US1151132A - Frost-proof box. - Google Patents

Description

E. P. STARY.

FROST PROOF'BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, 1913.

1,151,132. PatentedAug. 24,1915.

N; w Witnesses B Attorneys COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH COL,W^SHIN0T0N. D. c.

EMIL P. STARY, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

FROST-PROOF `lOrX.

T0 all/whom t may. concern Be it known that l, EMIL P. STARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of iowa, have invented a new and useful F rost- Proof Box, of which the following 1s a specification. y

This invention relates to a box or housing particularly designed to hold a water meter or the like, one ofl its objects being to provide means whereby air will be caused to cir-v culate within the box from a point below t ie frost line upwardly to the top of the box, thus `to keep the meter' at a higher temperature than that of the surrounding frozen ground so that freezing of the meter in cold climates is prevented.

Another object is to provide improved means for maintaining the meter at a tem-l perature above freezing without requiring the use of an anti-freezing mixture, packing or air forcing means. f

With the foregoing and otherobjects in view which will appear as thev description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in thedetails ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through one form of box embodying the present improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with the lid removed. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and showing a modified form of box. Fig. l is a plan view thereof with the lid removed. Fig. 5 is another central vertical section showing a further modification. Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof with the lid removed. Y

Referring to the gures by characters of reference 1 designates a box of any desired material of such length as to extend below the frost line. This box is provided with any suitable cover 2 adapted to be flush with the surface of the ground.

The principal feature of the present in; vention resides in the provision of means whereby a circulation of air may be set up automatically so that the warm air at the lower end of the box can be caused to rise Specification of Letters Patent.

within the box and Vthus keepy warm the meter M supported inthe upper portion of the box and connected to the water pipes l). This circulationis induced by the increased weight of the column or columns of air due to the presence at the top of theV column or columns of a layer ofV relatively cold air.

. This cold air is produced by the exposure of the box'to the meter M consists of a ,by-pass 3 arranged outside of but integral with the' box 1, this by-pass having an air inlet 4 at its upper end and an air outlet 5 at its lower end. lt will be apparentthat by utilizing a box such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the warm air contained withinthe bottom of the box and below the frost line will ascend within the box along the walls thereof while the cold air of greater density will descend vat the center of the box as indicated by arrows, kthus raising the temperature of the meter M and its contents. Qbviously a circulation may be established in other ways as, for example, by arranging in the box 6, shown in Fig. 8, an inner casing 7 mounted on supports 8 so as thus to be held elevated above the bottom of the box 6. rlhe warm air will ascend from the lower portion of the box through the by-pass 9 between the inner casing 7 and the box 6 and will displace the cold air in the top of the casing 7 and which will descend as indicated by arrows.

Instead of utilizing an inner concentricy casing 7 as shown in Fig. 3, an interior bypass 10 can be arranged within'one or more corner portions or along one or more sides of the casing 11 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

` Where an inner by-pass 10 is employed, it is preferred to extend a deflector 12 under the lower end of the by-pass so that all ofthe warm air will not ascend through the bypass. rlhe circulation of air has been clearly indicated by arrows. Obviously in alll of the structures described the boxes are to be of such length as to extend desired distances below the frost line, it being possible thus to keep the meter near the top of the box where it is kept at a raised temperature by ratentea aug. sa, isis.

Application led July klll, 1913. Serial No. 778,978.

the cold air descending from the top of the boxand which displaces the warm air which is located in the bottom portion of the box. In every instance, furthermore, the boxfis wallr and rise in the by-pass.

wise true of the structures shownin F1gs;.3

closed at its top by a'lid so as to prevent the escape of the lascending warm By utilizing a by-pass as in F ig. l, although the column of air'at the. left wall is protectedY by the earth, the bypass 5 is still more protected and thefcontained` air isV still warmer so that the airrwll descend along the left and 5;`

*llt wllbe apparent that by providing a structure such as herein described, itis unnecessary to utilize any packing, non-freezing compound, or the like, for the purpose ofl preventing freezing in the meter, land furthermore, it is unnecessary to extend the water pipes through any heating medium or to provide any mechanical means for creating a circulationof a heating medium outside of the meter.

What is claimed is1- l. The combination with a box adapted to beembedded in the ground and to extend below the frost line, of means for directing upwardly to the top of the box from the bottom thereof warm kair displaced by a descending column of cold air. .v

'2. Adevice of the class described including a boxpadapted toV be embedded in the ground kand to extend below the frost line,

Copies of thisv patent may be obtained Afor This is like-fA box, said passages constituting means for effecting the upward displacement of .warm air by the descent of cold air` of greater density, thereby to raiseV the. temperature in the upper portion of the box. i

et. The combination withfa boxadapted to be embedded in the ground above and below the frost line, and a closure for the upper end ofthe box, ofmeans supported within the box and'spaced from the topl and bottom i thereof and -from thewallof the box, where by al central passage is produced within the box,` said central passage being surrounded by. an annular passage for the ascent.l of

warm air-displaced bycold air descending.. lwithin the central passage.

`ln testimony that claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoafixed my signature in the presence of witnesses.` y

l EMIL P. STARY. Witnesses: Y

J. W.-.LEsINGER, FRANKG. STARY, O'r'ro J. JIRsA.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner vo1' latents,l Washington, D. C.l l'

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