US2190094A - Sack chute and switch - Google Patents

Description

1940' w. M. BRENCHLEYU SACK CHUTE AND SWITCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 16, 1938 INVENTOR Win Brcuclzley BY mmiwmm ATTORNEY Feb. 13, 1940. I w. M. BRENCHLEY 2,190,094

SACK CHUTE AND SWITCH Filed April 16, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WJnM Bren clzley Feb; 13, 1

SACK CHUTE AND SWITCH Filed April 16, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR W711 PI. B1 'GlLC/Z [0y BY Q 3- ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 13; 1940 ArsNr orr'ics i l l 4 i i s-Ao K orm'm AND swrroH i l l I M-h BWnchleyl Stock r Calif- I I. I r v flsopiieaimn its 16, 1938, swarm. 202,482

ea s. (o 193-31) v a i v I This invention relates to shipdoadingapparatus-andparticularly to a device to facilitate the loading of sacked produce such as "grain into I the'hold'of a vessel. 5 One of the major objects of my invention'is to provide a flexible spout adapted to depend into the hold from adjacent the'hatch, and which is especially designed to handle sacked grain and the like I (as distinguished from bulk u grain) without danger of the stacks bursting open as they drop down the' spout and negotiate the one or more relatively sharpbends usually given the spout'to break the speed of descent of the sacks. To speed up loading" operations; two of 5 the spouts are employed and another important object of the invention is to provide a chute from which the spouts depend,-'an d to arrange an auto-' matically functioning nieans'cn the chute so that l witlfthe sacks deposited in single file order on 3 the chuteat its end furthest from the'spouts, saidsacks willg in'thenormal'operation of the device, he "auto'r'natically diverted into thefitwo spouts in a1ternating order. "the same time, thedevioe may be adjusted if desir'ed so that the 3 sacks will all pass intd'only'oiieof the spouts'.

' A further object of thefinvention is to produce a simple'and'inexpensive'device an'dyet one which vrillbe exceedingly effective for thepurpose' for which it is designed. These objects! accomplish by means of such. structureandrelative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a'perusal of the following specification and claims. I

In the drawings similar characters of'referencc indicate corresponding parts in the several viewsz "Figure its a side elevationof the complete a -w Q Q1. Q

Figure 2. is an enlarged" side clevation'pa'rtly in section. of the chute structure.

3 a top plan view of the same" Figure 4: is an enlargedfra'gmentary section of a spout at its u pper end showing the mounting' and supporting meansffor thefsp'out sections.

Figure his 'a fragmentary side view showing the releasable connection means between a spout section and its supp'ortingxchain; I l

Figure 6 is a plan "view" of a spout section detached. I Referring now more particularly to the charasters of reference onthedraw'ings, the chute structure comprises a main chute portion 5 hav ing sides 2' somewhat deeper than the thickness of." a loaded sack. The chute slopes down to one end and' is'supportsd from averti ally adjustable tionieivorlt' fi which rests on t'h hatch cover of the hold into which the sacks are'to be loaded.

The width of the portion l is somewhat greater than the width of a sack. At the lower end of themain or' initial portion 1; "the chute flares out to forrna wide portion 4 whose width 'is 8- more than double that of portion l, which portion i communicates with a pair of laterally spaced chute branches 5 at the lower end of the chute and which terminate in downwardly facing discharge spouts 6'. These spouts are of m oval form, symmetrical to and slightly larger than the cross sectional area of a loaded sack,

the chute. One branch orleg is longer than the other. so that the spouts are ofiset from each other both transversely and longitudinally of the chute, for the purpose which will be seen.

Disposed in the chute andextending'from adjacent the'inception of the flaring portions A to the inception of the branches 5 is a swinging i6 gate unit. This comprises a forward member '1," substantially in the form of a heavyplate set on edge, and pivoted on a pin 8 Whose axis is at right angles to the bottom of the chute and which is supported by cross bars 9 rigid with the chute above and below the same. The rear member Hl of the gate is also pivoted on the pin 3 for swinging movement independently of the member l, the sides of'member Ill flaring rearwardly from the pin so that 30* with their major aids extndingtransversely oi they are not normally in line with the sides of member 7. The member ii! is yieldably main tained in symmetrical-relation to member 1 by aleaf spring H' seton edge and'secured at its rear end' on the member ill at its rear end. At its forward end, spring H engages a' pin 12 upstanding from a short arm l3 overhanging the adjacent end of member Hi and rigid with m'emher I;

At its forward end, member 7' is provided with/401 a bumper roller M adapted to bear against either side wall of. the chute.v Guardelements 15 in the chute ahead of the roller prevent any possiblecatching of a sack inthecorner formed between the "roller'and the adjacent side wall-45" of the chute; A snap action device lfi'which includes a spring ll Whose tension may be ad justed as clearly indicated in Fig. 2, extends between the forwardend of the gate and .chute'structure roarwardly of the gate, said do 505;; vice being of course above the gate and pin 6.

With the gate in either positiom the member 1 is substantially parallel to the opposite side of a the flaring chute portion 4 and isof coursespaced' therefrom a distance greater than: the width eta- 5 sack. The member H) on the corresponding side however projects into the chute so that its rear end is considerably closer to said side of the chute than the width of a sack. As a result, a sack sliding down the chute is deflected by the member I and then engages said member IE. Since the spring I! is ordinarily weaker than spring H, the gate as a whole is swung by the sack until the latter can pass by the obstruction ofiered by member l0 and enter the adjacent branch 5 and spout 6.

When the gate is deflected sufiiciently to pass the sack however, it is then beyond a dead center position relative-to the snap action device and the latter then functions to throw the gate so that it then closes the branch 5 just used, and diverts the next sack into the other branch, with a subsequent reversal of the gate in the same manner to its original position.

The sacks willthus be delivered alternately the two branches provided the sacks are fed into the chute with some spacing therebetween as is customary. If however a sack should happen to engage the forward end of the gate and prevent swinging thereof before the sack ahead has cleared the gate member ID, the latter will then be deflected by the sack against the resistance of spring I l to allow the sack to pass, and thesubsequent sack will also enter the same chute branch. This however is immaterial in an apparatus of this character, in which perfect alternation is unnecessary.

If intentional feeding into only one chute branch is desired, the above result may be obtained by tensioning spring ll until its resistance is greater than that of spring I i. This result is had by reason of the fact that the leverage ex,- erted on member I by the snap action device I6 is then greater than the leverage exerted on short arm l3 by spring H and thus the gate member ill may be deflected laterally by-a passing sack without moving the gate member 1 past dead center and all sacks will feed into the same branch.

In connection with the chute unit above described, I employ a novel form of flexible spout adapted to depend to any necessary depth into the hold of the vessel from the spouts 6.

These flexible spouts, of which there are of coursetwo, each comprises a plurality of relatively short spout sections it of tapering form, whose cross sectional shape is shown in Fig. 6, and which is the same as that described in connection with spouts B, which project loosely into the topmost spout sections as shown in Figs.

Each spout, whose total length may exceed forty feet, is supported independently of the chute unit by chains l9 at the wide sides of the spout sections, which chains dependfrom and are supported by frames 20 removably resting on the hatch cover.

The chains include snap hooks 2| at intervals, so that lengths of the spout may be easily removed as the hold fills'up, and a shorter spout is wanted. In order to facilitate repairing of the spout, each section I8 is releasably connected to the chains bystuds 22 projecting outwardly from the sections at the rim thereof and extending through adjacent links of the chains, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The chains are held, against undesired disengagement from the studs by suitable means such as cotter pins 23 through the studs. The spout sections have a loose telescoping fit with each other as shown, so that the spout as a whole .may be easily flexed or bent in any desired direction, both to place the discharge end of the spout at the necessary loading point in the hold and also to enable speed retarding bends to be formed in the spout at intervals. the formation of such bends, which may need to be quite abrupt or of small radius, a plurality of the sections l8, at intervals in the length of the spout, are made relatively short as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

By reason of the double offsetting of the chute spouts 6 with which the flexible depending spouts register, said spouts may be deflected in the same or in opposite directions, either transversely or longitudinally of the chute unit, without interfering with each other. i

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills theobiects of the invention as To facilitate of individual articles, said assemblyincluding a 3 chute to receive articles in single file order, a pair of chute branches at one end of said chute, a gate disposed lengthwise in the chute adjacent the chute branches, a pin pivoting the gate intermediate its ends for swinging movement in a plane laterally of the chute, a snap action spring device applied to the gate to yieldably hold the same in angular relation to the chute and in position to engage and divert an article moving along said chute into one of the branches, the opposite sides of the gate rearwardly of the pin flaring from each other so as to project into the path of an article diverted into either branch sufliciently to cause engagement and continued movement of the article with the corresponding flaring side to swing the gate past a dead center position; the portion of the gate rearwardly of the pin being in the form of a member pivoted on said pin for swinging movement independently of the remainder of the gate, and another spring of greater tension than the spring of the snap action device acting on said member to yieldably resist swinging movement thereof.

2. A device as inclaim 1 in which the spring of said snap'action device is capable of adjustment to increase the tension thereof to an extent in excess of that of said other spring.

3. In a chute assembly for two-way distribution of individual articles, said assembly including a chute to receive articles in single file order, a pair of chute branches at one end of said chute, a gate disposed in the chute adjacent the chute branches, means pivoting the gate for swinging movement laterally of the chute, and a snap action spring device applied to the gate to yieldably hold the same in angular relation to said chute and in position to engage and divert an article moving along said chute into one of the branches, a portion of the opposite sides of the gate flaring from each other so as to project sufliciently into the path of an article diverted into either branch whereby upon engagement of said article with the corresponding flaring side portion of the gate and continued movement of said article to swing the gate past a dead center position; said flaring of said snap action device is arranged for adjustportions of the sides of the gate being separate from the remainder of the gate, means mounting said side portions of the gate for lateral swinging movement independently of said remainder of the gate, and means yieldably resist-.

ing such independent swingingmovement of said side portions and with a force greaterthan that exerted by the spring of the snap action device,

4. In a chute assembly for two-way distribution of individual articles, said assembly including a chute to receive articles in single file order, a pair of chute branches at one end of said chute, a gate disposed in the chute adjacent the chute branches, means pivoting the gate for swinging movement laterally of the chute, and a snap ac- 1 tion spring device applied to the gate to yieldably hold the same in angular relation to said chute and in position to engage and divert anarticle moving along said chute into one of the gate for lateral swinging movement independently of said remainder of the gate, and another spring mounted in connection withsaid side portions and yieldably resisting such independent movement, thereof and with a force greater than that exerted by the spring of the snap action device.

s. A device as in claim 4 in which the spring ment to increase the tension thereof to an extent that the force exerted thereby is greater than the force exerted by said other spring mounted,

in connection with said side portions.

6. ,A chute assembly for two-way distribution of individual articles, said assembly including a chute to receive articles in single file order, a pair of chute branches at one end of said chute, a gate disposed in the chute adjacent the chute branches,

said gate comprising separate front and rearsections pivoted together at adjacent ends for rela- H tive swinging movement laterally of the chute, a

snap action spring device applied to the front sectlcn to yieldably hold the same in angular relation to said chute and in position to engage and divert an article moving along said chute into one of the branches, the rear section of said gate having rearwardly flaring sides, and means connected between the front and rear sections and maintaining the rear section inlaterally yieldable but nor-- mally symmetrical relation to the front section, said means upon lateral movement of the rear section exerting an opposite and greater rotating force on the front section than that of the spring of the snap action device. I

7. A device as in claim 6 in which said means comprises a longitudinally extending leaf spring disposed on edge and secured at its rear end on the rear section, the forward end of said spring being formed as a fork, an arm on the front section extending rearwardly of the gate pivot and above said rear section, and a pin upstanding from the rear end of saidarm, the fork straddling said pin. e r

n WILLImi M. BRENCHLEY.

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