Year: 1896

page_text: Communicated from abroad by THE INGERSOLL-SERGEANT DRILL COMPANY, &
Corporation organized under the Laws of the State of West Virginia, United
States of America, and having its principal business office at No. 26 Cortlandt
Street, in the City of New York, in the State of New York, United States of
America.]
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents, 45
Southampton Buildings, in the County of, Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to compressors for the compression of air and gases and
consists in certain means hereinafter described whereby a very prompt opening of
the inlet valves to their full width is obtained and the closing of the inlet valves
is effected by positive motion, and to this end this improvement consists in the
combination of parts hereinafter described.
The improved compressors comprise a compressor cylinder, a piston rod, inlet
valves, and discharge valves. The discharge valves may be of any known or
suitable kind, the invention not relating in any way to them. The inlet valves
may be of any known or suitable kind capable of being closed by reciprocating
tappets working parallel with the piston. They are represented as puppet valves
fitted to seats in the inner faces of the cylinder heads and furnished with stems or
rods which project outwards through stuffing boxes in the cylinder heads.
A reciprocating tappet carrier is provided and consists of a rod fitted to slide
in a direction parallel with the movement of the piston in stationary guides, tne
said rod having affixed to it at or near its ends two tappet arms each of which
loosely embraces the stem of the inlet valve at its respective end of the cylinder.
The said rod is intended to make one stroke for each stroke of the piston but
in the reverse direction thereto. As such reciprocating tappet rods furnished with
tappet arms for working the inlet valves of air compressors are not new, it is not
necessary here to particularly describe the means which I employ for producing
the movement of the rod, though it may be connected with another rod which
may derive motion from a crank-shaft with which the piston rod is connected.
The inlet valve stems or rods have provided or secured firmly upon them at or
near their outer ends, collars or projections against which the tappet arms are
caused to operate by the reciprocating movement of the tappet rod for the purpose
of positively closing the inlet valve in either end of the cylinder at the termination
of each stroke of the piston towards the other end. The said stems have also fast
upon them further from their ends, other collars or projections, and between these
latter collars and the tappets they have placed loosely upon them coil springs of
proper strength for the purpose of opening the inlet valves as will be presently

page_text: described, the said collars being so arranged on each stem and the springs being
of such length that the tappets have some play between the springs and the collars
and leave the springs free during a considerable portion of the movement of the
tappet rod.
The operation of the inlet valves takes place as follows: The piston moving in
one direction and the tappet carrier or rod in the other direction, as the piston
arrives near either end of the cylinder, the inlet valve at the other end is closed
by the action of its respective tappet ou-its collar, while the inlet valve at the first
mentioned end continues to be kept closed by the pressure of the air in front of
the piston notwithstanding the pressure of its tappet against its spring and the
consequent pressure of the spring upon.its collar, the compression of the spring
being insufficient to open the valve until the piston has started on its return stroke
and the air pressure behind it and the consequent resistance to the opening of
the valve are sufficiently reduced,, when by the assistance given by the spring to
the pressure of the atmosphere or source of air of gas 'supply the valve is at once
quickly thrown wide open for the free and full ingress of air to the cylinder.
During this operation the piston has moved a little way in its stroke to the right
and the tappets have commenced moving to the left, the valve having been closed
by the previous movement of the tappet to the right, and the spring having been
so compressed by the corresponding movement of the tappet that almost immedi-
ately after the piston started to the right, the valve has been opened by the
assistance given by the spring to the pressure of the atmosphere on the outer face
of said valve. It may be here remarked that the above operation of opening the
valve will take place notwithstanding that the tappet has or may have previously
commenced moving to the left, the total length of movement of the tappets being
very small compared with that of the piston stroke, and it will be understood that
while the closing of the inlet valve is effected by the direct action of the tappets
and with a positive movement their opening is produced by the springs independ-
ently of the direct action of the tappets which do not act directly to open the valves
but simply compress the springs sufficiently to make them do so.
Dated this 6th day of October 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Air Compressors.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents, 45
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to compressors for the compression of air and gases and
consists in certain means hereinafter described whereby a very prompt opening of
the inlet valves to their full width is obtained and the closing of the inlet valves
is effected by positive motion, and to this end this improvement consists in the
combination of parts hereinafter described..
In the accompanying drawings
Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings represent respectively a plan view and a central
vertical sectional view of as much of an air compressor as is necessary to illustrate
out invention..
A is the compressor cylinder, B the piston, 13 the piston rod, C C the inlet
valve, 1 D¹ the discharge valves. The discharge valve 1 D¹ may be of any known

page_text: or suitable kind, our invention. not relating in any way to them. The inlet
valves CC may be of any known or suitable kind capable of being closed, by
reciprocating tappets working parallel with the piston. They are represented as
puppet valves fitted to seats in the inner faces of the cylinder heads and furnished
with stems or rods a a! which project outwards through stuffing boxes bb in the
cylinder heads.
E is a reciprocating tappet carrier represented as consisting of a tod fitted to
slide in a direction parallel with the movement of the piston in stationary
guides e c, the said rod having affixed to it at or near its ends two tappet arins d
each of which loosely embraces the stem of the inlet valve at its respective end of
the cylinder. The said rod is intended to make one stroke for each stroke of the
piston but in the reverse direction thereto. As such reciprocating tappet rods
furnished with tapper arms for working the inlet valves of air compressors are not
new, it is not necessary here to particularly describe the means which we employ
for producing the movement of the rod E, though we have shewn connected with
the said rod a portion of a rod F which is to derive motion from a crank-shaft (not
shown) with which the piston rod B is connected.
The inlet valve stems or rods a al have provided or secured firmly upon them at
or near their outer ends, collars or projections e el against which the tappet arms
are caused to operate by the reciprocating movement of the tappet rod for the
purpose of positively closing the inlet valve in either end of the cylinder: at the
termination of each stroke of the piston towards the other end. The said stem a al
have also fast upon them further from their ends, other collars or projections f fl
and between these latter collars and the tappets they have placed loosely upon thein
coil springs g g of proper strength for the purpose of opening the inlet valves as
will be presently described, the said collars ef and e f being so arranged on each
stem and the springs being of such length that the tappets have some play between
the springs and the collars e el and leave the springs free during a considerable
portion of the movement of the tappet rod.
The operation of the inlet valves takes place as follows:
The piston moving in one direction and the tappet carrier or rod E in the other
direction, as the piston arrives near either end of the cylinder, the inlet valve ])
or D' at the other end is closed by the action of its respective tappet on its collar e
or el while the inlet valve at the first mentioned end continues to be kept closed
by the pressure of the air in front of the piston notwithstanding the pressure of
its tappet against its spring g' or 9 and the consequent pressure of the spring upon
its collar or f, the compression of the spring being insufficient to open the
valve until the piston has started on its return stroke and the air pressure behind
it and the consequent resistance to the opening of the valves are sufficiently
reduced, when by the assistance given by the spring to the pressure of the atmos-
phere or source of air or gas supply one valve is at once quickly thrown wide open
for the free and full ingress of air to the cylinder. This operation is illustrated
in Figure 2 wherein the piston is represented as having moved a little way in its
stroke to the right and the tappets to have commenced moving to the left, the
valve having been closed by the previous movement of the tappet d to the right,
and the spring having been so compressed by the corresponding movement of
the tappet that almost immediately after the piston started to the right, the
valve D has been opened by the assistance given by the spring g to the pressure
of the atmosphere on the outer face of said valve. It may be here remarked that
the above operation of opening the valve will take place notwithstanding that the
tappet d has or may have previously commenced moving to the left, the total
length of movement of the tappets being very small compared with that of the
piston stroke, and it will be understood that while the closing of the inlet valve is
effected by the direct action of the tappets and with a positive movement their
opening is produced by the springs independently of the direct action of the tappets
which do not act directly to open the valves but simply compress the springs
sufficiently to make them do so.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In an air compressor, the combination with an inlet valve upon which when
closed the pressure of the air compressed within the compressor cylinder acts with
a tendency to keep it closed, a spring arranged on the stem of said valve, a recipro-
cating tappet rod and a tappet on said rod for operation directly on said spring
to compress the said spring during each stroke of the compressor piston to a degree
sufficient to cause the said spring to open the valve against such pressure of the
air within the cylinder, substantially as herein described.
2. In an air compressor, the combination with an inlet valve having two pro-
jections on its stem, of a tappet carrier and a tappet thereon engaging the valve
stem between said projections for acting positively on one of said projections to
close the valve, and a spring applied between the tappet and the other of said
projections for opening the valve, substantially as herein described.
Thated thin 9-1 domof T..1.. 1907
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.