IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SELECTING, ASSORTING, AND PRESENTING NAIL BLANKS FOR ANIMAL SHOE NAILS TO NAIL-MAKING MACHINERY."
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Allen Andrews, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, London, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR SELECTING, ASSORTING, AND PRESENTING NAIL BLANKS
FOR ANIMAL SHOE NAILS TO NAIL-MAKING MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Allen Andrews at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th April 1876.
DAVID ALLEN ANDREWS, of 38, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London,
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SELECTING, ASSORTING, AND
PRESENTING NAIL BLANKS FOR ANIMAL SHOE NAILS TO NAIL-MAKING MACHINERY."
This Invention of improvements in machinery for selecting, assorting, and
presenting nail blanks for animal shoe nails to nail-making machinery relates to
inechanism for automatically selecting, assorting, and correctly presenting blanks
for horse or animal shoe nails into a guide tube to be subjected preferably to the
action of die rolls substantially as represented in. Patent No. 950, March 30, 1872,
or to other suitable apparatus, to shape and shear the excess of metal from the
points of the nails.
In the machine represented in such Patent the attendant picks out each nail
blank from a mass of nail blanks in a hopper and presents it head foremost into the
guide tube with the flat side always against one face of the tube to correctly deliver
the blank to the shaping die rolls.
The object of this Invention is to present the nail blanks into this guide tube
automatically. In this machine the blanks are placed in a hopper, from which they
are lifted, one or more, at each movement of the lifter and placed on a shelf, from
which they are then raised by a selector and placed on a table, over which they
move down to a nail detainer or slide bar. Some of the blauks on this table will
present their straight flat sides against the table, and such blanks will be considered
right side up, and others of the blanks will present against the table the side of the
blank from which the head projects, and these will be considered wrong side up.
When the detainer is retracted the nail held by it if right side up will slide down
the inclined way between the guides and will pass under the gauge and down to
the stop, and nails right side up will be accumulated in the inclined way above the

page_text: stop. Now when the stop is removed or retracted the second nail above the stop
will be pressed and held by the holder, and the lowermost blank in the slide will
be allowed to fall into the mouth of the guide tube, and a deflector in the mouth of
the tube will meet the edge of the blank and stop it sufficiently long to permit the
head of the blank, the heaviest end, to get the start of the point end, and the head
of the blank will therefore always lead in the passage of the blank through the
guide tube and to the die rolls. All the blanks wrong side up will be stopped by
the gauge shaped on its under side to permit the passage under it of only such
blanks as are right side up, and blanks stopped by the gauge and supported at their
ends by slide rests are dropped into a blank receiving box as the slide rests are
retracted, and from this box the blanks are carried by a feeding mechanism back to
the hopper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said David Allen Andrews in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
October 1876.
DAVID ALLEN ANDREWS, of 38, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London,
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SELECTING, ASSORTING, AND
PRESENTING NAIL BLANKS FOR ANIMAL SHOE NAILS TO NAIL-MAKING MACHINERY."
This Invention of improvements in machinery for selecting, assorting, and
presenting nail blanks for animal shoe blanks to nail making machinery relates to
mechanism for automatically selecting, assorting, and correctly presenting blanks
for horse or animal shoe nails into a guide tube to be subjected preferably to the
action of die rolls, substantially as represented in Patent No. 950, March 30th, 1872,
or to other suitable apparatus, to shape and shear the excess of metal from the
points of the nails.
'
In the machine represented in such Patent the attendant picks out cach nail
blank from a mass of nail blanks in a hopper, and presents it head foremost into
the guide tube with the flat side always against one face of the tube to correctly
deliver the blank to the shaping die rolls.
The object of this Invention is to present the nail blanks into this guide tube
automatically. In this machine the blanks are placed in a hopper, from which they
are lifted one or more at each movement of the lifter and placed on a shelf, from
which they are then raised by a selector and placed on a table, over which they
move down to a nail detainer which is shown as a slide bar. Some of the blanks
on this table will present their straight flat sides against the table, and such blanks
will be considered right side up, and others of the blanks will present against the
table the side of the blanks from which the head projects, and these will be
considered wrong side up. When the detainer is retracted the nail held by it, if
right side up, will slide down the inclined way between the guides, and will pass
under the gauge and down to the stop, and nails right side up will be accumulated
in the inclined way above the stop. Now when the stop is removed or retracted
the second nail above the stop will be pressed and held by the holder, and the
lowermost blank in the slide will be allowed to fall into the mouth of the guide tube,
and a deflector in the mouth of the tube will meet the edge of the blank and stop
it sufficiently long to permit the head of the blank, the heaviest end, to get the
start of the point end, and the head of the blank will therefore always lead in the
passage of the blank through the guide tube and to the die rolls. All the blanks
wrong side up will be stopped by the gauge shaped on its under side to permit the
passage under it of only such blanks as are right side up, and blanks stopped by
the gauge and supported at their ends by slide rests are dropped into a blank
receiving box as the slide rests are retracted, and from this box the blanks are
carried by a feeding mechanism back to the hopper,

page_text: In the Drawings accompanying this Specification Figure 1 represents this
improved machine in top view; Figure 2 is a section thereof on line x, x, Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 is a front view, and Figure 4 a detail of the gauge.
The frame a of the machine is shaped and constructed to properly sustain the
working parts, and at its upper portion is the hopper b adapted to receive the
blanks in bulk. The shaft c driven by power in any usual way is provided with
two cam discs d, e, each in this instance provided with a cam groove in its side
face. The cam disc d receives in its groove a pin or roller on arm f pivotted at g,
and connected with the lifter h adapted to move up through the bottom of the
hopper and lift one, two, or more blanks from the hopper and place them on the
shelf between guides j, j. A pin or projection k on the lifter raises the slide
piece as the lifter rises and the lifter and slide descend together, thereby preventing
blanks from becoming crowded between them.
1
At the lower edge of the inclined shelf is a selector m made as a slide bar, and
connected by a link with the forward end of lever n pivotted at o, and provided
with a pin or roller to enter the cam groove in cam disc e.
This selector lifts ono
or more blanks and places them on the table p, and they slide down over the
surface of the table and are arrested by a detainer q held up in operative position
by a spring r, and adapted to be drawn down to permit the passage of a blank by
a lever s pivotted at t, and operated in opposition to the spring by a pin or
projection u on the cam e.
When the detainer q is retracted below the table the slide rests v, v, are held
with their inner ends between or within the guides, j, (as in Figure 1), and if a
blank is right side up it will move over such slide rests and will pass under the
gauge shaped or cut away at its ends (as shown in Figure 4), to permit the pro-
jecting face of the head of the blank to pass down over the inclined ways w and
against the stop x, which in this instance is shown as a slide having a cross head y,
to which is pivotted a holder, having on its shank a spiral or other spring to press
the holder down on the second blank from the blank resting against the stop, a top
gauge a keeping the blanks pressed evenly on the guide ways, and preventing
overriding of the blanks as they are accumulated in the guide ways.
The lifter operates to lift usually two or three blanks at each upward movement
and keeps the blanks accumulated on the shelf, and the selector is in this instance
adapted to move twice as often as the lifter, and this affords an opportunity to
select and store blanks properly arranged in the guide ways. The cross head y of
the stop is acted upon by one arm of a lever b¹ pivotted at c¹, and operated by a
pin on cam e, and the stop is raised in this instance by spring d. The frame of
this stop is provided with a deflector el, shown as a pin, preferably an angular pin,
with one edge uppermost, and adapted to project across the elongated mouth piece
of the guide tube. The blank released by the withdrawal of the stop passes down
into the mouth, and striking the deflector is momentarily stopped by the deflector
acting against the edge of the blank, and the head being heavier than the point of
the blank by this operation is permitted to get the start, and is always made to
lead in the passage of the blank into the guide tube f¹ of the usual form, and
placed with reference to the die rolls as described in the aforesaid Patent.
A blank improperly selected or wrong side up cannot pass the gauge, and there-
fore rests on the slide rests and twice, at each revolution of the shaft c a cam
thereon strikes a projection on a reciprocating slide mover gl, having cam wings h¹
adapted to engage pins or projections on the slide rests and move them outward,
the blanks then dropping into the blank receiving box i¹, from which they are
carried to the hopper b by plates or buckets j₁ on an endless belt or chain k
arranged in a trough , the belt passing over rollers m¹, n¹, the one m¹ being driven
from the shaft c by a belt o¹ on pulley p¹. Springs q¹ restore the slide rests to
position within the guides.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it, understood that
what I claim is

page_text: First. The gauge and guidé ways in combination with a stop and a deflector and
guide tube, substantially as described.
Second. The guide way and the stop in combination with the holder, substantially
as described.
Third. The gauge in combination with the slide rests to discharge blanks, placed
wrong side up upon the guide way.
Fourth. The gauge and slide rests in combination with the blank receiving box
and belt or chain and plates to carry the blanks back to the hopper, substantially
as described.
Fifth. The particular arrangement and appliances of machinery substantially as
described for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Allen Andrews, have hereunto set my
hand and seal; this Twenty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
DAVID ALLEN' ANDREWS. (L.S.).