IMPROVEMENTS IN CONVEYORS FOR FLOUR BOLTS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, MYRON WHITING CLARK, of Parma, in the County of Jackson, and State of
Michigan, in the United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CONVEYORS FOR FLOUR BOLTS,
and in what manner. the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, taken on line xx, Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section, taken on line y 'y, Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a detached view of one of the chutes.
Fig. 4 shows a modification.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section, of the lower portion of a flour bolt. having my
invention applied thereto.
A. A are the gather boards or cant boards, arranged below the bolt which is
represented by A¹.
.
These gather boards are joined at their upper ends to the outer casing walls A*A*
of the bolt, and incline downward and inward towards the center boards so as to
form a longitudinal throat above the center board extending practically the entire
length of the bolt chest Each of these boards is provided upon its lower edge
with a series of transverse slots a a¹.
B, B, C, are respectively the outer side boards and the center boards which, with
the ends E, E, constitute conveyor boxes arranged below the gather boards, whose
lower edges are a short distance apart so as to provide a throat for the passage of
material to the conveyors. F¹ FI are the conveyors of any usual or approved
construction having the ends of their shafts journaled in the end boards E E, or in
boxes secured thereto.
GG are swinging covers hinged at their upper edges to the gather boards with
their lower edges resting upon the upper edges of the side boards B, B.
H, H, are partition bars substantially triangular in cross section, arranged at
suitable intervals with their ends supported upon the cant boards. Each bar is
slotted longitudinally upon its under side, as at h, the bars being so arranged upon
the cant boards that each slot h coincides with two slots a in the gather boards for
& purpose which will be explained.
I, I, I indicate respectively the bottom and sides of the vibrating chutes.
Each side portion 1 is of substantially triangular shape and arranged at a right
angle to the plane of the bottom portion I.

page_text: .
i, i, are holes for the reception of bolts e by means of which the chutes are
suspended from the partition bars H, H, in such position that the edges of the
triangular sides I', I can be inserted in the slots a, h when the chutes are in the
position shown in the drawings and are, therefore, in proper working relation to
the cant boards and the conveyors, thus insuring that no material can pass down
between the upper edges of the sides of the chutes.
By an examination of the drawings it will be readily understood that the
bottoms I of these chutes form practically continuations of the cant boards; and
that they, the chutes, can be arranged to deliver material to either of the conveyors
alternately.
Thus, when the end of a chute is placed in contact with, or in close proximity to,
the under surface of the cant board A, such material as passes on to the chute will
be delivered to the conveyor F, and vice versa.
In my invention the upper edges are formed on straight lines, and therefore, the
blanks from which the chutes are made may each be bounded by straight lines, and
the chutes may be pivoted to the partition bars by the use simply of bolts or pins
passing through holes in the bars and through the upper corners of the sides of
the chutes.
I do not wish to be limited to forming the partition bars and the lower edges of
the gather boards with slots in them, because, under some circumstances, they might
be dispensed with, and the chutes pivoted to ears h¹ projecting downward from the
bars, as indicated in Fig. 4, although I prefer the construction shown in the other
figures, because, among other things, the friction between the sides of the chutes
and the adjacent walls of the slots assists in maintaining them in proper position
after they have been adjusted by the operator.
It will, of course, be understood that in either construction shown, the contiguous
portions of the sides of each pair of chutes may be so pressed upon each other by
means of the bolts and nuts c as to produce this desired friction.
I am aware that U.S. patent 277 547, to Cottreall, shows vibrating chutes, in
combination with inclined gather boards or cant boards, and two conveyors under a
construction and arrangement somewhat similar to mine.
But my invention differs materially from that of Cottreall in that, among other
things, bis chutes are pivoted directly to the upper edge of the center board which
is placed between his two conveyors, each pivot being arranged about midway
between the ends of the flat surface or bottom of his chute so that when in operation
one half of each chute projects downward below the line of the upper edge of the
center board while in my construction each chute is suspended upon pivots which
are so far above the center board that the chute swings free of the center board,
and the opposite ends of the chute engage alternately with the center board and
the lower edge of one of the inclined cant boards.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination, with a flour bolt, of two conveyors arranged side by side, a
center board between the conveyors, and adjustable chute provided with upward
projecting sides, and pivoted by its sides above the bottom, whereby the opposite
edges of its bottom may be alternately elevated to receive material, and a hopper
bottomed chamber between the chute and the bolt to receive material and deliver
it alternately to opposite sides of the chute, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination, in a flour bolt, of two conveyors arranged side by side, a
center board between the conveyors, an adjustable chute, a hopper-bottomed
chamber between the chute and the bolt to receive material and deliver it to the
chute, said chute being adapted to retain its position by friction after adjustment,
substantially as set forth.
3. The combination, with a flour bolt, of two conveyors arranged side by side, a 5
center board between the conveyors, a series of adjustable chutes each provided

page_text: with inward projecting sides, a series of supports for the chutes arranged inter-
mediately between the ends of the conveyors, and pivots connecting the sides of
the chutes with the supports, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination, with a flour bolt, of two conveyors arranged side by side, a
center board between the conveyors, a series of adjustable chutes provided with
upward projecting sides, a series of transverse bars arranged intermediately between
the ends of the conveyors, and pivotal supports connecting the chutes with the bars,
the bars being of greater width than the spaces between two adjacent sides of two
adjacent chutes, substantially as set forth.