US976394A - Machine for handling bricks. - Google Patents

Description

R. G. PBNFIELD. MACHINE r011 HANDLING BRICKS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1909.

976,394. Patented Nov. 22, 1910.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R G PENFIELD MACHINE FOR HANDLING BRICKS. APPLIOATIOK FILED 11.19, 1909.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND o. PENFIELD, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FQR HANDLING BRICKS.

Application filed January 19, 1909. Serial No. 473,067.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND C. PEN- FIELD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York,- have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Machines for Handling Bricks, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a machine for handling bricks, the same belonging to the general class wherein a lifting device in the general form of a basket engages the base of a pile of bricks stacked up in conformity with a prearranged plan with uniform spaces between the members of the basic layer, into which spaces lifting fingers or clamping devices may project. An example of a machine of this class is seenin the Letters Patent granted to William Henry Francis for a brick handling machine, No. 859,445, dated July 9, 1907, and also in the co-pending application of Edward J. Fritsch for device for handling bricks, filed October 15, 1908, Serial No. 457,840.

7 The special object of the present improvement is to so arrange the application of the suspension means at the top of the basket or frame that the machine itself may occupy a vertically disposed position whether loaded or unloaded, or whatever may be the 'vari-- ableness in the size of the load. It is evident, of course, that in the use of a machine of this kind the results are not obtained unless the machine can be kept vertical at all times both hwvhen it isempty and is being manipulated for the purpose of engagin the load, and also after it is loaded an when it is being transported from point to point with its load.

The invention, therefore, consists essentially in a leverage device at the top of the machine so constructed and arranged as to properl maintain at all times the equilibrium o the machine both when loaded and unloaded, and also it comprises numerous details and peculiarities in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially' as will be hereinafter described and claimed. g

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a front'eleva tionof the entire machine. Fig. '2 is a side elevation in partial section. Fig. 3 isanen:

larged detail perspective view of the lever devices at the top of the machine.

Similar characters of reference designate correspondin parts throughout the. dlfferent figures 0 the drawing.

The general form of the frame. of a machine of the class to which the present invention relates embraces a vertically disposed structure having at the upper end a laterally turned or forwardly projectinghorizontal arm device which when the machine is in its operative l -position extends partly over the top of the ire-arranged stack formation of bricks, and at the bottom of this vertical frame there is a series consist ing of a suitable number of clamps which engage the stack of bricks near the base thereof. The lower portion of said frame which carries the clamping devices has a general yoke-shape so as to provide members which will embrace the ends and one of the longitudinal sides of the stack formation of bricks, and when the stack is so engaged the clamping agencies will operate to hold the-frame and the stack of bricks securely together. This general frame and the clamping mechanism may vary widely, but in every instance it is necessary that the liftin crane or suspension means which is applied tothe upper end of the machine and which usuall engages the latter by having some form 0 adjustment that the forwardly projecting upper arm must so lift the "machine as that the equilibrium thereof will be maintained and the vertical portion of the frame kept at all times in a substantially vertical position. There is a wide diversity in the form of the upper arm, it being sometimes rigid and sometimes pivotally connected, and my present invention relates particularly to a certain formof lever motion for said upper arm as I shall resentl specify. The special mechanism i1 ustrate and described in this applicationwith which the top lever. motion is employed is the same as that foundin the application of Edward J Fritsch, hereinabove alluded to, Serial No. 457,840, and reference is made to said application for a fuller disclosure of the details of the machine than is given herein, although I 'believe that the description resented here is ample for a thorough un erstanding of the construction and operation. It must be kept-in mind, however, that this form of clamping mechanism and carrying frame theend of'the lever 4 so that 25,

Each carrying lever 4 passes frame is ada ted to be used with a Proceeding now: to describe briefly the machine elements, it Willbe seen referring to Fig. 2 that I have represented in dotted linesa stack of bricks with which the handling machine is-designedto operate.

' The bricks of thestackare piledso that the members of thebasic layer are spaced apart a uniform distance. Into the several spaces thusleftbetween the members of the basic layer project a plurality of lifting arms '1. consisting of vertically arranged bars or plates which are securely fastened to the base bar 2 of the main frame. Each of the lifting bars 1 is provided with a clamping plate 3- supported at its center on. said clamping lifting bar 1. through a recess or openin formed in the lifting bar 1, and the opposite end of the lever 4 projects plate will lie alongside of the through the base bar 2 and is perforated to allow a long rod to passthrough it by which rod 21 number of the clamp-operating levers 4 are moved in a manner to effect the clamping. Obviously the movement of the clamping plate 3 toward and away from its companion 1 is for the purpose of clamping or tightly gripping a brick between it and the next adjacent 'fixed bar 1.

' The verticalframe of the machine to which belongs the base bar 2 that carries secured thereto the series of horizontal lifting arms 1 may obviously vary widely in its con struction, but I may. say that it consists essentially of two inclined bars 5,5 between which are two parallel vertical bars 6, 6. The inclined bars 5 are bolted at their lower ends tothe base bar 2, and at their upper ends to the parallel vertical bars 6. Said bars 6 are secured at their lower ends to a block -7 which is attached toor firmly connected with the base bar 2. Near the top of the frame a pair of levers 8 are sup horizontal rods'14 and tends toward the right of themachineported by a pivot bolt 9 which passes through the parallel vertical bars 6, and the ends of these levers 8 are pivoted by means of pins or bolts 10 to the upper ends of downwardly extending thrust bars 11. The lower ends of the downwardly extending thrust bars 11 are pivotally attached to the upper arms of bell crank levers 12which are hung loosely upon a horizontal shaft 13 supported in suitable bearings in the base of the frame. The

arms of the two bell to the ends of long 15, one of-which exdownwardly extending cranks 12 are pivote .Whose other end is pivoted at 22 to extremity of the link 18. The eye 23 is -cated link 18, and

the other toward the left, the two rods together running the entire length or thereabout of the base bar 2 as seen in'Fig. 1.

These bars 14 and 15' are supported in the perforated ends of the horizontal clamp-o5)- erating levers 4 to which allusion has alrea y beenniade. On the rods 14 and 15 at intervals are collars-16 provided with set screws to enable them to be adjustable and to be held securely at anydesired point, and be tween these'adjustable collars and the ends of the levers 4 are inter osed springs '17 so that the levers 4 when vi rated are actuated yieldingly in consequence of the pressure of the spr1ngsl7 against them. It will be obvious that when the thrust bars 11 act downwardly, the result will be to oscillate the bell cranks 12-on their supporting shaft 13 and move ,the rods 14 and 15 in opposite direction, and this endwise movement will actuate the clamping plates bodily with reference to the 'liftin arms 1.

The ends of the parallel levers S opposite to the pivotal point 9 are pivoted to vertical links 18 by means of a pivot 19. The pivot 9 by means of which the levers 8 are pivoted to the upright parts 6 of the main frame is located a short distance below the extreme unper endsof the bars 6,'and at said extreme upper ends is a pivot 20 for the lever 21, the top preferably connected to the foregoing arrangement of levers by being held by the pivot 22 which connects lever 21 and link 18. That section of the parallel vertical bars 6 which lies between the pivotal points 9 and 20, I designate by the'reference numeral 24, and may be referred to as a link or rod section.

It is to be noted particularly that the quadrilateral or rhomboidal arrangement of links and levers which I have just been describing is not correctly described by the expression parallel motion, since the parts are not arran ed in the parallel manner-required by sue a term, the angles not being right angles strictly; but 'the motion is a lever motlon, and the effect thereof in properly u holding the frame whether loaded or unloa ed is found in actual practice to be of a most successful character, Further describing these parts, 'it is to be noted. that the sections 24 are lon er than the oppositely lorthermore that the horizontal levers 8 are shorter in length than the op ositely located lever 21. The section 24 an the link 18, though both substantially vertical, are not therefore parallel, and

.the levers 8 and 21' though substantially horizontal are not strictly ,s eaking parallel. This inequality in the length of the two vertical members, and also the inequality in the length of the horizontal members of the quadrilateral lever motion results in en abling a general vertical position of the main frame whether loaded or unloaded to be maintained at all times when said foursided lever motion issupended by means of a liftin crane or other device applied at that en of the lever'motion farthest from the axis of the main frame. It is to be understood that in amachine of this character, the "forwardly projecting or outwardly turned upper end of the main frame which projects over the stack formation of bricks is susce tible of a great diversity of construction in different forms of the machine, in

some being a rigid arm and in others being a movable device, and in the present case while it is a movable device as I have explained, the four-sided character of the same consisting of the levers and links of unequal length provides a means whereb the equi-' librium of the machine is uni ormly and properly controlled and regulated and the vertical character of the main frame is sustained sufiiciently so that themanipulation of the frame in carrying out the work of the machine is easily performed.

Referring to the quadrilateral arrangement of links and levers at the top of the machine, .I desire to state that the top lever 21 is preferably adjustable in length so as to accommodate changes in the action of the levers, and in order to so make it adjustable in length I preferably form it in two parts as shown in the drawing, said two parts being slotted and engaging each other and held together by means of pins or bolts 25. One section of the link 21 may be provided with a vertical slot as shown in Fig. 3, which receives the. end of the other section of said link, or some other method of connecting the two parts may be employed. By loosening and removing the bolts 25 and shifting the sections of the link 21 relatively to each other, the latter may be lengthened or shortened as desired and the action of the leverage mechanism of which said link 21 forms a part correspondingly altered or changed.

" Many changes in the precise construction, combination and arrangement of the various parts of the invention may be made without exceeding the scope of the appended claims, 1

and I reserve the liberty therefore of modifying the invention as the exigencies of the individual-application thereof may require. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent, is: 1. A machine for handling bricks, comprisin a vertically disposed frame, a horizontal y projecting pivoted frame at the 11 upper end thereof consisting of four interplvoted members, 'to which the lifting crane is adapted to be attached, and clam ing means at the base of the frame actuate automatically by the initial lifting movement of the pivoted upper frame.

2. A machine for handling bricks, comprising a vertically dis osed frame, a clamping mechanism at the lbwer end thereof for engaging a stack of bricks set in a pre-arranged order, and a pivoted frame at the upper end ofthe main frame, said pivoted frame projecting horizontally over the stack formation, and consisting of'four interpivoted members, those opposite to each other being of une ual length.

3. A ,machlne for handling bricks, comprising a main frame having a basal clamp,

suspension means to the end of said pivoted frame farthestfrom the main frame, and

.means whereby. the motion of the pivoted frame communicated to the clamp-ing mechanism.

4. A machine for handling bricks, com

prising a verticall disposed frame, a series of clamping devices at the base thereof adapted to enterthe spaces between the units of the basal layer of a stack formation of bricks, a pivoted frame consisting of two members of unequal length pivoted to the main frame and a third member connecting the outer end of saidtwo members, and of a length unequal to the distancebetween the pivoted points on the main frame, suspension means attached to the'outer end of said pivoted frame, and thrust connections between the latter frame and the basal clamping mechanism.

5. A machine for handling bricks, comprising a mainframe having at. its base a yoke partially surrounding a stack formation of bricks, a clamp for connecting. the frame to the stack form'ation, and a pivoted frame at the upper end of the main frame for'keeping the machine in proper e uilibrium when loaded and unloaded, sai pivoted frame consisting of four members, those opposite to eachother -being of unequal length, and a connection b'e'tween said oted frame and the clamping mechanism, all arranged so thatthe initial lifting movement actuates theclam piv- In'testimony'whereof aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' RAYMOND C. PENFIELD. Witnesses: FRANK PAUL,

C. B. Scnnononn.

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