Improvements in the Melting Pot Heating Mechanism of Linotype and analogous Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 16th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 25th Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by PHILIP TELL DODGE, of Washington, D.C.,
United States of America.]
Improvements in the Melting Pot Heating Mechanism of Linotype
and analogous Machines.
We, THE LINOTYPE COMPANY, LIMITED, of No. 6 Serjeants Inn, Fleet
Street, in the City of London, Sole Proprietors of, and Manufacturers, Vendors
and Licensors under the "Linotype " Patents, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
In machines for casting linotypes or type bars, it is the practice to employ a
melting pot for the type metal, heated by gas flames. In order that the metal may
be rapidly melted before commencing operations, it is customary to apply an amount.
of heat greater than is necessary to maintain the body in a molten condition.
The result is that unless the heat is reduced by diminishing the flame, the metal
is maintained at an excessive temperature, which results in porous or spongey
castings, and in other objectionable results.
It has been attempted to overcome this difficulty by providing the machines with
cocks through which the supply of gas could be regulated by hand, to reduce the
flame. But in practice, it has been found that the attendants cannot be relied upon
to effect the adjustment.
The present invention is intended to permit the use of a maximum flame during
the melting of the metal in the first instance and to automatically reduce the flame,
after the metal reaches the molten state; and to this end it consists in combining
with the cock or other gas regulating device, automatic means for reducing the flow.
of gas, when the machine begins its action.
In carrying the invention into effect, there is placed at some convenient point on
the gas supply, a stop cock adapted to be automatically shut off, more or less, during
the first casting action of the machine.. The degree to which the said stop cock is
shut off depends upon its position. If it is fixed upon the main gas supply, it is
shut off partly only, as far as may be necessary according to the desired diminution
of the combustion, while if it is fixed on the branch supply pipe to one (say) of the
burners of the furnace, it is shut off wholly. The automatic device for effecting the
nécessary shutting off consists of a lever or arm on or connected to or with the plug
of the cock and which is forced against a fixed stud or stop and turned thereby
through the necessary arc.
+
The invention is of course applicable to all linotype or type casting machines.
having their own gas heated melting pots, whatever their form, the only require-
ment being that some moving part of the machine shall be utilized to shut off the
gas, more or less, as above described, when the machine commences its action.
Dated this 14th day of June 1895.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in the Melting Pot Heating Mechanism of Linotype.
and analogous Machines.
We, THE LINOTYPE COMPANY, LIMITED, late of No. 6 Serjeants Inn,
but now of No. 188 Fleet Street, both in the City of London, Sole Proprietors
of, and Manufacturers, Vendors and Licensors under the "Linotype " Patents, 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:
In machines for casting linotypes or type bars, it is the practice to employ a gas
heated melting pot for the type metal. In order that the metal may be rapidly
melted before commencing operations, it is customary to apply an amount of heat
greater than is necessary to maintain the body of type metal in a molten condition.
The result is that unless the heat is reduced by diminishing the flame, the metal
is maintained at an excessive temperature, which results in porous or spongey
castings, and in other objectionable results.
It has been attempted to overcome this difficulty by providing the machines with
cocks through which the supply of gas could be regulated by hand, to reduce the
flame. But in practice, it has been found that the attendants cannot be relied upon
to effect the adjustment of the supply.
The present invention is intended to permit the use of a maximum flame during
the melting of the metal in the first instance, and the subsequent and automatic
reduction of the flame after the metal has reached the molten state; and to this end
it consists in combining with the cock or other gas regulating device, automatic
means for reducing the flow of gas, when the machine begins its action.
In carrying the invention into effect, there is placed at some convenient point on
the gas supply, a stop cock adapted to be automatically shut off, more or less,
during the first casting action of the machine. The degree to which the said stop
cock is shut off, depends upon its position. The automatic controlling device for
effecting the necessary shutting off, consists of a lever or arm on or connected to or
with the plug of the cock, and which is forced against a fixed stud or stop and
turned thereby through the necessary arc.
The invention is of course applicable to all linotype or casting machines having
their own gas heated melting pots, whatever their form, the only requirement being
that some moving part of the machine shall be utilized to shut off the gas, more or
less as above described, when the machine commences its action.
The invention includes the arrangement of the automatic controlling device
above mentioned in such a way as to partially close the cock or other gas regulating
device, instead of wholly cutting off the gas. The said device may be applied to
the branch supply to the principal burner only, or to those to all the burners, as
may be most convenient.
Further, the invention includes any combination of devices by which the machine
can be made to automatically effect the object of the invention. The accompanying
drawing is to be taken as a part of this Specification. It is a sectional side
elevation illustrating the details of the application of the invention to the
Mergenthaler linotype machine described in the Specification of Letters Patent
No. 145821890. It is not to be taken as in any way limiting the invention to the
combination of devices selected. Our invention always leaves this combination
variable according to the construction and operation of the particular machine to
which it is to be applied. The nature and substance of the invention are clearly
comprehensible from the drawing. The selection of the particular combination best.
adapted for any particular case is a matter well within the ability of any skilled

page_text: mechanic who has perused this Specification and drawing, to which reference is now
particularly made.
cast.
O in the mould wheel and o the mould cavity therein in which the linotype is
V is the melting pot.
It is mounted upon an arm to which it is made
fast. This arm is capable of an oscillating movement upon the shaft o² as an axis,.
for the purpose of swinging the nose of the pot spout to and from the mould
cavity o. A curved arrow is inserted in the drawing to emphasize this capacity for
oscillation. It is the first forward movement (i.e., towards the mould cavity), that
is relied on by the combination now under specification to work the automatic
controlling device.
, are two gas burners-one playing upon the bottom of the pot V and the
other upon its spout 2. The invention does not impose any limit upon their-
number or upon their position with reference to the surfaces to be heated."
E, E are gas cocks, controlling the gas supplies to the burners v³, v³ respectively.
As the burners are arranged in the drawing, it is the one which plays upon the.
bottom of the pot V, that is called upon to do the most work; and for that
reason, the combination is shewn as applied to it.
F is an arm fast upon the plug of the cock E; and G is a fixed stop standing in.
the path of the said arm. This stop is shewn as fixed on the side of one of the
justification levers (p", p₁ of the Letters Patent above mentioned) of the machine..
The operative motion of this lever is a vertical one, as indicated by the dotted
lines, and precedes the above mentioned forward movement of the pot V. The
motion in question will, for that reason, not interfere with the action of the stop G.
as such with reference to the arm F.
The arm F is made of such a form and the stop G is so positioned that when
the pot V makes the above mentioned forward movement, the said stop shall more
or less close the cock E according to the relative positions of the axis of the latter
and of the stop Gas well as of the length of the arc through which the pot is
swung. The closing of the cock E will have the effect of cutting off the gas supply
from the burner which plays upon the bottom of the pot V, while the supply to
the burner playing on the spout 2 is maintained. Suitable provision is made for
opening the cock E without having recourse to the arm F, so as to get the metal in
the pot V melted before the machine is started. The metal having been brought
to the right temperature throughout, the cock E will be shut off (more or less,.
as before described) during the first forward movement of the pot V.
It will now be seen in the combination of the devices illustrated, that it is
the arm F and the stop G which together_constitute the automatic controlling
device for effecting the necessary shutting off of the gas.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is :-
1. In a linotype machine the combination of the melting pot, a burner adapted
to play upon the bottom of the pot, a cock controlling the gas supply to the
said burner and an automatic device operated by the interaction of a fixed and a.
moving part of the mechanism, and adapted to close the said cock more or less,
when the machine is started, as set forth.
2. In a linotype machine the combination of the moveable melting pot, an arm on
the plug of the gas supply cock and a stop standing in the path of the said arm
for the purpose of actuating the supply cock so as to shut off the gas supply to
the requisite extent when the pot is moved towards the mould, as set forth.
Dated this 16th day of March 1896.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.