US1323504A

US1323504A - Carl d

Info

Publication number: US1323504A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1936-12-02

Description

C. D. TURNER.

ELECTRIC BRANDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, IBIB- RENEWED APR. 25, I919.

Patented Dec. 2,1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL D. TURNER, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

ELECTRIC BRANDING DEVICE.

Application filed March 6, 1918, Serial No. 220,778.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL D. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, Marion county, and State of Indiana, have invented and discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Branding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric branding devices and the objects thereof are to provide means to obtain a clean cut reproduction of the characters without blurring or scorching of the surfaces surrounding the impression of the characters; to obtain a high thermal efficiency in the member or members forming the characters; to increase the rapidity of the heating action required to effect the branding; to prevent unnecessary energy consumption and unnecessary deterioration of the conductive material of' the tool; to provide a device of minimum size relative. to capacity, and capable of belng readily carried from place to place and conveniently handled in the branding operation; to provide means whereby not only the temperature in the character members to be heated may be readily controlled, but also the temperature of each separate character member may be locally and separately predetermined, and to generally improve the construction and facility of operation of a device of, this class.

With these objects in view my inventlon is embodied in preferable form in the construction, arrangement and combinatlons hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings, Figure 1 1s a plan view I of the face of the die of the tool; Fig. 2,

the characters are to be reproduced giving a.

blurred impression. Those constructions also result in unnecessary loss of thermal efliciency and a great loss of time in heating the body of the character carrying plate. Also, in these constructions in which this plate is electrically connected in the circuit, and forms in itself one of the resistance Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Renewed April 25, 1919 Serial No. 292,694.

elements, not only does the loss of thermal efficiency referred to exist, but there is also an additional unnecessary consumption of current and a. great loss of time in bringing the entire body of the plate to the necessary temperature to effect the branding operation.

In my invention, the body of metal constituting the character members themselves forms the only effective heating element and the only resistance element of the device, and those portions of this body in which the character members are defined are separated from one another by heat insulating, heat reslstmg and electrical insulating material, and hence the entire effective thermal value of the current is imposed directly and entlrely upon such character members, whereby not only is the heat contact surface localized to the character members, but also loss of energy avoided, and the temperature necessary to effect the branding obtained with- 1n a few seconds after the establishment of the circuit. This dominant idea of the invention may perhaps be embodied in various forms. A practicable and successful embodiment of the invention has been found to comprise character members constituting reslstance elements and electrically connected with connector elements of relatively low electrical resistance compared to the character elements, and a non-conducting, heat insulating and heat resisting element lnterposed between the effective surfaces of the character members and the points of electrical connection of the connector elements with the terminals joining the wires leading to the source of electrical energy,

these character members and conductor elements being preferably of homogeneous ma terial, the relatively high and low resistance capacity of the characters and the connectors being preferably obtained by making the latter of relatively greater cross sectional area and larger radiating surface, S0 as to thereby produce a high temperature in the character members only. To construct such an arrangement with the metals or compounds usually employed in electrically heated devices is difficult and possibly impossible owing to the rapid oxidation of such metals due to the high temperature, to

the variations in temperature between the character members and connectors, and also to contact corroslon between such members.

I have discovered that" such construction may be successfully made by the employment for the body of the character members, and also preferably for the connectors of a metal alloy of high specific resistance, high melting point and great resistance to oxidation. The preferred alloy, and one which has been found suitable for effecting this function is one of nickel and chromium. Or homologous alloys possessing the above properties may also be employed. This material should also possess the capacities of being drawn into wire or ribbons and of being formed therefrom into desired shapes for the character members.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a branding device embodying the iINeIltlOll, 1 indicates a block of suitable heat insulating, heat resisting and electrically non-conductive material which may be asbestos or a composition thereof. This block may be of a thickness propor tionate to the area thereof to obtain the re quired strength and rigidity according to the purpose for which it is to be used, and the number of characters it may be requlre d to hear. The character members 2 ane formed of drawn wire or ribbons of nlckel chromium alloy and they project from the front die face of the block as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, and are separated from one another by the adjacent surface of the block which thus serves to prevent conduction of heat between the several character members. The stems 3 of these members extend through the block and on the rear face of the latter join connector members 4 consisting preferably of flat ribbons or strips, one in number for each character member, each character member, however, being connected to two adJacent connector members so that all of said members are connected electrically in series. These stems may be considered structurally and electrically as parts of the character members. The end connector members of the series carry the metal contact posts or plugs 5 adapted to receive detachable spring socket connecting members 6 which'may be connected by wire to any suitable source of electrical energy.

The connector members l are welded to the character members and are composed of material homogeneous therewith, preferably of nickel chromium alloy. The ribbons or plates of which these connector members are formed are of a thickness at least equal to the thickness of the character members and their area is very much greater than that of the latter thus giving a relatively great cross sectional area compared thereto. This relation may be and preferably is as great as ten to one, and is such that the resistance of the connector relatively to that of the character members is inappreciable electrically, and hence the high temperature will be confined to the character members and the temperature will also be prevented from rising in the connectors, owing to the extensive radiating surface thereof obtained by their flat ribbon like formation.

In the use of the device, it may be provided with flexible terminal cords carrying socket plugs, and may be carried by hand from place to place and connected to a junction with any suitable source of electrical energy, and may be conveniently handled in applying it to the object to be branded.

Owing to the fact that the heat is confined to the projecting character members, and the surrounding surface of the supporting element, consisting of the asbestos block is relatively cOld, only clean cut work without scorched or blurred surfaces between the characters, will be produced. Due to this confinement 0f the heat to the small surfaces of the character members, only very little heat is lost by radiation and hence a high thermal efliciency is obtained, as compared with the present prevailing types of brands, in which the die plate and connecting members also receive and radiate heat created by the passage of the current. This construction obtains the further advantage of avoiding loss due to energy consumption while waiting for the device to reach the working temperature, and also the loss now occa sioned when the device is used only intermittently but the current is maintained con tmuously in order to avoid loss of time in raising the temperature of the tool to the required point.

The tool is particularly advantageous for work to be performed on short notice and where frequent changes from brands bearing different characters are to be used, since the temperature of the character members can be instantly raised to branding heat when the circuit is closed.

The device also permits of close control of temperature both generally by regulating the circuit. and locally, in respect to any one character member, by means of defining the size, form and radiating surface of the connector attached to that character member the temperature of which is to be varied from that of the other character.

The nickel chromium alloy employed provides character members of such high specific electric resistance as to obtain the required high temperature, and also prevents oxidation of these members and the conncctors and together with the manner of construction pre 'ents contact corrosion at the points of junction, which are functions not capable of accomplishment with the usual metals and construction employed in branding tools. Such metal alloy also is of particular functional advantage in devices of this character owing to the fact that it retains very high tensile strength and connected with each end of the character stiffness even at 1000 (J. or 110.0 C. which are the temperatures necessary in the branding operation.

Owing to the fact that the impression die element is defined merely in the narrow characters of the brand and the cross sectional area thereof is very smallrelative to the current necessary to produce the heating temperature, it is subject to such a high temperature as would tend to produce oxidation, which effect ,however is eliminated by the use-of the nickel chrome alloy, and therefore this. alloy is of particular coopera tion in function with the particular formation, of the die element as defined. Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. An electric branding device having main conducting wires, a character element in the heating. circuit, terminal elements element and withthe main conducting tively varying I proportions connected together-by connector elements, which are also-- of relatively varying proportions, and con nected .in the circmt with said main' conducting wires, substantially asset forth.

3. An .electric branding device having the heat applying member thereof defined in the form of the characters-of the brand, a heat confining connector element directly welded thereto and heat insulatedtherefrom, and;

of a greater cross sectional area and-greater radiating surface relatively to the heat ap plying member. 7 I

4. An electric branding device having the heat. applying element thereof defined in characters of narrow strip like formation,

anda heat confining connector element of relatively greater cross sectional area and offiat. ribbon like form directly welded to the heat applying elementand heat insulated therefrom..

'5. An electric branding device having the heat applying element thereof formed solely of a body defined inthe brand,said body being of a metal of high electrical resist ance, and a heat confining connector element interposed between the terminals leading to the source. ofelectricity and said body, said connector element being of relatively small resistance compared to the said body and-be;

Witnesses:

ing of homogeneous material therewith and heat applying element thereof formed solely of a body'defined in the characters of the brand, said bodybeing of a metal of highelectrical resistance, and-heat'confining connector elements interposed between the parts of the body forming adjacent characters, and also the complete body and the terminals leading to the source of electricity, said connector elements being of relatively small resistance compared to said body and of homogeneous materialv therewith and directly welded thereto. v

7. An electric branding device having the heat applying element thereofconsisting solely of a bodyof metal, defined in the characters of the brand and having a high specific electrical resistance, high melting point and great-resistance to oxidation and a connector element of homogeneous material welded to said heat applying element and of [relatively reat cross sectlonal area and radiating sur ace.

8, An electric branding device having the heat'applying member defined solely in the characters of the brand and constituting a resistance element in the circuit and composed of nickel chromium alloy and a connector element of the same alloy Welded to said character member, said character and connector elements being of relatively very high and low resistances and small and large radiating surfaces respectively.

9. In an electrlc branding device, in com' bination with a heat applying member, a

connector member and a supporting block for said members of electrical non-conducting, heat non-conducting and heat.insulat-- the connector element being of flat, ribbon like formation and mounted on theopposite face of the block, the heat applying element being of very great resistance and small radiating surface relatively to the connector element. i

In witness. whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis this 7th da of January, A.-D. nin eteen hundred and eig teen. L P

CARL D. TURNER. [1..s.]

-H. P. Doonrrrnr,- L. SHULER.