Improvements in Automatic Hat-stretching Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1887
Specification Accepted, 1st Nov., 1887
Improvements in Automatic Hat-stretching Machines.
I GILES ATHERTON of the Virginia Mills, Stockport, in the County of Chester, Hat
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (communicated to me
from abroad by Rudolf Eickemeyer of Yonkers, in the State of New York, United
States of America) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
drawings:
The Invention relates to the machines invented by my correspondent and designed
to effect the stretching of hats, and especially to the machines whereby the tips of
hats are stretched automatically and the said improvements have been devised with
the object of increasing the practical value of such machines by rendering them
more convenient in use more reliable in operation and durability and simpler in
construction.
The Invention will be best understood when described with reference to the
accompanying five sheets of Drawings.
In the said drawings Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved machine.
Fig. 2 is a vertical central section without the stretching fingers but showing the
pendant screw rod on which they are carried.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation partly in section.
Figs 4 to 9 illustrate portions of the machine relating to the stop motion and to the
parts which raise and lower the supporting ribs or." former."
The frame of the machine is composed of side standards A and cross plates
A' A' and A' respectively situated near the bottom centre and top of the machine.
The set of tip stretching fingers B the cross head a the side rods a¹ and the
connecting links a² are as in the said prior machines the said fingers being hinged to
the lower end of a screwed spindle n which is carried by the cross head a and being
also connected by hinged links o. o with a part p which is adjustable upon the said
spindle so that by turning the nut m the outward spread of the fingers can be

page_text: regulated. The cross head a is carried by the sliding side rods a¹ which receive
motion from the crank shaft B' through the links a² so that the said fingers are
rapidly reciprocated vertically as heretofore but the crank shaft B¹ to which the said
links are coupled is now provided with fast and loose pullies and is the main driving
shaft of the machine instead of being a counter shaft as heretofore, and instead of
having each link coupled to a side rod a¹ by means of a separate wrist pin there is
now employed a bent wrist pin bar a³ which appears in Figs. 1. 2. 3 and is represented
detached by Figs. 14 and 15 sheet 4. This wrist pin bar extends from rod to rod and
is bent to afford space for intervening portions of the machine,
By thus applying the power directly to the crank shaft B¹ which is provided with a
balance wheel the machine is greatly simplified and reduced in cost and the power is
now applied initially as near as is possible to the stretching fingers by which most of
the heavy work of the machine is performed.
In thus applying the one wrist pin bar to the two side rods, the liability to twisting
is obviated, and also the tendency of the wrist pin couplings to loosen at their
connections with the said rod a' and on the whole the new machine operates more
smoothly and with greater efficiency than the old machine owing to the indicated
improvements, and to the further improvements which will next be described.
It will be obvious that the several tip stretching fingers B should during their
vertical movements occupy certain fixed positions with relation to the ribs of the
"former" c and also that the side rods a¹ should always be restricted to a truly vertical
movement, but as heretofore constructed the wear of the rod and their guides or
bearings soon caused the fingers to be unduly vibrated laterally and in order to
obviate this the side rods a' are provided with concentrically adjustable guide bearings a³,
shown in Fig. 3 and in detail in Figs. 10 to 13 sheet 4. Each rod has three of these
bearings and each bearing consists of a socket which in the example is cast in one
piece with a side plate A a tapered bushing a' in the said socket a split tapered
sleeve a within the said bushing, and a cap plate as which is provided with screws or
holts tapped into holes in the top edge of the socket so that the said sleeve which
encircles a side rod can be vertically adjusted from time to time. The contraction of
the split sleeve compensates for the wear of the rod and the guide bearing and also
maintains the said rod in its original normal vertical position and thereby constantly
maintains proper working relations between the fingers and the ribs of the "former."
The supporting ribs or skeleton "former" cis mounted upon the spindle 6 which
slides vertically in bearings carried by the cross pieces A' A' and is coupled with
lifting mechanism which promptly lifts the former automatically from its lowest
position as when ready to receive a hat to a position at which the stretching fingers
will begin to operate and then from that point the "former" is gradually lifted as the
stretching operation progresses until when the stretching is completed the former is
dropped to its original position where it remains at rest owing to the operation of a
stop motion until the stretched hat has been removed, another hat body placed on the
"former" and the stop motion clutch thrown into gear.
The said lifting mechanism includes a cam shaft D, driven by gearing from a
counter shaft D' coupled to the main shaft B¹ by belts and cone pullies D' as clearly
indicated in Fig. 3. On the shaft D is a cam C which engages with a roller C₁ on a
two armed lever 6' which is secured by one end to a rock shaft 63 and by its opposite
end is pivoted to links 6 which in turn are pivoted to a cross head 6* on the spindle b
as illustrated in Figs. 2. 3. and 9. The form of the cam c is indicated in Fig. 2 the
cam appearing in the position assumed when it has imparted to the "former"
initial prompt lifting movement and a further gradual lifting movement.
"its
The cone pulley connections provide for variations in the speed of the cam shaft and
in the lifting and lowering movements of the "former" and the latter is made to rest
at each full drop as hereinbefore mentioned by means of automatic stopping
mechanism which will be next described.
The counter shaft D' consists of a hollow shaft or sleeve to which the cone pullies
are secured and an interior shaft as clearly shown in Fig. 5. One end of the said
shaft is connected by gearing with an intermediate shaft D' and this shaft at its

page_text: opposite end is in turn connected by gearing with the cam shaft D as indicated in
Figs. 2 and 5.
The said sleeve and the countershaft D¹ can be connected by means of a friction
clutch D³ consisting of the two parts d and d¹ the one part being fixed or formed upon
the said sleeve and the other being mounted upon the said shaft so as to slide freely
thereon and to turn therewith. The two parts of the clutch are caused to engage by
means of a strong expanside spiral spring d which loosely encircles the said shaft and
presses against the sliding part d'. The part d' has the usual external annular groove
occupied by a loose ring secured to the forked arm of a clutch lever d³ and the latter
is mounted on the outer end of a short rock shaft d partly underlying the counter
shaft D' and mounted in bearings at right angles thereto. At the inner end of the
said rock shaft there is a horizontal arm d' which when depressed will open the clutch
and when released will allow the spring to engage the clutch. Beneath the cross
plate A a hand lever e is loosely pivoted by its rear end at e¹ to the underside of the
said plate so that the said hand lever overlies and is supported by the arm d' which in
turn is supported by the spring & operating through the forked clutch lever d³. The
"former" spindle 6 has a collar k' carrying a laterally projecting arm e² to which is
attached a pendant rode which when the spindle descends moves in a path crossed by
the hand levere and by coming into contact with the said lever depresses the same
and the lever in turn depresses the arm d' and thus opens the clutch and stops the
cam shaft D. When however the lever e is moved laterally from beneath the end of
the said pin or rod e³ the clutch is closed promptly by its spring and the cam shaft
commences to rotate.
So far this portion of the machine is substantially the same as in machines in use
prior to this invention but instead of driving the counter shaft D' from an overhanging
main shaft it is now driven directly from the crank shaft B' thus simplifying the
construction. In the former machines however the clutch releasing lever e could only
be controlled by the hand of the operator and as it is always desirable and sometimes
necessary that he should have both hands free for adjusting a hat body on the former
there has now been combined with the said lever a treadle e' which is connected with
the lever by means of a rod cord or chain e which enables the operator to put the
clutch into gear by pressing on the treadle with bis foot thereby further materially
facilitating operations with the machine as for instance in the event of a repeated
lifting movement being desirable without pausing the hands of the operator being
free to readjust a hat upon the former.
In the present as in former Eickemeyer machines the hat body is clamped at or
near its brim and rotated on the "former" during the stretching operation and the
hat body is strained downward upon the "former" under yielding pressure.
"
Referring to Fig. 2 and to the Figs. in sheet 5 the ribbed "former c separately
represented in Fig. 25 is supported by an annular base plate shown separately in
Fig. 26 and these parts are coupled together and secured to the spindle b. Beneath
the said base plate, and loosely mounted on the said spindle is an annular bearing g
consisting of a turned ring which is connected with a hub by radial arms. separate
view of this part appears in Fig. 27. Upon this annular bearing is mounted a
clamping ring separately represented by Fig. 24. This clamping ring has an outer
conical surface for co-operating with an upper clamping ring i also separately shown
in Fig. 24. The said ring has an inner conical surface. Between the conical
surfaces of these two rings the hat body is clamped by its brim. The ring his free to
revolve either with or independently of its annular bearing 9.
h
Below the hub of the bearing g there is a cross head k shown separately in Fig. 21
and this cross head is loosely mounted on the spindle 6 and is free to rise and fall
thereon thereby raising and lowering the bearing g. This cross head is supported by
a pair of coupled links k¹ (see Fig. 22) these links being pivoted to a forked lever A
and the said lever being hinged by a pin to arms projecting from the collar k²
hereinbefore referred to as carrying the arm and the pendant stop pin or rode and
separately shown in Fig. 23. The outer end of the said lever is loaded with weights
which are suspended by means of a rod hook so that while the said weights
4'

page_text: l
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"
normally hold the clamping ring h at its most elevated position on the spindle they
will permit the said ring to be forced downward under a pressure sufficient to over-
balance the said weights. The upper clamping ring i has a pair of ears & drilled for
the reception of screws, by which the ring may be securely fastened to the under-
side of an annular weight see Figs. 19 and 20, and this weight being suspended
and free to rise and fall, it will be seen that if a hat body be on the former
with the lower clamping ring hinside the hat and the upper ring i tightly clamping
the brim the said weight will strain the hat downward upon the former" to a
degree corresponding to the extent to which the said weight overbalances the weights
thus stretching the hat body in radial lines while the finger and "former are
stretching in circular lines. It will be obvious that in lieu of the weights * and
the connected levers a spiral spring adjustable on the spindle might be employed as
a yielding foundation for the cross head k.
"
The rotation of the clamped hat body upon the "former " is effected by the
rotation of the annular weight which is suspended by bolts or rods from an
annular spur wheel having a suitable bearing on the upper cross plate A³ of the
frame the said bearing being concentric with the spindle b. This wheel l² is revolved
by means of an adjustable intermediate wheel (seen in Figs. 16 and 17) with
which gears a pinion on the top of a vertical shaft which at its bottom is
geared to the cam shaft D by the wheels 1 and as illustrated in Figs. 1. 3. and 9
a consequence of the arrangement being that the rotation of the hat body ceases
when the cam shaft stop motion operates.
The stretching fingers B are rendered adjustable by means of the hand wheel
nut m but the ribbed "former" and the clamping rings, must obviously be changed
to suit various sizes of hat bodies and hence they are so mounted as to be con-
veniently applied and removed.
When operating with the machine the stretching fingers as a whole are operated
continuously at from two hundred to three hundred vibrations a minute. The
"former" when at rest and at its lowest position receives a properly heated and
moistened hat body and the hand lever e or the treadle e is moved to release it
from the stop pin or rod e³ whereupon the clutch engages and the cam shaft
rotates causing the "former' to rapidly rise until the hat body is clamped by
the two rings h. i and is slowly rotated on the "former" which continues slowly
to rise until the hat body is subjected to the action of the tip stretching fingers
and then the former rises still further to the extent of about one half of an inch
the hat body meantime revolving continuously and presenting fresh surfaces to
the stretching devices the hat being at the same time strained downward upon the
"former" until the cam shaft having made a complete revolution the "former
is lowered and rests with the hat thereon properly stretched not only peripherally
or in circular lines but also in radial lines extending from near the brim up the
"square
to the centre of the tip. If the annular weight should be nearly
balanced by the weights k the downward strain or pull on the hat body will be
at a minimum. The said strain can be increased from this minimum by lessening
the weight of k but if clamping is only required to insure the rotation of the
hat body the said annular weight need be but little if any heavier than the
weights k*.
"
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
(1) The combination of rapidly reciprocated stretching fingers carried by parts
which receive motion directly from the main driving shaft and of a ribbed support
,,
"former co-operating with the said fingers and occupying the interior of a
hat body with mechanism for automatically advancing and withdrawing the said
"
former into and out of working relations with the said fingers and for slowly
advancing the said former during the stretching operation substantially as and for
the purpose set forth and indicated.
or
«
(2) The "former' "and the brim stretching fingers the latter supported on a

page_text: cross-head carried by reciprocating rods in combination with guide bearings which
are concentrically adjustable with relation to the said rods whereby proper working
relations between the fingers and the ribs of the "former " are constantly maintained
substantially as set forth and indicated.
(3) The combination with the stretching fingers and the "former" co-operating as
described for stretching a hat body of a stop motion for causing the "former" to rest
at its lowest position after each complete stretching operation, and a treadle lever for
releasing the said stop motion and permitting the "former to rise into working
relations with the stretching fingers.
وو
(4) The combination of parts consisting of the stretching fingers the rods on which
they are mounted the wrist pin bar to which both the said rods are coupled, the crank
shaft and the connecting links by which the said shaft and bar are coupled together,
substantially as set forth and indicated.
Dated this 8th day of Sontember 1887
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.