IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLA RIB MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN of No 4 South Street, Finsbury in the County
of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLA RIB MACHINES" a communication to me from
abroad by Daniel Marks Redmond of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United
States of America, Umbrella machine, spring and stop pin manufacturer to be as
follows:-
.
This invention relates to improvements in umbrella rib machines.
In carrying out the invention the wire in the form of a coil and from which the
umbrella ribs are to be manufactured, is straightened by meaus of a straightener as
it passes through to prepare it for subsequent manipulation; the straightener is
driven by means of a belt operated by a pulley; feed rollers serve to draw the wire
through the straightener and feed it to cutting mechanism which cuts the wire
into lengths suitable for umbrella ribs, the cutting being effected upon the edge of
a die. A guide plate is provided along the whole length of which the wire is
passed before it is cut off into lengths by the cutter, at the end of this guide is a
stop to prevent the wire from travelling too far before it is cut off; a finger or
hook carries the cut-off section of wire down from the guide plate into the jaws of
clamps on carrier wheels. The plain cut off-wire rod is first seized by the said
clamps at a certain point and is carried by the said wheel or wheels in their
revolution operated upon by the various tools, stamps and dies, until after a
half revolution of the wheels it is finished and dropped beneath into a box, a
completed umbrella rib as will be hereinafter more fully described; a kicker or
tightener moves the cam to close the jaws of the clamps on the carrying wheels; a.
bell crank is pivotted at the angle of its two arms, the end of one arm being
hinged to the lower end of the kicker or tightener; a sidewise projecting toe is
provided on the inner end of the other arm of the bell crank by means of which
when the tightener is thrown down short levers are thrown up, thus spreading the
inner ends of the clamps by throwing the moveable end away from the stationary
end and consequently closing the biting or outer ends of the said clamps to hold
the wire to be operated upon, a stationary block when the short levers are moved
around to it by the revolution of the carrying wheels strikes their inner ends so
Phim t

page_text: that the smallest part of a cam on the lever which is struck presents itself to the
inner end of the moveable jaw of the clamp thus opening the clamp and dropping
the finished rib into the receiving box.
The bars or short levers inwardly project and have cam heads integral
respectively at their outer or pivoted end; these cam heads as described operate to
close the clamps; springs are provided which press on the inner end of the movable
jaws of the clamps, when the jaws are relieved from the opposing pressure of the
cam the clamps are open; a toe is attached to the outer face of a cam for striking
down the tightener; it operates to strike this tightener when it is brought round
by each full revolution of the wheel carrying the said cam and which is located on
a shaft at the top of the machine; a spiral spring is attached to a stationary block
at its upper end and to the tightener at its lower end and operates to draw up the
tightener after it has been pushed down by the toe on the cam wheel; a die is
employed for flattening that end of the rod which is designed to form the joint of
the rib and the ball at the other end of the rib is upset by means of other dies,
another die serves for flattening the middle of the rib; the end of the rib is held
by means of dies or jaws while the tip of that end is being upset by the upsetting
die; the upsetting die is pivotted onto the frame of the machine and its lower end
is thrown outwards and the upper end inwards by means of a cam, this motion is
reversed by means of a spiral spring which draws the lower end of the die inwards,
a cain in revolving throws the holding or clamping dies together and tightens their
grasp on the end of the rib; a spiral spring is attached by one of its ends to a
stationary block on the frame of the machine; and by its other end to the moveable
part of one of the holding or clamping dies and serves to draw this moveable part
back again after it has been thrown forwards by the action of its cam; another
cam similar to the last described cam and operating simultaneously therewith,
operates the moveable part of another flattening die so as to throw it towards a
stationary part of this die thus flattening the middle of the rib; the moveable part
of this die is furnished with a spiral spring similar in its functions to the spring on
the fattening die at the other side of the machine; a cam operates the dies to
Hatten the hinge end of the rib and operates similarly to the last described cams;
all three of the cams are set rigidly upon a shaft, they consist of irregularly shaped
wheel cams and operate simultaneously with each other upon their respective dies,
the cam which operates the upsetting die is rigidly set upon the end of the said
shaft and is of the shape of a wheel the cam being upon its face instead of upon its
side as is the case with the other cams the carrying wheels furnished with the
clamps and the operation of which has already been described are all rigidly set
upon a common shaft; a ratchet wheel is provided having V-shaped depressions in
its periphery and driven by a crank movement from a toothed wheel which is in
turn driven by a main driving pulley; the V-shaped depressions in the said ratchet
wheel are engaged by a ratchet pawl while square notches therein are engaged by
a square ended pawl to hold it stationary while the dies and punches are operating
upon the rib.
There are eight of these square notches in the ratchet wheel and this wheel
makes one eighth of a revolution between each two halts; a friction wheel is
located on the said shaft and a tightening or friction band is passed over it; the
object of this friction wheel is to prevent motion of the shaft or the ratchet wheel
during the intervals between the engagements of the said pawls with the teeth of
the ratchet; the main shaft of the machine has the main driving pulley at one end
and the pulley at the other end which drives the straightener; there is also a
toothed wheel upon the end of this shaft adjoining the main pulley for driving the
toothed wheel which operates the ratchet wheel hereinbefore described and another
toothed wheel which is located on the shaft which carries the cams operating the
dies; this shaft operates an eccentric and a rock shaft which in its turn by means
of a connecting rod and a rocking lever operates a finger mechanism. The said
shaft also operates the cams and eccentrics which in turn as already described
operate the various dies which flatten the rib in different parts and upset the ball

page_text: on the end of the rib. The toothed wheel which operates the ratchet wheel also
turns the shaft carrying the cam wheel which strikes down the tightener; this
shaft operates two eccentrics. One of these eccentrics operates a sliding mechanism
and a die which flattens the tip end of the rib for piercing, the other eccentric
operates a similar sliding mechanism which is furnished with a die to trim off the
flattened hinged end of the rib. The cams each of which operates one of the
herein before described tighteners for the clamps of the respective carrying wheels
are both situated on this shaft.
The manner in which these cams operate the tightener is by means of the toe
with which each one is furnished; so far as the operation of these tighteners is
concerned the cams only act with their peripheries; the cam proper is only used to
drive a rocking lever which engages in the slot of the cam at one end, and at the
other end operates the slide of a punch, each of the said cams thus operates also a
punching mechanism to pierce holes in the respective ends of the rib; a pulley is
fixed on the end of the shaft of the said cams and serves to drive by means of a
belt the feed rollers of the machine, idler pulleys being employed below over which
this belt passes; the belt also passes round one side of a pulley on the shaft of the
feed rollers.
The mechanism is mounted in a suitable iron frame and the power for driving
the same is applied to the main pulley.
Various kinds of dies can be set in the die holders at the option of the operator
and slight alterations may be made in the construction of the details of the
machine.
The end of the carrier which is next to the wire reel is stationary but the rest
of the carrier and all the manipulating parts of the machine are moveable
back wards and forwards on the shafts and in the frame so that various lengths of
ribs can be made on the same machine from about seven inches up to about thirty
nine inches in length.
The standards of the machine can be moved towards or away from each other so
as to accommodate the machine to any length of rib which it may be desired to
make. The principal moving part for this purpose however is the central standard
as it contains the part which regulates the length of the rib as described. It can
be slid along on the frame shafts and guide bar.
The first operation of the machine after the wire has been inserted is to cut the
wire off into the length of the rib. The next operation is that of the first set of
dies which flatten the hinge end and the middle, and upset the knob at the other
end. The next operation is by the next set of dies to which the rib is carried and
which trim off the hinge end and flatten that part of the knob end which is close
to the knob.
The next operation is by the punching dies to which the rib is finally carried
and which pierce holes in the flattened parts of the hinge end and knob end the rib
is then finished and ready for tempering.

page_text: I GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of No 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the county
of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLA RIB MACHINES," a communication to me from abroad
by Daniel Marks Redmond, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of
America, Umbrella Machine, Spring and Stop pin manufacturer, 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 improvements in umbrella rib machines.
In order to enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawings in which figure 1, sheet 1, is a front
elevation of an umbrella rib machine constructed according to this invention;
figure 2 sheet 1, is an end view of the same, and figure 3 sheet 1, is a cross sectional
view on the line x, x, of figure 1; figures 4 to 13, sheet 2, are detached views of
parts of the machine; figures 14 to 18 sheet 2, are views shewing the wire from
which the ribs are made in the various stages of their manufacture. Similar letters
in all the figures represent similar parts.
In carrying out the invention, the wire in the form of a coil A. (figure 1) and
from which the umbrella ribs are to be manufactured, is straightened by means of
a straightener B, as it passes through to prepare it for subsequent manipulation; the
straightener B is driven by means of a belt B, operated by a pulley; feed rollers C,
serve to draw the wire through the straightener and feed it to cutting mechanism,
(shewn in figure 9 which is a detached view of one of the carrying wheels herein-
after described and cutting off mechanisin) which cuts the wire into lengths suitable
for umbrella ribs, the cutting being effected by a cutter D, upon the edge of a
die D; E, figure 1, is a guide plate, shewn also in perspective view at figure 11,
and in cross section at figure 12, along the whole length of which plate the wire is
passed before it is cut off into lengths by the cutter D; at the end of this guide is
a stop E, to prevent the wire from travelling too far before it is cut off; F, is a
finger or hook which carries the cut off section of wire down from the guide
plate E, into the jaws of clamps F¹, on the peripheries of carrier wheels Q.
Figure 10, is a detached sectional view 'sbewing one of the carrying wheels and the
finger which carries the wire from the guide box after it is cut off to be operated
upon by the dies as hereinafter described. The plain cut off wire rod is first seized
by the clamps F1, at the point, GIV, figure 5 (which is an end view of the kicking
or tightening mechanism hereinafter described and of one of the carrying wheels)
and is carried by the said wheel or wheels in their revolution and operated upon by
the various tools, stamps and dies until, after a half revolution of the wheels Q, it
is finished and dropped beneath into a box H", a completed umbrella rib as will be
hereinafter more fully described; H represents the rib so made; G is a kicker or
tightener which moves the cam to close the jaws of the clamps on the carrying
wheels Q; G, is a bell crank pivotted at the angle of its two arins, the end of one
arm being hinged to the lower end of the kicker or tightener G; Gu, is a sidewise
projecting toe on the inner end of the other arm of the bell crank G³, figure 6,

page_text: (which is a detached end view of one of the carrying wheels, shewing also the
kicker which closes the jaws of the clamps which hold the wires) by means of
which, when the tightener G, is thrown down, short levers H, are thrown up, thus
spreading the inner ends of the clamps F, by throwing the moveable end away
from the stationary end, and consequently closing the biting or outer ends of the
clamps F, to hold the wire to be operated upon; G, is a stationary blook which
when the levers H, are moved around to it by the revolution of the carrying
wheels Q, strikes their inner ends as shewn in figure 5, so that the smallest part of
a cam on the lever which is struck presents itself to the inner end of the moveable
jaw of the clamp F1, thus opening the clamp and dropping the finished rib H
into the receiving box H".
The bars H, H, are inwardly projecting levers having cam heads integral respec-
tively at their outer or pivoted end; these cam heads, as described, operate to close
the clamps F; H₁ are springs, by the pressure of which on the inner end of the
moveable jaws of the clamps F', when the jaws are relieved from the opposing
pressure of the cam, the clamps are opened; I is a toe attached to the outer face of
& cam E¹ as shown in figure 5, for striking down the tightener G; it operates to
strike the tightener G, when it is brought round by each full revolution of the
wheel E¹, which is located on the main shaft v; I¹¹, figure 5, is a spiral spring
attached to a stationary block at its upper end and to the tightener G, at its lower
end and which operates to draw up the tightener after it has been pushed down by
the toe I; J, is a die for flattening the butt end of the rod or that end which is
designed. to form the joint of the rib; figure 8, is a cross section of the die slide
for flattening the said end of the rib; Ji, are dies for upsetting the ball at the
other end of the rib; J is a die for flattening the middle of the rib; this die is
shewn detached in elevation at figure 7; the end of the rib is held by means of
dies or jaws K, K, while the tip of that end is being upset by the die J¹; the die J¹
is pivotted at L; its lower end is thrown outwards and the upper end inwards by
means of a cam M; this motion is reversed by means of a spiral spring N, as shewn
in figure 4, which is a detached sectional view of that part of the machine which
performs the first operation of cutting off the length for the rib and flattening it;
by this means the lower end of the die is drawn inwards; O is a cam which in
revolving throws the holding or clamping dies K, together and tightens their grasp
on the end of the rib; O is a spiral spring attached by one of its ends to a
stationary block on the frame of the machine, and by its other end to the move-
able part of the holding or clamping die K, and serves to draw this moveable part
back again after it has been thrown forwards by the action of the cam O; Pis
another cam similar to the cam O, and operating simultaneously therewith; it
operates the moveable part JIV, of the flattening die J, Jl, so as to throw it
towards the stationary part J, of this die, thus flattening the middle of the rib;
the moveable part J, of this die is furnished with a spiral spring similar in its
functions to the spring O'; P' is a cam for operating the dies J, to flatten the
hinge end of the rib; it operates similarly to the last described cams; all the cams
O, P, and P¹, are set rigidly upon a shaft T¹; they consist of irregularly shaped
5 wheel cams and operate simultaneously with each other upon their respective dies;
the cam M, is rigidly set upon the end of the said shaft and is of the shape of a
wheel the cam being upon its side instead of upon its periphery as is the case with
the other cams (see figure 4); the carrying wheels Q, Q, furnished with the
clamps F, and the operation of which has already been described are all rigidly set
upon a common shaft R; R' is a ratchet wheel having V-shaped depressions in its
periphery and driven by a crank movement and connecting rod R", from a toothed
wheel Riu, which is in turn driven by a main driving pulley S; the V-shaped
depressions in the ratchet wheel R¹, are, as shewn in figure 2, engaged by a ratchet
pawl RV while square notches therein are engaged by a square.ended pawl RV, to
5 hold it stationary while the dies and punches are operating upon the rib.
There are eight of these square notches in the ratchet wheel R', and this wheel
makes one eighth of a revolution between each two halts; Y, is a friction wheel

page_text: located on the shaft R; a tightening or friction band is passed over it; the object
of this friction wheel is to prevent motion of the shaft R, or ratchet wheel R¹,
during the intervals between the engagements of the said pawls with the teeth of
the ratchet; S¹, is the main shaft of the machine and it has the main driving
pulley S, at one end and a pulley S¹¹, at the other end which drives the
straightener B; there is also a toothed wheel upon the end of this shaft adjoining
the main pulley S, for driving the toothed wheel RI, and another toothed wheel T,
which is located on the shaft T'; this shaft T¹, operates an eccentric T, which by
means of a connecting rod TV, rock shaft T, and rocking lever TVI, as shewn in
figure 10, operates the finger mechanism F. The shaft T', as shewn in figure 4, also
operates the cams O, P, and P¹, which in turn, as already described, operate the
various dies which flatten the rib in different parts and upset the ball on the end
of the rib. The toothed wheel R, also turns the shaft v, as shown in figures 1, 2
and 3; this shaft v, operates two eccentrics v₁, vll, as shewn in figure 1. The
eccentric 1, as shewn in dotted lines figure 3, operates a sliding mechanism and
diev, which flattens the tip end of the rib for piercing; the eccentric v¹, operates
a similar sliding mechanism which is furnished with a die to trim off the flattened
hinged end of the rib. The cams E', E¹, each of which operates one of the herein-
before described tighteners G, for the clamps of the respective carrying wheels are
both situated on the shaft v.
The manner in which these cams operate the tightener is by means of the toe I,
with which each one is furnished, as shewn in figure 5; so far as the operation of
those tighteners is concerned the cams only act with their peripheries; the cam
proper shewn detached in elevation at figure 13, is only used to drive a rocking
lever V, which engages in the slot of the cam at one end, and at the other end
operates the slide of a punch V1; each of the cams E', thus operates also a punching
mechanism to pierce holes in the respective ends of the rib; W, figure 1, is a pulley
which serves to drive by means of a belt the feed rollers C, of the machine, idler
pulleys W, W being employed below, over which this belt passes; the belt also
passes round one side of a pulley WI, on the shaft of the feed rollers. Or in place
of a belt, gearing can be employed.
The mechanism is mounted in a suitable iron frame as shewn in the drawings
and the power for driving the same is applied to the main pulley S.
Various kinds of dies can be set in the die holders at the option of the operator,
and alight alterations may be made in the construction of the details of the
machine.
The end of the carrier which is next to the wire reel is stationary, but the rest
of the carrier and all the manipulating parts of the machine are moveable back-
wards and forwards on the shafts and in the frame, so that various lengths of ribs
can be made on the same machine, from about seven inches up to about thirty nine
inches in length.
The parts X, and XVI, can be moved towards or away from the stationary
part XIV, so as to accommodate the machine to any length of rib which it may be
desired to make.
The principal moving part for this purpose however is the part XV, as it contains
the part which regulates the length of the rib, as described. It can be slid along on
the frame shafts and guide bar.
The first operation of the machine after the wire as shewn in figure 14 has been
inserted is to cut the wire off into the length of the rib as shewn in figure 15. The
next operation is that of the first set of dies, which flatten the hinge end and the
middle, and upset the knob at the other end as shewn in figure 16. The next
operation is by the next set of dies to which the rib is carried and which trim off
the hinge end and flatten that part of the knob end which is close to the knob as
shewn in figure 17.
The next operation is by the punching dies to which the rib is finally carried
and which pierce holes in the flattened parts of the hinge end and knob end as
shewn in figure 18 and the rib is then finished and ready for tempering.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In an umbrella rib machine the combination of the feed rollers C, with the
cutters D, D¹, and guide plate E substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawings.
2. In an umbrella rib machine in combination with dies Jiu, JV, the movable
carriers furnished with hooks or fingers F and mechanism F¹, for automatically
carrying the rib from place to place to be operated upon by the stamping and
piercing dies and punches, substantially as described.
3. In combination with the movable carriers Q, operating automatically by
suitable mechanism, the clamps F1, automatically opened and closed by mechanism G,
G, G, GH and H', whereby the wire rod is seized and held firmly, during the
continuance of the operations of the flattening, knobbing, cropping and piercing and
is then automatically dropped, substantially as described.
4. In a moveable carrier Q in combination with the tightener G, the toe or
driver I, hinged lever G', levers and cams Ḥ, jaws F¹, and springs H', with the
block G, all operating substantially as and for the purposes described.
5. In an umbrella rib machine the combination of the movable carriers Q, the
dies J, JI, JIV J¹, punches V₁ feed mechanism A, C, cutter D', and check or inter-
mittent stop mechanism R, K¹, R¹¹, R¹¹, RIV, RV, all set in a suitable frame,
whereby the wire is passed into the machine, cut off into lengths and flattened,
knobbed, cropped and pierced all automatically making a complete umbrella rib,
all the parts being combined and operating substantially as described.
6. In an umbrella rib machine in combination with carriers Q suitable holders F¹
for carrying the ribs, die holders, set at suitable points in the track of the carrier
with suitable check or intermittent stop mechanism all situated in a suitable frame,
whereby the wire rod can be inserted at one point of the machine and carried from
point to point and submitted to the action of the dies, all operating automatically
substantially as described,