Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Matches.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Matches.
I, CHARLES MICHAEL BOWMAN, of 908 Cumberland Street, in the City of
Lebanon, County of Lebanon and State of Pennsylvania, in the United States of
America, Editor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
My present invention relates to friction-matches and has for its object certain
improvements in the manufacture thereof to produce them economically, greatly
reduce the cost of transportation and facilitate their use and convenience of
handling or carrying them on the person of the consumer.
The invention will be fully disclosed in the following Specification and claims.
In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this Specification-
Figure 1, represents a rear elevation of my improved machine for making
matches.
Figure 2, an end elevation of the same.
Figure 3, a vertical transverse section.
Figure 4, an enlarged sectional view of part of the fulminate depositing drum.
Figure 5, a transverse section of the same.
Figure 6, a top plan view of a section of a sheet of matches, the product of the
machine.
Figure 7 a perspective of a sheet of matches put up in a roll.
Figure 8, a like view of a book of matches, the cover being open.
Figure 9, a like view of the book, the cover being closed, and
Figure 10 a perspective showing the position in which a match is held in a hand
to ignite it.
Reference being had to the drawings and the letters thereon,
A, A, indicate the two ends of the frame of the machine, upon which the several
B is the
parts are supported, and are connected by longitudinal bars a, b, c.
fulminate receptacle provided with a jacket d to form a chamber e for steam or hot
water to heat the fulminate and maintain it in semi-liquid or plastic form, and is
Within the fulminate
detachably supported between the ends of the frame.
receptacle are two pulleys g, h supported upon shafts i, k, to the latter of which
motion is communicated by a gear wheel 1, and upon said pulleys is supported
a flexible fulminate conveyor C. In the upper part of the receptacle B and
extending across the same, is a scraper m to regulate the quantity of fulminate
presented to the fulminate depositors, and may be adjusted in the usual manner of
adjusting analogous devices.
D is a fulminate depositing drum mounted upon a shaft n supported on
brackets o, p, and is revolved by a gear wheel which meshes with a gear wheel r
attached to the shaft s upon which the drum E is supported. In the drum D are
longitudinal grooves t in which are inserted bars u provided with a number of
chambers v to receive the fulminate and deposit upon the paper of which the
matches are made. The grooves t are equi-distant in the periphery of the drum,
the space between them being equal to the length of the matches to ensure the
depositing of the fulminate near one end and on one side of the matches. Each
chamber v terminates in a cylindrical nozzle w and is provided with a piston or
plunger y attached to a bar z so that all the pistons of each bar u are operated
synchronously to draw in and eject the fulminate at the proper time in the
revolution of the drum D.

page_text: On the ends of the bar z are friction rollers a' which travel in grooves b¹ 6¹ on the
inside of the heads c¹ c¹ which are separate from the body of the drum and are
stationary. The grooves are provided with a raised portion d' as shown in
Figure 3, which commences at a point e¹ just below the center of the axis of the
drum to raise the pistons y when the fulminate chambers are in a vertical position
to draw up fulminate, and terminates at the point f1, to deposit the fulminate when
the ends of the nozzles wo are brought into contact with the surface of the paper as it
passes over the drum E. The pistons are retracted just sufficient to draw into
the chambers a drop of fulminate large enough to serve to ignite the matches,
when the rollers a' strike the projections e¹ in the grooves 61 61 the fulminate
carried in the chambers until the rollers reach the end of the raised portion of the
track at f, when the rollers descend from said raised portion the plungers are
forced down and quickly expel the fulminate upon the paper.
2'
By reference to Figure 3 it will be observed that four of the bars z operate in
slots g in the arms of the drum D.
The paper in a roll F is placed on a shaft which is supported in the ends A, A,
of the frame so that the roll can be readily inserted, and the paper is passed under
the drum G and between it and the drum H, which two drums constitute the feed
mechanism for the paper by frictional contact. The drum H is provided on its
peripheral surface with concentric cutting edges ¹ which cut or puncture the paper
lengthwise to form a fragile connection between the contiguous sides of the matches,
and with longitudinal cutting edges which in like manner sever the paper
transversely and form a fragile connection between the contiguous ends of the
matches.
The paper thus cut is readily separated when it is desired to pull off a match
from the sheet or card.
The drum G is revolved by a gear wheel m' which meshes with the wheel n¹
attached to the shaft of the drum H, and it is connected to the wheel r by the
pinion o¹ so that all the revolving parts of the machine operate synchronously.
Power may be applied to the machine in any approved manner by supplying a
suitable pulley to be attached to one of the shafts supporting the gear wheels.
After leaving the drum E, the sheet I properly divided into matches p¹ and each
match provided with a drop q' of fulminate passes over the revoluble drum K and is
again rolled after having travelled a sufficient distance to allow the fulminate on the
matches to dry. Such a roll is shown at L in Figure 7, in which form the matches
may be transported for subsequent separation for boxing, putting them up in books,
or in any other form for the market, or they may be used directly from the roll of
suitable size, where matches are required in large quantities, and the roll may be
supported in a suitable holder such as is in common use for perforated paper.
The sheet may be separated into cards reach composed of two lengths of
matches, folded in the center and put into book form and provided with a suitable
cover to which the cards are secured at their contiguous ends, as shown in
Figures 8 and 9. The outside of the cover being provided with a surface t¹ to
ignite the matches by frictional contact therewith. In this form the book of
matches can be conveniently carried in a pocket on the person, and in using the
matches, they are torn off from either edge through the whole number of what are
now leaves of the book so that the several cards remain intact until they have been
consumed.
To ignite the matches they are preferably siezed between the thumb and
fore finger at one end of the match, and the ball of the second finger on the
rear side of the match opposite the fulminate g¹ (as shown in Figure 10) when the
fulminate is rubbed against a suitable surface to cause it to ignite by frictional
contact.
The paper may be of any kind suitable for the purpose, manilla or straw being
preferred, and is of a thickness sufficient to give body to the match, and is first
p.epared by saturating the paper with a suitable inflammable material, such as
paraffine, wax, or their equivalents, until the paper has become thoroughly

page_text: impregnated, after which it is dried and then rolled, when it is ready to be
converted into matches. Paper thus treated burns steadily and is not easily
extinguished by currents of air.
It will be observed that by my invention every particle of the sheet of paper is
converted into matches, thereby avoiding any waste whatever, that the matches are
of uniform size, and when put up in rolls or in books, the fulminate of one card of
matches faces the back of the adjacent card.
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 I
claim is-
First. The method of making matches, which consists in feeding paper in a sheet,
puncturing the paper longitudinally and transversely to divide the sheet into
matches; and depositing fulminate in drops on the upper surface of the punctured
sheet before separating the paper.
Second. The method of making matches, which consists in feeding paper in a
sheet, puncturing the paper longitudinally and transversely to form the continuous
edges and ends of the match-splints and depositing fulminate in drops on the upper
surface of the punctured paper intermittently before separating the paper.
Third. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate-
receptacle, means for raising, conveying, and expelling fulminate in drops, and
means for feeding paper.
Fourth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate
receptacle, a fulminate conveyor, means for raising, conveying and expelling
fulminate in drops and means for feeding paper.
Fifth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate
receptacle, an endless conveyor in said receptacle, a drum provided with chambers
and plungers for receiving, conveying, and depositing fulminate, and means for
feeding paper.
Sixth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate-
receptacle, a drum provided with fulminate depositors consisting of separate
chambers and plungers, means for operating said plungers, and means for feeding
paper.
Seventh. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate
receptacle, a fulminate conveyor, a drum provided with fulminate chambers sup-
ported above said receptacle and conveyor, and a suitable support for a sheet of
paper below said drum.
Eighth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate-
receptacle, a drum provided with a plurality of fulminate chambers and plungers,
arranged equidistant in the periphery of the drum, and means for feeding paper.
Ninth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate
receptacle, a heating chamber for said receptacle, a conveyor within the receptacle,
a plurality of fulminate chambers and plungers revolubly supported above said
conveyor, and means for feeding paper.
Tenth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of means for
puncturing paper longitudinally and transversely at the contiguous edges and ends
of the matches, a fulminate receptacle, a plurality of fuminate chambers and
plungers, and means for feeding paper.
Eleventh. In a machine for making matches, the combination of means for feeding
paper, means for puncturing the paper at the contiguous edges and ends of the
matches, a fulminate receptacle and a plurality of fulminate chambers provided with
plungers.
Twelfth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of means for
uncturing paper, a fulminate receptacle, a revoluble drum provided with a plurality
of fulminate chambers and plungers, a revoluble support for the paper while the
ulminate is being deposited thereon, and means for feeding paper.
Thirteenth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate

page_text: receptacle, means for feeding paper and chambers provided with plungers for
depositing fulminate in drops upon the upper surface of paper intermittently.
Fourteenth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate
receptacle, a fulminate-conveyor, means for puncturing paper, a plurality of chambers
provided with plungers for raising, conveying, and depositing fulminate in pre-
determined quantities, and means for feeding paper.
Fifteenth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate
receptacle, a drum provided with a plurality of bars having chambers therein, bars
supporting plungers for said chambers and engaging grooves in the head of the
drum for retracting and projecting said plungers.
Sixteenth. In a machine for making matches, the combination of a fulminate
receptacle, a revoluble drum supporting a plurality of bars provided with
chambers, bars supporting plungers for said chambers within said drum, and
stationary heads for the drum provided with grooves with which the ends of said
plunger-bars engage.
Seventeenth. In a machine for making matches, a fulminate depositor consisting
of a plurality of chambers provided with plungers, a fulminate conveyor and means
for retracting the plungers to raise fulminate from the conveyor, and means for
projecting the plunger to expel the fulminate.
Eighteenth. In a machine for making matches, a fulminate depositor consisting
of a drum provided with a plurality of grooves, bars having chambers therein and
supported in said grooves, and plungers for expelling fulminate.
Dad this 00th don L
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.