US1410275A - Drying rack for pottery manufacture - Google Patents

Description

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

C. L. SEBRING.-

DRYING RACK FOR POTTERY MANUFACTURE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22.1920. RENEWED mu. |9.1922.

1,410,275. 2 Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

22am WW STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. SEEKING, OF SEBRING, OHIO.

DRYING RACK FOE POTTERY MANUFACTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent. 1 31 3 1 9 1 Man 21, 1922 Application filed July 22, 1920, Serial No. 398,252. Renewed January 19, 1922. Serial No. 530,493.

To all to from it may concern Be known that I, Crmnnns L. SEEKING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sebring, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Drying Rack for Pottery Manufacture, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to drying racks for pottery manufacture and more particularly to a rack upon which the green ware is moved through a drying chamber and around a series of steam pipes or similar heating elements which are located within the drying chamber.

The objects of the invention are the pro vision of a drying rack for pottery manu tacture madoin the form or" an endless conveyor arranged to carry the green ware through a drying chamber and around a series of heating ipes or the like located in said chamber, the conveyor after carrying the green ware through the drying chamber passing back to a discharge point located near the filling point or the conveyor in order that the jigger operator and his assistant may form the were and place it upon the conveyor at the filling point and at the same time easily and readily remove the dried ware at the dlscharge point and form v provision of means whereby the conveyor is moved upwardly past the jigger operator, the shelves upon the conveyor being empty as they approach the jiggcr operator who fills each shelf, as it is moved into position, with molds containing green ware, the filled shelves being moved upwardly. away from the jigger operator. Thus as the molds containing green ware are placed upon each shelf, any scraps or dirt, which might be dropped upon the shelves below, will not cause any damage as it will be deposited upon the empty shelves.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims, without departing irom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the inthe sprocket chain, an intermediate portion.

of the shelving being broken away.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of a modified form of drying rack, parts being broken away for the purpose of illustration.

A practical embodiment of the invention isv disclosed in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several.

' views. 1

The drying rack embodying the present invention is an improvement of my former patent No. 1,29%,958 patented February 18, 1919. In said former patent the molds containing the green ware were placed upon an endless conveyor by the jigger operator and carried by said conveyor througha drying chamber, being removed at the opposite end of the device from the j igger operator by the finisher. It was then necessary for all of the empty molds to be carried from this point back to the other end oi? the device in order that the jigger operator might again use these molds. l

In the present invention the jigger operator and his machine are located atthe filling point of the endless conveyor and his assistant is located. in proper position to keep him supplied with new molds, the endless conveyor passing back through the drying chamber to a point adjacent to the batterout and the finisher for the purpose of allowing the finisher. to easily and readily remove the molds containing the dried ware from the conveyor and after removing the dried ware from said molds the same molds are replaced upon the shelves of the conveyor where they may be removed by the batter-out who bats out a lump of clay and then turns the mold to the jigger operator. A

The frame-work of the device comprises the corner uprights 1 connected at their upper extremities by the horizontal members 8 for the purpose of bracing the structure. 20

End walls 10, a top wall 11 and side-walls 12, of metal sheeting, tongue and groove boards or the like are attached to the framework thus formed, to enclose the drying rack, the side walls being cut away between tlie uprights and 6 to the heightof the horizontal members 7. Similar walls 13 and 14 are provided across the uprights 5 and 6 respectively, saidwalls being provided with openings 15 and 16 respectively by means" of which access may be hadto the heating chamber thus formed. A wall 17 is also provided extending between the horizontal members 7. v or V I 7 An open ended compartment is thus formed through one end portion of the device between the uprights 5 and 6 and be neath the horizontal members 7 said compartment being out ofl? from the heating chamber; access being had to the heating chamber from said compartment 7 only through the openings 15 and 16. A bench or table 18 is located in the compartment thus formed and the jigger 19 is mounted upon said tablein such position that theoperator thereof may remove the molds containing the green ware from said jigger and pass them through the opening 15, placing them upon the shelves of the endless conveyor which will later be described.

An opening 10 is formedin the end wall "10, adjacent to the compartment above clescribed, for the purpose, of allowing the finisher to have access to the endless conveyor. The finisher occupies a position adjacent to the finishing table 18 ,which enables him to remove themolds, containing the dried ware, which have passed through the heating chamber, from the endless conveyor, through the opening 10, and after removing the dried ware from said molds, the molds are replaced upon the shelves of the endless conveyor from which they were removed.

The dried ware which is thus removed by a the finisher is finished in the usual manner and placed upon a board or shelf 18 located upon the finished table. As each of these boards or shelves is filled with ware it is placed upon the rack 18. 7 The batterout occupies a position adjacent to the batter 19, which enables him to 7 remove the empty molds from the conveyor through the opening 16 and after batting out a lump of clay, each mold is returned to the jigger operator who forms a new piece beneath the bearings21, and a pair of bear-.

ings 23 are located within said pit at points spaced from'the bearings 22. Spaced pairs of bearings 24 are located at intervals along the length of the horizontal members 4 and similarly spaced pairs of bearings 25 are locarted at intervals upon the horizontal members 8 being staggered with relation to the bearings 24.

Shafts 26 and 27are ournaled inthe bearings and 21 respectively, similar shafts 28 and 29 being journaled in the bearings 22 and 23 respectively. The bearings 24 and also have shafts 30 and 31 respectively journaled therein, sprocket wheels 32 being mounted at each extremity of each of said shafts. A pair of endless sprocket chains 33 pass over and engage said sprockets as shown in Fig. l and at spaced intervals along the entire length of each of the chains 33 are links provided with bearings 34. Swinging shelf hangers are pivotally connected by means of bolts 36 passing through the bear: ings 34, and support the shelves 37 all of said construction beinoclearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. V 7

One of the shafts30isprovided upon one extremityrwith a gear 38 which meshes with a pinion 39 mounted upon the shaft 40, said shaft being journaled in a suitable bearing 41 mounted on the adjacent horizontal member 4. A gear 42 is also fixed upon the shaft and meshes with the pinion 43 loosely mounted upon the shaft 44, said shaft being journaled'through a suitable bearing 45 can I ried upon the adjacent member 4. A clutch 46 is mounted. upon the shaft 44 and arranged to be operated through the lever 47, flexible member 48 and pedal 49 to cause the pinion 43 to rotate with the shaft 44.

l A'pulley 50 is fixed upon the shaft 44 and connected by means of a belt 51 with a smaller pulley 52 mounted upon the shaft 53, which shaft is journaled in suitable shaft hangers 54 supported upon the under sides of the members 4t. A larger pulley 55 is fixed upon the shaft 53 and is connected by means of a belt 56 with the pulley 57 mounted upon the shaft of the motor 58, said motor being preferably mounted upon a shelf 59 supported from the adjacent member 4. A pulley 60 may be provided upon the shaft 53 and connected by means of a belt 61 with a pulley 62 through which the jigger 19 may be operated.

The operation of the device is as follows: The jigger operator and the batter-out are located as above described in their respective positions adjacent to the bench 18 the jigger operator being of course located at the left in position to operate the jigger while the batter-out is located at the right in suitable position to remove molds from the endless conveyor through the opening 16. The bot tor-out places a bat of clay in each mold before handing the same to the jigger operafor who forms ware upon each mold and places the molds upon the shelving exposed through the opening 15. As the shelving exposed through the opening 15 is filled with molds carrying green ware the igger operator depresses the pedal 49 fora suflicient length of time to move the conveyor forwardly through the heating chamber in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 1, a su'liicient distance to bring a new portion of empty shelving into position adjacent to the opening 15. It will of course be understood that the depression of the pedal 49 throws in the clutch d6 coupling the pinion l?) to the shaft 4a and through the chain of gearing above described rotating the shaft 30 upon which the gear 38 is mounted. which in turn causes the sprocket chains to move over the sprockets as above described.

The finisher removes the molds containing the dried ware from the shelves exposed through the opening l0 taking the dried were from the molds and replacing the molds upon the shelves. The batter-out then removes the empty molds from the shelves of the conveyor through the opening 16 and places a bat in eachmold after which he hands the mold to the jigger operator to be again used in forming new ware, the 'jigger operator forming a piece of new ware in each mold and placing the mold upon the shelves of the conveyor, through the opening 1!. It will of course be evident that as the endless conveyor is moved forwardly through the device by the jigger operator in order to bring empty shelves into position where he can fill. them through the opening 15, that the shelves containing the dried ware which have passed entirely through the device will be successively exposed through the openings 10 and 16. From the foregoing description and accompanying drawings it will be evident that a drying rack is provided in which the molds carrying the green ware are slowly moved through a heat mg chamber and around heating elements such as the coils of steam pipe 64, the molds after passin entirely through the heating chamber being brought back to a delivery point adjacent to the filling point in order that the jigger operator, batter-out and finisher may conveniently handle the entire operation of the device, only one set of molds being necessary, the same molds being continuously used in the operation of the device.

In the slightly modified form of the device illustrated in Fig. 5, a pair of adjustable bearings 22 are located upon the uprights 6 near the lower ends thereof and directly beneath the bearings 21, and a pair of bearings 23 are located upon the horizontal members at at points adjacent to the upper extremities of the uprights 6, said bearings having shafts 28 and 29 respectively journaled therein. The remaining portions of the device are constructed similar to the device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the di rection of the conveyer chain, however, as it passes the finisher and jigger operator being the reverse of that shown in Fig. l.

I claim:

1.. In a drying rack and conveyor of the character describecha drying chamber and a conveyor mounted within said drylng chamber and arranged to be moved in a circuitous course therein, said drying chamber having adjacent openings for filling and emptying the conveyor.

2. In a drying rack and conveyor of the character described, a drying chamber, a compartment formed near one end of said drying chamber and provided with openings on opposite sides into the drying chamher and a conveyor movable through a circuitous course within said drying chamber and around said compartment.

3. In a drying rack and conveyor of the character described a drying chamber, a compartment formed near one end of the drying chamber and provided with openings on opposite sides into'the drying chamber, the adjacent end of the drying chamber being provided with an opening and a conveyor movable through a circuitous course within the drying chamber and around the compartment, said conveyor moving adjacent to all of said openings.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHARLES L. SEBRING.

Images