US740481A - Potato-bug catcher. - Google Patents

Description

' PATENTED 001 e, 1903-.

.W. E. souirinwoon. POTATO BUG GATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED APB..1, 1.903;

L E D 0 H 0 N UNITED STATES iatente'd October 6, 1903.

' PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. SOUTHWOOD, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAhI.

POTATO-BUG CATCH ER.

srEoIrIoA'rIou forming part of Letters Patent o. 740,481, dated October 6, 190's.

Application filed April 1, 1903. Serial No. 150,641. (lilo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SOUTH WOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Potato-Bug Catchers, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to potato-bug catchers; and it consists in the peculiar and advantageous construction hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved potatobug catcher, the same being shown as partly open; and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the catcher.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in both views of the drawings, referring to which- I A is the body, and B the beater, of my improved catcher. The body A in the preferred embodiment of my invention comprises end walls a, rounded at their lower ends, as indicated by b, and tapered or gradually reduced in width to their upper ends, a receptacle 0, of tin, connected to the lower round ends'b of the walls a and extending a slight. distance up the back of the body, cross-bars cl (1, of wood, connected to the back edges of the walls a, a piece e, of canvas or other textile material, connected to the receptacle 0, walls a and cross-bars d (1, closing the back side of the body, and a cross-rod f, of wood, connecting the upper ends of the walls a and ex- .tending beyond the same, as indicated by g.

The heater B is by preference made up of a rectangular frame h, of wood, having a cross-bar 'i at an intermediate point of its length, a piece of wire-gauze j, connected to the side bars, lower cross-bar, and intermediate cross-bar of the frame h, and a piece of canvas or other textile material it, connected to the side bars, upper cross-bar, and intermediate cross-bar of said frame. The side bars of the beater-frame extend beyond the upper cross-bar thereof and are pivotally mounted on the extended portions g ofthe rod f.

O is a strap, of leather or other material, connected to the rod f of bodyA and designed to be placed over the shoulder ofthe user of the catcher; D, a handle connected to the crossbar 'i of the beater B, and E E, butters, preferably rubber blocks, connected to the outer sides of the walls a of the body and having for their purpose to receive the impact of and stop the beater when the same is swung against the front side of the body.

In practice the user of my potatobug catcher places the strap'O over his shoulder and grasps the handle D with his right hand.

He then walks along a row of potato-plants and sweeps the beater over each plant, so as to remove the bugs from the plant and throw them against the canvas back e of the body, from whence they will drop into the receptacle cl When the heater is swung against the forward side of the body for the purpose stated, it will be observed that it will entirely close said side of the body, and thereby prevent any of the bugs removed from the plants from dropping to the ground.

It will-be appreciated from the foregoing that while my improved catcher is highly efficient in removing bugs from potato-plants it is light in weight, is adapted to be operated with but a minimum amount of efiort, and is not liable to break or otherwise injure the plants on which it is used.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear, and exact understanding of the same. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific construction and arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a potato-b ug catcher, the combination of a body having end walls, and a back of textile material, and also having a sheetmetal receptacle at its lower end, a strap connected to the upper end of the body and adapted to be placed over the shoulder, and a beater comprising a frame pivoted to the upper end of the body, wire-gauze connected to the frame, and a handle also connected to the frame; said beater being adapted when swung against the body to entirely close the front thereof.

2. In a potato-bug catcher, the combination with a body having end'walls, of wood, and a back of textile material, and also having a sheet-metal receptacle at its lower end, a rod at its upper end, extended beyond its end walls, and buffers on the outer sides of said end walls; of a beater comprising a rectanro gular frame, pivoted on the extended portions of the rod of the body, wire-gauze connected to the frame, and a handle also'conneeted to said frame.

7 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. SOUTHWOOD. Witnesses:

E. 0. BADGLEY, R. BANNASOH.

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