Improvements in Air Compressors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1895
1
4
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Air Compressors.
I, ADOLPH GUSTAV NOACK, of No. 45 Centre Street, in the City, County and
State of New York, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to air compressors, and the object thereof is to produce a
hydraulic apparatus of this character which shall be simple in construction and
operation, and occupy comparatively small space, and which possesses many
advantageous features not heretofore known in apparatus of this character.
The invention is fully disclosed in the following Specification, of which the
accompanying drawings form a part, and in which
Figure 1 is a central vertical section of my improved air compressor;
Figure 2 a top plan thereof;
Figure 3 a section similar to that shown in Figure 1, but showing the operating
devices in different positions; and
Figure 4 a vertical section at right angles to that of Figure 1.
In the practice of my invention I employ a cylindrical casing 2, preferably
cf glass and provided with top and bottom plates 3, secured thereto by means of
bolts or rods 4, the connection between said parts being made perfectly air and
water tight by means of annular packing 5.
The upper head or end plate of the casing is provided centrally thereof with
perforations 6, which are enclosed by a tube 7, secured to a tubular upwardly
extending projection 8, which is provided at its upper end with a partition 9,
which supports a short tube 10, the open upper end of which is controlled by an
automatic valve 11 and the lower end of which is provided with an opening adapted
to be closed by a ball or float valve 12, and to the upper end of the tube 7 is secured
a tube 13, which communicates with an air receptacle, not shown, in which it
is desired to store air under pressure.
In the upper end plate 3, near one side thereof, is also a port or aperture 14,
which is controlled by a valve 15 on one end of a lever 16, which is pivotally
connected with the head 3, at 17, and the opposite end of which is provided
with a slot 18, said lever being designed to operate in the manner hereinafter
described.
The bottom plate of the cylinder is provided with a discharge tube 19 and
ingress tube 20 provided with a port 21, which communicates with the interior of
the cylinder, and within the cylinder and connected with the bottom thereof are
automatic valves which control said discharge tube and ingress port and tube,
constructed and operating in the following manner.
Secured to the bottom 3 of the cylinder are vertical standards 22, in the upper
ends of which is mounted a shaft 23, to which is rigidly secured a lever 24, one end
of which is provided with a weight 25, and the opposite end of which is pivotally
connected with a depending arm or rod 26, to which is pivoted at its lower end a
valve 27, provided with a projection 28, which enters the discharge port in the
upper end of the tube 19, which port is controlled by said valves.
The opposite ends of the shaft 23 are each provided with a crank lever 29, one
of which is provided with a roller 30, mounted on the free arm thereof, which rests
within jaws 31 formed on the upper end of a crank lever 32, pivoted at its lower end

page_text: to an upwardly extending, shoulder or projection 33, and the arm 34 of which
carries a valve 35, adapted to control the port 21, which communicates with the
ingress tube 20.
The opposite crank lever 29 has loosely mounted on its outer or free arm 36 the
head of a rod or arm 37, the lower end of which is secured to a shaft 38 pivotally
supported at each end, near the bottom of the cylinder, the support shown consisting
of one of the standards 22 and a short standard 39 secured to the bottom 3 of the
cylinder, and mounted on the rod or arm 37 is a retracting spring 40, designed to
operate as hereinafter described.
Secured within the cylinder and at one side thereof is a standard 41, the lower
end of which is secured to the bottom 3, and to the upper end of which is pivotally
connected one end of an auxiliary lever 42, the opposite end of which is provided
with a roller 43, which moves within a housing 44 connected with the end of the
weighted lever 24, which is provided with a flat top piece 45 on which said
roller rests.
Pivotally connected at its lower end with the auxiliary lever 42, and centrally
thereof, is a vertical rod 46, which extends upward and passes through the slot 18
in the lever 16, and through a guide 47 within the lower end of the tube 7, and
secured upon this rod 46 below the lever 16 is a plate or shoulder 48.
Mounted upon the rod 46 is a float 49, constructed of any desired material and
hollow or otherwise, and to the upper side thereof is secured a short tube 50, which
also surrounds the rod 46, and within this tube is a spring 51, which may, if desired,
be secured to the plate or shoulder 48.
The operation is as follows: The cylinder 2 being normally filled with air, and
the operative parts in the position shown in Figure 1, water is turned on through
the pipe 20, and gradually rising within the cylinder, the float 49 is lifted thereby
and moves upwardly on the rod 46. It will be observed that the float serves to
keep the valve 27 of the water discharge port closed as long as it is rested on the
lever 42. When there is a sufficient amount of water within the casing to lift the
float the back pressure of the water will be sufficient to keep the valve 27 closed,
as will be readily understood, and the float then gradually rises as water flows in
until the spring 51 thereon comes in contact with the shoulder or projection 48 on
the rod 46, and the back pressure will be sufficient to hold the rod 46 and the
lever 42 in the position shown in Figure 1, in which the discharge valve 27 is
closed, until the upper end of the tube 50 strikes the inner end of the lever 6 the
spring 51 being depressed by the plate or shoulder 48 within the tube 50, and at
this time the float 49 will be almost submerged.
As the float 49 is forced upward as above described, the air within the cylinder
is compressed and forced outward through the pipe 7, the valve 11 being
automatically lifted by the pressure to admit of the passage of the air there
through and through the pipe 13 into the receiver prepared therefor, as will be
readily understood. When the tube 50, however, on the float 49 strikes against
the inner end of the lever 16 the air in the cylinder will be practically exhausted,
the inner end of said lever will be pressed upward and the valve 15 forced from
its seat, when the air will rush in through the port 14, and at the same time the
lever 42, will be lifted by the float and through it the end of the weighted
lever 24, which will operate to raise the valve 27 and open the discharge port,
when the water will immediately flow out and the air, entering through the port 14
will again fill the casing.
The strength of the spring 51 is so calculated as to ensure the opening of the
valve 27 at about the same time that the upper end of the tube 50 strikes the
lever 16, and the object of the valve 12 in the tube 7 is to close the lower end of
the tube 10 if by any reason or for any cause the discharge valve 27 should not
be opened and the water should continue to rise in the chamber and the tube 7
and thus prevent the water from passing into the air receptacle.
As soon as the water in the chamber has been discharged, or practically so, the
float 49 will be again seated on the lever 42, in the position shown in Figure 1

page_text: when the operation above described may be repeated, and this operation will
continue as long as desired.
In Figure 31 have shown the position of the parts at the moment when the
discharge port in the bottom and the air ingress port in the top are opened by
means of the float 49, and Figure 4 is a view taken at right angles to that of
Figure 3 at the same time. The operation of the spring 40 on the rod or arm 37
is to assist in holding the valve 27 seated when the water is turned on and begins
to elevate the float, and also to return said valve to its seat when the water has
been discharged, and it will be observed that the valve 35 which controls the
water egress port is operated against the pressure of the water, and that the
operation of the weighted end of the lever 24 at the time the air port in the top of
the casing is opened is to lift the valve 27 from its seat, thus opening the discharge
and to cause the valve 35 to be seated, thus closing the ingress port, as will be
readily understood.
I do not limit myself to the exact form and construction shown and described,
as it is evident that many changes therein and modifications thereof may be made
without departing from the scope of my invention; but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a hydraulic air compressor, the combination with a cylindrical casing
having a top and bottom, of water ingress and discharge ports in the bottom
thereof, a weighted lever pivotally supported on standards and connected with
operating valves which control the water ingress and discharge ports, an auxiliary
lever pivotally supported at one end within the casing and being connected at the
other end with the free end of the weighted lever, a rod pivotally connected with
said lever and extending upward through said casing, and a float mounted on said
rod and adapted to operate an air ingress valve in the top of said casing and the
levers which control the water ingress and discharge ports, substantially as shown
and described.
2. In a hydraulic air compressor, the combination with a casing having a top
and bottom, the top thereof being provided with an air ingress port controlled by an
automatic valve and an air discharge tube communicating with a chamber within
the casing and with an air receiver and provided with an automatic valve, of a
water ingress port in the bottom of the casing, a pivoted crank lever provided at
one end with a valve controlling said port and at the other with jaws or arms, a
water discharge port, a weighted lever mounted on a shaft pivotally supported on
standards secured to the bottom of the casing, and a crank arm or lever connected
with one end of said shaft and having mounted on one arm thereof a roller adapted
to rest and operate within the jaws or arms connected with the lever which carries
the valve of the water ingress port, and an arm or rod pivotally connected at one
end with the free end of the weighted lever and at the other with a valve adapted
to close the water discharge port, and means for operating said weighted lever to
open and close said valves and also to operate the air ingress valve in the top of
the casing, substantially as shown and described.
3. In a bydraulic air compressor, the combination with a hollow cylinder having
water ingress and discharge ports in the bottom thereof, an air ingress port in the
top, controlled by an automatic valve, and also a pipe communicating with an air
receiver, of valves controlling the water egress and discharge ports, operated by a
weighted lever, one of said valves being controlled by a crank lever pivotally
connected with the weighted lever near the center thereof and the other by an arm
or rod pivotally connected with the free end of said weighted lever, and a float
also connected with the free end of said weighted lever and adapted to operate the
valve controlling the air ingress port at the top of the cylinder and also the valves
controlling the water ingress and discharge ports through the weighted lever,
substantially as shown and described.

page_text: 4. In a hydraulic air compressor, the combination with a cylindrical casing
having a top and bottom, of an air tube communicating therewith at the top thereof
and also with an air receiver, said tube being provided with an automatic air egress
valve, and an air ingress port also in the top of said casing provided with an
automatic valve connected with one end of a lever pivoted within the casing, water
egress and discharge ports in the bottom of said casing, and a pivoted weighted
lover secured to a shaft mounted in standards secured to the bottom of said casing,
said lever shaft being also provided with a crank arm connected with and operating
a pivotally supported crank lever, with one arm of which is connected a valve
adapted to close the water ingress port, and a rod or arm pivotally connected with
the free end of said weighted lever and also adapted to close the discharge port,
and an auxiliary lever pivotally supported at one end within the casing and being
loosely connected at the other end with the said weighted lever, and a vertical rod
pivotally connected with said auxiliary lever and passing upward through the
casing and through a slot in the lever which controls the air ingress valve, and a
float mounted on said rod and adapted to operate each of said valves and levers,
substantially as shown and described.
5. In a hydraulic air compressor, the combination with a cylindrical casing
having a top and bottom and an air discharge tube and automatic air ingress
valves communicating with said casing through the top thereof, said air discharge
tube being provided with an automatic valve and said air ingress port being
controlled by a valve mounted on a lever pivotally supported within the casing, of
water ingress and discharge ports in the bottom of said casing, and a weighted
lever mounted on a shaft pivotally supported on standards secured to the bottom
of said casing, a crank arm connected with one end of said shaft and also connected
with and operating a crank lever pivotally supported and carrying on one arm a
valve adapted to close the ingress port, and a rod or arm pivotally connected with
the free end of a weighted lever and with a valve adapted to close the discharge
port, the other end of said weighted lever shaft being provided with a crank arm,
on the free end of which is mounted one end of a rod the other end of which is
connected with a shaft pivotally supported near the bottom of the cylinder, a spring
mounted on said arm, and an auxiliary lever pivotally supported at one end within
the casing and being connected at the other end with the free end of the weighted
lever, a vertical rod pivotally connected with the auxiliary lever near the center
thereof and extending upward through the casing and through a slot in the lever
which controls the air ingress port, and a float mounted on said rod and
adapted to operate the air ingress valve and the levers which operate the
valves which control the water ingress and discharge ports, substantially as shown
and described.
Dated this 26th day of November 1895.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.