US2201517A

US2201517A - Gauge line wiper

Info

Publication number: US2201517A
Application number: US236321A
Authority: US
Inventors: Marvin H Bow
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1938-10-21
Filing date: 1938-10-21
Publication date: 1940-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1957-05-21

Description

May 21, 1940. B 2,201,517

GAUGE LINE WIPEF.

Filed Oct. 21, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invention relates to equipment for tanks used for storing oils and the like, and more particularly to improvements in the thief or gauge hatches used when sampling or gauging'the oil 5 contained in the tank.

Oil field tanks are usually provided with an opening, generally designated a thief or gauge hatch, in the top or roof portion, which opening is normally closed by a suitable cover. Samples of oil are taken out through this opening and it is also customary to measure the quantityv of oil in the tank through the medium of a gauge line which may be lowered into the tank through this opening. It frequently happens that when .the gauge line is withdrawn, oil will drop therefrom onto the top of the tank. Unless such oil is wiped up, the appearance of the tank will be marred and a fire hazard will be considerably increased. A considerable amount of rag is wasted in wiping up the oil. In addition, the rags may inadvertently be left on or near the tank and will, therefore, increase the danger of fire.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide means for wiping oil from the gauge line and returning this oil to the tank after the measurement has been taken. The wiping means are so devised as to eifectively remove the oil from the tape run of the line in addition to embodying means for effectively removing oil from the bob attached thereto. Thus I prevent spilling of oil on and about the tank so as to lessen the fire hazard, eliminate the Waste incident to the use of wiping rags, as well as maintaining 1 5 the tank in neat appearance.

A further object is to provide a wiping unit which may easily and quickly be detachably connected with anchor plates associated with a series of tanks, thus permitting the wiping unit tobe moved from tank to tank soas to eliminate the necessity for permanent wiper installations in each tank.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a top plan view of a thief hatch illustrating my invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the structure illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective ViBW of the wiper unit;

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the anchor plate.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, Figure 4 illustrates my invention mounted on the roof I0 of an oil tank having a thief hole 12 surrounded by a tubular neck 14.

Neck i4 is flanged at l6 and securely attached to theroof Ill by bolts l8. Neck I4 is provided with a laterally extending flange at its upper end for supporting a flange 22 projecting laterally of v the collar'24.

Flanges

20 and 22 arefixedly related through the medium of bolts .26. A cover is hingedly connected at with the collar 24 for closing the open end of the collar. The

cover 28 is normally closed by gravity but may be pivoted about the axis of its hinge 30 to the opening in the collar 24 and the neck I4. Either the

flange

20 or 22 may be recessed for accommodating the anchor plate 34 so as to permit the flanges to be drawn into close fitting face to face relation when the bolts 26 are tightened. Plate 34 supports my wiping unit 36, and the wiping unit ,is detachably connected with the anchor plate so as to permit the unit to be transferred from tank to tank in cases where each tank is not equipped with a permanently installed wiper.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the wiper unit 38 comprises a bottom wall 38 formed integrally with side walls 40. 42, 44 and 46 arranged in right angular relation with the bottom. A cover plate 48 fits loosely within the walls to 46.

Between the bottom 38 and the cover plate 48 I mount a body of sponge rubber 50 which is of such configuration as to fit snugly against the walls 40 to 46.

Bolts

52 and 54 extend through aligned openings in the bottom 38 and the cover plate48, as well as through the sponge rubber body 50, and are provided with wing nuts 56 through the medium of which the cover plate 48 maybe drawn downwardly on the sponge rubber .body 50 for compressing the same.

' Bottom 38 and the cover plate 48 are provided with aligned bores 58 of a diameter larger than the diameter of the bob attached to the gauge line. Sponge rubber body 50 is also provided with an opening 60 of smaller diameterthan' rubber body for wiping the oil therefrom. The

sponge rubber body is also provided with a vertical slot 62, the walls of which are arranged in 7 pressure relation. Slot 62 is aligned with wider slots 54 in the bottom 38 and the cover plate 48. In Figure 3 I have illustrated a fragment of the gauge line or tape at 66 as being positioned in gauge line so as to be completely in the clear thereof. Thus the walls of the slot 62 in the sponge rubber body will resiliently press the gauge line for effectively wiping the oil therefrom. As the line is elevated to a position which brings its bob into abutting relation with the bottom 38, the line is shifted for bringing the :bob underneath the opening 60 in the sponge rubber body. The bob of the line is then drawn through the opening 65 so that the wall of the opening will efiectively wipe the oil from the bob. Oil removed from the gauge line as well as the bob thereof drops back into the tank so as to prevent any spilling of such oil on or about the exterior of the tank.

Over a long period of use the walls defining the slot 62 may become worn, which is also true of the wall defining the opening 60. To compensate such wear, cover plate 48 is drawn down through tightening of the

bolts

52 and 54 through the medium of the wing nuts 56 for compressing the sponge rubber body and extruding material of the body for compensating any wear caused by the gauge line.

Referring to Figure 2, the anchor plate 34 is slotted at 58 for the reception of one of the bolts 25 so as to facilitate precise positioning of the anchor plate. The plate is provided with a semicircular recess Ill in its exposed end, which opening communicates with a slot '12 curved concentrically about the axis of an opening 14 in the plate. To the bottom 38 I fixedly connect a pin 76 which is bent to provide a right angular reach 18 located adjacent the corner defined by the

walls

44 and 46. Pin 18 may be inserted through the opening H by tilting the unit 36 up on end to bring the right angular reach 18 into axial alignment with the opening 14. The reach is then pressed through the opening and the unit pivoted to a horizontal position in parallelism with the anchor plate 34. Figure 4 illustrates the square part 80 of the bolt 52 as lying outside the bottom 38, with the head of the bolt spaced from the bottom. The space between the head of the bolt and the bottom 38 is such as to receive the thickness of the anchor plate 34.

After positioning of the unit 36 in parallelism With the anchor plate, the unit is rotated about the pin '54 as an axis for pressing the square part 39 of the bolt into the recess l2. Thus the right angular reach 78 and the bolt head 82 will effectively connect the unit 38 with the anchor plate 3:? so as to support the unit when the gauge line is drawn through the slot 62 and the opening 60. W all 46 is curved to conform to the curvature of the collar 24 so as to permit close fitting relation therebetween. Semi-circular recess ?5 provides clearance for the bob of the gauge line. Thus the anchor plate 34 may be shaped to embody a relatively large supporting area for the unit 36 without interfering with the gauge line. To the wall 62 I connect a shaft 84 which aligns with one wall of the slots 64 and has close fitting relation'at lit with the collar 24. Thus shaft 8 may be employed as a guide for leading the gauge line or tape 66 into receiving relation with the slot 62.

Wall 62 is provided with an eye 88 to which I connect one end of a brass chain 90 having its other end provided with a snap 92 which may be connected with an eye 94 attached to the flange 22. Chain 90 embodies sufficient slack to permit manipulation of the unit 36 for connecting and disconnecting purposes with the snap 92 connected with the eye 94. Chain 90 provides means for preventing the unit 36 from falling to the bottom of the tank in case that it is accidentally dropped during connecting and disconnecting manipulation thereof. Bottom 38 and the cover plate 48 comprise brass so as to prevent generation of sparks which might be caused by contact between the gauge line and these parts.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

1. A wiper for an oil measuring line having a bob comprising a yieldable wiping body having a bob wiping opening of normally smaller diameter than the bob and a line wiping slot extending into said bob wiping opening, pressure plates on opposite sides of said wiping body and having openings coaxially aligned with said oil wiping opening but of larger diameters, said plates being provided with slots lying over said wiping slot but wider than the latter, and means coacting with said plates for pressing said wiping body to constrict said bob wiping opening and to narrow said wiping slot.

2. A wiper for an oil measuring tape having a bob, said wiper being adapted for detachable connection with a supporting plate having an opening and a slot, said wiper comprising a resilient wiping body having 2. bob wiping opening of normally smaller diameter than the bob and a tape Wiping slot extending into said wiping opening, pressure plates on opposite sides of said wiping body and having openings coaxially aligned with said wiping opening but of larger diameters, said pressure plates being provided with slots lying over said wiping slot but wider than the latter, means coacting with said pressure plates for pressing said wiping body to constrict said bob wiping opening and to narrow said wiping slot, one of said pressure plates having a pivot element for coaction with the opening in said supporting plate and an element coacting with the slot therein for holding the said one plate in fixed relation to said supporting plate.

3. A wiper for an oil measuring tape having a bob, said wiper being adapted for detachable connection with a supporting plate having an opening and a slot, said wiper comprising a resilient wiping body having a bob wiping opening of normally smaller diameter than the bob and a tape wiping slot extending into said wiping opening, pressure plates on opposite sides of said wiping body and having openings coaxially aligned with said wiping opening but of larger diameters, said pressure plates being provided with slots lying over said wiping slot but wider than the latter, a headed bolt extending through aligned openings in said pressure plates and said wiping body, with the head of the bolt spaced from one of said pressure plates to provide a fastening extension, a nut on said bolt adjacent the other of said pressure plates for pressing the pressure plates against said wiping body to constrict said bob wiping opening and to narrow said wiping slot, and a pivot element carried by said one of said pressure plates for coaction with the opening in said supporting plate, with said fastening extension adapted to be passed into the slot in the supporting plate with the head of the bolt lying underneath said supporting plate.

4. A wiper for an oil measuring line having a bob, said Wiper comprising a resilient wiping body having a bob wiping opening of normally smaller diameter than the bob and a line wiping slot extending into said bob wiping opening, a boxlike enclosure having a relatively movable cover part for enclosing said resilient wiping body, with the bottom of the box-like enclosure and its cover part provided with openings coaxially aligned with said oil wiping opening but of larger diameters, the bottom of said box-like enclosure and said cover part being provided with slots lying over said wiping slot but wider than the latter, and bolt means coacting with the bottom of said box-like enclosure and said cover part for pressing slot, one side wall of said box-like enclosure being provided with a slot communicatingwith the slots in the bottom of said box-like enclosure and said cover part to constitute an entrance for the oil measuring line, said wiping slot extendingto one edge of the wiping body and communicating with the slot in said one side wall of the enclosure.

5. In a thief hatch having an anchoring plate provided with an opening and a slot, a wiper unit for an oil measuring tape, said wiper unit comprising a resilient wiping body having a tape receiving formation for wiping said tape, means for compressing said resilient body to constrict said tape receiving formation, a pivot element associated with said means adapted to be in- MthrougmpivotaLmQvementnoLthe wiper unit for I detachably connecting the wiper unit with the anchor plate.

MARVIN H. Bow. m