US2720741A - Cotton picker doffer - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent COTTON PICKER DOFFER James Morkoski, Memphis, Tenn., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application June 9, 1953, Serial No. 360,419

6 Claims. (Cl. 5641) This invention relates to cotton pickers of the rotating spindle type which incorporate a plurality of spindles adapted to be inserted attendant to their rotation into cotton plants to snag the cotton whereafter the spindles are wihdrawn and passed through a dofiing station whereat means are provided for removing the cotton from the spindles. More specifically the invention relates to a novel dofier for effectively removing cotton from said spindles.

A general object of this invention is to devise a simple, inexpensive and durable doffer which is adaptable for incorporation in current machines and which will effectively doif the spindles.

Currently numerous varieties of cotton plants are being grown and several of these varieties especially those of the long fiber type, which are particularly desirable, present an extremely troublesome condition in doifing from the spindles, and especially when the plants yield large amounts of sap which accretes on the spindles.

A more specific object of the invention is to devise a dofier which will obviate these difiiculties.

The invention contemplates a dofier which presents at its spindle wiping or contacting face numerous sharp corners which are adapted to dig into the cotton on the spindle and unravel it therefrom.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the specification and the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary diminutive top plan view of the novel dofier shown in conjunction with a spindle as it is moved across the doifer disc, the spindle being shown in phantom lines;

Figure 2 is an enlarged bottom view of the novel doffer; and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the doffer taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Describing the invention in detail, the dofier generally designated 2, comprises a support member 3, which may be of metal, plastic or hard rubber or any other suitable substance, the member 3 being circular and having an outer peripheral extent or circumference 4, and an inner periphery defining a central mounting opening 5.

Doffing means generally designated 6 are secured to one side 7 of the plate 3, said doffing means being formed of rubber or rubber-like material and comprising an annulus 8 having a bonded connection on one side 9 with the side 7 of the plate 3, and in flat face engagement therewith. The annulus 8 has an outer periphery 10 coinciding with the periphery 4 of the plate and having an inner periphery 11 which is slightly larger than the opening 5.

Normally the side 9 of the annulus 8 is the top side. The bottom or opposite side 12 of the annulus 8 is formed with a plurality of lugs 13 and 14, the lugs 13 and 14 being arranged in annular or circular concentric series or rings with the lugs 13 disposed about the periphery 10 and lugs 14 disposed inwardly of the outer periphery intermediate the outer and inner peripheries 10 and 11. The lugs 13 and 14 are formed integral with the annulus 8 and depend therefrom. Each of the lugs 13 and 14 are 2,720,741 Patented Oct. 18, 1955 substantially trapezoidal in side elevation and comprise substantially vertical radially outer end surfaces 18 and 20, respectively, which are disposed substantially normal to the lower spindle contacting faces 21 and 22 of the lugs 13 and 14, the faces 21 and 22 of the lugs 13 and 14 being disposed in a substantially horizontal plane and the axis of rotation of the dofier being substantially vertical as well understood by those skilled in the art. The faces or sides 18 and 20 of the lugs 13 and 14 are substantially concentric about the axis of rotation 23 of the dotfer. The opposite radial sides 24 and 25 of each lug 13 are substantially normal to the face 21 and extend radially with respect to the center 23 whereby each lug 13 has its radially inner end or extremity 26 narrower than its radially outer side or extremity 18. The inner side or end 26 of each lug 13 is preferably disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to the face 21 of the lug whereby each lug 13 is broader at its base than at its outer extremity so as to obtain a good firm juncture with the base portion or annulus 8. Similarly each lug 14 has its radial sides 27 and 28 extending radially with respect to the center 23 and substantially normal to the face 22 and the inner radial edge or end 29 of each lug 14 also slopes toward the base, the side 29 being related at an obtuse angle with respect to the face 22.

It will be seen from a consideration of Figure 2 that the outer series of lugs 13 are equally spaced circumferentially about the outer periphery of the disc and that in the present instance there are twenty-four such lugs shown spaced 15 from center to center. The inner series lugs 14 is shown as spaced radially inwardly with respect to the series of lugs 13 and there is shown sixteen of such lugs spaced even at 22 /2 intervals between centers and alternate lugs are centered circumferentially with respect to the adjacent outer lugs.

I have discovered that the critical part of the dofiing is performed by the corners of the dolfer lugs as the dofier sweeps over the spindle. These corners dig into the cotton lint wrapped around the spindle and break it away from the spindle whereupon the cotton is free to be unwound by the dofier from the spindle and thus removed.

It will be seen from a consideration of Figure 1 how this novel multiplication of corners effects the purpose of good dotting. In Figure l the corners or cotton snagging points are identified 30 and 30a for lugs 13 and 31 and 31a for lugs 14. The corners 30 and 31 operate when the doifer rotates as shown and corners 30a and 31a operate when the doifer rotates in the reverse direction as shown in U. 8. Patent 2,140,631. It will be seen that the novel construction of the sides and spindle contacting face of each doifer element 13 or 14 produces an acute angled corner as shown. The lugs 13 and 14 are each substantially of equal dimensions and the points are directed circumferentially.

This doifer has been actually made and tested in the field and has been found to outperform by far any of the current designs of doffers so much so that it is possible to reduce the speed of the dofier and still maintain adequate dofiing and at the same time in view of the reduced speed to thus substantially increase the life of the doffer.

I claim:

1. A doifer for a cotton picker of the rotating spindle type comprising a circular rotatable disc, a rubber annulus having a bonded connection with one side of the disc, and a plurality of rubber lugs integral with said annulus and projecting axially therefrom a substantially uniform distance and arranged in at least two concentric rings, one of said rings disposed along the outer perimeter of said disc and the other of said rings disposed inwardly of the first mentioned ring each lug presenting a cotton snagtgling point projecting in the direction of rotation of the offer.

V disc;

' 2. A doffer unit for a cotton picker of the rotating spindle type described in its normal operative position comprising a generally horizontal disc having a central axis of rotation, a dotting element secured to said disc and havinggia plurality of regularly circumferentially spaced axially projecting lugs of resilient material depend ing' from said disc and disposed in a plurality of concentric rings about said axis, each lug oriented lengthwise radially with respect to said axis of rotation of the doffer and having an outer end remote from said axis provided With a substantially vertical surface extending circumferentially 'of the disc, each end further having substantially vertical opposite sides spaced circumferentially of the disc and extending radially of said axis inwardly of said outer end 7 from opposite extremities of said surface, and each lug further having a bottom spaced axially from said disc support and presenting a generally horizontal spindle wiping face substantially normal to said sides and defining there-.

with and with said surface sharp cotton snagging points directed generally circumferentially of said doffer, said lugs extending arsubstantially uniform distance from said 3. A' doffing unit for a cotton picker of the rotating spindle type comprising a disc-like support having an axis of rotation and lying in a single plane, dofiing means of resilient materialmounted upon said support and comprisinga plurality of concentric rings of axially projecting lugs extending substantially a uniform distance from said support and spaced circumferentially of the support, each lug presenting a spindle wiping face spaced axially of said support and generally parallel to said plane, each lug having inner and outer ends spaced radially as respects said axis of rotation of said support and having sides spaced circumferentially of the support extending radially as respects to said axis and disposed generally normal to said plane, whereby said lugs narrow from their outer to their inner ends, and said outer extremity of each lug presenting a surface angularly related to said face and sides and meeting therewith in circumferentially spaced sharp cotton snagging points directed circumferentially of said unit.

4. A doffing unit according to claim 3; and one of said rings of lugs disposed about the outer periphery ofsaid support and another of said rings of lugs disposed within said first mentioned ring of lugs. V

5. A dofling unit according to claim 3 and said lugs arranged in a plurality of rings about said axis and one of said rings located about the outer periphery of the sup port and another of said rings disposed substantially medially between said outer periphery and the inner periph cry of said support.

6. A cotton picking unit according to claim 3 and comprising at least two circular series of said lugs and one of said series of lugs being disposed about the outer periphery of said support and the other of said series within the first mentioned series, each lug having substantially the same relative dimensions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,763,607 Watkins June 10, 1930 2,654,202 Millard Oct. 6, 1953 2,654,203 Parkerton Oct. 6, 1953

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