Improvements in Machines or Apparatuses for Loading Cartridges.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 13th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines or Apparatuses for Loading Cartridges.
I, CHARLES Rosson of 4 Market Head, Derby in the County of Derby,
Gunmaker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
:-
My invention relates more particularly to certain improvements in the machine
or apparatus described in Letters Patent already granted to me and numbered 8813,
dated 10th May 1892.
The first part of my invention relates to the slotted metal plate used for feeding
the wads into proper position for ramming: instead of employing a slotted plate as
therein described I employ a number of small plates connected together at the
back and actuated from an eccentric on the main driving axle of the machine, the
whole of the small plates move forward at the same time and each one is shaped
out and bevilled or sloped back in an upward direction on the front edge so that
thinner or thicker wads may be fed forward with equal ease.
Each of the tubes down which the wadding, powder and shot are passed is
provided with a block or base at the bottom, the underside of which fits close down
on the platform immediately above the cartridge table, this block or base is slotted
on the underside to allow the feeding plate to travel backwards and forwards, the
wads pass down the tubes clear through the block to the slot before mentioned;
the tubes may be widened out internally at the bottom if desired so as to obviate
blocking or clogging of wads and so that the said wads will fall freely into position
to be pushed forward by the feeding plate; the said block or base at the bottom of
each tube also serves to steady them.
Instead of a sliding plate for cutting off the charge of shot I may employ a
plate pivotted to the platform already mentioned and having one or more holes
through same (preferably one) the said plate to oscillate backwards and forwards
or revolve and be driven by an eccentric upon the main driving axle of the
machine; every time one of the holes comes opposite the outlet from the shot tube
and hole in the platform a charge is passed into the case.
I may provide a plate for bringing down the whole of the rammers and the turn over
cup or crimping die, the said turn over cup being fitted on the lower end of a rod
which carries a sleeve immediately below the pressing down plate, the underside of
the said plate bearing upon the top of the sleeve when pressing down the turn over
cup a compensating spring is placed between the sleeve and the rod, and a revolving
motion is given to the rod from a pulley upon it actuated by other guiding,
tightening and driving pulleys from the main driving axle of the machine. When
sufficient pressure is brought upon the top of the cartridge the compensating spring
comes into play, a stud or pin on the sleeve working in a slot in the rod, thus
allowing the other rammers to be brought sufficiently low down to ram home the
wads in the other cases being filled.
Instead of a hollow cup pressing the cartridge upwards through the cartridge
table and the cartridge being kept from revolving by the means described in niy
Specification No. 8813 I may provide a plate to receive the bottom of the case,
the rim of the case being pressed tightly up against the underside of the table and
thus held in position.
I may if desired employ balance weights on the end of the lever used for
operating the ramming rods and turn over cup or crimping die and expelling the
cartridge from the table, to assist in lifting the rods, &c.

page_text: I may provide an automatic feed for the cases by employing an inclined tray
into which the cases are placed by hand, the said cases passing down a channel and
when they come to the underside of the table each one is picked up by a suitable
claw arrangement and passed to the hole in the table, and I employ a suitable
mechanism driven from the main driving axle of the machine for pressing them up
through the table, the cases may also be fed down a spiral drum into position, the
said spiral being a channel of suitable width or they may be passed down a vertical
tube into position for being passed forward by the claw arrangement above
mentioned.
.I may employ any suitable electrical arrangement in connection with the powder
and shot measures or wadding tubes to ring an alarum when they require attention
I may also employ the pressing down plate as a means of giving motion to a
stirring or agitating device in the powder measure to ensure the powder flowing
evenly to its measuring device.
CUMI LULE
DIEUTLICATION
Improvements in Machines or Apparatuses for Loading Cartridges.
I, CHARLES Rosson of 4 Market Head, Derby in the County of Derby,
Gunmaker, 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 :-
In order that my said invention may be the more readily understood I have
caused to be annexed to this Specification two sheets of drawings the different
figures and letters of reference and numerals upon which will be deemed to form a
part of this Specification and will be hereinafter referred to.
+
•
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine or apparatus.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan on line 'a' 'a' of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a plan on line 'b''b' of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a plan on line 'c' 'c' of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a vertical section on line 'd' 'd' of Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a vertical section shewing the method of raising the cartridge up to
the turn over cup.
Figure 8 is a view shewing the method of agitating the powder in the hopper.
Figure 9 is a view illustrating the method of giving warning when one of the
wadding tubes is getting empty.
My invention relates more particularly to certain improvements in the machine,
or apparatus described in Letters Patent already granted to me No. 8813, dated
10th May 1892.
It will be understood that only those parts are illustrated on the accompanying
sheets of drawings which are necessary for explaining the different parts of the
present invention, as many of the parts of the machine or apparatus being the same
as those described and illustrated in my Patent No. 8813" aforesaid, and therefore
not necessary to be herein described and illustrated. Some parts are also omitted
to avoid confusion others are broken away being unnecessary in the particular
illustrations of the devices or parts.
The first part of my invention relates to the slotted metal plate described in
Specification No. 8813 and used for feeding the wads into proper position for
ramming instead of employing a slotted plate as therein described I employ a
number of small plates A (see Figures 5 and 6 more particularly), the said plates
being connected at the back to a bar B and actuated from an eccentric on the main
:

page_text: driving axle of the machine, the whole of the small plates move forward at the
same time and each one is shaped out and bevilled or sloped back in an upward
direction on the front edge so that thinner or thicker wads may be fed forward with
equal ease. Each of the tubes C down which the wadding and powder or shot
pass, is provided with a block or base D at the bottom, (see Figure 6), the under-
side of which fits close down on the platform E immediately above the cartridge
table F, this block or base is slotted on the underside as at G (Figure 5.) to allow
the feeding plate A to travel backwards and forwards; the wads pass down the
tubes clear through the block to the slot before mentioned: the tubes may be
widened out internally at the bottom if desired so as to obviate blocking or clogging
of wads and so that the said wads will fall freely into position to be pushed forward
by the feeding plate; the said block or base at the bottom of each tube also serves
to steady them.
Instead of a sliding plate for cutting off the charge of shot I may employ a
plate H pivotted to the platform E at I and having one or more holes through the
same (preferably one), the said plate to oscillate backwards and forwards or revolve
and be driven by an eccentric upon the main driving axle J of the machine,
the rod K operating the said oscillating plate may be connected to the back
bar B if desired so as to move simultaneously with plates A: every time one of the
holes in the said plate comes opposite the outlet from the shot tube C and the
hole C¹ in the platform a charge of shot is passed into the case.
I may provide a plate L for bringing down the whole of the rammers and the
turn-over cup or crimping die, the said turn-over cup O being fitted on the lower
end of a rod M which carries a sleeve N immediately below the pressing down
plate L, the underside of the said plate bearing upon the top of the sleeve N when
pressing down the turn-over cup O, a compensating spring P is placed between the
sleeve and the rod and a revolving motion is given to the said rod from a pulley Q
upon it actuated by pulleys R, tightening pulley S and driving pulley T from the
driving axle U of the machine. When sufficient pressure is brought to bear upon
the top of the cartridge the compensating spring comes into play a stud or pin P
on the rod working in a slot in the sleeve thus allowing the other rammers to be
brought sufficiently low down to ram home the wads in the other cases being
filled.
Instead of a hollow cup pressing the cartridge upwards through the cartridge
table and the cartridge being kept from revolving by the means described in my
Specification No. 881392 I may provide a plate V (see Figure 7) to receive the
bottom of the case W the rim of the case being pressed tightly up against the underside
of the cartridge table E and thus held in position: the plate V is on the top of a
rod X the latter having a cranked arm Y attached to its lower end, the said arm
being pivotted to a bracket on the framework of the machine and carrying a roller
at its other end engaging a cam or eccentric on the cam shaft to give it the
required upward motion, any undue pressure is counterbalanced by the spring Z.
may if desired employ balance weights 1. (see Figure 2.) on the end of the
lever 31 used for operating the pressing down plate, ramming and expelling rods,
turn-over cup or crimping die, to assist in lifting the rods.
In feeding the cases or shells into the cartridge table I provide a vertical tube 2
which may be continued to any height and in any approximately vertical direction,
(see Figures 1 and 4.) into this tube the cases are placed with their bases or rims
downwards, either by hand or otherwise, they pass down the aforesaid tube 2 until
they arrive in a chamber or deep slot 3 radiating from the centre 4, a quadrant 5
is mounted on the centre 4 and at its lower end carries a short arm 6 having a
stud 7 engaging a slot 8 in a sliding plate 9: the said sliding plate is given a
to and fro motion by an eccentric on the cam shaft which causes stud 7 to move every
time it traverses the transverse portion 10 of the slot 8, this opens and closes the
quadrant and every time the latter moves forwards it carries a case or shell on to
the plate 11. which is concentric-with a hole in the cartridge table, the latter being
shewn by dotted lines on Figure 4, every time it is stopped in position (by the step

page_text: by step arrangement described in Specification No. 88139 and illustrated therein
on Figures 5, 6 and 7.): the said plate 11 is carried on a vertical rod 12 which at
its lower end is connected by means of a link 13 to an arm 14 pivotted to a
bracket 15 on the bed plate 16 upon which the sliding plate moves, as the said
sliding plate moves to the right the quadrant as before explained places a case or
shell on the top of the rod 12 and as the aforesaid sliding plate continues to move
in the same direction a roller 17 pivotted to the arm 14 rides up the projection 18
on the said sliding plate and by means of the link connection to the vertical rod 12
moves the latter upwards and so carries the cartridge case or shell also upwards
into one of the holes in the cartridge table which now revolves another step and
carries with it the case to be filled or loaded.
The cases or shells may be also delivered to the feed above mentioned by
employing an inclined tray into which they are placed by hand and they may be
made to pass down a channel or tube to the feed or they may pass down a spiral
drum into position the said spiral being a channel of suitable width.
To give warning when the supply of wadding is becoming low in the tubes
I weight the top of each column of wadding in the said tubes and attach a cord 23
or the like to each weight the said cord passing over a pulley or pulleys 19 and
through an eye or the like 20 on a plate 21 pivotted at 22, at the end of the cord
is a weight or stop 24 which is arranged so that when the supply of wadding is
getting low in the tubes, it bears against the underside of the eye or the like 20
and partly revolves the plate 21 which completes an electric circuit and rings an
alarm.
For the powder and shot measures I use a plate to which is attached the lower
end of a spiral spring, the said spring being so adjusted that as the weight of
powder or shot is lessened on the said plate the spring raises it and brings with it
a rod or the like which is arranged to touch a plate and so complete an electric
circuit and ring an alarm as before.
To agitate the powder in the powder hopper 25 1 attach a cord 26 to any
one of the rods 27 operated by the pressing down plate, or to the pressing down
plate itself, the said cord passing over pulleys 28 and being weighted at its end 29
and communicating motion as will be seen on Figure 8 to a vertical shaft 30
carrying any suitable agitating device.
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 --
1. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the employment of a number
of small plates A for pushing forward the wads the said plates being connected at
the back to a bar B or the like and operated from an eccentric on the main driving
axle of the machine substantially as described and illustrated.
2. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the employment of a slotted
block or base D at the bottom of each wadding and powder or shot tubes C
substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated.
3. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the horizontally oscillating
plate H pivotted to the platform E and having one or more holes therein, and
preferably one, to hit and miss with the shot tube °C and a hole C¹ in the platform E
the said plate H to be operated by an eccentric or cam from the main driving axle
of the machine substantially as described and illustrated.
4. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the employment of a pressing
down plate L to bring down the whole of the rammers, turn over cup or crimping
die and expelling rod substantially as described and illustrated.
4
5. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the employment of a rod M
carrying the turn over cup 0 and a slotted sleeve N, compensating, spring P,
revolving motion being imparted to the rod M by means of an endless band or its
equivalent passing round pulley Q on the end thereof also pulleys R, S and driving
pulley T substantially as and for the purposes described and-illustrated. _

page_text: 6. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the employment of a vertical
rod X, compensating spring Z, the rod X carrying a plate or the like V adapted
to fit the base or rim of the cartridge case and press the same upwards to the
underside of the cartridge table E when operated by a cranked arm Y pivotted to
a bracket on the frame of the machine and operated by an eccentric or cam on the
main driving axle of the machine substantially as described and illustrated.
7. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the employment of balance
weights such as 1 on the end of lever 31 substantially as and for the purposes
described and illustrated.
8. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the improved device for
feeding the cases or shells into the cartridge table consisting of the vertical
cartridge tube 2, chamber or radial slot 3, quadrant 5 with arm 6 carrying stud 7
engaging slot 8 and 10 in sliding plate 9 the latter being connected to a link and
arm and operated by an eccentric or cam from the main driving axle of the
machine plate 11 on a vertical rod 12, link 13, arm 14 pivotted to a bracket 15
on a bed plate 16, roller 17 carried on arm 14 and adapted to engage and ride up
projection 18 on sliding plate 9, substantially as and for the purposes described and
illustrated.
:
9. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the improved apparatus or
means for ringing an alarm when the powder or shot measure or wadding tubes
require replenishing substantially as described and illustrated.
10. In a machine or apparatus for loading cartridges the improved method of
agitating the powder in the measure substantially as described and illustrated on
Figure 8.
11. The whole substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
illustrated.
Dated this 19th day of November 1801
•
W. SWINDELLA
Agent for the Applicant.