US1238043A - Cotton-cleaner. - Google Patents

Description

s. u. MURRAY.

v COTTON CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, I915.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

SHEETS-SHEET I.

COTTON CLEANER, APPLICATION FILED MAY 6. 1915..

PatentedAug. 21,1911.

5 SHEETS*SHEET 2.

3.0. MURRAY. COTTON CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 6' 19!?)- Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3- S. D. MURRAY. 7,

COTTON CLEANER. APPLICATION- FILED MAY 6 1915.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4- wwgw WW? muraw -s. n. MURRAY.

COTTON CLEANER- APPLICATION FILED wave; I915.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

5 SHEETS SHEET 5.

STEPHEN D. MURRAY, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

COTTON-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 6, 1915. Serial No. 26,388.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN D. MURRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cotton cleaners which serve as accessories in cotton ginning operations and in the present instance are used with a pneumatic cotton distributing elevator or conveying means cooperating with gin feeders. In cotton cleaners as heretofore constructed a stationary foraminous case or drum having inlet and exit or outlet openings with a rotary shaft extending centrally through the same has been provided with a plurality of beater arms, and therewith also a suction apparatus and a bypass have been used. In the present improvements .in cotton cleaners or cleaning apparatus the bypass features as heretofore employed are wholly eliminated. The improved cleaner is associated with the well known form of cotton elevator and is located at a point or in a space usually unoccupied and does not intercept or is not embodied in the direct line of the members of the cotton elevator and may therefore be readily applied to the usual forms of cotton elevators now in use without requiring any material structural changes in the latter to accommodate the same to the application of the improved cleaner. Associated with the improved cleaning apparatus is a readily adjustable means whereby the, seed cotton may be caused to pass through the cleaner or be conveyed directly to the ginning apparatus without traversing the cleaner in accordance with the condition of the cotton as to its cleanliness, so that in the run of cotton to be ginned, that portion thereof' which may be clean may be directly delivered to the gins by cutting out the cleaner,

and any portion thereof which appears dirty and requires cleaning may be instantly directed into and be treated by the cleaner and thence pass to the ginning apparatus by a very simple operation and without checking or stopping the actuation of the cotton able to instantly throw the cleaner in and out with relation to the cotton elevator within the cleaner is a plurality of beater arms which operate on the cotton to thoroughly eliminate dust and dirt therefrom prior to the delivery thereof to the cotton elevator and the cleaner in the present instance is also equipped with means for automatically regulating and checking the flow of the cotton thereto so that in the event the belt or driving mechanism for actuating the beater shaft slips from the latter, or this mechanism from some other cause fails to operate the said shaft, the body of the cleaner will not become clogged or choked with cotton as the suction will be automatically cut off by the checked cotton relatively to the inlet extremity of the cleaner, and after the irregularity in the operating mechanism for the cleaner has been rectified and the beater arms are again actuated the feeding progress of the cotton through the cleaner is continued without requiring manual attention, with material advantages in the expeditious operation of the cleaner and without interfering with the output of'a ginning plant within a given time. Moreover, this automatic check and subsequent liberation of the cotton flow relatively to the cleaner avoids strain or disadvantageous shock on the several parts of the cleaner. In the present application and operation of the improved cleaner the suction influence is exerted through the usual suction pipe of the cotton elevator by Way of the outlet of the cleaner so that suction is exerted through the cleaner anddraws the cotton into the latter at the inlet end through the elevating tube or pipe which may be arranged adjacent to a wagon or other cotton supply, and the automatic flow regulation and check of the cotton are important in the general operation of the cleaner and the cotton elevator as a whole. Another important feature of the present improvement and a valuable accessory is a readily adjustable elevator pipe or tube which runs to a wagon or other source of cotton supply, said pipe or tube being supported by a slide valve quickly, operative to cause the Patented Aug. 21, 1917.-

one end of the said elevator pipe or tube to be coupled or coincide with either the inlet pipe or tube of the cleaner or the conveying pipe or tube of the cotton elevator, the said elevating pipe or tube when in operative juncture with the inlet pipe of the cleaner closing the adjacent extremity of the conveying pipe or tube of the cotton elevator through the medium of the slide valve, and, conversely, when the elevating pipe or tube is shifted by the slide valve to engage the conveying pipe or tube of the cotton elevator, the inlet pipe of the cleaner is closed or cut off, and under the latter conditions the cleaner remains dormant or becomes practically a dead air chamber as the suction then ceases to exert its influence through the cleaner. In the event that the cotton requires only a moderate cleaning operation, the inlet of the cottonto the cleaner may be effected at an intermediate point and be caused to pass through only a portion of the cleaner or be short-circuited. This provision is also another important feature of the present improvement.

Other features of structural importance,

' together with numerous advantages, will be hereinafter more fully explained, and in the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the improved cleaner is illustrated to demonstrate the practicability thereof.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of a battery of gins with the usual complement of feeders and a pneumatic distributing elevator illustrating the improved cleaner applied thereto.

F i 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 22, Fig. 1, particularly showing the outlet of the cleaner and the direct communication of the outlet with the conveying pipe or tube of the pneumatic distributing elevator.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken in the plane of the line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section of the cleaner taken in the plane of the line 4- 1, Fig. 1 and showing the inlet pipe in elevation and a portion of the ele vator pipe or tube, together with the slide valve.

Fig. 5 is a front side elevation of the organization illustrated by Fig. 1 and showing the elevator pipe adjusted to coincide with and feed to the supply pipe of the cleaner.

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section on the line 66, Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section of a portion of thefiexible joint or coupling of the elevator pipe or tube.

Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section on the line 8'-8, Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged transverse vertical section on the line 9-9, Fig. 5.

Fig. 10 is a transverse vertical section taken in the plane of the line 1010, Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a horizontal section taken in the plane of the line 11-11, Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a detail section taken in the plane of the line 1212, Fig. 11. I Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the organization showing a modification of the construction to control communication of the elevator pipe either with the feed and supply pipe of the cleaner or with the penumatic conveying or distributing pipe of the distributing elevator.

The numeral 5 designates the cleaner box or casing which may be of any suitable dimensions, and, as clearly shown by Fig. 4 on an enlarged scale, is provided with an interiorly arranged longitudinally disposed screen drum or cylinder 6 which is formed of wire gauze of suitable mesh and connects at a point near the outlet of the cleaner with a sheet metal drum or cylinder 7 which is supplemental to the main drum 6 and facilitates the delivery of the cleaned cotton through the outlet. The drum or cylinder *6 and the supplemental drum or cylinder 7 are supported within the casing or box 5 in the usual manner, as will be readily understood by those skilled'in the art. Except in particulars which will be hereinafter noted, the casing or box 5 is formed as a tight inclosure so that it may be subjected to air suction without leakage and to effect the cleaning operation relatively to the cotton passing therethrough in a most desirable manner. The casing or box 5 has a closed head 8 at one end in which is a suitable bearing 9, and in the opposite end is a head 10 havlng a bearing 11 supported thereby, and at a short distance inwardly from the head 10 is a partition 12 formed with an enlarged central opening 13 and a plurality of smaller openings 14. adjacent to the periphery thereof, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. The cleaner as a whole has a pentagonal form in cross-section, as indicated by Figs. 2 and 3, and is provided with a lower dust trough 15. Extending centrally through the wire screen drum or cylinder 6 and the supplemental sheet metal drum or cylinder 7 and mounted in the bearings 9 and 11 in the heads 8 and 10 is a beater shaft 16 which has a plurality of beater arms 17 disposed thereon, said arms being of flat metal of suitable width and having their outer ends 18 turned at such an angle as to throw the cotton out against the screen wall of the drum or cylinder 6 and cause the cotton to wash the latter and at the same time feed the cotton forwardly toward the outlet of the cleaner. The beater arms 17 are disposed at angles relatively to each other and tangentially to the shaft 16, as clearly shown by Fig. 2, and the outer ends of these arms are close enough to the wire gauze drum or cylinder 6 to cause the cotton to be agitated close to the said drum or cylinder during its transit through the latter in order to thoroughly relieve the cotton of dust and dirt and at the same time cause the cotton to be practically fed or progressed through the said drum or cylinder. Between the head 10 and the partition 12 an automatic cotton flow regulator and check is formed as a part of the cleaner, and consists of a chamber 19 having a wire gauze inclosure 20 independent of the wire gauze drum or cylinder 6. The shaft 16 continues through the lower portion. of the chamber 19 and has thereon a plurality of beater arms 21 which are similar to the arms 17 but of less extent than the latter and also less in their projection from the shaft 16 partially thereover and covering an inlet opening 22 in one end of the casing top over the chamber 19 and also an intermediate opening 23, the end of the inclosure 5 being sloped downwardly at the end 5 thereof over the opening 22 to direct the cotton through the latter opening. In the inclosure 5 adjacent to the opening 23 a valve .23 is mounted and is of such proportions that when it is opened or raised the remaining part of the inclosure back to the opening 22 will be out off from the feed or cotton supply and the cotton will be caused to pass through the opening 23. The valve 23 is connected to and may be readily opened and closed by an exteriorly projecting valve rod 25 having a depending operating lever 26 extending over the front of a cotton elevator and associated apparatus within easy reaching distance of an operator. The valve 25 is closed over the opening 23 when the cotton is fed to the opening 22. This cotton inlet organization provides for treating and cleaning dirty .cotton by causing the latter to traverse the full length of the cleaner, or moderately dirty cotton may be admitted through the opening 23 and only partially pass through the cleaner. In other words, the cleaner has a short-circuiting capability and operation to adapt the same for handling cotton of various characteristics that may not be able to stand the full cleaning operation of the cleaner. The inlet inclosure 5 has a supply pipe 24 connected to the end thereof adjacent to the opening 23, said pipe continuing over the top of the cleaner in the present instance at an angle, as clearly shown by Fig. 1, to one side of the rear extremity of the cleaner for a purpose which will be presently explained.

The partition 12 and the usual supports for the screen drum or cylinder 6 and the cylinder 7 do not fully extend downwardly to the trough 15 so that a longitudinally disposed feed-screw 27 may be mounted and practically operated in the said trough to convey the accumulated dust and dirt in the trough 15 to an outlet opening 28, which in the present instance is shown as having a pipe or tube 28 attached thereto and pro: vided with a flexible valve 28 which operates to automatically close the .pipe 28 through the suction in the cleaner and also has an automatically opening operation when a certain amount of dust and dirt has been deposited in the pipe 28 on the said valve and when the weight of the dust and dirt overcomes the closure resistance of the valve, and at such time the valve will open and permit the accumulated dust and dirt to pass the same and be carried away by and from the pipe 28 below the valve, and after such relief operation the valve will be again closed by the suction in the cleaner. The feed-screw or conveyer 27 has spiral blades 29 extending over a greater portion thereof at such an angle as to feed the contents of the trough engaged thereby from the rear toward the front of the cleaner to the outlet 28, and the forward portion of the said feed-screw or conveyer has blades 30 reversely disposed with relation to the blades 29 and operative to feed the contents of the trough engaged thereby rearwardly toward the outlet 28. The feed-screw or conveyer 27 is operated from the shaft 16, as shown, and the latter will, of course, be actuated from any suitable power source.

Over the forward portion of the feedscrew or conveyer 27 a deflector or shield 31 is mounted in the lower part of the chamber 19 so as to diminish the suction force through the opening 14 in the wall 12 adj acent to the forward extremity of the feedscrew 27 and trough 15. In practice the wire gauze inclosure 20 will be of coarser mesh than the wire gauze of the drum or cylinder 6 so as to more readily liberate the dust and dirt from the cotton as it comes into the chamber 19 and is acted upon by the arms 21. It willbe understood that the larger particles of dust and dirt will be liberated from the cotton in the chamber 19 and fall through the bottom portion of the screen inclosure in view of the fact that the cotton under ordinary conditions at the time that it enters thechamber 19 will carry a greater amount of dust and dirt, and the arms 21 in addition to their feeding characteristics also operate to beat the cotton and free the latter of a portion of its dust and dirt in the chamber 19, It will also be understood that a quantity of dust and dirt will fall under and adjacent to the chamber 19 or between the head 10 and the partition 12 and near the latter, and hence the feedscrew or conveyer 27 is constructed, as hereinbefore explained, to quickly carry 011' or convey the dust-and dirt to the outlet 28; and along the remaining portion of the ing tube 40 of the well trough 15 the maximum deposit of dust and dirt-will ensue as the cotton traverses the drum or cylinder 6 and will also be regularly discharged by the feed-screw or conveyer to the said outlet 28 in view of the reverse position of the blades 29 on the portion of the feed-screw under the cylinder. It will also be seen that the beater arms 21, forming part of the cotton flow regulating and checking means, are closer together than the beater arms 17 for the purpose of rapidly forcing the incoming cotton up to and through the opening 13 in the partition 12.

At the end of the cleaner opposite that where the automatic cotton flow regulating and checking means are located, an outlet or exit opening 36 is formed, as shown particularly by Figs. 2 and 11, said opening extending through the upper portion of the supplemental sheet metal drum or cylinder 7 and on the shaft 16 adjacent to the said outlet opening a group of arms 37 is secured, and these arms have their outer ends or extremities 38 turned nearly fiat so as to be more efiective for discharging the cotton coming in contact therewith through the said outlet opening. In other words, the group of arms 37 does not have a longitudinal feeding action relatively to the cotton, and the outer extremities 38 of the arms are consequently at a different angle relatively to the outer ends or extremities 18 of the arms 17, or, as above noted, the said extremities 38 of the arms 37 are nearly flat. The cotton discharged through the outlet or exit opening 36 enters a receiving chamber 39 which is a continuation or a part of the outlet, but is of materially greater dimensions than the outlet opening 36, and the cotton passing thereinto may expand so as to be more practically discharged or delivered into the distributin pipe or conveyown pneumatic cotton distributing elevator organization as illustrated by Fig. 6, and also embodying a suctionypipe 41 which is connected to a fan, as at 4 2, the pneumatic cotton distributing elevator extending over the upper portions of the feeders 43 of the gins 44, as shown by Figs. 1 and 5. The pipes or tubes 40 and 41 comprised in the pneumatic cotton distributing elevator are of the usual construction and arrangement and are well understood in the art of ginning organizations and supply means therefor, the said pneumatic cotton distributing elevator 1 organization being clearly illustrated in crosssection by Fig. 6. The conveying or distributing pipe or tube 40 intersects the outer extremity of the chamber 39, or said chamber extends into this pipe or tube 40, as clearly shown by Figs. 9 and 11, and for this purpose the pipe or tube 40 adjacent to the outer extremity of the chamber 39 is cut away, as

at 45, and the side walls 46 of the chamber 39 are also concaved or cut away in arcuate form, as at 47, to coincide with and correspond to the inner arcuate form of the tube or pipe 40. The sides 46 of the chamber 39 are preferably of wood and are secured to the adjacent side portion of the casing 5 by angle and flat coupling plates 48 and 49, and the top and bottom walls 50 and 51 of said chamber are formed of sheet metal of suitable thickness and are flanged at their inner ends andalso secured to the adjacent side portion of the casing 5 of the cleaner and at their outer ends are attached to the upper and lower portions of the conveying or distributing, tube or pipe 40, as clearly shown by Fig. 9. It will be understood that the conveying'or distributing tube or pipe 40 continues fully to the outer side wall 46 of the chamber 39, but the suction tube or pipe 41 extends only to a point adjacent to the inner side wall 46 of the said chamber 39, the said tubes or pipes 40 and 41 being supported throughout their lengths rela tively to each other and to the battery of gins 44 by any suitable means.

A valve plate 52 is secured against the outer surface of the outer side wall 46 of the chamber 39, the said valve plate being disposed vertically and having upper and lower openings 53 and 54 and also provided with vertical guides 55 which are fastened thereto and extend fully from the top edge to the bottom edge thereof. The said valve plate 52 has the outer end of the conveying or distributing tube or pipe 40 abutting thereagainst and coinciding with the lower opening 54, the said outer end of the tube or pipe 40 being secured to the head by a segmental rim 56, as clearly shown by Fig. 9. The valve plate 52 is also secured to the outer side wall 46 of the chamber 39 by bolts or other suitable fastenings, as at 57, engaging an inwardly projecting extension 58 of the said valve plate, as also shown by Fig. 9, and by this means the plate is rigidly supported. The outer end of the cotton supply pipe 24 for the cleaner is also secured against the inner side of the plate 52 by a flanged ring 59 so that the said outer end of the supply pipe 24 is firmly held to the plate 52 and assists in supporting the latter, the outer end of the supply pipe 24 coinciding with the upper opening 53 of the plate. The uides 55 are secured against the outer side 0 the plate 52, and engaging and vertically movable between these guides is an elongated valve or cutoff 60 consisting of a metal plate 'of suitable thickness and havingv a single opening 61 therein and upper and lower stops 62 and 63. A suitable operating rod or handle 64 is attached to the thereof may be caused to register either 7 with the supply pipe 24 of the cotton cleaner plate 52 and the tube or pipe 40, and the upper opening 53 and the cotton supply pipe 24 for the cleaner will be cut off or closed. When the valve 60 is moved upwardly between the guides 55 and the stop 63 engages the lower end of the one guide 55, the opening 61 of the valve will then be in accurate registration with the upper opening 53 of the valve plate 52 and also with the cotton supply pipe 24 and the lower opening 54 and the adjacent entrance to the tube or pipe 40 will be cut off or closed. The

,valve 60 may be easily operated and the rod or handle 6.4 is made of such length as to be within easy reaching distance of the floor of the ginnery.

Over the opening 61 of the valve 60 and against the outer side of the latter the inner end of'an elevating tube or pipe 65 is permanently secured, being held, for instance by an angle rim or annulus 66, as shown by Fig. 11. The elevating tube or pipe 65 may be of any suitable length, and these elevating tubes or pipes as ordinarily used have their outer ends adapted to be de pressed and elevated so as to engage a load of cotton in a wagon, and as soon as the cotton is fully elevated from the wagon the tube or pipe 65 is raised to permit another wagon to be drawn thereunder and is again lowered, and so on; or the said elevating tube or pipe may run to a storage room or inclosure, as may be desired. It will be seen that the inner end of the elevating tube or pipe 65 is moved regularly with the valve or cutoff 60 to register either with the conveying or distributing tube or pipe 40 or the cotton supply pipe 24 for the cleaner, and while any means may be used for attaching the inner end of the tube or pipe 65 to the valve 61, it is preferredthat the flexible connection which will now be described be used in View of its general practicability and the continued preservation of the diameter of the inner attached end of the tube or pipe 65 relatively to the valve or cutoff 60. Moreover, by using a flexible attaching extremity for the tube or pipe 65 relatively to the valve 60, all liability of injury to the attached extremity of the said tube or pipe is obviated. The preferred form of flexible connection or inner attaching extremity of the tube or pipe 65 relatively to the valve 60 consists of a plurality of nested truncated tubular sections 66 having the inner reduced portion of one fitting in the outer enlarged portion of the other, and the edges, as at 67 projected inwardly so as to form an unobstructed passage for the cotton through the flexible attaching extremity. It is obvious that the flexible attaching extremity must be air-tight as well as have free movability, and to meet this contingency the intermediate portion of each section 66, as clearly shown by F igs. 7 and 8, is formed with a circumferential groove, indentation or seat 68 at a point about midway between the inner and outer ends of each section. A canvas or other air-tight fabric tube or covering 69 is fitted over the sections 66 and secured at its opposite ends in an air-tight manner to the inner extremity of the tube or pipe 65 fitting in the flexible connection and also to the valve 60 around the opening 61. After the tube or covering 69 has been applied as just stated, wire clips or clamps 70 are applied over and around the said tube or covering at the points where the seats 68 are formed in the sections and have a tight drawing action imparted thereto by twisting the ends thereof, as shown by Fig. 8, and by such means the canvas covering or tube 69 is closely drawn into the outer portions of the-seats 68 and the sections are held in normal association and the joints between the sections 66 are also positively sealed and rendered air-tight, but at the same time the attaching extremity for the tube or pipe 65 embodying the several parts just explained is free to move in all directions without in the least modifying the interior diameter of the attaching extremity or setting up the least occlusion of the passage of the cotton to either the tube or pipe 40 or the supply pipe 24 in accordance with the adjustment of the valve 60.

The cotton is elevated by the pipe 65 either to the pipe 24 or to the tube or pipe 40, as hereinbefore described, and if the cotton requires cleaning, the valve 60 is pushed upwardly until the flexible connecting extremity of the pipe 65 registers with the opening 53 in the valve plate 52 and the supply pipe 24: of the cleaner. If the cotton is very dirty the valve 25 in the inlet in closure 5 is closed over the opening 23 and the opening 22 is clear for entrance of the cotton into the chamber 19. The mechanism having been regularly started and the supply of the cotton disposed as just explained, the suction created in the pipe 41 is exerted through the tube or pipe 40 and the outlet or exit opening 36 relatively to the interior of the cleaner, and the cotton is then drawn through the pipe 24 into the chamber 19 and partially cleaned and then through the opening 13 in the partition 12, being assisted to rapidly pass through the said opening by the beater arms 21. The beater arms 17 in the drum or cylinder 6 receive the cotton from the chamber 19 and throw or force it outwardly by centrifugal action against the screen wall of the drum or cylinder 6 and at the same time feed the cotton longitudinally through the latter drum or cylinder. The cotton in passing through the drum or cylinder 6 is practically cleaned or relieved of all the dust and dirt therein, the dust and dirt falling into the trough 15 and carried off through the outlet 28 as hereinbefore indicated. The

- cotton is finally drawn into the supplementively to the outlet, and from the chamber- 39 the cotton passes into and through the conveying or distributing tube or pipe -10 and thence to the several gins in the usual manner. Should the operating means for the shaft 16 cease to actuate the said shaft from any cause whatever, or if the band or belt should slip from the driving means of said shaft, the feed of the cotton relatively to the cleaner will be automatically stopped or checked without liability of choking the cleaner, and this automatic operation is due to the cotton flow checking and regulating means embodying the chamber 19 with the foraminous wall 20 and the group of smaller beater arms 21 on the shaft 16 in the chamber and especially the openings 14; in the partition 12 which are exterior of the foraminous covering 20. As soon as the shaft 16 stops, the suction force continuing within the cleaner will cause the. cotton entering the chamber 19 from the pipe 2 1 to freeze over and close the foraminous covering or wall 20 of'the said chamber and the cotton in the said chamber will occlude the said opening '13 and as aconsequence the suction force will be relieved or shut off fromthe pipe 24 or'the inlet 22 engaged by said pipe and a comparativelv small amountof cotton will accumulate in the chamber 19. As soon as the shaft 16 is again set in motion the beater before and be delivered through the outlet 36 without requiring manual attention or -manual relief of the cotton within the cleaner. This automatic stopping and startmg operation of'the cleaner is a very important feature and will result in the cleaner having a. greater output within a given time than would be the case Where it has been necessary to manually relieve a choked cleaner resulting from a stoppage of the shaft and beater arms as in cleaning devices heretofore constructed. Moreover, the automatic checking and regulating of the flow of cotton as just explained relieves the cleaner of injurious strain, and therefore the cleaner is more durable and economical in its use. If the cotton is only moderately dirty, or if the cotton is green and damp and will not stand a full run of the cleaner, the valve 25 is opened and the cotton is then caused to traverse only a portion of or be short-circuited relatively to the cleaner. Should the cotton run clean, or should a grade of cotton be brought to the battery of gins or ginnery in which the improved cleaner attachment is installed that does not require cleaning treatment, the valve 60 is pulled downwardly until the upper stop 62 engages the upper end of the adjacent guide 55, and when the valve has been so adjusted the opening 61 thereof Will be in registra tion with the lower opening 54 in the valve plate 52 and the outer end of the conveying or distributing tube orpipe 40, and the suction created in the suction pipe 11 will then draw the cotton directly through the tube or pipe 40 and into the several feeders of the gins, the cotton being drawn past the chamber 39 and the cleaner remaining dormant or at such time being practically a dead air chamber in View of thejfact that the suction force will be cut off therefrom. When found necessary or when a run of uncleaned cotton appears during the run or feed of clean cotton, for instance, the valve 60 can be quickly changed as to its adjust- .ment or position and throw the cleaner into commission or cause the uncleaned'cotton to be fed through the pipe 2-1 into the cleaner and be operated upon by the beater arms as hereinbefore explained.

The improved .cleaning attachment is simple in its construction and operation and may be readily applied in operative position without materially modifying the usual or well known form of pneumatic cotton distributing elevators, and it is obvious that the facility whereby the course ofthe cotton may be changed so as to pass wholly or partially through the cleaner, or directly through the pipe or tube 40, will result in a very much larger'output of .a ginning organization or battery of gins within a given time, as all the operations are practically ply for conveying the cotton through the.

conveying or distributing pipe or tube. Moreover, the usual length of the well known form of pneumatic cotton distributing elevator is not increased by the addition thereto or association therewith of the improved cleaner attachment, as the latter is placed in a position along one side of the cotton distributing elevator organization which is usually unoccupied, and by this means difliculties often encountered in regard to the practical installation of cleaning attachments or cleaning devices relatively to ginning organizations are fully overcome, with a more effective operation relatively'to the treatment of the cotton and a greater output of the ginning organization within a given time relatively to organizations equipped with cleaning attachments as heretofore constructed and arranged.

In the application of the cleaner to the pneumatic cotton elevator and distributer pipes 40 and 4:1, as shown by Fig. 13, the valve plate 52, valve 60 and the structural features incidental thereto as heretofore explained are omitted. In the organization shown by Fig. 13, the elevating tube or pipe is connected to or forms a part of the distributing tube or pipe 40, and the cotton supply pipe 24 intersects or is branched from the said pipe 65 and connects with the cleaner as heretofore explained. At the point of juncture of the pipes 65 and 2 a valve 71 is located and is readily operable by means of a lever 7 2 connected thereto to set up communication between either the pipes 65 and 24 and shut off the distribut-' ing pipe 40, or to cut out the pipe 211* and establish communication between the pipe (35 and said distributing pipe 40, so that the cleaner may be used when desired, and if unnecessary to use the cleaner it may be cut out and the cotton be then supplied directly to the distributing pipe.

In both organizations for controlling communication of the cleaner with the cotton elevating pipe 65 or 65 the essential features or the principle of the invention is the same, namely, a means to throw the cleaner into or out of communication with relation to the cotton elevating supply, and means, whenthe use of the cleaner is unnecessary, to deliver the cotton directly from the cotton elevating pipe into the cotton distributing pipe. The cleaner outlet in both forms or organizations involving the pneumatic cotton distributer has its outlet continually communicating with the distributer pipe 40, and in other respects also the cleaner has the same construction and arrangement as heretofore described.

In a broader sense a cleaning circuit having a cotton supply connection is cooperatively organized with the distributer pipe of a pneumatic cotton elevator and a cotton elevating pipe, and therewith means are arrangedto entirely cut out the said circuit from the cotton elevating pipe and distributer pipe when the service of said circuit is unnecessary.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a pneumatic cotton distributing organization embodying suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, of a cotton cleaner disposed along one side of the organization and having an inlet independent of the distributing pipe and an outlet intersecting and fully and continually opening into the distributing pipe, the ele vator pipe being connectible either to the inlet of the cleaner or the distributing pipe.

2. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing and elevating organization embodying suction, distributing, andelevator pipes, a cotton cleaner disposed along one side of the said organization and having inlet means independent of the suction and distributing pipes and an outlet directly communicating continually with and opening into the distributing pipe, the elevator pipe being connectible either to the said inlet means of the cleaner or the distributing pipe, the suction force being exerted in the cleaner and relatively to the inlet pipe to draw the cotton into the cleaner when the elevator pipe is connected to the inlet means of the cleaner solely by way of the outlet of the cleaner through the distributing pipe from the suction pipe.

3. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing elevator organization embodying suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaner along one side of the organization and provided with an inlet means communicating with one extremity and intermediately with relation to the cotton cleaner, the cotton cleaner also having an outlet continually opening into the dis tributing pipe, the inlet means of the cleaner being independent of the distributing pipe and the elevator pipe connectible either to the said inlet means or the distributing pipe, the suction force being exerted in the cleaner by way of the outlet thereof from the distributing pipe to effect supply of cotton to the cleaner. Y

4. The combination of a pneumatic elevator organization comprising suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaner provided with an inlet means independent of the distributing pipe and with an outlet at one extremity directly and continually opening into the distributing pipe, the cleaner also having cleaning devices therein which operate to feed the cotton therethrough, the cleaner as a whole being structurally independent of the suction and distributing pipes, the elevator pipe being connectible either to the independent inlet means of the cotton cleaner or to the distributing pipe.

i 5. The combination with a pneumatic distributing elevator embodying the usual suction and distributing pipes, of a cotton cleaner provided with an inletmeans independent of the distributing elevator and an end outlet opening into the distributing pipe, and cleaning devices therein, the cleaner as a whole being arranged adjacent to the elevator and constituting and operating as a cotton cleaning circuit relatively to the distributing pipe of the elevator, cotton being movable full length of the cleaner or only partially therethrough.

6. The combination with a cotton distributing elevator organization embodying suction, distributing and elevator pipes, of a cotton cleaner located exteriorly of the line of suction and distributing pipes and provided with an inlet means structurally independent of the said pipes and an outlet means directly and continually opening into the distributing pipe, the cleaner having cleaningdevices therein, the elevator, pipe being connected either to the structurally 1ndependent inlet means of the cleaner onto the distributing pipe.

7. The combination of a pneumatic cotton elevator organization embodying suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaner free of the usual bypass and located exteriorly of and along the side portion of the suction and distributing pipes and provided with inlet means independent of the distributing pipe and an outlet means intersecting and continually opening directly into the distributing pipe, the elevator pipe being connectible either to the inlet means of the cleaner or to the distributing pipe, the cleaner having mechanical expelling devices adjacent to the outlet thereof to assist in discharging the cleaned cotton to the distributing pipe.

8. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing elevator organization embodying suction, distributing and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaner arranged along the side portion and exteriorly of the suction and distributing pipes, the cotton cleaner being provided with an inlet pipe connected thereto and independent of the distributing pipe and an outlet means comprising an enlarged chamber at one side serving as a passage between the cleaner and the distributing pipe and continually open to the latter, the elevator pipe being connectible for the fiow of cotton therefrom either to the inlet ofthe I cleaner or the distributing pipe.

' and having inlet openings at" one end and intermediately thereof and" an end outlet opening at one side wlth an enlarged outlet chamber thereover into which the cotton is vices.

discharged, the said enlarged chamber intersecting and directly opening into the distributing pipe and the latter having an opening therein equal in dimensions to the extremity of the chamber intersecting the same to insure a free and extensive delivery of the cotton to the said distributing pipe, the elevator pipe being connectible to either of the inlet openings of the cleaner or to the distributing pipe.

10. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing elevator organization embodying .suction, distributing and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaner having an inlet pipe connected thereto and an outlet at one end, the cleaner also provided with an automatically operating cotton feed flow chamber and regulating means and cleaning devices therein, the outlet of the cleaner continually opening into the distributing pipe, the elevator pipe being connectible either to the distributing pipeor the inlet pipe of the cotton cleaner.

11. The combination with a pneumatic cotton distributing elevator embodying suction and distributing pipes, of a cotton cleaner having cleaning devices therein and provided with an end inlet and an outlet at the oposite end, the cotton cleaner being also provided with an automatic cotton flow check and regulating chamber adjacent to the end inlet and operating through the action of the cotton to cut off the suction force and having feed devices therein.

12. The combination with a pneumatic cotton distributing elevator organization comprising suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, and a cot-ton cleaner adjacent to and exteriorly along the suction and distributing pipes and provided with an inlet means independent of the distributing pipe and an outlet solely and constantly in communication with the distributing pipe, the

elevator pipe being shiftably associated withrelation to the inlet means of the cleaner and the distributing pipe and connectible:

to either the said means or distributing pipe whereby a cleaning circuit for the cotton may operate with relation to the distributing pipeor the supply of cotton entirely out direction over the cleaning devices or only part-way of the length of the cleaning de- 1,23s,oas

v or only partially longitudinally traverse the said cleaning devices.

15. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing elevator embodying suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaner associated with and exteriorly of the suction and distributing pipes and having an outlet continually open to the distributlng pipe and also provided with inlet means operative to cause the cotton to fully or only partially traverse the cleaner, the elevator pipe being operative to supply cotton to the inlet means of the cleaner or be cut off from the latter and directly feed the cotton to the distributing pipe.

16. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing organization embodying suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, and

a cotton cleaner having an outlet continually opening into the distributing pipe and an inlet provided with a supply pipe independent of the'distributing pipe, the elevator pipe being shiftable and connectible either to the supply pipe of the cleaner or to the distributing pipe.

17. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing organization embodying suction, distributing and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaner having cleaning devices therein and an outlet continually opening into the distributing pipe, the cleaner also having an inlet provided with a supply pipe, and means with two distinct openings therein to which the terminals of the dis-' tributing pipe and the cotton supply pipe are independently connected, the elevator pipe being shiftably supported on the said means and connectible to either the supply pipe of the cleaner or the distributing pipe and shutting ofl either of the latter pipes relatively to each other when the elevator pipe is in connection with one of said pipes 18. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing organization embodying suction, distributing and elevator pipes, a cotton cleaner having an inlet with a supply pipe independent of the distributing pipe and. an outlet opening continually into the distributing pipe, and a fixed means to which the terminals of the distributing pipe and the supply pipe are connected and openly "exposed, the elevator "pipe being shiftably supported by said fixed means and registrable with either the distributing pipe or the supply pipe of the cleaner and cutting off the supply of cotton to either one of the latter pipes with which it is not in registration.

19. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing elevator embodying suction, distributing and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaner having an outlet at one extremity opening continually into. the distributing pipe and a supply pipe attached to another portion thereof, the elevator pipe being shiftable and having means to cause a registration thereof either with the supply pipe of the cleaner or with the distributing pipe and to close on" either one of the latter pipes with which it is not in registration.

20. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing organization embodying suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, a cotton cleaner having a supply pipe attached thereto and an outlet continually opening into the distributing pipe, and fixed means having openings therethrough with which the ends of the distributing and supply pipes independently register, the elevator pipe having its delivery extremity movably supported by said fixed means and shiftable to register either with the opening of the distributing pipe or the cotton supply pipe and provided with a device which will close the op ing and prevent suction action through eitiier of the pipes with which the delivery terminal of the elevator pipe is out of registration.

21. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing organization embodying suction, distributing and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaner having an outlet at one extremity opening into the distributing pipe and an inlet having a supply pipe independent of the distributing pipe, the elevator pipe being provided with a flexible extremity shiftable to register with either the supply pipe of the cleaner or the distributing 'pipe to change the flow of cotton from the pipe, the elevator pipe having a flexible extremity shiftable to register either with the distributing pipe or sald cotton circuit, said flexible extremity of the elevator pipe comprising a plurality of interfitted truncated sections having intermediate seat grooves, a canvas covering over said seat grooves, and wire clips engaging the said coverin and forcing the same into the grooves to ho d the sections in normally associated relation in connection with the covering.-

23. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing organization embodying suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, and a cotton cleaning circuit having a cotton supply means independent of the distributing pipe and an outlet in continual communication With said distributing pipe, the terminals of the cotton supply means of the cleaning circuit and of the distributing pipe being normally open and having means for holding the same in fixed separated relation, the elevator pipe being shiftably supported with relation to the said fixed means and provided witha sliding device to close the open terminal of either the supply means for the cleaning circuit or the distributing pipe when in registration with either of the latter.

24. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing organization embodying suction, distributing, and elevator pipes, a cotton cleaner having cotton inlet means provided with a cotton supply pipe independent of the distributing pipe and an outlet in uninterrupted.communication with the said distributing pipe, and means for permitting the elevator pipe to be shifted relatively to the inlet terminals of the distributing pipe and the cotton supply pipe of the cleaner to open the elevator pipe to either the distributing pipe terminal or the cleaner cotton supply terminal or to entirely cut oil the said cotton supply pipe or the dis tributing pipe to modify the travel of the cotton from the elevator pipe in either one of two directions.

25. The combination of a pneumatic cotton distributing organization having suction distributing and elevator pipes, a cleaning circuit including cleaning mechanism arranged to operate successively upon the cotton and to move the cotton lengthwise either one of through the cleaner, and means for feeding the cotton to the cleaner at fixed inlets to cause the cotton to either Wholly or partially traverse the cleaning devices.

26. A cotton elevating and cleaning circuit comprising suction, distributing, and elevating conduits, a supply conduit for the cleaning circuit independent of the distributing conduit, the cleaning circuit having an outlet in continual communication with the distributing conduit, and means for opening the elevating conduit either to the distributing conduit or the supply conduit of the cleaning circuit and for closing ofi either of the latter two conduits When the elevating conduit is in registration With either one of the same.

27. The combination of a pneumatic cot- .ton distributing organization having suction, distributing and elevator pipes, and a cleaning circuit with cleaning devices therein having inlet means to cause the cotton to traverse all or only a part of the cleaning devices, and an outlet in continual communication With the distributing pipe and provided With a supply pipe adapted to have communication with the distributing pipe, the cleaning circuit being under suction influence from the suction pipe through the distributing pipe, the distributing pipe and the supply pipe having means for closing ofi ing supplied with cotton.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHAS. S. HYER, SADm STANFORD WHITE.

the same when the other is be-

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