US1376561A - Agitating device - Google Patents

Description

w. 1. MAY.

AGITATING DEVlCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.28,19|9. 1,376,561. Patentedlylay 3, 1921.

INVENTOR Wa/erJT/Wy BY l ATTORNEY PATENT li'tiifl.

WALTER J'. MAY, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

AGITATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Application led March 28, 1919. Serial No. 285,862.

Toi all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, WALTER J. MAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Tmprovements in Agitating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for agitating liquids through infiltration of air or other gaseous substances therein, and it appertains more particularly to devices employed in the manufacture of ice from raw water frozen in cans and similar containers.

One object of the invention is to produce an improved device of the class mentioned that can be depended on to operate satisfactorily at low pressure.

Another object is the production of a device of the nature set forth affording a tight connection between the air supply hose and the pipe or tube receiving the air therefrom and conveying it to the water in process of freezing, thereby insuring an economical air-consumption.

A further object is to provide a device of the character described that shall be of simple construction, such as can be understood by any person of plain intelligence, and therefore easily manipulated by unskilled laborers working for a moderate remuneration.

Still another object is the provision of a device of the type specified so designed as to place the wear externally on the disconnectible part pertaining to the air supply hose, while insuring durable joints at the points of contact thereof with the pipe that conveys the air into the water, and avoiding internally soft tightening surfaces.

A still further object is to supply a device of the kind referred to which shall afford the freest passage to the air, without obstructions of any sort.; that will not be liable to get out of order, though adapted to accommodate varying conditions; and at the same time may be manufactured anywhere at a comparatively low cost of production.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists of the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments,

pointed out in the subjoined claims, and illustrated on the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the said drawings,-

Figure I is a side elevation, showing this improved device applied to a can employed in the manufacture of raw water ice, the can being represented by dot-and-dash lines merely;

Fig. TT is an enlarged broken top plan view of the device removed from the icecan;

Fig. IIT is a broken side elevation of the principal portion of the device shown on an enltrged scale, part thereof being in section; an

Fig. TV is an edge view of the same portion of the device, looking from either side of the preceding ligure.

Generally described, the invention comprises a peculiar form of resilient support or carrier for a drop-pipe, such as is commonly placed in the cans and similar recipients that hold the raw water, when making artificial ice. This support or carrier is centrally arched in a downward direction and outwardly inclined toward both ends in such a manner as to enable it to adjust itself to various widths of containers. Furthermore, it serves as a brace interiorly of the can or recipient, and coacts with an exterior band, placed around the latter,.in imparting a desirable rigidity to the saine, which is of especial benefit in maintaining the drop-pipe correctly positioned throughout the ice forming process. The terminals of the support or carrier, besides, permit it to be applied to the cans or recipients by simple superimposition. A socket-piece is also provided on the carrier or support, arranged for either permanent or temporary coupling to its droppipe. This socket is adapted to make connection alternately with a conduit for the air usually employed to agitate theraw water in the cans or recipients, and with a tube conveying steam to the drop-pipe to thaw it out from the frozen water. A yielding and yet tenacious connection is provided between the` socket and the air supply conduit.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are eembined in the one and same structure, but,

useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, upon becoming conversant with the details thereof, that the same may be incor aorated in several different constructions. he accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted only as showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

rllhe cans ordinarily employed in the production of artificial ice consist of relatively tall recipients, of substantially rectangular cross-section, having two rather' long side walls, as A, united by shorter side walls B, and having a slightly raised bottom C, all as illustrated in Fig. l. Surrounding the upper portion of each recipient is a reinforcing band D, and above it runs a conduit E, intended to convey compressed air to be forced into the body of water that will produce theice, through the :freezing process usually followed. These are standard parts embodied in can systems for freezing` raw water, and therefore are not claimed as appertaining to the present invention, except in so far as they may form therewith legitimate combinations of elements capable of yielding novel and useful results. rThe invention will be described in connection with the said parts, as being peculiarily applicable thereto, though it is to be noted that other forms of recipients could be used instead, and the right. to resort to such changes is consequently reserved.

Spanning the upper part of the can or recipent made as aforesaid, and laid transversely of the longer side walls A thereof, isa support 11, consisting preferably of a somewhat flexible or semi-resilient material. In the exemplification of the invention disclosed herein, this support is shown as having a slightly dished or reversely arched central portion, designated by the reference numeral 11, and outwardly inclined men.- bers 12, rising therefrom, which terminate inhorizontally disposed extremities 13. The members 12 are adapted to engage, frictionally, the opposed inner faces of the walls at the upper ends of the latter, and to exert an outward clamping action thereagainst, approximately opposite the surrounding band D. The extremities 13 of the supportare longitudinally offset from the upwardly and outwardly inclined members 12, and take over the top edges of the said wallsA, serving to limit the extent to which the-,dished or inverted-arch portion of the support may be pressed down or lowered into the can or recipient. It will be readily perceived that, due to theineline of the said members 12 and the bowed, resilient nature of the intermediate portion 11, the support hereinabove described may be fitted to cans varying considerably in width, and

that in each instance it will afford a firm carrier or bridge-piece across the upper open end of the can, besides acting as a strengthening inner brace therefor, within the outer band encompassing the same.

Midway of its span, the support aforesaid is suitably apertured to receive the threaded end 16, of a drop-pipe 1T, depending therefrom into the can or recipient, for about two-thirds of the latters depth. The said end 16 is threaded into a socket member 1S, resting upon the inverted arch of thc support, around the central aperture therein. The socket member is drawn down against the support by a nut 19, engaging the thread on the drop-pipes end 16, below the latternamed member and the inte 'posed portion of the support. It will be observed that the socken-the apertured portion of the support, the drop-pipe, and the nut are thus securely held together.

Directly above its connection to the droppipe, the socket member 18 is formed with a differentially-flared, internal recess, comprising an acute taper 2O and a more obtuse, frusto-conical part 21. The latter leads to a short, straight bore 22, that communicates with the interior of the drop-pipe, and is entered by the upper threaded end thereof. In lieu of the straight-flaring portions 20 and 21, a differentially curved or dished recess could be employed, if preferred. lnserted in the portion 20, is a plug element 25, of corresponding taper, which may be made of india rubber or other suitable material. rlhe engagement of the acute tapering surfaces of the parts 2O and 25 is productive of suflicient adherence to hold the latter in place. This plug element 25 is connected up with the compressed-air pipe E, by means of a flexible hose 26, made fast to a nipple 27, extending upwardly therefrom. is shown in Fig. l, the hose is arranged to conduct the air from the nipple down into the drop-pipe 17, through the intervening socket member. lt is understood that the air issues from the lower end of the drop-pipe, and thence rises into the can, thereby agitating the raw water therein and purifying 'the same in a well-known manner. Y

The means for couplingthe plug 25 to the hose 26 is shown in Fig. Hl as consisting of a tubular connection or stem 28.r having two heads 29 and 30, which may differ in size as indicated. The smaller head 29 is at the end of the stem that passes through the plug, and is adapted to prevent the latter from coming ofi", after being inserted. The larger head 30, at the opposite extremity of the stem, is arranged to receive the lower end of the flexible hose. Interiorly, the stem 28 may have differential apertures 31 and 32. The larger aperture 31 extends from the top end of the stem downward, and Constitutes the major portion of the passage Cil lill

therethrough, terminating in proximity to the head 29. The smaller aperture 32 runs centrally through the stem for the remainder of its length. By virtue of this construction, the compressed air if used at high pressure is led in full volume from the conduit E, through the nipple 27 and hose 26, and expanded to the desired pressure when passing the aperture 32. But, if air at low pressure be employed, which the present invention is especially adapted for, the passage through the stem 28 may in that case be of uniform bore throughout.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The can A, or other recipient, having received its quota of raw water, the operator takes hold of the pipe support or carrier 11 and pushes it down into the upper end of the cam or recipient. The resiliency of the Support or carrier, supplemented by its central curvature and oppositely inclined terminals, enables it to be readily adjusted to various sizes of containers, as hereinbefore explained. This adjustment being effected, and the drop-pipe 17 depending properly from the support or carrier, with the socket member 18 engaging the threaded end 16 thereof, the plug element 25 is next inserted in the slightly tapering part 2O of the said member. Ordinarily, it will be found convenient to have the plug in coupling engagement with the hose 26, through the intermedium of the hollow-doubleheaded stem 28, and to keep the hose on the nipple 27 of the air-conduit E. When the plug is entered into the socket, all there remains to do then is to turn on the com pressed air, which flows directly through the registering passages offered, respectively, by the nipple 27, hose 26, stem 28, socket 18, and drop-pipe 17. As before stated, the compressed air expands in the differentiallyapertured stem 28 to the required pressure, suiliciently to pass down through and out of the drop-'pipe and stream over the lower edge of the latter into the water wherein it is immersed. The ascending air-bubbles, it is understood, agitate the water until the ice forming along the sides of the can or other recipient closes in around the pipe 17. Then the air is turned off at the conduit, whereafter the plug 25 is removed from the socket 18. This being done, a nozzle or jet pertaining to a steam-pipe (not shown) is inserted in the upper portion 2() of the socket, and thence 1s guided, by sliding it over the middle part 21 thereof, into the lower bore 22. The steam forced down through the socket and depending pipe will melt the ice formed around the same, so that the pipe and its support or carrier may be removed from the can or recipient without the least diiiiculty. The operation is identical for all of the cans or recipients, and once the drop-pipe and its support or car* rier have been taken out therefrom the ice is ready to be gathered in, or according to the current expression to be harvested While a certain preferred embodiment of this device has been shown and described, it will be understood that changes in the form, arrangements, proportions, sizes and details thereof may be made, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim, 1s

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a freezing can, of a pipe depending thereinto, a compressed air conduit, a branch leading from the latter, a resilient plug element forming the terminal of said branch, a socket member provided at one end with a rigidly surfaced recess adapted to detachably receive said element and having its other end threadingly engaged by the upper extremity of said pipe, a support for carrying the combined pipe and socket, and a nut on the threaded end of the pipe under said support serving to draw said socket thereagainst from the opposite side.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a freezing can, of a compressed air conduit, a flexible branch leading from the same, a socket member with a tapered recess at one end and a threaded bore at the opposite end thereof, a support underlying the lower end of said socket, a pipe depending into the can with its upper end engaging said bore of the socket and suspended thereby from said support, a resilient plug element detachably entered into said recess, and a double headed tubular stem providing a rigid connection between said element and said branch.

WALTER J MAY.

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