Year: 1899

page_text: We, GEOFFREY HOWARD and GEORGE GIBBS, both of Britannia Iron Works,
Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention liss reference to baling presses and more particularly to those
in which a reciprocating piston is employed for compressing into bales the charges
of straw or other material that are fed to the press.
The chief object of our present invention to provide means for facilitating
the carriage or conveyance of the material to the feed opening in the said press,
so that the number of workmen required with the press may be reduced.
When employing the said press in proximity to a thrashing machine it has
hitherto been necessary to have one or more workmen on the platform extending
from the thrashing machine to the press, the duty of the said workmen being to
collect and convey the material 'from the thrashing machine to the feed opening
of the press.
According to this invention we provide a reciprocating device for sweeping the
material from the surface of the aforesaid platform into the feed opening of the
press. For this purpose we may employ a rake which is adapted to swing
toward and away from the aforesaid feed, opening such rake being so arranged
that its movements alternate with the movements of the mechanical feeder arm
employed for thrusting the material through the feed opening into the press.
In other words, as the feeder arm rises, the rake approaches the feed opening
with a quantity of the material, and as the said feeder arm descends for the purpose
of pressing the said material into the feed opening the rake recedes.
As the rake recedes it is elevated some distance from the surface of the plat-
form, to avoid pushing away the material that has been previously placed on the
said platform, but as the said rake performs its reverse stroke .e. towards the
feed opening, it is permitted to lie close to the said platform and so sweep before
it the material thereon.
In order to obtain this movement of the rako we suspend it from one end of a
rocking arm which is pivotally connected with an oscillatory shaft that imparts
the reciprocating movement to the rake through the intervention of the said rocking
arm. The opposite or free end of the rocking arm as it reciprocates, is acted
upon by a stationary cam which is provided with a hinged piece or switch or is
otherwise so constructed that during the advance stroke of the rake towards the
feed opening, said cam keeps the free end of the rocking arm raised thereby
depressing the rake at the opposite end, but during the return stroke of the said
rake the cam causes the free end of the rocking arm to be depressed thereby
raising the rake. The aforesaid shaft for imparting movement to the rake may
receive its motion through bevel or other suitable gearing from the rocking shaft
that carrys the aforesaid feed arm, which shaft may in turn receive its motion
from the reciprocating piston of the press,

page_text: We do not wish to confine ourselves to the specific means above stated for
actuating the said rake, nor to the use of a rake for conveying the material to the
press.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
We, GEOFFREY HOWARD and GEORGE GIBBS, both of Britannia Iron Works,
Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Engineers, 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 has reference to baling presses and more particularly to those
in which a reciprocating piston is employed for compressing into bales the charges
of straw or other material that are fed' to the press.
The chief object of our present invention is to provide means for facilitating
the carriage or conveyance of the material to the feed opening in the said press,
so that the number of workmen required with the press may be reduced.
When employing the said. press in proximity to a thrashing machine it has
hitherto been necessary to have one or more workmen on the platform extending
from the thrashing machine to the press, the duty of the said workmen being to
collect and convey the material from the thrashing machine to the feed opening
of the press.
According to this invention we provide a reciprocating device for sweeping the
material from the surface of the aforesaid platform into tlie opening of the
press. For this purpose we may employ a rake which is adapted to swing
toward and away from the aforesaid feed opening such rake being so arranged
that its movements alternate with the movements of the mechanical feeder arm
employed for thrusting the material through the feed opening into the press.
In other words as the feeder arm rises, tho rake approaches the feed opening
with a quantity of the material, and as the said feeder arm descends for the purpose
of pressing the said material into the feed opening the rake recedes.
As the rake recedes it is clevated some distance from the surface of the plat-
form to avoid pushing away the material that has been previously placed on the
eaid platform, but as the said rake performs its reverse stroke i.e. towards the
feed opening, it is permitted to lie close to the said platform and so sweep before
it the material thereon. We obtain this movement of the rake by suspending
it from one end of a rocking arm which is operated by an oscillatory shaft in
conjunction with a stationary cam or cams provided with a switch or switches
which operate as hereinafter more fully explained.
In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect we will now proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to
the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figures 1 and 2 are elevations and
Figure 3 is a plan of the platform and a portion of the baling-press with our
present improvements applied thereto. The views illustrated by Figures 1 and 2
äre drawn at right angles to each other.
Figures 45 and 6 are similar views to the preceding figures but shew a
modified arrangement.

page_text: Figures 7 and 8 are a plan and an elevation respectively of the aforesaid sta-
tionary cam, drawn to a larger scale.
In all the figures like letters of reference indicate similar parts.
A is the platform or table attached to the baling press B and having an inclined
or sloping portion A¹ down which the loose material such as straw or the like is
delivered say from a thrashing machine.
C is the mechanical feeder with which baling presses of this description are
generally provided for thrusting the material down into the press after its
delivery to the feed opening of the latter. As is usual this feeder is carried by
arms mounted on a horizontal shaft 1) and connected with a lover E, on the same
shaft, by means of a rod F having an elastic or spring arrangement to enable
the feeder to yield to over-pressure and so avoid being strained. The necessary
movement for the feeder arm is obtained from the reciprocating plunger B of the
press; said plunger being for this purpose pivotally connected with the lever E
through the intervention of links G.
H is the rake suspended from the rocking arm I which is adapted to receive a
reciprocatory or sweeping motion over the platform A from the oscillatory, shaft J.
This shaft is advantageously disposed vertically in bearings J¹ J2 and may be
driven from the shaft D through the intervention of toothed segments D' and J³
keyed on the shafts D and J respectively. These toothed segments, are so disposed
as to cause the rake H to move over the platform toward the feed opening B²
of the press at the time when the feeder C ascends, and to recede again whilst
the latter is moving downward.
It is thus evident that, at the forward stroke of the rake i.e. from near the
inolined portion A¹ of the platform to the edge of the feed-opening B2 of the
press, any material upon the said platform will be swept by the rake into the
press
and then seized and thrust downward by the feeder. But in order to avoid the
fresh material, meanwhile delivered onto the platform A, from being pushed
back, by the returning rake it is necessary during the return stroke of the rake,
to remove the latter from the platform and to lift it above the accumulated straw
or like material upon the said platform, and to lower it again when it arrives
at its rearmost position. For this purpose we employ the stationary cam K,
which is so disposed as to act upon the rocking arm I of the rake H in such a
manner as to keep the latter raised as aforesaid during its return stroke. In
Figures 1 to 3 the said rocking arm I is prolonged beyond its pivotal connection L
with the shaft J and is provided at its free extremity with an anti-friction
roller M, which is adapted to travel against the aforesaid stationary cam K in
such a manner that as it runs along one surface of such cam, the latter causes
the free or prolonged end of the arm I to be raised so that the other or longer
end of such arm, with the rake suspended therefrom, will be depressed and kept
upon the platform. As the rake arrives in proximity to the feed opening of the
press the roller M reaches the switch N which is normally held in a position to
lie in the paths of said roller by a spring O. Therefore as the said roller completes
its travel it displaces this switch, which however immediately resumes its original
position by the action of the spring O, after the passage of the roller. Con-
sequently at the return motion of the rake the roller meets the curved or inclined
portion of the switch and by means thereof is directed on to the other side of
the stationary cam whereby the rear end of the arm I is depressed and the rake
raised so as to lie above the platform during the return stroke of the rake.
When the rake arrives in proximity to the inclined portion A¹ of the
platform the roller M leaves this last mentioned side of the stationary
cam and, by the action of gravity, the rake descends on to the platform, the free
end of the arm I with its roller M again resuming their elevated position ready
to return along the opposite surface of the said cam and thus perform a fresli
cycle of the aforesaid operations.
In the modified construction of the stationary cam shown in Figures 4 to 8
the antifriction roller M is mounted upon a bracket I' on said arm I and instead
pf employing a single stationary cam K as in Figures 1 to 3 wo provide two

page_text: stationary cams K¹ K³. The said roller travels over the cam K¹ when the rake
performs its rearward stroke (i.e. in a direction away from the feed opening B')
and travels over the cam K2 when said rake performs its forward stroke. In
order to guide the said roller from one cam to the other at the proper times we
provide two switches N N instead of only a single switch N as in the previous
example such switches being situated near the opposite ends of the cams (as
best seen in Figures 7 and 8) and maintained in the positions therein shewn by
springs 01 02
As the rake moves towards the feed opening of the press, the roller M travels
along the cam K' in the direction of the arrow in Figure 7, and meets the
switch N which gives way thereto and afterwards. returns to its closed position
by the action of its spring when said roller has travelled completely past it.
At the reverse movement of the rake, the said roller travels along the outer surface
of the switch N¹ and thereby reaches the surface of the cam K thus causing the
arm I to be lifted a sufficient distance to elevate, the rake as before explained.
When the roller reaches the switch N³ the weight of the suspended rake causes
said roller to displace this switch whereby the latter opens and guides. the roller
onto the cam K The rake therefore again resumes its depressed position rela-
tively to the platform A and acts to sweep the material thercon into the feed
opening of the press as above stated.
As it may sometimes be desirable to prevent the rake from sweeping material
into the feed opening without having to stop the machine we provide the switch N
with a notched disc Na located below the plate carrying the cams K' K³, the notch
in this disc being so arranged that when the switch N occupies the position repre-
sented in Figure 7, said notch will lie opposite to a bolt N which can be brought
into engagement therewith by the machine attendant when desired. When such
engagement is effected the said switch N will be prevented from giving way to the
roller M which will not therefore be able to reach the cam K and consequently
will keep the rake in its elevated position by travelling to and fro along the cam-K³,
and the material on the platform A will not therefore be swept into the feed
opening B³.
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. A baling press provided with an oscillatory rake or similar device acting
in conjunction with the stationary cam or cams and with the switch or switchies
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
2. The combination with a baling press of an oscillatory rake or similar device
which is adapted to be elevated and depressed by cams and switches constructed
arranged and operating substantially as described with reference to Figures 1
to 3 or Figures 4 to 8 of the accompanying drawings for the purposes specified.
Dated this 5th day of April 1900,
Dated this 5th day of April 1900,
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.