ROVEMENTS IN APPARATES FOR ÅNNEALING GLASS IN OVERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wright, of Forth Street, Newcastle-on-
Tyne, in the County of the same, Glass Manufacturer, for the Invention
of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATES FOR ÅNNEALING GLASS IN OVERS."
Sealed the 24th November 1857, and dated the 9th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wright at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th June 1857.
I, WILLIAM WRIGHT, of Forth Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the County
of the same, Glass Manufacturer; do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS POR ANNEALING GLASS IN OVENS,"
to be as follows:
This Invention relates to a mode of imparting motion to or for passing the
annealing trays from one end of the oven to the other, and consists in the
employment for that purpose of a rod passing underneath the trays, and so
contrived as to travel to and fro longitudinally throughout the space of the
length of one or more trays. The trays, which I prefer to be of cast iron,
are placed, upon frames or floors, so as to move fully lengthwise, in which
direction they are impelled by the action of the rod herein-before referred to.
This rod is actuated either by a winch or by means of a rack and pinion
motion. The trays are disposed in two tiers or series, the upper one being
intended to contain the articles to be exposed to the action of the oven,

page_text: and they are removed forward the extent of one or more trays by the
action of a vertical arm or arms on the end of the rod nearest to the fire.
The lower series of trays are moved backward by the reverse action of the
rod, which has a shorter projection or projections made for that purpose on
its opposite end. At each end of the series of trays is a table actuated by
weights, springs, or inclines, or an arrangement of weights or springs without
a table for raising and lowering the trays from one series to another, so that
the full trays, after having passed successively down the whole length of the
apparatus, are emptied and transferred successively to the lower or empty
series, whereupon they are returned to the other end of the furnace to be
recharged.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Wright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WRIGHT, of Forth Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the County of the same,
Glass Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Wright, Her special license that I, the said William Wright, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Wright, my executors, administrators, or 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
APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASS IN OVENS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Wright, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Wright, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to a mode of imparting motion to or of passing
the annealing trays from one end of the "lear" to the other, and consists in
the employment for that purpose of a rod passing underneath the trays, and
so contrived as to travel to and fro longitudinally throughout the space of the
length of one or more trays. The trays, which I prefer to be of cast iron,
are placed upon frames or floors, so as to move freely lengthwise, in which
direction they are impelled by the action of the rod herein-before referred to.
This rod is actuated either by a crank or by means of a rack and pinion
motion. The trays are disposed in two tiers or series, the upper one
being intended to contain the articles to be exposed to the action of the
"lear," and are moved forward the extent of one or more trays by the
action of a vertical arm or arms on the end of the rod nearest to the fire.
The lower series of trays are [moved backward by the reverse action of the.
rod, which has a shorter projection or projections made for that purpose on
its opposite end. At each end of the series of trays is a table actuated by
weights, springs, or inclines, or an arrangement of weights or springs without
a table may be used for raising and lowering the trays from one series to
another, so that the full trays, after having passed successively along the
whole length of the apparatus, are emptied and transferred successively to the
lower or empty series, whereupon they are returned back again to the other
end of the lear to be recharged.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I
shall refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings represents a longitudinal
vertical section of a "lear" fitted with my improved machinery for traversing
the lear pans or trays; Figure 2 is a corresponding transverse vertical section
of the same; and Figure 3 is a sectional plan of the lear and machinery
connected therewith, the lear pans being removed. A is the brickwork of the
lear, the opposite internal sides of which are fitted with longitudinal plates
B, B, having an upper and lower set of grooves made therein for the guidance
of the lear pans C, C', through their traverse from end to end of the lear.
The lear pans are in close contact with each other longitudinally, and fill the

page_text: .
entire length of the grooves from end to end of the lear. At each extremity
of the grooves is fitted a moveable table or support, capable of rising or falling
from one pair of grooves to the other, and of transferring the empty pans from
the upper to the lower series of pans, and from the lower to the upper series
respectively. These moveable supports or tables consist each of two vibrating
arms D, D, and D¹, D', fast on the respective transverse rocking-shafts E, E,
working in suitable bearings. A weighted lever arm F', keyed on to the rocking
shaft E', serves to counterbalance the weight of the table or supporting arms
'D', and keep them always clevated when empty, so as to be on a level with
the upper pair of grooves, as shewn in Figure 1 of the Drawings, in readiness
for the full pans, which are successively brought on to it in the manner
herein-after described, and lowered to the bottom or empty series after the
articles have been removed. A pair of similar weighted levers F, F, belonging
to the moveable table or supports at the opposite end of the lear, serve to
elevate the empty pans from the bottom to the top series, the weights being
made sufficiently heavy for that purpose. The requisite travelling motion is
communicated to the pans by means of the long rod or bar G, which extends
underneath the entire length of the two series of pans, and is supported at
each extremity on flanged pullies H, H, running to and fro along the rails
I, I. This longitudinal vibratory or reciprocatory motion of the rod or bar G
may be obtained from any convenient arrangement of mechanism, but I prefer
to drive it by means of a pinion K mounted on a shaft L, and gearing into
a rack M, formed on the under side of the rod or bar G. A spur wheel N,
keyed on to the end of the shaft L, receives motion from the small spur
pinion O, fast on a short shaft, which is fitted with a winch handle P, for
actuating the same. The rod or bar G is forked at each extremity, and is
fitted or formed with vertical arms or projections Q, Q, and Q, Q', the former
being sufficiently long to reach the upper set of lear pans, whilst the latter are
considerably shorter, and extend no higher than the lower set of pans. The
arrows represent the directions in which the respective series of pans are
traversed through the lear. The traversing of the pans is effected by the
reciprocating motion of the rod or bar G, which brings the projections Q and
Q in contact with the opposite end pans of the upper and lower series
alternately. When in the position shewn in Figure 1, the bar is about to
move in the direction of the arrow which is drawn upon it, and this motion
gives a forward movement to the whole of the upper series of lear pans to
the extent of one pan, the arms Q. Q, coming in contact with the end pan 1
of the series, whilst the opposite end pan 2 is simultaneously pushed thereby

page_text: out of its traversing grooves on to the moveable table or supports D', D'.
The weight of this latter pan causes the table to descend, and thereby bring
the pan on to a level with the lower or empty series, the articles having been
removed before the pan entered the moveable. table. The rod or bar G is
now traversed back again the length of a pan, whereupon the pan 2 is pushed
forward by the arms Q1, Q', into the lower grooves, and propels at the same
time the whole, of the lower series. The end pan 3 of this series is thus
pushed against the inclined portion of the supports D, D, which consequently
descend and receive the empty pan. So soon, however, as this pan is free
from its grooves, the weighted levers F, F, raise it to the upper series, when
it occupies the position shewn by the pan 1 in Figure 1. It is then filled, and
the upper series is traversed again by a return stroke of the rod or bar G,
and so on continuously as each pan is successively filled and emptied. In.
place of a rod, it is obvious that a chain or chains may be employed having
a similar motion imparted to them.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my said Invention; nor do I claim any of
the mechanical elements of which the said apparatus and parts of apparatus
are respectively composed, as being separately or apart from the use or
application of such elements to form the combination constituting such
apparatus and parts of apparatus respectively, as being any part of my said
Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim
as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent, is,
First, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of machinery
or apparatus used in connection with glass annealing ovens, as herein-before
directed.
Second, the system or mode of traversing lear pans through lears by means
of a rod, or bar, or chains fitted or formed with suitable projecting arms, and
having a longitudinal reciprocating or vibratory motion imparted thereto by
any convenient arrangement of mechanism, as herein-before described.
Third, the system or mode of raising and lowering the lear pans of lears or
annealing ovens from one set or series of traversing grooves to another by
means of moveable tables or supports, as herein-before described.

page_text: Fourth, the system or mode of moving or traversing lear pans in two
separate tiers, the pans of one tier not being dependent for their motion on
the pans of the other tier, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Wright, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventh day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven.
WILLIAM WRIGHT. (L.S.)