US471718A - Emil amos hoefer - Google Patents

Description

(No` Model.)

E.A .H0EPBR. STOVEPIPE DAMPER.

No. 471,718. VPatented Mar. 29, 1892.

rUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL AMOS I-IOEFER, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WARNER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

'sTovl-:PIPE-DAMPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,718, dated March 29, 1892.

Application ledAugust l0, 1891- Serial No. 402,205. (No model.)

To afZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL AMos HOEFER, of Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stovepipe-Dampers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereomwhichform a part of this specification.

This invention relates to stovepipe-dampers, and more particularly to that class in which the damper is composed of a blade and a separable spindle, whereby lthe blade may be first placed in position within the pipe and the spindle then passed diametrically through the pipe from the outside thereof and connected with the blade, so as to support and turn this latter.

'Ihe chief objects of the present invention are, iirst, to provide means for readily conneet-ing the spindle and blade and for automatically locking the two parts together; second, to provide means for preventing the guard or sleeve on the spindle from becoming too easily disengaged therefrom when the spindle is detached; third, to provide means whereby the spindle may itself form its own bearing-apertures in the stove-pipe; fourth, to provide a non-conducting handle of simple and effective construction.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain novel features, which will first be described, and will then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a damper embodying the invention in one form. Fig. 2 is a central transverse sectional view of the blade detached. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of aportion of the blade. Fig. 4 is a detail end elevation of the damper. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a view of the spindle detached and viewed from the opposite side from Fig. l. Fig. 7 is a detail end elevation of the sleeve or guard. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a detail view of one end of the spindle, illustrating a modified form of the invention. Fig. 10 is a view parts A A2, having a space between them to receive the spindle B, the said parts being connected by bridge-pieces or half -sleeves a a2. The two half-sleeves ct are located on one sideA of the blade, one at each side of the central opening a, while the two half-sleeves a2 are located one at each end of the blade at the margin thereof. These half-sleeves span the space between `the parts A and A2 of the damper, and form in connection with said space a sleeve into which the spindle B may be inserted. One of the end halfsleeves a? is preferably provided With a projecting semi-hub a3 to bear against the inner side of the stovepipe. The other one of the half-sleeves a2 is provided on its inner face with two diagonally-opposite lugs a4 and a5.

The lug a* is provided with a spirally-in-V clined edge or face a6, adjoining which is a straight edge or face a7, terminating in a stop as. VThe lug a5 is provided with an inclined edge or face a9 opposite the face dief the lug d4, and with an edge or face 0.10 adjacentthereto and parallel with the face al of the lug a4. The faces a7 and d10 may be parallel with the axis of the spindle when inserted, but are preferably slightly inclined thereto in the manner shown, for the reasons hereinafter pointed out.

The spindle B may be Vconstructed in any suitable manner so far as its body portion is concerned; but it preferably has the quadrangular grooved body shown, the end portion thereof near the point end-being reduced in diameter and cylindrical in form and provided with a spiral rib or thread b, extending around one-half of its circumference. This rib or thread has its ends b b2, enlarged or extended parallel with the axis of the spindle vIoo some little distance, as shown in Fig. 6. The extreme end of the cylindrical portion of the spindle is beveled off, as shown, to form a sharp point 194, provided with knife-edges 195 for the purpose of e'nablingithe spindle to be forced through the sheet metal of which the stovepipe is constructed, and thus form its own hearing-apertures.

I extending toward the blade.

C indicates a sleeve or guard mounted loosely on the spindle, and free, when in position, to move longitudinally thereon within a limited range. This sleeve is provided with an inwardly-proj ectin g lug c, which is adapted to engage the grooves of the body of the spindle B. One of these grooves, as 196, is continuous from the reduced point section of the spindle to the point where the sleeve is located when in proper position, and the adjacent groove 197 is connected therewith by a notch 198, formed transversely through the intermediate rib of the spindle. The groove 197 is provided with a transverse stop 199, located some little distance pointward from the notch 198, while the groove 196 is desirably provided with a stop 1910, arranged in line with that edge of the slot 198 which is nearest the handle of the spindle.

The spindle B is provided at its end opposite the point end with a transverse handlebar or arm B', having at each end a stud 1911, The sleeve C is provided with corresponding lateral arms C', each provided with la stud c', extending toward the corresponding stud 1911. Springs D, spirally coiled, located between arms B and C and supported by the studs thereon, tend to force the sleeve-studs C normally toward the blade A. When the spindle has the grooved form shown, it will be provided, as shown in Fig. 5 and in dotted lines in Fig. l, with an annulus 1912, surrounding that portion of its body which comes within the half-sleeve C1. of the blade `nearest the point end when the parts are engaged, this ann ulus being, of course, cut away or-omitted at that portion of the spindle wherein the groove 196 is located, as will be seen in Fig. 5.

The devi-ce thus constructed operates in the following manner: The sleeve C is slipped on over the point of the spindle and slid along the body portion of the same with its lug c in the groove 19G thereof. When the lug c comes in contact with the stop 1910, it is opposite the notch 198, and the sleeve Cbeing given a quarter-turn the said lug c passes through said notch 198 and. engages the groove 197. The arms C of the sleeve are now parallel with the handle-bar or arm B and the springs D are compressed and slipped into position over the studs 1911 c in the position shown. These springs will force the sleeve C pointward until the lug c thereof comes into contact with the stop 199 and will hold said sleeve stationary against said stop, and thus prevent its sliding or dropping off of the spindle before the same is connected with the blade. I

lug c opposite the notch 19S, the sleeve being v thus prevented from rotating on the spindle while the said springs are in position by reason of the engagement of its lug c with the groove 197. The blade A is then placed in position in the stovepipe and the spindle B forced or driven through the wall of the pipe, cutting its way by means of its knife-edged sharpened point 194, and inserted into the space between the parts A A2 of the blade and the half-sleeves d' d2 thereof until the spiral rib or thread 19 of the spindle comes in contact with one or both of the lugs d4 d5 of the half-sleeve a2. The spindle is then rotated until the rib 19 engages with the inclined edge or face d6 of the lug d4, beingv forced inward, if necessary, so as to effect this engagement, the said rib coming into contact with the inclined surface or edge ai of the lug d5, if so forced inward, thereby preventing its being forced too far inward. I When the rib is once engaged with the incline d6 of the lug a5, mere rotation of the spindlein the proper direction is all that is necessary to gradually draw the spindle inward toward its final position. When the end 192 of the rib19 passes olf or clear of the end of the incline a, the springs D, which have in the meanwhile been compressed by reason of the contact of the sleeve C with the outside of the stovepipe, will draw the spindle outward, the end d2 of the rib 19 passing along the edge or surface a7 of the lug CL4. At the same time the end 19 of the rib 19 comes into contact with the surface or the edge d10 of the lug a5 and acts as a stop to prevent further rotation of the spindle in the blade in one direction, while the contact of the end 192 of said rib with the edge di of thelug a4 prevents its rotation in the other direction. The faces or edges di d10 of the lugs a4 a5 are preferably somewhat inclined, asshown, tothe axis of rotation of the spindle, so that as the springs D draw the spindle outward the spindle is wedged between said lugs d4 a5 and the'otherA half-sleeves in the blade. This wedging action may or may not occur before the end 192 of the rib 19 comes in contact wit-h the stop a8, and in the latter case the said stop arrests the further outward movement of the spindle, which might disengage it from the blade. ln case the edges @1010 are not inclined, as described and shown, this stop will always arrest the outward movement of the spindle at the properpoint and hold the same locked to the blade. The annulus 1912 forms a smooth continuous bearing surface for the spindle within the half-sleeve a during its rotation; The wall of the stovepipe will of course be clamped between the sleeve C and the semihub or collar a3 of the other half-sleeve a2 when the parts are in final position. vThe spindle IOO and blade being thus locked together in the manner described rotation of the spindle by means of its handle, which is outside of the stovepipe, will turn the blade within the pipe to the desired position. The parts may be disengaged by forcing the spindle inward until the rib thereof clears the lug a4 and then turning said spindle in the reverse direction until it can be withdrawn.

Vliile the form of my invention shown in Figs. l to 8, inclusive, and just described, is one which I prefer, yet it is obvious that the construction may be modified in various ways and that Yseveral of the desirable but not strictly necessary features thereof may be omitted without departing from the principle of my invention. For instance, I have shown in Figs. 9 and l0 a Vmodified form of the connecting means between the spindle and the blade,.in which the half-sleeve d2 is provided with a simple projection au, while the rib b is provided with a notch or recess Z213, into which the projection au fits when the spindle is drawn back by its spring upon complete engagement. It is also obvious that by a mere reversal the male member of the screw con-` nect-ion may be on the blade and the female member on the spindle.

The particular manner of interposing the spring or springs between the sleeve and spindle-liead (shown in Fig. l) may also be varied in many Ways, and in Figs. 1l and 12 there is illustrated a modification of this feature, in which the sleeve C on the spindle has the shape of a simple apertured disk or washer, and the spindle B is provided with a collar B2, between which and the sleeve C there is interposed a spring D', coiled around the spindle, which latter is provided with a stop cl for the end of the spring and a retaining-lug d',

'between which and the collar B2the spring D passes and is held so as to prevent its dropping off of the spindle when this latter is separated from the blade.

In Fig. ll I have also shown a handle which I `have devised, in which a cross-bar B3 at the end of the spindle is provided with outwardlyextending parallel arms B4, which arms are respectively provided with a short stud e and a long arm e', both circular in cross-section and curved as shown, a sufficient space being left between the arm and stud at one side of the handle to permit a coiled spring E to be slipped first over the arm e by bending the same laterally, so as to clear the stud e, and then compressing the said spring sufficiently to slip it over said stud. This structure affords a firm and cool finger-grasp for turning the damper. The springs D (shown in Fig. l) also aiford a cool hand-grasp in addition to serving as springs to force the sleeve toward the point of the spindle.

The extended ends b b2 ofthe rib b also form knife-edges, which help the spindle to cut a way through the pipe for the enlarged body portion thereof.

What I claim is*- l. The stovepipe-damper comprising a blade or damper proper and a separable spindle, a spring adapted to draw the spindle outwardly from engagement with said blade, female halfthreads on the blade and 1 male half-threads on the spindle, adaptedfor engagement when the spring is compressed, and a stop on the blade, substantially as described.

2. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, with a blade provided with abearing-lug and a stop-lug, of a spindle provided with a spiral rib or thread around one-half its circumference, said rib or thread being adapted to bear oh the bearing-lug andhaving ends to contact with the stop-lug and bearing-lug, and a spring to draw the spindle outward when the rib has passed clear of the bearing-lug, substantially as described.

3. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, with the damper having half-sleeves on opposite sides, one provided with lugs having parallel stop-faces inclined to the axis of the spindle, of a spindle provided with a spiral vrib having ends adapted to bear on said inclined stop-faces, and a spring to draw said spindle outward, substantially as described.

4. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, with a blade having lug a4, with inclined faces a6 a7 and stop a8, and lug a5, with inclined faces a9 d10, of a spindle provided with a spiral rib b, having stop-'ends b b2, substantially as described.

5. In a stovepipe-damper,thecombination, with a blade and a spindle adapted to be connected therewith and provided with a continuous groove, a parallel groove having an end stop, and a communicating notch, of a sleeveon said spindle provided with a lug to enter the grooves and notch, and a spring or springs interposed between the sleeve and the spindle, substantially as described.

6. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination,

with a blade, of a spindle separably connected therewith by screw-threads on the spindle engaging screw-threads on the blade, said spindle projecting from the blade to form a trunnion to engage the stovepipe and having its cylindric end portion beveled off to form knife-edges, which terminate in a single sharp' point at the end of the spindle, as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, with a blade having half-sleeves, one provided with 'connecting devices for the spindle, of a spindle adapted to engage said connecting devices when rotated and provided with an annulus to bear in the adjacent half-sleeve, substantially as described. .Y

8. In a stovepipe-damper,the combination, with a spindle provided with a cross-bar having parallel arms, said arms having, respectively, a short stud and a long arm extending toward each other, with an intermediate space near one side, of a coiled spring adapted to be slipped over said stud, substantially-as described.

IOO.

IIO

9. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, In testimony that I claim the foregoing as with a sleeve, of a spindle provided with' a my invention I affix my signatnrein presence ro collar, a stop-lug, and a retaining-lug, and a of vtwo witnesses. coiled spring mounted on said spindle be- 5 tween the sleeve and collar, passing between EMIL AMOS HOEFER' the retaining-lug and collar and bearing at Vitnesses: its end against the stop-lng, substantially as F. W. HOEFER, described. D. B. BREED. l

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