US1805123A - Clearance mechanism for improperly aligned articles - Google Patents

Description

y 12, 1931- R. L. WILCOX 1,805,123

CLEARANCE MECHANISM FOR IMPROPERLY ALIGNED ARTICLES Filed Jan. 2o, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 12, 1931. R. 1. WILCOX 1,5G5j23 CLEARANCE MECHANISM FOR IMPROPERLY ALIGNED ARTICLES I Filed Jan. 20, 1930 2 Sheets-Shee'i 2 ands-M44 01 flici'wardLesisrwilcasg Patented l2, lgtfil BURY FAREEL FOUNDRY AND lint.- .l. COBEDSEATION OF CQHIIEGTECUT GU1 ASSIGNGR TO THE WATER- Z, 6F ATEEBURY, CGNNECZZCUT,

CLEARANCE MECHANISM IDEEBOPERLY ALIG'NED ARTICLES Application filed January 20 This invention relates to a new and improved clearance mechanism of the type as sociated with a chute or the like, for clearing improperly aligned articles or blanks thereon.

Among other aims and objects oi the invention may be recited the provision of a device of the character mentioned that will be compact, self-contained, and in which the number of parts are few, the construction simple, but efliciency and operation high.

The details and arrangement of the several parts will be apparent from an inspection of tie accompanying drawings, in connection with the description hereinaft r contained, and wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed for the purpose of imparting an understanding of the same.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts in the several figures;

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved clearance mechanism, with a fragmentary view of some of the adjacent parts with which it is associated.

Figure 2 is a front view thereof;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view thereof, illustrating one ar angement of th parts as particularly designed for wide or long articles or blanks;

Figure 4 is a similar fragmentary sectional view, illustrating an arrangement of some of the parts shown as particularly designed for narrow or short artic es or blanks; and

Figure 5 is a detail side view of one of th clearance wheels, kickers and actuating cam.

This invention is particularly designed for use with a hopper mechanism containing articles or blanks in an indiscriminate mass, from which by means well known in the art, they are lifted and delivered onto chute mechanism, by and through which they are conducted in orderly procession to a delivery point. Such hopper and chute mechanisms are old in the art and constitute no part of my presentinvention.

' in the delivery of these articles or blanks onto the chute mechanism some fall in proper orderly procession for presentation at the delivery point, while others are misaligned 1989. Serial 33o. 422,143.

relatively thereto. It is essential that these mis igned articles or blanks be cleared and thus make way for the articles or blanks that properly aligned and thus provide for a con. nuous flow of a stream of blanks through the chute mechanism without the same being l or stopped by misaligned articles or clocked blanks.

it is the principal function of the clearance mechanism herein described to clear such misaligned articles or blanks from the stream of blanks or articles.

.Eiaving more particular reference to the drawings, indicates a portion of the hopper mechanism, 11 the chute plates is ding therefrom, with an open space 12 therebetween, and through which blanks or articles 18 travel in orderly procession, substantially shown in Figures 1 and 2. A bracket 14 is adjustable toward and away from the hopper mechanism 10 through a T bolt 15, movable in an elongated slot 16 in the bracket, and an adjusting screw 17 with a nut 18 thereon for holding the bracket in its adjusted positions.

A screw 19 in the bracket it, which abuts against the hopper or other adjacent mechanism, forms an adjusting limiting stop for the bracket and the screw 40 in the poppet ll provides for an adjustment of the bracket a id through it the position of the clearance wheel toward and away from the chute and also prevents the same from being forced outwardly from such position. lhe mechanism just described constitutes no part of my present invention. Fixed in the bracket 1 lis a stud 20, upon which is rotatably mounted a sleeve 21, provided with a flange 22, and carryin a pulley 23, and through which po ver is transmitted to rotate the sleeve.

On the stud 20, between the bracket let and sleeve 21, is a cam 24, which is held against relative rotation by a dowel pin 39 or the like. This cam may be equally as well secured on the stud 20 by a key or the like, or held rigid in any other desired manner. The clearance wheel is provided with an opening 26 therethrough of suiiicient size to clear the cam 2st, having a recess 27 in its periphcry and a plurality of peripheral notches or "'eeth adjacent thereto, these latter being preferably provided with an angular face 29, which may be straight or slightly curved, as desired. Similarly one or more filler disks 30, having peripheral notches or teeth, provid d with an ular faces, are provided and positioned adjacent to the clearance wheel These disks 30 and the wheel 25 are held in their relative positions on the flange by the bolts 31, shown herein as four in number and located ecually distant from each other around the a is of the stud 20 and r through openings therein. Journaled on these bel s are the kickers in such position that the inner wall of the end 33 is held in contact with the cam 24; by centri'liugal force, which throws the heavier end ruztwardly. This cam is so shaped as to control the path in which the nose S5 of the kicl 'c t avels, i ath adjacent to the clutch plate being outl d :y broken lines in various positions 36, i igure 1. As thus defined the nose travels substantially parallel with and adjacent to the top of the chute plates 11. The bronze bushing 37, or the like, is slightly longe "1e width of the kickers 32 and thus aern its free movement of the latter between the walls of the adjacent parts.

In practice, I prefer to arrange two sets of the kickers upon opposite sides of the clearance wheel 25, substantially as shown in the drawings, their relative positions being in part determined by the position of the tiller disks 30, several of the various positions of these disks and kickers being shown in Figures 3 and 4.

The outer ends of the bolts 81 are supported by the cheek plate 38, which also serves as a clamp for all of the parts associated with the sleeve 21, with the excep ion of the kickers, which move freely upon their support. In the continued revolution of this mechanism the nose 35 of the kickers travels over the top of the chute plates, but preferably does not ride thereagainst and will knock from the chute plates any article misaligned thereon and all properly aligned articles will pass under the clearance wheel 25 and will not be engaged by the kickers, which pass on either side thereof.

This clearing function is materially increased by the notches or teeth in the periphery of the clearance wheel 25 and kickers 32.

If desired, and as preferred, with blanks or articles of soft material, the clearance wheel and disks may be placed in reverse form, thus eliminating any possibility of nicking or marring the blank.

A fixed stripper plate 42, of well known construction, prevents an article or blank from passing over the clearance wheel if it should be thrown thereagainst by the action of some part in or about the hopper.

The clearance mechanism herein shown and described is self-contained, in that structure may be assembled as a unit and then attached to the hopper mechanism ready to operate, thus obviating the necessity of adjusting the same to suit some exterior and djacent parts that are a required element in its operation, such as an outside cam or the like. This desirable result is obtained largely from the use of an interior which insures a defined path for the vol of the nose of each of the kickers. 'ihese latter are also unyidding in one direction by reason of their contact with such cam. Hence, the blow or pressure applied by the kickers to the misaligned articles is positive and unyielding and insures an effective clearance of such misaligned articles cm the chute mechanism and a continuous s ream of articles or blanks to the delivery point.

There are minor changes and alterations may be made within the spirit and a; of the appended claims, and I would ere ""ore have it understood that I do not t myself to the exact construction herein Wu and described.

a ratent, is a clearance mechanism; a rotary r a clearance wheel connected therei associated with the rotary pivot mounting, the axis of elly puallel with that of he rotary member; and cam means for acrinp; the kicker upon its pivot mounting located nearer the axis of the rotary member than the kicker.

2. In a clearance mechanism; a rotary member; a clearance wheel connected therewith; kicker associatcd with the rotary member upon a pivot mounting, the axis of which is substantially pa all-l with that of the rotary member; and fixed means for actuating said kicker upon its pivot mounting in one direction, located nearer to the axis of rotation of the rotary member than said kicker, said kicker being actuated in the opposite direction by centrifugal force.

3. In a clea 'ance mechanism; a rotary member; a clearance wheel connected therewith; a kicker associated with the rotary member upon a pivot mounting, the axis of which is substantially parallel with that of the rotary member; and a :am located so that the kicker rotates therearound and is thereby caused to rec relatively thereto, said kicker having an inwardly turned end that is maintained in contact with the cam by centrifugal force.

l. In a clearancemechanism;arotarymemher; a clearance wheel connected therewith; a kicker associated with the rotary member upon a pivot mounting, the axis of which is substantially parallel with that of the rotary member; a filler disk adjacent to the clearance wheel; means for separably securing said clearance wheel and filler disk to the rotary member, said clearance wheel and filler disk having a concentric opening therethrough and means within said opening in the path of movement of the kicker for positively actuating the same upon its pivot mounting in one direction, the kicker being moved in the opposite direction by centrifugal force.

5. In a clearance mechanism; a fixed element; a cam fixed relative thereto; a rotary member on the fixed member; a clearance wheel fixed to the rotary member; and a kicker associated with the rotary member upon av pivot mounting, which during the rotation of the rotary member engages said cam and the movement thereof is controlled thereby in one direction, the kicker being held in engagement with the cam by centrifugal force.

6. In clearance mechanism; stud or the like; cam fixed relative thereto; a clearance wheel; filler disks, each of which has an opening therethrough larger than said cam and secured to the rotary member; and kick rs associated with the clearance wheel and movably mounted about an axis substan tially parallel with that of the stud, all of said parts being capable of assembly as a unit and the stud secured to a fixed element.

In a clearance .mechanism; a rotary member; a clearance wheel connected there with; companion kickers pivotally connected with the clearance wheel upon one face therethe axis of rotation of the kickers being substantially para lel with that of the clearance wheel, said kickers being located substantially diametrically opposite each other; and means for positively actuating the kickers in one direction upon their pivot mountings, said means being nearer the axis of the rotary member than said kickers, the kickers being held in contact with the said means by centrifugal force.

8. In a clearance mechanism; a rotary member; a clearance wheel connected therewith, said clearance wheel having a plurality of peripheral teeth the inner face of which is inclined toward the center of the wheel.

9. In a clearance mechanism; a rotary member; a clearance wheel connected therewith, said clearance wheel having a plurality of peripheral teeth, the inner face of which is inclined toward the center of the wheel; and one or more reversibly mounted filler disks adjacent to the clearance wheel having peripheral teeth with an angular face adjacent thereto, the latter forming an extension of the inclined inner face of the teeth of the clearance wheel when in one of its positions relative thereto.

10. In a clearance mechanism; a rotary member having a flange thereon; a clearance wheel secured to said flange; kickers associated with the rotary member upon pivot mountings; and cam means for actuating the kickers upon their pivot mountings located nearer the axis of the rotary member than said kickers.

11. In a chute clearance mechanism; a rotary member; a kicker associated with the rotary member, the nose portion of which is adj acent to the periphery of the rotary member and means within the rotary member for ac tuating the kicker so that said nose portion will travel in a defined path approximately parallel with the face of the chute, the contact of the kicker and said means being maintained by centrifugal force.

12. In a chute clearance mechanism; a rotary member; a kicker associated with the roon a pivot located at a point other than the balanced center thereof, with the nose end adjacent to the periphery of the rotary member; and means within the rotary member for actuating the kicker so that said nose end will travel in a defined path approximately parallel to the face of the chute, the contact of the kicker and said means being maintained by centrifugal force.

13. In a clearance mechanism; a rotary member; a clearance wheel connected therewith; a non-rotatable cam about which the clearance wheel rotates; and a kicker movable with the rotary member about a pivot mounting the axis of which is substantially parallel with and spaced from that of the rotary member and having cont-act with said cam whereby the outer end of the kicker is moved radially between a point outside of the clearance wheel and a point inside thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

RICHARD LESTER WILCOX.

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