US1365696A - Blade-sharpening machine - Google Patents

Description

1,365,696. A 1, Patanted Jan. 18, 1921.

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C. C. KING. BLADE SHARPENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, I912. RENEWED JUNE I7, 1920.

WITNESSES:

C. C. KING.

BLADE SHARPENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16. 1912. RENEWED JUNE 1.7.1920.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

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N H WITNESSES.- v INVENTOR.

C. C. KING.

BLADE SHARPENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION men SEPT. I6, 1912. RENEWED JUNE 11,1920.

1,365,696, Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

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WITNESSES:

CARL C. KING, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BLADE-SHARPENING MACHINE.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

Application filed September 16, 1912, Serial No. 720,664. Renewed June 17, 1920.. Serial No. 389,777.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL C. KING, a citizen of the United States, residing at the Technolog Chambers, 8 Irvington street, in the city 0 Boston, State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Blade-Sharpening Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The objects and purposes of my invention are to provide a machine for sharpening razor blades and like articles (especially safety razor blades of the detachable type) in quantities and at a very low cost, and a machine which will both grind and finish blades ready for use with a high degree of uniformity of depth of grinding and honing and of finishingor stropping, so that but little attention in this respect is required of the operator or attendantof the machine, and, further, to provide a machinewhich will sharpen a large number of blades within a day; this being accomplished by passing the blades and the carriers holding them along the rolls or other sharpening surfaces in an endless chain while the sharpening rolls are in motion; so that blades placed in the holders or carriers are passed along the sharpening rolls, when the carrier is swung to bring the blade into contact with each of the sharpening rolls until sharpened, and

then the jaws of the blade carrier are automatically opened and the blades taken out or dropped out.

It will be seen that a machine of very great capacity may thus be devised, the capacity depending largely upon the length of the sharpening rolls and the speeds at which they are rotated.

While I show a machine adapted to grind,- hone and strop new blades, it is apparent that'by providing only for stropping, or for honing and stropping, or other suitable combination of abrading wheels, a machine may be used for resharpening used blades.

Other variations of the amount and charactor of the grinding and finishing rolls may be made to adapt the machine to work of other kinds withoutdeparting from the scope of myinvention.

Referring now to the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view of the machine with one of the sprocket wheels around which the chain runs shown in section as if.

out along the line 1-1 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a detail view, part in section, of the preferable form of my blade holder or carrier as it would appear removed from the connecting links of the chain.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine, the connecting belts and motor not being shown, and the stand or supporting frame being but partly shown. In this view, a part of the guide rails or ways for the chain of blade carriers to run on is removed, so as to Show the construction of the teeth and connecting links of the chain, and-a part of the end frame supporting the ways and the oscillating rails is broken away to show the drlilving pulleys and ends of the sharpening ro s.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, part in section, of a portion of the guide rails or ways, and of one of the blade carriers and the connecting links of the chain, taken along the line 44 of Fig. 5, and looking in the direction of the arrows. This view shows the j awopenin and closing levers 34, and the character 0 .trippers 35 employed to'throw the arms or levers of the blade carriers to rotate the sleeve 9 and cam 27 of the blade carrier to open or close the jaws 31, 33, for inserting or removing a blade.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a section of two blade holders of the chain of blade carriers, as the chain would appear when running on its under guide rails or ways were the upper ways removed.

Like reference characters denote similar parts throughout the accompanying drawings.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably employ sharpening rolls 1, arranged in pairs, which rolls are spaced from each other and rotate in opposite directions, and an endless chain of pivoted blade carriers. Where a machine is adapted for grinding, honing and stropping, as in the case of sharpening new blades, I preferably form the rolls 1 in sections of, first, a coarse grinding face, second, a smooth or fine grinding face, third, a honing face, and, fourth, a finishing or stropping face. Where machines are to be used for resharpening blades, 9.

honing and a stropping section, or a strop-- tially parallel with the axes of the rolls and to swingthe carriers so as to bring a blade into contact with the faces of the several rolls, I form an endless chain 2, of the blade carriers 3 (shown in detail in Fig. 2), and

employ a pair of sprocket wheels 4, driven by a worm gear 17, around which sprockets the chain travels. This chain consists of a tooth link 6, for engaging the ways to guide the' carriers alon a straight line, and for engaging the teetfi of the sprocket wheels to drive the chain, and a pivot link 10, about which pivot the blade carrier is adapted to swing in a plane substantially at right angles to the line of travel of the chain.

, Extending between the sprocket wheels 4,

. I provide guide rails or ways 5, in which the movement to the blade carrier, 3, causing a blade held by the jaws of the carrier to press against one roll and then the other in alternation. The spring 8 is adapted to cause the car; rierto press the blade yieldingly-i.'e., to give a springy contact of the blade against the sharpening rolls.

It is, apparent that, instead of the waved or curved rails, for oscillating the blade carriers, a rocker bar, with a cam to swing it, might be used without departing from the scope of my invention.

I preferably provide the chain of blade carriers, with rollers 14, so as to lessen the frictiomand to rovide for a better moves ment of the chainralong the guide rails or ways 5 and 7, and around the sprocket wheels 4.

The machineis, of course, provided with a suitable stand or lower frame, 18, and may be built with upper or end frames 13, supporting bearings for the sharpening rolls 1, counter shafts 22, s ocket wheels 4 and the ways 5 and 7, and preferably employ a stand or lower frame having aplace for a motor 19, and having bearings for the main shaft 20, from which shaft belts 21 lead to pulleys 36 on countershafts 22, journaled in the upper frames 13. From the center counter shaft,-a chain or belt is run to a second shaft 23, carrying the worm of the worm gear 17, which drives the sprocket .wheel 4. Other suitable'means may be used to drive the sprocket, such as miter gears and a cross shaft, or a plurality of spur gears.

From the upper and lower counter shafts, 22, belts are run to pulleys 36, on the shafts 37, for rotating the sharpening rolls, as in dicated in Fig. 1. To provide for varying the angle of grinding or sharpening blades;

that is, the angle at which the blades strike the periphery of the sharpening rolls, I employ means, 24, for adjusting the rolls, the said means consisting of members in which the shafts are journaled, and a screw for moving the members back and forth.

In Fig. 2 I show the detail construction of what may be called my preferred form of automatically openin and closing blade carrier or blade roller. In this form of carrier I employ a pivoting portion 25, having a smooth bore 26, through which the pivot bearing link (see 10, cross section of Fig. 1) of the chain fits to form an axis for pivoting the holders. Extending to one side of, and secured to the pivoting portion, is a rod 28, around which is the inner tube or sleeve 29. This sleeve 29 is rigidly secured to the end 30 of the lower jaw 31 and pinned at 32 to the rod 28 in such manner as to admit of a slight swivel or rotary movement of the sleeve 29 and of the lower and upper jaws 31 and 33, thereby providing a self-centering means for giving a. full and even contact and pressure ofa blade held by the jaws of the carrier when the blade is pressed against the sharpening rolls. I preferably provide for this swivel action of the jaws by making the hole in the rod 28 slightly larger than the pin passing through it, though it is apparent that other suitable meansmight be employed. It will be noted that the upper jaw is hinged at 11 to the lower jaw. To provide for automatically opening and closing the jaws 31, 33, of the blade carriers, I. employ an ear or boss 15 on the upper jaw and a spring 16 at the hinge joint 11 of the jaws, which spring is adapted to keep the upper jaw 33 normally open, and to cause the ear 15 on the upper jaw to press against the outer sleeve 9 of the holder. This outer sleeve 9 is cut at its larger end, or the end nearest the jaws, so as to form a cam 27, which cam operates against the car 15 on the upper jaw when the sleeve 9 is rotated to close the upper jaw 33 on the lower jaw 31 and grip a blade I "engaging while passing one of these trippers 35 in its course of travel along the ways.

To oscillate the blade carriers, and to secure an easy yielding pressure of the blade on the sharpening rolls, the carrier is provided with a flat spring 8, upon the end of which is a roller 12, which roller travels on the outer waved guide rails 7. The movement of this roller up and down so as to rock the holder on its pivot 10 is accomplished by the carrier being moved along between the rails 7 and the roller 12 following the curves or waves in the rails 7.

It will be seen that I provide a blade sharpening machine of very great capacity, and a machine which will give highly uniform results, due to its being a machine of continuous operation with uniform periods of rinding, honing and finishing.

I n operation, the sharpening rolls, driven by the motor, are rotated in the proper directions, the worm gear, also driven by'the motor, rotates the sprocket wheels and drives the chain of blade carriers along the ways. A blade is placed in the jaws of a blade carrier. The closing lever of the blade carrier comes into engagement with the tripper located on the Ways at the feeding end of the machine, and the, jaws of the carrier are closed onv the blade, the blade carrier then moves along the sharpening rolls where it is swung by the waved rails on its pivotal axis 10 and the blade pressed against first one and then the other of the sharpening rolls. The carrier, continuing, moves around the opposite sprocket and is again broughtv along the ways opposite the sharpening rolls and again oscillated or swung into and out of contact with the sha ening rolls. It then moves to where anot er tripper is located, when the opening lever engages the tripper and the jaws of the carrier are opened and the blade dischar ed. The carrier, continuing, moves aroun the sprocket, and the operation is repeated.

It will be seen that by making the sharpening rolls of suitable length, and by driving the chain and the rolls at a suitable speed, the length of contact of the blades on the sharpening rolls may be regulated to give extremely uniform results, inasmuch as every blade is treated like every other, thereerly sharpened.

It is also apparent that by providing a machine with a large number of blade carriers and making the rolls of suitable length, a very great capacity may be obtained.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a blade sharpening machine, abrading rolls arranged with their axes substantially parallel, means for rotating said rolls, ways substantially parallel to the axes of the rolls,-an endless chain of pivoted blade carriers, mechanism for driving the chain to move the carriers along the ways, and means for swinging the carriers into and out of contact with the rolls.

2. In a machine for sharpening razor blades, spaced parallel abrading rolls, means for rotating said rolls, a blade carrier movable along straight runs parallel to the axes of the abrading rolls, jaws on said carrier adapted to hold blades and carry them in contact with the periphery of the abrading rolls along a line substantially parallel to the axes of the rolls, mechanism for automatically opening and closing the jaws of the blade carrier, and mechanism moving the carrier so as to press a blade carried thereby against first one and then another of the abrading rolls.

3. In a razor blade sharpening machine, sharpening rolls arranged in pairs, a pair of sprockets, ways connecting the sprockets,

and an endless chain provided with blade carriers and arranged to move along the ways and around the sprockets, the said chain being provided with teeth engaging the ways for guiding the carriers therealong,

combined with means for driving the rolls ening rolls, ways, blade carriers having means engaging the ways, the carriers being arranged at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the ways, and means for moving said carriers along the ways and for moving them in planes at right-angles to the longitudinal direction of the ways.

6. In a blade sharpening machine, oppositely disposed sharpening rolls and means for rotating same, channeled ways extending along a plane midway between the rolls, an by lessening. the. amount of inspection of. blades necessary to insure their being propand the ways to move and guide the carriers therealong, and guides substantially'parallel with the ways and crossing the distal ends of the carriers for guiding the distal ends and for imparting an oscillatory motion to the carriers while they are'being moved along the ways, whereby a blade placed in theblade gripping jaws of the carrier is brought into contact with first one and then the other of the abrading rolls.

8. In a machine of the character described,

an endless chain of blade carriers, sharpenmg rolls of different degrees of abrading power along said endless chain of carriers,

and means for bringing the edge of a blade ing blade carriers joined one to the other to form an endless chain and each carrier pivoted to swing in a plane at substantially a right angle to the direction of travel of the chain, means swinging the holders about their pivotal points and means driving the chain of blade carriers to pass the carriers along the sharpening rolls, ways for guiding the holders along a straight line substantially parallel to the axes of the rolls, jaws on said carriers for gripping a blade, means for opening and closing the jaws, and trippers located along the ways for engaging the opening and closing means of the jaws to automatically open and close same.

10. In a blade sharpening machine, oppositely disposed sharpening rolls and means for rotating same, an endless chain of blade carriers, said carriers being pivoted to swing in a plane at right angles to the direction of movement of said chain, ways along which the chain of carriers travels, a sprocket for driving the chain along the ways, wave-like guides and an extension from the pivotal point of the carriers having means engaging the waved guides for imparting an oscillatory motion to the carriers when the chain is moved along the ways, to present a blade wvhen held by 'a blade carrier against one and then the other of the sharpening rolls in alternation. x i

11. In a sharpening machine, sharpening rolls and means for rotating same, an endless chain of blade carriers having blade holding jaws, said carriers being pivoted be tween their ends to swing in a plane at right angles to the direction of movement of said chain, Ways along which the chain of holders travels, sprockets for driving the chain along the Ways, and waved rails crossing the ends of the holders opposite the jaws and causing the holders to oscillate on their pivots when they are moved along the ways, for presenting a blade to the sharpening rolls, and a spring member between the pivot of the holder and the waved rails for easing the pressure of a blade held by a holder against a sharpening roll.

aaeaeea 12. In a sharpening machine, the combination with sharpening rolls and means imparting motion thereto, of an endless chain of pivoted blade carriers, each carrier having a pair of blade gripping jaws, a stem, a movable sleeve on said stem, the said sleeve being formed to engage one of said jaws whenthe sleeve is moved to close the jaw, ways along which the chain of carriers travels, and trippers located along the ways co acting with means carried by the movable sleeve of the carrier to move the sleeve on the stem to close the jaws of the carrier, and means for swinging the carriers to present blades held by them to the sharpening rolls.

13. In a blade sharpening machine, the combination with sharpening rolls and means imparting motion thereto, of an endless chain of pivoted blade carriers, each carrier having a pair of jaws, a spring for keeping a jaw normally open, a stem, a rotary sleeve on said stem, a cam on said sleeve, a co-acting projection on one of said jaws, ways for guiding the chain of carriers, and trippers located along the ways engaging means carried by the rotary sleeve of the carrier for opening or closing the jaws of the carriers, and means swinging the carriers on their pivots while they are advanced along the ways.

14. In a machine of the character described, the combination with sharpening rolls and means for driving same, of an endless chain of pivoted blade carriers and ways for guiding the carriers along the sharpening rolls, each of said blade carriers having a jaw member with a stem, a swinging jaw memberhaving a projecting car, a rotary sleeve on said stem, a cam on one end'of said sleeve engaging the ear of the swinging jaw member and closing the jaw when the sleeve is rotated, and means along the ways for rotating the sleeve, and foi swinging the carriers.

15. In a blade sharpening machine, the combination with sharpening rolls and means rotating same, of an endless chain of pivoted blade carriers and ways upon which the carriers travel, each of said carr ers comprising a pair of jaws, a stem, a rotary sleeve on said stem, a cam on said sleeve, a co-acting ear on one of said jaws, and lever arms carried by the sleeve for rotating the sleeve to open and close the jaws, and trippers located on the ways for engaging the lever arms of the sleeve to rotate same, together with means for swinging the carriers. I

l6. In a blade sharpening machine, the combination with sharpening rolls and means imparting motion thereto. of an endless chain of pivoted blade carriers. ways along which the chain of carriers moves, sprockets for driving the chain of carriers, blade gripping jaws on the carriers, :1 projection on one of the jaws, a cam for engaging the projection, and means located on the ways for operating the cam to close the jaws. V

17. In a blade sharpening machine, the combination with sharpening rolls and means imparting motion thereto, of an end less chain of pivoted blade carriers, ways along which the chain of carriers moves, and means carried by the chain for engaging the ways to guide the carriers, a sprocket for driving the chain of carriers along the ways, blade gripping jaws on the carriers, a projection on one of the jaws, a cam for engaglng the projection, and means located on the ways for operating the cam to close the jaws, a spring to hold the jaw normally open, and a flat spring extending from the pivotal point of each carrier and provided with a roller on its distal end, and means engaging the roller and imparting a swinging motion to the carrier while it is being advanced along the ways.

18. In a blade sharpening machine, rota table shar ening rolls, an endless chain of blade carriers, ways for guiding the carriers, said carriers comprising blade gripping jaws, a stem, a sleeve on said stem, a cam on the sleeve, a co-acting projection on one of the jaws, and lever arms carried by the sleeve, together with tripping dogs located on said ways for engaging said lever arms and rotatingthe sleeve and cam to close'the jaws of the blade carriers, and a spring for keepin the jaws normally open.

19. n a blade sharpening machine, the combination with sharpening rolls and means for rotating same, of an endless chain of blade carriers comprising a tooth link and a pivot link pivotall joined to one another to form a chain, b ade gripping jaws having stems pivotally mounte on the pivot link of said chain and having a flat sitely disposed sharpening rolls and means for rotating same, pivoted blade carriers, ways extendlng along a line symmetrical to the axes of each pair of abrading rolls, the

said ways having channels or slots, teeth coacting with the channels of the ways to guide the carriers along the ways, a pivoting member connected to each of the teeth to form an endless chain and carrying the blade carriers, a sprocket for engaging the teeth of the chain to'move the chain of carriers along the ways, and means for swinging the carriers on their pivots while they are being advanced along the'ways.

21. In a blade sharpening machine, sharpening rolls and means for rotating same, an endless chain, blade carriers pivoted about the axis of said chain to swing in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the chain, ways for guiding the chain, blade gripping aws on said carriers, guides parallel with the ways and engaging the carriers to swing them on their pivots, and a spring for easing the pressure of a blade held by a blade, carrier when swung into contact with a sharpening roll.

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

CARL 0. KING. Witnesses:

WILLIAM TARLIN, Gnoaen B. MURPHY.

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