IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN BINDERS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Otis Skinner Gage, of No. 228, Upper Thames Street, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN BINDERS."
A communication from abroad by Cyrus Hall McCormick, of Chicago, Illinois,
in the United States of America.
Sealed the 29th November 1878, and dated the 4th July 1878.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Otis Skinner Gago at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th July 1878.
OTIS SKINNER ĠAGE, of No. 228, Upper Thames Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN BINDERS." A communication from abroad by Cyrus
Hall McCormick, of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States of America.
This Invention more especially relates to that class of binding mechanisin having
a reciprocating binding carriage, and employing two wires.
In the accompanying Drawings which represent the improvements as communi-
cated to me by my foreign correspondent,
Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of so much of a binder embracing the im-
provements as is necessary to illustrate the Invention herein claimed, the grain
platform being removed, and the mechanism shown in the attitude it assumes just
after binding a bundle, and when about to move forward to grasp a fresh one;
Figure 2 represents a rear elevation of the same.
Figure 3, an end view thereof, partly in section on the line 1, 1, of Figure 1.
Figure 4 represents a front view of the apparatus from the side opposite that
shown in Figure 2.
Figure 5 represents a view in elevation of the binding apparatus, showing the
parts in the attitude they assume, while the wire is being twisted after encompassing
the bundle.
Figure 6 represents a plan view of the twisting mechanism, with portions broken
away to showthe details more clearly.

page_text: Figure 7 represents a vertical longitudinal section through said mechanism on the
line 2, 2, of Figure 6.
Figure 8, a vertical transverse section therethrough on the line 3, 3, of Figure 6,
and Figure 8, a plan view of the differential gears which actuate the sectional
cutter and twister pinion.
Figure 9 is a detail view partly in section on the line 4, 4, of Figure 11, showing
the locking stop which holds the binding carriage stationary for a short period at
each end of its reciprocating movement.
Figure 10 represents a bottom plan view of the parts shown in Figure 9.
Figure 11 represents a vertical transverse section through the line 5, 5, of
Figure 9.
Figure 12 shows a detail view partly in section of the driving chain and sprocket
wheel, which reciprocates the binding carriage.
Figure 13, a transverse section therethrough on the line 6, 6, of Figure 12.
And, Figures 14 and 15 represent detail views of the take-up tension.
The binding mechanism is by preference mounted upon a suitable frame A secured
upon or removably connected with the frame of a harvester of any usual well-
known construction.
A shaft B driven in usual well-known ways, carries a sprocket wheel B¹, over
which an endless driving chain C travels as well as over a corresponding wheel Bl
mounted in a bracket b, adjustable by means of a slot and set screw, as shown in
Figures 2, 12, and 13, to adjust the tension of the chain.
A binding carriage D reciprocates upon ways d, d', on the frame A, being moved
backwards and forwards at suitable intervals by means of a pin c on the chain C,
working in a slotted intermittently rotating crank E, mounted upon a stud axle e
on the traversing carriage frame D.
The mechanism thus far described is not new, and is not herein claimed.
The traversing carriage D is temporarily locked at each end of its movement,
while the binding arm is being raised or lowed, by means of a lug or splino e' on
a collar fixed on the stud axle on which the crank lever E turns, which lug or
spline abuts against the end of the spring stops or latches F, F', rocking on a pivot
f(on the frame on which the binding carriage slides), and held down by springs f¹.
These latches point in opposite directions, rock on the same pivot, overlap each
other, and have their inner ends curved upwards so as to form stops which limit
the descent of the latches, see Figures 2, 9, 10, and 11.
A pitman G adjustable in length (instead of being in one piece as hitherto) is
pivoted at one end to one arm of the crank E, while the other is connected to a
crank h of a shaft H rocking in bearings in the standard D' of the traversing
carriage, to the other end of which shaft a wire-carrying arm I is fixed so as to
vibrate or oscillate with its shaft.
By making the pitinan G adjustable in length, the range of movement of the
binding arm may be varied without varying the adjustment of the cranks E and h.
The intermittently rotating crank E is provided with three arms, one being
slotted for the reception of the driving pin c; another serves as a crank to control
the wire-carrying arın, and a third as a stop to prevent the backward movement of
the crank, which crank is preferably made in one piece.
The binding arin is slotted both vertically and longitudinally, as shown in the
Drawings, in which slot a supplementary wire-guiding arm or tucker J plays, being
pivoted intermediately of its ends on a fulcrum j in said arm I, and at its rear end
to the standard D' of the binding frame at a point eccentric to the axis of the shaft
on which the binding arm oscillates, as clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5, the effect
of which is to produce a differential or eccentric movement between the wire-
carrying arm and the supplementary arm or tucker, which differential movement is
clearly illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, and the effect of which is to bring the point
of the supplementary arm within the slot of the wire-carrying arm when moving 5
forward to encompass a gavel, as shown in Figure 4, and to bring it to the upper or*

page_text: -opposite side of the twister to that occupied by the wire-carrying arm, as the wire
is being twisted, as seen in Figure 5.
An arm K projecting from the standard D¹ of the carriage frame, carries a pulley
through which the upper wire passes.
A curve slotted lever L is pivoted at to the arm K above mentioned, while its
'slot traverses a guide pin Z on the wire-carrying arm I. A compresser L' is pivoted
at on the opposite end of the slotted lever L, to which it is also connected by
-means of the spring link /².
A sectional cutter and twister wheel M, 'M', mounted upon the outer end of the
lower arm D of the binding carriage is driven at proper intervals by means of a
gear wheel N revolving on an axle n' in said arm, and actuated by means of a
straight rack O fixed upon the frame. The twister wheel is also a cutting wheel,
being bisected horizontally, and revolving in a suitable casing or guideway P, and
provided with a stationary guide plate p.
The gear wheel R which actuates this twister wheel is also formed with an
annular slot to embrace this plate p, so that its teeth may engage with both sections
of the twister wheel. This wheel R revolves on an axis 7, concentric with, but in-
dependent of that of the actuating gear N, so that the two may rotate indepen-
dently when desired.
At suitable intervals, the gear R is actuated by the gear N by means of a spring
paul n pivoted on the actuating gear N, which abuts against the stud on the
under side of the gear wheel R, see Figures 6, 7, and 8.
Two parallel sets of teeth 7, 25, of the gear R are arranged symmetrically for
about three-quarters of their circumference, but from the point 1 to the point 2, the
teeth of one gear slightly overlap those of the other, as shown in Figure 8", thus
producing a differential movement of the sectional twister cutter M, M³, necessary to
sever the wire.
1 inspection of Figure 8, it will be noticed that the teeth 4 of the upper
section of the gear R, gradually overlap those 75 of the lower section from about
the point 1 to the point 3, from whence their amount of overlap gradually diminishes
to the point 2, the result of which is to cause one section M of the cutter M, M¹, to
gain upon the other to sever the wire, and then to restore their normal relation so
as to be ready to receive the wire again. The gears 74, 75, it will be observed, are
fixed relatively to each other so as always to move at the same speed, while the
sections M, M², of the twister gain and lose relatively to each other at intervals.
The gear R is normally locked in position, and thus prevented from actuating the
twister by means of a spring latch S rocking on a pivot s, and provided with
notches &, s², which alternately interlock with a locking pin on the gear R.
At proper intervals a stop S', Figure 1, fixed on the frame A, abuts against a pin
on the gear R, and releases the spring latch S therefrom, thus causing the gear R
to rotate a distance sufficient to impart a half turn to the twister wheel, thereby
carrying the wire lying in the slot in the twister around to the back of the twister
wheel so as to be opposite the other wire as it is forced into the twister, by the
descent of the wire-carrying arm.
The reel which carries the lower wire is mounted on a radius bar T swinging on
a pivot t on a down hanger of the binding carriage, and provided with a supplemen-
tary swinging lever U, locking latch W, and releasing wiper W, to feed the wire
positively.
It is obvious that other methods of feeding the lower wire might be employed,
instead of the one herein described.
The upper wire x passes from the spool X through the swivelling spring take-up
Y, and over the pulley k of the arm K, and around pulleys i, i¹, in the wire-
carrying arm to the twister, where it is united to the lower wire.
The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows:-The rotation of the
driving shaft imparts a continuous traversing movement in one direction to the
driving chain C, which reciprocates the binding carriage D through the medium of
the slotted crank E... In. passing around the pulley. B, this intermittently rotating

page_text: crank through the pitman G, oscillates the rock shaft H, thus elevating the grain-
binding arm, and the supplementary arm pivoted thereon, as well as the slotted
compressing arm L, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, the wire-carrying arm being
held in its elevated position by means of the spring g acting on one end of the arms
of the crank E, and the binding carriage being prevented from moving forward,
while this elevation of the wire-carrying arm is going on by the spring latch F
above mentioned, which latch is released as the crank E is still further turned by
the forward movement of the chain by the lug on the crank, as shown in
Figures 9 and 11.
The binding carriage then moves forward until the driving pin of the rocking
crank travels around the sprocket wheel B, which movement turns down the wire-
carrying arm and compresser, at the same time the locking pin 7 on the gear R
abuts against stop S¹ on the frame, and gives a half turn to the twister pinion as
above described. This turning movement of the pinion R takes place independently
of the driving pinion N, as the stud 2 moves away from the spring locking paul n,
which is thus free to yield to permit of this movement.
The sliding carriage is temporarily locked at this end of its traverse by the
locking latch F above described.
The continued rotation of the crank È compresses the gavel, and forces the wire
into the slot of the twister, the point of the wire-carrying arm passing below the
twister wheel, while the supplementary arm or tucker J passes above it, as shown
in Figure 5.
The carriage then commences its backward movement, the twister and cutter
M, M', being actuated through the stationary rack, the gears N and R above de-
scribed, until near the termination of the backward stroke of the carriage, at which
point the wire is severed by the differential movement of the cutters caused by the
overlapping or increased number of the teeth 4, over those 75, and the wire-carrying
arm then rises preparatory to the commencement of the next forward movement.
During the backward movement of the carriage, the amount of wire desired to be
used from the lower spool is fed out positively by means of the swinging levers or
radius bars T, U, above mentioned.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as the Invention communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent,
First. The combination, substantially as herein-before set forth, of a traversing
binding carriage, an intermittently rotating crank E mounted thereon, a driving
chain actuating the carriage through the medium of the said crank, locking latches
F, F, a lug or spline e' on the collar of the crank (temporarily to hold the carriage
at the end of each stroke), and releasing lugs on the crank itself.
Secondly. The combination, substantially as herein-before set forth, of an oscillating
wire-carrying arm, and a slotted spring compresser actuated directly from said
arm.
Thirdly. The combination, substantially as herein-before set forth, of an oscillating
wire-carrying arm, a slotted compresser arm or lever, and a supplementary spring
compresser pivotted upon and actuated by the slotted arm.
Fourthly. A reciprocating rotating twister pinion in combination with a locking
latch acting on the twister actuating gear, and a fixed stop against which the latch
abuts to release the twister and give it a half revolution at the end of its forward
movement, substantially as heroin-before set forth.
Fifthly. The combination, substantially as herein-before set forth, of a rack, a
reciprocating binding carriage, a twister pinion, and its actuating gear mounted
thereon, a locking latch acting on a stud of the gear, and a fixed stop by which the
latch is automatically released, and the gear revolved as the carriage reaches the
end of its forward stroke, to give a half turn to the twister pinion to carry the wire
around said 'twister.
Sixthly. The combination, substantially as herein-before set forth, of a sectional
twister and cutter (composed of independently rotating concentric pinions) and an

page_text: actuating gear provided with two series of teeth differentially or irregularly arranged
upon a portion of its periphery, to cause one cutter pinion to gain upon the other
to sever the wire, and then to resume its normal position again to receive the wire.
Seventhly. The combination, substantially as herein-before set forth, of the fixed
rack, the driving gear N meshing therewith, the differential gear R, the sectional
cutter and twister, and the paul connection between the two gears.
Eighthly. The intermittently rotating crank E in combination with the rock
shaft H, having the wire-carrying arm I on one end, and the driving crank h on the
other, and the pitman adjustable in length directly connecting the cranks, these
parts being constructed and operating as set forth, for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Otis Skinner Gage, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight.
OTIS SKINNER GACE. (L.S.)