US456667A - Walter g - Google Patents

Description

(N0 Model.)

W. G. ADAMS.

SPOUT ALARM FOR GRAIN BINS.

No. 456,667. Patented July 28, 1891.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IVALTER G. ADAMS, OF RACINE, IVISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE E. H. PEASE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPOUT-ALARM FOR GRAIN-BINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,667, dated July 28, 1891 I Application filed December 13, 1889. Serial No. 333,570. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern: vided with the usual endless chain of elevator- Be it known that I, \VALTER G. ADAMS, a buckets or other elevating device, and D repcitizen of the United States, residing at Raresents a spout running from the top of the cine, in the county of Racine and State of elevating devices into the bin. The elevat- 5 \Visconsimhave invented certain newanduseing devices operate in the usual well-known f ul Improvements in Spout-Alarms for Mills, way to carry up grain and discharge through Elevators, &c.,which are fully set forth in the the spout into the bin. A further descripfollowing specification, reference being had tion is unnecessary, as these devices are comto the accompanying drawings, in which mon and well known; but it often happens I Figure 1 represents an elevation of an elethat for some reason or other the transfervator-spout and grain-bin embodying my inring of the grain is stopped and the disvention and partially broken away; and Fig. charge through the spout ceases. In the or- 2 a plan section of the same, taken on the dinary construction of grain-elevators such broken line a: on, Fig. 1. an occurrence is not readily known. It vis I5 My invention relates to devices for elevatthe object of my invention to provide means ing and transferring grain, &c., in mills, elewhereby occurrences of this kind may be at vators, and other like places, the object being once indicated to attendants, though remote to provide an indicator which will surely give from the bins, and I will now describe this an alarm when the discharge of grain through indicating device. A valve E is mounted in 20 the elevator-spout ceases or when the bin is the spout D a short distance from its mouth,

full or other like conditions. being fastened to a rock-shaft 6, extending I The invention consists in applying a valve across the upper portion of the spout. This to the spout, which is turned by the flow of valve, as shown in the spout D, is hung so grain through the spout, but closes automatias to swing downward and close the spout 25 cally when the stream of grain ceases, thereby by its own weight. At the same time it is setting off an alarm either when the discharge sufficiently light to be easily turned upward through the spout is stopped or when it beby the stream of grain discharged through gins, according to the circumstances of the the spout into the bin without materially Oilseinterfering with the flow, so that when the 3o Iwill proceed to describe one mode in which elevator is in operation and grain is being my' invention is carried out in a practical discharged through the spout into thebin, the way, and will then point out more definitely in valve will be thrown upinto the position shown the claim the particular improvements which in Fig. 1 of the drawings and will be held up I believe to be new and wish to secure by as long as'the flow of grain continues through 3 5 Letters Patent. In this description reference the spout. If, however, the flow of grain will be made to the accompanying drawings, ceases the valve will drop as soon as the spout but these drawings are only for purposes of is free from grain. On one end of the rock illustration, and I have not attempted in them "shaft outside of the spout, is a crank-arm e, to show an entire building or the entire eleto which a wire or rod Fis attached and drops 4o vating apparatus of the structure, but only downward to the floor, where it is connected so much as is necessary to an understanding at its other end to a bridge or circuit-coin of the present improvement, from which any noctor G, which consists of a body or block 9, one familiar with structures of the kind to arranged to move up and down vertically, and which this invention appertains will be able, provided with a pin g,projecting outward on 9 5 45 readily, to construct and apply the invention. each side thereof. Along the floor or within In the drawings, A represents any floor of the floor are laid two wires H, one of which a grain-elevator building, mill, or other like is connected with an alarmfor instance, an structure, and B a grain-bin located on said alarm-bell Iwhich is also connected to an floor. electric battery J, to which one end of the I00 50 0 represents a portion of the elevator truck other wire is also connected. These wires at or shaft, which it will be understood is prothe floor are insulated and are not connected.

The insulation is broken, however, for short distances just underneath the pin g, so that at this point there are small sections h of uninsulated wire. Now it is evident that when the pin g is let down so as to be brought in contact with the two wires at the points It, the electric circuit will be completed and the alarm will at once he sounded, but when the pin is lifted from such contact the circuit will be broken and the alarm is not operated. The arrangement of the parts is such that when the stream of grain is flowing through the spout and the valve E is held up, as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the bridge G will be pulled up also and the pin raised from contact with the Wires, and this relation of the parts will be continued so long as there is a discharge of grain through the spout; but if from any cause whatever the flow of grain through the spout ceases and the valve drops, as already described, the bridge drops also, the pin drops into contact with the Wires, the circuit is closed, and the alarm is atonce sounded, so that the attendant is notified immediately that the discharge of grain into the bin has ceased.

The device may also be applied in such a way as to indicate when a bin or other receptacle is full, and this application I have also shown. To accomplish this a spout K, or other discharge device, is let into the extreme upper portion of the bin, so that when the bin is filled up to this point the grain will begin to flow out through this discharge. In this spout is mounted a valve Ii, like the valve E, being attached to a rock-shaft Z, which is provided at one end outside of the discharge with a crank-arm Z, and this crank-arm is connected by a rod M or any other suitable connection to a circuit breaker and closer for a battery and alarm circuit, the same as al ready described; but in this instance the relative position of the crank-arm and the valve is changed, so that when the valve stands in its normal condition, turned down and closing the discharge-opening, it will elevate the circuit-closer, so that the alarm will not be sounded, but as soon as grain begins to flow through this discharge-opening the valve will be raised, as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings, thereby turning down the crank-arm, closing the circuit, and sounding the alarm, as already described.

In the drawings and the description thereof above, the rock-shaft of the valve is arranged in the upper part of the spout. It is evident, however, thatit may be arranged in the lower portion of the spout, if desired, so that the spout will be turned downward by the flow of grain and upward to close the passage. In this case of course the arrangement of the crank-arm and the circuit-breaker must be adapted to the position of the valve, so as to open and close the circuit at the proper time for the indications, as already mentioned, and

the weight on the crank-arm must be suffieient to turn the valve upward when released from the action of the stream of grain flowing through the passage in which the valve is lo cated. In case the device is used to indicate that the bin or other receptacle is full, the slight discharge from the bin may be conducted to any other receptacle,or in some cases maybe turned back into the receptacle, and, as already stated, this deviceis not intended simply for use in grain-elevators, but in mills and other places where it may be applicable for indications similar to those already mentioned.

The particular alarm device is also a matter of variation, and the one shown and de scribed is simply for the purpose of making a complete illustration of an operating device. This alarm may be wholly mechanical or may be partly electrical. \Vhen the device here shown and described is used, it will be necessary to cover the exposed portions of the wire to protect it from the dust and dirt which are present in all structures like those where this improvement is intended to be used. It will be understood then that the instances herein given are simply for the purpose of illustration without regard to the particular construction and arrangement of the spouts, either for delivery into the bin or discharge therefrom. These may be constructed and arranged in any way suitable for the particular purpose and location of the bins or other receptacles for grain, &c., and the particular construction and arrangement of these and other parts of the structure as a whole do not constitute a part of this invention, for they may be modified to suit circumstances and yet retain the main characteristic of my invention, which is a valve set in a spout or other like device, either for delivering into a receptacle or discharging therefrom, and adapted to be operated or moved by the flow of grain through the said passage, so as to operate the alarm to indicate either the cessation of such flow or the commencement thereof, as the case may be.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is

The bin B, in combination with the elevatorspout D, arranged to discharge into said bin, the swinging valve E, attached to the rockshaft 6, provided with the crank-arm e, the connecting-rod F, the insulated wires H II, connected to a battery and alarm-circuit and having sections 72 nninsulated, and the circuit breaker and connector G, connected to the crank-arm e, whereby it is operated by the movement of the valve, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

WALTER G. ADAMS. Witnesses:

CARRIE FEIGEL, A. M. BEST.

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