Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Footballs and similar Hollow Articles, and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1889-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Footballs and similar
Hollow Articles, and to Apparatus therefor.
I, LOUIS DELLE, of 77 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth, Paris, France, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
This invention relates to the manufacture of foot balls and other hollow articles of
celluloid or similar substances and to apparatus therefor.
The balls made according to the said invention as compared with India-rubber balls,
present the advantages that they are not compressible, are not liable to break or crack,
and can be made transparent, so that they can be metallized internally or can have
designs applied to them.
The material employed for the manufacture, that is to say, the celluloid is first cut
into circular discs which the workman heats upon a furnace covered with an iron plate
in order to obviate the direct action of the flames. The said disc is then seized by
means of a perforated frame provided with a handle, and having been softened by the
heat is passed to a fly or friction press having a stamping tool which as it descends
into the matrice gives to the aforesaid disc a hemispherical shape.
A small shoulder is formed on the said stamp so as to adjoin the hemispherical end
of the latter for the purpose of enabling the stamp when it has nearly reached the end
of its stroke in its operation in the matrice to cut away all the superfluous material.
The cooling then takes place, the shell formed contracts and can be easily removed
by hand from the matrice.
In order to prevent the formation of folds during the stamping operation, the said
stamp is surrounded by a spring sleeve the lower end of which constitutes a pressing
ring. This sleeve is guided by pins. During the whole time of the descent of the
stamp, the pressing ring bears on the disc of celluloid until the stamping is finished,
thereby preventing the folding of the disc. The stamp as it rises lifts the spring
sleeve and liberates the matrice which will then enable the finished hemispherical
shell thus formed to be removed.
In order to solder the two shells together, the parts to be connected are wetted
with crystallizable acetic acid methylene methylic or acetic ether or any other suitable
substance fulfilling the same object.
In order to impart solidity to the soldered joint I employ a strengthening ring
one half of which is slid into the first shell and secured therein by solder. After this
the exterior of this ring is likewise wetted and connected with the second shell. A
slight pressure is exerted during the soldering operation.
In lieu of the ring secured to the shells, a collar or flange can be formed on one of
the shells during the manufacture of the same and connected with the second shell
above by soldering.
The simple shells may also be used, these shells being soldered edge to edge by
simply joining them together and covered by two other hemispheres which are fixed
upon them by solder.
Dated this 5th day of January 1889.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Footballs and similar
Hollow Articles, and to Apparatus therefor.
I, LOUIS DELLE, of 77 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth Paris France Cabinet Maker,
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 the manufacture of foot-balls and similar hollow articles of
celluloid and to apparatus therefor.
In order that the invention may be more readily understood I will proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing in which
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the mode of manufacturing hollow balls of
hemisphores moulded in presses or dies.
.
Figures 1 and 2 represent a sheet of celluloid before and after moulding.
Figure 3 is a vertical section of the moulding press.
Figures 4 and 5 are diametrical sections of the hemispheres of which the balls are
made, also showing the method of joining the halves together.
Figures 6 and 7 show a half sectional elevation and plan of a modified arrange-
ment of the apparatus represented in Figure 3.
Hollow balls made of celluloid are lighter than those hitherto made, bosides which
they never collapse, are unbreakable and highly flexible.
Instead of celluloid I may use fibro-litloid, xylonite, celluline, and generally all
materials having a base of camphor and cellulose.
The balls may contain bells or jingles, reeds for producing musical sounds or other
adjuncts and may be ornamented in any suitable manner by painting, coloring,
printing or metallizing.
The hemispheres of which these hollow balls are composed are moulded by means
of the apparatus represented in Figure 3. A disc is first stamped out of a sheet of
celluloid and then dipped in boiling water and quickly placed upon the bed die G
and pressure applied by means of a fly press to bring down the upper die C проп the
celluloid disc which is clamped upon the bed die by the flange E' of the clamping
ring E by the pressure of the coiled spring thereon whereby the celluloid disc is
moulded into the hemispherical form of the cavity in the bed die, the edges being
neatly trimmed or sheared by the shoulder C₁ formed upon the upper die on the
completion of its downward stroke. The clamping ring E is guided by a pin J which
works in a suitable slot D in the stamp C.
Figures 6 and 7 show a modified arrangement of the apparatus. In this case
instead of clamping the edges of the celluloid disc upon the bed die by means of
spring pressure as described, the margin of the disc is clamped by a ring e notched
at e to give passage to lugs d by which the ring is held down. By partially rotating
the ring whose upper surface is slightly inclined at y, the celluloid becomes firmly
clamped upon the bed die. The apparatus thus arranged is immersed in hot water and
then placed in a press and the upper die brought down on to the bed die so as to
mould the celluloid into the form of a hemisphere. The dies are then immersed in
cold water previous to removing the moulded celluloid.
In order to make a ball from the hemispheres moulded in the manner described I
cement a strip of celluloid to the inside edge of the one hemisphere so as to project
as shown in Figures 4 and 5 and then cement the other hemisphere thereto. Or the
hemispheres may be united by an external band or instead of a band the two halves
may be united by other forms of junction pieces than a continuous band, applied
either on the interior or exterior, in the latter case they may be of ornamental form.
Or the edges of the two hemispheres may be directly cemented together and the ball
thus obtained be coated with the cementing material and then enclosed in two other
hemispheres the joint of which would be placed as near as possible perpendicularly
to that of the internal ball. Several balls may be enclosed one within the other in the
manner described.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
First. The manufacture of hollow balls of celluloid as hereinbefore described.
Second. The herein described arrangements of press for moulding discs of celluloid
in the form of hemispheres by stamping in dies as described and represented in
Figures 3, 6 and 7 consisting of male and female dies of hemispherical form in
combination with a spring pressed clamping ring E, k, as in Figure 3 whereby the
edges of the disc are clamped upon the bed die, or a ring clamp C provided with
inclined surfaces g as in Figures 6 and 7.
Third. The methods of cementing together the hemispheres employed for making
hollow balls of celluloid, either directly or by means of bands or ornamental attach-
ments, or by enclosing the spheres one in the other and cementing them together all
as hereinbefore described.
Fourth. The application to balls made of celluloid as described of sound-producing
objects such as bells, jingles, or means for producing musical notes placed in their
interior, as also the ornamentation of such balls by painting or coloring, printing or
metallizing so as to impart to them the appearance of being made of metal.
Dated this 21st day of September 1889.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.