US840199A - Machine-driving means. - Google Patents

Description

v PATENTBD JAN. 1, 1907. P. B. CLARK. I

MACHINE DRIVING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12.19Q6.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PrnficeE.C1ark.

WMM Y W Sham/we No. 840,189. PATENTBD JAN. 1, 1907.

P/E. LARK. MACHINE DRIVING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1906.

3 SH E ETSSHEET 2.

[Prentice PATENTED JAN. 1, 1907;

P. E. CLARK.

MACHINE DRIVING MEANS.

. APPLICATION nun APR. 12. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

3mm Prentice E. Clark Wi mw/ THE NORRIS runes cm, wasmm zwn. u. C

3 being at the right-hand-end thereof. Fig. 2

if To .all whom it mag concern: I

PRENTICE E. CLARK, or

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

MACHINE-DRIVING MEANS- Specification of Letters Patent. l

Patented J an. 1, 1907.

.Applicationtfiled April 12, 1906. Serial No. 311.364.

B eit knownthatl, 'PRENTIOE EqCLARK,

' 'of lndianapolis, county ofxlvlarion, and State 'of- Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Machine-DrivingMeans; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description thereof, refer- "ence' being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which like characters refer .to like- 10 parts.

The ob ect ,of-th s invent on is to arrange means for driving one or more machines,

I such as laundry washingmachines,so that the-machine or machines may be readily movable to differentlocations in the factory or laundry without changingthe position of the driving -means'i and said machine or driving means to be automaticallyreversible. 1 In this connection afeaturej of the invention consists :in providing a single driving means fora number of such' machines with individual clutches, so that one or more of said machines may be driven, as desired.

The full nature of the inventionwill be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

' Figure. 1 is a side elevation of a laundry washing-machinebelted up with an over-. head drivingulley, "parts being broken away and the (rivin'g-pulley onthemachine is the same with the position of the machine ism as shown in Fig. 1, the upper part being broken away. Fig. 5

is an elevation of the driving mechanism as shown inFig. 1; parts; being broken away. Fig.- 6 is a section through thedriving-sha'ft on the machine with a driving-pulley in side elevation. Fig.

I vention, parts being broken aw sourceof power and carrying 7 is an end=view ofthe clutch-lever, with the clutch in sectionon the line 7 7 'of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation-of'a series oflaundry washing-machines operated by my In- In a building-where these fl ing-machines {are set up there overhead beam 10 with a hang a' driving-shaft 12, driven b te ler 13. From this a, straight belt 1 d ga -twisted belt extend down to and drive the washing-machines. This overhead driving means and nearly every other driving means that is employed is located differently in different buildings and in a fixed position in every building; and one objectof this invention is to provide means for transmitting power from said driving means whereverlocated to the washing-machine, so that the washingmachine may be conveniently located for receiving power from said overhead or other driving means.

.The washing-machine shown herein consists of'a tank 16,1carried by-suitable end frames 17, carrying the posts 18, in whicha driving-shaft 19 is mounted. This shaft drives the beater in the washing+machine through gearing in the gear-case 20. The arrangement and construction of the beater I anddriving-gear are notnew and may be in any usefulform. Y

The shaft 19 is provided with. a longitudinal groove 21 and carries a pinion 23, securedto it, which engages the gearing that runs the beater. It has an outwardly-extendingcollar 24 or clutch member that is internally tapering and is frictionally en- 'gaged by a clutch member 25, that is slidably mounted on the shaft by means of a key 26, fitting in the groove 21. This clutch is for the purpose of throwing the beater mechanism out of engagement with the shaft 19. A stop 27 limits the outward movement of the clutch member 25, and it is moved by the clutch-lever 28, that is bar 29, extending outward from the casing 20, and has in connection with it a rack-bar 30, that is engaged by a spring-drawn pawl 31, pivoted on said clutch-lever, and said pawl 31 is released by a finger-lever 32, pivoted to said clutch-lever and the intermedi-- ate connecting-rod 33, as appears in Fig. 7. Any ordinary clutch mechanism may be sub-- stituted for the clutch mechanism herein shown without affecting this invention.

The driving-shaft 19 isdriven by a pulley 35, with which one of the belts 14 and 15 is always in engagement. Said driving-wheel 36, fitting loosely in the groove 21. It may therefore be moved to any position on said shaft 19, so that'it canbe worked at either end orbetween the ends, as is most conis mounted slidably on the shaft 19 by a key-J fulcrumedon a venient for the location of the washing-ma I able that reversing mechanism be provided whereby the direction of rotation of the beater may be automatically-changed periodically. This is accomplished herein by the following mechanism: One of the belts 14 is straight and the other is twisted, so that they will drive the driving-pulley 35 in opposite directions as they may be alternately shifted upon said driving-pulley. In Fig. 1 the straight belt is on the driving-pulley, while the twisted belt is on the left-hand idler. In Fig. 2 the twisted belt 18 on the driving-pulley, while the straight belt is on the right-hand idler. Hence the shaft 19 and the beater mechanism will be driven in opposite directions with the machines arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and means is provided for automatically shifting these belts from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. To this end a worm 40 is loosely mounted on the shaft 19 and interlocks with the hub of the righthand idler 38, as seen in Fig. 5, so that said idler will actuate said worm always in the same. direction. It may be said that this idler runs constantly, :although the belt 14 is on it only half the time, as during the other half of the time it continues to rotate by the impetus it has gained. The worm en gages the gear-wheel 41 and turns it in the direction indicated by the arrow. This wheel has a cam-lug 42 on one side adapted to engage alternately the pins 43 in the ends of the bar 44, that is rigidly secured to an armi45 of the shifting lever 46. 'Said lever 46 is pivoted at 47 to an arm 48, that is adjustably mounted on a rod 49 and set in the adjusted position by set-screws 50. The rod 49 is parallel with the shaft 19, as seen in Fig. 3, and lies behind the machine, extending throughout the length thereof and mounted at the ends in the frame 17. The arm 48 is adjustable in its position along with the pulleys on the shaft 19 and is fastened in its adjusted position by the setscrews. The upper end of the lever 46 reciprocates between a stationary bar and a guide bar or strap 51, secured thereto. The bar 70 is secured rigidly to the arm 48. A frame 52 is slidably mounted on saidbar 70, and it carries two belt-shifters 53 for the belt 14, and 54 for the belt 15. Said belt-shifter frame 52 has an extension 55 on a longitudinally-shiftable rod 56 and is adjustably placed thereon by the sleeves 57 and setscrews 58. Said rod 56 is slidably mounted in a bearing 59v on the upper end of the arm 48, and it has secured on it a tubular piece 60, that has a peripheral lug 61, adapted to engage the upper end of the lever 46 in the slot 62 thereof. 1

The cam-lug 42 on the wheel41 first pushes the lever 46 and belt-shifter to the right into the position shownin Fig. 5, and then the twisted belt is in engagement with the driving-pulley35, and the straight belt is in engagement with the right-hand idler 38. The parts operate in that way until by reason of the further revolution of the wheel 41 the cam-lug 42 engages the pin 43 on the lower end of the rod 44 and moves said lever'46 and belt-shifter to the left from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 1, at which time the driving-pulley is in'engagement with the belt 14 and the twisted belt is on the left-hand idler. This mechanism, therefore, continuallyat very short periods automatically reverses the direction of movement of the shaft 19. The reversing mechanism'is thrown out of gear by the lever 65 on the end of the rod 56, which turns the piece 60 on said rod so that the lug 61 will not engage the lever 46 and said lever will work idly. The desired limit of longitudinal reciprocatory movement of the rod 56, and therefore the belt-shifter, is obtained by the lugs 66 and 67 coming into engagement with each other. It is proper,-however, to state that this is an old reversal mechanism and there is nothing that is new in it by itself, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art without further explanation.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the washing-machine may be situated in the laundry in various positions with reference to the fixed position of the overhead or driving means. To accomplish that purpose, the immediate driving means on the machine can be shifted toany position on the shaft 19, and the reversing mechanism is likewise shifted and' adjusted in position along with the pulleys 35 and 38. In this machine, as shown, the shaft 19 operates as long as the shaft 12, and the clutch mechanism must be operated when it is desired to stop or start the beater. Another feature of the invention consists in utilizing the means herein shown for running a number of washing-ma chines tandem. The one washing-machine carrying pulleys 35 and 38- can. be locatedv This may be done byto secure by Letters Patent, 1s

, said pulleys one of which is twisted, a belting the machine,

washing-machine that is connected with the chines may be'driven from a single source of power and controlled by a single reversal machines are beingoperated or not. Only one reversal mechanism is needed for the whole series. Therefore on the second and I successive washing machines no reversal sald pIIllOIl. 1

ch1nes,a single driving means therefor, a sep:

' matically and periodically reversing the direction of movement of said drivinglmeans.

driving mechanism and ,that all of said ma chines, a single shaftfor driving them, a sepmechanism, andthat each achinemay be thrown out of operation regardless ofthe othermawhines;v p Q What I claim asmy invention, andidesire;

samein'to and out of operation, pulleys on said machines and longitudinally adjustable thereon, belts for driving the same, alongitu; dinally-movable belt-shifter adjacent said pulleys, and means on the machine that car- 1. machine including alongitudinal drivjustable thereof, the middle one of which is keyed to said shaft and the other two being movement of said shaft. idlers, two driving-be1ts in engagement with for coupling and uncoupling the samew ith The combination of a plurality of maarate clutch for eachmachine to throw the 'saidqshaft that are connected with one of,

In wltness whereof I havehereunto aflixed' 3. The combination of a pluralityof ma i rles the-pulleysfor periodically operating 'said -belt shifter to reverse the direction of,

my signature in the presence of the witnesses shifter 1n engagement with bothbelts, means herein named.

actuated by one of said pulleys for operatin said belt-shifter to change'the beltson said 7 P RK pulleys'to reverse the direction of movement Witnesses: of said shaft, a inion on said shaft for driv- HELEN B. MGCORD, i

and a'clutch on "said shaft i N.ALLEMONG., t

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