USRE13207E - Machihe tdk - Google Patents

Description

S. E. 6: W. W. MORE-AL. MACHINE FOR REMOVING THE BUTT ENDS 0P EARS 0F OOBN.

J APPLIOATIOIT FILED 001220, 1910. RGISSIIGd Feb. 14, 1911.

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MACHINE FOB REMOVING THE BUTT ENDS 0F EARS 0P CORN.

.APPLIQATIOI nun 001'. 20, 1010.

Reissued Feb. 14,1911. r I 1 3,207.

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S. 13.. & W. W. MORRAL. I MACHINE FOB REMOVING THE BUTT ENDS 0F EARS OF (JOHN.

' APPLIOATIOH FILED 00120, 1910, RBiSSUGd Feb. 14, 1911. l I

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' HAUHILH'I FOB REMOVING THE BUTT ENDS 0P BARS 0F CORN.

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PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL E. I-IORRAL AND \VILLIAM \V. MORRAL, OF MORRAL, OHIO.

MTACHINE lOIt. REMOVIIIG THE Original No. 967.845. dated December 29, 1908.

BUTT-ENDS OF EARS OF CORN.

Specification of Reissued Letters Patent. K015511011 Fol 1-1, 191 1.

Application for reissue filed December 28. 1909. Serial No. Divided and this application for reissue filed October 20, 1910.

Serial No. 583.310.

DIVISION B.

To nil when. it may concern:

Be it known that we. Santa-1L E. \huuuL and \Ytuaut .l'. aha-man, citizens ol the linited States. residing at .\l.orral. in the (t uuty of Marion and State olf tlhio. have invented certain new and ments in llaclminrw for litfllltfl'lllfl the Buttlinds of liars of Corn. of which the followin; is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for removing the butt-ends of ears of corn and is designed more particularly for operating upon green corn, such as is used in canning factories.

The present application is a division of the reis ue ap jilication tiled by us December 1502), Serial Xumber 535.376, and the invention is in the nature of an improvement npcn Patent No. 801.258. granted to us October 10. 1905, and the object of the same is to provide a machine of this character with a high degree of etiicieucy, both as to the character of the work done and as to the speed with which the cars of corn are handled.

To this end it a further object of the im'entieu to provide a machine of this character with a support to maintain an ear of corn in a substantially horizontal position, a itlltl0 to properly position the ear relatively to the butt-removing device, positively operated means for holding the car Gllltllt with the guide, and means no the car along the guide toward the butbremoving device.

In theaccompanying drawings, F igure 1 is a topplan view of a machine ei'nbodyinp; our invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the sti'ii'ie; Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. is an elevation of the side opposite that shown in Fig. 3; Fig. I) is a detail sectional view of the cutting mechanism, to- Q'cthet' with the gaging and holding rollers; Fig. I: is a detail view of a modified form of gaging: rollers; and Fins. T and 8 are end views (it the. gaging rollers shown in Fig. 6.

In these drawings we have illustrated one emlmdimcnt of our invention and have sliOWll the same as comprising a main frame 1. preferably sul'istantiiiltv rectangular in -drape and mounted upon suitable standards 0! ipports L. A, drive shaft 2 extends lon- {Iit'udinally to this frame and is mounted in suitable bearings l carried by brackets useful lniprovewhich are secured to the side of the frame 1. This shaft may be rotated by any suitable means and hcre Shown as provided with a driving pulley (3 on the outer end thereof. A second shat't T extends transversely to the frame t and is mounted in suitable bearings carried on the opposite sides of said frame. This shaft is provided on the end adjacent to the shaft 3 with a beveled pinion SJ adapted to mesh with a similar pinion 10 carried by said shaft Mt unted in the main frame 1 and extending transversely thereto are suitable guides, such as gaging rollers, having their adjacent sides spaced apart a distance sullicientto admit the stem or tapered portion of the butt-end of the car of corn, but not suiticient to permit the passage of the ear of corn, thus limiting the longitudinal movement of the ear of corn and causing the same to be presented to the cutter in the proper position. In the form here shown, these gaging rollers comprise a pair of parallel shafts 11 and 12 arranged in snbstan tially the same vertical plane, join-hated in one of theside members of the main frame and extending inwardly therefrom to a point near the opposite side member.

Mounted on or secured to the shai'ts 11 and 12 are. suitable feed screws 13 and 1--l-. having right and left hand threads. respectively, adapted to be rotated in opposite directions, whereby those portions of the threads on the adjacent sides of the two gaging rollers move in the same direction and tend to carry the ear of corn. the end of which is in engagement therewith. longitudinally to said rollers.

The gaging rollers may be rotated in opposite directions in any suitable manner. but; we have here shown the shafts it and 12 as extending for some distance beyond the outer side of the main frame 1 and having their outer ends supported in suitable bearings l5 and 16 formed in a bracket 17 secured to the side ot, the main frame 1. The upper shaft 11 is here shown as rotated by a sprocket. chain 18 which extends about a sprocket wheel 19, secured to the outer end of the shaft. '11, and a similar sprocket wheel '30 secured to the corresponding end of the shaft- T. A pinion 21 mounted on the shaft 11 meshes with a corresponding pinion 22 carried by the shaft. 12 and serves to rotate the shalt ll at a uniform speed with the shaft ll. but in the opposite direction.

A auitable lmtl-renioving device is mounl ed near the tree or discharge ends of the gaging rollers .ihd is adapted to engage the ears of eorn as the mine. are fed longitudinally to said gaging" rollers and remove the butt-ends thereof. as comprising" a eutter disk which rigidly secured to one end of a shaft; ll which is journaled in suitable bearings '25 secured to the. side member of the frame 1 and provided near the end oppofiite that to which the utter di k :3 is aecured with a worm wheel i adapted to mesh with a worm 2T hLClll LLl to the shaft: T, whereby a rotary l'm'ivement i imparted to the disk 23. Suitable SllL'tll'tl bars b and "3& are supported from the side member of the frame 1 beneath the cutter disk 2 and cooperate therewith. Them shearer bars, which are preferably two in number, are supported on opposite sides of the cutter disk and support: both the body and the butt of the ear (luring the cutting operation, thereby enabling the cutter to make a clean smooth out. The cutter disk 2 preferably extends some distance beyond the free or discharge end of the gaging rollers, whereby the ear of corn is engaged and the butt severed therefrom before the ear has passed the end of the gaging rollers. Suitable means are provided for supporting an ear of corn in a position to engage said guide and to be. operated upon by said cutter, for holding said ear of corn in engagement with said guides, and for feeding said ear of corn along said guides toward said cutter. In the present machine the supporting means and the holding means eomprie a plurality of rollers, the lower rollers serving as a support t'or the ear and the upper roller acting to hold the ear against the. guides while it is being moved to ard the. butt-lemming device by suitable feeding devices. The lower or supporting rollers are. as here shown, positively rotated and assist in holding the ear againat the guides, but.- this is not. necessary to the successful operation of the machine, as the uppgr' or holding roller cooperating with a support of any kind will hold the ,ear against the guides while it is being moved along the guides by any suitable means. In the present machine the supporting ant holding rollers are provided with feeding means to move the car along the guides and. therefore, the holding and snpportii'ig rollers also constitute feeding rollers which engage the ear between them, move it along the guide and hold it. against the guide. To this end these rollers comprise a pair of parallel shafts 30 and 31 journaleil at their opposite endx in the side members of the frame 1 and lying in substantially the same horizontal plane, which horizontal plane is This device here shown 1% lightly lower than that in which the hal't 2 ol the lower gaging roller i located. ormed on or wrnred to the .-hat't.-. It!) and 1! are rol ers provided with l'eed i-rews having their threzul turned in the same direction and in a tlil'ei'tioll -orre. unliiig to that ol the lowen'g'aging roller ll. 'lluee rollers and their serews t'orm feeding rollers I and 513. A vertii-ally movable feeding roller I'll is mounted above the feeding rollera It and 2) and preferably in a vertical plane lying between the vertical planes of the axe of said fe ding roller. This: titeding roller preferably eompriws a shaft 33 journaleil in bearings Iii? and 3? formed in the ends of arms 3H and 239, which are pivotaily supported on the main frame, the arm 33 being mounted on a Slllttt llt stud ahat't or pivot pin 40 secured to the .ide of the main frame 1. and the arm 3'. being journaled on the shaft ll. of the upper gaging roller 13. The feed roller proper is mounted on or secured to the shaft 23.? between the bearings 3t and I3? and (t)llsixts of a roller provided with a screw having its thread tinned in a direction opposite to that. in which the threada of the lower illers 3-2. and 33 are turned and ('(ll'l'LnliOlllllllg to the. direction in which the thrrad ot' the. upper gaging roller lb is turned. \Ye also preler to provide suitable means for holding the upper roller 3% in its proper poFition. 'lfhese means are here shown as comprising rods ll extending throue'b suitable guides l2 rarried by the main trame and secured at one end to upwardly extending lugs or arms. l :arried by the arn1$l54 and 239. wring -l lis coiled about that end of each rod l 1 lying beyond the apertured lug, 4'3 and is confined between said apert'ured lug and a suitable stop on the outer end of the rod. sueh a a thumb nut 45. The tension of the-e aprings is such as to connterbalaIu-e the upper feeding roller SH and permit the Same to engage the ears of corn without exerting [no great a pressure thereon.

The rollers may be rotated in any suitable manner. In the present instance we hare shown the shafts 30 and ll oi. the rollers 13; and 33 as provided with gears t and t7. the gwar to being actuated from the gear 22 on the shaft 12 by means of an iuterinediate gear 4.8, while the gear 47 is actuated from the gear 46 by means of an ii'itermediate gear 49, the relation of the several gears being' such as to cause the lower rollers :12 and 33 and the lower gaging roller it to be rotated in the same direction at a uniform rate of speed. The upper feeding roller 3- is preferably rotated by means of a sproi-ket.

chain 50 extending about a sprocket wheel 51 secured to the ahafLSfi and a aimilar sprocket wheel 52 secured to the shaft 11 of the upper gaging roller 13. thua causing the upper feeding roller 3 and the uppergagi no ing roller 13 to be rotated in the same direction and at a uniform rate of speed.

A feed trough 53 extends at substantially right angles to the feeding rollers and is supported in a substantially horizontal position by means of a brace 54. A suitable conveyer belt extends longitudinally of the trough 53 and, as here shown, comprises a sprocket chain 55 extending about a sprocket Wheel 56 located at one end of the trough 53 and mounted on a shaft 57 which is journaled in suitable bearings 58 secured to the main frame. At the opposite end of the trough 53 the sprocket chain 55 extends about a similar sprocket wheel 59 mounted on a suitable stud shaft 60 carried by a bracket 61, which is supported on the outer end of the trough 53. The shaft 57 preferably extends beyond the sprocket wheel 56 and is adapted to be rotated by means of a sprocket chain 62 extending about a sprocket wheel 63 secured to the outer end of said shaft and about a sprocket wheel 64 mounted on the outer end of the shaft 31 of one of the feeding rollers. A short corrugated feeding roller 65 extends transversely to the trough 53 near the inner end thereof and is capable of vertical movement, whereby the same is adapted to rest upon the ears of corn as they are fed longitudinally to the trough 53 by the feed belt and to accommodate itself to ears of corn of different sizes. The corrugated feed roller 65 is preferably mounted upon a shaft 66 journaled in a bearing 67 formed in the'outer end of an arm 68, the opposite end of which is journaled upon the shaft 35 of the vertically movable feeding roller 34. A stop or bracket 68 mounted on the trough 53, extends upwardly to a point beneath the arm 68 and is adapted to engage said arm to limit its downward movement. The shaft 66 also receives its rotary movement from theshaft 35 by means of a sprocket chain 69 extending about similar sprocket wheels 70 and 71 mounted on the shafts (i6 and 35, respectively.

In the operation of the machine as thus described, the ears of corn are placed in the feed trough 53 with their butt-ends foremost, and, as they are carried inwardly by the feeding belt 55, they are engaged by the corrugated feed roller 65 and forced between the lower feeding rollers 32 and 33 and the vertically movable upper roller 34, the direction of rotation of these rollers being such as to move the ear of corn transversely thereto and longitudinally to the frame 1 until the butt-end thereof comes into engagement with the gaging rollers 13 and 14, the feeding rollers 32 and 33 being located in a slightly lower plane than the lower gaging roller 14, thus permitting the stem or tapered portion of the butt to extend between the two gaging rollers. As

stated, the gaging rollers 13 and 14 are spaced apart a distance suflicient to permit the stem or small end of the butt of the ear of corn to enter between the same, but the space between the rollers is not suflicient to permit the ear of corn itself to enter, and, as these rollers have no vertical movement, they form an efficient stop to prevent the further movement of the ear of corn in a direction transversely to the length of the several rollers. The feed screws on the feeding rollers serve to convey the ear of corn longitudinally thereto while it is being held in engagement with the gaging rollers, and the feeding screws on the gaging rollers, which are rotated in the same direction as the feeding rollers, facilitate this longitudinal movement of the ear of corn. As the ear approaches the discharge end of the roller it comes into engagement with the cutter 23, which is so located relatively to the gaging rollers as to engage the ear at such a point as to sever the stem and buttend of the ear of corn, thereby removing the butt-end of the ear and loosening the husks on the ear so that the same are readily removed by the husking machine, to which the ear of corn is fed after it leaves the machine for cutting off the butt-end thereof. As the butt-end of the ear of corn is severed, it is discharged from the gaging rollers and drops downwardly through the frame where it may be disposed of in any suitable manner, the ear of corn itself being car ried to the discharge end of the feeding rollers, where it is dropped upon a suitable table 72 provided with a downwardly inclined portion 7 3 which serves to discharge the ear of corn into a suitable receptacle or conveyer.

It will be apparent that various means may be employed for removing the butt-ends of the ears, and, in Figs. 6 to 8 of the drawings, we have illustrated another form of device for accomplishing this. As shown in those figures, the gaging rollers 13 and 14 are provided at their outer edges with snapping rollers, which, in the present instance, are corrugated rollers 84 eccentrically mounted on the ends of the gaging rollers and so arranged relatively to the spiral groove in said gaging rollers as to receive the end of the ear between the same when it is discharged from the gaging rollers, the continued rotation of the gaging rollers and the snapping rollers serving to pinch or snap off the butt-end of the ear. hen the snapping rollers or similar devices are employed, the cutting mechanism 23 is dispensed with.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that we hay e provided a machine ,of the character described, in which the ears of corn will be maintained in a horizontal position, will be positively fed to the cutter, and will be moved into a proper position relatively to the cutter and held in that position, the construction and operation of the machine being such that the work is accurately performed, a uniform portion of the butt-end of each ear of corn being cut away; and further, that the machine is capable of being operated at a high rate of speed and the ears of corn fed to the same in rapid succession, thus providing a machine having a high degree of efficiency both in the character of the work performed and in the speed with which the ears of corn are handled. It will further be apparent that our machine, in its essential characteristics, comprises a butt-removing device, a guide leading to said butt-removing device, a support for an ear of corn, means for holding said ear of corn against said guide, and means for feeding the ear of corn along said guide. These features of construction are capable of wide modification and we, therefore, wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will oc our to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with gaging rollers, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of rollers for holding an ear of corn against said gaging rollers, and means carried by the lastmentioned rollers for conveying said ear of corn longitudinally thereto.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with gaging rollers having cooperating feeding screws, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of means for moving said ear of corn toward said gaging rollers and for feeding the same longitudinally thereto.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with gaging rollers having cooperating feeding screws, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of rollers adapted to hold an ear of corn against said gaging rollers and to feed the same longitudinally thereto.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with gaging rollers having cooperating feeding screws, and a butt-re moving device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of rollers for holding an ear of corn against said gaging rollers and having feeding screws to feed the ear longitudinally to said gaging rollers. 5. In a machine of the character described,

the combination, with gaging rollers, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of rollers for holding an ear against said gaging rollers,

cooperating fee screws, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of feeding rollers having cooperating feed screws corresponding to the feed screws of said gaging rollers, one of said feeding rollers being movably mounted relatively to another of said feeding rollers, and means for actuating said rollers.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with gaging rollers located one above the other and having cooperating feed screws, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of feeding rollers comprising a pair of rollers mounted in substantially the same horizontal plane, a third roller movably mounted above the first-mentioned feeding rollers and between the vertical planes of the axes thereof, means for rotating said rollers, and means carried by said rollers for moving an ear of corn longitudinally thereto.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with gaging rollers located one above the other, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of feeding rollers comprising a pair of rollers mounted in substantially the same horizontal plane, a third roller movably mounted above the firstmentioned feedin rollers and between the vertical planes of the axes thereof, means for rotating said rollers, and means carried bysaid rollers for moving an ear of corn longitudinally thereto.

10. In a machine of the character de scribed, the combination, with gaging rollers mounted one above the other and having cooperating feed screws, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end of said gaging rollers, of feeding rollers comprising a pair of rollers located in substantially the same horizontal plane and each having a feed screw, a vertically movable roller mounted above the first-mentioned feeding rollers, between the vertical planes of the axes thereof, and having a feed screw to cooperate with the feed screw of the lower rollers, and means for rotating said rollers.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with gaging rollers, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of feeding rollers extending substantially parallel to said gaging rollers, adapted to hold an ear of corn in engagement with said gaging rollers and having feed screws to feed 1 said ear of corn longitudinally to said rollers, a feed trough extending at substantially right angles to said feeding rollers, and means for conveying an ear of corn longitudinally to said trough and into engagement with said feeding rollers.

12. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with gaging rollers, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of feeding rollers extending substantially par allel to said gaging rollers, adapted to hold an ear of corn in engagement with said gaging rollers and having feed screws to feed said ear of corn longitudinally to said rollers, a feed trough extending at substantially right angles to said feeding rollers, a conveyer moving longitudinally to said trough, and a positively rotated roller mounted above said feed trough and adapted to engage the ears of corn and move the same into engagement with said feeding rollers.

13. In a machine of the character de scribed, the combination, wit-h a guide, and a butt-removing device arranged. near the discharge end of said guide, of feeding rollers adapted to hold an ear of corn against said guide and to feed the same longitudinally thereto.

14.111 a machine of the character described, the combination, with a. guide, and a butt-removing device arranged near the discharge end of said guide, of rollers adapted to hold an ear of corn against said guide and having feed screws to feed said ear longitudinally to said guide.

15. In a machine of the character de scribed, the combination, with a guide, and a butt-removing device arranged near the discharge end of said guide, of rollers for holding an ear of corn against said guide, provided with means for feeding the same longitudinally thereto and comprising a plurality of rollers, one of which is movable relatively to another thereof.

16. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with a. guide, and

a butt-removing device arranged near the discharge end of said guide, of rollers for holding an ear of corn against said guide, said rollers having cooperating feed screws to feed the ear of corn longitudinally thereto and one of said rollers being movable relatively to another thereof.

17. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with a guide, and a butt-removing device arranged near the discharge end of said guide, of feeding rollers comprising a pair of rollers mounted in substantially the same horizontal plane, a third roller mounted immediately above the first-mentioned feeding rollers and between the vertical planes of the axes thereof and having means for moving an ear of corn longitudinally thereto.

18. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with a guide, and a butt removing device arranged near the discharge end of said guide, of feeding rollers comprising a pair of rollers mounted in substantially the same horizontal plane and having corresponding feed screws, a third roller movably mounted above the firstmentioned feeding rollers and between the vertical planes of the axes thereof and having a feed screw to cooperate with the feed screws of the first-mentioned rollers.

19. In a machine of the character de scribed, the combination with gaging rollers having cooperating feeding screws, and a butt-removing device operatively supported near the discharge end thereof, of means for moving an ear of corn toward said gaging rollers and holding the same in engagement therewith.

20. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with gaging rollers having cooperating feeding screws, a buttremoving device operatively supported near said gaging rollers, and a support for an ear of corn, of means cooperating with said support to move an ear of corn toward said gaging rollers and hold the same in engagement therewith.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL E. MORRAL. WILLIAM W. MORRAL.

Witnesses S. M. STOUFFER, G. J. SoHUL'rz.

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