Improvements in and connected with Machinery for Sorting Glass and other Beads.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Nov.; 1891
Complete Specification Left, 23rd July, 1892-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Machinery for Sorting Glass
and other Beads.
We, LEOPOLD MYERS, of Charlotte Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Pen
Manufacturer, and CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY, of 128 Colmore Row,
Birmingham, aforesaid, Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed improvements in machinery for
sorting glass and other beads so as to separate those beads which can be threaded
from those beads which on account of their holes being either too small or entirely
closed up cannot be threaded; and this invention further consists of an improve-
ment in what is known as "wire card" which according to this invention we employ
in the said machinery for sorting the beads as hereinafter described.
In carrying out this invention we employ a series of short wires projecting at
the proper distances apart from the outside or inside surface of a revolving drum
pulley or barrel or from the surface of a travelling band. These wires are or
may be the same kind as, and fixed in a leather or other foundation in the same
way that are the wires in wire card for carding wool etc. but for our purpose the
wires have to be much farther apart and we prefer to have them bent to a curved
shape as hereinafter described. The said wires are preferably of the same diameter
as the smallest holes in the beads which are required to be threaded. The said
revolving drum or pulley or barrel or the travelling band is so arranged that as it
moves the wires dip into and move through the mass of beads to be sorted and
bring up threaded on the wires some of those beads which can be threaded and
carry these up
to a higher level and then drop them down into a separate
receptacle. Those beads which, by reason of their holes being too small stick ou
to the wires are removed by a revolving brush or other means so that they either
fall back into the mass of unsorted beads or into another separate receptacle. The
wires have to be so far apart that any beads which are not threaded thereon will
not lodge between or upon their wires. Means are employed for continuously
changing the positions of the mass of unsorted beads and for moving them along
so that all of them in due course come into contact with the moving wires and in
this way all or nearly all those beads which can be threaded are picked out, the
unthreadable beads remaining behind.
Our improvement in the said "wire card" for use in the said machinery consists
in making the wires slightly curved from the surface of the card with their outer
ends projecting towards the direction in which the wires are moving (instead of
the wires being bent to an angular form as is usual when the wire card is used for
carding wool, cotton etc.). By curving the wires as above described more beads
will be picked up thereon than when the wires are straight or bent to an angular
form and the beads will fall off the wires more freely.
When we use the said wire card or other wires fixed to and projecting from the
outside of the periphery of a drum or cylinder we prefer to arrange the machine as
follows:-The said cylinder is mounted on and turns with a revolving horizontal
shaft and the unsorted beads are contained in a hopper at the bottom of which is
an outlet regulated by a slide or otherwise arranged so that the quantity of beads
passing out of the hopper through the said outlet can be regulated at will. The
said outlet is adjacent to the rising side of the drum and there is a curved trough
leading from the said outlet to the underside of the drum. The unsorted beads
pass out of the hopper into the said trough where they accumulate, as they are

page_text: prevented from running quickly out of the lower side of the trough by an adjustable
bar or weir. As the drum revolves the wires thereon pick up the threadable
beads out of the trough and carry them over to the other side of the drum where
as above described they fall off the wires into a receptacle for that purpose at the
same time other beads are passing from the hopper into the trough and those beads
which will not thread on to the wires together with some of the threadable beads
which have escaped the wires continuously pass over the bar or weir out of the
trough and run down an incline to an ordinary elevator which carries them up and
delivers them into the hopper again so as in due course to pass along the trough
and be again presented to the sorting wires ou the drum and thus in a short time
all the threadable beads are sorted out.
The said revolving brush which removes those beads from the wires which stick
thereon is or may be located under the drum.
The said trough is by preference hinged at its upper edge to the hopper so that
the trough can be adjusted nearer to or farther from the drum and turned down
when required to run the unthreadable beads out of the hopper into the lowest
part of the machine where they can by opening a door or slide be allowed to
escape.
There is or may be a notched cam at one end of the drum which is pressed by
a spring against an inclined piece on the machine frame so that as the drum and
shaft revolve they are caused to move endwise rapidly through a short space and
back again so as to assist in shaking those beads off the wires which have been
carried over to the down side of the drum, and by the shaking to prevent any
unthreaded beads being carried up by lodging between or against the wires.
In another arrangement of our invention in which we employ a moving con-
tinuous leather or other band or two or more of the same furnished with the said
wires projecting from the surface of the band or bands towards the direction in
which the band is or the bands are travelling, the said band or each of the said
bands passes round two or more drums or pulleys a short distance apart the wires
projecting outwardly therefrom. One or more of these drums or pulleys revolves
or revolve in the trough containing the beads to be sorted, so that the threadable
beads will be picked up by the wires of the band or bands and carried up over
the other said pulley or pulleys and then allowed to fall off into a separate
receptacle.
Or instead of the wires on the band or bands projecting outwardly from the
pulleys or drums, the wires may project inwardly towards the shafts on or with
which the pulleys or drums respectively revolve. In this case the said wires do
not cover the whole width of the band but a space at each side of the band is left
plain to run on the pulleys or drums. Each band is by preference arranged to
run on only two pulleys or drums that is to say there is a large pulley or drum
hanging suspended in the band which latter passes over a smaller pulley or drum
above which is fixed on a revolving shaft. Each of these pulleys or drums is
hollow and has a deep groove or recess in its periphery (preferably extending to
the shaft) and in this recess of the larger drum are the unsorted beads. As the
drums or pulleys revolve the threadable beads are picked up by the wires of the
band and carried up and dropped into the recess of the small upper pulley from
whence they fall into a shoot and down into a receptacle.
In another arrangement of this invention the said wire card is fixed to the
inside of a revolving barrel or drum containing the beads to be sorted and the
threadable beads are picked up by the wires and carried up to the top of the barrel
or drum and then as the wires are inverted the beads fall off into an inclined shoot
and out at one of the open ends of the barrel or drum. Each end of the drum or
barrel is by preference made with a central opening of smaller diameter than the
drum or barrel. This latter is or may be partly filled with the beads and allowed
to revolve until all the threadable beads have been sorted out. The unthreadable
beads are then removed through one of the open ends of the barrel or through a
filling door provided therein. A shaking rotary motion is or may be transmitted

page_text: to the drum or barrel by revolving polygonal rollers upon which it rests so as to
shake off those beads which stick on the wires.
Dated this 7th day of November 1891.
LEOPOLD MYERS.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Machinery for Sorting Glass
and other Beads.
We, LEOPOLD MYERS, of Charlotte Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Pen
Manufacturer, and CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY, of 128, Colmore Row,
Birmingham, aforesaid, Engineer and 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 :-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed improvements in machinery for
sorting glass and other beads so as to separate those beads which can be threaded
from those beads which on account of their holes being either too small or
entirely closed up cannot be threaded, and this invention further consists of an
improvement in what is known as "wire card" which according to this invention
we employ in the said machinery for sorting the beads as hereinafter described.
In carrying out this invention we employ a series of short wires projecting at the
proper distances apart from the outside or from the inside surface of a revolving
drum, pulley or barrel or from the surface of a travelling band. These wires are
or may be the same kind as, and fixed in a leather or other foundation in the same
way that are the wires in wire card for carding wool etc. but for our purpose the
wires have to be much farther apart and we prefer to have them bent to a curved
shape as hereinafter described. The said wires are preferably the same diameter
as the smallest holes in the beads which are required to be threaded. The said
revolving drum or pulley or barrel or the travelling band is so arranged that as it
moves the wires dip into and move through the mass of beads to be sorted and
bring up threaded on the wires some of those beads which can be threaded and
carry these up to a higher level and then drop them down into a separate receptacle.
Those beads which by reason of their holes being too small stick on to the wires
are removed by a revolving brush or other means so that they either fall back into
the mass of unsorted beads or into another separate receptacle. The wires have to
be so far apart that any beads which are not threaded thereon will not lodge
between or upon the wires. Means are employed for continuously changing the
positions of the mass of unsorted beads and for moving them along so that all of
them in due course come into contact with the moving wires and in this way all or
nearly all those beads which can be threaded are picked out the unthreadable beads
remaining behind.
On the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a bead
sorting machine constructed according to this invention in which the said wires are
fixed to and project from the outside of the periphery of a drum or cylinder; Fig. 2
is a front elevation and Fig. 3 is a plan of the same machine and Fig. 4 shews parts
of the same; Fig. 5 shews in sectional elevation and Fig. 6 in front elevation the
said revolving drum and adjacent parts on an enlarged scale; Fig. 7 is a side
view and Fig. 8.is a front view of a piece of our improved wire card on an enlarged
scale and Fig. 8* shews one of the wires of the same separately.
Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional front elevations and Fig. 11 is a sectional side
elevation and Fig. 12 is a side elevation of that form of our invention in which we
use the said wires fixed to a travelling band.
Fig. 13 is a part sectional front elevation and Fig. 14 is a sectional side elevation
of another form of our invention in which we use the said wires fixed to a
travelling band.

page_text: Fig. 15 is a sectional side elevation and Fig. 16 is a cross sectional elevation
of that form of our invention in which we use the said wires inside a revolving
barrel or drum.
When we use the said wire card or other wires fixed to and projecting from the
outside of the periphery of a drum or cylinder we prefer to arrange the machine
as we will now describe with reference to Figures 1 to 8 both inclusive:-The said
cylinder A is mounted on and turns with a revolving horizontal shaft a' which
revolves in bearings a² a fixed to the machine frame B. The outer surface of
this cylinder A is covered by the said wire card which is fixed thereto by means
of glue or by nailing or other means. As will be seen by Figs. 7 8 and 8* the
wires are of the usual shape (except that they are curved) and they are fixed
in the leather or other foundation G in the same way as are the wires in ordinary
wire card for carding cloth but they are made much farther apart so that the
beads will not rest between them. An important feature of this invention consists
in making the wires g slightly curved (see Figs. 7 and 8*) from the surface of the
card G with their outer ends projecting towards the direction in which the wires
are moving as shewn in Figs. 1, 4, 5, 11, 12, 14 and 16 (instead of the wires being
bent to an angular form as is usual when the wire card is used for carding wool,
cotton etc.). By curving the wires g as above described more beads will be picked
up thereon than when the wires are straight or bent to an angular form and the
beads will fall off the wires (at the proper time as hereinafter described) more
freely. The unsorted beads are (as is shewn in Fig. 5) contained in a hopper C
also carried by the machine frame B and at the bottom of the hopper is an outlet c
regulated by a slide c² which can by the nut c³ screwed on the screwed stem (4 of
the slide c² be moved up or down so that the quantity of beads passing out of the
hopper C through the outlet c¹ can be regulated at will. The outlet c' is adjacent
to the rising side of the drum A which revolves in the direction shewn by the
arrow in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 and receives slow rotary motion from the shaft e by the
band & passing round the pulleys a³ and e'. The shaft receives rotary motion
from any convenient source by a band on the fast and loose pulleys ee. There is
a curved trough F leading from the outlet c¹ to the under-side of the drum A. The
unsorted beads pass out of the hopper C through the outlet c' into the trough F
where they accumulate (see Fig. 5) as they are prevented from running quickly
out of the lower side of the trough by an adjustable bar or weir H which is parallel
with the drum A and can be set so as to clear the wires g. As the drum A revolves
the wires g thereon pick up the threadable beads out of the trough F (see Fig. 5) and
carry them over to the other side of the drum where, as above described they fall
off the wires down a spout into a receptacle placed at the bottom of the spout to
receive them. At the same time other beads are passing from the hopper C into
the trough F and those other beads which will not thread on to the wires together
with some of the threadable beads which have escaped the wires continuously pass
over the bar or weir H out of the trough F and run down an incline to an ordinary
elevator consisting of the band K passing over the upper and lower pulleys k
and furnished with the elevator buckets / which carry the beads up and deliver
them into the hopper again so as in due course to pass along the trough F and be
again presented to the sorting wires g of the drum A and thus in a short time all
the threadable beads are sorted out.
L' is a wire brush revolving rapidly in the direction shewn by the arrow Fig. 5
which brush is arranged parallel with the drum A. and some distance above the axle
of the same so as just to touch the tips of the wires g and remove those beads which
by reason of their holes being too small stick on the outer ends of the wires g and
deliver them down the spout m into a separate receptacle so as to prevent their
falling down the spout i with the threadable beads. Those unthreadable beads
which fit so tightly on the wires g that they do not fall off the same down the spout i
are removed from the wires g by another brush L' which is arranged below the
drum A. and revolves rapidly in the direction shewn by the arrow in Fig. 5 these
unthreadable beads falling off down the incline j.

page_text: The trough F is by preference hinged at its upper edge to the hopper so that
the trough can be turned on its hinge and adjusted nearer to or farther from the
drum A or as shewn by Fig. 4 be turned down when it is required to run the beads
out of the hopper C down the incline j into the lowest part of the machine where
they can by opening a door or slit 2 be allowed to escape. The adjustment of the
trough F is effected by the bent shaft which projects at the side of the machine
and which when turned either one way or the other raises or lowers the trough F
about its hinge f¹.
There is or may be a notched cam a at one end of the drum A. which is pressed
by a spring a³ (see Fig. 6) against an inclined piece a fixed to the machine frame
so that as the drum A and shaft a' revolve they are caused to move endwise rapidly
in the bearings a² a² through a short space and back again so as to assist in shaking
those threadable beads off the wires which have been carried over to the down side
of the drum, carried up by lodging between or against the wires g.
In another arrangement of our invention (see Figs. 9, 10 11 and 12) we employ
a moving continuous leather or other band or two or more of the same (in this
particular machine there are four of these bands marked O) each furnished with
the wires g projecting from the outer surface of the band towards the direction in
which the band is or the bands are travelling which is shewn by the arrows in
Figs. 11 and 12, the said band O or each of the said bands O passes round two or
more drums or pulleys marked respectively A and P a short distance apart mounted
upon the shafts a and p carried in the bearings in the side frames B the wires g
projecting outwardly from the said drums or pulleys. The drums or pulleys A
revolve in the trough F containing the beads to be sorted, so that the threadable
beads will be picked up by the wires g of the bands O and carried up over the
other pulleys F (see Fig. 11) and then fall off into the separate receptacle R¹
provided to receive them. The revolving brushes L' L' are arranged and act
in this machine similarly as above described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
and 6. The trough F is by preference made capable of being swung round the
shaft a as a centre so as to facilitate emptying the contents of the trough F
into the box R2 (as shewn in Fig. 12) when required. Or the trough may be
arranged with a hopper as in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
9
In the modification of our invention shewn by Figs. 13 and 14 instead of the
wires g on the band or bands O projecting outwardly from the pulleys or drums A
and as in the example shèwn by Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12, the wires may project
inwardly towards the shafts a and p on or with which the pulleys or drums
respectively revolve. In this case (see Fig. 13 which shews two machines, one in
section and the other in elevation both driven by the same shaft p) the said wires
do not cover the whole width of the band O but a space at each side of the band is
left plain to run on the pulleys or drums A and P. Each band O is by preference
arranged as shewn to run on only the two pulleys or drums A. and P the large
pulley or drum A hanging suspended in the band O which latter passes over the
smaller pulley or drum P above which is fixed on the revolving shaft p supported
by any suitable bearings. Each of these pulleys or drums is hollow and has a deep
groove or recess marked respectively S₁ S² in its periphery (preferably extending
to the shafts as shewn) and in this recess S¹ of the larger drum A are the unsorted
beads. As the drums or pulleys A and P revolve the threadable beads are as
shewn by Fig. 14 picked up by the wires of the band O and carried up as shewn in
Fig. 14 and dropped into the recess S² of the small upper pulley P from whence
they fall into a shoot i (which can as shewn very conveniently be suspended on the
shaft p) and down into the receptacle R. When the threadable beads have been
sorted out those which remain in the drum S' are removed by lifting the drum out
of the band when the contents will fall down into the box R2. The drum A is
flanged as shewn so as the better to prevent the band working off the drum A.
In another arrangement of this invention as shewn in Figs. 15 and 16 the said
wire card is fixed to the inside of a revolving barrel or drum T the ends of which
have central openings of smaller diameter than the drum or barrel so as to prevent

page_text: the heads falling out as the drum or barrel revolves. This barrel or drum contains
the beads to be sorted and as it revolves in the direction shewn by the arrow in
Fig. 16 the threadable beads are picked up by the wires and carried up to the
top of the barrel or drum and then as the wires are inverted the beads fall off into
the inclined shoot i and out at the open end of the barrel or drum T. This
latter is or may be partly filled with the beads and allowed to revolve until all the
threadable beads have been sorted out. The unthreadable beads are then removed
through one of the open ends of the barrel or through a filling door provided in
the barrel T (not shewn in the drawing). A shaking rotary motion is or may be
transmitted to the drum or barrel T by four revolving polygonal rollers U upon
which it rests so as to shake off those unthreadable beads which stick on the wires
before they rise so high as to fall into the shoot or trough i. The four rollers U
are mounted upon the two shafts V1 V2 arranged parallel with each other and with
the axis of the drum or barrel T and carried in bearings on the machine frame W.
The shaft V receives rotary motion from any convenient source and its motion is
transmitted to the shaft V2 by the band a on the pulleys y y and thus the barrel T
is caused to revolve. Z is a trough fixed to the machine frame W to facilitate
pouring the beads into the barrel T.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1
1. In a machine for sorting threadable beads from unthreadable beads the use of
a revolving drum or cylinder or a travelling band furnished with projecting wires
arranged so that the wires pass through the mass of unsorted beads and transfix
the threadable beads and carry them up and drop them away from the unsorted.
beads substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a bead sorting machine of the kind denoted under Claim one and in com-
bination with the revolving drum or cylinder or the travelling band thereof on
which are the projecting wires, the use of a revolving wire brush or revolving
wire brushes such as LL2 adapted to remove those beads which stick on the
wires substantially as herein before described.
3. In a bead sorting machine of the kind denoted under Claim one, the employ-
ment of mechanism for imparting a shaking movement to the drum or cylinder so
as to shake off the threadable beads and prevent beads which are not transfixed by
the wires lodging on the same, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. For use in a bead sorting machine the improved "wire card" made with the
wires curved in the direction in which the wires are required to move through the
beads so as to facilitate the transfixing of the threadable beads on the wires and
the threadable beads when picked out falling off the wires, substantially as herein-
before set forth.
5. In a bead sorting machine and in combination the use of the revolving
cylinder A having wires projecting from its outer surface and adapted to transfix
the threadable beads contained in the trough F and to carry them up and drop
them down the spout i, the brush L' which removes down the spout m those beads
which are carried up by sticking on the ends of the wires but are too small in the
hole to be properly transfixed thereby, the brush L2 which removes those beads from
the wires which fit too tightly thereon to fall off by themselves, and the hopper C
containing the beads to be sorted and which continuously pass out into the trough F,
either with or without the elevator for carrying into the hopper again those beads
which fali out of the trough F, all substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In a bead sorting machine and in combination the use of the continuous
travelling band O having wires projecting from its outer surface and passing round
the pulleys A and P and adapted to transfix on the wires the threadable beads
contained in the trough F and to carry them up and drop them down out of the
trough F, the brush L' which removes down the spout m those beads which are

page_text: carried up by sticking on the ends of the wires but are too small in the hole to be
properly transfixed thereby, and the brush L² which removes those beads from the
wires which fit too tightly thereon to fall off by themselves, all substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the accompanying
drawings.
7. In a bead sorting machine and in combination the use of the continuous
travelling band O having wires projecting from its inner surface and passing round
the hollow drums A and P and adapted to transfix on the wires the threadable beads
contained in the hollow drum A and to carry them up and drop them down into a
shoot i away from the unthreadable beads all substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by Figs. 13 and 14 of the accompanying drawings.
8. In a bead sorting machine and in combination the use of the slowly revolving
drum T containing the beads to be sorted and having wires projecting from its inner
surface which are adapted to transfix the threadable beads and to carry them up
and drop them, and the trough i arranged to catch the threadable beads as they
fall from the wires and to convey them to the outside of the drum substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figures 15 and 16 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of July 1892