US1259034A - Attachment for gin-feeders. - Google Patents

Description

w. w. MILAM. ATTACHMENT FOR GIN FEEDERS.

APiLICA T-ION FILED. SEPT; 8. 1915.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. W. MILAM.

ATTAQHMENT FOR GIN FEEDERS. APPLICATION. EILED sums. 1915.

Patented Man-12, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 IHIIIIIIHIIHIII WMaoow W. W. MILAM. ATTACHMENT FOR GlN FEEDERS.

APPLICATION mm SEPT. 8. ms.

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ammo a Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

W. W. MILAM.

Patented Mar. 12,'l91&

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WILLIAM W. MILAM, 0F ALEX, OKLAHOMA.

ATTACHMENT FOR GIN-FEEDERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Application filed September 8, 1915. Serial No. 49,546.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM WV. MILAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alex, in the county of Grady and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Gin- Feeders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cotton gin feeders, and it has for its object to produce an attachment of simple and improved construction whereby the feed may be interrupted at predetermined intervals and at the same time the front breast of the gin casing be thrown open for the discharge of bolls and the like. I

In ginning boll cotton or snapped cotton it is found that the bolls and squares will quickly accumulate to such an extent as to interfere with the proper action of the gin saws. This makes it desirable to interrupt the feeding of cotton to the gin at certain intervals for short periods to enable the saws to dispose of the material in the breast of the gin before material is fed. At the same time it is desirable to open the front breast of the gin casing for the discharge of the accumulation of bolls and squares. The invention has for its object to produce a simple and improved mechanism whereby the feed will be interrupted and the front breast of the gin casing be thrown open at predetermined intervals.

Various conditions of the crop or material that is being operated upon render it desirable to interrupt the feeding and to open the front breast of the gin casing at more or less frequent intervals. A further object of the invention, therefore, is to produce a simple and improved mechanism whereby the aforesaid operations may be performed at stated intervals of various duration.

A further object of the invention is to produce simple and improved mechanism whereby the feed may be interrupted just prior to the opening of the gin casing for the discharge of accumulated material.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter'fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 is an end elevation partly in section of a gin feeder of conventional construction to which the invention has been applied, showing also a portion of the gin casing.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 33 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations of the cam element showing different adjustments of the cam units.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing two cam units disassembled and indicating the pin and the sockets whereby the units may be assembled atdiiferent adjustments.

Fig. 8 is a detail view in side elevation of one of the supports of the feeder casing.

. Fig. 9 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 10 is a sectional end elevation illustrating a modification.

Fig. 11 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 11-11 in Fig. 10. Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference. The invention has been shown applied to a feeder of conventional construction, the same including the feeder casing A having the discharge chute B, said casing being mounted on a supporting frame which includes legs-or uprights C, a platform D and front and rear supporting members E,.F, whereby the feeder casing is spaced above the platform. A portion of the gin casing is shown at G, H representing the front breast which is pivoted or hingedly supported at I. J, J designate the driven shafts of the feeder. said shafts being provided with intermeshing gear wheels K.

Mounted securely on the side of the feeder casing is a bracket 15 sup orting a shaft or journal 16 which is preferably detachable. but it is secured by means of a set screw 17. Mounted for rotation on the shaft 16 is a pinion 18 that meshes with one of the gear wheels K, said pinion having a clutch member 19 mating with a clutch member 20 on a hub 21 which is also mounted for rotation on the shaft or journal 16. The hub 21, together with other parts which will presently be described, constitutes what Iterm a cam element. Said cam element ineludes a plurality of units a, b, 0 each consisting of a disk having a cam-shaped projection d, said projection including a low portion 22 and a high portion 23. It will be understood that the disks or cam units are all of identical size and shape, and, as it will be seen, the said disks together with their cam extensions are provided'with V-shaped edges 24:. The units a, b, c are provided with spacing collars 25 and, under the construction shown, one unit, a, is fixedly secured on the hub 21, while the units 6, a are slidable on the hub, said units being forced in the direction of the stationary unit by the action of the coiled spring 26 which is interposed between the unit 0 and a set collar27. The units 6, c are each provided with alaterally extending pin 28, each of said pins being adapted to engage any one of a plurality of sockets 29 formed in the set collars of the units a, Z), said sockets being formed in concentric series and at proper intervals to enable the desired adjustment of the parts to be eifected. Some of these sockets are so arranged as to enable the cam units to be connected with the cam elements 03 of the several units disposed in longitudinal alinement, as seen in Fig. 1. By retracting the units Z), 0 against the tension of the spring 26 the several units may be disconnected to permit one of the units to be rotated about the axis of the shaft 16 until the cam member d of such unit will be diametrically opposite the cam members of the remaining units, after which, by releasing the units, the spring 26 will restore them to assembled and interlocked position. Cam members at of the cam element will thus be positioned at diametrically opposite sides of the cam element. Again, the units 6, a may be relatively so adjusted with respect to the unit a that cam members d of the three units will be positioned at intervals of 120 degrees. 7 By increasing the number of units adjustment may be effected whereby cam members (Z will be positioned at intervals of 90 degrees, or less, according to the frequency with which it is desired to actuate the tracker engaging the cam element, as will be now described.

Fulcrumed on a journal 30 carried by the bracket 15 is a lever 31 which constitutes the tracker, said lever carrying at one end thereof a laterally extending pin '32 on which a tracker spool 33 is slidably mounted, said spool being provided with a plurality of V-shaped grooves 34:, each of which is engaged by one of the cam units a, b, c. It will be readily seen that when the cam element isrotated, the tracker will be rocked or actuated one or more times during each rotation, according to the disposition of the units, as previously described. At any adjustment of said units it is intended that the intervals between the actuation of the tracker shall be of equal duration, assuming that the cam element is rotated at constant speed.

A shipping lever 35 is provided whereby the hub 21 carrying the cam units and the clutch element 20 may be thrown out of engagement with the clutch element 19 against the tension of the spring 26 when it shall be desired to interrupt the operation of the cam element and the tracker. When the hub carrying the cam units is thus retracted it is not necessary to disengage'the units from the tracker spool, because the latter will be free to slide along the pin 32 on which it is supported. It may be stated that the tracker spool is simply in the nature of-an anti-friction element which may be dispensed with when desired, but the construction of which, as

well as the tracker lever, is susceptible of many modifications without changing the operation of the device.

The tracker lever 31 is connected with one end of a slide 36 which is guided through a keeper 37 on the feeder casing. Pivotally connected with the slide 36 is one end of an angular arm 38,. the other end of which has an inclined tongue 53 engaging an anti-friction member 54: on a hinged closure 39 associated with the discharge chute B of the feeder. One of the supporting members F is provided with a slot 40 for the passage of the'arm 38, and adjacent to said slot'is formed an ear 41 havingan arcuate slot. 12. Pivoted on the support F is an angular guide413 having a slot 4 1 through which the .arm 38 is guided, said angular guide beingadjustably connected with'the ear 41 by a bolt or fastening member 45 extending through the arcuate slot 42. By adjustment of the angular guide 43 the arm 38 and the obstructing member 39' may be adjusted so that by said obstructingmember the area of the discharge opening of the chute B may be varied. By the slide 36 the arm 38 may be actuated to move the obstructing member 39 to an obstructing position which will prevent the passage of material over the chute B.

Pivotally supported by the supporting member F is'a depending arm or link 46 having a pin or lug 47 that engages a longitudinal slot 48 in the slide 36. The hingedly supported breast H of the gin casing is provided witha notch 49 receiving one end of a push rod 50, the other end of which is pivotally connected at 51 with the lower end of the link 46, said push rod being guided througha suitable keeper or supporting member 52. r

When the machine is in operation the-cam element receives rotary motion through the "medium of the clutch members 19, 20 and the pinion 18, said motion being capable of being interrupted by means of the shipping lever 35. By proper previous adjustment of the cam units, the cam members 61 may be so disposed that the tracker will be actuated one or more times during each rotation of the cam element. When the tracker is actuated it will first ascend the low portion 22 of the cam member or members cl, thereby projecting the slide 36 in a rearward direction, causing the arm 38 to actuate the closure 39, moving the latter to an obstructing position. The tracker will now ascend the high portion 23 of the cam member or members cl, thereby further projecting the slide 36 withthe result of projecting the arm 38 beneath the anti-friction member 54 and causing the forward end wall of the slot 48 to engage the pin or lug 47 of the link 46, thereby rocking the latter and causing it to actuate the sliding rod 50, whereby the breast H of the gin casing will be swung open, permitting the accumulation of bolls and other waste material to escape, the same dropping on the floor or on a conveyer or other means provided for the reception thereof, but not shown in the drawing. When the cam member or members 01 pass out of engagement with the tracker, the weight of the breast H and the obstructing member 29 will gravitationally restore the tracker and allied parts to initial position, although obviously a spring or other well known means may be used to assist in accomplishing this result.

It will be seen that by the construction as previously described, the closure 39 whereby the flow of material over the chute B to the gin casing may be interrupted is hinged to the bottom of such chute and that by the actuating means provided it may be raised in the path of the material. In Figs. 10 and 11 there has been illustrated a modified con' struction under which the closure, here designated by 39', is carried by arms 60 that extend from a rock shaft 61 supported in bearings 62 beneath the chute, said rock shaft having a crank 63. Springs 64:, as best seen in Fig. 11, are arranged to actuate the rock shaft to move the arms carrying the closure upwardly from the bottom of the chute, thereby normally supporting the closure out of the path of material passing over the chute, it being obvious that by pressure exerted on the crank 63 in the direction of the arrow (1, see Fig. 10, the rock shaft may be rotated against the tension of the springs 64, thereby moving the closure in the direction of the botmm of the chute where it will interrupt the flow of material. For the purpose of engaging the crank to actuate the rock shaft the link L6, which is actuated by the slide in the same manner as hereinbefore described, is provided with a sleeve or socket 65 in which a rod 66 having a terminal curved tongue 67 is adjustably secured by means of a set screw 68. It will be seen that when the link 4L6 is actuated by the slide which is in turn actuated the tracker .lever when the latter is in engagement with the low cam of the cam element, the rod 66 having the tongue 67 will engage the crank 63, thereby turning the rock shaft against the tension of the springs 6% and lowering the closure member. The curvature of the tongue, however, is such that when the movements of the slide 36 and the link 46 are continued after the lowering of the closure member, the said tongue will simply wipe the crank 68 without further actuating the rockisha-ft 61, thereby permitting the movement of the link 46 to be continued for the purpose'of actuating the push rod 50, whereby the breast of the gin is opened.

It is to be understood that the arrangement of the closure whereby the flow of material is interrupted and the construction and arrangement of the mechanical parts whereby the closure is actuated may be further modified without in any sense departing from the spirit of the present invention as long as the purpose, which is to interrupt the flow of material at the proper time and for a proper period, is accomplished.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided means whereby the feed of material to the gin may be interrupted and the breast of the gin casing thrown open at suitable predetermined intervals, said intervals being capable of being regulated according to the nature of the material that is being operated upon in such a manner as to produce the most satisfactory results.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. In a device of the class described, a gin feeder having a discharge chute pro vided with a movably supported obstructing member, a gin casing having a movably supported breast, in combination with means for actuating said breast and obstructing member, said means including a tracker and a cam element engaged thereby, said cam element including a plurality of cams, and means whereby said cams may be adjusted about a common axis of rotation to actuate the tracker at stated intervals of predetermined duration.

2. In a device of the class described, a gin feeder having a discharge chute provided with a movably supported obstructing member, a gin casing having a hingedly supported breast member, a pivotally supported tracker lever, cam means for actuating said lever at predetermined intervals, and means for transmitting motion between the tracker lever, the obstructing member and the breast member of the gin, whereby said obstructing member and breast member will be operated When the lever is actuated.

3. In a device of the class described, a in feeder having a discharge chute provided with a movably supported obstructing member, a gin casing having a hingedly supportedv breast member, a. pivot-ally supported tracker lever, cam means for actuating said lever at predeterminedintervals, said cam means embodying a low cam and a high cam, whereby two movements in one direction will be successively imparted to the tracker lever, means for transmitting mo tion from the tracker lever to the obstructing member to actuate the latter during the first step or movement of the tracker lever,

' and means for transmitting motion from the tracker lever to the breast member of the gin to actuate said breast member during 2 the second step or movement of the tracker lever under the influence of the cam. V

4. Ina huller cotton gin having, a hinged breast door and a feed chute provided with a valve, means for intermittently opening the breast door, and means for opening the chute valve, the two opening means beingso timed that when the breast door is open the chute valve is closed and when the chute valve is open the breast door is closed.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM W. MILAM. Witnesses R. A. MURRY, E. W. WAssoN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

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