Improvements in Knotting Mechanism Suitable for Use in Binding Sheaves or Trusses.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 6th May, 1889-Accepted, 22nd June, 1889
ROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knotting Mechanism Suitable for Use in Binding
Sheaves or Trusses.
We, JAMES HORNSBY, JOHN INNOCENT and ISAAC TROLLEY, and ROBERT TROLLEY
all of Spittlegate Iron Works, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention has for its object improvements in knotting mechanism suitable for
use in binding sheaves.
in knotting mechanism as now commonly employed in sheaf binding the string
encircling the bundle is held fast by an instrument called a gripper or string retainer
and whilst it is so held a knot is produced by a double jawed rotating hook which in
the operation of forming the knot winds the double string upon itself at a point
between the bundle and the gripper.
By this winding up of the string great strain is put upon
vided to supply the string taken up by the knotting hook.
unless means be pro-
Hence very commonly the gripper is carried upon an auxiliary moveable frame
which at the time when the hook winds up the string is permitted to move forward
towards the hook.
Our invention is intended to obtain the advantage which the use of the moveable
frame affords whilst avoiding this complication of the mechanism.
The gripper which we employ is a disc having three (or other number) of notches
in its periphery. The edge of the disc enters a trough like recess in a lever or
instrument extending about half round the disc and held up to it by an adjustable
spring. The string becomes held by being at the proper time laid into one of the
notches of the disc and the disc then revolves carrying the string into the trough
where it is jammed between the trough and the disc.
Now this disc is according to our invention so mounted and actuated that by its
rotation and at the time when the knotting hook revolves it carries string forward
towards the knotting hook to compensate for that taken up by the hook in the operation
of forming the knot.
We mount the spindie which carries the disc in bearings on the main frame of the
knotter. The spindle is radial to the knotter shaft and is driven by teeth on the cam
disc which this shaft carries. These teeth at a certain point in the rotation of the
disc come into gear with a pinion on the spindle and impart to it one third of a
rotation. The spindle and the disc have locking surfaces upon them which prevent
the spindle from turning except when the teeth come into gear; this takes place
once in each rotation of the disc, at the same time that the knotting hook is also
rotated.
Dated the 7th 1
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knotting Mechanism Suitable for Use in Binding
Sheaves or Trusses.
We, JAMES HORNSBY, JOHN INNOCENT and ISAAC TROLLEY and ROBERT TROLLEY
all of Spittlegate Iron Works Grantham in the County of Lincoln Engineers
do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner the same is
[Price 11d.]

page_text: a lever carrying a knife h¹. The knotter wheel or cam d has upon it teeth which
rotate the pinion e¹ at the time when the knotting book produces the loop. The cam d
also has other teeth 2 for rotating the gripper. is a cam groove which controls
the knife and causes it to cut the string at the proper moment.
is a spring incline which controls the movable jaw of the knotting hook-it is
unnecessary here to describe in detail the process of forming a knot for this as
heretofore and is well understood, it is sufficient to say that when the knotting hook
revolves to form the loop the gripper disc rotates and in doing so it carries forward
the string and supplies to the knotter hook the quantity necessary to form the loop.
For this purpose the gripper disc has a pinion on its axis and this is driven at
intervals by teeth on the knotter cam so that at each rotation of the cam the
gripper disc makes a third of a rotation. d¹ are the teeth which rotate the knotting
hook.
In Figure 3 the gripper disc and the presser are shown in section and the end of
the string is represented held fast between them. The knotting hook is also
represented with the string crossing over its closed jaws. From this point the string
passes beneath the sheaf or bundle. Figure 4 represents the same parts from another
point of view and in this figure the knife is also represented in its position at rest.
Figure 5 shews a similar arrangement except that a spiral spring f is substituted for
the flat spring of Figures 1 and 4. Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5 except that
the string is shewn after returning over the top of the sheaf back to the needle or
string carrier. The double string is as will be seen laid in the notch of the gripper
The double
disc and it will be nipped immediately the disc commences to turn.
string is also laid over the closed jaws of the knotting hook and will be wound around
the hook when this rotates. It will be seen that the tightening of the string resulting
from this winding will be compensated by the disc carrying the double string on.
towards the hook as it makes its partial revolution. The knotting hook before it
completes its turn opens its jaws and catches the double string between them. The
jaws close again as usual as the knotting hook comes to rest. The knife then severs
the double string. The sheaf or bundle passes away whilst the jaws of the hook
remain closed and so the end of the string is drawn through the loop and the knot is
completed. Figure 7 shews the form of the pinion fx and its retaining surfaces
which operating with corresponding retaining surfaces on the cam d prevent the
pinion turning except when the driving teeth d come round. Figures 8, 9, 10, 11
and 12 shew modifications in the arrangement of the presser and its spring.
In Figures 11 and 12 a steel rod adjustable by a screw is employed.
The gripper disc may be driven in different ways always provided that the direction
of its rotation is such that simply by its rotation it carries forward string to the
knotting hook. Thus the gripper disc may be driven as indicated by Figure 13
where there is a spur pinion on the axis of the disc and radial teeth at intervals on
the knotter wheel or cam d to engage with the pinion or as indicated by Figures 14
and 15 where there is a pinion on the axis of the disc and teeth on the face of the
knotter wheel or cam d to engage with the pinion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
.
1. In knotting apparatus substantially as described in which the gripping appliance
-is-carried-upon-the-same-frame with the-knotting hook. or fixed relatively thereto so
arranging the gripper disc that in its rotation it carries forward string towards the
knotting hook and thereby prevents injurious tension resulting from the operation of
the knotting hook in forming the loop.
2. In knotting apparatus substantially as described the combination consisting of
the axis a; the frame b; the wheel d; the knotting hook e; the gripper f; the radial
axes carrying the said hook and gripper.the pinions el and fx on these axes; and the
driving teeth d¹ and d' actuating these pinions..

page_text: 3. Knotting apparatus substantially as described and illustrated by the annexed
drawings.
Dated this 20th 2
C
JAMES HORNSBY.
JOHN INNOCENT.
ISAAC TROLLEY.
ROBERT TROLLEY.