More particularly, the present invention relates to an arrangement-for feeding a chain and its individual links down to a rotatable disc using a feeding wheel or a feeding roller disposed above the disc, wherein each link in the chain constitutes a semi-manufacture, in as far as each link consists of an"open"link, i. e. a still incomplete link, which is later soldered to or welded to a"closed"link.

In this application, successive links are caused to rest against a first circu- lar surface section orientated on the periphery of the disc, wherewith the chain links are moved by the feed roller at a speed which is higher than the speed of said first surface section, so that mutually orientated successive links will be com- bined, brought together, and rest against the disc along said first surface section.

Although the present invention can be applied in any such technical field in which it is desired to feed a chain and its individual links from a feed wheel, dis- posed above a rotatable disc, and down towards said disc in the aforesaid man- ner, it will be understood that the invention has been developed to provide part of a method and part of an apparatus for the production of non-allergenic objects, particularly metal objects, that are intended for direct contact with the skin of hu- man beings.

Examples of such objects are pieces of jewellery, watches, spectacles, etc., where said objects contain completely pure metals, such as precious metals, e. g. gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, etc., mixed with optimised pure zinc, copper, aluminium, nickel or chromium, and where all working processes are carried out without access to air and without contact with aggressive substances, such as salts or acids, both in the heating and the cooling process stages of manufacture.

Description of the background art Various different embodiments of arrangements of the afore described kind are known to the art.

For example, there is known a method for continuously soldering mutually adjacent chain links that are comprised of precious metals or are gold plated, wherewith solder shall be applied to the soldering location of each link.

It is proposed in accordance with this method that a chain of semi- manufacture is fed down to a substantially horizontal plane, constituted by a ro- tatable disc, at a speed which is slightly greater than the speed at which the down feed position is moved in relation to the horizontal plane, so that when the links rest on the upper surface of the disc they will be orientated in a position in which said links are displaced slightly towards each other.

A small section or part of the chain, placed on the disc, is now heated, in relation to and keeping up with link movement caused by the disc, to a tempera- ture at which the solder melts and the mutually facing end surfaces of respective links are thus soldered together to form closed links.

It is proposed that the links and the chain are fed down to the disc with the aid of driven feed rollers, where the down feed speed can be adjusted in relation to relative movement between the down feed roller and the disc.

It is particularly proposed that the chain is fed down onto a horizontal ro- tating table or disc and that the down feed or down drop speed can be adjusted in relation to the rotational speed of the table.

The chain links will be pushed together to some extent also in this case at a pre-determined point of time, subsequent to the chain having passed the de- vices that function to heat the chain to said soldering temperature.

Reference is made to patent specification US-A-4 073 428 in this regard.

So that the properties of and the propositions relating to the present inven- tion will be understood more precisely, it can be mentioned that the links of a semi-manufactured chain can take at least three different relative positions.

A"first"position or state is when the links take a relative position, such as hanging from one another, and where the mutually distal end regions of re-

spective links are in punctual form and in metallic contact and hold respective ad- jacent links through the medium of their respective end regions, said links forming a continuous line.

A"second"position or state is when the links are in a fully mutually com- bined state, i. e. have been brought together.

A"third"state or position is one in which the links are somewhat brought together and oriented as a continuous, straight, line and have the least possible metallic contact with one another.

Summary of the invention Technical problems When taking into consideration the technical deliberations that a person skilled in this particular art must make in order to provide a solution to one or more technical problems that he/she encounters, it will be seen that it is necessary ini- tially to realise the measures and/or the sequence of measures that must be un- dertaken to this end on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to realise which means is/are required to solve one or more of said problems. On this basis, it will be evident that the technical problems listed below are highly relevant to the de- velopment of the present invention.

When considering the present state of the art, as described above, while using an arrangement for feeding chain and the individual chain links from a feed wheel, disposed above a rotatable disc, down onto said disc, it will be seen that a technical problem is one of being able to create with good precision conditions which enable the semi-manufactured links to be orientated relative to one another in accordance with said third state and to rest on the disc as said third state prior to passing to a soldering or welding station.

Another technical problem is one of being able to realise the significance of and the advantages afforded by allowing successive links of the chain fed down onto said disc to rest against a peripheral, circular first section of the disc, and to cause the speed at which the chain links are fed by the feed roller to be greater than the speed at which the first surface section of said disc rotates, thereby caus- ing mutually orientated links to be brought together successively to said third state and to rest on said disc along said first surface section.

In respect of an arrangement of the afore described kind, a technical prob-

lem also resides in providing conditions where further movement of said links is adapted so as to orientate the chain and its links in a state in which said links are brought together further and therewith take a position close to or represented by the second state.

Another technical problem is one of realising the significance of and the advantages afforded by providing adjacent the disc and in the proximity of the first surface section, a fixed device, which functions to displace links that are mutually combined in accordance with said third state radially inwards of the disc to a circu- lar second surface section, so as to take mutual positions, according to said sec- ond or third state along this second surface section.

Another technical problem is one of realising the significance of and the advantages afforded by causing the chain links to be fed from said feed roller at a speed at which the links are curved away towards said first surface section at a chosen curvature.

Another technical problem is one of realising the significance of and the advantages afforded by providing a distance measuring device, which is adapted to influence the speed of the feed roller such as to cause said curvature to be constant or at least essentially constant.

It will also be seen that a technical problem resides in the ability to realise the significance of and the advantages afforded by allowing said device, provided in the close proximity of a first surface section, to have the form of a rotatable disc or wheel, where a chosen peripheral speed of said disc is chosen to be the same, or essentially the same, as the chosen speed of the second surface section.

It will also be seen that a technical problem is one of being able to realise the significance of and the advantages afforded by giving said feed roller arran- gement the form of two mutually opposing rollers, with the peripheral surface of the roller nearest the disc being located above said disc at a distance that corre- sponds to or is slightly less than the diameter of said roller.

It will also be seen that a technical problem resides in the ability to realise the significance of and the advantages afforded by allowing said curvature to be varied in dependence of the type of link concerned and the weight of said link.

Solution The present invention thus takes as its starting point an arrangement for

feeding a chain and its individual links from a feed wheel (or feed roller) disposed above a rotatable disc, down towards said disc, wherewith successive links rest on a circular peripheral first surface section of the disc, and wherein the speed im- parted to the chain links by said feed roller is adapted to be higher than the speed of rotation of said first surface section of the disc, so that mutually orientated suc- cessive links will be brought together, or combined, and are able to rest along said first surface section of the disc.

In respect of such an arrangement it is particularly proposed, in accor- dance with the invention, that there is mounted, fixedly adjacent the disc and in the close proximity of said first surface section, a device which functions to move successively links that have been mutually combined or brought together to form a second state along the disc to a circular second surface section, such that the chain and its links are brought towards a second state or to a third state by said displacement movement.

By way of proposed embodiments, that lie within the scope of the present invention, it is proposed that said chain links are fed from the feed roller at a speed which results in the links being curved in a special curvature towards said first surface section, and that a distance measuring device is provided to regulate the speed of the feed roller such that said curvature will be constant or at least es- sentially constant.

It is also proposed in accordance with the invention that said device is comprised of a rotatable disc or wheel, whose peripheral speed is adapted to be equal to or essentially equal to the speed of said second surface section.

It is also proposed that the feed roller arrangement has the form of two rollers, where the peripheral surface of the roller located nearest the disc is lo- cated above said disc at a distance that corresponds to or is slightly less than the diameter of said roller.

According to one embodiment, said curvature shall be adapted to vary in accordance with the type of link concerned and the weight of said link.

Advantages Those advantages that can be considered characteristic of an inventive arrangement reside in the creation of provisions for displacing the chain in which successive links are combined, in accordance with or towards said second state,

to a second surface section such that the links will adopt said state in response to said movement although still under the condition that the links adopt a position in which they are only slightly brought together with an adapted small material con- tact and thermal conductivity between mutually adjacent links.

The primary characteristic features of an inventive arrangement are set forth in the characterising clause of the accompanying claim 1.

Brief description of the drawings An arrangement having features characteristic of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the inventive arrangement, Figure 2 is a side view of two co-ordinated feed rollers adapted to feed a chain and its associated links down to a rotating table, and Figure 3 illustrates in a larger scale an example of a type of link used.

Description of a preferred embodiments It will be noted that in the following description of an embodiment at pre- sent preferred and having the significant characteristic features of the invention il- lustrated in the various figures of the accompanying drawings, there have been used particular terms and particular terminology with the primary intention of clari- fying the inventive concept.

However, the expressions and terms used shall not be seen as limiting the scope of the invention, and it will be understood that each term chosen shall be in- terpreted to include all technical equivalents that function in the same, or essen- tially the same way, so as to be able to achieve the same or essentially the same intention and/or technical effect.

Figure 1 thus shows in perspective an arrangement 1 for feeding a chain 2 and its individual links down to a rotating underlying supporting surface 3, two

such links, 21,22, being shown in fig. 3.

The semi-manufactured chain 2 is fed down to said supporting surface in the form of a disc 3 from a feed wheel (or feed roller) 4 disposed above said disc.

For clarification purposes, the chain has been divided into a number of parts or sections. The chain section 2a is located upstream of the feed roller 4, the chain section 2b hangs together in accordance with the first state, the chain sec- tion 2c forms a curve, the links of the chain section 2d are brought together in ac- cordance with the third state, in the chain section 2e the links have been moved from a first surface section 3a to a second surface section 3b with the links being displaced further within the third state towards a second state along the section 2f.

As will be seen from fig. 1, the down feed of successive chain links is ef- fected so that said links will rest against a peripheral, circular first surface section 3a of the disc 3, wherewith the chain links are caused to move by the feed roller 4 at a speed which is greater than the speed of rotation"v1"of the first surface sec- tion 3a of said disc, wherewith mutually orientated successive links lying in contact with each other in accordance with the third state will rest on said disc along said first surface section 3a.

A device 6 fixedly mounted adjacent the disc 3 and in the close proximity of the first surface section 3a is adapted to move the chain section in which suc- cessive links are brought together radially inwards along the disc to a circular sec- ond surface section 3b, such that the chain and its links, as a result of said move- ment from the first surface section 3a to the second section 3b, will be oriented in a state in which they have been brought together further in accordance with the third state and adjusted for a subsequent welding or soldering operation.

The chain and its associated links are fed from the feed roller 4 at a speed such as to curve the links in an arcuate path or curvature 2c towards said first sur- face section 3a and that a distance measuring device 5 is provided to influence the speed of the feed roller 4a so that the curvature 2c will be constant or at least essentially constant.

The device for moving the section 2d to the section 2f via the section 2a is comprised of a rotatable disc 6a, wherein the peripheral speed of the said object is adapted to be equal to or essentially equal to the speed"v2"of the second sur- face section 3b.

In the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1, the feed roller 4 has the form of two

co-ordinated rollers 4,4a, with the peripheral surface 4'of the roller 4 nearest the disc being located above the disc 3 at a distance corresponding to or somewhat smaller than the diameter of the roller 4.

The curvature 2c is adapted to vary in accordance with the type of link concerned and the weight of said link.

In this regard, there is shown schematically in fig. 1 measuring equipment 5, which is adapted to measure the distance between said equipment and the po- sition 8 of the curved path 2c with the aid of an electromagnetic beam 5a in a known manner, so as to cause a motor 4b to drive the roller 4a at a slightly slower rotational speed via a line 5b when said distance increases, and to cause the mo- tor to increase speed slightly when the distance to said position 8 shortens, so as to be able to maintain the co-ordination of the combined links constant.

The links are brought together from the first state to the third state within the section 2c.

The rotatable object 6 is also movable in the radial direction of the disc 3 so as to enable the radial distance"a"between the first surface section 3a and the second surface section 3b to be adjusted and therewith enable mutually adjacent links to be brought to a position in which they are combined in accordance with the third state.

Figure 3 illustrates in larger scale a number of links 21,22 of the chain 2, where said links are in said first state and where cut surfaces 21a, 21b and 22a, 22b respectively are arranged for enabling the links to be soldered and therewith closed in a downstream soldering station, not shown in fig. 1.

It will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the afore de- scribed and illustrated embodiment, and that modifications can be made within the scope of the inventive concept as illustrated in the accompanying claims.