US2426887A - Apparatus for ejecting from blanks being fed to can body making machines and the like, double-fed and over-thick blanks - Google Patents

Description

Sept, 2, 1947. p KRUSE 7 2,426,887 APPARATUS FOR EJECTING FROM BLANKS BEING FED T0 cAN BODY MAKING MACHINES AND THE LIKE, DOUBLE-FED AND OVER-THICK BLANKs Filed Feb. 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l SOLENOID HOPPER Sept. 2, 1947. us 2,426,887

APPARATUS FOR EJECTING FROM BLANKS BEING FED TO CAN BODY MAKING MACHINES AND THE LIKE, DOUBLE-FED AND OVER-THICKBLANKS Filed Feb. 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //VVEN7'OR a HR USE Patented Sept. 2, 1947 APPARATUS FOR EJECTING FROM BLANKS BEING FED TO CAN BODY MAKING MA- CHINES AND THE LIKE, DOUBLE-FED AND OVER-THICK BLANKS Peter Kruse, New York, N. 'Y.

Application February 29, 1944, Serial No. 524,378

9 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for ejecting from blanks being fed to can body making machines and the like, double blanks and overthick blanks, and provides improvements therein.

The invention provides an apparatus of the character described which is simple in construction and reliable in operation, and functions to prevent double blanks, or over-thick blanks, entering a can body making machine or like apparatus, and thereby breaking parts of, or jamming, such apparatus, and causing long delays in the operation thereof. Modern body making machinery operates at high speed, and the present invention provides an apparatus which, while operating at like speed, does not throw the ejected blanks about but handles them in a safe and orderly manner.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is. a view of said embodiment, partly in plan and partly in section, looking down from the line [4-1, Fig. 2;

Fig. 2, is a vertical sectional view on the line 2--Z, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, is an enlarged sectional View on the line ..-3, Fig. 2,;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of parts shown at the upper left-hand part of Fig. 1 of the drawings, in a diiierent operative position.

The invention may receive other embodiments than that illustrated and specifically described.

Referring to said drawings, numeral l designates a table on which blanks are fed. The blanks may be fed from a hopper I2, as is usual, by any well-known means. The blanks are carried forward from the hopper (or starting position) by suitable means. Advantageously the means has a reciprocatory motion, with a slow start and stop in the forward direction. Feed-bars l5, l6, reciprocating in guides l8, IS in table l0 may be used. The feed-bars carry sets of feed-fingers, 2!, 22, 23, the sets 22, 23 being depressible so as to pass under blanks strung out on the feed-table H] on the return stroke of the feed-bars. The feedbars l5, [6, may be reciprocated by a crankdriven lever 25 pivotally connected to a link 21, which latter is connected to a cross-piece 29 to which the bars l5, I6, are attached] A center rest 3| on the table beyond the hopper and holddown rails 33, over the blanks are provided, which serve to control the blank while it is being fed, especially at high speed. The hold-down rails 33 may be supported over the blanks. by a bracket 35 attached to a beam 31 which arches the table M, the rails having pins 40 which fit in holes in the bracket 35. Springs ll may be provided for pressing the rails down onto table part 3!.

A shelf 45 may be provided on table lil, on which ejected blanks are received and stacked.

Means are provided for feeding a blank on table ill to a can body maker (a part of which is illustrated at the right-hand side of Fig. 2), or other apparatus utilizing the blank. This means may comprise a feed-slide 5B which is reciprocated at right angles to the motion of the feed-bars l5, iii. The feed slide 50 may be reciprocated by suitable means, as by a cam 55 on a driven shaft 56', and a lever 58 which is connected to the slide 58 through a clutch 60. The clutch may comprise a block 62, connected to a verticallymovable lifter 64, and having a fork or notch 65 for receiving the end or a part of reciprocatorylever 58. The block 62 also has a foot 66 under which the end of lever 58 rides when the clutch-block 62 is disengaged from the lever 53, and which insures re-engagement of the lever with the notch 65 in the block. The clutch-block 62 is connected to lifter $4 in a suitable manner, as by a pin Bl passing through a slot 68' having a length equal to the reciprocation imparted to feed slide 50.

The lifter E i of clutch Ell is advantageously operated by a solenoid ll as by being connected to the armature H thereof by a pin.

Thesolenoid is energized to disconnect the clutch from lever 58 when a double blank or too thick a blank is fed along feed-table H]. For this purpose a feeler-finger 15 may be provided, which finger contacts an adjusting screw l6 carried by a lever 11 pivoted on bracket 35 and cooperating with an arm 19 of a switch Bil controlling an electric circuit to solenoid 10. The feeler-finger i5 is adjusted to a height above the feed-table ll! equal to just about the thickness of a normal blank, and the arrangement is such that a slight rise of finger 15 above this height is sufiicient to actuate switch-arm 19 to close the circuit to solenoid 10.

Single and normal blanks do not pass forward on table ID beyond the fed-position under the feeler-finger I5, and stops 83 may be provided for accurately positioning the blanks at this position at right angles to the line of feed, so that they may be fed true from this position to the can body maker, or other apparatus utilizing the blank. The stops 83 are vertically movably supported, as by the blocks 84 on brackets fastened to beam 31, and springs 86 may be provided for normally pressing them down below the line of feed of the blanks. Projections 88, in the form of rollers, are provided for lifting the stops 83 slightly above the line of feed, so that double blanks or overthick blanks may be fed onto shelf 45, The shelf 45 may be slightly elevated above the line of feed of the blanks, so that the rollers 88 may pass under the blanks on shelf 45, and the latter may be provided with a bevelled front side 90 on which blanks may ride onto the shelf.

Operation On each reciprocation of the feed bars I5, 16, blanks are fed along table I from a hopper l2. The blanks pass under feeler-finger l5, and if a blank is a normal blank, normal operation of the apparatus ensues. As the feed-bars start back, after positioning the blank against stops 83, the reciprocatory feed-slide 50 engages a side of the blank and advances it crosswise of table I0 toward a body-maker or other apparatus utilizing the blanks, where it is gripped and its movements controlled by parts of the latter apparatus.

However, if two blanks are simultaneously fed from hopper I2, or an overthick blank, when they come under feeler-finger I5, the feeler-finger will be lifted and will act through lever TI to operate switch-arm 19 to close the electric circuit to solenoid III and thereby energize it to lift its armature H. The armature will raise lifter 84 and the latter will lift clutch-block 62, and thereby disengage the reciprocatory lever 58 from the notch 65 in the clutch-block, so that the feed-slide 50 remains stationary while lever 58 can continue to reciprocate beneath the block 62 and the foot 68 thereon. This occurs before the feed-slide 50 has engaged the double blanks, and thereby the entry of double blanks, or overthick blanks, into the can body maker, is prevented, together with interruptions of operation of the latter apparatus which might be caused by such double or overthick blanks. On the next forward reciprocation of feed-bars l5, l6, an overthick or double blank beneath feelerfinger 15 will be carried forward onto shelf 45. The leading edge of the blank will ride up beveled edge 98 onto said shelf, and, when another blank is on shelf 45, ensuing blanks will stack up under it. The underside stacking of the blanks on shelf 45 will prevent blanks fed out from under the hold-downs 33 from flying about and constituting a potential source of injury to persons and apparatus. At the time the feed bars I5, I 6, act to move the double blanks forward from beneath feeler-finger 15, the stops 83 are lifted above the line of feed by the roller-projections 88 on the feed-bars. The stops will be held lifted by the rollers 88 long enough for the leading edges of the double blanks to be advanced beneath them, after which the stops are held up by the blanks until they pass onto shelf 45, whereupon they again drop into position across the line of feed.

When the space on table beneath feeler-finger I5 is clear, or occupied by a normal blank, finger I5 acting through lever 11, breaks the circuit to solenoid 10. This allows armature II to drop, and with it the lifter 84. Clutch-block 62 will drop, so that the end of reciprocatory lever 58 engages the notch 65 when said end rides off foot 65 to a position beneath notch 65. With lever 58 engaged with clutch-block 62, feed-slide 58 resumes its movement in timed relation to the feed-bars I 5, I6. The slot 68 in lifter 64 constitutes a loose horizontal connection which permits clutch-block 62 to reciprocate with relation to lifter B4.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for ejecting from a series of blanks being fed to can body making machines and the like, double and over-thick blanks, comprising means (A) for feeding blanks in a line, means (B) for feeding a blank laterally from said line, to be received by a machine utilizing the blanks; said means (B) comprising a reciprocatory part for contacting a blank at one side, and means for reciprocating said reciprocatory part; and means for stopping the motion of said reciprocatory part responsive to means for detecting the presence of more than one blank or an over-thick blank in the line of feed of feeding means (A), said stopping means comprising a clutch in the means for reciprocating said reciprocatory part; said detectingmeans comprising a feeler displaceable by double blanks and over-thick blanks in the line of feed of feeding means A, said clutch being remote from said detecting means, and electrical means actuated by said feeler upon a movement of the latter for disengaging said remotely located clutch and thereby stopping the movement of said reciprocatory part of the feeding means (B), the construction and operation being such that when double-fed blanks and over-thick blanks are in feeding position for feeding means B, feeding means B is rendered inoperative and the blanks are ejected by feeding means A.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said feeding means A further comprises recipro catory feed-bars, and further comprising positive stops in the line of feed of blanks fed by feeding means A at the position thereof in line with feeding means B, and means on said reciprocatory feed bars of feeding means A for raising said stops above the level of blanks, at the initiation of each feed movement of the feed bars of feeding means A, so that when the action of feeding means B is stopped and blanks remain at the position of feeding means B, succeeding movement of the feed bars of feeding means A advances edge portions of the blanks, left in position by feeding means B, beneath the uplifted stops and thereby enables the blanks to be slid beneath said stops and be ejected.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said feeding means A further comprises reciprocatory feed bars, and further comprising positive stops in the line of feed of blanks fed by feeding means A at the position thereof in line with feeding means B, and means on said reciprocatory feed bars of feeding means A for raising said stops above the level of blanks, at the initiation of each feed movement of the feed-bars of feeding means A, so that when the action of feeding means B is stopped and blanks remain at the position of feeding means B, succeeding movement of the feed bars of feeding means A advantages edge portions of the blanks, left in position by feeding means B, beneath the uplifted stops and thereby enables the blanks to be slid beneath said stops and be ejected; a shaft beyond feeding means B for receiving blanks ejected by feeding means A, and fixed means also beyond feeding means B for guiding blanks being ejected to a position beneath other blanks stacked on said shelf.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shelf beyond feeding means B for receiving blanks ejected by feeding means A, and a fixed means also beyond feeding means B for guiding blanks being ejected to a position beneath other blanks stacked on said shelf.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electrical means for stopping the action of feeding means 3 furthercomprises a solenoid having an armature, a connection between said armature and clutch, and, a switch, actuated from said feeler, in an electric circuit with said solenoid.

6. Apparatus for ejecting from a series of blanks being fed to can body making machines and the like, double and overthick blanks, comprising means (A) for feeding blanks in a line, reciprocatory means (B) for feeding a blank laterally from said line, to be received by a machine utilizing the blanks, a feeler displaceable by doubled-fed and overthick blanks fed by means A, said feeding means B comprising a slide, a continuously reciprocated part, a clutch-part on said slide movable to and from engagement with said continuously reciprocated part remote from said feeler, and electrical means operated from said feeler for moving said remotely located clutchpart to a position of disengagement, the construction and operation being such that when doublefed blanks and overthick blanks are in feeding position for feeding means B, feeding means B is rendered inoperative and the blanks are ejected by feeding means A.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said clutch-part has a notch for engaging said continuously reciprocated part, and a foot having a length exceeding the stroke of said continuously reciprocated part away from said notch for holding said clutch-part in its disengaging position, after said electrical means ceases to act, while said notch is out of register with said continuously reciprocate-d part.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said electrical means further comprises an armature, a connection between said armature and clutchblock, and a slot and pin connection between said clutch-block and connection, said slot having a length providing free horizontal movement 'of said clutch-block throughout the stroke of said continuously reciprocated part.

9. Apparatus for ejecting from a series of blanks being fed to can body making machines and the like, double and overthick blanks, comprising reciprocatory means (A) for feeding blanks in a, line, reciprocatory means (B) for feeding a blank laterally from said line to be received by a machine utilizing the blanks, a feeler displaceable by double and overthick blanks fed by means A, said feeding means B comprising a slide, a continuously reciprocated part, a clutchpart on said slide remote from said feeler and movable to and from engagement with said continuously reciprocated part having a notch for engaging said continuously reciprocated, part, electrical means operated from said feeler for lifting said clutch-part to a position of disengagement comprising a solenoid, an armature, and a linkage between said armature and clutch-part comprising a slot of a length to provide free horizontal movement of said clutch-part whenengaged with and throughout the stroke of said continuously reciprocated part; a fixed shelf beyond said feeding means B for receiving blanks ejected by said feeding means A, and fixed means also beyond said feeding means B for guiding blanks being ejected to a position beneath other blanks stacked on said shelf.

PETER KRUSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,270,282 Eckman Jan. 20, 1942 676,034 Elliott June 11, 1901 1,310,433 Powers July 22, 1919 2,276,388 Haag Mar. 17, 1942 1,917,359 Cameron July 11, 1933 655,553 Heard Aug. 7, 1900 2.357,850 Reid Sept. 12, 1944

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