Patent GB-222203-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in machines for forming conical sundae dishes from paper or similar material
Filed: 1923-06-26
Abstract: 222,203. Rogers, F. H., (Vortex Mfg. Co.). June 26, 1923. Paper bags and the like, making.-Conical paper sundae dishes are formed from circular blanks having segments removed from the peripheries thereof, in a machine comprising means for feeding the blanks to a dish-forming mechanism carried by a pivotal support which is swung from a normal position to grip a blank as it is delivered and which, on its return swing, forms the blank into a dish which is then automatically transferred to a stacking-mechanism. Driving-means. A number of machines or units are served by a main driving-shaft 7, Fig. 1, carrying a clutch arrangement for each unit, such arrangement comprising a slidable pinion 17 geared to the driving-shaft 5, Fig. 2, of the unit and moved by a hand-wheel 19 or by a clutch lever 23 operated by hand or automatically. Blank-feeding means. The driving-shaft 5 of the unit is geared to a shaft 43, Figs. 4 and 16. mounted between planks 26 supporting a blank feed table 27 and carrying a reel 44, 45 having a convex rubber-covered block 47 which operates through an opening in the table to feed the blanks 35 from a magazine 30 above the table, the blanks being fed through a slot 31 in the magazine to the feed rollers 48, 49; the blanks are guided in the magazine by posts 33 and a bar 34 engaging the segmental notches therein and are supported on a hooked pin 32 which cuts the edge of each blank as it is fed forward. The rollers are geared to the shaft 43 and feed the blank under spring arms 62 resting on the table 27 until it is engaged by pusher-arms 64, 65 which swing upwards through slots 63 in the table and push it against a stop 29 on the table and a stop 118 carried by a member of the dishforming mechanism; the pusher-arms are carried by a pivoted lever connected to a rod actuated from a cam on the shaft 5; scraping devices 57, 58 keep the feed rollers clean. Dish-forming mechanism. The fed and centred blank is then seized by triangular grippers 114, 115 carried by a sleeve 92, Fig. 3, slidably and rotatably mounted in the pivotal support 90 rotatably mounted on a shaft fixed in the frame 2. The upper gripper 114 is carried by a plate 111 pivoted on a pin 108 in a block 105 on the sleeve 92 and is connected to a rod 101 slidably mounted in the sleeve and held in n casting 121, a link 136 pivoted on a bolt 130 in the casting being connected to a bell-crank lever 137, 138 pivoted on a bolt 139 in the end of a bracket 140 projecting from the support 90; the lever arm 138 is connected to the arm 82 of a gear segment 81, Figs. 18 and 19, pivoted on the shaft 78 below the frame 2 and geared to a rack 83 actuated from a crank arm 88 on the shaft 5. As the blank is being delivered the segment 81 is moved from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 18 and, as the bolt 139 is held by a tooth 144 on a lever 143 engaging a notch in the bolt head, the arm 137 actuates the bolt 130 and pulls the casting 121 backwards thus pulling the rod 101 through the sleeve and raising the pivoted gripper 114 while a bowed spring 122, carried by the casting, rides over a cut-away portion of a peripheral lead 99 on a collar 98 on the sleeve ; at the same time, clamping-arms 132 pivoted at 131 in the casting and connected by springs 134 with the support are also moved backwards and rollers carried thereby ride out of notches in a pair of lower clamping arms 116 fixed to the support 90 on to the tops of such arms. One of the arms 116 carries the blank-centring stop 118 referred to above. As the gripper 114 is raised, an arm 103 carried by the rod 101 contacts with the sleeve 92 which is moved backwards with the opened grippers until the block 105 contacts with the support 90 when the lever arm 137 strikes a finger 145 on the lever 143 and disengages the tooth 144 from the bolt 139 which with the bracket 140 is moved to the right, thus swinging the support, the retracted and opened grippers, and the clamping arms 116, 132 towards the blank 35 while a fixed rack 96 on the frame engaging a gear 94 on the swinging sleeve 92 causes the latter and the grippers to rotate half a revolution, the support being again locked when the parts reach the position shown in Fig. 4 by the end of a lever 148 engaging the notched head of the bolt 139. At this stage the rack 83 moves back and rotates the segment arm 82 in the opposite direction, the lever 137, 138 rotating about the bolt 139 and moving the bolt 130 and casting 121 forwards. The arms 132 are thus moved over the blank and the spring 122, which is now engaged behind the bead of the collar 98, pushes the sleeve 92 and rod 101 torwards so that the opened grippers pass over and under the blank; continued movement of the casting moves the rod within the sleeve and closes the grippers upon the blank while the rollers of the arms 132 ride into the notches in the arms 116 and the arms 132 are pulled down by the springs 134 to clamp the blank on the arms 116. The lever arm 137 then strikes the lever 148 and disengages the end thereof from the head of the bolt 139 thus releasing the support which is then swung with the grippers back to the position shown in Fig. 2, while the grippers are rotated back half a revolution; this movement folds the part of the blank held by the grippers and draws the blank inwards from between the clamping arms 116, 132 and forms the dish. When the forming-mechanism reaches the normal position the support is again locked by the tooth 144 on the lever 143 engaging the notched head of the bolt 139. Ejecting and transferring mechanism. The forming cycle described above is repeated, the grippers being opened and retracted while a friction pusher head 169, Fig. 9, is forced against the outer surface of the folded dish to push it off the retracted grippers; the pusher head is carried by the arm 165 of a bell-crank lever, the other arm 166 of which is connected by a spring 167 with a fixed part of the frame, the lever being also pivoted to a pivoted arm 163 having a cam track 162 engaged by a roller on an arm 160 fixed to an eccentric 155 on the shaft 5. As the dish is pushed off the grippers, a conical plunger 173 carried by a pivoted beam 171 is lowered into the dish by connections from the eccentric 155. a curved finger 175 projecting through the flange and engaging the apex of the dish to centre it with respect to the ring 189 of the stacking- mechanism; continued movement of the beam causes the finger 175 to recede and the plunger seats the conical dish within the ring 189. Stacking-mechanism. A dish-receiving tube 174, Fig. 21, is mounted in an inclined position, in frictional engagement at the top with a rotatable ring 185 carrying the ring 189 and at the bottom with a plate 202 mounted on a ballbearing 200<a> carried in a support 191. A rod 193, slidable in the bearing and plate, is carried bv an arm 194 and supports a removable dish holder 211 and plate 209 slidable within and frictionally engaging the tube 174. The arm 194 is carried by a sleeve 195 slidable on a rod 196 and connected by a cord with a counterweight 207. At the start of operations, the holder 211 is at the top of the tube 174 and a dish forced by the plunger 173 through the rings 189, 185, is seated in the holder which is forced down as successive dishes are deposited within the tube. The ring 185 has ratchet teeth engaged by a pivoted pawl on a ring 184 connected by a rod 181 to the beam 171 so that each time the plunger is raised the pawl rotates the ring 185 one-sixth of a revolution and the dishes are consequently stacked in the tube 174 with the folded portions in staggered relation. The bearing 200<a> is carried by a plate 200 mounted on a spring 199 and, by pushing the plate 202 down against the action of the spring, the receiving-tube may be pulled out of the ring 185 and the whole or part of the stack removed by the insertion of a lifter or finger through a slot 203 in the tube. About midway in its travel, the counterweight 207 takes up another weight 207<a> to compensate for the increased weight in the tube 174.