Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 8th Apr., 1899
I, EDWIN NORTON, of Maywood, in the County of Cook, State of Illinois, United
States of America, Manufacturer, 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 sheet metal seaming machines intended for scaming the
covers on sheet metal cans.
The object of my invention is to improve and perfect sheet metal seaming
machines of the particular kind to which my invention relates and increase their
capacity, so that the work may be done more perfectly, rapidly and cheaply..
With this object in view I combine with a clamping ring made in two or more
opening and closing parts (and herein my invention consists), mechanisms for
automatically opening and closing the parts of said clamping ring, a revolving
sleeve or frame furnished with anti-friction rollers or wheels: adapted to travel
on the upper edge of said clamping ring, and seaming rollers journaled on operating
levers pivoted to said sleeve or frame and operated by a reciprocating block or head
to press the seaming rollers against the can head flange into operative position.
The opening and closing parts of the clamping ring may be produced in any
suitable manner, but I prefer to form them, not by dividing the clamping ring
into two or more opening and closing segments, but simply by cutting or splitting
the clamping ring at one point so that the opening and closing of the clamping
ring, to receive, clamp and release the can may be effected simply by separating
or drawing together the two meeting ends of the split ring.
My invention further consists in the novel construction of parts and devices
and in the novel combination of parts and devices herein shown and described and
forming the subject of the claims herein.
In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, I have
illustrated at Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 a machine embodying my invention. Figure 1
being a side elevation, Figure 2 a central vertical section, Figure 3 a detail back
end elevation, Figure 4 an enlarged detail sectional view taken at right angles
to the section of Figure 2, Figure 5 a detail elevation of the mechanism for open-
ing and closing the split clamping ring, and Figure 6 a detail plan of the split
clamping ring. And Figure 7 is a sectional view of part of the can and cover
after being seamed by the machine. Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of the clutch.
In said drawing A represents the frame of the machine and B the opening and
closing up and down reciprocating clamping ring, the opening and closing parts
of which are preferably formed, as before stated, by splitting the ring at one
point, b, of its circumference. The cut or slit b across the clamping ring is
preferably an angular or V-shaped cut, so that the parts of the ring will better
register with each other when forced together. To give the ring B its up and
down reciprocating movement to enable it to be brought down over the mouth.
of the can X and removed therefrom, it is mounted upon a vertically reciprocating
slide. yoke or frame C that moves up and down in suitable guides C' on the frame
of the machine. The clamping ring B is provided at opposite points of its circum-

page_text: ference with projecting arms B₁ connected. to the reciprocating slide C. The two
separate meeting ends or parts of the opening and closing clamping ring B may
be automatically forced together or separated to clamp or release the can by any
suitable mechanism, but preferably by means of a lever I connected by a pivot d
to one of the meeting ends 132 of the clamping ring, and which is furnished with
an incline or cam slot that engages a pin or projection on the other meeting
end B3 of the clamping ring. The lever D is preferably pivoted to the frame of
the machine at d by a pivot pin carried by a bracket d5 that is attached to the
frame, and is automatically operated to open and close the clamping ring B by
the reciprocating or up and down movement of the clamping ring itself.
FF are the seaming rollers, the same being preferably four in number, although
a greater or less number may be employed. These seaming rollers are journaled
upon movable levers or arms F1, which are connected by pivots f to ears g on a
revolving ring or sleeve G, which serves to rapidly revolve the seaming rollers
around the axis of said ring and inside the clamping ring B. The seaming
rollers are forced out against the flange of the cam cover X¹ to form the
bend which locks the cover on the can by means of a reciprocating operating
head H which is furnished with an annular groove h in which fits the inner arms f¹
of the seaming roller carrying levers F¹. The ring or sleeve G is provided with
anti-friction rollers g that travel upon the upper edge of the opening and closing
clamping ring B. The arms B' on the clamping ring B are provided with holes bl
through which pass the guide pins c on the yoke or bracket C3 secured to and
forming part of the slide C, so that the slide may have a slight up and down
movement independent of the clamping ring, limited by the nuts c¹ on said pins c.
The rotating ring or sleeve G is splined to and rotated by a rotating shaft G¹
journaled in suitable bearings G2 on the frame of the machine and G³ on the
slide C. The seaming roller operating head H is secured fast to the shaft G¹ and
moves up and down with it. The shaft G¹ is furnished with a collar g2 that
engages the slide C. so that the shaft G¹ and the head II will be forced down by
the movement of the slide. A coil spring G is inserted between the sleeve or
ring G and a shoulder g2 on the shaft G¹, so that said ring G will be forced down
with the shaft G¹ while permitting the ring G to be lifted or raised by the clamping
ring B independently of the head H and shaft G¹.
The slide C is automatically moved up and down as required by means of a
cam K on the shaft K through a connecting lever K2 pivoted at K³ to the frame
and having a slotted connection K with the slide C. The lever K2 may be pro-
vided with a treadle arm K to enable the slide to be operated by the foot if
desired. Mis the driving shaft around a pulley m on which a belt m¹ passes to a
pulley G on the shaft G to rotate the same. Motion is communicated to the
cam shaft from the driving shaft M through a pulley m² on said shaft, belt m³,
pulley m on counter shaft ma which is furnished with a gear me that meshes with
a gear m' loose on the shaft K¹, and which is provided with a clutch member m³,
that is engaged by a sliding clutch pin or member m³ on the clutch sleeve or
collar m10 that is fast on the shaft K'. After the shaft K makes one complete
revolution the sliding pin or clutch member m is withdrawn from the, clutch
member m8 by a cam lever ml pivoted to the frame at m12, and which is connected
by a link m with the clutch operating hand lever m¹.
After each operation, the machine stops with the parts of the clutch m³ m³ dis-
engaged and with the several devices of the clutch mechanism in substantially
the position indicated in Figure 8-that is to say with the cam lever m¹¹ engaging
the pin or projection m15 on the clutch pin or bar m³, and thus retracting said
clutch pin or bar m³ from the teeth of the clutch member m8. To start the
machine the cam lever m¹ is lifted out of the way of the pin or projection m15
and then the spring, indicated in dotted lines in Figure 8, causes the clutch bar
or pin m to slide out and engage the teeth of the clutch member m³.
The cam
lever being released by the operator drops back to position so as to again
withdraw the clutch pin or bar m when one revolution is completed. P is the

page_text: lower chuck disk upon which the can ✗ rests while being operated upon. It is
mounted upon an adjustable slide 1" that can be set in any position desired to
accommodate different sizes of cans by the adjusting screw P².
The operation of the machine is as follows: The can X being placed upon the
chuck disk P the operator moves the clutch lever m4 with his hand, thus raising
the clutch cam or lever m" and permitting the two parts or members of the clutch
to engage, thus giving the can X one revolution and thereby automatically moving
the slide C down until the opening and closing clamping ring B surrounds the
upper end of the can, as illustrated in Fig. 4, at which time the opening and
closing parts of the clamping ring are automatically closed or clamped around
the cam by the action of the cam lever D, and then the further downward move-
ment of the slides C and the shaft G forces the seaming rollers Finto position
against the flanger of the can cover, thereby seaming the cover on the can, as
illustrated in Fig. 7. The further rotation of the cam K causes the slide C to
withdraw, the first operation of the withdrawal being to lift the head H and the
ring or sleeve G and thus release the can from the pressure of the seaming rollers
When the cam K
and then to open and lift the clamping ring from the can.
finishes its revolution its shaft K' is automatically disengaged from the driving
gear by the opening of the clutch through the agency of the cam lever m¹¹ and
then another can may be placed in the machine and the operation repeated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a machine for seaming covers on cans, the combination with an opening
and closing clamping ring, with mechanism for automatically closing the clamping
ring, seaming rollers, and mechanism for automatically operating the seaming
rollers, substantially as specified.
2. In a seaming machine, the combination with an opening and closing clamp-
ing ring, mechanism for automatically closing the clamping ring, seaming rollers,
operating arms or levers upon which the seaming rollers are journaled, a rotating
ring, or frame to which the seaming roller levers are pivoted, and a reciprocating
head for operating said seaming roller levers, substantially as specified.
3. In a seaming machine, the combination with an opening and closing clamp-
ing ring, mechanism for automatically closing the clamping ring, seaming rollers,
operating arms or levers upon which the seaming rollers are journaled, a rotating
ring or frame to which the seaming roller levers are pivoted, a reciprocating head
for operating said seaming roller levers, and a reciprocating slide and shaft, sub-
stantially as specified.
4. In a seaming machine, the combination with an opening and closing clamping
ring, mechanism for automatically closing the clamping ring, seaming rollers,
operating arms or levers upon which the seaming rollers are journaled, a rotating
ring or frame to which the seaming roller levers are pivoted, a reciprocating head
for operating said seaming roller levers, and a reciprocating slide and shaft, said
reciprocating slide being connected to said clamping ring and having a slight
independent reciprocating movement thereon, substantially as specified.
5. In a seaming machine, the combination with an opening and closing clamping
ring, mechanism for automatically closing the clamping ring, seaming rollers,
operating arms or levers upon which the seaming rollers are journaled, a rotating
ring or frame to which the seaming roller levers are pivoted, a reciprocating head
for operating said seaming roller levers, a reciprocating slide and shaft, a cam and
connecting mechanism for reciprocating said slide, said connecting mechanism
being provided with a clutch and mechanism for disengaging the clutch after
each rotation of the cam, substantially as specified.
6. In a seaming machine, the combination with a bodily reciprocating split
opening and closing clamping ring adapted to receive and surround the upper

page_text: end of the can body, of a cam lever D pivoted to one end of the split ring and
engaging a pin or projection on the other end of the split ring for closing the
same, and a chuck disk for the can to rest upon, substantially as specified.
7. In a seaming machine, the combination with an opening and closing recipro-
cating clamping ring, of an operating lever for closing the ring pivoted at one
end to the stationary frame of the machine and connected at its other end to the
meeting ends of the clamping ring so that the ring may be automatically closed
or opened by the reciprocating movement of the ring itself, substantially as
specified.
8. In a seaming machine, the combination with an opening and closing recipro-
cating clamping ring, of an operating lever for closing the ring pivoted at one
end to the stationary frame of the machine and connected at the other end to the
meeting ends of the clamping ring so that the ring may be automatically closed
or opened by the reciprocating movement of the ring itself, and seaming rollers
and mechanism for operating the same, substantially as specified.
9. In a seaming machine, the combination with an opening and closing recipro-
cating clamping ring, of an operating lever for closing the ring pivoted at one end
to the stationary frame of the machine and connected at the other end to the
meeting ends of the clamping ring so that the ring may be automatically closed
or opened by the reciprocating movement of the ring itself, and seaming rollers
and mechanism for operating the same, said mechanism for operating the seaming
rollers having seaming roller carrying levers F1, a ring or supporting frame G
for said levers, and an operating head H, substantially as specified.
T
T
A.. 1000.
EDWIN NORTON.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C..
Agents for the Applicant.