US852190A - Soap cutting and pressing machine. - Google Patents

Description

PATBNTED APR. so; 1907.

H. w. MoEWEN. soap CUTTING AND PRESSING MACHINE.

APPLIGLTIOI FILED 116.14. 1908.

WITNESSES m: min "no we" inane-nu. I

PATENTED'APR. 30', 1907.

a. w. muzwnu. soar CUTTING AND PRESSING momma.

lPPLIOATIOI FILED AUG. H. 19.

' WITNES8E8 A TTORNEYS UN [TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOAP CUTTING AND PRESSING MACHINE- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

Application filed August- 14, 1908. Serial No. 330,526.

To all whom, it nut y concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH WiLLIAM Mc- Ewnx, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago. in the county of Cook gand State of Illinois have invented a. new and Improved Soap Cutting and Pressmlg Machine, of which the following is a ful clear. and exact description.

This invention comprises a new and improved machine for cutting long bars of seep into short sections and pressing each of said sections into a regular sized cake.

The object thereof is to produce a device of this character which is automatic in its operation and which carries on all the necessary steps in their regular se nencc without the aid or attention of a skilled operator.

The invention further consists in the combination of elements hereinafter set forth, whereby the desired results are accomplished.

Reference is to be had to the accompnnying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, in which Figure l is a side elevation of the complete machine; 2 is a vertical longitudina section; Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing certain of the parts in section; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the receiving pockets and mechanism for spacin the same; Fl 5 is a detailed plan view of t e means employed for releasing the 11 per portion of the mold: and Fig. 6 is a. data ed section showing a portion of the mold and its relensi means.

In my invention preferably employ a main rectangular frame having side bars 1 and suitable supporting legs 2. Journaled in suitable bearings at one end of this frame, is the drive shaft 3 bv which the working parts are operated. This drive shaft carries a. suitable fly wheel 4 on one end and two cranks intermediate ils ends. The cranks 5 have connecting rods 6 pivoted to the ends thereof and connected to the working parts of the machine. At the opposite end of the machine are two standards 7. having a platform 8 extending across the machine and serving as a support for the bars of soap before the same are fed into the cutting mechanism. The platform 8 has a slot extending substantially the entire length thereof and of sufficient width to permit of the usage of the soap bar. This slot is sub-divided by a. plurality of wires 9 extending from one side of the platform to the other and of a. suflicient distance apart so that the small cakes of soap formed thereby will be of the proper proportions. Su ported above this slot is a plunger 10 of slip; ltly less width than the slot in the platform and having grooves 11 out upward to rmit of the possage of the plunger into said slot and the insertion of the wires in the said rocves.

The soap to be cut up and formed into cakes is usually supplied in the form of long cylindrical bars which are placed on the latform 8 and as the longer 10 is raised the bar of soap is placed over the slot and supported on the cross wires 9. As the plunger 10 descends, it forces the bar of soap down through the slot and the wires serve to cut the bar into a plurality of small sect-ions, while the wires pass upward into the grooves in the plunger and permit a free up and down movement thereof. For reciprocating the plunger, I extend the ends thereof beyond the standards 7 and mount said ends upon vertical rods 12 adapted to be reciprocated in any suitable manner but preferabl bv the mechanism about to be describe The upper end of the rods 12 extend through the upper side of the frame and have coiled springs 13 mounted thereon and tending to lift the rods and therefore the plunger against the action of gravity.

Within the main rectangular frame are mounted two wedge-she d plates 14 adapted to he moved longitu inally of said frame bv the rotation of the main drive shaft 3.

hesc wedge-shaped plates 1-1 fit in grooves on the under side of the frame and have their cam surfaces on the lower side. The rods 12 extend down below the lower edge of these plates and are provided with suitable antit'rietion rollers 15 adapted to bear against the under side of the two wedge-shaped plates. As the two lntes are moved toward the right-hand sir c, it will he noted that the antifrlction rollers are traveling along the under side of the plates and being raised together with the plunger by the action of the coiled springs 13; but when the triangular plates 14 are moved in the opposite direction, namely, from the right to the left. the anti-friction rollers 15 are drawn down, and thus by springing u )on the plunr'er 10, cause it to pass thrmlg the slot in the platform 8, and sub-divide a bar of soap supported on the cutting wires 9. The under side of the plunger 10 is preferably concave to fit the soap ICO bar, and suitable guides may be cm loycd, if desired, to prevent the bar of soap rom sliding oil the further side when it is placed upon the cutting wires.

For receiving the shorter bars of soap as they fall from beneath the cutting wires 9, I provide a plurality of open-ended pockets 16, supported upon two cross bars 17 along which they are adapted to slide. These pockets 16 are provided with lugs 18 for properly spacing them apart. and are prorided with chains or other suitable connecting means 19 to prevent the pocketsfroxn be ing moved more than a predetermined d1S tance apart. For moving the pockets apart aft-er the cakes of soap have fallen therein, I provide one of the ockets with a bar 20 ex tending out throng one of the standards 7, and having means on the outer end thereof for reciprocating said rod at the desired time in the operation of the machine. The bottom :21 of each of the pockets is hinged to the side wall and normally held closed by a suitable spring 2:2, while the opposite edge of the bottom is extended to form a catch '23 adapt ed to e age with the mold and 0 )en the bottom of t e pocket to discharge 1 19 contents into the mold as the latter reaches the required position.

Extending across the main frame of the machine intermediate its length, is a heavy cross beam 24 carrying a portion of the soap mold and having the triangular plates 14, previously referred to, rigidly attached thereto. This cross beam also carries a second set of substantiallr trianqular plates 25 extending longitudinally of the machine and in an opposite direction from the plates 14, and by which motion is transmitted from the connesting rod 6 to the cross beam 24. as these plates :25 are adapted to he reciprocatcd along the frame by said connecting rod which may I be secured to the latter in any suitable man- D01.

The second or reciprocating portion 26 of the mold comprises a heavy weight extending across the frame and having recesses or i cavities '27 in the lower side thereof, into i which the soap fits as the mold is operated in the manner hereinafter described. This 1 weight 26 has two rods '28 extending outward therefrom and in alincment therewith, both i of which are connected to sleeves 29 supported to reciprocate the stationary rods 30. 5 Each rod 28 is also provided with anli-friei tion rollers 31 ada ted to rest on the upper surface of each of t 19 cam plates 2-3. whereby as the said plates are moved longitudinally of the frame. the weight .26 will be raised or T lowered according to the direction of the movement of said plates. (.onnecting the upper ends of the two stationary rods is a cross iece '32 having a vertical passage throng which extends a rod 33 carried by i the weight 26 olrthe upper surface thereof. 1

This rod 33 has a notch 34 cut in one side of the some and the upper side of the cross piece 32 has a spring-pressed lever 35 pivoted thereto and adapted to engage the notch 34 in the rod 33 when the weight is raised a suflicient distance by the longitudinal movement of the triangular plates 25. For releasin the lever 35 from the notch 34, I connect the opposite end of said lever by a rod 36 to a suitable trigger 37 lying in the line of movement of the triangular plates 25 or their supporting member. This trigger is preferably mounted in a suitable guide 38 and normally held in one position by a suitable sprin 39. To one end of the trigger 37 is secured the rod 36, and the tri ger is so located that it does not contact WltTl the plate or its supporting member until the plate 25 has very nearly reached the limit of its movement, at which time the beam 24, constituting the lower portion of the mold, is directly below the weight 26 and the latter is allowed to dro 'l lie lower portion of the mold is mounted to move along the frame together with the triangular plates 14 and 25, but as it is essential that the said mold should be in exactly a certain given position at the time the upper portion of the mold is released and dropped, the lower portion preferably has a certain freedom of motion in the frame and is normally held to its extreme left-hand position by a suitable spring 40. As the triangular plates and cross beam .Z-L'constituting the lower portion of the mold, are moved toward the left-hand. the cross beam 24 contacts with a stop 41 of any suitable character and the plates 2-5 and 14 may continue their movement until the trigger 37 is operated and the upper half of the mold allowed to drop upon the lower half. For suitably supporting the cross beam at the time the weight is dropped, I preferably )rovide suit ablc standards or supports 42 0 any suitable character. with the upper surfaces of which the mold comes in contact. whereby the shock caused by the dropping of the upper portion of the mold is received on said standards instead of upon the main frame of the machine.

The cross beam 24 has recesses cut therein and adapted to receive the mold blocks 43, which may be raised up out of the cross beam 24 and permit of the discharge of the com plclcd cake of soap in the following manner: Each mold block 43 has a rod or bar 44 0X- tending downward lhcrel'l'mu and adapted to be capable of a short rcciprocntiu" motion. llingrcd to the lnwvr end of each of the rods -14 is a second member 45 having an anti-friction roller 45 on its lower end. adapted to manage with triangular plates or cam surfaces 46, whereby as the cross beam 24 is moved toward the right the anti-friction rollers engage the cam surfaces of the plates 46 and raise the mold blocks 43 out of the cross beam. As the motion of the cross beam progresses, the finished cakes of soap may come into engagement with down-hanging balflcs 47 supported on a rod 48, or in any open the pocket in opposition to the action 0 the spring .22 and atthe time the mold reaches the end of its course, the bottom of the pocket is opened sufficiently wide for the cake of soap to escape into the mold. As the rod 44 has its extension 45 hinged thereto, it is evident that the mold may freely return to its normal position without the cake being rejected from the mold. The baffles 47 are free to swing toward the left to permit of this return but are prevented from swinging toward the right, whcreb the cake is positively removed from the orward movement of the mold.

As the recesses in thc mold must of necessity be a certain distance a art, and as there is no appreciable'distancc etween the ends of the respective cakes as they fall from the cutting wires 9, it is desirable that the receiving pockets may space apartafter they rc ceivetbc cakes of sea from the cutting wires and before they do iver the same to the ,molds. To accomplish this, the pockets are connected by chains 19, as previously de scribed. and the bar 20 connected to the end pocket extends out through one of the standards 7 and is provided with a coiled spring 49, normallv tendi v to forcethe pockets together. The end dfthis rod is pro vided with a vertical tee having small a11tifriction rollers 50 on the two ends thereof and adapted to rest on the outer cam surfaces of two parallel triangular plates 51, adapted to move back and forth across the standard 7. I For moving these plates, I provide them with an extension 52, having a coiled spring 53 normally tending to force them in one d1- rectlon, while an arm 54 is pivoted to the upper portion of the frame and rests against a roller 55 on the opposite end of the plates. The arm 54 extends downward to the main frame and is adapted to be engaged by the end of a U-shaped stop 56 carried by the cross beam 24 and curved so that it does not interfere with the free motion of said beam to a position beneath the pockets. As the beam 24 carrying the molds is moved toward the right, it contacts with the end of the lever 54, and in moving the latter itforces the plates 51 beneath the rollers 50 and thus draws out the rod 20 against the action of the spring 49 and pulls the pockets :1 sufficicnt distance apart, whereby each pocket will be directly above its corresponding mold.

The reciprocating parts of the machine may be separated within the main frame and may be secured to the connecting rods 6 in any suitable manner. Preferably the end of the cross beam 24, having the lower portion of the mold, is provided with recesses in the ends thereof adapted to receive the side members 1 of the main frame and a second cross beam 57 is similarly supported, as indicated in Fig. 6, with the plates 25 secured to the up or side thereof and the two connecting ro s journaled intermediate its ends.

In the operation of my improved soap cutting and pressing machine, the shaft 3 is rotated from any suitable source of power and long cylindrical bars of soap are placed on the platform 8. Starting with the parts in their extreme left-hand position, the plunger 10 will be at its lowest position and the weight- 26, constitutin the upper half of the mold, will rest upon the lower half with the finished cakes of soap between the two. As the machine is started, the triangular plates 25 move toward the right and raise the weight 26 off the cross beam 24 before the latter begins to move as the cross beam is in such a position on the frame that the spring 40 was sli htly compressed at the time the weight fell. After the weight has been raised a short distance above the cross beam 24, the latter begins its movement toward the right and as the 0x1 ension 45 comes in contact with the beveled surfaces of the plates 46, the cakes are raised from the recesses in the beam 24 and upon-' further movement they are brushed oil' by the plates 47. As soon as the extension 45 passes the end of the plates 46, the lower portions of the molds drop within the recesses of the cross bcam 24 and the latter thcn engages with the bottom of the pockets l6 and permits the discharge of the unfinished cakes from said pockets into the recesses in the beam '24. Meanwhile, the stop 56 has engaged the lever arm 54 and spaced the pockets apart and the roller 15 has passed up the cam surface of the plate 14 to raise the plunger 10 for tho insertion of a new bar of soap from the platform 8. As the parts more toward the left, the plunger brought down and the pockets allowcd to come together by tho disengagement of the stop 56 from the lever arm 54. The beam 24 can freely pass hcncath the baffles 47 and then pass over the standards to the action of the spring 44 and upon this further movement the tri gel 37 is pulled and the catch 35 released mm the notch to permit the weight to instantly descend upon the unfinished cakes of soap resting in the recesses in the cross beam 24 and thus compress them into the desired shape. The walls of these recesses may be provided with any suitable lettering or desi which it is desired to stamp upon the finished cakes of soap at the time thev are thus formed. By the time the weight drops the plunger 10 has been again drawn down by the action of the plates 14 and the next bar of soap has been cut into sections by the wires 19 and deposited into the receiving pockets below.

It is of course understood that my machine is not limited to the forming of cakes from bars of soap, as it is evident that the machine may be used with any )lastic or semi-plastic substance which itis esired to treat in the same way.

Various changes may be made in. the construction of the machine above described, and it is evident that various of the parts may be replaced by their equivalents or used by themselves in different relations without de arting from the spirit of my invention.

laring thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

I. In a soap cutting and pressing machine in combination, means for sub-dividing aha-r into a lurality of cakes, pockets to receive each of said cakes, means for moving said pockets to space the same apart, and means adapted to receive the cakes from the pockets and press them to the desired shape.

2. In combination, a platform having a slot therein, a plurality of wires extending across said slot, aplunger mounted above said platform and adapted to pass through the slot therein .vertical rods upon which said lunger is mounted, and longitudinally movmg plates having cam surfaces adapted to engage the lower end of said rods and depress the same, and causing the plunger to pass through the said slot.

3. n combination, two vertical standards, a platform mounted on the said standards, a vertical reciprocating rod adjacent each of said standards, a spring on each of said rods normallytending to raise the same, a plunger carried by said rods and ada ted to pass through an opening in the platform, and plates movable in respect to the platform and having cam surfaces adapted to enga c with said vertical rods, whereby upon t e longitudinal movement of said plates, the plunger is forced through the opening in the platform.

4. In combination, means for su b-dividin a bar of plastic material into a plurality 0 sections, ockcts adapted to receive said sections, it p urality of molds in which said sections are pressed, and means for movin said molds toward said pockets and simui taneously spacilu said pockets apart.

5. In com ination, means for sub-dividin a bar of plastic material into a luralit 0 sections, a pluralit of open-en ed poo ets beneath said sub ividin mechanism and adapted to receive the said sections, means for moving said pocket-s longitudinally to space the sections a greater distance, and means for opening the lower side of each of said pockets to permit the escape of the contents thereof.

6. In combination, means for sub-djvidin a bar of plastic material into a plurality 0 sections, a plurality of longitudinally movable pockets mounted beneath said sub-dividing mechanism and adapted to receive said sections, means connecting each of said pockets to the next succeeding one to limit the distance to which they may be separated, and means for moving one of said pockets longitudinally.

7. In combination, a plurality of mold sections, correspondin mold sections mounted above the same and adapted to be brought in contact with said first mentioned mold sections, means for moving said first mentioned mold sections laterally and simultaneously raising the bottom thereof, and a battle adapted to engage with the contents of the molds to remove the same upon further lat and movement of the mold sections.

8. In combination, a laterally movable base mold section, a reel roeating mold section ada ted to be broi t into engagement therewit means for raising the bottom of said mold section as the latter is moved laterally, means for removing the contents of said mold section upon further lateral movement thereof, and means for refilli said mold section upon still further latera movement.

9. In combination, a laterally movable mold section, means for removing the contents thereof upon the lateral movement of said section, a pocket, means for mo said pockets into alinement with the me] sections, and means for discharging the contents of said pocket into said mold section upon the fu ther lateral movement of the latter.

10. In combination, a laterally movable mold section, means for filling the said section. supports over which said section is adapted to be moved, a vertical reciprocating mold section adapted to be brought in contact with said base section, and means for releasing said vertically movable section and permitting it to drop upon the base section as the latter reaches a position above said supports.

11. In combination, a rectangular frame, standards mounted upon the said frame, a vertically movable mold section slidablc on the said standards. two plates mounted to move longitudinally of said frame, the upper edge of each of said plates being inclined, means whereby. the mold section will be raised upon the longitudinal movementof said plates, means for holding said mold section In its raised position during the return movement of said "plates, and means for releasin said mold section upon the completion 0 said return movement.

.12. In combination, a frame, an upper mold section movable only. in a vertical plane, a lower mold section movable only in a lateral plane, and means for simultaneously raising said upper mold section and laterally movin said lower mold section.

, 13. n combination, a frame, sub-dividing ,means mounted thereon, receiving pockets,

a vertically movable mold section, a laterally movable mold section, and means for simultaneously raising said vertically movable mold section, removing the contents of said lateral] movable mold section and raising said so dividing means.

.14. In combination, a plurality of pockets, a plurality of mold sections, and means whereby upon the lateral movement of said sections the contents of said molds is removed and the contents of said pockets delivered to said molds.

15. In combination, a plurality of pockets, means for sub-dividing a bar of plastic material and delivering a section to each of said pockets, chains connecting said pockets, molds adapted to be moved beneath said pockets, and means whereby the chains are drawn taut and the pockets placed to the maximum distance simultaneously with the movement of the mold sections beneath said pockets.

16. In combination, a plurality of pockets, means for supporting said pockets, a bar secured to one of said pockets, a plate having an inclined edge adapted .to be moved in contact with said bar and move the same longitudinally, a spring normally tending to move said bar in the opposite direction, flexible means connecting said pockets, and'means for movi said plate in contact with said her, where the latter is moved longitudinally and t e pockets spaced to a greater distance apart.

In testimony whereof I have s ned my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribi witnesses.

HU H WILLIAM MCEWEN. Witnesses:

HARRY H. VAN. Voonnnns, Mosns BRYANT.

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