Patent GB-147921-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for grading pieces of leather or the like
IPC: A43D1/08
Filed: 1920-07-09
Abstract: 147,921. British United Shoe Machinery Co., (Assignees of Nichols, E. P.). Dec. 3, 1914, [Convention date]. Splitting &c.-Relates to improvements in machines for evening and sorting according to thickness pieces of leather such as heel lifts. The type of machine is that described in Specifications 17808/09 and 18752/12. The pieces stacked in a hopper 2 rest on a fixed plate 19 slotted to allow a spring hook 73 on a moving carriage 20 to feed the lowest piece past a heavy separating- plate 72 swung in parallel links from the hopper. The piece is received on a plunger bed 9 which is urged upwards by a weight suspended from a cable wound counterclockwise on a shaft 31 geared as shown to a rack 26 on the plunger support, the movement of which is limited by locknuts 41, 42 so as to prevent the cutting of very thin pieces. Each piece is pressed upon the plunger by a plate 8, with excavated centre, universally jointed to a cross-bar 10 which is depressed by links 66, 62 and levers 65, 64 and 57, 56 from a cam 55 on the main shaft. A spring 68 supports the bar 10 and the plate 8 is tilted by a spring 69 to facilitate entry of the piece. The bar 10 is depressed to a definite extent, and the plunger 9 taking its position according to the thickness and evenness of the edge of the piece all round sets the shaft 31, and a selector arm 114 thereon accordingly. Toothed arms 32, 33 and pawls 34, 35, staggered to avoid the necessity of very fine teeth, lock the shaft 31 as set. The carriage, reciprocated by a link 50 from the main shaft, brings the arm 114 so set into engagement with one of a set of selector slides 115 - - 122 adapted to make and be latched in electric contact with terminals 128 wired tu contact studs 130 spaced along a bar 134, Fig. 12, parallel to and underneath the edge of a row of compartments for the standard sizes " 5 " - - " 12," Fig. 3. The piece having thus set the plunger 9 is carried thereby under a fluted roll 80 swung on links 81 and under a fixed knife 92 which shaves off an amount corresponding to the setting of the plunger. The evened piece is then carried within reach of a hook 95 on an arm 102 operated by a link 108 from a lever 110 engaged by a pin 112 on the main shaft. The catch 95 is on a spring-held pivoted extension of the arm and works in a loop 106 thereon. The hook pulls the piece along an apron extension 96 of the carriage into a carrier 97 supported by a squared shaft 140, along which it is traversed by a cord 153 from a wheel 156 driven by gearing 158, 159 from a rack 162 reciprocated by a link from a pin 48 on the main shaft wheel 49. The cord 153 and a tension cord 150 carried over a pulley to a weight 149 are attached by springs to the supporting-carriage 139 of the sorting-carrier 97. The latter carries a brush 137 to wipe the contacts 130 on the bar 134 and on arrival at the selected one energizes a magnet on the cartridge 139 to strike a pawl 142 into a notch in the shaft 140 and stop the carriage. The shaft 140 is rocked to tilt the carrier 97 against a fixed bar 171 which opens the pivoted front of it and discharges the piece into the compartment. To prevent the useless wiping of the brush on the contacts 130 during the return of the carriage 139. an arm on the square shaft 140 is blocked by a spring pawl 172, Fig. 3, until the carriage displaces the pawl on return to starting position. In a modification the sorting is effected entirely mechanically by employing, to engage the selector arm 114, a stepped abutment 212, Fig. 14, on a sliding bar 216 which rotates a shaft 218, having a staggered series of pins 219 opposite the compartments, the pin selected tripping a catch on the carriage 97 to arrest it. In an alternative form a circular series of compartments may be employed and the pieces picked from the table after evening by a pair of spring jaws 197, Fig. 16, which seize the piece when it is retained by a gravity pawl 209 on the return of the main carriage 20. The jaws are carried on an arm 195 on a vertical hollow shaft which has stops 181 to engage the selected one of a set of levers 177 operated by the selector slides 115 - - 122. The shaft is spring held against a stop on a pinion oscillated by a rack 189 driven by the main shaft, and the upper jaw 197 is opened to drop the piece by a vertically-moved spindle 203 operated by the main shaft.