US1493070A - Electrical ignition for smudge pots - Google Patents

Description

May 6, 1924. 1,493,070

J. M. EVANS ET AL ELECTRICAL IGNITION FOR SMUDGE POTS Filed April 17 1922 INI 531mm A TTORNEY Patented'May 6, 1924 UNITED STATES 1,493,070 "PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. EVANS, OF GER-ES, AND HUGO MCKINLEY, OF MODES'IJO, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRICAL IGNITION FOR SMUDGE POTS.

Application fil ed Apri1'17, 1922. Serial No. 554,170.

To all whom it may concern. I Be it known that we, JAMEs Evans, residing at Ceres, county of Stanislaus, State of California, and HUGO MOKINLEY, residing at Modesto, county of Stanislaus, State of California, both citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Ignition for Smudge Pots; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being' had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in means for igniting the contents of smudgepots such as are used, usually in deciduous fruit orchards, to minimize as much as possible the harmful effects of frost by raising the surrounding temperature when the frost is in the air.

As far as we are aware, these smudge-pots, which are placed at intervals throughout the orchard, must at present be individually lit, which either takes a number of men to cover all the ground within a reasonable time, or if one man only has to light all the pots, it will be a comparatively long time between lighting the first and last pots. In either case, the operators are called upon not only to get up very early in the morning, when the frost is heaviest, to do this work, but must at all times keep a close watch on the temperature outside, and be ready to light the pots at any time.

The principal object of our invention is to avoid and eliminate the above named inconvenient, wasteful and ineflicient methods by providing electrical means for igniting the contents of the smudge pots, and further providing means for automatically causing this ignition to take place when a certain and predetermined low temperature has been reached.

The operator then need only fill the pots with the combustible material, and leave the premises without further care, knowing that should the necessity arise the pots will be ignited at the proper time.

We have also arranged a system in con nection with the pot-igniting means so that while their ignition is controlled from a single point, all the pots will be ignited simultaneously.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly efl'ective for the purposes for which it is designed.

- These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary section of aform of smudge-pot, showing one style of ignition means mounted therewith.

Fig. 2 is a diagram of the preferred form of circuit employed.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a smudge-pot of any character, adapted to be filled with crude oil 2 or some other combustible material.

Resting on the upperedges of the pot, and preferably independent thereof is a support 3, a part 4 of which at leastis of an insulating and heat resisting material such as' porcelain. r 1

Depending into the oilfrom the member 4 is ahe'ating element "5, such as a coilof wire, which is preferably wound on a protecting tube 6. On the member a are binding posts 7 to which the leads of the element are connected. i Y

The above described is a simple and-eflicient form of ignition device, but it is'evident that it may be arranged in a number of different ways to give the same results.

In connecting the elements in an electric circuit we preferably arrange them in multiple series in leads 8 and 9 taken from the main power lines 10 and 11. there being to conform to existing regulations, a' main switch 12 therebetween, normally closed.

In the leads 10 and 11, ahead'of the pots is an automatic switch 13, normally open, of a type which maybe purchased in the market.

To operate this switch we provide a thermostat switch 14L, also of a standard type, the leads 15 from which are connected to the lines 10 and 11 ahead of the switch, and in which is interposed the closing-coil 16 of the switch 13. This thermostat switch is regulated or set to close and energize the 0011 16, whereby to close the switch 13, when a predetermined low temperature has been reached, thus allowing a current to flow through the lines 10 and 11, and through the elements 5,- caus-ing the ignition 01: the oil "in all the smudge pots simultaneously.

In order to cause the switch to be opened as soon as the oil is ignited, so as to save ourrent,"the thermostat device is mounted above one of the pots within range of. the heat .produced by its burning contents, so that the thermostat switch will be automatically opened, breaking the circuit through the lines 15 and causing the deenergizingof the coil 16.

The total number of pot-elements may be wired in a plurality of circuits allconne'cted with the main lines, each such circuit then having its own automatic switch, and thermostat control means for said switch.

From the foregoing description it'will be readily seen that we, have produced such a device as substantially fulfillsvtheobjects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specificationsets forth'in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in'practice such deviations from such detail maybe'resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended means forautomatically closingthe circuit when the air around the pots-reaches -a predetermined low temperatur and for again i-tures.

opening thecircuit when'the temperature is raised by the burning of the contents of the pot.

2. An electrical igniting means for the contents of a smudge pot consisting of a heating element. placed in contact with said contents, a circuit therefor, means whereby the circuitwill beautomatically closed when the air about the pot has reached a predetermined low temperature, and means whereby the heat generated by the burning of the contents of the pot will automatically cause the circuit to be opened.

I 3. An electrical igniting means for the contents of a smudge pot consisting of a heating element placed in contact with said contents, a circuit therefor, a switch therein, and thermostat switch operating means con nected in said circuit andoperatively connected'to said switch, the thermostat switch being located to be influenced by the burning of the contents of the pot.

t. An electrical igniting means for the contents of smudge pots positioned in spaced relation consisting of heatinge1e-- ments in thepots in contact with the con, tents thereof, a common circuit for all said elements, a switch in said circuit,and "a sin gle thermostatically operated means for causing the actuating of said switch,said means beinglocated-within the sphere of in- 'fi-uence ofthe direct heat from the burning contents of any one of the-pots.

In testimony whereof-we aflix our 'signa- JAMEs M. EVANS. HUGO 'MoKINLEY,

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