Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Sorting Anti-friction Balls according to their Size, and delivering the same into Receptacles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1898
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Sorting Anti-friction
Balls according to their Size, and delivering the same into
Receptacles.
A communication by ROLLIN HENRY WHITE, of 56, Hillburn Avenue, Cleveland,
. Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer.
-
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S.,M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick
and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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:
Heretofore balls, oranges, and other spherical or approximately spherical objects
have been automatically sorted by allowing them to roll down between two inclined
diverging rails, between which said objects drop when they reach a point where the
rails are sufficiently separated. This invention relates to an improvement in
machines of this character, the object being to provide a cheap and simple machine
especially adapted to sort anti-friction balls according to their size and to deliver
the assorted balls into suitable convenient receptacles.
The invention relates particularly to the means for automatically discharging
balls, one by one, at regular intervals, from a suitable receptacle or hopper; to the
means for properly delivering the balls singly onto the inclined sorting rails; and
also to the receptacles for receiving the sorted balls, and the means for delivering
the balls thereto after they have fallen between the sorting rails.
In the drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of this device; Figure 2 is a
sectional front elevation of the same on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional
view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a bottom view of the pulley; Figure 5
is a horizontal sectional view through the lower end of the hopper on
line 5-5 of Figure 1; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the funnel G and
guide arms g¹ g¹.
Referring to the parts of the machine as shown, by reference letters,
KK represent the sorting rails which incline downward from their rear to their
forward ends. These rails likewise diverge, that is to say, the distance between
them increases gradually from their upper to their lower ends. The balls to be
sorted are delivered singly onto said rails near the upper ends thereof,- that is to
say, into the space between them, whereby, as shown in Figure 3, they are supported
upon the edges of both rails. Each ball then rolls down upon the rails until it.
reaches a point where the distance between the rails is slightly greater than the
diameter of the ball, whereupon the ball drops between said rails. Each of the
rails is preferably made of two pieces, namely, a base k¹ and a steel plate which is
fastened upon the base with its inner edge overhanging the base, as shown in
Figure 3. The proximate edges of these steel top plates of the rails should be
bevelled to an edge as shown in Figure 3.
These rails may be supported by any
shown in the drawing they are supported
plates N N and the clamping bolts m m
suitable means.
In the construction
upon the block M. The two clamping
hold the rails firmly down upon said

page_text: block. The distance between the rails, at their ends, is regulated by two
horizontal transverse bolts R and thumb nuts 1 by means of which said rails may
be drawn together, and by the coil springs S which surround the bolts thrust
endwise against the rails and thereby hold them as far apart as the bolts
permit. Each bolt is prevented from turning by means of a pin on its head
which enters a hole in the side of the rail.
D represents a hopper-adapted to contain the balls to be sorted. Its lower end
is contracted or tapered toward the neck d thereof, and this neck d of the
hopper is cylindrical. A plate d¹, which is a trifle thicker than the diameter of the
balls, is secured across its lower end, and through this plate is a hole d³ large
enough to permit a ball to pass through."
A vertical shaft E passes centrally through this plate, and it, or a cylindrical
sleeve H fastened to it, is rotatably fitted in the neck of the hopper, the lower
end of this sleeve resting upon the plate d¹. This sleeve is a combined agitator
and ball delivering device. It performs the first named function by extending
above the neck into the hopper, where during its rotation, it is surrounded by balls.
It performs the second function because it is provided with one or more surface
grooves h, deep enough to receive the balls. The lower or delivery ends of
these grooves, when the sleeve is revolved, pass over the hole d³ in plate d¹. The
shaft and sleeve are constantly rotated, and the balls find their way into the
grooves h. Whenever the lower end of one of the grooves pass over the hole d³,
one ball drops into this hole.
A disk F is secured to the shaft E close to and below the plate d¹. In it
are one or more rather large holes f, which are not in line with the lower ends
of the grooves h. This disk closes the lower end of the hole d³, when the lower
end of a groove his passing over it, wherefore said disk prevents the ball from
passing immediately through the plate d¹. But when the hole f in the disk passes
beneath the hole d³ the ball drops out and through said hole f. The described
construction therefore causes the discharge of balls one by one at regular intervals.
The disk F has a grooved rim whereby it acts as the driving pulley for the shaft E.
The driving belt I passes over a pulley j on the driving shaft J, over the idler
pulleys c, and around the disk pulley F.
As the balls drop out of the hole ds and through the holes fthe fall into a funnel G
which is suitably supported below said hole d³. Two parallel but rearwardly
inclined guide arms g₁ lie just below the delivery end of the funnel, whereby a ball,
passing through the funnel, falls upon them resting partly upon one and partly
upon the other, these arms forming a rearwardly inclined trough whose rear end
lies just above the space between the two rails KK. The balls are therefore
delivered from this trough onto the rails with a slight impetus tending to carry
them up the rails. This impetus is checked and the balls are caused to roll
down the sorting rails by the force of gravity, whereby they roll down slowly and
at a substantially uniform rate until they fall between the rails as described.
The hopper and idler pulleys c, are carried by a bracket X which is adjustably
secured upon the vertical standard C by a clamping bolt c². The funnel G is also
secured to arms g which are made fast to a collar c¹ secured upon the same standard,―
although these parts may be supported by any other suitable means.
In the block M are a plurality of nearly vertical holes m¹ which are below the
opening between the rails. Vertical plates m² which are secured to the block lie
close to the rails and extend across the opening between them. The purpose of
these plates is to insure the passage of each ball which falls between the sorting
rails, into the proper hole m². In each of these holes a conveyer tube U is
inserted, which tubes all extend downward, and deliver severally into proper
receptacles. In the construction shown, these receptacles are sliding drawers B
which are mounted in a case A,-which case also supports the mechanism hereto-
fore described. The tubes U pass down through the side of this case, and their
lower ends u are bent laterally over one of the top edges of its associated drawer.

page_text: These top edges are cut away as at b, whereby the drawers may be drawn out and
removed without disturbing the ends of the delivery tubes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In a ball sorting machine, a hopper having a contracted lower end, a
cylindrical neck, and a plate across the lower end of said neck having a small hole
in it, a rotatable cylinder in said neck having a surface groove whose lower end
passes over the hole in the plate, and a disk which rotates with the
cylinder and is placed below and close to the said plate and is provided with a
hole which passes below the hole in the plate but is not in line with the lower end
of the groove in the cylinder.
2. In a ball sorting machine, a hopper and means for discharging balls singly
therefrom into a funnel, a rearwardly inclined trough onto which the balls pass
from said funnel, and forwardly inclined diverging sorting rails, onto which the
balls roll from said trough.
3. In a ball sorting machine, two inclined diverging distributing rails, means for
delivering balls thereto, a plurality of conveyer tubes below the opening between
said rails, partitions between the mouths of said tubes, and a case having sliding
drawers into which the said tubes discharge.
Dated 1 Jon of mnt 1000