Improvements in parts of Anti-friction and other Ball Sorting Machinery.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in parts of Anti-friction and other Ball Sorting
Machinery.
I, JOHN HARRISON, of the Firm of J. Harrison and Sons, of Kensington Street
Works, Aston, near the City of Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the feed mechanism of machines used for the sorting of
steel balls employed in anti-friction bearings, but which machines are applicable to
the sorting of other metallic balls for various purposes.
The object of my invention is a simple and efficient automatic feed which shall
not be liable (as is common with ordinary feeds) to have the balls to stick, thereby
blocking and interfering with the regular movement of the machine.
The feed mechanism comprises a rising and falling quadrant plate, bar or equiva-
lent having upon its top side a channel, groove or gutter, preferably of a less
breadth than the balls to be fed to the sorter. This plate is pivoted to a counter-
poised arm or lever at one end and is constrained to move or rise and fall within
a curved race so as to cause the back end of the groove to rise relatively higher than
the front end and thus make an inclined plane down which the balls run into a
fixed gutter leading to a pipe or channel whose exit end is presented to the sorting
rolls.
Thus the rising and falling quadrant plate is independently jointed to the
counterpoised (or spring-returned) lever, which is itself jointed to an upright of a
part of the supporting framing of the feed, and the rising and falling gutter prefer-
ably works between a pair of closely-approximate pair of trays inclining slightly
upwards from each other, so that the balls in the two trays shall roll towards each
other by gravity, on the gutter, which rises and falls between them, dropping
below the normal level of the opposed edges of the said trays.
The fore end of the lever constantly presses upon or follows the curved surface or
edge periphery of a cam or squash-plate, or works within the groove of a box cam
or like mechanical device carried on a tangent wheel meshing with a worm wheel
upon an end of one of a pair of separated sorting rolls, coupled by spur gear wheels
at the other end and with a driving pulley or equivalent attached to one of them,
the whole being mounted in a suitable frame, holsters or carriers and with a
partitioned box or trough arranged below them and into which the sorted balls
drop owing to the space between the rolls being greater at the after end than at
the feed end.
OPERATION.
Assuming that the sorting rolls are in motion, the cam is rotated and the operat-
ing lever is rocked upon its centre, lowers the feed plate below the normal level of
the trays and immediately the balls close up or run together into the space vacated
by the feed plate and a series or line of them are thus brought over the groove
.
1
the hole than of the front and lifto

page_text: bodily with it, the row of balls which are carried above the plane of the trays
until the groove inclines to such an angle when the gravitation of the balls over-
comes the frictional adhesion between them and the groove when they run down
and into the fixed groove and thence to the feed pipe.
A slight pause now occurs in the feed whilst the row of balls are being sorted out.
by the rollers, when the grooved plate falls to take up another row of balls, and the
action is repeated.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the particular arrange-
ment herein described for imparting the rising and falling and angular or tipping
movement to the grooved plate, as any well-known mechanical means may be
employed for this purpose such as a rising and falling tipping plate, raised first
vertically and then inclined or tipped, or the tray may be arranged to rise and fall
above and below the grooved edge of a fixed or moving plate.
Dated this 19th day of Morah 1807
JOHN HARRISON.
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
Improvements in parts of Anti-friction and other Ball Sorting
Machinery.
I, JOHN HARRISON, of the Firm of J. Harrison and Sons, of Kensington Street
Works, Aston, near the City of Birmingham, 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:-
This invention relates to the feed mechanism of machines used for the sorting
of steel balls employed in anti-friction bearings, but which machines are applicable
to the sorting of other metallic balls and spheres for various purposes.
The object of my invention is a simple and efficient automatic feed which shall
not be liable (as is common with ordinary feeds) to cause the balls to jamb or stick
thereby blocking and interfering with the regular movement of the machine.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in elevation, a steel ball sort-
ing or gauging machine provided with an automatic ball feed constructed and
arranged according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a topside plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical section of Figure 2, taken upon the dotted linea, showing
the rocking fixed plate at the bottom of its stroke, whilst Figure 4 is a like section
as Figure 3, but the feed plate is shown at the opposite end of its stroke, or in its
tully raised position. This last view also represents the gearing by which the
said rocking feed plate is raised and lowered.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the feed plate separately, and
Figure 6 is a top edge view of the same, whilst Figure 7 is a vertical section,
upon an enlarged scale, of a part of the edge of the said plate.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
.
The feed mechanism represented in the said figures consists essentially of a
rising and falling or rocking quadrant or plate a, having along its top edge a¹, a
channel, groove or gutter a², of rather a less breadth than the balls to be fed to the
sorting machine. This plate is carried by an arm a³, pivoted at aº, to a bracket b,
bolted to the base framing and is constrained to move or rise, and fall within a

page_text: curved race c¹, formed by the edges of the guide' plates c², c³, secured to bracket
plates, depending from the bottom of the tray, as to cause the back end at, of
the groove to rise relatively higher than the front end a³, and thus make an
inclined plane down which the balls run into a fixed gutter d, leading to a shoot,
pipe or channel d', whose exit 'end is presented to, or comes over, the inclined
sorting rolls e, e¹.
:.
Thus the rising and falling quadrant plate is carried by the lever or arm a³,
which is jointed to the upright b, of a part of the supporting framing of the feed,
and the rising and falling gutter preferably works through a gap f', in the bottom
of a tray g, supported by standards g, and with the halves g, g, of the same inclin-
ing slightly downwards towards the said slot so that the balls in the sides of the
tray tend to roll towards each other by gravity, on the gutter edge of the plate,
which rises and falls between tlie said halves 'dropping below the normal level of
the bottom of the said tray.
This rocking or rising and falling movement is given to the feed plate by a
jointed arm or connecting link h, pivoted to the cranked end h³, of the shaft h³,
supported by the brackets 4, and having at one end, a large toothed wheel 5, mesh-
ing with a wheel 'i, upon the end of the shaft e2, of one roll e, of the pair of separated
and inclined sorting rolls e, e¹, coupled by spur gear wheels at the other end so as
to revolve in opposite directions and with a driving pulley, or equivalent attached
to the spindle, of the other roll e', the whole being mounted in the holsters or
carriers and with a partitioned box or trough , arranged below them and into
which the sorted balls drop owing to the gauging space between the roll's being
wider at the after end than at the feed end.
OPERATION.
Assuming that the sorting rolls are in operation the shaft h³ and crank ², are
rotated, and their movement is transmitted through the connecting link h, to the
feed plate a, which is rocked about the pivot a³, and the gutter or grooved edge is
lowered below the level of bottom of the tray and immediately the balls close up or
run together into the space vacated by the feed plate and a series or line of them
is thus brought over the groove in the said feed plate, which is then raised, more at the
back than at the front, and lifts bodily with it, the row of balls which are carried
above the plane of the tray until the groove or gutter comes level with the fixed
gutter d, and inclines to such an angle that the gravitation of the balls overcomes
the frictional adhesion between them and the sides of the gutter, when they run
down and into the fixed groove and thence to the feed pipe.
Then whilst the plate is again descending, a slight pause occurs in the feeding
during which the row of balls last fed are being sorted out by the rollers. The
grooved plate then, as it again rises, takes up another row of balls, and the action
is repeated.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the particular arrange-
ment herein described for imparting the alternate rising and falling and angular or
tipping movement to the grooved plate, as any well-known mechanical means may
be employed for this purpose, such as a rising and falling tipping plate, raised first
vertically and then inclined or tipped; or the fore end of a lever, connected at the
other end to the said plate, may constantly press upon or follow the curved surface
or edge periphery of a cam or squash-plate, or may work within the groove of a
box cam or like mechanical device driving by gearing preferably from the gauging
rolls.
Instead of employing a rocking plate working between the edges of fixed guide
plates as described, I may employ a radially moving bar or equivalent, grooved or
having a gutter along its top edge and being pivoted at one end to the framing or
suitable support, whilst the other end or a suitable part works in guides, and
instead of the ball feeding plate or bar working through a gap in the lowest part
of an incline-bottomed tray, it may work between the edges of two side by side and
inclined trays or plates.
Instead of the plate making a rising and falling movement. for taking a series of

page_text: balls from a horizontal to an inclined position and tipping them down the feed
pipe, the said plate may be stationary and with an inclined gutter edge and the
trays may be arranged to rise and fall.
Or instead of the plate being hinged and moving quadrantly it may rise and fall
vertically, but in this case the guttered top edge of the same would be inclined to
the same degree as the bottom of the tray in which the balls rest.
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:-
First: A feed mechanism for ball sorting and gauging machinery, consisting
of a rising and falling feed device, working in suitable guides and through a gap in
a receptacle, having a gutter, groove, channel or equivalent at its top edge, which
is brought into the same incline plane as the lead to a shoot or feed pipe, thus
feeding a series of lifted balls, substantially as described and set forth.
Secondly: A feed mechanism for ball sorting and gauging machinery, consist-
ing of a rising and falling quadrant plate, bar or equivalent, working between suit-
able guides and through a gap or slot in the bottom of a receptacle wherein balls
to be gauged and sorted are placed, which said plate or equivalent has a groove,
channel or gutter at its upper edge, adapted to lift or pick up a series of balls lying
over the said gap and transfer them from a horizontal to a tipping position lign-
able with a fixed inclined gutter leading to a feed pipe or shoot, the whole being
operated by suitable mechanism, substantially as described and set forth.
Thirdly: The feed mechanism for ball gauging machines, having the quadrant-
moving ball lifting and tipping plate operated by mechanism driven by gear
receiving its motion from one of the ball-sorting rollers, substantially as herein
described and set forth in Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings.
Dated this 11th day of December 105.
JOHN HARRISON.
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.