US1254045A

US1254045A - Electrolytic apparatus.

Info

Publication number: US1254045A
Application number: US16322617A
Authority: US
Inventors: James T King
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1917-04-19
Filing date: 1917-04-19
Publication date: 1918-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 1935-01-22

Description

J. T. KING.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19; 1917.

Patented J an. 22, 1918.

FFKQE.

JAMES T. KING, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO,

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

Application filed April 19, 1917. Serial No. 163,226.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES THOMAS KING, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrolytic Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to. apparatus particularly adapted for conducting electrolytic assays, and my object is to devise apparatus in which a plurality of assays may be carried on at the same time with the electrolytes in series, in which any one receptacle of electrolyte can be withdrawn from cooperation with its electrodes without breaking the circuit through the electrolyte of the remaining receptacles, and in which effective stirring of the electrolyte is obtained without moving either electrode and without using any special'stirring device.

I attain the objects above set out and others which will hereinafter appear by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved electrolytic apparatus;

Fig. 2 a horizontal section of the same;

Fig. 3 a plan view partly broken away;

Fig. 4 a rear elevation; and

Fig. 5 a vertical section of the receptacle support, and its mountings.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevationpartly in section of the electrode clamps.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

The basis of the present'invention is the arrangement of the apparatus so that the receptacle for the electrolyte is rotated so as to obtain all the advantages of the stirring of the electrolyte while the electrodes remain stationary. j

g I therefore provide one or more supports 1 for the electrolyte receptacles such as 2. These receptacles will usually, of course, be cylindrical beakers. The supports are cupshaped as shown to receive the beakers, and as the beakers may vary slightly in size, each support is provided with elastic means adapted to engage the sides of the beaker.

In Fig. 5 I show rubber plugs 3 fitted in recesses inthe inner face of the cup-shaped support. The inner edges of these plugs protrude and yield more or lessto suit variations in the size of the beaker. This support thus has a frictional grip of the beaker so that the latter will turn with the support. The support is provided with a spindle 4= suitably journaled in a bearing 5. This bearing is vertically movable in a guide 6 secured to the base of the apparatus. The bearing is preferably tubular externally and a similar recessis formed for it in the guide, from which recess extends the vertical slot 7. A pin 8 is secured to the bearing 5 and extends through the slot, and on its outer end is threaded a nut 9. Between the nut and the guide is placed a washer 10, preferably of rubber metal-faced, for a purpose which will hereafter appear.

It is evident that the pin 8 with its nut provides means whereby the receptacle support may be raised orlowered and held at any desired height. A rubber buffer 11 is preferably provided at the upper end of the slot 7 to limit the upward movement of the receptacle support.

Above the receptacle support is located the electrode clamps 12. One jaw of each clamp is stationary and the other jaw 13 is connected with a slide 14 movable in a guide 15. The upper end of this slide is upturned to form a finger grip 16. Between this finger grip and the guide is located a coil spring 17 which tends to move the movable jaw of the. clamp toward the stationary jaw. The clamps are so arranged that one electrode will be held substantially in alinement with the axis of the spindle 4, and hence of the electrolyte receptacle, while the other is oifset.

The electrode 27 carried by the first mentioned clamp will usually be of a strip of rodlike form, while the electrode 28 carried by the other clamp is preferably a cylinder or portion of a cylinder concentric with the axis of the electrolyte receptacle. Consequently, when the electrolyte receptacle with its liquid contents is rotated, the electrolyte is in constant motion relative to the electrodes, but is not unduly agitated.

It is necessary, of course, that when the electrolyte receptacles and electrodes are not in cooperative position that the rotary movement of the electrolyte receptacle should cease. It is necessary, therefore, to provide means for driving the support which will automatically go out of gear when the support for the electrolyte receptacle is lowered.

The driving arrangement provided comprises a suitable motor such as the electric motor 18. This motor, by means of a suitable pulley 19, drives the belt 20. This belt is carried around suitable guide pulleys 21 and extends lengthwise of the apparatus transversely of the spindles 4 and adjacent thereto. Each electrolyte support is provided with a cone pulley 22, which, when the support is raised, will contact with the belt and be frictionally driven thereby.

The electrolyte clamps are connected in series in a suitable circuit 23. As the electrolyte in each receptacle normally forms part of the circuit, the circuit would be broken when an electrolyte receptacle is lowered sufliciently to withdraw the electrodes from contact with the electrolyte. I therefore procure automatic means for establishing a shunt circuit around the electrode clamps of any receptacle which is so lowered. These shunt circuits are indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the metal strips comprising them are shown more clearly in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

Each shunt circuit 2% includes contact plates 25 secured one at each side of the slot 7. WVhen a support 1 is lowered sufliciently to break the circuit through the electrolyte in the receptacle carried thereby, the washer 10 which forms a contact piece establishes an electrical contact between the two plates 25 so that there is no break in the main circuit through the remainder of the apparatus. In the drawings I show only two supports, but in actual practice a number more will probably be employed.

From the above description it will be seen that I have devised apparatus which will satisfactorily attain the objects of my invention as set out in the preamble to this specification.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination of suitably supported electrodes; a rotatable support for an electrolyte receptacle; and means for rotating said receptacle support.

2. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination of suitably supported electrodes, one of said electrodes being formed as a portion of a hollow cylinder; a rotatable support for an electrolyte receptacle; and means for rotating said receptacle support.

3. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination of suitably supported electrodes; a rotatable support for an electrolyte receptacle formed as a cup provided with elastic holding means adapted to engage the sides of a cylindrical receptacle; and means for rotating said receptacle support.

4;. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination of suitably supported electrodes; a rotatablesupport for an electrolyte receptacle; means for rotating said receptacle support; and means for axially adjusting the position of said support relative to the said electrodes.

5. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination of suitably supported electrodes; a support for an electrolyte receptacle mounted for rotation and adapted also to be moved axially to and from the electrodes; a friction pulley connected with said receptacle; and a suitably driven means with which said friction pulley engages when said support is moved to a predetermined position relative to the electrodes.

6. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination of suitably supported electrodes; a circuit including said electrodes; a shunt circuit normally open; and means connected with the receptacle support whereby the movement of said support a predetermined distance from the electrodes closes the shunt circuit.

7. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination of two pairs of electrode clamps; spring actuated slides to which one clamp of each pair is connected; a rotatable support for an electrolyte receptacle; and means for rotating said receptable support.

8. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination of electrode clamps; a support for an electrolyte receptacle; a spindle to which said support is connected; a bearing for said spindle; a guide in which said bearing is vertically adjustable; a circuit including the electrodes; a shunt circuit normally open and including contact plates mounted on said guide; and a contact piece earned by said bearing adapted to engage the contact plates and close the shunt circuit when the said support is moved a predetermined distance from the electrode clamps.

Signed at Toronto, Canada, this 10th day