US2374260A - Article treating means - Google Patents

Description

April 24, 1945. E. R. ALLIN'G- ET AL ARTICLE TREATING MEANS Filed Feb. .'28, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ma w m OQ /A/l/ E JJ? Ma V lwulz Armi/M16.

April 24, 1945. E, R A| |NG ET AL 2,374,260

ARTICLE TREATING MEANS Filed Feb. 28. 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 UNI-TED STATES PATENT' orFlcE ARTICLE TREATINGMEANS l E. Roy Alling, Kenmore, and Carl Ulrich, Buffalo, N. Y.; said Ulrich: assigner to Rice & Adams Corporation, Buialo, N. Y.

Application February 28, 1941, Serial No; 381,160

12 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for treatingr articles with` a fluid medium and more particularly to the washing of milk cans and covers in a milkreceiving plant. In the washing of such cans heretofore, the cans have been moved along a selected.A path by step by step movements and. while in different stations along said path, subjected to fluid treatments for washing, rinsing, sterilizing,v and drying of the same. Itis desirable to control the streams of some of said fluids so that there will be no waste oi".` the fluid while the cans are moving from one station to another and no delivery of a treating fluid to a particular station when no can and its cover or article isin that station. Heretofore, this controlv has been obtained by valves controllingsuch streams, and such valves have been opened by mechanism which is directly operated by. the pressure obtained by camming aside a lever that is disposed in the path of travel of the cans or articles as they move into particular stations. To open such valves requires considerable pressure, and, consequently, considerable force must be exerted by the can or article on the lever or other mechanism which is operated thereby to open the valve. This pressure causes a substantial rub-` bing actionon the cans or articles, which tends to wear ofi the nish thereof,' and in the'case of milk cans this pressure wears oi the tinned surface so as to expose the metal therelc`reneath-l Such worn surfaces then rust or corrode and become unsightly and in time weaken the cans or cause leakage through the walls.

An object of this invention is to provide improved means for controlling the fluids delivered to the cans or articles moving along aselected path, with which the wear on the articles or cans is very greatly reduced, which will be relatively simple, compact, durable and inexpensive, and' which will not greatly increase` the cost of the apparatus.

Another object of .the invention is to provide improved means for controlling a, fluid delivered to articles passing along a selected path under the control of the articles in said path, with which the actual operation of the valves is obtained from a suitable source of power and not from the pressure by any article as the article passes along its path of travel, with which the operation of the valve by the source of power is selectively controlled bythe presence and absence of an article from a selected station in said path, as said articles move in sucession along said path,` and with which wear on the articles, because of such control, will'be a minimum.

Anotherobiectjof 'the invention is to provide simple andeective meansfor controlling the delivery of auidto articlessuch` as milk cans, as the articles move insuccession along a selected path, with whiehthe valves will be power'op erated' andA such` operation made automatically responsive to the presence or 'absence of a can or article in any selected position in said path, with which unnecessary wear of said articles while passing alongsaid pathway will be avoided, with which the operation of the valves will occur in timed relation to the movement of the articles along4 said path, with which the time of application ofthe treating fluid can be exactly governed by the design o'f the operating mechanism, which will require a minimum ,of 'operating parts, and which will be relatively simple, quiet, compact and inexpensive.v

Other objects andadvantages will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of theinven'tion in a typical 'can washing machine, andthe novelv features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.`

In the drawings:

Fig.1 is a side elevationof a portion of a milk can and lcover washing machine, in which the delivery of treating fluid" to the cans and covers4 in certainl of the, treatingv stations Vis controlled by valves,` and thev valves are in turn controlled by the presence or absencejof cans in the stations to which iluid isd'elivered and in which the valves arecontrolledin accordance with this invention;

Fig, 1a isI an elevation of the connections be tween certain vdetails ofthe same; Y

2 isa. sectionalplan of. a portion of the same, illustrating the manner in which the vcontrol of the valves is accomplished in timed relation to the movementl of the cans through the treating stations; p

'Fig.,3 is a sectional plan, on a larger scale, through a portion of the washer at one of the treating stations y to illustrate the manner in which lthe valvesfarec'ontrolled by the cans as 45 the cans move into a treating station, the cans in this view beingu shown at intermediate points between stations; ,A

Fig. Vl isa similar .View after the interponent has been` set, by the presence of a can in a se- 50 lected station, ready to cause an operation of the valve by the source of power, but before the operation ofthe valve has started;

Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 4. showing the position ofthe parts occupied after the valve has 55 been opened by the source lf'power and with cere tain of the parts in section to show more clearly some of the details of the parts;

Fig 6 is a transverse, sectional elevation through the valve controlling mechanism, the section being taken approximately along the line 5 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3, with the valve in section to show interior details thereof;

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 6, but showing the change in the position of the interponent after it has been shifted into effective position to cause an operation of the valve;

and

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the mechanism of Fig. 8 while the parts are in that same position.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the articles selected to be treated with a uid medium are milk cans, and the treatment includes 'e the washing, rinsing, sterilizingand drying of the cans and their covers asthey pass vthrough.

the machine along a selected path. 4Machines of this type are common in thev art, and the drawings illustrate generally a typical example of such a can and cover Washing machine to which this invention has advantageously been applied. In the drawings, many parts -of the washing machine not directly modied by this invention, have been omitted inforder not tol obscure details of the application of this invention to a machine of that type.-

A typical can washingmachineof this type includes a housing I having therein from end to end, rails I I on which the cans are supported and along which they slide Whilein` an inverted position, and also `a rail I2 which extends generally from end to end of the housing, and on the upper edge of which the covers are rolled successively through treating stations in proximity to the cans to which those covers respectively belong'. Such rails I2 commonly have notches I3 into which the covers roll, and which serve to yieldingly hold the covers in the different treating stations and prevent over-running f -tliecovers as they are propelled along the rail I2. The covers are pushed along the rail I2 by dogs I 4 lwhich are pivoted to a dog bar I at spaced intervals theree. along, the dogs being overweighted at one end so,

as to normally assume generally upright or upwardly inclined positions as shown in Fig. 1.

the retraction of the dog bar I5, the upstanding end of each dog willbe cammed downwardly and ride under the neck of any cover which has been pushed into its path by thenext adjacent dog.

Thus, when the dog bar I5 is moved to the right in.

Fig. 1, the dogs I4 thereon will push any covers against which they may engage to the right from one notch I3 to another, each notch representing one treating station` During the movement of `the dog bar I5 to the left, or retraction, the dogs I 4 will return to their stations to the left of the notches i3. If a cover has been pushed into any station, the dog passing that station in its return will be cammed downwardly at its upstanding end through its engagement with that cover, and after the dogpasses the cover the dog will automatically return to its upstanding position ready to push the cover in that station forward at the next movement of the dog bar I5 to the right in Fig. 1. Similarly, the cans are pushed along the rails I l, which form a track, by pairs of dogs IB which are pivoted at I7 to dog bars I8 which are disposed along side the rails II and which are shifted endwise in reciprocating movements in a manner which will be described presently.

The dogs I6 are also each over-weighted at one end so as to normally present upstanding noses, which project above the plane of the upper edges ofthe rails l I sufficiently to engage the outer edge of the lower or open end of the canv which is riding on the rails II at opposite sides of the center thereof, so that when the dog bars I8 are shifted to the right in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, each pair of dogs I6 will shift any can immediately in front in Fig. 1, ready to again push forward, or to the right in` Figs. 1 to 3, from station to station, all cans which are in the treating stations.

The dog barsI I5 and I8 arereciprocated endwise yin a selected cyclevof operation in any suitable manner. trated, the operating power for the dog bars is obtained from a shaft I9 which carries a gear 2l)v driven by a gear 2| and suitable motor not shown, it being understood that the shaft I9 may rotate continuously. A cam 22 is fixed on the shaft I9 or tothe gear 20 so as to rotate with the gear 20, and this cam 22 has, in a face thereof, a cam groove 23 (Fig. 1) which varies in its radial distance from the axis of rotation of the shaft I9 in a manner which is predetermined by the particular desired cycle of movement. of the dog bars. A roller or cam follower A24 runs in the groove 23 and is rotatably carried by a pin 25 on a lever 26, which is pivoted at 21 to a base bearing 28. The lever 26 swings generally in the direction of endwise movement of the dog bars, and it is connected by a pin 29-to one end of a link 30 (Figs. 1a and 2), the other end of which is connected by a horizontal pivot 3I to a bearing king pin 32 which hasa depending shank 33 rotatably connected to an arm 34, which in turn is fixed on an upright shaft 35.

The shaftI 35 extends generally from the level of the ,dog bar I5 to the level of the dog bars I8. 'Ifhe dog bars I8 are connected together so as to operate in unison, and one of these dog bars is pivotally connected by a pin 36 to one end of a link 31 which is connected at its other end by a suitable pivot pin to the free end of the arm 34. An arm 38 is fixed upon a shaft 35 at its upper end, and thefree end of that arm is 'pivotally connected by a pin 39 to one end of a link 40, the `other end of which is pvotally connected by a pin 4I to the cover dog bar I5. Thus, when the shaft 35 is rocked, it .will act through its arms 34 and 38 to cause simultaneous and corresponding reciprocations of the dog bars I5 and I8 and thus propel the covers and cans in unison from station tohstation. Inasmuch as the connection from V link 30 to arm 34 moves through an arc during operation 0f the shaft 35the link 30 may also be provided with a hinged joint 42 which allows generally horizontal toggle movement of the link 30. It will be understood that this operation of the dogbars from the cam 22 is old in the art,

In the particular example illusandi-s not, per se, part .of the invention, butV is and its cover arev not in their respective stations illustrated and described' suiciently' to explain its operation in timed relationto the valve'controlling mechanism. f

It will be observed that as the shaft I9 rotates continuously in the same direction, it will cause reciprocations of the dog bars I and IBI and while the follower 24 is running inthe circular r arc portion of the groove 23 farthest from and concentric to the shaft I 9, the dog bars will be in retracted positions and quiet for a substantial interval of time sufcient to enable treatinging element 41. The other arm of the bell crank 45 carries a weight 48 which is secured in adjusted positions by a set screw 48a, and may be adjusted to diierent distances from pivot 46- to exert an adjustable turning force on the bell crank lever and urge the roller 44 into following contact with the periphery of the cam 43. The bell crank 45 has an upstanding portion 49 which is pivotally connected at 55 to one end of a rod 5I. The pin 5U has sufficient play in the upstanding end 49 of the bell crank lever'45 so that the end of rod 5I may move in a strictly endwise direction, while the opening in the end 49 of the lever 45 in which pin 50 engages moves through a small arc. This play may be obtained by elongating the opening in the lever end 49 in a direction toward the pivot 46 as is well known in mechanical movements.

The rod 5| extends in a direction generally parallel to the direction of movement of the dog bars I8, and is supported for such endwise sliding movement at a plurality of points by bearings 52 (Fig. 2). It will be noted from Fig. 1 that while shift the rod 5I to the right, and hold it in that shifted position as the roller 44 rides along a substantial zone of cam 43 which is concentric to the shaft I9. The roller 44 is released for movement towards the shaft I9 about the Zone where the dog bars begin their advance. The weight 48 shifts the roller 44 toward the shaft I9 and in doing so shifts the rod 5I 'back to the left and holds it in that retracted position throughout the remaining period of the rotation, duringr which period of rest for rod 5I the dog bars are shifted to advance the cans and covers from'station to station.

In their travel through the machine, and while in different stations, the cans and covers are subjected to diiferent cleaning treatments inV which they are usually rst rinsed, then washed with a suitable detergent, rinsed, sterilized and dried. Certain of these treatments, such as some of the rinsing treatments. utilize steam and fresh water for example, and it would be an unnecessary waste of such water and steam to deliver the same at the respective stations when milk cans and covers are not in those stations, and the splashing of such rinse water in the interior of the machine when no can and cover are in positions to be treated thereby might result in some unnecessary dilution of the washing solution. Accordingly, at any of these stations where delivery of a liquid is not desired whenever a can tov receive the treatment, a controlv is provided for thatfliquid inthe nature of a valve which. is

opened only when the can and its cover' are in those stations. Inasmuch as the control isthe same at each of the stations, the control for only two of such stations has been shown, but obviou'sly this control. can be similarly applied to any of the stations.

In the illustrated example of the invention, a valve 53 controls the delivery of the intermediate pump rinse water to cans in station A and to covers for the same cans that are in station B. Similarly a valve 54 controlsv delivery of sterile rinse water to any cans in station C and to the corresponding covers in station D. As valves 53 and 54 are normally urged into closed condition in any suitable manner, a typical valve for that purpose is shown in Fig. 7, and since all of the valves are the same, this particular valve in Fig'. '7

- 55 has an operating stem 51 which extends outthe valve. valve caused considerable wear on the surface of wardly of the valve housing, so that whenever the outer end of thevalve stem 51 is depressed against the action of spring 56,A the valve will be opened to pass fluid through the pipe 58 from thepumlp 59.

After'passing the valve 53, the pipe 58'branches, one branch 58a passing beneath any can in sta'- tin A and directing liquid upwardly into anyy can that is therecver. The Iother branch 58h passes upwardly to station B for the corresponding cover of that can, and there terminates in branches which deliver several streams of rinsing water against the cover as usual in this type of machine, Heretofore, in some prior devices the valve stems` 51 have been operated against the action of spring 56 by' a lever disposed in thepath of the can at a station, so that as any can moved into that station it cammed the lever aside and in Vdoing so depressed the stern 51' andV opened The pressure required to so open a the can where engaged by the lever, and in accordance with this invention, this wear has been largely eliminated by having the can, as'itl moves into .the station, merely control the activityl of the valve and not furnish the actual valve operating force or pressure. j

` Referring particularly to Figs. 5 to 9, one form of this control is illustrated. A sleeve or transmission element 60 is mounted on the rod 5I for sliding movement therealong in a zone adjacent the valve 53. The sleeve 60 has an arm 60a which abutsagainst the outer, free endv of the valve stem 51 of valve 53. VThe face of the arm 50a.

which engages stem 51 is provided with an internal recess 6I (Fig. 5) which loosely ts over the end of stern- 51 This engagement between the stem 51 and the arm 50a prevents rotation of sleeve 60 on rod 5I', and since the stem 51 is substantially parallel to the rod 5 I, endwise movement of sleevetll with rod 5I `will cause a depression of the Valve stem 51. The sleeve E0 is also provided withA an arm Bb, and a rod 52is threaded through the army 60D' adjacent the free end of the latter in a direction parallel to the rod 5I. An interponent or plate 63 is pivotally mounted on the rod 62 and is confined against the arm Ib by a nut 64 and washer 55, the nut 64 being threaded uponl the rod 62. By the Word interponent is meant a member which may be selectively interposed between two other parts to transmit motion between them, and removed from between them to interrupt such transmission of movement. The interponent or'plate 63 is free to oscillate about the rod 62 and is provided with two slots 66 and 61, the slot 66 extending from a point adjacent the rod 62 to progressively increasing radial distances therefrom as shown clearly in Figs. 6 and 8. An arm 68 (Fig. 9) extends from a sleeve 69 on the lower end of a shaft 10 to which it is secured, through the yslot 66 in a direction generally parallel to the rod so that when the arm 68 is rocked with the shaft it will act as a cam follower in the slot 66 of the interponent or plate 63 and will rock the latter about the rod 62. The shaft 10 is rotatably mounted in the bearing 1| and also carries an arm 12 which extends into the path of travel of the lower peripheral edge of the open end of the inverted can as shown in Fig. 3, so

that as any can moves into the station A, its lower edge, which is the open edge of the mouth of the inverted can, will engage the arm 12 and cam it into the position shown in Fig. 4.

When the ,arm 12 is rocked in this manner it shifts the arm 68 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4, and in its movement between these positions, arm 68 shifts the interponent or plate 63 from the normal or inactive position shown in Figs. 3, 6, and '7 into the active position shown in Figs. 4, 5, 8 and 9. The slot 61 opens through an edge of the plate as shown in Fig. 6 and is arcuate, with its center of curvature at the rod 62, and a radius equal to the distance from rod 62 to rod 5|, so that' when the interponent plate 63 is rocked from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 8, the slot 61 will clear the rod 5| it vbeing understood that the width of the slot 61 is greater than the diameter of the rod 5|. The end portion of the plate 63 adjacent to the slot 61 is substantially weighted, so that when the interponent is in said active position, the forces of gravity urge it to rotate and to rock said end portion downwardly into the position illustrated in Fig. 6. The rod 5| is provided with an abutment or shoulder 13 which moves with the rod 5|, and this abutment is advantageously secured by providing a collar Fig. 8 and holds it in that position. At the end of a cycle of movement of the rod 5|, the cans 12 back into the path of any other approaching 14 on the rod 5I for movement with the latter.

A set screw 15 serves to secure the collar 14 in any of the different positions into which it may be adjusted along the rod 5|. The collar 14 is adjusted into such a position that when the rod 5| is at its left hand limit of movement in Fig. l, it will bedisposed in substantial distance from the adjacent end face of the sleeve 60, and when at its right handlimit of movement with the rod 5| will occupy the position shown in dash lines in Fig. 3. It will be observed that when the collar 14 moves with the rod 5| in this manner, it will stop just short of engaging and moving the sleeve and there will be no depression of valve stem 51 of the valve 53. If the plate or interponent 63 is shifted into the position shown in Fig. 8 in which the slot 61 straddles the rod 5|, then when the collar 14 moves from the full line position to the dash line position in Fig. 3, it will engage the plate 63 and move it and the sleeve 60 endwise with the rod 5| to the right, as shown by the full line arrow in Fig. 3. This causes a depression of the valve stem 51 and an opening of valve 53 to cause the delivery of a rinsing liquid to a can and cover in stations A and B.

During this movement of sleeve 60 with the rod 5|, the plate 63 is free to ride along the arm 68 which shifted it into the active position shown ,in`

can, which position of arm 12 is shown in Fig. 3. From this it will be observed that the valve will be opened while the rod 5| is in its right hand limit of movement in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and a can is in station A, which usually will be throughout substantially all of the period while the can is stationary in station A.

If no can is in station A, the interponent 63 will, of course, be in its inactive position shown in Fig. 6, and the valve stern 51 of the valve 53 will remain inactive when the rod 5| moves to the right in Fig. 3. The same type of control is provided for the valve 54, and for that reason the corresponding parts for operating the valve 54 are given the same reference characters as those for operating valve 53.

It will be observed that the rod 62 is adjustable in directions lengthwise thereof, and that one end thereof is adjacent to and aligned with the sleeve 69, so that movement of the rod 62 and sleeve 60 lengthwise of the rod 5I, on whichA sleeve 60 is loose, and tothe left in Figs. 5 and '1, may be selectively limited by abutment of the rod 62 against sleeve 69. 'Ihe rod 62 is adjusted to limit excessive movements of the sleeve 60 which might enable the sleeve to slip off of the valve stem 51 and become disconnected therefrom.

From the foregoing it will he observed that the only pressure exerted by the arm 12 on the can edge which cams it aside is that relatively slight pressure exerted by the weighted interponent 63, which is urged by gravity to rotate into the inactive position shown in Fig. 6. The only pressure transmitted through the can is that sucient to shift the interponent 63 into the active position which is relatively small, and the work of operating the valve is performed entirely by the rod 5| under operation by the cam 43. Because of this, the wear on the cans which tends to destroy the tinning on the engaged surface thereof will be very slight, and the life of the Cans very greatly increased.

The valve 54, in the illustrated example, controls the delivery of sterile rinse water received from a suitable source, through pipe 54a, and this pipe beyond the valve 54 branches, one branch 54h going to a position beneath any can in station C and the other branch 54o delivering rinse water to the covers in station D.

It is believed that the operation of the apparatuswill be clear from the foregoing description, and it will `be understood that various changes in the details and arrangement of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature ofthe invention, may be made by those skilled in the art Within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

l. In a machine for Washing articles Such as milk cans, a track along which the cans are moved in inverted positions, means including an operating cam for moving said cans through selected treating stations in succession along said track in step by step movements with substantial intervals of rest in said stations between movements, a rod extending in a direction approximately parallel to the track and mounted for end.- wise movement, an abutment on said rod, `means operated in timed relation to said cam for moving said rod endwise in one direction andv for holding it so moved during a substantial portion of `each of said intervals, a valve having an operating element urged continuously and yieldingly into closed position, a sleeve slidable freely and endwise on said rod adjacent said abutment and operable on said element to force it into open position when said sleeve moves in said one direction endwise of said rod, an interponent mounted on said sleeve for movement thereon into and out of a position in the path of said abutment as said rod moves endwise in said one direction so as to be engaged and moved by saidabutment and thereby cause operation of said valve element, the path of travel of said abutment terminating before the abutment normally causes material movement of the valve element when the interponent is out of the path of movement of the abutment, means responsive to the presence of a can in a selected one of said stations forv causing` movement of said interponent into the path of movement of said abutment automatically, and means controlled by said valve for directing a treating fluid towards said can then in said selected station.

2. In a machine for washing articles such as moved in inverted positions, means including an operating cam for moving said cans through selected treating stations in succession along said track in step by step movements with substantial intervals of rest in said stations between movements, a rod extending in a direction approximately parallel to the track and mounted for endwise movement,l an abutment on said rod, means operated in timed relation to said cam for moving said rod endwise in one direction and for holding it so moved during a substantial portion of each of said intervals, a valve having an operating element urged continuously and yieldingly into closed position, a sleeve slidable freely and endwise on said rod adjacent said abutment and operable on said element to force it into open position when said sleeveV moves in said one direction endwise of said rod, an interponent mounted on said sleeve for movement thereon into and out of a position in the path of said abutment as said rod moves endwise in said one direction so as to be engaged and moved by said abutment and thereby cause operation of said valve element, the path of travel of said abutment terminating before the abutment normally causes material movement of the valve element when-the interponent is out of the pathk of movement of the abutment, a lever having an arm disposed-within the path of travel of said cans as they move into a selected one of said stations and operable by any can moving into said selected one of said stations, means operable by said lever when moved by said can entering said one station for shifting said interponent into a position to transmit movement from said abutment to said sleeve and through the sleeve to said valve, and

means controlled by said valve when operated through said interponent for directing a treating stream towards the can in said selected one station at that time.

3. Ina machine for washing articles such as lmills: cans, a track along which the cans aremoved in inverted positions, means including an operatmeans operated in timed relation to said cam for moving said rod endwise in one direction and for holding it so moved during'y a substantial portion of each of said intervals, a valve having an. operating element `urged. continuously and yieldingly into closed position, means controlled by said valve for delivering :a stream of fluid toa can in one of said stations, Ywhen said valve is opened,

asleeve .slidable freely and endwise on saidfrod adjacent said abutment and operable on said element to force itinto open position when said ,sleeve-moves in. .said one direction endwise of .said rod, an interponent pivoted on said `sleeve for movement thereon into and out of a position in thekpath lot said abutment as said rodmoves milk cans, a track along which the cans are.

endwisefin said one direction so as to be engaged and moved, by said `abutment and` thereby cause operat-ibn of said valve element, the path of travel of said, abutment terminating before the abutment normally causes material movement of the valve element when the interponent is out of the path of movement of the abutment, a lever having an arm disposed within the path of travel of' said cans as they move .into said one of said stations and operable by any can moving intosaid one of said stations, a rod member extending generally in a direction parallel to the direction of endwise movement of said rod rocked by said lever, said interponent having a slot which from end to end progresses to increasingly greater radial distances from the pivotal axis of the interponent and through which said md member loosely extends, whereby rocking of said -lever by a can will Vshift said interponent into a position to transmit movement from said abutment to said sleeve and through the sleeve to said valve, and

said interponent may slide along said rod member without disengagement therefrom while said sleeve and. interponent are moved with said rod. l4. rAn improved device for treating articles with a Huid medium, which comprises-means for conveying the articles along a selected path, a rod mounted generally parallel to said path and adagainst, the action of said urging means into open positioman abutment on said rod adjacent said sleeve, an interponent mounted on said sleeve for movement into and out of a position in which it is disposed between said abutment and sleeve,

means operable by an article passing along said the same direction for shifting said sleeve in a direction tol cause a movement of said valve element into open position, and means controlled by said` valve rfor directing a nuid to an article in said path.

5. An improved device for treating articles with a fluid medium, which comprises means for conveyingthe articles along a selected path, a rod mountedgenerally parallel to said path and adjacent thereto, means for shifting said rod back f and forth endwise, a valve having a valve stem shiftable endwise between open and closed posi` tions of the valve, means yieldingly urging said valve stem into closed position, a sleeve loosely,1710

for movement in a direction crosswise of the di- "v rection of movement of saidrod into a position between said abutment and said sleeve, said plate having a slot from face to face and which from end to end progresses to increasingly greater rau dial distances from the pivotal axis of said plate;v

an arm extending generally parallel to said rod and through said slot, means operable by an article moving along said path for moving said arm in a direction'to carry its portion Within the slot toward said rod so as to rock said plate' into a position between said abutment and said sleeve, said arm having a length suiiicient to remain in said slot as said plate moves with said sleeve under actuation of said abutment, and

means controlled by said valve for delivering `a treating iiuid to one of said articles while in said path.

6. An improved device for treating milk cans and the like with a fluid medium, which comy prises means for conveying the cans in succession through a treating station with a substantial interval of rest in said station, means for delivering a treating fluid to said cans while approximately in saidstation, means for controlling l the delivery of saiduid by said directing means i and having an operating element through operation of which the delivery is stopped or permitted, a rod extending generally parallel to the direction of travel of said cans through said station, means mounting said rod for endwlse reciprocation, means for reciprocating said rod in coordinated relation to the movement of said cans into and out of said station, a sleeve mounted 'on and sliding freely along said rod,- and having one portion engaging said operating element to operate it and cause delivery of fluid to said station, a collar fixed on said rod in a position to approach closely to and recede from said sleeve without moving said sleeve during reciprocations of said rod, a member pivoted on said sleeve and movable thereon into and out of a position across the end of said sleeve to form an extension of said sleeve when across its end, said member having a thickness sufllcient to be engaged by said collar and to transmit motion from it to said sleeve when said member is across the end of said sleeve and said collar approaches said sleeve, and to clear said collar when moved from across the end of said sleeve, and means disposed for operation by a can in said station, for positioning said member across the end of said sleeve while a can is insaid station, whereby fluid will be delivered only while a can is 'approximately in said station. 1

7. An improved device for treating articles with a fluid medium, which comprises means for conveying the articles in succession through a treating station with a substantial interval of rest in said station, means for directing av fluid stream against said articles while in said station, means for controlling said fluid stream and having an operating element through which delivery of iiuid is controlled, a power operated member operable back and forth in timed relation to the advancement of said articles into said station, a transmission element slidable freely upon saidmember and engageable with and operating said element, a plate pivoted on said transmission element to swing crosswise thereof, said member having an abutment near said transmission element but stopping short of engagement with said transmission element, but engageable with said plate to move it and said transmission element and operating element when said plate is swung into the path of said abutment, and means automatically responsive to the presence of an article in said station for shifting said plate into the path of said abutment, whereby the power necessary to operate said element and cause a delivery of fluid will be supplied by said power operated member.

8. An improved device for treating articles with a fluid medium, which comprises means for conveying the articles in succession through a treating station with a substantial interval of rest in said station, means for directing a fluid stream against said articles while in said station, means for controlling said uid stream and having Ian operating element through which delivery of fluid is controlled, a power operated member operable back and forth in timedrelation to the advancement of said articles into said station, an interponent mounted to move freely in the direction of movement of said member but shiftable crosswise of said direction into and out of a position in which it transmits motion from said power operated member to said operating element to cause delivery of fluid to said articles in said station, a control member disposed in the path of movement of said articles and pushed generally horizontally and crosswise of said path by each article moving into and through said station, once only for each article passing said station, a rod connected to and moving with said control member, extending' generally in the direction of movement of said power operated member, said interponent having a cam portion slidingly engaging with said rod by which movement of said rod will shift said interponent into and out of its said position, and said interponent may slide along said rod without movement out of its said position, as said interponent moves with said power-operated member.

9. An improved device for treating articles such as open milk cans, with a fluid medium, which comprises means for conveying the cans in inverted positions in succession through a treating station with a substantial interval of rest in said station, a control member urged into the path of travel of the edge of the open mouth of each can as it moves through said station so as to be pushed aside horizontally by said edge, said member having a rod extending therefrom, a power-operated element reciprocating in a direction generally parallel to said rod during said rest, means for delivering fluid to any can which is in said treating station, a. valve controlling said means, means for operating said valve, an interponent plate disposed with its faces crosswise of said rod, mounted for one movement in a direction crosswise of said rod into and out of a position in which it causes operation therethrough of said valve operating means from said power operated element, and

also free to move with said element in said direction, said plate having a cam slot therein through which said rod extends, said rod When rocked with said member by movement of a can into said station, in turn shifting said plate into saidl position to transmit motion from said element to said valve operating means to open said valve, said rod having relative endwise movement in said slot of said plate as said plate moves with said element.

10. An improved device for treating articles with a, fluid medium, which comprises means for conveying the articles in succession through a treating station, with a substantial interval of rest in said station, means for directing a uid stream against said articles While in said station, means for controlling said stream and having an operating element movable back and forth, a power operated member also movable back and forth in timed relation to the advancement of said articles through said station and in a direction parallel to the movement of said element, said member having an abutment, a sleeve slidably mounted on said member and engageable With and operating said element in a direction in which it causes delivery of fluid to an article in said station, the movement of said abutment toward said sleeve being insuilicient to move said sleeve and element and cause .delivery of said stream to any article in said station, a plate mounted on said sleeve for movement between an inactive position in which it is out of the path of said abutment, and an active position in which it is between said abutment and said sleeve, said plate being of such thickness that when in said active position it will be engaged and moved by said abutment before said abutment completes its movement toward said sleeve, and will transmit movement from said abutment to said sleeve and element suiciently to cause delivery of fluid to any article in said station, and means rendered effective by the presence of an article in said station for shifting said plate into said active position.

l1. An improved device for treating articles with a uid medium, which comprises means for conveying the articles in succession through a treating station, with a substantial interval of rest in said station, means for directing a fluid stream against said articles While in said station, means for controlling said stream and having an operating element disposed for movement back and forth in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of said articles, a rod extending parallel to said direction of movement of said articles and of said element means for reciprocating said rod endwise in timed engagement to the movement of. said articles, said rod having an abutment thereon, a sleeve mounted on said rod for sliding movement therealong and having a portion engageable with said element to move said element in one direction, means yieldingly urging said element in the other direction, said abutment in its movement in one direction approaching but not engaging said sleeve, a plate mounted on said sleeve for movement in a direction crosswise of said rod from an inactive position in which it clears said abutment to an active position in .which it lies in the path of said abutment and is engaged and operated by said abutment to transmit the movement of said abutment to said sleeve suiiiciently to cause a full operation of said element, and means responsive to the presence of an article in said station for camming said plate into said active position. y

12. An improved device for treating articles with a fluid medium, which comprises means for conveying the articles in succession through a treating station, with a substantial interval of rest in said station, means for directing a fluid stream against said articles While in said station, means for controlling said stream and having an operating element disposed for movement back and forth in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of said articles, a rod extending parallel to said direction of movement of said articles and of said element means for reciprocating said rod endwise in timed engagement to the movement of said articles, said rod having an abutment thereon, a sleeve mounted on said rod for sliding movement therelong and having a portion engageable with said element to move said element in one direction, means yieldingly urging said element in the other direction, said abutment in its movement in one direction approaching but not engaging said sleeve, a plate mounted on said sleeve for movement in a direction cross- Wise of said rod from an inactive position in which it clears said abutment to an active position in which it lies in the path of said abutment and is engaged and operated by said abutment to transmit the movement of said abutment to said sleeve sufficiently to cause a full operation of said element, the mounting of said plate on said sleeve being a pivotal mounting and said plate having a slot therein from face to face, and progressing from one end which is a selected distance from the pivotal mounting of the plate in a direction to be at progressively greater radial distances from said pivotal mounting as. the slot progresses from said one end, a shaft mounted for oscillation about an axis at right angles to, but offset from the axis of said rod, and having one arm extending through said slot and a second arm in the path of any article moving into said station, whereby the movement of an article into said station will rock said shaft and through it said plate into its said active position. i

E. ROY ALLlNG. CARL F. ULRICH.

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