US2831422A - Textile strapping machine - Google Patents

Description

April 22, 1958 D. E. BLACK ETAL TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1952 13 Sheets-Sheet 1 @vigili-:f1:

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TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE I Filed Nov. 15, 1952 15 Sheets-Sheet 2 qu INVENTORSZ l DONALD E. BLACK WILLARD E. COLLINS JAMES N. WOGNUM JOHN EKERN OTT BY Mw sfwl,

ATT'Ys April 22, 1958 D. E. ABLACK ETAL TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE 13 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. l5, 1952 INVENTORS'. DONALD E. BLACK WILLARD E. COLLINS JAMES N. WOGNUM JOHN EKERN OTT April 22, 1958 D. E. BLACK ETAL 2,831,422

TEXTILE sTRAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15. 1.952 1s sheets-sheet 4 un' 3 N -i-v 25Ic DONALD E. BLACK l WILLARD E. COLLINS JAMES'N.WOGNUM JOHN EKERN OTTl ATT'Ys INVENTORS- April 22, 1958 D. E. BLACK ETAL 2,831,422

TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1952 13 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORSI Y Flan /YOA FIG. lo

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asl/D WILLARD ECOLLINS JAMES N. WOGNUM JOHN EKERN OTT BY *M ATT'Ys April 22, 1958 D. E. BLACK ETAL 2,831,422

Y TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1952 13 Sheets-Sheet 6 230 web use v |NvENToRs: DONALD E. BLACK WILLARD E. COLLINS JAMES N. WOGNUM JOHN EKERN OTT i BY 9M,

ATT 'Ys April 22, 1958 D. E. BLACK ETAL TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1952 13 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTORS-- DONALD E. BLACK WILLARD E. COLLINS JAMES N. WOGNUM JOHN EKERN OTT BY YM' ATTYs April 22, 1958 D. E. BLACK ETAL 2,831,422

TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. l5, 1952 13 Sheets-Sheet 8 FIG. I7

INVENTORS: DONALD E. BLACK WILLARD E. COLLINS JAMES N. WOGNUM JOHN EKERN O Tl `BYY April 22, 1958 D. E. BLACK ETAL TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE 13 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed NOV. 15, 1952 D. E. BLACK AL TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE April 22, 1958 l5 Sheets-Sheet lO Filed Nov. 15, 1952 l INVENTORS: DONALD E. BLACK WILLARDE. COLLINS .JAMES N. woGNuM JOHN EKERN o T @NGE ATT'YS April 22, 1958 D. E. BLACK ETAL TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE 13 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 Filed Nov. 15. 1952 1N VEN TORS.' DONALD E. BLACK NNE April 22, 1958 D. E. BLACK ETAL 2,831,422

TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1952 13 sheets-sheet 12 INVENTORSI DONALD E. BLACK w|| L ARD E. coLLms N J WMM/YM ATT Ys April 22, 1958 Filed Nov. 15,- 1952 FIGBI D. E. BLACK ET AL TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHINE 13 Sheets-Sheet 13 30la 352 M 3oz@ 35 L 355 NSM/v 35e M349 /806l n( wl 305 @J 3 o 35er I 35o AMW 80h V 357 mi @d 357@ 545C ses sel 4. frz M- L! L. I 296A 355" slab assu), 314D sfwv ,i Wash mvENToRs:

DONALD E. BLACK wiLLARD E.co| 1Ns JAMES N. woGNuM JOHN EKERN OTT United States TEXTILE STRAPPING MACHNE Donald E. Black, Chicago, Willard E. Collins, Clarendon Hills, James N. Wognum, Chicago, and .lohn Ekern Ott, Hinsdale, Ill., assignors to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois Application November 15, 1952, Serial No. 320,794

7 Claims. (Cl. 1110-45) This invention relates Vto improvements in textile strapping machines and its purpose is to provide an improved machine for compressing bundles or packages of textiles or other compressible materials and then encircling them with metal binding straps which are drawn taut to hold the bundles, packages, boxes, containers or other shipping units in their compressed condition to facilitate the handling thereof during shipment or subsequent use.

In the lield of packaging, and particularly in the packaging of textiles, it is common practice to enclose the .textile materials in berboard containers of the telescoping type and to close the containers and compress their contents preliminary to applying binding straps thereto. The closing of the container and the compression of its contents has usually been effected by the act of drawing the straps taut around the container preliminary to joining the ends of the straps, with the result th'at the tension of the diterent straps has not been uniform and the straps have often cut into the edges of the containers in the process of being drawn taut. These operations have required the attention of a plurality of workmen in connection with the binding of each package or bundle and the operation has been necessarily time-consuming and expensive.

Further, in the operation of applying binding straps to bales, bundles or packages of various types, by the use of a press, it has been the practice to employ workmen on opposite sides of the bundle or package to thread the straps through the grooves in the pressure platens of the press located above and below the bundle or package to cause them to encircle the object to be bound, and this has been followed by the use of manually operated tools for joining the ends of each strap. This practice has also been costly because of the labor requirements and because the rate of production for a single press was l very low.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved strapping machine in which the operations of extending the binder around the package or bundle and then drawing it taut are performed automatically under the control of a single operator who then causes the binder to be cut from the supply and its ends to be secured together, thus requiring a minimum of manual labor. A further object of the invention is to provide a strapping machine comprising means for compressing the bundle or package and maintaining it in 'that compressed condition while applying one or a plurality of binding straps around it and creating a substantially uniform condition of tension in each strap. A further object is to provide a baling machine comprising means for causing a plurality of exible binders to be automatically drawn from supply coils and simultaneously extended around a bale or bundle preliminary to the operations of drawing the binders taut, cutting them from the supply coils and then securing the ends of each bundle encircling binder together. Another object of the invention is to provide power driven strap feeding means for draw- 2,831,422 Patented Apr. 22, 1958 rice ing a strap from a supply, extending it automatically around a bundle and then, after its end has been gripped, reversing its action to draw the strap taut around the bundle. Still another object of the invention is to provide a strapping machine comprising means for automatically extending a strap around a bundle, means for drawing the strap taut aro-und the bundle, means for cutting it oil from the source of. supply and means for joining the ends of the taut strap, preferably in combination with means for causing all of these operations to be effected by power driven means under the convenient control of a single operator. A further object of the in` struction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from' the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated. In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2a shows a perspective View of a strap joint which may be formed by the sealing apparatus of the machine illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 2b shows a perspective view of a channel-shaped metal seal which may be employed to form the type of joint which is illustrated in Fig. 2a;

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged vertical section through the lower portion of the machine illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the section being taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3 showing the mechanism which is actuated by the free end of the strap after it has passed around a bundle or package for the purpose of operating a switch in the electric control circuit;

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged side elevation similar to that' of the upper left-hand portion of Fig. 2, illustrating the mechanism by which the strap is withdrawn from the source of supply and fed through the guide channels which extend around the bundle or package;

Fig. 6 shows a sectional View taken on the irregular line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged top plan view of the left-hand portion of the movable pressure platen of the machine,

the view being taken substantially on the line 7 7 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 shows a side elevation of the movable pressure platen looking toward the right in Fig. l as illustrated by Fig. 10 shows a sectional view taken on the line 10 10 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 11 shows a sectional view taken on the line 11 11 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 12 shows a sectional view taken on the line 12 12 t of Fig. 15;

Fig. 13 shows an enlarged side elevation of'one of the sealing devices embodied in the machine and carried by j the movable pressure platen, this sealing device being also shown in elevation on a smaller scale in Fig. 3;

Fig. 14 shows a sectional view on the line 14 14 of Fig. 13, illustrating the gripping dog embodied in the sealing apparatus for holding the free end of a strap after it has been passed around a bale or bundle;

Fig. 1S is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line -15 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 16 shows a sectional view taken on the line 16-16 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 17 shows a horizontal section taken on the line 17--17 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 18 shows a partial vertical section taken on the line 18-18 of Fig. 17, illustrating the sealing head of the sealing device in its extreme elevated position in which it is adapted to receive a seal `from the lower end of the magazine in which the seals are stored for use;

Fig. 19 shows an enlarged horizontal section through the scaling jaws, taken on the line 19-19 of Fig. 18;

Fig. 20 shows a vertical section on the line 2%-20 of Fig. 18, illustrating the sealing jaws and the movable cutting blade in their elevated positions;

Fig. 2l shows a partial enlarged front elevation of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 13 with parts thereof broken away, illustrating by full lines the position of the sealing lever and associated parts after the sealing head has been lowered and before the jaws have been actuated to form an interlocking joint, and illustrating by dotted lines the relative position of the sealing lever and associated parts after this lever has been actuated to operate the sealing jaws for the purpose of detorming the strap ends and the seal;

Fig. 22 shows a detailed section taken on the line 22-22 of Fig. 2l;

Fig. 23 shows a detailed section taken on the line 23-23 of Fig. 2l;

Fig. 24 shows a perspective View of the toothed pin on which the sealing lever is mounted;

Fig. 25 is a perspective view of the bearing member engaged by one end of the pin illustrated in Fig. 24;

Fig. 26 is a perspective View of the cover plate which is mounted on the Outer end of the bearing member shown in Fig. 25;

Fig. 27 is a vertical section showing a side elevation of the latch mechanism for controlling the seal feed;

Fig. 28 is a perspective view of the latch member embodied in the mechanism shown in Fig. 27;

Fig. 29 is a perspective view of the gripping dog which holds the free end of the strap in the sealing device after it has passed around the bale or bundle together. with the operating connections thereto for controlling its actuation during the strapping cycle;

Fig. 30 is a diagrammatic View showing the various parts of the fluid pressure operated system by which various operations of the baling machine are etected; and

Fig. 3l shows a schematic diagram of the electric circuit by which the luid pressure operated devices are controlled.

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention is embodied in a baling machine comprising a horizontal base adapted to rest upon a door or other support and having secured thereto a vertically extending frame il comprising two side frame members 42 and a connecting top cross frame member 43. The vertical frame members 41 are of channel form having their anges directed away from each other and they are arranged to support a vertically movable pressure platen 45 which is adapted to be lowered for the purpose of compressing a bale or bundle 46 which rests upon the stationary platen formed by the base 40. The base 40 comprises transverse channel-shaped frame members 40a which are connected to upright longitudinally extending frame members 4Gb and the frame structure thus formed has mounted thereon a plurality or series of cylindrical rollers 47 having their pinions journaled in brackets d8 which are carried by the frame members so that the rollers provide the immediate support for the bale or bundle 46 which may be rolled on to the base from a suitable conveyor at one side ot the machine and discharged therefrom on to another conveyor at the other side of the machine after it has been compressed and strapped.

The movable pressure platen 45 comprises a pair of side plates Si) which extend on the inner sides of the upright frame members 42, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and these side plates are connected by a channel-shaped transverse frame member S1, located adjacent to the upright frame members 42, and also by a transverse channel-shaped frame member 52 located at the forward end ot the pressure platen, as well as by a transverse frame member 53 which connects the upper ends of the side plates adjacent the forward edges of the up right frame members 42. Each of the side plates is provided with two pairs of rollers 54 mounted on pins 5S which extend iaterally therefrom, as shown in Figs. l and 2, and these rollers are adapted to coact with the iront and rear sides of the upright frame members 42 which serve as track members for the pressure platen t5 during its vertical movement.

In order to counterbalance the weight of the pressure platen 45 and the parts carried thereby, the transverse frame member 53 thereof is connected near its ends to two flexible cables S6 which extend upwardly and over pulleys 57 which are journaled in brackets mounted in slots formed in the upper ends of the frame members 42. After the cables S6 have been extended over these pulleys 57 they are directed downwardly and secured to counterweights 58 which are mounted to move vertically in the sheet metal housings 59 of U-shaped cross section which are secured to the outer sides of the members 42. Through the provision of these counterweights, a minimum of eort is required to eiect the vertical movement of the pressure platen 45 and the parts ot the machine which are mounted thereon.

The pressure platen is moved vertically by fluid pressure operated means connected Ito two Ushaped brackets 66 which have their arms secured in the transverse meniber 53 of this pressure platen. These brackets are secured to piston rods 61 which extend downwardly into the cylinders 62 which are pivoted at the points 63 on the base 4G. Pistons are secured to the piston rods 61 within the cylinders 62 and, when compressed air or the like is admitted to the lower ends of these cylinders, the pistons are actuated to move the pressure platen 45 upwardly, while the admission of compresed air or the like to the upper ends of the cylinders 62 causes a downward movement of the presurc platen for the purpose of compressing the bale or bundle 46.

When the bundle or package 46 has been closed or compressed to the desired extent, one or more steel binding straps 65 are passed around the Ibundle by power operated means carried by the pressure platen In the embodiment illustrated, means are provided for causing the compressed bundle to be bound by three ilexible steel straps which are fed around the bundle by three separate but simultaneously operated feeding devices. These feeding devices 6) are mounted on the forward end of the pressure platen i5 and the metal straps 65 are drawn thereto over pulleys 67 which are mounted in slots located in the upper ends of the vertical portions 70a of guide channels 79, which serve as tracks for the moving straps after they have passed the feeding devices 60. The metal straps `are drawn from supply coils or the like, not illustrated, and travel in the direction of the arrows 71 on the inner sides of pulleys 72 which arc carried by brackets 73 mounted on intermediate parts of the upright portions 70a of the guide member '74). The straps then pass upwardly and over the pulleys 67 and thence downwardly in a forwardly inclined direction to the feeding devices 60. From the feeding devices 6l) the straps extend along the underside of the pressure platen 4S through strap sealing devices 75 and they then enter the guide channels 70, being directed by the lower curved portion 7Gb of these guide channels to the forward aaah-42a upright portions 70C thereof where the free ends of the straps are projected to be seized by the operator and placed in operating engagement with gripping members of the sealing devices 75 in readiness to be drawn taut around the bales or bundles.

Each strap 65 is discharged from the upright portion 70C of its guide channel in proximity to a housing 77 mounted upon the upturned end of a conduit 78 through which electric connections are made with a plurality'of push buttons 78 adapted to be actuated by the operator for the purpose of controlling the electric circuit by which the various fluid pressure operations of the machine are regulated and controlled. As the strap 65 is discharged from a guide channel 70e it passes through a housing 30, shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4, which contains a pair of upright bars 81 forming a channel 82 through which the metal strip passes. These bars 81 are provided adjacent their lower ends with apertures to receive a pair of grooved rollers 83 and S4, one of which has its bearings in a stationary bracket S5 secured to one of the bars while the other roller 84 has its trunnions journaled in -a lever S6 which is pivoted at 87 on arms S3 extending from the other bar 81. A coil spring S9 mounted on the pin 87 is arranged to actuate the lever S6 to move the roller 84 toward the roller 83 so :that the two rollers will engage the opposi-te edges of the strap 65 passing through the housing. At its other end the lever 86 is provided with a pin 89a having a screw threaded engagement therewith and adapted to contact the actuating pin 99a of a switch 90 which is connected in the electric circuit hereinafter described for controlling the actuation of the associated feeding device 60 `by which a strap is fed to this particular housing 80. When the strap 65 is projected upwardly through the housing 80 it separates the rollers 83 and 84 with the result that the switch 90 is actuated to stop the associated feeding device 60 and the parts are so arranged that there is some delay in the stopping of the feeding device so that, when the stoppage is iinally effected, the end portions 65a of the strap will project above the housing S and the switch housing 77 so that it may be gripped by the operator for bending it over into engagement with a gripping dog mounted upon the associated sealing device 75, as hereinafter more fully described.

The arrangement for guiding the strap, feeding it, arresting the feeding operation, drawing the strap taut around the bundle, cutting it off from the source of supply and forming an interlocking joint between its overlapping ends are the same for each of the straps 65 and a description of one of these units will suiice for all of them. After passing over a roll 67 at the upper end of the frame 41, each strap passes downwardly to a feeding device 6) which is shown particularly in Figs. 1, 3, and 6 where it is shown as comprising a supporting frame 91 mounted upon a supporting plate 92 which extends between the side plates 50 of the pressure platen 45. The upright portion of this frame 91 has mounted therein a horizontal bolt 93 which serves as a shaft for supporting an idler feed wheel 95 which is mounted to rotate about the bolt 93 through kan intermediate ball bearing unit 96 which seats against the head of the bolt and against a washer 97 mounted between it and the frame 91. The outer ring of the 1ball bearing unit 96 is held in place by a retaining ring 9S. The peripheral surface 95a of the feed Wheel 95 passes in close proximity to a driving feed wheel 100 which is secured upon the shaft 101 of a driving motor 102, which is preferably a motor of the rotary impeller type actuated by air under pressure. This motor is secured by studs 103 to a supporting member 104 which is pivoted by a pin 105 on the frame 91. The outer end of the shaft 101 is journaled in a ball bearing unit 106 mounted in the depending portion 104a of the supporting member and this arrangement allows the driven feed wheel 100 to rest by gravity upon the strap 65 which passes between it and the idler feed wheel 95v In order toregulate the pressure with which the feed wheels and 100 engage the strap, the supporting member 104 is arranged to be actuated about its pivot by a coil spring 107 mounted upon a stud 108 which threadedly engages the frame 91 and extends upwardly therefrom within a cylindrical recess 10419 which is formed in the supporting member. The lower end of the spring engages the bottom of this recess and the upper end engages a Washer 109 secured against the spring by an adjustable nut 110 which may-be regulated to control the compression of the spring 107 and the resulting pressure with which the feed wheel 100 engages the upper side of the strap.

The strap 65 passes to the feed wheels 95 and 100 through a guide member 111 which is secured to the supporting member 104- by studs 112 and, as the strap moves downwardly from the feed wheel 100 it engages another guide member 113 which is secured to the frame 91 by studs 114. This guide member 113 conforms generally to the peripheral surface 95a of the feed wheel 95 'but diverges slightly therefrom and it terminates in a straight portion 113s, located at the right of the feed wheel 95 as viewed in Figs. 3 and 5, from which point the strap 65 passes to the guide members -of the adjacent sealing device '75.

After passing through the guides of the sealing device 75, the strap 65 passes beneath a series of magnetic rollers 115 which have their trunnions journaled in brackets 116 secured to the frame structure of the pressure platen 45. These rollers are adapted to hold the strap above the bale or bundle 46 by magnetic attraction and after passing in contact with these rollers, the strap 65 engages anotherseries of similar magnetic rollers 117 journaled in brackets 118 which are carried by a curved guide member 119 extending rearwardly and downwardly from the lower part of the cross frame member 51 of the pressure platen. The

magnetic rollers 117 extend slightly below the guide memguide channel and are adapted to attract the metal strapl and hold it as it passes downwardly to the curved bottom portion 70h of the guide channel by which it is guided under the bale or bundle 46 and then deflected upwardly into the upright portion 70e of the guide channel. Thev magnetic rollers 120 are spaced apart vertically alongl the upright portion 70a of the guide channel so that one or more of them will be engaged by the strap with the pressure platen 45 in any position which it may occupy.

The lowermost roll 120 is located in proximity to the place j where the strap will be discharged by the magnetic rollers 117 when the pressure platen l5 is in its lowermost position.

The magnetic rollers 115, 117 and 120 and their mountings are substantially alike and a description of the rollers 120 will suffice for all of them. As shown in Fig.

11, each roller 120 is mounted upon a shaft 122 of non-y metallic material which is journaled in two brackets 121- carried by the side walls of the upright portion 70a of one of the guide channels 70. Each roller 1Z0 comprises an` intermediate cylindrical member 12011 which is a perma nent magnet, being formed of a highly magnetic alloysuch",

as that known to the trade as Alnico 5, and this member contacts on its ends with two other similar members 120b which are of larger diameter than the intermediate part 120a and are provided at their outer edges with inwardly directed annular projections 120e which are spaced apart to leave an air gap 124 between them. With this arrangement, the magnetic tnxset up by the permanent l 'i' magnet 120i: passes through the roller portions 120b which are formed of magnetizable material, and thence across the air gap 121i or through the steel strap when the steel strap is in contact therewith. In this way the steel strap is temporarily attracted and held Aby the roller 120 while it is in contact therewith during its travel. in order to prevent the steel strap from bending around the roller and following its curvature instead of continuing in a straight line, a spacer 125 of bronze, aluminum or other nonmagnetizable material is mounted between each pair of rollers 120i; in alignment with the air gap 124" so that it will engage the metal strap above and below the roller 120 to maintain the desired direction of travel of the strap.

Each strap sealing device 75 has the form which is illustrated particularly in Figs. 13 to 27, inclusive. This device embodies the means for cutting oft the strap from the source of supply and forming an interlocking joint between its overlapping ends which is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,375,769 granted May 15, 1945, on an application of William C. Childress and I ames M. Royal. The mechanism disclosed therein is substantially the same as the major portion embodied in the sealing device 75 and reference may be had to said Letters Patent for a more detailed description than is given here, it being understood that other forms of strap cutting and sealing devices may be employed in place of the one which is here illustrated and described.

The sealing device 75 illustrated in the drawings and described in said Letters Patent is adapted to employ an open channel-shaped seal 130 which is shown particularly in Fig. 2b where it is illustrated as having a back wall 130i: and two tlaring side walls 13% which are adapted to bend around and beneath the overlapping ends of the strap 65 during the operation of the sealing apparatus and to be partially sheared and deflected to form an interlocking joint. These seals are preferably provided on their side walls with punched projections 130C so that when they are arranged in a stack there will be a small area of contact between the walls of adjacent seals, thus providing the minimum of resistance to the sliding movement of the bottom seal from the stack of seals. The top walls of these seals are provided with centrally located apertures 130d so that they may be arranged in a stack for convenience in shipping them and inserting them in the magazine of the sealing device. This form of seal and the resulting package of seals are described and claimed in United States Letters Patent Nos. 2,062,098 and 2,062,099 granted November 24, 1936, on applications of Chester M. MacChesney. In the operation of the sealing device 75 the side walls 130b of the seal are bent beneath the overlapping strap ends and the sealing jaws of the tool are then operated to effect the shearing of the edges of the seal and the enclosed strap ends as shown at 130e in Fig. 2a. The portion of the metal between the adjacent shearing cuts is deflected to form projections 130)c thus furnishing interlocking shoulders which prevent relative separation of the strap ends. A similar joint could be formed by threading the strap ends through a tubular seal and then shearing and deecting portions of the lateral edges of the assembled strap and seal instead of using the channel-shaped seal which has just been described. Also, other forms of tools could be employed iu place of the sealing devices 75 to provide other forms of interlocking joints between the overlapping strap ends after the strap has been extended around the bale or bundle, drawn taut and then cut oft from the source of supply.

In the form of sealing apparatus illustrated in Figs. 13 to 27, inclusive, the mechanism is carried by a frame or casting 135 having laterally extending anges 1.35ct and 135i: which extend beneath the strap 65. On this frame 135 a forward gripping dog 136 is mounted on a pivot pin 137 carried by the frame 135 and this gripping dog has a serrated lower edge 136e adapted to engage the upper side of the end portion 65a of the strap after the strap has been passed around the bale or bundle by the operation of the feeding device 60 and after the operator has taken the free end of the strap from its position above the housing and extended it over the top of the bale and into position on the ange 13561 beneath the gripping dog. This gripping dog 136 is normally moved into engagement with the strap on the ange 13551 by a coil spring, not illustrated, and it is so constructed that the end 65.11 will slide freely beneath it upon being pushed toward the right as viewed in Fig. 13 although any tendency of the strap to move in the reverse direction will be resisted by the gripping of the dog 136.

In passing to the sealing device 75 from the feeding devcc dit. the strap passes through a longitudinal groove 136i) which is formed in the gripping dog 136 and it then passes through the groove 1.38ct of a guide member 13S which is mounted on the frame 135 above the flange 5.35m Fromthe guide member 13S, the strap 65 extends over the ange 135i; o the frame and thence into Contact with the magnetic rollers on the underside of the pressure platen 45, as previously described. Above the flange b there is mounted another gripping dog which is pivoted on a pin 141 mounted in the frame and which is located in an inclined position so that its lower serrated gripping surface ftd-0.a will grip the strap when it is moved toward the right as viewed in Fig. 13 but will release the strap when it is moved in the opposite direction. The dog 140 is normally moved into engagement with the strap by coil spring 142 which is mounted in a recess in the underside of the upper end of the gripping dog with its lower end engaging a projection 143 carried by the frame.

After the strap 65 has been extended around the bale or bundle by the motor driven feeding device 60, the free end 65a thereof is pushed under the gripping dog 136 until its end engages a stop member 145 which, at that time, will have been positioned so that it will form an abutment for the end of the strap. After the strap is thus in a position encircling the bale or bundle with its end engaging the stop 145, the motor 102 of the associated feeding device 60 is reversed in direction so that it then pulls the strap in a direction opposite to that in which it has previously been fed, thereby taking up the slack in the strap and drawing it taut around the bale or bundle 46. During this operation the free end of the strap is securely held by the gripping dog 136, while the supply portion thereof runs freely beneath the gripping dog 140. When the strap has thus been drawn taut around the compressed bale or bundle, the gripping dog 14) is actuated as hereinafter described to cause it to grip the supply portion of the strap and other parts of the mechanism are operated to cut oit the supply portion of the strap with an overlapping of the ends of the portion of the strap which extend around the bundle. After the overlapping of the ends has been etected thesealing mechanism is operated to feed a sealto a position where it may be caused to engage the overlapping strap ends preliminary to a further operation which forms the type of joint shown in Fig. 2a.

This sealing mechanism comprises a vertically extending seal magazine 147 on which there is slidably mounted a vertically movable sealing head 148 having pivotally mounted therein a pair of sealing jaws 150 which are capable of relative movement for iirst bending the side walls of the seal 130 beneath the overlapping strap ends and then cutting and deforming the edges ci these parts to form the joint. The lowermost seal of the stack of seals 136 in the magazine 147 is adapted to be fed by a plunger 151 from the bottom of the magazine to a position between the jaws 150 when the sealing head 14S and the jaws are in the elevated positions shown in Fig. 13. At the beginning of the downward movement of the sealing head 148 and the jaws 150 to cause the seal to embrace the strap ends, a movable shearing blade 153 is moved into position to cooperate with a stationary shearing blade 154 to cut off the supply portion of the strap in a position such that the strap end so formed will lie flush with the end of the seal in the joint about to be made.

This downward movement of the sealing head 148 and of the jaws 150 is effected by the sealing lever 155- which is pivoted by means of a shaft 156 on the sealing head 148. The shaft also pivotally connects the lever 155 and the head 148 with a tilting frame 157 which is pivotally connected at its rear end by a hollow pin 158 with a supporting member 159 carried on the pivot pin 159a mounted in the bracket 160 secured to the frame 135. A block 161 is mounted to slide on the sealing lever S and this block is pivotally connected by a pin 162 with an operating lever 163 having its lower end pivoted at 164 on a lateral extension of the frame 135. This operating lever 163 is pivoted at an intermediate point 165 to a piston rod 166 which extends into a cylinder 167 where it is connected to a piston 163. This cylinder 167 is adapted to be operated by fluid pressure, such as compressed air or the like, and the rear end thereof is provided with a flange 167e which is pivoted at 169 to a bracket 1761 iixed on the transverse frame member 51 of the pressure platen 45. When compressed air is admitted to the right-hand end of the cylinder 167, as viewed in Fig. 3, the piston rod 166 is actuated to move the lever 163 toward the left and thereby cause an upward and forward swinging of the tilting frame 157 about the member 158 with a resulting downward movement of the sealing head 14S and jaws 158. When compressed air is admitted to the forward end of the cylinder 167, the piston rod 166 is retracted and the parts are restored to the positions which they have in Fig. 13. Thus, by the operation of the piston 168 in the cylinder 167 the mechanism is actuated to cut off the strap from the source of supply, feed a seal to a position between the sealing jaws 15), actuate the sealing head 148 and the jaws to form an interlocking joint between the overlapping strap ends, and then to restore the parts to their initial positions wherein the jaws 151i may receive another4 seal 130 from the bottom of the magazine 147.

Referring now to the sealing mechanism actuated by the lever 155, the sealing head 148 comprises a hollow frame 171 mounted to slide on the magazine 147 through interlocking anges, as shown in Fig. 17, so that the frame of the head 148 is capable of movement vertically toward and from a notch 135C in the base ange of the frame 135 above which the interlocking joint in the overlapping strap ends is formed. The frame 171 has a vertical passage 1710.' of rectangular cross section in which a plunger 174 has a sliding lit. This plunger is arranged to actuate the sealing jaws 150 which are pivotally mounted on pins 175 extending between the side plates 171:1 of the sealing frame. The upper arms of the jaws 150 are pivotally connected by pins 176 to links 177 which are connected at their upper ends by a common pivot pin 178 to the lower end of the plunger 174. The plunger 174 is normally moved to the upper position, shown in Fig. 20, by a pair of coil springs 179 which connect the plunger with a bar 180 attached to the upper end of the frame 171.

Each jaw 150 is made up of a plurality of plates or laminations comprising three bending dies 150b and two alternately arranged cutting or shearing dies 150C. The bending dies 15612 are provided at their lower ends with undercut portions 156e located above the projecting hook portions 1581 which terminate in registering projections 150g adapted to receive and support the edges of the side walls 13t b of one of the channel-shaped seals 130 when this seal is fed from the magazine 147 by the feeding plunger 151 to a position between the jaws as shown in Fig. 20. The shearing dies 150e of each jaw are provided at their lower ends with cutting or shearing edges 150k which are spaced inwardly from and between the,` 75;-

projecting hook portions 1501 of the bending dies so that upon relative movement of the lower ends of the two jaws 150 toward each other, the bending dies 1501; rst bend the side walls of the seal downwardly and inwardly about the overlapping strap ends with the edges of the strap and seal extending into the undercut recesses 150C, and with the completion of this relative movement of the jaws, the cutting edges of the shearing dies come into action to shear the lateral edges of the strap and seal and to deect the intervening portions of the metal to form the type of joint shown in Fig. 2a.y

On their lower inner sides the jaws 150 are provided with arcuate surfaces which are concentric with the pivot pins 175 and between these `surfaces there is posi# tioned a saddle member 183 (Figs. 19 and 20) which is actuated by springs 184 seated in a block 185 extending between the sides of the frame 171 so that it engages the back wall a of the 4seal and holds the edge of the side walls of the seal in engagement with the extremities g of the jaws when the sealing head is inthe elevated position shown in Fig. 20. The saddle member 183 is adapted to move slightly against the-compression of the springs 184 during the closing of the jaws on the seal.

The downward movement of the plunger 174 against the action of the springs 179 is effected by a pinion 156a, formed integrally with the shaft 156 which is journaled in bearings formed in ears projecting from the side plates of the frame 171, as shown in Fig. 17, and arranged to mesh with the rack bar 174a formed on the vertical facev of the plunger. The shaft 156 has the form shown particularly in Fig. 24, being provided at one side ofthe pinion with a cylindrical portion 156!) which is journaled in one of the ears projecting from the frame 171 and at the other side of the pinion with another cylindrical portion 156e which is journaled in a bushing 186 secured in the other ear projecting from that frame.

The shaft 156 is adapted to turn in its bearings t0 effect vertical movement of the plunger 174 and it also serves as the means through which a vertical motion is imparted to the head 148 independently of the movement of the plunger. The head 148 is directly supported by the tilting frame 157, previously referred to, which has side members which are apertured for pivotal engagement with the portion 156b of the shaft 156 and with the bushing 186, as shown in Fig. 17, so that a swinging movement of the tilting frame is adapted to raise or lower the head 148 and its frame 171.

The side members of the tilting frame 157 receive between them at their rear ends the upper end of the pivoted supporting member 159 to which they are pivotally connected by the previously mentioned hollow pin 158. The supporting member has a boss 159e at its upper end in which the hollow pin or bushing 158 is secured by a set screw 187 engaging an annular groove in the bushing. The tilting frame 157 is thus capable of pivotal movement about the upper end of the supporting member 159 and the supporting member is capable of pivotal movement about the pin 159:1 to allow the frame 171 of the head '148 to move vertically toward and from the overlapping strap ends.

After the member 159 has swung toward the left, as viewed in Figs. 13 and 18, and the frame 157 has swung downwardly to position the seal 13@ carried by the head on the overlapping strap ends, the shaft 156 is turned to cause the pinion 156@ to move the plunger 174 downwardly and thereby actuate the jaws 150 to form an interlocking joint. This turning of the shaft 156, and the reverse rotation thereof, are eifected by the sealing lever actuated by the cylinder 167. The lever 155 is mounted upon the forward extremity 156d of the shaft (see Fig. 17), which is recessed at this point to provide a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs 156e which are spaced apart circumferentially of the shaft and which are adapted to receive between. them a plurality of longitudinally extending splines or.,

keys 155e. These keys;r

are formed in the bore of the hub 155a of the sealing lever and when this lever is released from the tilting frame 157, as hereinafter described, the ribs 156e of the shaft are adapted to coact with the keys or splines 155e onv the lever to form a driving connection which is made use of in effecting a downward movement of the plunger 174 and a corresponding closing movement of the jaws 150.

Another driving connection between the sealing lever 155 and the shaft 156 is provided for ,ermitting the turning of the shaft by the lever to separate the jaws at the conclusion of the sealing operation, since this cannot be done by the ribs 156e and the keys 155C on account of the lost motion between these parts when the lever is moved toward the right as viewed in Fig. 13. This additional means comprises a locking plate 185 mounted on an extremity of the shaft 156 and'seating against the outer face of the hub portion 155e of the lever 155. The locking plate and the lever are secured on the shaft by a nut 189 which engages the threaded extremity of the shaft and seats against a washer 19t! where it is secured by a set screw 191.

The locking plate 18S is of pear-shaped form, the projecting arm thereof being provided with an aperture 183:1 of suicient size to receive one rounded extremity of a locking pin 194 which occupies a cylindrical passageway 155b extending through the hub of the lever. On the inner side of the hub of the lever, another locking plate 195 is journaled on the projecting end of the bushing 186 and secured to the face of the adjacent tilting frame 157 by means of a pin 195, as shown in Fig. 22. The plate 195 is provided with a recess 195a adapted to register with the passageway 15517 in the hub of the lever and adapted to receive the inner rounded extremity of the locking pin 194. The recesses 188e and 195e are tapered so that the pressure exerted on the adjacent end of the pin by relative movement of the lever and the locking plate in which the aperture is formed will tend to wedge the pin 194 away from the locking plate into the aperture 1551i.

The locking plate 18S has keyways 18Sb, shown in Fig. 26, which engage the extremities 156g of the ribs 156C formed on the shaft 156. When the pin 194 is moved outwardly to engage the recess 183e, a driving connection is established between the locking plate 188 and the lever 155 so that movement of the lever will then turn the shaft in its bearings. When the locking pin 194 is moved inwardly into engagement with the recess 195a in the locking plate 195 which is mounted to swing with the tilting frame 157, the outer end of the lever will be out of engagement with the recess 18Sa and the lever 155 may then be swung about its pivot without turning the shaft 156. This locking connection formed by the pin 194 is made use of only for rotating the shaft 155 to separate the jaws, but it is established in the course of the movement of the lever toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 13, before the closing of the jaws has been completed.

The lever 155 and its hub 15511 are provided with an integral depending ilange 155d of arcuate form and a lug 155e projecting from the face of this flange has adjustably mounted therein a threaded stud 197 which is secured in adjusted position by a lock nut 198. The end of this stud below the nut 198 is adapted to engage a hard metal stop member 199 which is secured in a projecting flange 171]' formed on the frame 171 of the head 148. When the lever 155 is swung downwardly and toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 13, the stud 197 is adapted to engage the stop member 199 to limit the movement of the lever and the corresponding upward movement of the head 148. By adjusting the position of the stud 197 in the lug 155e, the extreme upper position of the head may be precisely located so that it will properly receive a seal from the magazine 147 when the seal is fed by the plunger 151.

The lever 155 is provided adjacent the flange 155d' with a klug 155i having a fiat lower face adapted to engage a projecting lug 157e formed on the tilting frame 157. After a predetermined movement of the lever 155 from the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2l to the position shown by full lines in that figure, the lug 155i engages the lng 157e to cause a direct actuation of the tilting frame 157 by the lever, thereby elevating the head 148 from its lower position. When the lever 155 is in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2i, which corresponds to the position wherein the shaft 156 has been actuated to lower the plunger 174 and effect a relative movement of the sealing jaws 159, a boss 155g formed on the lever engages the surface 171k formed on the upper end of the flange 171]', thereby limiting the movement of the jaws in closing upon each other. This action is supplemented by the engagement of the lower end of the plunger 174 with the block carried by the sealing head for supporting the springs 181i.

Assuming that the head 148 has been elevated. and that the lever occupies its extreme right-hand position as shown in Fig. 13 and that it is desired to lower the head from this elevated position shown in Fig. 13, it is necessary to establish a driving connection between the lever 155 and the frame 157 so that this frame may be swung about the hollow pin or bushing 158 and the supporting member 159 moves forwardly about its pivot 159er, without causing rotation of the shaft 156 which actuates the jaws. This locking connection is normally established by a locking pin Zitti, shown particularly in Figs. 17 and 22, which is mounted within the hollow pin 158. The pin 269 is provided at one end with an enlarged cylindrical head Zlltia which is adapted to t within a cup-shaped locking member 261 mounted in a recess in the inner face of the lever 155. At its other end, the locking pin 290 is provided with an enlarged cylindrical portion 200.5 which is located within the enlarged end 158:: of the hollow pin which seats against the rear face of the tilting frame 157. The enlarged portion 2G01; of

the locking pin has formed integrally therewith an annular flange 200C constructed in the form of a double truncated cone. The end face Ztltd of the pin 201i normally occupies a position in proximity to the inner face of the vertical frame member 135p, as shown in Fig. 17, and the flange Ztlc then abuts against the enlarged end 1:38a of the hollow pin. When the pin 20) is in this position, the extremity 200e thereof engages the cup-shaped locking member 201, so that when the lever 155 is swung upwardly and toward the left as viewed in Figs. 13 and 21, the tilting frame 157 will be swung downwardly about the hollow pin 15S and the supporting member 159 will swing toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 18, about the hollow pin 158. When the lever 155 reaches a predetermined position corresponding to the lower position of the sealing head 14S which positions a seal on the overlapping strap ends, one of the annular inclined faces of the flange 20G-c on the pin 263 engages the inclined face 2030 of a stationary cam 263 which is secured to the frame member 135p. The inclined face 203e forces the ange 21100 into a tapered recess 1351: formed in the member 135p and this endwise movement of the pin 200 withdraws the extremity 290:: thereof from the cupshaped locking member 261 mounted on the sealing lever so that this lever 155 is then free to move about its pivot on the shaft 156 independently of the tilting frame 157 which then remains stationary during further movement of the lever 129 in the same direction.

During the movement of the sealing lever 155 toward the left as viewed in Figs. 13 and i810 the point where the pin Zit@ moves out of engagement with the locking member 201 and into engagement with the recess 135u, the locking pin 194 mounted in the hub of this lever occupies its inner position and the outer end of this pin moves within the flat inner tace of the outer locking member 188 but, when this point in the movement of the lever 155 is reached, the pin 194 registers with theV recess 188g in the locking plate 188 and further pressure on the lever 155 which has then been released by the locking pin 200 causes the inner end of the pin 194 to be wedged outwardly by the inclined annular face of the recess 195a formed in the inner locking plate 195. The pin 194 then moves outwardly until the outer rounded extremity thereof fully enters the recess 188:1, whereupon the inner end of the pin 194 moves past the flat outer face of the inner plate 195. A driving connection is thus established between the lever 155 and the shaft 156 through the pin 194 and the plate 188 and, at the same time, another driving connection is established between the lever 155 and the shaft 156 through the splines 156e and the casing 155e which have previously been described. The later driving connection is relied upon for rotating the shaft 156 to effect the downward movement of the plunger 174 and the closing of the jaws 150, and the driving connection formed by the pin 194 is established primarily for subsequently opening the jaws after the sealing operation has been completed. When the sealing lever 155 has completed this movement of the plunger 174 the lever occupies the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 21 and the jaws 150 are then closed upon the overlapping strap ends as shown in that ligure.

During the initial stage of the return movement of the lever 155 toward the right as viewed in Fig. 21, the locking connection established between the pin 194 and the locking plate 188 is relied upon for turning the shaft 156 and releasing the jaws 150 from the completed strap joint, an operation which is assisted by the action of the coil springs 179 previously referred to. After a predetermined pivotal movement of the lever 155 toward the right, the lug 155i on the lever engages the lug 157C carried by the tilting frame, as shown by full lines in Fig. 21, so that further movement in the same direction causes an elevation of the tilting frame 157 about the hollow pin 158, thus elevating the head 148 from its lower position. At the beginning of this pivotal movement of the tilting frame 157, the pressure of the inclined face of the ange 200C on the locking pin 200 against the inclined face of the recess 1351: in the stationary frame member will cause the pin 200 to be moved in a forward direction into engagement with the cup-shaped member 201 carried by the lever 155 so that a driving connection between the lever and the tilting frame is thereby established in readiness for the next movement of the sealing lever 155 toward the left as viewed in Fig. 2l.

Referring now to the seal feeding means which in-` cludes the feeding plunger 151, this mechanism is illustrated particularly in Figs. 17 and 18 where the plunger 151 is shown as being mounted to slide on a horizontal flange 135k of the frame within a guideway 204i: which is formed within an auxiliary housing 204 secured to the frame 135. The plunger 151 is provided at its extremity adjacent the seal magazine 147 with converging side faces 151a which are directed toward the position where the seals are fed between the jaws 150 of the sealing head 14S. The forward extremity of the plunger 151 is provided with an upturned ange 151e which is adapted to engage the top wall of the lowermost seal of the stack of seals in the magazine so that when the `plunger is actuated this seal will be projected into position between the jaws without at the same time effecting any movement of the next adjacent seal. To insure against any possible engagement with this next seal, the upper side of the plunger 151 is provided with a longitudinal recess or groove 151d. r[he movement of the seal into position between the jaws is arrested by the engagement of the end of the seal with the flange 171m which projects downwardly from the side wall ofthe frame 171 as illustrated in Fig. 18. After the seal has been fed to this position, the plunger 1151 is returned to its vretracted posi- 14 tion and the head 148 is then lowered to place' the seal over the overlapping strap ends as previously described.

The movement of the seal feeding plunger 151 is effected by a lever arm 206@ which-is formed as a part of a combination lever 206 having its hub pivoted ou a pin or bolt 207 which is secured in fixed position in the auxiliary housing 204. The lever arm 206a is provided at its vlower end with a spherical extremity 20Gb which engages an aperture 151e formed in the plunger so that a reciprocatory movement of the plunger is effected by the angular movement of the lever arm. The combination lever 206 is provided with another arm 206e and a coil spring 208 attached to this arm at one end and having its other end attached to a lug carried by the housing 204 serves normally to actuate the lever 206 about the pin 207 to cause a feeding movement of the plunger 151 toward the right as viewed in Fig. 18.

The action of the spring 208 is normally restrained and the plunger 151 is held in its retracted position by the operation of certain latch mechanism comprising a lever arm 206d which is formed integrally with the hub of the lever 136 and which has mounted on the lower end thereof a rearwardly projecting pin 209 shown particularly in Figs. 18 and 27. This pin has pivoted thereon a latch member 210 having the form shown particularly in Fig; 28 i which has an arm Z10a extending toward the left as viewed in Fig. 18 and terminating in a transverse flange 210]) carrying an upwardly extending tooth 210C provided with an arcuate upper surface 210d. The tooth 210e is adapted to project upwardly behind the head 211g of a stationary detent pin 211 which has an adjustable threaded engagement with the end wall of the housing 204 where it is secured in adjusted position by a set screw 212. The arm 21011 of the latch member is connected to a coil spring 214 which extends upwardly with its other extremity connected to an arm 206e formed on the combination lever 206. This coil spring 214 tends normally to move the arm 210a of the latch member upwardly so that the tooth 210C is retained behind the head 211a of the stationary detent. The latch member 210 thus operates normally through the coil spring 214 to maintain the seal feeding plunger 151 in its retracted position. The extent of the upward movement of the arm 210a of the latch member under the inuence of the spring 211 is limited by the engagement with the hub of the lever 206 of a projecting arm 210f which is formed on the upper part of the latch member and which normally occupies the position shown in Fig. 27. The head 211a of the stationary detent is provided with an end face in the form of a truncated cone which is adapted to engage the tooth 210e` of the latch member when the lever 206 is swung from the position shown in Fig. 18 to the position shown in Fig. 27, with the result that the tooth 210C snaps under the head of the detent and automatically assumes the position shown in Fig. 27.

The release of the latch member 210 from the detention 211, to permit the feeding movement of the plunger 151 under the influense of the spring 208, is effected by the movable head 148 through a link 215. For this purpose, the link 215 is connected at its upper end to the shaft 156 which moves with the sealing head. This upper end of the link has formed therein a longitudinal slet 215a which is slidably engaged by a block 217 having a non-circular aperture therein to receive the flattened extremity 15611 of the shaft. A pair of washers 218 are mounted on the shaftgon opposite sides of the block 217 and they overlap the link 215 around the slot 215@ as illustrated in Fig. 17. These parts are securedin assembled relationship by a nut 219 engaging the threaded end of the shaft 156. The block 217 has some movement longitudinally of the slot 215a in order to allow for vertical movement of the shaft 156 at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the link but when the head 148 approaches the upper limit of its travel, the block 217

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