Improvements in Apparatus applicable for Distributing or Caustic Soda Discharging Powdered other suitable Material.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
or
Improvements in Apparatus applicable for Distributing
or
Caustic Soda
Discharging Powdered
other suitable
Material.
A communication by THOMAS POLLARD STOWELL, of 29, Atkinson Stree
Rochester, in the County of Monroe and State of New York, United State
of America, Insurance Agent.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and, 6 Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Caustic soda exposed to the atmosphere becomes deliquescent and is more or less
of it converted into a carbonate whereby its use and distribution become
inconvenient and its efficiency as a detergent is impaired. The object of the
present invention is to provide a distributer capable of application to, and of
operation in connection with, a can of powdered caustic soda or like material, and
which shall be adapted to discharge the contents of the can with certainty in small
quantities at intervals, and which shall also thoroughly obviate the necessity for the
circulation of air through the distributer and can.
The invention consists in the construction hereinafter described and particularly
pointed out.
In the accompanying drawing :-
Figure 1 is a partial central vertical section of the combined can and
distributer:
Figure 2 is a like view in a transverse plane :
Figure 3 is a side elevation partly broken away, showing a modification:
Figure 4 is a bottom plan: and
Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 2.
Numeral 1 denotes a can such as customarily used for holding soda and the like
in an inverted position and having its cover removed and the hopper shaped
distributer 2 substituted therefor. 3 denotes an inward projection preferably formed
by indenting the wall of the hopper and 4 an L-shaped groove formed by indenting
the can.
The upper part of the distributer is made slightly flaring in an upward direction
so that a can may be readily entered therein and the two forced together to produce
an air-tight joint. The can being forced into the distributer the projection will
bend or indent its wall and aid in maintaining the connection. The joint between
the can and distributer may be closed by an external rubber band or other air
excluding device particularly if the projection causes the metal of the can to buckle
or if an air inlet would otherwise be left in the vicinity of the projection or if the
fit between the can and distributer is for any reason defective and not practically
air-tight.
If an L-shaped slot were cut in the metal of the can to receive the projection it
would serve to hold the can, and air could be excluded from the joint by a band or
by sealing material, but the combined can and distributer could be operated as set
forth though a special fastening were omitted.
It is one of the objects of the improvement to provide for using an ordinary sheet
metal can of standard size and for excluding air from its contents so far as
practicable until they are discharged. It is however not practicable to entirely

page_text: exclude air which in the present corstruction enters through the complex bottom
having the soda discharging orifices, which bottom however is made sufficiently
close to prevent any considerable circulation of air.
The
The hopper includes an approximately cylindrical portion 5 which receives the
mouth of the can and a portion 6 having a frusto-conical form and a cylindrical
portion 7 in which latter is arranged a revolving disk, or cut-off 8, secured on a
shaft 10 near its foot and between the two bottoms or floors 11 and 12.
shaft 10 has a bearing in a bar 13 extending across the hopper. Its foot rests upon
floor 12 and is kept in proper position laterally by the disk 8 which has a diameter
approximately equal to that of the cylinder 7.
Each of the floors or bottoms 11 and 12 and the revolving cut off 8 has a
discharge opening. The openings in the floors do not register and the opening in
the revolving cut off though it may register with either canuot simultaneously
register with both.
The revolving shaft 10 may be provided with an arm 131 adapted to rotate a
little above the floor 12 and sweep into the opening therein a portion of the contents
of the distributer. 14 is a second arm arranged to revolve near the top of the
hopper at the region where if an arch of powdered material were formed its foot
would rest. The end of this arm is turned up at 15 to more effectually break down
the support of such an arch.
16 indicates a horizontal and 17 a vertical wheel, the first being fixed on shaft 10
and the second on a countershaft 18 which countershaft has bearings in a stud 19
fixed on the cross bar 13 and in the boss or bracket 20 fixed on the interior of the
distributer. The teeth or spokes 21 of these wheels are made to gear as represented,
the spaces between the teeth being preferably wider than the teeth themselves to
permit them to gear though made quite long in order that they may act as stirrers
at a region where the contents of the device would otherwise be liable to lodge and
form the top of an arch. These devices are adapted to break up both the head and
foot of the arch of powdered material which would otherwise be formed. resting on
the inclined wall of the hopper. The countershaft 18 extends through the wall of
the distributer and has on its exterior end'a crank arın 22. 23 denotes an exterior
supporting arm secured to the distributer or made part thereof and adapted to
engage a suitable socket in a bracket or other support.
In use a can of powdered material such as powdered caustic soda, its cover having
been removed, is connected with the distributer on the inside thereof and thus
tightly closed. The can being turned uppermost its contents will settle or can be
shaken down into the receiver. Upon turning the crank 22 the above described
wheels and arms will be revolved and thoroughly break up and carry down the
material onto the floor 11 from which it is swept around into the opening in said
floor onto the revolving discharging disk, where it is held until the opening in the
said disk is made to register with the opening in the bottom 11 when a portion of
the material is swept into said disk opening and then carried around over the
opening in the lower floor and discharged therefrom, a discharge being made at
every complete revolution of the crank. The opening in the floor 11 is preferably
made about equal to a semicircle to insure deposit of sufficient material on the
revolving disk. When desired for certain purposes, as in the case when the material
in the can is of such character that it does not descend freely, the shaft 10 may be
extended considerably above the distributer into the can when combined therewith and
act as a stirrer therein. For this purpose it is provided with a short arm 2'.
Preferably the extension 10¹ has a pivoted connection with shaft 10 to permit its
upper end to describe circles of increasing size as the material just about the
extension is discharged thereby when the discharging devices are rotated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as, communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :
1st. The distributer provided with stirring and discharging devices in combination

page_text: with a can having an open end secured in the said distributer substantially as set
forth.
2nd. The distributer provided with stirring and discharging devices made slightly
flaring toward its upper edge and in combination with a can having an open end
secured in the said distributer substantially as set forth.
3rd. The distributer provided with stirring and discharging devices made slightly
flaring toward its upper edge and in combination with a can having an open end
secured in the said distributer and devices for making air-tight the joint between
the can and distributer substantially as set forth.
4th. The distributer hopper having the approximately cylindrical and frusto-
conical portions, the discharging devices situated in the lower cylinder and the pin
or indentation in the upper cylinder whereby it is adapted to be secured to a can
substantially as set forth.
5th. The distributer hopper having a frusto-conical portion and a cylinder
attached to the contracted end of said frustrum, the parallel floors fixed in said
cylinder and provided with non-registering openings and the revoluble disk
situated between said floors and provided with an opening substantially as
set forth.
6th. A hopper provided with revoluble discharging mechanism fixed on the
vertical shaft, said shaft, the countershaft, the wheels fixed on said shafts
respectively and provided with stirring teeth substantially as set forth.
7th. The distributer hopper embracing the upper approximately cylindrical
part and a frusto-conical part, a revolving discharging disk situated below the
frustrum, a vertical shaft secured to said disk and provided with an approximately
horizontal arm near the plane passing between the cylinder and frustrum substan-
tially as set forth.
8th. The distributer hopper embracing the upper approximately cylindrical part
and a frusto-conical part, a revolving discharging disk situated below the frustrum,
a vertical shaft secured to said disk and provided with an approximately horizontal
arm near the plane passing between the cylinder and frustrum and having its
outer end turned upwardly near the foot of the cylinder substantially as set forth.
9th. The distributer hopper embracing the upper approximately cylindrical part
and a frusto-conical part, a revolving discharging disk situated below the frustrum,
a vertical shaft secured to said disk and provided with an approximately horizontal
arm near the plane passing between the cylinder and frustrum and having its outer
end turned upwardly near the foot of the cylinder and a central stirring device
situated in a plane above said arm, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 12th day of December 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.