Improvements in Barrel Hooping Machinery.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 25th July, 1891-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by LOUIS HUNTER, of New York, in the State of
New York, United States of America, Machinist.]
Improvements in Barrel Hooping Machinery.
I, JOHN THOMSON KING of 4 Clayton Square, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My improvement is designed to facilitate the putting on of the end or chine-
hoop at each end of a wooden barrel by means of the ordinary hoop-driving
machine, being an improvement thereon, and it consists in the use of a catch-hoop
in connection with the mechanism of the barrel hooping machinery, which catch
hoop, when the staves, trussed together in the form of a barrel by the ordinary
truss hoops, are placed on the bed plate of the machine, is lowered over the upper
end of the staves so as to be in position to engage the hoop-driving arms, and
which may then be driven downwards, so as to close up the staves at the chine and
hold them in that situation while the chine hoop is placed on the barrel by the
driving machinery; and which is so constructed and arranged that the catch hoop
may be automatically raised off the barrel after the chine hoop is driven home.
By preference locking mechanism is employed to prevent the catch hoop being
released before it is desired.
Dated the Think first day
tobox 1900
Per pro J. T. KING,
W. B. Johnson.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Barrel Hooping Machinery
I, JOHN THOMSON KING of 4 Clayton Square, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Patent Agent, 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 improvement is designed to facilitate the putting on of the end or chine-
hoop at each end of a wooden barrel by means of the ordinary hoop driving
machine, being an improvement thereon, and it consists in the use of a catch-hoop
in connection with the mechanism of the barrel-hooping machinery, which catch-
hoop, when the staves trussed together in the form of a barrel by the ordinary
truss hoops are placed on the bed plate of the machine, is lowered over the upper
end of the staves so as to be in position to engage the hoop driving arms, and
which may then be driven downwards so as to close up the staves at the chine and
hold them in that situation while the chine-hoop is placed on the barrel by the
driving machinery; and which is so constructed and arranged that the catch hoop
may be automatically raised off the barrel after the chine hoop is driven home.
By preference locking mechanism is employed to prevent the catch hoop being
released before it is desired. Also in certain details of construction hereinafter
described.
I will now describe my invention so that others skilled in the art to which it
appertains may employ the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings
forming part of this Specification in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a barrel hooping machine provided with my
amant

page_text: a like view of the same at right angles LO the elevation SHOWI 111
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan view partly in horizontal section, on the line III-III of
Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the lines y-y and - of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a side elevation partly in section, showing the chine hoop in
position to be driven on the barrel, the catch hoop being on the barrel below the
chine.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the locking stirrup.
Figure 7 is an end elevation of the same, showing the locking rod and spring.
Figures 8 and 9 are similar views of the locking devices,, showing the position
assumed when the catch-hoop is in its raised position.
Like symbols of reference indicate like parts in each.
In the drawing illustrative of my invention, I have shown the same as applied
to one of the forms of barrel hooping machines in general use, which consist
chiefly of a stationary platform a on which the barrel is placed and supported, and
a series of reciprocating hoop driving arms which extend vertically upward
through openings in the platform a and are hinged or pivoted below the platform
radially, and at substantially uniform distance apart, to a head c, which is provided
with a central threaded collar or hub e, through which the vertical revolving
threaded shaft passes, the platform being guided by posts e.
C
This
In order to raise and lower the head c and with it the arms 6, the vertical screw
shaft d is caused to revolve by a mitred cog wheel ', keyed on to it near to its
upper end, which cog wheel gears into a mitred pinion at one end of a short power
shaft, at the other end of which is keyed a bevelled friction wheel w.
bevelled friction wheel w is placed between two other bevelled friction wheels w w
keyed onto a transverse shaft supported by a bracket y from the frame of the
machine, which shaft a is capable of being slid on its bearings, so as to bring one
or the other of the friction wheels in contact with the intermediate friction
wheel w; so that by sliding the shaft z in one direction or the other, the direction
of motion of the cog wheel and the bevel wheel d¹ may be reversed at pleasure
by means of the shifting arm i pivoted to the frame of the machine in such position
as to be operated by the hand of the workman, or automatically by means of a
bark which is also pivoted to the frame of the machine, and which has a crotch
at its upper end to engage the shifting arm as shown in Figure 2.
At or near the lower end of the driving arms are springs which are secured
to the arms by an adjustable clamp g on each arm the free end of the springs
bearing on the head e, so as to press the arms toward a common centre.
For the purpose of moving the arm 6 to or from the centre a revoluble plate p
working in a recess o in the platform a is employed. Links are attached at one
end to the plate p and at the other ends pass round the arms b. By turning the
plate p the links and with them the arms bare moved nearer to or farther from
the centre as desired.
ጥ
At the upper or outer end of each of the hoop driving arms of this machine,
I prefer to use hand pieces m such as are shown in the drawings, but as this specific
device is not my own invention, I do not claim it excepting in combination with
the other parts of the machinery as hereinafter set forth. These hand pieces are
designed to prevent the buckling or twisting of the thin metallic chine hoop as it
is driven on the barrel by the driving arms b, and to this end they consist of
separate hands, one of which is detachably fastened or secured to the end of each
of the arms in any suitable manner. Each of these hand pieces has a projection
on each side of the central slot through which the arm b passes, which projection
is curved on the arc of a circle to correspond with the curvature of the chine of
the barrel, and extends on each side of the central part, so as to give a firm hold
on the outer edge of the chine hoop. The curved projection is also flanged
inwardly towards the centre of the barrel, so as to form a ledge to rest on the top
of the hoop, and a groove n in the underside of the ledge, having substantially the

page_text: same curvature as the chine of the barrel, serves to receive the upper cage of the
chine hoop.
My improved catch hoop mechanism, however, may be used without these hand
pieces, in which case the upper extremity of cach driving arm is simply notched or
hooked in the usual manner. The arms b b are moved towards and from the barrel
as may be desired, in the usual way.
In the ordinary operation of this machine, in so far as described, the barrel
staves are placed in position in the truss-hoops and on the table or platform a and
the hoops are driven down by lowering the arms b, by means of the screw head
and shaft and the operating mechanism, the hand pieces m or hooks on the
extremities of the arms engaging with the hoops and drawing them down into
place.
As already stated one of the main features of my improvements is the catch
hoop 2 which is preferably made of iron, and which is of such diameter ¡LS, when
drawn down by the driving arms, to draw the staves together at the chine and to
leave room above the catch-hoop for the chine-hoop to be placed on the chine of
the barrel. This catch-hoop has a radial arm 3 extending outwardly beyond the
standard 4, to which standard it is pivoted, and at the outer end of the arm 3 is a
sliding weight 5 which is secured adjustably on the arm by the set screw 6 and is
adjusted so as to balance the catch-hoop or give it a slight upward tendency when
not held down by friction of the staves or the action of the locking device herein-
after described.
As the catch hoop has to be drawn down over the staves it is necessary that its
pivotal points should be capable of being correspondingly lowered and also of
being raised so as to enable the hoop to be lifted off the barrel. This I effect
automatically, by the following device: The catch hoop is not pivoted directly tó
the standard, but to a plunger 7, which enters the cavity of the standard 4 (made
hollow for that purpose), and below the plunger and within the cavity of the
standard is a spiral spring 7', which raises the plunger or allows it to sink, according
to the exigency of the raising and lowering of the catch hoop.
In order to hold the catch hoop down on the barrel against the tendency of the
weight 5 on the hoop arm to tilt it and of the spring 7 to raise it, I connect with
the arm 3 of the catch hoop, at a point slightly inside of the pivotal point 8 a
locking rod 9, which extends downwards to a stirrup 10 which surrounds the hollow
standard 4. This locking rod passes at its lower end through a hole in the stirrup,
between which and the shoulder 11 on the rod, is a spiral spring 13, which tends
to raise the locking rod, and with it the arm 3 of the catch hoop. The stirrup is
connected on the opposite side of the standard 4 to the lower end of the rod 12,
which at its upper end is attached to the pivotal point of the arm 3 of the catch
hoop. The effect of this is to cause the stirrup when canted downwards at one
side to bind on the standard and thus, without a positive locking action, to hold
the catch hoop in position when lowered, and when the hands m, or hooked ends
of the hoop-driver arms are raised from the hoop. When it is desired to raise
the catch hoop, a slight upward knock on the hoop will overcome the holding
action of the locking device and permit it to be automatically raised by the
weight.
The operation is as follows: The barrel ready trussed, and with the heads
loosely inserted in place, is set on the platform a. The arms bare then raised and
the catch hoop is drawn down over the chine of the barrel and is driven down to
place by a further downward movement of the arms and m which draw the ends
of the staves together at the chine and hold them in that position. The chine
hoop is then placed on the barrel and driven home in like manner, which by
drawing the staves together, loosens the catch-hoop, which then rises by the
combined action of the weight 5 and spring 7', to the position shown by the dotted
line in Figure 5 and the lock is loosened by the raising of the locking rod 9 so
that the catch hoop is in position for repeated action.
It should be noticed that my catch hoop is not operated by the machinery by

page_text: which the hoops are driven, and therefore that it is not necessarily attached to the
hoop driving machine proper, but may be directly pivoted to some fixed portion
of the machine or its standard or support may be so attached, or the catch-hoop
and its support may be constructed as a separate mechanism to be located when in
use in proximity to the hoop driving machinery.
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
First. In combination with driving arms and machinery for raising and lowering
them substantially such as described, a catch hoop pivotally connected to the
machine so as to be lowered by the driving arms and capable of being automatically
lifted from the barrel, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Second. In a barrel hooping machine the combination with driving arms, having
hands to engage the hoops, of a catch-hoop pivoted to the machine and capable of
being raised and lowered, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Third. In a barrel hooping machine, the combination with hoop driving arms,
of a catch hoop pivotally connected to the spring plunger of its standard or
support so as to permit of the rising and falling of the pivotal point of the catch
hoop substantially as described.
Fourth. In a barrel hooping machine, the combination of the catch hoop
pivotally connected to a reciprocating support or standard, a balance weight, and
a locking device, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Fifth. In a barrel hooping machine, the combination of a catch hoop pivotally
connected to a spring plunger mounted in a suitable standard and provided with a
balance weight, with a locking rod composed of the arms 9, 12, spring 13, and
stirrup 10 substantially as and for the purposes described.
Sixth. In combination with the reciprocating hoop driving arms of a barrel
hooping machine, a revoluble plate having links pivoted thereto and connected with
said arms for the purpose of moving the arms to or from a common centre by the
turning of said plate substantially as described.
Dated the Twenty-fourth day of July 1891.
Per pro J. T. KING,
J. Johnson.