IMPROVEMENTS MOULDING AND PRESSING OF GLASS AND OTHER MATERIALS."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Humphreys and John Humphreys, both of
Hulme, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Glass Mould Makers, for
JN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE
an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
MOULDING AND PRESSING OF GLASS AND OTHER MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Humphreys and
John Humphreys at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
19th July 1881.
THOMAS HUMPHREYS and JOHN HUMPHREYS, both of Hulme, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Glass Mould Makers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN THE MOULDING AND PRESSING OF GLASS AND OTHER MATERIALS."
Our Invention relates principally to the apparatus employed in the moulding
and pressing of glass when in a plastic state in the manufacture of tumblers and
other articles, objects, or goods, but is also applicable to apparatus for pressing
other plastic or compressible materials. Previously to our Invention only one
article has been produced by one operation of the moulding press, and when
attempts have been made to mould two or more articles by one operation the
unequal action of the press upon the several moulds, arising from an inequality in
the quantities of glass in the moulds or from other causes, has prevented an
uniformity in the quality of the articles from the several moulds from being
obtained. The object of our Invention is to remedy this defect, and to this end
we transmit the pressure to the plungers through compensating levers or parts
which connect the said plungers or parts acting thereupon in such a manner as
that the plungers are able to accommodate themselves to the charges of glass in
the moulds, or we mount the moulds upon tables or supports which are connected
together in the manner and for the purpose indicated. By way of example we
will describe an arrangement suitable for application to a press adapted to mould
two articles by one operation. We arrange for each plunger to slide, or we fix .
each plunger to a part which is fitted to slide up and down or to move in the :

page_text: direction of the pressure, and we connect together the said plungers or parts by
means of a compensating lever, or of levers having a fulcrum or having fulcra
intermediate between the points of connection with the plungers, or the parts
which are fixed to the plungers. When the press is in operation the pressure is
transmitted through the fulcrum or fulcra to the lever or levers, and thence to
the plungers. More than two plungers or parts, to which the plungers are fixed,
or supports for the moulds, may be connected together by means of compensating
levers, as, for example, we may connect together three supports or three plungers
or parts, to which the plungers are fixed by means of a triple compensating lever
formed with three arms. We may employ rams fitted to slide in glands and acted
upon by a fluid which would have a compensating effect.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Humphreys and John Humphreys in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th January 1882.
THOMAS HUMPHREYS and JOHN HUMPHREYS, both of Hulme, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Glass Mould Makers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN THE MOULDING AND PRESSING OF GLASS AND OTHER MATERIALS."
Our Invention relates principally to the apparatus employed in the moulding
and pressing of glass when in a plastic state in the manufacture of tumblers and
other articles, objects, or goods, but is also applicable to apparatus for pressing
other plastic or compressible materials. Previously to our Invention only one
article has been produced by one operation of the moulding press, and when
attempts have been made to mould two or more articles by one operation, the
unequal action of the press upon the several moulds, arising from an inequality in
the quantities of glass in the moulds or from other causes, has prevented an
uniformity in the quality of the articles formed in the several moulds from being
obtained. The object of our Invention is to remedy this defect, and to this end
we transmit the pressure of the plungers through compensating levers or parts
which connect the said plungers or parts acting thereon in such a manner as that
the plungers are able to accomodate themselves to the charges of glass in the
moulds, or we mount the moulds upon tables or supports which are connected
together in the manner and for the purpose indicated. We may employ rams
fitted to slide in glands, and acted upon by a fluid which would have a compen-
sating effect.
And in order that the manner in which we propose to carry our Invention into
effect may be clearly understood, we have attached hereunto a Sheet of Drawings
drawn about half the full size, and marked with letters of reference. In the said
Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a vertical section taken on the centre line of a duplex
or two chambered mould provided with two plungers which are mounted in
accordance with our Invention, and Fig. 2 represents a section on the line A, B,

page_text: in Fig. 1. In the said Figs. a and b are the two parts of a duplex mould which
is represented as being formed to mould two glass tumblers at one operation.
The upper mould a is made in a single casting, and is formed with two chambers
which impart form to the outer surfaces of the tumblers. The said upper mould
is placed within the projecting sides of the lower mould b, which is formed with
two projections b', upon which the lower ends of the two chambers in a are fitted,
and which are prepared to impart the ordinary concave forms to the bottoms of
the tumblers. A lid c is hinged to one end of the lower mould, and is formed with
holes to admit the plungers, and with two projecting rings c' which enter recesses
in the face of the upper mould when the said lid is shut down. A hand lever d
acts as a holding catch and secures all the parts firmly in position. The parts of
the mould are provided with suitable handles, not included in the Drawings. The
two plungers e and e¹ are secured to pistons f, ƒ³, which are fitted to slide in a cross
head g which forms a part of a press, or is secured to a part of an ordinary or
suitable press, so that the two plungers can be forced into the duplex mould. To
prevent the two pistons from rotating a key fixed to the underside of the cross-
head enters recesses in the collars of the pistons, as indicated in Fig. 3. Within
the cross head g is mounted a compensating lever h, which is made of a curved or
bent form, in order that its fulcrum at i and the points of contact with the two
pistons at g shall be in a straight line or thereabouts. In the example, the ends
of the said lever enter recesses formed in the pistons, but this formation and
arrangement may be departed from, as, for example, two levers acting on surfaces
on each side of each piston, or a single lever acting on the ends of the pistons may
be used. The action of the parts is as follows, namely, when the charges of glass
have been inserted within the chambers in the duplex mould and the plungers are
pressed downwards into the mould, the pressure is imparted by the fulcrum i to
the lever g, and is transmitted by the said lever through the two ends thereof to
the two pistons. In the Drawing of the example, it has been supposed that the
right hand mould has received a heavier charge than the left hand mould. In such
a case the lever g will compensate for the inequality by turning slightly upon its
fulcrum so as to press the plunger e further into the mould than the plunger e', as
is represented in Fig. 1, at the same time that each plunger receives its share of
the pressure, the compensation for the variations in the charges not affecting the
pressure upon the plungers. The arrangement may be varied by applying the
compensation to the moulds instead of to the plungers; as, for example, two distinct
moulds mounted upon tables or pistons, which are sustained by means of a com-
pensating lever or by compensating levers may be used, the effect being substantially
the same.
We do not confine ourselves to the use of a duplex mould, as two
separate moulds may be used, and we do not confine ourselves to the use of two
moulds, only as we propose to arrange for three or more articles to be produced by
one pressing operation. When working with three moulds or with a triplex mould,
we transmit the pressure to the plungers through a triplex compensating lever
formed with three arms which transmit the pressure received from a central
fulcrum to the three plungers; but when working with four moulds, or with a
quadruple mould, we prefer to couple up the plungers in pairs by means of com-
pensating levers, and so transmit the pressure to the said compensating levers by
means of a third lever, which bears by its two ends upon the said compensating
levers and receives the pressure from a central fulcrum. In such an arrangement
each plunger is free to adjust itself to the charge, which may be within its mould,
and at the same time the pressures upon the plungers are about equal. Although
we prefer to use levers to obtain the compensating effect we can obtain such effect
by transmitting the pressure through a fluid, as, for example, through oil, water,
or mercury. In such a case we should fit the pistons to slide in glands or to slide
in a sufficiently fluid tight manner, the inner ends of the pistons being in contact
with a fluid, with which a chamber formed within the cross-head or in the support
for the moulds is entirely filled; but as the gradual escape of the fluid might be an
inconvenience we at present prefer to employ levers as aforesaid.

page_text: Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner in which we carry and propose to carry the same into practical effect,
we would have it to be understood that we claim,-
First. The duplex or two chambered mould provided with plungers which receive
pressure through a compensating lever or a pair of such levers, substantially as set
forth and indicated hereinbefore and in and by the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The employment of compensating levers to transmit pressure to the
charges in moulds in cases wherein two or more moulds are combined or used
together, or wherein a mould is formed to produce two or more articles by one
pressing operation, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
And, Lastly. Compensating for inequalities in the charges when moulding two
or more articles at one pressure by the means, substantially as hereinbefore set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Humphreys, for myself and on behalf
of the said John Humphreys, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty two.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
in the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
41, John Dalton Street,
Manchester
(Agent for the Patentees).
THOMAS HUMPHREYS. (L.S.)