Year: 1888

page_text: We, FRIEDRICH WILHELM BOLDT, and PETER CHRISTIAN VOGEL, both of Hamburg,
in the German Empire, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (reference being had to the accom-
5 panying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon) that is to say :——
Our Invention, which relates to an improved cork sizing machine, has for its object
to provide a machine which can be fed by mechanical means, instead of by hand, as
has hitherto been the case, and by means of which a much greater amount of work
can be effected in a given time.
Our improved machine consists in general of a box or casing carrying a hopper
and erected upon the sizing table which is provided with a suitable number of sets of
rollers. In this box or casing is mounted horizontally a corrugated roller, hereinafter
called a "
rouser" roller, whose purpose is to agitate the corks in the hopper so as to
cause them to fall lengthwise one by one into grooves or channels corresponding in
number with, and leading to, delivery tubes from which the said corks are discharged
upon the sizing table. The first mentioned rollers are arranged in an inclined
position, and in. sets of two, and have a rotary motion imparted to them by suitable
gearing, as hereinafter fully described, and which gearing also drives the rouser
roller. The said rollers are furthermore arranged in such a manner that conical
spaces, narrower at their upper than at their lower ends, are formed between them,
and along these spaces the corks, supported by the peripheries of one or more sets of
two rollers, travel downwards until they arrive at a part of the space large enough to
allow of their falling, according to their size, through respective partitions, into
drawers, arranged below the table for their reception.
And in order that our invention may be readily understood, we proceed to describe
the same fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a plan with the hopper removed; Fig. 2 a front elevation; Fig. 3 a
longitudinal section, taken on the line of fig. 1; Fig. 4 a cross section taken on
the line y, y, of fig. 1, looking towards the lower end of the table, and Fig. 5 a rear
view; Figs. 2 and 3 are on a smaller scale.

page_text: A is the hopper placed upon the casing or box D, in which is mounted. horizontally,
the rouser roller R. This roller is built up of several flanged discs d, d¹, of varying
diameters overlapping one another, and forming corrugations as shewn, and they are
perforated centrally to allow of their being mounted on the shaft S². They have also
two other perforations p, p, through which pass two rods, serving to connect and 5
fix them together, and these rods are secured to the end discs by nuts.
At one end of the shaft S', is keyed a chain wheel W, carrying a chain passing
over another similar wheel W, mounted on a shaft S2, fixed to the frame of the table.
In the box or casing D, is fitted an inclined board or plate G (figs. 1, 3, and 5) whose
inclination or distance from the rouser roller can be regulated by means of the thumb 1
screws t, t¹, t, according to the size of corks to be sorted. Springs h are provided to
allow a certain amount of resiliency to the inclined board or plate. Upon this
inclined hoard or plate are formed semi-cylindrical grooves or channels C¹¹, lined
with brass, and of such a diameter as to correspond exactly with that of the brass
tubes C, into which they lead, and with which they are formed in one piece by means
of the above mentioned brass lining. These tubes pass through the front of the box
in order to reach the sizing table, upon which their slightly curved ends rest. The
front ends of these tubes are made in halves, connected together by means of hinges k,
so that the lid portions may be raised to afford access to the interior of the tubes. At
their outer orifices these tubes are provided with bristles, as, shewn, to prevent the
corks from standing up as they come through.
The sizing table is composed of two longitudinal boards 1, supported at their lower
extremities by the legs t, and bolted at their upper extremities to the box or
casing D, which is supported by the trestle J (figs. 2, 3, 5). These longitudinal
boards are further connected together, by the tie bar K, to which are secured, by
means of angle irons, the boards i, each of which is placed over the two consecutive
These boards are employed for the purpose of
rollers E, of two adjacent sets.
The sizing table is furthermore provided
ensuring a regular travel of the corks.
with two cross bars B1, B2 (figs. 1, 2, 3, 5.) placed at different heights, the bar B³
being higher than the bar B¹, so as to afford a proper inclination to the rollers E,
along which the corks travel down. Each crossbar is provided with eight bearings B
capable of sliding upon its respective rod X passing through and secured to one
of the sides of the table. In each set of two bearings one is fixed, and the other is
loose, and the loose ones can be tightened to the rods X, by means of screw caps g.
One bearing at one end is provided with such a cap, while the corresponding bearing
at the other end is fixed, and has no cap, and vice-versa. The said bearings are fixed
to the crossbars B1, B2, by screw bolts passing through their undersides and
secured by nuts; and through their upper parts pass jointed screws q', serving as
pivots for the rollers E. These rollers are, like their bearings, in sets of two (four
of which are shewn in the drawing but it will be obvious that more could be employed)
and are so arranged as to form between them a conical or tapered space, the distance
between two rollers of each set at top being less than that at bottom. These distances
can be altered at will by sliding the loose bearings nearer to, or further from, the
fixed bearings, according to the size of the corks to be sorted.
The upper end of each of the rollers E is provided with a pulleys, one roller of
set having its pulley close to its shoulder, while the other roller carries its pulley a
the outer extremity of its neck, so as to form two parallel rows over and under which
passes an endless cord or catgut f, serving to drive them in such a manner that on
roller of a set rotates in one direction; while the other rotates in a contrar
one. This endless cord or catgut passes first over the grooved pulley v, mounte
in the bracket w, by the thumb screw g, then alternately under and over th
row of outer pulleys, as shewn, down through the table, over the pulley
(shewn in fig. 3) then over the pulley W³. This pulley W is mounted upo
the main or driving shaft S, together with a pinion W, gearing with a toothe
wheel W mounted, together with the chain wheel W, upon the shaft S. As alread
stated, the latter wheel W₁ drives, by means of the chain c, the chain wheel W
* mounted on the shaft of the rouser roller R.

page_text: Upon the main shaft S is mounted a fly wheel O, provided with a handle o,
for operating the machine by hand power; but this wheel can be replaced by a
so as to be driven by motive power.
pulley
The underside of the table is provided with eight compartments c², c³, each forming
a shoot by means of an inclined board as shown in fig. 4, and these shoots convey
the corks falling between the spaces of the inclined rollers E alternately into a right
or left hand drawer or box 6 or 6', placed beneath them, and of which there are four
on each side.
When the wheel O is revolved, motion is imparted simultaneously to the rouser
roller R, and to the train of pulleys s, the former agitating the corks in the hopper and
causing them to fall lengthwise, one by one, between the indented portions of the
rouser roller and the grooves or channels C, facing them. The corks then pass through
the tubes C on to the various sets of rollers E, which being rotated in the manner
described, and in consequence of their inclined position, cause said corks to travel
downwards until they respectively reach a part of the conical space of greater width
than their own diameter, when they then fall through the corresponding shoots c³, into
their respective drawers or boxes b b¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
The improved cork sizing machine, having its parts constructed, arranged, combined,
and operating substantially as herein described, and as shewn with reference to the
drawings annexed, and for the purposes set forth.
Dated bis 20th day of March 1888.
ERNEST DE PASS, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
68, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the Applicants.