Improvements in Cartridge Loading Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1898--Accepted, 14th May, 1898
Improvements in Cartridge Loading Machines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to an improved cartridge loading machine, and consists of
the features hereinafter described.
The accompanying drawings and the following description set forth in detail,
certain mechanism embodying the invention; such disclosed means constituting
but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may
be used.
Referring to the said drawings:-
Figure I is a front view of the machine;
Figure II a partial plan view showing the conveyor bars open;
Figure III a partial plan view showing the conveyor bars closed and the
cartridge clamps open;
Figure IV is a sectional end view on line 1-1 of Figure I looking in the direction
of the arrow;
Figure V is a detail view of the lower end of the cartridge feeding tube and
conveyor bar connection; and
Figure VI are detail sectional views looking in a direction opposite to that
shown in Figure V, the upper view showing the clamps shut and the conveyor
bars open, the lower view showing the clamps open and the conveyor bars closed.
The bed A of the machine is supported in any suitable manner, and is provided
with the uprights B; journalled in said uprights B is the shaft C, which is pro-
vided on one extremity with the usual pulley wheel. Cams D and E respectively
are secured on said shaft near the respective uprights. A third upright F is
secured at one end of the machine and to this is pivotted a bell crank F¹, the
upper arm of which engages with and derives motion from the cam E. A hori-
zontal bar F2 extends the length of the machine and is secured to said uprights.
A pair of cartridge clamps G and G₁ respectively rest upon said bed
plate A, said clamp G being rigidly secured to said bed plate in any
suitable manner, while the clamp rests upon said bed plate and is movable
transversely thereof, as hereinafter described. Said clamps are respectively pro-
vided with cartridge openings g formed between their adjacent edges, each clamp
being formed with a half circular opening on its edge, registering with
the half circular opening formed in its opposite clamp. A suitable
bracket H is secured to the front side of the horizontal bar F2 and pivoted
in said bracket is a bell crank H', the upper arm of which engages with the race
in the cam D, its lower arm having pivotal engagement with pitman H. On the
DQ77

page_text: front edge of the bed plate are secured brackets H³ and journailed in said brackets
is shaft J. A lever H is keyed to said shaft and has its opposite end pivotted to
the lower extremity of lever H2. Lever h connects lever H with the front
clamp G¹. At the opposite end of the bed plate, lever j is keyed on said shaft near
said second bracket and is connected up with the front clamp by lever h. Each of
said clamps is provided with longitudinal slots g¹ extending the length of said
clamps and in said slots are respectively located conveyor bars K and K¹ adapted
to have sliding movement therein. Pins respectively connect the opposite
extremities of said conveyor bars and are respectively secured rigidly to the front
conveyor bar and pass through an opening in the back conveyor bar whereby
relative longitudinal movement of the two conveyor bars is prevented but trans-
verse movement is permitted. The front conveyor bar is secured against transverse
movement, while the back conveyor bar is movable both longitudinally and trans-
versely. The lower extremity of bell crank F is secured to one of the pins k,
thus connecting up the conveyor bars with the cam E. The opposite extremities
of the back conveyor bar respectively pass through the arms L and L' that have
their front ends secured in any suitable manner to the movable front clamp.
Cartridge feeding tube M is secured to the horizontal bar F3 to supply the machine
with cartridge cases and attached to arm L is a cut-off that prevents the cartridges
in the tube M from dropping into the conveyor bars when the front clamp is
retracted. At the opposite end of the machine is the discharge pipe N into which
the loaded shells drop and pass from the machine.
The conveyor bars have half circular openings formed along their meeting edges
and registering with each other, thus forming cartridge gripping openings. The
number of such cartridge openings being sufficient to permit all the different opera-
tions of loading cartridge cases to be performed at one time. The cartridge cases,
as they pass along from one opening to another may be loaded by hand or automatic
attachments may be applied to the machine herein shown, this machine merely
showing the mode of feeding the cartridges and conveying them along the machine
so that the different operations of loading; including expanding the cartridge
case; inserting powder, the respective paper and felt wads, the shot and shot wad,
and crimping the wad may be accomplished, before the discharge is reached.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-
-
The con-
I will assume that the machine is in the position shown in Figure II.
veyor bars are open and retracted to the full extent of their back movement. The
cartridge feeding tube M is supplied with the cartridge cases, the machine is
connected up to its power which causes the shaft C to rotate. The clamps G and G¹
are closed and the valve is open so as to permit the lower cartridge in the cartridge
feeding tube M to drop into position into the first clamp opening g. Motion is
transmitted by the cam D to the movable clamp G through the bell crank H¹,
pitman H, levers H4, j and h causing said movable clamp to be moved forward
and away from its contact with the cartridge that has just passed out of the
cartridge feeding tube M. As the said clamp moves forward the valve secured
to the arm L passes under the cartridge feeding tube and closes the lower opening
of said tube. The same motion causes arms L and L' to be drawn forward
bringing with them in their forward motion the back conveyor bar K into engage-
ment with the front conveyor bar, and gripping the cartridge in the first opening g
of said conveyor bars. Meanwhile, the cam E is rotating and moves
the bell crank F¹, causing it to force forward the conveyor bars from
the position shown in Figure II to the position shown in Figure III,
carrying in their movement the cartridge which has been gripped in
said first opening g and moving said cartridge into a position in line with the
second cartridge opening of the clamps. The movement of the bell crank H
continuing, causes the front clamp to move toward the back clamp, and meanwhile
by the same motion by means of arms L and L' attached to the front clamp and the
back conveyor bar said conveyor bars are being separated, freeing themselves from

page_text: the cartridge. There is an instant of time during which the cartridge is free both
from the clamps and the conveyor bars. This is while the clamps are moving
together and the conveyor bars are being separated. As soon as the clamps are
brought together the conveyors having been separated start on their return stroke
to the position shown in Figure II. As the front clamp moves rearward the valve l
passes from under the tube M thus permitting another cartridge to drop into the
first clamp opening, to be gripped in its turn by the conveyor bars after they have
reached the limit of their return stroke and are again brought together. It will
be noticed that the cartridges and cartridge openings do not always occupy the
same longitudinal plane, as the plane occupied by the clamp openings is in line
with the centre of the tube M so as to permit the lower cartridge as it drops from
said tube to pass easily into the clamp opening, while the conveyor bar openings
when said conveyors are in the closed position are in front of said centre line
passing through tube M. The first or inlet and the last or outlet clamp openings
have a diameter in excess of the diameter of the cartridge, while the conveyor
cartridge openings and remaining clamp openings are substantially of the same
diameter as that of the cartridge case to be loaded. The further operation of the
machine alternately reciprocates the conveyor bars longitudinally, thus carrying
a cartridge from one opening to another until the first cartridge reaches the dis-
charge opening, and alternately with this longitudinally reciprocating motion is
the transverse motion of the rear conveyor bar, whereby the cartridges are gripped
and carried forward, while the front clamp is reciprocated transversely to hold the
cartridges in position while the conveyor bars are being reciprocated longitudinally.
When the first cartridge has reached the discharge opening it drops into the dis-
charge pipe and is conveyed away to any suitable place.
Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed, instead
of the one explained; change being made as regards the mechanism herein dis-
closed, provided the means covered by any one of the following claims be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
1. The combination, in a machine for loading cartridges, of cartridge holding
mechanism, cartridge conveying mechanism, and operating mechanism adapted
to transmit intermittent and successive movement to said holding and conveying
mechanism, whereby the holding mechanism is inoperative while the conveying
mechanism is in operation, substantially as set forth.
2.. The combination, in a machine for loading cartridges, of cartridge holding.
mechanism, cartridge conveying mechanism independent of said holding mechan-
ism, and intermittent reciprocating mechanism connected with said holding and
conveying mechanism, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination, in a machine for loading cartridges, of cartridge loading
mechanism, independent cartridge conveying mechanism, and reciprocating
mechanism connected with said holding mechanism, said reciprocating mechanism
operating in two planes at right angles to. each other whereby the said holding
mechanism and said conveying mechanism may be successively moved in planes
at right angles to each other, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination, in a. machine for loading cartridges, of cartridge holding
mechanism, independent cartridge conveying mechanism, driving means, primary
reciprocating mechanism connecting said cartridge holding mechanism with said
driving means, secondary reciprocating mechanism connecting said driving
means with said conveying mechanism, said conveying mechanism also
operating in two planes at right angles to each other whereby the said holding
mechanism, and said conveying mechanism may be successively moved in planes
at right angles to each other, and said conveying mechanism may also be moved in
a plane parallel with the plane of movement of said holding mechanism, substan-
tially as set forth.

page_text: 5. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination of two conveyor bars respec-
tively provided with cartridge openings, substantially as set forth.
6. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination of two conveyor bars and
mechanism connected therewith adapted to transmit longitudinal movement, sub-
stantially as set forth.
7. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination of two conveyor bars respec-
tively provided with cartridge openings, one of said bars movable transversely and
longitudinally, the other bar movable longitudinally, substantially as set forth.
8. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination with clamps provided with
conveyor bar openings, of conveyor bars respectively located in said clamp openings
and adapted to have sliding movement therein, substantially as set forth.
9. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination of cartridge clamps, one of
which is adapted to have transverse movement, reciprocating mechanism connected
with said movable clamp, conveyor bars, means for moving said conveyor bars
longitudinally, one of said conveyor bars adapted to have transverse motion, and
réciprocating mechanism connected with said transversely movable conveyor bar,
substantially as set forth.
10. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination of cartridge conveyor bars,
locking mechanism connecting the two together whereby relative longitudinal
movement is prevented, reciprocating means connected with said conveyor bars
whereby they may be moved longitudinally, and mechanism connected with one of
said bars whereby it may be transversely reciprocated, substantially as set forth.
11. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination of cartridge conveyor bars
said bars connected together whereby relative longitudinal movement is prevented,
and cam and bell crank mechanism connecting said cam and bars, substantially as
set forth.
12. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination of conveyor bars, bell crank
mechanism connected with said bars, a cam connected with said bell crank
mechanism, a second cam, and cartridge clamp connected with one of said conveyor
bars and intermediate mechanism connecting said clamp and second cam, substan-
tially as set forth.
13. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination of two conveyor bars, a pin
rigidly secured to one bar and passing loosely through the second bar whereby
relative transverse motion is permitted and relative longitudinal movement pre-
vented, substantially as set forth.
14. In a cartridge loading machine, the combination of bipartite cartridge
clamps, having cartridge openings between their adjacent edges, one of said clamps
movable toward and from the other, independent bipartite cartridge conveyors
having cartridge openings formed between their adjacent edges, one of said con-
veyors movable toward and from the other, and operating mechanism connected
with said clamps and conveyors adapted to successively move said clamps and
conveyors, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of February 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.