US1928103A - Float controlled drinking fountain - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 26, 1933. D. H. HILL 1,928ll03 FLOAT CONTROLLED DRINKING FOUNTAIN 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1932 Sept. 26, 1933.

D. H. HILL FLOATv CONTROLLED DRiNKING FOUNTAIN Filed Feb. 24. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 26, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT": OFFICE" j j: l 1,928,10 j Q Q FLOAT corrmoim'an,imnqiglnqd FoUN'rAnv. Dewey H. mu, Kokoino, Ind., assig imr m G1oiie American Corporation, Kokomo, Ind.,a cor-f poration of Indiana 1 1 p i 7 Application February 24, 1932. Serial No. 594,871 a fromvthe well to facilitate the refilling.

10 Claims Q (Cl.- 119-18) My invention relates to the classof drinking founts in which the water is automatically-maintained at a given height in a well, and in which the water-supplying reservoir can be detached Founts of this 'class-havinglong been used in various sizes by raisers of chicks, larger poultry and evenh0gs;-and with the smaller types (in which a so. called Mason jar served as the water 10 receptacle) it is customary to attach the well or base portion while inverted to the filled jar, after which the jar and well assembly is turned to its normal position.

With larger. sizes, the

fount is too great topermit a similar procedure. I Hence it has been customary to provide the mouth end of the receptacle with a relatively small .discharge outlet controlled by a spring-pressed valve which has a projecting valve stem disposed for engaging the bottom of the well to open the valve when the receptacle'is placed in its normal position on the well. In practice, this arrangement has the serious objection that the valve stem also projects downward from the receptacle whenever the latter has its outlet directed downward, so that the receptacle cannot then be set down on any fiat surface without causing-its contents to run out. Moreover, both the projecting valve stem and also the projecting outlet neck (which is usually provided for limiting the rise of thewater in the well to a level somewhat lower than the adjacent end of the receptacle) are apt to be damaged by the rough handling which farm hands give to such a container.

be set down freely on any, floor or ground with-' out causing liquid to discharge; and in which the reservoir can readily be refilled from the top, either when detached or while still in its normal position with respect to the well, so that no in- 1 ,verting of the reservoir is required at any-time.

In addition, my invention aims to provide a valve arrangement requiring no spring; which valve arrangement will automatically close the discharge outlet of the receptacle when the-latter is lifted off the .well, open this outlet when the receptacle is set down on an empty or inadequate- I r 1y filled well, and close the outlet whenever the weight of theas'sembled Moreover, the- 35 valve closing spring, sometimes catches or otherwaterin the lwell'reaohesa certain level; More-.' f h g I over, my invention aims to provide ,a simple and cheaply manufactured liquid controllarrangement J 1 y for these purposes, and one which can be attached I with equal facility to receptacles of differing sizes.

. Moreparticularly; my invention aims to provide aliquid fount or the class describe d n which all of the valve'mechanism portions below the lower end of the res'ervoir are laterally, housed by' aI reservoircasing extension which. reaches below these ports andprevents such parts f io m even touching the: ground or other floor' fon whichthe detached reservoir may be set.. Furthermore, my

invention aims to provide a f liquid icontrol arrangement in whichthe weight of a float con-j.

the reservoir, in which a check-waive ballis disposedfor closing this outlet," in which the raise 'ing of, the fioat by waterin the well'efiectsb'otha closing of the said outlet and. a 'lifting of jthe check valve ball; and in which the well hasa portion disposed ffor. limiting the downward movement of the floatto a position in which the;

said outlet is open.

. sun further ar dfmoreidetailed objects will the accompanyingdrawinga in which Fig. 1,is a central and vertical section through" a" drinking fountain embodying my invention; with the fioat in the maximum raised position which it shuts 01f aiurther flow of watersirom the reservoir to the pan or well. j i I Fig. 2 is a section similar to the lower-portionof Fig, 1, but taken when the pan and the'reservoir are both empty. a i v Fig. 3 is a central and vertical section through the lower por'tion of the reservoir when lifted off the pan. I

Fig. 4' is an enlargedperspective view of the. lever through which the fioat operates-the stem of the lower. valve memberi Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged sections of the valve assembly and parts adjacentto' the latter,

takenjin thesame plane as Fig. land showing the parts respectively in positionscorresponding to jFigi 1, 2 and 3. I I

j Fig- 8 is a side elevation taken iromthe line.

8",8ofFig.6.v

Fig. 9"is 'a horizontal section along-the line 9 9 of Fig.6, showing .the lev er as positioned during the-assembling of the valve mechanism.

Fig. .10 is a/central and vertical section through the pan and the lower portion of .reservoir,"sl1'ow- I =ing another embodiment of my'invention. j

70', tinually tends to open the; discharge outlet of Fig. 11 is a fragmentary elevation, looking to-' ward the right from the line li 11 of Fig. 10.. In the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 9, the reservoir of my drinking fountain comprises an upright cylindrical wall 1 on the upper edge of which a cover 2 is detachablyseated, and a bottom 3 spaced upwardly from the lower'end' of the wall 1 byadistance considerably greater than the maximum depth to which water is to be ad.-

mitted'to the pan 4 on the bottom of which pan the saidlower wall end is normally seated. This.

plane of the lever bottom 13.

pan is of larger diameter than. the reservoir so as to present an annular water-exposing trough around the lower portion of theriser walll of the reservoir, which wall is centered on the? pan by an annular riser formation '5 on thebottom of the pan, and which Wall has apertures Gnear its lower edge. f

The elevated reservoir bottom has an aperture '7 through which a tubularvalv'ebodyg extends,- the upright bore 9 of thisl'body affording thefoutlet 'jpassage through which the water discharges from the reservoir into the pan. QThe'dis'charge of waterthrough'the bore 9 is controlled by two superposedvalve-members, the upper ofifwhich is avalve'ball l0- housed by'the upper portion-of thesaid bore and adapted. tobe rolled by gravity to its seating position or" Figs. 1 and in V which-position-it closes the upper'end of the smaller diametered lower bore portion!) A.

- This lower bore portion desirably tapers upvl ardlyat the same angle as the tapering upper end 11A of a stem-like lower valve member '11 which 'is raised and lowered by a float 1'2 dis'f posedi within the portion of the riser wall 1 of the reservoir which is below the reservoir bottom 3.. 'To afford this motion, 'thedrawings show the float (which may bef'a hollow metal cylinder) as welded atits top toone end of a floatlever,

which leveris pivoted ona horizontal pivot pin 14 spanning the opposite sides 15 A oija supporting member fastenedto the reservoir bottom 3,

the said pin being desirably a cotter pin.-

As here shown, the lever includesa flatbottom portion 13 and riser webs 13 A extending upwardly fromeach side edge; of the said bottom 7 A j portion, through which-webs the pivoting pin .14 extends, the spread" of these webs being .bottom13 to support the lower'va-lve member. To permit a convenientassembly, the part of lever and having. at one end a slot enlargement 16 A of larger diameter than the main portion of thelower valve 12,. A

As here shown, the supporting member 15 includes a bottom portion 15 B connecting the riser sideslfi'A and having at the end nearest to the float a riser web 15 C of such aheight as to engage the bottom 13 of the float lever before any part of the float reaches the level of the lower end of the reservoir casing l, as shown in Figs.

7 and 3. The supporting member also includes J top webs 15 D which extend toward each other thewelds W in Fig. 6. I With the supporting member thus constructed, this 'canlee-positionedagainst the reservoir} valve 11 can be slid up through thisperforation extend acrossthe bore of the latter atsome dis- ,tothe pan.

and are welded'to the reservoir bottom 3,,asby' bottomand have its'topwebs welded to that bottom, after which the valve body is also welded to the said bottom as shown in Fig. 5. The lever until J its contracted portion comes in the general 1 The lever thenslid (to the position shown in -I1ull-,-lines in Fig. 9) toaline the perforations in its riser webs 13 -A with corresponding perfora- V 'tions' in the riser-webs 15A of the supporting member as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9,.after which the pivoting pin 14 is inserted. A stop cotter 1-8 is also inserted in the valve member to.

tanceabove the normal top of the check valve ball 10; thereby completing the assembly e When the empty reservoir is lifted off the pan 'or well, as by means of the usual bails 19 of Figi-l,

the float drops to the position of Fig 3 irr'which the float clears any-horizontal surface on which the reservoir may beset, and in which-'theflower valve 11 is moved downwardly to a position? (enlarged in Fig; 7) permitting the check valve ball lOlto closezthe upper endor" thevalve outletf9'A. The reservoir canthen belledffrom its top,

carried back to the pan, and be setijinto its-yep- ,erative position on the pan without'inverting the reservoir; all'without spilling any water; I

When the reservoir is thus replaced on the-pan;

the'engagement of'the fioat'with a riser formation on thepan (here shown as a bottom boss 4 A) raisesthe lower valve member. tothe mid= height position ofFigs. 2 and Shin which the tip portion 1 1' A ofithat valveraises the check 1 15 valve 10 out of its closure position but still leaves considerable clearance between the said tip portion and the outlet ,bore-'9: A of the-valve body. Water then-flows through this valve body into the pan until the'level of the'water in the pan is sufficient for raising the :float to the position of Figs. 1 and 5 in which thelowervalve'memb'er closes the valveoutlet 9 A and shutsoff the flow from the reservoir. Then whenever enough water. has been consumed from the outer or tr'oughpo rtion of the'pan to lower the liquid level inthe pan, materially,-- the valve ispartially reopened (as in-Fig. 6) to admit a further supply of water Thus, my simple and inexpensive double valve arrangementautomatically controls the level of the liquid in the pan and also controls the discharge outlet of the reservoir so thatthis can beffreely and speedily'handled' for a convenient refilling without any manual manipulation of valve parts, the stop c'otterlS beingprovided merely'to prevent the check ball from rolling out det'ails'fof the construction and arrangement thus-disclosed, since many changes'may be made valve assembly to be disposed more centrally of without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

For example, Fig. 10 shows an embodiment of my invention in which the float lever extends through an upright slot 20 in the reservoir wall 1 (below the bottom 3 of the reservoir) and is limited in its downward swinging by engagement with the lower end of this slot. This allows the the reservoir, the float-engaging formation on the pan being suitably altered as shown at 4 B, so that it will dispose a portion of theproper height for engaging the float when the fountainis assembled.

I claim as my invention: I

1. A drinking fount comprising a well-forming base member, a water reservoir detachably seated upon the said base member with the bottom of the reservoir spaced upwardly from the bottom of the pan, the reservoir having a discharge outlet in its bottom; and a valve mechanism controlling the said outlet; and riser means on the base member for actuating the said mechanism to open the said outlet when the reservoir is set into the base member, the valve mechanism also includes a float serving to close the said outlet to a greater extent when the water in the pan exceeds a predetermined level.

2. A drinking fount as per claim 1, in which the base member is a pan having an upwardly formed bottom portion affording the said riser means. V

3. A drinking'fount as per claim 1, in which the base member is a panYhaving' an upwardly formed bottom portion affording the said riser means, the said bottom portion being disposed for engaging the float.

4. A drinking fount comprising a well-forming base member, a water reservoir having its lower end smaller in diameter than the base member and having the said end normally seated on the said base member, the bottom of the reservoir being spaced upwardly from the bottom of the base member, and the reservoir having a discharge outlet in its bottom; and a valve mechanism supported by the bottom of the receptacle, the base member having a riser portion disposed for actuating the mechanism to open the said outlet when the reservoir is set down upon the base member; and the mechanism including a float arranged for closing the said outlet when the container is lifted off the base member, and also for closing the said outlet when the level of water in the base member reaches a predetermined height while the reservoir is positioned on the base member.

5. A drinking fount as per claim 1, in which the lower end of the reservoir is of smaller diameter than the base membervand in which the bottom of the base member has a formation engaging the said lower reservoir end to center the reservoir on the base member.

6. A drinking fount as per claim 1, in which the side wall of the container extends belowthe bottom of the container and seats on the bottom of the base member, the portions of the valve mecha-',

nism below the bottom of the container being continually housed by the part of the said side wall which is below the container bottom.

7. Means for controlling the discharge of liquid through a perforation in the bottom of a receptacle for the liquid, comprising an upright tubular valve body extending through the said perforation, the bore of the valve body comprising a lower and upwardlytapering bore portion and an upper bore'portion of larger diameter than the upper end of the said lower bore portion; a check valve ball'disposed in the upper bore portion and of larger diameter than the said upper end but "smaller in diameter than the upper bore portion; a vertically movable-valve member having a tapering end'adapted to fit into the lower bore portion with the tip'of that end projecting above the lower portion into the upper bore portion; a float lever connected to the said valve member, and a pivoting member supportedby the receptacle bottom andserving to guide the said valve member, the lever being pivoted on the pivoting member.

8. Liquid discharge means'as per claim 7, in

which the valve member has intermediate its ends a diametrically contracted portion connected to the upper and lower parts of that member by annular shoulders; and in which the lever-has a slot of less diameterjthan the exterior diameter of the said shoulders; through which slot the said portionnormally extends; the slot also having an enlargement through which one end part of the valve member can be inserted, the said enlargement being normally spaced from the contracted portion of the valve member.

9. A drinking fount comprising a base member, a water reservoir detachably supported by the said base member with the bottom of the receptacle spaced upwardlyfrom the bottom of the pan, the receptacle having a discharge outlet in its bottom, a valve member continuously'urged by gravity to close the said .outlet,- and floatilo actuated means arranged for. lifting the said valve ,member out of its closure position and thereafter closing the outlet independently of the said valve member; the float-actuated means including a second valve member adapted upon upward movement thereof to lift the first named valve member and thereafter close the said out-- let, and a float disposed between the bottoms of the container and the base member, a lever sup porting both the float and the second valve member, and a pivoting member fastened to the container and uponwhich the lever is pivoted, the

member out of its closure position and there- I after closing the outlet independently of the said valve member; the actuated means'includin'ga second valve member adapted upon upward movement thereof to lift the first named valve memher and thereafter close the said outlet, and av I float disposed between thebottoms of the con tainer and the base member and operatively connected to the second valvemember; the bottom of the base member. has] a'portion thereof disposed for engaging the float when the container is set into the base member to raise the float to an extent sufficient forlifting the first named valve member out of its closure position but insufficient forraising the second valve member to its closure position. I I p 4 e i DEWEY H. HILL.

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