US740348A - Ball-winding machine. - Google Patents

Description

PATEN'L'ED SEPT. 29, 1903.

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Patented September 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C. VVORTHINGTON, OF ELYRIA, OHIO.

BALL-WVINDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,348, dated September 29, 1903. Application filed March 25, 1903. Serial No. 149,418. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE O. WORTHING- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Ball-Winding Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The invention has for its primary object the winding of vulcanized-rubber tape upon a core to make a very resilient ball of substant-ially spherical form, which may form the core of a golf-ball, the shell being formed of gutta percha. The mechanism, however, may be used for winding other material than this vulcanized-rubber tape.

The invention consists, fundamentally, of two axially-mounted separable disks having concentrically grooved faces, mechanism whereby said disks are rotated at diderent speeds, and means for yieldingly opposing the separation of said disks; and it also consists in the more specific combinations of parts hereinafter described, and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of the mechanism in its-preferred form. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fig. 3 is a face view of one of the disks. gitudinal sectional view of said disks; and Fig. 5 is a detached view of one of the sets of gears e and it to illustrate their different proportioning. from the gears d and k shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the parts by letters, A and B represent two ball-holding disks which are mounted in axial aliuement. The proximate faces of these disks are provided with con-' centric grooves a and b, in which the ball 0 is held while it is being wound. These disks are yieldingly pressed toward each other, so that as the ball increases in size the disks will separate proportionately, but will nevertheless hold the ball and turn it, as at first. In the specific construction shown these disks are respectively secured to the ends of two rotatable shafts D and E, which are rotatably mounted in suitable standards F and G. Each standard is composed of two parts ff and g g, and the driving wheels or gears d and 6, through which said shafts pass, are

Fig. 4: is a lon-' prevented from endwise movement by lying between the two parts of these standards, respectively. There is a tongne-and-groove connection between each shaft and its associated driving gear or Wheel, so that both must rotate together. The two shafts may, however, be moved longitudinally in the standards F and G.

Surrounding each shaftis a spring J, which thrusts endwise against the associated standard and the disk secured to said shaft. I prefer to make both shafts thus movable endwise instead of one only, because thereby the center of the ball being wound does not move out of what may be called the Winding plane' during the operation of the mechanism.

The gears d and e mesh with other gears k k, which are secured to the driving-shaft K. The relative size of gears associated with the shafts D'and E are dilferent, so that the said shafts, and consequently the disks attached to them, will rotate at different speeds. Thus, as shown, the gears and d are the same size, each having twenty-sixth teeth, while the gears 7c and e are in the proportion of twenty-five to twenty-seven, that being their number of teeth, respectively. This propon tion of the speeds of the two shafts I have found to work well in practice.

In using the mechanism for the intended purpose the operator separates the disks and places between them a core to which one end of. the rubber tape-has been secured in some suitable way, as by winding some of the tape upon said core. The machine being set in operation, the operator holds the-tape in his hand and applies the necessary tension thereto. As the ball is carried around the axis of the disks by their rotation the tape will be wound upon the core; but because of the difference in the speeds of the two disks the ball will be turned, so as to present different great circles in the winding plane.

Very satisfactory results have been attained with disks having grooves of various forms; but on the whole, however, the best results seem to have been attained with grooves of broad V shape, substantially as shown.

In order to provide effective mechanism for separating the disks so that the finished ball may be removed or a new core to be wound means of which these bell-crank levers may operate and the shafts D and E caused to move endwise in their bearings.

Having described my invention, I claim' 1. In a ball-winding machine, the combination of two disks rotatably mounted in axial alinement, with means yieldingly opposing the separation of said disks, and mechanism for rotating said disks at unequal speeds, for the purpose specified.

2. In a ball-winding machine, the combination of two disks rotatably mounted in axial alinement, and having concentric grooves intheir proximate faces, with means yieldingly opposing the separation of said disks, and mechanism for rotating said disks at unequal speeds, for the purpose specified.

3. In a ball-winding machine, thecombination of two shafts mounted in axial alinement and capable of moving endwise in their bearings, and disks secured to the proximate ends of said shafts and having concentric grooves in their opposing faces, with mechanism for rotating said shafts at unequal speeds, and springs acting to move said shafts in their bearings in the direction to bring the disks nearer together, for the purpose specified.

4. In a ball-winding machine, the combination of two shafts mounted in axial alinement and capable of moving endwisein their bearings, and disks secu red to the proximate ends of said shafts and having concentric grooves in their opposing faces, with mechanism for rotating said shafts at unequal speeds,springs acting to move said shafts in their bearings in the direction to move the disks nearer together,and mechanism for moving said shafts in their bearings in the opposite direction to separate said disks, for the purpose specified.

5. In a ball-winding machine, the combination of two shafts mounted in axial alinement and capable of moving endwise in their bearings, and disks secured to the proximate ends ,of said shafts and having concentric grooves in their opposing faces, with mechanism for rotating said shafts at unequal speeds,springs acting to move said shafts'in their bearings in the direction to move the disks nearer together, grooved collars secured upon said shafts, and forked levers engaging said collars whereby to move the shafts against the force of said springs, for the purpose specified.

6. In a ball-winding machine, the combination of two shafts rotatably mounted in axial alinemen't,and disks secured to the proximate ends of said shafts and having concentric grooves in their opposing faces; with springs acting to move said shafts in their bearings to carry the disks nearer together, drivingwheels embracing said shafts and having tongue-and-groove connections therewith, means preventing the longitudinal movement of said driving-wheels, and means for rotating said driving-wheels at unequal speeds, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE O. WVOR'IHINGTON.

Witnesses:

E. L. THURSTON, ALBERT I-I. BATES.

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