US1472060A - Eraser-cleaning machine - Google Patents

Description

@et 3U? i923,

EVANS ERASER CLEANING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed' Aug. 4, 1921 @ai 30, ma.' 'nmz-,0m

O. L. EVANS ERASER CLEANING. MACHINE Filed Aug. 4; 1921 3 .sheets-.sheet s N E @s l g@ l Q 5|||||| Fatented @et 3Q, i923..

OSCAR L. EVANS, OF EXCELSIGR, MINNESOTA.

arrasar onirica.

ERASERr-CLEANING MACHNE. i

application iiieaaugust 4, 1921. serial no. maar?.

scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same'.

My invention has for its object to provide an eraser cleaning machine of high, ca-

' pacity and efliciency, andwhich will remove away; and y the chalk dust from the erasers and discharge the same outside of the building in which the machine is used or at any other suitable place.

Generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices, hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

Machines of this character will be found especially serviceable and desirable for use in large grade schools land high schools where a very large number of erasers should be cleaned during a very shortspace of time. In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate'like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings :-f-

Fig. l is a plan View of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, some parts being broken Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 41-4 of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away.

'As preferably constructed, themachine is ,provided with a sheet metal housing 5 having a depending portion 6 and a discharge spout 7, at or near one end. This discharge spout 7 will be extended to the exterior of the building in which the machine is installed or to any other suitable place where the discharge 4of the chalk dust will not be objectionable. The depending portion 6, in one side, is provided with a door 8 and the main body ofthe housing 5 is provided with a. displaceable cover plate 9 shown as slidabl mounted. Y

he housincr described and certain other parts, presently to be described, are shown as supported by a rectangular framework 10, of wood or other suitable material.

'i Rigidly supported by the frame-work 10 and extended along the lower portion of, and into the housing 5, is a feed table 1l, the receiving end of which is outside of said housing. v

p ln this machine, a blast of air is blown into the housing 5 from the fan, made up of a casing 12 and co-operating fan-head 13, which latter is carried by a` shaft 14: journaled in suitable bearings on the frame 10 and provided with 'a pulley 15, over which power-driven belt 16 is arranged to run. The belt 16 may be driven from an electric motor or any other suitable source of power.

The fan-casing 12 haskan air discharging' spout 17 that opens into the front end of the housing 5 at a suitable point above the table 11; and between said. spo-ut and table, below said table, said housing is left open for the feed passageof the erasers and feed belt. The said feed belt is inthe form of endless parallel strips of leather, or other flexible material `and is provided with transversely extended longitudinally spaced slats 19 secured thereto. The erasersg are indicated by the letter Y. Said-feed belt runs over rollers 20 and 21 journaled in the upper laterallyspacedbeams. 10a of the frame 10. The roller 21 is an idleroller,

but the roller 20 is a driving roller, and itsA shaft 20aV projects .at one end, and is provided with a pulley22. Said feed belt or apron 13 runs over and beneath the table V11 and its operative upper portion moves frictionally upon said table and is supported thereby.

Overlying the inner portion `of the table and feed belt and suitably spaced above the same, is a cylindrical brush 23, the shaft 24 of which is journaled in suitable bearings on the frame beams 10a, and one projecting end is provided with a pulley 25. y

, The fan shaft 14, at its rear end, is pro vided with. a beveled pinion 26 that meshes with a bevel gear. 27 on a transverse shaft 28 journaled in suitable bearings on the main frame 10. At one projecting end, the shaft 23 is provided with pulleys 29 and 30, and, at the other end, it is provided with a crankl 31. The pulley 30 carries a crank pin 32 that serves `as a companion crankvto said crank 31. 'v A,

Working within the housing 5 between the front or receiving end thereof and the rotary brush 23 is a beater plate or board 33, preferably grooved on the under side and provided with upwardly projecting studs 34 that extendl through oscillatory arms 35, the downturned front ends of which, as shown, are pivoted n transverse rods 36 just above the line of movement of the upper portions of the erasers Y. Coiled springs 37 surround the studs 34 and are compressed between the beater board33 and the arms 35.'V

Collars 38, iixed on the studs 34, 'limit the downward movement ofthe beater board 33 from the arms 35.

Forvoscillating the beater boardi33, oscillatory movement is directly given to the arms 35, through laterallyspaced pitmans or connecting rods 39, the upper ends of vwhich are pivoted to the ends .of a cross-bar -40'which connects the arms 35. The lower ends of the pitmans 39 are pvotally connetzteil, one to the crank 31 and the otherto the crank pin 32 of thepulley 30. The ends `of the cross-.bar 40 work through openings in sides ofthe casing vand are attached to flexible Vsheets 40a that keep said openings closed.

A belt 4l runs over theI aligned pulleys 29 and 25 to. impart rotary motion to the cylindrical brush 23; and a crossed belt 42 yruns, over thev aligned . pulleys 30 and 22 to transmit motion to the roller 2O and, hence, to the feed belt.

For holding the erasers down upon the feed belt and to prevent jumping ac-V tions of the .erasers while they are being beaten, I provide a plurality of longitudinally extended, laterally spaced, flexible cables 43. These cables 43 may be hemp cords, wires, small wire cables or the like, and at their front ends, they are shown as attached to the transverse rod 36, while at `vtheiryrear ends, theyare anchored to a ytransverse tension rod 44, the ends of which latter project through slots in the sides of the housing 5.and are connectedto coiled Y springs 45 anchored to said housing. The springs 45 keep all ofthe cablesor cords stretched taut and positioned just above the upturned felt surfaces of the erasers.

Operation.

The operation of this improved machine is substantially as follows: The erasers to be ycleaned are spaced side bv side in rows between the slats A19 vvof the feed belt, withV their felt faces turned upward.. In this way, a very .large 4number of erasers may .be kept constantly on the feed belt and subject to. the .beating action of the beater' board or plate 3.3. When the machine is in operation, they beater board 33 will be rapidly vibrated or oscillated upward and downward, andunder each downward movement, itwll strike and beat the chalk laden felt faces of the erasers, thereby loosening Us land beating out the chalk dust- The @were will be quite Well cleaned before they reach the rotary brush 23, but

by the latter, the remaining loose dust will be brushed out frornthe felt faces of the erasers. This cleaning action is, of course, greatly accelerated by the action ofthe air blast whichV is blown through the housing, and constantly carries off the loosened chalk dust without giving the same a chance to settle, after having been loosened up. In addition to its beating action, the beater ward movements tends to carry and blow the chalk dust outof the erasers.

kIt is further important to noteiirst, that the air blast is blown through the housing y ,board 33,1under both 4downward Vand upin the same direction in which the erasers are fedV thereto; and second, that the cylindrical brush 23 is rotated in a directiontodischarge, the dust from the erasers in the sameV direction in which the erasers are being .fed through the .housing by the feed belt. Hence, boththe action of the airblast and of the rotary brush serve to'increaSe the rapidity with which the loosened chalk dust will be delivered through the discharge spout V.7.

It should be further noted that-the beater board 33 is so flexibly or yieldingly con knected to the supporting arms 35'that it will adapt itself universally to varying or irregular surfaces produced by the upturned felt faces ofthe erasers engaged thereby. Moreover, the said beater board 33, when stopped' against the erasers, does not prevent further movements with the arms 35.V I-Ience,lsaid arms may be arranged for greateroscillatory Vmovement than that of the beater board,Y

and the beater board will be given such selfadjusting action that it will adapt itself to the beating of erasers of different thicknesses without requiring Vre-adjustment of the machine. l r Y The crasers to be cleaned are placed on thatportion of the feed belt that is outside housing having an air intake at one end` loo and an air outlet at its other end, `of a powerdriven fan havinga discharge lspout connected to the air intake ofi-said housing, a .power-driven horizontally disposed feed belt operative to feed erasers into said housing in a direction from Said air intake toward said air outlet, a table over which they upper portion of said feed belt moves, a beater board Working above said feed belt, pivoted arms yieldingly connected to and supporting said beater board, and powerdriven crank devices connected to said arms for oscillating the same.

2. The construction defined in claim l in further combination with retaining cables laterally spaced and supported above said belt and below said beater board.

3. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a housing having an air intake at one end and an air outlet at the other end, of a deck extending under the air intake and terminating short of the air outlet, a feed device arranged to feed erasers over the deck; a fan having a discharge spout at the air intake, and a beater working above the deck, said housing` having a discharge opening for the erasers below the inner end of the deck.

4. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a housing, a deck, means for feeding erasers over the deck, a beater working above the deck, pivoted arms yieldingly connected to and supporting the beater, means connected to the arms for oscillating the same, and means for forcing a blast of air through the housing.

5. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a housing, of a deck, means for feeding erasers over the deck, a. beater working above said means and being in the form of a board having a groovedunder surface, means for holding the erasers on the deck during the action of the beater thereon, and means for forcing a blast of air through the housing.

6. The structure defined in claim 5 in which said means for holding the erasers on the deck is in the form of flexible cables.

7. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a housing, of a deck, means for feeding erasers over the deck, a beater working above said means, yieldingly held flexible cables for holding the erasers on the deck during the action of the beater thereon, and means for forcing a blast of air through the housing.

8. The structure defined in claim 7 in further combination with a brush operative on the erasers between said cables and inner end of the deck.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

OSCAR L. EVANS.

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