US2711066A - Cotton picker spindle moistener - Google Patents

Description

June 21, 1955 F. w. BARBKNECHT 2,711,066

COTTON PICKER SPINDLE MOISTENER Filed March 2, 1955 2 $he etsSheet 1 //v VENTOR FRED w. BARB/(IVECHT United States Patent COTTON PICKER SPINDLE MOISTENER Fred W. Barbknecht, Palos Heights, 11]., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 2, 1953, Serial No. 339,735

16 Claims. (CI. 56-41) This invention relates to moisteners for cotton picker spindles.

A general object of this invention is toprovide a novel inexpensive moistener assembly of simple and durable construction which may be readily. incorporated in exist' ing machines and wherein the parts are arranged so that they may be readily, individually replaced when worn or broken.

A more specific object of the invention is-to devise a novel moistener incorporating a trough into which water is adapted to'be delivered, the trough mounting a moistener pad which is adapted to absorb the water from the trough through capillary action and the pad providing a surface over which the spindles are adapted to brush.

A further object of the invention is to devise such a novel moistener wherein the moistener-pad is formed of a sponge like substance with particles of substantially harder wear resistance substance imbedded therein at the spindle contacting face thereof so as to resist or reduce wear to the minimum on thesponge pad.

The invention contemplates controlling the amount or" water or lubricant delivered or applied to the spindles by adjusting the wiping faces of the moistener pads with respect to the spindles to regulate the compression of the spindles which effects a pumping actionto bring the water to the surface.

A still further object of the invention is to devise a moistener pad assembly adapted to cooperate with horizontal rows of spindles, the assembly incorporating a series of vertically stacked troughs, each trough having an overflow connection to the trough therebelow and the uppermost trough having'a connection to a supply of moistener fluid so that moistener fluid is caused to flow from the uppermost to the lowermost troughs in series thereby effecting a simple distribution of the fluid throughout the entire moistener assembly.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the specification andthe drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view with parts broken away and shown in section of a moistener assembly shown in association with the picker spindles and housing.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational view with parts broken away and shown in section of the moistener assembly.

Figure 3 is an enlargedplan view of a moistener container.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the moistener container element taken substantially in the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view of 'the moistener pad with partsbroken away and shown in section.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 5, and

Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse view of the moistener pad and the cup shownin assembled relationship taken substantally, on line 7-7 of Figure 2. I

2 Describing the invention in detail, the;moistener assembly generally designated 2, is adaptedfor cooperation with the cotton-pickerrspindle assembly designated 6 and comprises a support standard or carrier 7 comprising an upper shaft 8 with a threaded upper, reducedend 9 projected through an opening 10 within the top wall '11 of the picker drum housing 6. 'The reduced portion 9 has a nut 12 threaded thereon which cooperates with a shoulder 13, of shaft 8 and abutable against the underside of the plate 11 to lock the vertical shaft'8 in adjusted position. The lower end of the shaft 8 projects through an opening 14 in an intermediate plate 15 of the housing 6, the plate 15 being carried from the sides '16 of the housing 6. A guide collar 1% is mounted on the underside of the plate 15 and is sleeved about the lower end of the shaft 3 projecting beneath the plate 15, the guide collariILSbeing secured to the plate 15 as by bolts 19. Thelower end of the shaft 8 may have a downwardly I open axial bore in threaded engagement with the 1 of the related Wall 31 and positioned in registry with the upper threaded end 21 of a coaxial shaft 22, the shaft 22 being provided at its lower end with a suitable bearing 23 in guided engagement with a bearing 24 removably mounted on the bottom plate 25 of the housing 6; It will be appreciated from a consideration of Figural that the shaft 22 is adapted for vertical adjustment pursuant to rotation of the shaft 8 when the same is engaged'at its wrench engaging upper end '26 and upon loosening of the nut 12, said rotation of the shaft 8 effecting threading or unthreading of the end21 with respect to bore 20.

The lower end of the shaft 22 may carry above the bearing 23, which may befixed to'the shaft 22 in any suitabie manner as by press-fittingor welding or eve'nby threading, if desired, a cap 27 extending over the bearing 23 and the bearing 24 and ontop of this cap 27 are mounted about-the shafts 22 a vertical series of troughs or moistener liquid containers generally designated 28.

Each'container 28 is an-elongated structure comprising a generally circular collar 29 atone base end with a vertical bore snugly receiving the shaft 22 therethrough andimmediately adjacent to this mounting portion 29, each moistener has a radially outwardly extending integral upwardly open trough or container 30 comprising interconnected spaced end walls '31 and 32, laterally spaced side walls 33 and 34-, and a bottom wall 35 the walls 32-34- providing an upper edge 35a which outlines a top opening 35b of the container. The member 28 may be an aluminum casting or may be made of any other metal of suitable plastic substance and may have outturned peripheral flanges 36 and 3'7 along the upper edges of its side walls 33 and 34-. The end wall or base web 31 projects above and below the container 30 and is integral with the collar 29. Each casting 28 has inlet and outlet openings'38 and 39 cored in the wall 31 thereof and the openingSS may have its upper end open through the upper face of the wall 31 and may have I its lower end openthrough the side of the wall 31 facing into the trough longitudinally thereof, the lower'margin of the inlet opening being above the level of the upper edges of the side walls and end wall 32 of the trough. 'The outlet opening39 may communicateat its upperend with the trough through the side of the Wall. 31 facing thereinto and may be disposed at a level intermediate the upper and lower extremities of the trough and the lowerend of the opening 39 may be opened through. the bottom edge upper end of the intake opening 38 of the moistener container therebelow asbest seen in Figure 2. 'The lowermost moistener may have its discharge opening 39 either plugged, if desired, or, as shown in Figure 1,-it may discharge onto the top side of the cap 27 and then run off from the drum housing onto the ground. The uppermost moistener container may have its inlet opening 38 in registry with the discharge opening 40 of a header 41 sleeved about the shaft 22 and clamped against the uppermost container by means of a nut 42 threaded on the shaft 22 at its upper end 21 and on its underside in engagement as at 43 with the top side of the header, the nut 42 clamping all of the containers tightly to each other with the passages 39, 38 of successive containers in registry, the lowermost container 28 seating at 44 against the flange of the cap 27.

The header 41 communicates through a conduit 45 with a reservoir 46 which contains the moistening fluid, which is preferably water, and the flow through the conduit 45 may be controlled by a suitable control valve 47 to regulate the amount of fluid which flows from the reservoir 46 into the moistener containers. The conduit 45 may be such as a flexible rubber hose or as shown it may comprise telescoping sections 48 and 49 to accommodate vertical adjustment of the shaft 22 and the moisteners carried thereby, the lower section 48 slidably passing through an opening 43%: in plate and serving to hold the shaft 22 from rotating.

As heretofore described, each container defines a rectangular trough open upwardly and each trough receives a moistening pad 50 preferably formed of sponge rubber or other suitable cellular sponge like substance such as will absorb water and disburse it therethrough through capillary and seepage action.

The pad 50 is substantially rectangular in plan and has a relatively thin outer free end portion 50 and a thick base end portion 50" and is provided with a generally flat upper spindle-wiping surface 51 which slopes upwardly from the free end 52 of the moistener to its base end 53 generally parallel to the bottom edge of the conical spindles 54 adapted to pass and Wipe thereover of the picker drum structure 4 as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. The bottom portion 50a of the pad 50 has a complementary fit within the trough and at its inner or base end is disposed in closing relationship to or across the inlet and outlet 38 and 39 so that the fluid generally indicated 54' is caused to flow from each inlet 38 into the pad 50 and saturate it and to also fill the trough and the overflow is caused to seep or flow into the outlet 39. The upper portion or section 5912 of the pad is provided with a plurality of laterally spaced trans- 1 versely elongated Wear resistant inserts 55, these inserts" having their upper edges coincident with the plane of the upper face 51 of the related pad and functioning to providewearing areas for the spindles 54 as they brush over the faces 51. These inserts 55 may preferably be of hard rubber and may be bonded to the spongy body 56 of the pad and may extend transversely of the face 51. Each pad may also be provided with a plurality of laterally spaced transverse retainers or fasteners 57, which extend through the body of the pad between its upper and lower sides and through its lateral sides outwardly thereof and beyond the lateral extremes of the flanges 36 and 37 of the related cup through slots 36a and 37a therein and where these soft metal clips 57 may be bent downwardly and then under the respective flanges 36 and 37 as shown at the left side of Figure 7 at 58 for engagement with the underside of the related flange 36 or 37 in order to hold the associated pad within its moistener cup. The clips 57 may be formed of suitable bendable plastic mate rial, if desired. It will be seen in Figure 7 that the pad has lateral projections 59 beneath each fastener 57 and overlapping the adjacent flange 36 or 37 for compression between the member 57 and the flange to effect a tight securement.

It will be noted that the provision for vertical adjustments of the moistener assembly 2 obtains a control over the amount of moisture to be applied to the spindles 54.

The spindles 54 orbit in horizontal planes and byraisw ing the moisteners the spindles are caused to press the pads more than when the moisteners are lowered so as to obtain a varying degree pumping action and it will be ing in combination, an upright support, a verticalrow of horizontally positioned containers for moistening liquid connected to the support one above the other in vertically spaced relation, each container having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the inlet of each container communicatingwith the outlet of the one thereabove, a source of fluid, conduit means connecting said source to the inlet of the uppermost container, theoutlet of each container 3 being located in an overflow intercepting relationshipto the fluid inthe container whereby said containers are serially filled in order fromthe uppermost containers to the lowest container, and a fluid permeable pad in each container having an upper spindle-wiping surface.

2. A moistening device according to claim 1 andeach container having an upper edge and an upright wall ex tending above said upper edge and the inlet being located in said wall above the upper edge of the related container and directly open to a portion of the pad thereadjacent above said upper edge of the related container.

3. A device for moistening a rotary cotton picking spindle, comprising in combination, a container for moistening liquid, a support, means mounting said container generally horizontally from said support, said container having a circumscribing upper edge defining a top opening, a sponge rubber moistener pad carried by the container and having a lower portion extendingthereinto and an upper portion constituting a substantial'portion of the pad extending above said upper edge of the container and presenting an upper spindle-engagingsurface.

4. A device for moistening a rotary cotton picking spindle, comprising a container for receiving moistening liquid, a support, means for mounting the containerfrom one end upon said support in a generally horizontal position, said container having a peripheral upper edge outlining a top opening, said container having a portion at said one end thereof extending upwardly above said upper edge and provided with a fluid inlet duct having an opening into said container at a level above said upper edge, a sponge rubber moisture pad mounted within the con-.

tainer for absorbing the liquid therein, said pad having an upper section extending above the upper edge of the container and provided with a spindle Wiping face disposed above the level of said openingin said portion, and said relation to said opening.

5. A device for moistening a rotary cotton-pickingv spindle, comprising a support, an elongated sponge rubber moistener pad mounted on said support and having a spindle-wiping face, means operatively associated with said pad for supplying it with moistening fluid, and wear resistant inserts in said pad and located solely adjacent.

to said face and each presenting an extensive Wear surface coplanar with said face and elongated transversely of the pad and spaced lengthwise of the pad.

6. A device for moistening a rotary conical cottonpicking spindle comprising an elongated container for moistening liquid and having a base end web at one extremity and a free end opposite the extremity, a support for said container connected to the base end web thereof, said container having an upper peripheral edge defining an opening in the top thereof, a sponge rubber moistener pad secured to the container and extending therefrom upwardly through said opening above said upper edge and portion in covering elongated lengthwise of the container, said pad having a planar diagonal top spindle-wiping face, said pad having a thick portion adjacent to the base end web of said container and a thin portion at the free end, said base end having a liquid inlet aperture communicating and open directly to the adjacent thick portion of the pad and disposed above the upper edge of said container and directed longitudinally of the pad whereby liquid issuing from the aperture is caused to flow lengthwise of the pad.

7. A cotton picker spindle moistener assembly comprising an upright support, a container for moistening liquid carried generally horizontally on the support, a sponge pad carried in the container and projecting upwardly therefrom and having an upper side presenting a spindle-wiping face, and means for supplying liquid directly to said upper portion of the pad and having a conduit communicatively associated with said upper portion.

8. In a moistener assembly for rotatable conical cotton picking spindles, a support, a generally horizontal moistener fluid container having one end connected to the support, means for delivering fluid to the container connected thereto, a sponge pad having a lower portion fitted into the container for immersion in the fluid and having an upper portion presenting an upper spindlewiping face, said pad upper portion having substantial depth and extruding upwardly out of the container and being compressible and expansible to eflect a pumping action pursuant to compression by a spindle to bring the fluid from the container to said face, and said face being inclined downwardly and outwardly away from the support.

9. In a moistener assembly for a conical cotton picker spindle, an elongated moistener fluid container having an open end with flanges thereabout, a moistener pad fitted therein and extending out of the container and having an inclined external spindle-wiping face for complementary engagement with the conical periphery of the spindle, and bendable fastener means extending through the pad and about said flanges in securing relationship thereto, said pad being thicker at one end than the other and projecting farther out of the container at said one end than the other.

10. A moistener pad for a conical cotton-picking spindle having a sponge rubber body and presenting a spindle-wiping face on a side thereof disposed at an angle to the major axis thereof for parallel engagement with the conical periphery of the spindle.

11. A moistener pad according to claim and wearresistant inserts imbedded in said face.

12. A moistener pad according to claim 11 and said inserts being elongated and formed of hard rubber and extending lengthwise transversely of said face and integrally united with said body and presenting a wear surface coplanar with said face.

13. In a cotton-picker-spindle moistener assembly, a support, a series of identical horizontally disposed containers for moistening liquid assembled in a vertical row upon said support, and each having an open top, each container comprising an upright wall having upper and lower edges and an inlet duct open through the upper edge of the wall at one end and open at its opposite end through the wall into the container at a level above said top, said wall having an outlet duct open at one end through said wall into the container in a region intermediate the top and bottom of the container and said outlet duct open at its opposite end through the bottom edge of the wall, said containers disposed so that each outlet duct communicating with the inlet duct of the container therebelow, a source of moistening liquid communicatively connected with the inlet duct of the container at the upper end of said series of containers, a capillary, perforate, spindle-Wiping moistener pad mounted within each container and having a portion disposed against the said wall of the container across the open ends of the related inlet and outlet ducts so that the liquid is caused to seep therethrough as it is being fed from one container to the other. a

14. In a moistener for a cotton picking spindle, a supporting standard, a container carried thereby and having an open top with outturned peripheral flanges, a moistener pad having a body with a lower portion in said container and an upper portion projecting upwardly from the container, a fastener comprising a bendable strip extending through the body at a level approximately coplanar with the top of the container and having opposite ends projecting through slots in the flanges at opposite sides of the body, said fastener having opposite ends bent under said last-mentioned flanges.

15. A moistener according to claim 14 and said flanges having lateral slots and said body having laterally outwardly projecting portions disposed in said slots between respective ends of said fastener and flanges and compressed therebetween to hold the fastener in tight engagement with the flange.

16. A moistener pad for moistening a cotton-picking spindle comprising a sponge rubber body presenting a generally rectangular spindle-wiping face on one side and a plurality of hard rubber inserts extending transversely of said face into the body and united therewith, said inserts each having a width substantially coextensive with the width of said face and said pad having one end thicker than the other and said face extending diagonally from one end to the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 15,786 McGinty Mar. 4, 1924 662,328 Weaver et al Nov. 20, 1900 1,123,675 Buchanan Jan. 5, 1915 1,526,267 Dessau Feb. 10, 1925 1,735,046 Harris Nov. 12, 1929 1,742,548 Leal Jan. 7, 1930 1,748,406 Blair Feb. 25, 1930 1,816,108 Blumenfeld July 28, 1931 1,943,365 Borden Jan. 16, 1934 2,268,403 Kingman Dec. 30, 1941 2,341,818 Schellings Feb. 15, 1944 2,369,708 Baker et al Feb. 20, 1945 2,425,251 Landau Aug. 5, 1947 2,433,083 Baker et a1 Dec. 23, 1947 2,593,671 Hagen et al Apr. 22, 1952 2,616,237 Smith Nov. 4, 1952

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