An Improved Cartridge Loading Machine.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1888
Specification Accepted, 5th Oct., 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Cartridge Loading Machine.
I, ARMIN TENNER, of No. 17 York Strasse, in the City of Berlin, in the German
Empire, Gentleman, 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:-
My invention relates to the construction of a machine for automatically loading
cartridge shells with powder and ball in such manner that an adjustable quantity of
powder is fed into the shell, the ball inserted and the finished cartridge ejected from
the machine.
The cartridge shell bearings are arranged on plates or flat links connected by
hinges to an endless band which is intermittently moved forwards by means of
prismatic discs or rollers. The empty shells are fed into the bearings when one or
more of the bearings or carriers has reached its lowest position and preferably in the
middle between the two prismatic rollers where it can, if desired, be supported by a
suitable support. The bearings are successively provided with a shell and brought
under the powder charging device, the same are then moved forward under the ball
inserting device and then under the ejecting device by means of which the finished
cartridges are removed from the bearings or carriers.
The machine can also be used for loading sporting cartridges and must be provided
in such case with a number of wads and a charge of shot and special tools for
charging the same into the shells, compressing the upper edge of the same, printing
my British
the upper wads etc. similar to those described in the specification to
Patent No. 8878 of 1888.
In loading cartridges of small calibre two or more bearings can be arranged side by
side and behind each other on one and the same link of the chain of shell bearings in
which case the powder and ball loading and tho ejecting devices must be correspond-
ingly arranged. In the machine represented by the accompanying drawings each
link of the endless band carries only one shell bearing and the charging tools are
arranged in single order.

page_text: Fig. 1 represents the machine in elevation and partial longitudinal section.
Fig. 1a is the elevation of the cam for effecting the intermittent movement of the
endless band.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of Fig. 1 on the line -
- 2.
Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1 with the table A¹ in section.
A are the legs or supports for the plate or table A' which carries the standard B
for the operative parts. C is the shaft on which the strap drum C is mounted, said
shaft. being suitably cranked to receive the connecting rod D.
E are the links or plates carrying each a shell bearing and being jointed to each
other so as to form an endless band, which is so moved forwards by the prismatic
discs G, G that the upper half of the said endless band is intermittently transported
over the surface of the table A¹.
According to the accompanying drawings the mechanism for intermittently
rotating the prismatic discs G, G is located at the left hand side of the machine and
is operated by means of the cam H with its cam groove 1 and a tappet or stud K.
The nave of the prismatic disc G carries a ring L with pawl lever and toothing
which latter is in gear with the toothing of the rot M so that the ring L and its paw!
lever are alternately turned backwards and forwards. The pawl lever is caused
by the spring to gear with one of the recesses ³, which recesses are arranged at
appropriate distances from each other in the nave of the disc G.
When the cam disc H is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1a
the lateral pivot, stad or antifriction roller m of the rod M. will run from the part I to
II of the cam groove I in the cam disc H during which time the said rod M will
remain idle, but as soon as m bas passed the corner II the rod M will commence to
move upwards and the rod N around which a helical spring n is arranged be depressed
by the tappet or stud K of the disc H so as to press down the rear end of the pawl
lever and bring the latter out of gear with the recess or groove 13 in the nave of the
prismatic disc G.
The ring L being now released from its connection to the nave of the disc G will
be moved in the direction of the arrow 1 (Fig. f) until the tappet or stud K has
passed the end of the rod N when the helical spring n will return the latter to its
original position, release the rear end of the pawl lever so that the same can gear
into the next following recess or groove in the nave of the disc G.
When the pivot or antifriction roller m has reached the point III of the cam
groove I the rod M will have arrived at its highest point and will remain in the same
until the said pivot m has arrived at the point IV when the rod M will be caused to
move downwards and as the ring L is coupled to the nave of the disc G by the pawl
lever and the toothing of the rod M is in gear with the toothing of the ring L the
said ring, and with it, the prismatic disc G will be rotated in the direction shown by
the arrow 2 for a distance corresponding with one of the prismatic surfaces of the
said disc and the corresponding link E of the endless band,
This intermittent movement of the prismatic discs 'G, G is repeated at each
revolution of the cam disc H so that each shell bearing makes a movement
corresponding to one of the links E of the endless band at each revolution of the
main shaft C
The empty shells are fed into their hearings in the links E by means of a tube 'O
(Fig. 2) which runs through the table A' whereby the shells fall by their own weight
into the bearings and are pressed fully into the same by coming in contact with the
surface of the prismatic disc G¹.
By the continued revolution of the discs G, G¹ the empty shells are successively
brought under the mechanism for charging the same with powder, the quantity of the
charge being regulated by means of a suitable slide.
The powder is contained in a funnel shaped receptacle P the outlet of which is
closed by the slide when the cross head or tool carrier Q connected to the rod D is
in its lowest position in which case the powder contained in the opening in the said
slide can fall into the cartridge shell through a boring corresponding with that in the
slide p and running from below into the slide groove.

page_text: When the cross head or carrier rises the slide p will be pushed outwards so that the
opening pl in the same can be filled with powder and on the slide again moving
inwards will allow the powder to fall into the next following shell which has in the
meantime been brought into the correct position under the said opening in the
slide.
The movement of the slide p is effected by means of a lever p³ with cam slot pt and
moving on a fulcrum in the arm p of the powder reservoir P and in which said slot
an antifriction roller or pin of the arm mounted on the tool carrier Q glides so as to
cause the lever p³ to make a reciprocating motion at each up and down stroke of the
tool carrier Q.
The quantity of powder for the charge can be regulated by means of a plate p³ and
adjusting screw p whereby the opening in the slide p is more or less closed.
The shell having now been charged with powder is moved forwards by the prismatic
discs G, G¹ beneath the bullet charging device. The bullets are fed by a tube R into
a receptacle S provided with appropriate guides from whence the same are removed
and driven into the cartridge by means of a plunger T mounted in the cross head or
tool holder Q.
Each down stroke of the piston T serves to drive a bullet into a cartridge and each
upstroke of the same allows a bullet to pass from the guide tube R into the
receptacle S.
The bullet feeding device consists of a two armed lever pivotted to the bullet
receptacle S the one arm of which moves in a slot in the bullet tubo R whereas the
longer arm remains in contact with the cross head or tool holder Q, the surface of the
latter along which the lever arm r glides being recessed at 2. When the tool
holder is in its lowest position (Fig. 2) the lever will catch into the annular
groove of the lowest bullet in the guide tube R and prevent the same from gliding
down into the receptacle S; if, however, the said tool holder moves upwards the
longer arm of the lever will glide into the recess q', withdraw the shorter lever arm
from the groove in the bullet thus releasing the same which will glide down into S so
that when the cross bead or tool holder makes its next downstroke the plunger T will
force the bullet into the cartridge during which said down stroke the next following
bullet will be again caught by the short arm of the lever r.
At the next downstroke of the cross head or tool holder Q the finished cartridge
will be ejected from its bearing F in the link E by the ejecting plunger U the
bearing having been brought beneath the same by the movement of the endless
band and the prismatic rollers G, G', the table A¹ being cut away to allow the
cartridge to pass into a suitable trough and from thence into an appropriate collecting
vessel.
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. A cartridge loading machine in which the bearings F for the empty cartridge
shells are arranged on the links E of an endless articulated band, said band being
intermittently moved forwards so as to successively bring the said cartridge shells
beneath the apparatus or tools for filling the same with the powder charge, driving
in the bullets and ejecting the finished cartridges from the bearings F in the links E
of the said endless band, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a cartridge loading machine, the device for intermittently operating the
articulated endless band by means of the prismatic rollers G, G', consisting of the disc
or cam H with cam groove I and tappet or stud K and the helical spring n, which
cause the up and down stroke of the vertically guided rods M and N, the rod M. being
provided at its lower end with suitable toothing which gears into the toothing of a
loose ring or disc L on the nave or shaft of the prismatic disc or roller G in such
manner that the ring L is coupled to and communicates a rotary movement to the
prismatic roller G when the rod M makes its downstroke the ring L being coupled to
the roller G by a pawl lever l' gearing into one of the recesses 13 in the nave or hub

page_text: of the prismatic roller G whereas during the upstroke of the rod M the coupling
released by the rod N operating on the rear arm of the pawl lever by the action of
the tappet or stud K, said rod being returned by means of the helical spring n,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a cartridge loading machine, the device for intermittently feeding in the
bullets and ejecting the finished cartridge by each up and down stroke of the
plungers T and U attached to the cross head or tool holder Q connected by the rod D
to the crank of the driving shaft C, consisting of the two-armed lever r one end of
which passes through a slot of the feed tube R and gears into an annular groove in
the bullet so as to prevent the same passing into the receptacle S during the down-
stroke of Q whilst the rear end will glide into a recess of the tool holder during
the upstroke of the same and allow a bullet to glide into the receptacle S and be driven
into the cartridge by the plunger T, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of August 1888.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.