Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1887
Complete Left, 16th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 18th May, 1888
the County of Cook and State of Illinois, one of the United States of America,
President of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, a corporation duly
organized under the laws of the State of Illinois, and doing business at Chicago,
in said County and State.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S. M.L.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool and 6, Bank Street Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates in the main to that type of binders in which the tying-bill is
stopped at the end of the knotting movement with its jaws trending outward in the
direction of the extended cord-slot that the loop may be stripped therefrom, and the
ends wrenched from between the jaws by the direct strain of the sheaf as it is ejected
by the discharge arms of the binder, being assisted in the formation of the knot in a
single complete revolution by the action of the holder, which is caused to carry the
end strands around part way to meet the jaws before they complete their revolution,
and thus enable them to accurately grasp the strands; and more particularly to
improvements in the tying and holding head, and the method of operating its parts.
The binder-arm, its shaft, the grain-chute through which said arm plays, and the
breast-plate overhead, may be assumed to occupy the position usual in modern
binders.
The breast-plate has the customary pendant ribs on either side of the longitudinal
slot through which the binder-arm passes to reach the tying-bill and holder. This
slot has heretofore been made of somewhat irregular outline so as to afford an oblique
finger setting from one side of said slot beneath the knotter, in its revolution into a
recess at the other side, and serving to deflect the cord, and guide it more perfectly
over the knotting-jaw. Such recess has been closed at its bottom by a web.

page_text: connecting it with the rib at that side, and thus underlying the point of the finger so that
the knotter in its revolution may be obliged to bend the cord into said recess, as it
carries it past the end of the finger, and so that the cord can not accidentally escape
until thus forcibly bent by the revolution of the knotting-jaws, but herein it is
proposed to add to this finger near its base, or the point from which it begins its
projection from the side of the cord-slot, and at the inner edge, a boss or stud curving
downwards towards the point or end of the finger, which itself is curved slightly
upward so that the cord-strands may first be deflected by said boss towards and perhaps
past the centre of the cord-slot, and so more perfecty brought over the chin of the
tying bill, and may then rest in the pocket thus formed by the inside edge of the
finger, until the tying-bill commences its revolution.
A bearing afforded by the knotter frame or bracket receives the tyer-spindle
radially to the tyer-shaft or substantialy so, and having at its head a bevel pinion with
a delay-shoe, which respectively engage with a segment-rack and delay-flange, on the
face of the tyer-cam, whereby the tyer-spindle is given one revolution and stopped
with the tying-jaws pointing outward in the direction of the extended slot on the
stubble side of the stop-finger in the breast-plate, which slot at this side of the finger
is somewhat oblique, returning towards the base of said finger and outwardly at the
same time, whereby said jaws will be themselves somewhat oblique that the cord
stretched between the holder and the finger may pass over their chin.
The tying-bill itself does not differ, or need not differ, from those heretofore used,
consisting essentially of a rigid jaw or crown integral with the spindle, and a second
jaw pivoted thereto and having a heel extension provided with an antifriction roller
engaged by a spring cam, whereby this jaw is forcibly closed just before the tying-
bill ceases its revolution, and is thereafter kept closed until a fresh revolution is
commenced, and during the incipient stages of such revolution. Outside of the tyer-
spindle is the holder-spindle having a suitable bearing in the knotter frame or stock,
and set radially to the tyer-shaft, thereby being oblique to the tyer-spindle but at the
same time in about the same vertical plane, parallel with the face of the tyer-cam.
At its head the holder-spindle receives a bevel pinion and delay-shoe, which respectively
engage with a short segment-rack and delay Hange on the face of the tyer-cam, the
rack being, in the present instance, of sufficient length to give the spindle one half of
a complete revolution, and then cause it to be stopped by the delay-flange until the
next knotting operation, but of course depending as to its length upon the number of
notches in the holder disk.
The holder-disk employed is of a shape that has come to be styled the " crown-
disk," that is, it has an upturned annular flange at or adjacent to its periphery notched
at suitable intervals for the reception of the cord, herein having four equidistant
notches which agree with its semi-revolution for each binding operation. These
notches are not cut completely to the bottom of the flange but only part way, and
while they may be cupped or rounded they are preferably undercut at their rear edge,
or that which acts against the cord, so that the latter may not escape from them. At
its exterior the flange has vertical corrugations, and at one side adjacent to the tying-
bill or in such relation thereto, is pressed against by a shoe pivoted to the tyer-frame
or stock and controlled as to its pressure by means of a set screw passing through
it, and entering said stock, and by a coiled spring interposed between its shank
and the head of said shoe.
The holder-disk carries two knives diametrically opposite each other, projecting
upwardly from a plate of hardened metal, secured to the bottom of the holder-disk
by slots and set screws, so as to be adjustable. These knives are so arranged that
each of them runs a little behind an adjacent notch in the disk, and they are set so
far out from the upturned flange of this disk that they pass outside of the holder-shoe
in the revolution of the knotter.
Now in operation the parts being in proper relative position clamped between the
exterior of the crown-disk, and the opposing face of the shoe, thence belayed through
the first notch in the crown-disk, just beyond said shoe and backed past the tooth
immediately to the rear, thence through the second, notch and slightly clamped again,

page_text: by the holder-shoe, as shown; then obliquely over the chin of the tying-bill, past its
chin down across the stop-finger through the cord-slot in the breast-plate and
through the eye of the needle, the latter rises, bringing the new strand up, laying it
over the stop-finger and slightly over the chin of the tying-bill, but in direct line
with the cord-slot extended, and thus not parallel with the first strand which has been
carried away from that line towards the tyer-spindle in the previous operation to reach
the position just explained. The new strand now is held by the needle almost directly
over, but slightly in advance of the third and fourth notches in the holder, and the
tying-bill starts, catching the cords and carrying them in the first half of its turn
over the end of the stop-finger, thus looping them. Almost immediately following
the incipient movement of the tying-bill, the holder-disk also starts, and the strand
from the needle drops into the third notch and also, it may be, into the fourth notch,
while the old strand is released from the primary grasp of the shoe in rear of
notch No. 1, still remaining grasped between the shoe and the flange in rear of
notch No. 2 with a constantly increasing grip, yet weaker than the first grip, when it
was held at two points; thus during the first part of the revolution of the knotter,
when slack is demanded, this strand being released at the primary point of holding,,
is allowed to slip through the holder as drawn upon by the knotter, but during the
latter part of the revolution of said knotter, when no slack is demanded, the grip
increases, so as to hold the strand practically rigid. Meanwhile, the revolution of the
tying-bill gradually belays the strand between the eye of the needle, and the holder
around the finger between the third and fourth notches, therefore preventing this
strand, which at first pulled freely from the needle, restrained only by the tension on
the cord, from running out with merely the same resistance, when the coming around
of the tying-bill in the last half of its revolution makes slack no longer necessary, or,
in other words, the tension of the strand from the needle is increased concurrently
with the increasing grip upon the old strand as the knotter passes the first half of its
revolution.
Finally, when the tying-bill approaches the end of its revolution, the needle-strand
has been carried past the shoe, bringing it alongside the old strand, and bending it
over the edge of said shoe, and also bringing it up against the spindle, that is, it has
been moved from the position in which it was originally laid, to the position occupied
by the old strand between the holder and the tying-bill, and together with the old.
strand has entered or enters just before the termination of the revolution of the
tying-bill between the jaws of the latter, which thereupon close, when the continued
revolution of the holder-disk carries the knife on that side against the two strands,
severing them, and the sheaf is ready to be ejected. Finally the holder-disk comes to
a stop, having made a half of a revolution, brought the second knife into the position
originally occupied by the first, and grasped. the new strand, now itself becoming the
old strand, with a primary, and a secondary grip ready for the next action.
Dated this with day of July 1887

page_text: Improvements in Grain-binders.
A communication from abroad by CYRUS H. McCORMICK, Junior, of Chicago, in the
County of Cook and State of Illinois, one of the United States of America,
President of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, a corporation duly
organized under the laws of the State of Illinois, and doing business at Chicago, in
said County and State.
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, and 323 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:-
This invention relates in the main to that type of binders in which the tying hill
is stopped at the end of the knotting movement with its jaws trending outward in the
direction of the extended cord-slot that the loop may be stripped therefrom, and the
ends wrenched from between the jaws by the direct strain of the sheaf as it is ejected
by the discharge arms of the binder, being assisted in the formation of the knot in a
single complete revolution, by the action of the holder, which is caused to carry the
end strands around part way to meet the jaws before they complete their revolution,
and thus enable them to accurately grasp the strands, and more particularly to
improvements in the tying and holding head, and the method of operating its parts.
In the drawings :
Figure 1 is a rear elevation of so much of a grain binder embodying said invention
as is necessary to an understanding.thereof.
Figure 2 an elevation from the stubble side, with the breast-plate partly broken
away.
Figure 3, an elevation from the front, of the tyer-frame with knotter and holder
mounted therein, showing also the bevel pinions by which they are driven, and a
portion of the breast-plate.
Figure 4, an elevation from the inner or grain side with tyer-cam and breast-plate
in vertical section.
Figure 5, a top plan view of the breast-plate, all other parts being removed.
Figure 6, an enlarged view of the knotter-head and tyer-cam partly in vertical
section.
Figure 7, an enlarged detail of the breast-plate seen from the stubble-side, and in
section, to explain the shape of the cord-stop or finger that obstructs the slot through
said breast-plate.
Figure 8, an enlarged detail of the holder-disk and cord-knife seen from above, the
holder-spindle being in transverse section.
Figures 9 and 10, enlarged details of the holder-shoe, the first representing it as
attached to the stock or tyer-frame, and pressed by its spring, and the second as
entirely detached.
Figure 11, an enlarged detail in elevation of the holder disk and knife, with
the adjacent parts of the stock or tyer-frame, but omitting the holder-shoe, and
Figure 12, a section through said stock and its spindle, and through the holder-
shoe, in its proper relative position, as indicated by the correspondingly numbered
lines in the preceding figure.

page_text: Figures 13, 14, and 15, are diagrammatic series embracing the tying-bill and its
spring-cam, the holder and the adjacent portions of the breast-plate, but with the
tyer-frame and the operating spindles in horizontal section, and all parts above
removed, to represent the successive stages of operation in forming the knot.
A represents the binder-arm-shaft, and A¹ the vibrating needle or binder-arm
actuated thereby. B is the decking or grain-chute through which said binder-arm
plays, and C is the overhead breast-plate provided with pendant ribs c, on either side
of the longitudinal slot through which the binder-arm passes to reach the tying-bill
and holder. This slot has heretofore been made of somewhat irregular outline, so as
to afford an oblique finger D, setting from one side of said slot beneath the knotter in
its revolution, into a recess d at the other side, and serving to deflect the cord, and
guide it more perfectly over the knotting jaws. Such recess has been closed at its
bottom by a web d', connecting it with the rib at that side, and thus underlying the
point of the finger, so that the knotter in its revolution may be obliged to bend the
cord into said recess, as it carries it past the end of the finger, and so that the cord
cannot accidentally escape until thus forcibly bent by the revolution of the knotting-
jaws, but herein it is proposed to add to this finger near its base, or the point from
which it begins its projection from the side of the cord-slot and at the inner edge, a
boss or studd, curving downwards towards the point or end of the finger, which
itself at the end is curved slightly upwards, so that the cord-strands may first bo
deflected by said boss towards and perhaps past the centro of the cord-slot, and so
more perfectly brought over the chin of the tying-bill, and may then rest in the
pocket thus formed by the inside edge of the finger, until the tying-bill commences
its revolution.
E is the tyer-frame consisting of an upright post or bracket E', bolted at its foot to
the breast-plate, and supported above by means of a sleeve E2, upon the tyer-shaft,
and except in some slight degree details not differing materially from the frame
heretofore used. A bearing G, afforded by the tyer-frame or bracket, receives the
tyer-spindle H, radially to the tyer-shaft or substantially-so, and having at its head a
bevel pinion, with a delay-shoe ', which respectively engage with a segment-rack i,
and delay-flange i¹, on the face of the tyer-cam I, whereby the tyer-spindle is given
one revolution and stopped with the tying-jaws pointing outward in the direction of
the extended slot, on the stubble side of the stop-finger in the breast-plate, which
slot at this side of the finger is somewhat oblique, returning towards the base of said
finger, and outwardly at the same time, whereby said jaws, when at rest, will be
themselves somewhat oblique, that the cord, stretched between the holder and
the finger, may pass over their chin, as represented in Figure 13.
The tying-bill itself does not or need not differ from those heretofore used, consisting
essentially of a rigid jaw or crown k, integral with the spindle, and a second jaw k¹,
pivoted thereto, and having a heel extension provided with an anti-friction roller k²,
engaged by a spring-cam K, whereby this jaw is forcibly closed just before the
tying-bill ceases its revolution, and is thereafter kept closed until a fresh revolution is
commenced, and during the incipient stages of such revolution. A strong plate-
spring L, resting at its upper end against a lug 1, from the tyer-frame, and between
such lug and its lower end receiving a set screw 1, whereby its, stress may be
increased or diminished, carries at said lower end the cam whereby the movable jaw
of the tying-bill is closed, and a lug 4, from the tyer-frame, taking into a slot 1, in
said cam, prevents it from being carried laterally by the force exerted in the
revolution of the knotter.
Outside of the tyer-spindle is the holder-spindle M, having a suitable bearing in
the knotter-frame or stock, and set radially to the tyer-shaft, thereby being oblique
to the tyer-spindle, but at the same time in about the same vertical plane, parallel
with the face of the tyer-cam. At its head the holder-spindle receives a bevel-pinion m,
and a delay-shoe m³, which respectively engage with a short segment-rack m², and
delay-flange m³, on the face of the tyer-cam, the rack being in the present instance of
sufficient length to give the spindle one half of a complete revolution, and then cause
it to be stopped by the delay-flange, until the next knotting operation, but of course

page_text: depending as to its length upon the number of notches in the holder disk. The
holder-disk employed is of a shape that has come to be styled the "crown-disk," that
is, it has an upturned annular flange n at, or adjacent to, its periphery,
notched at suitable intervals for the reception of the cord, herein having
four about equidistant notches, which agree with its semi-revolution for each
binding operation. These notches are not cut completely to the bottom of the flange
but only part way, and while they may be cupped or rounded, they are preferably
undercut at their rear edge, or that which acts against the cord, so that the latter may
not escape from them. At its exterior, the flange has vertical corrugations, and at
one side adjacent to the tying-bill, or in such relation thereto as will be best
understood by reference to the last three Figures, or diagrammatic series, is pressed
against by a shoe N, pivoted at n¹ to the tyer-frame or stock, and controlled as to its
pressure, by means of a set screw n², passing through it, and entering said stock, and
by a coiled spring ³, interposed between its shank and the head of said shoe. The
holder-disk carries two knives o, o', diametrically opposite each other, projecting
upwards from a plate O, of hardened metal secured to the bottom of the holder-disk
by slots and set screws o², so as to be adjustable. These knives are so arranged that
each of them runs a little behind an adjacent notch in the disk, and they are set so far
out from the upturned flange of this disk, that they pass outside of the holder-shoe in
the revolution of the knotter.
Now in operation, the parts being in proper relative position indicated in Figure 13,
with the holding strands clamped between the exterior of the crown-disk and the
opposing face of the shoe, thence belayed through the first notch in the crown-disk,
just beyond said shoe, and back past the tooth immediately to the rear, thence through
the second notch and slightly clamped again by the holder-shoe, as shown; then
obliquely over the chin of the tying-bill, past, its chin, down across the stop-finger,
through the cord-slot in the breast-plate, and through the eye of the needle, the latter
rises bringing the new strand up, laying it over the stop-finger, and slightly over the
chin of the tying-bill, but in direct line with the cord-slot, and thus not parallel with
the first strand, which has been carried away from that line towards the tyer-spindle in
the previous operation to reach the position just explained. The new strand now is
held by the needle almost directly over but slightly in advance of the third and fourth
notches in the holder; and the tying-bill starts, catching the cords, and carrying them
in the first half of its turn over the end of the stop-finger as shown in Figure 14,
thus looping them. Almost immediately following the incipient movement of the
tying-bill the holder-disk also starts, and the strand from the needle drops into the
third notch, and also, it may be, into the fourth notch, while the old strand is released
from the primary grasp of the shoc in rear of the first notch, still remaining grasped
between the shoe and the flange in rear of the second notch, with a constantly
increasing grip, yet weaker than the first grip when it was held at two points; thus
during the first part of the revolution of the knotter when slack is demanded, this
strand being released at the primary point of holding, is allowed to slip, through the
holder as drawn upon by the knotter, but during the latter part of the revolution of
said knotter, when no slack is demanded the grip increases so as to hold the strand
practically rigid. Meanwhile, the revolution of the tying-bill gradually belays the
strand between the eve of the needle and the holder around the tooth between the
third and fourth notches of the holder-disk, therefore preventing this strand, which at
first pulled freely from the needle, restrained only by the tension on the cord, from
running out with merely the same resistance, when the coming around of the tying-
bill in the last half of its revolution makes slack no longer necessary, or, in other
words, the tension of the strand from the needle is increased concurrently with the.
increasing grip upon the old strand as the knotter passes the first half of its revolution..
Finally, when the tying-bill approaches the end of its revolution, the needle-strand
has been carried past the shoe, as shown in the 15th Figure, bringing it alongside the
old strand, and bending it over the edge of said shoe, and also bringing it up against
the spindle, that is, it has been moved from the position in which it originally laid to.
the position occupied by the old- strand--between the holder and the tying-bill, and

page_text: together with the old strand has entered or enters just before the termination of the
revolution of the tying-bill between the jaws of the latter, which thereupon close,
when the continued revolution of the holder-disk carries the knife on that side against
the two strands, severing them, and the sheaf is ready to be ejected. Finally, the
holder-disk reaches the position shown in the 13th Figure, comes to a stop, having
made a half revolution, brought the second knife into the position originally occupied
by the first, and grasping the new strand, now itself becoming the old strand, with a
primary and a secondary grip ready for the next action.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as coinmunicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination substantially as herein before set forth, with the tying-bill and
mechanism for giving it a single rotation, and stopping it with its jaws trending out-
wardly in the direction of the extended cord-slot, of a holder arranged to carry the
cord-strands around to meet the tying-bill in its revolution, a stop-finger in the cord-
slot, along and over the end of which the tying-bill carries said strands as it turns, and
an upstanding boss or deflector located at the inside edge of said stop-finger.
2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with the tying-bill and
binder-arm, of a crown-disk holder arranged to receive the strand from the binder-arm
in two of its notches, whereby said strand is belayed over the finger between said
notches in the revolution of the holder-disk to apply tension thereon between the
point of the binder-arm and the tying-bill, after the latter ceases to demand slack.
3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with the tying-bill, of
a crown-disk holder having four notches, a shoe pressing upon the exterior of said
holder adjacent to the tying-bill, and a binder arm arranged to lay its strand in two
of said notches in advance of the shoe, whereby they are belayed upon the tooth
between concurrently with the increase of grasp upon the old strand as the tying-bill
ceases to demand slack.
4. The combination, substantially as herein before set forth, of the tying-bill, its
spindle, the pinion and delay-shoe upon said spindle, the segment-rack and delay-
flange upon the tyer-cam arranged to impart a single revolution to the tying-bill and
stop it with its jaws trending outwardly, the crown-disk holder and its spindle, the
pinion and delay-shoc upon said spindle, the segment-rack and delay-flange upon the
tyer-cam arranged to rotate said holder, the shoe pressing upon the exterior of said
holder, and a knife or knives carried by said disk and passing outside of the shoc.
5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the tying-bill and
its spindle, pinion and delay-shoe, the segment rack and delay-flange upon the tyer-
cam adapted to impart a single revolution to the tying-bill, and stop it with its jaws
trending outwardly, the four notched crown-disk holder and its spindle, the pinion
and delay-shoe upon said spindle, the segment-rack and delay-flange upon the tyer-
cam proportioned to impart a half revolution to the holder disk, the shoe pressing
upon the exterior of the holder disk, and the two knives carried by said disk, and
arranged to pass outside of the shoe.
6. The crown-disk holder having four.notches combined with a shoe pressing upon
the exterior of its flange, and mechanism which gives it a half rotation for each
binding operation, whereby a primary and secondary grasp are taken upon the strand,
and the primary grasp released, that said strand may pull through as slack is
demanded in the first part of the revolution of the tying-bill, and the grasp increased
in the latter half.