US1943575A

US1943575A - Incubator

Info

Publication number: US1943575A
Application number: US588638A
Authority: US
Inventors: Elmer T Abendroth
Original assignee: OAKES Manufacturing Co Inc
Current assignee: OAKES Manufacturing Co Inc; OAKES MANUFACTURING COMPANY Inc
Priority date: 1932-01-25
Filing date: 1932-01-25
Publication date: 1934-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 1951-01-16

Description

Jan. 16, 1934. E. T. ABENDROTH 1,943,575

INCUBATOR Filed Jan. 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY5.

Jan. 16, 1934. E. T. ABENDROTH INCUBATOR Filed Jan. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYJ.

Patented Jan. 16, 1934 IN CUBATOR Elmer T. Abendroth, Tipton, Ind., assignor to The Oakes Manufacturing Company, Inc., Tipton, Ind.

Application January 25, 1932 Serial No. 588,638

8 Claims. (Cl. 11937) This invention relates to an electric incubator, and particularly to the internal structure and means for obtaining the proper distribution of heated air.

The principal object of the invention resides in the employment of a fan associated with a heating element, air passages and the like, for drawing the air downwardly and throwing it laterally to obtain the proper distribution of heated air throughout the interior of the incubator.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a removable unit tray support and air deflector whereby said unit including all the egg trays mounted thereon, may be bodily removed from the incubator for cleansing or other purposes.

Whereas heretofore, it has been customary to provide a draft fan at the top of the incubator for directing the warm air downwardly on the eggs in the trays below, one of the features of this invention is the provision of a fan in the bottom of the incubator for directing the air laterally and upwardly about the side walls, and drawing it downward through the egg trays, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and described.

The full nature of the invention will be more clearly understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the incubator. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the unit tray support. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the incubator taken substantially in the plane 33-33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view looking down thereon with the top and traysupporting unit removed.

In the drawings there is shown an incubator having an outer cabinet 10 mounted on a frame supported by the legs 11 which are provided with, casters. A door 12 swings open from the front of the cabinet and is provided with a glass panel or window 13. The top of the cabinet is provided with side ventilators and the central ventilator 15. The side ventilators comprise the vent holes 16 communicating With the downwardly extending tubes 17. Said vent holes 18 are adapted to be closed by suitable sliding plates 14. The ventilator 15 comprises a pair of nesting conical members pivotally connected for independent rotation at 18, said members being provided with a plurality of vent openings 19 adapted to register with each other for opening the vent or be positioned out of registry for closing the same.

Said ventilator is in communication with the tubular member 20 extending downwardly through the top of the incubator. The bottom of the cabinet is provided with four small vent openings 21 adjacent each corner thereof.

Slidably mounted within the cabinet so as to be readily removable therefrom, there is a unit tray support 22. Said support is provided with the rear legs 23 and a front panel 24 serving as the front legs. The side and rear walls thereof are provided with rows of vent openings 25, the front of said unit being open. On the interior of the side walls, there are a plurality of angle bars 26 upon which the trays 27 are slidably supported. In the bottom of said unit, there is an opening 28 surrounded by a moisture tray 29. Said opening is covered by a screen 30 and is in communication with the downwardly projecting collar 31 which extends close to the bottom of the cabinet.

Mounted below the unit support upon the bottom of the cabinet, there is an annular electric heating element 32, above which there is mounted a rotary fan 33 driven by the motor 34.

At the top of the panel of the cabinet designated at 35, there is the switch 36, a pilot light 3'7, a thermometer 38 and a thermostatic heat regulator 39. The motor is connected with a suitable source of current through the cable 40 and switch 36, by means of

conductors

41 and 43. .Said switch is connected to the thermostat through a portion of conductor 41, and said thermostat is connected to the pilot light 3'? and heating element 32 by a conductor 42. Conductor 43 serves as a common return line, branches thereof connecting the pilot light, heating element and motor to power cable 40. The thermostat operates through a wafer diaphragm 44 and contact point 45.

In operation, when the trays are loaded and the cabinet closed, the switch 36 may be turned on, which will cause the motor to operate and through the thermostat connections energize the heating element. The ventilators may be closed whereupon the air in the cabinet will be drawn inwardly and downwardly through the perforations 25 and the screen bottoms of the trays,

through the screen 30 in the bottom of the tray I the air will reach the top of the cabinet and be drawn downwardly therefrom while a portion thereof will pass through the perforations 25 over the trays and the eggs contained therein. A small amount of fresh air will be drawn in through the vents 21 in the bottom of the cabinet, depending upon the amount of air leakage which is relatively small.

When the air circulated in this manner throughout the cabinet, reaches the proper temperature as indicated by the thermometer, the thermostat will operate to shut off the current passing through the heating element so as to deenergize the same. The fan, however, will continue the circulation of air through the egg trays. When desired, the ventilators may be opened, but by means of the tubes 17 and 20, the current of hot air projected against the top of the cabinet will be directed downwardly in" stead of escaping directly through the ventilators.

By means of this arrangement a steady heat with just the right amount of moisture will be evenly and thoroughly distributed throughout the egg chamber of the cabinet without any direct draft on the eggs.

In other words, there will be a general circulation of the heated and properly moistened air as distinguished from a forced draft of air directly impinging upon the eggs in the trays.

The invention claimed is:

1. An incubator comprising a cabinet, a plurality of egg trays, perforated walls embracing and supporting said egg trays one above the other, means for supporting said walls in spaced relation with the walls of the cabinet, a heating element mounted in said cabinet centrally of and below the egg trays when in position, a fan intermediate said heating element and trays, and a motor for driving said fan, said fan being constructed and positioned in the cabinet to draw the air downwardly through said trays and force it laterally over the heating element into the space between the cabinet and perforated walls.

2. An incubator comprising a cabinet, a plurality of egg trays, perforated walls embracing and supporting said trays one above the other, means for maintaining said walls in spaced relation with the walls of the cabinet, a bottom partition separating said trays from the bottom of the cabinet and having a central passageway therein, a support for said partition and perforated walls, a heating element, and a fan positioned adjacent said element and below said passageway for drawing air therethrough from said trays and directing it laterally and upwardly between said cabinet and perforated walls.

3. An incubator comprising a cabinet, a plurality of egg trays, a housing for supporting said trays one above the other having side and rear walls provided with perforations therein and a bottom having a central opening therethrough, means for supporting said housing in spaced relation to the bottom and walls of the cabinet, a downwardly projecting conduit surrounding said opening, a heating element, and a fan positioned adjacent said element and below said conduit for drawing air therethrough from said trays and forcing it laterally over said element and upwardly between said cabinet and perforated walls for distribution over said trays.

4. An incubator comprising a cabinet, a plurality of egg trays, a housing for supporting said trays one above the other having side and rear walls provided with perforations therein and a bottom having a central opening therethrough, means for supporting said housing in spaced relation to the bottom and walls of the cabinet, a downwardly projecting conduit surrounding said opening, a heating element, a fan associated with said element for drawing air through said conduit from said trays and forcing it over the heating element laterally and upwardly between said housing and cabinet for distribution over said trays, and a ventilator tube in the top of said cabinet.

5. An incubator comprising a cabinet, a plurality of egg trays, a housing for supporting said trays having side and rear walls provided with perforations therein and a bottom having a central opening therethrough, a downwardly projecting conduit surrounding said opening, means for supporting said housing in spaced relation with the bottom and walls of said cabinet, a heating element, and a fan associated with said heating elementfor drawing air through said conduit from said trays and forcing it over the heating element laterally and upwardly between said cabinet and housing for distribution over said trays, said cabinet having vents formed in the bottom thereof.

6. An incubator comprising a cabinet, a traysupporting unit having bottom, rear and side walls, said walls having apertures therein, means in said unit for supporting a plurality of trays, means for supporting said unit in said cabinet in spaced relation to the walls thereof, and

means mounted below said unit for heating and directing air laterally and upwardly between the walls of said unit and cabinet for lateral and downward distribution over said trays.

7. An incubator comprising a cabinet, a traysupporting unit having bottom, rear and side walls, said walls having apertures therein, means in said unit for supporting a plurality of trays, means for supporting said unit in said cabinet in spaced relation to the walls thereof, a heating element supported in said cabinet below said unit, and a fan associated therewith for drawing air through the aperture in the bottom of said unit and forcing it laterally and upwardly between the walls of said unit and cabinet.

8. An incubator comprising a box-like portable cabinet, a removable tray supporting unit having an apertured bottom, means for removably supporting said unit in said cabinet, the walls of the cabinet and unit being spaced apart to provide air passages, means in said unit for supporting a plurality of egg trays, whereby said unit may be bodily removed from the cabinet with or without the egg trays supported therein, a fan for creating a forced draft of air downwardly through said trays and upwardly between the walls of said unit and. cabinet, and a heating element positioned in the path of the air draft for heating the same.

ELMER T. ABENDROTH.