IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AND MAKING CAPS FOR CARTRIDGES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes & Son,
Patent Agents, 128, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AND MAKING
CAPS FOR CARTRIDGES."-A communication from abroad by Henri Mennig,
Mécanicien, residing at Molenbeck, St. Jean, Belgium.
Sealed the 17th April 1860, and dated the 20th October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th October 1859.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes & Son, Patent Agents,
123, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING
AND MAKING CAPS FOR CARTRIDGES," a communication from abroad by Henri
Mennig, Mécanicien, residing at Molenbeck, St. Jean, Belgium, to be as
follows:-
I cause a perforated disc to move on a vertical pin or stud, and place in the
holes or perforations steel ferrules or bushes to receive the cartridge tubes.
The disc is put in motion by an eccentric or other mechanical means. During
the motion of the disc, each tube comes in contact with a lever having a
moveable finger at its extremity, and gives the requisite pressure by means of
a spring to form the cap. To maintain the disc in its proper position when
the finger has brought it forward and prevent it moving too far, a hook is
pivoted to the vertical pin or stud, and by a projection on the bar which rises
and catches the hook and forces it into the teeth of the disc and maintains it

page_text: steady when returning, the same projection acts against the extremity of the
hook and throws it out of gear with the teeth of the disc, to allow it to advance.
The disc presents each ferrule or bush alternately to a funnel to receive a
cartridge tube, the length of the funnel being sufficient to contain several
tubes, so that the bottom one is pushed into the ferrule by a driver acting upon
a lever attached by a connecting rod. When the driver meets the cartridge
tube in pushing it into the ferrule, the resistance offered compels the socket to
recede and keep the space free in the oblong hole of the driver; but if the
socket does not meet the resistance of a cartridge tube, it cannot recede, and
consequently a screw, which is attached to it, meets the unhooking lever and
stops the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes & Son, Patent Agents, 123,
Chancery Lane, London, W.C., send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Thomas Hughes, Her special license that I, the said Edward
Thomas Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AND MAKING
CAPS FOR CARTRIDGES," a communication from abroad by Henri Mennig, Mé-
canicien, residing at Molembeck, St. Jean, Belgium, upon the condition,
amongst others, that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
I cause a perforated disc to have an intermittent motion on a pin or stud,
and place in the holes or perforations steel ferrules or bushes to receive the
cartridge tubes. The disc is indented on its periphery with as many inden-
tations or teeth as there are bushes for the tubes, and is put in motion by a
finger or catch connected to a bar operated upon by an eccentric, cam, or other
mechanical means. At the termination of each intermittent movement of the
disc each tube comes in contact with a matrix and pusher so as to impress the
cap with any name or device, compress it upon the cartridge tube, and also
form the edge or border. To maintain the disc in its proper position after
it has been brought forward, a hooked catch is made to enter one of the inden-
tations of the disc, it being thrown back when the disc is required to advance.
The disc presents each ferrule or bush in its turn to a funnel in order to receive
a cartridge tube, the length of the funnel being sufficient to contain several
tubes, so that the bottom one is pushed into the ferrule by a pusher connected
to a lever, having alternate motion imparted to it by a cam on one of the shafts
of the machine. The end of the pusher is covered with a socket and spring,
so that when the cartridge tube is being pushed in the ferrule the socket shall
recede, but if the socket does not meet the resistance of a cartridge tube it
cannot recede, and a screw or pin connected to it unhooks a lever which
operates upon a stopping motion, and thereby stops the machine.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 repre-
sents a longitudinal section, Fig. 2, a transverse elevation, Fig. 3, a longitudinal
elevation, and Fig. 4, a plan of my improved machinery or apparatus for com-
pressing and finishing the caps of cartridge tubes; Fig. 5 is a side view of the
self-acting stopping apparatus; Fig. 6, a longitudinal section of the pressing
movements, and Fig. 7 a transverse section across the matrix holder, which
Figs. 5, 6, and 7, are drawn to an enlarged scale; Fig. 8 is a full-sized longi-
tudinal section of a cartridge tube as it is prepared for submitting it to the
action of my improved machine which performs the operations of impressing
the name or device on the bottom of the cap, compressing the body of the cap
on the cardboard of the tube, forming the edge flange or border, and also
forming the hole for the explosive materials; and Fig. 9 is a full-sized

page_text: longitudinal section of a cartridge tube in its finished state as it appears after
it has left the machine.
The disc D moveable upon the pin or stud & is employed to receive the
unfinished cartridge tubes in order that they may be submitted to the
operations of impression, compression, and flanging or edging. The disc D is
perforated with a number of holes fitted with steel ferrules or bushes D, all of
which are of the same circumference and at an equal distance apart. The
disc D is caused to revolve with an intermittent motion, so that the holes of
the ferrules are brought one after the other to the opening of a funnel E,
containing cartridge tubes in their unfinished state, so that one may be supplied
to each ferrule or bush in its turn in order to be pressed and completed. The
disc D is put in motion by the finger F, which receives its movement by the
cam or eccentric F', giving a to-and-fro motion to the lever f and rod f, to
which the finger F is connected. The excentric F is formed concentric at
the part where the disc ought to be stopped in order to give time for the
operations to be made upon the tube which has presented itself. The finger F
moves upon the pin f fixed to the rod f', and is constantly pressed by the
spring f unto the notches or ratchets in the periphery of the disc. The pin f
acts, when rising, against a projection forming part of an oblong slot in the
finger F, which is pressed against the pin by the spring so long as the finger
has only to overcome the resistance of the disc when turning on its axis, but
the moment the resistance is greater, either on account of an obstacle
occasioned by a tube not being entirely introduced into the disc or from any
other cause, then the finger F stops, and the rod f¹ moves its pin f2 in the
oblong slot of the finger, which pin surmounts the resistance of the spring f,
and by sliding and pressing against the projection causes the finger to deviate
and have no action upon the disc. In order to maintain the disc in its place
and prevent any improper movement after the finger F has caused it to
advance, I employ a hook or catch G, which vibrates on a stud by means of
a projection or cam fixed to or formed in the rod f, which cam in rising
presses against a projection on the catch, and forces its hooked end into one of
the notches in the disc and thereby holds it steady, and when returning the
same cam acts against the lower end of the catch G so as to draw the hooked
top from the notch of the disc and allow the latter to advance and as aforesaid
to present the ferrules D² by turns before the funnel E in order to receive a
tube; this funnel is of the same horizontal section as the tube itself, but of
sufficient height or depth to receive several tubes, and has a hole or opening in
the sides opposite to and corresponding exactly with each ferrule De presented
by the disc D. The tube which is at the bottom of the funnel is pushed in the

page_text: ferrule by the pusher H, put in motion by the internal cam or eccentric H',
which acting upon the lever h gives motion to the lever connected at the
top to the pusher H; both the levers h & h¹ are fixed to the same axis h2,
and the pusher is guided in the supports h³. As it is possible that a cartridge
tube might be misplaced in the funnel E and cause damage to the apparatus,
a self-acting stopping movement is employed in order to stop the machine
when any accident takes place. For this purpose I place upon the sliding
frame M a lever I, giving motion to a rod I which is introduced into the
funnel by a hole in the partition. This rod is in such a position that when the
bottom of a cartridge tube presents itself instead of the hole, the lever I is
caused to vibrate and its other end comes in contact with a knob or projection
on the rod i, which is thus put in motion for the purpose of stopping the
machine in the following manner:-The rod i in its movement pulls the
hooked lever ¹ connected to it, which allows a bar 2 to move on its centre and
fall down, and thereby disengage the forked lever 3, which, being no longer
held by the bar is drawn forward by the counterbalance weight, and thereby
causes the driving strap to pass from the fixed pulley k to the loose pulley k¹.
The rod I is spoken of as though it were of one piece, but it is composed of
two pieces in such manner that the end I which enters the funnel E can come
back quicker than the end I, so as not to oppose the tubes in their descent.
The part I is maintained against a pin R by a spring R¹, and is caused to
descend by means of a small incline which slides against the pin, and thereby
allows the rod I' to be entirely free to come back in an instant by the action of
a spiral spring which surrounds it. At the return stroke the rod I retakes its
place by the action of the spring R.. A pin or plug N also fixed to
the sliding frame M is intended to be introduced into the tubes before
they are submitted to the pressure in order to raise the edge of the card-
board, which might be bruised, and to make it perfectly smooth in the
interior, so that when the plug or piston m is introduced there shall be no
obstacle prejudicial to the regular working of the machine. The pin N is
pointed at the end, and the body is of exactly the same diameter as the re-;
quired interiors of the tubes, and submits them to a species of drawing or
gauging. When the disc D has brought a cartridge tube before the bridle L
containing the matrix 1, the sliding frame M carries into the interior of the
tube, the plug or piston m firmly held in the steel socket M¹. The sliding
frame M, receives its to-and-fro motion from the cranked axle M² by means
of the connecting rod M³ of the lever M, and of the knee jointed rod or
column Ms; the sliding frame being guided in the guides m'. The compres-
sion of the card board which forms the bottom or thick part of the tube is

page_text: performed by the plug m, which forms at the same time a hole or hollow of
the same shape as the semicircular end of the plug or piston m. This hollow
is for the purpose of receiving the explosive or fulminating compound employed
in this description of cartridge tube. The bridle L which surrounds the
bracket L³, and which carries the matrix can move longitudinally, being a
little longer internally than the bracket L³, two springs L2 obliging it to
remain against the ferrule presented to it. When the sliding frame introduces
the plug or piston m in order to compress the cardboard to the cap of the
cartridge, and emboss or impress in relief the inscription engraved in the
matrix 1, the latter being free to move in the matrix holder is pushed
back against the bracket L³, and the pressure swells or enlarges the edge of
the cap until the sliding frame as it continues to advance, pushes out the
ferrule D2 by the interposition of the loose counter plate me, and forces the
cardboard and the metal of the cap into the groove or indented ring turned
in the matrix, thus forming the edge or border, and firmly fixing the cap to
the cardboard. It is easily understood that the ferrule D in advancing with
the sliding frame, caused the matrix with its holder and bridle to advance at
the same time, and as the material was well squeezed before the ferrule
advanced, there was no issue but that of its being lodged in the recess cut
around the inscription engraved in the matrix. A screw L¹ regulates the
space that ought to be left between the bracket L³ and the bridle L according
to the required size of the border or edge. In order that the matrix shall be
exactly opposite the cartridge tube, it is adjusted by the three screws 1³, 1³, it
is evident if the screw 12 be unscrewed, and the two screws 13 screwed up in
the same proportion against the inclined planes of the matrix holder l, that the
latter will be made to rise, and when the proper height is obtained its exact
position sideways is adjusted by the screws 13.
The operations on the cartridge tube being completed, the disc advances a
movement and presents another unfinished tube to be compressed and finished,
and so on continually in the same manner. The finished tubes present them-
selves before a pusher O which pushes them out of the disc, and to prevent
them falling amongst the movements of the machine, a pipe can be arranged
for leading them to a suitable receiver. This pusher is put in motion by the
eccentric H¹, which actuates the entering pusher by jointing the connecting
rod o to the lever h¹, and to the lever o² fixed to the shaft o³.
The introduction of the tubes in the disc, the operation of the different
pressures, the egress of the tubes from the disc, are all performed at the same
time, that is to say, that when one tube is being compressed another tube is
introduced into the preceding ferrule, and a third already compressed is pushed

page_text: out of the disc, and it is at each revolution of the driving shaft that all these
operations are effected. The machine has at each turn of this shaft produced
or perfected a cartridge tube, and the shaft can easily make from 45 to 50 turns
per minute. By the employment of this machine or apparatus a great economy
is obtained, and also by the fact that the compression, and the edging or
bordering is performed at one operation. The card board is pressed or in-
crusted in a hollow or groove at the inner bottom of the cap as seen at Fig. 9,
and is there held by the border, thereby rendering it strong and solid, and also
dispensing with the necessity of gluing or cementing the cap upon the card-
board tube.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of the said Invention
as communicated to me from abroad by the said Henri Mennig, I desire it to
be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
herein set forth, as. such may be varied or modified without departing from
the principle thereof; but I claim,-
Firstly, the vertical position of the perforated disc, which allows a continued
and uninterrupted distribution of tubes into the disc by means of the funnel.
Secondly, the system of impression and compression, which by means of a
matrix held in a sliding holder, enables caps to be fitted to cartridge tubes of
any required size.
Thirdly, the safety stopping motion.
And fourthly, the movements for advancing the disc and maintaining it
steady, as all such improvements are herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of April, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
JULES MULOT.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES. (L.S.)