US2856835A - Ventilator for tobacco curing barn with combination top and closure - Google Patents

Description

1958 w. P. HORNE 2, 6,835

VENTILATOR FOR TOBACCO CURING BARN WITH COMBINATION TOP AND CLOSURE Filed Fq b. 28, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F2 9 8 INVENTOR;

MLLIAM P Hoe/v5,

2 3 afi-w ATTORNEYS OctI 21, 1958 w. P. HORNE VENTILATOR FOR TOBACCO CURING BARN WITH COMBINATION TOP AND CLOSURE Filed Feb. 28, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR NIL LIAM Pfi/ogws,

' ATTORNEYS VENTILATOR FOR TOBACCO CURING BARN WITH COMBINATION TOP AND CLOSURE William P. Horne, Charlotte, N. C., assignor to Bright- 8 leaf Industries, Incorporated, Charlotte, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Application February 28, 1955, Serial No. 491,044

3 Claims. (Cl. 98-42) This invention relates to means for ventilating the uppermost part of a drying house such as a tobacco barn and whereby the ventilator means can be controlled by an outside operator standing on the ground.

It is an object therefore of this invention to provide a drying house, such as a tobacco barn, with an opening disposed along the highermost portion of the roof and with a movable closure for said opening whereby the closure can be moved to open or closed or intermediate position by the outside operator to therefore control the flow of air through the barn.

It is another object of this invention to provide a seltcontained ventilator unit which may be fitted over an opening in the roof of a building, said ventilator having side walls and end walls and an elongated flat cover which is movable relative to the upper edges of the side walls and end walls to vary the opening therebetween.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is an isometric view of a drying house such as a tobacco barn equipped with my device;

Figure 2 is an end view looking at the lefthand side of the upper portion of Figure l and showing the ventilator in closed position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the ventilator in fully opened position;

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken along the topmost portion of the roof and showing the ventilator in closed position and taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the ventilator in open position;

Figure 6 is a plan view looking downward on a portion of Figure 4 and showing the ventilator in closed position with the topmost portion of the ventilator re moved and taken along the line 6-6 in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view, taken along line 77 in Figure 5 and showing the ventilator in fully opened position.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the end of a building while 11 indicates the sides. At least one of the sides is provided with an opening 12, to which a door 14 is pivotally secured. The barn is made of suitable framework (not shown) and has rafters indicated at 15. These rafters are joined to a ridge pole 16 and the rafters are covered except at their apex with coverings 17 and 18 leaving an uncovered opening 20 between the proximate edges of the roof sheeting 17 and 13.

The improved ventilator of this invention is broadly designated at 21 and is a self-contained unit adapted to fit over the opening 20 in the building roof and eliminates the need for trap doors or other closure members immediately adjacent the roof opening. The ventilator 21 is preferably formed from sheet metal into a housing which preferably defines an elongated rectangle having vertical ' ice side walls 22 and 23 and end walls 24 and 25 .with flanges 27 extending from the side walls and overlying the adjacent roof portions. 1. i

The rectangle formed by the walls 22-25 is open at the top and bottom and a movable closure member is provided in the form of an elongated flat member 28 which may be raised to permit unobstructed air flow between its lower surface and the upper edges of the walls 2225 and which may be lowered to engage the upper edges of such walls to close the ventilator.

The fiat cover 28 is supported and pivoted by means of at least two links 29 pivotally connected to the side walls 22 and 23. Each of said links is generally V-shaped and the free ends thereof are bent outwardly and are pivotally mounted in suitable openings in the side walls 22 and 23. The closed or end portions of the links 29 are pivotally secured to the under surface of the cover 28 as by cuif member 30. Suitable stops such as angle members 31 limit movement of the links 29 to prevent the links from moving to or beyond full vertical position.

The cover is moved by means of a cable 32 secured to one end thereof which passes through a cable guide 33 fixed on one end of the building and penetrating any portion of the roof which may overhang the end of the building. The cable 32 extends downwardly and has a handle 34 on its lower end which i provided with a plurality of spaced holes 35 adapted to fit over a projection such as a screw 36 in the building wall for adjustably securing the handle 34 to maintain the cover 28 in de' sired adjusted position.

Thus, an operator on the outside of the building may raise the cover partially or fully and hold it in any desired position by positioning the handle 34 with any desired opening over the projection 36. Upon the handle being released, the weight of the cover will cause it to close by gravity.

The cover acts as a combination top for the ventilator and closure therefor and permits one on the outside of the building to observe whether the ventilator is open or closed and to observe the amount of opening.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A ventilator for drying houses such as tobacco barns which drying house has a longitudinally extending opening in the apex of the roof thereof, said ventilator comprising a unitary elongated housing adapted to be superimposed over said opening, said housing having interconnected vertically disposed end walls and side walls, said vertical side walls each having a longitudinally extending downwardly and outwardly inclined flange depending from their lowermost edges, said flanges being adapted to conform to the slope of the roof portions which they overlie, said housing being open at its top and bottom, a closure member for the top of the housing, said closure member being of sufiiciently greater dimensions than the housing to be seated on the upper edges of the housing and to extend beyond the end walls of the housing when in closed position, means disposed above the lower edge of the housing for pivotallyinterconnecting the closure member to the housing for generally vertical movement of the closure member relative to the housing, and actuating means extending from the closure member for moving the closure member into and out of engagement with the housing.

2. Structure according to claim 1 wherein said means for pivotally interconnecting the closure member with the house comprise a plurality of U-shaped links con- 3 4 nected at their web portions to the closure member, the References Cited in the file of this patent free ends of the U-shaped linl s being t urneq outwarcily UNITED STATES PATENTS and ournalled 1n correspondlng opemngs 1n the side walls of the housing 722,539 RllShtOIl Mar. 10, 1903 3. A structure according to claim 2 wherein stop means 5 2207671 Kmg July 1940 extend from the housing to limit the links against move- 2,410'950 Knutsony 1946 ment to dead center. FOREIGN PATENTS 36,310 Germany July 30, 1886 10 15,832 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1905 441,196 Great Britain Jan. 13, 1936

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