Year: 1886

page_text: a
I, PETER GILL of Oakland Street Widnes in the County of Lancaster, Insurance
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present application has for its object certain new and useful improvements in
the construction of soap frames, whereby increased efficiency in working is attained,
and the manipulation of the soap blocks is facilitated with consequent saving of labour
and other advantages.
The soap frames are constructed in pairs, the requisite number being preferably.
arranged side by side upon pillars at a suitable height above the floor of the factory.
Each soap frame consists of an iron box, the bottom of which is provided with wheels
running upon flanged or other rails endwise and forming, when the sides are removed,
trolley for the transport of the solid soap block. The outer or far side of each soap
frame is firmly secured above and below to an outer frame enclosing the whole
apparatus. The inner or near side of each frame is arranged to slide in grooves from
or towards the frame when actuated by the mechanism herein after described. The.
ends of the soap frame are hinged preferably to the shifting side above described.
Beneath the set of frames runs a horizontal driving shaft, which rotates by means of
bevel gearing a second horizontal shaft placed between each pair of frames. Each.
secondary shaft drives two upright shafts, one near the front and the other near the
back of the pair of frames: these upright shafts have worms or screws adjusted so as
to gear into the shifting mechanism for the loose sides of the soap frames. This
mechanism preferably placed at each end near the top, middle and bottom of the
loose side of the frame, consists of a worn wheel fixed on a sleeve or matrix threaded
with right and left threads internally to correspond to two screws of opposite pitch
fastened the one to the loose side of the one frame and the other to that of its
noighbour, in such a manner that when the worm wheel is caused to revolve by means
of the worm on the upright shaft, which gears into it, the rotation of the sleeve draws
in or pushes out the screws, and consequently the loose sides to which they are
secured.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
The bottoms are first pushed into their proper position upon the rails, and the

page_text: tightening gear set in motion until the loose sides are firmly pressed against the
trolleys forming the bottom of the frame, and these in turn against the stationary
side of their respective frames; the hinged ends are then closed and secured by
suitable catches so that the frame forms a closed receptacle with tight joints. The
soap is then run in to them and left to set. When the contents are sufficiently cooled
and solidified, the hinged ends are folded back and the machinery is again set in
motion in the reverse direction causing the loose sides and ends to retire from the
soap block, which remains undisturbed upon the trolley forming the bottom of the
frame, and can be propelled thercon to the cutting room, where it arrives in the most
convenient position and shape for the subsequent operations. Each pair of frames
can be worked independently from the main shaft by means of a clutch and bevel
gear, so arranged that it can be thrown out of gear or reversed at pleasure.
Dated this 30th day of June 1886.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or Appertaining to Soap Frames.
I, PETER GILL of Oakland Street, Widnes, in the County of Lancaster, Insurance
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 invention has for its object certain new and useful improvements in the
construction of soap frames, whereby increased efficiency in working is attained, and
the manipulation of tho soap blocks is facilitated with a consequent saving of labour
and other advantages.
The manner in which I attain this object may be best described by reference to the
accompanying drawings, which set forth a group of my experimental frames in their
most improved form. In these,
Figure 1 is an end elevation."
Figure 2 a longitudinal section and
Figure 3 a plan.
The soap frames A are preferably constructed in pairs, the requisite number being
arranged side by side, and raised upon beams B or other suitable support to a
convenient height above the floor of the factory. Each frame A consists of an iron
box, the bottom A¹, inner or near side A² and outer ends A³ of which, are movable,
while the outer or far side A' is firmly secured above and below. Each double frame
is made to contain two soap-blocks, being for this purpose divided in the centre by
the upright hollow partition A³, the space a in this partition being open for the free
circulation of air for cooling. The partition A is preferably, firmly attached to the
fixed side A. Below, the sides A* of two adjacent pairs of frames are secured to the
rectangular bars B' by means of cotters b, which pass through the bars on either side

page_text: of the lugs The bars B₁ are preferably attached to the supporting beams B.
Above, the sides A' of the said pairs of frames are held in position by the angle iron C,
one at each end of the pair.
Each frame is provided with a separate bottom A' for each soap block. Said
bottom may be provided with wheels so as to run endwise upon rails and form, when
the inner side and outer end are removed, a trolly for the transport of the solid soap
block. I prefer however to place the rollers or wheels D on the floor of the factory
and run the bottom, carrying the soap block on to the trolly usually provided for that
purpose. The wheels are placed a short distance below the under side of A', so that
the soap block in falling may be the more readily detached from the sides of the
frame. The bottom A¹ is formed with bevelled edges & which fit into a complementary
grooved in the sides A² and A, and form a joint to prevent the escape of the liquid
soap. In order to pick the bottom up again when the frame is being closed, I provide
at convenient, intervals on the lower edge of sides A² and A feet d² having the same
slope as grooved and projecting somewhat below the top of the wheels D. As the
sides come together, these feet catch the bottom of the frame which by reason of its
bevelled edges is forced upwards into the groove d¹. The sides and ends are.
strengthened where necessary by ribs a¹.
The movable side A2 is arranged to slide in grooves or on the bar B¹ from or
towards the frame, when actuated by the mechanism hereinafter described, being.
retained in its proper position by the lugs on its lower edge and the angle-irons C
at its upper edge.
The outer ends A³ may be hinged, either to the shifting side A³, or to the fixed side A*,
but I find it more convenient to have them hinged to the latter as shown at E. They
are secured to the side A2 when the frame is ready for use in any suitablo, manner, as
for instance with latches E' and hasps E2.
The sides A may be actuated from a horizontal shaft running beneath an entire
row of frames, a suitable clutch device being provided for throwing each group in or
out of gear as required, but I prefer to work each group of frames separately by hand,
thus dispensing with the continuous shaft and clutch devices. Also instead of placing
the secondary horizontal shaft between the double frames at their lower edges as set
forth in my provisional specification, I place it in a similar position relative to the
frames, but above them as shown at F, and I make this the driving shaft. The shaft F
provided with a hand wheel fand is carried by bearings attached to the angle
irons C. It is preferably placed with its axis midway between the frames. On the
shaft F are two bevelled pinions F, which gear into two similiar spur wheels F2 on
the upright shafts G. The said shafts G being retained in position at their upper
ends by the bearings g on the girder G₁ which stretches across between the angle
iron C. Their lower ends are supported by the footsteps g' attached preferably to the
beam B. The upright shafts G are provided with two or more worms or screws G³ G³,
adjusted so as to gear into the shifting mechanism for the loose sides A2 of the soap
frames. The positions of the screws G G³ on the shaft G, and also the positions of the
shafts G relative to the ends of the frame, are so chosen that the strains on the sides A²
and on the shafts G, due to the liquid soap within the frames, shall be as nearly as
possible equally distributed. The screws G G³ may each be made to gear into a
worm wheel fixed on a sleeve or matrix threaded internally with right and left hand
threads, in which work two screws of corresponding pitch fastened, the one to the
loose side of pair of frames, and the other to that of its neighbour, in such a manner.
that when the worm wheel is caused to revolve by means of the worin G' G³ the
rotation of the sleeve draws in or pushes out the screws, and consequently the loose
sides to which they are secured. I find however that simple levers screwed up and
down will work as well as worms, and right and left hand screws screwed outward.
I prefer therefore to use the mechanical equivalent for the worms and screws, which is
shown in the drawings and described as follows:
I surround each screw G³, G³, with a stout nut H' H*, armed on two opposite sides
with a pin or stud H³. On each pin is threaded one end of two short links h, the
other end of these links being pivoted, the on to one loose side A2, and the other to

page_text: the neighbouring loose side. There are thus eight links attached to each side A².
The screws are made. right and left handed, and the links are preferably placed at an
inclination such as is shown in Figure 1, or at a still greater angle with each other.
As the shaft Grovolves, in closing the frames, the tendency of the screws G2, G3, is
to force the nuts H, H2, away from each other, and to increase the angle between
each pair of links, thus bringing great pressure to bear on the loose sides A². The top
screw. G2 is made as shown of a quicker pitch than the bottom one G³, in order that
in slacking off A², its top edge may travel quicker than its bottom one.
for this will appear hereafter.
...The operation of the apparatus is as follows-
The reason
The bottoms A¹ are first pushed. into their proper places on the wheels D, D, the
end. doors are closed ready for latching, and the tightening gear set in motion by
turning the hand whicelf. The feet d coming in contact with the bevelled edges d
pick up the bottoms A' and guide it into the grooves d². The latches E¹ being let
down into the hasps the movement is continued till the side A2 is firmly pressed
against the ends A³, and the partition A5, and the bottom A', are held securely
between the two sides. The whole now forms four closed receptacles with tight joints
into which the soap is run. When the soap is partially set, the loose sides are slacked
off a little, the greater pitch of the screws G2 allowing the top of the side to come
further away from the soap block than the bottom of it. The soap blocks are now
hammered down on the top, in order that their density may be as nearly as possible
the same throughout, and the sides are closed to again. When the contents of the
frames are sufficiently cooled and solidified, the hinged ends A³ are folded back and
the mechanism is again set in motion to cause the loose sides to retire from the soap
blocks. The bottoms A¹ having now no support on their inner edges drop with the
soap on to the wheels D, thus detaching the blocks from the fixed sides A. The
blocks with the bottoms still adhering to them can now be run on to a trolly, and
propelled to the cutting room, where they arrive in the most convenient position, and.
shape, for the subsequent operations.
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 :-
1st. A soap frame formed with a bottom drawn up tight by the tightening of the
sides when the frame is being closed, and let down onto wheels, and run out with its
load upon the same, when the side is slacked back, substantially as described.
2nd. A soap frame with tightening mechanism placed between one of its sides, and
a stationary abutment, or the movable side of a similar, but oppositely arranged frame,
worked by power, and so arranged as to draw the side clear of the rest of the frame,
when the soap has to be removed, and force it up into position again, tightening the
joints: between it and the other sides, substantially as described.
3rd. The mechanism for, and when applied to working soap frames, substantially as
and for the purposes herein described, whereby the sides are closed in upon the rest of
the frame, rapidly at first, but more slowly and with more power and leverage when
the frame is nearly closed..
4th. The arrangement of a series of soap frames in pairs with actuating mechanism
between each pair, driven by the same line of shufting, but provided with clutch
motion, so that each pair can be thrown in and out at pleasure, without disturbing the
rest, substantially as described.
Car
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