US2108209A - Assembling portions of hollow articles - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 15, 1938. A. F. REILLY 2,103,209

ASSEMBLING PORTIONS OF HOLLOW ARTICLES Filed Sept. 16, 19s? Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLES Alfred F. Reilly, North Attleboro, Mass, assignor to Evans Case Company,

Mass., a corporation North Attleboro. of Massachusetts Application September 16, 1937, Serial No. 164,248

3 Claims.

The invention, while not entirely confined thereto, relates principally to hollow articles of sheet metal ware and has especially to do with such articles as are composed of two or more 5 portions each of which is preformed to engage and be attached to other portions to form the complete hollow article. Such articles may not be entirely enclosed but may haveone or more ends or sides, etc., open.

Such articles frequently are ornamental and are ornamented. It is not uncommon to preform a section of such an article and deform the section, or impress or imprint in or upon it ornamental matter which may appear in the finished article. The sections or portions of such articles are carefully designed in advance so that when the portions are assembled proper parts of them may be in register with proper parts of other portions of the articles so as to produce a proper general ornamental appearance. In many such articles it is desirable that the joint between the portions beinconspicuous and to this end such joints are frequently made smooth. This may be accomplished by having the edges of the Joining pieces structurally abut each other. It is substantially essential, therefore, that when the portions are assembled they be placed in proper relative position to each other and rigidly held there untilthey are finally fastened together. For such purpose clamps have been employed to hold the portions together in proper assembled position while they are being permanently fastened together or until they are permanently fastened together. Likewise wires or other devices have been wrapped around the assembled devices to temporarily hold the assembled portions in proper position until and during their permanent fastening together. These and other holding methods are unsatisfactory. They cannot always hold the loose portions in proper assembled position. Any slippage tends to destroy the usefulness of the entire article or cause re-adjustment or reconstruction. The form or ornamentation of individual portions and so of the whole may be marred or interfered with by the holding means or by slippage of the portions in the holding means.

A purpose of the present invention is to avoid these difliculties by providing means for rigidly and surely holding assembled the individual portions of such articles by means which, while sure and certain against slippage at the same time do not deform the individual portions or the entire article and do not mar the ornamentation whether it may be surface ornamentation or raised ornamentation. To this end the invention includes providing extending lugs on the individual portions which lugs are in addition to the material of the portions which it is intended shall remain in the finished article. The lugs may be so fastened and positioned on the various portions that when the portions are brought together in proper register lugs on adjacent portions will be in contact with each other. The individual portions themselves having been brought together and placed in the positions they are to retain in the finished article the engaging lugs may be rigidly fastened together by any appropriate means. The lugs thus hold the portions in position and the portions will not get out of position during handling, storing or any manipulation which may be necessary prior to or in connection with permanently fastening together the edges of the portions.- For instance this permanent fastening together may be a soldering of the edges and especially when the face is irregular in form the assembled portions may have to be moved during the soldering operation. While the portions are held together by rigid attachment of the lugs such movement will not displace the pieces or get them out of register. When the assembled portions have been fastened together the lugs themselves may be removed by clipping, cutting, grinding or any other suitable operation so that the seam between the individual portions is reduced to uniformity or the desired condition to correspond with the contours of the article or its ornament. When necessary or desirable the opening if there be any left in the seam by the removal of the lugs may be treated for closing or fastening together in the same way as the rest of the seams of the finished article.

Means for fastening together the lugs may be employed which might be entirely unacceptable or unsatisfactory for fastening together the main portions of the hollow article. Thus in many instances the material of which the hollow article is made may be discolored or deteriorated by welding or high heat. Under these conditions the contacting tabs or lugs may be fastened together by spot welding or the like without marring or deteriorating the portions of the article which are to remain in it. No discoloration, marring, or deterioration which may take place in the lugs is material or disadvantageous as it disappears from the finished article when the lugs themselves are removed.

In the accompanying drawing showing embodiments of the present invention Figure 1 is a plan view of such a hollow article as the handle of a brush or mirror or the like showing lugs in place. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section similar to Fig. 2 but after the lugs have been removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a handle or the like made up of three separate portions. Fig. 5 is a transverse, vertical section on the lines 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The main separate portions of which the assembled article is composed are marked A, B and C. Portion A may be provided with a suitable number of lugs indicated as projecting from its sides. These lugs are marked a. The portion B may be provided with similar lugs projecting from its sides marked 22. The portion C may be provided with similar lugs projecting from its sides marked c. When the portions are loose and in preformed condition portion A may be placed against portion B in the position they are to take in the finished article. Thus their edges may be in contact and their joint or seam is more or less smooth. The lugs a and b are so positioned and arranged that when the portions A and B are so placed the lugs a will be in contact with corresponding lugs b respectively. The lugs a and b may then be rigidly fastened in this assembled position by spot welding or any other suitable means. By this means the portions A and B are rigidly held in the position they are to occupy in the finished article and the seams along their edges between the lugs may be joined by any suitable means such as soldering, for instance. When this has been accomplished and the joining means at the seams is set or permanent the lugs a and b may be removed by clipping, cutting, grinding or any other suitable process and the portions A and B will remain in their proper adjusted position for the final article desired. The lugs a and b may be made of such size and placed in such positions that the seams left on the edges of the portions A and B when the lugs are removed may be inconspicuous and need no further treatment. When necessary, however, the seams left by the removal of the lugs may be treated as has been treated the rest of the seam.

The invention obviously is not confined to devices made of two portions only but may be applied to articles made of any number of portions. As an example in Figs. 3 and 4 an article made of three portions is illustrated. Here the portions A and B may be assembled as indicated above and held in position by the contacting lugs a and b. The portions A and B may then be permanently fastened together and the contacting lugs a and b be removed. Either after such treatment or before the final treatment and while the lugs on A and B are in position and in contact with each other there may be applied the third portion C. When this portion, however, is

placed in the proper position to engage the edges oftheportionsA,Btbehuscwillcontactthe lugs aandbproperlyplacedinthe portionsA and B respectively. The contacting lugs c, a and the contacting lugs c, b may be fastened together in any suitable manner and so the three portions of the device held rigidly in proper position for treating the seams on the abutting edges of the individual portions A. B and C after which all the lugs a, b and 0 may be removed and the operations continued if needed as indicated above.

It will be understood that after the portions are fastened in position by the rigid attachment of the lugs a, b and 0 they may be handled even carelessly without disturbing the proper and desired relation of the several portions. The exact location of the lugs is not material but the lugs will preferably be located at the most desirable pointsof the article to hold the portions in proper adjusted position. Thus it may be desirable to place the lugs at corners or angles or it may be found desirable for purposes of initial adjustment, intermediate holding, or final fastening to leave the corners or angles free of lugs and place the lugs on smoother or more regular contours of the various portions. The selection of the location of the lugs forms no part of the present invention. 7 While the invention is of general application it may be especially desirable in connection with hollow articles made of precious metals or semiprecious metals where the marring of an article or an irregularity in its joint may be an apecial disadvantage. I

The particular embodiments illustrated and described are not limitations on the invention which may be embodied in many different forms.

I claim as my invention:

1. Preparing adjacent parts of hollow articles for assembly comprising providing lugs at intervals on each part, placing the parts together with abutting edges and registering lugs, fastening the lugs togetherto hold the parts in adjusted position, fastening the abutting edges of the pieces. and removing the lugs.

2. Preparing adjacent parts of hollow articles for assembly comprising providing lugs on each part, placing the parts together with abutting edges and registering lugs, spot welding the lugs together to hold the parts in adjusted position, soldering the abutting edges of the pieces, and removing the lugs.

3. Preparing adjacent parts of hollow articles for assembly comprising providing outwardly extending lugs on each part, placing the parts together with abutting edges and lugs in contact with each other, fastening the lugs together to hold the parts in adjusted position, fastening the abutting edges of the pieces, and removing the lugs.

ALFRED F. REILLY.

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