Articles, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 4th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th July, 1883
Articles, and in Apparatus therefor.
We WILLIAM SAMMONS HUBBARD of Evington Parks in the County of Leicester,
Mechanical Draughtsman, and RICHARD GIBBINS of 36 Evington Lane, Leicester,
Chemist's Assistant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
--
The object of our invention is to provide a machine for sorting and sizing pills and
other articles whereby pills etcetera of a required size and round are separated from
others of various sizes and irregular shapes.
To carry out our invention we mount upon suitable framework or standards a shaft
carrying preferably a cam for imparting vibration to an inclined shoot which is
pivoted or otherwise hung at its lower end and upon which are placed the pills or
other articles to be sorted.
Carried on a shaft near the lower end of the inclined shoot is a suitable feeder
provided with a ledge into which the pills roll off the shoot and capable of being
alternately raised and lowered by means of a tappet arrangement actuated by a cam
fixed on a shaft carrying a roller the position of which in relation to the fixed bar
hereinafter described is adjustable.
A suitably shaped bar or plate is fixed between the feeder and the adjustable roller,
so that when the feeder is in its highest position, an incline is formed to deliver the
pills into the groove made between the fixed bar and the adjustable roller.
The adjustable roller is provided throughout its whole length with a projecting
blade.
Below the adjustable roller are two boxes or other receptacles opening onto a second
groove formed by two suitably shaped adjustable bars. Between these a blade is
operated by the tappet gear before described and suitable springs or weights working
in connection therewith.
In a convenient position below the second groove may be one or more inclined
planes hung or supported by suitable means and capable of being vibrated as
required.

page_text: The revolving roller is also provided with a suitable projection on a desired part of
its circumference, just in front of the blade, to prevent any pills falling through the
groove while the blade is coming up to the fixed edge.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The Pills or other similar spherical or
globular bodies to be sorted and sized are placed on the vibrating inclined shoot which
delivers then onto the alternately rising and falling feeder.
The feeder having risen to its bighest position they are delivered onto the groove
formed between the suitably shaped bar and the revolving adjustable roller, just as
the roller blade has passed the fixed edge, and the roller continuing to revolve keeps
the pills rolling on the groove the object of which is to find on the irregular shaped
pills, a smaller diameter than the width of the groove when they will with the small
pills, fall through the groove into a receptacle below. The blade having now made
one revolution with the roller arrives at the fixed edge and carries the pills remaining
on the groove over into a box or receiver below out of which they roll onto a second
groove formed by two suitably shaped adjustable bars, the width of which is adjusted
to allow only those of the right size to fall through onto an incline underneath, and
will retain on the top all which are too large. The blade operated by the tappet gear
then rising between the bars lifts and delivers the large pills into a box placed to
receive them.
The pills of the right size having fallen onto the inclined plane those of practically
perfect uniformity of size and shape i.e. the round pills will on reaching the bottom
of the inclined plane have acquired sufficient momentum to carry them over an
adjustable edge into a suitable receptacle but those of imperfect shape and size will
naturally, roll slower and not having acquired sufficient momentumi to carry them
over the adjustable edge will fall between it and the end of the inclined plane into a
box underneath.
A lateral vibration is imparted to the inclined plane during the descent of the pills
in order to find any dents or flat places in them and thereby cause them to roll
slower.
The process of sorting and sizing may be briefly described as follows:-The first
process (the adjustable revolving roller and fixed edge) takes out the small pills the
second process (two fixed edges) takes out the large pills and the third process
(the vibrating inclined plane) separates the irregular shaped pills from the perfect
shaped.
D

page_text: FRUCTUS, and Apparat
We, WILLIAM SAMMONS HUBBARD of the firm of Herbert and Hubbard, Engineers,
Queens Road, Coventry, and RICHARD GIBBINS, 36 Evington Road, Leicester, 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:
The object of our invention is to provide a machine for the purpose of sorting pills
and other articles, so that those of a required size are separated from others of various
sizes and irregular shapes.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of the machine and Figure 2 is a side elevation
of the vibrating tray which is placed at the end of and forms a continuation of
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical central section and Figure 4 is a plan of the
machine, showing half in section on the line Y. Z.
Figure 5 shews the mechanism at the end of the machine for vibrating the tray R
of which Figure 6 is a transverse section.
Figure 7 is a side view of standard Q.
Figure 8 is a plan of forked link V.
Figuro 9 is a front view of cam F" and
Figure 10 is a section to shew how the cams F and E* are mounted.
Like letters refer to the same parts throughout the drawings.
A is the foundation or bed which supports the framing of the Machine A¹ upon
which is mounted a shaft B carrying at each end a Cam B₁ for imparting a vibrating
motion to an incliued shoot C supported at, or near its lower end C by the framework,
and upon which are placed the pills or other articles to be sorted.
The shaft D has its bearings in the framework and carries near the lower end of
the inclined shoot a suitable feeder bar D' extending across the machine and provided
with a ledge D on to which the pills roll off the shoot C.
This feeder D is capable of being alternately raised and lowered by means of a
lever E carried on the end of the shaft D and actuated by a tappet lever E' which
receives its motion from a cam F¹ (Figure 9) fixed on the end of the shaft F of the
rolier F. (Figure 10).
When the feeder D₁ is in its lowest position the front row of pills rolls on to the
ledge D and when the feeder rises to its highest position, it forms an inclined plane

page_text: with the fixed shaped bar G, down which the pills roll on to the space or opening G¹
(Figure 3) formed between the edge of the fixed shaped bar G and the periphery of
the revolving roller F.
The position of this roller is adjustable in relation to the fixed bar G by means of
the adjusting screw H and the springed rod H', the latter of which may preferably be
formed integrally with the bearing of the roller.
The space or opening G¹ is just sufficiently wide to allow the small pills, i.e., those
under the required size to fall through into a box H' (Figure 1) placed underneath for
their reception.
The adjustable roller F has its bearings in journals F3 capable of moving up and
down in the slot F4, and is provided throughout the whole of its length with a
projecting blade J which on revolving with the roller and coming up to the fixed edge
of G carries the pills caught in the space G1 with it and delivers them on to a second
space or opening L (Figure 3); the feeder D¹ meanwhile delivering the next row of
pills from the shoot C on to the space G¹.
The space or opening L, the width of which is adjustable, is formed between the
fixed bar L' and the adjustable bar L, each of which has its bearings in the sides of
the framework; the bar L being adjustable by means of the springed screw L.
The space L is set of the required width to allow pills of the right size to fall
through on to the inclined plane P and to retain on the top, by resting on the edges
of the two fixed bars, pills which are above the required size viz. the large pills.
Before another row of pills is fed into the space or opening L these large pills are
cleared away by means of the blade M (shown in its highest position in Fig. 3)
rising in the space or opening and causing the large pills to roll down the adjustable
bar I, through the shoot L and down the slope L into the box H2 placed to receive
them.
The blade M is secured at each end to a springed arm M', adjustable by means of
the thumb screw M³, and receives its rising motion by means of the weight M* or
equivalent and its falling motion by means of the cam E and tappet lever E
actuating the lever E³ carried on the shaft E' at the end of the cross bar E,
(Figures 3 and 4.)
The pills which have fallen through the second opening L although of the required
size may not be perfectly round, they are therefore conveyed through the opening P
in the inclined plane P to a vibrating inclined tray R.
This tray is suspended by means of the straps $¹ connected to each end of the two
beams S fixed on the horizontal shaft R' supported at each end by a standard Q bolted
to the wood bed W.
Fixed to the shaft R¹ is an arm R2 carrying at its lower end a set screw R³ which
can be tightened in the slot R to keep the tray R at any required angle.
A lateral vibrating motion is imparted to the tray R, while the pills are descending,
by the following means:-On the end of the shaft B is a grooved pulley T commu-
nicating motion by means of a rope or equivalent to a similar pulley T mounted on
one end of the shaft T2 supported in the lower part of the framework A'.
On the opposite end of the shaft T and inside the framework A¹ is a disc T³
connected by means of the pin T and rod T to the horizontal lever To working on
the shaft U on the opposite end of this shaft is a vertical lever T' connected at
its upper end by a forked link V (Figure 8) and plate V₁ to the underside of the
tray R.
The machine is set in motion by the hand wheel B' fixed on the shaft B which
carries at its opposite end a grooved pulley B³ imparting motion by means of a rope
or equivalent to a similar pulley B on the end of the roller shaft F' and the operation
of the machine is as follows:-The pills or other similar spherical or globular bodies
to be sorted are placed on the vibrating inclined shoot C which delivers them on to
the ledge D' of the alternately rising and falling feeder bar D¹.
This feeder having risen to its highest position the pills roll into the space or
opening G¹ formed between the shaped bar G and the revolving adjustable roller F
just as the blade J has passed the fixed edge of the bar G, and the roller F continuing

page_text: to revolve keeps the pills moving in the opening, the object of the rolling being to
find any pills having a smaller diameter than the width of the opening when they will
with the small pills fall through into the receptacle below.
The blade J having made a revolution with the roller F arrives at the fixed edge of
the bar G and carries the pills remaining in the opening over into the second
opening L formed between the fixed and adjustable bars L and L³, which allows
only pills of the right size to fall through and retains on the top all which are too
large.
The blade M then rising between the bars L' and I lifts and delivers the large pills
through the shoot L' and inclined plane L' into the box H2 (Figure 1).
The pills of the required size having fallen on to the incline plane P roll down and
pass through an opening P¹ near the bottom on to the inclined vibrating tray R,
when those of practically perfect uniformity of shape and size, i.e. the round pills, on
reaching the bottom will have acquired sufficient momentum to carry them over the
adjustable edge R³ into a suitable receptacle X, but those of imperfect shape and size
will naturally roll slower and not having acquired sufficient momentum to carry them
over this edge, they will fall between it and the end of the inclined tray into a box X¹
below.
The lateral vibration is imparted to the inclined tray during the descent of the
pills in order to find any dents or flat places in them and thereby cause them to roll
slower.
The processes of sorting may be briefly described as follows:-The first process
(the adjustable revolving roller F and fixed edge G) takes out the small pills; the
second process (the two fixed edges L' & L³) removes the large pills; and the third
process (the vibrating inclined tray R) separates the irregularly shaped pills from the
perfect ones.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood
that being aware that there are old features in this machine as well as new ones we
make no claim to anything beyond those parts specially set forth in the following
claiming clauses and that the claim for the complete machine is to be understood as
covering only the machine embracing the combination of the whole of the features
indicated and not as claiming any single feature separated from the others. We
declare that we claim :-
:―
1. In a machine for sorting pills and the like the combination with an inclined
vibrating shoot C of a feeder such as D¹ provided with a ledge D' substantially as
described and illustrated.
2. In a machine for sorting pills and the like the combination of roller F with a
fixed bar G adjustable in relation to each other substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated.
3. In a machine for sorting pills and the like the combination with the fixed
bar L of the adjustable bar L substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated.
4. In a machine for sorting pills and the like the combination with the fixed and
movable bars L' and L' of a blade such as M operating substantially in the manner
and for the purpose described and illustrated.
5. In a machine for sorting pills and the like the combination with the special
features set forth in the above claiming clauses of a vibrating inclined tray such as R
suspended and vibrated substantially as shewn and described.
6. In a machine for sorting pills and the like the employment of a feeder bar such
as D provided with a ledge D' substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
7. In a machine for sorting pills and the like the combination with a vibrating tray

page_text: •
such as R of variable inclination of an adjustable edge such as R' substantially as
and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
8. In the sorting of pills and the like articles the employment of fixed edges
adjustable in relation to each other or of a fixed edge and the moving surface of a
roller adjustable in relation to each other substantially as described.
9. The complete machine for sorting pills and the like substantially as described
and illustrated.
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