, the latter being secured to a shaft 104, which has a bevel-pinto fillone of the trays has entered the.

- shaft, and this shaft 109 also has an inclined ion 105, meshing with a bevel-wheel 105 on the shaft 99, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The cans fed into the receivingend of the trough-S5 by theyaction of the fingers 94 are pushed along in said trough by contact with each other until a number of cans suflicient trough, whereupon a finger 106 on the feedbelt 81 engages the lowest can of the set and moves the whole set forwardly onto the tray during one of the periods of rest of the traycarrying chain 19.

Oertain'ofthe fingers on the belt 95for in stance, thosenumbered 94are thicker than the others, whereby after a certain number of cans have been fed onto the trough 85 the series will be moved forward at a rate slightly greater than the normal by the action of one of the fingers 94*,tberebyinsuring sufiicient space between successive series of cans for the proper action of the fingers 106. 7

While the cans are being fed along the trough 85 they are acted upon by a wipingbrush 107 and a pair of wiping-brushes 108, the wiping-brush 107 rotating arounda horizontal axis above and parallel with the central line of the row of cans and. the brushes 108 rotating around vertical axes each above and at right angles to the center line of the row of cans, these brushes serving to remove from the tops of the cans and from the grooves into which the flanges of the caps project any material which may have'been inadvertently deposited thereon or therein, so as to present the cans in a clean condition to the acid-ap: plying devices, presently to be described.

The horizontal shaft 109, which carries the brush 107, is mounted in suitable bearings above the table 84 and has a vpulley 110 for receiving a belt "from any adjacent drivingtooth-wheel 1.11, which drives a similar wheel on a vertical shaft 112, thelatter having a belt-pulley 113, which receives a belt 114. This belt 114 passes around an idler-pulley 115and thence around pulleys 116 upon tubular shafts 117, through which pass the shafts 118, carrying the brushes 108.

The shafts 118 can play vertically in the tubular shafts 117, but are compelled to rotate therewith.

Pins 119 re carried by the shafts 118 and are supported by springs 120, contained within the shafts 117, so that the brushes 108 are normally retained in position clear of the tops of the cans which are being fed along the trough 85. Each shaft 118 is, however, engaged by the forked end of a lever 121, hung to a bracketat one side of the bearing which carries the shaft 118, and each of these levers has at the lower end an antifrictionroller 122, adapted to contact with the side of a can which is being fed along the trough 85, the lower end of the lever 121 being thereby pushed outwardly, so as to depress the brush 108 onto the top of the can. By means of this device the brush 108 is brought into the upper end of the tube 129.

contact with the top of the can only when the center of the same is directly beneath the center of the brush, thereby insuringa proper action of the brush in cleaning out the groove surrounding the cap.

In most cases it is preferable to dispose the brush 107 with its axis diagonal to the line of travel of the line of cans, so that the contact-line of each brush will cover a width equal to the diameter of a can, whereby the entire top of each can will be swept clean by the brush as the can travels beneath the same, as shown in Fig. 10. The brush 107 in this case is carried by a shaft 107*, driven from the shaft 109 by means of bevel- gears 107 and 107 or other means which will permit of the angular disposition of the two shafts. As the cans are fed along in the trough 85 acid is applied to the top of each can by means of mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 5, 6, and 7 and which I will now describe. A rod 125, projecting upwardly from a bracket 126 on the having at the bottom a delivery-tube 129, with valve 130, whereby the area of the passage through said delivery-tube can be regulated. That portion of the delivery-tube 129 which is within the acid vessel 128 and projects above the bottom of the same is surrounded by a slotted sleeve 131, (see Fig. 6%) carrying a packing-block 132, which when the sleeve ism its normal or depressed position closes The sleeve 131 is connected to the lower end of a weighted rod 133, suitably guided in a cross-bar 134 in the top of the acid vessel, and this weighted rod is acted upon by theforked end. of a lever 135, fulcrumed in a bearing on the top of the acid vessel, as shown in Fig. 5, the outer end of said lever being connected by a rod 136 to an arm 137 on a rock-shaft 138., which at its lower end a projecting rod 141, with a curved shoe 142, thelatter normally project ing into the path of a row of cans which is being fed along the trough 85, as shown in Fig. 5.

The end of the arm 137 engages with a slotted arm 143 on a shaft 144, which is mounted in a bearing in the bracket 139 and has another arm-145, carrying a brush 146, the latter,

when the parts are in the normal position,-

(shown in Figs.5 and 6,) being directly beneath the outlet of theacid-delivery'pipe 129. A can traversing the feed-trough 85 strikes the curved shoe 142, and in pushing the same out of its path swings the lever 140 in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, this having the double effect of lifting the sleeve-valve 131 and swinging downward the brush 146. As i the valve 131 is lifted acid flows from the vessel 128 through the slots of the valve and into the tube 129, and a few drops of this acid are delivered onto the brush 146 as the latter swings downwardly, the acid being applied by the brush to the top of the can when the brush is brought into contact with the latter at the bottom of its downward movement.

In practice the machine will be designed to act upon cans of the largest diameter and the soldering-irons will be so disposed in the machine that their centers will be separated to an extent equal to the diameter of such largestsized cans, each of the trays being of such length as to receive a certain numbersay twelve-0f such large-sized cans when the latterare in contact witheach other, and the longitudinal guide-bars 150, which laterally confine the rows of cans as the same are being carried forward by the can-trays 20, will be just far-enough apart to receive between them the proper number of such large-sized cans. In operating upon cans of smaller diameter, therefore, a given number of such smaller cans will not completely fill the cantray 20, and the centers of such small cans will not be in line with the centers of the soldering-irons as the row of cans is fed forwardly by the tray-carrying chain 19. In order to adapt the machine for operating upon suchsmall-sized cans, therefore, some means must be employed for separating the cans one from another until the center of each can is in line with the centerof the soldering-iron which is to'act upon it. For this purpose I employ a series of fingers 151, depending from a transverse bar 152, these fingers passing between the cans of a row which is being carried forward by one of the trays 20 and having the elfect of pushing the cans laterally, so that when the row of cans has passed beyond the fingers each can is separated from its neighboring can to the desired extent, such separating action of the fingers being illustrated in Fig. 8, which shows a row of cans in contact with each other before being subjected to the action of the separating-fingers, and also shows the position of the cans after they have left the separating-fingers. Each of the separating-fingers is by preference beveled at the forward end, and the fingers are disposed at different angles in respect to the row of cans, as the movement of the cans is cumulative from one end of the row to the other. Thus if the second can had to be separated from the first to the extent of a half-inch the third can would have to be separated to a like extent from the second and would therefore have to be moved to the extent of an inch and the fourth ban would have to be moved for an inch and a half, and so on.

Each of the separating-fingers 151 has a stem 153, adapted to a transverse slot 154 in the supporting-bar 152, as shown in Fig.9, said stem being threaded for the reception, of a confiningnut 155, whereby the fingers can be adjusted laterally on the supporting-bar to suit cans of different diameters and the angle of each finger in respect to the line of travel of the cans can be varied so as to cause said finger to separate the cans to a greater or less extent, depending upon the diameter of the cans.

A machine of the character described is automatic in its action, the only attendance required being the supplying of the cans to the feed-belt 86 and the removal of the cans from the delivery-belt 60.

Having thus described myinvention,lclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent--- 1. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endless chain of open-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movements to said chain, with a dwell between successive movements, and a continuously-moving feed-belt for pushing rows of cans onto the can-trays in succession during the periods of rest of the tray-carrying chain, substantially as specified.

2. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endless chain of open-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movements to said chain, with periods of dwell between successive movements, and a continuously-moving belt having projections thereon for pushing rows of cans from successive can-trays during the intervals of movement of the chain, substantially as specified.

3. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endless chain of open-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movements to said chain, with intervals of dwell between successive movements, an iutermittently-actin g device for feeding rows of cans onto successive can-trays during the intervals of movement of the tray-carrying chain and a continuously-acting can-feeder for delivering cans to said intermittently-actin g feeding device, substantially as specified.

4. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endless chain of open-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movements to said chain, with intervals of dwell between successive movements, an intermittently-acting device for pushing rows of cans from successive can-trays during the intervals between successive movements of the tray-carrying chain, and a continuouslymoving delivery-belt upon. which the cans are deposited by said intermittently-acting pusher, substantially as specified.

5. The combination in a can-capping ma chine, of an endless chain of open-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movements to said chain, with intervals of dwell between successive movements, and an intermittently-acting device for pushing the rows of cans from successive can-trays during the intervals of movement of the latter, said device comprising an endless chain with projecting fingers thereon, and a bar for supporting the acting run of said chain, substantially as specified.

6. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endless chain of open-ended cantrays, means for impartingintermittent forward movements to said chain,with intervals of dwell between; successiveimovements, andan intermittently-acting: device for pushing the rows of cans from successive ..-can trays--- 5 during the intervals of movement of the .lat-.

ter, said device comprising an endless chain' with projecting fingers thereon, and a bar for supporting the acting run of said chaimsaid bar also serving as a backing-for said run-of imparting intermittent forward movements.

to said chain, comprising: areciprocatedicarrier having a'weightedpaw-l for engaging said transverse rods, and a cam and intervening mechanism for reciprocatingsaid pawl-carrier, substantially as specified.

9. In a can-capping machine, the combi nation of an endless chain of open-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movements to said chain, with a dwell betweensuccessive movements,a feed-trough with which the successive can etrays: are.

brought into alinement, and an endless chain having fingers for engaging-the rearmost of row of cans fed into said trough and pushing them from said trough, onto thezcan'a-traygin line therewith, substantially as specified,

10. In a can-capping machine, the combination of a feedetrough, an endless chain having fingers for engagingwith the rearmost of a row of cans fed onto the trough, and a second feeder having fingers for acting-upon individual cans and movingthem successively into the trough, substantially as specified.

11. In a can-capping machine, the combi- I nation of a feed-trough, an endless chain having fingers for engaging with the rearmost of a row of cans fed ontothetrough, and asec- 0nd feeder having fingersufor acting upon individual cans andmoving them successively into the trough, some of said fingers being;

thicker than others,substantially as specified.

12. In a can-capping machine, the combination of a feed-trough, an endless chain hav: ing fingers for feeding a row of; cans bodily forward through said trough, a second feeder having fingers for acting upon individual cansand moving them into said trough, and an endless conveyor for delivering the cans to the fingers of said second feeder, substantially as specified.

55 13. In a can-capping machine, the combination of an endless conveyer for feeding cans, a feeder having fingers for acting upon 'endless -conveyer andviincliined inrespected:

successive cansrfedtto-it, and a;deflector prov-1 jectingover saidi end-less ---c0nveyer-; and: .i n1, clined in respect-to thepath-ofi travel of'ithesame, whereby,- asi-the cans:-are.. carried feriward by the-conveyor, they will engageealist deflector and; will] bepnshed.th'erebyglateraltyu from the conveyer and i into-therpathixot the feeding-fingers, substantial-11y 1&8 s pecifiede 14. In a canrcappingygmachineythe combianation of an endless: conveyer for-rfeed-ing. cans, a feeder havingfingersfor actingaupom; successive cans-fed'to-rit,and-'aninclined-derfiector .for pushingjthetcansr-laterali s saidendless feeder andyintottl'repat pushing-fin ge'rs, said tdeflectorrbein yield, but being, heldtnormally, V y giontact with the cans, substantial-lyaasspe ed. M y 15. Ina can-capping;machine th" coin nation of an: endlesstconveyerr'forrthegcans with a, pair of deflectorsprojectingtovensai "the path oftravel of :thersam'e wlierebyi the cans are carried forw-a zdl y ,byttlre nov veyer, they will engage:said.v deflectors be thereby pushed vlaterally -fromntheacnimn veyer, and a. supporting-table for: receiving: thecans;thusdischargedrfromxthesconveyer, 5 substantially,assspecifiedi- Y 16. Ina can-capping;machine,the-,combi nation of an endless coniveyen -for, the ca.ns,: and a pair of inclineddeflectors-forapnshing the cans laterally fromsaid endlessconveyer onto thesupporting-table; oneaof said deflectors being fixed and the: otherbeingvpivoted. and acted u-pon-iby a yielding:pusher subr stantiallyasspecified;

17;In a. can-capping machine, ,thes-combi: nationtot arr acid ivessel, a swinging brush anz-acid-idel-ivery pipe, and a reciprocating valve consistin got aslotted- :sleeve ,aembraca ingv that portion of theideli very-piperwhichiis. i within the acid vessel, saidisleevei having an plug for closing 1 the-wmouthof the, delivery pipe, substantiallya'stspecifiedt 18. In a can-cappingmach'ne tthewcomzbia nation of can-feeding devices anacid: vessel, a swinging brush, meansflfor deli veringtacidto said brush, and lever mechanism for swinging said brush, one of the leversthavinga shoe which is adapted to contact xdirectly with' the sides of the: cans as theyare s-uccessively,- fed forward, substantiallypas specified.

19. In a can-capping-machine, v.the combii-l nation of means for feeding cansforwardlyin succession into the machine, an acid vessel, a swinging brush a valve for 'controlling: the fiow of acid from! the vessel onto.- the brush,v a shoe projecting intotthe path of the-cans, and means whereby the deflection of said shoeby the cans: is caused :to effectsimultaneous op eration of the acid-valveand swinging of the acid-brush, substantially est-specified.

20. In a can-capping machine, the combi: nation of forwardly-moving can-trays each. carrying a row of cans, with separating-fingers independentof said trays and'disposed;

above the same so as to be interposed between the cans as they are carried forwardly by the trays, said fingers serving to move the cans of each row laterally apart from each other as they are thus carried forwardly, -snbstanseparate the cans of the row, onefrom another in the tray, said fingers being mounted so as to be laterally adj nstable in respect one to another, substantially as specified.

22. In a can-capping machine, the combination of mechanism for moving forwardly a row of cans, with separating-fingersinterposed between the cans as they are carried forwardly, and serving to laterally separate the cans of the row, one from another, said fingers presenting a progressively-increasing angle in respect to the forward line of movement of the cans, substantially as specified.

23. In a can-capping machine, the combination of mechanism for moving forwardly a row of cans, with separating-fingers interposed between the cans as they are'carried forwardly and serving to laterally separate the cans of the row, one from another, said fingers being adjustably mounted, whereby their angle in respect to the forward line of movement of the cans can be varied, substantially as specified.

24. In a can-capping machine, the combination of mechanism for moving forwardly a row of cans, with separating-fingers interposed between the cans as they are carried wforwardly, and serving to laterally separate the cans of the row, one from another, said fingers being mounted so as to be laterally adjnstable in respect to each other and so as to changetheir angle in respect to the line of forward movement of the cans, substantially as specified;

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK L. BAKER. Witnesses:

WM. R. CLARK, CHARLES GREEN.

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