US1641686A - Knot-picking machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 6, 192,7. I F. NILSSON KNOT PICKING MACHINE Filed March i0. 192e mvENroR "ATroRNEY' Patented Sept. 6, 1927..

U N l FREEMAN NILSSON, 0F TROY, NEW YGRK, ASSIGNOR TO THE IVIONARCI-I BRUSH CO., OF TROY, NEW YORK, A.CGRPORATION OF NEW 'YORQ Knorr-Proxima ivracnnvn.

Application mea Marci; 1o, 1926. serial no. 93,552.

Another object of this invention is to pro-V vide a knot picking machine wherein means is provided for forming a knot of bristles or the like, said means including an adjustable feature whereby the size of the knot` that is formed can be readily controlled.

Another object of this invention is to provide a knot picking machine having a hopper or the like to hold a bulk supply of bristles, and means for feeding the bristles to Aa transfer member or similar device and arranged in a novel manner to insure the most effective movement or feedv ofthe bristles toward said transfer member. n

Another object of this invention is to provide a picking machine comprising a hopper to hold a bulk supply of bristles and a transfer member to form a knot, a keeper or the like being provided having means cooperating in a novel manner with the transfer member to facilitate the formation of the knot and the retention thereof by the transfer member until the knot is in positionr to be removed by the operator.

TvVith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the machine with parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is a fractional view of a machine showing the transfer member operated to' form a knot. `i

Fig.V 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

n Fig. tis an enlarged detail view on the line ,L1-11 of'Fig. 2.

'Referring now more specifically to theI drawings l show my invention as mounted upon a suitable table or support 10 and com prising an upright member or wall l1 vto which are fastened side walls -12 and 13 to form a sort ofopen boX structure. The sideV walls are supported by the member 11` in spaced relation to the base or support 10.k

Guide means ltor the like are mounted i11- wardly of the side walls as shown so as to receive a vertically slidable weight or feed member 15 which'may be provided at its upper end with an iron weight member 16 or the like. Extendingtransversely of the hopper or box construction is a'ltransverse member or slide 17 to which are secured along its lower edge and at the opposite sides thereof the bars 18 which cooperat`e with suitable guide means 19 to permit the transversev member to be moved with respectto the hopper and in fixed elevated relation thereto. The guide means 19 yare seen to comprise a plurality of posts or the like which are cylindrical in form and are recessed aty 2O toprovide circular grooves to receive the guide bars 1S. The guide means 19 are mounted in any suitable relation and preferably rest directly upon the 'support 10. Screws 21 or the like may be passed axially through theguide means sov as to fasten the guide means to the support 10. A bulk supply of bristles 22 is placed into the hopper with the bristles lying in orderlyy arrangement side by side and extending in transverse relation to the transfermember and resting upon the upper edge thereof, and the feed member 15 is then brought vto bean upon the upper surface of the bulk supply so as to retain the bristles in uniform and reliable contact with the transfer member. The lower edge 23 ofthe feed member is inclined at an angle with the horizontal so as to insure a more positive feed of thejbristles toward the transfer member, the lower corner of said edge acting for this purpose in the manner of a wedge which is downwardlyr projected and exercises a force in the direction of arrow a which is the generaldirection of movement of the bristles when the transfer member is operated as will be described hereinafter. The transfer member is pro-k vided with a slot 24 which is positionedso y its lower end extending in a direction opposite to that of arrow whereby the movement of the transfer member as described vvvill have the effect of causing the acute angle tongue 2f; formed at the slot to readily seize hold of the bristles and cause them to be packed snugly into the slot.

In order to render the size of the knot adjustable I provide a member 27' which is borne by the slide and is movable with relation thereto and transversely with respect to the slot so that the effective area of the slot for receiving the bristles can be thereby regulated. More specifically, the member 2'( will be seen to be substantially semi-circular in form and to be mount-ed upon a screw 28 Which is eccentric to the member. However, it will be understood that means may be provided in a variety of different ways toV co-operate with the transfer member to facilitate the control of the slot area although I have found the arrangement shown to be the simplest and most desirable for my purpose.

Akeeper 29 is mounted so as to have `contact with the transfer member along the upper edge thereof, said keeper having one of its ends beveled at 30 to provide an acute angle i dividing means for facilitating the separa-tion of the knot from the bulk supply of4` bristles when the transfer member is being moved in the direction of arrow Z). More specifically, said keeper may be seen to comprise what is in the nature of a wedge or'tong'ue at 30 which has snug contact with the upper edge of the transfer member at its end or point so as to effectively divide the knot from the bulk supply of bristles without causing any binding of the co-operating parts and in order to insure that the different knots formed will be of uniform size for the particular adjustment of the machine. After a knot has been separated from the bulk supply of bristles the keeper acts to retain the knot within the slot 24 until the knot has been moved by the transfer member into such position where it may be conveniently withdrawn by the operator. In order to facilitate such withdrawal the keeper is provided with a slot 3l which is arranged so as to register with the slot 24 as shown in Fig. 2 when the transfer memberA has beeen moved to its limiting position as shownin dotted lines in Fig. l. The knot may then expand partly into the slot 31 and the compression n thereon which resulted from the action of tl'ie feed member 15 and the vacute angle tongue 26 when the knot was being formed is released so that the knot can be withdrawn from the transfer member with ease and facility.

The keeper 29 is so mounted with respect to the transfer member that irregularities which result either in course of manufacture or from the wearing of parts can be automatically taken up and the effect thereof eliminated. More specifically, the keeper mounted to have resilient contact with the transfer member along the aforesaid edge thereof. Thus a bracket 32 is provided which is secured to a wall of the hopper construction and is arranged to support a plurality of downwardly extending pins 33, the shanks whereof are received in the bores 34 provided in the keeper, springs being positioned between the horizontal arm of the bracket and the keeper so as to exerta uniformly constant downward force upon the keeper and press the same into resilient contact with the transfer member. ifi. plurality of these spring devices are provided in spaced relation along the keeper so as to improve the co-operation of the parts aforesaid. The pins 33 likewise act to retain the keeper in fixed position with respect to the transfer member, no other fastening being necessary.

The side walls of the hopper will be seen to extend over the transfer member of the keeper so' as to insure that all the bristles of the b ulk supply will be yheld reliably within the hopper at the corners thereof without possibility of moving in undesired directions. More specifically, the wall l2 is slotted so as to receive and overlap the transfer member at 36 while the wall 13 is slotted to overlap t-lie keeper at 37. There is consequently no possibility that any of the bristles may be caught in any of the moving parts and cause thev same to jamor otherwise catch in the machine and prevent a uniform movement and feed of the bristles. Attention is likewise called in this respect y to the simplified character of the structure whereby this result is accomplished.

In order to render the machine operative in connection with bristles ofv different lengths spacers 38 or the like are provided which can be inserted to lie vertically'in the hopper adjacent the wall 11 and in such manner that the bulk supply of bristles will be supported upon the upper edge of the transfer member substantially midway between the ends ofthe bristles. The spacers 38 may for this purpose assume the form of flat slabs of wood or the like.

Actuating means is provided to operate the transfer member in any suitable manner so as to minimize the necessary effort on the part of the operator. Said actuating means includesl preferably a` spring 39 which is upon a pin 41 secured to a side wall of the hopper. A bracket 42 is secured to the support l() to receive a shaft 43 upon which a wheel 44 is journaled, tension means in the form of a belt or strap being secured to the wheel as at 46 and to the transfer memberl at 47. A pedal 48 is pivotally mounted at 49 so as to operate the wheel by means of a tension member or wire 50. Thus when a downward force is exerted upon the pedal the wheel is caused to rotate in the direction of arrow c and the transfer member moves in the direction of arrow b, the spring 39 being` compressed as shown in Fig. 2. Upon movement of the knot from the transfer member and release of the pedal the spring will be operative for returning` the transfer member to its initial unoperated position so as to receive another knot of bristles. Stop members 51 and 52 are arranged upon the support l0 in any suitable manner so as to control the limits of movement of the transfer member.

I claim:

l. In a knot picking machine, a slidable ,Y transfer member movable transversely of the bristles and adjacent to the same and havv ing a slot at an edge thereof to receive a knot of bristles when so moved, and a semi-circular cam pivoted eccentrically upon and borne by said transfer member at a side thereof adjacent to the slot and rotatable with respect thereto transversely whereby the effective area of the slot for receiving said bristles canl be adjusted and the size of the knot received therein regulated.

2. In a knot picking machine, a slidable transfer' member movable transversely of the bristles7 said transfer member- `vbeing arranged to support the bristles upon an edge thereof and having` a slot at said edge to receive a knot of bristles, a keeper member having snug contact with the transfer member at said edge and serving to retain the knot in said slot when the transfer member is moved to separate the knot from the bulk supply of bristles, said keeper having a notch positioned so as to register with the slot in the transfer member when the latter has reached a predetermined point in its movement in course of the formation of a knot whereby a greater slot area is obtained and the removal of the knot from the transfer member thus facilitated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FREEMAN NILSSON.

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