US989835A - Valve-indicator. - Google Patents

Description

A@NIT L FFC.

JOHN A. COLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VALVE-INDICATOR.

To all 107mm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN A. Conn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certa-in new and useful Improvement in Valve-Indicators, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to valve indicators, and has for its object the provision of new and improved means whereby an attendant, whose duty it is to take care of valves pro vided in manholes or other similar places, may leave an indication which will serve to show to an observer what the condition of the valve is. y

More particularly my invention provides a pendant indicating apparatus, which is provided with numerals or letters, or other suitable insignia, which in the preferred form are punched in the plate, and which insignia specify various conditions of a valve, where said valve is located in the compartment where the pendant indicator is applied.

More in detail my invention is designed to leave an indication which shows in which condition the valve was last left by an authorized attendant, and to this end I further utilize a sealed ar angement, which seal is supposed to be operable only by the proper party.

I will describe my invent-ion more in"detail by reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating- 011e embodiment thereof, in which- Figure 1 illustrates my improved pendant valve indicator as located in a manhole, and F ig. 2 is a side view thereof.

I have here shown a compartment which may be a manhole, 1, having the walls, 2, and provided with a'cove-r, 3. In accordance with my invention I have applied the valve indicator to the cover, so that it cannot become misplaced or lost, and so that it is not liable to be forgotten or removed. To this end the cover has a semi-circular ring formed integral with the cover, and which supports a suitable plate 5 through the agency of a second semi-circular ring, 6, which passes through the ring 4;, and is bolted to the plate 5 by the bolts 7 7. The plate 5 preferably has a numeral, which in this instance is given as 24, to identify the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 24, 1908.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911. Serial No. 454,649.

particular valve indicator, to show with which compartment or valve it belongs.

To carry out the indicating feature, I provide a swivel 8, which is mounted on the plate 5 and cariies a head or pin 9, which prevents its removal from the said plate 5. An indicating` plate 10 is punched to forni a recess in such a manner as to provide a thin strip 11 which lits in a hole in the swivel S. The indicating plate 10 can thus be moved with the strip 11 as an axis, and the swivel S can of course be rotated so that eitherI side of the indicating plate 10 may he held in place against the plate I preferably punch a lette-r S, 12 at one end of the plate 10, and the letter O, 18 at the other extremity. Thus for instance when the letter S shows below the plate 5, as in Fig. 1, the valve has been left shut by the last authorized attendant. vShould the next authorized attendant come along and open the ialvc, he would raise the plate 10, rotating it about its axis, 11, and also rotate the swivel 8 through an angle of 180 degrecs, and then rotate the plate 10 back against the plate 5, in which condition the letter O would show below the plate 5, and would indicate that the last authorized at tendant had left the valve in an open condition. I further provide a hole 14; in the plate 10, and a hole 15 in the plate 5, through which a wire 16 can be passed, which wire 16 is then held together by a seal 17, which seal can carry the proper niark of the authorized attendant, so that unauthorized individuals cannot tamper with this indicating device. The indicating device, as is apparent from the drawing, is

permanently fastened to the cover 3, so that the proper indicating device remains with its associated valve.

The valve indicators can be sold separately, or the covers and indicators can be sold together, as a single article.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement as herein set forth, but

Having thus shown one embodiment thereof, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An indicating device for valves fastened to the cover plate, said indicating device having a reversible plate having characters punched in said plate.

2. An indica-ting device for valves fastened to the cover plate, said indicating device having a reversible plate having characters punched in said plate, and a seal to prevent unauthorized actuation of said indicating device.

3. An indicating device for valves fastened to a cover, comprising a supporting plate, an indicating plate, a swivel for uniting the tivo, and a seal to indicate authorized actuation of said indicating plate.

4. An indicating device for valves fastened to a cover, comprising a supporting plate,` an indicating plate, characters punched through said plate, a swivel for uniting the tivo, and a seal to indicate authorized actuation of said indicating plate.

5. A valve compartment cover, having an indicating device to indicate the condition of said valve as left by the last authorized actuation of said valve, said indicating device having a reversible plate having characters ,punched therein.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe iny naine this 18th day of September, A. D.

JOHN A. COLE. Witnesses E. B. CAMPBELL, O. M. VENNIGH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained Vfor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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