US3014443A

US3014443A - Fertilizer injector

Info

Publication number: US3014443A
Application number: US812045A
Authority: US
Inventors: John F Keyser; James T Wilson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-05-08
Filing date: 1959-05-08
Publication date: 1961-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1978-12-26

Description

Dec. 26, 1961 J. F. KEYSER ETAL FERTILIZER INJECTOR Filed May 8, 1959 GB INVENTORS JOHN C. ZEYSEQ..

@JAMES T. W\\.5ON

ATTQQMEYS,

` 3,014,443 'y FERTILIZER INJECTR John F. Keyser and .lames T. Wilson, both of 4402 Trail Lake Drive, Houston, Tex. Filed May 8, 1959, Ser. No. 812,045 1 Ciaim. (Cl. 11i- 92) This invention relates to an improved manual injector for solid particle fertilizer.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a more easily used and operated injector of this kind which is more serviceable and emcient in operation, and which includesgmeans for positively determining amounts of fertilizer to be injected into the ground, and means for keeping clear of earth the bores made by the injector'for reception of fertilizer from the injector until the injector has been withdrawn from the ground.

Another object of the invention is to provide an injector of the character indicated above which is unusually light in weight, uncomplex in construction, is composed of a small number of simple and easily assembled parts, and which can be made-in rugged and durable forms at relatively low cost. l Otherimportant objects and advantageous features of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description vand the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes Vof illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set' forth in'detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a device of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken through FIGURE l, showing the injector rod in locked position;

' FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary vertical 'transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of FIGURE 1; FIGUREA is an enlarged horizontal section taken on Vthe line 4-4of FIGURE 2, showing the measuring and ldispensing disc in measuring position in full lines and in dispensing position in phantom lines; and

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view, partly vbroken away andin section, showing the component parts of the device separated. Y

" Referring in` detail to the drawings, wherein like nuinerals designate like parts throughout the several views,

4the illustrated device comprises a closed hopper 10, preferably in the form of a vertically elongated, tubular openended casing l2, preferably of square cross section, having internal

peripheral flanges

14 and 16 at its upper and lower ends, respectively. The upper end of the hopper is closed by a removable cover plate 18, secured upon the upper flange 14. The cover plate 18 has therein a central circular opening 2G.

Removably securedV to the underside of the cover plate 187 and registered with the openingl 2li isa rod lock 24 which comprises a vertical cylinder 26 having a lateral annular ange 2S' on its upper end which is provided with threaded holes-3l) to receive studs 32 which extend downwardly through holes 34 provided on the cover plate v18 around. theV opening 20. The studs 32 also extend downwardly through holes 36y in thelateral flange 33 ofV a rodl guide 4@ whereby the guide is fixed in place upon the upper side of the cover plate i8, with its round bore arent iee '42 registered with the opening 20 and with a round vertical axial bore 44 which extends through the rod lock cylinder 26.

The rod lock 24 is provided with a compound slot 46 which involves an upper radial portion 48 which extends outwardly from the bore 44 to the outer edge of the frange 2S, a vertical portion 50 which extends from the bore 44 through a side of the cylinder 26, and a closed chordal lower portion 52, at the lower end of the vertical portion 5G, and which extends in a clockwise direction around the cylinder 26 from the portion 50.

Rotating and sliding through the rod guide and the rod lock 24, and centered in the opening 2li of the top plate '18, is a vertical injector rod 54 which is composed of a polygonal, preferably square upper section 56, smaller in diameter than the opening 20, and a smooth round lower section 5S. The rod sections can be permanently secured together at their meeting ends, or threadedly connected together, as by a stud 6G on the upper section 56 threaded into a socket 62 in the upper end of the lower section 5S. the vupper rod section 56 is long enough to put its lower end on a level below the lower end of the hopper casing 12, and the lower rod section 58 is long enough to put its lower end below the lower end of an injector tip, in the depressed position of the injector rod 54.

On and projecting laterally from the upper rod section S6 is a locking pin 64 which is located thereon, so that in the elevated position of the rod S4, the pin can be freely rotatedV in the opening 26 in the space 66 between the upper end of the rod lock 24 and the rod guide 4l). For rotating the injector rod 54 and for elevating and depressing the same, the rod 54 has xed on its upper end, above the guide 4G, a wheel 68. For yieldably urging the rod 54 upwardly and for giving the pin 64 frictional retention in the lower chordal portion 52 of the slot 46 when positioned therein, a helical spring 70 is circumu posed on the rod 54 and is compressed between the wheel 68 and the rod guide 4i). Y

The part of the square upper section 56 of the injector rod slides non-rotatably in the squared bore 72 of a tube '74 which has fixed on its lower end a measuring and dis- Y pensing disc '76, which is smaller in diameter than the hopper casing 12. Engaged with the lower side of the lower casing ange 16 is a Square hopper bottom plate 78 having a central opening 80 passing the tube 74 and having therein an arcuate concentric slot 82. The top of the disc 76 is in bearing relation to the underside of the bottom plate 78, and the disc 76'is held up in place by a squarey dispensing plate S4 which is provided with a central opening S6 which is larger in diameter than, and freely passes the lower injector rod section 58.

The dispensing plate 84 isv held up in place and assern bled to the lower end of the hopper casing 12 by a downwardly tapering funnel 88, of square cross section, having a flange 96 around'its upper end `which forms a; receiver for the lower end of the casing, and, with the upper end of the funnel side wall 92, forms an internal shoulder 94 which supportably engages the. dispensing plate 84 at-its edges. Suitable means, such asV screwsA 95 secure the VIange 99 to the casing 12.

The arcuate ,slotV 82 of the hopper bottomy plate '78 is As indicated in FIGURES 2 and 3,

the slot 82. The dispensing plate 84 is provided with a similar arcuate slot 98 which is located diametrically opposite the bottom plate slot 82. In the dispensing plate 84, at opposite sides of and spaced from the ends of its slot 82, are two arcuate rows 100 and 102, of spaced holes with which the slot 96 of the disc 76 is sometimes wholly or partially registrable.

rfhe funnel 88 terminates at its lower end in a thickened tubular boss 104 having in its lower end a socket 106 to receive the upper end of an injector Vtube 166, secured in place by suitable means, such as a set screw 108. The socket 106 opens at its upper end into a reduced diameter axial bore 118 which opens through the upper end of the boss 184 and which is larger in diameter than the lower injector rod section 58. A cross bar handle 112, for use in withdrawing the device from the ground, and is Steadying the device when being thrust into the ground, is secured, at its midpoint, as indicated at 114, to a band 116 which extends around the boss 104 and is secured thereto, as by the set screw 108.

The injector tube 106 has fixed in and extending belov.I its lower end a ground-piercing point or tip 118, which is shorter than the rod lock 24, is preferably of solid cross section, and is provided with an axial bore 120 through which the lower injector rod section 58 slides, to expose its point 12-2 below the lower end 124 of the tip 118. The tip is downwardly tapered to its lower end 124 and has an external groove 126 at its upper end into which the material of the injector tube 106 can be crimped, as indicated at 128, to hold the tip 118 in place. In the upper end of the tip 118 is an enlarged and downwardly tapered mouth 12.9 whose side wall 131 tapers from the side wall of the injector tube to the tip bore 121), so as to eliminate any possible arrestation of fertilizer at the point whereat the injector tube 106 communicates with the bore of the tip.

A cross bar 130 is adjustably secured at its midpoint on the lower part of the injector tube 106, as by means of a strap clamp 132, and is adapted to be adjusted along the tube 106, relative to the tip 118, to serve as a stop for engaging the ground, so as to limit penetration of the point 118 to the desired depth below the ground surface; and to serve as a foot rest for driving the point 118 into the ground. Dry fertilizer, in the form of granules or powdered, is introduced into the hopper 10, through an opening 134 provided in the upper part of the side wall of the hopper casing 12, which is closed by a hinged door 136.

In operation, before filling the hopper with fertilizer, the injector rod 54 is positioned, by means of the wheel 68, by pushing the wheel 68 down, against the resistance of the spring 70, until the pin 64 moves down through the slo-t 46 in the rod lock 24 and reaches the lower chordal portion 52 and engages therein so that the slots and holes in the top plate 78, the disc 76, and the bottom plate 84 are out of registry with each other, and thereby closed to passage of fertilizer from the hopper 10 into the injector tube 106, and hence to the tip 118. After filling of the hopper 10, the wheel 68 is then turned, in a clockwise direction so as to release the pin 64 from the slot portion 52 and slide it up and out of the slot 46 and into the opening 20 in the plate 18. The wheel 68 is then turned clockwise until the dispensing and measuring disc slot 96 is registered with the top plate slot 82, so that fertilizer falls into and fills the space defined by the disc slot 96 and the bottom plate 84. It is this filling of the disc slot 96 that constitutes the charge of fertilizer to be dispensed and injected by the device in a single injection cycle or operation. To vary this charge it is necessary to change the disc 76 for a similar disc having a larger capacity slot 96, either by enlarging or reducing the size of the slot or by enlarging or reducing the thickness of the disc 76. To this end, the device 10 can be provided with a number of different dises 76. Suitable indicator means (not shown) is adapted to be applied to the handle 68 and the hopper cover plate 18, for indicating when the dispensing and measuring slot 96 is and is not registered with the top plate slot 82.

With a charge of fertilizer confined, as above described, in the disc slot 96, the handle 68 is then rotated one-half turn clockwise, so that the slot 82 in the top plate 78 is closed by the disc 76, and the disc slot 96 registers with the bottom plate slot 98, so that the charge falls into the injector tube 106 and reaches the mouth 129 of the tip 118. Whenever it is desired to put more than one charge of fertilizer into the injector tube, the above described change-producing operations are repeated the desired number of times.

To inject the fertilizer present in the injector tube 106 and resting in the upper end of the tip 118, to the desired depth in the ground, the stop cross bar 130 is adjusted to the proper position along the tube 106 and clamped in place. The handle 68 and rod 56 are then pushed downwardly and the tip 118 is then contacted with the ground surface and foot pressure is applied upon the bar 130, so as to drive the tip 118 and the tube 106 into the ground until the bar 130 makes stop engagement with the ground surface and is held thereat. Thereupon, the handle 68 is pulled upwardly to its extreme elevated position so that the lower end 122 of the injector rod 54 is above the tip 118 and the fertilizer can fall through the tip bore 120. Thereat the rod 54 is pushed downwardly, by means of the handle 68, so that the lower rod section 58 acts as a plunger and forces the fertilizer downwardly out of the tip bore 120 into the ground hole made by the tip 118. As this is done, the handle 68 is rotated clockwise so that the pin 64 enters and is frictionally retained in the chordal portion 52 of the rod lock slot 46, whereupon upward pull on the wheel 68 pulls the device out of the ground and sets the same for another injection operation.

Although there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a manual injector for granular fertilizer, a hopper having an open upper end and an open lower end, an injector tube having an open upper end connected to the lower end of the hopper, said injector tube having a tubular ground-piercing tip on its lower end, a cover closing the upper end of the hopper, a bottom plate closing the lower end of the hopper, an injector rod, said tip having a bore smaller in diameter than the bore of the injector tube, said rod slidably and rotatably working through said cover, said bottom pfate, and the bore of the tip, an operating handle on said rod above the cover plate, a second tube surrounding a limited portion of said rod above said bottom plate and extending rotatably through said bottom plate, the rod being slidably through said second tube, means connecting said second tube and said rod for rotation together, a dispensing disc fixed on the lower end of said second tube and engaged with the underside of said bottom plate, said bottom plate and said dispensing disc having dispensing slots adapted to be registered with each other, a funnel having a larger open upper end fixed to the lower end of the hopper, said funnel having a smaller lower end to which the upper end of the injector tube is fixed, a dispensing plate fixed in the upper part of the funnel and engaged with the underside of the dispensing disc, said dispensing plate having dispensing opening means out of registry with the dispensing slot of the bottom plate, said rod being rotatable to position the slot of the dispensing disc, at times in registry with the bottom plate slot and part of the opening means of the dispensing plate, retracting spring means acting between the handle and the cover plate and normally elevating the rod out of the bore of said tip, and a rod lock mounted on the cover plate, said rod lock having a bore through which the injector rod is slidably journalled, said lock having a vertical slot opening communicating with the lock borey and having a lateral slot portion at its lower end, 5

- the rod having a pin engaged in the slot and adapted to be engaged in the lateral slot portion only in the depressed position of the injector rod, said cover plate having an opening larger in diameter than and receiving the injector rod in which said pin is rotatable in the elevated 10 position of the injector rod.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Ketchum May 12, 1857 Dyer Aug. 23, 1870 Wabers Feb. 18, 1908 Schakel Sept. 20, 1932 Cromer Oct. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany May 10. 1902 Great Britain June 22, 1905