US730181A - Electric automatic overflow-alarm. - Google Patents

Description

No. 730,181. PATENTED JUNE 2, 1903:

R. J. WALKER.

ELECTRIC AUTOMATIC OVERFLOW ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

Patented June 2, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT J. WALKER, OF HOLLAND, MICHIGAN;

ELECTRIC AUTOMATIC OVERFLOW-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,181, dated June 2, 1903. Application filedllllay 21,1902. Serial No. 108,435. (No model!) Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Automatic Overflow-Alarms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable IO others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for automatically throwing into action an alarm device adapted to be placed :5 upon a tank or similar receptacle to give warning to. the attendant should the water or other liquid within the tank reach a dangerous or high level, or, if desired, the same device may be set so as to be thrown into action when the liquid reaches both a high and low level within the tank or receptacle.

My said invention is particularly applicable in sugar-houses where a number of liquidcontaining tanks are being filled simultaneously and only one attendant may be employed to supervise a number of such tanks. To facilitate such work is the object of my present invention, and in accomplishing such an object I employ a portable case containing mechanism for automatically closing an electric circuit the moment the liquid within the tank upon which the device may be located either rises or falls beyond the desired limits, said mechanism being preferably connected with a bell or other suitable alarm device located at a distant or central point convenient to the attendant having charge of the tanks. If desired, a plurality of these alarm devices may be distributed among the tanks 0 and the bell or other indicator brought to a central point where the abnormal condition existing within the tank connected to its respective signal device may be readily detected.

In order that my said invention may be 5 more fully understood, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings,wherein I have shown the same as embodied in one form.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete device. Fig. 2 is a dia- 5o grammatic View of the device, showing the electrical circuits. Fig. 3 is a detail view enlarged, showing the disk carrying the float in side elevation. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same, and Fig. 5 is a view illustrating my invention as embodied in a slightly-differout form.

Referring to the parts by characters, 1 represents the portable case inclosin g the operative parts of the device, having a depending tube 2 carried upon the bottom thereof. This inclosing case 1 is preferably provided with a hinged door 3, providing access to the various parts of the device contained therein. Within this tube 2 is suspended the ball 4, preferably a hollow metallic ball. Connected to this ball 4 is a rod or wire 5, the screw 6 securing said rod at one end to said float 4 and'the screw or pin 7securing its upper end to the rotatable disk 8, mounted upon the pivot-screw 10, secured in the back of the inclosing case 1. A spacing-sleeve 11 and a washer 12 may be provided upon said screw 10, upon each side of the disk 8, to prevent lateral motion. A turnbuckle 13, internally screw threaded and screwed upon the oppositely-disposed screw threads 14 15 upon the ends of the rod 5, is preferably provided for adjusting the length of said rod, and consequently the height of the ball-float 4 within the tube or guide 2. This disk 8 is provided with a segmental recess in its periphery, preferably near the top thereof, a central depression 17, forming the shoulders 16 16, being provided in'the center of said recess. 18 is a latch pivoted at the point 19 adjacent the segmental recess upon the disk 8, said latch being so shaped that when thrown over into the position shown in Fig. 3 its end will rest in said recess. This latch 18 is provided with a cut-away portion 20, approximately intermediate its length, through which is adapted to drop the narrowed end 21 of the lever 22 after riding up over the point of said latch to bridge the depression 17. This lever 22 is preferably pivoted at the point 23 upon the rear of the casing 1 and is provided approximately intermediate its length with an aperture 24, in which rests the wire 25.

26 is a support of any desired insulating material secured by the screws 27 to the back of the inclosing casing 1. Upon the side of this support 26 are located the electrical contact-pieces 28 29, said pieces being secured in place by means of the screws 30 31, respectively. To the screw 30 is connected the wire 00, leading from one pole of the battery X, the wire .2, leading from the other pole of the said battery, being connected in circuit with the bell 32, the wire 3 leading from said bell to the screw 31 upon the contact 29.

Secured upon the support 26 is a guideframe having its ends 34 35 upturned and perforated. Through these perforations is adapted to pass the sliding rod 36, having its upper end connected to the wire or rod 25, depending freni the lever 22.

Secured beneath the screw 30 upon the contact-piece 23 is a coiled spring 37, having its end connected to or resting upon the pin 38, passing through said rod 36, the tendency of said spring 37 being to normally tend to draw said rod 36 and wit-h it rod 25 and lever 22 downward. Beneath this guide-frame is a binding-post 39, screwed or otherwise secured in the support 26. This binding-post 39 is electrically connected to the contact 29 through the conductor 40 and carries at its upper end the transversely-disposed screw41. This screw 41 is directly in alinement with the wire 36 and may, if desired, be capped with a platinum point to reduce fusing to a minimum.

X represents a battery or other suitable source of current-supply. To one pole of the battery X is led the wire 3 connected to one of the binding-posts of the bell 32, and to the other pole of the battery is connected the conducting-wire 09, connected to the screw 30. To the screw 31 is connected the wire .2, connected to the other binding-post of the bell 32.

In Fig. 5 is shown a simpler form of my said invention, the lever 46, corresponding to the lever 22 in Fig. 2, being provided, near the center thereof, with a laterally-projecting pin 47, which rests in its normal position on the lip or shoulder lli'of the recess in the rotatable disk 8, to which the float 4 is connected through the screw 7.

Upon the outer end of the lever 46 is provided a platinum contact-point 48, adapted to close an electrical circuit through the contact-point 49 upon the screw 50, carried by the binding-post 51. To the binding-post 51 is connected the wire 2 and to the bindingpost 52, upon which is pivoted the lever 46, is connected the wire at, the wire 5 being connected directly between the battery and bell.

Upon the top of the casing 1 is preferably provided a carrying-handle 42. Upon the side of said case is provided a pair of bindingposts 44 45, to which are connected the leading-out wires i and z from the circuit-closing mechanism within the case.

A flexible conducting-cord 53, inclosing both of the wires connecting said bindingposts and the binding-posts upon the bell, is preferably provided, a hook 43 being utilized to support said conducting-wire. This conducting-cord may be of any length that may be required, depending upon the distance said case is to be removed from said bell 32.

The ordinary form of dry cells may be em ployed to supply the electrical current, and these batteries are preferably carried within the case 1.

The operation of the device is as follows: The bell or other form of alarm device 32 is screwed upon the wall or any other suitable support, and the case 1 containing the float and circuit-closing mechanism is placed upon the top of atank being filled with liquid. The depending tube 2 upon said case will extend down into the liquid in said tank. The normal support for the pin 21 is the recessed lip or shoulder 16 of the disk 8. Therefore until the liquid reaches a height suflicient to float the ball 4 the electrical circuit will be broken; but when said float reaches the height s ufficient to have rotated the disk 8 into the position shown in Fig. 3 the point 21, carried by the lever 22, will rest in the depression 17 of the recessed disk. In the device shown in Fig. 2 the lever 22 will at such a time have been lowered to such an extent that the sliding rod 36 will rest its lower end upon the screw 41. This will cause a current to traverse the wire 50 from the battery through parts 30 28 37 41 4O 29 31, wire .2 to the bell 32, returning to the battery through the wire y. This will cause the bell 32 to ring, giving an audible signal to the attendant, who may cut off the supply to the tank in ample time to avoid an overflow. In Fig. 2 the float has reached its highest point after having sounded an alarm, and the pin 21 rests on the lip or shoulder 16 ot the recessed disk. When the level of the liquid in the tank recedes, the point 21 upon the lever 22 will ride upon the latch 13, preventing the lever 22 from throwing the alarm again into action. If desired, however, the latch 18 may be thrown back, allowing the point 21 upon the lever 22 to again rest in the depression 17, giving a low-liquid-level alarm. In Fig. 5 when the point 47 upon the lever 46 rests in the depression 17 upon the disk 8 the electrical circuit will be closed through the wire 00, leading from the battery through parts 52 46 48 49 5O 51, traversing wire .2' to the bell or other alarm device 32, returning to the battery through wire ,2, as in Fig. 2.

In order to adjust the time during which the alarm will be sounded, a screw adjustment 41 is provided, said screw being screwed up to increase the duration of the signal and unscrewed to shorten the time, the screw 50 in Fig. 5 serving this same purpose.

Through the turnbuckle 13 the device may be set so as to close the circuit at different liquid-levels.

The portable and compact nature of the device enables the same to be readily transferred from one tank to another, ailowing one alarm device to be used for a number of tanks.

WVhile I have shown my invention as embodied in the forms herein shown, it will of course be understood that I do not limit myself to such forms, as many changes and IIO means carried by said disk for closing an electric circuit during its rotary motion, and a signal device connected in circuit with said circuit-closing mechanism.

2. In an automatic tank-alarm, the combination with an inclosing case, a depending tube extending downwardly from the bottom thereof, of a float adapted to rise and fall in said tube, a rotatable disk mounted in said case, means connecting said float and disk, means carried by said disk for closing an electric circuit during its rotation caused by the rising and falling of the float, and a signal device connected in circuit with said circuit-closing mechanism.

3. In an automatic tank-alarm, the combination with a portable case, a depending tube carried thereby, and a float located within said tube, of a recessed disk connected to-said float, a lever having an arm adapted to rest in said recess, and circuit-closing means connected to said lever adapted to be thrown into action with the rise or fall of said float, and an alarm in circuit with said float.

4:. In an automatic tank-alarm, the combination with a float, a recessed disk, adjustable means connecting said float and disk, and a lever, having a point bearing in said recess, of a movable point carried by said lever, a stationary-contact and an electric circuit including a signal device connected to said movable and stationary contacts.

5. In an automatic tank-alarm, the combination with a float, a recessed disk, adj ustable means connecting said float and disk, and a lever having a point bearing in said recess, of a movable point carried by said lever, an adjustable stationary contact and an electric circuit including a signal device connected to said movable and stationary contacts.

6. In an automatic tank-alarm, the combination of a float, a rotatable disk, means connecting said float and disk, a lever having one end bearing upon said disk, an electrical circuit, a stationary contact, a movable contact carried by said lever, and means carried by said disk for causing said lever to close said circuit through said contacts.

7. In an automatic tank-alarm, the combination of a float, a rotatable disk, means connecting said float and disk, a lever having one end bearing upon said disk, an electrical circuit, a stationary contact, a movable contact carried by said lever, means carried by said disk for causing said lever to close said circuit through said contacts when said float rises to a predetermined height, and means for preventing the closing of said circuit during the falling of said float.

8. In an automatic tank-alarm, the combination of a float, a rotatable disk, means connecting said float and disk, a lever having one end bearing upon said disk, an electrical circuit, a stationary contact, a movable, contact carried by said lever, means carried by said disk for causing said lever to close said circuit through said contacts when said float rises to a predetermined height and a pivoted latch carried by said disk for preventing the closing of said circuit during the falling of said float.

9. In an automatic tank-alarm, the combition with a float, a recessed disk, means connecting said float and disk, a pivoted latch adapted to bridge said recess, a pivoted lever carrying upon one end a point adapted to rest in said recess, an electrical circuit, a stationary and movable contact in said electrical circuit, said movable contact being adapted to close the circuit when the pin upon said lever rests in the lowest portion of the recess in said disk.

10. In an automatic tank-alarm, the combination with a float, a rotatable disk provided witha recess in itsperiphery,ad j ustable means connecting said float and disk, a recessed latch adapted to be thrown over said recess, a pivoted lever, carrying a pin resting in said recess, a movable contact connected to said lever, an adjustable stationary contact in alinement therewith, an electrical circuit adapted to be closed through said contacts, and an alarm device also included in said circuit.

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

ROBERT J. WALKER.

Witnesses:

FRANK SANKEY, ISAAC MARSILJE.

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