US2488671A - Elevator boot attachment - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 22, 1949 l, H, LEHMAN 2,488,671

ELEVATOR BOOT ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 13, 1948 Patented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES 5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in an attachment for elevator boots and refers particularly to a device which may be employed with the conventional bucket elevator boot whereby when desired the boot may be completely cleaned or cleared of material which may be handled by the elevator, whereas during normal operation of the elevator the device remains inactive.

In the usual bucket elevator of the type used to raise discrete materials such as grain or the like, the boot or lower section thereof, that is, the porti-on in which the material is charged to the elevator, is so constructed and proportioned that considerable space is provided between the bottom of the boot and the path of travel of the edges of the buckets'carried by the elevator belt. The reason for providing such space 'n twofold, namely, to insure that 'an ample supply of material may be available so as to completely ll the buckets as they pass through the boot, and secondly, so that the bucket edges will not, during normal operation of the device, rub upon the bottom of the boo-t or jam material against said bottom thereby, in either case', causing undue wear upon the buckets and boot bottom, consuming an excessive amount of power in operation of the elevator and causing undue tension and Wear upon the elevator or conveyor belt.

However, it is desirable, particularly Where an elevator is used to successively carry materials of different kinds or where materials carried by the elevator may be subject to deterioration or decay on standing, to completely remove the material which may be disposed between the boot bottom and the buckets, material which the buckets are normally incapable of removing.

As a feature of my invention I provide a device which may be conveniently .added to the usual elevator boot which permits, asvoccasion demands, the convenient removal of material carried by the boot by means of the elevator buckets, material, that is, which normally could not be removed by the buckets.

.Briefly described, my invention Y.comprises a relatively ilexible plate which may be secured at one end to the interior wall of the boot, the opposite end thereof extendingthrough an Opening provided in the boot wall at approximately the opposite diametral side` of the elevator lower pulley. The plate conforms generally to the path of travel of the elevator buckets and normally vis spaced from the lower edges of said buckets as they pass -around the lower pulley. Means is provided exteriorly of the boot Af orexerting tension upon thev protruding edge. ofthe plate to` move the elevator.

2 plate upwardly toward the path of travel of the buckets whereby the residual material carried by the plate is moved into the path oi travel of the elevator buckets. In this manner the residual material, normally carried on the boot bottolnis carried by the plate to a position whereby it may be removed by the buckets.

Other features of my invention will be apparent `from the accompanying drawing and following detailed description.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a detailed sectional View of an elevator boot provided with a device embodying the concepts of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detailed side elevational view of the device illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, l indicates the lower portion of an elevator of the type which is adapted to handle discrete material such as grain or the like. The elevator l comprises a housing 2, referred to generally as an elevator boot, and two conduits 3 and ll which connect into the housing 2. A pulley 5 is rotatably positioned upon Aa shaft 6 which is mounted in the housing 2, the pulley 5 comprising the lower pulley -of the An endless conveyor belt or chain l is trained around the pulley '5 and carries a plurality of buckets S, said buckets protruding from the surface of the conveyor 1 and being disposed in spaced relationship with respect to each other. A charging opening S is provided at one side of the housing 2 whereby material to be raised by the elevator may be charged to the boot or housing 2.

The elevator hereinabove described is of conventional construction and a space Ill is normally provided between the path of travel of the lower edges of the buckets ,3 and the bottom ll of the boot ,2. As has been hereinbefore described, this space is so provided that an ample supply of material to be raised can be charged to the boot also so that the edges of the buckets 8 in passing around the lower portion of the pulley 5 will not rub against the bottom of the housing 2. However, as has been hereinbefore described, vele,-

vators of this type are Vfrequently used to r-aise of diierent characteristics, that is, materials which it would be undesirable to mix. For instance, in actual operation, the elevator l may be employed for a predetermined period of time to raise corn. Subsequently it may be desired to raise wheat by means of the elevator.

lt can readily be seen that after the elevator has been employed to raise the a quantity of said corn will remain at the bottom of the boot and cannot normally be removed by means of the buckets 8. If the wheat were then charged to the elevator the agitation produced in the boot 2 would tend to mix the corn with the wheat and, hence, for a period of time, the grain raised by the buckets 8 would comprise wheat mixed with predetermined amounts of corn. Obviously, therefore, it is desirable that some convenient means be provided for removing the residual material from the boot bottom II and it is to this end to which my invention is directed.

As a feature of my invention, a relatively ilexible plate I 2 is anchored at one end upon an inner wall of the boot 2, the means of anchorage preferably comprising a pivotally mounted rod I3 carried by brackets I4. The plate I2 may comprise a relatively thin sheet of metal or may comprise a reinforced rubber sheet, in either case the plate is sufllclently iiexible to occupy a position within the boot which generally conforms with the curvature of the path of travel of the buckets 8 around the pulley 5.

The opposite wall of the boot 2 is provided with an opening I5 through which the opposite end of the plate I2 extends. A bracket I6 is mounted upon the outer wall of conduit Il by means of bolts I'I or the like. A lever I8 is pivotally mounted upon the bracket I6 and is connected to one end to a link I9. The opposite end of the link I9 is connected to spreaders 20 which in turn are pivotally connected, as at 2|, to the end of the plate I2 which extends exteriorly of the boot 2.

The plate I2, during the normal operation of the elevator is positioned, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, that is, it is disposed in a substantially arcuate position adjacent the bottom of the boot 2 and spaced from the path of travel of the buckets 8. The plate I2 is of a width substantially equal to the width of the boot 2 whereby said plate effectively forms a bottom for the boot. After a predetermined material has been charged to the elevator and substantially all of said material has been raised by the elevator, the lever I8, which normally occupies the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, is rocked about its pivot point to substantially the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. In this fashion the protruding end of the relatively flexible plate I2 pulled upwardly until the upper surface of said plate occupies a position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The lever I8 is rocked while the elevator is in operation and, hence, the residual material carried upon the upper surface of the plate I2 is moved upwardly into the path of travel of the buckets 8 and is thereby removed by said buckets. In view of the fact that the residual material constitutes only that material which remains between the normal path of travel of the buckets and the normal position of the plate I2, a few rotations of the pulley 5 will suiiice to remove said residual material. Consequently, the period of wear upon the bucket edges and upon the surface of the plate I2 is substantially negligible, since as soon as said residual material is removed, the lever I8 is permitted to assume its normal position, the plate I2 moving by gravity to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1.

The point of anchorage of the plate I2 is substantially diametrically opposite with respect to pulley 5 from the opening I5. In addition, the point of anchorage is adjacent that side of the pulley 5 where the conveyor leaves the pulley and the opening I 5 is located adjacent that point o! the pulley 5 where the conveyor 'l initially rides upon the pulley surface. To reduce friction in the tensioning of the plate I2, that is, to facilitate the rocking of the lever I8, a roller 22 is positioned adjacent the upper edge of the opening I5 whereupon the protruding portion of the plate I2 rides during the rocking of the lever I8.

It can readily be seen that my invention may be conveniently employed with the usual elevator comprising a minimum of modifications of the existing structure. The device is simple in its operation and is characterized by the fact that it does not cause undue wear upon the buckets 8, conveyor belt l, or upon the plate I2 since it is moved to operative position only for a short period of time and during normal operation of the elevator it is spaced from the path of travel of the buckets. Modifications of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and hence, I do not wish to be limited except as necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device, for operation in conjunction with an elevator boot of the type comprising a housing, a pulley rotatably mounted in said housing, an endless conveyor trained around said pulley and buckets carried by said conveyor, said buckets being spaced from the bottom of the housing in the passage of the conveyor around said pulley, which comprises a flexible plate positioned in said housing and being anchored at one end to an inner wall of the housing, the opposite wall of said housing being provided with an opening through which the opposite end of said plate extends, and

'- means positioned exteriorly of said housing to tension said plate and move the same into contact with the buckets in said housing as the buckets pass around said pulley.

2. A device, for operation in conjunction with an elevator boot of the type comprising a housing, a pulley rotatably mounted in said housing, an endless conveyor trained around said pulley and buckets carried by said conveyor, said buckets being spaced from the bottom of the housing in the passage of the conveyor around said pulley, which comprises a flexible plate positioned in said housing, said plate being substantially equal in width to the width of said housing and being anchored at one end to an inner wall of the housing, the opposite wall of said housing being provided with an opening through which the opposite end of said plate extends, and means positioned exteriorly of said housing to tension said plate and move the same into contact with the buckets in said housing as the buckets pass around said pulley.

3. A device, for operation in conjunction with an elevator boot of the type comprising a housing, a pulley rotatably mounted in said housing, an endless conveyor trained around said pulley and buckets carried by said conveyor, said buckets being spaced from the bottom of the housing in the passage of the conveyor around said pulley, which comprises a flexible plate positioned in said housing and being anchored at one end to an inner wall of housing, the surface of said plate being normally spaced from and beneath the path of travel of said buckets around said pulley, the opposite wall of said housing being provided with an opening through which the opposite end of said plate extends, and means positioned exteriorly of said housing to tension said plate and move the same into contact with the buckets in said housing as the buckets pass around said pulley.

4. In combination with an elevator boot comprising a housing, a pulley rotatably mounted in said housing, an endless conveyor trained around said pulley, and buckets carried by said conveyor, said buckets being spaced from the bottom of the housing in the passage of the conveyor around the pulley, of a relatively flexible plate positioned in said housing, means for anchoring said plate on the inner Wall of said housing adjacent the position where the conveyor leaves said pulley, the opposite wall of said housing being provided with an opening adjacent the position where the conveyor initially rides upon said pulley, the opposite end of said plate extending through said opening, and means positioned exteriorly of said housing for tensioning said plate to move the same into contact with the buckets in said housing as the buckets pass around said pulley.

5. In combination with an elevator boot comprising a housing, a pulley rotatably mounted in said housing, an endless conveyor trained around said pulley, and buckets carried by said conveyor,

i said buckets being spaced from the bottom of the housing in the passage of the conveyor around the pulley, of a relatively flexible plate positioned in said housing, means for anchoring said plate on the inner wall of said housing adjacent the position where the conveyor leaves said pulley, the opposite Wall of said housing being provided with an opening adjacent the position where the conveyor initially rides upon said pulley, the surface of said plate being normally beneath and spaced from the path of travel of said buckets around said pulley, the opposite end of said plate extending through said opening, and means positioned exteriorly of said housing for tensioning said plate to move the same into contact with the buckets in said housing as the buckets pass around said pulley.

IRVIN H. LEHMAN.

No references cited.

Images