IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING AND STRIKING STAMPED, IMPRESSED AND EMBOSSED PLATES AND DISCS AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Fielding Smyth of Belfast in the County of
Antrim in Ireland Brassfounder for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PROCESS OF MAKING AND STRIKING STAMPED, IMPRESSED AND EMBOSSED
PLATES AND DISCS AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Fielding Smyth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th November 1882.
JAMES FIELDING SMYTH of Belfast in the County of Antrim in Ireland, Brass-
founder IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING AND STRIKING STAMPED,
IMPRESSED AND EMBOSSED PLATES AND DISCS AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR
The object of my invention is to dispense with manual aid in the process of
making and striking Stamped, Impressed or Embossed metallic and other plates
or discs subsequent to the feeding of the machine or in some parts of such process.
For this purpose I provide a revolving table or endless apron driven off a shaft
and having a number of circular or other chambers or cells arranged in a row
or rows along the margin or a trough or box containing such chambers or cells
or divided into compartments into which successively the blank discs or plates
to be operated upon are placed and from which in like manner they are with-
drawn one by one by means of an arm or lifter moving on an elbow or joint
and magnetized or furnished with a sucker or concave elastic washer or constructed
hollow or tubular and connected with an exhauster, elastic ball or air syringe
whereby a vacuum may be created in order to take up and hold the blank disc
or plate until the arm or lifter transfers and delivers it to an adjacent hopper
or shoot which conveys it to the stamping, impressing or embossing die: which
portion of my invention may be applied to the apparatus now commonly
employed.
The disconnection of the plate or disc from the arm or lifter may be facilitated
by the aid of a finger or rod striking it automatically.

page_text: And for the vertical stamping, impressing and embossing apparatus now commonly
employed I substitute a horizontal plunger bearing the matrix and a conical
chamber containing the die driven off a shaft and arranged at either side of and
below the hopper or shoot which is in this arrangement provided with a holder to
keep the disc or plate to be operated upon in position until the plunger drives it
into the conical chamber where the edge or rim is formed and forces it home
against the die by which it is stamped, impressed or embossed. A spring after-
wards restores the disc or plate to the mouth of the Conical Chamber from which it
falls into a receiver or box, being then completed.
The hopper or shoot and holder may be made in parts having independent and
opposite motions or otherwise and the action of the matrix and die may be reversed
or both may be made to co-operate by separate but relative action.
I may double all or any of the parts of my machine on each frame and the same
may be driven by either manual or steam or other motive power.
I may also add to my machine cutting or punching apparatus in order to cut the
discs or plates from rolls, sheets or stripes of metal or other substance drawn by a
roller or rollers across the cutters or punchers and a contrivance for automatically
delivering the discs or plates so cut into the chambers cells or compartments before
mentioned or directly into the hopper or shoot.
And a counter may be attached to the machine for registering the number of
articles operated on.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Fielding Smyth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th May 1883.
JAMES FIELDING SMYTH of Belfast in the County of Antrim in Ireland Brass
founder "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING AND STRIKING STAMPED
IMPRESSED AND EMBOSSED PLATES AND DISCS AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR
"
The object of my invention is to dispense with manual aid in the process of
making and striking stamped impressed or embossed metallic and other plates or
discs subsequent to the feeding of the machine or in some parts of such process.
For this purpose I provide a revolving table or endless apron driven off a shaft
and having a number of circular or other chambers or cells arranged in a row or
rows along the margin or a trough or box containing such chambers or cells. or
divided into compartments into which successively the blank discs or plates to be
operated upon are placed and from which in like manner they are withdrawn one
by one by means of an arm or lifter moving on an elbow or joint and magnetized
or furnished with a sucker or concave elastic washer or constructed hollow or
tubular and connected with an exhauster elastic ball or air syringe whereby a
vacuum may be created in order to take up and hold the blank disc or plate until
the arm or lifter transfers and delivers it to an adjacent hopper or shoot which
conveys it to the stamping impressing or embossing die: which portion of my
invention may be applied to the apparatus now commonly employed.
The disconnection of the plate or disc from the arm or lifter may be facilitated
by the aid of a finger or rod striking it automatically.
And for the vertical stamping impressing and embossing apparatus now
commonly employed I substitute a horizontal plunger bearing the matrix and a
conical chamber containing the die driven off a shaft and arranged at either side of
and below the hopper or shoot which is in this arrangement provided with a holder
to keep the disc or plate to be operated upon in position until the plunger drives it
into the conical chamber where the edge or rim is formed and forces it home
against the die by which it is stamped impressed or embossed. A spring afterwards
restores the disc or plate to the mouth of the conical chamber from which it falls
into a receiver or box, being then completed.
Instead of a hopper provided with a holder as above mentioned I find it
preferable to arrange the conical chamber with a hopper from which the disc or
plate falls into it and the conical chamber forms or acts as a holder. According to
this arrangement the die coming into contact with the disc or plate drives both the
holder and the disc or plate forward forming a slight rim on the latter which comes
into contact with the matrix and passes through a steel plate whereby the flange is
completed. The conical chamber or holder is thrown back from the steel plate by
a spring or springs acting on it as soon as the die and matrix have grasped the
disc or plate and an aperture is thus provided for the disc or plate to fall through
into the receiver or box before mentioned.
The hopper or shoot and holder may be made in parts having independent and
opposite motions or otherwise and the action of the matrix and die may be reversed
or both may be made to co-operate by separate but relative action. I may double
all or any of the parts of my machine on each frame and the same may be driven
by either manual or steam or other motive power.
I may also add to my machine cutting or punching apparatus in order to cut the
discs or plates from rolls sheets or stripes of metal or other substance drawn by a
roller or rollers across the cutters or punchers and a contrivance for automatically
delivering the discs or plates so cut into the chambers cells or compartments before
mentioned or directly into the hopper or shoot.
And a counter may be attached to the machine for registering the number of
articles operated on.

page_text: And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood I shall now
proceed to refer to the drawings upon the sheet hereunto annexed the same letters
of reference indicating the same or corresponding parts of my apparatus throughout
all the figures.
Fig I is a side elevation of the apparatus shewing the revolving table with
chambers or cells or other receptacles for blank discs or plates, the lifter and
exhauster, the hopper and the plunger and die with the shafting and gearing for
actuating same.
Fig II is a plan of the same apparatus.
Fig III is an enlarged section of the holder, steel plate for forming the flange
plunger and die and the springs for actuating the die and holder-and
Fig IV is a side elevation of the apparatus for cutting or punching the discs or
plates and the hopper to carry same to the holder-a, is a revolving table; b, b, are
the chambers or cells; c, is a hollow or tubular arm or lifter held in position by an
elbow joint or socket o¹; d, is a sucker or elastic washer at the end of the arm or
lifter c; e, is an exhauster or vacuum pump connected with the arm or lifter c, by
a flexible tube f; g, is a hopper or shoot furnished with a finger or rod, g', to strike
the plate or disc from the arm or lifter and fixed in the holder, h, which is
provided with a conical mouth for the purpose of centreing the disc or plate to the
die, . The plunger, k, carries the disc or plate and holder forward to a steel
plate, 7, which forms a rim or flange upon it before being embossed. The matrix, m,
is fixed upon a ram or spindle, n, furnished with a spring, o, for the purpose of
restoring the matrix to its original position. An eccentric, crank or cam, p, upon
the main shaft, q, at the same time restores the plunger, k, to its original position.
The holder, h, is drawn back after delivering the disc-or-plate at the steel-plate, l,-by-
means of a spring or springs r, r, so as to leave or form an aperture through which
the embossed disc or plate may fall from the returning matrix into a receiver or box
below the apparatus. The revolving table, a, may be turned either by hand or
automatically by means of ordinary-gearing or other mechanism usually employed
for the purpose. The arm or lifter, c, has both a perpendicular or up and down
motion and a circular motion imparted to it by means of the bent rocking lever, 8,
working under a pin or stud, t, fixed in the upright portion of the arm or lifter, c,
and guided in a partly parallel and partly curved groove or slot, u, formed in the
socket, c'. The bent rocking.lever, s, is actuated by an eccentric, cam or crank or
other ordinary mechanism on the main or driving shaft, q. The exhauster, e, is
compressed and dilated by means of a rod, v, and a hinged lever, v', lifted by a
cam, w, and dragged back to position by a spring, w-x, is a cutter or punch
attached to the apparatus and displacing and dispensing with the revolving table
or apron with chambers or cells and the arm or lifter and exhauster. The cutter
or punch may be fed with rolls, sheets or stripes of metal either by hand or by
rollers or other usual mechanical appliances and is placed over the hopper, g.
or holder, h, which thus receives the blank discs or plates directly. y, is a bent
rocking lever actuated by the plunger, k, and working the cutter or punch, x, by
means of a rocking lever, y', through a link, z.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I would have it to be understood that I do not claim the
exclusive use of revolving tables or endless aprons, chambers or cells, troughs or
boxes, moveable arms or lifters, suckers or washers, exhausters, balls or syringes,
hoppers or shoots, plungers, conical chambers, matrixes, dies, holders or springs or
cutters or punchers except when the same are constructed and arranged specially
and employed in the manner herein before described nor do I claim the use of
shafts, eccentrics, cams, cranks and rollers or of any of the separate mechanical
parts which form the compound automatic apparatus employed by me but I claim
First The making and striking of stamped, impressed and embossed discs and
plates by the aid of automatic apparatus constructed and employed substantially
in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and shewn in the
drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: Secondly The use, in the process of making and striking stamped impressed
and embossed discs and plates, of a revolving table, endless apron, trough or box
constructed and employed substantially in the manner and for the purposes
herein before described and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Thirdly The use, in the said process, of a moveable arm or lifter magnetized
or furnished with a sucker or elastic washer constructed, actuated and employed
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and shewn
in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Fourthly The use, in the said process, of a moveable hollow or tubular arm or
lifter and exhausting apparatus constructed, actuated and employed substantially
in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and shewn in the
drawings hereunto annexed.
Fifthly The use, in the said process, of a disconnecting finger or rod constructed,
actuated and employed substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Sixthly The use, in the said process, of a holder constructed, actuated and
employed substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described
and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Seventhly The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the compound
automatic apparatus above mentioned constructed and applied substantially in the
manner and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated by the drawings
on the sheet hereunto annexed.
In Witness whereof I the said James Fielding Smyth have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twenty Second day of May in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.