Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 4th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 5th Oct., 1888
WILLIAM RIGHTER COMINGS Engineer 128 Queen Victoria Street London E.C.
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to avoid the tearing and straining of the material as
results from the present process, and to do the work quicker & by a less number of
operations. In carrying out my invention, I first by suitable dies shape the sheet
metal, paper or other material into the form of a hollow truncated cone with corrugated
ribs running lengthways of the axis, these corrugations are preferably of uniform
width but wedge shape in height diminishing gradually towards the small end of the
conical part where the height is reduced to nothing. This form of corrugation leaves
a V shaped space between each corrugation.
The height of these corrugations should be just sufficient to draw the sheet material
up from the flat into a conical shape without stretching or tearing it. This corru-
gated conical cup thus formed is next pressed through a die with a conical hole at the.
top or mouth & straight at the bottom the conical part being provided with grooves
which are the reverse of the corrugations on the cupped material, the straight part of
the hole is smooth. This construction of the die leaves a wedge shape projecting
piece between each of the grooves in the conical portion, & these wedges as the
material is forced through, operate to draw the corrugations together, & gradually fold
them down into forms resembling box pleets, and this process of folding down of the
corrugations changes the shape of the material from a conical corrugated cup, to the
form of a cup with straight or nearly straight sides & smooth circumference, and as such a
cup is further forced through the lower portion of the die having a straight hole
with smooth sides, the material.in.the-sides of the cup is polished & hardened.
In practical working the material may be fed into the dies in the form of a con-
tinuous strip, and the cups may be wholly or partially formed before being cut out of
the strip, or the material may be first cut into discs, or other blanks, of the proper size
& then fed into the dies one by one and the dies may be made in two or more sets or
may be combined in a single set according as it is desired to produce the work by one
or more onerations.

page_text: The first operation of corrugating should, to obtain the best results, be so arranged
as to take up in corrugations about one half the difference in area which exists between
the surface of the sides of the finished straight cup, and the ring of material which
must be turned and folded up in order to produce the completed cup. This I determine
by mathemical calculations. Upon the same principle I can also produce cups having
tapering instead of straight sides in such cases the corrugations are made shallower,
by a cup with straight sides I mean a cup having its sides parallel with its axis &
by a cup with conical sides I mean a cup in which the sides are at an angle
with the axis the diameter of the cup then being larger at the top than at the
bottom.
In working by this process with fibrous materials such as paper, leather & the like I
heat the dies or parts of them in order to render the material inore pliable, & in some
cases I treat the material with chemicals which will soften & strengthen it and enable
it to be more readily worked.
The plunger which is used to drive the corrugated conical cups through the folding
down die, I provide with a pressure ring adapted to hold the material against the
grooves in the die, with just sufficient force to guide & control its folding without causing
it to bind or tear in the dic.
The simplest arrangement of dies for carrying out my invention is by two sets of
dies made as follows;
The first set called the corrugating set consists of a plunger with conical shaped ond
having ribs that diminish gradually towards the small end, this plunger works with a
die just the reverse of it in shape but sufficiently larger to allow space for the material
to be cupped & corrugated.
The corrugated cup produced by this first set of dies is then placed in a second die
called the folding die, similar to the under die of the first set except that its conical
grooved recess terminates in a straight smooth hole, a straight plunger provided with
a suitably shaped pressure ring is then caused to descend & drive the corrugated cup
through the under die which folds down the corrugations, & straightens
the sides.
smooths
In some cases by making the plunger compound the two sets of dies may be com-
bined in one & the whole work is then effected at a single operation. In other cases
according to the material used no pressure ring is required to hold the corrugations
into the folding grooves.
In the above description I have referred only to the making of cups of cylindrical
shape but it is obvious that by properly shaping the tools cups of any desired cross
section can readily be produced By turning over the upper edge of cups formed as
above the folds or pleets produced are reversed and caused to interlock so as greatly
increase their strength and capacity of retaining their shape.

page_text: I, WILLIAM RIGHTER COMINGS formerly of 128" Queen Victoria Street but now
of 49 and 51 Fann Street in the City of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to avoid the tearing and straining of the material
usually resulting in the present process, and to effect a more rapid production as also
to simplify or lessen the number of operations through which the material has ordinarily
passed.
In carrying out my invention, I first, by suitable dies, shape the sheet metal, paper,
or other material into the form of a hollow truncated cone with corrugated ribs running
lengthways of the axis, these corrugations are preferably of uniform width but wedge
shape in height, diminishing gradually towards the small end of the conical part where
they are reduced to nothing or to the vanishing point. This form of corrugation leaves
a V shaped space between each corrugation. The height of these corrugations should
be just sufficient to draw the sheet material up from the flat into a conical shape without.
practically stretching or tearing it. The corrugated conical cup thus formed is next
pressed through a die with a conical hole at the top or mouth and straight at the
bottom, the conical part being provided with grooves which are the reverse of the
corrugations on the cupped material, the straight part of the hole being smooth. This
construction of the die leaves a wedge shape projecting piece between each of the
grooves in the conical portion, and these wedges as the material is forced through,
operate to draw the corrugations together and gradually fold them down into forms
resembling box pleats, said process of folding down of the corrugations changing the
shape of the material from a conical corrugated cup to the form of a cup with straight
or nearly straight sides and smooth circumference, and as such a cup is further forced
through the lower portion of the die having a straight hole with smooth sides, the
material in the sides of the cup is polished and hardened.
In practical working, the material may be fed into the dies in the form of a con-
tinuous strip, and the cups may be wholly or partially formed before being cut out of
the strips, or the material may be first cut into discs or other blanks of the proper size.
and then fed into the dies one by one, and the dies may be made in two or more sets,
or may be combined in a single set according as it is desired to produce the work by
one or more operations.
The first operation of corrugating, should, to obtain the best results, be so arranged
as to take up in corrugations about one half the difference in area which exists between
the surface of the sides of the finished straight cup, and the ring of material which..
must be turned and folded up in order to produce the complete cups. This I determine
by mathematical calculations. Upon the same principle I can also produce cups having
tapering instead of straight sides, in such cases the corrugations are made shallower.

page_text: By a cup with straight sides I mean a cup having its sides parallel with its axis, and
by a cup with conical sides I mean a cup in which the sides are at an angle with the
axis, the diameter of the cup then being larger at the top than at the bottom.
In working by this process with fibrous materials such as paper, leather, and the
like, I heat the dies or parts of them in order to render the material more pliable,
and in some cases I treat the material with chemicals which will soften and strengthen
it, and enable it to be more readily worked.
The plunger which is used to drive the corrugated conical cups through the
folding down die I provide with a pressure ring adapted to hold the material against
the grooves in the die with just sufficient force to guide and control its folding
without causing it to bind or tear in the die.
To clearly explain how my invention may be practically employed, reference is
made to the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification, and which
illustrate dies with which I have obtained good results.
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a tapering corrugated lower die terminating in a plain
or smooth vertical tube.
Fig. 2 is a plan thereof.
Fig. 3 represents in sectional elevation a compound top die in conjunction with a
lower die as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
Figs. 4 and 5 represent in sectional elevation and plan modified forms of compound
top dies.
Fig. 6 represents a compound top die for use with a bottom die in which the
conical or tapering top is omitted as shown in
Fig. 7 which is an elevation of a lower die of this construction.
Fig. 8 is a view of the under face of die A shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 9 is a view on a larger scale of a blank which has been stamped with
corrugating lines by dies as shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8.
Fig. 10 is a perspective view on a smaller scale of a blank just as it is beginning
to fold.
Fig. 11 is a like view when the folding is further advanced owing to the folds
having begun to pass into the straight portion of the die.
Fig. 12 is a like view of the completed article, and Fig. 13 is a top view, the
pleats or folds being shown open so that the method of folding down may be clearly
seen but in practice the edge will appear as a single thickness or piece.
Assuming that the blank bas been cut the first operation thereon (in one form of
my invention) is by the conical shaped die A, having straight ribs as shown which
diminish gradually in height toward the lower end, the space between being
consequently wedge shaped. Said die works into or with the lower die B which is
the reverse of A in shape, that is, provided with wedge shaped teeth, leaving between
parts of nearly uniform width, said die being sufficiently larger to allow space for the
material to be cupped and corrugated. The corrugated cup thus produced by the
first set of dies is forced through the straight or smooth hole by the straight or
smooth plunger a, thus drawing together, folding down and straightening the
corrugations, and smooting and polishing the sides. As the space between the teeth
in the lower die has a given depth at the top, which depth gradually diminishes
toward the lower part of the die until reaching the smooth bore b, the corrugations
formed in the imaterial are gradually flattened out as the cup is folded in by the
action of the wedge shaped teeth.
In Fig. 3 the corrugating die A is shown as being forced down by a spring Cof
sufficient strength to form the corrugations, the limit of its downward stroke being
regulated by the position of screws or bolts D so as to prevent a cutting or excessive
holding pressure on the material when the die or plunger a begins to act, drawing
the material from between A and B and forcing it through the straight hole b. The
said screws or bolts D also allow of adjustment for different thicknesses of material
and form a convenient attachment for the lifting mechanism of the die. In dealing
with many materials it will be preferable that the die A should be slightly raised
before plunger a begins to act, as otherwise the material might be torn or

page_text: "
the
unnecessarily strained. This action may be secured by a cam or crank on the
actuating mechanism or by springs placed beneath bolis D, as shown in Fig. 3, of
sufficient strength to slightly raise die A after the corrugating has been completed.
The plunger a may conveniently be provided with a detachable end a¹ of the depth
5 of the box or cover it is desired to make, while at the point a plunger a may be
made so as to fit snugly in hole band act as a cutter to trim and smooth the edge.
In Figs. 4 and 5 the spring C is omitted, die A being carried down by the engage-
ment of catches d, d, with die a as shown. In the construction illustrated upon
left of said figures when the corrugating has been completed the bolts D, D, are
raised by "dogs' or other suitable means not shown, and the inclines e, e, acting
on catches d, d, draw them from engagement with plunger a and as die A is
slightly raised, said plunger a completes its stroke and rises again until the recessed
portions are opposite the catches d, d, on the die A which is then ready to descend
when springs ff; force said catches to their scat in plunger a, and the entire
operation is repeated. As shown on the right of said figure the catches d, d, are
slightly inclined at their top inner ends and fit against similar inclines in the plunger
as shown at e¹. With this construction the pressure exerted by die A will depend
upon the angle of the incline at el, plus of course the slight action of spring f, and
when sufficient pressure is exorted plunger a will force back catch d, the inner end
of which, will be pressed by spring against the side of said plunger so that the two
will rise together until die A is suitably stopped in its upward travel, plunger a
continuing to rise until catch d engages therewith for the next stroke.
construction enables plunger a to be readily stripped without the edge of the moulded
material being injured by coming into contact with die A.
This
In the dies shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 the conical form is not essential as the top
die is provided with wedge shaped projections on its lower face as shown in
Figs. 6 and 8, and these press the material so as to form the requisite corrugating
lines therein, the plunger a then descending and forcing the material through the
smooth vertical part of the die, die A preferably rising sufficiently to allow this
to be readily done. In this case it should be noted that the conical mouth of the
lower die B being omitted, the result will be a considerably increased strain upon
the material.
The blanks may be first cut to the proper size in a separate machine, or the dies
may be arranged so as to cut the blanks from sheets or strips fed to them in the usual
manner. Where the latter plan is followed said blanks may conveniently be cut
between the edges g, g, while stripping rings may be used to raise and free the
cuttings from the die. Such a ring is illustrated at G, Fig. 1, as being carried by
springs h, h, but various forms may be employed.
It will of course be evident that the above effects may be obtained by two separate
sets of operations in separate dies, and the arrangement of parts for such a procedure
will be easily understood from the compound dies shown.. It will also be evident
that instead of cups of cylindrical shape, by properly shaping the dies, cups of any
desired cross section can be readily produced, and that by turning over the edges
of cups formed as above described, the folds or pleats will be reversed and their
capability of retaining their shape greatly increased.
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 :-
1st. The method of stamping or pressing cup shaped articles which consists of
corrugating the blank and passing it through dies so constructed as to draw or press
the corrugations together in the form of box or analogous pleats substantially as
described.
2nd. For stamping or pressing cup shaped articles a compound die in which the
pressure or corrugating ring or die is carried by frictional contact with the plunger,
substantially as described.

page_text: 3rd. For stamping or pressing cup shaped articles a compound die consisting of the
combination with plunger a of a corrugating or pressure ring or die carrying a
catch d adapted to engage with said plunger substantially as described.
4th. For stamping or pressing cup shaped articles a die carrying teeth, wodge
shaped as regards both height and width and adapted to form and fold the material
passing through the die substantially as described.
5th. For stamping or pressing cup shaped articles, a die carrying teeth, wedge
shaped as regards depth and of uniform width substantially as described.
6th. For stamping or pressing cup shaped articles the combination with the top
and bottom dies of means for adjusting or limiting the pressure upon the material
between them and also for partially withdrawing said pressure so as to enable the
material to be folded and shaped substantially as described.
Dated the 4th day of Angust. 1888
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agent for the Applicant.