US2108238A - Closure - Google Patents

Description

I va 4.0 30.

V fig' 24 3/ Feb. 15, 193s.

H. A. sTRELow 2,108,238

CLOSURE "Filed sept. 2e, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 1 l INVENTOR. /0 2 \23/ "/3 '/9 BY# www ATTORNEY.

Feb. 15, 193s. H, A, SfRELOW 2,108,238'

Z' INVENTOR.

` BY I {zg l,

ATTORNEY.

Perepte'd Feb. 1s, 193s UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, .y escasas' Henry A. Strelow, Mllwaukeq'Wis., assigner tc The Heil Co., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application september zo, i936, serial No. 'masas f I 1a claims.

. My :resent invention relates in general to irnprovements in the art oi' manufacturing and of sealing receptacles, andV relates more specifically to improvements in the construction and opera.- 4tion of closures for the manhole or inspection yopenings of tanks or the like.

Generally defined, an object of the present invention is to f provide an improved closure of simplified construction which will effectively seal l0 the manhole or inspection opening oi a vehicular tank or similar receptacle.

Many types' of covers have heretofore been utilized in the. endeavor to effectsealing of the manholes or inspection of openings of vehicular tanks for transporting ,and dispensing liquids such as gasoline, oil, and milk; but none of these prior closures are entirely satisiactory. .f-Most of the prior manhole covers that provide effective seals, are too complicated, and the simpler types do not aord tight' closing of the openings at all times and under all conditions. 'I'hese manhole covers are frequently left open by the at tendants, and unless they are closed so asto provide for sealing when the transporting vehicle is set in motion, considerable loss of liquid through the manhole results. It is therefore desirable to provide for automatic closing of the covers when the tank truck is starting, and it is also necessary to insure tight sealing at these manholes 30 as the sealing gaskets become worn or compressed due to constant use. Closures of this typeshould also be adaptable for use .in conjunction with streamlined' tanks without impairing the streamlined appearance, and should be quickly and conveniently manipulable without endangering the operator. None of the prior manhole cover assemblages are adapted to meet all of these contingencies, and all of them'aretherefore more or less objectionable.

It is a moreespeciflcobiect of my present invention to provide an improved manhole closure assembly which besides being simple, compactand durable in construction, is also iiexible and highly eiiicient in operation. Another specific object of this invention is the provision of improved cover structure which will' insure automatic closing and sealing o f the cover 'if the` same has accidentally been left when the receptacle is set in motion.

A furthenspeciilc' object lof `the invention is to provide a closure mechanism which 'is readily ali- .iustable so as to insure tightsealingat all times and under various-conditions of use, and "wherein the closure cover is adapted. tov be effectively open. land flocked'insealingl position. A v .uf'

Still another speciiic object of my invention is the provision of a new and useful manhole closure assemblage especially adapted. for use in conjunction with streamlined vehicular tanks, .f and which may be manufactured and installed 5 yat moderate cost.

aThese and other specific objects and advan- .tages willbe apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the various features conl0 stituting the present improvement, and of thev inode of constructing and of utilizingl manhole closures built in accordance with the invention, l may be had byreferring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this invention l5 wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a top view of one ofthe closures show' ing the same applied to a fragment of a tank, with the automatic latching device and the final 20 latching lever released;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through I.the closure and tank fragment of Fig. 1.. likewise showing the latching devices released preparatory to opening of the cover;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the closure latching mechanism, taken along the line I-l of F18. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through thecover, taken along the line 4--4 of Fig. 3; 30

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section through the closure andtank fragment, showing the cover in open position;

Fig-'6 is a similar sectional view showing the cover automatically held in sealing position after 35 havingbeen closed by gravity; and

Fig. 'I is another similar sectional view showing the cover finally locked in sealed position by the 'manual latching device. l While the improvement has been shown and 40 described herein as being specifically applied toa closure for liquidtransporting truck tanks,l it is not theintent to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scope 'of the invention, sincesome of the novel features of closure assembly may obviously 45 be more generally applied. s

Referring to the drawings, the improved closure assemblage comprises in general a manhole lring i0 .welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the upper portion of a vehicular tank or receptacle '50 II- and having a central opening I2 surrounded by an annular upperLresilient sealing strip lj; I

a main leverI Il' swingably attached to the front side vofthe ring I0 by means of a pivot pin I6 L ring I8; a closure plate or cover I1 pivotally suspended from the medial portion of .the lever I4 by means of a pivot pin I8 and having a seating lip I9 cooperable with the sealing strip I3 when the cover is closed; a. pair of movable cams 28 pivotally attached to the swinging end of the main lever I4 by a pivot pin 2I; a latching-pin 22 carried by ears 23 formed integral lwith the rear portion of the manhole ring I8 and cooperable with the cams 28 when the cover I1 is closed by gravity; and a locking and release lever 24 swingably supported by the latch pin 22. and cooperable with the swinging end of the main `lever I4 and with the cams 28 to interchangeably lock and release the cover I1.

The main frame or ring I8 may be formed by casting or otherwise and is preferably welded to an inwardly directed ange of the receptacle Il as shown, in order to avoid outward projection of the ring beyond the contour of the tank; and while the exterior of the ring I8 may be elliptical in shape, the opening I2 is ordinarily circular;

The annular sealing-strip I3 is confined within a recess in the ring I8, and .may be formed of any suitable sealing material such as cork or rubber composition. The upstanding ears I6, 423 at the front and rear ends of the ring I8 are preferably either formed integral therewith or rigidly attached thereto, and the normal forward direction of transportation of the tank or receptacle II is indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5.

The main cover` suspension lever I4 which is swingably attached to the frame ring I8 by means of the plvotpin l5, is of strong and durable construction; and has means such as an adjustable set screw l25 cooperable with a lug 28 projecting laterally from one of the fixed ears I8, for lim- `iting the extent of the opening movement of the lever I4. The suspension pin I8 for the closure cover I 1 is guarded against damage by a shield 21 formed integral with the lever I4, and the pivot pin I8 is Vrotatably adjustable in the opposite sides of the lever I4 and coacts with ears 28 on the closure I1" through an eccentric sleeve 29 which is secured to the pin I8 b'y a dowel pin 38. The

pivot pin I8 is adapted to be locked in adjusted vpositionrelative to the lever I4 by means of a set screw 3l. and is rotatable to angularly adjust the sleeve 29 by means ofa screw driver or a bladel applied to the slotted end of the pin I8. The cover or closure I1 may thus be shifted relative to the' lever I4 so as to insure proper coaction of the lip I9 with the sealing strip I3 when the lever I4 is in clamping position. The closure I1 is oi' circular formation and is provided with a central vent -32, the outlet opening of which is also guarded by the shield 21.` i

The automatic latching cams A28 are rigidly attached to their pivot and supporting pin 2|, and this pivot pin is rotatably journaled in an eccentric sleeve 33 which coacts with transverse alined bores in the swinging end of the main lever I4. The sleeve 33 snugly nts these bores and is adapted. to be locked in adjusted position by means ofA a set screw 34 as shown in Fig. 3, and the sleeve 33 is provided with a hole 35 within which a lever pin may be inserted to effect v`are constantly caused to swing in a counter-l clockwise vdirection as viewed in Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 7, until an arm 38 formed integral with one of the cams 28 engages the opposite face of the lug 31 asillustrated in Fig. 5. The cams-28 are thus adapted to engage the stationary latching pin 22 whenever the lever I4 is swung toward closing position about its pivot pin I5, and during such l latching pin 22 at all times, and especially when the sealing strip I3 becomes compressed through continued use.

The locking and release lever 24 which is swingl ably supported by the normally fixed latching pin 22 between the ears 23, is rigidly attached to the pin 22 and has an integral locking cam 48 provided with a notch 4I, the former of which is adapted to ride over the sleeve 33 and the latter of which is'formed to finally engage this sleeve So as to hold the main lever I4 in closure sealing position. As the lever 24 is swung about the axis of the pin 22, the pin is rotated in the ears 23, and one end of the pin 22 carries a cam release arm 42 which is adapted to engage the rear edge of one of the cams 28 so as to swing these cams and their pivot pin 2| in a clockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 2 in order to permit free upward swinging of the main lever I4 and closure I1. The arm 42 is rigidly but adjustably secured to the end of the latching pin 22 by means of a set screw43, and when the closure cover I1 and the lever I4 are lowered by gravity, the ad-` jacent cam 28 will engage the arm 42 so as to jswing the same out ,of the way sumciently to perlz'xit theca'm surfaces 39 to engage the latch -pin shown in Figs. l and 2, the locking andrelease lever 24 has been positioned so as to bring the arm '43 into engagement with the adjacent cam 28 and to compress the spring 38 sufficiently so that the rear ends of the cams 28 will clear the latching pin 22. The main lever I4 and closurev I1 may then be swung into open position as clearly shown in Fig. 5, without obstruction,` whereupon the set screw -25 will engage the lug 28 and will retain the lever I4 and closure I1 in open position. At such time,` thearm 38 of the latching cam 28 will engage the adjacent face of the lug 31 by virtue of the action of the coil spring 38.

If it becomes desirable to close the manhole cover, or ii' the vehicle is set in forward motion. the main lever I4 will swing about its supporting pivot I5 suiliciently to bring the center of gravity of the lever and cover assemblage beyond the aile of the pin I5, whereupon the swingable assent-f blage will drop by gravity'toward closing position. As the cam 38 passes the adjacent release arm 42, the lever 24 will be swung upwardly a slight amount, and the cam surfaces 38 will thereafir be swung beneath the latching pin 22 by the coll spring 38 which is slightly compressed when the cams 28 initially pass the pin 22. The spring 38 thereafter immediately becomes effective -to vswing the cam surfaces 33 beneath the pin 22 as shown in Fig. 6. thus forcing the lip I9 of the closure I1 into intimate engagement with the sealing strip I8. The closure I1 is thus initially latched into closed position, by the automatic .action of the cams 20,and of the spring 3.6. In order to finally lock the closure I1 into sealed position as shown in Fig. 7, it is only necessary to swing thev lever 24 forwardly. During the initial forward motion the arm 42 is retracted from the camsli and the outer surface of thecam4il engages the eccentric sleeve 33, and when the lever 24 isV broughtinto final sealing position, the notch M engages the sleeve 33 and positively locks the lever I4 in closing position. In order to bringthe mechanism into the position sho-wn in Fig. 2 sov as to permit openingnof the closure i1, it is only necessary to swing the lever 24 rearwardly about the axis of `the latch pin 22, whereupon the arm it again becomes effective'as above described.V

In order to insure tight sealing of the closure il, itis necessary to properly locate the closure i1 relative to the main lever iii,.and to also properly locate the cams 2b relative tothe latch pin Y the closure I1 may .also be varied by adjustment oi' the set screw 25, but it is preferable to .limit this opening movement if closing of the cover is to be eil'ected by inertia when the tank ii is displaced forwardly.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention provides an extremely simple mechanism for automatically closing and latching a cover in closed position. The invention furthermore provides simple means tor positively locking the cover in sealed position, and also provides simple mechanism for eifecting adjustment so as to insure tight sealing under all conditions of operation. The improved mechanism is extremely compact and is well adapted to augment, rather than to detract from, the streamlined appearance of a vehicular tanl:` to whichit may be applied, and the assemblage vis extremely durable in construction, in spite of its being relatively iight in'structure. The improved closure mechanism is highlyA effective in opere.- tion, and can be manufactured and installed at relatively moderate cost. f Y

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the present invention to the exact detiiils` of construction and to the precise mode of use herein shown and described, for various modiilcations within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: 1. In combination, a. receptacle having an opening, a closure pivotally attached to said receptacle and swingable toward and away from said opening, automatically functioning means for holding said closure in sealing contact with saidv receptacle when said closure is swung toward said opening, and' other means for subsequently finally locking said closure in vsealing position, said other means beingmovable to relase said automatic holding means.

2. In combination, a receptacle having an opening, a closure pivotally attached to said receptacle and swingable toward and away from i said opening, automatically functioning means for holding said closure in sealing contact with said receptacle when said closure is swung toward said opening, and manually operable means for subsequently locking said closure in sealing position, said manually operable means being manipulable to release said automatic holding means.

3. In combination, a receptacle having an opening surrounded by a seal, a closure pivotally attached to said receptacle and being swingable by gravity toward said seal, automatically functioning cam means for frictionally clamping said closure ln contact with said seal when said closure is swung bygravitytoward said opening, and a manually operable lever for subsequently finally lclamping and locking said closure against'said seal, said manually operablemeans being movable to release said cam means.

il. In combination, a receptacle having' an opening and a compressible seal adjacent said opening, a lever pivotally attached to said receptacle and swingable over said opening, a closurey pivotally suspended from the medial portion of said lever, an adjusting eccentric interposed between said closure and said lever, a latching cam pivotally suspended from the swinging end of said lever, andV an adjusting eccentric interposed between said` cam and said lever. i

5. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and a compressible seal adjacent said opening, a lever pivotally attached to said receptacle and swlngable over said opening, a closure pivotally suspended from the medial portion of said lever, an adjusting eccentric interposed between said closure and said lever, a latching cam pivotally suspended from the swinging end of `saldi lever, an adjusting eccentric interposed between said cam and said lever, and a latch pin attached to said receptacle and cooperable with said cam to hold said closure in contact with said seal. f

6. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and a seal ladjacent said opening, a main lever swingabie over said opening, a closure adjustably-suspended from the medial portion oi. said lever and cooperable with said seal, a cam pivotally suspended from the swinging end of said lever, a latch plncarried-by said receptacle and cooperable with said cam to temporarily hold' said closure in contact with said seal, and a locking lever carried by said latch pin and cooperable with said main lever to positively lock said closure in sealed position.

. 7. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and` a seal adjacent said opening, a main lever swingable over said opening, a closure suspended from the medial portion of said lever and tol conperable with said seal. a cam pivotally suspended from the swinging end of said lever, a latch pin rotatably mounted upon said receptacle and engageable with said cam to temporarily hold said closure against said seal, and a locking cam. secured to saidlatch pin and cooperable with said main lever to finally lock said closure in sealed position. l

8. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and a seal adjacent said opening, a main lever swingable across said opening, aclosure suspended from said lever and cooperable with said seal, a cam pivotally suspended from the swinging end of said lever, an adjustable eccentric adjacent said cam, u latch pinA rotatably mounted upon said receptacle and adapted to be engaged by said cam to temporarily against said seal, and a locking cam carried by said latch pin and cooperable withsaid eccentric to nally'lock said closure in sealed position.

9. In combination, a receptacle having an open-v ing, a main lever swingable by gravity across said opening, a closure for said opening suspended from said lever, a pair of camspivotally suspended from the swinging end of said lever, an adjustable eccentric carried by said lever between said cams, a latch pin adapted to be engaged by said cams to temporarily conhne said closure over. said opening, and a, locking cam cooperable with said eccentric to positivelyvlock said closure in sealed position.

10. In combination, a receptacle having an receptacle adjacent said opening, and a locking cam carried by said receptacle and cooperable with said eccentricto positively lock said closure in sealed position.

11. In combination, a receptacle having' an opening, a lever swingable across said opening, a

closure adjustably suspended from said lever and Amatically hold said closure in sealing position relative to said opening, anda locking member cooperable with said lever between said cams i'or Ivfinally positively locking said closure in sealedA position.

12. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and a seal adjacent said opening, a main lever pivotally suspended from said receptacle on one side oi*v said opening and swingable thereover, a closure adjustably suspended 'from the medial portion ot said lever and cooperable with said seal, a pairof cams pivotally suspended from the swinging end of said lever, resilient means for urging said cams in one direction about their pivotal axis, an adjustable eccentric supported by said lever between said cams, a latch pin carried by said receptacle and cooperable with said cams to automatically retain said closure in contact with said seal, a locking cam carried by said -latch pin and cooperable with said eccentric to and cooperable with said automatic holding cams to release the same from holding position.

HENRY A. sTRlELow'.

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