US1653648A - Feeding device - Google Patents

Description

' Dec'. 27, 1927.

F. x. MALdcsAY FEEDING DEVICE Filed May 21. 1923 Patented n... 27, 1921.

UNITED S ATES PATENT OFFICE. J

FRANCIS K. MALOCSAY, OF UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO INTER- NA TIONAL BANDING MACHINE COMPANY, A. CORPORATION 01 NEW YORK.

FEEDING DEVICE.

Application filed Kay 21,

This invention relates 'to those machines in which a series of articles is adapted to be fed automatically therethrough from one position to another. During the passage 8 through the machine the articles are adapted to be operatedupon by one or more mechanisms and are adapted finally to be discharged from the machine.

This invention has .for one of its objects 30 the provision of novel. means for moving a plurality of articles one at a time from one position to another. Although these positions may be any desired positions such as feeding and operating positions, the invention' is particularly applicable in connection with moving articles from ejecting position, that is, the final position after the last operation on the article, to the discharging position, that is, the final position before the articles are removed from the machine for packing or storing.

More particularly this invention is designed for use in connection with combined cigar feeding and banding machines in which i the cigars areadapted to be fed successively through the machine by automatic means to a feeding position, from feeding position to banding position, where a banding machine operates upon the cigars, then from banding position to ejecting position. My invention provides novel means for operating the cigars from ejecting position to discharging position ready for packing into boxes.

It is a further object of my invention to provide operatingl means as described which will not strike t e cigars or other delicate articles with a sharp, jarring jolt but will contact therewith gently so as not to damage the article.

It is a further object of my invention to provide operating means as described which will move the cigars or other articles to final discharging sition in the same order and relative positions which they occupied 4 originally and without turning or twisting.

Other objects and advantages will a pear as the nature of the improvements is etter understood, the invention consisting substantially in the novel arrangement and co-relation of instrumentalities herein fully described and illustrated in the accompanying- 1928. Serial No. 640,487.

drawings considered together or separately and then finally pointed out and specifically defined and indicated in the appended claims.

The disclosure made the basis of exemplifying the present invention concept suggests apractical embodiment thereof, but the invention is not to be restricted to the exact details of this disclosure, and the latter, therefore, is to be understood from an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, standpoint. The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, one of which, for the purposes of illustration, is shown' in the accompanyin drawing, in which is shown afront view 0% a combined cigar feeding and banding machine embodying my invention, parts of themachine having been omitted and only those portions of the machine necessary to a descr1pt1on of my invention having been shown.

The machine comprises 'a table 1 over which a plurality of cigars 2 or similar articles are adapted to be fed successively through several positions, in the present case, first to feeding position, then to banding position shown at A where a banding machine operates upon the cigars, from the banding position to ejectin position shown at B and finally to the disc .arging position indicated at O. The feeding mechanism all of the mechanism in advance of the banding position has not been shown, but for a suitable mechanism of this type reference may be had to my copending application, Ser. N 0. 640,463, filed May 21, 1923. If desired, the cigarsmay be fed to the banding position A in any suitable manner, or even by hand, the manner of feeding not being essential to the present invention. Assuming that the cigars have been fed to the banding or operating position A and banded by a banding machine (not shown) or acted upon by some other machine, means are provided in the shape of gripperfingers 10, 11 for gripping the banded cigar and moving it to the ejecting position B. Further, means are provided incthe shape of a finger or fin gers 12 adapted to engage the cigar in eject-"= ing position B and move it to discharging position 0 preparatory to packing or other disposition of the article. Means are provided for reciprocating these fingers between their respective operating positions, that is, fingers 10, 11 between positions A and B, and fingers 12 between positions B and C.

Finger 1.0, which is shown as the upper finger adapted to engage the upper surface of the banded cigar, is carried at the upper end of a slide 15 operating in a gripper block 16 and normally held in effective position to engage the cigar by means of a spring 17 engaging the slide at one end, and the gripper block at the other and normally tending to draw the finger downwardly. The gripper block is mounted upon a. main shaft 20 upon which is fixed a hub 21, said hub having a depending fork 22 engaging a shaft 23 fixed to the gripper block to hold said block against rotation upon shaft 20. Fixed to the hub 21 is a link 25 pivotally connected at its other end 26 to'the upper end of a link 27v pivoted at 28 in the main frame 29 of the machine, said link 27 having a roller 32 engaging a cam 30 mounted upon a shaft 31 adapted to be driven continuously from any suitable source of power. It is obvious, therefore, that link 25 will be reciprocated to reciprocate shaft 20 and hence the gripper block 16. Carried at one end of shaft 20 is a hub having rollers 34 operating on rails 33 on the main frame. Pivoted to the hub 35 at 36 is a gripper bar 37 which has formed integrally therewith finger 11. The finger 11 is positioned directly below the finger 10 to cooperate therewith in gripping the banded cigar or article which has been operated upon. Since shaft I 20 carries the gripper block and its finger 10 and also the gripper bar 37 and its finger 11. the fingers 10 and 11 will be reciprocated together between positions A and B.

The gripping fingers 10 and 11 are adapted to be rendered effective to engage the article when the fingers are in position A, so that they may carry the article to position B, and are adapted 'to be rendered ineffective when in position B to release the article. In order to render the fingers 10 and 11 effective in position A, it is necessary to move the finger-s together. Finger 10, as we have seen, is normally moved to effective position by spring 17, and means are provided for moving finger l1 upwardly when said finger reaches position A. This latter means comprises a link 40 pivotally connected at 4:1 to the gripper bar, said link 40 being oonnccted at its lower end to a bell crank 42, whose other end 43 is in engagement with a cam 44 mounted -upon shaft 31, said cam being so shaped and positioned as to cause link 40 to move the gripper bar and hence finger 11 upwardly when the finger 11 ap-' proaches position A. The cam 44 will operate to permit spring 45 to draw the link 40 downwardly when the finger 11 reaches position B. As the gripper bar 37 descends, it engages the top of a link within the gripper block 16, said link being suitably geared by gearing (not shown) to the slide 15, so that when the gripper bar 37 is moved downwardly to move finger 11 to ineffective position, finger 10 is moved upwardly also to ineffective position. It is thus apparent that fingers 10 and 11 are moved simultaneously to effective position when in position A and to ineffective position when in position B. The operation thus far will be readily apparent. Shaft 20 is reciprocated to the right and left (in the drawing), so that fingers 10 and 11 are carried back and forth between position A and position B. The fingers 10 and 11 are rendered effective as they approach position A to engage the article in said position and then carry the article to position B, where said fingers are rendered ineffective to release the article,

that is, the fingers are spread apart out of engagement with said article. This process is repeated continuously.

At the same time that one article is moved from banding or operating position A to ejecting position B, it is desired to move the article in ejecting position B to discharging position C. For this purpose the finger or fingers 12 are provided. Said finger 12 is mounted upon a carriage supported in a slot 61 in the gripper bar 37. If the finger 12 were connected to the gripper bar 37 in such manner as to move integrally therewith, it is apparent that finger 12 would strike the cigar in ejecting position with the full force of the movement of the gripper bar to the right and thus cause possible injury to the cigar or other delicate article. To avoid such injury, thecarriage 60 is slid able in slot 61 in the gripper bar and is given a reciprocating movement independent of the reciprocating movement of the gripper bar 37. This movement is somewhat slower and of smaller amplitude so as to impart a much gentler movement to the cigar in ejecting position than would otherwise be possible. The amplitude of reciprocation of fingers 12 is made considerably smaller than that of gripper bar 37, the slot 61 permitting this difi'erence in movement in providing suificient lost motion. The fingers 12 start their movement toward their right from their extreme left position before ripper bar 37 and end their movement a out the same time, so that, sincethe amplitude of movement of'fingers 12 is smaller and the time is greater, the rate of movement of fingers 12 is therefore much slower than that of gripper bar 37 and the fingers 10 and 11. For reciprocating the carriage there may be pivotally connected thereto at a link 71,

whose other end is pivotally connected to a 55 confined .to the particular form of I give the hereinbefore described coaction of elements. A spring 80 holds link-27 in engagement with its cam, and asimilarspring is provided for link 72.

' It will be understood that in the case of 1 cigars, these articles are given their final shape by packing in a box, said shape being usually rectangular in cross-section, and are then supplied to the banding machine row by row. After packing, adjacent cigars have a definite relation to each other, and if this relation were disturbed, the shape of the cigars would be altered and would no longer fit into the box in the same manner. In many cases this would completely destroy the appearance of the cigars. From the foregoing description of the device it will be apparent that the cigars are moved from position A to B, and from B to C in exactly the same relation which they maintained be- 4 fore being fed to these positions and without turning or twisting, so that when the cigars are discharged in position C, they occupy the same relative interlocking positions which they had before entering the machine. The slow, gentle movement of finger 1 2 guards against possible displacement of the cigars from their predetermined positions. 4

Throughout this specification I have described my invention in connection with a cigar feeding and banding mechanism, but I wish it distinctly understood that this was solely for illustrative purposes and to describe one practicalembodiment of my in- 40 ,vention, and that the invention herein is capable of a wide variety of uses on other articles. Thus, for example, the device can be utilized in connection with candy wrapping or banding machinery or generally with 4 any type of wrapping or banding machine wherein a plurality of similar articles are fed to a banding or wrapping machine and then discharged.

In accordance with the provisions of the 550 patent statute, I have described the principle of my invention together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent a practical embodiment thereof, but I desire it understood that my invention is not Pi ratus herein shown and described, the same being'merely illustrative, and that, the invention can be carried out in other Ways without departing from the spirit of my an invention, and, therefore, I claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims, and by means of which the objects of my inve tion are. attained, and the new results accomp shed, as herein set forth,

as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of many thatcan be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

1 Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, a 'means. for moving an article from one position to a second position, and means mounted upon said first means for moving first means thereof for moving an article from the second position to a third position.

3. In a device of the character described,

means comprising gripping fingers for moving an article from one position to a second position, and means mounted upon said first means for moving an article from the second position to a third position.

4. In a ,device of the character described, means for moving an article from one position to a second position, and means mounted upon said first means for moving an article from the second position to a third position, said first named means comprising grippingfingers adapted to engage thearticle and said second named means comprising a finger adapted to engage the article.

5. In a device of the character described, means for moving an article from one position to a second position, means mounted upon said first means for moving an article from the second position to a third position, means for reciprocating said first means between said first and second positions, and means for reciprocating said second means between said second and third positions.

i 6. In a device of the character described, means for moving an article from one position to a second position, means mounted upon said first means for moving an article from the second position to a third position, means for reciprocating said first means between said first and second positions, and

from the second position to a third position,

means for reciprocating said first means between said first and second positions, and means for reciprocating said second means between said second and third positions substantially simultaneously with :said first means. v

8. In a. device of the character described, means for moving an article from one pos1- tion to a second position, means mounted upon said first means for moving an article from the second position to a third position, means for reciprocating said first means between said first and second positions, and means for reciprocating said second means between said second and third positions substantially simultaneously with said first means but at a diiierent rate than said first means.

9. In a device of the character described, means for moving an article from one posi- .tion to a second position, means mounted upon said first means for moving an article from the second position to a third position, and means for reciprocating said first and second means but' thro ;1gh different ampli-' tudes.

10. In a device of the character described, meansefor moving an ar icle from one position to a second position, means mounted upon said firstmeans for moving an article from the second position to a third position. means for reciprocating said first means, and means for reciprocating said second means substantially simultaneously with said first .means but-at a different rate and through a difi erent amplitude than said first means.

' 11. In adevice of the character described, a table, means operable to effective position above said table to 'move an article on said carrying said lower finger, said second means comprising a finger carried by said bar, and means for operating said bar andmeans comprising a finger carried by said bar and means for operating said bar and its attached fingers to ineffective position, and means actuated by'said bar when moving to ineffective position for rendering said upper finger ineffective.

14. In a device of the character described, a table, means for moving an article on said table from one position to a second position, means for moving an article on said table from the second position to a third position, said first named means comp9sing upper and lower fingers, a grippefblock carrying said upper finger, a gripper bar carrying said lower finger, said second means comprising a finger carried by said bar, means for operating said bar and its attached fingers to ineffective position below said table and to effective position above said table, and means actuated by said bar by rendering said upper finger ineffective.

15. In a device of the character described, means for moving an article from operating position to ejecting position, means for moving a preceding article from ejecting position to discharging position, and means for reciprocating said first two means through different amplitudes in the same period of time: p

This specification signed this 7 day of 'May,192 a FRANCIS X. MALOCSAY.

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