Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Apr., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 10th June, 1887.
I. THOMAS BURLOCK DE FOREST residing at 6, Elizabeth Street Birmingham in the
County of New Haven, and State of Connecticut one of the United States of America.
manufacturer, 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 certain new and useful improvements in machines for
nailing together the several shooks which form the bottom and sides of a box, and has
for its object to provide a machine which shall be automatic in its action, strong and
simple in construction, and whereby, if desired all the nails necessary to hold the sides
of a box to each other and to the bottom, may be driven at a single operation, and
with these ends in view my invention consists in the details of construction herein-
after set forth and then recited in the claims.
In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may fully
understand how to make and use my improvement I will describe the same in detail,
referring by letter to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification
and in which
Fig. 1, is a front elevation showing the endwise drivers withdrawn and the platen
down.
Fig. 2, a similar view after the end drivers have advanced and driven the end
nails.
Fig. 3, a similar view showing the end drivers withdrawn and the platen raised for
the proper presentation of the box to the upper drivers.
Fig. 4, a plan view of the machine.
Fig. 5, a transverse vertical section at the line, - of figure, 3.
Fig. 6, a detail of one of the drivers, and,
Fig. 7, a perspective of the former showing a set of shooks arranged therein for
proper presentation to the drivers, said shooks being partially broken away.
Similar letters denote like parts in all the figures of the drawing. A, is a cast iron
frame upon which the operative parts of my machine are mounted; B, are upward
projections from the frame for the support of the top drivers. C, is the main shaft
journalled in a thickened portion of the frame longitudinal of the machine. D is,

page_text: the driving pulley and, E, is a stop-motion mechanism arranged between the pulley
and shaft after the manner of ordinary drawing or stamping presses. F, are grooved
cams secured on the main shaft, and, G, is a foc cam, whose function is to raise the
platen as will hereafter more fully appear. H, is the platen. It is arranged upon
the tops of rods, I, which are free to slide vertically in the frame. The toe cam above
referred to engages at each revolution with the bottom of the platen, thereby raising
it and its rods. J, are carriages mounted and adapted to slide in ways formed in the
frame at either end thereof, and backward and forward movement is given to them by
the engagement, with the cams, F, of pins, U, which project downward from each
carriage as seen in the several elevations and in the section.
Mounted upon standards, K, which project upward from each of the carriages
above referred to, are arranged the drivers for delivering and severing the nails
which secure the sides and ends of the box together. Four nails serve for cach
end of a cigar box and I have shown four drivers upon each carriage, but of course
for boxes of larger size a greater number would necessarily be required.
Each of these individual drivers consists of a trough shaped guide way, a, through
which a continuous length of nails lettered, b, is led from the reels, L. A cut off
bar, c, whose forward extremity is inclined backward as seen at fig. 6, lies in the groove
alongside the nails and a feeding spring, d, (see fig. 6.) is secured to and moves with
the bar, c.
The rear ends of the several cut off bars are connected by a frame, e, and
a spring, f, secured between the frame, e, and the standard K, tends to keep the cut
off bars projected out of the guide ways as seen at fig. 1; the limit of this forward
movement may be determined by any usual stop.
Supported from the upward projections, B, above the frame is a gang or collection
of drivers similar in construction to those just described, and having the tops of their
cut off bars secured to frame, M, which is connected by spring, g, with a bar between
the projections, B, for the purpose of keeping the cut off bars projected without the
guide ways.
These top drivers are provided in sufficient numbers to supply the necessary nails
for securing the bottom of the box to the sides. Six nails are usual in cigar boxes for
this purpose and 1 have shown a gang of six drivers in the drawings. Reels similar
in all respects to those upon the ends of the machine provide the nails for the top
drivers but as these reels present no novel feature and form no part of my invention
except as they are combined with the drivers I have not thought it necessary to show
them in the drawings. Excepting in figs. 1, and, 4, also I have not deemed it neces-
sary to show the end reels but have merely broken off the lengths of nails.
In fig. 7, I have shown the former, which consists of the rectangular frame, N,
having the upwardly projecting posts, O, which hold the shooks from without, and the
springs, P, which press the shooks outward against the posts. A guide strip Q is
secured across the bottom of the frame, and the platen is grooved on its upper surface
so that the former being placed upon the platen the engagement of the guide strip
with the groove determines its proper position in one direction, and the engagement
of pin, R, on the guide strip with a hole, T, in the platen determines it in the other,
thereby assuring the proper location of the box relative to the drivers. When in the
frame ready for the action of the machine the shook which is to form the bottom of
the box lies upon the top of the side and end shooks, as is partially shown at fig. 7.
The action of the drivers which I have shown is as follows. The end nail of
each string projects beyond the forward end of the guide way and its head is engaged
thereby.
When the carriages and drivers move up against the box, the end nail of each
string whose head is engaged by the extremity of its trough shaped guide way,
is pushed into the wood of the box, and simultaneously by its contact with the box the
spring actuated cut off bar is pushed backward into the said guide way. Just before
the nail is driven completely home, the cut off bar has been forced into the guide way
far enough so that its broad end which about fills the guide way (see detail fig. 6)
severs the nail by crowding against the extremity of sail guide way which serves as
a driver.
:

page_text: The inward motion of the cut-off bar carries back the feed spring far enough to
engage the head of the nail next above, which it draws down into engagement with
the end of the guide way upon the return movement of the bar before the cutting
off is complete, the nails have been partially driven; the exact distance of their
entrance prior to severing may be varied by the shape and length of the cut off bar.
The operation of my invention is as follows.
The shooks are first placed in position in the former which is placed in position as
before explained. Then, the shaft and pulley having been connected by the stop-
motion mechanism, the shaft revolves and the carriages by means of the grooved cams
are moved forward so that the drivers are forced into contact with the end shooks
within the former as shown in figure, 2, whereby the four nails necessary to secure
each end of the box are simultaneously driven and cut off.
As
Further revolution of the shaft withdraws the carriages and the springs cause fresh
nails to be fed outward as the cut off bars are returned out of the guide ways.
the end drivers recede out of contact with the box, the toe-cam in its revolution raises
the platen and box against the upper drivers, which drive in the nails necessary to
secure the bottom to the sides in the same manner which has been described with
reference to the endwise drivers. The cam passing under then allows the platen
to drop back to its normal position and the machine stops. The former is then
removed and a new one filled with shooks may be placed in position for the next
operation.
In this my invention I do not wish to be confined to the precise details of construction
which I have herein shown and described, since I can substitute for the driving
devices hercin specified, others equally simple and adapted to carry string nails, as for
instance such a driver as is shown and described in letters patent No. 345,679. I can
furthermore vary the number or position of the drivers to accomodate varied con-
structions or shape of boxes, or in very large work the box may be subjected to two
operations in order to place all the nails required for security.
The feed of my machine is certain, positive and automatic without regard to the
direction in which the drivers operate. The raising of the box against the upper
drivers may be readily changed and the said drivers caused to descend upon the box.
As this change is obvious and is merely a reversal of the movement of the upper
drivers and the work supporting platen, I have not thought it necessary to show it in
connection with this application.
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 :-
:-
1. The combination in a box nailing machine of two sets of drivers adapted to be
moved up against the box from opposite sides thereof and to drive the end nails therein,
and a third set of drivers mounted above the platen and adapted by the raising of
the box into contact therewith to drive the bottom nails, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination in a box nailing machine with the platen for the support of the
assembled shooks, of two sets of drivers arranged to act longitudinally and from either
side of said platen, and a third set of drivers mounted above the platen and adapted
to act when the box is raised into contact with them, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with the platen and means for raising the same, of the longi-
tudinally movable carriages on either side thereof and the drivers arranged thereon and
the stationary set of drivers mounted above the platen, all arranged as described and
for the purpose set forth.
4. The longitudinally movable carriages each having mounted thereon a set of
drivers, and the upper drivers mounted above the bed, in combination with the platen
for the support of the work in proper relation to the end drivers, and means as
described for raising the platen and work into contact with said upper drivers,
substantially as set forth.
5. The combination in a machine of the character described of the main shaft, the
grooved cams thereon, the longitudinally movable carriages actuated by said grooved
cams, the drivers mounted upon and carried by said carriages, the stationary set of

page_text: drivers arranged above the bed, the work supporting platen and the toe cam carried
by the mainshaft and whereby said plates may be raised toward the upper drivers,
substantially as set forth.
6. The combination in a box nailing machine with a former, in which the shooks are
adapted to be assembled, of a platen upon which the former may be laid, a set of
drivers upon either side of said platen and means for moving said drivers up against
the work, a set of stationary drivers mounted above the platen and means, as a cam for
raising the platen towards the upper drivers, substantially as described.
7. The combination with the main shaft and the grooved cams carried thereby, of
the platen for the proper support of the work, the carriages mounted upon the frame
and actuated by the cams, and the drivers arranged upon the carriages and adapted to
drive the end nails, substantially as set forth.
8 In a box nailing machine the combination with the driving devices and the
means whereby they are operated and the platen for the support of the work, of a
former for containing the shooks, the same having inside and outside supports for
holding the shooks in assembled position for the action of the drivers, substantially as
specified.
9. The combination with the driving devices and the platen grooved upon its upper
surface, of the former having inside and outside supports for the shooks, a guide strip
arranged to fit the groove in the platen and a pin arranged to engage a hole in said
platen whereby the position of the box upon the platen may be accurately determined
relative to the drivers, substantially as described.
10. The combination with the main shaft cams and platen of the carriages mounted
on the frame and actuated by the grooved cams, the end drivers mounted upon and
-moving with the carriages, the reel whereby the nails are supplied and the upper set of
drivers and their reels, substantially as set forth.
11. The combination with a box nailing machine with a platen or other suitable
work support, of two sets of end drivers operating simultaneously from opposite sides
of the platen for the driving of the end nails and a set of drivers arranged above the
platen and adapted by the raising of the platen to operate immediately upon the
withdrawal of the end drivers, substantially as set forth and specified.
12. In a nailing machine the combination with the trough shaped guide way through
which the nails are led, of the spring actuated cut off bar arranged to have a sliding
movement within said guide way, and the feed spring secured to and carried by the
cut off bar, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 26th day of il 1987