US759151A

US759151A - Apparatus for handling seed-cotton.

Info

Publication number: US759151A
Application number: US15574403A
Authority: US
Inventors: Chauncey R Benefield
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1903-05-05
Filing date: 1903-05-05
Publication date: 1904-05-03
Anticipated expiration: 1921-05-03

Description

PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

C. R. BENEPIELD. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SEED GTTON.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SEED-COTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent` No. 759,151, dated May 3, 1904.

Application tiled May 5, 1903. Serial No. 155,744. (No model.)

To @ZZ whoa/L t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, CHAUNOEY R. BENE- FIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Handling Seed-Cotton, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatos to an apparatus for handling seed-cotton; and the primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective apparatus of this character for rapidly drawing ,seed-cotton from a wagon, storagehouse, or the like and delivering same to ginning mechanism, means being providedfor cleaning the cotton in transit.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be recited at length in the following description, while the novelty thereof will constitute the basis of the claims succeeding such description.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a sectional elevation of my improved apparatus, and Fig. 2 is adetail sectional plan of the thresher forming part of the same.

Like characters refer to like parts in both figures.

Referring' to the drawings, the numeral 2 denotes the vacuum or cotton box of the apparatus, the same being made of any desirable size or material. ,A pneumatic tube or conveyer 3 for the seed-cotton opens into what is illustrated as the upper rear side of the box, a suction-pipe 4i leading from the lower front corner of said vacuum or cotton boX. In connection with the suction pipe or iiue 4: an eX- haust-fan (not shown) cooperates, it serving its usual function. Upon the operation of the fan and when the entering end of the pneumatic conveyer or tube is placed into proximity to a body of seed-cotton such cotton will be drawn into the pneumatic tube or conveyer 3 and into the vacuum or cotton box 2. The said vacuum or cotton box, it will be seen, is approximately of arcuate form and houses or incloses the separating-screen 5, which eX- tends from the delivery end of said pneumatic tube or conveyer 3 to the inner end of the suction flue or tube 4. The screen 5 is shown boing of curved form, and the seed-cotton as it enters the cotton-box strikes the inner surface of thescreen tangentially, the cotton at the same time being given a downward impetus, which causes it to enter the deliverychute 6, depending' from the vacuum or cotton boX. As the cotton traverses the inner surface of the screen, a great deal of the dirt and other objectionable matter therein is draw through the meshes of the screen by the exhaust-fan.

The cotton after it leaves the chute 6 is delivered in some suitable way to ginning mechanism for treatment thereby; but as such ginning mechanism forms no part of the present invention it is not illustrated in the drawings.

At the inlet end of the vacuum-box 2 I arrange a spreader, which is of skeleton forni, consisting of a plurality of rods 9, diverging outward from a rock-shaft l0, carrying the same. The upper sides of the rods are provided with teeth 11, separated from each other and diagonally disposed with respect to said bars 9. The shaft 10 is supported by suitable bearings in the boX 2 near the inlet, said shaft being located at the lower side of the inlet and the spreader extending normally upward and outward at an angle therefrom, so that the teeth 11 are presented to the cotton as it enters the :vacuum-box. The rocking spreader constructed as just described serves to scatter the cotton as the same strikes thespreader in order that the latter will distribute the cotton evenly upon the inner surface of the screen 5. The teeth 11, as stated, are separated from each other, and to prevent any of the cotton falling down below the same I fasten tothe under side of the rods or bars 9 ascreen 12. This screen is of amesh sufficient to permit any sand that may be in the mass to pass therethrough into the sand-box 13, but is not coarse enough to permit the escape of the cottontherethrough. The sand after it drops from the spreader of course enters the sand-box and may be removed therefrom at intervals by way of the outlet thereof, such outlet being furnished with a sliding valve or sluice 14.

The spreader is yieldingly mounted, the shaft 10 being furnished with a weighted arm l5, which acts inV opposition to the spreader and the weight of which serves to hold said IOO spreader normally in its working position. When, however, the cotton becomes choked between the upper side of the spreader and the adjacent portion of the screen, the said spreader will yield or drop down to permit the obstruction to pass, and after the same occurs the weight upon the arm 15 will return the spreader to its initial position.

A tubular extension 16 is shown as connected with the forwardside of the vacuumbox in proximity to the suction-Hue 4, it being furnished interiorl y with an inwardly-opening valve 16, represented as of disk form. The tubular extension 16 is of approximately angular or elbow form and has upon its upper Aside on the interior thereof1 anl annular seat 17 for the disk valve, the stem of the valve extending upward therefrom through a spider 18, mounted upon the top of the tubular extension and being' pivoted to the short arm of a weighted lever 19, fulcrumed upon a suitable bearing upon the tubular extension, the weight 20 of the lever being' adjustably connected thereto. rIhe weig'ht acting' through the intermediate lever serves to maintain the valve 16 normally closed. The valve 16 constitutes an automatic pop or safety valve and its peculiar utility will now appear. It is the custom to connect a telescopic pipe to the pneumatic conveyer; but such telescopic pipe is not illustrated. It happens that in thrusting the telescopic pipe into a wagon or cottonhouse the inlet thereof will be suddenly closed, so as to shut off the entrance of air thereinto. In such a case as this the fan being under motion would be apt to cause injury to the piping and other parts of the apparatus. The valve 16 upon such stoppage of the telescopic pipe is automatically opened by the suction of the fan, so that the possibility of breakage of the piping' or injury to any other of the parts is thereby prevented. At the same time an even motion of the fan is assured by reason of the fact that uniform suction is secured.

In the upper side of the suction-flue is an opening normally closed by the valve 22,which is mounted for swinging motion in said opening and to one end of which is connected aA suitable cord 23, the cord extending upward from the valve, then rearward over suitable guide pulleys or sheaves, and then downward, terminating in a handle 24, which may be pulled down by the g'inner to open said valve 22, thereby to stop the suction through the vacuum-box 2, and hence through the pneumatic conveyer 3, whereby the drawing' of cotton through said pneumatic conveyer and suction-box by the fan is positively prevented. 'Ihe handle 24 is within easy reach of the ginner, so that he can stop the passage ofthe cotton through the pneumatic conveyer at any time without notifying the feeders at the cotton-house or wagon.

The pneumatic conveyer 3 adjacent to the vacuum-box 2 has in its bottom rotary dampervalve 25. The stem of the valve is supported by suitable bearings upon the said` pneumatic conveyer and terminates in a handle 25 in proximity to the other handle, 24. The purpose of the rotating damper-valve 25 is to regulate the Vacuum in accordance with the feed of the cotton. If the cotton comes too rapidly, the valve will be turned by the manipulation of the handle 25l in order to bring its slots into registration with those in the pneumatic conveyer to thereby admit the maximum amount of atmospheric air into said pneumatic conveyer, and consequently into the vaccum-box. The amount of air admitted will of course vary with the volume of cotton entering the vacuum-box. If the amount of cotton entering said box is considerable, the supply may be decreased by manipulating said handle 25. To resume normal conditions, the valve will be turned to cause the imperforate portion to cover the slots.

To prevent the adherence of the cotton at the lower end of the screen upon the inner surface thereof, and consequently the clogging of said cotton in the lower end of the cotton or vacuum box 2, I provide in said cotton or vacuum box adjacent to the lower end of the screen and upon the outer side thereof one or a plurality of overlapping blades 26, which are disposed as shown. These blades cover the screen near its lower end, so as to check or lessen the air being drawn through the screen at such place, but do not prevent the free entrance of the cotton into the cotton-box.

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

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a vacuum-box, a pneumatic conveyer and a suction-tube connected respectively with the upper and lower ends of the vacuum-box at opposite sides thereof, a screen extending between the pneumatic conveyer and the suction-tube, and a suctionchecking device on the outside of the screen near the lower end thereof, spaced from said screen.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of avacuum-box, a pneumatic conveyer and a suction-tube connected respectively with the upper and lower ends of the vacuum-box at opposite sides thereof, a screen extending between the pneumatic conveyer and the suction-tube, and a suctionchecking device on the outside of the screen near the lower end thereof, spaced from said screen and consisting of a plurality of overlapping blades.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a vacuum-box, a pneumatic conveyer and a suction-tube connected with said vacuum-box, a screen extending between the pneumatic conveyer and the suction-tube,

a spreader at the inlet end of the vacuunrbox mounted for oscillatory motion about an axis at the lower side oi said inlet, the spreader serving to control the delivery of the cotton against said screen and including a plurality of rods provided with teeth on their upper sides, a screen carried by the spreader upon the under side thereof, and a valved sand-box connected with the vacuum-box under the spreader.

'In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- HGSSGS.

CHAUNGEY R. BENEFIELD. Witnesses:

J. C. HARDIsoN, J. N. XVHAR'roN.