US1780497A - Cotton picker - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 4, 1930. w, E MlLLER ET AL 1,780,497

COTTON PI'CKE'R Filed April 12, 1928 Patented Nov. 4, 1930 WILLIAM E MILLE BOY J. SHINN,

AllTD' CORNELIUS s. eaovn or HICKORY, NoItTII CAROLINA A A 1 A common PIcKEa Application fi1ed April 12,

This invention relates tocotton pickers and more particularlyto pickers of the type utito gather the fiber.

lizing a reciprocatory barbed stem or finger Pickers of this general type have been known and tried for many years, but have not proven entirely successful because ofcertain' defects'which have developed sin practical "operationp Among these defects is the dificulty offproperly removing. or stripping the fiber from the barbed-stem" or finger, the

fiber having'a tendency'tobecomepacked and jammed into the barbsso that it isnot easily dislodged- One of; the objects .of'the present nvention is toprovide aplckerfinger so designed and constructed that-thefiber will not. become packedinthebarbs. f g Another object is to prov de, n combina- J tion with such a reclprocatory fingerga stripper platehavingi flaring or. 'fu nnel shaped openings therein through whichthe fingers rw'orlgwhereby the sharp edge ofsuch openingsserves to effectively strip or remove the u accumulated fiber from'thefingers.

' view and section respectively,-

I In-order'that the "invention may be readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying" drawing, 'torming part of this spec ficatiomand in which I A Figure l'is a fragmentary plan view show ing several of our improved fingers associatedfwith a pair of stripper plates;

, Figure 2 is a fragmentary face VIGW Of one of these stripper plates showing the ends of the 1 fingers in-% position-.in the openings therein; i

Figure3 is'a side elevation on an enlarged scale, bowing one of our improved picker fingers and theadjacentportionof the stripper plate, the latterbeingshown in section;

' Figure 4 is. a transverse SQCtlOIl on theline 4C 4E of Figure 3, one a still further enlarged scale; I 1T :Figures 5.. and 6 are a fragmentary face on the same scale asFigure 3fof a modified form of stripper plate opening; and h f Figure 7 i'sa fragmentary longitudinal section on'the line 7'7 of Figure 4, looking in the direct-ionof the arrows.

vofthe groove;

192s. seria no. 269,552; I

finger inits entirety. Each linger is preferably provided atone end with a reduced screw "threaded shank 2, by means of which the fingers may bejinounted in a suitable frame l1,as'shown in 'Figure'sl, and secured in positionyaslby means of nuts 12., Refer-ring again toFigure 1-,it will be seen that we preferably employ: two sets of fingers, each set secured to a reciprocatory frame 11, i and each, frame being associated with means including ap'itman rodlS by means of which it maybe reciprocated q A 1 i -Referring' now to Figures 3and Qthe con struction of the fingeritself Will be described. As shovvn in thedrawing, thebody of the finger' is in the former an elongated cylinder having'longitudinally extending channels 3 formed -therein'," these {channels having ribs 9 between them. a By reference to Figure 4,, y

it will b'eseen' that 'eachchannel is bounded by two plane side wanes and 5; the first being groove are set-a series of barbs, longitudi-i nally spacedapart and each consisting ofa needle 7 having a point 8 bent upwardly and extending at an angle as clearly shown in Figure 7. I In practice; these needles or barbs may be 'ri'gidlyfmountedin the grooves 76 by making the grooves slightly smaller than the diameter of the needles and then forcing the needles in under pressure. Further, for

the sake of additional security, the extreme edge ofthe groove adjacent the. needle may be slightly deformed or upset, as shown at 10 in Figure 4, so as to overliethe body of the needle-and p'revent' it from coming out Referringv again to Figure 4, it will be seen that the ribs 9 constitute guards or shields which prevent, the stems andleaves of the cotton plant frombeingicaught by the barbs,

larly'midway between the two walls 4 and 5,-

but, as shown in Figure 4, lie much closer to the short radial wall 4, than to the other. This further increases the large open space adjacent the wall 5, and thus tends to pre vent the fiber from packing or jamming in such space and facilitating its ready removal from the barbs and channels.

In use, a pair of substantially vertical stripper plates 14, preferably havin flaring forward ends, as shown at 14? in. igu're 1, are disposed between the setsof rec1procating fingers, .andeachof such plates is pr0- vided with a series of holes or opening-s15,

arranged to register with the. adjacent finers. a

g By reference to Figure 3, it will be seen that that side of the holes or openings 15 remote'from the fingers is made flaring or funnel shaped, and that the inner edges of such openings are preferably serrated or provided with sawteeth as shown at 16 It will be understood that in use, the machine carrying the reciprocating fingers and stripper plates is moved along through the field in such a way that the cotton plants pass between the plates H. The fingers, after they have been projected through the openings 15 into such space, return and carry with them the cotton fiber which is picked up by the barbs. Owing to the funnel shape of the holes 15, the adhering fiber is readily drawn outward through these. holes, but upon thejreturn stroke of the fingers, the sharp serrated edges of the openings engage thefiber and push or strip it'from the barbs, as will be obvious. This strippedfiber then falls into a suitable receptacle or is carried away by belts. It will be noted that there is considerable clearance between the body of the finger and the edge of the opening 15, thus permitting large tufts or bunches of fiber to be readily drawn through such opening.

Instead of making the openings with serrated edges, as shown in Figure 3, we may employ funnel shaped openings with straight and 6, both types of opening having been found effective. I

It will be noted that-our improved independently formed barbs are spaced apart longitudinally of the finger and we find that this arrangement gathers and holds the fiber much more effectively and to much better advantage than the type of barb heretonel shapechand the edge serrated.

fore employed consisting of a continuous strip having saw teeth at its edge. Our improved barb, in combination with the special form of channel in which it is mounted, provides a large fiber receiving space which has proven, in practice, very efiicient.

What we claim is 1. In a cotton picker, the combination with a barbed reciprocatory finger, of a fixed stripper plate having an openingthrough which said finger is adapted to freely reciprocate, the inner margin of said opening being flaring or funnel shaped, and spacedfrom said finger. 2. In a cotton picker provided with a barbed reciprocatory finger, a fixed stripper plate having an opening through which said finger is adapted to freely reciprocate, the.

margin of said opening being fiaringor fun- *3.. A cotton picker, finger comprising an elongated body having longitud1nal..channels formed therein, and a' series of =inde-.

pendent spaced barbs, circ-ularin cross-section, set in thebottom of each channel 4.;A cotton picker-finger comprising an elongated. bodyhaving longitudinal channels formed therein, a groove cut in the bot tom of each channel, and a series of independent separately formed barbs, set in said groove with tl'l81I' 'pOlI1tS only pro ecting therefrom, said barbs-lying wholly within said channel.

- v5. A cotton pickerfinger comprising an elongated body having longitudinal channels formed therein, a groove. cut in the bottom of each channel, and a vseries of independent barbs, set in said grooves, each barb consisting of a separately formed needle lying "in the groove, and having its point bent upwardly and extending at an angle". v. 6. A cotton picker. finger comprising an elongated body having longitudinalchannels formed therein, andv aseries of independent, separately formed barbs mounted within each of saidchannels, the point of'each barb lying substantially "nearer one wall of the channel than the other. I

7 7 A cotton picker finger comprising an elongated body having longitudinal channels formed :therein and having .plane side Walls, one of which is substantially shorter than. tl1eother,anda series of barbs mounted within each 0f1S3id channels and having their points lying nearer the .shorter wall. or smooth edges, as shown at 15 in Figures 5 8. A cotton picker finger comprising an elongated body having longitudinal channels formed therein and having plane side Walls,- one 'of which is substantially radial and relatively short, and the other of which ba'rbsmounted within eachof said channels,

and having their points in proximity to the

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