US2433697A - Elevator boot construction - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 30, 1947. G. E. HULSE ELEVATOR BOOT couswnucnom Filed April 6, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l I 1 A 1 INVENTOR G. E. HULSE De c. 30, 1947.

' ELEVATOR BOOT CONSTRUCTION Filed April 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 96076 E. Hulse BY J a ems "7 Dec. 30, 1947. HULSE 2,433,697

ELEVATOR BOOT CONSTRUCTION Filed April 6, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 E. z" BYgez'n e [fuse INVENTOR 62 4 @aw mw M' ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 30, 1947 ELEVATOR BOOT CONSTRUCTION George E. Hulse, New Haven, Conn, assignor to The Safety Car Heating and LightingCompany, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application April 6, 1945, Serial No. 586,894

Claims. (Cl. 198-207) This invention relates to elevator boot construction.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an elevator boot construction which is simple, practical, and thoroughly durable. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which will be sturdy and well able to withstandthe strain of hard usage. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character,

the manufacture of which will be economical both from the standpoint of labor and materials used. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which may be quickly and easily adjusted to compensate'for changes in length of the elevator belt. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character wherein the boot and pulley are automatically adjusted to changes in the length of the belt. A further object is to provide a construction of the above character in which the boot is at all times so positioned with respect to the buckets that the material being elevated cannot accumulate at the bottom of the boot. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, all as will be illustratively described herein, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the elevator boot construction;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section takenon the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a horizontal section of a portion of the machine shown in Figure 1 taken on the line 55 of Figure 1; and, a

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the construction shown in Figure l in modified form.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawmgs.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of this invention, it might here be pointed out that considerable difficulty has been experienced with elevator boots used in connection with the bucket type of elevator belts be-.

cause of the fact that the material being elevated, such as flour, accumulates in the boot and thus makes an ideal spot for the propagation of insect life. The reason that a space exists in which the material accumulates is directly attributable to the fact that use causes elevator belts to stretch. Due to this fact, space is provided between the bottom of the buckets and the boot to permit the lower pulley over which the belt runs to be adjusted downwardly as the belt stretches. Accordingly, when the belt is new, there is considerable clearance between the buckets and the bottom of the boot and the material being elevated, such as flour, accumulates in the bottom of the boot where the buckets cannot reach it. The insect life in the flour then propagates and this point in the elevator becomes an infestation center from which infestation spreads into the flour passing through the elevator and thus through the mill with resultant damage to the product being produced. It is another object of this invention to overcome the abovementioned difficulties as well as many others.

In general, material is elevated by buckets in (Figure 3) mounted on an endless elevator belt ll. Belt ll runs on pulley l2 which is mounted on a boot, generally indicated at. [3. Boot I3 overlaps and is vertically adjustable with respect to a casing, generally indicated at It, and vertical adjustment between the boot and casing is made by screws 9 and [5 (Figure 2). Accordingly, as pulley I2 is mounted on boot [3 wheneve pulley I2 is lowered to tension belt I I, the bottom of buckets I0 always clear the bottom of the boot (Figure 3) by the same amount.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, casing l4 (Figures 1, 2, and 3) is of rectangular shape and is mounted on a framework, generally indicated at Hi. This framework includes four corner posts l1, l8, l9, and 2B, the feet of which are preferably connected to the floor. At the ends of the construction, posts I l and I9 are connected by a pair of channel-shaped structural members 2| and 22 (Figure 3) and posts l8 and 20 are connected by structural members 23 and 24. At

the bottom of the sides of the construction, posts I! and 18 and posts l9 and 20 are connected by structural members 25 and 26, while at the top, a pair of channel-shaped structural members 21 and 28 (Figures 1 and 3) extend between and are connected to transverse structural members 2| and 23 (Figure 3). The inner faces of members 2! and 28 are parallel and are spaced from each other a distance equal to the width of casing l4 (Figure 2).

Casing M has a flange Ma extending outwardly from its upper edge and through this flange it is secured by screws 29 (Figures 2 and 3) to the under surface of structural members 2|, 23, 21, and 28. The casings 30 and 3| through which the buckets and belt move are rectangular in cross section and are connected by angle brackets 32 and 33 which are fixed to the casing by rivets 36 and which are connected to the respective strucutral members 23, 21, and 28. The space between casings 30 and 3| is closed by a plate 34 supported by brackets 32 and 33. The space to the left of the lower end of casing 353, as viewed in Figure 3, is closed by a plate 35 which is connected to structural member 2| in any suitable manner and to casing 30 by bracket 33. Plate 35 is provided with a suitable opening 3'! through which the material to be elevated is fed.

The boot l3 includes a pair of side plates 40' and H (Figures 1, 2, and 3) which are connected by the bottom 52 of the boot. The bottom 42 is connected to the lower edges of side platesM! and ll in any suitable manner, such as by screws 43 (Figure 2). The upper portions 42a and 42?) (Figure 3) of the bottom of the boot are vertical with respect to the framework and parallel with respect to each other, and these portions of the bottom plus the upper portions of side walls 4%) and Al (Figure 2) form a mouth for the boot which is rectangular in cross section. The internal dimensions of this mouth are slightly greater than the external dimensions of casing M, thus permitting the mouth of boot l3 to slide over the casing.

To seal the opening between the inner surface of the boot and the outer surface of easing M, a gasket 45 (Figures 2 and 3) is provided. This gasket is held in position by a retaining ring we of rectangular shape which is bolted by bolts 46 to flanges sea, 46a, 42c, and 42d extending outwardly from the upper edges of side plates 40, Al, and bottom 62. This gasket eifectively prevents leakage of the material being elevated between the boot and casing l4.

Pulley 82 (Figures 2 and 3) is mounted on boot l3 by a shaft 55. The ends of this shaft are mounted on roller bearings 56 and 51 mounted in turn on the side walls t and M of boot l3. Gaskets e and 59 are preferably provided to prevent the lubricant used on bearings 56 and 51 from entering the boot. As is best shown in Figures 2 and 3, pulley i2 is of a size and shaft 55 is so positioned that the bottom of each bucket just clears the bottom of the boot. Because of the fact that the pulley is mounted on the boot in a permanent position with respect thereto, this predetermined clearance is always maintained when the belt is properly tensioned.

Boot i3 is supported by and adjusted with relation to casing M by screws 9 and I5. These screws extend through holes in bosses 5B and 5! (Figure 2) extending outwardly from boot side plates Li?) and 5! and thread into threaded holes in supporting members 52 and 53. Supporting members 52 and 53 are secured by screws 52a and 53a to studs 21a and 28a welded to structural members 2'! and 28 (Figures 2 and 4). Screws 9 and I5 are provided with enlarged portions to and Mia (Figure 2) immediately above bosses 5i) and 5!, and thus, when these screws are turned to move boot l3 and thus pulley l2 downwardly to tighten belt ll, these screws act between supporting plates 52 and 53 and the upper surfaces of bosses 50 and El to move the boot downwardly. When it is desiredto remove 4 the belt prior to the installation of a new one, screws 9 and i5 are screwed in the opposite direction and the boot is raised, the heads 9b and I51) of screws 9 and i5 carrying the weight of the boot.

To guide the boot as it is adjusted with respect to casing M and thus maintain the motion between these portions of the construction rectilinear, a pair of guide bars in the form of angle bars are mounted on the framework. Each pair of guide bars coacts with bosses on the side of the boot adjacent to them to guide the boot as it moves upwardly and downwardly. Guide bars 62 and ti (Figure l) at their tops are connected by screws 53a to studs 28a and at their lower ends are connected to structural member 26 (Figure 2). Guides 62 and 63 are connected by screws 52a (Figure 4) to studs 21a and to structural member 25.

The bosses 5i! and El on each of the sides 40 and M of the boot are similarly positioned (Figures 1 and 2) and are of similar construction. Each of the bosses 66, Bl, 68, and 69 (Figure 1) on side 553 has a recessed portion (see also Figure 5) in which the respective portions of the guide bars62 and 63 are positioned. The guide bars are maintained in this position by cap plates iii, 1!, l2, and 13 which are secured to the bosses by screws. Thus, as the boot is raised or lowered with respect to casing 14, the guide bars and the bosses on the side plates guide the boot so that it moves with rectilinear motion with respect to casing l4.

Referring to Figure 6, in which a modification of a portion of the construction is shown, a rod 83 is used on each side of the construction instead of screws 9 and i5. These rods extend through holes in the supporting members, such as member 52, and are secured to the boot bosses similar to boss 58 by nuts 8| and 82. Springs, such as spring 63, are mounted on the rods to exert resilient pressure between the under surface of the supporting members and the bosses and thus resiliently press the boot down downwardly. Accordingly, as the belt I I stretches, the springs automatically move the boot downwardly thus maintaining the belt under constant tension.

Thus, it will be clear that an efficient and practical elevator boot construction has been disclosed in which the buckets always clear the bottom of the boot by the same predetermined amount, thus preventing the accumulation at the bottom of the boot of the materials being elevated. Furthermore, the construction described permits the tension on the elevator belt to be quickly and easily adjusted as the belt stretches during use. Accordingly, the objects hereinabove mentioned as well as many others, have been successfully accomplished.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The invention claimed is a follows:

1. In an elevator construction, the combination of, a rectangular frame including four vertical corner posts and a plurality of horizontal frame members, two pairs of vertical guide bars fixed to said frame whereby parallel guideways are formed along two opposite sides of said frame, a fixed casing structure mounted on said frame and including a horizontal top wall portion and a downwardly projecting skirt portion, a boot positioned Within said frame beneath said fixed casing structure and having an open top which telescopes with said skirt portion, said boot having two parallel side portions positioned respectively adjacent said guideways and each having an integral bearing sleeve which is positioned substantially centrally with respect to its bearing sleeve, bracket means projecting from the side of each of said side portions and engaging the respective guideways whereby the boot may be moved vertically and yet held in upright position, and means to adjust the vertical position of said boot with respect to said skirt portion.

2. A construction as described in claim 1 which includes, bearing means within each of said bearing sleeves, and a pulley carried by said bearing means.

3. A construction as described in claim 2 wherein the mean for adjusting the position of 20 the boot comprises, a pair of brackets fixed to the opposite sides of said frame substantially above the respective bearing means, a pair of brackets fixed respectively to the opposite sides of said boot directly beneath the respective fixed 25 brackets, and a pair of rods extending respec- 6 tively through each fixed bracket and its associated bracket.

4. A construction as described in claim 3 which includes a sealing strip fixed to the upper edge of the boot and projecting into engagement with the skirt portion.

5. An elevator construction as described in claim 4 which includes a pair of springs positioned respectively around said rods between the respective brackets, thereby to urge the boot downwardly.

GEORGE E. HULSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 203,887 Caldwell et al May 21, 1878 417,614 Webber et al Dec. 1'7, 1889 880,303 Hethington Feb. 25, 1908 1,160,523 Morrow Nov. 16, 1915 1,570,235 Fooks Jan. 19, 1926 1,925,024 Slater Aug. 29, 1933

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