IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FEEDING METAL PLATES TO ROLLS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Madge, of Swansea, in the County of
Glamorgan, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
FEEDING METAL PLATES TO ROLLS."
Sealed the 5th May 1868, and dated the 13th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Madge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th November 1867.
I, EDWARD MADGE, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR FEEDING METAL PLATES TO ROLLS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the automatic feeding of plates to rolls. In
carrying out this object I place the plates which are to be submitted to the
rolls in a pile upon a table fitted with adjustable side and end pieces for
determining the position of the pile thereon, and then bring down upon the
pile a sucker or pneumatic holder which will adhere by slight pressure to a flat
surface; this sucker when raised will lift the top plate and deposit it upon
a shute so situated as to lead the plate to the bite of the rolls. The sucker
may consist of an elastic cup fitted in a holder, which may be carried by a
transverse frame or other suitable contrivance for moving the sucker to and
fro between the pile of plates and the shute. The holder I make hollow to
admit air to the cup when the adhesion between the cup and the lifted plate

page_text: is required to cease, and a weighted valve fitted to the top of the holder will
close the air passage. The transverse fraine when used for carrying the sucker
I slot at its sides to receive guide pins which project from the sides of the
table carrying the pile of plates, and it rests at its lower end on segment
guides carried by a horizontal sliding frame. This sliding frame is raised by
a pair of excentrics which carry a tooth or projection that is intended to
strike upon a corresponding tooth or projection with which the transverse
frame at bottom is provided. The weight of the transverse frame (when not
raised) will keep the sucker which it carries in contact with the top plate.
The frame is connected by a spring or weighted cord with the table, so as to
ensure its regaining its vertical position after being tipped as will be presently
described. Rotary motion being given to the excentrics they will lift the
horizontal sliding frame, and with it the transverse frame, the sucker of which
will then hold a plate in suspension. The teeth of the excentrics will now
strike the teeth of the raised transverse frame and tip it forward towards the
rolls, together with the suspended plate, which is thus brought over the shute
leading to the bite of the rolls. This shute is so formed as to reject the feed
if by accident two plates are deposited upon the shute instead of one. A
provision of this kind is requisite, as not unfrequently two or more plates will
adhere together and be carried up by the sucker, and be deposited in the
shute. When the sucker has arrived over the shute a rod on the weighted
valve before mentioned will strike a fixed stop, and the valve will thereby be
lifted from its seat. Air being now admitted to the sucker its adhesion to the
plate will be destroyed and the plate will fall. The shute is made with fixed
sides, and its bottom is divided transversely into two parts, which are hung so
as to be capable of moving with or rocking on their supports. The upper
part of the shute bottom is supported in position by a pair of weighted beams,
the short ends of which receive V edges projecting from side bars connected
to the upper part of the shute bottom, and held in position by radius rods.
The beams being properly weighted it will be understood that if two plates
are fed to the shute together their weight will depress the shute bottom
and cause it to discharge the plates on to the ground instead of guiding them,
to the rolls. The lower part of the shute bottom is pivotted, and it is
weighted to ensure the lower end bearing against the top roll. This arrange-
ment allows the bottom when overweighted by the feeding thereto of a plate
to tip, and thus prevent the advance of another plate until the plate upon it
is taken up by the rolls. In the above arrangement a sliding bar is used for
keeping the transverse frame elevated when a fresh pile of plates is required
to he placed in position on the table.

page_text: I would remark that the details of the apparatus for bringing the action of
the sucker and shute into combination admit of many modifications; but the
above description will sufficiently illustrate the mode of effecting the combined
antomatic action of the sucker and shute upon the plates.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Madge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
MADGE, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edward Madge, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Madge, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Madge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
FEEDING METAL PLATES TO ROLLS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Edward Madge, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Madge, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
In
This Invention relates to the automatic feeding of plates to rolls.
carrying out this object I place the plates which are to be submitted to the
rolls in a pile upon a table, which may be conveniently fitted with adjustable

page_text: side and end pieces for determining the position of the pile thereon, and I
bring down upon the pile a sucker or pneumatic holder which will adhere by
slight pressure to a flat surface; this sucker when raised will lift the top
plate and deposit it upon a shute so situated as to lead the plate to the bite of
the rolls. The sucker may consist of an elastic cup fitted in a holder which
may be carried by a transverse frame or other suitable contrivance for moving
the sucker to and fro between the pile of plates and the shute. The holder I
make hollow to admit air to the cup when the adhesion between the cup and
the lifted plate is required to cease, and a valve fitted to the top of the holder
will close the air passage. The weight and pressure of the depressed transverse
frame will bring the sucker which it carries into close contact with the top
plate, and cause its adherence thereto, and the flame with its load will then by
means of suitable gearing carry the top plate from the pile and bring it over
the shute leading to the rolls. At this time air will be admitted to the cup
by the raising of the air valve and the plate will fall upon the shute. This
shute is so formed as to reject the feed if by accident two plates are deposited
upon it instead of one. A provision of this kind is requisite, as not unfre-
quently two or more plates will adhere together and be carried up by the
sucker and be deposited in the shute.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal back
elevation of the apparatus for automatically delivering plates to a shute
supposed to be connected with a pair of rolls; Fig. 2 is an end view of the
same; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the table of the apparatus; and Fig. 4 is a
vertical section on an enlarged scale of the pneumatic holder or sucker used
for lifting the plates. This arrangement is designed to supply the shute with
plates taken alternately from two piles situate at opposite ends of the table,
the shute being midway between the two piles and the lifting and transferring
apparatus being in duplicate on opposite sides of the shute.
A is the table, the middle of which is cut away to receive the shute B.
Mounted in short standards C, C, (see Fig. 2) is a fulcrum pin c which carries
a rocking bracket frame D; in this frame is mounted a horizontal spindle E
to the extremity of which the sucker F is made fast. This frame D has
affixed to it a spur wheel or segment rack G concentric with the fulcrum pin c,
and into the teeth of this segment rack gears a straight rack H which slides in
guides attached to the table. An arm from this rack is coupled by a connecting
rod with a crank I which receives rotary motion through a band and pulley
from any first mover. Fitted to the spur wheel or segment rack is a spring
K which bears upon the inner side of the vibrating frame with a yielding
pressure, and serves to depress it in the direction of the piles of plates, and on

page_text: the opposite side of the frame is a pink which serves to raise the frame to its
vertical position. I have said that the sucker is attached to the spindle E,
it is however requisite to preserve the vertical position of the sucker throughout
its movement (when charged with a plate) while the frame is vibrating from
the pile of plates to the shute. This I effect by connecting the spindle E
with the fulcrum pin c by means of a belt and a pair of pullies e e, and thus
making them move together and at the same speed. The construction
of the holder or sucker will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 4 where
F is a hollow metal stem expanding into a broad flange at its lower end and
fitted at that part with a slightly dished shaped disc of vulcanized india-rubber f
or other suitable flexible material. The rubber disc is secured to the stem
by a hollow screw f¹ which leaves open a passage for the air; at its upper
end the stem is fitted with a valve f carrying at its under side a guide pin
that slides in the central opening in the stem. This valve beds upon a ring
of india-rubber packing f³, and it is carried and held down firmly thereon
by a spring d (Fig. 2) attached to the vibrating frame D. Fitted to the spindle
E is a cam e* which turns with the spindle as the frame vibrates at the time
the sucker has moved over the shute lifts the spring and with it the valve
, thereby admitting air to the sucker and destroying its hold on the plate;
the plate will then fall and find its way down the shute or slide to the bite of
the rolls. The shute or slide is made with fixed sides, and its bottom is divided
transversely into two parts which are hung so as to be capable of moving with
or rocking on their supports. The upper part of the shute bottom is supported
in position by a pair of weighted beams, the short ends of which receive V
edges projecting from side bars connected to the upper part of the shute
bottom and held in position by parallel motion bars. The beams being properly
weighted it will be understood that if two plates are fed to the shute together
their weight will depress the shute bottom and cause it to discharge the plates
on to the ground instead of guiding them to the rolls. The lower part of the
shute bottom is pivotted, and it is weighted to ensure the lower end bearing
against the top roll. This arrangement allows the bottom when overweighted
by the feeding thereto of a plate to tip, and thus prevent the advance of
another plate until the plate upon it is taken up by the rolls. The shute or
slide is shewn in side elevation partly in section at Fig. 5, Sheet II. A
represents the table of the machine with the attachment of the slide to it by
means of hooks and eyes; B is the slide or shute attached to the table as
shewn at one end and to the roll standards on the other in any convenient
manner; C is the upper portion of the slide bottom shewn as when depressed
by an overload (that is, a double or two adhering sheets). The plates in that

page_text: case instead of passing on to the rolls fall on to the ground through the
aperture C¹; the counterbalance C2 must be sufficient to counterweigh the
moveable slide and the weight of a single sheet or plate to be passed over it;
C is the bearing on which the beam rests. This bearing may be a pin-or
a A shaped pivot. C, C, are the parallel motion rods to prevent the balanced
portion of the slide tilting over; D is the lower moveable bottom. (As this
part is contained within the two sides of the slide frame it is shewn in section
within the farther side of the frame). D¹ is the pivot on which it turns. The
modus operandi of the slide or chute is as follows:-A plate being dropped
from the sucker on to the upper part of the slide, which is balanced to counter-
weigh the weight of one sheet, the sheet will pass on over it to the lower
moveable bottom, but if two or more sheets should stick or cohere together
their joint weight will depress the movable bottom, and the charge will be
passed out through the opening marked C. A charge of a single sheet will
pass forward on to the lower moveable bottom D, which when at rest stands
with the higher portion in a line with run of the shute. In the Drawing
this lower moveable bottom is shewn elevated by the weight of the charge plate
E in the act of passing the rolls. Until the plate has passed any following
plate instead of coming too quick on the first is passed out through the opening
D¹ As soon as the plate has passed the rolls the bottom (being properly
counterbalanced) resumes its normal position in a line with the run of the
shute, and it is then ready to pass on the next plate.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improved Apparatus
for Feeding Metal Plates to Rolls," and explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim, feeding plates automatically into the bite of
rolls by means of pneumatic holders for the purpose above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Madge, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
EDW. MADGE. (L.S.)