Apparatus or Machinery for Finishing, Polishing, or Surfacing Corks.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 29th Sept.. 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus or Machinery for Finishing, Polishing, or Surfacing
Corks.
I, JOHN EISENHARDT HOWARD of 70 Minories, London, E. Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of corks and consists of machinery or
apparatus for finishing polishing smoothing cleaning or otherwise surfacing the cork
by grinding and an especial object of my present invention is to produce a machine
or apparatus which will automatically adapt itself to varying sizes and shapes of
the corks to be treated according to my invention--so that a quantity of corks to
be surfaced etc. of various sizes and shapes may be placed into a hopper and thence
fed to the machine which will receive and hold each cork successively and present
same to the abrading surface and give the required amount of grinding to surface etc.
each such cork irrespective of its size or shape that is to say a large cork may be
succeeded by a smaller one and a round cork succeeded by an oval or other shaped
cork and all alike will successively receive the required amount of grinding to finish
polish or surface etc. same.
My present invention is as follows:-
On a suitable frame or support I arrange and mount a suitable abrading surface
-advantageously a grinding disc revolving in a vertical plane-capable of being
revolved by a driving band and fast and loose pulleys or in other suitable manner
and also capable of being adjusted in any direction required-all of which is well
known and understood.
In close proximity to this abrading surface I arrange and mount a movable table
or platform which has a double movement imparted thereto in a horizontal or other
direction viz. a to and fro movement parallel or thereabouts to the grinding surface
and a second movement towards and away from the said grinding surface as
hereinafter explained.
This double movement may be obtained by arranging and mounting said table or
platform after the manner of the well known slide rest for lathes or in any other
suitable manner.
For instance the said double movements may be imparted to the said table or
platform by means of a crank or equivalent on a slowly revolving shaft (the latter
at right angles to the plane of the abrading disc) actuating a crank arm or rod
suitably attached to the said table or platform and thus imparting a movement
parallel (or thereabouts) to the abrading surface while a cam or cams (or equivalent
on the said crank shaft-or otherwise suitably actuated) when the table has been
moved (by the said crank) to the position farthest from the centre of the grinding
disc will cause the said table or platform to bodily recede from the said grinding disc
and then the said crank moves back the table to its position nearest to the centre of
said disc and then the cam (or a second cam or a spring or equivalent) causes the
table or support to again approach towards the grinding disc and the operation is
repeated and so on.
Or the requisite double motion may be imparted to the said table or platform in
any other equivalent or suitable manner.
Upon this said table or platform (to which the double movement is imparted as
aforesaid) I arrange and mount three or other suitable number of vertically disposed
rollers or pulleys one or more of which is driven or caused to revolve in any
suitable manner.
For the sake of example I will describe three such vertical rollers arranged in

page_text: grinding disc.
angie one side of WHICH nes parallel or thereabouts to the sat
Around these rollers I arrange and mount an endless band strip or belt of any
suitable flexible material such as leather-the width of this belt or band lying in a
vertical plane and such belt or band is caused to revolve as and for the purposes
hereinafter explained.
Instead of a single broad band strip or belt as above described other equivalents
may be employed for instance two or more bands may be used or a considerable
number of strips or ropes cords etc. may be used on grooved or other pulleys so as
thereby to make up the desired width of band or belt for my purpose.
One (or more) of the said vertically disposed rollers or pulleys may be arranged
and mounted so as to be capable of adjustment towards or away from the other
said pulleys or rollers (for instance mounted on a slide actuated by a screw in the
said table or platform-or capable of being clamped in any desired position) so as
thereby to adjust as required the tension to be given to said band or belt (or
combination of bands or belts) to suit my purpose.
The aforesaid table or platform has attached thereto a rest or support for the
cork this rest being arranged and mounted just beneath the bottom edge of the
vertically disposed band or belt between the points where the latter lies nearest to
the abrading surface and this rest (which is advantageously made adjustable both
vertically and horizontally) has mounted thereon two (or other number of) vertical
pins or rollers which act as retaining pins or guards to retain the cork on this rest
until the grinding (i.e. surfacing etc.) is ended.
The corks to be treated are placed into a large hopper or reservoir above the
machine and an "agitator" such as a bladed wheel or other suitable device is
used to continually feed these corks down a tube or channel which conducts same
end wise onto the aforesaid rest where one cork at a time is deposited in a vertical
. position between the aforesaid endless band or belt and the grinding disc. The
next succeeding cork being arrested and prevented from dropping out of said
tube or channel by any suitable feed checking device for instance by a spring
arm catch or button which is released as the said table or platform moves away
and thereby wedges the lowermost cork in the tube until the next approach of
said table or platform toward said grinding disc whereupon said spring pressure is
withdrawn the lowermost cork falls down on to the said rest the next succeeding
cork in the tube being arrested as before as the said table or platform moves
away and so on.
A simple and convenient means of driving the said endless belt or band consists
in fastening one end of a rope cord or the like to a projecting arm fixed to the
main frame or support of the machine then passing said rope etc. once or more
round a drum or pulley fixed on the aforesaid driven roller-the other end of said
rope etc. being passed over a drum or loose pulley on a second arm (fixed on the
opposite side of the machine frame) and thence hanging down towards the ground
with a heavy weight on the end thereof-thereby readily permitting the aforesaid
double movement of the table or platform and at the same time as the latter is
moved across the plane of the grinding disc the said rope will revolve the said
drum or pulley on one of the said vertical rollers and so the said endless band will
be caused to travel round.
The operation is as follows:-
The cork is fed as aforesaid (or in any other suitable manner) so as to stand on
its end on the said rest and the flexible band then presses same up firmly against
the face of the revolving abrading disc and as the said band and rest (with its
guards thereon) carries said cork along towards the outer periphery of the grinding
disc it is always maintained in a vertical position endwise while at the saine time
the travelling endless band which presses said cork continuously against the
abrading surface also causes the slow revolution of the cork (around its vertical
axis) so that the whole circumference of the cork is successively and repeatedly
presented and pressed against the abrading surface.

page_text: The now surfaced cork is permitted to escape as soon as it passes clear of the
outer periphery of the abrading disc (or it may be permitted to escape sooner by
withdrawal of the said table or platform at any point desired) and such finished
cork drops into any suitable receptacle or holder to receive same.
Dated this 6th day of July 1893.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Apparatus or Machinery for Finishing, Polishing, or Surfacing
Corks.
I, JOHN EISENHARDT HOWARD of 70 Minories, London, E., Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of corks and consists of machinery or
apparatus for finishing polishing smoothing cleaning or otherwise surfacing the
cork by grinding and an especial object of my present invention is to produce
a machine or apparatus which will automatically adapt itself to varying sizes and
shapes of the corks to be treated according to my invention-so that a quantity of
corks to be surfaced etc. of various sizes and shapes may be placed into a
hopper and thence fed to the machine which will receive and hold each cork
successively and present same to the abrading surface and give the required
amount of grinding to surface etc. each such cork irrespective of its size or
shape that is to say a large cork may be succeeded by a smaller one and a
round cork succeeded by an oval or other shaped cork and all alike will
successively receive the required amount of grinding to finish polish or surface etc.
same.
My present invention is as follows :-
On a suitable frame or support I arrange and mount a suitable abrading surface-
advantageously a grinding disc revolving in a vertical plane-capable of being
revolved by a driving band and fast and loose pulleys or in other suitable manner
and also may be capable of being adjusted in any direction required-all of which
is well known and understood.
66
In close proximity to this abrading surface I arrange and mount a movable table
platform or support (which for the sake of brevity I shall hereinafter refer to as the
platform") which has a double movement imparted thereto in a horizontal or
other direction viz.: a reciprocating movement parallel or thereabouts to the grinding
surface and a second movement towards and away from the said grinding surface as
hereinafter explained.
This double movement may be obtained by arranging and mounting said platform
after the manner of the well known slide rest for lathes or in any other suitable
manner.
For instance the said double movements may be imparted to the said platform
by means of a crank or equivalent on a slowly revolving shaft (the latter at right
angles to the plane of the abrading disc) actuating a crank arm or rod suitably
attached to a slide carrying the said platform and thus imparting to said platform
a movement parallel (or thereabouts) to the abrading surface while a cam or
cams (or equivalent on the said crank shaft-or otherwise suitably mounted)
when the said platform has been moved (by the said crank) to the position
farthest from the centre of the grinding disc-will cause the said platform
to bodily recede away from the said grinding disc and then the said crank

page_text: moves back the platform to its position nearest to the centre of said disc and
then the cam (or a second cam or a spring or equivalent) causes the platform
to again approach towards the grinding disc and the operation is repeated and
so on.
Or the requisite double motion may be imparted to the said platform in any other
equivalent or suitable manner.
Upon this said platform (to which this movement in two directions is imparted)
I arrange and mount the means adapted to hold and rotate each piece of cork in
turn against the abrading surface and drop same when finished as will be hereinafter
fully explained.
And in order that my present invention may be easily understood and readily
carried into practice I will proceed to fully describe same with reference to the
drawings hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the machine with the cork feeding device and hopper
removed.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine-looking in the direction of the arrow z Fig. 1
but omitting the driving shaft and crank arm and cam etc. thereon.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the machine looking in the direction of the arrow y Fig. 2
and showing the cork hopper and feeding appliance in position.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.
a is the standard or frame supporting the whole machine.
61 6¹ are "fast and loose" pulleys on the main driving shaft b-this latter
being journalled in brackets at or otherwise suitably carried in or on the main
frame a.
A small toothed wheel 62 (Fig. 3) on shaft gears with the large toothed
wheel this latter being fixed on an axle journalled in the bracket or bearing a
carried by the main frame a said axle also having rigidly fixed thereon the cam-
faced wheel d (or this cam surface d may be fixed and immovable) as hereinafter
explained.
The aforesaid toothed wheel c' carries a crank pin c
which reciprocating motion is imparted to the crank arm
which at its other end is suitably connected to the slide
platform e.
thereon by means of
or connecting rod c
carrying the sliding
This pin c² is mounted in a slideway or otherwise adjustably attached to c¹ so that
said pin c² may be fixed at a greater or less distance from the centre of c' and thereby
impart more or less travel to through the rod c.
The said slide or support of the platform e is formed of a dovetail form at fl fi
which fit and slide upon the corresponding dovetail bed or guide a fixed to or
forming part of the main frame a.
Besides the reciprocating motion thus imparted to the slide f (carrying the
platform e) in a parallel or approximately parallel direction to the plane of the
abrading disc a the platform e is carried in a transverse slideway in the upper part
of the aforesaid support ƒ (after the manner of the well-known slide rests for lathes)
so that a reciprocating motion towards and away from the face of said disc can
be imparted to said platforme by means of the cam d and cam shaft d' pivotted at d²
to the main frame a and which by its end d³ (pivotted to the arm el fixed to the
said platform e see Fig. 2) pushes in the platform e (by the action of the cam d)
towards against the action of the spring g which normally keeps the said platform e
drawn out from x.
The said arm e¹ (to which the cam lever d' is pivotted at d³) passes through a
guideway formed for same transversely through a3 and then rises vertically and
passes through or into a slot e* (see Fig. 1) so that the platforme can move parallel
to the face of dise x upon the upper end of e¹ the latter having no such parallel
motion but only movement towards and away from a.
Upon this platform e three (or other suitable number of) vertically disposed
rollers are mounted upon vertical axles or bearings upon which they can each
and all independently rotate.

page_text: The roller h¹ is mounted upon a small independent slide h which is adjustable
upon the platform e (sliding in suitable guideways provided for this purpose) by
means of the tension screw e carried in and free to revolve in the arm or lug e on
the platform e-thus the roller h¹ can be adjusted and held at a greater or less
distance from the rollers and 2 and consequently any required degree of tension
can be given to the belt i horizontally disposed around said rollers hh and ³.
The roller h has fixed to the upper part thereof (clear of the belt i) a grooved
wheel or pulley jin which operates a rope cord belt chain or equivalent k and which
for the sake of brevity I shall hereinafter refer to as the "rope" k.
This rope is passed once or more round the pulley.j and the one end k¹ of
such rope is attached to the bracket which latter is rigidly fixed to the
main frame a see Fig. 3 while the other or free end of said rope k is passed
over a guide pulley k³ Fig. 3 and at its end 2 carries a weight or is other-
wise suitably held so that when the platform e in the slide f is drawn backwards
and forwards by the crank arm c parallel to the face of the abrading disc
thereby the pulley j has to pass along the rope k and consequently is thereby
rotated backwards and forwards as the platform è is caused to travel as described.
The rotary motion thus imparted to the pulley ; is communicated to the roller h
and thereby the belt i is carried round for the purpose of rotating the cork as
hereinafter explained.
This arrangement of the rope k allows for the motion of the platform carrying
roller and pulley thereon-towards and away from the disc and furthermore
by changing the pulley j for another pulley of larger or smaller size thereby I can
diminish or increase the speed of travel imparted to belt i.
m is a ledge projecting from e just beneath the bottom edge of the flexible band i
and this ledge m carries on top thereof two vertical pins or idle rollers o which
act as retaining pins or guards to retain the cork on the rest during grinding
(i.e. surfacing etc.).
w is the rest (carried on a bracket fixed to the main frame a) upon which the
cork is slid along while being rotated against the abrading disc r. This rest w is
capable of vertical as well as horizontal adjustment.
p is the hopper or reservoir above the machine carried on the supporting arm q
fixed to the main frame a.
r is an "agitator" wheel part of which operates within the converging bottom
part of the hopper p to keep the corks therein continuously fed endways down the
channels leading to the point where they are deposited one by one from said
channels on the rest w between the vertical guide rollers oo as hereinafter
explained (see Fig. 3).
The "agitator" wheel r is driven by an endless belt or band
passes round a pulley fixed on the main driving axle & see Fig. 3.
which in its turn
tt are fast and loose pulleys on the axle shaft to which the abrading disc a is
fixed these pulleys t t being driven by the travelling belt t' from any convenient
source of power.
These pulleys tt and axle carrying the abrading disc x are mounted in a bearing
formed in the forked arms t2 of the swivelling support t³ mounted upon the main
frame a (see Fig. 2) so as to be capable of swivelling adjustment thereon in any
well-known or suitable manner as is well understood.
The fast and loose pulleys on the axle bare driven by a separate belt b³ also
from any suitable source of power.
s' is a bracket fixed on the exterior of the cork guide channels and carrying a
spring which latter normally forces the retaining arm or catch u¹ within the
passage way in the guide channel s so as to thereby retain the bottom-most cork v
in said passages. At the moment it is desired to drop the next cork on to the
rest w a projecting arm (not shown) on the platform e by the movement of the
latter presses back the spring u and arm u¹ and so releases the bottom cork in
the guides and the whole series of corks drop down the channels until the lower-
most cork is resting on the rest w the movement of the platform e now releases the

page_text: spring u which thereupon pushes the retaining arm u against the bottom-most
cork in the channels and thereby holds same and prevents any more corks
dropping down while the cork n thus deposited on the rest w is moved away and
presented against the abrading disc as explained.
The operation is as follows:-
The ready-shaped corks to be polished finished or otherwise surfaced (and which
need not be of exactly the same gauge or shape) are placed in large numbers in
the hopper p. The "agitator" wheel keeps these stirred up so that said corks
are continuously fed endwise down the guide channels to the point where said
channels terminates just above the top edge of the flexible belt i where the
bottom-most cork v in the channels is retained in position by the spring arm u' as
already explained.
This spring arm is pressed back-as before explained-and the bottom-most
cork deposited on the rest w this spring arm u¹ is then released and further, corks
are thereby prevented from dropping out.
The action of the cam d against the spring g now moves the platform e towards
the abrading disc r so that the flexible band i presses the cork n against the
abrading disc x.
Next the motion of the crank pin c² (Fig. 1) now causes the platform e to travel
in a parallel direction across the face of the abrading disc with the cork n in
contact therewith and retained on the rest w by the uprights oo as before
explained.
Immediately the crank rod c begins to move the slide carrying the platform e
parallel with the face of the abrading disc thereupon the rope & imparts rotary
motion through the pulley ; and roller to the belt i which latter being in frictional
contact with the vertically disposed cork n thereby imparts rotary motion to the
said cork n which is thus caused to rotate upon its own axis while presented to the
abrading disc (which abrading disc may have varying degrees of fineness of
abrading material circularly (concentrically) arranged on its face) so that as the
cork is thus rotated against and moved across its face it will be abraded and thus
very perfectly finish polish or surface the said cork.
The direction of travel of the abrading disc is from the top of the cork
downwards so that the tendency of the abrading disc a is to keep said cork down
upon its rest w.
The parallel motion of the platform e may be continued until the cork n is clear
of the outer edge of the abrading disc whereupon the finished cork drops into a
suitable receptacle to receive same (not shown) or if desired the cam d and spring g
may be arranged to begin to draw back the platform e before the cork n reaches
the outer edge of whereupon the finished cork n is dropped into a suitable
receptacle. The crank arm c then draws the slide ƒ carrying the platform e back
in a parallel direction across the disc a the cam d through its connections d' d² d³
then moves same again towards the abrading disc a whereupon the next cork to be
ground is delivered on the rest was before described and the operation is repeated-
and so on.
It will be obvious that many of the parts and details of the machine and means
of actuating same may be varied without departing from the true nature of my
invention an essential feature of which is the travelling flexible holding band i
adapted not only to thereby rotate the cork while being polished etc. but also
adapting itself to varying sizes and shapes of the corks to be finished and has
many other advantages especially the simplicity of the construction of the machine
its automatic operation and large output from each machinę.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a machine for finishing polishing or surfacing corks by grinding-the
combination with an abrading surface of a Hexible cork holder consisting essentially

page_text: of an endless travelling band adapted to hold corks of varying shapes and sizes
against the said abrading surface and to rotate the cork while in said position.
2. In a machine for finishing polishing or surfacing corks by grinding-the
combination with an abrading surface of a platform adapted to travel across the
face of said abrading surface and a flexible cork holder consisting of an endless
travelling band travelling in a horizontal plane round its vertical supporting rollers
carried on said platform.
3. In a machine for finishing polishing or surfacing corks by grinding-the
combination with an abrading surface of a platform adapted to travel across the
face of said abrading surface an endless travelling band travelling in a horizontal
plane round its vertical supporting rollers on said platform to form a flexible cork
holder and means to adjust the tension of said endless band.
4. In a machine for finishing polishing or surfacing corks by grinding-the
combination with an abrading surface of a platform adapted to travel across the
face of said abrading surface an endless travelling band travelling in a horizontal
plane round its vertical supporting rollers on said platform to form a flexible cork
holder means to adjust the tension of said endless band a rest for the corks to be
successively deposited thereon end wise and means to feed said corks one at a time
endwise onto said rest.
5. In a machine for finishing polishing or surfacing corks by grinding,-the
combination with an abrading surface of a platform adapted to be moved parallel
to and also at right angles to the said abrading surface a flexible cork holding
device carried on said platform means to impart travelling motion to said flexible
cork holding device so as to rotate the cork while presented thereby against the
said abrading surface and means to propel the said platform and parts carried
thereon in a parallel direction to-as well as means to move said platform towards
and away from-said abrading surface substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before set forth.
6. In a machine for finishing polishing or surfacing corks by grinding-the
combination with a grinding disc of an endless travelling belt i vertically disposed
rollers h h h supporting same a movable platform e carrying said rollers and belt
and adapted to slide in opposite horizontal directions means to impart reciprocating
movement to said platform in said two directions means to impart rotary motion to
one or more of said vertical rollers carrying said belt and means to alter the
relative positions of said rollers h h h so as thereby to adjust the tension of said
flexible cork holding band i all substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore set forth.
7. The improved machine for polishing finishing or surfacing corks by grinding
arranged constructed combined and acting substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described and illustrated by way of example in the drawings
hereunto annexed.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.