US845415A - Cap-feeding machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 845,415. PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907. J. A. HICKS.

GAP FEEDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR 31 1905 2 SHEETB-SHEET 1.

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witnesses No. 845,415. PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

J. A. HICKS.

GAP FEEDING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR.31,1905.

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JOHN AUGUSTUS HICKS, OF SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN OR TO JAMES M. HICKS, OF SUMMIT, NEW-JERSEY.

CAP-FEEDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26; 1907.

Application filed March 31, 1905- Sgial No. 253,069.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that LJoHN AUGUSTUS HICKS, a citizen of the United States, county of Union, State of New Jersey, residing at Summit, in said county and State, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (lap- Feeding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for automatically delivering metal caps from a mass to a capping-machine one at a time successively; and to this end it consists in certain elements and combinations fully set out and claimed at the end of the following specifica- 1 tion.

In order that persons skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may understand, construct, and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it, referring to the accom- 2o panying drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention attached to and above my capping-machine, which capping machine is Iully illus- 2 5 trated and specined in an application filed in United States Patent Oflice March 31, 1905, Serial No. 253,155. Fig. 2 is a top view of I the said capping-machine with the ratchet mechanism attached for driving the feeding o mechanism located above it. big. 3 is a top view of the hopper for holding a mass of caps and also the cone, carrier, and appliances for delivering one cap at a time to a chute which leads from said hopper to the capping-ma- 3 5 chine.

hopper and chute, the cone, carrier, and other appliances being shown in side view.

Fig. 5 is a top view of a portion of the captransferring chute, in which the caps are turned to a uniform position bottom up previous to entering the portion of said transferring-chute which reverses their-position, turning them top up before reaching the capping-machine, delivering them at a definite 5 point in the pocket-Wheel. Figs. 8, 7, 6, respectively, are cross-sectional views, respectively, on lines X X, Y Y, Z Z, Fig. 5.

A is the hopper.

B is the cone carrier.

O is a chute attached to the bottom plate of hopperA and opening into it.

1) is a vertical shaft which passes up through the center of the cone-carrier B and at its top ,enters a cross-brace E to center it, which Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the said 'crosibrace E is fastened to the sides of hopper F is one part of a universal joint on the lower end of shaft D, and F is the other half on the upper end of a shaft D. F and F are a universal joint at the lower end of shaft D and is secured on the upper end of shaft 13*, which takes onto a pin on which ratchet G is centered and revolves stepby step by mechanism which works the capping-machine. The ratchet G is supported upon a bracket G, fastened to the top plate E of the capping-machine. Thus the cone-carrier B is moved circumferentially step by step by rods D D D in operative connection with ratchet G, operated 1n unison with mechanism which operates the capping-machine to which it is attached and which is to receive the caps one by one in a pocket-wheel arranged therefor .at the base of chute C and its lower connections. 7 5 Around the vertical periphery of carriercone B, which is smaller than the inside of hopper A, are lugs B, which divide the space between cone B and hopper A into pockets B into which caps from hopper A drop and 8c are carried around until they reach, one at a time, the opening A, above the chute 0, into which chute C they drop and roll down said chute to the part C indiscriminately, the caps being turned part one way and part the other. The carrier-cone B has wings B which agitate the mass of caps in hopper A. Incline strips B are secured to the inner surface of hopper A, running circumterentially, starting at a point or points about the level 9c with the top of lugs B and rise considerably above said level at their extreme ends. The wings B on. the revolving carrier B move the caps which may be above the pockets between the lugs B around and roll them up the in- 9 5 cline strips B and over their extreme ends, so that in case two caps have become cupped one inside the other as they drop over the 1 ends of the incline ieces B they are reversed and uncapped. Y T e sides ofchute C from a mo definite point downward to the opening in chute 0?, are inclined outward graduallyi and the bottom plate to chute is raised at the central portion from a definite pointin chute C (C from where it joins the part'C has its sides vertical, as shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, the incline sides be at C and downward to near the mouth of chute C, so that caps rolling down chute C on reaching chute C are inclined against whichever side the weight of the heaviest portion of the cap inclines them, which is the top side, the raised center aiding this operation, so that when the inclined caps reach about the mouth of chute O the caps, are turned top down to pass on through chute C and, as chute C is curved over,the caps in passing through chute C are turned in position from bottom up to top up and in condition to pass into-a pocket in pocket-wheel E in the capping-machine. to which the chute C is attached, and into Whichever pocket may be opposite the openingrin chute C he operation of my invention is as follows A mass of caps is placed in hopper A, caps fall into pockets B of the cone-carrier, the capping-machine is worked by its step-by-step mechanism, as shown in my application for capping-machine above referred to, and the rod D is turned, bringing one of the pockets B over the entrance to chute C, and a cap drops into the said chute and rolls down chute C to chute C and is there turned upon its top side, no matter how the cap is faced in leaving the hopperAand pocket B As the cap leaves chute C lying upon its top side, the

chute C being curved changes the lay of the cap to bottom side down and in condition to enter a'pocket-wheel E in the capping-machine and as it should be to be placed over a vessel mouth. The same operation takes place for every movement of the cone-carrier forward one pocket one step at a time, controlled and timed by the ratchet mechanism which drives the cone-carri er B from the capping-machine and in unison with it In case the caps look into each other, and thus are hindered from dropping into the pockets B the wings B by the revolution of cone-carrier B,roll the locked caps up the incline B and drop them over the ends of the inclines, and thus they become uncupped.

Having now fully. described my invention and the manner in which I have embodied it, what I claim as new and as my invention,

and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for delivering sealing-caps to a cappingmachine one at a time, the combination consisting of a circular hopper to hold a mass of caps; a circular carrier located within said hopper pivoted to revolve therein centrally and provided with equally-spaced pockets on its periphery and embraced between the internal circumference of said hopper and said carrier; an opening in the base of said hopper and under a pocket in the said carrier; a chute located beneath said opening to receive caps as they drop into it through said opening; a rectifying-chute connected therewith for facing the caps alike; a reversing-chute as a continuation of said rectifyingchute to convey caps properly faced to a capping-machine; step-by-step mechanism, consisting of a ratchet mechanism, and driving connections therefrom to the pivotal shaft for driving the said carrier, whereby caps are delivered from the said hopper one by one, to a capping-machine properly faced for the said capping-machine, substantially as specified. r

2. In an apparatus for holding a mass of caps and delivering one cap at a time to a rectifying-chute, the combination consistin of a circular hopper; a carrier centrally an pivotally located'in said hopper and of sub stantially smaller inner diameter than the diameter of the said hopper, division-pieces secured to-the outer diameter of the said carrier to form equal pockets bounded by the carrier, the inside diameter of the hopper and the said division-pieces; an opening in the base of said hopper and beneath one of the said pockets in and above the said chute; upwardly-inclined pieces located on the inner surface of the said hopper; wings projecting from the outer surface of the carrier; a pivotal shaft secured to the said carrier and journaled in the center of the base of said hopper and connected with the operating mechanism of a capping-machine, whereby the said carrier is operated circumferenti ally step by step, as and for the purposes hereinbefore specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 30th day of March, 1905.

JOHN AUGUSTUS HICKS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. BENEDICT, JAMES M. HICKS.

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