US1237313A - Kelp-harvester. - Google Patents

Description

C. L. DONEY.

v KELP HARVESTER.

APPLlcATloN HLED MAR.6.1917.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEE1L @Hmm INVEN'Q @im rleslee Dailey I B# WITNESSES y ATTORNEY C. L. DONEY.

KELP HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAII. 6. 1911.

LPatented Aug. 21, 1917.

' Leelon/ey A'rToRN EY WITNESSES ffwfmm,

C. L. DONEY.

KEL? HARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED III/III. I. 1'911.

1,2 37 ,31 3. Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

3 SHEETSv-SHEET 3,.

w3 En v 'su lNv-Nfl'onA y Clzarlesleeoweg s Y L ATTQRNEY i Cily 'i N UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIo.

CHARLES I.. noNEY, E CIIULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNoE 0E ONE-THIRD To ALEXANDER HENRY MCCAETNEY, or SAN` DIEGO, -cALIEoRNIA KEEP-HARVESTER.

To all 1li/wm t may concern: Be it known that l, CHARLES L. DoNEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chula Vista, in the county of San Diegok and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Kelp-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.l

This invention relates to kelp harvesters and it consists in thenovel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character stated which may be operated in water for harvesting the kelp in a manner to offer minimum resistance and therefore requiring minimum power for operating the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus which will harvest a maximum quantity of kelp without loss thereof and which requires a minimum number of operators during the harvesting.

With these objects in view the harvester comprises a scow having an opening at the intermediate portion thereof and guides at the sides thereof, Blocks are adjustably mounted inthe guides and a shaft is journaled in the blocks. Wheels are mounted upon the shaft and carry gatherers and cutting apparatus. Suitable means are provided for operating the cutting apparatus whereby the kelp as it is cut is deposited in the gatherers. The gatherers elevate the kelp and deposit the same in chutes from which it may gravitate into the body of the scow or receptacle provided for its reception.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the kelp harvester Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the same cut on the lin'e 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 41 is a similar horizontal view. y

The harvester comp-rises a scow 1 proyvided at a point between its ends with an opening 2. Vertically disposed guides 3 are mounted at the sides of the said scow andblocks 4: are mounted for movement between the said guides 3. Jack screws 5 engage the yblocks 1 and are threaded through nuts 6 which are attached to the fixed parts of the shaft. By turning the sectional Specification of Letters Patent. y Patnfred Aug, 21, 1917.

Application led March 6, 1917. SeralpNo. 152,678.

said jack screws the blocks 1.1. may be fraised and. loweredbetween the guides A shaft 7 is journaled for rotation in the blocks A; and carries at its ends radially disposed spokes 8. Inwardly disposed arms 9 vare carried at the outer ends of thespokes 8.'

Concaved gatherers 11 of yforaminous material are connected with the spokes 8. Sprocket wheels 12 are mounted upon the shaft 7 and an engine 13 is mounted upon the scow 1. Sprocket wheels 14 are mounted upon the shafty of the engine 13 and sprocket chains are trained around the sprocket wheels 14and `12 and serve as means for transmitting rotary movement from the shaft of the engine to the shaft 7. Links may be added to or removed from the chains 15 when the jack screws 5 are operated.

Rings 16 are fixed to the blocks 4f and the said rings include upper arcuate portions 17 and lower waved portions 18.

Knife bars 19 are mounted for movement on the spokes 8 and knife bars 2O are mountedfor movement along the arms 9. Bell crank levers 21 are pivoted adjacent the adjoiningends of the spokes 8 and arms 9 and the said bell crank ylevers are provided with links 22 connected with the knife bars 19 and 20. The bars 19 are provided with extensions which carry journaled pulleys 25 which lie at the opposite sides of the rings 16. A chute 26 is mounted on one of the blocks 4 and eX- tends in an inclined position over the side edge of the scow 1.

The operation of the harvester is as follows:

The scow 1 may be moved through the water by any suitablemeans and simultaneously the shaft 7 is rotated from the engine 13 as hereinafter described. As the spokes 8 are carried around the ringsy 16 the rollers 25 vat the inner ends of the bars 19 are moved around the said rings. When the pulleys 25 are moving along the upper arcuate portion 17 of the rings the bars 19 do not move longitudinally but when the rollers 25 move along` the waved portions 18 of the said rings kthe bars 19 are moved longitudinally whereby they are reciprocated. Inasmuch as these bars are then below the surface of the water they encounter the kelp and cut the'same. As the'bars 19 reciprocate the bell crank levers 21 are turned 20 are reciprocated and the blades carried by the said bars encounter the kelp and cut the same substantially horizontally. The kelp Which is thus cut is caught by the gatherers l1 and elevated above the surface of the Water.` As the gatherers pass over th-e shaft 7 the kelp falls upon the closed inclined portions 11 and slides down into the chute 26 and over the side of the scoW.

From the foregoing description ltaken in `conjunction with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that a kelp harvester of simple and durable structure is provided and that the same may be economically used for efficiently harvesting kelp or other vegetable matter which may grow below the surface of a body of Water.

Having described the invention what is claimed is l. A harvester comprising a float, a shaft journaled thereon, means for rotating the shaft, spokes carried by the shaft, knife vbars slidably mounted upon the spokes, gatherers carried by the spokes and having bottoms inclined from one set of spokes to the other and means for reciprocating the knife bars as the spokes turn about the shaft.

2. A harvester comprising a seoW, a shaft journaled thereon, means for rotating the shaft, spokes carried by the shaft, knife bars mounted for movement along the spokes, means for moving` the knife bars, gatherers connected with the spokes and a chute adapted to receive the material from the gatherers as the gatherers move over the shaft.

3. In a harvester a scow, blocks movably mounted thereon, a shaft journaled in the blocks, means for rotating the shaft, spokes carried by the shaft, knife bars movably mounted -upon the spokes, rings fixed to the blocks and having upper arcuate portions and lower waved portions, rods vconnecting the knife bars With the rings and having rollers journaled at the opposite sides of the rings, and gatherers connected with the spokes.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

CHARLES L. DONE Y.

Copies .of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by @addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

Images