US1700978A - Fleshing and grading machine - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 5, 1929.

L. A. coGswELL FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 26. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 7o we@ Feb. 5, 1929. 1,700,978

L. A. coGswx-:LL

FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 267 l92-2- gets-Sheet. 2

Feb. 5, 1929. 1,700,978

L. A. cosswELl..

FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 26. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 65 fZ/n? leander@ @swel Feb. 5, 1929.

1,700,978 L. A. coGswr-:LL

FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 26. 1922 y41 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Feb. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES LEANDER A. COGSWELL, OF' MANCHESTER,

TION OF MAINE.

AParam OFFICE.

Newy HAMPSHIRE, Assumer. ro LACENE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or MANCHESTER, NNW HAMPSHIRE, A consonal FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE.

Application mea July 2e,

My invent-ion is a machine for ascertaining the grade of a piece of dried-out stock or leather Wit-h reference to its thinnest portion after the manner of the Well-knoivn Nichols evening and gradingv machines, and then grading and fleshing said stock'. Although my machine is adapted to handle any kind of cut leather,it isespecially intended for such pieces as usually require to be fleshed such as Welt innersoles and turn outersoles. One reason that it is customary to flesh such ins nersolcs and outersoles is that the channels must, of course, be tough in stitching substance and not brittle, and hence it is desirable that the flesh or stringy fibre on the flesh side of the stock should not be cut ofi down to the: meat or britt-le part of the stock, but on the other hand, the loose or flabby portion of the iesh sl'iould be removed. The more uniform the fieshing is, the better channeling can be done on a` given piece'. Stock of this nature must be fleshed and also grad.- ed, the fleshing being necessary to insurethe best channeling, and the gradingv to enable the Shoemaker to use the right grade of stock for any given Work. The grading of this kind of stock has heretofore been done by hand and my invention enables both the fleshing and the gradi-ng to be accomplished at one and' the same time, automatically, in the same machine.Y

A further feature of my invention consists in actually fieshing and grading the piece `of stock from the very beginning of the blank, especially in case of rands and certain soles which. require not only fieshing their entire length but grading,v from the heel'. On the other hand, my invention permits ieshing theY entire length While grading' less' than ythe entire length, as for example from the ball only of sole, Whenever s0 desired.

151s my invention is broadly novel in its many featuaesf and combinations, it Will'be understood. that it may be embodied in a Wide variety of mechanical constructions and' arrangements.

In the preferred embodiment herein sho/Wn,

1; shows the machine in side elevation, partly broken away, and sectional for clearncss of illfu'strati'on;`

Figs. Q` and 3y show in end' elevation and horizontal section respectively, views of the yielding journal box` of the uipp'er gauge roll Fig. 4l is a. vertical. transverse section ofthe 1922. semina. 577,700.

machine showing said yielding upper roll and` lower fleshmg roll m rear elevation Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional details of the j adjusting mechanism for said lower roll, taken respectively at about the points 5 and 6, Fig. 4 ;1

Figs. 7 and 84 are perspective views 0f details ofthe sleeves shown in Figs. 1 and 10;

Fig. 9 is abroken detail in top plan of the l front end of the machine; and

Fig. 10'is an kenlarged fragmentary detail in side elevation of a portion of the front part of the machine, showing details of the n mechanismY Which permits the actual grading to begin at the extreme forward. end of the heel ofthe sole as it enters the detecting or feeler mechanism.

For more conveniently presenting my invention, I have embodied the samey in one of the ivell-known commercial types of the Nichols machine assho'wn in general construction in Patent 1,130,321, dated Marc-h 2, 1915, and, therefore, I refer to said patent for the general construction and `.opt-fration of many of the parts which. I have made use of incarrying out the combinations necessary for the embodiment of my invention. Thework pro'- ,ceeds from a table 1 between guides 2, 3 to the feeler rolls 4, 5 WhichA also act as feed rolls, and thence beneath a' trip or shoe 6 adjustable on a rod 7 projecting from a rocker shaft 8 on Whose outer end is an arm 9 carrying a post 10 in position to' engage the rear end 11 of a l pavvl 12 to release the same from the' thinness-measuring' teeth 13 of a ratchet Wheel 14 fast on a shaft 15.` Shaft 15 carries loosely a segmental rack 16 engaged With the correspondingly toothed end y17 of an yactuating lever 18 responsive to the movement ofV the roll 5',r all as shown and described in connection with further details in said patent, to gether with: a locking: pawl 19 in position to engage the ratchet teeth 2O of the ratchet v connected by a rod 30 to the shaft or journal 31 ofthe upper gauge roll? 3Q (using this term n as in the Nichols patents) at' the outgoing 4 54 of the frame of the machine.

end of the machine. Beneath this upper roll is a lower roll 33 which cooperates with a knife 34. The shaft 15 carries a crank or bracket block 35 against which the movable sector 16 strikes when actuated by the sector 17 (said two sectors being held to each other by a spring 36) and thereby actuating the shaft 15 and a segmental rack or gear 37 meshing Vwith a rack 38 which in turn meshes with a pinion 39 at the lower end of a shaft 40 at whose upper end is a pinion 41 to actuate a rack bar 42 connected by a link 43, see F ig. 4, with a grading mechanism which as herein shown is a marker, although any form of grader may be employed. Briefly, the marker consists of a swinging toothed sector 44 engaging a pinion 45 at the lower end of a reciprocating carrying post 46 to set and actuate a marking wheel 47 driven down by a propelling arm 43 and spring 49, all as in the Nichols patent aforesaid.

lThe lower roll 33 has its journals carried on a yoke 50, best shown in Fig. 4, supported on posts`51, 52 threaded into bosses 53 on yoke 50 at their upper ends and mounted to turn loosely at their lower ends in a cross bar rlhese posts are turned by worm nuts 55, worms 56, 57, shaft 58 and hand-wheel 59, the worm 57 being splined for longitudinal movement when desired. rlhus, by t-urning the hand-wheel 59 one way or the other-` the fixed distance between the lieshing roll 33 and the knife 34 is determined, said roll being moved up or down in parallelism to itself when both worms 56 and 57 are in engagement with their nuts 55, but said roll may be adjusted angular-ly, i. e., one end moved up or down in relation to the other byr simply shifting the worm 57 out of engagement with its nut and then turning the hand-wheel 59, such adjustment being desirable to bring the roll 33 into true position for any given knife or for instance, when a knife happens to be set or ground so as to require it. The first adjustment mentioned determines the thickness of the fleshing operation, usually about one-half iron (one ninety-sixth of an inch). The worm 57 may be held fast to the shaft 58 by means of a set screw as indicated in Fig. 4. The upper gauge roll 32 has divided or recessed journal boxes, see Figs. 2, 3 and 4, in which are mounted heavy springs 60 preferably elliptical or in shape like a carriage spring, above which springs are the lower wedge blocks 61 held in place on the springs by screw bolts 62 tapped into the journal. box proper. Above these wedge bloclks are the upper wedge blocks 63 fast on the rack plate or bar42, being the same in construction and operation as the corresponding adjusting wedges 27 in the Nichols patent aforesaid. The arrangement is such that either or both of thesesprings may yield enough to talke care of the thickness of the sole in excess of the thin part detected.

As the lower roll 33 does not yield and as soles are always more or less uneven, these springs are provided in connection with the gauging roll to accommodate this uncvenness and they are of such shape and the recess containing them is milled out to such a depth as to permit yielding movement to theextent which is liable to be required by the thickest or most uneven sole.V

To make certain that the blank will be acted upon from theextreme forward end of the blank, or heel of the sole, or front end of a rand, I secure to the projecting end of the rocker shaft 64 of the sector lever 18, a swinging arm 65 which carries at its upper end a finely toothed wheel or gear 66 adapted to mesh with a pinion 67 on the outer projecting end of the axle of the upper roll 4, said swinging arm being under normal impulse by spring 68 to bring theteeth of the gear 66 into engagement with pinion 67. Just below this gear and pinion is an arm or double lever pivoted at 69 to the khead or frame of the machine and having a part 70 projecting into lifting engagement beneath a pin 71 on the post 10 and a part 72 projecting in the opposite direction. The end of part 72 is provided with a hook-like member 74, which embraces the upper cam-shaped end 73 of the lever 26. An adjustable bearing stud 75 mounted in the end of lever 72 engages the cam surface of member 73. The wheel 66 has a depressing cam 76 on its inner face in position to engage the leverlmember 72 to depress the same when saidwheel is rotated so as to bring the caminto 'engagement there- 5 with. A stop 77 adjustable in a slot 7 S of said wheel is in position to strike against the arm 65 to control the position of the wheel when not engaged with the pinion 67. A spring 79 normally tends to turn the wheel when the latter is free, so as to bring the said stop into said engagement and thereby always insure that the wheel shall be in proper position when swung into engagement with the pinion 67 When set as shown in Fig. 1, it is obvious that thevinstant the piece of leather enters between the rolls 4, 5 and the wheel 66 engages the pinion 67, the cam 76 will: immediately depress member 72 and raise member 70 of the tripping lever and thereby raise the post 10 and permit the measuring pawl 12 to engage its teeth 13 and therefore start measuring the leather piece from its very extreme forward end.. By changing the adjustment of the stop 77 (or depending on the trip 6) the grading may beginback from the front end of the blank as may be desired, but without changing the lieshing for the entire length of the blank; so that, for instance, a sole may be graded from the ball to the rear or toe-end and fleshed its entire length from the heel-end to the toeend. In view of the fact that the toothed sector arm 18 has a variable extent of swinging nio-vement,l have provided the lower end of ther arm 65 with a sleeve 80 loosely. mounted on the shaft 64; and having a notched outer end 81 adapted to c perate with the notched end 82' of a holding collar 83 spit at 8a, to be clamped on thev outer end of the shaft 6a in position to hold the arm 65 and yet permitlimited swinging movement of said arm.

In operation, the Iieshing roll', or splitting roll 33 is first adjusted downwardly from the cutting edge of the knife 34k by turning the handle 59A enough to regulate the amount of flesh to be removed from the fiesh side of the sole, (usually one-half iron or a ylittle more). If the knife and roll are not in accuratev parallelism the worm 57 is slid along its shaft 5S. out of rotating engagement with its' worm wheel 55 so as to leave the screw 52 idle and the other screw -1 is operated up or down until the true parallelism is secured, whereupon the Worm 57 is brought again into engagement with its wheel so that thereafter the operation of the hand-wheel 59 will move the splitting roll up or down in true parallelism to itself and to the knife. The soles are then fed through the machine in the usual manner, heilig fed by hand, or other wise,` one by one, between the guides 2, 3 and thence between the rolls 1, 5 to be graded to the lightest or thinnest place and stamped by they marking wheel t7 which is set automatically to the thin place detected, in well-known manner. If the stock requires to be graded from its extreme forward end, the cam wheel G6 is set as shown in the drawings and the moment the lever 18 is depressed by the lowering` of the feeler roll 5 the shaft` 64 thereby instantly permits the arm 65 to swing so as to` couple together the wheel Gti-fand pinion 67 with the result that the cam 76 of said i el depresses the right-hand end 72 of the lifting lever, therebyl raising theend 70 and Cil through the pest 7 land tail-end 11 engages the measuring pawl 12 with its ratchet 13 so that the measuring begins to take place at once from the extreme forward end ofthe stock.. This same movement of the member 72 operates through the parts 78, 74, 7 to disengage the lifting rod 26 from its holding engagement with the arm andv thereby leaves the gate 23 in position to fall when the stock passes forward from beneath its free end. As it falls it locks the measuring wheel' 14 by the engagement therewith of the pavvl 19.Y Meanwhile the movement of this wheel 14 has operated through the toothed' sectors 16 and 17 and through parts 37, 38, 39', 40, 42', etc. to set the marker, and as the stock is fed along it is marked thereby in due order, the same as in the patent aforesaid as it enters and raises the gauge roll 32. Al# though the lifting of the gauge roll by the stock causesthe wedge cams 61 to engage the opposite stepped wedges 63 in the posi tion to which the latter have been adjusted by the feelcr mechanism, the stock is simply maintained in accuratelleshing engagement with the knife and is fleshed according to the adjustment of the roll 38,k because rthe springs in the journal boxes of the upper roll are compelled to yield to any extra thickness of the piece of stock and yet are sufficiently strong to hold the stock unyieldingly in fieshing position. Because of this construction the stock is simply fleshed to the desired extent, and yet, although said stock is of uneven thickness, the yielding roll 32 maintains substantially uniform pressure on the stock. Having been set by the automatic detecting and setting mechanism, the roll 32 is adjusted with reference to the thinnest point,v and, therefore, can never be at a further distance from the roll 33 than it should be for proper Work, and hence the pressure on the stock will always bepresent and imperfect lieshing cannot take place, the 'springs 6'() taking up all the extra thickness of the. stock which exists between the said thinnest measureniient and the 'tleshing thickness to which the roll 33 has been set and which is being removed from theflesh side of the stock.

It will be understood that my invent-io may be embodied in various mechanical combinations, the one herein shown and described being best adapted to purposes of explanation and illustration. Also it will he understood that various sub-coinl'iinations, as hereinafter claimed, are useful in other relations and that various other arrangements and combinations of parts, all within the scope of the claims hereinafter contained, are within the purview of my invention.

`My invention is further defined in connection with my claims as follows:

1. In a machine of the kind described, in combination, means for measuring a blank, splitting mechanism adapted to remove from one surface of thefblank` a thin sheet of uniform thickness irrespective of variations in thickness of the blank as whole, leaving the relatively thick body of the blank containing its original variations in thickness, and mechanism responsive to said measuring means for grading t-he blank as measured.

2. ln a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade of a blank, and i-eshing mechanism for removing a predetermined thickness from the flesh side of the blank,` combined with a stock engaging member responsive to said detecting means for maintaining pressure on the grain side of the blank in opposition to said flesliing mechanism.

3, In a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade of a blank, leshing mechanism for removing a predetermined thickness from the fiesh side of the blank, combined with a yielding stock engaging member responsiveA to said detecting iso iso

means for maintaining yielding pressure on thc grain side of the blank in opposition to said fleshing mechanism.

al. In a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade of a blank, fleshing mechanism for removing a predetermined thickness from the flesh side of the blank, combined with a stock engaging member responsive to said detecting means for maintaining substantially uniform pressure on the grain side of the blank in opposition to said licshing mechanism.

5. A machine of' the kind described comprising means for detecting' the grade of a blank of stock according to thickness, fleshing mechanism for ren'ioving a predetermined thickness from the flesh side of the blank, an adjustable and yielding stock engaging member for maintaining pressure on the stock in opposition to the fleshing mechanism, and means responsive to the detecting means to control the adjustment of said stock engaging member in accordance with the thinnest spot of the blank as determined by the detecting means.

6. A machine of the kind described comprising grading mechanism, lieshing mechanism having an adjustable pressure member, and means common to the grading mechanism and the fleshing mechanism for coordinating the same comprising `grade detecting means to which both t-he grading mechanism and Vthe pressure member of the fleshing mechanism are responsive, said fleshing mechanism being adapted to remove from the flesh side of the blank a layer of uniform thickness irrespective of variations in thickness of the blank as a Whole.

7. In a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade of a blank, means for usefully perpetuating said detection, and fleshing mechanism for removing a predetermined thickness from the flesh side of the blank, combined With a pressure device for maintaining pressure in accordance with the grade of the blank on the grain side of the blank in opposition to said fleshing mechanism.

S. In a machine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for detecting the grade of a blank for a desired extent of the length of the blank, grading mechanism responsive to said feeler mechanism for classifying the blank according to said detection, and fleshing mechanism, the aforesaid mechanisms including a splittingknife, an unyielding fleshing` roll having fixed adjustment with relation to the knife for determining the thickness to be split from said blank, an opposite yielding pressure roll for maintaining sulstantially uniform pressure on said blank while being fleshed, and setting connections for controlling said pressure roll according to the grade of said blank.

9. A machine of the kind described, having, in combination, mecl'ianism for detecting the grade of a blank, and fleshing mechanism for removing a predetermined thickness from the flesh sido of the blank, said two mechanisms being constructed and arranged to be capable of fleshing a blank for its entire length and detecting said blank for less than its entire length. i

l0. A machine of the kind described, having, in combination, mechanism for detecting the grade of a blank for the Whole or part of its length as desired, and fleshing mechanism for removing a substantially uniform thickness from the fiesh side the entire length of said blank.

ll. In a machine of the kind described, in combination, means for measuring a blank, leshing mechanism adapted to remove from the flesh side of the blank a. layer of uniform thickness irrespective of varia-tions in thickness of the blank as a Whole, and mechanism responsive to said measuring means for grading the blank as measured.

12. In a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade of a blank and splitting mechanism for removing from one side of the blank a predetermined thin layer of uniform thickness irrespective of variations in thickness of the blank as a Whole, leaving a relatively thick layer containing its original variations in thickness, combined with a blank engaging member responsive to said detecting mechanism for maintaining pressure on the other side of the blank in opposition to said splittingl mechanism.

13. In a machine of the kind described, means for detectingthe grade of a blank and splitting mechanism for removing from one side of the blank a predetermined thin layer of uniform thickness irrespective of variations in thickness of the blank as a Whole, leaving a relatively thick layer containing its original variations in thickness, combined with a yielding blank engaging member responsive to said detecting mechanism for maintaining pressure on the other side of the blank in opposition to said splitting mechamsm.

14. A machine of the kind described, having, in combination, means for detecting the thinnest measurement of a blank, grading mechanism responsive to said detecting means, and setting mechanism for setting the grading mechanism Wit-h reference to the detecting means, including means for rendering said setting mechanism responsive from the extreme forward end of the blank. and fleshing mechanism for fleshing the blank beinggraded, adapted to remove from the flesh side of the blank a layer of uniform thickness irrespective of variations in thickness of the blank as a Whole;

15. A machine of the kind described, having, in combination, detecting means for detecting the thinnest measurement .of a blank,

llO

and mechanism for flashing and grading the blank in response to the detecting means, said fes mechanism being constructed Vand operating to remove from the entire flesh side of the blank the same thickness/and to 'grade the blank with reference to the thinnestspot as determined by said dete '-g 16. A machine ofthe'kind described, comprising 4a splitting knife, a fleshing roll for determining the thickness of the stock to be split by said knife from a blank, an opposite cooperating pressure roll, and mechanism for automatically regulating said pressure roll according to the grade of the given blank being split.

17. A machine of the kind described, comprising a splitting knife, a fieshing roll for determining the thickness of the stock to be split by said knife from a blank, means for adjusting said fleshing roll toward and from said knife, an opposite cooperating pressure roll, and mechanism for automatically regulating said pressure ro-ll according to the grade of the given blank being split.

18. A machine of the kind described, comprising a splitting knife, a fleshing roll for determining the thickness of the stock to be split by said knife from a blank, an opposite yielding cooperating pressure roll, and mechanism for automatically regulating said pressure roll according to the grade of the given blank being split.

19. A. machine of the kind described, comprising means for measuring a blank, a splitting knife, a splitting roll for determining the thickness of the stock to be split by said knife from the blank, an opposite adjustable pressure roll for maintaining pressure on the blank in opposition to said splitting knife and splitting roll, and means responsive to said measuring means for governing the adjustment of said pressure roll according to the measurement of the blank being split.

20. A machine of the kind described, comprising means for measuring a blank, a splitting knife, an unyielding splitting roll for determining the thickness of the stock to be split by said knife from the blank, an opposite adjustable pressure roll for maintaining pressure on the blank in o-pposition to said splitting knife and splitting' roll, springs adapted to exert independent yielding pressure at each end of the pressure roll, and means responsive to said measuring means for governing the adjustment of said pressure roll according to the measurement Vof the blank being split.

21. A machine of the kind described, comprising feeler mechanism for determining the thinnest place in a blank, a pressure device, and setting mechanism for setting` said pressure device in accord ance With said feeler determinations, combined with iieshing mechanism adapted to remove from one surface of the blank a thin sheet of uniform thickness irrespective ofvariationsin thickness ofthe blank asa whole, While the blank,

prising iieshing.niechanisim a'yielding pressure devicel cooperating therewith, and mechanism `responsive toa characteristic of the blank to be fleshed for automatically setting said pressure device in accordance with said characteristic.

23. In a machine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for receiving a blank and detecting a characteristic thereof, mechanism controlled by said feeler mechanism including a. ratchet and a normally disconnected measuring pawl, and mechanism responsive to the entrance of the extreme forward end of the blank to said feeler mechanism for engaging said measuring` paWl With said ratchet, thereby rendering said controlled mechanism operatively responsive to said feeler mechanism.

24. In a machine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for receiving a blank and detecting a characteristic thereof, mechanism controlled by said feeler mechanism, and mechanism responsive to the entrance of the blank to said feeler mechanism for operatively connecting said feeler mechanism With said controlled mechanism, said connecting mechanism including a swinging gear on one part and a. cooperating gear on the other, said swinging gear being caused to swing by the presence of the blank.

25. In avmachine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for receiving a blank and detecting a characteristic thereof, mechanism controlled by said feeler mechanism, and mechanism responsive to the entrance of the blank to said feeler mechanism for operatively connecting said feeler mecha-nism with said controlled mechanism, said connecting mechanism including a swinging gear on one part and a cooperating gear on the other, said [swinging gear being caused to swing by the presence of the blank, and a cam actuated by one of said gears to effect the coupling together of said connection of said mechanisms.

26. In a `machine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for receiving a blank and detecting the thinnest measurement thereof, mechanism controlled by said feeler mechanism including a. ratchet and a normally disconnected thinness measuring paivl, and mechanism responsive to the entrance ofthe extreme forward end of the blank to said feeler mechanism for engaging said thinness measuring pawl with said ratchet, thereby rendering said controlled mechanism operatively responsive to the measurement of the thinnest part of the Whole blank as determined by the feeler mechanism.

27. A machine of the kind described coniprising means for detecting the grade of a blank, combined With splitting mechanism including a splitting knife and two opposed blank engaging members, one of which is `5 movable toward and from the other, an adjustable abutment block responsive to said detecting means and a coacting abutment on said movable blank engaging member, and

means to exert yielding pressure onv the latter blank engaging member When said abutments are in engagement to maintain pressure on the blank `in opposition to the knife and the other blank engaging member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

LEANDER A. COGSWELL.

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